Brighton, England 1820 Amelia Moore wants only one thing–to secure the future happiness of her younger sister, Clara. With their stepfather’s looming death, the two sisters will soon be on their own–without family, a home, or a penny to their names. When an invitation arrives to join a house party at Lakeshire Park, Amelia grasps at the chance. If she can encourage a match between Clara and their host, Sir Ronald, then at least her sister will be taken care of. Little does she know that another guest, the arrogant and overconfident Mr. Peter Wood, is after the same goal for his own sister. Amelia and Peter begin a rivalry that Amelia has no choice but to win. But competing against Peter–and eventually playing by his rules–makes Amelia vulnerable to losing the only thing she has left to claim: her heart.
My Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
This book was a breath of fresh air. What a wonderful romance. From the beginning I was rooting for Amelia and Peter. Beautiful love story with a happy ending.
This one also has a secondary romance between Clara and Sir Ronald. And it also has two sibling bonds that is heartwarming and relatable.
I highly recommend this read. And don’t be like me, read it soon after you get it.
I was given an ARC by the publisher via netgalley, way too long ago.
A breathtaking romantic fantasy inspired by Beauty and the Beast about a girl who paints the future and a cursed dragon lord, bound by love and deception in a plot to bring down the gods.
From the New York Times bestselling author of Six Crimson Cranes!
“Everything I love in a story—danger, complex characters, romance, betrayal and gorgeous writing.” —Mary E. Pearson, New York Times bestselling author of Dance of Thieves
Truyan Saigas didn’t choose to become a con artist, but after her father is lost at sea, it’s up to her to support her mother and two younger sisters. A gifted art forger, Tru has the unique ability to paint the future, but even such magic is not enough to put her family back together again, or stave off the gangsters demanding payment in blood for her mother’s gambling debts.
Left with few options, Tru agrees to a marriage contract with a mysterious dragon lord. He offers a fresh start for her mother and sisters and elusive answers about her father’s disappearance, but in exchange, she must join him in his desolate undersea palace. And she must assist him in a plot to infiltrate the tyrannical Dragon King’s inner circle, painting a future so treasonous, it could upend both the mortal and immortal realms. . . .
My Review:
This book was beautiful. From the set up to the finale, I couldn’t ask for a better journey. Loved it. First off, Elizabeth Lim is a master storyteller. She captures sibling relationships so well. I love the dynamics she writes. You can feel the love in the family unit. And the sweet and clean romances are heartwarming and just perfect. It was fun being back in Ai’long and seeing a familiar half dragon.
The inspiring, true story of Sir Nicholas Winton, who ingeniously rescued hundreds of children before Hitler’s invasion of Czechoslovakia.
The shadow of war was spreading across Europe. Hitler’s armies had marched into the borderlands of Czechoslovakia, forcing Jewish families, among others, to flee their homes and seek refuge in any location that would accept them.
When Nicholas Winton, the son of Jewish-German immigrants, traveled from London to Czechoslovakia to help the refugee families huddled in tents in sprawling encampments, an ingenious plan began to formulate in his head. By special waiver, children could leave the country without their parents, as long as host families abroad took them in. As word of his plan spread, parents lined the hallways and staircases of Winton’s hotel, begging for help. If Nicholas could get their children out of the country safely, the families would find a way to join them. Three weeks later, when Winton returned to London, he carried with him the names and photographs of hundreds of children—even babies—entrusted to him by their parents.
With the assistance of his mother and a growing circle of helpers, Winton began recruiting host families, raising funds, and securing visas. For nine months, he arranged for children to travel by train and ferry to England. Then war was declared, and the Czech border closed.
Fifty years later, Nicholas’s wife, Grete, discovered a long-forgotten scrapbook in their attic containing the names and documentation of 669 children. It was the only record of her husband’s remarkable rescue efforts. What followed was a series of equally remarkable events that allowed this heroic story to be told and for millions to learn the fate of these rescued children, all on live television.
The Light That Shines Forever is a beautifully illustrated picture book, with primary source documents and photographs, that brings to life a remarkable wartime rescue. Its lesson and message invite readers to ask the questions: What light will we bring to others? What stories will fill the scrapbooks of our lives?
My Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
While I read this short book I realized I had seen a documententary where many adults that stood up in recognition of a man who had saved him. This added an emotional level to this book for me when I made the connection. I’m grateful for men like him who saved others. This book includes a short biography with beautiful illustrations and is definitely a must read. Be prepared to be moved. I could not read this with a dry eye.
I recieved an ARC from the publisher via Net Galley.
