Hello and welcome to this week’s post. I actually was able to finish two books this time and am part way through a third. Here is the first one…

My first book of the week was The Map of Bones by Kate Mosse, #04 The Joubert Family Chronicles. This is the blurb…

Olifantshoek, Southern Africa, 1688.
When the violent Cape wind blows from the south-east, they say the voices of the unquiet dead can be heard whispering through the deserted valley. Suzanne Joubert, a Huguenot refugee from war-torn France, is here to walk in her cousin’s footsteps. Louise Reydon-Joubert, the notorious she-captain and pirate commander, landed at the Cape of Good Hope more than sixty years ago, then disappeared from the record as if she had never existed. Suzanne has come to find her – to lay the stories to rest. But all is not as it seems…

Franschhoek, Southern Africa, 1862.
Nearly one hundred and eighty years after Suzanne’s perilous journey, another intrepid and courageous woman of the Joubert family – Isabelle Lepard – has journeyed to the small frontier town once known as Oliftantshoek in search of her long-lost relations. A journalist and travel writer, intent on putting the women of her family back into the history books, she quickly discovers that the tragedies and crimes of the past are far from over. Isabelle faces a race against time if she is not only going to discover the truth but escape with her life…

I was really pleased when I saw this on the Library’s ebook site, having read all of the previous books in the series quite some time ago. Here is my response on Goodreads…

The Map of Bones by Kate Mosse
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was so pleased to see that this final book in the series was available. Having read the preceding books quite some time ago, I had forgotten much of the story, but this book drew everything together by the end. I loved reading the history of such wonderful, strong women set in times and countries that were so different from my own life. The characters were very well drawn and the settings gave a real sense of history and geography. I loved reading Kate Mosse’s writing and am looking forward to her next book!

View all my reviews

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My second book of the week…

The Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman, #01 The Wolf King, was recommended by the Science Fiction and Fantasy group that I follow on Facebook, so I thought that I would give it a try. Anyway, this is the blurb…

‘I want to mark you as mine. And I can think of countless ways I would do it. Countless ill-advised, highly pleasurable ways I would do it.’

When war erupts between humans and werewolves, a princess finds herself torn between duty and desire.

On the eve of her wedding, Princess Aurora catches the eye of a powerful alpha, Callum.

Believing she’s the key to ending a brutal war, Callum kidnaps Aurora, whisking her away to the rugged lands north of the border.

There, a forbidden attraction starts to grow. Just as Aurora learns not all Wolves are bad, Callum discovers that she is in danger from those closest to him.

With monsters on both sides and a bloodthirsty war raging, will their story end in love or tragedy? And will Aurora ever get home?

Does she even want to?

So, the genre of this book is listed as Romantasy! This made me laugh, but I read it anyway. You are never too old for a bit of fantasy mixed with romance, in my view! Here is my short review…

The Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So, let’s say that I did enjoy reading this book in the main. It began quite well with a beautiful, lonely and sad princess meeting a handsome, dangerous, hunky, kilt wearing werewolf! Then there was a lot of hot and steamy, will she, won’t she. Then we had another handsome, hunky, trouser wearing and even more dangerous werewolf. Plus more dangerous…

Anyway, after this the plot sank into rather repetitive action and reaction. Oh, and lazy writing. If we have a fantasy, sword bearing world, how would they know about adrenaline? That, and similar issues, really annoyed me, so I don’t think I will read the sequels.

But, you never know, in the future I might be pining for handsome, hunky, dangerous…

View all my reviews

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Right, I am now leaving the world of handsome, hunky…

Stop it, Anne!

Happy Reading everyone!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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