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Category: Genre Fiction

Review: Emily’s Ghost by Denise Giardina

[ 6 ] September 10, 2010

Reviewed by Alisha Churbe

If you have long admired the Bronte’s for their contribution to the literary canon, you will enjoy Giardina’s historical retelling of their history. Aside from each of their own published works, much of what is known of the Bronte family belongs to Charlotte. Her notes, childhood writings and biographies survive. But in this novel, Emily is given the voice and takes the lead.

Emily’s Ghost opens with the five Bronte girls away at school where two of the sisters contract the disease that will ultimately end their lives. After learning of the illnesses, Father Bronte removes his daughters from school and together Anne, Charlotte, and Emily grieve the loss of their two sisters. They continue to learn as books and experiences are available, but most importantly, they begin writing their poetry and stories.

Throughout the experiences of coping with the loss, dealing with the alcoholism of their brother, watching their father age, forging friendships and ultimately falling in love, Giardina allows the personalities of each sister to shine while illuminating how they compare and contrast with each other and interact with the social norms of the early 19th century.

Giardina’s exploration pays off with a story that is thoughtful, emotional, and engaging. The story of Emily brings new facets to her character, she is all at once likable but remains true to her darker nature and shows emotion only on her own terms. Giardina gives Emily a voice to justify her reasons for independence while remaining close to, but very different than her sister Charlotte and other women of the 19th century.

Giardina ends the story both historically truthful and tragic, while leaving doors open for more thought and possibility. Giardina remains focused on gracefully illuminating the woman capable of conceiving Wuthering Heights, the thoughtful, resilient, and fiercely independent sister grounded in her beliefs, sometimes even against accepted women’s conventions.

Part-time fiction writer, Alisha Churbe lives in Portland, Oregon.  In the rare instances when you can pry her away from books, Alisha can be found travelling in foreign countries, cooking, or hiking with her husband Michael and dog Zach.

This book was provided free of any obligation by W.W. Norton & Company. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: The Countess and the King by Susan Holloway Scott

[ 9 ] September 10, 2010

As a lover of historical fiction, I found The Countess and the King by Susan Holloway Scott to be lively and exhilarating! Katherine Sedley, born in seventeenth-century London, grows up in an eccentric family with a father who is promiscuous and a mother who preposterously thinks she’s the queen.

Katherine is a character that I thought was more easily identifiable with than most characters of novels that deal with the lives of royalty. She lives the way she wants to live, no matter what anyone thinks of her. And yet, she is a lady in the court of King Charles II, and quickly becomes popular at the palace.

Engaged in an affair with James, the married duke of York, Katherine continues the relationship even after Charles II dies and James becomes king. The Countess and the King swiftly turns into a historical romance that is filled with drama and intrigue. Suddenly, there is a triangle, where religious oppositions and political conspiracies come to pass. In this fast-paced and engaging novel, Katherine must decide if she is to remain loyal to her king or to her country.

In The Countess and the King, Scott succeeded in taking a piece of history and making it relevant, exciting and vivid. This is a book that you will not want to put down and one that will keep you going, wondering what Katherine will decide to do next.

This book was provided free of any obligation by NAL Trade. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Blog Tour: Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

[ 13 ] September 9, 2010

Please join Karen Marie Moning, author of the MacKayla Lane novels, as she tours the blogosphere with TLC Book Tours!

To learn more about Karen Marie Moning and her books, please visit her website!

Review of Darkfever – Book One – by Jennifer J.

If only MacKayla Lane had not dropped her cell phone into her swimming pool, she might have some clues as to who murdered her beloved older sister, Alina. Left to ponder Alina’s very last words to her left in a voicemail, 22-year-old Mac travels across the ocean to Dublin to solve a murder the Dublin police consider hopeless. As she connects with Alina’s friends and college professors, she learns that the life she thought her sister was leading was nothing but a lie. If Mac can find Alina’s hidden diary, she may learn the identity of her sister’s murderer, as well as the truth behind her own heritage.

Mac, like her older sister, is a sidhe-seer. She has the ability to detect otherworldly creatures called the Fae and see past their glamour. Under the tutelage of the handsome, mysterious bookstore proprietor Jericho Barrons, Mac learns how to defend herself against these creatures. But Jericho also has other plans for her–she will help him locate the Sinsar Dubh, a powerful dark Hallow which possesses the power to take over the world of the humans.

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning is a well-paced introduction to a world where Fae, vampires, and other non-humans walk the streets alongside us. To help keep unfamiliar terms such as sidhe-seer and Sinsar Dubh straight, there is a glossary of terms complete with pronunciations located at the back of the book. I found this extremely useful as I read Darkfever, even though Moning straightforwardly defines each of the terms as they become relevant to the plot. Seasoned fantasy readers are likely to have come across things like fae, Hallows, and shades before, but newcomers to the genre who start with Darkfever will definitely appreciate the guide.

[amazonify]0440240980[/amazonify]The first novel in the series patiently presents the setting, develops the main characters, and delivers an engrossing murder mystery with plenty of twists and turns along the way. Though it’s tagged as a romance novel, I consider it to be more of an urban fantasy akin to books written by Kim Harrison and Charlaine Harris. It’s subtly implied that a romance might occur between Mac and Jericho, but Moning is rightly saving that for a future installment.

As the book reaches a conclusion, Mac and Jericho are still getting a feel for each other, and Mac still isn’t sure if Jericho can be trusted. None of Jericho’s secrets have yet been revealed, and he is by far the most intriguing character; I’m absolutely stumped as to who-or what-he might be.

As someone who considers herself well-read in the fantasy/romance genre, I can confidently say that this series has the potential to become one of my all-time favorites.

Check back for our reviews of more MacKayla Lane novels starting in October!

Jennifer graduated from the University of Utah with a BA in English. She occasionally dabbles with her own fiction writing, particularly with the Young Adult and Paranormal genres. She currently resides in Utah with her husband and daughter.

Review and giveaway copies were provided free of any obligation by Dell Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Interview & Giveaway: Elizabeth Chadwick, author of For the King’s Favor

[ 277 ] September 2, 2010

Please welcome Elizabeth Chadwick, author of For the King’s Favor!

Interview

Probably the most obvious question to ask (given your research in into William Marshal, the early Plantagenets, and subsequently Roger Bigod) is why you do not touch upon the growing Robin Hood tales that arise from this time period? Do you feel that the Robin Hood of legend is based upon Marshal or Bigod or not based upon anyone in particular?

Elizabeth: I actually do touch upon the possibility of the Robin Hood legend in my novel Lords of the White Castle, which is about the Shropshire outlaw Fulke FitzWarin. Fulke is thought by many historians to be one of the originators of the Robin Hood legends that were later brought together from various sources. Robin Hood is very ephemeral in the late 12th century and there is no mention of him by name and deed in any primary source research material pertaining to the period covered by William Marshal and Roger Bigod – nor would I expect there to be. The Fulke FitzWarin story was actually written after William and Roger’s death, so is not of their period, which is why he isn’t in my books. If their timelines had worked out better, perhaps things would have been different!

You talk about the belief that “each person leaves behind an indelible record of themselves impressed upon sub-atomic material and that this record can be accessed if one has the ability to tune in at that particular vibrational level.” Do you have the ability to tune in or do you use solely the services of the Akashic consultant Alison King?

Elizabeth: I wish I did have the ability, but I don’t. Alison’s talent with energy work is a very precious and special one. I have no such ability. I am not gullible, but I do have an open mind and I am interested to see that quantum physics is gradually getting to grips with the science of what she does.

What is Akasha? Is this method used by many historical fiction writers? How did you come across this method?

Elizabeth: Unfortunately, I’m not an expert in Akasha; it’s something I turn to Alison (mentioned above) for. Alison does have other historical novelists who are clients, and I know several historians and archaeologists who use similar methods of their own accord. She also utilizes her skill for people interested in genealogy and learning about their ancestors. Readers can obtain a fuller explanation on my website: http://www.elizabethchadwick.com/akashic.html

Nonetheless, I have known Alison for almost 25 years and have always been aware that she is sensitive to energies. While working with clients in the field of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming), she discovered that she could tune in and go back to things that had happened in their past that were still affecting them now. She realized that if she could go back 20 years, then why not 200, or 800. We were having an ordinary chat one day and she asked how my novel was coming along. I said fine, but I was having a problem finding out about a particular person because the records were scanty. She asked if I wanted her to tune in and find her. I said okay, and what came through was so astonishing, that I knew I had to investigate further. That was about 6 years ago now, and I have been using Alison’s extraordinary ability to help out with my research ever since. I get the details checked out by someone I know with qualifications in medieval history; I don’t take the details in blind faith. I also use them judiciously with other more conventional forms of research to weave the story.

Are you still actively involved in Regia Anglorum? Does this organization have any affiliation with the Society for Creative Anachronism (very popular in the US and Canada)?

Elizabeth: Yes, I am still involved in Regia Anglorum. This is an early medieval living history society with a brief to recreate life as it was in the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries. The emphasis is on being as accurate as possible. There is an American wing of Regia – RANA (Regia Anglorum North America). Some of the members are SCA members, but there is no affiliation as such

What attracted you to researching this era of history?

Elizabeth: My interest stemmed from when I first began researching historical fiction— the late Anglo Saxon, Norman and Angevin period. Henry II, Richard I and John are known as the Angevin kings, and before them it was the house of Normandy. I had fallen for a handsome knight in a TV programme who happened to live in the mid twelfth century. I began writing a sort of fan fiction about him and because I wanted it to feel as real as possible, I went to the library and began researching the period. The more I researched the more interested I became and the more I wanted to write about that time in history. But the original catalyst was a tall, dark, handsome guy in flowing robes with a sword in his hand!

What are your three favorite books of all time?

Elizabeth: This is a tough one! I don’t think anyone can choose their three favorite books. How do you narrow it down? Plus tastes change over time. I have books on my keeper shelves that are there because I loved them when I was 15, but not all of them have stood the test of time. I can tell you three books that are favorites though, among many favorites.

1. Hanta Yo by Ruth Beebee Hill

2. Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman

3. Alinor by Roberta Gellis

What are you working on next?

Elizabeth: A novel titled Lady of the English. It’s about two linked but very different women in English history; one an empress and one a queen. Matilda is the daughter of King Henry I and an empress by marriage to her German royal husband. When her husband dies, she returns to England, is forced into marriage with a 14 year old boy, and then has to fight for her right to inherit the crown. Adeliza is queen of England and Matilda’s stepmother, although she is in fact younger than her. When King Henry I dies, Adeliza remarries a baron on the opposing side to Matilda in the conflict for the English throne. She loves her husband and she loves Matilda and wants to be loyal to both. But how can she be? That is her dilemma. It’s about women striving to make their voices heard in a world ruled by men.

For more information, please visit Elizabeth Chadwick’s website.

Giveaway

I have 2 copies of For the King’s Favor to give away!

Mandatory entry: Please comment on this post with your e-mail address.

Extra entries (please post each entry separately, i.e. 2 posts for subscribing):
- Subscribe via e-mail, follow or subscribe to the feed. You must verify the subscriptions. (1 entry each)
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- Become a fan on Facebook (2 entries)

This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada residents only. Deadline to enter is midnight on September 20th.

Giveaway copies were provided free of any obligation by Sourcebooks Landmark. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell

[ 5 ] August 27, 2010

Reviewed by Rachel M.

When I came across Maggie O’Farrell’s first novel, After You’d Gone, last year, I was blown away. I thought it was one of the best novels I’d read in a long time and instantly recommended it to several friends. So, as an immediate O’Farrell fan, I was very excited to read her newest book, The Hand That First Held Mine, and was pleased to discover it didn’t disappoint. The Hand That First Held Mine doesn’t have the raw qualities and shock that made me appreciate After You’d Gone so much, but it has the same lyrical prose, graceful composition, and hidden twists that seem characteristic of O’Farrell’s writing style. You can bet that after reading two such works, I’m going to check out everything else O’Farrell’s written too.

The Hand That First Held Mine moves between two parallel trajectories: the story of Lexie, an ambitious, unformed woman in the 1950s; and that of Elina and Ted, new, uncertain parents in the present. Lexie’s presence feels real to her, but the narrator frequently reminds us that it’s temporary, and already past. Meanwhile, as Elina’s temporary amnesia after the difficult birth of her and Ted’s child fades away, Ted discovers gaping holes in his own memory. Along the way, subtle patterns, parallels, and comparisons between the characters’ lives emerge, tying the two stories together in unique and fateful ways.

Part of the pleasure in reading this book is coming across these twists and turns for yourself–discovering connections and disappointments along with the characters–and I don’t want to give them away. Instead, I want to reiterate the pleasure that comes from reading such an accomplished piece of fiction.

Verdict: this is an exquisite read, both in terms of the way O’Farrell manipulates language and sets up the novel’s structure, and it has plenty of heartbreaking moments you don’t see coming. While you’re at it, check out After You’d Gone, too–it’s superb.

Rachel, who has a Ph.D. in English, is a freelance writer/editor and a voracious reader. You can talk to her about books at twitter.com/writehandmann.

This book was provided free of any obligation by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: The Jewel of St. Petersburg by Kate Furnivall

[ 13 ] August 20, 2010

Reviewed by Jennifer J.

Set in the years leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917, The Jewel of St. Petersburg by Kate Furnivall is the story of aristocratic pianist Valentina Ivanova during a bleak period in Russian history. The daughter of a financial minister to Tsar Nicholas II, Valentina is expected to uphold a certain set of expectations. However, Valentina has no interest in the fancy balls, gowns, or handsome military leaders that are part of a young aristocrat’s daily life. Instead, Valentina’s interests lie in becoming a nurse and marrying Jens Friis, a Danish engineer.

Valentina’s father Nicholai has other plans for her, forcing her into an engagement with wealthy Captain Chernov to save himself from monetary debts. Torn between her duty to her family and her love for Jens, Valentina determinedly sets out to find a way to satisfy both her father and her own longings. As Valentina and Jens finally come together as man and wife, the Bolsheviks’ plot to overthrow the Tsar becomes a reality.

The Jewel of St. Petersburg was my introduction to Kate Furnivall’s works, and I found it a challenging read. As I was reading, I wanted to kick myself for not brushing up on Russian history. Furnivall makes it very obvious that there is friction between the working class and the aristocracy, but I wish she had provided more explanation on the political structure. There were a lot of titles used (Duma, for example) that I can’t remember having come across before this novel.

[amazonify]0425234231[/amazonify]Though the characters were well written and easily distinguished from one another, I was disappointed to find that I didn’t care much for any of them, including Valentina. She is fiercely independent and outspoken, and clearly loves and would do anything for her sister Katya. Those traits are admirable, but there are other instances where Valentina comes across as naive, irrational, and even despicable.

Throughout it all, Jens remains steadfast in his love for Valentina, and she proves that she is willing to do absolutely anything to be with him. The working class is best represented by Victor Arkin, the Ivanov family’s former chauffeur. While I wanted to sympathize with him, he repeatedly did one thing after another to destroy Valentina and her family. The energy he spent hating aristocrats could have been put to better use by supporting causes that would peacefully improve the government.

The history of Russia and the fall of the Romanov Dynasty has always fascinated me, and because of it I will try Kate Furnivall’s earlier works. I am especially interested in reading The Russian Concubine, which follows the life of Jens and Valentina’s daughter, Lydia.

Jennifer graduated from the University of Utah with a BA in English. She occasionally dabbles with her own fiction writing, particularly with the Young Adult and Paranormal genres. She currently resides in Utah with her husband and daughter.

This book was provided free of any obligation by Berkley Trade. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Emma and the Vampires by Jane Austen and Wayne Josephson

[ 9 ] August 15, 2010

Reviewed by Michelle S.

Emma and the Vampires, by Jane Austen and Wayne Josephson, is yet another work in a growing trend of “mash-up” books. This time, it seems that Emma’s world of Highbury has been infiltrated by vampires.

True to the original, our clueless heroine Emma spends her time matchmaking for her friends and neighbors. I say clueless, because despite Emma’s insistence that she knows everyone and everything, she somehow manages to misunderstand the actions and words of the residents of Highbury – as well as the fact that most of the men are vampires. Luckily for them, she’s better at wielding a stake than understanding love.

I hate to say it, but I really didn’t enjoy Emma and the Vampires. As much as I favor the original, I found the modernization of some phrases to be clunky, and longwinded. I also found many of the vampire references to be poorly added, in that even after re-reading it a few times I was still confused as to whether what was being stated was spoken or thought, or even understood or being kept secret. To that end, I was disappointed in the lack of explanation for the vampirism – some seem to be born vampires, others made vampires, some gentlemen and others wild. As far as the story goes, they just exist, end of discussion.

Also, I was disappointed in the lack of intelligence for all of the residents of Highbury (other than the vampires, of course). Emma is, by all rights, fairly clueless to begin with. However, neither she, nor any other non-vampire could see the differences between the ones she killed and the ones that walk among them. Could not one resident piece together the cold hands, black or red eyes, the lack of eating or the need for darkness to determine that others in their company were vampires as well?

Overall, to get past the lack of attention to detail and storyline, one would have to be as clueless as the characters in the novel.

Michelle recently returned to her West Virginia roots to re-invent herself. She is the principal (okay, only) web and graphic designer at Michelle My Belle Designs and uses the rest of her free time to write her own book blog 52 Self-help Books. Putting up with her madness is her husband Jason, dog Leo, and rabbit Macchiato.

This book was provided free of any obligation by Sourcebooks Landmark. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Blog Tour & Giveaway: The Hypnotist by M.J. Rose

[ 217 ] August 5, 2010

Please join M.J. Rose, author of The Hypnotist, as she tours the blogosphere with TLC Book Tours!

To learn more about M.J. Rose, visit her website or Facebook page!

Reviewed by Jennifer J.

Twenty years ago, Lucian Glass was unable to stop the murder of his beautiful girlfriend, a gifted young artist. Though he no longer creates original art, Lucian now works for the FBI in a specialized unit that investigates art heists. His current investigation, which involves an art collector responsible for destroying valuable masterpieces, is loosely connected to the Phoenix Foundation and Dr. Malachai Samuels. In disguise as James Ryan, Lucian’s own past memories are revealed to have a connection to the case which he is currently working.

Lucian’s past memories, which are tapped into via hypnosis, may also be linked to a recently discovered statue of the Greek god Hypnos about to go on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The lives of others may depend on Lucian to use what he has learned in this life to keep them all safe, including that of a troubled woman who could be the reincarnation of his past love.

M.J. Rose’s The Hypnotist is the third installment in a series that covers a topic I would love to see more of in today’s fiction: reincarnation. She is very scientific in her approach to the subject, having researched some of the leading experts in the field. Like her protagonist Lucian Glass, many readers may not put much faith into [amazonify]0778326756[/amazonify]the idea of reincarnation. After reading all three of the novels in this series, I’ve decided this is a subject I’d like to personally study more.

Each of the books in this series can be read as a stand-alone novel but I would highly recommend reading them in order: The Reincarnationist, The Memorist, and The Hypnotist. Dr. Malachai Samuels is a driving force in each of these novels, and his chronological actions are slowly leading up to something that has yet to be revealed. I have really enjoyed the character development in Samuels most of all because he is the only character (with the exception of Glass, who was a minor character in The Memorist) that has been in each of the novels.

The first two books seemed very formulaic, and I was relieved that The Hypnotist had an entirely different structure. This has been my favorite of the series so far, and what has convinced me that the rest of the books will be worth my time. The main story arc of the series has been slow to take off, but I’m now beginning to see that there is a purpose and end goal in sight.

Jennifer graduated from the University of Utah with a BA in English. She occasionally dabbles with her own fiction writing, particularly with the Young Adult and Paranormal genres. She currently resides in Utah with her husband and daughter.

Giveaway:
1 winner will receive a copy of The Hypnotist and an exclusive pin of the phoenix in the book (pictured on the left)!

Mandatory entry: Please comment on this post with your e-mail address.

Extra entries (please post each entry separately, i.e. 2 posts for subscribing):
- Subscribe via e-mail, follow or subscribe to the feed. You must verify the subscriptions. (1 entry each)
- Enter another current giveaway and tell me which one you entered (1 entry each)
- Share this giveaway on a social network of your choice. Click the “Share/Save” button at the bottom of this post (1 entry each)
- Become a fan on Facebook (2 entries)

This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada residents only. Deadline to enter is midnight on August 30th.

Review and giveaway copies were provided free of any obligation by Mira Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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