I started this book some time ago, but life got in the way—other reads kept sneaking onto my stack. The Motto Challenge 2025 finally gave me the push to finish it. Martina André delivers a compelling mystery set in Templar times.

As a devoted Ireland enthusiast, I've been anticipating this release since it was first announced! Nearly 1,000 pages is no small commitment, especially with everything else demanding my attention—hence the slightly delayed review. Kiera Brennan transports us to Ireland's storied past.

I decided to venture back into historical crime fiction territory with Tanja Schurkus's "The Devil's Poet." Gendarm Picaud seemed like an investigator after my own heart, and that stunning cover art sealed the deal. Historical mysteries always captivate me.

Just received the e-book "Blackberry Blood" from Droemer Knaur Publishing—huge thanks for that! Though I must confess, Adobe DRM continues to drive me absolutely mad. I've yet to successfully download a DRM-protected book and transfer it to my reader without complications.

The one silver lining to this dreary weather? More reading time! Since books aren't exactly budget-friendly and space in our cozy apartment is limited, I often borrow from friends or the library. I discovered this gem through a friend's recommendation.

A while back, I participated in a giveaway on "Blog Your Book" and was thrilled to win—for the second time! This contest introduced me to dotbooks, an ebook publisher. I enjoy reading on my e-reader when I'm out and about, so this was perfect.

Time for another historical adventure! "The Last Knights of Tempelhof – The Murder Plot" comes from Matthias Gerwald, a recognized expert on the monastic knight order who's published numerous works on the subject. He also writes crime novels under his civil name.

Thanks to Bertelsmann Club, I had the opportunity to read "The Plague Maiden" by Brigitte Riebe before its official release. Riebe has penned several historical novels, though I confess I haven't read any yet. "Palace of the Blue Dolphins" particularly intrigues me, having visited Crete multiple times.

After all that fussing with our broken external hard drive, my eyes were starting to go square, and I desperately needed a break! There's nothing quite like grabbing a good book and losing yourself in another time—in this case, a long-vanished era.

When I spotted this book announced on vorablesen.de, it immediately reminded me of "The Mists of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley, which I read ages ago (around 1983 or 1984) and was essentially my gateway drug into fantasy literature. These two books aren't connected, of course.