Book Review: The Petticoat Letters by Kelly Lyman

Author: Kelly Lyman

Title: The Petticoat Letters

Series: Rebels of the Revolution #1

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

Format: Paperback

Pages: 346

Published: November 5, 2017

Where I got It: My shelf (Gift)

Summary: 

At the outbreak of the Revolutionary war, Nora Bishop’s home is burned to the ground—along with her dreams, plans and all her family members except one. At 20-years-old and still unmarried, she moves to Manhattan to live with her Loyalist uncle, hoping to find her brother who has joined the Patriot cause against her late family’s wishes. But, battle breaks out and she finds herself at the mercy of one American ranger, Alex Foster, who is the only person in a position to bring her to safety.

Her growing feelings toward Alex and his passion for freedom help her reevaluate her stance on the case for independence and makes her question her loyalties further. When she is asked to spy for the rebels, she agrees. But can she partake in the act of treason and do what is asked of her when the sadistic Captain William Roth seems to watch her every move and threatens the life of her brother who has been captured? And how can she grow closer to Alex when the war threatens to tear them apart?

Review:

This seemed like the perfect read for America's 250! It's been a hot min since I read an HR or HF set during the American Revolution. 

Here we have Nora, who pretty much lost it all at the start of the war. Her family home was burned to the ground, and only she and her brother survived. However, the war took her brother away too when he decided to fight with the Rebels. Nora is unwed and living with her loyalist family. She soon finds herself at the mercy of the Rebels and Alex. While in his company, she starts to see what the Rebels see...and maybe there is something between her and Alex. 

This had an extremely slow start. It took me a couple of tries to push through. I was tempted to toss in the white flag of defeat and move on. After my second attempt, I was hooked. There was a scene that made me want more. No spoilers from me!!

But yes, this gets intense in a few spots. War is hell and all. So some triggers for sure. 

Can I be honest? I didn't like Alex or Nora by the end. I started out liking Nora, and then I lost respect for her. Alex? I was always meh, but he annoyed me after a scene. I still kept reading because I was more curious about the war and etc. That was fun! A part of me wishes this wasn't a romance. SHOCKED faces I see, but yes....not all things should be romances. Yes, there can be some love, but this would've fared better as just historical fiction, methinks. 

Don't get me started on the big baddie. He was literally a caricature of a British redcoat baddie. Mmmmmm, but he was scary so I will give him that. 

All-in-all, I was entertained. I liked the spying and war and etc. The romance was meh because I didn't care for our mains. And the baddie was scary, but he was your A-typical redcoat baddie. I'll give this 3 stars. It would be a 2, but I think some of the scenes deserve a little more love, and maybe I'm being overly kind. 

 

Reading Challenges:

- Reading Romance Challenge #17 (Non-Regency)

Cast that Book: Seatmate by Cara Bastone

A weekly meme that showcases my "cast" of a book if it were to become a movie or TV show. Anyone can join!

Loved the whole series! I wish there will be more! 

Just a reminder, if you would to join in on the fun you can cast the same book or a different one.

Rules (aka self-imposed...you don't have to follow them)

- A recent book I read

- Only books that I gave a 4 or 5 stars

- Casting the main cast and maybe some of the side characters

- Sky is the limit

Book:

Gwen- Emily Carey

Sam - Daniel Radcliffe

B's Monday Review: Slewfoot by Brom

Format: 305 pages, Paperback

Published: April 25, 2023 by Tor Nightfire

Horror/borrowed

Oh you know what is coming, 1600s, the colonies. Men thinking they know better. Men saying women should do this and that, but not other things.

And here comes Abitha, struggling with her husband on their farm. His brother being a total ahole. A guy pointing fingers in town and group mentality. Abitha does speak her mind, she works hard, she forgets to be prim and proper.

And then she is alone, and vulnerable. And that brother really wants her farm. But something is in the woods, something that was wakened. Something angry....

It was never like eeek, horror! Mostly it made me angry at men at the end and I might have cheered at some things cos men suck.

I liked it. But ugh, puritans sucked!

Connecticut, 1666: An ancient spirit awakens in a dark wood. The wildfolk call him Father, slayer, protector.

The colonists call him Slewfoot, demon, devil.

To Abitha, a recently widowed outcast, alone and vulnerable in her pious village, he is the only one she can turn to for help.

Together, they ignite a battle between pagan and Puritan – one that threatens to destroy the entire village, leaving nothing but ashes and bloodshed in their wake.

This terrifying tale of bewitchery features more than two dozen of Brom’s haunting full-color paintings and brilliant endpapers, fully immersing readers in this wild and unforgiving world.

Book Review: The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt Dinniman

Author: Matt Dinniman

Title: The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook

Series: Dungeon Crawler Carl #3

Genre: SciFi, Fantasy, Comedy

Format: ebook

Pages: 544

Published: March 19, 2021

Where I got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

Welcome to the Gun Show!

The top 10 list is populated. The sponsorship program is open. The difficulty is ramping up. The first three floors were nothing compared to what Carl and Donut now face.

The Iron Tangle. An impossibly complicated subway system built out of the world's subterranean railway systems, all combined and then tied together into a knot. Up is down. Down is up. Close is far. The cars are filled with monsters, the railway stations are less than safe, and the exit is always just a few stops away.

But there is hope. For the first time, the crawlers are all working together. The loot is better than ever. And the secret to unraveling it all may be hidden in the pages of a seemingly useless book.

Welcome, crawlers. Welcome to the fourth floor of the dungeon.

Review:

Finally got a chance to get into this. However, I'm bummed that my library didn't have the audio version of this one. SIGHS. Ebook is fine and all, and I'll take what I can get. 

We are back with Carl and Donut. The top 10 list is populated. The sponsorship is open. And the difficulty is ramping up. They will face an impossibly complicated subway system, all knotted up and filled with monsters. Even with these odds, there is a spark of hope......crawlers are working together to solve the puzzles and find good loot. 

Oh Carl. Oh Donut. This was a mess but fun and chaotic. 

There were some tedious moments, but it didn't bug me too much. I powered through them because I needed to know what was going to happen next.

I don't want to spoil anything, but yes, lots of trains and lots of monster mobs. Lots of crawlers. I loved seeing them start to work together. Honestly.....they need to all work together. F these TV people. 

The ending has me screaming. I can't wait to get started on book 4!

As you seen above, I did the book version of this book. I enjoyed it, but I missed Donut screaming in my ear. I may have to cave and buy the audio or use my Audible credits. Sighs. 

Overall, this was chaotic and messy and fun. Some tedious moments, but worth pushing through. Def read the other books first. 4 stars from me. 

 

Reading Challenges:

- Library Love #17