This was my first time reading a book from the Beamer Street series, and I was pleasantly surprised by how easily I was able to settle into the story. Although this is the fourth installment, it works very well as a standalone, and I never felt lost or confused by ongoing storylines or characters. The…
Historical Fiction
Heartache on West India Dock Road by Renita D’Silva | Book Review
Set against the devastating backdrop of pre-war Germany and wartime London, this story weaves together loss, survival, and community in the face of unimaginable cruelty. In 1938 Germany, Ruth lives with her close-knit Jewish family as Nazi persecution intensifies. During Kristallnacht, while sheltering in their synagogue, her world is completely destroyed. By the end of…
Trying Times for the Mill Girls by Chrissie Walsh | Book Review
The Mill Girls of Locke’s Mill, Book Two drops readers into the next chapter of the Hardcastle–Lockwood family saga, and although I didn’t read the first book, the author offers enough context that I never felt lost. The story begins three years after Verity and Oliver rescued the mill from ruin, now happily married and…
The Little French Bookshop by Cecile Pivot | Book Review
I really wanted to love this book. As soon as I saw the premise—a bookshop owner starting a letter-writing workshop to bring people together—I thought it sounded like the perfect cozy, heartfelt read. The idea of finding community through letters, especially after loss, is such a beautiful one. Unfortunately, while the concept is wonderful, the…
Woden’s Storm by Donovan Cook | Book Review
This is the first book I’ve read in this series, and while Woden’s Storm is technically the second installment, I found it engaging and easy enough to follow on its own. The story wastes no time in pulling readers into the complex interplay between men and gods, belief and power, and the constantly changing political…
War Lord: Scourge of Rome by Adam Lofthouse | Book Review
This is the third and final installment in Adam Lofthouse’s series, and though it’s the only one I’ve read so far, I was hooked from the very first page. The book throws you straight into the action—no time wasted on gentle introductions—and somehow that works perfectly for Alaric, the lovable troublemaker at the heart of…
Desolation by Keith Moray | Book Review
This is a darkly atmospheric and intelligent historical mystery that drops readers right into 14th-century England—a time when war, pestilence, and paranoia ruled the land. The Hundred Years’ War with France rages on, and the country reels under the return of the Black Death, a plague so devastating it claims one in five souls. Against…
Shield of Mercia by MJ Porter | Book Review
From the opening pages, I should have known that the fleeting tranquility wouldn’t last—because where would the excitement be in that? The calm quickly gives way to a tempest of battle, treachery, and survival. Once again, the weather itself feels like a living, breathing character—cold, wet, and relentless. You can practically feel the dampness in…
Ashes of Rebellion by Michael Jecks | Book Review
Having read book one of the series but not books two and three, I did find myself missing a bit of context going into Ashes of Rebellion. There’s little in the way of recap, which makes it harder for newer or lapsed readers to fully connect with some of the characters. Because of this, most…
Eagle and the Flame by Adam Lofthouse | Book Review
Eagle and the Flame by Adam Lofthouse is a fascinating reimagining of Roman Britain during the late 360s. This is a world defined by shifting power—Roman forts abandoned, soldiers left unpaid and disillusioned, and tribes across Hadrian’s Wall watching keenly as the reach of Rome begins to weaken. While history tells us the true end…
