I’ve just started The Maid but it has already sucked me in with wonderful turns of phrase, delightful descriptions, and an utterly relatable main character who makes being a maid sound like a job we all should want.
- Genre: Mystery/Thriller
- Pages: 304 pgs.
- Publisher: Ballantine Books (Random House)
- Publication Date: January 4, 2021
A charmingly eccentric hotel maid discovers a guest murdered in his bed. Solving the mystery will turn her once orderly world upside down in this utterly original debut.
“Smart, riveting, and deliciously refreshing . . . a murder mystery with tremendous heart.”—Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Family Upstairs.
Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.
Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.
But Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?
A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.
The Girl of Dorcha Wood is a read for a The Write Reads tour. It has a lot of originality, which I enjoyed, but it takes place in a brutal setting which could be tough to read about at times (but I was forewarned by the book description).
- Genre: YA Historical Fantasy
- Pages: 234pgs
- Publisher: Indie
- Publication Date: April 13, 2021
Treacherous.
Evil.
Dark.
Dorcha Wood is all of these.
And none of them.
The people of Felmore talk of Dorcha Wood in whispers, if they speak of it at all, fearing the wrath of the Cù-Sìth should their words be carried on the wind. Those murdering beasts still roam the darkness of the forest, the last remnants of the cursed Aos Sí—a race of elves long since vanished from the world.
But to seventeen-year-old Fiadh, it is home. A haven. A forest whose secrets become known only when it chooses to reveal them. Her life is one of balance until the outside world shatters it.
From the moment Fiadh set eyes on Gideon, the peaceful rhythm of her life was lost. As a new path unfolds, Fiadh confronts the reality of old hatreds, the consequences of things hidden, and the truth of who she really is.
The Girl of Dorcha Wood is book one of four in the Daughter of Erabel series!
Content Warning: As a dark historical fantasy, this series contains violent, medieval battle scenes in addition to passages containing blood and gore.
I read the first book in the Ramses the Damned series a lifetime ago, and I have the third book as an ARC – so the next logical step would be for me to read Book 2. I love Anne Rice books. Her writing always enchants me to the point where if the stories are scary, I don’t even notice.
- Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
- Pages: 416 pgs
- Publisher: Anchor
- Publication Date: November 21, 2017
From the iconic and bestselling author of The Mummy and The Vampire Chronicles, a mesmerizing, glamorous new tale of ancient feuds and modern passions.
Ramses the Great, former pharaoh of Egypt, is reawakened by the elixir of life in Edwardian England. Now immortal with his bride-to-be, he is swept up in a fierce and deadly battle of wills and psyches against the once-great Queen Cleopatra. Ramses has reawakened Cleopatra with the same perilous elixir whose unworldly force brings the dead back to life. But as these ancient rulers defy one another in their quest to understand the powers of the strange elixir, they are haunted by a mysterious presence even older and more powerful than they, a figure drawn forth from the mists of history who possesses spectacular magical potions and tonics eight millennia old. This is a figure who ruled over an ancient kingdom stretching from the once-fertile earth of the Sahara to the far corners of the world, a queen with a supreme knowledge of the deepest origins of the elixir of life. She may be the only one who can make known to Ramses and Cleopatra the key to their immortality–and the secrets of the miraculous, unknowable, endless expanse of the universe.
Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words.
23 responses to “What Am I Reading This First Week of December? #WWWWednesday #CurrentlyReading”
I’m going to have to check out The Maid. I thought at first it was the same with all the Netflix buzz…somehow this one sounds more interesting. lol
I was confused at first too when someone brought up the show to me. I was thinking, “I have a book by that name, but it doesn’t sound anything like what you’re describing.” lol. I guess just odd timing.
lol…yes…totally different. The other has become quite the talk… I read the other and it was good. An account of single mom struggling and working as a maid. Somehow though the one you brought up is more my speed I think.
I’ve been curious about ‘The Maid’.. I can’t wait to hear what you think of it! But ‘The Girl of Dorcha wood though’.. I will absolutely be adding it!
Thanks for sharing, Tessa!
Such a good reading week ❤️
I don’t know what it is but the last few months have ended up being fantastic for reading.. Hopefully the luck will continue for both of us!
Looks like you are going to enjoy the maid too if it is already sucking you in 💕
I think the letter from the editor won me over before I even started it. But Molly sure does make being a maid sound incredible in the first chapter, doesn’t she? 😊
All three sound excellent. Thanks for sharing.
I think so too
I have The Maid on my TBR, I have heard all wonderful things about this book.
So I have I and by the writing so far I can totally get why.
The Maid sounds really good, I hope you’re enjoying it. 🙂
I am. It is a lovely read ❤️
I can’t wait to see your review for The Maid. I’m waffling over adding that one.
I’ve heard so many good things about it ❤️ I’m posting my review soon – on the 14th, so you’ll have time to read it after if you like what you hear.
An interesting mix of books, Tessa. I want to read The Maid and will watch for your review.
It’s very interesting so far.
I would have loved to request the Anne Rice book, but I’m so behind on her novels. Wish I could do a reread of the Mayfair witches.
I loved the Mayfair witches!!!
i am so intrigued by the girl of dorcha wood. also is the maid the same as the netflix adaptation?
It is not. There are some themes that are kind of similar but this The Maid is a thriller where are the Netflix show one is more of a drama, I think. It was really good too, btw. I loved it ❤️
thanks for clarifying that. it is very confusing when a show or movie comes out and it’s the same name as a book and it makes it seem as it’s an adaptation because almost every book has been adapted.