THE LOST WONDERLAND DIAIRES by J Scott Savage

THE LOST WONDERLAND DIARIES by J Scott Savage. What a fun way to fall back into Wonderland, literally! Celia and Tyrus take us back to Wonderland in a fantastic way. I loved getting to know the Wonderland characters even more than when Alice went there. The Mad Hatter had a depth that I loved. I will admit that the first couple of chapters were a little bit slow for me, but once it got going, I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book to anyone, especially those who love Wonderland. It's a great way to introduce the next generation to Lewis Carroll, although it does help to know a little bit about Alice in Wonderland before hand.

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Something monstrous has been found in the magic world of Wonderland and it wants to get out.

Lewis Carroll created a curious and fantastical world in his classic book Alice in Wonderland, but he secretly recorded the true story of his actual travels to Wonderland in four journals which have been lost to the world...until now.

Celia and Tyrus discover the legendary Lost Diaries of Wonderland and fall into a portal that pulls them into the same fantasy world as the White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter. However, Wonderland has vastly changed. A darkness has settled over the land, and some creatures and characters that Tyrus remembers from the book have been transformed into angry monsters.

Celia and Tyrus make their way through this unpredictable and dangerous land, helped by familiar friends including the Cheshire Cat and a new character, Sylvan, a young rabbit. Together, they desperately work to solve puzzles and riddles, looking for a way out of Wonderland. But the danger increases when the Queen of Hearts begins hunting them. Believing the two young visitors hold the key to opening multiple portals to multiple worlds, she will stop at nothing to capture them.

It's up to Celia and Tyrus to save Wonderland and the real world.  It's a race against time before they are trapped in Wonderland forever.

THE PAPER DAUGHTERS OF CHINATOWN by Heather B Moore

THE PAPER DAUGHTERS OF CHINATOWN by Heather B Moore. What a fascinating story. Donaldina was such an amazing woman. Her courage and strength motivated me to want to do better not only as a woman but as a human. What she was able to do for the girls brought to American under false pretense was incredible. She, and all those who helped her, are a heroes in all definitions of the word. What an incredibly eye opening book that I would recommend to just about anyone. It might not be suitable for younger readers due to the subject of human trafficking. There is nothing graphic or explicit, but it is heavy content.

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A powerful story based on true events surrounding Donaldina Cameron and other brave women who fought to help Chinese-American women escape discrimination and slavery in the late 19th century in California.

When Donaldina Cameron arrives at the Occidental Mission Home for Girls in 1895, she intends to teach sewing skills to young Chinese women immigrants, but, within days, she discovers that the job is much more complicated than perfect stitches and even hems. San Francisco has a dark side, one where a powerful underground organization--the criminal tong--brings Chinese young women to America to sell them as slaves. With the help of Chinese interpreters and the Chinatown police squad, Donaldina becomes a tireless social reformer to stop the abominable slave and prostitution trade.

Mei Lien believes she is sailing to the "Gold Mountain" in America to become the wife of a rich Chinese man. Instead she finds herself sold into prostitution--beaten, starved, and forced into an opium addiction. It is only after a narrow escape that she hears of the mission home and dares to think there might be hope for a new life.

BRASS CARRIAGES AND GLASS HEARTS by Nancy Campbell Allen

BRASS CARRIAGES AND GLASS HEARTS by Nancy Campbell Allen. What a fun addition to the Proper Romance Series, and to the other Steampunk fairy tale retells Allen has already done. I will admitt I had to really think toward the end of how this story was based on Cinderella, but once I figured it out, it was truly well done. I loved Emme and Oliver. They were the perfect nemeses. I loved seeing characters from previous novels. I really loved everything about this story. The crazy situations. How things worked out in the end. It was a well done story that anyone who loves romance mixed with thrills, suspense, and adventure will love. I highly recommend it.

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A steampunk retelling of Cinderella.

Emmeline O’Shea has been an outspoken advocate for the shapeshifter community, which has come under unjust attack from a political body known as the PSRC (Predatory Shifter Regulations Committee), and her robust efforts have landed her a prestigious position as the spokesperson for the International Shifter Rights Organization. She has been selected to give the final address in Scotland before they vote on legislation that will grant protective rights to the shifter community. Because she is fundamentally changing the laws, she is also receiving death threats.

Oliver Reed is a by-the-book detective-inspector who has dealt with Emme’s borderline-illegal activism in the past, and there is little love lost between the two. When his superior tasks Oliver with guarding Emme around the clock to keep her safe until the summit is over, he is frustrated. He has several open cases requiring his attention, and his spare time is occupied with chasing down leads about the whereabouts of his brother, Vincent, a rogue vampire bent on causing trouble in Scotland.

When their airship is hijacked, Emme and Oliver are forced to parachute away before they exit British soil. They take refuge in Emme’s family’s hunting lodge where Oliver is introduced to her abusive stepsisters.

Together the pair must make their way to Edinburgh so as not to miss the summit meeting where Emme will be key in helping to pass legislation that will disband the corrupt PSRC. But between her vindictive sisters and Oliver’s rogue vampire brother, they face danger at every turn, not to mention dealing with their growing attraction for each other.

When Emme is kidnapped – leaving behind only one shoe as evidence – Oliver must find her before it’s too late – and the summit ends at midnight.

PIONEERING THE VOTE by Neylan McBaine

PIONEERING THE VOTE by Neylan McBaine.  What a fascinating topic. I had no idea that the women in the west were forerunners in the suffrage movement. The background gave me pause to think things through in a different point of view. I loved all the information that was given and the story it laid out. I struggled with the format of the book. It began with a story from Emmeline's point of view and went to a "looking back" section that filled in the historical aspect of what was happening. Then it went back to the story, but sometimes the story was only a paragraph or two. There were also biographies of different women (amazing women that I loved to learn about) put in the middle of both the "looking back" and story sections. It took me almost four chapters to wrap my head around how the book was structured. Of course, it's my opinion and others may not have the issues I did in reading it. I'd love to know what you think.

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In 1895, Utah's leading suffragist, Emmeline B. Wells, welcomed her friends Susan B. Anthony and Reverend Anna Howard Shaw to a gathering of more than 8,000 people from around the nation at the Rocky Mountain Suffrage Convention. They were there to celebrate the suffrage movement's recent wins and strategize their next triumphs. Pioneering the Vote tells the remarkable, largely unknown story of the early suffrage victories that happened in states and territories in the American West. With the encouragement of the Eastern leaders, women from Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and Idaho came together in a unique moment of friendship and unified purpose to secure the vote for women in America.

ROBIN AND MARIAN by Stephanie Fowers

ROBIN AND MARIAN by Stephanie Fowers. This was a Whitney Award Finalist in 2019. I was excited for this story. Robin Hood is a favorite of mine. It was interesting how literal she was able to make the story. The little town was cute and the characters were fun. The romance between Robin and Marian was intriguing. I found that I had a hard time believing some of the things in the story. Of course prison sentences for different crimes are not my strong suit, but for me it was a bit on the unbelievable side. I would recommend the story for those who love a play on Robin Hood and good story with lots of twists.

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Who says Chivalry is dead?

Robin King lives up to the legendary name of Robin Hood more than he should—a bigshot billionaire and successor of King enterprises, a Prince of Mischief and a rogue who steals hearts ... and maybe even a few kisses. He never thought he’d follow the storyline so closely, until the day he gets in trouble with the law and pays the price—all for protecting his younger sister Scarlett.

Taken in by an Outlaw

Marian is a hard-hitting reporter … or would be if the New England Chronicle would stop assigning her puff pieces. Now she has the chance to prove herself, but it could prove her undoing—since the story of a lifetime might just be Robin King, a ruthless scoundrel, who she swore would never break her heart again.

Making New England Olde again

Together, they must overcome their differences to save their hometown from thieves and corruption. And they’d better do it before someone gets killed. As danger lurks closer, legend becomes life, and Robin’s feelings for Marian deepen as he struggles with sharing the secrets that could clear his name and ruin his sister.

THE NOBLE SMUGGLER by Sian Ann Bessey

THE NOBLE SMUGGLER by Sian Ann Bessey. This was a fun romance to read. It is sent on the coastline where smuggling was the way of life. It shows what some good people do in order to bring down the wicked, reminding me a lot of current day undercover police officers, albeit untrained in this story, and how far people will go to get the justice they feel is deserved. I enjoyed the historical people sprinkled into the story, and I loved Elizabeth and Jonas. How their stories intertwined was beautifully done. I would highly recommend this book to any and everyone who loves a good historical story with romance throughout.

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Despite living at her father's inn her entire life, Elizabeth Doyle has always managed to avoid involvement with the smugglers who frequently gather there. Until now. When a handsome smuggler is brought to her with dire injuries, Elizabeth risks everything to hide him—completely unaware that the wounded man is not who he appears to be.

When an opportunity arises to infiltrate the notorious smuggling gang he believes caused his father's death, Jonas Ainsworth, the Viscount Langton, pretends to be one of them. But when he is wounded mid-charade, Jonas's life is placed in the hands of an unlikely savior: a smuggler's daughter. Forced to flee before his wounds have fully healed, he does not think he will ever see her again—until she appears on his doorstep, seeking safe haven. Divided by their social standings yet united in their mutual desire to expose the leader of the smuggling ring, Jonas and Elizabeth are undeniably drawn to each other. Neither realizes, however, that they are dangerously close to uncovering explosive secrets from the past—secrets that will alter the course of their lives forever.

A CHANGE IN FORTUNE by Traci Hunter Abramson

A CHANGE IN FORTUNE by Traci Hunter Abramson. It's hard for me not to enjoy any book written by Traci, and this one was no exception. I love the portrayal of someone not corrupted by the sudden abundance of wealth. I love seeing so clearly Brooke's circumstance before and after. I related to and felt for Brooke and the trials she was going through. Jason was the perfect friend, and I loved how well they worked together. The tug and pull of the ups and downs in their relationship were well written and I was truly invested in their outcome. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a great story.

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Law student Brooke Sherman leads an enviable life, with an impressive education, a prestigious internship, and an ambitious boyfriend who any girl on campus would love to date. But one phone call shatters everything: her father, the optimistic man who insists on buying lottery tickets and dreaming big, has terminal cancer. Desperate to get home and predictably unable to rely on her boyfriend, Brooke finds an unlikely hero in the form of her classmate.

Jason Ramsey has had a crush on his study partner Brooke for months, but he’d never encroach on someone else’s girlfriend—even if the guy doesn’t treat her the way she deserves. But when he learns of Brooke’s father’s diagnosis, Jason steps up to help however he can. In the weeks and months following, Jason is Brooke’s rock, and after Brooke’s breakup, Jason becomes much more than just a friend. But even as they plan for a future together, things get complicated: Brooke’s father had a dying wish, that his daughter buy one last lottery ticket. She never dreamed that fulfilling that wish would jeopardize a future with the man she loves.