Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the weekly meme created by Marcia of To Be Continued, where book lovers share the titles they received for review, purchased, or otherwise obtained over the past week. Mailbox Monday currently is on tour, and this month’s host is Book Dragon’s Lair.
Here’s what I received:
Wolfsangel by Liza Perrat — from France Book Tours for review
Seven decades after German troops march into her village, Céleste Roussel is still unable to assuage her guilt.
1943. German soldiers occupy provincial Lucie-sur-Vionne, and as the villagers pursue treacherous schemes to deceive and swindle the enemy, Céleste embarks on her own perilous mission as her passion for a Reich officer flourishes. When her loved ones are deported to concentration camps, Céleste is drawn into the vortex of this monumental conflict, and the adventure and danger of French Resistance collaboration. As she confronts the harrowing truths of the Second World War’s darkest years, Céleste is forced to choose: pursue her love for the German officer, or answer General de Gaulle’s call to fight for France.
Her fate suspended on the fraying thread of her will, Celeste gains strength from the angel talisman bequeathed to her through her lineage of healer kinswomen. But the decision she makes will shadow the remainder of her days. A woman’s unforgettable journey to help liberate Occupied France, Wolfsangel is a stirring portrayal of the courage and resilience of the human mind, body and spirit. (publisher’s summary)
Priscilla: The Hidden Life of an Englishwoman in Wartime France by Nicholas Shakespeare — from Harper for review
When Nicholas Shakespeare stumbled across a trunkful of his late aunt’s personal belongings, he was unaware of where this discovery would take him and what he would learn about her hidden past. The glamorous, mysterious figure he remembered from his childhood was very different from the morally ambiguous young woman who emerged from the trove of love letters, journals, and photographs, surrounded by suitors and living the precarious existence of a British citizen in a country controlled by the enemy.
As a young boy, Shakespeare had always believed that his aunt was a member of the Resistance and had been tortured by the Germans. The truth turned out to be far more complicated. (publisher’s summary)
The Bird Skinner by Alice Greenway — from Atlantic Monthly Press for review
Jim Carroway was once a noted ornithologist, collecting and skinning birds as specimens for the Museum of Natural History, in New York. Slowing down now from a hard-lived life and a recent leg amputation, Jim retreats to an island in Maine to be alone, drink, smoke, and nurse his condition. Isolated by choice, Jim thinks back to his youth and his time working for Naval Intelligence during World War II in the Solomon Islands. While spying on the Japanese Army for Admiral Halsey, Jim befriends Tosca, a young islander who worked with him as a scout there. Now, thirty years later, Tosca has sent his daughter Cadillac to stay with Jim in the weeks before she begins premedical studies at Yale. She arrives to Jim’s great consternation. She will capture his heart and that of everyone she meets.
In a novel as riveting as Corelli’s Mandolin or The English Patient, Greenway delivers an astonishing story of youth, lost love, war, and rebirth. (publisher’s summary)
Tainted by Brooke Morgan — from Serena (thank you!)
Holly Barrett first saw Jack Dane early one morning — tall, tan, and so heartbreakingly handsome he took her breath away. He also seemed like the last person to disrupt her quiet, uneventful days with her sensitive daughter, Katy. But the charming, enigmatic Englishman has blown into her small Cape Cod town like a brisk summer wind off the bay.
He sweeps Holly off her feet, and is soon touching the lives of everyone she deeply cares about. But is Jack the considerate, concerned gentleman he appears to be — or is there a very different creatures lurking below the surface? Has a monster entered her life…and how far will Holly have to go to save the person she loves more than anyone else in the world? (publisher’s summary)
He Taught Me to Hope by P.O. Dixon — purchased
What if Elizabeth is promised to another when she meets Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the one man who captures her heart and imagination like no other? What’s more, Darcy has an entanglement of his own–an engagement of a peculiar kind. As dire as their chance for “happily ever after” seems, is there a measure of hope by way of a strong and enduring bond between them? (publisher’s summary)
What books did you add to your shelves recently?
© 2013 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
I do so like your books and especially I would like to get hold of Priscilla. Love wartime stories anyway.
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The hidden life intrigues me. Happy reading. Great party for the hubby of yours.
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Yes, thanks for coming!
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The Bird Skinner sounds great – hope you love it!
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I hate the title—Bird Skinner, yet it sounds good. enjoy
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Yeah, when you really think about it, the title can be off-putting.
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These look really interesting and I will be looking forward to your reviews and what you think of them.
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They all look good, but the one that stands out for me is Priscilla. I hope you love all of them!
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I like the sound of Wolfsangel 🙂
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All those titles are new to me. Happy reading, Anna!
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Ooh, Tainted grabbed me. Enjoy your books, and thanks for sharing. Here’s MY WEEKLY SUNDAY/MONDAY UPDATES
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The Bird Skinner interests me…
Hope you enjoy your new books!
Here is my post
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ENJOY your books.
Priscilla looks good.
THANKS for stopping by my blog earlier.
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My Mailbox Monday
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thanks. I had not heard about Priscilla! my MM is here, in case your readers are interested, but you already saw it: http://wordsandpeace.com/2013/10/13/mailbox-monday-october-14th/
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Wolfsangel and Priscilla most caught my eyes. Enjoy your new books!
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They’re all new titles to me – hope you like them!
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Tainted sounds like it could be a good thriller-ish type book. Let us know about that one. Enjoy your books!
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The books you found in your mailbox are all new to me, Anna. I hope they are as good as they sound. 🙂
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You got some good ones. The first one caught my attention. Enjoy your new books!
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I am so excited about Wolfsangel. I will be reading and reviewing that book in November!
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Wolfsangel looks great — I loved her previous novel!
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Priscilla and Wolfsangel both look very good! The last two books I read were wartime books. I am always looking for a new wartime read. I hope all your new books are good reads!
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These are new titles for me. They all sound good but especially Priscilla and The Bird Skinner.
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It is always fascinating to look into the lives of your family – Priscilla sounds very interesting!
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Those all look good, especially Tainted. Happy reading!
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“Priscilla” sounds really interesting. Imagine learning something like that about your relative.
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Thanks for stopping by my mailbox! Happy reading!
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