The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis is a dual timeline novel that takes readers between 1919 and 1966. Lillian Carter, an artist’s model known as Angelica, finds herself on the run after her landlord is killed and the police suspect her of the crime. Sheer luck has her …more obtaining the position as personal secretary to Miss Helen Frick, the youngest daughter of Henry Clay Frick. Miss Lilly, as she is called, works with the mercurial Helen. She learns to manage the household, organize functions, handle the household accounts, and much more. Miss Lilly hopes to earn enough money to get to Hollywood where she can become an actress. Henry Clay Frick tasks Miss Lilly with helping to get his daughter wed. He promises her a nice sized bonus if she can get Helen engaged by Christmas. Miss Lilly gets drawn into the family drama that soon lands her in a precarious situation. Veronica Weber was discovered in London after an unfortunate (or in this case fortunate) haircut. She lands a plum assignment that has her in America in 1966 doing a photoshoot for Vogue at the Frick Museum. After an altercation with the photographer, Veronica hides out in pipe room (where the pipes for the pipe organ are arranged) to avoid the other models. She ends up locked in the building with an assistant archivist during a blizzard. Veronica had found clues for a scavenger hunt in the pipe room and the pair unravel the riddles. The result of the hunt could help settle Veronica financial dilemma and solve two long unsolved crimes. I thought The Magnolia Palace was well-written with developed characters. The author captured both time periods, but I thought her portrayal of 1919 was spot on. I could tell that she did her research on the Frick family and their collections. I am amazed at the art they collected. Their home which is now a museum is just beautiful. We get to see what daily life was like inside the Frick mansion in 1919 with the demanding Henry Clay Frick and the difficult Helen Frick. I liked the action and activities that propelled the story forward to the end. The ending nicely wrapped up the book. I appreciated the author’s note at the end along with her reading recommendations. I was baffled by a detail in the last chapter. I thought it was a week or so since the previous chapter, but then there was a 1977 reference. I wish the date has been clearly specified. The Magnolia Palace is an intriguing historical novel with a misplaced diamond, a lady lost at the loss of a loved one, a demanding dad, a devoted daughter, a strange scavenger hunt, an attractive art assemblage, and a mysterious mystery. (less)

The Last Chance Library is Freya Sampson’s debut novel. June Jones is a library assistant whose life revolves around work, home, and books. June has not been able to move forward with her life since the death of her mother eight years earlier. When the Chalcot library is …more threatened with closure, the townspeople rally to save it and expect June to lead the charge. Unfortunately, June has trouble with large crowds and speaking in front of anyone including children at Rhyme Time. The local residents form FOCL (Friends of Chalcot Library) and work to keep the library they love with some help from a helpful anonymous insider. The Last Chance Library sounded like such a fun story which is why I was disappointed with the end result. I found the pacing to be slow with expected characters. There are some quirky residents like Vera and Mrs. B (she is really over-the-top). I loved Stanley. He was a kind soul. Our protagonist, June is a timid woman who seems afraid to live. Being afraid of public speaking myself, I could relate to her fear. I just expected more from the main character. I wanted to see her leading the charge and coming up with creative ideas to save the place she loved. The ending was a mixed bag. Most of the story followed a predictable path, and I like how things ended for the library. June’s story was disenchanting. There is a potential romance for June with old school chum, Alex. I never felt any sparks between the pair and the pairing felt forced. I was especially offended by the amount of foul language in The Last Chance Library. I did enjoy the book references and how the library patrons worked to save their local book haven. A library is so much more than a place to get books. That is the one thing that non-book lovers fail to see. It is a place to meet other people, get help with homework, use the computer, watch a movie, learn a new skill, and where our children can learn to love books as much as we do. My favorite quote from The Last Chance Library is, “You are never alone when you have a good book.” While The Last Chance Library is not my cup of tea, it does appeal to others. You should read a sample, to see if The Last Chance Library is for you. The Last Chance Library is a debut novel with a bevy of books, a shocking closure, a bully for a boss, activist patrons, and a tentative library assistant. (less)