A Crowded Marriage by Catherine Alliott

Title: A Crowded Marriage
Author: Catherine Alliott
ISBN: 978-1-4022-5319-5
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Release Date: May 2011
Format: Trade Paperback
$14.99 US
How I Read It: Trade Paperback ARC from publisher
Rating: 4 Crowns



Imogen Cameron can’t quite figure out how she and her husband, Alex, have plummeted from living in their beloved London townhouse to scraping by in his ex-girlfriend’s guest cottage. But although the scenic pastures might inspire her flagging artistic career, and getting out of the city might do their son good, Imogen wonders if all the country air in the world would calm the crowds that are invading her marriage.

There’s a gaggle of psychotic chickens, an infuriatingly bossy vet, that oh-so-sweet ex-girlfriend-and the feeling that her husband is preoccupied with more than just his job.
(from the back of the arc)

My Thoughts:

Imogen Cameron believes that she has a happy marriage, yet it seems that her husband, Alex, is constantly preoccupied. Then suddenly she finds that they are having a bit of a financial crisis and are forced to move into a country cottage (rent-free) that Alex’s ex is offering them. Now this city chick find herself settling in the country with more than just crazy livestock on her mind and an odd bossy vet to deal with.

I have to say that this book started off a bit slow, yet the writing style held my attention and I found myself wanting to know more about the Cameron’s and the direction their marriage was headed. Several of my questions were answered fairly early on in regards to how they met and the lives they led before their marriage and I believe that Alex’s previous marriage sheds light on his current situation (that‘s all I am going to say on that matter, you‘ll have to read the book to get all the juicy gossip). There was even a warning from Alex’s ex-wife to Imogen in regards to his relationship with Eleanor, the ex-girlfriend who owns the cottage in-which they are now residing.

Throughout the novel red flags are rampant, from Alex’s dismissal to the gallery owner hitting on Imogen to his constant avoidance and several times I found myself wanting to scream “JUST CONFRONT HIM ALREADY” and the way she constantly apologized to Alex for embarrassing him made her seem a bit annoying. I wanted her to stand-up for herself a bit sooner to gain a bit of courage. Although you could see that she was trying to cling to the hope that her marriage was still strong.

Overall, this was a rather enjoyable book, one that had me laughing at times and somber at others. Where most books candy-coat marriages making them seem to be sugar and spice and all that is nice, this book was the opposite-it takes the readers into the heart of a troubled marriage showing what went wrong.

There is something in the book that caught my eye as reader of what was to come.

When Imogen is strolling around Peter Jones she runs into Tilly, Alex’s ex-wife. Tilly discovering that Imogen was married to Alex, tells Imogen “Good luck. You’ll need it.” When asked what she meant by that comment, Tilly replies, “In all my married life, Imogen, only one person made me want to behave life a victim. Only one person made me want to reach for the kohl pencil, outline my eyes in black, raise them theatrically to the camera and whisper, ‘There are three of us in this marriage.’ I think you know who I mean. So good luck. As I say, you’ll need it.” (taken from pages 60-61 of the arc)

Many of know that this part “Only one person made me want to reach for the kohl pencil, outline my eyes in black, raise them theatrically to the camera and whisper, ‘There are three of us in this marriage.’ , is referring to the speech that Princess Diana made when her marriage had ended referring to Camilla being the third person in their marriage. That snippet made me set up and take notice and you could sort of sense what was to come, yet I do have to say that this novel does have a few brilliant twists and turns along the way.



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The Rose Without a Thorn by Jean Plaidy

Title: The Rose Without a Thorn
Author: Jean Plaidy
Publisher: Putnam Pub. Group
ISBN: 9780609810170 (Paperback Edition)
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 255
Rating: 3.5 Crowns

Synopsis: From the pen of legendary historical novelist Jean Plaidy comes an unforgettable true story of royalty, passion, and innocence lost.

Born into an impoverished branch of the noble Howard family, young Katherine is plucked from her home to live with her grandmother, the Duchess of Norfolk. The innocent girl quickly learns that her grandmother’s puritanism is not shared by Katherine’s free-spirited cousins, with whom she lives. Beautiful and impressionable, Katherine becomes involved in two ill-fated love affairs before her sixteenth birthday. Like her cousin Anne Boleyn, she leaves her grandmother’s home to become a lady-in-waiting at the court of Henry VIII. The royal palaces are exciting to a young girl from the country, and Katherine finds that her duties there allow her to be near her handsome cousin, Thomas Culpepper, whom she has loved since childhood.

But when Katherine catches the eye of the aging and unhappily married king, she is forced to abandon her plans for a life with Thomas and marry King Henry. Overwhelmed by the change in her fortunes, bewildered and flattered by the adoration of her husband, Katherine is dazzled by the royal life. But her bliss is short-lived as rumors of her wayward past come back to haunt her, and Katherine’s destiny takes another, deadly, turn.

My Review: I love Jean Plaidy, I've never made any secret of that fact, and I found that she does a fabulous job of articulating what I've always thought about Katherine Howard, Henri VIII's ill fated fifth wife. The writing is as masterful as always, and even if you're familiar with the tale of Katherine Howard, I think you'll find yourself wrapped up in this book. The story starts out with Katherine talking to her friend, the scribe, and it is all presented as the story she is telling to the scribe in the days leading up to her death.

Katherine is portrayed as a mostly thoughtless girl who lives entirely for the present, which is totally how I've always thought of her. Time and time again she says something along the lines of "why didn't I think about what this would mean for the future?" And also mentions how she should have thought more about how her actions were so in line with what had sent her cousin, Anne Boleyn, to the scaffold. At one point, Katherine even says that while she believed her cousin to be innocent, she knew she herself was not.

Although this story is not a new one to me, it was presented in a new way in that Katherine knew her actions were dangerous and she gave in to them heedless of the consequences. She was almost noble at times, wanting to protect Thomas Culpepper as much as she could and refraining from saying anything that would implicate him in any way. With that in mind, it's very sad to me that she did what she could to protect him, but didn't seem to be trying to protect Francis Derehem in any way. I mean, what if she had told them that there was a pre-contract? Would it have saved all their lives?

I loved that Plaidy shows Katherine's regrets, even though some of them may be misplaced, and in her way she even tries to make up for her past indiscretions. What is extra interesting to me is that if Katherine lived in today's society, she would have been a pretty normal girl. She just had the misfortune of being born in the wrong time, and catching the eye of the wrong man.

On the whole, this is a fantastic book and I definitely recommend picking it up. I think any fan of Plaidy or Tudor England will really enjoy it.



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Daughter of Satan by Jean Plaidy

Title: Daughter of Satan

Author: Jean Plaidy

ISBN: 0330024809

Publisher: Pan Books

How I Read It: from my own personal library

Format: Mass Market Paperback

288 pages

Release Date: 5/1/1970

Rating: 3 Crowns


Tamar always knew she was different-some say she is the daughter of the Devil. Even her mother believes it. In religiously intolerant England Tamar grows from a strange little girl feared by her neighbors and ostracized by other kids into a wild and beautiful young woman who seeks to capitalize on her reputation as one touched by the Devil-a witch. Circumstances force Tamar to take refuge in the home of kindly scholar Richard Merriman who recognizes a keen intelligence in Tamar. Her beauty soon garners the attentions of Bartle Cavill-a man who is arrogant, brutish, and won't take no for an answer. She also catches the interest of Puritan leader Humility Brown who seeks to banish the darkness in Tamar. Tamar's wild ways soon attract the unwanted attention of Simon Packer, the Witch Pricker who has recently come to town to rid it of evil. She realizes she is in grave danger as are the Puritans for their religious beliefs. Tamar soon has a choice to make: does she belong with Bartle Cavill who is her match in passion or with Humility Brown who appeals to her new found sense of piety? Does she stay in England-the only land she has ever known or does she sail to a new fate in the Americas to escape the persecution at home?

This was a bit different than other Plaidy novels I have read because while it has a historical setting, this one was not based on known historical characters. I thought Plaidy did a great job in this one of building the mood of the time period-the suspicion of the villagers, the religious intolerance, and the hope for the New World. Interestingly in Daughter of Satan none of the main characters are really likable. Bartle Cavill is a malicious bully who uses women as he will. Tamar is naive, proud, and reckless. Humility Brown-the pious Puritan-is overbearing in his religious convictions and acts like loving anything besides God is a mortal sin. Still, I thought this story was quite an adventure and it ending a bit different than I expected it to.

There were really only two areas I really didn't care for. One was Tamar being torn between Bartle and Humility when both seek to tame her spirit in different ways and neither one of them is much of a prize. I did hope she would end up with one over the other, not because I thought they truly belonged together but because he ended up being the lesser of two evils. That didn't sit well with me. The other had to do with Tamar's parentage (I'm not telling who her father was...maybe it was the Devil but you'll have to read it to find out). The circumstances once revealed sounded far fetched and I really had to overlook that and just move on in order to enjoy the story.

I really like Plaidy's books and I appreciated that this one stood apart because it wasn't about a real historical figure. I've enjoyed many of hers that were about historical persons but I think I may try more of her books that are not because she still tells a pretty decent tale without it being centered around someone from history.


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Myself My Enemy by Jean Plaidy

Title: Myself My Enemy

Author: Jean Plaidy
Publisher: Robert Hale, 1983
ISBN: 0709005601
Genre: Historical Fiction
379p

Rating: 3.5 Crowns


This is the story of a tragic queen, told as though by herself, during what is undoubtedly one of the most turbulent periods of English history.

Henrietta Maria's father, Henri IV of France, was murdered a few months after her birth and she grew up in a court of intrigue constantly on the verge of conflict, and strongly under the influence of her Catholic mother, Regent for the boy king.
Henrietta Maria grows up to be a pretty , if somewhat frivolous young woman, with a love of fashion and dancing, and a stubbornness that would prove to have disastrous consequences. Her total commitment to Catholicism and her determination to always get her own way made the early years of her marriage to the Protestant  Charles I difficult but from these tempestuous beginnings grew a true and loving relationship.

Henrietta Maria, fiercely loyal in love, ruthless in hatred, stood beside her husband through the sad progress of his reign. Devoted to each other and their children it was a successful marriage but a doomed political alliance. Blindly they blundered through the years as England marched closer and closer to civil war and that final unimaginable day at Whitehall.

Henrietta Maria would spend the rest of her life in France , dependent on her French relatives, and often struggling to find the means to survive. But she never gave up hope her son would be restored to the English throne, which she did live to see, or that her children would return to the Catholic faith.

My thoughts: Jean Plaidy is an author of historical fiction that the reader can trust. She builds her stories on a foundation of solid facts and brings her characters to life by showing their flaws as well as their good qualities which makes them very human and easy to relate to. One can admire the strengths in Charles and Henrietta and become emotionally involved in their sad love story yet still still be incredibly frustrated by their inability to compromise or to see where their decisions were taking them.
It also provides a look at the early years of their children, Charles II, James II, Mary of Orange and the enchanting 'Minette'.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn something of this period and know what they're learning is a balanced and unbiased account - something which is sadly lacking in some recent historical fiction. I don't think it is one of Jean Plaidy's best as it falters a bit in writing style and there were times when I found it repetitious but it was a reread for me so I was less focused on a story I was already familiar with and more interested in how my perceptions of the book might have changed in thirty years. Overall I still found it great reading and think Jean Plaidy's books have a timeless quality which will always make them appeal to lovers of good historical fiction.

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Awaken The Highland Warrior by Anita Clenney

All Things Weird & Wonderful Saturday!


Each Saturday Royal Reviews will be posting a review about a book that is both Weird & Wonderful. A book that has that extra special quality that makes you want to tell random people about its Weird and Wonderful ways. So please join us as we take a look at All Things Weird & Wonderful!


This weeks Weird & Wonderful book is AWAKEN THE HIGHLAND WARRIOR by Anita Clenney



Title: Awaken The Highland Warrior
Author: Anita Clenney
ISBN: 978-1-4022-5123-2123-8
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Format: Mass-Market Paperback
$6.99
How I Read it: Mass-Market ARC from Publisher
Release Date: May 2011
Rating: 4.5



Synopsis:
A MAN FROM ANOTHER TIME,
AND ANOTHER WORLD…

Faelan is from an ancient clan of Scottish Highland warriors, charged with shielding humanity from demonic forces. He has been sleeping for centuries when Bree Kirkland inadvertently waked him, and he’s hungry in more ways than one….


COULD BE THE TREASURE SHE’S BEEN SEEKING ALL HER LIFE…

Modern Bree shocks Faelan in every way imaginable-her dress, her speech, her spunkiness. And he infuriates Bree every time he tries to protect her-can’t he see she can take care of herself?

With horrific demon enemies suddenly on the move, Bree discovers that Faelan’s duty as protector is in his blood, and she’s the only one who can feed him, body and soul….
(from the back of the arc)


My Thoughts:

This was my first time reading a novel by Anita Clenney and I have to say it will not be my last. Her writing has a brilliant flow that captivates the reader, and in certain spots, I found myself reading even fast as the action picked up. Being a paranormal I was surprised at how interested I became in this novel, normally I tend to lose focus as the plot takes on more of a science fiction vibe, yet with this novel, even though it is paranormal, I found the plot to be believable (not that I believe these things can happen, just that the writing wasn’t forced or so out of whack it made you stop and go what in the world).


The characters were brilliant and very enjoyable to read and each brought their own bit of weird and wonderful into the mix.

Bree is obsessed with the past, particularly the American Civil War, yet her world turns topsy-turvy when she discovers that the ‘treasure’ she though was contained in a vault is actually a Highland warrior from another era. Drawing on bits of information from the Book of Battles, which her Grandmother had in her possession, Bree cannot decide if Faelan is a warrior, or a demon.

Faelan, is a Highland Warrior- although not the typical warrior one might expect, instead of battling other Highland clans, he battled demons and no, not the personal kind. Awakening centuries later, Faelan finds that so much has changed. Women in his days should have been cherished and protected, yet it seems that women these days, particularly Bree, seems to want no part of the protection he has to offer. Torn between duty and desire things become a bit heated, as he has to rely on Bree for his every need.

Of course, when you have a hero you must also have to have a villain, so allow me to introduce you to the creepy Druan. We see his villainy in the prologue, burying a vault or rather watching as his minion buries the vault. We also get a sense of foreboding with the last sentence “Nothing could stop him now.” We then discover that Druan is intent on unleashing dieses that would destroy the world.


Over all this was a rather interesting paranormal romance. The concept was intriguing to read as well, and who would not want to awaken a Highland warrior? This book held elements of both the weird and the wonderful, and I found that I could not put it down.

Overall, the plot can in summed up in a few lines. Bree awaken a Highland warrior who is tall, dark, kilted, and highly irresistible. Faelan, said warrior, must try not to allow his longing for Bree to interfere with his mission to kill Druan, the evil villain intent on starting a demon-germ warfare.






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Looking for a few new reviewers

We are currently looking for a few more royal bloggers to join the Royal Reviews team! We are looking for both permanent bloggers (minimum of 3 reviews per month) as well as Ladies in Waiting (guest bloggers, who fill-in on certain Fridays).

If you are interested or would like to have more information, please email newroyalreviews(at)yahoo(dot)com. We look forward to hearing from you!


As Always,
Happy Reading and Best Wishes,


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The Truth About Mr. Darcy by Susan Adriani review, guest post, & giveaway

I would just like to take a moment to let you know that Blogger has been experiencing some technical problems. If you comment on this post and the comment gets deleted please note that I am not the one deleting the comments. Blogger expects that the deleted posts and the deleted comments will appear back on the Blog with-in the week.



Title: The Truth About Mr. Darcy
Author: Susan Adriani
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN: 978-1-4022-4613-5
$14.99
Format: Trade Paperback
How I read it: Trade Paperback ARC
Rating: 4.5 Crowns

THERE’S NEVER A PERFECT TIME…..

TO BARE YOUR SOUL………

A SEXY COMPELLING PRIDE & PREJUDICE “WHAT IF”……

THE TRUTH ALWAYS HAS CONSEQUENCES……

Mr. Darcy has a dilemma. Should he tell the truth about his old nemesis George Wickham in order to protect the good citizens of Meryton from Wickham’s lies and deceits? Doing so will force Darcy to reveal family secrets that he’d prefer never come to light. The alternative is keeping the man’s nature to himself and hoping he leaves the area before doing significant harm.

But as Wickham’s attentions to Elizabeth increase, Darcy knows if he’s to win the one woman he’s set his heart one, he’s going to have to make one of the most difficult decisions of his life. And what he ultimately does sets in motion a shocking train of events neither he nor Elizabeth could possibly have predicted.
(from the back of the ARC)

My Thoughts:

This is the Pride & Prejudice book that I have been craving! Every aspect of this book worked without feeling forced or out of place and for me that was a major plus. In this book we see the characters in a new light- which I loved, they seemed more real this way, less confined by the restrictions Miss Austen had to adhere to when writing. This is why I love P&P spin-offs, they allow the writer to answer the question most readers have, they answer the “what ifs”.

Being over analytical, I like most readers, wonder what would happen if certain truths came to light before hand, certain characters held a different attitude, or if there back-stories would have been more thoroughly told (or told in general). For me, The Truth About Mr. Darcy allowed me a whole new perspective, and I found that I thoroughly enjoyed it!




I would like to say THANKS to Susan for this lovely guest post, it was a pleasure to have you here today!

What is it like to take Jane Austen's characters and make them my own? Well, to be honest, it's a whole lot of fun! While writing The Truth About Mr. Darcy (formerly published as Affinity and Affection) I got to spend an obscene amount of time with Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, Colonel Fitzwilliam and the Gardiners, Mrs. Bennet and Lydia. Yes, that's right—I enjoyed spending time with Lydia Bennet. With her spunk and self-centered, regency teenage attitude, she was immensely entertaining to work with in terms of dialog, and even character development and growth. She may start out much the same as Jane Austen's original in my story, but by the end of it, Lydia finds herself on a very different path than the one she'd been traveling, and subsequently manages to forge a very different fate for herself.

Mr. Bingley, too, was very enjoyable to write. He still retains his good humor, generosity, and boyish appeal in my story, but I took the liberty of giving him a bit more of a backbone. He is, after all, a grown man in love. The result is he remains in Hertfordshire and proposes to Jane Bennet—after standing up to Darcy and knocking a little bit of sense into him, that is.

Sometimes, however, the characters can be very frustrating, and George Wickham is a perfect example of that. In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, the dashing lieutenant is a bit of a rake; well, perhaps more than a bit. Without her brother's knowledge, Mr. Wickham engages Georgiana Darcy's affections (a girl nearly half his age and £30,000 his consequence) and attempts to elope with her. Fortunately for Georgiana, Darcy discovers them in time and puts a stop to his plan. Several months later, Wickham joins a regiment of militia in Hertfordshire, where he pays his attentions to the penniless Elizabeth Bennet (as well as half the other ladies in Hertfordshire), but proposes marriage to the freckle-faced Mary King (who is suddenly rendered appealing by an inheritance of £10,000). Lastly, once the regiment removes to Brighton for the summer, Wickham abandons his post, as well as a debt of honor or two, and absconds to London with Lydia Bennet, whom he convinces to accompany him under the guise of an elopement. Of course, he never marries her once they arrive.

In my story, I'm afraid Wickham is much more of a villain. I didn't intend for him to be, but he seemed to have a very firm attitude on the subject and no qualms whatsoever about letting me know. No matter how many times I tried to tone down his debauchery, he was right there fighting me at every turn. He had a voice and wanted to speak. After countless re-writes—not to mention headaches—I finally gave up trying to tether him and allowed him to do what he pleased. As a result, his attitude toward Darcy is more resentful, his actions more base, and his intent to injure his former childhood friend and benefactor, much more blatant and harmful. Needless to say, with such an attitude, the story cannot end well for Mr. Wickham, and it doesn't. If you're curious to find out what happens to him, though, my lips are sealed. I'm afraid you'll just have to read the book!

Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, I'm sorry to report, also gave me a bit of difficulty every now and then, but not in the same manner, or to the same extent as Mr. Wickham. No, they chose to court trouble of an entirely different nature, and they courted it frequently. To demonstrate, I'll leave you with an excerpt from The Truth About Mr. Darcy. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed being here today.

My sincere appreciation and heartfelt thanks for taking the time to read my post, but especially to Angela, for having me as her guest today. It's been a pleasure to be here!

Excerpt from The Truth About Mr. Darcy -
So intoxicated was Darcy by Elizabeth’s presence, and so overwhelmed was he by the intimacy of the words they had exchanged on the balcony, he did not even realize the liberties he was taking with her—and in full view of Bingley’s guests, no less. Indeed, he could think of nothing beyond the beautiful woman in front of him, of how she had looked at him only moments before with such heartfelt delight and tenderness in her eyes, and of how very much he longed to be alone with her once more so he could continue to reassure her, in a most ardent fashion, of his devotion. With such sentiments, Darcy could no more stop himself at that moment from reaching around to unclasp her wrap and whisper words of adoration to her than he could stop the rise of the sun in the east. Mrs. Bennet was the first to reach them, nearly tripping herself in her efforts to remove Elizabeth from the overly solicitous company of the wrong man before steering her toward the correct one, leaving Darcy gaping after her in shock as he found himself suddenly jolted back to reality.

Unsurprisingly, her voice carried to half the room. “What do you think you are doing, Miss Lizzy, leaving Mr. Collins alone while you scamper about? Why, if I were Mr. Collins, I would begin to think you did not care for me at all, and I would be quite put out by your ungenerous, unfeeling behavior, no matter how rich and disagreeable a man Mr. Darcy has shown himself to be!”

“Mama, please,” Elizabeth murmured most uncomfortably. “He is not at all disagreeable, and he will hear you.”

“And what should you care if he does?” her mother replied with indignation. “Mark my words; there is nothing for you in that quarter, so you had better concentrate your efforts for the rest of the night on securing Mr. Collins. Oh, selfish child! You have no compassion for my poor nerves!”

Elizabeth could do nothing but allow her mother to hand her over to the keeping of Mr. Collins and look miserably at Darcy from across the room as her father approached him.

“Well, well, Mr. Darcy, you look exactly like a young boy who has just had his favorite toy taken away from him.”

Darcy had no idea how to respond to such a statement by Elizabeth’s father, and so he wisely chose to remain silent.

“I have noticed your admiration for my daughter on several occasions, sir, but I must confess I was rather startled by your marked attentions to Elizabeth in such a public setting as this. I trust you have not failed to realize you were observed in your attentions by others, as well?” he asked.

Darcy swallowed. “No, sir. It has, by no means, escaped my notice.”

“I also trust I have been in company with you often enough to understand you are not the kind of man to trifle with a gentleman’s daughter, so I can only assume your intentions toward Elizabeth are honorable.”

“Yes, they are. You have my word, Mr. Bennet, as a gentleman.”

“Come see me tomorrow morning, Mr. Darcy, and we shall continue this discussion in a more appropriate environment.”



I HAVE TWO COPIES TO GIVEAWAY
CONTEST IS INTERNATIONAL
ENDS ON MAY 27
WINNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED BY THE 28


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The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez

Title: The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul

(US title The Cup of Friendship)
Author: Deborah Rodriguez
ISBN 9781742750019
Publisher: Random House, 2011
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Chicklit
286p

Rating 3.5 Crowns

 This is the story of a country torn apart by war, of a little cafe in Kabul and the five very different women it brings together. As these five discover there's more to one another than meets the eye, they form a unique bond that will for ever change their lives and the lives of many others.

Sunny, the proud proprietor, a warm hearted and generous American who has grown to love her life in Kabul but who needs an ingenious plan - and fast - to keep her cafe and customers safe.

Yazmina, a young pregnant woman stolen from her remote village and now abandoned on Kabul's violent streets, she is rescued by Sunny and works at the coffee shop.

Candace, a wealthy American who has finally left her husband for her Afghan lover, the slick and enigmatic Wakil.

Isabel, a determined British journalist with a secret that might keep her from the biggest story of her life.

 And Halajan, the sixty-year-old den mother, whose long-hidden love affair breaks all the rules. My favourite of the five she has seen it all......" in the burqa and out of the burqa, in miniskirts, back into long dresses - the wars that took friends and family, the droughts that caused famine and killed the roses and the trees of Kabul, and she realized she, like her country, had survived." Nothing has broken her spirit and she loves to flout the Taliban's rules in her own small way.

This is a book for women, about women. Each of them has a secret, each of them is fearful of the future but they all find strength and hope through the friendship and support of the others. Their individual stories are fairly predictable and because there are so many characters, in a book of less than 300 pages , there's not much room for character development.

It is Afghanistan that takes centre stage. Deborah Rodriguez , author of the memoir Kabul Beauty School , lived and worked in Kabul and her love and knowledge of this country and it's people make for a background rich in details of the culture and customs. She takes every opportunity to weave women's issues into the storyline and for anyone interested in learning about these subjects this is an excellent introduction .

It's well written, light and easy reading and includes at the back a Q & A with the author, book club discussion questions, and some Afghan recipes.

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Sixteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton

Title: Sixteenth Summer
Author: Michelle Dalton
ISBN: 1442423447
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication date: May 3, 2011
Genre: YA
Pages: 320
Rating: 3.5 Crowns

Synopsis:

Anna is dreading another tourist-filled summer on Dune Island that follows the same routine: beach, ice cream, friends, repeat. That is, until she locks eyes with Will, the gorgeous and sweet guy visiting from New York. Soon, her summer is filled with flirtatious fun as Anna falls head over heels in love.
But with every perfect afternoon, sweet kiss, and walk on the beach, Anna can’t ignore that the days are quickly growing shorter, and Will has to leave at the end of August. Anna’s never felt anything like this before, but when forever isn’t even a possibility, one summer doesn’t feel worth the promise of her heart breaking….

My thoughts:

Sixteenth Summer is a sweet romance that deals with first love and the pitfalls of relationships. It is saved from being overwhelmingly saccharine by Anna's struggles with Will's impending departure and the difficulties Anna's best friend Caroline faces in her own new relationship. I enjoyed getting to know Anna and Will and their families. The story did remind me a little of The Last Song (the film-I haven't read the Nicholas Sparks book yet) due to its setting and the scenes with the sea turtles.

I liked that Anna and Will were realistic about where their relationship was heading and that even while she was wrapped up in the joys of a new romance, Anna did not forget about her friends or family. She also did some growing up over the course of the book and her views towards the summer guests changed through her interactions with Will and his family. There are a lot of sweet moments and the descriptions of the beach and ice cream made me long for summer. This is not a deep book but it is a great beach read and a refreshingly clean romance. It is the kind of book that will leave you with a smile on your face.

Christina T @ Reading Extensively

Mr. Darcy and the Secret of Becoming a Gentleman by Maria Hamilton

Title: Mr. Darcy and the Secrets of Becoming a Gentleman
Author: Maria Hamilton
ISBN: 978-1-4022-4418-6
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: May 2011
Format: Trade Paperback
$14.99
How I Read It: Trade Paperback from the Publisher
Rating: 4.5 Crowns

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE, HE HAS TO WORK FOR HIS REWARD…

Darcy is shocked when Elizabeth refuses his hand-- and then it begins to dawn on him how very bad his behavior has been. Now he’s on a mission to change himself and to change Elizabeth’s mind. But Elizabeth Bennet is not easily swayed.

And then there’s her family. Misinterpreting Darcy’s intentions, meddling friends and family may derail Darcy’s cause. With misunderstandings in the air, and even his closest allies unable to help him, unless Darcy can really transform himself, he’s never going to win Elizabeth over…
(from the back of the arc)

My Thoughts:

It is novels such as this that makes me fall in love with Pride & Prejudice all over again. I love watching the characters that Jane Austen created, transform and grow into even more splendid characters and in this novel, we Darcy transform and mature in a sense. Being after the failed proposal, this novel explores the concept of what would happen if Darcy heeded Elizabeth’s advice sooner rather than later. While trying to make amends for his ill deeds, Darcy unintentionally gives the impression that he wishes to wed Jane rather than Elizabeth, therefore creating more drama for himself.

Maria Hamilton has done a brilliant job with her debut novel, and offers readers a unique look into the mind of Mr. Darcy. Whereas Jane Austen was limited to only showing events from a woman’s perspective, Mr. Darcy and the Secret of Becoming a Gentleman, is wrote from Darcy’s POV, thus adding a more rounded approach to the novel.

I hope that this will be the first of many Austen-Inspired novels that Maria Hamilton dazzles us with!

I would like to thank Maria Hamilton for this lovely Guest Post!
Jane Austen has so many remarkable characters, but is seems that Mr. Darcy attracts the most attention. What drew you to use Mr. Darcy?

I have always been drawn to Mr. Darcy because he is someone you want to know more about. I think the Pride & Prejudice endures from generation to generation because Jane Austen wrote it in a very unorthodox and brave manner. Most authors want the reader to identify and bond with the main characters early in the novel in order to ensure that they care about what happens to the characters through the evolving storyline. Austen certainly does that with Elizabeth Bennett. You understand and admire her very quickly. You are soon empathizing with her situation in life and admiring her bold choices, such as rejecting Mr. Collins with amused and mounting alarm. When Elizabeth makes a clever remark that listeners like Caroline Bingley of Lady Catherine misinterpret, the readers feel that they get the inside joke and as a result, are her ally and confidant.

In contrast, the readers hardly knows anything about Mr. Darcy that gives any insight into who he is until half the book is done. At the beginning, we all know he’s rich and powerful, but without more information and Wickham’s misinformation, we jump (along with Elizabeth Bennett) to the wrong conclusion regarding his basic character. He also says and does a series of stupid things that seem to weigh in favor of rejecting him whenever you feel some empathy for him. Moreover, we are never privy to his inner thoughts and as a result, when he asks Elizabeth Bennett to marry him, the readers is as confused as she is. You had a sense that he liked her but you can’t understand why he does. How he has escaped everyone’s proper estimation of him save Charlotte Lucas’ shrew eye.

Mr. Darcy then proves himself to be the best of men and the reader along with Elizabeth Bennett must then reevaluate hard prior judgments. At that point, you want to find out more about all you have missed about him. We know that he loves Elizabeth for her wit, independence, and intelligence, but how exactly did that come about? And, what did he do between Hunsford and the Gardiners visit to Pemberley? Was he tempted to confide his failed proposal to his sister or his cousin? Did he being to drink or try to socialize to help him forget Elizabeth and his rejection? We never really know and, as the story progresses to a happy ending, we do not learn that much more about him. In keeping with the propriety of the age, Austen doesn’t dwell on the couple’s developing intimacy and their courtship is primarily left to the reader’s imagination. Similarly, because Austen never wrote scenes between men where a female character is not present, we never hear Darcy confiding to contours of his bumpy courtship to Bingley or explaining his engagement to his cousin in the manner Elizabeth does with Jane. We also never see how he asks Mr. Bennett for permission to marry his daughter and whether he mentions how he came to love her.

It is this missing information that led me to write my first novel Mr. Darcy and the Secret of Becoming a Gentleman. I wanted to fill in many of those missing scenes and I felt the best way to do so was to put the characters in a different situation and then have the story unfold accordingly. Mr. Darcy’s most important character trait is his willingness to reassess his behavior after Elizabeth rejects him and his ability to then change his manners to address her criticism. I wanted to explore that process and see him struggle with it. I also wanted to write dialogue and scenes between Darcy and Elizabeth as they get to know each other’s hidden personalities as Austen often summarizes those events (“he expressed himself on the occasion as sensibly and as warmly as a man violently in love can be supposed to do”).

In my novel, I introduced the reader to Mr. Darcy immediately after his rejection at Hunsford. He begins to evaluate Elizabeth’s rebukes of his prior actions and decides to correct his mistakes regarding Jane and Mr. Bingley much earlier. Doing do is harder to accomplish than he imagined and he is forced to return to Hertfordshire. Once there, he is reunited with Elizabeth and after some initial misunderstanding regarding the purpose of his return, they are able to get to know each other without the cloud of prior misconceptions. Their courtship then grows. I hope that my story allows the reader to see some of the missing scenes from Pride & Prejudice as they might have unfolded and watch Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth’s courtship from a more intimate vantage point but I will let the readers be the judge.





About the Author

Maria Hamilton has been a lifelong Jane Austen fan. Her first novel Mr. Darcy and the Secret of Becoming a Gentleman, was published by Sourcebooks in May 2011. She is presently working on several projections including a new Pride & Prejudice variation. She attended Boston College where she earned a B.A. and then a M.A. in history. She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and presently works as an attorney in Boston. Her interests include travel, cinema, the Red Sox, and bicycling. She is perpetually learning Italian and hopes one day to attempt a complete conversation. She lives in southern New Hampshire with her husband, two children, and her dog Poseidon.

If you are interested in Maria’s writing style, she has two Pride & Prejudice short stories available on the internet at http://www.austeninterlude.org/maria/maria.html



I have two copies to giveaway. Contest is International. Giveaway Ends May 27, 2011



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“The Queen of the Quill”