*UPDATE*

I have updated my review and giveaway policies page (now just titled Policies above). If you are entering a giveaway, please read and abide by the applicable policy.

Attention Authors! If you arrived here looking for information on the Two Sides to Every Story guest post series, see the tab at the top of the page for more info!


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Thursday, June 7, 2018

Cover Crush: The Rain Watcher

Cover Crush

We can all say that you should never judge a book by its cover, but I guarantee that we all have done so at least once! Cover Crush is designed to feature some of those covers that have caught the eye as a standout on the bookshelf.

the rain watcher

I have always loved the covers of the novels of Tatiana de Rosnay but this one is really pretty.  I love that it is very evocative of the title.  And I would LOVE to have that view from my own window!


What are your thoughts on this cover?

I wonder what my friends are crushing on this week? Let’s check it out: (to be updated as they go live).

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Copyright © 2018 by The Maiden’s Court

Thursday, May 31, 2018

Cover Crush: The Pearl and the Carnelian

Cover Crush

We can all say that you should never judge a book by its cover, but I guarantee that we all have done so at least once! Cover Crush is designed to feature some of those covers that have caught the eye as a standout on the bookshelf.

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While I can’t really read what it says, I LOVE the writing going down the side of the woman’s face!  I want to assume it is a letter that was written or received by this woman and was so important to her being that it feels imprinted on her.  Right?!  And the pop of color on her lips is really the only color here, the rest is the just shades of black/gray and the cream of her skin.  Very sharp.

What are your thoughts on this cover?

I wonder what my friends are crushing on this week? Let’s check it out: (To update after they go live)


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Copyright © 2018 by The Maiden’s Court

Saturday, May 26, 2018

Cover Reveal: The Blue by Nancy Bilyeau

Good afternoon everyone!!! I'm so excited to share this cover reveal with you today for the upcoming historical novel, The Blue, by Nancy Bilyeau.  Her novels in the Joanna Stafford series were a delight, and I’m sure this one will be the same.

To drag out this cover reveal just a little bit more, I first want to share the blurb to whet your appetite!

What would you do to possess the most coveted color in the world? The year is 1758, and a headstrong woman artist, 24-year-old Genevieve Planche, is caught up in a high-stakes race to discover the ultimate color, one that threatens to become as deadly as it is lucrative. When Genevieve’s mission is complicated by her falling in love with the chemist behind the formula, she discovers the world of blue is filled with ruthless men and women and how high the stakes really are. The story sweeps readers from the worlds of the silk-weaving refugees of London’s Spitalfields and the luxury-obsessed drawing rooms of Grosvenor Square to the porcelain factory of Derby and, finally, magnificent Sevres Porcelain in the shadow of Versailles. And running through it all: the dangerous allure of the color blue.

This sounds like such a cool concept for a book and reminds me in some ways of The Ruins of Lace by Iris Anthony in how a trend for a specific artistic element can drive the world crazy!  But I know you are here for the cover reveal, so here it is!!!

**COVER REVEAL**

02_The Blue

It’s it GORGEOUS!!!!! I would pick this one up to read more about it because it sure is eye catching (and never mind totally appropriate).


About the Author

03_Nancy Bilyeau

Nancy Bilyeau has worked on the staffs of InStyle, DuJour, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and Good Housekeeping. She is currently a regular contributor to Town & Country and the editor of the digital magazine The Big Thrill. Her screenplays have placed in several prominent industry competitions. Two scripts reached the semi-finalist round of the Nicholl Fellowships of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

A native of the Midwest, she earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan. THE CROWN, her first novel and an Oprah pick, was published in 2012; the sequel, THE CHALICE, followed in 2013. The third in the trilogy, THE TAPESTRY, was published by Touchstone in 2015. The books have also been published by Orion in the UK and seven other countries.

Nancy lives in New York City with her husband and two children.

Find Nancy Bilyeau: Website | Facebook | Twitter


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Copyright © 2018 by The Maiden’s Court

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Cover Crush: Longbourn

Cover Crush

We can all say that you should never judge a book by its cover, but I guarantee that we all have done so at least once! Cover Crush is designed to feature some of those covers that have caught the eye as a standout on the bookshelf.

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This cover reveals things the longer you look at it.  It took me quite awhile to notice the young woman standing at the back/far right with the white apron and basket.  By contrast the woman in the foreground stands out vividly against the green of the wall.  I wonder if this dichotomy plays out in some way in the story?

What are your thoughts on this cover?

I wonder what my friends are crushing on this week? Let’s check it out: (To update after they go live)


keep calm and support book bloggers



Copyright © 2018 by The Maiden’s Court

Thursday, May 17, 2018

Cover Crush: My Notorious Life

Cover Crush

We can all say that you should never judge a book by its cover, but I guarantee that we all have done so at least once! Cover Crush is designed to feature some of those covers that have caught the eye as a standout on the bookshelf.

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I love that this cover is mostly the reflection in the mirror (which took me awhile to realize that I wasn’t looking right at her!).  You can see just a little sliver of her shoulder and head in the lower right corner of the cover.  The red slashes across the cover where the title and author’s name are hint at scandal (as the title implies) because it is so stark against the rest of the cover.  And a hint at a naked woman in a bath certainly brings to mind the title as well.  I feel like this matches with the title nicely.

What are your thoughts on this cover?

I wonder what my friends are crushing on this week? Let’s check it out: (To update after they go live)


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Copyright © 2018 by The Maiden’s Court

Thursday, May 10, 2018

Cover Crush: The Silent Fountain

Cover Crush

We can all say that you should never judge a book by its cover, but I guarantee that we all have done so at least once! Cover Crush is designed to feature some of those covers that have caught the eye as a standout on the bookshelf.

the silent fountain

I think this cover is so striking to me because of how crisp the colors are (and of course they are jewel tones!).  I also really like how the archway frames out the cover and how the girls dress mirrors the color of the archway.  Very pretty cover!

What are your thoughts on this cover?

I wonder what my friends are crushing on this week? Let’s check it out: (To update after they go live)


keep calm and support book bloggers



Copyright © 2018 by The Maiden’s Court

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Wish List 5: Presidential Mistresses–Nonfiction & Memoir

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Once a month I am planning on sharing with you all 5 of my biggest wish list books broken up by theme.  I know that you all need more on your TBR!!!  One thing that you find when reading about the Presidents is that there were quite a few that had mistresses!  There is a new fashion for novels being released about these ladies, but I wanted to read some nonfiction about them – and there are a few that are even memoirs!

Past Forgetting: My Love Affair With Dwight D. Eisenhower by Kay Summersby Morgan

past forgettingHere, at long last, is the true story of the passionate, moving secret love affair between General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe, and Kay Summersby, the beautiful English fashion model who became his driver in wartime London, his staff aide, by his side through every crisis and high-level meeting of the war -- and the woman he loved.

Written by Kay Summersby Morgan herself, Past Forgetting is the intimate account of a relationship that began, haltingly, in 1942, when Kay was assigned to drive the then unknown two-star general, and ended in heartbreak when Ike, victor and war hero, returned home to face a disapproving General Marshall, the adoring American public, Mrs. Eisenhower -- and the possibility of becoming President of the United States.

Yet Past Forgetting is never a bitter or malicious book; it is the story of two people deeply in love, sharing together the great experiences of the Second World War. Here are intimate accounts of Ike at play and at work; raging against Field Marshal Montgomery; displaying his famous temper against Patton; occasionally revealing to Kay the lonely responsibility of a commander who must send his men into battle to die, and sharing the tense hours before D-Day in intimacy with Kay. Here too are portraits and memories of the great men whom Kay met at Ike's side -- Churchill, Roosevelt, King George VI and De Gaulle. Kay Summersby Morgan has a perfect gift for intimate detail, an eye for men, places and events, total recall and a marvelous wit.

Above all, this is the true story of two people in love, snatching a few moments of happiness in the midst of the cares of war and command. The Eisenhower who emerges from these pages is a man of charm, wit and passion, deeply affectionate and loving, torn between his loyalties at home and his love for Kay. More than a document, this is a beautiful, powerful love story.

The President's Daughter by Nan Britton

the president's daughterThe President's Daughter, America's first major kiss-and-tell political biography, caused a sensation when it was published in 1928. Nan Britton described her six-year affair with the late Warren G. Harding, most famously including trysts in a White House coat closet. President Harding's paternity of Britton's daughter Elizabeth Ann, born in 1919, was proved by DNA testing in 2015.



Once Upon a Secret: My Affair with President John F. Kennedy and Its Aftermath by Mimi Alford

once upon a secretIn '62, Mimi Beardsley was a naive teen, a product of her class & time. She'd attended the same exclusive girls' school as Jackie Bouvier, now installed in the White House as the first lady. Which is also where Mimi found herself, as an 18-year-old intern. JFK's White House was a place for which she wasn't remotely prepared, dominated by the charismatic & sexually rapacious figure of the president. Within four days, they'd started a relationship.

There are several extraordinary things about Mimi's story. One is that she'd evaded notice from any of the biographers of JFK & other chroniclers of the heady days & sexual shenanigans of Camelot. Only by chance did a reporter in 2006 follow up a mention of her name in a JFK book, & doorstep her--a married NY grandmother--to find out whether she was the Mimi Beardsely mentioned in a passing reference. This is all the more surprising given the length of the affair--18 months--& the fact that it was ended only by his death.

Mimi Beardsley Alford has decided, after decades of silence & reflection, to tell her story. This is not just a memoir of a young woman of her generation & class coming of age in the 60s, & her relationship with JFK. She also examines the significance it had in her life & relationships since, why she chose to be silent for so long & why she feels this is the time to speak out.

A Very Private Woman: The Life and Unsolved Murder of Presidential Mistress Mary Meyer by Nina Burleigh

a very private womanIn 1964, Mary Pinchot Meyer, the beautiful, rebellious, and intelligent ex-wife of a top CIA official, was killed on a quiet Georgetown towpath near her home. Mary Meyer was a secret mistress of President John F. Kennedy, whom she had known since private school days, and after her death, reports that she had kept a diary set off a tense search by her brother-in-law, newsman Ben Bradlee, and CIA spymaster James Jesus Angleton. But the only suspect in her murder was acquitted, and today her life and death are still a source of intense speculation, as Nina Burleigh reveals in her widely praised book, the first to examine this haunting story.

The Harding Affair: Love and Espionage During the Great War by James David Robenalt

the harding affairWarren Harding fell in love with his beautiful neighbor, Carrie Phillips, in the summer of 1905, almost a decade before he was elected a United States Senator and fifteen years before he became the 29th President of the United States. When the two lovers started their long-term and torrid affair, neither of them could have foreseen that their relationship would play out against one of the greatest wars in world history--the First World War. Harding would become a Senator with the power to vote for war; Mrs. Phillips and her daughter would become German agents, spying on a U. S. training camp on Long Island in the hopes of gauging for the Germans the pace of mobilization of the U. S. Army for entry into the battlefields in France.

Based on over 800 pages of correspondence discovered in the 1960s but under seal ever since in the Library of Congress, The Harding Affair will tell the unknown stories of Harding as a powerful Senator and his personal and political life, including his complicated romance with Mrs. Phillips. The book will also explore the reasons for the entry of the United States into the European conflict and explain why so many Americans at the time supported Germany, even after the U. S. became involved in the spring of 1917.

James David Robenalt's comprehensive study of the letters is set in a narrative that weaves in a real-life spy story with the story of Harding's not accidental rise to the presidency.



If you are looking to add more books to your list, here are some of the wishlists from a few of my friends this month: (to be updated as they go live)

  • Magdalena @ A Bookaholic Swede –
  • Colleen @ A Literary Vacation –
  • Erin @ Flashlight Commentary –
  • Holly @ 2 Kids and Tired Books –
  • Stephanie @ Layered Pages –

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Copyright © 2018 by The Maiden’s Court

Thursday, May 3, 2018

Cover Crush: The Romanov Empress

Cover Crush

We can all say that you should never judge a book by its cover, but I guarantee that we all have done so at least once! Cover Crush is designed to feature some of those covers that have caught the eye as a standout on the bookshelf.

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The colors of this cover are beautiful: blues, golds, and whites.  They are in the woman’s dress, the room decorations, and also way in the background the scenery is in the same tones.  Even the color of the title and author’s name are in those tones. Can’t wait to read this one!

What are your thoughts on this cover?

I wonder what my friends are crushing on this week? Let’s check it out: (To update after they go live)

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Copyright © 2018 by The Maiden’s Court

Monday, April 30, 2018

Book Review: Lord of Fortune by Darcy Burke

lord of fortune

Lord of Fortune by Darcy Burke
Book 3 in the Legendary Rogues series
e-Book & Paperback; 366 pages
Intrepid Reads
April 24, 2018
goodreads button

Genre: Historical Romance

Source: Received from publicist for review tour

Dashing adventurer Penn Bowen is dedicated to preserving Britain’s history and his carefree, bachelor lifestyle. He’s happiest when he’s in pursuit of knowledge and the occasional liaison with the right woman. So he’s more than a little perturbed when the wrong woman inserts herself into his latest quest—proving that a valuable artifact in Oxford’s museum is a fake. Amelia Gardiner is smart and capable...and determined to prove that Penn is wrong about the treasure her grandfather found.

Amelia won’t allow Penn to denigrate her family’s legacy, and she certainly won’t join the ranks of women who throw themselves at his feet. As secretive and dangerous factions infiltrate their hunt, Amelia and Penn must work together to stay one step ahead. But passion ignites between them and suddenly their alliance is more than a simple convenience. When peril strikes too close, they’ll risk everything they hold dear: family, honor, and a chance for the greatest treasure of all—love.

Lord of Fortune is the first book by Darcy Burke that I have read outside of her Untouchables series. I was very interested to see how this series would be different from the other and was also concerned about diving into a new series at book 3. I am happy to say that I enjoyed this book and it was definitely very different from the books I have read from the Untouchables series.

With the Untouchables, I began that series at book 3, so some things come full circle it would seem! In that other series it felt like Burke regurgitated the stories from the first two books in too much depth, which resulted in my limited interest in reading those books because I feel like I know too much about them. I did not find that at all the case in Lord of Fortune. There were just enough references for me to determine who I thought were the hero/heroine of the first two books and just a tiny bit of detail about the vague storyline, but this resulted in me actually WANTING to read the first two books, which should always be the end goal for an author.

There is quite a bit of adventure in this novel, with the romance tied nicely into it, but the adventure is the primary focus for much of it. I liked seeing our hero and heroine enmeshed in something with more than the drama of the ton and they were out there searching for adventure like an Indiana Jones! Climbing through caves, gunshots, bad guys stealing artifacts, and more are all part of the mix. The romance is sizzling too!  This felt very much like the Adventurer’s Quartet from Stephanie Laurens.  I loved Penn and Amelia and all their subordinate characters. They are at times mysterious and others straight-forward and complex. I loved being able to unwrap them and discover the deeper layers of who they are.

I am glad that I took a jump into this series and look forward to being able to pick up the prior books in this novel and the book that is certainly coming next!

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

AVAILABLE NOW IG2


Buy the Book:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble


Also by Darcy Burke:

lady of desire
Lady of Desire
(Legendary Rogues Book 1)

romancing the earl
Romancing the Earl
(Legendary Rogues Book 2)


Find Darcy Burke:
Facebook | Twitter | BookBub | Goodreads | Pinterest | InstagramWebsite


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Copyright © 2018 by The Maiden’s Court

Thursday, April 26, 2018

Cover Crush: These Shallow Graves

Cover Crush

We can all say that you should never judge a book by its cover, but I guarantee that we all have done so at least once! Cover Crush is designed to feature some of those covers that have caught the eye as a standout on the bookshelf.

these shallow graves

This is a cool looking cover!  I love the whole concept.  The color of the flowers against he dull wood and the way they are wrapped around it all makes it sort of spooky or creepy.  Never mind the hand at the top – is it digging up the grave or coming out of the grave?!

What are your thoughts on this cover?

I wonder what my friends are crushing on this week? Let’s check it out: A Literary Vacation; A Bookaholic Swede; Flashlight Commentary; Layered Pages; 2 Kids and Tired Books.   


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Copyright © 2018 by The Maiden’s Court

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Book Review: The Lady Travelers Guide to Scoundrels and Other Gentlemen by Victoria Alexander

the lady travlers guide

The Lady Travelers Guide to Scoundrels and Other Gentlemen
by Victoria Alexander
Book 1 in The Lady Travelers Society series
ARC, e-Book, 544 pages
HQN Books
May 23, 2017
★★★★ ½☆
goodreads button

Genre: Historical Romance

Source: Requested a review copy via Netgalley

Embark on the breathtaking romantic adventures of The Lady Travelers Society in the brand-new series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Alexander

Really, it's too much to expect any normal man to behave like a staid accountant in order to inherit the fortune he deserves to support the lifestyle of an earl. So when Derek Saunders's favorite elderly aunt and her ill-conceived—and possibly fraudulent—Lady Travelers Society loses one of their members, what's a man to do but step up to the challenge? Now he's escorting the world’s most maddening woman to the world’s most romantic city to find her missing relative.

While India Prendergast only suspects his organization defrauds gullible travelers, she’s certain a man with as scandalous a reputation as Derek Saunders cannot be trusted any farther than the distance around his very broad shoulders. As she struggles not to be distracted by his wicked smile and the allure of Paris, instead of finding a lost lady traveler, India just may lose her head, her luggage and her heart.

I can certainly tell you that I did not see this missing person case transpiring and resolving in the way that it did! Curveball to the extreme, but in a really good and unexpected way that I enjoyed immensely! The missing cousin storyline is heavily featured throughout the entire thread of the novel and is not lost at all in the romance storyline, the two elements play together nicely and in this story I don’t think that one could thrive well without the other.

If I had to pick one thing that brought the rating of this book down a little in my opinion it was the early characterization of India Prendergast. She is quite a pain-in-the-neck and unapproachable, not someone I could see myself being friends with at all. While she does grow on you and her transformation is believable, I found her difficult to really get to like through much of the novel. Derek Saunders on the other hand, who is certainly a rouge, has nothing but admirable qualities, from the perspective of the reader, even if India can’t see that until toward the very end.

While this is certainly a lengthy novel, it didn’t feel that way at all as the story kept moving forward and the missing person’s case picked up steam. This novel is certainly a strong stand-alone, and while I haven’t read the other books in the series I think that will define the series, just based on how it appears framed. I look forward to checking out others in this series. 

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia


Also by Victoria Alexander:

wedding
The Proper Way to Stop a Wedding in Seven Days or Less
(Lady Travelers .5)

rise and fall
The Rise and Fall of Reginald Everheart
(Lady Travelers 1.5)

larceny
The Lady Travelers Guide to Larceny with a Dashing Stranger
(Lady Travelers 2)

deception
The Lady Travelers Guide to Deception with an Unlikely Earl
(Lady Travelers 3)


Find Victoria Alexander:
Website | Facebook | Twitter



Copyright © 2018 by The Maiden’s Court