Farewell my Queen by Chantal Thomas

Title: Farewell, My Queen

Author: Chantal Thomas

ISBN: 978-0-7432-6078-7

Publisher: Touchstone

Format: Trade Paperback

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 233

How I Read It: from my own personal library

Rating: 2.5 Crowns

Agathe Sidonie-Laborde is a 65 year old exile living in Vienna.  Once the assistant reader to Queen Marie Antoinette, Agathe recalls the period of 14-16 July 1789, the beginning of the French Revolution where the splendour of the court of Versailles starts to crumble and the discontent of the people in Paris reaches new heights.

My thoughts: The book piqued my interest because it tells the well known story of the fall of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette from Agathe's  unique perspective and focuses on just those few days when it all began to fall apart.  I found it interesting that the courtiers held onto the belief that the King would be able to pacify the people and things would continue as before.  It was quite obvious to anyone else that this was not the case.  Even when Agathe innocently wanders a little too far away from the Grand Apartments of Versailles, she is greeted by a host of unsavory characters.  Even the palace guards were mutinous, refusing to announce the nobility or pointedly ignoring them.  I did enjoy the insider view of the court provided by Agathe, particularly seeing the courtiers abandon their strict social principles amidst their anxiety.  Still, even when some became worried enough to flee I didn't get the sense the characters grasped the seriousness of the situation.

I had several problems getting through this book even though it wasn't very long.  The main issue was that I felt the characters were two dimensional and not well defined.  Even with Agathe, the protagonist, I felt as if I did not get much of a sense of her.  Some characters were mentioned off-handedly and while I could tell they were important persons by their titles or the way those around them referred to them, they were too numerous and not well fleshed out enough for me to remember or care who they were.

I like when authors give a not often seen point of view but choosing Agathe, someone who wasn't really important at Versailles at all (Marie Antoinette was not much of a reader), only let us see a limited view of what was occurring.  Half the time she spent with the rest of the court worrying and waiting and the reader finds out about developments through gossip with other characters.  I got the sense that the Queen was deeply unhappy with having to stay in France when she wanted to flee and the King was so sure of the love of the people he really seemed quite oblivious to what was really going on.  Other than these impressions I didn't really get much more out of the royal couple beyond that.  The book is very detailed but some of it was mundane and unimportant which slowed the pace down to a crawl at points.

I know this book won the Prix Femina award in France but the issues I encountered really diminished my enjoyment of the book.  It was just ok for me and honestly I've read much better books about the French Revolution.  Interestingly enough, this book is being adapted into a movie starring Diane Krueger as Marie Antoinette.  First stills from the movie can be found HERE.  This is one instance where I'm willing to bet the movie will be better than the book.

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The Treasure of Montsegur by Sophy Burnham

Title: The Treasure of Montsegur
Author: Sophy Burnham
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: HarperCollins, 2002
ISBN: 0732275946
317p

Rating 4.5 Crowns

A Novel of the Cathars

In 1243–44, the Cathars (a religious sect considered heretical by the Catholic Church) were besieged at Montségur by 10,000 troops at the end of the Albigensian Crusade. In March 1244, the Cathars finally surrendered and approximately 220 were burned en masse in a bonfire at the foot of the pog when they refused to renounce their faith. Some 25 actually took the ultimate Cathar vow of consolamentum perfecti in the two weeks before the final surrender.
 In the days prior to the fall of the fortress, several Cathars allegedly slipped through the besiegers' lines carrying away a mysterious "treasure" with them. While the nature and fate of this treasure has never been identified, there has been much speculation as to what it might have consisted of — from the treasury of the Cathar Church to esoteric books or even the actual Holy Grail.

The Castle of Montsegur

This is the setting against which Sophy Burnham tells the story of a young woman whose destiny was to be entwined with that of the Cathars. Found abandoned as a tiny child Jeanne is raised in a loving Cathar household . On a visit to Montsegur as a young girl and roaming the hillside with a companion they discover a hidden cave which many years later will become instrumental to her future. Jeanne's life as a noblewoman proceeds through several love affairs, marriage and a child ........she struggles to find happiness and to accept the gift of healing that grows stronger as the years pass. Eventually she returns to Montsegur and those she loves , sharing the desperate days of the siege and knowing she will also share their fate. Until the Cathar Bishop asks her to lead those chosen to remove the treasure to the secret cave. This task will save her life but leave her struggling to survive.


It is as the fugitive forever running from the 'black crows' of the Inquisition that Jeanne looks back and tells her story. The author has created a chilling atmosphere of a time when people lived in constant fear, unable to trust their closest family and friends, for the easiest way to avoid suspicion was to point the finger at someone else. The violence, the tortures and terror the Church inflicted on the people is horrible to read about but there is throughout the book a beautiful spiritual thread of love and hope .

Googling the author I discovered her writing does have strong spiritual elements which may not appeal to some people but I thought it was lovely. A story of true faith and courage, of unexpected love and unexpected betrayal during a dark period of history and a novel that will be sure to appeal to historical fiction lovers. This is another book that has never seemed to receive much attention and I take every opportunity to shine the spotlight on and recommend.

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The Soldier by Grace Burrowes

Title: The Soldier (booke 2 in The Duke’s Obsession Series)
Author: Grace Burrowes
ISBN: 978-1-4022-4567-1
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date:” June 2011
Format: Mass Market
$6.99
Genre: Historical Romance
Pages: 448
How I Read it: Mass Market ARC from publishers
Rating: 5 Crowns A ROYAL READ

HE IS WEARY IN BODY & SPIRIT

Devlin St. Just has tried everything to escape his demons. But his responsibilities are multiplying and his despair deepening, until beautiful, enigmatic neighbor Emmaline Farnum steps in…

SHE’S GOT EVERYTHING TO HIDE…

Devlin’s torn spirit calls to Emmaline, but even as she gives in to his irresistible caresses and her own growing desires, she’s keeping a devastating secret…

Protecting Emmaline becomes Devlin’s urgent mission, if only he can over come the forces that are driving them irretrievably apart…
(from the back of the arc)

My Review:

Devlin St. Just is a wounded man, yet his wounds have left no mark upon his body, it is his heart and soul that bare the scars of his past. After the war, Devlin returns home by force bringing with him the ghosts of his past. After aiding his brother, Gayle Windham, Earl of Westhaven Devlin now finds himself the newly created Earl of Rosecroft. With the peerage comes the problems associated with it, not only does that include the dilapidated estate of Rosecroft, it also includes a stubborn little girl who has been shunned for being illegitimate and allowed to run free for far too long.

An illegitimate son, who believes his mother, abandoned him, a solider with wounds you cannot see, a broken man in need of his saving grace. Devlin St. Just has mountains to overcome, but with the aid of his family he begins to heal.

Emmaline Fernum, or Emmie as she is known, is the town baker who lives in small cottage upon Rosecroft estate. Like little Winnie she too is shunned because of the actions of her family. When Devlin arrives and assumes responsibility for Winnie, Emmie is determined to make sure that she is well cared for. She is also determined to keep the secrets that she holds. Although the more she is around Devlin, the more she finds herself drawn to him yet she still runs/


My Thoughts:

I have to start by saying that THE SOLDIER is the second book in Grace Burrowes, The Duke’s Obsession series. THE SOLDIER reads as a standalone novel, although I highly recommend that you read THE HEIR first.

With that being said, let me tell you my thoughts on the book.

When reading The HEIR, the first book in the series, I found that I was drawn to Devlin St. Just. I wanted to know more about this man who seemed so burdened by his past. I could not wait to read this book. And let me just tell you that once I got my hands on it, I devoured it.

My heart bled for Devlin as he struggled with the unseen wounds war left upon him. You see him making progress only to have an event as simple as a thunderstorm pull the rug out from underneath him. Yet he prevailed. He knew that those around him depended upon him, especially little Winnie. I also enjoyed the family connection portrayed in this book. Family is front and center in this book, and you feel the ties that bind them together as well as the love they shared, and the fact that they would do anything for those they loved.

It was almost as if Devlin were a soul laid bare, his thoughts and feelings being very prevalent in this book. The hero’s in The Duke’s Obsession series are very emotional and I believe that is why I have enjoyed this series thus far.

Emmie was also likable, although I wished that she would have stopped trying to run a bit sooner, but with the secret she held (I figured out her hidden fact early on) I could see and appreciate the reasons behind her actions. In the story she was viewed as an outcast by the villagers, although I found it funny that they could buy her baked goods and have her to make their wedding cakes while ostracizing her. I found myself wanting her to scream make your own bloody bread/cakes, to standup for herself a bit more, but like I said before I knew the reason behind her actions.

This is my favorite book thus far in The Duke’s Obsession series. Well paced, well plotted, brilliant characters. I truly hated to see this book come to an end, although I am anxiously waiting for Val’s story




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Heart of the Highland Wolf by Terry Spear

Title: Heart of the Highland Wolf
Author: Terry Spear
ISBN: 978-1-4022-4552-7
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: June 2011
Format: Mass Market Paperback
$7.99
Genre: Paranormal Romance- Scotland
Pages: 416
How I read it: Mass Market Paperback ARC from the publishers
Rating: 4.5 Crowns

IT’S A MATTER OF PRIDE….

Modern day werewolf laird Ian MacNeill reluctantly allows a film production company to use his castle, but he knows his secretive clan has a big problem when a beautiful read werewolf female who insists she’s working on the film keeps showing up in the wrong places…

AND A MATTER OF PLEASURE….

Julia Wildthorn is not who she says she is--she’s sneaking into Argent Castle to steal an ancient relic for her grandfather and to do research for her next werewolf romance novel. When she catches a glimpse of Ian, she realizes he’s the perfect hero…
(from the back of the arc)

My Review:

Julia Wildthorn, werewolf romance writer, has writer’s block. When she discovers that the film crew her friend, Maria, works with is looking for a castle to film at, Julie knows the perfect place, Argent Castle. What better place then a castle to overcome writers block, at least that is the guise that she uses to convince Maria to let her play assistant while the movie is being filmed. Although Julia has a more personal reason for wanting an all access pass into to the halls of Argent and that reason comes in the form of a mission from her grandfather to retrieve that once belonged to their ancestors hidden in the walls of Argent.

Laying eyes in Ian, she realizes that her story may be closer to truth than the fiction she is known to write.

Ian MacNeill is a secretive Highland laird with two goals. Protect his clan. Protect his clans secret. For those two things, he will fight to the death. Therefore, when one of his brothers enters into a faulty investment scheme, circumstances demand that Ian raise a small fortune to ensure that he maintains hold of Argent Castle. Unfortunately, dire circumstances calls for dire measures, and in Ian’s case, this comes in the form of allowing a film crew access to the grounds of Argent.

Ian has already informed the film crew that no one, and he means NO ONE, is to be on the grounds without his permission, and under no circumstances are they permitted access to the castle. With that statement being released, Ian is left wondering why Julia is constantly stalking the propriety.

What will happen when the truth is revealed?

My Thoughts:

This is the first book that I have read by Terry Spear, and I have to say that it will not be my last. When I received this book in the post for review, I had the intention to just read the description on the back, flip through the first few pages, and then place it in my tbr pile. None of that happened. Instead of just a quick look over, I found myself hooked and had to read more than what was offered in the blurb. I ended up reading the book in one sitting.
Aside from the fact that they were werewolves, the characters are believable and I found myself wanting to know more about who they were and the story they had to tell. They were layered and you could feel the tension, the attraction, and the suspicion that Ian and Julia held for each other. The chemistry between the characters was brilliant and I believe that enhanced the novel greatly.

We also have a brilliant collection of secondary characters in the form of Ian’s brothers and Julia’s friend Maria and that added depth and insight to the story and I found that I wanted to know more about them as well.

The plot was very well maintained, fast paced, and completely and utterly fascinating. HEART OF THE HIGHLAND WOLF, is one of those read me now novels. The kind that you pick up and devour start to finish. The perfect summer novel!

Please checkout this lovely Q&A with Terry Spear and enter to win a copy of HEART OF THE HIGHLAND WOLF, HERE!





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Terry Spear interview and giveaway!

First off, let me take a moment to say thank you to Terry Spear for this lovely Q&A!


Question: Tell us something about yourself, so that we can get to know you a bit better…

Terry: I’ve been creating stories since I was young, which might also have something to do with my dad who was a great oral storyteller. But with working as a personnel officer in the Army, working on an MBA, personnel courses, the Command and General Staff College, and having a family, I had to set aside my storytelling for a time. Then when my son and daughter were little and I was teaching them to read, I began to write children’s stories, falling in love with the process of storytelling all over again. Then I wrote a western historical romance and that was the beginning of writing romances and I haven’t stopped since!

Question 2: Heart of the Highland Wolf was released this month--congrats! How did you come up with the concept?

Terry: Well, you see, it was all my fault for asking my coworkers what I could write differently in my next story. And one accused me of never writing about poor werewolves. They were all rich! But I had it in mind that my next book would be about Highland wolves. So, I had to come up with a story that would work well for both. And yet, I love historical Highland stories, so how could I come up with an idea that suited both a historical theme in a contemporary story while still having poor werewolves?

I have to say my coworkers are great fun. So what I came up with was a wolf clan that had lost their investments to a scam artist and the necessity for their pack leader to allow an American movie to be filmed at their castle. That allowed me to show Highlanders in kilts fighting against a real enemy clan, damsels in distress, wolf fights, and romance Highland style. Yep, lots and lots of conflict, hot and passionate romance, and pack dynamics as they dealt with clan conflict also. Oh, of course there’s got to be a castle with hidden passages and even a ghostly presence to make the story complete!


Question 3: The MacNeill brothers are quadruplets, and while we meet each of the brothers in this novel, this is Ian’s story-will the other three brothers have a book of their own?

Terry: Oh, absolutely! Duncan’s story is next in the series, THE HIGHLAND WOLF IN PARADISE, title probably to change. But he’s the dark warrior in HEART OF THE HIGHLAND WOLF and is bound and determined to get the money back that the scam artist stole from them. He is extremely mission-oriented, but when he runs into a lone female wolf at the airport, and discovers the hotel room his next older brother reserved for him doesn’t exist, Duncan has to find other accommodations. And that’s paradise for you! But what happens when the man who stole the clan’s money becomes interested in the female wolf? There’s real trouble in paradise! Of course, I’d love to also write about their financial genius of a brother who got them into this mess in the first place, and the second eldest brother, Cearnach, who has a way with the ladies, and is always good of cheer.

Question 4: What drew you to writing werewolf romances?

Terry: Vampires 8) Oh, yes, I know everyone’s wondering how vampires could make a writer want to write about werewolves. But you see, I was writing about these really hot and sexy, not cold and dead, vampires and so was everyone else and their brother! Well, some were cold and dead. The vampires writers were writing about. Not writers’ brothers. And so methinks I need to write about some other hot and sexy paranormal type. I had seen movies about the werewolf beasts--all horror stories, and yet there was a touch of humanity in their characters, to an extent. And I’d recently read Jack London’s CALL OF THE WILD and WHITE FANG, and loved his take on wolves. I never had any notion of writing any other kind of werewolf than one who had human instincts and a wolf’s senses, but was one with his wolf half. No psychiatrist couch needed. No killing monsters, except oh, sure, you’ve got to have a bad guy or two. But just like in every society, we have good guys and bad guys. Same with wolves. Years ago when I entered my first wolf book, HEART OF THE WOLF, in a contest, an editor from a NY publishing house thought it was a great twist on a horror story. Horror story? But yes, that’s what werewolf stories were all about…in the beginning. Now, they come in all shapes and sizes, and are lovable and keepable. I love being a writer because I can make up my own words.

Question 5: I have heard that you have another shape-shifting romance in the works in the form of a Jaguar Shifter Series, what can you tell us about that?

Terry: Think hot steamy jungles, hot sexy jaguars, rainforests, waterfalls, the music of birds and the call of howler monkeys, of danger and intrigue and mystery. And hot jaguars. Did I mention that already?

Question 6: Do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring authors?

Terry: Never give up! The best advice I can give is to keep writing, revising, and submitting! Also, you should absolutely love the genre you’re writing because to make a name for yourself so that readers will begin to follow your work, you want to brand yourself. But if writing in a certain genre is just to follow a fad, and as a writer you don’t really enjoy reading or writing it, readers will see this in your work. So you have to love the genre you write in because you’ll need to write lots more than just one book in that genre to really garner a following. Even with seven books out in this series, a lot of readers are nor discovering the series.

Finish what you start. I bounce around on several stories at once because I’ll get stumped on one and work on another so I’m always writing. But to sell, you have to finish a story. So at some point, I have to make myself write just that one story, until the hero and the heroine have their happy ever after and I have a closure and can send the book off!

But most of all, enjoy the writing process! Love your characters, share your passion with them, and keep on writing!

Thanks so much for having me here today!! Hope everyone checks out a nice hunky Highland werewolf of two!!


IT’S A MATTER OF PRIDE….

Modern day werewolf laird Ian MacNeill reluctantly allows a film production company to use his castle, but he knows his secretive clan has a big problem when a beautiful read werewolf female who insists she’s working on the film keeps showing up in the wrong places…

AND A MATTER OF PLEASURE….

Julia Wildthorn is not who she says she is--she’s sneaking into Argent Castle to steal an ancient relic for her grandfather and to do research for her next werewolf romance novel. When she catches a glimpse of Ian, she realizes he’s the perfect hero…
(from the back of the arc)


I HAVE TWO COPIES OF HEART OF THE HIGHLAND WOLF TO GIVE AWAY!
CONTEST END ON JULY 19.
RESIDENTS OF THE US & CANADA ONLY

Madonna of the Seven Hills by Jean Plaidy

Title: Madonna of the Seven Hills

Author: Jean Plaidy

Publisher: Broadway

ISBN: B004G5ZXP2 (Kindle Edition)

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 320

Rating: 4 Crowns

Synopsis: Fifteenth-century Rome: The Borgia family is on the rise. Lucrezia’s father, Pope Alexander VI, places his illegitimate daughter and her only brothers, Cesare, Giovanni, and Goffredo, in the jeweled splendor—and scandal—of his court. From the Pope’s affairs with adolescent girls to Cesare’s dangerous jealousy of anyone who inspires Lucrezia’s affections to the ominous birth of a child conceived in secret, no Borgia can elude infamy.

Young Lucrezia gradually accepts her fate as she comes to terms with the delicate nature of her relationships with her father and brothers. The unbreakable bond she shares with them both exhilarates and terrifies her as her innocence begins to fade. Soon she will understand that her family’s love pales next to their quest for power and that she herself is the greatest tool in their political arsenal.

From the inimitable pen of Jean Plaidy, this family’s epic legend is replete with passion, intrigue, and murder—and it’s only the beginning.

My Review: I didn't know much about the Borgia's before reading this, and I had such a great time learning about them as I was reading this! Just like any other book by Plaidy, you can always count on her to tell a story in such an interesting way that you don't even realize it's based on history.

The Borgia's are such an interesting family, I loved the dynamic Plaidy portrayed between the brothers and Lucrezia, as well as their father, who loves them more than anything in the world. Alexander is just as conniving as any King you've read about in any historical piece, politicking his way to the top of the Church and placing his children in strategic positions both in the church and around the rest of Italy.

Poor Lucrezia is stuck in the middle of everything, a pawn in everyone's game, used for whatever suits Alexander and to a lesser extent, her brothers. It makes me feel so bad for all the women during this time period, they have so little choice and get lucky every now and then to have an understanding husband once they're married. Lucrezia is lucky to have a father who protects her from everyone but her own family, which is both good and bad considering how manipulative her brothers can be.

I really enjoyed this story and since it's the first of a two books about the Borgias, I'll definitely be reading the second one. I think this is a great introduction to the Borgia family, shining a great light on Lucrezia and showing us fabulous insight into the her family and the time period. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, or anything set in Italy during this time frame.

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Mr. Darcy Goes Overboard by Belinda Roberts review & Giveaway

Title: Mr. Darcy Goes Overboard
Author: Belinda Roberts
ISBN: 978-1-4022-46936-7
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmarks
Format: Trade Paperback
$9.99
How I Read It: ARC from the publishers
Rating: 4 Crowns

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a yacht must be in want of a female crew…

The balmy seaside resort town of Salcombe boasts the best in bikinis, sandcastle contests, distance swims, and as fiercely competitive squad of buff local lifeguards as Regatta Week approaches.

And if that weren’t enough excitement, Mrs. Bennet hears that the splendid villa Netherpollock has been rented out by a young man of great fortune. She is determined that he’ll go out with one of her daughters, until Mr. Darcy glides into the harbor on his stunning yacht Pemberley and she decides on the instant that he would be the better catch…

Jane Austen has never been so hilariously recreated as in this modern retelling of Pride & Prejudice, complete with a Mr. Darcy you won’t soon forget.




My Thoughts:

A fun retelling of Pride & Prejudice that is aimed for more of a young to middle teen audience although it does hold amusement for adult readers, especially Pride & Prejudice addicts. I liked the fact that this book is geared for teens; I hope that this book will introduce a new generation to the works of Jane Austen. The characters actions and behavior remained true to what Miss Austen created, yet they held a modern air.

As I said before the characters as well as the plot, stays true to the original fashion of Miss Austen making the book have to feel of visiting old friends in a new setting. I still feel exceedingly sorry for Mr. Bennet, as Mrs. Bennet is still overly active and vocal. Elizabeth, or Lizzy, is still loveable. Darcy is still a bit snooty, and Bingley is still a bit daft in his own loveable way. The usual suspects are still all make appearances where you would expect them.

A fast-paced read, that will keep you hooked to the end. I found that I could not put this book down.

I would have liked to give this book a higher rating, although the events that took place in chapter 58, with Darcy pulling out a copy of P&P, made the book feel a bit off kilter. Other than that, I found this book to be perfectly enjoyable.

I do have to say that this was a hilarious novel. I found myself laughing out loud many times and the bits with Mr. Collins were almost to much to handle.

Who would I recommend this book to?
Teen or tweens who have not yet discovered Pride & Prejudice.
Pride & Prejudice addicts.
Readers who are looking for the perfect beach read.

If you are like me and love to go to the beach but prefer not to get in the water, then Mr. Darcy Goes Overboard, A Tale of Tide & Prejudice is the prefect book to bring along with them.

I just have to add that I love the beginning:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a yacht must be in want of a female crew.”

The iconic opening from Pride & Prejudice has been revised many time, yet I believe that the one above has to be one of my favorites.

I would like to thank Belinda Roberts for this guest post!

What inspired you to turn Pride & Prejudice into Tide & Prejudice?

As a family we have spent many happy holidays in the English seaside town of Salcombe and the thought that it would be just the place where a modern day Bennet family would go on holiday grew and grew. Salcombe is fashionable, sociable, the place to be seen and perfect for any mother on the hunt for a young Darcy for her daughters. In my mind the ballgowns of Pride and Prejudice started to be replaced by bikinis, Pemberley became a sixty-two foot yacht, the famous Netherfield ball the equally famous Salcombe Estuary Swim, the militia the lifeguards - the links seemed perfect and I couldn’t wait to start. My opportunity came when I went down to Salcombe to accompany my eldest daughter, Sophie, who needed some peace and quiet to write her dissertation on Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande. This was a serious endeavour. We both sat at the little kitchen table of our terraced house in Island Street Salcombe, set up our laptops and started to write. I was keen that my book should follow Jane Austen’s original chapter for chapter in plot and characterisation as best I could. The combination of reading Pride and Prejudice, translating it into a modern seaside setting and trying to keep quiet was too much and I kept bursting out laughing - which was not helpful to poor Sophie! The hardest part was ‘modernising’ Lydia’s disgraceful behaviour, which of course, would hardly be noticed these days. I hope I came up with a suitably sensational solution!




I have two copies to giveaway.
Sorry Residents of the US & Canada only.
(I will be on holiday when it comes time to ship the books, so I am unable to host an international giveaway)
Giveaway ends June 29, 2011
To enter, please leave your name and a valid email address. Please note, you do not have to answer the following questions to be entered, I just added them for a bit of fun.

What is your favorite thing to do in the Summer? Do have any traditions?




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The Forest Lover by Susan Vreeland

Title: The Forest Lover
Author: Susan Vreeland
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Books, 2004
ISBN: 9780143034308
415p

Rating: 4.5 Crowns

The Forest Lover is the story of Canadian artist Emily Carr ( 1871 - 1945). It begins in 1906 as Emily returns to the land of her birth after years of art school in England and  America. Here on the west coast of Vancouver Island she hopes to escape the suffocating conventions of Victorian life and the expectations of her family. She finds freedom and a real sense of belonging on the Indian reserve and forms a close friendship with Sophie, a Squamish basket maker and her growing interest in Indian culture becomes a passion and determination to paint their totem poles, to visually record their symbolism before they are completely decimated.
 Alone or with a single Indian guide she faces the dangers of traveling deep into the British Columbian wilderness to visit isolated , and sometimes hostile villages.

Crying Totem

"This Tanu father cried with wrenching formality for his hapless sons. Whatever it meant to the Haida, to her, this Eagle father also cried for the smallpox dead at Raven House in Cumshewa. He cried for every father's son sent to war. He cried for Sophie's children, and for Sophie. He cried for Haaydzims and Muldo and Tuuns, some Gitksan fathers' sons, for Harold, and for all the beaten, disfigured, lost. His tears shut no one out"..........Chap. 39


As her painting progresses her longing to improve her technique takes her to Paris where she is influenced by the work of new artists like Matisse and Picasso and she returns to British Columbia with renewed determination to paint from the heart of herself, to portray her spiritual belief that  'God breathes in the forest' , to capture the soul of the land in her work.

Red Tree

"As she began to paint, she saw rhythm in the tree's repeated forms, in the upward reach of the trunk furrows, its bare hanging withes reaching down, its laden boughs tangled with those of other trees. In one sweep she united the branches into a mantle of cedars. Her swinging arm became a swoop of greenery, boughs from adjacent trees breathing into each other, supporting each other, all one." Chap. 36


It would be two decades before Emily Carr's work received recognition but today her work is represented in major art galleries all over the world.

I loved every word of The Forest Lover and it is a certainty for one of my favourite historical fiction novels this year. It's always a pleasure to read about someone previously unheard of and Susan Vreeland's feeling for her subject is obvious in the way she captures the spirit of a true artist. The descriptive prose is gorgeous and brings the grandeur and beauty of the Pacific NorthWest vividly to life and the history of the region and the native people was fascinating. Plenty of extras with a map, a conversation with the author and book club questions and a book I'm happy to recommend wholeheartedly.

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Grace Burrowes Guest Post & Giveaway of The Soldier

I would like to thank Grace Burrowes for this lovely guest post!

How do you create such memorable characters?

What a compliment! It begs the question, what is a memorable character, after all? The answer from my perspective is that the best characters seize us by the heart and don’t let go even after the very last page of the book. We care about them, we believe in the them, and when they arrive to their happily ever after, we rejoice with them.

In short, they become--in a good sense--part of our imaginary family, and I think that has to be one aspect of my answer. I am the sixth out of seven children, and when you’re born that far down in the pile (I have brothers thirteen years my senior), you are aware of two things. First, your know you are a member of a family. You have a strong sense that family can be a positive source of identity, and that as a cradle for healthy relationships, family can be the biggest blessing a child has.

The second thing I was aware of, from a young age, was that healthy families fall apart in an orderly fashion, to quote John Bradshaw. By the time I was seven, my oldest siblings has left the nest. By the time I was eight, one brother has gone off to war; by the time I was ten, I was an aunt, and so on. For me as a child, this created tension between the conviction that the people I loved most in the whole world (and still move most) seemed intent in going off and leaving me, and the knowledge that I would grow up and bash forward into the big world when it was my turn, secure in their love and support.

As a writer, capturing that sense of conflicted emotions--between the self-centered and the generous, the happy and sad, the positive and negative--is what makes a character come to life. Most people don’t march confidently from one end of their lives to the other. We lurch and stumble, pelt and pause, and tear off that-a-way only to come up short and start mincing this-a-way. The things we want as youngsters are the things we shake our heads over as oldsters.

A character like Devlin St. Just is at a cross-roads (much like a single-parent attorney facing empty nest, say, just for example). He’s held himself together because there were wars to fight, an officer’s code of conduct to follow, and rules, dammit. But the guns have gone silent, except in St. Just’s head. His fellow officers are dead or in civilian attire, and the things he made himself excel at--command, brutal combat, following orders--are all turned to ash. How id he to go on? Why is he to go on when every day is painful, lonely and bewildering?

A character in this circumstance calls forth the moment in high school when we first realize, “My friends will all be scattered this time next year, and we will never be close like this again.” He harkens to the moment when two people who love each other and have made children together they realize they might--despite all effort to the contrary--become a divorce statistic. He anticipates any moment in our lives when we roll over in bed and wonder, “Does what I’m doing with my limited time on this planet have any meaning at all?”

A memorable character faces these questions with courage and honesty, accepts the ambiguities, and sorts through the answers to arrive at honorable conclusions. And if he’s one of my memorable characters, he earns his true love and happily ever after in the process--and that inspires me.



THE SOLDIER BY GRACE BURROWES - IN STORES JUNE 2011

Even in the quiet countryside he can find no peace…

His idyllic estate is falling down from neglect and nightmares of war give him no rest. Then Devlin St. Just meets his new neighbor…

Until his beautiful neighbor ignites his imagination…

With her confident manner hiding a devastating secret, his lovely neighbor commands all of his attention, and protecting Emmaline becomes Devlin’s most urgent mission…




ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Grace Burrowes is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of THE HEIR, also a 2010 Publishers Weekly book of the Year. She is a practicing attorney specializing in family law and lives in rural Maryland, where she is working on the next books chronicling the love stories of the Windham family. LADY SOPHIE’S CHRISTMAS WISH will be in stores in October 2011, and THE VIRTUOSO will be in stores in November 2011, with more to come in 2012! For more information, please visit www.graceburrowes.com


Thanks to Danielle at Sourcebooks I two copies to giveaway.
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The Last Boleyn by Karen Harper

Title: The Last Boleyn
Author: Karen Harper
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
ISBN: 0307237907
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 592
Rating: 4 Crowns

Synopsis: She survived her own innocence, and the treachery of Europe's royal courts...

Greed, lust for power, sex, lies, secret marriages, religious posturing, adultery, beheadings, international intrigue, jealousy, treachery, love, loyalty, and betrayal. The Last Boleyn tells the story of the rise and fall of the Boleyns, one of England's most powerful families, through the eyes of the eldest daughter, Mary.

Although her sister, Anne, the queen; her brother, George, executed along-side Anne; and her father Thomas, are most remembered by history, Mary was the Boleyn who set into motion the chain of events that brought about the family's meteoric rise to power, as well as the one who managed to escape their equally remarkable fall.

Sent away to France at an extraordinarily young age, Mary is quickly plunged into the dangerous world of court politics, where everything is beautiful but deceptive, and everyone she meets is watching and quietly manipulating the events and people around them. As she grows into a woman, Mary must navigate both the dangerous waters ruled by two kings and the powerful will of her own family in order to find a place for herself and the love she so deeply desires.

My Review: What a lovely little tale of the Boleyn family! There are comparisons to Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl, as the concept behind the two books is the same - the Boleyn story from Mary's side. I liked this one infinitely more than the Gregory story, and I'm so glad I took the time to read it.

The book starts out when Mary is about 12, not long before she is sent to live in the French court to serve Mary Tudor as the Queen of France while she is married to King Louis. We get to see Mary as she grows from a naive youngster into a beautiful young woman who is soon catching the eye of many members of the court. In the background, we get to see Anne's story as well, starting out with her somewhat worship of her older sister and through her exciting, and ultimately tragic life.

I really enjoyed this portrayal of the Boleyn family, I enjoy any story that doesn't show Anne as a horrible selfish woman, and a book like this makes me more curious and sympathetic to Mary. She's a character history often forgets, although she's rather important in the scheme of things. I mean, who knows what would have happened to the Boleyn family if Mary hadn't been noticed first.

I would say the only thing that bothered me was the consistent spelling of Boleyn as Bullen. I think we all know how to pronounce the name, so I just hate this written version designed to help you say it right. This is totally a personal pet peeve, so you shouldn't let it affect your willingness to read the book. On the whole, I think this is a much better version than Gregory's and I'll recommend it to any fan of historical fiction!

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Wish You Were Here by Phillipa Ashley

Title: Wish You Were Here
Author: Phillipa Ashley
ISBN: 978-1-4022-4144-4
Publishers: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Format: Trade Paperback
$9.99
Release Date: June 2011
How I read it: Trade Paperback ARC
Rating: 4.5 Crowns

Beth Allen has moved on…

It’s been eight years since she and Jack Thornfield met on an exotic holiday and sparked up a seriously promising romance. But then he disappeared without a trace, and Beth’s life got complicated.

Then Jack and Beth run into each other again… while she’s applying for an exciting new job in London-at his company. For necessity’s sake, but against her better judgment, she takes the job, and from that moment on, complicated doesn’t even begin to describe it…
(from the back of the arc)


What if you applied for an unbelievably brilliant job, only to find out when you were being interviewed that the company was ran by your ex-boyfriend? Not only is he your ex, he’s the same ex who vanished from your life without rhyme or reason, he did not even leave you a simple goodbye post-it note. Because of certain financial circumstances, you have to accept the job, now you are confined in the same building-the same floor- with the man who broke your heart. You tell yourself that you have moved on. That this is a simple business agreement; you are to be treated strictly as a colleague. Funny, when you thought of the word colleague, you never envisioned that would mean sharing your boss’ flat on the same night you accepted the job.


Eight years have passed by since Beth Allen last laid eyes on Jack Thornfield, the man she met and fell head-over-heels for on an exotic vacation in Corsica, now she finds herself standing in front of him in waiting to be interviewed. Pushing aside that last eight years, she is determined that she will make this job work. Yet when she finds that she will be headed back to Corsica to check out the trip for her exploration company, she never imagined that Jack would be along for the ride. Things go from complex to complicated when the two other trekkers flee from the trail, leaving only Jack and her. Will the two be able to sort out the mess he made eight years ago?

My Thoughts:

This was one of the best books that I have read. A breezy summer read with a brilliant plot and characters that shine. I simply could not find fault with this book and I devoured it in tone sitting.

The plot- WOW! I love the idea of two ex-lovers being placed together in a work environment. Both having to act as though they have just met, yet both experiencing these feelings that are undeniable. Then returning to the place in which they fell in love. I was simply brilliant.

The characters- I loved both Beth and Jack. They were a matching set divided, struggling to find their way back together. You could feel the tension and the longing, as well as the hurt. Very well composed. The same goes for the secondary characters, they all seemed to fit comfortably into the story without feeling forced or out of place.

Overall: Would I read this again? Most definitely!

I do have to say that I wished this book were a bit longer due to the fact I hated to see it end. It was truly one of those books that could have gone on forever.









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Love Drunk Cowboy by Carolyn Brown

Title: Love Drunk Cowboy
Author: Carolyn Brown
ISBN: 978-1-4022-5358-4
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Format: Mass-Mark Paperback
$7.99
Release Date: May 2011
How I read it: Mass-Market ARC from publisher
Rating: 4 Crowns

SHE’S A SELF-MADE CITY GIRL…

High-powered career woman Austin Lanier suddenly finds herself saddled with an inherited watermelon farm deep in the countryside. She’s determined to sell the farm, until drop-dead sexy neighbor cowboy Rye O’Donnell shows up…

HE’S AS INTOXICATING AS CAN BE….


Rancher, Rye O’Donnell thinks he’s going to get a good deal on his dream property-until he meets the fiery new owner. Rye is knocked sideways when he realizes that not only is Granny Lanier’s city-slicker granddaughter a savvy businesswoman, she’s also sexy as hell…

Suddenly Rye is a whole lot less interested in real estate and a whole lot more focused on getting Austin to set aside her stiletto heels….

My Thoughts:

The first book in Carolyn Brown’s Spike and Spurs series, Love Drunk Cowboy was a book well worth reading. I enjoyed the way they built the relationship up rather than just jumping into bed. The characters were charming and witty allowing the reader to feel connected to them.

An easy read with a fun plot. I highly recommend this book.



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The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Title: The Lovely Bones
Author: Alice Sebold
Publisher: Back Bay Books (Little Brown & Co.)
ISBN: 9780316166683
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, & Crime
Pages: 328
Rating: 4.5 Crowns

Synopsis: "My name was Salmon, like the fish: first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973."

So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her -- her friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks, her grief-stricken family unraveling. Out of the unspeakable tragedy and loss, The Lovely Bones succeeds, miraculously, in building a tale filled with hope, humor, suspense, even joy.

My Review: I pretty much loved this book, but I will say from the start that I can absolutely see why it is not for everyone. This is tough subject matter, a very emotional ride, and something you won't easily forget. If nothing else, I would encourage you to definitely read it in the privacy of your home - it's not the sort of book I would have taken out in public. The tears started flowing from page one, and didn't let up much throughout the entire book.

I'm not sure what I thought this book would be - I knew it was the story of a girl who was tragically murdered, but I guess I assumed ahead of time that it was a murder mystery. It is definitely not that. We are introduced to Susie's murderer on the second page and there is no doubt whatsoever that he is the guilty person. Instead, this is a tale of what heaven might be like, what things could be after you die, and what is left behind on earth after you go.

We see the entire story through Susie's eyes, she tells us about the past and present through her narrative from heaven. She tells us a variety of things - about herself and how she's coping with her own death and wanting so desperately to be alive; her family and the varying struggles they go through in the aftermath of her death; the people who continue to think of and care for her year after year once she's gone. There are even flashes to the early life of her murderer, which is interesting, though I didn't find it sympathetic in any way. Perhaps the hardest part of all is seeing how her murderer goes on with his life, almost as though nothing had ever happened.

Although the more supernatural elements of this story aren't really plausible, the on earth parts are both terrifying and all too real. I think most women have gone through times when they are overtly aware of their vulnerability, and this book absolutely opened this up for me. Sadly, this kind of thing does happen to women of all ages, and it's difficult to turn a blind eye to this very realistic aspect of the story. At the same time, there are aspects of that which made it a better story for me, because it genuinely made me feel and think about the world I live in.

I can't say enough good about this book, and I'm sad I waited as long as I did to read it. My only complaint is really that I'm not huge into supernatural stuff, so some of the elements towards the end of the book were a bit more difficult for me to get through. That aside, it was fantastic and I would recommend this one to anyone.


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North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Title: North and South
Author: Elizabeth Gaskell
ISBN: 9780140434248
Publisher: Penguin
Publication date: 1855
Genre: British Literature
Pages: 425
Rating: 4.5 Crowns

Synopsis:

Margaret Hale's comfortable life in the idyllic village of Helstone is upended when her father resigns as minister and moves his family to the industrialized north of England. Leaving behind her beloved home and the beautiful countryside of southern England is hard enough but Margaret struggles to cope with life in Milton, a cotton manufacturing town that is worlds away from what she is used to. From the moment that she meets cotton manufacturer John Thornton, they are at odds. He represents to Margaret the worst of Milton and she looks down on him as a "tradesman". His initial dislike is replaced by attraction and then love but will he and Margaret be able to move past their differences when she takes sides against him in a mill strike?

My thoughts:

If you combined Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with a dash of Dickens and Charlotte Bronte, then you'd have North and South. It reminds me a little of Pride and Prejudice because of the way Margaret Hale and John Thornton initially clash. However there are some differences. The story doesn't just focus on Margaret and John's relationship but instead it also takes a look at the different social classes and the way life in the north is different from the south. The author makes a point of including the views of mill workers as well as the gentry. The importance of the social issues is reminiscent of the works of Dickens. Elizabeth Gaskell was actually a friend of Charles Dickens and Charlotte Bronte. I think their influence is definitely present in her writing.

Margaret as a protagonist is not always likeable. At times she came across as snobby and condescending but she does improve over the course of the novel. Margaret really shows her strength in the way she is there for her family and Bessy Higgins through the hardships they face. I think it is important for us to see how Margaret felt about the people of Milton and to watch how that sense of superiority gave way as she gained understanding and perspective. John Thornton is a much more admirable character from the beginning though he too is not without flaws. He builds up his family's business and brings back their fortune after his father lost everything. He also befriends Mr. Hale and tries to be a friend to Margaret though she treats him with disdain. The romance is satisfying and I particularly liked that the reader is given insight into John Thornton's mind and his feelings about Margaret. That is something that we did not get with Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice and it only served to make me like Thornton more (and perhaps like Margaret less).

Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe as John Thornton and Margaret Hale

The book has been adapted as a TV movie/miniseries twice with the most recent adaptation in 2004. The 2004 version starring Daniela Denby-Ashe and Richard Armitage is the one I watched. It is because of the miniseries that I decided to finally read the book! Both are excellent though there are some differences between the miniseries and the book. In the film version, Mr. Thornton appears to have a violent temper (only directed at careless mill workers that nearly hurt others) but this temper makes him more aloof and gives Margaret a reason to dislike him other than her own prejudices. It also serves to make Margaret a more sympathetic character. There are other differences with the portrayal of secondary and minor characters as well but overall it is pretty faithful to the book.

I think North and South is a book that fans of Jane Austen would enjoy. The writing style is mostly very readable. I did struggle with some of the vocabulary used by the Higgins family but there is a glossary at the back of the book. At times the pace also lagged a little but I am glad I persevered with it. North and South is now one of my favorite classics right along with Jane Eyre and the novels of Jane Austen. The film is also a new favorite of mine and it is a good starting point if you are uncertain about reading the book!

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