It's hard to believe that this is the 57th (wow!) In Death book, and I still absolutely love this amazing series. I 4 stars - Futuristic Crime/Mystery
It's hard to believe that this is the 57th (wow!) In Death book, and I still absolutely love this amazing series. I can't imagine ever getting tired of these characters, so I hope Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb never gets tired of writing them! And I'm still holding out hope for a TV series or movie someday....more
Wow. What an incredible story of one of the most prominent French resistance leaders and spies of WWII, Nancy Grace A5 stars - WWII Historical Fiction
Wow. What an incredible story of one of the most prominent French resistance leaders and spies of WWII, Nancy Grace Augusta Wake (also known as The White Mouse). She was the Allies most decorated woman during World War II, saving thousands of soldiers and eventually becoming the most wanted person by the German Gestapo in 1943.
Even though this is historical fiction, the author based it on extensive research, biographies written about Nancy Wake, and on Nancy's own autobiography, The White Mouse, and all of the events are real, as are most of the characters in the book.
Ariel Lawhon describes her as "bold, bawdy, and brazen" in the author's note, and Nancy Wake was indeed that. She was also brave, strong, fearless, clever, courageous, compassionate, determined, cunning, stubborn, tough, and fair and had a strong sense of justice. And she risked everything to fight the Germans and to help win the war.
There is a beautiful, romantic, moving, heartbreaking, and tragic love story in this book between Nancy and her French husband, Henri Fiocca. Even already knowing how their story ended, I still wasn't prepared for it.
I listened to the audiobook version, and the narrator, Barrie Kreinik, was fantastic and really brought Nancy and the other characters to life.
I highly recommend this to fans of historical fiction and non-fiction, WWII historical fiction and non-fiction, and even to romance fans. If you don't know about Nancy Wake, you really should. What a truly amazing, remarkable woman she was! 5 stars!...more
Wow! What a terrific surprise this was! I often find books that I love the hardest to review. I hav5++ stars – WWII Historical Fiction/Mystery/Romance
Wow! What a terrific surprise this was! I often find books that I love the hardest to review. I have so much that I want to say about it, but I think The Diamond Eye is one of those books that’s even better because of how unexpected it is.
The Diamond Eye is based on the remarkable true life story of Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko. She was a bookish history student and librarian, a single mother turned soldier in order to defend her homeland who longed to be a historian, and a fierce, deadly sniper with over 300 kills who became a close friend to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The author used Mila’s actual memoir as her inspiration and “concrete original source” with some artistic license to fill in the “gaps and silences.”
The Diamond Eye is historical fiction at its best and a biography of sorts, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a wartime story with political intrigue, mystery/suspense, and romance. Mila is a fascinating, complex heroine with a fierce, persistent, fighting spirit who never backs down. Her transformation from a quiet, bookish, abused single mother to a courageous, determined, strong-willed soldier who endures doubts and sexism from her fellow soldiers and superiors to be become a fierce, revered sniper feared by Germans known as Lady Death is truly amazing. I loved her.
The alternating timeline of Mila’s past and present was handled really well. The mystery woven into Mila’s goodwill tour visit to America was intriguing and suspenseful, and I enjoyed the present scenes with Eleanor Roosevelt and Mila. But I preferred the past sections because I liked reading about Mila’s wartime experiences, interactions, and relationships. There are so many interesting (real) characters that I loved: her medical orderly friend, Lena, her platoon mates, Fyodor and Vartanov, her superior officer, Lyonya, and of course, her sniper partner and shadow, Kostia.
I’m a romance lover/reader at heart, so my favorite part of The Diamond Eye is the romantic elements. There are actually two love stories in this book, and they’re both beautiful and moving. And trust me that it’s not a love triangle. Lyonya and Kostia are both amazing, swoonworthy heroes, and I loved them as much as Mila.
I highly recommend this book to fans of extraordinary women, WWII history, historical fiction, historical mystery/suspense, and historical romance. Big unforgettable 5 stars!
“I had a belly full of vodka, a heart full of hatred, and a soul full of grief—but my hand was steady as a rock.”
“We are glad to visit your beautiful country. It is prosperous—you all live far from the struggle. Nobody destroys your towns, cities, fields. Nobody kills your citizens, your sisters and mothers, your fathers and brothers. I come from a place where bombs pound villages into ash, where Russian blood oils the treads of German tanks, where innocent civilians die every day. An accurate bullet fired by a sniper like me, Mrs. Roosevelt, is no more than a response to an enemy.”
I’ve seen some comments from readers on GR and Amazon saying they were concerned about the timing or that they had a hard time with the book given Russia’s current invasion of Ukraine. But the USSR, Soviet Union, during WWII is not the same as Russia today. They fought against Hitler and fascism and fended off the German invasion long before Americans joined the fight, and the Red Army provided the largest land force in the Allied victory of WWII. The Soviet Union also suffered the highest casualties of the war with around 20-27 million deaths.
From the Author’s Note of The Diamond Eye:
“It’s sometimes said that World War II was won with British Intelligence, American steel, and Soviet blood. This sweeping generalization bears a kernel of truth. Since the USSR became America’s enemy in the Cold War so soon after WWII’s end, it’s easy to forget that without them, the war against the Axis powers might have been lost. Of all Hitler’s mistakes, his colossal Napoleonic error in taking on the USSR was perhaps the most pivotal: without the eastern front soaking up so much of Germany’s manpower, the Allies might never have prevailed. The cost of that victory was millions of Red Army dead as Soviet blood gave American steel and British Intelligence time to turn the tide. The Diamond Eye is seen through the lens of Soviet blood—one woman’s fight to stanch its flow, first with her rifle and then with her voice as she crossed an ocean to bring American steel home to help her countrymen.”
My personal opinion/note:
It’s tragic to me that governments (including the U.S.) haven’t learned from history and keep repeating the same mistakes of war resulting in the suffering of innocent people. So much money is spent on the military-industrial complex that could be used for education, healthcare, protecting and improving the environment, and helping the poor, homeless, children, elderly, and veterans. Sadly, companies who produce oil, gas, weapons, bombs, tanks, attack drones, and fighter planes and their politicians want wars because they get richer....more
I only need to say one word for this review: BONES! I love the Night Huntress series, and Bones is one of my all-5+ stars - Paranormal/Vampire Romance
I only need to say one word for this review: BONES! I love the Night Huntress series, and Bones is one of my all-time favorite romance heroes, ever! I've always wished for his point of view when reading the Night Huntress books. Now, finally, we get Halfway to the Grave from Bones' POV, and it's so bloody good and sexy! I loved it! Big 5 stars!
This was an entertaining, action-packed novella! Most of the story centers on Cat and Denise, but thankful5 stars - Paranormal/Vampire Romance Novella
This was an entertaining, action-packed novella! Most of the story centers on Cat and Denise, but thankfully Bones has some scenes as well. And I'll take any bit of Bones I can get! Ashael plays a fun role in the story as well, and he's very intriguing and sexy. I really hope Jeaniene Frost has plans to write a book for him!...more
And we have another winner! Hard to believe it's been 54 books, and I still can't get enough of th5 stars - Futuristic/Crime/Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
And we have another winner! Hard to believe it's been 54 books, and I still can't get enough of this phenomenal series and its fabulous characters! The criminal element and mystery in this installment was more intriguing than in the last few books, and the villain was a real sicko.
I'd love to see the In Death books made into a TV series or movie at some point as long as they do a great job with the casting....more
I really enjoyed this thrilling archaeological adventure mystery romance! It’s sort of4.5 stars - Historical Mystery/Action Adventure/Thriller/Romance
I really enjoyed this thrilling archaeological adventure mystery romance! It’s sort of a mix of Indiana Jones, Jungle Cruise, The Mummy, and Lara Croft, but it’s more authentic and not at all silly or cheesy. The Mayan and Aztec cultural references, mythologies, and mysteries were intriguing.
Ellie is a bold, brave, clever, and determined heroine, and I liked her, even though she was stubborn and frustrating at times. (view spoiler)[I didn’t like that she lied to Adam, or that she kept lying to him for so long putting their mission and lives in danger. But she had her reasons, and she was very remorseful and tried to make it right. (hide spoiler)] Adam is a swoon-worthy, perfect hero. He’s sexy, strong, smart, resourceful, skilled, brave, modest, and gallant.
My only issue with the book is that the ending is abrupt, and I really wanted an epilogue. I’m hoping she writes more adventures for Ellie and Adam and maybe for some of Adam’s friends from his archaeology club.
I’m so glad I’ve discovered author Jacquelyn Benson. The Charismatics series (The Fire in the Glass and The Shadow of Water) are two of my favorite reads this year. And this is another really great read! I’m looking forward to more books from this talented author....more
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