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Review: Enchantress of Paris: A Novel of the Sun King’s Court by Marci Jefferson
Marie Mancini was destine to disgrace her family. The stars foretold her shame and for most of her life, her family has kept her closest at a convent to avoid said ‘disgrace’. Ignoring the stars and horoscopes, Marie’s uncle and guardian, Cardinal Mazarin along with her other sisters call her to court where she catches the eye of King Louis XIV. Even though the King is sharing his bed with Marie’s sister Olympia, he is clearly captivated by the studious and witty Marie. With the death of one of Marie’s sisters, the Cardinal wants her to return to the convent and become a full fledged sister. Upon hearing of Marie’s scheduled departure, the…
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Book Blast: Hilary Rhodes’ The Lion and the Rose & The Outlander King
The Lion and the Rose (Book One: William Rising) Publication Date: June 18, 2014 eBook; 338 Pages | ASIN: B00L4K5GKE Genre: Historical Fiction The Lion and the Rose, Part One: William Rising is the first book in an epic historical saga from debut author Hilary Rhodes. Extensively researched and compellingly told, it introduces us to the passionate drama and violent upheaval of eleventh-century Europe. The world as we know it, and the English language, would have been vastly different were it not for the driving ambition of one man: William the Conqueror. But conquerors are made, not born, and William was made in fire and blood. How does…
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Review: The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach by Pam Jenoff
With war on the horizon, Adelia Monteforte’s parents send her away from Italy to America in hopes of saving her from the Nazi invasion. When she arrives in America, she is clearly an outsider. Her aunt and uncle take her in, they have no children of their own so they try their best with the teenage Adelia. In hopes of distracting Adelia from her alienation and loss of her parents, they take her to the shore over the summer where she meets the Connally family. The four brothers welcome her with open arms and nickname her Addie. They make her feel like a normal girl though she is a foreigner and a…
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Book Blast: NAKED: A NOVEL OF LADY GODIVA by ELIZA REDGOLD
NAKED: A NOVEL OF LADY GODIVA by ELIZA REDGOLD Publication Date: July 14, 2015 Publisher: St. Martin’s Press Formats: Ebook, Paperback Pages: 320 Genre: Historical Fiction We know her name. We know of her naked ride. We don’t know her true story. We all know the legend of Lady Godiva, who famously rode naked through the streets of Coventry, covered only by her long, flowing hair. So the story goes, she begged her husband Lord Leofric of Mercia to lift a high tax on her people, who would starve if forced to pay. Lord Leofric demanded a forfeit: that Godiva ride naked on horseback through the town. There…
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Review: War of the Roses: Margaret of Anjou by Conn Iggulden
War is coming….or is it winter? This is the book that inspired the wildly popular A Song of Ice and Fire series (AKA Game of Thrones). This latest book in the War of the Roses series was a constant action sequence. I haven’t read the first book in the series and that did put me at a bit of a disadvantage because I didn’t fully understand the relationships between some of the characters but I do know my British history so it didn’t take too long to get situated in the story. the year is 1454 and King Henry VI has remained all but exiled in Windsor Castle, struck down…
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Review: Miss Emily by Nuala O’Connor
Emily Dickinson is one of America’s most beloved poets. But who was the woman behind all that passion and genius? This book offers a glimpse (albeit a fictional glimpse) into the life of Emily and her life as a recluse in Amherst, Massachusetts. The story alternates between Emily’s POV and that of her new Irish maid, Ada. Ada has left her family in Ireland in favor of seeking employment in a prosperous new world. When she lands her job at the Dickinson residence as a’ maid of all’, she knows she is fortunate to be in with such a well to do family. Emily and Ada quickly hit things off and…
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Special Feature: The Lady Bornekova by Sara Turnquist
Publication Date: July 14, 2015 (tentative) Publisher: Clean Reads (formerly Astraea Press) Format: eBook Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance The red-headed Karin is strong-willed and determined, something she inherited from her father. She tries to keep her true nature a secret to avoid being deemed a traitor by those loyal to the king. Karin and her father butt heads over her duty to her family and the Czech Crown. She is then sequestered to the Royal Viscount’s hunting lodge. Not aware of everything that is happening, she becomes the target of an individual with murderous intent. Her heart soon becomes entangled though her father intends to wed her to another.…
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Review: The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows
It’s summer time in small town America. In the panhandle of West Virginia, Layla is cut off by her wealthy family in the middle of the Great Depression. She is forced to find a job with the Writers Project writing the history of Macedonia, a small town in West Virginia. While working, she will board with the Romeyn family and where we will meet two other main characters: Jottie and Willa. Layla’s assignment is to write the official history of the town, she learns there are plenty of secrets in the town, not to mention plenty of colorful characters. She begins investigating the town and her inquiries force the Romeyn family,…
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Review: The Oracle (The Sarah Weston Chronicles #3) by D. J. Niko
Sarah Weston’s latest adventures and archaeological pursuits have taken her to Greece where she is working with her American colleague (and sometimes romantic interest) Daniel Madigan, cataloging artifacts from a near by dig. In Delphi, there is a cult of neo-pagans who have painstakingly recreated ancient rituals to glorify the god Apollo and deliver oracles to seekers from around the world. When some antiquities are stolen from a museum in Thebes, Sarah Daniel are drawn into a dark plot….someone is using the Delphian oracle as a smoke screen for an information exchange, which could result in devastating consequences. Sarah and Daniel are in a race against time and their own personal demons…
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Review: Mistress of Rome (The Empress of Rome #1) by Kate Quinn
Thea has known nothing but pain for most of her life. Sold as a slave from Judea, the young Jewish girl now lives in Rome and works in the house of a cruel mistress, Lepida. Lepida’s father is in charge of coordinating the gladiator games in Rome and often Lepida and Thea follow him to watch the carnage of the fighting pits. While watching a fight, the crowd is captivated by a fighter known only as the Barbarian. Women throw themselves at him and yet he refuses them. When Lepida sends Thea with a note to the Barbarian, Thea and the fearsome fighter begin a tedious friendship which gradually turns…