Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas

The third book in the Wallflower series following on from It Happened One Autumn......finally!

A devil's bargain

Easily the shyest Wallflower, Evangeline Jenner stands to become the wealthiest, once her inheritance comes due. Because she must first escape the clutches of her unscrupulous relatives, Evie has approached the rake Viscount St. Vincent with a most outrageous proposition: marriage!

Sebastian's reputation is so dangerous that thirty seconds alone with him will ruin any maiden's good name. Still, this bewitching chit appeared, unchaperoned, on his doorstep to offer her hand. Certainly an aristocrat with a fine eye for beauty could do far worse.

But Evie's proposal comes with a condition: no lovemaking after their wedding night. She will never become just another of the dashing libertine's callously discarded broken hearts -- which means Sebastian will simply have to work harder at his seductions...or perhaps surrender his own heart for the very first time in the name of true love.

After putting my name down on the list at the library months ago, I FINALLY got Devil in Winter a couple of days, and yesterday I read it in one go! What a book!! I'm sure that everyone has read at least 3 reviews by now so I am going to keep it brief and just talk about what I did and didn't like...yes, there was something I didn't like and I'll start with that.

****Beware for spoilers throughout!****

The main thing I didn't like was the suspense subplot which led to the climax to the book. Evie and Sebastian were put through the ringer in this book, and not in the interactions with each other...mainly from outside sources. With Evie being almost kidnapped by her horrible family, Sebastian taking a bullet for her, and then Evie nearly being murdered in the climax, there were times when the focus on Evie and Sebastian was lost.

Now for the good things! Sebastian. Do I need to say more?




Well, okay then I will. I loved him, and loved the progression that we saw in this book - from desperate jaded rake, to attentive travelling companion, to determined businessman, to celibate man, to devoted husband, and along the way he even managed to be apologetic to Westcliff and Lilian. Lilian isn't my favourite of the Wallflowers but I did like the fact that despite the fact that she hated Sebastian, she was there for Evie when she needed her. I was glad when peace was made between Westcliff and Sebastian. A lot of the time when a determined rake has been reformed we only see that in the relationship with the heroine but in this case we saw that Sebastian was able to rebuild relationships with others in his life as well.

As for Evie, I thought it was fantastic when she forced Sebastian to lose his bet - so playful and sensuous...poor man never stood a chance. I also loved the way that she gradually became more confident in herself with Sebastian's help. I don't believe for a minute that if she had of just smiled at him that Sebastian would have been attracted to her, despite the fact that he said he would have! I think it took a desperate act to get his attention, and Evie had the strength and the backbone to be able to do it! Her devotion when he was injured was also really good...although it is nothing that hasn't been seen before. In fact...that is probably something that I would say about this book. I don't think that there was anything really new in the storyline, but like Liz Carlyle, Lisa Kleypas is such a strong writer that even the biggest cliches are forgiveable because they are so well written.

I loved the little cameo from Derek Craven - a very nice touch! (Whoops....it's just a mention of Derek..not an actual appearance!) And I can't wait to read Cam Rohan's book - he sounds delicious. I understand that whilst it did look as though Cam was being set up to be the hero in Daisy's books that is not in fact the case, but that he will have his own book. Can't wait!

I am only at number 4 on the list for Scandal in Spring, so hopefully it won't be too long before I get hold of that.

Rating 4.5/5

Smitten by Janet Evanovich

Single mom Lizabeth Kane isn't exactly carpenter material -- she's never picked up a hammer in her life. But she desperately needs the construction job that builder Matt Hallahan is offering. And even though he knows trouble is ahead, Matt can't refuse Lizbeth's irresistible smile.

Matt Hallahan isn't exactly relationship material -- he has always been too busy working on other people's houses to make a home of his own. And even though she knows better, Lizabeth can't stop thinking about the rugged carpenter.

Is the relationship Matt and Lizabeth are building solid -- or more like a house of cards?

Another of the rereleased series romances that Janet Evanovich wrote years ago, and yet again with this one, you can tell. Having looked back at the reviews I have done of these rereleases, the main things that all three of them have in common is that the romance between the two main characters develops at breakneck speed. Within a couple of days of meeting, Matt is thinking about settling down, having never even thought of it before. Another thing is that compared to many of today's other romances, the books feel like the bare bones of the story.

Lizabeth bought a run down house the day after her divorce, and now has to get a job because otherwise she will not be able to make her mortgage payments. There was no mention of how she was planning to meet the payments in the first place. Once she gets the job with Matt, her Aunt Elsie comes to stay for the summer to look after her two boys. Aunt Elsie was apparently a prototype for Grandma Mazur from the Plum books, and she was a lot of fun.

There was at least one plotline that was a bit contrived, and that was in relation to a naked stalker who kept on coming and showing himself to Lizabeth. That was the catalyst for Matt to come and protect her, and in the end an explanation was offered as to who the stalker was and why, but it felt really contrived and not really satisfactory.

Overall though, if you want a quick romance to read and then move on from this was pretty good, and certainly better than some of the other rereleases.

Rating 4/5

The Tidal Poole by Karen Harper

The Tidal Poole opens as Elizabeth's triumphant procession to Westminster Palace is marred by the brutal murder of a high-born, high-living lady of the court. Abetted by her irresistible band of loyal retainers, the young queen is soon spearheading a sub rosa investigation of the crime - an investigation that leads inexorably to a sinister plot against Elizabeth herself.

Climaxing in a midnight voyage through the murderous tidal pools swirling under London Bridge and highlighting a magnificent queen in the first full flush of her power, it is essential reading for lovers of romantic mystery, history, and regal adventure.

The second book in the Queen Elizabeth I mysteries, following on from The Poyson Garden, this book starts with the coronation of Elizabeth as Queen of England, and the subsequent parade through the streets of London. Throughout the crowds, there are some of her own favourite people, including in Arundel House, her close friends John and Bella Harrington and their family and her cousin Lady Frances Brandon Grey Stokes and her family. During the parade, Bella's sister is murdered, and it is first thought to be a crime of passion, but it eventually seems that there is much more to the murder, and that it might strike a lot closer to Elizabeth than it seems. It also then becomes clear that Elizabeth has to be careful who she can trust - even those who she has long standing connections with can sometimes not be trusted! With only two weeks until Parliament is due to open, Elizabeth and her friends need to solve the mystery... and quickly.

The only irritating thing throughout this book was that Elizabeth had caught a cold, and she kept it all the way through the book....and there were numerous references to it! Well, too many references in my opinion anyway!

This was a good second book in the series. The action was fast, there were lots of new characters to meet that I suspect will carry forward into future books, as Elizabeth gathers a group of trusted people around her, including the usual people like Cecil and Dudley, but also including some common people like Ned Topside (her fool), Meg Milligrew (her herbalist) and Jenks, who works in her stables.

Part of the subplot in both books so far are to determine who exactly Meg Milligrew is. In the first book in the series, she has no idea who she really is, but in this second book Meg does discover her identity, but does not recover her memory. When she discovers that she is actually married and from a Catholic family opposed to Elizabeth, she has to decide where her loyalties lie. I am sure that this thread will also continue through the next couple of books at least as well.

With another 7 books in the series to read, I am sure that it will continue to develop going forward.

Rating 4/5

To the Tower Born by Robin Maxwell

This book was Book of the Month for August over at Historical Fiction Forum.

Debated for more than five centuries, the disappearance of the young princes Edward and Richard from the Tower of London in 1483 has stirred the imaginations of numerous writers from Shakespeare to Josephine Tey and posited the question: Was Richard III the boys' murderer, or was he not? In a captivating novel rich in mystery, color, and historical lore, Robin Maxwell offers a new, controversial perspective on this tantalizing enigma.

The events are witnessed through the eyes of quick-witted Nell Caxton, only daughter of the first English printer, William Caxton, and Nell's dearest friend, "Bessie," daughter of the King of England, sister to the little princes, and founding
ancestress of the Tudor dynasty.

With great bravery and heart, the two friends navigate this dark and dangerous medieval landscape in which the king's death sets off a battle among the most scheming, ambitious, and murderous men and women of their age, who will stop at nothing to possess the throne of England.

Hot on the heels of The Daughter of Time, this book offers another perspective on what happened to the little princes in the Tower. Were they murdered by Richard III? If not, what happened to them, and who made it happen?

Nell and Bessie are best friends. Nell's father, William Caxton was the first English printer, and therefore had a lot of royal patronage. By situating his shop within the walls of Westminster, it is therefore made plausible that his only daughter Nell would become close friend of the York princess, Elizabeth, who eventually becomes the wife of Henry Tudor (Henry VII) and therefore mother of Henry VIII.

The story of what happened during the final tumultuous years of the York dynasty is being told to a young Prince Harry by his mother and Nell. Harry's older brother Arthur has just died, and Bessie is beside herself with grief. Nell forces her way into the palace in direct disobedience to Margaret Beaufort, the King's mother, and when Harry also sneaks in to his mother's room, the two women begin reminiscing. Covering the death of Edward IV, and some of the reign of Richard III, the girls tell of the story of the times, up until some time towards the end of the Richard's reign, and also of their loves.

There are several problems with this novel. When a book starts out with an event that appears to be completely unrelated to any other event in the book, it is probably not a great sign, but still I kept reading. The main issues that I had with this book are around the number of coincidences and the modernism of the characters. On numerous occasions either Nell or Bessie just happened to be in a position to overhear one of the meeting between someone plotting an uprising or revolt, or they just happened to be able to sneak into the Tower thanks to all the friends that worked on the gates and promised not to reveal their presence.

With the girls able to come and go just about anywhere, and then Nell being offered a position as the tutor to Edward, Prince of Wales, and then as secretary to Margaret Beaufort, it felt at times as though the author was trying to capture a modern audience at the expense of historical authenticity. There are plenty of other examples as well -for example when a romantic relationship develops between Nell and Anthony Rivers, her father is fine with it, despite the fact that Lord Rivers is already married. It has to be said that it appears that the author is a big fan of Anthony Rivers, to an extent I have never seen before in books about this time period.

So, did I enjoy this book? Weeeellll...how's "kind of" for an answer? I liked her theory as to who was behind the disappearance of the young princes from the Tower - it made a lot of sense, however she didn't really follow through with what actually happened. It was almost as though the author realised that she was right up to her allocated 300 pages, and bam...that's it. Thanks so much for coming! And then right at the very end, there was just a few lines that tried to tell what Nell and Bessie were up to as at the end of the current time that just had me incredulous - hard to say much more without spoiling completely!

If I was to mark just on enjoyment, I would probably give a lower mark, but I am going to rate this book 3 out of 5, simply because it was a new and quite interesting solution to an old question.

The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn

The second book in the Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn, following on from The Duke and I.

1814 promises to be another eventful season, but not, This Author believes, for Anthony Bridgerton, London's most elusive bachelor, who has shown no indication that he plans to marry. And in all truth, why should he? When it comes to playing the consummate rake, nobody does it better...

Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, April 1814

But this time the gossip columnists have it wrong. Anthony Bridgerton hasn't just decided to marry, he's even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended's older sister, Kate Sheffield, the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate's the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams...

Contrary to popular belief, Kate is quite sure that reformed rakes to not make the best husbands, and Anthony Bridgerton is the most wicked rogue of them all. Kate's determined to protect her sister, but she fears her own heart is vulnerable. And when Anthony's lips touch hers, she's suddenly afraid she might not be able to resist the reprehensible rake herself...

When Anthony Bridgerton decides to get married, it is a very simple matter. He simply found out who was considered the jewel of the season and that is the woman he would married. Simple...right? Well, it would have been except that the sister of the lady in question is determined that Anthony Bridgerton not marry her sister because she is determined that her sister should marry a man who would make her happy, not a notorious rake like Bridgerton.

So when they feel an attraction to each other they are both horrified, but as they gradually get to know each other their attraction grows. When they are found in a compromising situation, Anthony shocks the ton by marrying Miss Sheffield....the wrong Miss Sheffield...as everyone was expecting that he would marry Edwina Sheffield and not Kate Sheffield.

I really, really enjoyed this book! Julia Quinn managed to take a well worn plot and make it quite fresh. The compromising situation that Anthony and Kate were caught in was very entertaining, as was the family game of Pall-Mall that the two sisters participated in with the Bridgertons.

I liked both Kate and Anthony - Kate was strong and loyal, determined and yet when she had to face her fears she was definitely vulnerable, and it was really nice to see Anthony's caring side coming out there. When Anthony decided to get married, he was determined that it would be to a woman that he was attracted to, and that he liked but there was no way he was going to fall in love, so watching him do just that and trying to deal with it was a very enjoyable read.

I thought that this was a much more enjoyable book than The Duke and I. I have already been to the library to get the next book in the series!

I do have a question though. How did a non-rake fall in love in Regency times? It does seem as though one has to be a rake to actually be worthy of falling in love. Woe for the good man who hasn't been gambling and whoring for years!

Rating 4.5/5


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Bookworms and Tea Lovers

How much is too much?

I really want to start reading Elizabeth Chadwick's backlist. As you may know if you read my blog regularly I don't really like reading series out of order so I thought I would start at the beginning, which is, as far as I can tell, The Wild Hunt.

Whilst my library has got the two books that follow this one, it doesn't have The Wild Hunt, so I thought I would have a look on Ebay to see if it is available. Which it is....if you are happy to pay $125 for it, and about $20 postage to get it from the UK. That is WAAYYY out of my price range for a book!

So my quandary now is whether I just start reading the series at book number 2...or skip this series altogether and move onto Children of Destiny.

How much is too much for you to pay for a book? What's the most that you have paid for a book?

Blue Dahlia by Nora Roberts

Trying to escape the ghosts of the past, young widow Stella Rothschild, along with her two energetic little boys, has moved back to her roots in southern Tennessee-and into her new life at Harper House and In the Garden nursery. She isn't intimidated by the house-nor its mistress, local legend Roz Harper. Despite a reputation for being difficult, Roz has been nothing but kind to Stella, offering her a comfortable new place to live and a challenging new job as manager of the flourishing nursery. As Stella settles comfortably into her new life, she finds a nurturing friendship with Roz and with expectant mother Hayley. And she discovers a fierce attraction with ruggedly handsome landscaper Logan Kitridge

But someone isn't happy about the budding romance...the Harper Bride. As the women dig into the history of Harper House, they discover that grief and rage have kept the Bride's spirit alive long past her death. And now, she will do anything to destroy the passion that Logan and Stella share...

After a couple of years of being by herself after the death of her husband, Stella decides to move to Tennessee so that she can be closer to her father and her stepmother. Having made the big move, the book opens with her attending an interview with Roz Harper, who is the owner of the In the Garden nursery. As an added bonus, Stella and her family get to live in magnificent Harper House, a home that has been in the Harper family for generations. Of course, there are stories that are hidden within the house, but one of the biggest one is the identity of the Harper Bride ghost. Over the years, the Harper Bride has been almost a guard over the family that have lived in the house, particularly the children. When Stella starts to fall in love with Logan Kitridge, the ghost starts to behave in strange ways...the question is why?

I haven't read that many Nora Roberts books yet (especially considering how many she has written), but of the ones that I have read I have come to realise that what she seems to do best, is to take normal people, in normal situations and then bring them together and write very touching and real romances, and this story is no exception. Stella is a woman who is passionate about her family and her career, who is strong and determined and who wants to do the right thing by those around her. The sparks and the tension between Stella and Logan was very well written and realistic (even if he did go on about her hair a bit too much).

Also very much in evidence in this book is the dynamic between the three main female characters, and it is clear that their friendship will be one of the ties that binds this trilogy together.

With a good romance, just a hint of the supernatural, and a great friendship storyline, this book manages to not only have different threads to it, but Nora Roberts has managed to do it without any one part of the book feeling less polished or less developed than the others.

I am really looking forward to reading the other books in this series, and have already been to the library to pick up Black Rose.

Rating 4.5/5

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The Bookworm - Naida

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Elena Michaels is your regular twenty-first-century girl: self-assured, smart and fighting fit. She also just happens to be the only female werewolf in the world.

It has some good points. When she walks down a dark alleyway, she's the scary one. But now her Pack - the one she abandoned so that she could live a normal life - are in trouble, and they need her help. Is she willing to risk her life to help the ex-lover who betrayed her by turning her into a werewolf in the first place? And, more to the point, does she have a choice?

Having not read any paranormal books before starting to read The Sookie Stackhouse books not too long ago, I now realise that they are like eating a fresh green salad - tasty, healthy and mostly satisfying, but there are actually paranormal books out there that are like huge T-bone steaks - something you can really get your teeth into and rip to shreds with your razor sharp teeth. And yes, there is definitely a place for both types of meal!

Bitten is definitely steak - there's blood and gore, complex plot lines and relationships and ultimately takes a little while to digest.

Elena has been trying to live her life as a normal human. She lives with her boyfriend Philip, who has NO idea that she is actually a werewolf. In order to meet the demands of her nature, she sneaks about at night, taking long runs, not realising how much she misses true nature and hunting.

When the pack that she left behind summons her for assistance, she knows that it must be for a good reason, so she returns to Stonehaven, and there has to deal with her ex, Clay...the man who turned her, and with whom she has a very complicated relationship. When other pack members start turning up dead, the Pack realises that they are in for the fight of their lives and that they must work together in order to survive.

I was kind of torn at times about whether I was enjoying this book or not. I really liked the time that the author took to develop her world - explaining the hierachy and the history of the pack, and why the mutts who appear to be attacking the Pack would be doing so. Having said that though, there were times particularly in the first 150 pages or so where I was getting a little frustrated with the length of time that was spent describing the Change that Elena went through each time that she transformed from human to werewolf. I thought that the scenes that were written from a werewolf point of view were very well written, although I have to admit that I did cringe over the ease and lack of guilt that there was relating to the killing of humans. I thought it was very interesting that the author chose to bring new blood into the werewolf strain by turning human killers into werewolves - certainly made it easy to dislike the mutts (werewolves who are not part of the Pack). Without those new werewolves I have to admit that I did feel a little sorry at first for the mutts because the Pack is all controlling and the other werewolves who are not Pack have to make do as best they could.

What else....I really liked Elena as a heroine. She was smart and strong, yet fragile and emotionally exposed, particularly when it came to Clay and also as she tried to figure out whether or not she could truly live in the human world and keep her true nature hidden. In the early stages of the book I was a bit worried that with Elena being the only female werewolf that we would have a situation where she was actually going to be having sex with the other wolves as well, but it seems as though there was just a bit of rough housing with some of the other younger werewolves. I was happy with that because I did like Elena and Clay together - their relationship seemed like the ultimate in animal attraction, and I was sure that Clay did really love her, and yet I don't think that I ever really got to understand Clay. His background was explained, his connection and his role within the Pack was clear, and yet I don't think that I understood why he decided to turn Elena into a werewolf, with all that meant. There was some explanation, but I guess it just wasn't enough for me.

This book took a while to get going for me, but once it did, I was completely drawn into the world of Stonehaven and the werewolves, so much so I nearly missed my train stop, and was extremely disappointed when I had to put it down with only 30 pages to go once I did make it in to work!

With Stolen on the request list at the library, I will definitely be reading more of the Otherworld series by this author.

Rating 4/5

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Books & Other Thoughts
Alpha Heroes

The Last Camel Died at Noon by Elizabeth Peters

The acclaimed author of Naked Once More and Deeds of the Disturber presents a marvellous new novel, starring her most popular heroine, Amelia Peabody, the 19th century Egyptologist.

Amelia and her dashing husband Emerson set off for a promising archaeological site in the Sudan, only to be unwillingly drawn into the search for an African explorer and his young bride, gone missing for twelve years.

Barely surviving the rigours of the desert, the deaths of their camels, and the abandonment of their guides, they suddenly find themselves prisoners in the midst of a lost city and civilization. Amelia and Emerson must make the most of this explosive situation, accumulating archaeological coups while doing their best to rescue the innocent...and themselves.

Dear reader (or so Amelia would begin if she were the one writing this review!). It's probably not an overstatement to say that this is rapidly becoming one of my favourite series, and this sixth entry in the series is definitely very entertaining. The books are chock full of adventure and humour, and in this one we even have a different location...a lost civilization in the Sudan.

Amelia and Emerson are approached by strangers, they are told the remarkable story that the well known explorer Willoughby Forth, who was thought to be have killed 12 years ago, is actually alive in the Sudan. When they are asked to help find him and his young wife, they are not going to get involved...but Amelia and Emerson being who they are, they soon find themselves embroiled in the mystery!

Along the way, Amelia nearly dies, Ramses disappears, a new King is crowned in a secret civilization, a mystery is solved and a key character is introduced to the series. I think that this may well be one of my favourites so far. We are taken into a secret city hidden in the mountains of Sudan, and the descriptions of the secret world and it's traditions are so vivid that you really do feel as though you are there with them.

The other thing that was really well done in this book was the identity of the bad guys - there were two brothers and the question of which of them was the friend and which was the foe was kept going until about three quarters of the way through the book and maintained in a quite convincing way! There were as many twists and turns in this novel as there were in the tunnels that led to the secret chambers described in the book!

Amelia continues to get all steamed up at the mere thought of her loving husband and their sense of fun and togetherness is very endearing - of course, the less said about that kind of thing the better (they are after all living in the Victorian age!).

A very entertaining 4.5/5


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Puss Reboots

Full Scoop by Janet Evanovich and Charlotte Hughes

Dear Reader:

There's a whole lot of trouble going on in Beaumont, South Carolina. According to resident psychic-slash-astrologer, Destiny Moultrie, Mercury's in retrograde; Venus is in the seventh house, and the combination has turned Cupid wacko! Chaos rules as tempers flare and lust runs rampant. Newlyweds Max Holt and Jamie Swift-Holt are trying to make a baby, but their recently purchased antebellum mansion is under renovation and filled with feuding contractors. Vera has a crush on her new mailman, and is bent on looking ten years younger. Destiny is marked for marriage by the changing planets, and she's running for her life as the local redneck and bait shop owner is determined to make her his. Meanwhile, local pediatrician Maggie Davenport has considerably bigger problems now that her wild-girl past has caught up in the form of ex-boyfriend and jailbird who just flew the coop—and is determined to track her and her daughter down. If he doesn't expose her secrets, there's a good chance Jamie's editor, intent on getting the Full Scoop, will. Fortunately, FBI agent Zack Madden is on hand for protection; but the new danger is the wild attraction he and Maggie share. Fleas the hound dog is experiencing his first crush on Maggie's adorable and alluring…um…pygmy goat? Add to that an Elvis convention and a local root doctor and hoodoo practitioner who decides it's time she take charge; only to have one of her spells backfire, and you've got a gut-busting, laugh-out-loud story we hope you won't forget!

It's just another wild ride in the town we love to write about, and the character's we can't get enough of. So kick off your shoes, sit back, and enjoy a FULL SCOOP of fun, adventure, and romance.

Janet and Charlotte

Having quite enjoyed Full Bloom I was a bit apprehensive about reading this book, mainly because my enjoyment of this series has varied from pretty good to pretty bad (particularly in the early books in the series) with a few stops in between. I have to admit that it during the first part of this book I thought that I had another not so good one on my hands, but in the end it turned out to be pretty good.

The back cover blurb pretty much covers the book so I am not going to say much more. It is a pretty much standard romance storyline - heroine is in danger, FBI hero moves in to protect her and they fall in love.

I am not sure why but the first half of the book felt a lot less enjoyable to me. Maybe it was just because you kind of expect that there would be less establishment of characters required in a series book, but the truth is that we had never even known that Maggie existed as far as I can recall from the earlier books in the series. It is understandable that we never knew Zack before he is an outsider.

Quite a few of the characters from the previous books are back - Jamie and Max, Vera and Destiny amongst them. Although it has to be said that Max in particular has nothing more than a cameo role, and there was barely even a mention (if any now I think of it) of Maggie and Wes from the previous book in the series. It would appear however from the resolution to this novel, that Zack in particular will make appearances in future books of the series.

Since moving the focus away from solely being on Jamie and Max, and instead allowing other people from the town of Beaufort to step up to the plate, the series has definitely become stronger and more entertaining. I'm not sure that I'm willing to reconsider buying any future books in the series...yet, but I don't think I am that far off.

Overall...a mostly positive experience this time around, but not enough to make me completely convinced that the next one will be a winner as well!

Rating 4/5

Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey

Scotland Yard Inspector Alan Grant lies in a hospital bed with a broken leg. To alleviate his boredom, a friend brings him a pile of pictures: photographs, prints, engravings, and clippings. Among the more engrossing images is the portrait of King Richard III. Studying the benign face, he asks himself how such a sensitive-appearing soul could have been the infamous murderer of his own nephews. With the help of the British Museum and an American scholar, Grant reconsiders 500-year-old evidence pertaining to one of the most intriguing murder mysteries of all time. Josephine Tey's answer to who really killed the two princes in the Tower of London has provoked controversy ever since its publication in 1951.

The Daughter of Time is actually the fifth book in a series of six mysteries that feature Inspector Grant. Normally the fact that I was reading a book from a series out of order would really freak me out, however, it didn't this time, mainly because I didn't find out until after I finished it!

With the first book in the series being published in 1929 and this one published in 1951, it is actually a pretty old book, and yet for the most part it does not feel dated at all. There are the occasional things which are, for example the Inspector smoking in his hospital bed, a little bit of the language (calling gangsters wideboys)...oh, and the fact that there was no internet to assist with the research, but overall the story is so well written that it holds up for today's reader without too many problems.

The story is that Inspector Grant is stuck in hospital after falling through a trap door with a broken leg (presumably in the book before this), and so he is in hospital laying flat on his back for weeks (Okay...so maybe it is a little dated. My sister recently broke her kneecap and was out of hospital in two days). Nearly driven round the twist with boredom, one of his friends goes and gets some portraits of historical figures that are connected to unsolved mysteries of the past to see whether that kind of mental exercise will help cheer him up. After discarding some pretty famous names like Perkin Warbeck and Lucrezia Borgia, Grant spies a portrait of Richard III. Priding himself as a man who is able to be a good judge of character based solely on a face, Grant finds himself wondering how a man who looks like Richard III has been portrayed through the years as one of the most evil kings of England ever.

So Grant, with the able assistance of a young American researcher by the name of Brent Carradine, sets out to track down contemporary accounts of Richard III to try and found out what the man was really liked. Having discovered that most of the famous accounts were either hearsay or written by Richard's enemies, Grant decides to use the skills that he has gained at Scotland Yard to in effect investigate Richard and see whether he could possibly be guilty of the things that he has been accused of doing over the years, including murdering his own two nephews in order to gain the crown for himself.

He starts with a series of questions. For example, where was Richard when he found out that his older brother King Edward IV had died? What did he do when he heard? Were his actions consistent with those of a man who had gaining the throne for himself as his foremost concern? Using the same approach for many of the other key figures, by following through some of the key events from history and investigating logically, Grant comes up with some quite interesting theories as to what really happened all those years ago.

I have to admit that I am quite partial to a story about Richard III. This interest started when I read Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Penman, and has continued through The Seventh Son by Reay Tannahill, and most recently, A Rose for the Crown. For some reason I do always end up reading novels that are very pro Richard, and this one is no exception, although this one does come up with a different answer to that age old question - if Richard didn't kill the princes in the tower...then who did!

In terms of the style of the novel, it is an interesting mix - more like a case study than your traditional historical fiction novel. Whilst I would guess that the book would qualify as a historical mystery, it is interesting to note that the author didn't take us back in time, and feel the need to share the smells, dresses and rituals of the time, but rather gives us an analytical look back at a particular character, and a particular series of events that were pretty crucial to English history. It is an unusual way of writing the book, but it works.

One interesting thing that I found, was that Miss Tey put a reference to the Inspector going to watch one of the plays that she had written under her other pen name of Gordon Taviot. Normally when I read that kind of thing, for example when an author writes themselves into the story, I find it kind of jarring. It did amuse me to think that kind of thing was happening all those years ago as well. There is nothing new under the sun...apparently!!

A very entertaining read of a book that is probably as close to a historical fiction classic that you can get, and well worth trying to get hold of! I have every intention of reading more from this author.

Rating 4.5/5

Other Blogger's Thoughts:

A Girl Walks Into a Bookstore

Watermelon by Marian Keyes

February the fifteenth is a very special day for me. It is the day I gave birth to my first child. It is also the day my husband left me...I can only assume the two events weren't entirely unrelated.

Claire has everything she ever wanted: a husband she adores, a great apartment, a good job. Then, on the day she gives birth to their first baby, James informs her that he's leaving her. Claire is left with a newborn daughter, a broken heart, and a postpartum body that she can hardly bear to look at.

She decides to go home to Dublin. And there, sheltered by the love of a quirky family, she gets better. So much so, in fact, that when James slithers back into her life, he's in for a bit of a surprise.

Having read several Marian Keyes books and enjoyed them, with Last Chance Saloon being my favourite, I wanted to go back to the beginning and read the Walsh sisters books in order, starting with Watermelon.

It is interesting to read this book after some of the others because I think it is possible to see the development of Keyes through the different styles. Marian Keyes excels at writing chicklit novels that aren't afraid to deal with hard issues, whether it be infidelity as in here, or depression, rejection or whatever the issues is, and she manages to do it with style and humour. It has to be said though that in this book the humour and the tone are much darker than in some of the other books that I have read, with maybe a hint of desperation. My personal opinion is that Keyes has learnt over time to write a better balanced book, and better paced between the highs and lows of the storyline.

In this book, Claire Webster gives birth to her beautiful baby daughter, only to be told shortly afterwards that her husband James is leaving her for another woman. Claire had no clue that this was coming and falls completely to pieces, ending up going home to her parents house in Dublin. After completely losing the plot for a while, she gradually begins to rebuild her life and her self esteem. But the question is...will James come back into her life and destroy her fragile self esteem, or will Claire managed to hold on to what she has built around her.

It has to be said that James is a complete bastard. Absolutely, completely manipulative and horrible - maybe even to the point of being a caricature. Claire seems lovely, and lets just say there is a too good to be true character that is just scrummy.

If I have any major criticism of this novel it is the time frame. Unfortunately I can't explain this without spoiling so .....

********Spoiler Alert On*********

Claire gives birth, goes back to Ireland, collapses in an alcohol induced stupor
(all pretty much understandable), but within the space of six weeks she has met a really nice guy and has sex with him. Within another couple of weeks she has contemplated a reunion with James, decided that she doesn't love him at all anymore. All of this happens at a completely breakneck pace. Of course, I could just be jealous that I couldn't done it, and still haven't met anyone new after, well let's just say a long time, but this isn't really supposed to be about me!

*********Spoiler Alert Off*********

During the last few chapters the closing events of the books cover a longer time span, but crammed into only a few pages, leaving it feeling rushed.

Overall, this was an entertaining read, although personally I think there was some problems with pacing. I will be reading more of the Walsh sisters though, as this was a promising start to their stories, with kookie and interesting characters, as well as an interesting family dynamic that will come into play in future books I am sure!

Rating 3.5/5

Because You're Mine by Lisa Kleypas

This is the follow up book to Somewhere I'll Find You, and together these two form the Capitol Theatre series.

Because the Dream. . .
Young, high-spirited Lady Madeline Matthews is expected to wed an aging, lecherous lord. But she would rather shame herself in the eyes of society than sacrifice her freedom, and resolves to render herself unmarriageable by indulging in a torrid affair with Britain's most acclaimed actor and notorious womanizer, Logan Scott.

Because the Heart. . .

He is a legend in the footlights and in the bedchamber. But when the curtain falls, Logan is an intensely private, guarded man still tormented by past betrayals that cut deep into his pride and his heart. Now a forward little minx who seems completely out of place in the bright, sophisticated world of the London stage is disrupting his orderly existence with her constant presence, her unspoiled beauty and vibrant charm. And what begins with an onstage kiss threatens to blossom into something more rapturous and real. But first Logan and Madeline both must be brave enough to drop the masks they hide behind. . . and reveal their true selves in the golden glorious light of love.

When I read Somewhere I'll Find You, the character that I most wanted to find out more about was Logan Scott, the imperious owner of the Capitol Theatre, so I was pleased to find out that he had his own book. And even more when I finished reading it, because this book is a much better book than the earlier one, even though there were still a couple of issues that I didn't like.
When a young schoolgirl decides to ruin herself she decides on the dashing and handsome Logan Scott as her chosen accomplice. So she changes her name and goes to the Capitol Theatre intent on seducing Logan. So, here's my problem. The heroine was still at school damn it! Why so young? Why, why? We're supposed to believe that she wants to ruin herself, that she manages to entrance Logan - a man who can have his choice of women - to the point of him being desperately in love with her, even though he has vowed never to love again after a terrible experience in the past, and that she ends up being the perfect wife to Logan who is willing to lose his privacy that he had guarded so zealously for so many years in order to keep her happy.

As for Logan, he was a fantastic hero. His past experiences weren't forced in front of us to make him seem more rakish, he went from cold and indifferent to being passionate and hurt when things don't go well.

It is enough to say that it takes a great deal of drama in order for Logan to be willing to allow Madeline to get completely close to him, and yet I wasn't really convinced that all the drama surrounding his true identity was really all that necessary. It didn't take the story any further in my opinion.

Overall, this was a much better read than the earlier book, and I am happy to see that Logan's friend (and also kind of the villain), Lord Drake gets his own story in the Wish List anthology.

Rating 4/5

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky

In 1941, Irene Nemirovsky sat down to write a book that would convey the magnitude of what she was living through, not in terms of battles and politicians, but by evoking the domestic lives and personal trials of the ordinary citizens of France. She did not live to see her ambition fulfilled, or to know that sixty-five years later, Suite Francaise would be published for the first time, and hailed as a masterpiece.

Set during a year that begins with France's fall to the Nazis in June 1940 and ends with Germany turning its attention to Russia, Suite Francaise falls into two parts. The first is a brilliant depiction of a group of Parisians as they flee the Nazi invasion and make their way through the chaos of France; the second follows the inhabitants of a small rural community under occupation who find themselves thrown together in ways they never expected. Nemirovsky's brilliance as a writer lay in her portrayal of people, and this is a novel that teems with wonderful characters, each more vivid than the next. Haughty aristocrats, bourgeois bankers and snobbish aesthetes rub shoulders with uncouth workers and bolshy farmers. Women variously resist or succumb to the charms of German soldiers. However, amidst the mess of defeat, and all the hypocrisy and compromise, there is hope. True nobility and love exist, but often in surprising places.

Irene Nemirovsky conceived of Suite Francaise as a four- or five-part novel. It was to be a symphony - her War and Peace. Although, only two sections were finished before her tragic death, they form a book that is beautifully complete in itself, and awe-inspiring in its understanding of humanity.

This was a very good read. The two sections that are included in this novel are called Storm in June and Dolce. The first part focuses on the experience of those people who fled Paris in front of the German occupation of France. Many of the people who fled were killed as the roads and railways they were using to escape were bombed, and Nemirovsky's words evoke the panic and the desperation of the people as they search for food and accommodation. During this first part we are introduced to several distinct characters, or groups of characters, providing a framework for a sharp commentary on the social classes of the time, from the very rich and powerful, to the bourgeois artists, middles classes and the poor. At first it seems like there is no connection at all between all these different groups but as the novel progresses, especially into the second section you see how gradually the author ties the characters together. Many of the survivors of this exodus ended up back in Paris after harrowing experiences.

The second part of the novel focuses on a small town that has been occupied by the Germans, and how the townspeople cope with that. At first there is a frosty wall built against the Germans, but gradually they become part of the town, with some of the women falling in love with German soldiers, with bottles of wine shared around the meal table, until it is time for the garrison of troops to move out to a new theatre of war. One of the German officers is a particularly well written character - giving a very human face where it would be so easy to portray a villainous, cold and uncaring conqueror.

The book is incredibly descriptive, and at times the story drags a little bit because of it, but what is conveyed through the words and pages is the immediacy of the situation. This is not some scene imagined from the newsreels. These kind of situations were what the author was actually living, which makes it all the more poignant to read about her characters and their experiences. Many of the characters are flawed, particularly the artists and the upper classes. In some ways, the story almost feels like a study of the priorities in our lives. When the characters are fleeing Paris, what are the things that are valued amongst all others - a collection of china, manuscripts, linen, the family silverware, and yet by the end of the journey for some of the characters there will be a reassessing of those priorities. For others though, there is not, although it has to be said that looking through the appendices it seemed that their changes may have been intended to be more long term.

In some ways these two parts of the book do feel complete, but there are others where it was obvious that there was more to come. There was at least one character that was introduced that there was no further development with, and there were events that were left unresolved, but for the most part it doesn't really affect the enjoyment of the book.

For all that is said about the book though, it may be that the story OF the book is as interesting, and maybe even more interesting, than the story IN the book. Irene Nemirovsky was a successful author of Russian Jewish descent, who moved to France during the Russian Revolution, with her family losing all their fortune. In 1939, she and her family converted to Catholicism in the hope that this would protect them. She started this book in 1941, and published as an appendix to the book are the notes that she had written which give some idea of the direction that she wanted to take and her thoughts during this time. Before she could complete the four or five parts to the book, she was arrested, taken to Auschwitz and never heard from again.

In some ways, the second appendix is even more poignant. It features a series of correspondence between the author and some of her friends and colleagues, in the time leading up to the Occupation, showing her fears for her own wellbeing, and that of her family. The tone of the letters change after her arrest, as her husband and friends try to find out where she has gone, to intercede on her behalf. At one point her husband even offers to trade himself for her, not realising that at time she was already dead.

Her children only just managed to escape the authorities several times, not realising that amongst their luggage was the manuscript for this book. It was only after many years that her daughters could bring themselves to read it, so this book that was first written in 1941 was only just published in France in 2004.

For me, this was a very poignant read, and well worth taking the time and making an effort to read, even though at times it felt overly descriptive.

Rating 4/5


Other Book Blogger's thoughts:

You Can Never Have Too Many Books
One More Chapter
The Inside Cover

One book meme

I was tagged by Heather to do the One Book meme that has been going around....so here goes! I'm a bit worried that my answers are going to be a little less literary than most but never mind!!

One Book....That Changed Your Life

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Not because there was any great message that I took away from the book, or he became my new favourite author, but because I joined my first ever online book groups, which led to more online groups, which led to moderating online groups and blogging, which led to online friends, and me spending goodness only knows how many hours on the computer every day!

One Book....That You've Read More Than Once

I don't reread often, so there aren't many books that I have read more than once, although I have read bits of Cross Stitch (Outlander) by Diana Gabaldon more than once!

One Book....That You'd Want on a Desert Island

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. Long, complex and something that I am sure you can take different things from each time you read it.

One Book....That Made You Laugh

The Stephanie Plum books! I remember distinctly thinking that if someone had to see me when I was reading those books that I was crazy as because I would be lying in bed crying laughing. Even after putting the book down to go to sleep, I would just have to think about what I had written and I would still crack up!

One Book....That Made You Cry

The Alphabet Sisters by Monica McInerney. I read that book in one sitting one day and sobbed my heart out during the last half in particular but it was still funny and warm.

One Book....That You Wish Had Been Written

I am going to go with the book that I read recently. I wish that Irene Nemirovsky had lived to write the final two or three parts of her book as I would be interested to see how all the loose threads were tied together.

One Book....That You Wish Had Never Been Written

Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I really enjoyed this book for what it was when I read it - a fast paced read with an interesting theory. The fact that I read it ages ago and it is still controversial, and spawning heaps of DVC wannabe books mean that I am pretty much over it! Or maybe it is because my work has just put a series of posters up that tap into the whole Da Vinci Code thing....things work slowly in my organisation!!

One Book....That You Are Currently Reading

Watermelon by Marian Keyes. I have read a few of her books but wanted to start at the beginning of the Walsh sisters books before working up to her latest release. So far I am a bit underwhelmed by it all!

One Book....You've Been Meaning to Read

Just one book I have been meaning to read huh? Just one, I have loads of them...(insert thinking music here)....I am going to say Exit Unicorns by Cindy Brandner. I have started this book and got half way through and absolutely loved it, but then other things have got in the way...like book groups and library deadlines. I will get to it again soon! Soon...hopefully.



Now I am supposed to tag 5 people, but I think most people have been tagged. How about Rosario, Susan Higginbotham, Devonna, Darla and whoever else wants to do it!

The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

This is the book that I am submitting for the August TBR challenge. As soon as I heard that this book was being written it was on my TBR list. It is the sequel to The Tea Rose, which I read and loved last year.

It's 1900 and the East End of London is a dangerous place for a woman doctor at a time when such thing is rare. But India Selwyn Jones, beautiful and headstrong, sees a real need for her knowledge in the back streets where women are dying of hunger and overwork.

It is in an opium den that India meets one of London's most notorious gangsters: Sid Malone - violent, criminal and also devastatingly attractive. India finds herself, against her will being drawn ever closer to him, enticed by the flashes of a softer side beneath his gruff exterior.

The Winter Rose brings the beginning of the twentieth century vividly to life, drawing the reader into its underworld, its society and the shadows where the strict rules of the time blur into secret passions.

Title: The Winter Rose

Author: Jennifer Donnelly

Year published: 2006 (although I don't think it is out in some parts of the world until 2007)

Why did you get this book? I read The Tea Rose last year and really liked it. As soon as I heard that there was going to be a sequel it was on my TBR list. There is actually going to be a third book as well, but I guess I should wait until there is a title for that one before I start getting too excited!

Do you like the cover? Yes I do. The cover for The Tea Rose was pretty nice too. It was pretty hard to track down a picture of this cover though. Much harder than usual!

Did you enjoy the book? Yes, yes and yes!! In fact I think it was a better book than the first one!

Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? I have read most of Jennifer Donnelly's books, including her YA book, A Gathering Light (which was published as Northern Lights in some places). This is the second book in a trilogy. I guarantee that I will be reading the third book when it comes out!

Are you keeping it or passing it on? I wish I could keep it....I really do, but it was a library book so I much return it. I am really thinking very hard about getting both books to keep though.

Anything else? Well I could gush and gush, but I will try and control myself and say that this was an extremely entertaining read. If anything, it is a better read than the first book in the series. It has it all - adventure, complex characters, history, romance!

It has sparked a train of thought in my brain about the nature of Historical Fiction though. In my mind there are two main areas of historical fiction - where the characters are all actual people and the author has predominantly real characters telling the story (Sharon Kay Penman is excellent at this) and then there are those books where the setting is historical, with the vast majority of the characters being fictional (albeit based on real people) with those fictional characters interacting with real characters from history. This book falls into the latter, as do books like Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I wondered to myself if I prefer one type over the other. I think there are probably a few historical fiction aficionados out there who would say that you should prefer the first of these two, but you know what...I am happy to read either as well as they are well written and entertaining and capture my attention.

I can safely say that my attention was caught, and therefore I am giving this a rating of 5/5! That's right....my first 5/5 for the WHOLE year!

Other blogger's thoughts:

Chris from Book-a-rama
Wendy

Sword of Darkness by Kinley MacGregor

The new king of Camelot wears no shining armor: Arthur and his knights have fallen and a new king rules.

In the darkest forest...

A scared, forsaken youth has become the most powerful -- and feared -- man in the world. Ruthless and unrestrained, Kerrigan has long ceased to be human.

In the heart of London...

A spirited peasant mired in drudgery, Seren dreams of becoming her own woman, but never expects that by fleeing her fate, she will meet her destiny.

Their worlds are forever changed...

Kerrigan's goal is simple: barter or kill Seren to claim Arthur's Round Table. Yet she is the one person who holds no fear of him. More than that, her nobility sparks something foreign inside him. In his nether realm, kindness is weakness and a king who harbors any sort of compassion loses his throne.

For countless centuries, Kerrigan has lived alone in the shadows. Now Seren's courage has forced him into the light that will bring either salvation to both of them...or death.

It took me a long time to get into this book. I'm not sure if that is because I don't tend to read a lot of fantasy or Arthurian books and therefore for me it took a little while to get used to the concepts or because it just wasn't that good!

Given that this book was the first book in the series, there was practically no world building at all. I guess that the author was working on the assumption that everyone knew the Arthurian legend and would therefore understand what was going on, but I spent the first half of this book confused. The main thing that I didn't really get until the end was the fact that all the Lords of Avalon can time travel, but this wasn't really explained until after there had been a few twentieth century references, such as the fact that Morgen (Queen of the Fey who has taken over Camelot following the demise of her brother, King Arthur)loves INXS and plays it regularly, as well as a couple of phrases that were used at various points in the first couple of chapters that really threw me. It wasn't until much later in the book that I got it, and that it didn't just feel like convenience for the author to be able to use modern cultural references instead of having to work a little harder and give us enough details to take us to their time.

Anyway...onto the characters. Our hero Kerrigan is truly evil, King of Camelot and owner of the Sword of Caliburn, which makes him virtually undefeatable. When he "rescues" Seren from the Knights of Avalon, she has no idea that she has just made a huge mistake that might cost her her life. I liked Kerrigan...he was no rake who can be redeemed - he was confident in who he was, and if he was lonely he didn't really take too much time to think it through. When he meets Seren, he is struck by her innocence and her goodness, and it doesn't take him too long to take advantage of one of those (although to be fair she does basically offer it to him on a platter). For me though, the relationship developed far too easily for Seren, and far too completely, in a much too short a time. Within pages we learn of Seren's destiny, but until about two thirds of the way through we didn't know why that was her destiny, and why she needed to take her place in either Camelot or Avalon.

The end of the novel was very abrupt as well, but it is a bit hard to say more about that without spoiling, so I will leave it at that for the moment.

There were some very clever ideas, and it will be interesting to see how MacGregor follows these ideas through in future books. Hopefully, now that I have read this book I will have more of an idea of what is going on earlier in the next book.

In the meantime, I will be waiting for the next Brotherhood book.

Rating: 3/5

In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant

My lady, Fiammetta Bianchini, was plucking her eyebrows and biting color into her lips when the unthinkable happened and the Holy Roman Emperor's army blew a hole in the wall of God's eternal city, letting in a flood of half-starved, half-crazed troops bent on pillage and punishment.

Thus begins In the Company of the Courtesan, Sarah Dunant's epic novel of life in Renaissance Italy. Escaping the sack of Rome in 1527, with their stomachs churning on the jewels they have swallowed, the courtesan Fiammetta and her dwarf companion, Bucino, head for Venice, the shimmering city born out of water to become a miracle of east-west trade: rich and rancid, pious and profitable, beautiful and squalid.

With a mix of courage and cunning they infiltrate Venetian society. Together they make the perfect partnership: the sharp-tongued, sharp-witted dwarf, and his vibrant mistress, trained from birth to charm, entertain, and satisfy men who have the money to support her.

Yet as their fortunes rise, this perfect partnership comes under threat, from the searing passion of a lover who wants more than his allotted nights to the attentions of an admiring Turk in search of human novelties for his sultan's court. But Fiammetta and Bucino's greatest challenge comes from a young crippled woman, a blind healer who insinuates herself into their lives and hearts with devastating consequences for them all.

A story of desire and deception, sin and religion, loyalty and friendship, In the Company of the Courtesan paints a portrait of one of the world's greatest cities at its most potent moment in history: It is a picture that remains vivid long after the final page.

Having read and loved Birth of Venus, I was really looking forward to getting hold of this book. I picked it up from the library not long after it was released but then it sat on my shelf for three months until I had no choice but to read it as I couldn't extend it any further. I am not really sure that there was a reason why it took me so long to actually get to this, except that other books kept on getting in the way.

Fiammetta is one of the most sought after courtesans in all of Rome, numbering men amongst her clients who are cardinals and politicians amongst many others. However, when she is forced to flee Rome when it is attacked, she ends up taking a few jewels and her companion and pimp, Bucino, with her. She flees to Venice where she will have to start from scratch and try to build up her client base in a new city. Before she can start that she will need to recover from the wounds that she received, and from the months of deprivation that she had to endure as they wandered from one place to another trying to survive. To aid her in her recovery she calls on the services of the renowned La Draga - healer, and possibly witch. The most striking thing about La Draga is her appearance. She is a clever woman stuck inside a twisted body and blind, meaning that the fact that she heals by touch is quite remarkable.

As Fiammetta's body and mind heals, Bucino starts to make plans to put them back in business, for which they must rely on the assistance of one of their former adversaries. And yet, just as it seems that they have achieved their aims, there are divisions between Bucino and Fiametta, betrayal from an unknown source, and broken promises that threaten to destroy the partnerships. In many ways this novel was a study of a time long past, but it was also relevant today as a study of ambition and desire, friendship and love and betrayal.

There was quite a large scope in this novel in terms of the setting and the characters. Set predominantly in Venice, Dunant was able to transport me there most of the time during the novel, bringing back memories of my own time in Venice! (I love it when a book does that!). She vividly bought the colours of the festivals and the traditions of a very proud city without being guilty of info dumping too much.

In terms of the characters, the cast was bold and challenging, using Bucino as the narrator which was quite an interesting choice - I certainly had not given much thought to the ways of courtesans who liked to keep dwarves as pets at times, and yet Bucino was an extremely shrewd and successful businessman. With a passing parade of characters that include one of the most famous artists and a famous wordsmith, I was surprised at how many of the characters seemed real to me.

And yet, having said all of that, I was not completely blown away by this book. It was an entertaining read, and I am glad that I have read it, but if I had to choose between this book and Birth of Venus I would choose the latter every time. I am beginning to think that either my own standards have gotten higher, or I am in a bit of a slump where I am happy to read books but none of them have really captured my imagination in the way that I really want them to. I will have got a few more Sarah Dunant books to track down and read, which I will do eventually, and I will be keeping an eye out for any new books from her.

Rating: A solid 4/5.

The Reality Chick - Buzz the Book Contest

I think I got this from Valeen, who got it from Karen S who got it from Angie W, who got it from Lauren!


Introducing….

THE REALITY CHICK BUZZ THE BOOK contest!

The PRIZES:

(1) Your choice of either an iPod Shuffle, OR a fifty dollar Amazon.com gift certificate
(2) An autographed copy of REALITY CHICK by Lauren Barnholdt
(3) A copy of the August issue of Teen People, which lists REALITY CHICK as a Can’t-Miss Pick for August
(4) Free tuition to a session of Lauren’s YA writing class

THE CONTEST:

STEP ONE: Simply copy and paste this whole message (including the info about the contest) into any blog, message board, email list, myspace bulletin, or anywhere a lot of people will see it!

REALITY CHICK by Lauren Barnholdt is NOW IN STORES!

Going away to college means total independence and freedom. Unless of
course your freshman year is taped and televised for all the world to
watch. On uncensored cable.

Sweet and normal Ally Cavanaugh is one of five freshpeople shacking up
on In the House, a reality show filmed on her college campus. (As if
school isn’t panic-inducing enough!) The cameras stalk her like
paparazzi, but they also capture the fun that is new friends, old
crushes, and learning to live on your own.

Sure, the camera adds ten pounds, but with the freshman fifteen a given anyway, who cares?
Ally’s got bigger issues — like how her long-distance bf can watch her
loopy late-night “episode” with a certain housemate…

Freshman year on film.
It’s outrageous.
It’s juicy.
And like all good reality TV, it’s impossible to turn off.

IN STORES NOW!

Check out Lauren on the web at www.laurenbarnholdt .com or on her myspace at www.myspace.com/laurenbarnholdt

STEP TWO — Email Lauren at lauren (at) laurenbarnholdt.com and let her know you’ve posted about the contest and the book, and you’ll be entered to win the prize pack! The winner will be picked at random on September 1st. The more places you post, the more entries you get. Have fun and good luck!!!

The Cinderella Pact by Sarah Strohmeyer

In this funny and big-hearted story by the author of The Secret Lives of Fortunate Wives, three best friends make a pact to transform themselves into the glamorous women they've always wanted to be.

Nola Devlin has a secret identity. By day she is an overweight, frumpy, and overlooked editor, but by night she slips behind her keyboard and into her alter ego: Belinda Apple. Belinda is thin, gorgeous, and the author of a glamorous advice column, "OnBeing Fab!" Not even Nola's two best friends or her jealous sister (who worships Belinda as the "sister she never had") know her secret.

Nola is shocked when Belinda receives a desperate letter from Deb, her best friend and former cheerleading captain, now also overweight and depressed. Nola resolves to help her friend, and together with their pal Nancy, the trio form the "Cinderella Pact"-a promise to be their own fairy-godmothers and help change one another for good.

But things don't turn out the way the three friends expect. Deb's formerly devoted husband drifts further away with every pound she loses, while Nola finds herself caught between a crush on her dreamy boss and the attentions of a charming British reporter. But which of them loves the real Nola? Only when her secret identity is revealed will she find out which man is right for her, and if her two best friends can forgive her deception.

So it might surprise you to know that in some ways this is a retelling of the Cinderella story. In this case our poor Cinders is Nola Devlin, editor at a women's magazine. When the publisher decides that they need an Ethics Columnist (aka Agony Aunt) Nola submits her piece, but her boss doesn't even look at it. Nola is convinced that it is because she is overweight and frumpy, and so in order to prove her theory, she decides to create a fab new persona and Voila! Fiona Apple is born! With her sassy responses to leaders letter she becomes an instant sensation, but her duplicity starts to catch up with Nola when her friends decide to change their lives by losing weight when Fiona Apple says that it is easy to lose weight.

The three friends form The Cinderella Pact - they will lose weight within 6 weeks. The three women choose vastly different paths to weight loss. Deb has already investigated the possibility of surgical intervention and Nancy hires a personal trainer, whilst Nola takes to sensible eating and regular exercise.

At the same time as losing weight, Nola meets Chip and she begins to fall in love, but things are not as they seem. We see Nola go through her personal journey of losing weight and finding herself, whilst at the same time undergoing an investigation at work as they try to work out if their Ethics columnist is who she says she is, or has herself broken ethics!

There were a lot of things to like in this book. The author for the most part tried to avoid the cliche of saying "If you lose weight you will be happy!", and it was an entertaining enough read.

One thing I didn't like was a couple of the cameos. Bubbles made a cameo appearance in this book, and whilst it was okay, it was possibly a bit over the top, as was the over the top gushy reaction to Nola meeting Harley Jane Kozak, who is one of the author's blogging buddies over at The Lipstick Chronicles. Other than that, this was for the most part an enjoyable read!

I have read all of Sarah Strohmeyer's books now, and one of the things that I am still waiting for is the book that really blows me away.

Rating 4/5

The Courtesan by Susan Carroll

For something a little bit different, Kailana and I decided to read a historical fiction novel together. This is the sequel to The Dark Queen, which I read and reviewed a while ago (Wow...where did the last six months go?).

Kailana is writing in black, and I am writing in blue:

Anyways, we are coming towards this from two different backgrounds. As I said with the last one, there is a lot of romance in these books. I don't particularly like romance novels, while Marg on the other hand is a very big romance reader. This should offer two different views on how we took the novel.

From the back:

Skilled in passion, artful in deception, and driven by betrayal, she is the glittering center of the royal court - but the most desired woman of Renaissance France will draw the wrath of a dangerous adversary.

Paris, 1575. The consort of some of Europe's most influential men, Gabrielle Cheney is determined to secure her future by winning the heart of Henry, the Huguenot king of Navarre. As his mistress, Gabrielle hopes she might one day become the power behind the French throne. But her plans are jeopardized by Captain Nicholas Remy, a devoted warrior whose love Gabrielle desires - and fears - above all. She will also incur the malevolence of the Dark Queen, Catherine de Medici, whose spies and witch-hunters are legion, and who will summon the black arts to maintain her authority. With the lives of those she loves in peril, Gabrielle must rebel against her queen to fulfill a glorious destiny she has sacrificed everything to gain.

Alive with vivid detail and characters as vibrant as they are memorable, The Courtesan is a sweeping historical tale of dangerous intrigues, deep treachery, and one woman's unshakable resolve to honor her heart.

I really enjoyed the first book in the trilogy. So much so that I gave it to my mother to read, in the hopes that she will one day read something other than Nora Roberts. She had been saying that she read a book by Nora Roberts that wasn't up to par, so I thought maybe she would give this book a try. Me and her rarely ever read the same sort of books. I too enjoyed the first book in the trilogy. In fact, the day after I finished reading it, I went and bought this book, and ordered The Silver Rose. I had good intentions of reading them pretty much straight away but it didn't really happen. By the way....I've enjoyed the Nora Roberts books that I have read!

Anyways, to the review. I think the thing about this book we all have to remember is that it is called "The Courtesan". That betrays what the main character in this book is all about. You see, it is Gabrielle, Ariane from the first books younger sister. Gabrielle has had a rough life. The thing that is essential to who she is at this time in her life is that one "honourable" knight took advantage of her, and Gabrielle has never been able to get over it. If anything, she thinks that it is her fault and she feels the compulsion to take on the scars this man left her with as all she is worthy of. She could annoy me in the first book, but she grows on you in this one, and I actually found myself both wanting to interject to tell her that she's foolish, but I also felt bad for her. She is living in Paris now, a life of a Courtesan. It is not until ghosts from her past make an appearance that she starts to second guess her life. In The Dark Queen, Gabrielle was portrayed as a completely disenchanted character. We knew that Nicholas Remy had fallen for her, but Gabrielle had so many walls built up around her because of her previous bad experience that he was really not allowed to get all that close. Fast forward three years and shift to Paris, and into the French court, and Gabrielle has left behind all that she knows and loves and has become one of the most famous and desired courtesans. Yet behind the glamorous facade, there is a very lonely woman, who is haunted by the ghost of a supposedly dead man - Nicholas Remy. When it is revealed that Nicholas is not in fact dead, but is plotting to get into the French court to try and arrange for his king to escape, it soon becomes clear that Gabrielle and Nicholas are not necessarily on the same side...and yet they are extremely attracted to each other.

I found this novel to have more romance than the first one. I don't even think it was any different, but for some reason it felt like more. Once Gabrielle starts to get her life back on line and give her heart to the man that she loves, they spend a lot of time leading up to and then in bed together. It just seemed like once they made it to the bed, that was a central occurrence for the next little while. The sex scenes are tasteful. For example, there are a few scenes with Ariane and Renard, and we finally learn that he has brown hair - a fact that was left out in the first book, or so most people believe (we had a big discussion about this over at Historical Fiction Forum a while ago!). So, the scenes are not all about the action, like a romance novel, so I didn't find them distasteful, which is always good. I actually wonder whether you are confusing romance with sex? There is definitely a more romantic storyline in this book, and in many ways less of a focus on historical events. In The Dark Queen, one of the key events was the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre, and there are many references back to the events of that day here, but in this book there was more a historical context as opposed to actual historical events. Whilst the sex is there, and there is a section where there is a strong emphasis on the development of the physical relationship between Gabrielle and Nicholas, this is something that was necessary to enable Gabrielle to move on from her emotional and self esteem issues, to go back to finding herself. Sex and romance are both the same to me. I read books that rarely have any romantic or sexual scenes, so this book had a lot more of everything than I was used to

A bit more background information. Simon, the witch hunter apprentice from the first novel makes a court approved appearance. It has been prophesied that the Dark Queen's power is waning, and there are moments when she does not seem to have her son the King under her command. Ariane and Renard are married, but Ariane is suffering through some unhappy moments because of her desire to have a child. She also does not like it when her sister runs off, she is protective of her little sisters. Miri follows Gabrielle to Paris in the hopes of keeping her sister safe, and enchants a young boy affectionately called 'the Wolf'. I am hoping we will learn more about him in the third book that centres around Miri. I have made reference in previous posts to the fact that I love a series, so for me it was great to revisit Ariane and Reynard, and the build up is definitely there for Miri's story in The Silver Rose. I do however have one concern for the next book, and that is that I really liked Nicholas's offsider Wolf. It would appear that it is not his fate to end up with Miri, but I really hope that he does get some Happy Ever After.

This is a very engaging novel. I never though I would say it. I didn't like it as much as the first one, but it was still a very worthwhile read. I enjoyed the first book more too, mainly because it was more of an intriguing mix between historical fiction, fantasy and romance. This book was more like straight romance, with a historical context and a bit of magic thrown in. I would say however that this one flowed a bit better. There were the odd occasions during the first book that parts dragged as there was a bit too much infodump. However, on the down side for this book, it felt as though there were a few storylines that were introduced that were either not resolved, or resolved very quickly and conveniently. Maybe this will be resolved during the next book. The thing I have noticed about these books is that I don't feel like you have to read them in order to understand. Susan Carroll does a very good job making each book look more like a stand alone. Whilst I guess you don't HAVE to read the books in order, I would think that it is far more rewarding to do so. For example, if you haven't read The Dark Queen, you would not understand the significance of Simon being the main witch hunter in this book, and then in whatever role he is in in the next book. Even though these books contain more romance than I normally would seek out, I can not wait until I get book 3 from Random House and can see how the story continues. Me and Marg are discussing maybe reading that one together too. We will see how it goes. I am planning to read The Silver Rose pretty soon, but then again, it did take me six months to pick this one up!

Kailana's rating 4/5
Marg's rating 4/5

The Runaway Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini

The fourth book in the popular Elm Creek Quilts series explores a question that has long captured the imagination of quilters and historians alike: Did stationmasters of the Underground Railroad use quilts to signal to fugitive slaves?

In her first novel, The Quilter's Apprentice, Jennifer Chiaverini wove quilting lore with tales from the World War II home front. Now, following Round Robin and The Cross Country Quilters, Chiaverini revisits the legends of Elm Creek Manor, as Sylvia Compson discovers evidence of her ancestors' courageous involvement in the Underground Railroad.

Alerted to the possibility that her family had ties to the slaveholding South, Sylvia scours her attic and finds three quilts and a memoir written by Gerda, the spinster sister of clan patriarch Hans Bergstrom. The memoir describes the founding of Elm Creek Manor and how, using quilts as markers, Hans, his wife, Anneke, and Gerda came to beckon fugitive slaves to safety within its walls. When a runaway named Joanna arrives from a South Carolina plantation pregnant with her master's child, the Bergstroms shelter her through a long, dangerous winter, imagining neither the impact of her presence nor the betrayal that awaits them.

The memoir raises new questions for every one it answers, leading Sylvia ever deeper into the tangle of the Bergstrom legacy. Aided by the Elm Creek Quilters, as well as by descendants of others named in Gerda's tale, Sylvia dares to face the demons of her family's past and at the same time reaffirm her own moral center. A spellbinding fugue on the mysteries of heritage, The Runaway Quilt unfolds with all the drama and suspense of a classic in the making.

This is the book that made me want to start reading this whole series, and whilst I wasn't really sure what to expect it was still a very good read.

I really admire the fact that the author was able to completely change the focus of this book and yet it still very firmly feels like part of the series. The previous three books in the series havefocusedd on a group of women and their lives as they come together and makes friends. In this book, Sylvia meets a lady who has an old quilt that they have been calling the Elm Creek Quilt which prompts the ladies to ask whether they are maybe connected. When Sylvia decides to look through all the contents of the attic, she finds a chest that contains several more quilts, and more importantly her great-great aunt Gerda's diary.

As Sylvia reads through the journal, she finds that things that she believed about her family's past were not necessarily as true, or at least as clear cut as they appeared to have been. The journal also helps Sylvia focus on her life and her relationships in her current life.

For me, the most interesting parts of this book were the parts that related to the participation of the Sylvia's forefathers in the Underground Railway, providing shelter to escaped slaves prior to, and during the Civil War. The book also covers how difficult it was during that time as there were people from the same town who took different sides of the abolitionist debates, pitting employee against employer.

For me it will be interesting to see what directions the author goes in in future. Will she continuing looking back in the past, will she refocus back on groups of women and their trials and tribulation. Either way, I hope that the series continues to go from strength to strength.

Rating 4.5/5

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Dr Juvenal Urbino, most distinguished physician along the Caribbean coast, illustrious for civic achievements and artistic patronage, died aged eighty-one-and-a-half of a broken spine when he fell from the branch of a mango tree as he tried to catch a parrot.

His widow, the once breath-taking Fermina Daza, was enraged at the emptiness which lay before her. She instinctively recoiled from the one hand extended to steady and comfort her - a hand which for her long life had always been within reach but which, in her haughtiness and guilt, she would not acknowledge: the hand of Florentino Ariza.

For his part, Ariza's desolate vigil of devotion had begun half a century before, on Fermina's afternoons of embroidery under the almond trees in Los Evangelio's park. His secret obsession had led him into an enigmatic existence and shadowy social reputation despite his renown in business. In the city consecrated to the cult of the Holy Spirit, one Pentecost, love found a new tongue with which to speak.

In a novel unequalled since his masterpiece One Hundred Years of Solitude, Marquez tells a love story which will haunt and inspire his readers for generations.

I don't know what it is about Marquez's writing. It isn't easy, but it is oh so rewarding.

His style is one of a wanderer. The storyline moves backwards and forwards through time in a meandering fashion, almost as though the author is mortally afraid of following a straight line, and yet the story moves steadily forward. Marquez is also a known master of magical realism, and there is plenty of that within this novel, along with laugh out loud humour. For example, at one point we learn that Fernanda and her husband had not spoken for several months because they were having a fight about whether or not there was soap in the shower - a completely inane thing to be fighting about, but portrayed in such a way that it was possible to believe that it could be real - as real as when dealing with larger issues such as infidelity.

In this book, the story is really a love story...a grand passion that lasts for decades and decades, despite the fact that it is unrequited for most of that time.

I did find it somewhat amazing that by the end of the book I still felt compassion for the main characters, especially Ariza, because he was a far from likeable man. Or maybe there was just one episode that made me feel that he was unlikeable.

This is the kind of novel that makes it possible to believe in impossible love and of sailing into the sunset with the one that you love! It is also the kind of novel that you know you will find new things in each time that you read it! Really, really enjoyable.

Rating 4.5/5


Other Blogger's Thoughts:

Chris @ Book-a-Rama
Things Mean a Lot