Clearly, June was the month of historical fiction

Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran. Again with the historical fiction! It's becoming ridiculously apparent to me that I have a new obsession here. I don't think I'd ever thought about the life of Madame Tussaud. All I knew about her was that she had a wax museum and now an empire that has taken over the world! I didn't think about when she had lived, where she had lived, how she learned her craft. Turns out, she learned from her "uncle" (who was also her mother's common law husband) during the 1700's in Paris. He owned the Salon de Cire, a wax museum. She survived the French Revolution, despite being the sculpting tutor of the king's sister. She was forced to make the death masks of almost every notable person who was killed during the Reign of Terror. She was arrested for finally refusing to make death masks of women she had known. While in prison with her mother (who was arrested simply for being her mother), she met Francois Tussaud. After the Reign of Terror ended and they were freed, she married him. It was never a good marriage, as he was a drunk and a gambler. She was able to finally escape him and reunite with the love of her life, scientist Henri Charles, in England, where the original Madame Tussaud's wax museum was opened. I don't think I truly realized horrific the French Revolution and subsequent Reign of Terror were. Fascinating story!

Saving Max by Antoinette van Heugten. Danielle Parkman is a successful NYC attorney whose son Max is autistic. When he starts to become too much for her to handle, she takes him to a special psychiatric hospital for a full diagnosis. While awaiting the diagnosis, she befriends a fellow mother of a severally autistic boy, Marianne Morrison. Max slowly becomes more violent and lashes out against Marianne's son. Then, one day, Max is found in the other boy's room, covered in his blood and holding the murder weapon. Danielle promptly goes to work to prove her son's innocence. There was quite a twist at the end. Very enjoyable book!

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran. I loved the first book of hers that I read, so I figured another one would be a good idea. And it was! Nefertiti and her husband, one of the Pharaohs of Egypt, briefly changed the face of Egypt. Her husband decided that they would no longer worship their gods, but rather the Sun itself. He built a new capital city. And eventually, his work was destroyed when the Black Plague destroyed his city. I know this is historical FICTION, but it is still so fascinating!

Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran. After Cleopatra and Marc Antony took their lives, Octavian killed her two sons from Julius Caesar. Her three younger children (Marc Antony's children) were taken as prisoners to Rome. Twins Alexander and Selene and younger brother Ptolemy had their entire worlds turned upside down. While Ptolemy didn't survive the voyage to Rome, the twins came of age in their new city. Because Alexander, as the rightful heir to Egypt, posed a threat to Octavian, he was killed the night he turned 15. Selene went on to marry and become a queen in her own right. Like I said, I'm completely fascinated with historical fiction now!

The Next Thing on My List by Jill Smolinski. This was my book club book. They chose an easy chick lit, beach read for this month. And I loved it!! Clearly, I have two types of books that will always get me- chick lit and historical fiction. Anyway, in this book, June is driving a car and has an accident that causes the death of her passenger. She finds a list of 20 things to do before Marissa, the passenger, turns 25. Some of the things are easy (kiss a stranger, go braless) while others are much more difficult (run a 5 K, change someone's life). She only has 6 months to finish the list. Along the way, she learns a lot about Marissa and herself.

The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran. Yep- a pattern has emerged. I've now read every book Moran has written up to this point. This one was just as good as the others. It tells the story of Nefertari, niece of Nefertiti, and her husband Ramesses the Great. You know, the pharaoh during the Hebrew exodus from Eygpt. The story doesn't go into the Hebrew aspect very much. Instead it focuses on Nefertari and Ramesses. While at first the people didn't love her because she was the niece of the Heretic Queen, her bravery and her brilliance eventually won their hearts. As for Ramesses, she always had his heart. On a wall of her burial chamber, Ramesses had the following words written, "My love is unique and none can rival her. . .Just by passing, she has stolen my heart away." Truly a love story!

Serpant's Kiss by Melissa de la Cruz. The second in the Witches of East End series. Melissa de la Cruz writes supernatural so well. Norman and Joanna are witches/gods who have been trapped in our world. Their children, Ingrid and twins Freya and Freddie, each have their own gifts and strengths. Freddie was framed for a crime and managed to escape his punishment. Freya and her fiance Killian are trying to help Freddie. Ingrid has her own love life problems, made more difficult by some mischievous pixies. Eventually Freya is ripped back in time to the Salem witch trials. Where the god of mischief Loki is waiting to end her family's line.