The Girl in His Shadow

 

Normally I do not read the Big Library monthly reads but I liked the cover of this one so I read the description and was intrigued. I did not realized The Girl in His Shadow was a series and of course the second book is checked out with a long wait list. 

Nora knows she is lucky, having survived the deadly pandemic that killed her family Nora is now the ward of renowned surgeon Dr. Croft. Unfortunately for Nora she is doomed to fail at what she loves helping people by practicing medicine. The law forbids women from being more then a nurse or a midwife. Nora dreams of doing surgery and will risk it all to make her dream a reality. 

The character building was nice, I really enjoyed how you go to know each character and the differences in them. Despite everything being told from Nora's point of view I never felt like I did not know the other characters. A few times what felt like old English slang was used and I had to look up the word which was fine. I am on the waiting list for the second book. 

Autumn Nights

 

Autumns Nights is two books in one, The Playboy and the Widow and Almost an Angel. I have previously read The Playboy and the Widow so I just read Almost an Angel. 

Bethany has been in love with her boss for ages and knows he is not aware of it. Unable to confess her feelings Bethany decides the best course of action is to quit and make a clean break from Joshua. That does not go according to plan though when Joshua askes Bethany to help him with his ten year old daughter Angela who is coming to live with him. Soon Bethany has found herself in over her head as she struggles with her emotions for Joshua not being replicated and caring deeply for the spunky Angela. 

Debbe Macomber is a master of writing typical feel good stories with happy endings. I like that on occasion and it is nice to have a light read at times. The writing is smooth and consistent, clearly Mrs. Macomber has an amazing editor.  

The Wife Upstairs

 

I have been wanting to read The Wife Upstairs for awhile and when I saw it was available through the e-library I quickly checked it out. At the time I did not catch on that it was a retelling of Jane Eyre. 

Jane is mysterious and keeps to herself. Despite walking dogs in a rich neighborhood for a living Jane does not want to be considered the help she wants a glamorous lifestyle. When the rich and widowed Eddie almost runs her down with his car that is the in she needs to become part of the upper class. Determined to make things work Jane is happy with her new life but little does she know it is built on a web of lies.

Fairly quickly I figured out the mystery which was disappointing. Even though I have not read or seen Jane Eyre I knew the basic plot and I was hoping for some great twists in the retelling. Everything was just too predictable for me sadly. 

Trinkets, Treasures, and Other Bloody Magic

 

Trinkets' Treasures, and other Bloody Magic is the second book in The Dowser series. 

Jade is a mess, her foster sister has betrayed her and her magic. Unable to really cope with Sienna having embraced blood magic Jade does her best to conform to her new life. Guarded by a werewolf and mentored by an ancient vampire always keeps Jade on her toes and leaves her little time to mourn the loss of Sienna. Things get even more complicated for Jade when the fledgling Mori shows up demanding Jade help her contact her deceased brother. 

While having some issues with the story I did overall like the storyline enough to continue with the series. This felt like two stories in one, the story lines did not transition smoothly and around the forty percent mark the first story ended and then wham another story started. Also I am not liking the somewhat love triangle feel going on. Despite that the story line is unique and I do enjoy the banter that some of the characters share at times. 

The Last Camellia

 

I always get so excited to find a book in the local free library that I did not put in that I do sort of a happy book dance. The Last Camellia has a lovely cover and since I needed something to read I grabbed it. 

Normally I avoid books that talk about two time periods at once since authors seem to be unable to distinguish between the two times clearly and the two characters often feel like the same person just in different clothes. Thankfully that was not the case with Mrs. Jio's work. 

Flora is taken advantage of by a con man who wants her to find a rare flower on a country estate. Knowing her family desperately needs the money Flora agrees and leaves her life in New York to go to England and be a nanny. There she falls in love with the four children and struggles to accept that she must betray the family she has grown to love.

Addison agrees to a vacation with her husband who wants to visit the historic manor his parents bought. Wanting to escape her past Addison quickly agrees and is enthralled by the mystery of the overgrown garden.

Both girls had enough distinction that they were easy to tell apart. I liked Addison better she seemed less Mary Sue then Flora. However I liked the mystery that Flora was solving more then the mysteries Addison was trying to figure out. The writing was smooth and totally PG which was highly appreciated. The ending felt rushed which was a shame since I wanted the overall mysteries fleshed out more.