HF Virtual Book Tours: Dido's Crown by Julie K. Rose

Title: Dido's Crown
Author: Julie K. Rose
Format: Paperback
Publish Date: September 29, 2016 
Source: HF Virtual Book Tours

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "Mary Wilson MacPherson has always been adept at putting the past behind her: her father's death, her sister's disappearance, and her complicated relationship with childhood friends Tom and Will. But that all changes when, traveling to North Africa on business for her husband, Mary meets a handsome French-Tunisian trader who holds a mysterious package her husband has purchased — a package which has drawn the interest not only of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, but the Nazis as well. 

When Tom and Will arrive in Tunisia, Mary suddenly finds herself on a race across the mesmerizing and ever-changing landscapes of the country, to the shores of southern France, and all across the wide blue Mediterranean. Despite her best efforts at distancing herself from her husband's world, Mary has become embroiled in a mystery that could threaten not only Tunisian and British security in the dangerous political landscape of 1935, but Mary's beliefs about her past and the security of her own future."

My Two Cents:

In "Dido's Crown," Mary is good at running. When she comes across a mysterious package and becomes embroiled in a chase, she realizes that she can't run from her problems and sometimes confronting them is the only way! Buoyed by two friends from school, Tom and Will, Mary will put together the pieces of a mystery that had me on the edge of my seat.

Julie K. Rose knows how to spin a good story! One way to describe this book is that it felt very movie-esque to me. It feels like a old black and white classic filled with intrigue, snappy dialogue, and lots of adventure. I loved how the author gave the characters more depth than just talking about the action that they are witnessing. You get a good sense of where Mary, Will, and Tom came from and what makes them tick. The action is exciting and would have held my attention alone but I did like getting to know the characters. It certainly made the book more striking!

One of the stand outs in the book for me was the settings. Sure, France is probably pretty familiar to anyone who has spent any time checking out the HistFic genre. Tunisia was not someplace that I had read a lot of fiction about and I ate it up. The author does a great job of immersing the reader in a new world with lots of great historical and landscape detail. I loved it and was not ready to leave when I finished the book.

This book would be a great fit for someone who wants to be very immersed in a story. It is a true treat for historical fiction readers. I am certainly looking forward to more books by this author in the future!