Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Bookish Wishes, with the prompt: List the top 10 books you’d love to own and include a link to your wishlist so that people can grant your wishes. Make sure you link your wishlist to your mailing address or include the email address associated with your e-reader in the list description so people know how to get the book to you. After you post, jump around the Linky and grant a wish or two if you’d like. Please don’t feel obligated to send anything to anyone!
When wishlists come up as a TTT prompt, I typically don’t share a link… but what the heck! I’ll jump in with my Amazon wishlist this time around. Really, I’m not terribly comfortable asking people for anything! Mainly, I’m posting this to say — here are books I want to get my hands on… and eventually, I may end up treating myself to at least one or two.
A couple of these are books that I read via the library and would love to own; one I just purchased in hardcover using a gift card, but would love to get a Kindle edition; and one is an upcoming new release that I already know I’ll need!
The Children by Melissa Albert
Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser
The Calamity Club by Katheryn Stockett
Kin by Tayari Jones
My Friends by Fredrik Backman
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
Daggerbound by T. Kingfisher (not out yet; release date 8/25/2026)
My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.
Life.
I went to a great book event last week, featuring Matt Haig in conversation with Margaret Sexton Wilkerson (author of On the Rooftop). He was interesting, vulnerable, and funny, and very generous with his willingness to answer audience questions and spend time chatting to each person on the signing line. Yes, I got a book! I’m so glad I was able to attend.
Random bookish stuff:
Libro.fm is offering a BOGO sale, now through June 22. If you’re considering an audiobook membership, Libro is a great option, especially since purchases support the bookstore of your choice. And if you use their SWITCH promo, you’ll get six audiobooks instead of the standard three for a new subscription!
What did I read during the last week?
The Last Lady Bby Eloisa James: A fun, sassy historical romance. I liked the light tone and the sense of humor — such a nice break from heavier reading. My review is here.
Swordheartby T. Kingfisher: What a glorious fantasy! I’ve owned a copy for a year now, and I’m so glad I finally read it. My review is here.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare: Although I’ve seen several productions in the past, I’d never actually read the play. And now I’m super excited for my upcoming trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival next month — this is one of the plays I’ll be seeing.
Sadly, I had one DNF this week:
I hated doing it, but after reading about 25% of The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden, I had to face the fact that I wasn’t engaged or enjoying the reading experience. I’ve seen quite a few glowing reviews that mention struggling at the start of the book, so I was prepared to push through… and finally, after several days of making little progress, I decided to give myself permission to put the book aside. The setting and storytelling approach just didn’t pull me in. Very disappointing — I’ve loved so many of this author’s books. Still, this was the right decision for me this week, because slogging through this book was really dragging me down! Maybe I’ll pick it up again at some point — never say never!! — but for right now, I’m pretty sure this was a case of the wrong book at the wrong time.
Pop culture & TV:
Onward with For All Mankind! I’m almost finished with season 4, and then, just one more season to go (and then I’ll probably start the new spin-off, Star City). I hate to say it, but season 4, while good, isn’t thrilling me the way previous seasons did. Several contributing factors — the time jumps between seasons mean that by season 4, many of the characters I’d come to care about are no longer on the show. Also, this season is heavily focused on politics and labor issues, and lacks the more exciting space exploration elements of earlier seasons. Still, it’s never dull, and I may revise my opinion once I get through the last two episodes of the season — which, if previous season finales are anything to go by, should absolutely ratchet up the adrenaline levels.
I also actually went out to a movie! Something I rarely do these days, when everything is available to stream sooner or later and my couch is just so comfy. My husband and I went to see Disclosure Day over the weekend. It’s good! I intentionally didn’t watch trailers or read reviews ahead of time, so other than knowing the bare minimum (basically, something to do with aliens), I went in cold — and recommend doing the same, if you can. I enjoyed being surprised by the plot, and even some of the cast, and found it a really interesting and entertaining film.
Fresh Catch:
Here’s the new book I got at the book signing:
I’m looking forward to reading it! (Although I may end up saving it for vacation this summer…)
What will I be reading during the coming week?
Currently in my hands:
The Lion Women of Tehranby Marjan Kamali: My book group book for June. I’m getting close to the end, and I’m loving it. A beautiful, powerful story. I’ll share a review later this week.
Now playing via audiobook:
Time Loops & Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau: I just listened to the first couple of chapters yesterday, and this seems like it’ll be a really cute story. I’ve enjoyed other books by this author — fingers crossed this one will be lots of fun!
Ongoing reads:
The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe: My book group’s classic read. We’re reading and discussing two chapters per week. Progress: 36%. Coming up this week: Volume 2, chapters 6 and 7.
Pronoun Trouble: The Story of Us in Seven Little Words by John McWhorter: I picked up this book last year, because it really appeals to my inner grammar nerd. I’m planning to read it in small installments over the next few weeks. Just about to start.
Title: Swordheart Author: T. Kingfisher Publisher: Bramble Publication date: Originally published November 27, 2018; new hardcover edition released 2025 Length: 448 pages Genre: Fantasy Source: Purchased Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Halla has unexpectedly inherited the estate of a wealthy uncle. Unfortunately, she is also saddled with money-hungry relatives full of devious plans for how to wrest the inheritance away from her.
While locked in her bedroom, Halla inspects the ancient sword that’s been collecting dust on the wall since before she moved in. Out of desperation, she unsheathes it—and suddenly a man appears. His name is Sarkis, he tells her, and he is an immortal warrior trapped in a prison of enchanted steel.
Sarkis is sworn to protect whoever wields the sword, and for Halla—a most unusual wielder—he finds himself fending off not grand armies and deadly assassins but instead everything from kindly-seeming bandits to roving inquisitors to her own in-laws. But as Halla and Sarkis grow closer, they overlook the biggest threat of all—the sword itself.
I adore T. Kingfisher’s fantasy novels, so it’s not a surprise that Swordheart seems written just for me! Originally published in 2018, Swordheart was reissued in 2025 with a gorgeous new cover… and call me shallow, but I just cannot resist a pretty book. Although I gifted myself the hardcover edition last year, I hadn’t found the right moment to pick it up and read it… until on a whim, I borrowed the audiobook from the library last week. What a treat! My main complaint… is against myself. Why did I wait so long to indulge in this delicious story?
The main character of Swordheart is Halla, a “respectable widow” (as she defines herself) in her thirties who lost her inept, less-than-charming husband years earlier, and has spent the years since as his kindly great-uncle’s housekeeper. With no other family and no means of support, Halla has been grateful for her place in his home. When Great-uncle Silas dies of old age, Halla is startled to learn that he’s left her his entire estate… but not as startled as his scheming niece and her son, who are positively irate.
Aunt Malva decides that the best solution is for Halla to marry her pathetic son Alver, so that the inheritance will legally belong to Alver. And if Halla meets with an accident soon after, well, who would really mind? This assumes that Halla will agree to the plan, and she most emphatically does not. Halla’s unwillingness doesn’t seem to faze Malva, who locks Halla in her bedroom and plans to leave her there until she complies. Malva doesn’t count on Halla finding an antique sword hanging on the wall. Intending to put herself out of her own misery, Halla unsheaths the sword to see if she can find a way to use it on herself, and instead ends up face to face with the tough, scowling, ancient warrior who appears in a burst of blue light.
Sarkis is the servant of the sword, a man who centuries earlier was magically bound to the weapon, condemned to live forever and serve the sword’s wielder, whoever that might be. Sarkis has served kings and warlords and all sorts of unsavory types, but never a stubborn “respectable widow” with a tendency to stop and chat when she should be running away.
An unlikely pair, Halla and Sarkis are bound together nonetheless, and after making a daring escape from Silas’s house, they set off on the road to seek help in reclaiming Halla’s inheritance. At first, they find one another maddening: Sarkis has a tendency to manhandle Halla into ditches whenever trouble approaches, and Halla asks questions about absolutely everything. But as their spur-of-the-moment road trip progresses, they find a sense of camaraderie they hadn’t expected. Later, joined by Zale, a priest of the order of the White Rat, it’s practically a buddy movie! The travelers get into a crazy amount of adventures and trouble, but somehow manage to keep their quest moving forward… even if it’s at the excruciatingly slow pace of the ox pulling their wagon.
Swordheart is pure delight, there’s just no other way to put it. From the start, Halla is an incredibly entertaining main character. She’s kind, but unwilling to just take orders, especially when it comes to Aunt Malva and Cousin Alver, whose clammy hands are but one of his unpleasant defining features. Halla’s superpower seems to be driving people batty: She’s learned that people in power just can’t deal with women they underestimate, and has perfected the fine art of playing stupid in order to get others to see her as not a threat and therefore not worth questioning too closely.
Sarkis’s tortured past leaves him dour and scowly. He’s utterly fierce, but finds himself continually flabbergasted by Halla’s chatter and tendency to march right into trouble. And yet, he can’t help but soften toward her… and the feelings quickly become mutual.
The adventure aspects of the story zip along quickly, as Halla and Sarkis meet an eclectic assortment of rogues, priests, bandits, and more along the road, not to mention the otherworldly dangers they stumble into when they end up traveling through magical lands. Still, the most menacing people they encounter are the family members and close associates of Silas’s, who pose more of a threat than all the various others who wave weapons at them from time to time.
The dialogue throughout Swordheart is incredibly entertaining, and made me laugh out loud throughout the book. The humor leavens even the tensest of situations, and I adored the chemistry between Halla and Sarkis, as well as their friendship with Zale. The world of Swordheart is fascinating, with a whole host of gods and religions complicating the group’s journey, and Sarkis’s backstory, including the lingering questions about the magic of his sword, adds a magical element with its own rules and complications.
The ending implies that there’s more to come, if not for Halla and Sarkis personally, then certainly within the world of their story… and so it’s wonderful to know that book #2, Daggerbound, will be released in August 2026. I’ve already placed my preorder!
Swordheart is easily one of my favorite reads for 2026. I’m beyond thrilled that I finally experienced this terrific tale. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys fantasy books with a touch of humor and light romance… and of course, a must-read for fans of T. Kingfisher.
While I own a beautiful hardcover edition of Swordheart, I ended up listening to the audio version when a long-time library hold came in — and I’m so glad I did! Jesse Vilinsky’s narration is perfection! Halla’s personality shines through, and Sarkis’s growly voice (with a bizarrely Scottish-sounding accent — which totally works!) is exactly how I’d want him to sound. The action scenes ring with vibrancy, and the entire delivery is well worth the 14-hour listening time. If you’re thinking of checking out Swordheart and enjoy audiobooks, this is the way to go!
Question for readers: I understand that Swordheart connects to the same world as the author’s Clockwork duology and Paladin series. Has anyone read either or both of these? Any recommendations on which to pick up first?
Purchase links: Amazon – Audible – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.
I participated in Birthstone Books Covers for the first time last August, and now I’m hooked! Leslie at Books Are the New Black hosts this fun monthly meme — and since I love anything related to spotlighting amazing book covers, I just had to jump in.
The rules are simple:
Mention the creator (Leslie @Books Are The New Black ) and link back so she can see your post! Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone. Have fun!
June has three birthstones! The three gems are pearl, alexandrite, and moonstone.
For more about these three birthstones, check out the info page at gia.edu. I was not familiar with alexandrite at all until now — not surprising, as it’s considered very rare!
Alexandrite is the rare variety of the mineral chrysoberyl that changes color in different lighting. Most prized are those alexandrite birthstones that show a vivid green to bluish green in daylight or fluorescent light, and an intense red to purplish red in incandescent light. Major alexandrite deposits were first discovered in 1830 in Russia’s Ural Mountains. The gem was named after the young Alexander II (1818–1881), heir apparent to the throne. Alexandrite caught the country’s attention because its red and green colors mirrored the national military colors of imperial Russia.
Pearl has purity, wisdom, and tranquility. Pearls were believed the tears of the gods or moonlight that had been captured in shells. People believe that pearls have the ability to bring good luck and provide a relaxed vibe.
Moonstone shows love, self-awareness, a calm state of mind, and a balance of emotions. Moonstone, a birthstone, is frequently regarded as a precious treasure for fresh starts.
Alexandrite color-changing feature represents change and understanding. Alexandrite is well-known for its remarkable color change, which occurs when it is exposed to luminous light and changes from green to a reddish-purple hue.
June Birthstone Color
Pearl Naturally white, cream, pink, and even black. Freshwater and saltwater pearls can have subtle rainbow-like iridescence known asorient.
Moonstone Typically comes in milky whites or soft grays with a magical blue or rainbowadularescence(a glowing sheen)
Alexandrite Famous for its dramatic color shift—from green in daylight to reddish-purple under incandescent light.
Onward to the books!
Alexandrite is new to me, and I’m finding myself fascinating by its range of colors. Based on the images of the gem, I decided to look for book covers with a mixture of blues, greens, and purples… close enough!
Does alexandrite make you think of any favorite book covers?
First Lines Friday is a weekly feature for book lovers created by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Here’s how to join in:
Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page.
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first.
Finally… reveal the book!
This week’s lines are from a recently released book that I’m eager to read:
As the water taxi sped across the lagoon, the two young honeymooners gazed ahead in awe.
So what’s the book?
The Midnight Train by Matt Haig Release date: May 26, 2026 255 pages
Synopsis:
When your life flashes before your eyes, where would you stop?
No one can change the past, but the Midnight Train can take you there. The chance to re-live the moments that meant most. To see what kind of person you really were.
For Wilbur his best days were with Maggie, the love of his life. On his honeymoon in Venice.
Before he gave it all away.
He wishes he could go back and live differently. But to do so risks everything . . .
A magical, time-travelling love story, from the world of The Midnight Library.
I had the pleasure of attending a talk and book signing with the author this week! The event was wonderful, and I can’t wait to start the book.
Title: The Last Lady B Author: Eloisa James Publisher: Gallery Publication date: May 12, 2026 Length: 384 pages Genre: Historical romance Source: Library Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Lady B may have married Bluebeard; she may have fallen in love with a gorgeous, grumpy solicitor; she may have met a ghost and survived to tell the tale! New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Eloisa James delights with witty historical romance with a gothic twist.
In the depths of winter, Lady Genevieve Hughes, her pet piglet, and her septuagenarian husband travel to a haunted abbey in the Scottish Highlands. Evie is excited to meet a ghost (perhaps one of her husband’s three previous wives), but didn’t expect the funny, quirky guests to become the friends she’s never had. And she certainly didn’t imagine meeting Sir Godric Everly, a sardonic, witty solicitor who loathes her husband.
Yet as secrets and lies turn Evie’s world upside down, Sir Godric becomes the one person whom she can trust.
[Note: Redacting part of the synopsis — too spoilery!]
More importantly, she has to figure out whose identity is false, whose vows are dishonorable, whose truths could destroy her reputation—and where her heart belongs.
The Last Lady B is such a fun historical rom-com romp! In this upbeat romance, our main character Genevieve (Evie) goes through twists galore, including ghostly encounters, strange mysteries, and adventures in a possibly cursed castle, before finally arriving at a happy ending.
Perhaps there comes a time in every woman’s life when she discovers that propriety is poppycock. To put it vulgarly, propriety is bollocks.
Or perhaps that only happens to a woman foolish enough to marry a man older than her father.
Evie, at age 25, isn’t much interested in courtship or having a successful season. Her family has a sterling reputation and her father has a title, but their fortunes are in tatters. Evie has seen one too many potential matches dissolved over her lack of a dowry (or new gowns). Then there’s the added fact that the idea of marriage isn’t all that attractive. From what she’s heard, all that bedroom stuff sounds like something to endure, so maybe she’s not missing much.
However, Evie has a beloved younger sister, and she does care very much about her future. And so, she develops a plan: The elderly Lord Burnsby, in his 70s and with three late wives, is looking for wife #4 — someone young, pretty, and a charming companion. Evie isn’t looking for romance, and makes it clear that she expects a platonic relationship — but he’s polite, kind, and willing to sign a contract for a generous dowry for her sister. So yes, call Evie a fortune hunter if you must, but she has a goal and is willing to tolerate scornful sniffs if it ensures a good future for those she loves.
Except things don’t quite work out that way. After an uneventful (boring) half-year of marriage, Evie heads to Lord Burnsby’s estate in the Scottish Highlands for the Christmas holidays — an ancient abbey rumored to be haunted by his three dead wives — and finds that her tolerable husband has secrets and a loathsome side that she never expected. As they’re joined by Lord Burnsby’s heir, his new (lovely) wife, and his best friend, complications abound, including the fact that the best friend, Sir Godric Everly, is attractive and has a wonderful heart hidden beneath a gruff exterior.
It gets even more convoluted, as more unexpected houseguests and residents show up, enormous secrets and scandals come to light, and the chilly, lonesome abbey reveals its own dangers. And is that really a ghost that Evie encounters? Could there be dead wives hovering about? And if they are, what could they possibly want?
The plots twists of The Last Lady B are highly entertaining, with each new reveal leading to yet another secret or misleading clue. Plenty of banter makes for scenes with a certain zing, and Evie’s spirit and willingness to speak her mind make her a delightful lead character.
The storyline offers ups and downs, moments of romantic bliss and erotic tension, while also providing an opportunity for Evie to redefine her own priorities, what she’s willing and not willing to do to achieve her goals, and what a real family might actually look like.
After the various twists concerning Lord B’s shady secrets are finally wrapped up, the book concludes with another couple of chapters focusing on Evie’s love life — and while it’s good to see her finally get the happiness she deserves, I could have done with a bit less detail about her sexual awakening. But that’s a matter of reader preference — your mileage may vary.
This was my first Eloisa James book. I can see from her website (https://eloisajames.com/books/) that she’s an incredibly prolific author. From a glance at all the titles and covers, my impression is that The Last Lady B is a bit of an outlier, with its light, comedic tone, and that most of her other novels are more serious/dramatic romances. Someone correct me if I’m wrong! If she does have other books with more of a similar vibe, I’d love to know about it.
The Last Lady B is a fun, engaging romance with a strong sense of sassy humor and snark. It was just the right book to lighten my mood when I most needed it, and I really enjoyed it. Highly recommended!
Purchase links: Amazon – Audible – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Books with Handwriting on the Cover.
The topic got me thinking: Do kids still learn to write in cursive these days? I’m guessing not. I used to have a fairly nice cursive handwriting… and now when I attempt it, it’s mainly a big, messy scrawl. Sigh. I love how quick and easy it is to use a keyboard, but it’s a bit sad to think about handwriting as a lost art.
Back to the books! Rather than focusing on actual handwriting, I just started looking through my physical and digital shelves for book titles in cursive fonts… and found more than I expected! Here’s a round-up of 13 that I really like… because I couldn’t decide which to drop to get to ten.
Cinnamon & Gunpowder by Eli Brown
Ready or Not by Cara Bastone
The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey
The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald
All’s Fair in Love and War by Virginia Heath
The Bronte Plot by Katherine Reay
Off the Map by Trish Doller
Pat of Silver Bush by L. M. Montgomery
Pride by Ibi Zoboi
Reputation by Lex Croucher
The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub
The One That Got Away by Mike Gayle
Love Lettering by Kate Claybourn
If you wrote a TTT post this week, please share your link!
My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.
Life.
Oof. Last week at work was intense, and I felt like I barely came up for air. Maybe because of that, my reading was really scattered, and it wasn’t until the weekend that I felt like I had time to read more than a few pages in a sitting.
Luckily, the weekend ended up being pretty mellow, so I did a deep dive into a few different books, and also had time to make progress on some travel planning, get outdoors, and have a fun dinner out with my husband and son at a neighborhood pizza place.
Random bookish stuff:
I love my audiobooks, and love being able to borrow them from the library… and I’m so annoyed with the Hoopla app. Libby is my usual go-to for library audiobooks, but sometimes, what I want is only available on Hoopla. Its functionality is so wonky — each time I try to use it while driving, I have to start from scratch, reopen the app, select the audiobook, and hit resume. If I forget to do all this before starting my drive, I either have to do it while driving (unsafe!) or find a place to pull over. In contrast, Libby just picks right back up with a simple touch on my touchscreen. Argh. Hoopla, fix yourself!
In other bookish developments… I’m on the verge of being caught up on ARCs through the end of June, and that means I can indulge in much more spur-of-the-moment mood reading! I have one more ebook ARC that I’ll likely finish this week, and my remaining two ARCs for June are books that I prefer to experience via audio. My Kindle is beckoning me to just come choose random books from my library! How exciting!
What did I read during the last week?
Take Me with You by Steven Rowley: A funny, moving novel about long-term relationships and… alien abduction. Trust me, it’s a delight. My review is here.
Frenchman’s Creekby Daphne du Maurier: My most recent Classics Club Spin book. Absolutely gorgeous. My review is here.
Pop culture & TV:
Continuing my For All Mankind binge! I cannot stop watching this show. I’m almost finished with season 3 — and then just two more seasons to go. The storytelling and characters are amazing, and there are moments that are so intense that I can barely breathe.
I was so sad to hear about the passing of Anthony Stewart Head, an amazing actor who’s had my heart ever since his Buffy days. RIP.
Fresh Catch:
No new books this week.
What will I be reading during the coming week?
Currently in my hands:
The Last Lady Bby Eloisa James: Such a fun read! I’ve never tried anything by this author until now. I could be wrong, but my sense is that this is the only one of her books with a more comedic tone — judging just by covers and synopses. Someone correct me if that’s not accurate! I’m very close to the end… just need a good solid hour of reading time today to finish.
So, what’ll I read next? Well, I think most likely I’ll turn to:
The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden: I always love this author’s writing, and I’m really curious to see how this story plays out.
Now playing via audiobook:
Swordheart by T. Kingfisher: Finally! I’ve had a copy of this book on my shelves ever since its release, and I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to pick it up. The audiobook narration is terrific. I’m about halfway through, and I’m enjoying every moment.
Ongoing reads:
The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe: My book group’s newest classic read. We’re reading and discussing two chapters per week. Progress: 32%. Coming up this week: Volume 2, chapters 4 and 5.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare: I’m reading a little bit at a time; about to start Act IV.
Title: Frenchman’s Creek Author: Daphne du Maurier Publication date: 1941 Length: 290 pages Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Bored and restless in London’s Restoration Court, Lady Dona escapes into the British countryside with her restlessness and thirst for adventure as her only guides. Eventually Dona lands in remote Navron, looking for peace of mind in its solitary woods and hidden creeks. She finds the passion her spirit craves in the love of a daring French pirate who is being hunted by all of Cornwall. Together, they embark upon a quest rife with danger and glory, one which bestows upon Dona the ultimate choice: sacrifice her lover to certain death or risk her own life to save him.
My newest Classics Club Spin landed on this Daphne du Maurier gem, and I couldn’t be happier. Without the little push of the spin, I’m not sure when I would have picked up this book — and it would be such a shame to have missed it.
In this lush, sweeping novel set during the Restoration era (late 1600s), Lady Dona St. Columb is a pampered aristocrat, a 29-year-old wife and mother of two young children who is both bored and disgusted by the excesses and meaninglessness of her life in London. After too many nights of careless pranks and drinking with her husband’s friends, she abruptly departs with her children to the family estate at Navron on the Cornwall coast. There, she finds isolation and peace, a place to explore the wild beauty of the seaside and natural landscapes, and remove herself from the life that was turning her into someone she didn’t actually like.
Once at Navron, she hears startling rumors about a French pirate terrorizing the area. The nobility of the area are on high alert and desperate to catch this fiend, but Dona herself finds the stories fascinating.
One day, Dona spies a ship approaching the coast, and soon after, follows an unseen trail down to a creek near Navron, where she discovers the secret mooring place of the pirate ship La Mouette. And there, she’s introduced to a man most frequently referred to as “the Frenchman” — handsome, refined, a skilled artist, and captain of La Mouette. He and Dona find common ground immediately, and share a thirst for adventure and danger as a way of feeling alive, breaking out of the roles society expects of them, and experiencing true freedom.
Their connection leads to lazy days of fishing and swimming on the creek, as well as riskier and riskier adventures as Dona disguises herself as a cabin boy and joins the crew for expeditions. But eventually, Dona’s secret life catches up with her, and ultimately, her worlds collide and she is forced into the greatest risk of all, as well as a life-altering decision.
She looked out over the smooth sea towards the land, the smell of it came to her with the evening breeze, warm cliff grass, and moss, and trees, hot sand where the sun had shone all day, and she knew that this was happiness, this was living as she had always wished to live. Soon there would be danger, and excitement, and the reality perhaps of fighting, and through it all and afterwards they would be together, making their own world where nothing mattered but the things they could give to one another, the loveliness, the silence, and the peace.
Frenchman’s Creek is so beautifully written that it took my breath away. The story itself is marvelous. Dona is jaded and disillusioned; she hates what she’s become and the carelessness with which she lived her life in London. Her marriage is dull, and while she has all the jewels and gowns and comforts of a spoiled life, she lacks purpose. We see her transformation even before she meets the Frenchman. In Navron, it’s as if she can breathe again. She experiences peace and natural beauty, and is able to think for herself for what seems like the first time in years.
While we don’t learn much about Dona’s past or how she ended up married to Harry, it’s clear to see that she has a creative and adventurous spirit that’s been beaten down by the stifling life she’d been leading. At first appearance, she’s a beautiful, refined, well-dressed, respectable married woman… but she’s quick to throw off the trappings of Lady St. Columb and run barefoot through the trees, swim in the creek, and lie in the grass just to feel the world around her.
The other Dona was dead too, and this woman who had taken her place was someone who lived with greater intensity, with greater depth, bringing to every thought and every action a new richness of feeling, and an appreciation, half sensuous in its quality, of all the little things that came to make her day.
The overall feel of Frenchman’s Creek is headlong passion — not just in the love story aspects, which are beautifully told and sweep us up in the emotional heights — but in the sense of Dona’s reactions to having her spirit restored and being able to embrace having agency over her own life for the first time in years. The descriptions of the natural beauty of Cornwall, Navron, and the creek are simply gorgeous, and again convey a vibrancy and passion that are remarkably vivid.
Action and emotion tie together so well throughout Frenchman’s Creek. If you pick up a pirate story expecting swashbuckling action… well, there’s plenty here to enjoy! The sense of danger is profound in certain scenes, and I had no idea whether to expect a happy or tragic ending. Meanwhile, the love story is achingly beautiful and passionate; even when complications arise and Dona faces enormous conflicts, it’s impossible not to hope for a perfect solution.
For whatever happens we have had what we have had. No one can take that from us. And I have been alive, who was never alive before.
What a wonderful reading experience! I truly loved Frenchman’s Creek. Before this book, the only Daphne du Maurier book I’d read was Rebecca. Now, I’m very motivated to read more. I have copies of The House on the Strand, My Cousin Rachel, Jamaica Inn, and The King’s General — I’d welcome recommendations on which to try next!
About the author:
Daphne du Maurier (1907-1989) was the daughter of the legendary actor-manager Gerald du Maurier and granddaughter of George du Maurier, the author of the vastly successful late-Victorian novel Trilby and cartoonist for the magazine Punch. She grew up in London and Cornwall, where she would settle as an adult. Du Maurier published her first novel when she was twenty-three and would go on to write seventeen more, many of them best-sellers, including My Cousin Rachel, Jamaica Inn, and Rebecca, one of the most popular novels of the twentieth century. In addition to her fiction, du Maurier wrote several family biographies, a biography of Branwell Brontë, a study of Cornwall, two plays, and a good deal of journalism. She was married to Tommy “Boy” Browning and was the mother of three children.
First Lines Friday is a weekly feature for book lovers created by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Here’s how to join in:
Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page.
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first.
Finally… reveal the book!
This week’s lines are from an upcoming summer romance:
On paper, we never made sense. He’s always wanted a family; I never even planned to get married. He surfs and hikes, bikes and runs; I hate sand and sun and run only if death is the alternative or procuring coffee requires it. He’s an extrovert and charms everyone he meets; I like dogs more than people. He’s always down to dance with every grandma, drunk bridesmaid, and adorable flower girl at a wedding; you could not forcibly peel me from the wall during the “Cha Cha Slide.” He works to live; I live to work.
So what’s the book?
The Romance Revival by Christina Lauren Release date: July 15, 2026 352 pages
Synopsis:
New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren returns with an unforgettable romance in which a fateful accident erases a troubled marriage from memory—and a scientific breakthrough gives love one extraordinary do-over.
Three years ago, scientist Emery Finch did something completely out of character: She got married. To Luca—the impossibly charming landscaper she met on one blistering night in Vegas who made her laugh, made her dance, made her feel.
But now, Emery is consumed by her top research, missing dinners, forgetting anniversaries, and promising herself Luca will understand once her cutting-edge discoveries come to light. Until the unthinkable happens: A tragic accident takes Luca from her.
Desperate not to lose him, Emery breaks every rule, using the classified technology she’s developed to bring him back to life. And Luca would probably thank her for it, if only he could remember her. Their first kiss, their Sunny Sundays at the beach, the life they built together…all of it is gone.
It may be a miracle of science, but for Emery it’s her one shot at a second chance. And this time, she won’t waste it—because true love is always worth reviving.
Bookshelf Fantasies 