Katie

Literary Quicksand readers might remember my reviews of author Natalie Jenner’s first two novels: The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls: two engaging, well-plotted books with interesting characters and fascinating glimpses into history. Jenner has a talent for creating hopeful…

The Summary A haunting legend. An ominous curse. A search for a secret buried deep within the castle walls. In 1870, orphaned Daisy François takes a position as a housemaid at a Wisconsin castle to escape the horrors of her…

I received an ARC of A Midsummer Night’s Scheme, a cozy mystery set in a small town, in exchange for the review below. Summary All the world’s a stage, but it may be curtains for bookbinder Quinn Caine’s brother if…

I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of Trang Tranh Tran’s YA debut She is a Haunting. Read on for my review! Summary A house with a terrifying appetite haunts a broken family in this atmospheric horror, perfect…

The Summary September 1878. One night, as the pleasure boat the Princess Alice makes her daily trip up the Thames, she collides with the Bywell Castle, a huge iron-hulled collier. The Princess Alice shears apart, throwing all 600 passengers into…

The Gray Man is a novella that combines a historic legend, an approaching hurricane, and three characters living on Pawleys Island into a compelling story. The Summary  As Hurricane Caleb slams into the small town of Pawleys Island, South Carolina,…

For anyone who has a dream of living in a remote and natural place, this book will be a natural fit. Catherine Raven incorporates her Ph.D. in biology with her love of the outdoors and experience as a park ranger to connect readers to the sights and sounds of rural Montana and the stories of her own difficult past to inspire hope for the future.

As a lover of historical fiction, I was excited to dive into this unique take on the British intelligence services during World War II. Read on to hear why I would recommend One Woman’s War! The Summary World War II…

Back in June of 2020, I had the opportunity to review Natalie Jenner’s novel The Jane Austen Society–and I absolutely loved it! It was such a treat to be offered the opportunity to review her follow-up book, Bloomsbury Girls ahead…

The Synopsis May 1816: Jane Austen is feeling unwell, with an uneasy stomach, constant fatigue, rashes, fevers, and aches. She attributes her poor condition to the stress of family burdens, which even the drafting of her latest manuscript—about a baronet’s…