Wow, The Lotus Between Worlds Book One: The Stone Lotus was such a journey! Adding time travel to this story of grief while understanding an immigrant parent’s experience was a really good twist. I really appreciated the love triangle, at the end I felt so many emotions! The way the protagonist cataloged her experiences while time traveling felt relatable. I would need to try to look at it in this way to stay sane too! There was a bit of body horror as well with the way this time traveling worked. The chronology of the story confused me a little bit but I chalked that up to a twenty-first century person dealing with the twelfth-century world’s ways. I would definitely encourage anyone who appreciates time travel and modern American immigrant experience with a dash of romance!

Ten Stories from Arab History was an immersive collection! I have taken a few courses in Arab history so some of the stories were familiar but the first one about Yemen was a discovery. It was interesting to read about how the other Abrahamic religions influenced the region's politics in the era before Islam. I thought the QR codes for the Andalusian poetry was a wonderful idea to include since the excerpts included throughout the chapters really drew me in. I recommend to anyone who wants self-contained stories where you can read and contemplate before moving on because I found myself on a couple rabbit holes afterwards wanting to learn more!

Jaguars and Other Game is a great adventure! I felt immersed in the time period; early 19th century Rio de Janeiro. The protagonists were really fun to read! The younger sister was so headstrong! The dichotomy of the roles between the sisters felt real for those who would have to live by their own self-preservation skills, and then compounded with a sibling dynamic. There were a few grammatical quirks in my copy but that didn’t deter me from finishing it. I’d recommend it for historical fiction fans who want to read more books about Brazil and/or the global effects of Napoleon!

An Unsuitable Knight was an enjoyable read and an adventure into a lesser known part of Italian history. It was easy to read and definitely sparked my interest into researching the real life inspirations for the protagonists. This novel reminded me a bit of Sharon Kay Penman’s Plantagenet series. Would definitely recommend to anyone who is interested in Vikings or post-Roman Italian history!