The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

Simon Basset, the irresistible Duke of Hastings, has hatched a plan to keep himself free from the town's marriage-minded society mothers. He pretends to be engaged to the lovely Daphne Bridgerton. After all, it isn't as if the brooding rogue has any real plans to marry—though there is something about the alluring Miss Bridgerton that sets Simon's heart beating a bit faster. And as for Daphne, surely the clever debutante will attract some very worthy suitors now that is seems a duke has declared her desirable. But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, she soon forgets that their courtship is a complete sham. And now she has to do the impossible and keep herself from losing her heart and soul completely to the handsome hell-raiser who has sworn off marriage forever!

I added this book to my TBR list after the girls over at Sanctuary's Finest started reviewing the Bridgerton series not too long ago. Prior to this I had only read Julia Quinn in a novella in the Where's My Hero anthology. Another reason I picked up this book is because I am sucker for a series!

So this is the first in the Bridgerton series of book, featuring a family where the children conveniently get named in alphabetical order! This book featured Daphne, fourth oldest child, and a young lady in danger of being left on the shelf as far as the marriage mart that is the ton is concerned. She is in her second season, and has had several offers that she has turned down because she wanted a man she could love, like the love that her parents had, and to have lots of children.

After meeting Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, she agrees to a sham engagement with him. For her, this should mean that the other eligible men of the ton should see beyond her reputation as a good friend, and for him, it should mean that he will be free from the buzzards that are the mothers of young unmarried ladies who would love to catch themselves a duke! However, the more time they spend together, the more attracted to each other they become, until eventually the plan goes awry when they are caught in a compromising situation by her eldest brother Anthony, and Daphne and Simon have to marry.

The only thing casting a shadow over their marriage is the fact that Simon has issues left over from his terrible childhood, and this leaves to a really big problem for them, particularly around the issue of children. For the most part though I liked Simon. He seemed pretty honourable and a fairly nice guy, and was certainly a good match for Daphne.

As for Daphne, I did like her quite a bit. She was a likeable character, although VERY innocent, having absolutely no idea of what happened between a man and a woman. There is one thing though that she did that I really did not like, and whilst I understand her reasons, it seemed very disrespectful and deceitful for her to do what she did. I guess, though, now I think of it, Simon was no better, so why did I like Daphne less for what she did than Simon. Hmmm....something to think on!

I really like that this story was at it's very core, just a romance...no suspense subplots or anything like that to distract.

Overall, an enjoyable read, and I will definitely be reading more about the Bridgertons in the not too distant future.

Rating 3.5


Other Blogger's Thoughts:

Bookworms and Tea Lovers

Your Wicked Ways by Eloisa James

This is the fourth book in the Duchess quartet following on from A Wild Pursuit.

Helene, the Countess Godwin, knows there is nothing more unbearably tedious than a virtuous woman. After all, she's been one for ten long years while her scoundrel of a husband lives with strumpets and causes scandal after scandal. So she decides it's time for a change -- she styles her hair in the newest, daring mode, puts on a shockingly transparent gown, and goes to a ball like Cinderella, hoping to find a prince charming to sweep her off her feet...and into his bed. But instead of a prince, she finds only her own volatile, infuriatingly handsome...husband, Rees, the Earl Godwin. They'd eloped to Gretna Green in a fiery passion, but passion can sometimes burn too hot to last.

But now, Rees makes her a brazen offer, and Helene decides to become his wife again...but not in name only. No, this time she decides to be very, very wicked indeed.

I think I remember reading somewhere that Eloisa James wrote this book due to popular demand. Now, I am not sure how true that is given that this book was published pretty soon after A Wild Pursuit, but in some ways it does feel a bit disconnected from the other books. In other ways it feels almost as connected to the current series as it was to the other Duchess books. Maybe it really is an in between book!

For me, the biggest down side of this book is that Esme and Sebastian's story that was interwoven within the previous three books was all resolved and so whilst they did make some appearances, they really seemed to me to be just there for the sake of it.

Anyway...about this book. Helene and Rees have been separated for years and she has basically had enough. She has decided that she no longer wants to have a pristine reputation, she is going to take matters into her own hands and find herself a man so that she can have a baby. She decides to revamp her look, and makes an appearance in society with scandalously short hair and dresses. Suddenly, there are suitors, most notably Mayne (who goes on to make a pivotal appearance in Much Ado About You)

All through this series, much has been made of the fact that Helene and Rees can't stand each other. So when Rees decides that if Helene is going to have a baby it might as well be his baby, it was quite surprising. Almost as surprising as the deal that Helene agrees to move back into his home even though his mistress was still going to be there, and slowly the feelings between the two spouses (does that make them spices?) starts to change.

Whereas in the other three books, Esme and Sebastian's story was woven into the background, this time it was the story of Rees' brother Tom and Rees' mistress Lina that provided the alternate story.

I felt that James had to work really hard to redeem Rees from the role that he had in the previous books, and also to suddenly make Helene so completely compelling that she would have two men who both wanted her so badly. She mostly succeeded, but for me the story was not one that captured my imagination in the way that I would have really liked.

Overall I enjoyed these books, and will be reading more by James, but I haven't been completely blown away by the ones in this series. I will need to go back and read the Pleasures trilogy and see how that one links into this series.

Rating 3.5/5

And now for something completely different....Music

So I was tagged by Fiona, and I started the list, but it has taken me a little while to finish it! Been an interesting week here. My sister has just been released from hospital because she cracked her kneecap into two pieces. Can anyboday say OUCH! I also nearly resigned from my job because I was offered another one but common sense prevailed. All round busy week!

I've been having a bit of an 80's revival over the last couple of weeks. There's also a couple of Aussie songs, a little bit of country. The other thing is I tend to listen to albums that I have saved on my PC while I work as opposed to on my MP3 player. That actually has audio books on it more regularly than anything else!


1. Someday, Someday by Thirsty Merc - not too fussed about their other stuff by love this song.

2. Tip of My Tongue by Diesel - Early 90s Australian classic. This was a single on the Hepfedility album which is still a good listen!

3. And We Danced by The Hooters - probably my favourite song ever!

4. We're Not Ready to Make Nice by The Dixie Chicks - this album is probably my most played over the last couple of months

5. Keith Urban...doesn't really matter which song or album!

6. Tea and Sympathy by Bernard Fanning - his whole album Tea and Sympathy is absolutely fantastic

7. The Veronicas by relatively new Aussie band, a bit teeny bopper but great to sing along to.


8. No. 1s by The Beatles

9. Feeler by Pete Murray - Fantastic Sunday afternoon music

10.Diamonds on the Inside by Ben Harper - Love all of it, well, except for one song!


I don't know who is left to tag really....so how about anyone who hasn't already done this!

Bibliomaniac's Prayer

Sarah over at Reading the Past has a prayer up for book lovers everywhere, especially those of us that are addicted to buying books!

Go take a look.

Interesting

Found this information over at Bookwritingblog.

Seems that one of Australia's most famous writers, and a Nobel prize winner, wouldn't get published today. A chapter of Patrick White's The Eye of the Storm was submitted to several major publishers and not one of them has accepted. The fact that the work was submitted under the name Wraith Picket should have been a dead giveaway that something was up surely?

The most interesting line to me?

In his rejection letter Nicholas Hudson of Hudson Publishing said the writing left him perplexed.

"We regret that we cannot make an offer for publication. Why? The first and easy answer is that we try to curb all desire to publish novels. This is a matter of self-preservation: the Harold Park Trots are by comparison a rational way of earning a living."

Makes me wonder what other authors there are out there that wouldn't be able to get their books published in our time. Tolstoy? Steinbeck? Austen?

Who knows, but it does make you think!

A Wild Pursuit by Eloisa James

The third book in the Duchess quartet, following on from Fool for Love.

It is whispered behind the fans of London's dowagers and in the corners of fashionable ballrooms that scandal follows willfully wild Lady Beatrix Lennox wherever she goes.

Three years before, the debutante created a sensation by being found in a distinctly compromising position. Now, the ton has branded her as unmarriageable, her family has called her a vixen, and Beatrix sees no reason not to go after what and who she wishes.

And she wants Stephen Fairfax-Lacy, the handsome Earl of Spade. Beatrix, with her brazen suggestions and irresistibly sensuous allure, couldn't be more different from the earl's ideal future bride. Yet Beatrix brings out a wildness in the earl he has tried to deny far too long. Still, he's not about to play love's game by Lady Beatrix's rules. She may be used to being on top in affairs of the heart, but that will soon change.

Lady Beatrix Lennox is now the companion to the aunt of Esme Rawlings who we met in the previous two books in this series. When Esme is approaching her time of confinement her aunt descends on her with all her people, and there is aimpromptutu house party. For all that Esme is trying to live a scandal free life for a change, having a house party during confinement is not really the done thing in the ton.

One of the people that Esme's aunt has invited is MP Stephen Fairfax-Lacy, with a view to marrying Esme off to him. There are, however, others who have ideas in relation to Mr Fairfax- Lacy, and before he knows it, he finds himself engaged to one woman, supposedly having an affair with another married woman, and desperately attracted to Beatrix. As for Beatrix, she is willing to have a short fling with him, but when he wants more from her, she is not sure that she can do that.

I had a few issues with this book. The first and most pressing is that I didn't really care about Stephen and Bea. I didn't really get the attraction between them, or feel it when they decided that they could have a HEA only with each other, although I did like the epilogue that had him defending her long lost honour. Strangely enough there were two epilogues in this book...something I don't think I have seen before. Anyway, I digress. The main reason why I didn't really care for Stephen and Bea was that I really wanted to read Esme and Sebastian's story. Their story has been interwoven in the three books of this series so far, and yet it is the story that has most captured my imagination and felt emotionally attached to.

The second issue I had relates to the virginity question.

******SPOILER ALERT******

Beatrix had been compromised at a very young age, and had gone on to be a scandalous persona within the ton, openly flaunting her body, and supposedly her affairs. For all that, she had only had 3 lovers which is fine, and with each of those it only happened once and she had never enjoyed the experience. However, when she finally makes love to Stephen Fairfax-Lacy, his heart sings because she really is a virgin in every sense of the word. HUH? Why would it be so bad for her not to be a virgin. I know that it is important at that time, but he knew that she had been compromised, and this time it was an opportunity for the female equivalent of a rake to be reformed by the love of a good man. Why couldn't it just have been left at that.

******SPOILER OFF******

I would have loved to have a book just for Sebastian and Esme. Sebastian's devotion to Esme was so heart rending, and for me I would have enjoyed this book much more if that had of been the main story. As it is, I have to take marks off because of Stephen and Bea and the virginity thing.

Rating 3.5/5

Rapture in Death by J D Robb

This is my read for the July TBR challenge, which for this month was to read romantic suspense. As noted in a previous post, I am not really a romantic suspense read but I am working my way through the JD Robb so I have chosen to do Rapture in Death as my TBR challenge book. I have however added all of your suggestions onto my TBR list.

Kailana from The Written World and I are reading at least some of this series together so this is another joint review for us, following on from the one that we did for Immortal in Death. My opinions are in black, and Kailana's in blue.

They died with smiles on their faces. Three apparent suicides: a brilliant engineer, an infamous lawyer, and a controversial politician. Three strangers with nothing in common - and no obvious reasons for illing themselves. Police lieutenant Eve Dallas found the deaths suspicious. And her instincts paid off when autopsies revealed small burns on the brains of the victims. Was it a genetic abnormality or a high-tech method of murder? Eve's investigation turned to the provocative world of virtual reality games - where the same techniques used to create joy and desire could also prompt the mind to become the weapon of its own destruction . . .

Title: Rapture in Death

Author: J D Robb

Year published: 1996

Why did you get this book? I only started reading this series a little while ago, and so I am now working my way through the series. I got this book because it is totally different. I am not a romance reader, my genres are normal fantasy, historical fiction, and Canadian literature, so this series is something new for me. Plus, my friends read her, more so than some of the other authors I read, so I have a topic to discuss.

Do you like the cover? I had a completely different cover, which featured a noose and a blue woman on a gold background. Whilst it fitted the story in a way (and no there were no blue women in the book!) it wasn't terribly attractive. Yep, it is a very descriptive cover, but at the same time there is something artsy about it. Something else liked my cover too, because there is something sticky on it... Have to wash that off.

Did you enjoy the book? I did! I am going to be hopeful and say this is a series I will read all of, but one never knows. I enjoyed this book and hope to go on enjoying them!

Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? No and yes. I've already been to the library to pick up the next book in the series. Not a new author, no. This is my fifth book by her (remember, I snuck ahead for the first one). I plan to read book 5 as soon as Marg has her's from the library. I've already got it Kail!!!

Are you keeping it or passing it on? It's a library book so keeping it isn't really an option. If I was buying this series so far they are all keepers. A keeper. I have been buying this series second hand, and so far I have not found that I haven't got my moneys worth.

Anything else? -I really liked the fact that Peabody seems to be taking a much bigger part in this novel, and the fact that there is a friendship developing between Eve and Peabody helps to take some of the hard edges off of Eve. I imagine that Peabody was added just for that, to add some humour to what could be seen as a dark series of novels. There was humour before, but it was not central to the novel. I think Peabody as the comic relief was a good idea on Robb's part. I do hope though that Roarke doesn't keep on being suspected of being connected to the murder in every one of the remaining books. I like Roarke being the suspect, remember, I don't like romance novels, so when he isn't being the suspect he is generally at it with the main character, so it is nice to see him in roles that don't happen in bed. I think you really got to know Roarke in this book by the things that happened to him! I like that Lt. Dallas isn't the only one that is getting built up, we are learning about other characters as well. One thing that does bother me a little bit about some of these books is that there doesn't actually seem to be any real clues dropped along the way to help the reader guess who the murderer is. In this book it was obvious that the person that was the main suspect wasn't the killer because there was so much focus on that person, but I don't know that there was anything that could have given the game away as to the identity of the real killer. I have to disagree, I found the killer obvious. There was a moment where I doubted it, but then something happened and I knew I was right before the end of the book. I don't know if it was obvious or I just got lucky, but the person that ended up being the killer just made sense to me, and I think there were little clues. I did guess a few pages before it became clear (and then I peeked at the end to be sure! (Peeking is cheating! I don't know how you do it, I would hate to know the end before it is time. That's why I rarely read prologues, they give too much away!)) but it felt to an extent that the solution came completely out of the blue. I do like the way that the world building is happening, and how she puts in little facts such as the fact that someone has a tobacco license but that they had to have an anti-cancer innoculation in order to get that license! I think that Robb is trying to make a "perfect" world by this series. Perfection is not ever perfect, though, it is unattainable, but she shows that there are different ways to define perfect with this series. A lot of the stuff happening in this book I wish we had, though, I know that much. (Including Roarke!)

Rating 4/5


Other Blogger's Thoughts:

Passion for the Page

The Cross Country Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini

The third book in the Elm Creek Quilts series following on from Round Robin.

Readers of The Quilter's Apprentice and Round Robin have been enchanted by Elm Creek Quilt Camp, where women gather each year for quilting, friendship, and fun. The third in the Elm Creek Quilts series introduces the Cross-Country Quilters, a group of far-flung friends who pledge to complete a "challenge quilt" -- symbolic of each woman's personal goals -- in one year's time.

These five women arrive at Elm Creek Manor hoping to find in their quilt lessons an escape from the problems they left at home. Julia, an aging starlet, has pinned her hopes to a plum role in a historical epic whose director is under the mistaken impression that Julia already knows how to quilt. Megan is a successful engineer who has won prizes for her miniature quilt designs. The one challenge she has yet to master is single motherhood. Donna, a mother of two, must hasten to teach her daughter independence and self-esteem -- lessons she, too, must take to heart. Grace is a renowned curator of antique quilts, whose creative flair is waning for reasons she is unwilling to reveal -- even to her closest friends. Vinnie, the senior member of the group, is a sunny soul with a tragic past. Her overwhelming desire is to bring happiness into the lives of those she loves.

Although the Cross-Country Quilters share a common creative goal, as the year goes by their bonds are tested by the demands of daily life. But despite differences in age, race, and background, the friends' love for quilting and affection for one another unite them in a patchwork of caring and acceptance. The quilt they make reminds them of an everlasting truth -- friends may be separated by great distance, yet the strength of their bond can transcend any obstacle.

At first when I picked this book up I was a little disappointed that the series was shifting focus from the main characters of the first two books, with only Sylvia having anything more than cameo appearances, and even then her appearances are very limited as well. In the end though I guess bringing different groups of people through the series will give it more longevity and less trite storylines than there would be if the same characters continued.

Another difference this time was that the story took place over a year. It opened with a group of strangers getting to know new people at a quilting camp and then followed them as individuals throughout the year until they came back to camp the next year. The challenge quilt that the new friends decided to make was meant to help them deal with their problems as individuals before they came back together as a group. For Megan that meant trying to get over her ex who left her to look after their son, for Donna it involved dealing with her daughter's upcoming marriage and either accepting it or doing something about it. The other characters were as interesting and well developed, although I would have to say that the aging Hollywood star, Julia, was probably my least favourite.

Once again this was an enjoyable read where friendship between women is the focus. Chiaverini knows how to tug at the heart strings without making you feel as though you have been manipulated. So far these books have been very consistent in terms of writing quality as well which is great when you have a long running series.

I am wondering though if I have been a little nasty in playing the library game for the next books in this series. Generally, as soon as I have finished a book in a series I go and put a request in for the next book in the series. This time, I have put the request in for the next two so that I can try and leapfrog the person who is reading the series in front of me. Is that bad??

Rating 4/5

Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop

Seven hundred years ago, a Black Widow witch sees an ancient prophecy come to life in her dazzling web of dreams and visions. Now the Dark Kingdom readies itself for the arrival of its Queen, a Witch who will yield more power than even the High Lord of Hell himself. But she is still young, still open to influence - and corruption.

Whoever controls the Queen controls the Darkness. Three men - sworn enemies - know that. And they know the power that hides behind the blue eyes of an innocent young girl. And so begins a ruthless game of politics and intrigue, magic and betrayal, where the weapons are hate and love...and the prize could be terrible beyond imagining...

I'm not really sure what to say about this book! I enjoyed it immensely. I finished it at 3 o'clock in the morning, and got up out of bed to check whether the next book in the series was available on the library website, so that's a good sign.

Maybe the reason I am a bit stumped is that I am not really much of a fantasy reader, and so for quite some time it was a bit like hard work to get into all the world building straight in my head, and what all the various levels of jewels meant but once I got into the book I was in. In a lot of ways Bishop has taken the world as we know it, and turned it upside down. The good guys live in Hell, women are the power mad rulers whose every whim is to be catered too, and I have to say that the obedience ring sounds completely scary! Glad not to be a bloke in Bishop's world I can tell you!

The characters were interesting, and I can't wait to meet up with Lucivar and Daemon in particular again in the next book, in particular to know whether Daemon actually can find a more equal relationship than he has with any of the women that he has to service (for want of a better word!)

The main storyline for this first book is the introduction of Jaenelle as Witch - destined to rule the world and an incredibly powerful witch. To her family, she is emotionally unstable. To all her friends in the various countries of the world that she travels to by web (basically seems to be a large spiders web with different paths depending on the colour of the jewel that you have!) she is a character that brings laughter and light, freshness and hope!

I am really looking forward to reading more of this series!


Rating 4/5


Other Blogger's Thoughts:

Just Add Books
Romance Rookie
All Booked Up

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

The third book in The Southern Vampire series featuring Sookie Stackhouse, following on from Living Dead in Dallas.

There's only one vampire Sookie Stackhouse is involved with (at least voluntarily) and that's Bill. But recently he's been a little distant -- in another state, distant. His sinister and sexy boss Eric has an idea where to find him. Next thing Sookie knows, she is off to Jackson, Mississippi to mingle with the under-underworld at Club Dead. It's a dangerous little haunt where the elitist vampire society can go to chill out and suck down some type O. But when Sookie finally find Bill -- caught in an act of serious betrayal -- she's not sure whether to save him ... or sharpen some stakes.

Things aren't great between Bill and Sookie, but when he lies to her about where he is going and what he is up to, Sookie is devastated. When she is contacted by Eric and the other vampires because they are concerned that he has gone missing, Sookie is willing to help in any way but she is torn about whether when they find him she will be happy to see him or not.

Eric gives her an in to the supernatural community of Jackson, Mississippi, and we are introduced to Alcide Hervaux, a shapeshifting surveyor whose family owes Eric a favour. I have to say....I like Alcide as a character. Where Sookie didn't date normal men, she certainly has supernatural men falling over themselves to be with her, and Alcide is certainly amongst them, but he is a man who seems to treat Sookie quite well, the same can't always be said for some her other men friend.

Anyway, Sookie goes to Jackson, ostensibly to search for Bill, and she finds him, but not before we meet an old enemy and Sookie is seriously injured. This gives Eric an excuse for Sookie to take more of his blood, making his link to her even stronger. After rescuing Bill and generally saving the day again, Sookie returns home, and I was glad to here the decision that she made in the last few pages of the book. Good on you Sookie!!

This was quite dark at times, but still funny and entertaining. I can't wait to read more and see what role Bill, Eric, Sam and Alcide have in her life in the future!

Rating 4/5

Other Blogger's Thoughts;

Melissa's Bookshelf

Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier

This book is the July Book of the Month in Historical Fiction Forum.

January 1901, the day after Queen Victoria's death: Two families visit neighbouring graves in a fashionable London cemetery. One is decorated with a sentimental angel, the other an elaborate urn. Separated by social class as well as taste, the Waterhouses cling to tradition while the Colemans look ahead to a more modern society. The families are inextricably linked when their two girls meet behind the tombstones and become friends - and worse become involved with the gravedigger's impetuous son.

As the girls grow up and the new century begins, as cars replace horses and electricity outshines gas lighting, the nation emergres from the shadows of oppressive Victorian values to a golden Edwardian summer. It is then that the beautiful frustrated Mrs Coleman makes a bid for greater personal freedom, with disastrous consequences, and the lives of the Colemans and the Waterhouses are changed forever.

The only other Tracy Chevalier book I have read was Girl with a Pearl Earring, which I absolutely loved! When I read that one I picked it up with the intention of just reading the first couple of pages. Two and a half hours later, I had finished it and was blown away. This book never really grabbed my attention in the same way, although it was an entertaining enough read.

On her website, Chevalier talks about wanting to write a book about the mourning etiquette and social restrictions in place in Victorian England, and the changes in society that started to take place during the reign of Edward VII, and whilst it is that, for me, it was also about the way that secrets can destroy families and relationships.

When the two young girls meet behind the headstones of their family gravestones, they are instant best friends. They also become instant friends with Simon, the gravedigger's son, a young boy who they would never have met during their normal day to day life as he is very definitely a working class boy.

The two girls don't see each other again until the Waterhouses move into the house behind the Colemans and they are reunited. Throughout their childhood they spend a lot of their time playing at the cemetery, firstly being accompanied by Jenny, the Colemans maid, and then later by Maude's mother, Mrs Coleman. Both Jenny and Mrs Coleman visit the cemetery for their own reasons, and have their own consequences, but for the Colemans those consequences are far reaching, when Mrs Coleman becomes ill.

As Mrs Coleman finally recovers from her malaise, she becomes heavily involved in the suffragette meeting following a chance meeting with a suffragette at the opening of the local library. Her husband has no idea who involved until she is arrested and ends up spending time in jail. Whilst this would be hard for a young girl to deal with, Maude has actually been coming second to the cause for quite some time, so whilst it is difficult it is not impossible for her to cope.

Once Mrs Coleman is released from jail, she throws herself into the cause almost with abandon, and with her focus on the cause there are tragic consequences for both families.

As a commentary on some of the major changes that started to happen in the 10 years between the death of Queen Victoria and King Edward VII this was very interesting. Some of the changes included the introduction of electricity to homes, the replacement of horses with cars, and of course the suffragette movement.

Overall, an entertaining enough read, although not as good as Girl with a Pearl Earring. I do plan to read her other books before her new book comes out early next year.

Rating 4/5

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

A friend of mine originally read this book several months ago and loved it, and I intended to read it eventually, but it slipped my mind. When Heather reviewed it more recently, it jogged my memory and I went and borrowed it and actually got around to reading it this time!

Originally published to wide critical acclaim in France, where it elicited comparisons to Art Spiegelman's Maus, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi's wise, funny, and heartbreaking memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah's regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran's last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.

Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran: of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life and of the enormous toll repressive regimes exact on the individual spirit. Marjane's child's-eye-view of dethroned emperors, state-sanctioned whippings, and heroes of the revolution allows us to learn as she does the history of this fascinating country and of her own extraordinary family. Intensely personal, profoundly political, and wholly original, Persepolis is at once a story of growing up and a stunning reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. It shows how we carry on, through laughter and tears, in the face of absurdity. And, finally, it introduces us to an irresistible little girl with whom we cannot help but fall in love.

A graphic novel, the story is quite simple, telling the story of Marjane's childhood in Iran, particulary focussing on her life between the ages of 10 and 14, at an incredible turbulent time in her country's history. A young girl, Marjane is trying to understand the changing political and religious landscape, including the loss of freedom and the imposition of the veil, and then the war with Iraq.

I was so surprised by the emotions that this book generated. Whilst I was expecting to like this book, it really touched me in ways I did not expect. I was tearing up on the train, I physically cringed as I saw and read about her uncle, and I laughed at the idea of her parents smuggling in Kim Wilde posters.

Very powerful, and highly recommended.

I can't wait to pick up Persepolis II!

Rating 4.5/5

Other Blogger's Thoughts:

Hidden Side of a Leaf
Things Mean A Lot
B & b Ex Libris
SomeReads
The Bluestockings
Katrina's Reads

Library crazy

It's been a while since I had one of these posts...but things haven't gotten any better! Whilst I have three books to return to the library, by tomorrow night I am going to have five more to pick up! Always seem to be going backwards!

The items I have out are:

Blue Dahlia by Nora Roberts

Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith (one of the ones that I can take back soon)

The Cup of Ghosts by P C Doherty

Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier

Guilty Pleasures by Laura Lee Guhrke

Household Gods by Judith Tarr and Harry Turtledove (another one I can take back)

In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant

Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron

Labyrinth by Kate Mosse

The Last Camel Died At Noon by Elizabeth Peters

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris (this one can go back too!)

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Mewtwo Strikes Back by Tracy West (Pokemon book...so not mine!)

Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer

Resolution by Denise Mina (I HAVE to read this soon...I can't extend it any further!)

The Tidal Poole by Karen Harper

The White Mare by Jules Watson

A Wild Pursuit by Eloisa James




The books I am going to pick up tomorrow:

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

The Cross Country Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini

The Dirty Girls Social Club by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez

Stolen Lives by Malika Oufkir

Sarah by Marek Halter



That will still leave 10 items on request....hopefully no more of them will come in this week!

Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith

In this latest installment in the internationally best-selling, universally beloved series, there is considerable excitement at The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. A cobra has been found in Precious Ramotswe’s office. Then a nurse from a local medical clinic reveals that faulty blood–pressure readings are being recorded there. And Botswana has a new advice columnist, Aunty Emang, whose advice is rather curt for Mma Ramotswe’s taste.

All this means a lot of work for our heroine and her inestimable assistant, Grace Makutsi, and they are, of course, up to the challenge. But there’s trouble brewing in Mma Makutsi’s own life. When Phuti Radiphuti misses their customary dinner date, she begins to wonder if he is having second thoughts about their engagement. And while Mma Makutsi may be able to buy that fashionably narrow (and uncomfortable) pair of blue shoes, it may not buy her the happiness that Mma Ramotswe promises her she’ll find in the simpler things—in contentment with the world and enough tea to smooth over the occasional bumps in the road.

I really love this series - it's such a fantastic way to spend a pleasant few hours, lost in Botswana, sitting in the shade with a cup of bush tea.

The thing about these books is whilst things happen, they are like a series of little events as opposed to a couple of huge story arcs. Amongst the issues that are of concern to Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi this time around are a doctor who appears to be providing incorrect medical advice to his patients, a bad feeling at the wild life refuge, a blackmail scheme, Mma Ramotswe going on a diet and some very nice, but ill fitting blue shoes.

What McCall Smith is so good at is taking really small events, and making them really entertaining little episodes, that are usually extremely entertaining. They can be unusual, as in the case of the cobra which got into the office of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, or everyday, such as where Mma Ramotswe laments the skills of drivers in modern Gaborone. Whatever the case, each episode is given to us with a full measure of wit and charm, served up with a side of the heat, sounds and smells of Africa.

Very enjoyable read!

The books in this series are:

The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency
Tears of the Giraffe
Morality for Beautiful Girls
The Kalahari Typing School for Men
The Full Cupboard of Life
In the Company of Cheerful Ladies
Blue Shoes and Happiness

Rating 4.5/5

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

The second book in the Southern Vampire Novel series featuring Sookie Stackhouse, following on from Dead Until Dark.

Cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse is on a streak of bad luck. First, her coworker is murdered and no one seems to care. Then she's face-to-face with a beastly creature that gives her a painful and poisonous lashing. Enter the vampires, who graciously suck the poison from her veins (like they didn't enjoy it).

Point is, they saved her life. So when one of the bloodsuckers asks for a favor, she complies. And soon, Sookie's in Dallas using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire. She's supposed to interview certain humans involved. There's just one condition: the vampires must promise to behave--and let the humans go unharmed. Easier said than done. All it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly. . .

From having never read a vampire novel, this was my third one in a month. I guess I haven't really got to any hardcore ones yet though.

When yet another one of Sookie's coworkers is murdered, and Sookie is the one to find the body stuffed in the back of one of the local policemen's car, it's bad enough. But when she is attacked by a maenad and ends up with poisonous wounds on her back, and all so that she can give a "message" to Eric, you know that Sookie's in for a rough ride.

It has been agreed that Sookie will be hired out to a nest of vampires who live in Dallas. One of the vampires has gone missing, and it is up to Sookie to question the humans who hang out with the vampires to see what they know. Sookie has agreed to do this only on the condition that the humans won't be harmed once they have been finished with.

Sookie and Bill head off for Dallas, not realising that they are heading into a lot of danger. There is a radical anti-vampire movement there that is masquerading in the form of a fundamentalist church, known as the Fellowship of the Sun.

The fellowship has a vampire in their midst who is determined to commit suicide by exposing himself to the sun's rays. That is not enough however....the leaders of the fellowship want another vampire, and maybe even a couple of humans to make the show really exciting!!

Along the way, Sookie meets another telepath, some shapeshifters and many more vampires, and in more danger than she really wanted to be! Can't a girl just live a quiet life with her vampire boyfriend. Even once they return home, there is still more drama, as Sookie sets out to assist in solving the mystery of who really killed her friend and co-worker.

Once again, I really enjoyed this read. There were several laugh out loud moments, and the relationship between Bill and Sookie seems to be developing very nicely indeed! It will be interesting to see how the continued presence of Eric impacts on their relationship in future books! I guess because I had more of an idea what to expect I actually enjoyed it more than Dead Until Dark. Hopefully I will be picking up the next book in the series tomorrow, so I will soon know if the high standard has been maintained or not.

Rating 4.5/5

Other Blogger's Thoughts:

Melissa's Bookshelf

Household Gods by Judith Tarr and Harry Turtledove

Nicole Gunther-Perrin is a modern young professional, proud of her legal skills but weary of childcare, of senior law partners who put the moves on her, and of her deadbeat ex-husband. Following a ghastly day of dealing with all three, she falls into bed asleep...and awakens the next morning to find herself in a different life, that of a widowed tavernkeeper in the Roman frontier town of Carnuntum around 170 A.D.

Delighted at first to be away from corrupt, sexist modern America, she quickly begins to realize that her new world is a complicated as her old one. Violence, dirt, and pain are everywhere - and yet many of the people she comes to know are as happy as those she knew in twentieth-century Los Angeles. Slavery is commonplace, gladiators kill for sport, and drunkenness is taken for granted - but everyday people somehow manage to face life with humor and good will.

No quitter, Nicole manages to adapt to her new life despite endless worry about the fate of her children "back" in the twentieth century. Then plague sweeps through Carnuntum, followed by brutal war. Amid pain and loss on a level she had never imagined, Nicole finds strength she had never known.

Having never read either of these two authors before, I came to this book without any preconceptions about the characters, the story, or anything like that. I was attracted to reading a story about finding yourself in a different time and place, and given that I tend to read historical fiction based in England, Ancient Rome was certainly a fresh focus for me.

Firstly, what did I like about this book? Reading about the life of an ordinary Roman woman was very interesting, along with many very interesting little tit bits, like the fact that many of the Roman statues were actually painted in very gaudy (and not necessarily tasteful) colours. The description of the smells and sounds of a busy Roman town were very vivid, as were the descriptions of the hardships that Nicole faced as she lived her life in the body of Umma, tavern keeper.

So, if those were the things that I did like, what didn't I like? Well, unfortunately, I didn't really ever warm to Nicole. During the first part of the book when she was in Los Angeles, I wanted to slap her, and say "Look, you aren't the only single mum out there trying to deal with all these issues". Then, when she got to Carnumtum, I wanted to slap her even more, if that's possible. The 20th century Nicole was pretty uptight a lot of the time, and she took that to the nth degree in 2nd century life. Her father had been an alcoholic and so she had never had a drink in her life, so when her slave Julia presents her with a cup of wine she thinks nothing of pushing it away and drinking water, and making "her" two children, also drink it, meaning that they all got sick. She was constantly making reference to the lead in the water pipes, in the makeup, and hygiene conditions in the town. Now, if someone was to really end up at that point of time, I am sure that they would be appalled by the conditions in the same way as Nicole was, but it felt as though I was being hit over the head over cricket bat over and over and over again with all the mentions of those types of issues.

It was interesting to watch as Nicole got to know all of the people that the previous Umma already knew, including her family, her slave Julia, her children and her boyfriend.

I guess for me the fact that I couldn't get to like Nicole all that much is a really big problem for this, so my rating reflects the fact that whilst I did like quite a lot about this book, there was one major flaw. Another less major flaw was that we found out what happened to Nicole's body while she was in the past, but there was never any mention at all about what happened to Umma whilst Nicole was being her. It would also have been interesting to watch Umma try to work out exactly what Nicole had done whilst she was Umma - like inexplicably being able to read Latin, and then when they were returned to their normal states, the fact that Umma once again wouldn't be able to read, and most particularly Umma's thoughts when she realised that Nicole had freed her slave.

One interesting thing, if you google for Carnumtum you can see images of the ruins of this actual Roman settlement which are located not too far from Vienna in Austria.

Rating 3/5

Romantic Suspense

So I signed up for the July TBR challenge, which is to read a Romantic Suspense title.

No problems, right? Well, no. Except for the fact that I have only read a couple of romantic suspense titles, and have very little romantic suspense on my TBR pile. There are a couple, although I am not terribly inspired to read them at the moment. So, I am seeking recommendations.

Which romantic suspense titles should I be reading?

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balance precariously on the point of a knife -- between desire and danger.

Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite.

I wish I could remember where I first saw this book mentioned so that I could thank them! Being a relative newcomer to vampire books (only having read one other), this book was completely fresh to me.

When Bella Swan moves to Forks, she goes from being a non entity in Phoenix, to being mega popular in her new school. Unfortunately the only boy she is interested in is Edward Cullen, and well, he's not really a boy. The fact that he disappears on sunny days, and never seems to eat anything, are the first clues as to his real...um, identity I guess!

As for Edward, he is instantly attracted to Bella, and goes out of his way initially to avoid her, because when you are attracted to someone, that tends to end quite badly! Gradually though, Bella and Edward gravitate more and more to each other and Edward begins to learn that he has more control over his desires than he initially thought. As Bella gets herself into more and more scrapes Edward becomes almost like her bodyguard.

Whilst most of the town of Forks has no idea that the well respected Cullen family are anything other than the fine standing citizens that they seem, albeit with very impressive cars, there are certain people who do know and who are trying to warn Bella away from Edward. Edward is also dealing with some resistance from within his own family, but gradually they begin to accept her. However that acceptance nearly turns to a tragedy when some newcomers come to town and find Bella with the Cullens.

The characters in this book are delightful, and there are several very funny moments, including some charming moments when there is a sense of tiredness around living as an immortal. For example, at one point Edward is talking to Bella about two of his brothers and sisters, who have chosen to be each others life partners, and he says something along the lines of "I suppose we'll have to go to their wedding in a few years...again".

Edward and his family are able to be integrated into society as the vampires in Meyer's world don't have to sleep all night in coffins, can be seen in the sunshine and can live on something other than human blood. Having so integrated has the added benefit of allowing them to occasionally take on very human traits.

This was a very enjoyable read, and am looking forward to reading more about Bella and Edward when the sequel is issued later this year. Oh, and both this book and the sequel (called New Moon) have really nice covers in my opinion.

Rating 4.5/5


Other Bloggers Thoughts:

The Bookworm - Naida
Passion for the Page
Not Enough Bookshelves
Paperspine
Katrina's Reads
Sophisticated Dorkiness

City of Dreams by Beverly Swerling

In 1661 a brother and sister stagger off a small wooden ship after eleven perilous weeks at see to seek a new life in the rough and rowdy Dutch settlement of Nieuw Amsterdam. Lucas Turner is a barber surgeon, Sally Turner an apothecary. Both gifted healers, they are bound to each other by blood and necessity. But as their new lives unfold, betrayal and murder will make them deadly enemies.

In their struggle to survive in the New World, both make choices that will burden their descendants - dedicated physicians and surgeons, pirates and whoremasters - with a legacy of secrets and retribution. The is heritage will set cousin against cousin, physician against surgeon, and ultimately, patriot against Tory.

In a city where black slaves are burned alive on Wall Street, where James Madison and Thomas Jefferson walk The Broad Way arguing America's destiny, and one of the greatest hospitals in the world is born in a former shipwright's workshops by the East River, the fortunes of the Turner and Devreys families are inextricably entwined.

Their pride and ambition, their loves and their hates and their determination to live by their own rules will shape the future of medicine - and the becoming of the dream that is New York.

I actually finished this book about a week ago, came and created this post, and then left it in draft until now, so if I am a little vague, that will be why!

Subtitled A Novel of Nieuw Amsterdam and Early Manhattan, this is mainly the story of Lucas and Sarah Turner and their descendants. When Lucas and Sarah make the trip to the New World, they are looking for a new start where they will be free to live as they want to. For Lucas that means for him to operate as a surgeon and to have the opportunity to be able to try out some of his medical theories and for Sarah, that she can become an apothecary. When Lucas falls in love with a married woman, there are unexpected consequences that begins to impact the future of his family.

When Lucas agrees that Sarah can marry Jacob de Vries she is mortified, and thus begins a feud that will not only last the lifetime of Sarah and Lucas, but then escalate throughout the generations of their family... although it does have to be said that the next generations are happy to start feuds on their own.

The most interesting of their descendants is probably Jennet, who starts life as a young girl with a talent with the knife (as in surgery). It is however unthinkable for a woman to be a doctor in those days and so she takes to secretly innoculating people against smallpox and attempting to provide medical aid to those that she can in secret.

When she marries, her husband asks her to give it up, and she does so. When her husband returns from a journey as a shadow of his former self, she is transformed from a loving wife to a hard nosed business woman whose interests include several brothels. As she raises her son, her wealth increases, but really her focus is on destroying one of her relatives because of the way he treated her when they were younger.

Swerling takes us on a journey through the descendant's lives, and those of some of their slaves, servants and friends, whilst at the same time giving us glimpses into the life and times of Nieuw Amsterdam, or New York as the city became known as later, touching important events in the city's history without overwhelming with historical information.

I had seen this book recommended quite a few times as a book that fans of Diana Gabaldon would really enjoy, and I can see how those comparisons can be made. The differences between the two authors:

Swerling covers quite a long period of time in one book. This book starts in 1661 and ends in 1798. Can you imagine how many books Gabaldon would take to cover that same timeframe?

Swerling covers seven generations of the two families, instead of focusing just on the one or two generations.

Swerling is jumps in time between various sections throughout the book, and from generation to generation. She gives a sufficient amount of detail in relation to the key events that in the lives of her characters as opposed to dwelling on everyday life.

The similarities:

In the Outlander series, Gabaldon is just building up to the American Revolution and has her characters interacting with some of the main historical figures. Swerling also brings us a section of the story from that time, and there is also some interaction with historical people, although it is only part of the stories.

Swerling also likes to give us details relating to medical procedures, cures and experiments of the time. The main difference is that her characters are doing trial and error experiments from scratch, whereas Claire at least knew where to start with her knowledge from the 20th century.

I really enjoyed watching New York grow throughout the series, from a town that stretched a mile from the port, to a town where there are elegant brick buildings, and quite a sizeable town over 100 years later.

There are significant enough differences that anyone who doesn't like Gabaldon's work may enjoy this, whilst fans of the Outlander series will also likely enjoy it as well!

The first 130 pages or so of this book were exceptional, and whilst the rest of the book was still enjoyable it didn't quite maintain that high standard all the way through. If there was anything that I wasn't sure of it was of the last few pages, but I believe that there is a sequel out soon so maybe that will clarify things for me a bit more.

I really, really enjoyed this book, and will definitely be reading more of her work.

Rating 4.5/5

A long night

There was much excitement here last night. The Socceroos going up against The Azzurri in the World Cup. This....is my night.

8.30pm Arrive home after going out for dinner.

9.30pm Into bed to get some much needed pre game sleep. Read one chapter of Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, and then attempt to sleep. Took a while but got there eventually.

12.25am Alarm goes off with 5 minutes before the game is due to start. Well actually, the game doesn't start for another half an hour. Darn! Could have slept for another half an hour.

12.45am Chocolate...that will help me stay awake.

12.52am Harry Kewell isn't just doubtful, he is on crutches!!

12.58am Transmission lost. Missed the first 90 seconds of the game because there were no pictures.

1.22am Couple of close calls, with magnificent saves by Mark Schwarzer, who should have played all the games in the tournament in the first place!

1.29am Off the couch - best chance yet to Scott Chipperfield

1.47am Half time...maybe water will help me stay awake, because the chocolate certainly didn't! If anything the chocolate made me feel a bit sick!

2.06am Italy down to 10 men. Come on Aussies!

2.14am Beginning to doubt that I can actually make it through to the end.

2.49am 93rd minute - Dodgy penalty awarded. I am standing in the lounge room, hands on my face and head just about praying that it isn't going to all go horribly wrong. Goal scored to Italy. Australia's World Cup dream is over.

2.55am You would think that that would mean back to bed, but no...I stay up a bit longer to listen to the post match commentary.

3.33am In bed, but still awake. Can't sleep!

6.18am Up again, and so overtired! Have to make it through the day now.




















Well done Socceroos!!! This was only Australia's second World Cup Finals appearance. During this tournament we scored our first ever World Cup Final goals, had our first ever World Cup Finals win, and I think done immeasurable good for soccer in Australia!


Oh, and I also discovered that my handwriting is terrible to read when your write things down in the middle of the night!

The Masque of the Black Tulip by Lauren Willig

The second book following on from The Secret History of the Pink Carnation .

Finding True Love Was Never So Dangerous

Two hundred years ago, secret documents so sensitive they could alter the course of history were stolen from a courier with the London War Office. A the scene of the crime, the victim was left with a curious note containing only a small black symbol pinned to his chest. Authorities were baffled. It took two centuries for a young American history student, Eloise Kelly, to uncover the missing pieces of the puzzle...

As Eloise reads from an old codebook, she discovers that the Black Tulip, the deadliest spy in Napoleon's arsenal, has returned to England with a
terrifying mission. Only a pair of star-crossed lovers stand in the way of the Black Tulip. But will stopping the Black Tulip's secret mission cost them their
lives or, even worse, their love?

It's funny you know...when I was rereading what I wrote about Secret History, it struck me as quite ironic that I wrote that the back cover blurb wasn't really accurate for that book, as I have to say the same thing again. Reading the blurb above, it makes it seem as though the missing documents were a key part of the story, and that Eloise was the first person to discover the true identity of the Black Tulip...which isn't exactly the way the book pans out.

Our hero from the previous book (Lord Richard Selwick aka ThePurple Gentian) has had to retire from active spy service given that his cover was blown. That actually suits him as he is now settled into married bliss with Amy. He is, however, keeping his hand in by running a spy school from his home.

The Pink Carnation is still plying her trade in Paris, obtaining secret information and sending it home to England using a series of chatty letters to Lady Henrietta Selwick (sister of Lord Richard). What looks like gossip is in fact a complex series of codes that Henrietta then passes onto The War Office.

Miles Dorrington was a close personal friend of Richard (in fact has basically been a member of the family since he was a very young boy) and also employed at The War Office.

When the news comes through that there is a deadly new spy who has made their way to London, both Miles and Henrietta decide that they will track down the deadly Black Tulip.

There is a small problem though. All of a sudden they are both finding each other more and more attractive. Whilst Henrietta acknowledges her feelings, Miles is somewhat slower...very concerned about the fact that he is lusting after his best friend's sister, which apparently is just not done.

After both having numerous escapades and false leads, Miles and Henrietta both end up at a special spy weekend (the event is meant to appear as a house party) at her brother's home, where they are training their latest recruits, things don't quite go to plan. When it seems as though the Black Tulip has infiltrated the house, all of the potential spies are required to stay in the grounds of Selwick Hall, and in some ways, it is inevitable that Miles and Henrietta will be caught in a compromising situation.

There were times that I did just wish that Miles and Henrietta would just talk to each other, and things would have been a lot easier for them. As for Eloise, she spends the weekend at Selwick Hall, searching through the archives there for more evidence about The Pink Carnation and The Black Tulip, and the spy school that was convened there, but is she also succumbing to the charms of Colin Selwick? There's been no action on that stage yet, but it is building nicely!

Another fun, light read. The next book comes out later this year and has The Pink Carnation setting off for Ireland. I will definitely be getting hold of it when it comes out!

Rating 4/5

A Rose for the Crown by Anne Easter Smith

This book was Book of the Month for June over at Historical Fiction Forum. I haven't gotten around to May's book yet, so I thought I should probably read this month's book, and I am certainly glad that I did!

AN UNFORGETTABLE HEROINE,

A KING MISUNDERSTOOD BY HISTORY,

A LOVE STORY THAT HAS NEVER BEEN TOLD

In A Rose for the Crown, we meet one of history's alleged villains through the eyes of a captivating new heroine -- the woman who was the mother of his illegitimate children, a woman who loved him for who he really was, no matter what the cost to herself.

As Kate Haute moves from her peasant roots to the luxurious palaces of England, her path is inextricably intertwined with that of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later King Richard III. Although they could never marry, their young passion grows into a love that sustains them through war, personal tragedy, and the dangerous heights of political triumph.

Anne Easter Smith's impeccable research provides the backbone of an engrossing and vibrant debut from a major new historical novelist.

Richard III is known as one of the most villainous kings of England, mainly because whilst in his care the two princes in the Tower, his nephews, disappeared without a trace. He was the last Plantagenet king, and had his throne taken from him by the first of the Tudor kings, Henry VII. He was portrayed in a negative way ever since the time of the Tudors, with Shakespeare especially getting in on the act. There are quite a few people out there who believe that this reputation is undeserved, and that he is a king that has had bad PR over the years. The author of this book is a member of the Richard III society and it is therefore inevitable that she would portray him in a mostly positive light, but hers is not the only one out there that portrays him in this way. One of the best books I have read with Richard III as subject is Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman...awesome book!

Before we come to know Richard, we firstly meet a young lady by the name of Kate Bywood, who is a lovely looking country lass, with the very bad habits of telling everyone what she thinks, and asking too many questions. We follow Kate for many years, getting to know her as she lives both at her family home, and then when she is given the opportunity to travel to Ightham Mote to become companion to a member of her family. She is married at quite a young age to a much older man, and widowed a short time later, making her an independent woman, with a regular income. Along the way we also meet some of the people that will become incredibly important to her, including Margaret Howard, wife of John Howard...a man on the rise within royal circles, and who eventually played a huge role in the reign of Richard III.

When it comes to be time for Kate to marry again she is delighted when she is to be married to George Haute, a very handsome young man, who is in service with the Howards. However, it becomes very clear early on that whilst Kate thinks she loves George, George's reasons for marriage are less honourable. Kate is resigned to another marriage that is less than fulfilling. Into her unhappy life comes the youngest brother of Edward IV, Richard of Gloucester, and there is an instant connection between them. As their paths occasionally cross, everything is building up to their inevitable relationship.

Young Richard of Gloucester is portrayed as a man who values loyalty more than anything, and who is valued for his own loyalty by his brother, something that is not always forthcoming in royal families (their brother, Duke of Clarence was executed for treason against Edward IV). For Richard and Kate, they cannot often be together, but when they are the time spent is precious, and even more so when Kate bears him two children. Richard is, however, a man of honour, and so when the time comes for him to marry for duty, they agree that their time as lovers has to end, but not before Kate once again finds herself with child.

Following the death of Edward, Richard is first appointed as regent to the young King Edward V, and then eventually is declared King in his own right. Kate's two older children are acknowledged by Richard and even taken into his own household by him and his wife Queen Anne, and Kate is separated by the social chasm between them as they begin their lives as young royals. She is not however ever separated from them emotionally.

The connection between Kate and Richard is a strong and loving one, and as Richard deals with the difficulties of being king, Kate is able to provide him with support in a way that no one else can, especially when his two young nephews are taken care of! She is also able to help out some of her closer friends and relatives as a result of her own influence with him.

So, what basis in fact is there? What is known is that Richard has at least two illegitimate children before his marriage that he acknowledged and had living in his own household. On the eve of his death it is thought that he acknowledged a third child as well. As to the identity of the mother(s), that is not known, so the author has taken some information found in the history records and woven her story around them. She suppposes that given that Richard was quite unusual in that he was completely faithful to his wife (quite the opposite of his older brother!), that it was likely that Richard had had such a loving relationship with someone that he was fulfilled in a way that no mistresses could compete with. How true that supposition is .... who knows, but it does make for a very solid and compelling read.

The author takes the facts that are known, along with details of daily lives across a cross section of society, and weaves them into a narrative that is compelling without being dry as some historical fiction can occasionally be.

An extremely satisfying and enjoyable read, and a recommended read to anyone interested in reading about the English royal history before Tudor times.

Rating 4.5/5

We're Through!!

Second round...here we come!

It was a very strange ending to the game though. At least two handballs that weren't picked up. Suggestions of three yellow cards for one player, and when the end came I was dancing around my kitchen wondering if the game was really over!

Doesn't matter now really!


Now..after getting up at 5am to watch it..off to work!

Round Robin by Jennifer Chiaverini

The second book in the Elm Creek Quilts series following after The Quilter's Apprentice.

Round Robin reunites readers with the Elm Creek Quilters in this poignant and heartwarming follow-up to The Quilter's Apprentice, Jennifer Chiaverini's acclaimed debut novel.

The Elm Creek Quilters have begun a round robin ... a quilt created by sewing concentric patchwork to a central block as it is passed around a circle of friends. Led by Sarah McClure, who came to Waterford, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Matt, a few years ago, the project is to be their gift to their beloved fellow quilter Sylvia Compson. But like the most delicate cross-stitch, their lives are held together by the most tenuous threads of happiness ... and they can unravel.

As each woman confronts a personal crisis, a painful truth, or a life-changing choice, the quilt serves as a symbol of the complex and enduring bonds between mothers and daughters, sisters and friends. In weaving together the harmonious, disparate pieces of their crazy-quilt lives, the Elm Creek Quilters come to realize that friendship is one of the most precious gifts we can give each other, and that love can strengthen understanding, lead to new beginnings, and illuminate our lives.

Once again, this was a very pleasant, and easy, read. With the events in this book happening two years after those in the first book in the series, we meet up with all of the Elm Creek Quilters. Sarah and Sylvia's dreams have been fulfilled and Elm Creek Manor is now a quilter's retreat. The other members of the group are helping out with teaching, and everything should be great...but not everything is perfect.

Sarah and her husband Matt are having a few issues, especially given that he is concerned that they have got no ongoing security. Sarah still has not resolved her issues with her mother, and when she makes an embarrassing faux pas on a national TV show, Sylvia invites Carol to come and stay with them in the hope of reconciling the two women. It's safe to say that the visit doesn't quite go to plan.

For Sylvia, she is reunited with an old friend, but is she open to the fact that he may want more than just friendship? After having a pretty series health scare, she is forced to reevaluate her relationships with the people around her, including her old friend Andrew.

Of the other women, college professor Gwen has to deal with the fact that her daughter Summer doesn't actually want to go to college, instead wanting to make her way through life working with their quilting friends, either at Elm Creek Manor or working for Bonnie in her shop.

Bonnie meanwhile suspects that her husband is having an internet romance with a younger woman, and for Dianne, she is relieved when her oldest son finally seems to have found an interest...in skateboarding. When her nosy neighbour complains about a skate ramp in her back yard, Dianne calls on her friends for support.

The most poignant of the stories for me this time was concerning Judy. She was a child of a relationship between a Vietnamese woman and a GI father. When she is contacted by a woman saying that she is her half sister, Judy has to decide whether she wants to establish a relationship with her new found family, and risk alienating her mother, or does she want to leave things lie. Along the way, she learns some lessons about the nature of truth, particularly as her biological father does not always seem to have told the truth, to any of the people in his life, about Judy and her mother.

If there was one thing I would say about this book, it is that all the loose ends were tied up sssooo neatly..in fact everything fell in place almost too perfectly. Whilst that is great for the characters, I don't know that that is how things would really happened.

I was interested to see that on the author's website, she has a section showing what some of the quilts that are made during the books of the series would look like....a real bonus for someone like me that is NOT a quilter or crafty person at all! The Round Robin quilt made during this book is shown here.

Once again, an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours in the company of the women of the Elm Creek Quilting group.

Rating 4/5

My Scandalous Bride - Anthology

I can't remember why exactly had to get this now, but I think it is because I realised that once I read this there would only be one Celeste Bradley book that I hadn't read yet. Hers was the first novella that I read, but I will go through them one by one. I actually hadn't read any of the other authors at all.

Christina Dodd, "The Lady and the Tiger"
Laura Haver will stop at nothing to find out who killed her brother-even if it means posing as the wife of notorious rogue Keefe Leighton, the Earl of Hamilton. But things go too far when Keefe engages Laura in an artful game of seduction-a game that can have only one winner...

I am not sure what to make of this story. I really liked the premise until near the very end of the story. Keefe is a master spy who is trying to stop a French spy from giving away England's secrets. Laura is convinced that Keefe is a double crossing spy, and she is determined to unearth his secrets. So when she pretends to be his wife at the local inn, so that she can spy on him on his land, he decides to claim her as his own as he knows that no one in the inn will assist her against him.

Stephanie Laurens, "Melting Ice"
Once, Dyan St. Laurent Dare, Duke of Darke, dreamed of making Lady Fiona his bride. Now they're together again-at a scandalous dinner party where debauchery is the menu's main course. But will wedding bells ring after the guests get their just desserts?

First thing...Dyan? It is an unusual name for sure! I am not sure whether one or both of these characters had been introduced in other books, but I didn't really feel as though I knew who Fiona was. Fiona and Dyan had shared a kiss many years ago, and Fiona, wanting a declaration of love, scared him off. As soon as they saw each other again the sparks were there, and when Dyan realises that Fiona has no idea that the dinner party she is attending is THAT kind of party, the obvious thing is that he be the one to debauch her instead of one of the other guests. Not too bad as a story!

Celeste Bradley, "Wedding Knight"
Alfred Knight will do anything to avoid a scandal-even marry a woman he barely knows. But his bride has a most titillating secret...one she'll share as soon as she conquers her temptation for the man she was never supposed to marry!

Having read and mostly enjoyed all of Celeste Bradley's books except for Fallen, this story was the reason why I got this book in the first place, and I wasn't disappointed. When she is on form, Celeste Bradley takes stories that you might well have read before and gives them a humour and a freshness that is really entertaining. Alfred Knight has found the perfect wife. She is quiet, will never embarrass him in public and will remain dutiful. It doesn't matter that he will never feel any great love for her. He just wants to get on with restoring his family's good name after all the terrible exploits of his mother. So when his perfect bride switches places with her twin sister, Alfred is a little surprised to feel such a strong attraction to her, and that she isn't the biddable miss he thought he was getting. The only thing that stretched a bit too far was the fact that Kitty is a really good knife thrower. Other than that, a good read.

Leslie LaFoy, "The Proposition"
Rennick St. James, the Earl of Parnell, has four days to seduce London's most popular widow into becoming his wife-or else she'll marry another man. It won't be easy...but Rennick has been lusting after the beguiling Julia Hamilton far too long to let her go now...

I had never even heard of this author before, let alone read anything by her, and for the most part I really liked her story. If there was one thing that bothered me, it's trying to work out whether a confirmed rake would wait around 13 years for the only woman that he ever truly loved, and if so, why would he be such an out and out rake during that time? Other than that the novella was entertaining.

Overall rating: 4/5

Ole, ole!!!

Bring on the Brazilians!!

I'll be up at 2am to watch the Socceroos go round with the Brazilians! And then this will be me at work tomorrow!

Fool for Love by Eloisa James

The second book in the Duchess series, following on from Duchess in Love. Due to the way that the stories of several of the characters intertwine their way throughout the first two books this review will include some small spoilers for Duchess in Love, but I have done my best to limit them.

The Woman
Lady Henrietta Maclellan longs for the romantic swirl of a London season. But as a rusticating country maiden, she has always kept her sensuous nature firmly under wraps -- until she meets Simon Darby. Simon makes her want to whisper promises late at night, exchange kisses on a balcony, receive illicit love notes. So Henrietta lets her imagination soar and writes…

The Letter
A very steamy love letter that becomes shockingly public. Everyone supposes that he has written it to her, but the truth hardly matters in the face of the scandal to come if they don't marry at once. But nothing has quite prepared Henrietta for the pure sensuality of…

The Man
Simon has vowed he will never turn himself into a fool over a woman. So, while debutantes swoon as he disdainfully strides past the lovely ladies of the ton, he ignores them all…until Henrietta. Could it be possible that he has been the foolish one all along?

It's interesting to me to see how these first two books link together, and then to wonder how the final two books will link together again as well. In the first book of the series, the main story was that of Gina and Cam, but in the background there were Carola and her husband Tuppy, Helene and her estranged husband and then Esme who during the course of a house party decides to reunite with her husband in order to provide him with an heir. In the meantime though she submits to her desire for Sebastian. When her husband dies, she is left pregnant, but doesn't know which of the two men could be the father, which brings us to the events in this book, and our hero, Esme's husband's heir Simon Darby. It is obvious that Esme is the centrepiece of this series, especially seeing as Gina and Cam barely rate a mention in this book!

Simon is sceptical that Esme and his uncle had reunited and therefore is concerned that if the child is a boy, then the title may be passed onto another man's child. He therefore decides to decamp to Esme's estate to see if he can figure out what went on before his uncle's death. Unfortunately, he has rather recently become the guardian of his two young stepsisters and therefore he has to bring them with them. The two girls are...well...painful. I don't normally mind much when there is kids in a romance but these two are not cute and adorable. The elder girl, Josie, throws tantrums all the time, and her favourite line is that she is a poor, motherless child. Abigail, the younger girl, is apparently less than a year old, makes her presence known by throwing up at the most inopportune moments on a regular basis. The author in her note talks about her own daughter who continued to throw up regularly until she was about twelve months old. Whilst I don't doubt the veracity of the condition, I don't want to read about it!

So anyway, when Simon meets Henrietta he can't believe that no-one else has snapped her up and married her before now, and given the attraction between them, and the fact that his mind has turned to marriage is a bonus. After being caught kissing Henrietta up against a carriage in public, Simon does the honourable thing and proposes marriage to her stepmother. However, she strongly suggests that Henrietta should not get married because with her disability of a weak hip, she would not be able to stand the rigours of the marriage bed, and would likely die from the perils of childbirth, as did her mother who shared her weakness of the hip.

Instead of accepting this as her fate, Henrietta arranges a plan with Esme where a letter that she wrote to herself pretending it was from Simon is read in a public dinner party, meaning that she is thoroughly compromised and there really was no choice but for Simon to marry Henrietta. Esme comes to the rescue with a contraceptive device that means that the lovebirds can have a normal relationship... thank goodness!

In the meantime, Esme has a new gardener who she is more familiar with than she should be, and the next book is set up to be her story. I can't wait to read it!

In terms of the characters, I didn't really feel as though I connected with Simon in particular. He was portrayed as a very fashionable man about town, with lace collars and sleeves, a man who is happy to be seen in salmon coloured breeches. Turns out he is the chief importer of lace into London, and whilst he is a bit of fop, he is also a very manly man! As for Henrietta...well, I am bit in two minds about her as well. Whilst she didn't just accept that she should be an unmarried woman which is admirable, her reaction in a couple of situations was verging on hysterical for want of a better word.

The fact of the matter is, that for me, I suspect that this book really is just the build up to the main course, which is Esme and Sebastian's story!

Rating 3.5/5

Somewhere I'll Find You by Lisa Kleypas

All London is at Julia Wentworth's feet. The beautiful, enchanting actress is the toast of the theater world—and anything she desires is hers for the asking. But the incomparable leading lady guards a devastating secret: a mystery husband whom she does not know, dares not mention. . .and cannot love.

For years Damon Savage has been searching for the stranger his unscrupulous parents wed him to without his consent. Wanting no more than to be legally rid of the foolish chit, Damon is shocked to discover his "bride" is the exquisite stage performer whom he intended to make his mistress! But though his wife by law, Julia will never truly be Damon's—until he conquers her fears, his formidable rivals. . .and the stellar lady's proud, independent heart.

Hmmm...what to say? What to say?

As I work my way through Lisa Kleypas' backlist I am sure that I am going to find books that were more miss than hit....and this was kind of one of them. Or perhaps it would be fair to say that this book just isn't as good as her others. It's still pretty good but it isn't exceptional.

Is it okay if I leave it at that? I mean, they had terrible childhoods, as soon as they meet again they know there is a strong attraction between them, they of course sleep together, she is of course a virgin and of course, they end up living happily ever after.

The one thing that did grab my attention is the character of Logan, Julia's theatre manager and fellow actor. I really want to read his story and see how someone can break through his cold exterior and rival the passion he feels for his theatre.

This book wasn't Lisa Kleypas at her best. Onto the next one!

Rating 3/5

The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini

After moving with her husband, Matt, to the small college town of Waterford, Pennsylvania, Sarah McClure struggles to find a fulfilling job. In the meantime, she agrees to help seventy-five-year-old Sylvia Compson prepare her family estate, Elm Creek Manor, for sale. As part of her compensation, Sarah is taught how to quilt by this cantankerous elderly woman, who is a master of the craft.

During their lessons, Mrs. Compson reveals how her family was torn apart by tragedy, jealousy, and betrayal, and her stories force Sarah to face uncomfortable truths about her own alienation from her widowed mother. As their friendship deepens, Mrs. Compson confides in Sarah the truth about why she wants to sell Elm Creek Manor. In turn, Sarah seeks a way to bring life and joy back to the estate so Mrs. Compson can keep her home-and Sarah can keep her cherished friend. The Quilter's Apprentice teaches deep lessons about family, friendship, and sisterhood, and about creating a life as you would a quilt: with time, love, and patience, piecing the miscellaneous and mismatched scraps into a beautiful
whole.

I'll start this post by saying that I am not a craft person at all. I did learn how to sew, knit and crochet when I was young but it really does not do anything for me now. I would much rather read a book or be on the net. I don't however mind reading about other people doing craft, especially as they tend to also be stories around female friendship (well all three books that I have read that fit in this category anyway!)

This book was a very easy read. In fact I read all 270 pages in about two and a half hours. Sarah and Matt McClure have recently moved to Waterford after Matt lost his job. For a while Sarah worked full time, and Matt made do with odd jobs, but eventually they decided to move somewhere where Matt could find a job, and now it is Sarah who is on the unemployment merry-go-round, and her self esteem is suffering as a result.

When she meets crotchety Mrs Compson, she can imagine nothing worse than working with her, but as a temporary measure she agrees to do so in exchange for quilting lessons. Sarah also joins a quilting group, and as she begins to make friends in her new home she realises that there are definite undercurrents in the town, some related to problems that go back 50 years.

Can she help repair the broken relationships, save Mrs Compson's home and find something meaningful for her to do herself.

Whilst this is a very easy read, and is definitely aimed at a warm fuzzies kind of audience this book was not sickly sweet!

A good read all round. I will definitely be reading more of this series!

Rating 4/5