#Berkley Books

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

Nicholas M. Regush - The Human Aura - Berkley - 1974

[the25centpaperback]

The Trouble Twisters by Poul Anderson, cover by David Egge (1977)

[theblackestofsuns]

Children Of Dune (1976)

Frank Herbert

Berkley Books

[mudwerks]

(via Pulp International - Berkley Books cover for One for the Money by Elliott Chaze)

[thehauntedrocket]

Vintage Paperback - Beelfontaine by Saliee O’Brien

Art by John Duillo

Berkley Medallion (1974)

[driveintheaterofthemind]

Vintage Paperback - Buffy's Cookbook by Jody Cameron

Berkley (1971)

[whimsicaldragonette]

Blog Tour and Arc Review: The Muse of Maiden Lane by Mimi Matthews

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Publication Date: November 19, 2024

Welcome to The Muse of Maiden Lane book tour with Berkley Publishing Group. (This blog tour post is also posted on my Wordpress book blog Whimsical Dragonette.)

Synopsis:

A silver-haired equestrienne and a charismatic artist turn a scandalous bargain into a vibrant portrait of love.

Stella Hobhouse is a brilliant rider, stalwart friend, skilled sketch artist—and completely overlooked. Her outmodish gray hair makes her invisible to London society. Combined with her brother’s pious restrictions and her dwindling inheritance, Stella is on the verge of a lifetime marooned in Derbyshire as a spinster. Unless she does something drastic…like posing for a daring new style of portrait by the only man who’s ever really seen her. Aspiring painter Edward “Teddy” Hayes knows true beauty when he sees it. He would never ask Stella to risk her reputation as an artist’s model but in the five years since a virulent bout of scarlet fever left him partially paralyzed, Teddy has learned to heed good fortune when he finds it. He’ll do anything to persuade his muse to pose for him, even if he must offer her a marriage of convenience.   After all, though Teddy has yearned to trace Stella’s luminous beauty on canvas since their chance meeting, her heart is what he truly aches to capture….

About the Author:

USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews writes both historical nonfiction and award-winning Victorian romances. Her novels have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus, and Shelf Awareness, and her articles have been featured on the Victorian Web, the Journal of Victorian Culture, and in syndication at BUST Magazine. In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes a retired Andalusian dressage horse, a Sheltie, and two Siamese cats. Learn more online at www.mimimatthews.com.

Author Photo Credit: Vicki Hahn

My Rating: ★★★★

*My Review below the cut.

My Review:

This was less about Stella and Teddy falling in love with each other and more about giving each of them the courage and opportunity to step out of their suffocating lives and live freely, not caring what other people thought. Falling in love came as a bit of an afterthought.

That said, I really enjoyed this, maybe more than the other Belles of London books. It has some pacing issues, especially when Matthews spends so much time showing us how happy each of the previous couples are, but not enough to sour my view of it.

I really like the way she treats Teddy's disability. I could feel his frustration at being hovered over constantly, and his desire to do things for himself. I also like that falling in love doesn't cure his disability and that he is also more capable than people tend to think he is.

I also really liked his passion for his painting and also for Stella as his muse.

I could also feel Stella's frustration at being constantly forced into the background when she has so much passion. Her family were infuriating - although perhaps a bit cartoon-y in their villainy.

The only real issue I had with this book was that I have never heard of Scarlet Fever causing either paralysis or a lung condition. I couldn't dig up any reference to it either. Maybe Matthews got her diseases mixed up?

Aside from that, though, this was an excellent read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

*Thanks to Berkley for providing an early copy for review & blog tour.

[smbhax]

Cover illustration by Richard Powers

[theartisticendeavor]

Vintage Paperback - It Could Happen To Anyone by Margaret Maze Craig

Berkley (1970)

[retrogirlsbooks]

Sunwaifs by Sydney J. Van Scyoc

Cover illustration by David Plourd

ISBN 0-425-04645-1

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

Francine Prose - Marie Laveau - Berkley - 1978

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

Review: Local Gone Missing by Fiona Barton

Author: Fiona BartonPublisher: Berkley BooksReleased: June 14, 2022Received: NetGalley I enjoyed Fiona Barton’s The Child, so I knew I had to grab Local Gone Missing when I saw it available. You guys know I can’t pass up a good thriller! Elise has always been an ambitious person. She had high hopes for her career as a detective, but her medical leave is forcing her to take a step back from that…

[the25centpaperback]

The Trouble Twisters by Poul Anderson, cover by Angus McKie (1977)

[theblackestofsuns]

Dune Messiah (1969)

Frank Herbert

Berkley Books

[doodlesink]

The Knife Before Christmas by Kate Carlisle -- A Book Review

Happy Tuesday!  The Knife Before Christmas by Kate Carlisle is a festive cozy mystery.  Stop by to learn more about the latest A Fixer-Upper Mystery.  Happy Reading!

https://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-knife-before-christmas-by-kate.html

[thehauntedrocket]

Vintage Paperback - Algorithm by Jean Mark Gawron

Berkley (1978)