My Dream of You by Nuala O'Faolain

From the Back Cover:

When Kathleen de Burca, her life in crisis, returns to her native Ireland, she is in search of the truth behind the story of a love so passionate it burnt its way through barriers of class and culture. In so doing, she not only travels back to the Ireland of the 1850s and into the heart of a tragic love story, but also starts to examine her own troubled past. Then, finding a love of her own, Kathleen faces a choice which could changer her life profoundly, and discovers just how powerful the human heart is...


I was reading this book for a group read and thought it sounded quite good, and in the end it was, but it wasn't an easy read for me. In fact, if I hadn't been reading with the group I probably would have put it down and not picked it up again. It's not that it was a Did Not Finish book really. I would have intended to pick it up again but not really ever got around to it! But then, about 140 pages in suddenly I was hooked and I had to know what happened next! It could be that I just wasn't in the mood for it before that day, but I am not sure.

The main characters is an Irish woman by the name of Kathleen de Burca who has lived in London for over 20 years, makes her living as a travel writer. She has never married, and her closest friends are her work colleagues Jimmy and Alex. Jimmy is a gay travel writer and Alex is her boss who has plenty of surprising secrets of his own. When Jimmy drops dead of a heart attack, Kathleen's life is plunged into crisis, and she decides that it is time for her to change her current lifestyle which involves travelling around the world and sleeping with strangers somewhat indiscriminately.

She decides that she might write a book about the events surrounding a divorce that happened in Ireland in the 1850's and so goes back to Ireland to research what she can about the people involved in the case. She had not been back to Ireland since she left, not even for the funerals of her parents. Whilst there she reconnects with the remaining members of her family, realising along the way that she really doesn't know them at all, as well as making new friends as she researches her story.

There are several different strands to this story. There is the story of Richard and Marianne Talbot, the couple obtaining a divorce in sensational circumstances. Marianne is supposed to have been having a long standing and passionate affair with the head groom, and was being divorced because of that. Another aspect is the effect of the potato famine on the people of Ireland, both during and in the aftermath.

The other strands of the novel focus on Kathleen, as she tries to gain understanding of her life, and why she has acted the way she has, including her failed or difficult relationships: filial, romantic and in her friendships. In her first passionate relationship as a young woman, Kathleen makes poor decisions that end up leading to the relationship failing, and after that point it is almost as though Kathleen has closed herself off from love, rather accepting sex as a shabby substitute.

So when she meets a man named Shay one afternoon, there is passion, there is love, but is she prepared to accept what it is that he has to offer, or is she now strong enough to move forward with her life and to find fulfillment from other avenues.

Apart from the fact that it took me a long time to get into the early parts of this book, it was an entertaining, well written and engrossing read. However, I will have to mark down for that beginning!

Rating 3.5/5

It's Time!!

I'll be staying up late tonight to watch the Socceroos do their thing against Japan!! Our first World Cup game in 32 years, and only the second time ever we have made the World Cup finals!

Go the Aussies!

97..98..99..100

Yes, that's right!! I have just finished my 100th book of the year..so far!

My reading resolutions for this year were to read 200 books. It would appear that I am ahead of schedule! Yay!

My other resolutions were to read at least 25 of the books that I already owned at the end of last year and to read a wide range of genres.I am up to 12 on the first count so not too far off of target either. I've realised though that the reading of a wide range of genres wasn't exactly a specific target but I guess I am not doing all that badly there!! So far this year I have read 34 new to me authors, so all round it seems to be all good!!

As long as my reading continues as it has been shouldn't be a problem to reach the end of year targets I set myself.

Immortal in Death by J D Robb

This is the third book in the In Death series, following on from Glory in Death. Just for something a little different, Kailana (from The Written World) and I decided to do a joint review. Apart from the fact that when I read romance, she reads fantasy, most of the time we have very similar tastes in our reading. We also tend to push our next reads on each other, so have been reading books simultaneously (or at least starting them simultaneously!!) but this time we got our act together and both finished the book at around the same time!!

Kailana's thoughts are going to be written in blue, whilst my thoughts will be in black! First, about the book:

It is 2058, New York City. Lieutenant Eve Dallas uncovers a world where technology can create beauty and youth, but passion and greed can destroy them.

She was one of the most sought-after women in the world. A top model who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted -even another woman's man. And now she's dead, the victim of a brutal murder.

Police lieutenant Eve Dallas puts her life on the line to take the case when suspicion falls on her best friend, the other woman in the fatal love triangle. Beneath the façade of glamour, Eve finds that the world of high fashion thrives on an all-consuming obsession with youth and fame-one that leads her from the lights of the runway to the dark underworld of New York City, where drugs can fulfill any desire, for a price.

I am happily working my way through this series slowly, and in this, the third book in the series, I was pleased to see that this time Roarke was not a suspect!! Mainly because we could not have the perspective groom in jail on the wedding day! Or because people like him too much to keep having to bite their nails, and hope that Eve leaves the poor man alone.

This time Eve is called in to investigate the death of one of her weasels, someone who is willing to give her information about what is happening on the streets.

Not long after, there is a seemingly unconnected death of a beautiful, high profile model, Pandora. She has a power that has gotten her to the top, a love of the high life and a poster girl for the one-night stand. She comes across as glamourous, but Eve quickly learns that there is more to her than meets the eye, especially when it seems as though her best friend Mavis is the prime suspect and Eve is called in as a friend and the primary investigator. When Mavis finds the body of Pandora, a beautiful woman who no one really likes, it seems inevitable that the clues will all point towards her - a classic set up. One of those predictable scenarios found in the most gripping cop novels.

When Eve has no choice but to arrest Mavis, she has to deal with her feelings in relation to betraying one of her few true friends, or as Roarke points out, her family. But Eve is a determined cop and with her battling it out for her friend, we know that justice will be served.

All of this is going on whilst Eve is trying to get ready for her wedding to Roarke. Roarke is taking care of most of the details, but there are a couple of things that Eve is determined to choose herself, and pay for herself, including the wedding dress… and all the things that her designer, Leonardo, seems to think that she needs. Since Leonardo is the one that connects Pandora and Mavis, being lovers to both of them, he turns out to be important to the novel in more ways than one.

As more bodies turn up that are brutalized in the same horrific manner, it becomes clear that there is a connection. It appears to be a new illegal drug, that is actually poisoning the addict slowly. A drug that is that is very pricey to produce because one of the ingredients is only available off-planet. Before destroying the user, though, it makes them appear and feel younger and sexier - definitely attractive to the masses, especially if they don't know about the side effects! Good for the significant other too because it offers a heightened sex drive! Watch out for the mood swings that follow, though.

In this novel, Lieutenant Dallas gets Officer Peabody added to her office, and we get to know the wise cracking officer who seems to be quite a good foil to Eve's apparent seriousness and troubled self, until you get under her stiff, cop-like exterior once you get to know her. We also begin to understand the relationship between Roarke and his butler, Summerset, when in a rare moment Roarke reveals an aspect of his ‘shady’ past to a very troubled Eve. If that is not enough deep psychological dealing for you, it is also the novel that Eve finally figures out the past that she has tried to forget for over twenty years, and then deal with the emotion that stirs up.

As far as the villain goes, as soon as he came onto the scene I didn't like him, but it didn't really seem as though we were really provided with all that many clues to point at him until all was revealed right at the end! But everyone knows that it is better to be in the dark than have the mystery solved in the first two pages. The whole fun of a Robb novel is the fact that there are usually twists and turns at every flip of the page.

My rating 4/5
Kailana's rating 3.5/5

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's quiet, she keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much. Not because she's not pretty. She is. It's just that, well, Sookie has this sort of "disability." She can read minds. And that doesn't make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill. He's tall, dark, handsome - and Sookie can't hear a word he's thinking. He's exactly the type of guy she's been waiting for all her life...

but Bill has a disability of his own: He's a vampire with a bad reputation. he hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, all suspected of - big surprise - murder. And when one of Sookie's coworkers is killed, she fears she's next....

My first EVER vampire book, although this seems to be a bit of a cross between vampire and cozy murder mystery so I am not sure that everyone would count it as a true vampire story but that's okay!

Sookie Stackhouse lives a pretty quiet life, not really by choice, but because she can hear the thoughts of everyone around her and that gets to be quite overwhelming! Usually she tries to block everyone's thoughts but even that is pretty tiring so she does her work and then spends her time with the grandmother that she lives with, and the brother that she doesn't necessarily always get along with! That is, until she meets Bill. Bill is different because, well, she can't hear any of his thoughts. Bill is also a vampire who is looking to return to the hometown that he lived in a couple of hundred years.

Things are changing for vampires. They are grudgingly being accepted by most of the community (even appearing on Oprah), and they are protected by the law, but that doesn't mean that everyone accepts them. As Sookie gets to know Bill, she also gets to meet some of the crowd that he hangs around with, and they aren't all quite as civilised as Bill!!

When one of Sookie's coworkers is found dead, there are several suspects. When another girl is killed, suspicion is more strongly focused on two people close to Sookie - Bill and her brother Jason.

Quicker than you can say "I Vant to Suck Your Blood" the bodies are stacking up and Sookie is being targeted by the murderer. She has to find out who the murderer is before she becomes a victim herself.

Whilst I did really enjoy this book, I did have a couple of issues with it. The first is that when one of the people closest to Sookie is murdered, she is pretty much over it in a couple of chapters. The other is that if this is supposed to be a murder mystery then Sookie doesn't really seem all that focused on finding the killer. She does, but it is almost as though she is caught unawares until he is finally upon her, trying once again to kill her. It would seem that being able to read people's minds would make it easy to solve a murder mystery but it seems that some people are harder to read than other, including Sam, Sookie's boss who is another person in Sookie's life who is not quite what he seems!

Having said that, I did enjoy this book, and will be reading more of the series. It is certainly a change of pace from the other books that I have been reading. Can't wait to read more about the vampires, shape shifters and other creatures that live in Sookie Stackhouse's small time Louisiana.

Rating 4/5

Other Blogger's Thoughts:

Lous Pages
A Reader's Respite
Melissa's Bookshelf

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

In 1956, toward the end of Reverend John Ames's life, he begins a letter to his young son, an account of himself and his forebears. Ames is the son of an Iowan preacher and the grandson of a minister who, as a young man in Maine, saw a vision of Christ bound in chains and came west to Kansas to fight for abolition: He "preached men into the Civil War," then, at age fifty, became a chaplain in the Union Army, losing his right eye in battle. Reverend Ames writes to his son about the tension between his father--an ardent pacifist--and his grandfather, whose pistol and bloody shirts, concealed in an army blanket, may be relics from the fight between the abolitionists and those settlers who wanted to vote Kansas into the union as a slave state. And he tells a story of the sacred bonds between fathers and sons, which are tested in his tender and strained relationship with his namesake, John Ames Boughton, his best friend's wayward son.

This is also the tale of another remarkable vision--not a corporeal vision of God but the vision of life as a wondrously strange creation. It tells how wisdom was forged in Ames's soul during his solitary life, and how history lives through generations, pervasively present even when betrayed and forgotten.

Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize, this book is not a book that you read if you want fast moving action. Ostensibly a letter to his young son, it is also a study of the faith of John Ames, particularly in the context of the relationships he had with his family, his parishioners, his best friend, and his namesake who is the rebellious younger son of his friend.

I particularly enjoyed reading of the struggles as John Ames tried to learn how to communicate with his namesake Jack Boughton. Jack is a man who never fitted in anywhere, even in his own family, and the persistence between the two to try and get to understand each other.

The writing is beautiful, and I am sure will touch many people, but for me, I think that this was not the kind of book that I needed to read at this particular moment. It was just too introspective I guess. There were magical moments scattered throughout though. An incident that happened in the late 1800's involving a horse getting stuck in a collapsing tunnel had me laughing out loud on the train, and the ending had me tearing up, once again on the train!

The reason why I read this book now is because it is this month's book in a group I read in. It's interesting looking at the dynamics of the group and seeing who enjoyed it compared to those who didn't. The discussion with this particular book tends to make the reading experience for me! So the rating below reflects my own personal reaction - I might review it later once others add their interpretation and I get extra insights!!

Rating 3.5/5

Extreme Bachelor by Julia London

The second book in the Thrillseekers Anonymous trilogy by Julia London.

Living on the edge is nothing to the men who started Thrillseekers Anonymous, a members-only adventure service that caters to the rich and famous. But "extreme sports" takes on a whole new meaning when one of them falls off the edge - into true love...

A former CIA operative, Michael Raney loves that his new gig as stunt coordinator combines the two things he likes most in the world - extreme sports and lots of beautiful actresses. He has earned his reputation as the Extreme Bachelor honestly...but when one of the actresses on a new feature film turns out to be the only woman he could never forget, Hollywood's notorious heartbreaker will have to mend his ways and risk it all to win the one who got away.

Leah Klein hasn't seen Michael in five years, but she hasn't forgotten a single moment she spent with him. His entreaty to return to what they had is tempting - but his extreme past not only tarnishes what could be a new beginning, it's also dangerous...extremely dangerous...

Having really enjoyed Wedding Survivor when it came out, I have been eagerly anticipating this book for months, and I have to say that I wasn't really disappointed! I love the way that Julia London writes her contemporaries. I haven't read all of her historicals, but the ones I have read haven't really blown me away. I do have her latest historical here to read at some point though!

I also really enjoy the fact that this is a more hero focussed series that normal, even if some of the things are a bit....well, extreme!

Michael Raney is a well known man about town, and his town is Hollywood baby!! He's dated more than his fair share of starlets and actresses, but he hasn't really ever come close to commitment..well not since Leah. However his job got in the way there. Leah was never really sure what he did, but it turns out that he was actually a CIA operative.

When Leah and Michael are reunited on the set of a movie, Leah is less than pleased. When he dumped her 5 years previously, her world had fallen apart, and her career, and her love life, have never really recovered. When Michael sees her, he knows that it is his chance to get her back and live with the only woman he ever loved. For Leah though, the story about working for the CIA is a bit too hard to believe, and it is only when his past catches up with him that she REALLY believes it! Also getting in the way, Michael's womanising reputation.

I liked Leah, and thought that the emails back and forth to her friend Lucy about her bridesmaid's dresses were a good touch, and liked Michael as well, but I liked Eli from The Wedding Survivor more! Michael's desire to get back with Leah was well portrayed, especially the way he remembered even the little things about their time together.

I was hooked on this book from the beginning of the book, until about two thirds of the way through when the story arc with the inept former enemy was a bit of a stretch, but not as much of a stretch as the ending! Without giving too much away, the fact that Leah and Michael were still struggling with communication right near the end of the book kind of distracted me!

There's a new TV show on Australian TV which investigates those things that you really want to know like what's the best hangover cure, does chocolate cause pimples (no thank goodness!! Must be some of the other rubbish that I eat then!), and are you affected by lack of sleep. I have to say Thank You Julia London, for causing my reflexes to drop by 15% and my overall performance to slow down for at least a couple of days!

I am looking forward to the last book in the trilogy! Overall, this was an enjoyable read, but it loses a bit in the rating because of the ending!

Rating 4/5

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

This was the Bookclub book for May over at The Book Bitches. I finished it a little late because I was listening to it, and because I am catching the train to work these days and reading books, I no longer get through the audiobooks I have anywhere near as quickly!

Somewhere in South America, at the home of the country's vice president, a lavish birthday party is being held in honor of Mr. Hosokawa, a powerful Japanese businessman. Roxanne Coss, opera's most revered soprano, has mesmerized the international guests with her singing. It is a perfect evening -- until a band of gun-wielding terrorists breaks in through the air-conditioning vents and takes the entire party hostage. But what begins as a panicked, life-threatening scenario slowly evolves into something quite different, as terrorists and hostages forge unexpected bonds and people from different countries and continents become compatriots.
Without the demands of the world to shape their days, life on the inside becomes more beautiful than anything they had ever known before. At once riveting and impassioned, the narrative becomes a moving exploration of how people communicate when music is the only common language. Friendship, compassion, and the chance for great love lead the characters to forget the real danger that has been set in motion and cannot be stopped.

You know...the blurb on this one tells enough to make it interesting!

The main characters in this novel are Roxanne Coss (the opera singer), Mister Hosakawa (the opera fan), Gen (his interpreter) and Carmen (one of the terrorists), however there are several other characters that take a turn in the spotlight.

Whilst the pace of this book is ponderous at times, the writing is beautiful, and you can feel the book moving to an inevitably crashing crescendo. The hostage situation has been ongoing for many months, and whilst for the people within the compound that life has settled into a pleasant routine with music and football as part of the life they have become accustomed to, as far as the world outside is concerned the situation cannot continue.

If there was one thing that I didn't like it was the Epilogue, which certainly tied up a couple of loose ends, but in a way that was almost against the flow of the relationships that happened throughout the rest of the book.

If you are looking for a book to meander through, then this could be one for you!

Rating 3.5/5

Worth Any Price by Lisa Kleypas

The third book in Lisa Kleypas' Bow Street Runners trilogy, following on from Lady Sophia's Lover

What is the price of love?

Nick Gentry is reputed to be the most skillful lover in all England. Known for solving delicate situations, he is hired to seek out Miss Charlotte Howard. He believes his
mission will be easily accomplished — but that was before he met the lady in
question.

For instead of a willful female, he discovers one in desperate circumstances, hiding from a man who would destroy her very soul. So Nick shockingly offers her a very different kind of proposition — one he has never offered before.

He asks her to be his bride.

And he knows that this will be much more than a union in name only. For he senses what Charlotte does not yet know — that her appetite for sensuality matches his own. But what Nick learns surprises him. For while London's most notorious lover might claim Charlotte's body, he quickly discovers it will take much more than passion to win her love.

I had no phone line for a few days this week, therefore couldn't come back and post my review as soon as I normally would...and I am behind in my reviews as well. I actually finished this a week ago, so it is a bit of a stretch to remember what I was going to say.

Given the blurb above, it sounds as though Nick Gentry is a real rake, and yet, the prologue makes it clear that whilst Nick might have been a man with a criminal past, and has his own deep dark secrets, the one thing that he is not is a man with a chequered sexual past. He has however been thoroughly schooled by Gemma Bradshaw, a madam with a heart of gold who I first read about in Suddenly You. Thinking about it though, this book might have been published before Suddenly You, so maybe it really is the other way round. Oh well...I first read about her in Suddenly You!

After being forced to become a Bow Street Runner, Nick has spent the last couple of years becoming one of the best Runner's there has ever been. He has also been taking on private jobs, and his latest one is to search for Miss Charlotte Howard. He has been hired to do this by the man that Charlotte has practically been betrothed to since she was a very young girl. Her parents agreed to the match in exchange for money and for schooling for Charlotte, during which time Lord Radnor has tried to shape and control the young girl into his idea of the perfect woman.

When he finds Charlotte at the estate of Marcus, Lord Westcliff, (who in turn is the hero from the second of the current series of Wallflower book It Happened One Autumn), he is relieved that his two month search is over, but what he does not count on is an attraction to his quarry. He also finds out that Lottie is terrified of Lord Radnor and eventually finds himself offering marriage. That of course is not the end of the matter as far as Lord Radnor is concerned, and once he finds out that the man he sent to return Lottie to him has taken her as his own, there will of course be consequences.

However even before that, Lottie must find ways of breaking through the hard outer shell that protects the man inside. Her task is made all that much harder when Nick is told that he is no longer required as a runner, and that it is time that he steps forward and takes the title that is rightfully his - something that Nick has no interest in doing!

This was a delightful read as we gradually see Nick lower his barriers to Lottie, as he tutors her in the art of sex, as he learns about love, and as he understands that his life is going to be different from now on.

One thing about names though....I really did not like the fact that the heroine was called Lottie! Don't really know why, but it just isn't a name that I can imagine someone screaming out in the middle of a passionate embrace! Oh Lottie! Nup.

It had been suggested around the place that Nick Gentry gives Derek Craven a run for his money in the 'Who is Lisa Kleypas' hottest hero' race! And I would agree with that, but I do think that Derek would win by a short half head - photo finish required!

An entertaining read. Then again, it is a Kleypas!

Rating 4/5

Don't Look Down by Jennifer Cruisie and Bob Mayer

This is my read for the June TBR challenge, which for this month was to read a book from your TBR pile that was recommended by someone you “know” (another blogger, author, friend, family member) or got a lot of buzz and that’s why you bought it but it’s still on your TBR pile. This book had a LOT of prerelease buzz on the internet.

New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Crusie teams up with USA Today bestselling author Bob Mayer to write a sizzling, high-octane romantic adventure about a straight-talking woman and a straight-shooting man…

Lucy Armstrong is a director of television commercials who's just been recruited to finish a four-day action movie shoot. But she arrives on the set to discover that the directing staff has quit, the make-up artist is suicidal, the stars are egomaniacs, the stunt director is her ex-husband, and the lead actor has just acquired as an advisor a Green Beret who has the aggravating habit of always being right.

Green Beret Captain JT Wilder had thought that hiring on as a military consultant for a movie star was a good deal: easy money and easier starlets. Instead he has to babysit a bumbling comedian, dodge low-flying helicopters, and resist his attraction to a director who bears a distracting resemblance to Wonder Woman. Then the CIA calls and he realizes that somebody is taking “shooting a movie” much too literally.

Full of suspense and humor, non-stop action and fast-paced dialogue, Don't Look Down is the perfect blend of male and female, adventure and romance, Mayer and Crusie.

Title: Don't Look Down

Author: Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer

Year published: 2006

Why did you get this book? Crusie is a relatively new author to me, and I have been glomming her books this year. Given the prerelease hype there was no way I was not going to get hold of this book eventually.

Do you like the cover? Yes. I did lose the ta-da effect of the camouflage cover under the jacket because this was a library book and therefore had been covered for it's protection.

Did you enjoy the book? Mostly. It wasn't exceptional, but it wasn't terrible either.

Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? I've read Jenny Crusie before, but I have not read any Bob Mayer (or any of his alter-egos) books previously.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? It's a library book so keeping it isn't really a consideration, but if it wasn't I would probably pass on it.

Anything else?I do enjoy reading the He Wrote She Wrote blog most of the time. It is often hysterically funny..something that didn't happen all that much in the book. Will I read the next book collaboration between these two...absolutely. The basis is there for an excellent story. Just need to work through a few of the kinks - like a four day story where they are going to have a HEA!

Rating: 3.5/5

Guilty?

Courtesy of the two Ja(y)nes over at DearAuthor.com.

You Might Be a Fan Girl If


. . .You own more than one copy of a book

No, but I am really thinking about buying a second set of a series of books because I really like the pretty new covers!

. . .You have emailed or mailed a gushing letter of praise to an author.

No.

. . .You belong to and participate in discussion at an author’s website or listserv.

Is it worse if you moderate at one? I am also a member of several others as well.

. . .You have voted in a contest as the behest of an author.

Just once.

. . .You have rearranged an author’s books at a store to give her greater visual exposure. (RFG)

Do people really do this..that's a no from me!

. . .You have given “conversion” packages of an authors’ works to another reader.

I haven't given packages but I have strongly recommended quite a few books to quite a lot of people

. . .You have written fan fiction based upon an author’s works.

Nope. Requires too much thought!

. . .You have given a 5 star review at amazon.com just to counter negative ratings. (RFG)

Nope, although I have pressed the No button on the "Is this review helpful" a few times.

. . .You have named yourself after a favorite character, such as Mrs. Wolf MacKenzie. (RFG)

Um no. Mrs Jamie Fraser....hmm, maybe... Mrs Alexander Barrington. No. No.

. . .You see an author’s book at the store but refuse to buy it because it could hurt the author’s bestseller numbers or you buy it and go back and buy a second copy on the release date. (RFG)

If I see it and I want it, I buy it. I wouldn't have the foggiest of how that would affect numbers or anything like that.

. . .You know the street date of an author’s books and what it means.

Yes. And do I get out there and hassle the bookstore as to when I can expect to get my copy. Yes. Doesn't that just make me eager?

. . .You have reported a store for violating a street date. (RFG)

No. I'd be too damned please to have got my copy to worry about that!

. . .You have pretended to be more than one person commenting on someone’s blog in defense of your favorite author. (RFG)

Man..it takes me long enough to get round the blogroll already without having to log in and be someone else!



RFG is an indicator of Rabid Fan Girl behaviour

Return of the Warrior by Kinley MacGregor

The next book in the Brotherhood of the Sword series after A Dark Champion.

Fearless men, their allegiance is to each other, to the oppressed, and to the secret society known as the Brotherhood of the Sword -- and they must never surrender to the passionate yearnings of their noble hearts.

Fiercely devoted to her people and her land, Queen Adara refuses to let a power-mad usurper steal her crown. But the only way to protect what is hers is to seek out the man she married in childhood.

A proud, tormented warrior, Christian of Acre owes allegiance only to the mysterious Brotherhood -- and has no wish to be king over anyone but himself. Now a bold and beautiful stranger has appeared in his rooms, tempting him with an irresistible seduction and demanding he accompany her back to their kingdoms ... or, at the very least, provide her with an heir to her throne. Though he cannot abandon the brave regal lady to her enemies, Christian dares not give in to his traitorous body's desires. Yet how can he deny the passion that is rightfully his and the ecstasy that awaits him in Adara's kiss?

Another enjoyable entry in the Brotherhood of the Sword series, this time with the story of The Abbott. A man who provided spiritual comfort to the prisoners during their time of captivity, even though he apparently no longer has any faith of his own (is this even possible??). Like other men of The Brotherhood, Christian believes that it his fate to live alone, wandering from place to place, meeting the needs of other members of the Brotherhood, providing assistance in any way possible, but without giving any real thought to what his own needs are.

Christian is a prince, heir to a throne which has been usurped by a man of exceedingly questionable morals and values...a man who it seems has been trying to kill Christian for quite some time to be rid of the threat of a return to his rightful throne. He believes he was betrothed as a young boy when in actuality he was married, but he has given this matter no further thought to his supposed betrothed, that is until she turns up naked in his room one night advising him that he is her husband, and she offering herself to him either to fulfill that role, or at the very least to impregnate her to provide a legitimate heir to the throne and remove the threat to her own rule by the same man who is ruling Christian's country.

After inadvertently leading his enemies to him, Christian and Adara escape, along with her fool Lutian, and are heading to the sanctuary offered by other members of the Brotherhood, when they are once again attacked. This time they are saved by The Phantom (no not the comic book hero...another member of the Brotherhood) but Christian is injured severely. At first Christian is insistent that he has no desire at all to be either husband or king to Adara, but as time passes and circumstances continue to draw them together, gradually Christian begins to find himself unable to resist Adara's charms.

As a hero, Christian was okay - he was no Sin or Stryder or even Simon, but you did feel his struggle as he tried to work out how to keep both his vows to his Brotherhood but to have a chance at happiness. Adara was a strong but lonely woman, who had the burdens of Queenship in addition to trying to chase her dreams of a happy and fulfilling marriage full of love.

I have to say I admire the ability of the men of the Brotherhood who seem to have an unfailing ability to have sex even when they have been severely wounded. It seems to be some sort of trial that they all have to go through in order to gain some form of happiness!!

Another interesting development in this book is the fact that the countries that Christian and Adara are royalty of are made up countries, moving the action away from Scotland, England and France that have featured in the other books. I am not exactly sure that I like this as a development as it feels a bit like it is moving away from the historical context, but I guess I can live with it!

From the epilogue it appears that The Phantom's book is next, and I do look forward to it! The book I am most looking forward to the most is that of The Scot (who I presume is the missing MacAllister brother from Taming the Scotsman and the other Macallister brother books).

Guess I just have to sit and wait now.

Rating 3.5/5

Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir

Alison Weir, our pre-eminent popular historian, has now fulfilled a life's ambition to write historical fiction. She has chosen as her subject the bravest, most sympathetic and wronged heroine of Tudor England, Lady Jane Grey.

Lady Jane Grey was born into times of extreme danger. Child of a scheming father and a ruthless mother, for whom she was merely a pawn in a dynastic power game with the highest stakes, she lived a live in thrall to political machinations and lethal religious fervour.

Jane's astonishing and essentially tragic story was played out during one of the most momentous periods of English history. As a great-niece of Henry VIII, and the cousin of Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I, she grew up to realise that she could never throw off the chains of her destiny. Her honesty, intelligence and strength of
character carry the reader through all the vicious twists of Tudor power politics, to her nine-day reign and its unbearably poignant conclusion.

Alison Weir is the author of numerous non-fiction books, but Innocent Traitor is her first fiction book. She has taken the story of the Nine Day Queen - Lady Jane Grey, and given us the details of her childhood, her relationship with her parents, her introduction to court, and then the machinations behind trying to put Jane on the throne following the death of Henry VIII's son, King Edward. We are also given an insight into Jane as a very enthusiastic and somewhat dogmatic Protestant during a time of huge religious upheaval in 16th century England.

Daughter of Frances Brandon, the sister of Henry VII, Lady Jane Grey had what can only be portrayed as a miserable childhood right from birth, when her parents were very disappointed that she was not a boy. Frances was an extremely strict mother, who punished Jane excessively for even the most minor of infractions. In reality, whilst her parents were well matched in their own marriage, it appeared that they were really only concerned by what they could gain out of marrying Jane off. Right from her earliest days, Jane was raised with an eye to being an extremely accomplished, and therefore marriageable, young lady. I am sure that the Grey's were not the only court families who viewed their daughters in this way, but the portrayal given in the book emphasises the coldness of Frances Brandon in particular.

As Jane grows, she is introduced to court, and she becomes particularly attached to Queen Katherine Parr. Indeed, after Henry's death, and Queen Katherine' s marriage to Thomas Seymour, Jane goes to live with Queen Katherine, and for once in her short life, seems happy. Even then though, the reason for these living arrangements is related to trying to arrange a glittering marriage for Jane (with of course rewards galore for both her parents, and Thomas Seymour who is trying to make the arrangements).

As King Edward gets closer and closer to death, the behind the scenes wheeling and dealing continues, with the end result that Jane is married to the son of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland and eventually declared a reluctant queen. Her reign lasted just nine days, and she was deserted by those that had put her into the role and left to the mercy of Queen Mary I.

I have to admit that I have never read any of Alison Weir's non-fiction books, so when I started reading this book it wasn't from the perspective of seeing how a historian fared in the change from non fiction to historical fiction, it was from the perspective of a completely new to me author. It has to be said that she certainly challenged herself.

This whole book is written from first person point of view. My major issue with this book is the fact that it isn't just from one or two people's POV - rather we have at least nine different views....that's a lot of head hopping. Granted that a couple of those are only for a few paragraphs, and even the with those people who we do get to know quite well, there are times where an we have a couple of paragraphs from one point of view and then we move onto the next perspective. More than once I had to go back a page or two to find out once again who was providing the narrative to be sure that I was understanding what I was reading in the correct context.

Maybe she decided to write from first person POV because third person could have been perceived as being too similar as writing non-fiction in terms of the detached viewpoint. Who knows. Personally, I felt as though there were at least three or four unnecessary narrators. Yes, they all added something to the narrative about what was happening but there may well have been other ways of achieving the dissemination of the same information.

Weir has taken the known facts, even the strange ones that seem implausible (for example, the way that Queen Katherine Parr's warrant for arrest was found and given to her, eventually meaning that Henry did not carry through with it) and then filled them out admirably, giving us a very interesting portrait of the life and times of Lady Jane Grey. It is shocking to me at times to realise how young many of these young people were when they were found guilty of treasonable offences, and executed - such a young age to be considered mature enough to be such a threat to the monarchy.

Whilst I did have issues with the first person points of view, this was still an entertaining read, and I am glad to have taken the time to read it.

Rating 4/5

I love my library.....

Regular visitors will know that I love my libraries, but I found out something on my last visit which has got me thinking. It turns out that my main library doesn't really like romance. Yes they have romance novels but, as I overheard last night, they do not BUY any. Whatever ones they do get is only because someone has donated them. Explains why there are some pretty big gaps in their collection, like some Kleypas books and the like.

I wonder how many other genres are the same as this?

In other news, my tendency to put lots of books on request is beginning to cause problems. I just picked up five books last night, and now another two have come in, and I am reserve no. 1 on another three or four. This could all go horribly wrong!!

The Poyson Garden by Karen Harper

The first book in a new to me mystery series featuring amateur sleuth Queen Elizabeth I!

The letter came in secret, with a pearl eardrop from an aunt long thought dead, resurrecting the forbidden past. Banished by her spiteful half sister, Queen Mary, to Hatfield House in the English countryside, twenty-five-year-old Princess Elizabeth cannot refuse the summons. The Boleyns are in grave danger. And Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn, is marked for death by a master poisoner whose reign of terror may have royal sanction.

With her few loyal retainers, Elizabeth escapes to Kent. Here, in her ancestral Hever Castle, now held by the Queen's loyalists, Elizabeth seeks to unravel the plot against her. And here, in the embrace of intrigue and betrayal, the princess must find a brilliant, powerfully connected killer--before the killer finds her....

I have to admit that at first the thought of a mystery series where Queen Elizabeth I is the sleuth kind of threw me for a while...I mean didn't she have a country to run, potential husbands to meet and all that kind of thing?? Apparently not! She still had time to try to figure out the plot against her (admittedly that might have given some form of motivation!).

Actually, in this first book of the series, Elizabeth is not yet queen. Rather she is the very protected guest of her royal half sister, Queen Mary I and is being held in relative seclusion at Hatfield, presumably to stop both plots for and against her.

Despite being held virtual prisoner, the Elizabeth that we meet is feisty and resourceful and is off gallivanting around the countryside during the course of the investigation, both in the early stages where she goes to visit her Aunt Mary (as in The Other Boleyn Girl Mary!) who she had previously thought dead for the last twenty years and later as she investigates the mysterious "She" who is plotting to poison her, and finally rid the world of the villainous Boleyns.

With an attractive and versatile group of people around her, you know that this will be a fun series to watch develop, and to see how Elizabeth balances her detective role against her queenly role! Harper has chosen her support characters well - an actor, a herbalist and her horseman, and having such versatility within these characters should mean that there is plenty of scope for fun and entertainment without getting repetitive or tedious in the future. There was also a sufficient amount of groundwork laid to know that there are going to be at least one recurring villain role to keep things interesting.

The inevitable comparison of the Fiona Buckley series that is also set in the courts of Queen Elizabeth I, but this time with her lady in waiting as the sleuth needs to be made. I found that the Buckley series started somewhat slowly but eventually built up to a very satisfying series to read. This book has more spark and is probably more light hearted, but nonetheless is a satisfying read. It will be interesting to watch the series develop.

Very entertaining, and a series I will read more of!

Rating 4/5

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig

The first in a series of book by new author Lauren Willig, this book looks at the lives of the spies that followed on in the footsteps of the Scarlet Pimpernel.

Deciding that true romantic heroes are a thing of the past, Eloise Kelly, a gifted young history student who nonetheless always manages to wear her precious Jimmy Choo suede boots on the day it buckets down, abandons Harvard for London to finish her dissertation on a dashing pair of spies, The Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian. What she discovers is something the finest scholars have missed: the secret history of The Pink Carnation - the most elusive spy of all time, said to have singlehandedly saved England from Napolean's invasion.

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation opens with the tale of a modern-day heroine but soon becomes a story within a story. After discovering a treasure trove of old letters, Eloise is transported to eighteenth-century Paris through the daring exploits of another young woman determined to make her mark, and a passionate love affair that almost threw off the course of world events is at last revealed.

This book is an interesting mix of genres. We have some elements of chicklit (brand name dropping, parties, fashion), and yet at another level we have historical romance, mixed in with a dash of spying for good measure. In lesser hands, it could have been a recipe for mediocrity, with none of the elements dealt with satisfactorily, however, happily for the reader, it was handled quite competently. I was certainly left wanting to read more from this author!

The back cover details (above) really do not give an accurate reflection of what the book is about. From that blurb, one would assume that the main focus of the novel is Eloise, but really, other than a chapter here and there, the main focus of the novel is about the starting of the spy legend that is The Pink Carnation, and the romance between Amy Balcourt and Lord Richard Selwick.

From her days as a very young girl, Amy has dreamt of joining the league of spies that followed in the footsteps of The Scarlet Pimpernel, and if she couldn't join him, she would start her own league...the league of The Pink Carnation. Already enrolled in the league is Amy's cousin, the unflappable Jane. When Amy is called to go home to Paris by her brother Edouard, of course Jane will accompany, along with the very strict Miss Gwen, who is lethal with her parasol. Amy has everything planned...she is going to find The Purple Gentian and join him in Paris, and restore the monarchy to France. Unfortunately, The Purple Gentian has a much different agenda!

After being disappointed in her plans, the girls hire a boat for their exclusive use. Only problem is Lord Richard has done the same, and before they can sort out who really has the exclusive use of the boat, they are on their way to France, and the first interactions between our hero and heroine take place. In true romance fashion, they are attracted to each other, but keep on fighting with each other, especially when Amy finds the fact that Richard works for Napoleon unpatriotic. Once they reach Paris, they meet time and time again, until at last Amy realise who exactly she is dealing with. When the Purple Gentian finds himself cornered, he finds help from unlikely elements....in scenes which have high elements of slapstick comedy.

Whilst Eloise follows the story of Amy and Richard, she locks horns with the imperious Colin Selwick who is the family guardian of the papers regarding his ancestors life. There are only half a dozen chapters focusing on Eloise, and secondarily Colin, so there is plenty of scope in the next couple of novels to see where, if anywhere, the author wants to take our modern day couple.

The intriguing thing about this blend of different genres and styles is that it works! It will be interesting to see if it maintains its freshness as the series continues. I have my name down first on the request list at the library for The Masque of the Black Tulip

Reading this book did actually lead me to discover that Baroness Orczy who wrote The Scarlet Pimpernel actually wrote about 15 Pimpernel books, which I never knew previously, and most of them are available for free downloads on the internet. Hopefully I will get a chance to read some more of them soon!

A good fun read, filled with ingenious plans, swirling capes, masks and disguises - in short....lots of fun!

Edited to add: On Lauren Willig's website there are some "Outtakes" from this book - more fun!

Rating 4/5


Other Blogger's Thoughts:

A Girl Walks Into a Bookstore
The Written Word

A Dark Champion by Kinley MacGregor

I have to admit to being a little confused as to how the MacAllister books and the Brotherhood series all fit together, but I'll get to that later! All I know is that this book follows the events of Simon's story in Where's My Hero.

Fearless men, their allegiance is to one another, to the oppressed, and to the secret society known as the Brotherhood of the Sword -- and they must never surrender to the passionate yearnings of their noble hearts.

A Lady of Love

Beautiful, peace-loving Rowena knows that Stryder of Blackmoor is a warrior, and is therefore a man to be shunned.

But something burns in the eyes of this powerful knight that she has never seen in others of his kind: a tenderness, and a need to love and be loved. Yet to enter his world would be madness -- against every principle by which she has lived her life -- so she must resist the yearning that would draw her into his arms.

A Man of War

Duty bound to battle for right, Stryder has never desired the comforts of home and hearth-- until he gazed upon the exquisite face and form of the incomparable Rowena. He dares not succumb to her sensuous charms, for Stryder is a man sworn to know no love. But when treachery and danger threaten, the noble knight must stand as the unsuspecting lady's champion -- though his actions could cost him his honor, his heart. . . and his forbidden dream of happiness.

We first met Stryder in Where's My Hero, where he was the target of many a fair maiden who wanted nothing more than to spend time in the arms of one of the greatest knights of their day. This pattern continues in this book, with the lengths that Stryder needs to go to avoid any of the maidens being almost slapstick comedy at times. Whilst Stryder is not averse to the pleasures of the flesh, he is not looking for any kind of commitment, and he most certainly is not looking for a wife.

Lady Rowena is a young heiress who holds for her husband to be a great amount of lands, with key importance to the safety of the crown of Henry and Eleanor. Rowena knows what she wants in a husband - she wants a peace loving troubadour who will sing her ballads of love...and mean them. She would prefer not to marry but if she is going to, she wants more than a marriage for political reasons or convenience. She wants love.

When King Henry sets them up to be married (somewhat implausibly it must be said!) Rowena and Stryder both resist, but when a murderer starts killing people, and attempting to blame Stryder, Rowena proves to be more than just a friend. She also starts to see that beneath the knight there is a man with a good and noble heart who only does what he does so that he can help others.

I liked Stryder...Rowena I wasn't quite so keen on but that's okay. It felt that there was quite a bit of background happening in this book - a lot of setting the scene for future books as well as explaining why Stryder is the way he is and whilst that is fine it did kind of take me away from the book at various points. The various other characters that are introduced are all presented in such a way as to make me want to read their stories. I'm not quite sure how many Brotherhood stories MacGregor is planning to right as she has a LOT of profiles up on the pages on her website!

One thing I can't get my head around is the series order of these books. On this page on the author's website, the reading order for the Brotherhood books is Born in Sin, Taming the Scotsman, Where's My Hero, A Dark Champion and then Return of the Warrior, whilst on this page the order is that the tie in books are Master of Desire then Where's My Hero, and then the actual Brotherhood books are Where's My Hero and then A Dark Champion and Return of the Warrior. So it seems that even the author is even confused about which books are part of the series and which are not!! I guess either way I just have Return of the Warrior to go at this point in time.

Why does that bother me so much....just does!! Okay?? I'm not pedantic about many things but reading a series in order is one of them!

Rating 3.5/5

Glory in Death by J D Robb

This is my read for the May TBR challenge, which for this month was to read something from your TBR pile that has some sort of military, police, etc theme or an ebook/book that originally appeared in ebook format. I went with the former!

Title: Glory in Death

Author: J D Robb

Year published: 1996

Why did you get this book? I have only recently read the first book in this series (Naked in Death) and as soon as I had finished it I put the next one on the request list.

Do you like the cover? I actually ended up with the large print version of the book which was published by Isis, so the cover above isn't the one that I got. Mine has a picture of a glass fronted sky scraper with the clouds reflecting in the window, and trees in front of it....pretty non descript actually.

Did you enjoy the book? Yes.

Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? The author isn't new to me, although this is only the second book of the In Death series that I have read. I haven't read all that much Nora Roberts either really.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? It's a library book so keeping it isn't really a consideration, but if it wasn't I would think I would keep it...along with every other book in the series.

Anything else? It's interesting to see the struggles that Eve has as she tries to deal with the closeness that has developed between herself and Roarke and her growing feelings. The mystery was interesting, and pretty intense, but really for me the highlights are the relationships, and the imagination of how the world is going to be in the future.

Rating: 4/5

DON'T PANIC!!!!!

When I get home from work each day, I start cooking dinner and then I come to the computer and start going through the various groups and blogs that I visit on a regular basis to see what I missed that day, and because my blog is my start up page that is where I visit first.

A couple of nights ago I got home, did what I had to do and then sat down at the computer to start the rounds, started IE, and got to a lovely page, with a very nice purple template....but no blog entries! None of the links worked, or the archives...nothing.

After completely freaking out for a little while, I ended up restarting my computer and everything was okay again...PHEW!!! This little episode does, however, make me wonder...is it possible to backup your blog if you are using Blogger's website, or do you just have to hope that nothing goes wrong?

The Secret Supper by Javier Sierra

Tightly paced and atmospheric, The Secret Supper is a dazzling historical thriller with a unique vision of both Leonardo da Vinci's genius and his masterpiece -- which you will never look at in the same way again.

Milan, 1497: Leonardo is completing The Last Supper. Pope Alexander VI is determined to execute him after realizing that the painting contains clues to a baffling -- and blasphemous -- message that he is driven to decode. The Holy Grail and the Eucharistic Bread are missing, there is no meat on the table, and the apostles, shockingly, are portraits of well-known heretics -- and none of them are depicted with halos. And why has the artist painted himself into the scene with his back turned toward Jesus? The clues to Leonardo's greatest puzzle are right before your eyes....

Given the subject matter there will inevitably be comparisons made to the Da Vinci Code. Whilst there are some shared themes that are touched on there are significant differences as well. Whereas Da Vinci is a cultural touchstone in The Da Vinci Code, here he is a central character, with mentions of his other works, but focusing predominantly on the messages contained in the painting of The Last Supper. Whilst DVC has a modern setting looking back through time, in The Secret Supper the setting is 1497. Da Vinci is part way through working on the painting that will become The Last Supper.

The main character, Father Agostino Leyre, is an Inquisitor who is sent to Milan to investigate the stories that are emerging about the painting, that it contains secret messages which are contradictory to the central beliefs of the Church. Leyre's speciality is the deciphering of codes. When he is sent a coded message by The Soothsayer he needs to figure out what the message is to try and prevent the further killings that have been taking place in recent days. The Soothsayer appears to be someone from the inside of Da Vinci's inner circle who has become disillusioned and is now determined to unveil the secrets held in his works. As Leyre works through the various puzzles, things around him become more dangerous, and more life changing.

Originally written in Spanish, and then translated into English, there are occasional patches where you wonder if something hasn't been lost in the translation, but overall this was a very interesting read that takes the well known fact that Da Vinci was considered to not be a "good Christian", takes one of his most famous works and wonders what could his beliefs have been and did he hide messages in his works.

Rating 4/5

Dearly Depotted by Kate Collins

The third book in the Flower Shop Mystery series, this book picks up where Slay it with Flowers finishes up.

Abby has her hands full at her cousin Jillian's wedding as florist, bridesmaid, and grandma-sitter-all while wearing a hideous dress. Then the groom's 90-year-old grandmother goes missing from the reception. On her search, Abby finds the corpse of guest Jack Snyder. Now she must find out who killed Jack in the pulpit.

It's Fourth of July and Abby has her hands full. Not only is she doing the flowers for her cousin's wedding that she is bridesmaid in, but she is also doing a big job that she really needs the money from as well, so she spends her day rushing from one place to the next. Before she knows it, she also has to find her own groomsman because her partner has turned his ankle and won't be able to make it to the wedding, and she has to babysit her ex fiance's grandmother.

After making a scene during the wedding, and then witnessing a fight between one of the guests and a gate crasher, the wedding ceremony is finally over, and Abby can relax can't she...no not really because Grandma goes missing, and when she finds Grandma she also find a dead body...the gatecrasher who interrupted the ceremony.

After a friend becomes the primary suspect, Abby has no choice but to meddle..er...investigate and we work our way through all the clues and red herrings with her and her hot friend Marco. The romance is building nicely between these two...hopefully it won't be incredibly drawn out as these types of relationships can be in some cozy mysteries.

The thing with these cozy mysteries is that you need to immerse yourself in the story enough to suspend your belief in several things. The first is that all police in small towns are inept and couldn't find a murderer if they were still standing with the knife in their hands, dripping with blood. The second is that the inept police/public officials are willing to share information with the amateur sleuth in town who will inevitably be much better at finding the truth. The third thing is that all amateur sleuths are like cats - they all inevitably have more than one life. Abby is up to three as far as I can tell in as many months.

So does that mean that I don't enjoy these types books. No, not really - I do actually enjoy them immensely. It is more that you know at least some of what to expect when you pick up these books.

I am looking forward to picking up the next book in the series, which is called Snipped in the Bud. I also just found out today that Kate Collins also writes under the names of Linda O'Brien and Linda Eberhardt. My library has some of the O'Brien books so I am going to try and pick one of those up shortly.

Rating 4/5

Sorry gremlins!

You know those gremlins I mentioned previously? Turns out they didn't run away with my library book!

It showed up today, so tomorrow I can go and get my money back. I was 99.5 percent sure I had returned it. Good job I allowed that 0.5 percent leeway!

William Marshal - Soundtrack of his life

Not too long ago I reviewed Elizabeth Chadwick's novel on William Marshal.

Today on her blog, the author has given us some details of the soundtrack that she has for the novel....There are some very interesting choices.

Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland

A luminous tale about art and human experience that is as breathtaking as any Vermeer painting.

A professor invites a colleague from the art department to his home to see a painting that he has kept secret for decades. The professor swears it is a Vermeer--but why has he hidden this important work for so long? The reasons unfold in a series of events that trace the ownership of the painting back to World War II and Amsterdam, and still further back to the moment of the work's inspiration. As the painting moves through each owner's hands, what was long hidden quietly surfaces, illuminating poignant moments in multiple lives. Vreeland's characters remind us, through their love of this mysterious painting, how beauty transforms and why we reach for it, what lasts and what in our lives is singular and unforgettable.

Written as a series of short stories, we read how the painting has affected each of the people who acquired and then owned the painting. Originally a couple of the stories had been published as short stories, but then Vreeland decided to fill in the gaps and this book was born.

Not only is the cover gorgeous, so is the writing, with Vreeland giving us moments of pain, moments of beauty....moments in the life of the people lucky enough to be touched by the beauty of the painting.

We start with the professor who has owned the painting for years, in same ways it is the only real connection he has with his father. There are no papers to prove the authenticity of the painting, but he insists that it is a Vermeer. He has studied the brush strokes, the technique in his search to confirm his belief. But why would he have it hidden away? Why would he contemplating destroying the painting? Facing the circumstances of how it came to be in their lives.

Working our way back, the second chapter is focused on the home of a young Jewish girl living in Amsterdam during WWII. Her family is about to celebrate the Passover, but they do so under the watchful and ever present eyes of the Nazi soldiers that are occupying their country.

The third chapter is a about the relationship between married couple as they contemplate the upcoming marriage of their daughter. The wife wants to give her daughter the painting as a gift but the man is loathe to let it go given that for him it is a reminder of his first love. This revelation causes the couple to evaluate some aspects of their relationship.

The fourth story is about a bored socialite who courts scandal by falling in love, or maybe lust, with a young musician. She is actually a young Frenchwoman who has been brought to Holland by her husband who is in theory working in a negotiating role, but it appears that he is more engaged in an affair. This is the point in the story where the papers are separated from the painting, therefore making it difficult to confirm the identity of the painter.

Next up a young family is living in their attic with all their precious possessions, including the cow, as the workers of the town try to repair the broken dikes and pump the water back out of the land, and free the people from their unending vista of flood waters. The painting comes to the family in unusual circumstances, and the wife needs to decide what her priorities are.

The next one was my favourite I think. A young couple are involved in a secret relationship find that they are going to be parents. Even when giving birth, no-one is allowed to know, but then the young mother is arrested and hung. The father has to figure out how to look after the child that is left.

In the penultimate chapter, the painting is created. The painter is however struggles to provide for his family and so it is a real struggle for him to decide whether or not he can continue to paint or if he should try to get an actual job to be able to start providing properly for his family.

The final chapter is about the subject of the painting - a young girl desperate for her father to recognise their kindred spirits.

Very enjoyable read.

Rating 4/5

Something New

I have created an index for the books I have read and reviewed here. It is sorted alphabetically by author and can be accessed via the index link on the left hand side or at this address:

http://readingadventures-index.blogspot.com/

There may well have been an easier way to do this....but never mind it is done now!

Just navigate through the index using the links on the right hand side!

Reading Memories Meme

First saw this meme at The BlogJar, and then Kailana and Heather did it too, so I thought I might join in this time!


20 Years Ago: (age 15)

I had read just about every Jean Plaidy book that my school library had - my love of historical fiction started pretty early on.
My English teacher was an old nun that scared crap out of us, but she was a good teacher. I seem to remember reading Graham Greene.

10 Years Ago: (age 25)

I wasn't reading anything. Didn't read a book for years. I was living in Sheffield in the UK, in a pretty horrible apartment, with very little furniture, with a bloke who was (well still is) an idiot...only difference he isn't around anymore!


5 Years Ago: (age 30)
Still wasn't really reading. Aforementioned bloke was still around although not for much longer. We were back living in Adelaide in Australia and I had a full time job and a two year old child to look after.
I was made redundant from my job, but then offered the chance to come to Melbourne for three months to do the handover and have been here ever since.

3 Years ago: (age 32)

Started reading again, in particular remember reading the Outlander books.
Found the internet! Starting participating in online book clubs.
Read a few classics including Anna Karenina, One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Last Year: (age 34)
Realise that I couldn't afford to keep buying books so starting using the library.
Bought a house.
Discovered audio books.
Starting blogging

This Month: (age 34)

Having a slow reading month - only 9 books so far, but one of them was huge!
Working on an index of reads

Booking some more

3 Favorite Reading Locations:

In bed
On the train
When driving to work (listening to audiobooks)

3 Reading habits:

I have to read books in order. Drives me to distraction if I start reading a book and then I discover it is part of a series.
I can have up to four or five different book going on at any one time. As long as they are different settings or types of books it doesn't worry me.
If I am really immersed in a book my son knows that that means he is going to have to sort out his own dinner...he's used to having cheese sandwiches by now!

3 Things that distract me:

Internet
My son
Sore Eyes

3 Characters I'd love to be:

Hmmm....Claire Randall Fraser, but only for the 'good' bits! Other than that I don't every really imagine myself being a character in a book.

3 Three Characters I despise:

Dimitri from The Bronze Horseman
All the Mrs Danvers from Jasper Fforde books....all those neat freaks in one place...scary!
Can't think of anyone else at the moment.

3 Favorite Book Beverages:
Coke
Water
Coke

3 Favorite bookmarks:
There were these really nice bookmarks from the library that were free so I got them. Really I just use whatever bookmarks I have that I get for free from bookstores
Library receipts
Used train tickets

3 Dead Writers I'd love to meet:
Jean Plaidy (Eleanor Hibbert)
Steinbeck
Tolstoy

3 Alive Writers I'd love to meet:
Sharon Penman
Paullina Simons
Diana Gabaldon

Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles by Margaret George

She was a child crowned a queen....
A sinner hailed as a saint....
A lover denounced as a whore...
A woman murdered for her dreams...

At 870 pages long, this book is a BIG book, but within it's pages is a big story taking place in three countries at a very turbulent time in history! In fact at times it felt as though I was carrying a brick around as I lugged it from one train ride to the next.

The book is divided into three parts, the first dealing with Mary's time as Queen of France, the second her time as Queen of Scotland and the third part deals with her time as the guest/prisoner of Queen Elizabeth I.

Mary was born to James V of Scotland and Marie de Guise, not long after the death of her two older brothers. Within days of her birth, James V was dead and Mary was crowned Queen of Scotland, with her mother acting as regent. When she was about 5 years old she was betrothed to the young Dauphin of France and she was moved to France, leaving her mother behind in her role as regent, and went to live with the French Court, under the care of Catherine de Medici and Diane de Poitiers. Married at 15, widowed at 18, after having become Queen only a year or so before, Mary found herself no longer Queen with no role to fulfill so she returns to Scotland to take up her role there.

Mary's reign as Queen of Scotland was incredibly tumultuous, with her reign coinciding with the emergence of John Knox as leader of the Protestant movement in Scotland. Mary was intensely passionate about her religion and even before she returned to Scotland, religion was potentially a stumbling block. In quite unusual circumstances, Mary became the Catholic Queen of a Protestant country, attracting the wrath of John Knox, and apparently a personal disliking from him as well. Later during her reign, when some of her actions were probably less than wise, Knox had more reason to castigate Mary and he did so very vocally.

Mary and Elizabeth were cousins, who had never met, and yet seemed to feel some level of kinship between them, and yet most of the problems between them occurred because Elizabeth would not formalise the succession. Initially, there were problems because when Queen Mary I died there were some in the French court who suggested that Mary Stuart was the next true Queen of England and even went as far as including the title of Queen of England for her, which did not go down well in the English court. Later, it seemed that the reluctance was due to the fact that Mary was either being portrayed as being actively involved in plots against Elizabeth, or in some cases actually was involved in these plots.

In much the same way as Elizabeth I was being courted in London by a variety of members of the royal families of Europe as potential bride, so too Mary's mind had turned to marriage, and when Henry, Lord Darnley entered the fray it seems as though Mary was smitten, and marriage was hastily arranged, despite the fact that Elizabeth had not given her approval. Here we see the Mary who is headstrong, who makes hasty decisions, and who would appear to lack the ability to make accurate judgement as to the characters of the people around her. The marriage is very quickly in trouble, with Darnley known to frequent the various establishments wherever he happened to be and in the end becoming incredibly ill with what appeared to be a sexually transmitted disease, but not before she becomes pregnant with her son and heir. Mary knows her marriage is in trouble, and when she finds herself attracted to Lord Bothwell, it would seem that her life was to be further complicated until there are more plots, betrayals and schemes, this time to murder her husband.

Within months, Bothwell has arranged a hasty divorce, and kidnaps the Queen "forcing" her to marry him, thereby causing the few loyal lords Mary had left to turn against her, because of the underhanded methods Bothwell employed in several situations. This time is a time of happiness for Mary, with the man that she loves by her side, despite the fact that the Lords of Scotland refuse to acknowledge Bothwell as her husband and king. This eventually leads to a showdown at Carberry Hill where Mary is taken into protections by the Lords, thus in reality ending her freedom forever. Bothwell flees and eventually ends up taken prisoner in Denmark and Sweden where he stays until his grisly death.

The book covers in great length the various plots against Mary by the people who had pledged their loyalty to her, including her illegitimate half brother James, who in the end would rule in her stead. Also covered are the authors thoughts regarding the depth of Mary's involvement in the murder of Darnley, in the aforementioned kidnapping and in the plots against Elizabeth that cost her her life.

The Mary we grow to know is a very complex woman - at various times innocent child, powerful ruler, woman in love, alternatively cautious but also impulsive, someone who was betrayed many times, and yet was the object of great devotion from many of her friends, including some of her jailers. When she comes to England without first having permission from Elizabeth she shows her headstrong nature, yet she submitted to being Elizabeth's guest for quite a long time.

Once in England, Mary is guest of Elizabeth, at times in a degree of luxury, but as the period went on the pretense of being a guest was dropped, and the reality of life as a prisoner set in. Mary's imprisonment in England last for 20 odd years before eventually Mary was caught in a trap set up to try and force Elizabeth's hand into having her executed. For Mary, she viewed these events as being aimed at her because of her religion, and she was very forthright in defending herself by accusing her accusers of taking the actions they had because she refused to embrace the Protestant faith.

One of the things that I found most interesting was that there was quite a long time where Mary spent time in imprisonment in Sheffield Manor and Sheffield Castle, whilst under the care of the Earl of Shrewsbury. The thing that was interesting to me about this is that when I lived in Sheffield I lived about 10 minutes from Sheffield Manor and yet never knew anything about it. Sheffield, in my opinion, can't really be commended for keeping it's history alive! Maybe one day I will get back there again and if I do I shall be sure to make a visit to Sheffield Manor. The Castle is long gone, buried between some truly ugly markets in the city centre.

It would be a huge achievement for an author to capture a reader's attention entirely for such a big book, and there were parts in the book that were a little dry, but it wasn't ever long before something else happened drawing your attention back again.

Overall this was a very readable story that expanded on what is known about Mary, Queen of Scots - a woman of contradictions.

Rating 4/5

Index of reads

This blog is linked into my reading journal at Reading Adventures


The aim is to provide an A-Z index by author name (using the links in the sidebar) to make it easier to find reviews that I have previously written. If you find any links that don't work properly, please let me know!

W

Walker, Carrie - Escape to the Northern Lights

Walker, Carrie - Escape to the Turquoise Seas

Walker, Lisa - Liar Bird

Walker, Victoria - Summer at Croftwood Cinema
Walls, Jeannette - The Glass Castle

Walsh, Alexandra - The Forgotten Palace

Walsh, Alexandra - The House of Echoes

Walsh, Alexandra - The Secrets of Crestwell Hall

Walters, Victoria - The Paris Chapter
Walton, Jo - Tooth and Claw
Ward, J R - Dark Lover
Ward, J R - Lover Awakened
Ward, J R - Lover Eternal
Ward, J R - Lover Revealed
Warren, Tracy Anne - The Husband Trap
Warren, Tracy Anne - The Wedding Trap
Warren, Tracy Anne - The Wife Trap

Wasley, Sasha - Spring Clean for the Peach Queen
Waters, Sarah - Affinity
Watson, Christie - Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away
Watson, Jules - The Boar Stone
Watson, Jules - The Dawn Stag
Watson, Jules - The White Mare
Webb, Katherine - The Unseen

Webber, Heather - The Lights of Sugarberry Cove

Webber, Heather - Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe
Weir, Alison - Innocent Traitor
Weisgarber, Ann - The Personal History of Rachel DuPree

Westwood, Lauren - The House of Light and Shadows

Westwood, Lauren - The Little Paris Toy Shop
White, Karen - The House on Tradd Street
Wiesel, Elie - Night

Wiggs, Susan - Family Tree
Williams, Marcia - Bravo Mr. William Shakespeare
Willig, Lauren - The Deception of the Emerald Ring
Willig, Lauren - The Masque of the Black Tulip
Willig, Lauren - The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
Willig, Lauren - The Seduction of the Crimson Rose
Willingham, Bill - Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall
Willingham, Bill - Fables, Vol 1: Legends in Exile
Willingham, Bill - Fables, Vol 2: Animal Farm
Willingham, Bill - Fables, Vol 3: Storybook Love
Willingham, Bill - Fables, Vol 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers
Willingham, Bill - Fables. Vol 5: The Mean Seasons
Willingham, Bill - Fables, Vol 6: Homelands
Willingham, Bill - Fables, Vol 7: Arabian Nights (and Days)
Willingham, Bill - Fables, Vol 8: Wolves
Willingham, Bill - Fables, Vol 9: Sons of Empire
Willingham, Bill - Fables, Vol 10: The Good Prince
Willingham, Bill - Fables, Vol 11; War and Pieces
Willingham, Bill - Fables, Vol 12: The Dark Ages
Willingham, Bill - Jack of Fables, Vol 1: The (Nearly) Great Escape
Willis, Connie - The Doomsday Book
Willis, Connie - To Say Nothing of the Dog
Wilson, Sandra - Taj: The Woman and the Wonder
Winsor, Kathleen - Forever Amber
Winspear, Jacqueline - Birds of a Feather
Winspear, Jacqueline - Maisie Dobbs

Woods, Evie - The Mysterious Bakery on rue de Paris
Wright, Alexis - Carpentaria

Anthologies

Bite
Dates from Hell
Excalibur
The Firefly Dance
Irish Girls About Town
The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown
Forbidden Fantasies
Jane Austen Made Me Do It: Original Stories Inspired by Literatures Most Astute Observer of Human Nature edited by Laurel Ann Nattress :
Midnight Pleasures
My Scandalous Bride
The One That Got Away
Santa, Baby
The School for Heiresses
Silent Night
Stroke of Midnight
Three Weddings and a Kiss
Where's My Hero
Wish List
Many Bloody Returns: Tales of Birthdays with Bite