Sophia Rose Reviews: Shakespeare’s Christmas by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Julia Gibson

 

Shakespeare’s Christmas by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Julia Gibson

#3 Lily Bard

Mystery

Publisher:  Recorded Books

Published:  11.24.09

Time:  6 hours 37 minutes

Rating: 4 stars

Format: audio

Source:  library

Sellers:  Amazon

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GoodReads Synopsis: 

Lily Bard heads home for the holidays.

Lily heads to her hometown of Bartley for her estranged sister's Christmas Eve wedding. But there is something in the air besides holiday cheer—there's murder. And Lily must work fast to clean up the messy case before her sister promises to love, honor, and obey a killer.

Sophia Rose Reviews: Murder at Somerset House by Andrea Penrose

 

Murder at Somerset House by Andrea Penrose

#9 Wrexford and Sloane Mysteries

Historical Mystery

Publisher:  Kensington

Published:  9.30.25

Pages:  368

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: eARC

Source:  NetGalley

Sellers:  Amazon

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GoodReads Synopsis:

Beyond the gilded ballrooms and salons of Regency London lurks a sinister web of intrigue and deception, and when a murder occurs within the scientific community, Lord Wrexford and Charlotte are the perfect pair to unravel it . . .

A welcome interlude of calm has descended on Wrexford and Charlotte, though with three lively young boys in their care and an unconventional circle of friends and allies, quiet rarely lasts long. And sure enough, in the dead of night, an old acquaintance appears and asks for help. His
brother-in-law has been accused of murdering a fellow member of the prestigious Royal Society at their London headquarters, Somerset House. 

Wrexford agrees to investigate, and with a little unexpected help from their young charges, discovers that what seemed a simple case may be part of a darker, more dangerous plot, where science, money, and politics collide. A mysterious new technical innovation threatens to ignite a crisis throughout Europe, with frightening consequences for London’s financial world.

There is also personal upheaval for Wrexford and Charlotte, when a shocking secret from the past brings a profound change to their family, testing the bonds of loyalty and trust as never before . . .

 

Sophia Rose Reviews: A Very Plain Young Man by Christina Dudley

 

A Very Plain Young Man by Christina Dudley

#2 Hapgoods of Bramleigh

Historical Romance

Publisher:  BellaVita Press

Published:  5.26.14

Pages:  382

Rating: 4 stars

Format: ebook

Source: purchased

Sellers:  Amazon

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GoodReads Synopsis:

The anticipated follow-up to THE NATURALIST, a Regency romance described by Austenprose.com as "a literary feast for any Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer fan...If you read one Traditional Regency this year let it be The Naturalist." Book One of the series The Hapgoods of Bramleigh, THE NATURALIST was also a finalist for Best Romance in the 2013 PNWA Literary Contest.

In Book Two of the series, A VERY PLAIN YOUNG MAN takes up the story of Elfrida, the most beautiful of the Hapgood sisters, as well as the most practical. If she must marry eventually, she intends to choose a husband not with her eyes, nor even with her heart, but with her common sense. He must be respectable and steady--not given to gambling or wenching or idling like her scapegrace uncles. So naturally, Frederick Tierney, the rakish brother of her new brother-in-law, will never do. Not only is his chequered past not entirely in the past, but he is too handsome for his own good and takes delight in unsettling her. But when another offer comes her way which meets all of her supposed requirements, Elfrida finds choosing duty over desire not as simple as she imagined.

 

Sophia Rose Reviews - Three Mages and a Marguerita by Annette Marie

 

Three Mages and a Marguerita by Annette Marie

#1 Guild Codex: Spellbound

Urban Fantasy

Publisher:  Self-Published

Published:  9.14.18

Pages:  312

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: ebook

Source:  KU borrow

Sellers:  Amazon

GoodReads:  

 

GoodReads Synopsis:

Broke, almost homeless, and recently fired. Those are my official reasons for answering a wanted ad for a skeevy-looking bartender gig.

It went downhill the moment they asked me to do a trial shift instead of an interview - to see if I'd mesh with their "special" clientele. I think that part went great. Their customers were complete dickheads, and I was an asshole right back. That's the definition of fitting in, right?

I expected to get thrown out on my ass. Instead, they...offered me the job?

It turns out this place isn't a bar. It's a guild. And the three cocky guys I drenched with a margarita during my trial? Yeah, they were mages. Either I'm exactly the kind of takes-no-sh*t bartender this guild needs, or there's a good reason no one else wants to work here.

So what's a broke girl to do? Take the job, of course - with a pay raise.

 

Sophia Rose Reviews - The Serpent in Heaven by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Eva Kaminski

 

The Serpent in Heaven by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Eva Kaminski

#4 Gunnie Rose

Post-Apocalyptic Thriller, Alternate History

Publisher:  Recorded Books

Published:  11.15.22

Time:  8 hours 53 minutes

Rating: 5 stars

Format: Dramatized Adaption

Source:  Library borrow

Sellers:  Amazon

GoodReads:   

GoodReads Synopsis:

#1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Charlaine Harris returns to her alternate history of the United States where magic is an acknowledged but despised power in this fourth installment of the Gunnie Rose series.

Felicia, Lizbeth Rose’s younger half-sister and student at the Grigori school within the capital of the New Holy Russian Empire in San Diego, is caught between secrets and powerful family struggles. As a distant relative to the Tsar, she provides an essential service to him by providing blood transfusions for his hemophilia, and she is thus given rare access and dismissed as if cattle. At the Grigori school she is seen as a charity case, a poor orphan with no prospects and no sign of magical prowess—the latter which Felicia keeps purposefully hidden. And yet, when a kidnapping attempt is made upon Felicia her past and her future crash together in violent ways.

Continuing immediately after The Russian Cage, this fantastical fourth book takes a side step, exploring the Holy Russian Empire while also showcasing the dynamic depths of magic within Harris’s alternate North America in curious mysteries. Felicia, it turns out, is far more than the Russian-Mexican waif Lizbeth rescued, and the journey of discovery she is on is filled with magical assassins and desperation, but above it all is her courage to never give in to the limitations imposed upon her.

Sophia Rose Reviews - A Moment’s Shadow by Anna Lee Huber

 

A Moment’s Shadow by Anna Lee Huber

#8 Verity Kent

Historical Mystery

Publisher:  Kensington Books

Published:  8.26.25

Pages:  389

Rating: 4 stars

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley

Sellers:  Amazon

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GoodReads Synopsis:

Violence, reprisal, and intrigue abound in post-World War I Ireland as the bloody conflict between the Irish Republican Army and the British authorities continues to escalate.  But former Secret Service agent Verity Kent must deal with a more immediate concern—the possession of poisonous gas by a ruthless adversary . . .

August 1920, Dublin,  A fraught task keeps Verity and her husband Sidney in the country after their initial clandestine mission has been the traitor Lord Ardmore is scheming to employ the deadly phosgene gas he’s stolen for some terrifying purpose, and the couple will need both the Crown forces and the rebels’ help to thwart him.

As they pursue their quarry, they are drawn into a case involving a series of cunning and brazen jewel thefts. Many believe it is the work of the Irish rebels, seeking to fund their revolution, but when Verity and Sidney are also approached by Michael Collins and the IRA to unmask the thief, they suspect he may instead be an opportunist using the political unrest as a cover for his crimes.

As the thief continues to pull ever more risky jobs—including targeting Verity and their friends—the couple receive new intelligence that the gas they seek may be intended for a crowded event, one that the entire world will be attuned to. They must stop Lord Ardmore at all costs—or the consequences will be devastating . . .

 

Sophia Rose Reviews - Shakespeare’s Counselor by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Julia Gibson

 

Shakespeare’s Counselor by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Julia Gibson

#5 Lily Bard

Mystery

Publisher:  Recorded Books

Published:  11.13.09

Time: 7 hours 50 minutes

Rating:  4 stars

Format: audio

Source:  library

Sellers:  Amazon

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GoodReads Synopsis: 

Cleaning lady and karate expert Lily Bard is a woman with a complicated past. Doing her best to cope with her terrifying memories, she decides to join a therapy group in her adopted hometown of Shakespeare, Arkansas. As it turns out, the group members' feelings aren't the only things that need sorting out, as they assemble for a session only to find a woman dead, left on display as some kind of twisted message.

Lily soon finds herself embroiled in the murder and its aftermath. Some of her own terrible secrets have been dredged up, and she may not be able to rest until she can untangle the 'who' and the 'why' of this shocking crime. But can she do so before the killer strikes again - and before her own nightmares send her over the edge?