If I were to pack a Christmas stocking to gift a special friend with my favorite historical fiction reads this last year, which would I choose?  So many wonderful stories, narrowing the list down to just a few is very difficult.  But, forced to make the decisions, I offer the following list of fascinating stories from different areas and eras that mesmerized me, and should delight any lucky historical fiction lover on your gift list (including yourself!) One of the things I love about great historical fiction is its ability to transport you to another place and time, with world-building as complex and fascinating as that in any fantasy novel.  I especially love books that illumine cultures different from my own, one of the reasons Lisa See is a favorite author.  Her latest offering, LADY TAN’S CIRCLE OF WOMEN, is another stellar contribution, a fictional rendition of the life of a real Ming dynasty woman drawn from extensive research that includes accounts written by the lady herself.  Though raised to be completely a woman of her time, a time when a high-born woman’s life was confined from birth to death to the inner courtyard of first her birth family, then…

It may not seem like it, but it’s already time to pay homage to the year’s best mysteries. Each year I struggle to list what I believe to be the best of the best. Some of the authors I’ve interviewed, some I’ve merely featured, and others haven’t even made the Cozy Corner’s blogs—I could write a blog a day and never complete the list of great mysteries released every year. Yet, it’s a job I’ve tasked myself with year after year.  This year I decided to sub-genre the mysteries in my own categories; not Amazon’s, not New York’s and maybe not a category you’ll recognize. Hopefully, these ‘new’ groups will give you a different perspective of what I liked about the mystery, the style of writing, or world the author created. (Most of the books could fit in two, three or all categories, but this is where I decided they fit best—for now.) After I decided to create my own categories, however, I realized I made an extremely tough job tougher! Lol, I’ve never been known to take the cleared path, why should I start now.   Delicious Mysteries of 2023 The best foody mysteries of the year the make…

Ho, ho, ho! The holiday season is upon us!!  And today I wanted to talk to you about one of my very favorite things…gifts for readers. If you’ve got a romantic suspense reader in your life, then I am here to help you! Because readers love BOOKS. Ahem. Probably goes without saying, doesn’t it? But you want to give just the right gift to the right person.  My romantic suspense holiday gift guide can totally help you out. Here are five romantic suspense novels that I think would make for great gifts: HOW THE HITMAN STOLE CHRISTMAS by Katie Reus I loved this story! It’s got danger, a quirky heroine, lots of romance, and, of course, Christmas fun.  This book would be perfect for a reader who loves romantic suspense and holiday romance. Brr, baby, it’s cold outside…and that means a reader might just enjoy reading one of Toni Anderson’s “Cold Justice” mysteries. I’d recommend COLD CRUEL KISS because the heroine is kidnapped on Christmas Eve. After a start like that, you know you are in for an intense ride! Toni’s books are great for readers who like intense suspense mixed with romance. Why not unwrap a hot hero this…

Every time I see one of those “Great Christmas Gifts for Under $100!” guides, I start scratching my head.  Because whoever writes those things is clearly in a higher tax bracket than I am. However, unless you’re talking about out of print, collectable, first editions with marbled endpapers and hand-tooled leather bindings – giving somebody a really terrific book they’ll love will run you way less than a hundred clams, or fifty, or thirty, or even less! In addition to being affordable, books never get returned for being size or color. And since the options for great books that will match the giftees tastes and personal interests are almost endless, books are the perfect gift for pretty much everybody. If there is any downside to giving books this Christmas, it’s that there are so many wonderful books out there. How do you choose? Not to worry friends, I’ve got you covered! Read on for my list of books that the women’s fiction lover in your life will adore. There’s something here for just about everybody.   For Readers Who Love Books About Books THE LOST BOOKSHOP by Evie Woods Set in Dublin and featuring a touch of magic, this delicious…

While reading Laurell K. Hamilton’s new book SLAY, I started thinking about fantasy and fairytales. In Hamilton’s Anita Blake series, some characters (usually men) liken Anita to a princess. This never fails to annoy her to some degree. She will often respond to that comparison that she is more like the prince or brave knight in the story rather than the princess or damsel in distress. Certainly, in SLAY, Anita battles mythological beasts and endures things that normally test heroes in epic adventures. The main difference being that she battles alongside friends and fellow champions. So many readers tend to focus on the carnage or the sex scenes in these stories, but I would argue that love is a huge theme in these books. Hamilton writes about love between members of a created, rather than biological, family, as well as a sexual or romantic love shared between several members of a group. Those bonds are just as compelling and intriguing as those in a more traditional romance. Love is something that spurs the heroes in SLAY to protect and battle for. One of my favorite characters in this series makes such a powerful declaration of love, that is perhaps more…

As I type these words, the English-speaking world (with a few exceptions in parts of Australia and in India) has recently endured its second time change of the year. If you’re a fan, email me! Because I can honestly say I’ve never met anyone who enjoys this nonsense. Some lucky adults with neither young children nor pets may benefit from the yearly “gain an hour” event, but the rest of us are left miserable for days and often weeks on end twice a year. The only consolation I can find at the moment for Northern Hemisphere sufferers comes from the early darkness providing an excuse to snuggle down even faster at night with a good book. And how lucky we are to live in a time when there are literally more good books than one could possibly read in a lifetime. But let’s try anyway! Second chances are my thing, so I obviously honed in on a book entitled THE SECOND CHANCE HOTEL. Written by Sierra Godfrey, the book is a delicious comedic account of a pair of barely acquainted American tourists who somehow find themselves accidentally both married and the new owners of an off-the-beaten-path Greek hotel. (It’s possible…

I love Halloween – the costumes, the sweets, the thrills. One of my favorite things is to have mini marathons of my favorite scary movies. As a romance reader, I also like discovering new spooky romances. Over the past few months, I’ve showcased monster themed romances that range from fun and sweet to stories with more of an edge. For those interested, there are romance novels and erotica with a strong element of danger. I’ve read a few novellas like that with shadow figures as male protagonists and multiple demon lovers, but the stories I will talk about here are more fun or thrilling rather than too dark. In this article, I will discuss a few monster romances that have some kind of Halloween monster or spooky vide. CREEPY COURT is a fab multi-author paranormal romance anthology with all the stories taking place in the 1980s at a mall manned primarily by monsters. The authors do a phenomenal job of getting the romance while also nailing the vibe of some of my favorite 80s horror films. Two of my favorite stories are in the anthology are The Monster of Darkspell Comics by SJ Sanders and Dreadful Things by Maeve Black….

The spooky season is upon us! And by “upon us”…ahem, I mean tomorrow is Halloween! So please let me begin this post by wishing you a happy, happy Halloween! Today, I want to talk about treats. Specifically, book treats.  I thought I’d list a few of the fabulous romantic suspense books that I’ve read lately. I mean, really…what is better than a book treat? (Except maybe chocolate AND a book treat.) First up, I adored YOU CAN DIE by Rebecca Zanetti.  If you haven’t read Rebecca’s work yet, you definitely should. She writes both paranormal romances and romantic suspense novels. YOU CAN DIE was truly a fast-paced, keep-you-turning-pages romance that you don’t want to miss. My next book treat?  COLD SNAP by Toni Anderson.  If you love books that are well researched (and I’m talking WELL researched), then Toni is the author for you. I always feel like I learn something new with each of her suspense stories. COLD SNAP will take you on a dark and dangerous journey as you hunt for a killer. My final book treat is a brand-new release – THE LAST CLOSE CALL by Laura Griffin. THE LAST CLOSE CALL just released on October 24th,…

This month’s Fresh Fiction column talking all things women’s fiction features a Q&A with Noelle Salazar, whose 2019 debut novel, FLIGHT GIRLS, was an instant bestseller.   Noelle is back with THE ROARING DAYS OF ZORA LILY, about a strong but disadvantaged young woman who uses her remarkable gifts for sewing and design to create a future for herself and her family. The backdrop for this intriguing story –  Seattle, Washington in the 1920s – is one we don’t often see, and adds even more depth to Zora Lily’s intriguing story.   Marie Bostwick: Though not quite a dual timeline, Zora’s story is bookended by contemporary sections that bring up intriguing questions which thrust readers immediately into Zora’s story and keep them turning pages. Without giving too much away, can you set up the scene for us? Noelle Salazar: The story begins in present day with a curator at the Smithsonian working on a collection of costumes from a film in the 1920s. When a tag on one of the gowns falls off, she goes to sew it back on, only to find another name handstitched beneath where it had been. The name – Zora Lily. From there the story…

For many readers who are now fans of paranormal romance or fantasy, they – like my husband and sister-in-law – were fans of the cartoon show Gargoyles. I admit that I never watched it. As I got older, I did read one or two books with gargoyle characters and was intrigued. I will discuss romances featuring gargoyle heroes that range from rom-com, suspense, sweet, spicy, and everything in between. For readers looking for a paranormal rom-com vibe with a side of gargoyles, Ava Ross and Honey Phillips have books that might hit the spot. EXTRA VIRGIN GARGOYLE by Honey Phillips is part of the Monster Between the Sheets series that takes place in Screaming Woods – a town populated with people who were transformed into a variety of monsters. Angie is a normal human transplanted to Screaming Woods because of an inherited bookstore. She initially feels a slight chill because the townspeople are somewhat cautious about an outsider in their midst. Books are the thing that led to a side job working for a gargoyle named Alastair. He is instantly smitten, and their unexpected courtship has a definite Disney Beauty and the Beast vibe. The biggest hurdle to overcome is…