Romanov  by Nadine Brandes

Oh, that is could be so. This is a wonderful reimaging of what happened to Anastasia Romanov!  Everyone knows that the story ends in tragedy but not here. There have been many people who have claimed to be the last living relative of the Romanovs. All of the clams have been disproven but Ms. Brandes has written a story that made Anastasia come alive into a person who is comfortable in today's world. 

The second half of the book was, for me,  more interesting. The first half deals with the known story and that is interesting. It sets the stage for how the author imagined that the Romanovs were, and it does paint a picture of a free soul that is Anastasia. The author brings the story alive after the family is executed. Magis, spellbinding and love all come into their own with this author. Anastasia is portrayed as a young girl who is kind, loving and fierce! In this retelling of the tragedy, love is triumphant and all ends well. As I said, if only it could be so! I enjoyed reading this book!

What Lies Around Us by Andrew Croft

This is a clever title for a short book that really drives the point of lies home. This is the story of a ghostwriter who has been commissioned to write the biography of a movie star. As with the movies, nothing in this book is real and after awhile neither the main character or the reader. is sure where the truth starts and ends. The book is extremely topical it short and to the point but does make you stop and think about the world that we live in. For all of its modern conveniences, there is a price to be paid, and not in dollars and cents. I enjoyed it. Will want to read more by this author.

I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley.com