Thought Corridor

 The Queen's Pirate The Triumphant Life and Tragic End of Thomas Cavendish, Elizabethan Privateer  by Iain Gately The very first line of the description of this book is what drew me in. Gately focuses on the events of '... June 1593, {when} a ghostly ship drifted into an Irish harbour. Only 16 crewmen remained alive, and the deck was littered with the dead'. While this may be the ending of the ship Desire, Captained by Thomas Cavendish that had returned from exploring the globe, it is not the full story as Gately takes us back in time to two years earlier to when Cavendish hosted a lavish banquet on board ship for Queen Elixabeth I. The author Gately aims to create the first biography of this little known Elizabethan Captain. I must be honest I had never heard of Captain Cavendish and so was very interested to hear his tale as Gatley writes with skill and detail and paints a vivid picture of this man and his exploits. Thank you to the author, the publishers, and to Netgalle...

 The Carousel of Forgotten Places by S. Hati This was a nice cosy romantasy story. Ryka was a very engaging and likeable character and her journey was well written. The world building is really well done and the fair itself is written in vivid detail. It is a whimsical and magical world and while it took a little bit of time for me to get into the story once I did I really enjoyed it.  If you're a fan of found families with a dash of time travel and whimsy then this book would appeal to you too. Thanak you to the author, the publishers, and top Netgalley for this ARC,  5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars

Laurie Tulley an investigative journalist meets  wealthy glass industrialist Charles "Chary" Wright a man with secrets and when a worker from his factory is murdered Laurie knows there's a story to write, but will he be able to keep his distance from the handsome Chary? As a fan of KJ Charles and Cat Sebastian this book really appealed to me. This book is very plot focused and I really liked both the male main characters. I loved the early 1900's setting and this is the ideal blend of romance and murder mystery with plenty of twists and turns to keep it interesting. The writing style took a little bit for me to get into but once I did I found I enjoyed it. I will be reading more from this author in the future.  Thanks to the author, to the publishers, and to Netgalley for this ARC. 

 Heroes or Zeroes? Myths and Legends from the Bad Boys of Ancient Greece  by Lizzy Tiffin I chose this book as it's a subject matter I know very little about and was intrigued to know more. I really enjoyed this book. Tiffin writes engagingly and I appreciated the humour throughout. In this book are lots of names you'll be familiar with and also lots that you will not and that makes it a very interesting and enjoyable read. The chapters are well contained so it's an easy book to dip in and out of. It's ideal for those of us without the deep scholarly knowledge of these myths and legends as it's more basic and conversational in tone. Thank you to the author, the publishers. and to Netgalley for this ARC.

  The Halls of the Dead by S. M. Hallow I enjoyed this book. The three main characters of Irene, Agnes, and St John are well written and I liked the relationship between the three. The book is well paced and the writing flows well. It is inspired by the Victorian gothic genre and it's very detailed with some gory elements.  It is a little slow to start as the beginning is told largely through flashbacks so it takes a little bit to get on track with the current timeline but I enjoyed the writing style and the gothic atmosphere, the world building is detailed and the descriptions of necromancy were good too Thank you to the publishers, the author, and to Netgalley for this ARC.

 Henry Tudor Must Die by Jillian Laine I really enjoyed this book. An excellent mix of reimagined history, feminism and witchcraft. The story begins with Anne Bolyn offered an escape plan by  Catalina de Aragón and from there begins the revenge of women wronged by Henry VIII. It is a well written and interesting take on an alterative universe of the Tudor era and  Marguerite's notes throughout were a fun touch.  If you liked Six The Musical's take on the wives of Henry VIII then I think you'd like this book. Thank you to the author, the publishers, and to Netgaelley for this ARC.