Bit of a misleading title, considering this is more concerned with Alice and two different men.
There's some darker stuff about the war that is familiaBit of a misleading title, considering this is more concerned with Alice and two different men.
There's some darker stuff about the war that is familiar in this kind of story, but it also struggles to hold any kind of reasonable plot.
The Marilyn stuff is barely there and weak at best - it really doesn't add to the story at all and there wasn't time to build any kind of meaningful connection between the two women.
This isn't my normal fare so it's not my preferred genre, and unfortunately this wasn't strong enough to change my mind. It was nice and short yet still felt like it dragged.
Not my taste at all, and a little too bland to be meaningful.
This was Book 2 of my 2025 Advent Calendar Challenge...more
Side note: by the time I was done with this, I'd reached 104% on the audio. LOL
Narrated by Ayesha Antoine Presented by RB Media
An excellent historical Side note: by the time I was done with this, I'd reached 104% on the audio. LOL
Narrated by Ayesha Antoine Presented by RB Media
An excellent historical fiction that I really enjoyed, though it felt a little too long by the end of it.
Babylonia tells the story of Semiramis, a nobody who rises to become the only female ruler of the Assyrian empire.
Knowing that's how it'll end does not make this story any less enjoyable. I really enjoyed her ruthlessness, and how she was so determined to just live.
The story gives us multiple viewpoints, so we get a well-rounded story that takes into account the thoughts and opinions of those close to Semiramis and allows a glimpse into the motivations of several. I appreciated having more insider knowledge of these other characters.
The story gets brutal at times, but I liked that about it. It added a realness that this story truly benefited from.
I do think the romance side of things worked against it - I loved Semiramis climbing the ranks for power, so as soon as questions of love were raised it started to soften and I wasn't wholly convinced. At the same time, the romance was never drawing the focus away from the progression of the story, so I appreciated that.
The narrator's performance was excellent - I was entranced by her voice and its strength suited this story so much. It was easy enough to differentiate characters, even without huge variations in pitch. A brilliant job and I'd happily listen to this narrator again.
Towards the end, it did feel like it was starting to drag - like the rest of the story had been so spread out that there was more but it had to be squashed in at the end because time had run out. It felt like a cramped ending that perhaps needed more time, or just less time spent elsewhere to balance it.
Still, I was entertained throughout and would happily recommend this to fans of historical fiction.
Narrated by: Caroline Hewitt Presented by: History Through Fiction
A sweet story. A little too soft for my tastes but an interesting account of a strangNarrated by: Caroline Hewitt Presented by: History Through Fiction
A sweet story. A little too soft for my tastes but an interesting account of a strange morsel of history.
Once upon a time, a baby Rhino crossed the sea to travel around Europe.
This is a fictional account of that very true story - Clara the Rhinoceros lived til 1758, and in her 20-odd years toured Europe in the care of a man named Douwe Mout van der Meer (had to Google that spelling lol). They visited kings and queens, and Clara's likeness was captured by painters, sculptors and other artists.
If you're yearning for more details, this book will deliver. It gives a fictionalised account of each visit Clara made while adding heart and humour to the story through the characters. You can tell Clara's story was researched meticulously by the author because a Google search of Clara will essentially provide a synopsis for this story. I like that; I enjoy reading historical fiction and, through it, learning more about true figures of history.
The narrator does a great job in differentiating the characters, and she had quite a job pulling off so many accents. I found it easy to listen to, and easy to follow the action. Some of the names are quite unusual (to this modern-day Australian, anyway) so I had to look up the spelling of some to round out my comprehension a little.
I did find it a little slow at times - Clara makes many visits, so after a while they do tend to get a little same-same. But I am an impatient reader who loves action, so the pace grated on me a little. I think those with more patience will really enjoy the rich details of this novel, and be absorbed by Clara's story.
I do recommend this one because it's such an unusual, uplifting kind of story. Despite a rather short life, Clara seems to have made quite an impact on many and I think many readers will get a lot out of learning her story.
Narrated by Jesse Vilinsky Presented by Brilliance Audio
Really enjoyed the first 20% or so, but it was all downhill from there.
Firstly, this book sold Narrated by Jesse Vilinsky Presented by Brilliance Audio
Really enjoyed the first 20% or so, but it was all downhill from there.
Firstly, this book sold itself to me with the promise of supernatural happenings, and I was sadly disappointed on that front. Also 'haunted secrets' - where were the secrets?? I was bored, bored bored.
My favourite part of this entire novel was the building of the relationship between Nora and Euan, and how it spoke about the loss after. This evoked some really strong feelings in me and I was sucked in completely.
However, once Nora starts to move forward it all just became a tangled mess of love affairs and damaged people and relationships and also FARMWORK which was so incredibly dull. Nora went from a character I adored to a character I loathed, and nothing interesting justified how long this story dragged on for. When the 'supernatural' finally turned up, I rolled my eyes and that was me emotionally done. From then on it was listening just to be done.
On the plus side, the narration was well done. She did a great job of defining characters with different voices, and added a lot of feeling to the story. I'd happily listen to this narrator again.
If this hadn't been an audiobook I think I would have straight up quit halfway. As it was, it really became a chore to listen to, and I was happy when it finally ended.
Perhaps fans of historical fiction will enjoy this more than I did, but there wasn't much beyond the narrator that could redeem it for me.
Narrated by Cassandra Campbell Presented by Harper Collins Focus
A sprawling, tangled weave of lives and stories.
I enjoyed it, but I did tune out a coupNarrated by Cassandra Campbell Presented by Harper Collins Focus
A sprawling, tangled weave of lives and stories.
I enjoyed it, but I did tune out a couple of times.
This is a historical fiction that follows three different women in two different times - Cleo in 1932, then again in 1959 alongside Frances and Audrey. They've all found themselves on Cumberland Island for different reasons, but their paths inextricably intertwine.
I enjoyed the flicking between times, and meeting Cleo at two very different points in life. It was fascinating to see how the times and events had changed her, and our first meeting left quite an impact that echoed well throughout the story.
Frances and Audrey were equally interesting characters, though admittedly not quite as fascinating to me.
There's a mystery and dead boys looming over everything, so there's a drive to get to the bottom of things there and work out what happened. Once it was solved, however, I felt the story dragged on a little. I think part of that may be because I tuned out a little, so had no burning desire to see what became of everyone afterwards.
The narration was decent and eloquent, but never particularly inspiring. The characters sounded similar, and nothing in the narration really stood out for me. It was okay, but I think it was part of the reason I found myself tuning out.
With that in mind, I think this would make a really excellent physical read. I think there's a lot of substance in the details here, so reading physically would really draw out that pleasure.
For fans of historical fiction, this is an excellent read. The characters are well rounded, and the writing will thoroughly drag you in. The fables were a little lacking for my tastes, but the story was entertaining enough to survive it and I found myself getting caught up in events easily.
Narrated by Nicol Zanzarella Presented by Dreamscape Media
Exceptional!
This was such great fun!
Valentina is a courtesan, but also happens to be an assaNarrated by Nicol Zanzarella Presented by Dreamscape Media
Exceptional!
This was such great fun!
Valentina is a courtesan, but also happens to be an assassin. She loves what she does and she's good at it, too. But her next assignment leaves her questioning everything.
Man, I was HOOKED! The narrator drew me straight in, had me onside with Valentina and Bastiano instantly, and listening to things unfold was so entertaining.
Valentina is a fantastic leading lady - she's confident without being arrogant, and she's competent. She enjoys what she does and feels no shame, and she creates meaningful connections - it's not all about seduction and manipulation (though there's plenty of that, too). She's easy to root for, and the narrator did such a fantastic job of bringing her to life.
The story is full of intrigue, with plenty to keep you hanging on. Her life as a courtesan is interesting enough, before adding in everything else! There's never a dull moment and the characters do well to hold the story strong.
The Venetian setting is delightful and well crafted, and the historical aspect adds a real romanticism to everything. I loved the time I spent in this world - it was truly fascinating.
Absolute props to the narrator - was not bored for a second. She brought the characters to life, distinguished everyone so well, while somehow conveying the different levels of wealth through voice alone. Masterfully performed and I would happily listen to this narrator any day.
Immensely enjoyed this one, and I'll be keeping an eye out for more from this author AND narrator.
Narrated by Sofia Willingham Presented by HighBridge Audio
Not quite what I was expecting, so a little disappointing, but still some interesting ideas.
INarrated by Sofia Willingham Presented by HighBridge Audio
Not quite what I was expecting, so a little disappointing, but still some interesting ideas.
I thought this was going to be a murder mystery, but it was really more concerned with feminism and the treatment of women as objects during this time period (early 1900s).
The story's catalyst is a party, during which a guest died. Our protagonist, Millie, hosted the party with her husband, Charles, but remembers nothing of it. She awakens weeks later with a pounding headache and no memory of what's occurred.
From the beginning, everyone is very secretive, and it's instantly frustrating how everyone coddles Millie, refusing to tell her the truth. The story that follows seems more a question of whether she's a victim of gaslighting or whether Millie truly is mentally unwell.
I liked Millie as a lead - she's quite intelligent, and not afraid to speak up for herself. She suspects wrongdoing and makes it known, but then is forced to face the consequences of not being quiet and meek and going along just to get along.
I enjoyed that aspect of it - exploring the discrimination from someone willing to speak out against it, but also seeing those consequences of being so outnumbered. At the same time, I thought there would be more about the events of the party than there was, so I was a little disappointed in that regard. Still, I was kept curious about the truth of what had happened and was happening.
The romance didn't do a lot for me, and I was disappointed in Millie a bit for her actions at times. Some of it made her a little hypocritical I felt, even if it made sense.
The narrator did a decent job of invoking sympathy for Millie, and differentiated the characters well. I did listen at 1.75x speed, so lots of pauses, but otherwise she read it okay.
This was an easy listen - not quite the murder mystery I was expecting, but an interesting historical fiction providing a glimpse into the discrimination women faced during the early 1900s.
Narrated by Penelope Rawlins Presented by Dreamscape Media
A slow start for me but it did finally hook my interest.
Wasn't a huge fan of the narrator - hNarrated by Penelope Rawlins Presented by Dreamscape Media
A slow start for me but it did finally hook my interest.
Wasn't a huge fan of the narrator - her voice was quite soft making it hard to hear at times, even at a higher volume. That said, she still did a decent job filling the characters with life and differentiating between them.
The story jumps back and forth in time, which was a little confusing at first since I was tuning out some of it. But once it hooked my attention I followed it okay and appreciated the glimpses at the past as it related to the case in the present.
I was surprised by how long this went - it covered many more years than I anticipated and took a bit of an odd turn, I felt, towards the end. I started to lose interest again.
I think this is one I would have enjoyed more if I'd read it physically. The premise really interested me but the audio lost me early on, making it a little harder to commit to. But the mystery did eventually pull me in and I enjoyed listening along.
Historical fiction fans will no doubt take special delight in the arsenic angle, but on the whole this is still an interesting murder mystery tale.
A strong follow-up to the first, with nuns under the lens.
Really enjoyed it!
Still not sure how I feel about Aldo, but he's competent enough to make foA strong follow-up to the first, with nuns under the lens.
Really enjoyed it!
Still not sure how I feel about Aldo, but he's competent enough to make for a fun investigation. I also like the contrast with Strocchi, and the moral questions surrounding the two in this book.
The journey into the convent was a little confusing, with lots of terms and names that confused me a lot. It took me a while to grasp who was who, and even still having read it I don't think I could tell you which one was the Prioress and which one was the Abbess. *shrugs*
The murder was great though, a nice little puzzle to solve.
Characters were aplenty but there was some great development of our two leads, Aldo and Strocchi. Connected stories but super easy to follow what was what.
A satisfying read, with a fun historical setting to keep it a little unique.
With thanks to Pan Macmillan Aus for a copy...more
There was actually such a wonderful lack of smut for a book set in a brothel. I appreciated that so much!
The story follows Amara, a bA fantastic read!
There was actually such a wonderful lack of smut for a book set in a brothel. I appreciated that so much!
The story follows Amara, a brothel slave who works for Felix. She and her fellow whores work for the Wolf Den, with their sole role being the pleasing of men. However Amara wasn't always a slave, and she'll do whatever it takes to win her freedom back.
I really, really loved Amara's character. She does some morally questionable things that really drive home that she will honestly do WHATEVER IT TAKES and I think it was really important to the story. She's a fierce heroine, yet she's still loyal to her friends. She fights, but she makes smart calls, too. There's more to her than just whoring, but that's also a huge part of who she is.
The themes are quite dark, with slavery and prostitution obviously sitting at the forefront. Agency and self-worth, basic human rights. It was quite fascinating to me to read all about it, and it was interesting to see how all the different men Amara interacted with treated her and the other working girls.
There was certainly a lot in this story to unpack, but the writing helped everything flow so well, dancing around different ideas at different times. I found it to be an easy, addictive read and could easily have read it all in one sitting if I'd had the time.
An excellent read, and I'll definitely read the next one. Thanks Juliette for the recommendation!...more
