The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

Available Now

Interested in a book similar to The London Séance Society? Look no further than one of Sarah Penner’s other books that I love! This was previously posted in March of 2021.

In a secret apothecary shop, Nella spends her days providing simple cures for her neighbors as a cover for her more secret services. The women in the area know who to come to for help with abusive and oppressive husbands, and Nella saves those services only for women. When a young woman seeks help for her mistress, Nella’s apothecary services are put in danger. 

In the present day, Caroline finds herself in London celebrating her tenth wedding anniversary alone. On a whim, she joins a mudlarking group combing the banks of the Thames and discovers a unique apothecary bottle. As her historian instincts kick in, Sarah finds herself lost in the research of the bottle’s origins, she discovers the truth behind the bottle and the truth about herself. 

Lushly told through alternating timelines, The Lost Apothecary is a beautiful blend of history, mystery, and the dark secrets of women and medicine. Caroline’s journey of self discovery blended beautifully with the dark tale of Nella’s apothecary. The Lost Apothecary also highlights the value of female friendships. Nella rescues Eliza from the gaze of her employer through an apprenticeship at the apothecary and Caroline strikes up a friendship with the Librarian who helps her research the bottle’s origins and reignite her spark for history and academia. Through those friendships, the women find the strength they need to make life-altering decisions for themselves. 

Combining the history of London with the history of Nella’s apothecary, Penner provides a gripping story of women’s survival. Whether it be an abusive marriage, a brutish employer, or a cheating and manipulative spouse, all three women survive and learn to grow within their own new realities.  

I really enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to anyone who loves history, a good mystery, and tales of found family and deep friendship.  Nella’s story was really interesting and while I know she was helping commit murder, it was very easy to find sympathy for all involved. Except the men. They really should have been nicer. Caroline’s story running parallel to Nella’s did feel a little too on the nose at times, but overall, her marriage difficulties were easy to relate too. Nothing had ever really gone Caroline’s way and all of her major life decisions were to help her family or husband. Her husband was a major jerk and I was so proud of her every time she stood up for herself and did something she wanted to do. Overall, this was a very interesting blend of genres and I really liked it. Also, isn’t that most gorgeous cover? I love the color choices and since I have a new office to decorate, this cover is starting to spark some inspiration.

If you want to add this book to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title, all opinions and mistakes are my own. 

This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Island Queen by Vanessa Riley

Available Now

*CW: This book is based on the real life of a formerly enslaved woman who endured sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, as well as rampant racism and sexism. Read with care.

Based on the true life story of Dorothy ¨Doll¨ Kirwan Thomas, Island Queen is a compelling, gripping, and emotional novel. Told through her point of view, Doll narrates a tale that is both stunning in its cruelty and oppression, as well as the fortitude and determination she has in protecting and ensuring her family’s safety and freedom. It is a sweeping tale that shows Doll’s journey to freedom and economic success as well as the history of the Caribbean and the effects of colonialism and racism. 

I loved reading the story of Dorothy and was immediately drawn to her no-nonsense attitude and unwillingness to fail. Everything that Doll did, she did with her whole heart and a sense of true purpose. She dreamed big as a child and never gave up on that hope, no matter the cruelty and unfairness that was forced upon her. Doll’s story is one that shows how powerful hope and determination can be, but also more importantly, how hard people of color in history have had to work to be seen merely as people.  Throughout the story, Doll asks her father repeatedly why he won’t buy the freedom of her mother and siblings and he never has a good point. To grow up knowing you are truly owned by your parent?  To live through the repeated sexual, physical, and emotional abuse by family members and to have no recourse? I can’t even begin to imagine. Doll was able to live through all that trauma to become one of the Caribbean’s wealthiest women of her time and create an empire. Her story is just as fascinating as it is frustrating and enraging that this treatment was ever inflicted on anyone. But with all that said, this is not a sad tale. Doll goes on to have ten children, fall in love, and create an economic empire that ensures her family lives in luxury because as the title suggests, Doll was a true Island Queen.

I would highly recommend this to historical fiction lovers, as well as those wanting to read more books based on women in history.

If you would like to add this amazing book to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. All mistakes and opinions are my own. 

This post also contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore

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In The Woman They Could Not Silence, Kate Moore once again tackles an incredibly grim and complicated portion of our history in an accessible and compelling way. Thoroughly researched and skillfully crafted, Elizabeth Packard’s harrowing journey through the murky medical systems, ruled by a patronizing group of doctors, unfolds. Sent to an asylum by her overbearing and strict husband for merely speaking her opinion, Elizabeth Packard quickly discovered that the law was far from being on her side. Faced with her new reality, Elizabeth swiftly begins contacting close friends and collecting information to build the case of her sanity. But in an era where women were unable to own property, control their finances, or be placed in an asylum for simply reading novels, Elizabeth faced a monumental battle. 

Kate Moore writes excellent narrative non-fiction and really brought Elizabeth’s story to life. Just as in her previous books, Moore really focused on the people and their humanity. While the situations these women were placed in were cruel and barbaric, Moore also placed emphasis on the women’s roles in society at the time and their lack of rights within the laws. At no point does Moore excuse anyone’s behavior, only placing the situations in context of the time period. While this heartbreaking and emotional story is well researched and well written, it did feel longer than necessary and the beginning of the book was much slower in pacing than the last half. Overall, Kate Moore has given us another important and emotionally moving look at the complicated history of medicine and mental health. 

If you would like to add this powerful book to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. 

This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The Conductors by Nicole Glover

This is a phenomenal debut novel full of mystery, magic, and history. Hetty Rhodes, along with her husband Benjy, are conductors on the Underground Railroad. Using their magical gifts to aid in the rescue of many enslaved people, Hetty and Benjy find themselves also serving as the unofficial detectives and investigators for their community. When an old friend of the couple is murdered, the investigation into his death will uncover a tangled web of magic, lies, and devastating secrets. As the couple dive deeper into the mystery of the murder, Hetty continues her years-long search for her missing sister, and discovers that there may be more to her and Benjy’s relationship than she previously believed.

The Conductors is a compelling and engrossing story that effortlessly blends magic and history with the suspense of a mystery. The magic system draws on the powers of the stars and the sigils depicting the constellations. As with our history, white people hold the majority of the magical power and consider their use of it as “good” while they consider the magic held and practiced by Black people to be wrong and dangerous. It’s a gross and unjust system and there’s a very disturbing use of magical collars to control the magic of Black people, but it’s also in line with all the grossness and injustice that white people have inflicted over the centuries. Please don’t think I’m justifying it, I’m not, I just don’t want it to seem that I’m calling the author’s intentions gross. The magical sigils could be embroidered into clothing and handkerchiefs to provide protection, as well as be painted and etched into walls and floors and I love how the beauty of the stars could be translated into magic.

Hetty and Benjy were both great characters and I loved Hetty and Benjy’s unconventional relationship provided a layer of conflict and complexity to the story and to their interactions with friends and the community. They are both driven and steadfast in their mission to protect others, and led to their unconventional marriage. Just like in our own history, Hetty and Benjy couldn’t be seen together, unchaperoned, over and over again without raising eyebrows and creating gossip. To stem some of this, they got married but never had real feelings for each other. As the latest mission brings them closer and closer, forcing out long-held secrets, the two grow into a new relationship that was really lovely to watch develop.

While I would have like a faster pace to the storytelling, I found The Conductors to be an engaging read and look forward to more from this author. 

If you would like to add this book to your shelf, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

Available Now

In a secret apothecary shop, Nella spends her days providing simple cures for her neighbors as a cover for her more secret services. The women in the area know who to come to for help with abusive and oppressive husbands, and Nella saves those services only for women. When a young woman seeks help for her mistress, Nella’s apothecary services are put in danger. 

In the present day, Caroline finds herself in London celebrating her tenth wedding anniversary alone. On a whim, she joins a mudlarking group combing the banks of the Thames and discovers a unique apothecary bottle. As her historian instincts kick in, Sarah finds herself lost in the research of the bottle’s origins, she discovers the truth behind the bottle and the truth about herself. 

Lushly told through alternating timelines, The Lost Apothecary is a beautiful blend of history, mystery, and the dark secrets of women and medicine. Caroline’s journey of self discovery blended beautifully with the dark tale of Nella’s apothecary. The Lost Apothecary also highlights the value of female friendships. Nella rescues Eliza from the gaze of her employer through an apprenticeship at the apothecary and Caroline strikes up a friendship with the Librarian who helps her research the bottle’s origins and reignite her spark for history and academia. Through those friendships, the women find the strength they need to make life-altering decisions for themselves. 

Combining the history of London with the history of Nella’s apothecary, Penner provides a gripping story of women’s survival. Whether it be an abusive marriage, a brutish employer, or a cheating and manipulative spouse, all three women survive and learn to grow within their own new realities.  

I really enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to anyone who loves history, a good mystery, and tales of found family and deep friendship.  Nella’s story was really interesting and while I know she was helping commit murder, it was very easy to find sympathy for all involved. Except the men. They really should have been nicer. Caroline’s story running parallel to Nella’s did feel a little too on the nose at times, but overall, her marriage difficulties were easy to relate too. Nothing had ever really gone Caroline’s way and all of her major life decisions were to help her family or husband. Her husband was a major jerk and I was so proud of her every time she stood up for herself and did something she wanted to do. Overall, this was a very interesting blend of genres and I really liked it. Also, isn’t that most gorgeous cover? I love the color choices and since I have a new office to decorate, this cover is starting to spark some inspiration.

If you want to add this book to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title, all opinions and mistakes are my own. 

This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Root Magic by Eden Royce

Available Now

Reader Friends, this book is amazing. While it's audience is 8-12 year-olds, this 30-something, I have a couple years left, was absolutely enthralled from start to finish.

Set in 1963, Jezebel and her twin brother Jay have just lost their grandmother days before their eleventh birthday. Struggling with their grief, their small family has to deal with harassment from the local police and stares and whispers from the neighbors and classmates who don't understand their use of root magic. As Jezebel and Jay begin root magic lessons with their uncle, they discover there was more to the stories their grandmother would tell them, and the simple cures and potions their uncle mixes up for neighbors are just the beginning of their powerful heritage.

This books truly has everything. There is history, family drama, school drama, two children coming of age, magic, and adventure. These characters are written with such love and care you can feel it pouring from the page. Jezebel and Jay are very close and have a very realistic relationship. Many children will be able to see themselves in the studious and kind Jezebel as well as in the fun-loving and practical Jay. I really loved how the author showed the strain on their relationship when Jezebel was asked to skip a grade while her brother was not. While you know Jay is proud of his sister, it has to hurt to know that your twin is better at something than you. This dynamic is shown again as the twins discover more about their magical gifts and develop those gifts in different ways.

I loved how the author really focused on family and history in telling the adventures of Jez and Jay. Their deep connection to their family's practice in root magic grounds and guides both children. As the twins discover more and more about the magical world around them, knowing that they have a connection to their family gives them courage and hope to deal with some very scary situations.

If you have a middle grade reader who loves magic and adventure, this will be a perfect book for them. I absolutely love and adore it and I can't wait for more children to discover it.

If you would like to add this wonderful book to your collection, you can find ordering options here:

This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. I read my Library's copy of this book and as always, request books from your Library. Librarians love to buy books.

The Inheritors by Asako Serizawa

Available July 14, 2020

The Inheritors is a beautifully written collection of connected short stories centered around a family through multiple generations and countries. Told from multiple perspectives, each with a distinct voice and style, The Inheritors is a fascinating look at how our actions can have an impact on future generations. Much of the book centers around the second World War and its effect on not only the citizens of Japan, but on the Koreans who were forced to work there by the Japanese. Family, love, grief and patriotism are all examined throughout the collection and some stories are more difficult emotionally than others. 

The story titled Flight was particularly impactful. Ayumi is sharing her memories, those she still has, of growing up and her first visit to America in 1911. The power of discovering a tomato for the first time. How her second tomato was discovered during her second pregnancy and the fear of Americans animosity towards people from Asia. Interspersed with her memories of raising her children and her marriage, are the ways her mind is betraying her. Names leave her first. She differentiates her daughters by their features, not their names. She doesn’t have those anymore. Ayumi recalls the difficulty of living in a country where you aren’t wanted. How she wasn’t able to communicate with her family back home because it could cause suspicion with the American government. The struggle to raise a family during the Depression. All the while, we are reminded that in the present, she doesn’t remember her children or their names. 

Many tears friends, many tears. 

Allegiance gives us Masaharu, a man who follows his wife to work and doesn’t understand why she’s working around so many soldiers. Their son is missing and the distance between them grows every day. In the next story, we hear her side of the story. As an old woman, she allows herself to be interviewed about her life during the war and how she was forced into acting as a “comfort woman.” The horrors that those women endured. The writing styles are drastically different between the two stories, creating a more powerful narrative. 

This was a fascinating collection of short stories and I highly recommend it. 

Want a copy for yourself? You can get one here:

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title.  All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases.

Shadow Blade by Seressia Glass

Available Now

I found this book while scrolling through Twitter and I’m not going to lie, an author who not only includes a cover, description, and a buy link will almost always get my money. This was a smoking good deal, and one I wasn’t going to pass up. I’ve been in the mood for a good magical adventure full of secret organizations, demigods, and some serious smooching.

Kira Solomon has been a part of Gilead ever since a childhood tragedy left her orphaned. Unable to touch anyone without draining off their life force, Kira uses her extrasense gifts to fight the Shadow and help preserve the balance between Light and Shadow as a Shadowchaser. A highly trained and deadly fighter, Kira spends her days as an antiquities specialist, cataloging and preserving magical artifacts. When a close friend and business associate suddenly dies, Kira knows the ancient dagger they had recently discussed is at the heart of her friend’s killing.

Khefar, a four thousand year-old immortal warrior is the owner of the mysterious dagger and desperately wants it back. Khefar has been cursed to wander the mortal world until he saves the lives of enough mortals to allow him to finally rest with his family in the Field of Reeds. Discovering he has to save the life of Kira really throws him. She’s more likely to kill him than listen to him and with her life constantly in danger, it makes his job of protecting her extremely difficult.

But work together they do because a deadly Avatar is determined to possess the dagger and allow Chaos to take over the world.

I loved this book! The writing is fantastic with that perfect blend of character development and action-filled fight scenes. The best part, it includes my all-time favorite trope: He’s the only one she can touch! Only him! She can’t touch anyone without draining the literal life out of them, except for Khefar. It’s done so well. So well. I really loved the world Seressia Glass creates with the different demons and enemies, but it all set in modern day Atlanta. I’m a sucker for mystical artifacts, especially when they take the form of a four thousand year-old immortal. And a magic dagger, that was cool too. Anansi makes an appearance as Khefar’s sidekick/guide and his strategically told stories play an important part in the mission.

This is the first in a series, so if you loved it as much as I did, there’s more! I also picked up her book Seducing the Jackal that was published as a Harlequin Nocturne title and it was really good. I love shifters and this had both shifters and a witch. And more ancient Egypt. I’ll tell you more about that one later.

Want a copy for yourself? You can get one here:

More from Seressia Glass:

Full disclosure: The links to IndieBound didn’t provide a direct ordering option, and it seemed weird to send you there for these. They are readily available from Amazon and the Harlequin titles can be purchased directly through Harlequin as ebooks for only $2.99. When you purchase through the links, I earn from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. Ordering from Harlequin just makes me happy that you bought a new book!

The Faithful Spy by John Hendrix

This is another one of those books that you can buy for the amazing cover and not feel guilty because the story is just as incredible as the artwork.  Full of vibrant colors, captivating illustrations, and handwritten text, The Faithful Spy tells the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young pastor who set out to assassinate Adolf Hitler.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a devout young pastor who felt compelled by God to put an end to World War II before it began.  The Faithful Spy gives us the complete picture starting with Bonhoeffer early years, his studies at Seminary school, and how he was able to make contacts with and help the resistance against the Nazis.  Hendrix is able to seamlessly weave together Bonhoeffer’s life story alongside the rise of both the Nazi party and the resistance providing a real depth to the story. Within the Author’s Note, Hendrix writes how he wanted to tell the story of how Germany was so easily swayed by Hitler and his atrocious ideas and he does an amazing job of doing so.  

This would be a great pick for your younger history buff-I wouldn’t go much below 12 years old because you know, Nazis are kind of a deep topic.  The artwork is absolutely incredible and really adds to the story. I really appreciate the “Research and Authenticity” section at the end. Hendrix provides some great information about why he included what information he did and also why he excluded the information that he did.  

Fun Fact-this is a Junior Library Guild pick, which I found out after I had already ordered a copy of this for the Library and then received a second copy in my JLG shipment.  But some goofs are just meant to be-this gave me the chance to purchase one of them for myself and I loved reading it. I even caught The Kid reading it one night even though it’s not a full on graphic novel.  It provided a great opportunity to have a conversation about power and hate.

You can get your copy, and help support the site, here:

Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners by Therese Oneill

Unmentionable:  The Victorian Lady’s Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners is a deep-dive in to all things ladylike.  From the type and care of your crotchless panties, (not nearly as fun as it sounds) to how not to look like a slob at the dinner table, this book covers it all.  

It’s a snarky and intelligent take on how women’s lives were strictly controlled by society’s rules and expectations for behavior and appearance.  

The cover for this book is amazing.  With a shocking pink spine and the saucy corset photo on the front, it’s hard to pass up.  I did have to answer a few questions from The Kid…

The book is written as though The Reader has been transported back in time to Victorian London.  Luckily, we are transported back with wealth and status to ensure we don’t have to handle our own chamber pots or deal with the toxic and harsh chemicals used to launder our clothes.   Our Guide takes on a tour of all things lady: from our clothing, bathing, how to move in society and how to move our bowels. What fork to use, because there are twenty, and how to keep a husband happy.  Or at least, how to keep a husband from putting us in an asylum.

It’s both fascinating and terrifying:  toxic makeup, patent medicine, streets lined in dung.  How did we survive? Especially with our crazy wombs that are the root cause of all illnesses.  Just ask the men.

I loved this!

Unmentionable:  The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners by Therese Oneill is available now from Little, Brown and Company.  

You can get your copy, and help support the site, here: