Just to play a little more catch-up on the stuff I've read recently, I'm going to quick review two more books at once today.
Since there is a new Kate Morton book coming out soon (The Secret Keeper) and I happen to have a review copy on the way, I decided to read The Distant Hours by Kate Morton this summer so that I would be all caught up and ready. Morton's first two books were good but I had reservations about each because I thought the mysteries were obvious too early in the stories. Still, I liked them enough to keep giving her books a try and here, in her third novel, I was finally satisfied. This was a strong tale of family and secrets, alternating between a WWII plot line and a present day one. There's a country manor, Morton's specialty, some eccentric old women, and a young one who is pining for a sense of belonging, to something or someone. I really enjoyed almost every aspect of this story and now I'm even more interested to see what Morton has come up with next.
The second book is one that has been on my TBR stack for a long time (since Sept 2009) -- The Blackstone Key by Rose Melikan. I even own two more books by this author because I anticipated liking this one. I can't explain why I never picked it up and I thought it was time that I should. Well, it turned out to be a Georgian period adventure-romance that reminded me in many ways of a Georgette Heyer romance. A young woman, Mary Finch, is summoned by her uncle and, since she's a orphan working as a school teacher and said uncle is rather wealthy, she decides to throw caution to the wind and set off without even responding to the letter. Whether this was a good idea or not is debatable as Mary experiences just about every high and low possible -- and some that seem rather impossible. This was a far-fetched but fun read and I will definitely pick up another Melikan book sooner than later.
Solving the mysteries of the past,
K
Fun! I didn't know Kate Morton had a new book coming out! The Distant Hours is the last of her books I still haven't read, but I do enjoy her books. (Obvious mysteries and all.) They're perfect for reading on a long subway ride or right before bed -- bit silly but lots of fun.
ReplyDeleteThe Melikan book sounds really fun! You had me at Georgette Heyer allusions :-)
ReplyDeleteI love Kate Morton. I'm jealous that you get to read the new book soon :)
ReplyDeleteI still need to read a Kate Morton book. And I have one waiting for me but I keep bumping it for some reason.
ReplyDeleteJenny - I am liking each Morton novel more than the one before so I'm really excited about the new one!
ReplyDeleteAarti - I hope you pick it up some time. I don't see Melikan mentioned much but it was a fun read!
Missy - I'm glad that I finally started reading her books a couple of years ago. They are really fun!
Jenners - I know how that goes! Save it for a rainy day or a read-a-thon. They're definitely books that you can't put down. :)