Literary Criticism
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Review: The Property of a Gentleman by Catherine Gaskin
In the Lake District of northern England, the estranged Earl of Askew has returned to his crumbling country estate after years abroad. He has run out of money and needs to start selling off some of his belongings to pay for his eccentric life style and habits. He places a call to a well respected auction house in London, Hardy’s, and Gerald Stanton and his apprentice Joanna (Jo) Roswell, are dispatched to the estate to evaluate some of the finer pieces. Jo’s mother has just died in a terrible plane crash and she welcomes the opportunity to throw herself back into her work. When Jo and Gerald arrive at the…
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Special Feature and Review: The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards by Kristopher Jansma
As many of you know, I reviewed the wonderful novel The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards by Kristopher Jansma last year when it was first released. Now with the paperback release on 2/25/14, I would like to re-post my review here for my new followers! This novel was truly a fantastic read, it was one of my favorites of the year in 2013. Here is my original review of the novel for your enjoyment!
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Review: The Queen’s Dwarf by Ella March Chase
In the court of King Charles I, his homesick bride, Henrietta-Maria, longs to be back in the comfort of her French court. To distract herself she has created a kind of sideshow to entertain herself with. The Royal Menagerie of Freaks and Curiosities of Nature is a collection of sorts that consist of a giant, two other dwarfs, a rope dancer, an acrobat, animal trainer, and a special dwarf dubbed Lord Minimus. Lord Minimus is actually Jeffery, a dwarf who has been trained by one of the most dangerous men at court, the Duke of Buckingham, to be a spy. The Duke of Buckingham has taken Jeffery from his meager existence…
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Review: The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston
Morgana has no interest in marriage, especially to a man she hardly knows. She is different than most women….she’s as wild as the Welsh moors and would rather spend her days with her horses than in the company of society. But her differences don’t end there, she hasn’t spoken a word since her fathers death when she was a child and to complicate matter further….she’s a witch. So when her mother arranges a marriage to a local drover, Cai Jenkins, Morgana would love to protest but simply can’t. She knows her mother is sick and that she is lucky to find a husband at all, but she can’t help but…
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Review: Return to Poughkeepsie (The Poughkeepsie Brotherhood #2) by Debra Anastasia
Beckett Taylor is a lot of things: friend, brother, lover, criminal, and murderer. He is all destruction and easily strikes fear in any that cross his path. But yet under that tough exterior and dark past, there is a ray of hope that he isn’t all bad. Poughkeepsie is home to three blood brothers–Cole, Blake, and Beckett. In Return to Poughkeepsie we pick up with their continuing stories, romances, and lives. While Cole and Blake still call Poughkeepsie home, Beckett has left town until he gets a phone call from Blake that will change everything. The love of Blake’s life, Livia has been kidnapped and a new gang has filled the…
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Review: Girl on the Golden Coin: A Novel of Frances Stuart by Marci Jefferson
Being the king’s mistress was considered the pentacle of a courtesans career. It was an offer that once made, could catapult the woman into a position with a lot of power and influence. A king’s mistress could be in both the king’s bed and his head. When the king tired of his mistress a suitable match would be found for her and once her favor went so did her influence. For Frances Stuart this was a position she didn’t want to leave to the king’s whim. Many women were lucky to get this offer from the king once, very few got the offer from more than one king on more…
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Review: Anvil of God (The Carolingian Chronicles #1) by J. Boyce Gleason
In 741, the western world is in a state of upheaval. Pagan religion is at its height in what is now known as France and Germany, but Christianity is quickly taking root and spreading like wildfire while Islam is threatening to be a major religious contender in the west. Charles the Hammer has conquered the continent for the Merovingian kings but he secretly hopes that his children will become kings in their own right. The only flaw in Charles’s plan is he is dying. Before he dies, he plans on splitting the Frankish kingdom into three regions making his three sons mayors of each.
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Review: Cloaked in Danger by Jeannie Ruesch
Ballrooms and proper etiquette are not Aria Whitney’s area of expertise. She is not your typical British debutante but rather a free spirit who prefers breeches over corsets and adventure over balls. However, when her father goes missing she must force herself into the upper crust of English society to discover what happened. Her father disappeared while on an archaeological dig in Egypt. When his trusted friend and colleague is gravely injured, there isn’t much hope that her father will be found alive but she must try and unravel the mystery. The only thing that Aria has to go on in a list of rich benefactors in London society. Aria…
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Review: A Thread in the Tangle (Legends of Fyrsta #1) by Sabrina Flynn
Isiilde is a young nymph who is destine to be sold into service once she comes of age. As a royal nymph, the emperor’s daughter, she will fetch a hefty price. Isiilde has one problem though….she can’t help but catch things on fire! When she catches the royal nursery on fire with the heir’s in it, by accident or course, the emperor has no choice but to send her to the dungeon. That’s when Oen steps in and saves Isiilde from the dungeons. He begs the emperor to allow him to take her to his home island until she comes of age. Reluctantly, the emperor agrees but he plans on keeping…
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Review: The Secret Rooms: A True Story of a Haunted Castle, a Plotting Duchess, and a Family Secret by Catherine Bailey
Non-fiction books are often a double edged sword for me. I love that I get the historical information and facts about a period in history or a specific person etc, however often the material is presented in a very scholarly manor and can at times be on the dry side. However ever once in a while I get a non-fiction book for review that really catches my eye and that was the case with The Secret Rooms but Catherine Bailey. This book promised a Downton Abbey-esque, real life mystery in the upper echelons of WWI English society…how could I pass it up? This story roped me in almost immediately.
