Declan's Cross Blog Tour and Review

Declan's Cross by Carla Neggers
Publication date: August 27, 2013 by Harlequin Mira
Source: Publisher via Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc. for an honest review
Description from Goodreads:
An escape to an idyllic Irish seaside village is about to turn deadly in this riveting new novel by master of romantic suspense Carla Neggers.

For marine biologist Julianne Maroney, two weeks in tiny Declan's Cross on the south Irish coast is a chance to heal her broken heart. She doesn't expect to attract the attention of FBI agents Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan—especially since a Donovan is the reason for her broken heart.

Emma and Colin are in Ireland for their own personal retreat. Colin knows he's a reminder of everything Julianne wants to escape, but something about her trip raises his suspicion. Emma, an art crimes expert, is also on edge. Of all the Irish villages Julianne could choose…why Declan's Cross?

Ten years ago, a thief slipped into a mansion in Declan's Cross. Emma's grandfather, a renowned art detective, investigated, but the art stolen that night has never been recovered and the elusive thief never caught.

From the moment Julianne sets foot on Irish soil, everything goes wrong. The well-connected American diver who invited her to Ireland has disappeared. And now Emma and Colin are in Declan's Cross asking questions.

As a dark conspiracy unfolds amid the breathtaking scenery of Declan's Cross, the race is on to stop a ruthless killer…and the stakes have never been more personal for Emma and Colin.


My Take:

I hadn't read the previous two books in the Sharpe & Donovan series, but since it takes place in Ireland and sounded like a fun story, I agreed to read and review Declan's Cross by Carla Neggers.

At first it took me a while to figure out the dynamics of the relationships between Julianne Maroney and Colin Donovan and Emma Sharpe. It is obvious that there is quite a lot of back story here and it was a little bit daunting trying to wade through the story while trying to figure out exactly why Colin is so concerned about Julianne's actions. Is she a suspect in something? Why does he care? Why is it any of his business? Eventually, I just stopped trying to guess and just enjoyed the current story. As the book progresses, more of the blanks are filled in and I felt that I had a good grasp of the important information from the previous books.

Once I quit trying to piece together the main characters' history, I was able to enjoy the story and the beautiful desctiptions of Ireland. I really enjoyed reading about tiny Declan's Cross and all the interesting people who live there. As with most small towns, everyone knows pretty much everything about everyone else. It was a nice parallel to Rock Point where Julianne and Colin and the other Donovan brothers are from.

The mystery is regarding an art theft, but this theft may be related to another theft years earlier that the Sharpe Fine Art Recovery had worked but the crime remained unsolved. There are so many mysteries going on - not just the current art theft, or event the previous theft, but the motivations of various residents of Declan's Cross and what exactly their relationships are. There are also strange things and mysteries about Julianne's new friend, Lindsey Hargreaves.  It is all very complicated and sometimes a bit confusing, but still fun. I enjoyed all the information about whiskey and farming and the lovely descriptions of the area, houses, farms, everything.

While I think it would be helpful to have read the previous books, I was sufficiently entertained and intrigued by the story and the characters that I really enjoyed Declan's Cross. In fact, I enjoyed the book enough that I will be looking for the previous books so that I can learn more about Emma and Colin and the other Donovan brothers. I am also very curious about Emma's grandfather and Sharpe Fine Art Recovery. I think I would suggest reading at least one of the previous books first, but I can happily recommend Declan's Cross as a very fine mystery with plenty of wonderful descriptions of Ireland.

About the author:

Carla Neggers has been spinning stories ever since she climbed a tree with pad and pen at age eleven. Now she has millions of copies of her books in print in more than 30 countries, and more than two dozen of her books have placed on the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. Declan’s Cross is the third novel in her acclaimed Sharpe & Donovan romantic suspense series that launched with Saint’s Gate and Heron’s Cove and has been praised as “a breathtaking reading experience” (Providence Journal), “gripping and suspenseful” (Nashua Telegraph), and “outstanding” (USA Today). Her popular Swift River Valley series debuted with Secrets of the Lost Summer, which spent four weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and garnered rave reviews, including a starred review from Booklist and a Top Pick from RT Book Reviews. Growing up in rural western Massachusetts with three brothers and three sisters, Carla developed an eye for detail and a love of a good story. Her imagination, curiosity and sense of adventure are key to creating the complex relationships, fast-paced plots and deep sense of place in her books.

 www.CarlaNeggers.com

Early Decision

Early Decision by Lacy Crawford
Publication date: August 27, 2013 by William Morrow
Source: publisher for an honest review
Description from Goodreads:

In Early Decision, debut novelist Lacy Crawford draws on 15 years of experience traveling the world as a highly sought-after private college counselor to illuminate the madness of college admissions.

Working one-on-one with Tiger-mothered, burned-out kids, Anne “the application whisperer” can make Harvard a reality. Early Decision follows five students over one autumn as Anne helps them craft their college essays, cram for the SATs, and perfect the Common Application. It seems their entire future is on the line—and it is. Though not because of Princeton and Yale. It’s because the process, warped as it is by money, connections, competition, and parental mania, threatens to crush their independence just as adulthood begins.

Whether you want to get in or just get out, with wit and heart, Early Decision explodes the secrets of the college admissions race.


My Take:

Early Decision by Lacy Crawford was a fast, entertaining read. I just recently went through the whole college application process with my son and it was still fresh in my mind while reading this book. 

I found the characters to be likable, for the most part. Some of the parents could be a bit much. There is a lot of pressure put on these kids and while most of the kids in the book are wealthy and won't have any problem getting into a university, the pressure to get into an ivy seems over the top at times.

I thought that Lacy Crawford did a great job of showing how parents can forget the big picture and what they actually want for the kids - or should want for them. Sometimes in the frenzy of work and life and raising our kids we forget that it is their future we are trying to prepare them for -- not ours. 

I felt empathy for Anne as she tries to figure out her own life all the while attempting to gently guide the students in writing their many drafts of personal statements for their college admission applications. I particularly enjoyed the tips and methods Anne uses in the book to get the students to write really great essays. 

Early Decision was a joy to read and  it provided many chuckles, some cringing over parents' behavior, and even a few actual laugh out loud moments. I enjoyed the book from start to finish and read it  in about a day.  The book is filled with examples of what not to do when your child is applying to colleges and even has some helpful tips.

Painted Hands Blog Tour and Review

Painted Hands by Jennifer Zobair
Publication date: June 11, 2013 by Thomas Dunne Books
Source: Publisher via TLC Book Tours for a fair review
Synopsis:
Muslim bad girl Zainab Mir has just landed a job working for a post-feminist, Republican Senate candidate. Her best friend Amra Abbas is about to make partner at a top Boston law firm. Together they’ve thwarted proposal-slinging aunties, cultural expectations, and the occasional bigot to succeed in their careers. What they didn’t count on? Unlikely men and geopolitical firestorms.
When a handsome childhood friend reappears, Amra makes choices that Zainab considers so 1950s—choices that involve the perfect Banarasi silk dress and a four-bedroom house in the suburbs. After hiding her long work hours during their courtship, Amra struggles to balance her demanding job and her unexpectedly traditional new husband.
Zainab has her own problems. She generates controversy in the Muslim community with a suggestive magazine spread and friendship with a gay reporter. Her rising profile also inflames neocons like Chase Holland, the talk radio host who attacks her religion publicly but privately falls for her hard. When the political fallout from a terrorist attempt jeopardizes Zainab’s job and protests surrounding a woman-led Muslim prayer service lead to violence, Amra and Zainab must decide what they’re willing to risk for their principles, their friendship, and love.

Jennifer Zobair’s Painted Hands is The Namesake meets Sex and the City, an engaging and provocative debut novel about the friendships, careers, and the love lives of American Muslim women.


My Take: 
Painted Hands sounded like a fun, interesting read with a new and different perspective. A different perspective for me anyway. I did find the book to be fun and interesting, and despite the fact that the novel tells the story of these young, American Muslim women, I found that there were many things I could relate to regarding their life choices and pressures from family and friends.

I appreciated that many of the issues between conservative and liberal issues in the book were not just religious, but political and economic as well. I found the characters to be diverse and believable. I really like Zainab and found her developing relationship with Chase to be very entertaining while at the same time, helpful in examining biases and personal motivations.

Amra, as the other main character, presents a more traditional view of life, but still a liberated young female lawyer, who wants it all - including the husband and children and the partnership in her firm.

Hayden rounds out the cast of young professional women in the book. Hayden is a troubled young woman who seeks out and uses her conversion to Islam as a place to hide and maybe heal from her pain. She was a very interesting character and helps in the explaining of different views of Islam. I was happy to see her grow and learn and finally become able to see herself and the people around her more clearly.

As I read Painted Hands, I was struck by how familiar many of the issues were - family demands and expectations contrasted with work demands and personal goals and dreams and always, regardless of religion, the differing ways of understanding and observing our religions. I thought that Jennifer Zobair did a wonderful job of showing just how similar we all are in spite of our different religious and/or political beliefs. I would recommend Painted Hands to anyone who enjoys women's fiction and anyone who is curious about how Muslim women see their lives and the world.

About Jennifer Zobair

Jennifer Zobair grew up in Iowa and attended Smith College and Georgetown Law School. She has practiced corporate and immigration law and, as a convert to Islam, has been a strong advocate for Muslim women’s rights. Her essays have been published in The Rumpus and The Huffington Post. Painted Hands is her first novel. Jennifer lives with her husband, three children, and two dogs outside of Boston. For more information, please visit www.JenniferZobair.com.

Jennifer’s Tour Stops

Monday, September 9th: Bookalicious Mama
Tuesday, September 10th: Bibliophiliac
Wednesday, September 11th: Book Club Classics!
Thursday, September 12th: Ageless Pages Reviews
Monday, September 16th: BoundbyWords
Tuesday, September 17th: A Book Geek
Wednesday, September 18th: Svetlana’s Reads and Views
Thursday, September 19th: A Bookish Affair
Monday, September 23rd: BookNAround
Monday, September 23rd: Bibliotica
Tuesday, September 24th: Doing Dewey
Wednesday, September 25th: Stephany Writes
Thursday, September 26th: Drey’s Library
Monday, September 30th: Books in the City
Thursday, October 3rd: Reflections of a Bookaholic
Friday, October 4th: Not in Jersey
Monday, October 7th: Dreaming in Books

Tuesday, October 8th: Entomology of a Bookworm

Help for the Haunted

Help for the Haunted by John Searles
Publication date: September 17, 2013 by William Morrow
Source: ARC provided by publisher for an honest review
Description from Goodreads:
It begins with a call in the middle of snowy February evening. Lying in her bed, young Sylvie Mason overhears her parents on the phone across the hall. This is not the first late-night call they have received, since her mother and father have an uncommon occupation, helping "haunted souls" find peace. And yet, something in Sylvie senses that this call is different than the rest, especially when they are lured to the old church on the outskirts of town. Once there, her parents disappear, one after the other, behind the church's red door, leaving Sylvie alone in the car. Not long after, she drifts off to sleep only to wake to the sound of gunfire.

Nearly a year later, we meet Sylvie again struggling with the loss of her parents, and living in the care of her older sister, who may be to blame for what happened the previous winter.

As the story moves back and forth in time, through the years leading up to the crime and the months following, the ever inquisitive and tender-hearted Sylvie pursues the mystery, moving closer to the knowledge of what occurred that night, as she comes to terms with her family's past and uncovers secrets that have haunted them for years.

Capturing the vivid eeriness of Stephen King's works with the compelling quirkiness of John Irving's beloved novels, Help for the Haunted is that rare story that brings to life a richly imagined and wholly original world. From the very first page, it takes readers on a captivating journey, told in the heartbreakingly resonant voice of a young heroine who is determined to discover the truth about her family and what went wrong one snowy winter night.

My Take:

Help for the Haunted by John Searles was such a pleasant surprise. I just opened it to take a look and get a small sampling of the book because I had other books that needed to be read and reviewed first. Well, that didn't work - I dropped everything else and didn't stop reading until I had finished it. So much for prioritizing. This book swept me up into the mystery/crime suspense/supernatural story and didn't let go.

I really don't want to give anything away because this book should be experienced as a new and mostly unknown thing. There are a number of mysterious things in the story, and each one contributes to the suspense.

Help for the Haunted is a truly creepy story that starts off creepy for one reason, but as the reader makes her way through the book, it becomes creepy for other reasons as well. There is the supernatural thing which is fun and works so well with many aspects of the story line. Sylvie is the younger daughter of a couple who "help" those people who have problems of a certain type and haven't found the help they need from more conventional outlets. I loved how the pieces to the puzzle of Sylvie's family are slowly put together and hints and suggestions are given throughout the book without coming right out with the information. The suspense builds, then new information is given and a different kind of suspense builds.

I have written and rewritten this review three or four times trying to describe why I liked it so much without giving anything away.  I don't think I have explained it very well, but every time I start really digging into what I loved about the book I give something important away. So, suffice to say, I loved Help for the Haunted so much that I am recommending it to everyone who will listen to me. I am especially suggesting it now through the end of October. Such a fun read for this time of year.

Queen's Gambit Blog Tour and Review

Queen's Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle
Publication Date: August 6, 2013 by Simon & Schuster 
Source: Publisher via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours  for an honest review
Synopsis:

Widowed for the second time at age thirty-one Katherine Parr falls deeply for the dashing courtier Thomas Seymour and hopes at last to marry for love. However, obliged to return to court, she attracts the attentions of the ailing, egotistical, and dangerously powerful Henry VIII, who dispatches his love rival, Seymour, to the Continent. No one is in a position to refuse a royal proposal so, haunted by the fates of his previous wives—two executions, two annulments, one death in childbirth—Katherine must wed Henry and become his sixth queen.

Katherine has to employ all her instincts to navigate the treachery of the court, drawing a tight circle of women around her, including her stepdaughter, Meg, traumatized by events from their past that are shrouded in secrecy, and their loyal servant Dot, who knows and sees more than she understands. With the Catholic faction on the rise once more, reformers being burned for heresy, and those close to the king vying for position, Katherine’s survival seems unlikely. Yet as she treads the razor’s edge of court intrigue, she never quite gives up on love.



My Take:
Queen's Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle is a wonderful historical fiction novel about Katherine Parr, the last of Henry VIII's wives. I am embarrassed to admit that I really didn't know much about Katherine except that she was the last of his wives and played nursemaid to the then, old, ailing king with his rapid and often violent mood swings.

Queen's Gambit is told through Katherine's and her maid, Dot Fownton's point of view. I really enjoyed the switching of the narrator's voice throughout the book. It was refreshing to get the side of things that isn't often shown in novels. Dot is a hardworking and loyal woman who becomes more of a friend to Katherine rather than just being her maid. Through Dot's narrative the reader is shown the rougher, work-a-day world of the period as well as all the back-breaking effort it took to keep the royal households running so smoothly. Dot goes to great lengths to help Katherine and despite the hardships she encounters, she continues to be strong and faithful.

I was very interested to see how Katherine was portrayed in Queen's Gambit and I was not disappointed. Even though she was older than his other wives, the book portrayed Katherine as still being beautiful, but much more sensible than the previous wives and very intelligent - not just intellectually but also socially - she fully understood how things worked and who were the players behind the scenes and the implications for every action and word.

I really appreciated the fact that the author made clear just what a woman's position was at court and within families. Katherine had little say in who she married and she knew her duty as a woman of certain standing. It also demonstrated the very real peril she was in at times due to Henry's mood swings and the various players trying to influence him against her specifically and against religious reformers in general.  I thought Elizabeth Fremantle did a wonderful job of showing the reader just what a turbulent time it was and how all of this affected the entire court, and also Henry's children and Katherine.

Despite the dangers, Katherine believed in religious reform and the controversies, the strain of Mary and Elizabeth's religious differences, and the king's renewed  religious conservatism are examined and play an important part in the story. Fortunately, Katherine is too smart to fall into any obvious entrapment and is able to manage the king and his lackeys.

Even though through her wits and strength, Katherine survives King Henry VIII, she does not live the happily-ever-after life that she deserved. She married Thomas Seymour, the one love of her life, a bit too hastily and caused a scandal.  Seymour soon proved that he was not quite the man she had hoped he was; and then she died soon after giving birth to her only child. Such a tragic story.

Even though most of us know that basics of the story, Queen's Gambit was a great study in the details of Katherine Parr and life at King Henry VIII's court in the later years. I was thoroughly entertained, educated and completely intrigued by the picture of life during the final years of Henry's reign. I really loved this book. This is definitely a book I will recommend to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and especially Tudor history and strong, intelligent women.

About the Author

Elizabeth Fremantle holds a first class degree in English and an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck College London. She has contributed as a fashion editor to various publications including Vogue, Elle and The Sunday Times. QUEEN’S GAMBIT is her debut novel and is the first in a Tudor trilogy. The second novel, SISTERS OF TREASON, will be released in 2014. She lives in London.
For more about Elizabeth and her future projects, please visit her website. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and Pinterest.

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Monday, August 12
Feature & Giveaway at Passages to the Past
Tuesday, August 13
Review & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair
Review & Giveaway at Flashlight Commentary
Wednesday, August 14
Review at The Library of Alexandra
Review & Giveaway at Confessions of an Avid Reader
Thursday, August 15
Review at From Left to Write
Friday, August 16
Review & Giveaway at Unabridged Chick
Monday, August 19
Review & Interview at A Chick Who Reads
Tuesday, August 20
Review & Giveaway at Book-alicious Mama
Wednesday, August 21
Review at The Happy Booker
Thursday, August 22
Review & Giveaway at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
Friday, August 23
Review & Giveaway at vvb32 Reads
Interview at The Happy Booker
Monday, August 26
Review & Giveaway at Peeking Between the Pages
Tuesday, August 27
Review at Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews
Wednesday, August 28
Review at Medieval Bookworm
Thursday, August 29
Review at The Musings of ALMYBNENR
Friday, August 30
Review & Giveaway at The Tudor Book Blog
Monday, September 2
Feature & Giveaway at The True Book Addict
Interview at Layered Pages
Tuesday, September 3
Review at CelticLady’s Reviews
Review & Giveaway at The Maiden’s Court
Wednesday, September 4
Review at Booktalk & More
Interview at The Tudor Book Blog
Thursday, September 5
Review at A Book Geek
Friday, September 6
Review at History Undressed
Review at Impressions in Ink
Review & Giveaway at Drey’s Library
Review & Giveaway at Always with a Book
Monday, September 9
Review at She Is Too Fond of Books
Tuesday, September 10
Review at A Bookish Libraria
Review & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books
Wednesday, September 11
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time
Thursday, September 12
Review at Closed the Cover
Review at WTF Are You Reading?
Review at Carole’s Ramblings and Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell

Friday, September 13
Review & Giveaway at Books in the Burbs
Review & Giveaway at A Dream Within a Dream

Equilibrium Blog Tour and Review

Equilibrium by Lorrie Thomson
Publication date: August 27, 2013
Publisher: Kensington Books
Source: publisher via TLC Book Tours for an honest review
Synopsis:
In the year since her husband died, Laura Klein’s world has shifted on its axis. It’s not just that she’s raising two children alone—fact is, Laura always did the parenting for both of them. But now her fifteen-year-old daughter, Darcy, is dating a boy with a fast car and faster hands, and thirteen-year-old Troy’s attitude has plummeted along with his voice. Just when she’s resigning herself to a life of worry and selfless support, her charismatic new tenant offers what Laura least expects: a second chance.

Darcy isn’t surprised her mom doesn’t understand her, though she never imagined her suddenly acting like a love-struck teen herself. With Troy starting to show signs of their father’s bipolar disorder, and her best friend increasingly secretive, Darcy turns to her new boyfriend, Nick, for support. Yet Nick has a troubled side of his own, forcing Darcy toward life-altering choices.

Exploring the effects of grief on both mother and daughter, Equilibrium is a thoughtful, resolutely uplifting novel about finding the balance between holding on and letting go, between knowing when to mourn and when to hope, and between the love we seek and the love we choose to give.


My Take:
I found Lorrie Thomson's debut novel, Equilibrium, to be quite compelling and a little bit anxiety inducing to read, as a mother of teenagers. I was immediately drawn into Laura's stressful life. Despite the fact that her husband has been dead for nearly a year, she is still immersed in the stress of being his caretaker while continuing to raise their children on her own, just as she did before Jack's suicide. It is as if Laura had spent so many years being the strong, capable, responsible parent and wife, that she didn't know how to take anything from life for herself.

Laura's relationship with her husband, Jack, is revealed slowly throughout the book as flashbacks or reflections on the past. There is so much about Jack and their relationship that just really bothered me. Laura was a student when she met him and despite the fact that she went after him, he was in a position of power and authority and should not have pursued the relationship. This particular beginning to their relationship sort of seemed to set the tone for the rest of their lives together. Jack taking advantage and Laura holding everything together. When one considers the circumstances and Jack's disorder, it becomes clear that Laura did everything humanly possible to take care of her family. Just reading about it stressed me out a little bit.

Despite the hurt she experiences, I was glad that Laura finally began to see her marriage as it really was and to admit that Jack had some culpability in things. Laura definitely performed quite the balancing act. It was nice to see her finally able to live for herself a bit.

I thought teenage Darcy to be a pretty well developed character. She is a grieving, rebellious teenager with a boyfriend with his own problems. Her best friend is going through her own problems and Darcy feels alone and misunderstood. Pretty typical teenager. I felt so bad for her because of her father's suicide, but mostly because of the mind games he played with her and to a lesser extent with her brother, Troy. I have to assume that some of Jack's manipulations are part of his bipolar disorder. At least I hope so.

I enjoyed reading Equilibrium even though it presents Laura's life with all it's many stresses and worries. I found her to be a likable character and I felt empathy for the difficult situation she is in. Equilibrium was a pretty quick read and the characters are sympathetic. While the book deals with the issue of bipolar disorder and its aftermath in the family, there are a few different character story lines to follow and there is even some romance.

About Lorrie Thomson

Lorrie Thomson lives in New Hampshire with her husband and their children. When she’s not reading, writing, or hunting for collectibles, her family lets her tag along for camping adventures, daylong paddles, and hikes up 4,000 footers.
Though Equilibrium is fiction, Lorrie had the very real experience of coping with mental illness in her own family when her oldest son was diagnosed with schizophrenia while she was writing the book. For support and education regarding mental illness, she recommends that readers visit NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Visit Lorrie at her website. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.

Lorrie’s Tour Stops

Tuesday, August 13th: Book Club Classics!
Wednesday, August 14th: BookNAround
Thursday, August 15th: A Patchwork of Books
Tuesday, August 20th: The House of the Seven Tails
Wednesday, August 21st: Time 2 Read
Thursday, August 22nd: A Book Geek
Tuesday, September 3rd: Becca’s Byline
Wednesday, September 4th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Thursday, September 5th: Kritters Ramblings
Monday, September 9th: Sweet Southern Home
Tuesday, September 10th: BoundByWords
Wednesday, September 11th: Peeking Between the Pages
Thursday, September 12th: My Bookshelf
Monday, September 16th: Melissa Firmin

Tuesday, September 17th: Dreaming in Books

Guest Post by C.W. Gortner, the author of The Tudor Conspiracy

Mary Tudor: A Catholic Tudor Queen

An Original Essay by C.W. Gortner

Mary I of England is without doubt one of history’s most reviled and misunderstood figures—a queen who overcame tremendous odds to win her throne in 1553 yet who managed by her death in 1558 to have deeply divided her realm, responsible for a savage persecution that terrorized her realm. She ruled only five years but so terrible is the memory of her deeds that she has earned the sobriquet of “Bloody Mary”, a name for which she is still known today.

Mary was the sole surviving child of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, daughter of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain. Catherine was sent to England to marry the Tudor heir, Prince Arthur, but his sudden demise left her a widow. Catherine claimed the marriage had never been consummated, and her impoverished isolation in the years that followed stoked the ardor of the new heir, Henry, who, upon his coronation, wed Catherine despite a six-year difference in their ages. Catherine and Henry were married for twenty-four years; stalwart and devout, indubitably in love with her husband, Catherine endured numerous miscarriages and the death of an infant son before finally giving birth to Mary in February of 1516.

As Henry’s sole heir (for despite his later obsessive quest for a son, a daughter could inherit his crown) Mary was adored by her parents. Historical sources recount numerous occasions when the handsome king displayed his fair-haired daughter to his court, showing off her skill with music and graceful charm. But Henry’s disillusion with his aging, now-barren wife catapulted him into a tumultuous affair with one of Catherine’s ladies in waiting, the ambitious Anne Boleyn, who would settle for nothing less than marriage. Thus, at the age of fifteen, Mary’s entire world was turned upside down, her status yanked out from under her as she watched her mother, clinging to her title and rights, exiled to a remote manor, where Catherine died in appalling conditions and in fear for the safety of the daughter she’d been forbidden to see. Anne Boleyn also vented her spleen, forcing Mary to serve Anne’s infant daughter by Henry, Princess Elizabeth, and even, sources claim, plotting to have Mary killed. The cataclysm unleashed by Henry’s passion for Anne changed England forever, resulting in a nascent reformation that would in time make Protestantism the official faith, even as Anne waged desperate battle to protect herself and her child. In 1536, Anne lost her battle and was executed on trumped-up charges; within weeks Elizabeth joined her half-sister Mary as a bastard daughter of the king.

Mary’s struggles continued while Henry married four more times. Steadfast in her Catholicism, the faith in which she’d been reared and which her mother had exhorted her to uphold, she finally gave into her father’s demands to acknowledge him as Head of the Church—an act that haunted her for the rest of her life, as she felt she’d betrayed her mother’s trust and her own belief that the only true church was the Catholic one. In those years, she developed an often uneasy relationship with her half-siblings, Elizabeth and their brother Edward, born of Henry’s third wife, both of whom had imbued the radical spirit of the Reformation.

Various suitors for Mary’s hand came and went; at the age of thirty-seven, when many women were considered unmarriageable, she found herself in the hunter’s snare once more when John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, usurped her claim to the throne upon Edward VI’s death and set his daughter-in-law, Jane Grey, in her place. Often neglected and ignored, prematurely aged by self-imposed seclusion, Mary displayed her innate Tudor ferocity, eluding her pursuers to amass an army and march on London. She may have been a Catholic spinster but the people cheered her as the rightful queen and rallied to her cause. She was crowned in the summer of 1553, sending Jane Grey, Northumberland and his sons to the Tower. Many of the new queen’s advisors, including the wily Imperial ambassador, Renard, urged Mary to execute her prisoners but she consented only to Northumberland’s death, promising release in time for Jane and the Dudley sons. Even in questions of religion she expressed caution, citing her people’s hearts could only be won back in stages. Nevertheless, one of her first acts was to overturn the annulment of her mother’s marriage to Henry VIII, casting further doubt on Elizabeth’s legitimacy.

The advent of her marriage to Philip of Spain, son of the Hapsburg emperor and Mary’s cousin, Charles V, who had long been a scion of support, if not actual assistance, changed everything. Suddenly, Mary saw the possibility of happiness bloom before her: the chance to be love and be loved, to become a wife and mother. As Renard pressured her to deal with all remaining threats to her faith and crown, including Elizabeth, whom he believed was the active figurehead of Protestant opposition, the deep-seated wounds inflicted on Mary since adolescence flared anew. She remembered her hatred of Anne Boleyn, her helpless horror over her father’s zeal to amass the Church’s wealth and abolish its power, her heartrending sorrow at the separation from, and death of, her mother, and the long years of humiliation. The past could be absolved, she believed. Everything that had gone wrong could be put to right, if only she roused the strength that Catherine of Aragon had shown; the unstinting fervor that her maternal grandmother, Queen Isabella, had employed to unite Spain. She saw herself as a savior, who must do whatever was required to bring about her people’s return to the Catholic fold.

Caught in a maelstrom of her own convictions, Mary precipitated her tragedy. 

It is too simple to condemn her as a monster, though she behaved in a monstrous way. Her execution of Jane Grey and subsequent burning of over two hundred Protestants, among who were Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury, and Bishops Ridley and Latimer, blackened her name and left her country in chaos, the smoke of the pyres only clearing once she took to her deathbed after a false pregnancy that may have been uterine cancer. She left behind a realm ravaged by political and religious dissension, widespread famine and penury. The loss of England’s last possession in France, the city of Calais, was a blow Mary declared would be found engraved on her heart. Even in her final hours, she was beset by those who implored her to condemn Elizabeth—an act she refused. In doing so, Mary unwittingly accomplished in death what she had failed to do in life: She gave England back its hope, in the form of a virgin queen, whose unparalleled grandeur and longevity would define an era.

The Tudor Conspiracy Blog Tour and Review

The Tudor Conspiracy by C.W. Gortner
Publication date:: July 16, 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Source: publisher via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for an honest review
Synopsis:

Hunted by a shadowy foe in Bloody Mary’s court, Brendan Prescott plunges into London’s treacherous underworld to unravel a dark conspiracy that could make Elizabeth queen—or send her to her death in C.W. Gortner’s The Tudor Conspiracy.

England, 1553: Harsh winter encroaches upon the realm. Mary Tudor has become queen to popular acclaim and her enemies are imprisoned in the Tower. But when she’s betrothed to Philip, Catholic prince of Spain, putting her Protestant subjects in peril, rumors of a plot to depose her swirl around the one person whom many consider to be England’s heir and only hope—the queen’s half-sister, Princess Elizabeth.

Haunted by his past, Brendan Prescott lives far from the intrigues of court. But his time of refuge comes to an end when his foe and mentor, the spymaster Cecil, brings him disquieting news that sends him on a dangerous mission. Elizabeth is held captive at court, the target of the Spanish ambassador, who seeks her demise. Obliged to return to the palace where he almost lost his life, Brendan finds himself working as a double-agent for Queen Mary herself, who orders Brendan to secure proof that will be his cherished Elizabeth’s undoing.

Plunged into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with a mysterious opponent who hides a terrifying secret, Brendan races against time to retrieve a cache of the princess’s private letters, even as he begins to realize that in this dark world of betrayal and deceit, where power is supreme and sister can turn against sister, nothing—and no one—is what it seems.


My Take:
The Tudor Conspiracy is only the second of Gortner's book that I have read, but I have to say, I like his style. The first of his books I read was not the first book in this series, but I didn't feel that was a hindrance. I think things are set up pretty well and reading the previous book isn't necessary for enjoyment.

I was excited to read The Tudor Conspiracy because I enjoy reading about the Tudors and I especially appreciate the fact that Elizabeth I had such a large network of spies during her reign. This book gives a fascinating, if fictional, look at how spies could have been a factor even before she took the throne.

I found Gortner's take on the suspicion, uncertainty, fear and scheming at court to be quite good and probably pretty accurate. It is clear that there is no love lost between Queen Mary and her half-sister, Princess Elizabeth. The many and various players in the court intrigues are fascinating to read about and try to unravel. Even though I know the history involved, there are enough minor and fictional characters that add to the story and keep things interesting and the reader uncertain as to exactly who is on what side and who will betray and who will remain loyal.  It was all great fun.

I am actually hoping that Gortner will add another book to the Spymaster series that will have Brendan working for Queen Elizabeth I and include the theater, Shakespeare and Marlowe, naturally - as well as all the political stuff, the various plots, etc. I've pretty much decided to just add all his books to my to be read list, since I have enjoyed both that I have read so far.

I can quite easily recommend The Tudor Conspiracy to anyone who likes historical fiction in general, enjoys Tudor history, English history or just enjoys a good tale.

About the Author

C.W. Gortner is the author of The Last Queen, The Confessions of Catherine de Medici, The Queen’s Vow and The Tudor Secret. He holds an MFA in Writing, with an emphasis in Renaissance Studies. Raised in Spain and half Spanish by birth, he currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
He welcomes readers and is always available for reader group chats. Please visit him at www.cwgortner.com for more information.

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Tuesday, July 16
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
Review & Giveaway at The Tudor Book Blog
Wednesday, July 17
Review at The Maiden’s Court
Review at Diary of a Book Addict
Interview at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
Thursday, July 18
Review at Amused by Books
Review at Ageless Pages Reviews
Friday, July 19
Review at The Broke and the Bookish
Review & Giveaway at Enchanted by Josephine
Interview at The Tudor Book Blog
Monday, July 22
Review at A Bookish Affair
Review at Jenny Loves to Read
Review at A Muse in the Fog Book Reviews
Tuesday, July 23
Review at Bippity Boppity Book
Guest Post at A Bookish Affair
Wednesday, July 24
Review at Confessions of an Avid Reader
Review at A Writer’s Life: Working with the Muse
Thursday, July 25
Guest Post at Confessions of an Avid Reader
Feature & Giveaway at Ramblings From This Chick
Friday, July 26
Review at Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews
Interview at A Writer’s Life: Working with the Muse
Monday, July 29
Review at Books in the Burbs
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Review at Writing the Renaissance
Tuesday, July 30
Guest Post at Flashlight Commentary
Wednesday, July 31
Review at A Chick Who Reads
Thursday, August 1
Review at JulzReads
Review at CelticLady’s Reviews
Guest Post at A Chick Who Reads
Friday, August 2
Review at Cheryl’s Book Nook
Interview at Bibliophilic Book Blog
Monday, August 5
Review & Giveaway at Peeking Between the Pages
Tuesday, August 6
Review at From L.A. to LA
Review & Giveaway at Luxury Reading
Guest Post at Historical Tapestry
Wednesday, August 7
Review at Review From Here
Thursday, August 8
Review at My Renaissance Movement
Friday, August 9
Review at Always with a Book
Review at Book Lovers Paradise
Monday, August 12
Review at A Book Geek
Review at Bloggin’ ’bout Books
Review at Historical Tapestry & Adventures of an Intrepid Reader
Tuesday, August 13
Review at The Bookworm
Guest Post at A Book Geek
Wednesday, August 14
Review at My Reading Room
Guest Post at Book Nerds
Thursday, August 15
Review at Book Journey
Interview at My Reading Room
Friday, August 16
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time
Monday, August 19
Review at The True Book Addict
Guest Post at So Many Books, So Little Time
Tuesday, August 20
Review at Lost in Books
Guest Post at The True Book Addict
Wednesday, August 21
Review at Broken Teepee
Thursday, August 22
Review at The Eclectic Reader
Guest Post at Broken Teepee
Monday, August 26
Review at Layered Pages
Review at A Bookish Libraria

Tuesday, August 27
Review at Book Addict Katie
Interview at Layered Pages

Forty Years in a Day Blog Tour and Review

Forty Years in a Day by Mona Rodriguez and Dianne Vigorito
Publication date: February 19, 2013
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Source: authors/publisher via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for an honest review
Synopsis:
Confession is good for the soul even after the soul has been claimed…
The story begins in Italy, 1900. After years of torment and neglect, Victoria and her four small children immigrate to Hell’s Kitchen, New York, to escape her alcoholic, abusive husband. On the day they leave, he tragically dies, but she does not learn of his death for several years—a secret that puts many lives on hold.
Quickly, they realize America’s streets are not paved with gold, and the limits of human faith and stamina are tested time and time again. Poverty, illness, death, kidnapping, and the reign of organized crime are just some of the crosses they bear.
Victoria’s eldest son, Vincenzo, is the sole surviving member of the family and shares a gut-wrenching account of their lives with his daughter during a visit to Ellis Island on his ninetieth birthday. He explains how the lives of he and his siblings have been secretly intertwined with an infamous Irish mob boss and ends his unsettling disclosure with a monumental request that leaves Clare speechless.

Forty Years in a Day is layered with the struggles and successes of each family member and defines the character of an era. Follow the Montanaro family through several decades, and stand in the shoes of a past generation.


My Take:

Forty Years in a Day really sounded like it would be a book that I'd enjoy reading. It is the story of a family. The Prologue sets up the premise: the father tells his family's story to his daughter on his ninetieth birthday after they have toured Ellis Island. This story is typical of many families, love, scandal, loyalty, betrayal, disillusionment, hope, -- you know - life. I loved the set up and I really loved the premise of the book.

While reading Forty Years in a Day, I felt like I really was reading about a family history. It felt genuine and despite the rather large scope of time covered, I felt sympathetic towards all the characters that made up this family. The time period makes for interesting reading by itself, but include a struggling immigrant family trying to make it in America, and you have all you need for a great story.

My one issue with the book is unusual for me because I am a big proponent of thesaurus use. However, in this case, I feel that there was a bit too liberal use of the thesaurus without taking context into account, sometimes causing awkward sentences that jarred me so much that I had to stop and reread a sentence over and over because it either didn't make sense or didn't flow well. A good editor could find and address these instances easily.

Aside from my small issue, I loved the story. I loved the tone and the way it sounded just like someone telling their family story to their children. It is a lovely book. I especially enjoyed how the Epilogue tied up loose ends and even revealed a few family secrets. Actually, I would have liked to read more of the details of things revealed in the Epilogue, but I guess we can't have everything we want.

About the Authors

Mona Rodriguez coauthored Forty Years in a Day with her cousin Dianne Vigorito. Throughout their lives, they had heard many stories from family members that were fascinating, sometimes even unbelievable, and decided to piece together the puzzle of tales. Through research and interviews, their goal was to create a fictional story that follows a family through several decades, providing the reader an opportunity to stand in the shoes of a past generation and walk in search of their hopes and dreams. What they realize in the process is that human emotions have been the same throughout generations – the difference is how people are molded and maneuvered by the times and their situations.
Mona Rodriguez has her MS in environmental Management from Montclair State University. She is presently a trustee on the board of directors of a nonprofit foundation created to benefit a local public library and community. She lives with their husband in New Jersey, and they have two grown sons.
For more information, please visit the official website.

Mona Rodriguez & Dianne Vigorito

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Monday, August 5
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Tuesday, August 6
Review at Impressions in Ink
Interview at Flashlight Commentary
Wednesday, August 7
Review & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books
Thursday, August 8
Review at A Book Geek

Friday, August 9
Review & Guest Post at The True Book Addict
Interview at Layered Pages

The Butterfly Sister

The Butterfly Sister by Amy Gail Hansen
Publication date: August 6, 2013
Publisher: William Morrow
Source: publisher provided a copy for a honest review
Description from Goodreads:
"My past was never more than one thought, one breath, one heartbeat away. And then, on that particular October evening, it literally arrived at my doorstep."

Eight months after dropping out of Tarble, an all-women's college, twenty-two-year-old Ruby Rousseau is still haunted by the memories of her senior year-a year marred by an affair with her English professor and a deep depression that not only caused her to question her own sanity but prompted a failed suicide attempt.

And then a mysterious paisley print suitcase arrives, bearing Ruby's name and address on the tag. When Ruby tries to return the luggage to its rightful owner, Beth Richards, her dorm mate at Tarble, she learns that Beth disappeared two days earlier, and the suitcase is the only tangible evidence as to her whereabouts.

Consumed by the mystery of the missing girl and the contents of the luggage-a tattered copy of Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own, the book on which Ruby based her senior thesis, and which she believes instigated her madness-she sets out to uncover the truth, not only about Beth Richards's past but also her own. In doing so, Ruby is forced to reexamine the people from her past: the professor who whisked her away to New Orleans and then shattered her heart and the ghosts of dead women writers who beckoned her to join their illustrious group. And when Ruby's storyline converges with Beth's in a way she never imagined, she returns to the one place she swore she never would: her alma mater.

My Take:
I picked The Butterfly Sister out of the stack of books to be read as a quick break from the succession of historical fiction that I have been reading lately. I am so happy that I did. This book was such a pleasant surprise. I expected to be entertained and diverted, but I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it was.

I loved all the references to women writers, particularly Virginia Woolf, and the connections to Ruby and her own fragile mental state. The story line regarding depression, madness and suicide attempts was interesting, thoughtful and very important to the story. Even while Ruby is rushing headlong to try to solve the mystery of her missing friend, the novel also addresses some of the issues regarding women writers, creativity, links with depression, scholarly life  - and then brings it all back around and together in a clever and surprising way.

I love fiction that references other fiction and writers and readers. This book has all that, plus it has a mystery, suspense, some romance, some revenge, some crazy, and some really great twists. This was fun from start to finish. I don't want to give anything away, because this one needs to be discovered by the reader.