In the aftermath of WWII England author Juliet Ashton is riding the wave from her previous book and looking for a subject for the next.  Juliet unexpectedly receives a letter from a man, Dawsey, who lives on the island of Guernsey.  Guernsey was occupied by the Germans during the War and materials such as books have become scarce.  Dawsey has in his possession a book that was once owned by Juliet and still has her address, he writes to her to see if she would be willing to connect him with someone to send him more books.  Through their letters, Juliet learns more of the Guernsey occupation and the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society that was made up to help the residents through this time.  Juliet becomes infatuated with the residents of Guernsey and their book society.  When she decides to visit Guernsey, Juliet finds that it is like visiting old friends as well as finding a heroine fit for her new book.

Written in epistolary form, this was a quick read that moved from letter to letter.  This is also definitely a book for book lovers, with such wonderful quotes as "Because there is nothing I would rather do than rummage through bookshops,...I have gone to them for years, always finding the one book I wanted- and then three more I hadn't known I wanted."  I also ended up learning about the Guernsey Occupation, which I had no idea about and more about the effects of WWII in Great Britain.  In learning about characters through letters, the best molded character ended up being the one person not present, but whom everyone else wrote about.  This is very important to the book, but did leave me lacking in characterization for some of the people writing the letters.  Everyone did seem to have a very similar voice in their letter writing and I constantly had to look at who was writing a letter to whom.  Otherwise, this is a charming, heartfelt book that bookish people will enjoy.  

King Henry the VIII is growing concerned with the lack of a male heir. As he plans to change the religious practices and politics of his realm, King Henry enlists powerful men to bend long-practiced traditions to the King's will.  Nothing Left Sacred explores the behind-the-scenes of how King Henry's decisions during this time of upheaval have impacted England's future.

This is an in-depth look into the decisions made by Henry VIII and his adviser Thomas Crumwell (or Cromwell).  While fictional, it feels like a non-fiction look at the time period, using real letters, statements and documents from the time.  This is not a book that put any of the characters in a good light, I did not like any of them, but this probably showed the true nature of the men that they were.  While I can say that I love all things Tudor, this was a different read for me; I usually read from a women's point of view or from a very character driven plot.  This was more politically driven with backhanded deals and plotting. I learned the most about Crumwell and his major role in influencing Henry VIII.  

This book was received for free in return for an honest review

Grave Mercy
Ismae is rescued at a young age from an arranged marriage and taken to the convent of St. Mortain, the God of Death.  At the convent Ismae is treated well and as a daughter of Death, she is trained in the arts of death, carrying out Mortain's will.  Ismae's talents grow quickly, she is immune to poisons and can see the marque of death; with instruction from the Sisters she becomes adept in poisons, weapons, fighting and womanly arts. After successfully completing two assignments, Ismae is sent on a long-term task.  Disguised as the mistress of Duval. Ismae is sent to the court at Brittany to protect the young Duchess Anne through marriage plots and other court treachery.  When the convent sends orders to kill people that Ismae believes are innocent, she must make the decision to kill or let live. 

I loved the concept of this book, assassin nuns.  With a slight paranormal twist, the Sisters at the convent of St. Mortain have been given powers by Death himself, but have to choose how they use it.  Since Ismae was saved by the convent, this is a difficult lesson for her to learn.  Ismae is a strong character and I liked seeing all of the different ways she was able to kill and use her skills. At first, it seemed like Ismae might just follow orders unquestioningly, but once out of the convent, she begins to think about where the orders come from and what they mean; I was glad with her decisions at the end. I loved that the court of Duchess Anne of Brittany was brought to life through Ismae's eyes, all of the marriage proposals and battles are events that Anne goes through within the book were real events. I can't wait to read the mysterious Sybella's  story next. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.