A Murderous Malady by Christine Trent

A Murderous Malady is the second installment of the Florence Nightingale Mysteries series. I must confess that I’ve not read first, though after reading this one, I surely will. The author blends fact and fiction marvelously, as she depicts a tale in which Florence Nightingale(Flo) is not only a nursing and medical research icon, but also an astute an excellent detective. It is such a clever idea to construct Nightingale as an investigator. As a nurse myself, I found the idea very intriguing.

BLURB:

“The London summer of 1854 is drawing to a close when a deadly outbreak of cholera and grips the city. Florence Nightingale is back on the scene marshaling her nurses to help treat countless suffering patients at Middlesex Hospital as the disease tears through the Soho slums. But beyond the dangers of the disease, something even more evil is seeping through the evening streets of London.

It begins with an attack on the carriage of Florence’s friend, Elizabeth Herbert, wife to Secretary at War Sidney Herbert. Florence survives, but her coachman does not. Within hours, Sidney’s valet stumbles into the hospital, mutters a few cryptic words about the attack, and promptly dies from cholera. Frantic that an assassin is stalking his wife, Sidney enlists Florence’s help, who accepts but has little to go on save for the valet’s last words and a curious set of dice in his jacket pocket. Soon, the suspects are piling up faster than the cholera victims, as there seems to be no end to the number of people who bear a grudge against the Herbert household.

Now, Florence is in a race against time -not only to save the victims of a lethal disease, but to boil a murderer with a disturbingly sinister goal- in a A Murderous Malady.”

I love this book! The writing and articulation made me feel as if I had somehow fallen back in time. Trent certainly knows her history or has done lots of research. If you love Downton Abbey and mystery this is the book for you.

Told from Florence’s perspective, this seems in accurate depiction of what her thoughts and demeanor might have been for the time period. The vernacular, customs, and manners of that era are realistically portray throughout the book. Though Trent does implement some historical license with actual timelines, I found it unerring otherwise. One can certainly appreciate the authors’s eloquent writing talent. Her proficiency bring an authentic voice to the narrative.

Overall the plot is engaging in the characters a well-developed. I was engrossed in this book from the beginning to the end. The story wraps up nicely, leaving the reader both satisfied, and eager to see what Trent may have in store for Flo. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Forever Disguised Review

After reading the first novel in the Angelheart Saga, I could hardly wait for the second book. It did NOT disappoint! Forever Disguised follows Erica after everything that happened in First Came Forever. She is trying to move on with her life after the terrible events that took place in the first book.

It is not just a YA Romance. It has drama, intrigue, and surprising twists that keep you guessing and wishing you could read faster! It will take you to emotional highs and lows, keeping you guessing and hoping, then just when you think you know what will happen-BOOM!- here comes another twist.

I didn’t want to have any spoilers in this review for anyone but there are some things I just have to tell you- you’re going to cry. You are going to laugh. You’re going to wish it wouldn’t end, and THEN you’re gonna have to wait for book 3…

Guess it isn’t hard to tell that I really, really enjoyed this book. I can’t wait for the third. If you haven’t read the first- you need to, if for no other reason that then you can read THIS one =0)

Overall, I give this book 5/5 stars. Annie is such an approachable and sweet person. If you’d like to learn more about her, please see the interview  I did with her in my previous blog post or visit her on Goodreads, IG, or her website: anniewoodsbooks.com

An Interview with author Annie Woods

As her second installment of the Angel Heart Saga, Forever Disguised, is being released, I thought it would be appropriate to interview her.  Don’t for get to enter her Blog Tour and Giveaway on Instagram

1-At what age did you know you wanted to be a writer/ when did you begin writing?

I can still remember the feeling when I learned to read and this whole new wonderful world opened up to me. I was so blown away! Since then books have been such a huge part of my life, first by reading of course, but also by writing small stories myself. But even though I’ve dreamed about being a writer since I can remember, I never dared to follow my dream until The Angelheart Saga. Before that I never truly believed that I could be a writer, so even though stories have been popping up, I never did any serious attempts to write a whole book. But when the images of Erica and Sasha and the others in The Angelheart Saga came to me about four-five years ago on a vacation in California, I felt that the story was so strong that I just couldn’t let it go but had to try and write it down. So I guess that you could say that it was the story itself that inspired me to finally pursue my author dreams! I really do wish so much that I could go back in time and tell the younger me to believe in myself and pursue my dream to write much sooner, not to wait this long to do it…

2-did you have a career before being an author and if so, what was it?

Yes I did and I still have. I’m nowhere near being able to live on my writing, so besides being an author, I also have another full-time job. This means that I have to try and write whenever I can between work and being with my family. I guess that you could call me a “nocturnal airplane writer” as I do most of my writing when the rest of the family is asleep or on the flight between our two homes in Stockholm and New York.

3- where do you get your inspiration for stories and are characters based on real people you know or are they totally fictional?

I get inspiration from just about anything really! Reading books and watching movies. Overhearing a conversation on the subway. Remembering something that have happened in my own life. Often the ideas pop up when I’m out running and then I stop to write notes on my iPhone, so I remember the ideas and can write them down in the evening. I have to admit though that Erica is very much based on myself. But, as an author’s privilege, she is a bit smarter and better looking lol… But besides that, she’s just like me; clumsy, a bookworm, something of “an old soul”, feeling out of step with her same age friends and being too serious for her own good at times, a kind of bad driver, but a great runner finding peace and quiet and respite from all demands out in the woods with her running shoes on.

Also, most of the places described in the books are based on my own experiences and my own visits. I really love Cambodia and Vietnam, as well as Chicago and New York (which is my second home), which I hope shows in the books.

4- If you could meet and have a discussion with ANY other author, who would it be and why?

Oh, there are so many amazing authors out there! I love YA authors like Becky Albertalli, Rainbow Rowell, Mackenzi Lee, Marie Lu and Cassandra Clare and would so much love to meet them all. But if I have to choose one author, it would have to be J.K. Rowling, for the way she created a whole universe on her own and all the characters that you love and carry with you in your heart forever. With Harry Potter, she has also helped so many troubled and lonely children, giving them hope and bringing them joy, it’s utterly amazing. There’s even a research study proving that the Harry Potter books help children to be more accepting of LGBT persons, so the books are literally making the world a better place! J.K. Rowling is such an inspiration to me and it would be a dream come to true to meet her!

5- What is your fave or main fandom (besides your own of course?)

Harry Potter for sure!

6- do you utilize Alpha and Beta readers?

I haven’t so far, but I think I will for the third book in The Angelheart Saga. The first and the second book were to a large extent already written when I got signed by my publisher. So First Came Forever was published very soon thereafter, with Forever Disguised quickly being processed as well, so for the past year I’ve focused a lot on spreading the word about the series. But now I will focus more on writing the final installment and discussing my ideas with interested readers. (So if anyone would like to be an alpha or beta reader for the third book, you are so welcome to contact me!)

7- any plans for a new series?

Yes, I have some ideas already that I’m hoping to pursue. I think I will take a break though and not start directly after I’ve finished the Angelheart Saga. It has been a bit too much at times to find time for work, family, friends and the writing…

8- do you think you would ever write any other genre?

As it feels right now, I don’t think so. YA is my favorite genre both to read and to write. I have always loved teenage love stories, with all their intensity and all-consuming feelings; the coming of age and accepting who you are, and the characters you get to know and love and hope for a happy ever after for despite all obstacles in their way. So I’ve always kind of known that I wanted to write in this genre, to tell a story for teenagers as well as for any adult who remembers his or her first crush and the emotions of it all.

9- family and home life?

I have a husband and two kids and a dog. And besides being an author, I also have another full-time job, where I sometimes travel quite a lot. It basically means that I have to try and write whenever I can between work, being with my kids and driving them to activities, walking the dog and my running practice. And on top of that, we also kind of alternates between our house in Stockholm and our apartment in NYC, especially during winter time. So I’m keeping myself busy!

10- If you could be any character, from any book, (including your own)-who would it be and why?

Well, I already kind of feel that I am Erica in my own books (since she is so much based on myself), so I think I would choose a character from another book. And that would be Hermione Granger. She’s my all time favorite fictional person and role model; smart, loyal, fierce and has such amazing integrity. She also gets to be friends with Harry Potter and experience magic and save the world. I’d love to be her!

With all my love,
Annie

Caught in a Web

Oh my GOSH!!! If you haven’t read this book- do it. Now! This is a perfect blend of intrigue, mystery, and suspense; everything you would want in a thriller. The characters are so well developed and you really don’t know who to sympathize with, which for me is unusual for a crime type novel. You see the good and the bad in the characters which brings reality to the story. There are also twists that keep you on the edge of your seat, so to speak, and you just can’t wait to see what happens next. I have never read this author’s work before but I will certainly be reading more. Just brilliant!

Forever Disguised Blog Tour and Giveaway

Welcome to the Forever Disguised (Angelheart Series Book 2) by author Annie Woods BLOG TOUR!!! The long awaited second installment of the trilogy is available NOW and boy are we celebrating😃<<<
et your own copy from the links below:

https://www.amazon.com/Forever-Disguised-Angelheart-Saga-2/dp/1910903140/

https://www.bookdepository.com/Forever-Disguised-Annie-Woods/9781910903148

https://pegasuspublishers.com/books/coming-soon/the-angelheart-saga_-book-2_-forever-disguised

Rising Cover Reveal

Phoenix Fire by S.D. Grimm

BLURB:

“After spending her life in foster care, Ava has finally found home. But all it takes is a chance encounter with hot nerd Wyatt Wilcox for it to unravel.
Now, things are starting to change. First, the flashes of memories slowly creeping in. Memories of other lives, lives that Wyatt is somehow in. Then, the healing. Any cut? Gone.
But when Cade and Nick show up, claiming to be her brothers, things get even weirder. They tell her she’s a Phoenix, sent to protect the world from monsters—monsters she never knew existed. It’s a little hard to accept. Especially when they tell her she has to end the life of a Phoenix turned rogue, or Cade will die.
With Wyatt’s increasingly suspicious behavior, Ava’s determined to figure out what he’s hiding. Unless she can discover Wyatt’s secret in time and complete her Phoenix training, she’ll lose the life, love, and family she never thought she could have.”

I am not finished with this book yet but couldn’t wait to share it with everyone. It is SO good! It is a page-turning fantasy that keeps me up past my bedtime. *sigh* If only I didn’t have to work, I’d finish it in one sitting. It has romance, mystery, adventure, and the paranormal-what more could you ask for in one book?! I don’t want to give any spoilers so I won’t, but I will tell you this: if this book is not on your TBR, you need to add it. NOW!

I will edit this with a full review once I have completed the book. I was just so excited by this story and this author that I had to post something about it and start spreading the word. I am not sure I can wait for a second book y’all!