📦 Bookmail stack 📦

Today I’ve got a new stack of bookmail for you featuring a new bookish t-shirt from Novelgrounds that I saw on Insta and just had to have!

Anywhooo, onto the books… this week I received:

The Children of Jocasta purchased from Book Depository

I was absolutely obsessed with Natalie Haynes’s A Thousand Ships when I read it in my post-Circe mythology obsession, it was my favorite of the bunch. So when I was browsing BD one day I was intrigued to come across The Children of Jocasta which has been out since 2018… what?! Where was I?! This novel is based on the classic stories Oedipus Tyrannus and Antigone. And it’s free on Kindle Unlimited if you’re interested, I just wanted a physical copy and the one with that cover!

Here is the synopsis:

“Thebes is a city in mourning, still reeling from a devastating plague that invaded every home and left the survivors devastated and fearful. This is the Thebes that Jocasta has known her entire life, a city ruled by a king—her husband-to-be.

Jocasta struggles through this miserable marriage until she is unexpectedly widowed. Now free to choose her next husband, she selects the handsome, youthful Oedipus. When whispers emerge of an unbearable scandal, the very society that once lent Jocasta its support seems determined to destroy her.

Ismene is a girl in mourning, longing for the golden days of her youth, days spent lolling in the courtyard garden, reading and reveling in her parents’ happiness and love. Now she is an orphan and the target of a murder plot, attacked within the very walls of the palace. As the deadly political competition swirls around her, she must uncover the root of the plot—and reveal the truth of the curse that has consumed her family.”

Secret Life of a Hollywood Sex & Love Addict gifted from Brianne Davis

I’m grateful to the author Brianne Davis for reaching out to me and offering a copy of her novel, it looks like a salacious read.

Here is the synopsis:

“Imagine if Sex and the City’s Samantha discovered she was an addict and her drug of choice was men. Go on a hilarious, inspiring, and at times, shocking journey as Roxanne conquers her fears, changes her ways, gets closer to healthy relationships and begins loving herself a little more each day.

After years of working as an image-obsessed actress in Hollywood, Roxanne finds herself at rock bottom from a disease that is anything but glamorous. In her first year of recovery, Roxanne has to take accountability for her past. From tales of being mistaken for a prostitute at the Hotel Bel-Air to botching a threesome attempt with an A-list celebrity, she must face the truth about herself and stop playing the victim.

Roxanne’s odyssey of using sex and love – as destructive and beguiling as an alcoholic reaching for a bottle – is a veritable rollercoaster of ups and downs, laughter and tears, and a true testament to facing your absolute truth and conquering your fears. 

Secret Life of a Hollywood Sex & Love Addict has the vibrant, relatable vibe of chick lit, the soul-baring honesty of a memoir and the wisdom of a self-help book.

In this unique roman à clef novel, Brianne Davis shares her own intimate experience with the transformational power of recovery, providing strength and hope for anyone who wants to change their life forever.

So take a front-row seat into this complex world and the 10 RULES Roxanne learns along the way.”

The Temple House Vanishing gifted from Algonquin Books

Thanks to Algonquin Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this one, I’m quite intrigued by the premise. I love a dark academia setting with a mystery.

Here’s the synopsis:

At Temple House, nothing is ever as it seems.

Louisa is the new, brilliant scholarship student. Finding most of the other students at the all-girls Catholic boarding school as icy and unfamiliar as the drafty mansion, she forms a fierce bond with the intense and compelling Victoria, an outlier and student provocateur.

Their close bond is soon unsettled by the young, charismatic art teacher, Mr. Lavelle – igniting tension and obsession in the cloistered world of the school. Then one day, Louisa and Mr. Lavelle disappear.

There is no trace of either one. It’s the unsolved mystery that captivates the whole country. Year after year, the media revisit it, and the conspiracy theories persist. Now, on the 25th anniversary, a journalist – a woman who grew up on the same street as Louisa – delves into the past to write a series of articles and uncover the truth. She finds stories of jealousy and revenge, power and class. But will she find Louisa and Mr. Lavelle, too?

Because remember – at Temple House, nothing is ever as it seems.

Unclean Hand gifted from Henry Rakowski

I’m grateful to the author Henry Rakowski reaching out to me to offer me a copy of his new novel. It sounds like an interesting read and is free on Kindle Unlimited if you’re interested. Here’s the synopsis:

Unclean Hands is set in 1996, when Tyler Greenspan, the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, and his best friend, David Levine, are recruited by the International Jewish Congress to investigate the cover-up after World War II by Swiss banks’ closing dormant bank accounts opened by victims of the Holocaust. After gaining access to a long forgotten vault in Geneva, they find a gold ingot with a swastika along with documents that indict the Swiss banking industry of the wrongs and they report their findings to the IJC.

Confronted by the evidence, the Swiss banking industry agrees to fund a Holocaust Victims’ fund that will be administered by the United Nations. Now Tyler and David find themselves being targeted for death. They learn a shadowy organization seeks vengeance after its leader blames them for his decision to commit suicide—A decision triggered by the findings resulting from Tyler and David’s investigation into the Swiss banking industry.

After meeting the love of his life in the form of a stunningly beautiful Mossad agent, Tyler finds himself part of a larger international team assigned to prevent the resurrection of a malevolence hell-bent on becoming a superpower. Tyler learns that one of history’s most vile figures has filed a competing claim with the Holocaust Victim’s fund, despite having unclean hands, and vows to preserve the claim funds for Holocaust victims.

Tyler, David and the granddaughters of Holocaust figures embark to complete the investigation and race to locate Adolf Hitler’s personal hoard of hidden gold.

Recent revelations demonstrated that the history taught to us about the reported death of Adolf Hitler has been inaccurate. These include DNA evidence from Hitler’s bones retrieved from a KGB vault, declassified FBI files and re-discovered transcripts from the Nuremberg trials. Based upon the research, it is as likely that Hitler survived the fall of Berlin as it is that he perished there.

Circus of Wonders purchased from Goldsboro Books

First of all, I’m obsessed with Goldsboro Books they have amazing special editions that are signed and numbered and have insanely gorgeous sprayed and stenciled edges. Plus I always love a UK cover more than a US one.

Here’s the synopsis:

Step up, step up! In 1860s England, circus mania is sweeping the nation. Crowds jostle for a glimpse of the lion-tamers, the dazzling trapeze artists and, most thrilling of all, the so-called “human wonders.”

When Jasper Jupiter’s Circus of Wonders pitches its tent in a poor coastal town, the life of one young girl changes forever. Sold to the ringmaster as a “leopard girl” because of the birthmarks that cover her body, Nell is utterly devastated. But as she grows close to the other performers, she finds herself enchanted by the glittering freedom of the circus, and by her own role as the Queen of the Moon and Stars.

Before long, Nell’s fame spreads across the world—and with it, a chance for Jasper Jupiter to grow his own name and fortune. But what happens when her fame begins to eclipse his own, when even Jasper’s loyal brother Toby becomes captivated by Nell? No longer the quiet flower-picker, Nell knows her own place in the world, and she will fight for it.

A gorgeously wrought exploration of celebrity, power and belonging, this is a historical novel unlike any other, with an unforgettable heroine at its heart.

Threadneedle purchased from Goldsboro Books

While I think the synopsis of this one sounds good, I bought this one 100% for the stenciled edges of London.

How gorgeous is that?! Here’s the synopsis:

Within the boroughs of London, nestled among its streets, hides another city, filled with magic.

Magic is the first sin. It must be bound.

Ever since Anna can remember, her aunt has warned her of the dangers of magic. She has taught her to fear how it twists and knots and turns into something dark and deadly.

It was, after all, magic that killed her parents and left her in her aunt’s care. It’s why she has been protected from the magical world and, in one year’s time, what little magic she has will be bound. She will join her aunt alongside the other Binders who believe magic is a sin not to be used, but denied. Only one more year and she will be free of the curse of magic, her aunt’s teachings and the disappointment of the little she is capable of.

Nothing – and no one – could change her mind before then. Could it?

The Wolf Den purchased from Goldsboro Books

Sold by her mother. Enslaved in Pompeii’s brothel. Determined to survive. Her name is Amara. Welcome to the Wolf Den…

Amara was once a beloved daughter, until her father’s death plunged her family into penury. Now she is a slave in Pompeii’s infamous brothel, owned by a man she despises. Sharp, clever and resourceful, Amara is forced to hide her talents. For as a she-wolf, her only value lies in the desire she can stir in others.

But Amara’s spirit is far from broken.

By day, she walks the streets with her fellow she-wolves, finding comfort in the laughter and dreams they share. For the streets of Pompeii are alive with opportunity. Out here, even the lowest slave can secure a reversal in fortune. Amara has learnt that everything in this city has its price. But how much is her freedom going to cost her?

Set in Pompeii’s lupanar, The Wolf Den reimagines the lives of women who have long been overlooked.

Have you read any of these? What was your last bookmail?