I have had a flurry of good reads lately and only one of them was an actual book review!

I just finished “The Accidental Empress” by Allison Pataki. This book centered around the Habsburgs in 1853. This is historical fiction at its finest. The reader meets Sisi when she is 15 and suddenly finds herself betrothed to Emperor Franz Joseph. The book has all the usual suspects in a royal court and I could not help but feel sorry for Sisi as she learns to navigate the endless treachery while being so young.

I could not put down “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah. The Holocaust always makes for an emotional-filled backdrop. Two sisters trying to survive while being rebellious against the Germans made for an incredible, engrossing read!

I reviewed “Paris Red” for Portland Book Review and loved it! This was another book with an instant character connection and engrossing period details.

“Unbecoming” by Rebecca Sherm guides the reader on a journey of how a few bad decisions can have one looking over their shoulders for a long time.

Finally, “The Paying Guests” by Sarah Waters made me definitely want to read more by this author. I could not put this book down after I was introduced to Frances and her mother in 1922. When their circumstances change and they are forced to take in guests (aka boarders) to make ends meet, the outcome changes their lives forever!