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Category: For Fans of Historical Fictions

Review: The Lady of the Butterflies by Fiona Mountain

[ 8 ] August 11, 2011

Reviewed by Claudia Robinson

“I had all that I had ever desired, and yet it felt that something vital was still missing from my life. It lacked some purpose. It lacked that sense of adventure and discovery that had always been so necessary to me. Stop being greedy, Eleanor. Do not ask for too much, or you might lose all that you already have. ” – Eleanor, The Lady of the Butterflies, Fiona Mountain.

Eleanor Goodricke is the daughter of a 17th C. Puritan nobleman with a keen desire to fuse science with Christianity, God’s most miraculous moments dissected by and for faith. His unorthodox methods, puritanical ideals, as well as the methods used in raising his daughter, who shares his passion for science, keep him on the outskirts of society, who understand nothing of his ways. When he passes away, a victim of ague, like his wife and first daughter, before him, Eleanor is commanded in to the care of the stern and ever disapproving William Merrick. Left, for the most part, to her own devices, Eleanor pursues her desire to see the metamorphosis of a butterfly, the symbol of rebirth, proof, according to her Father, of life after death, with renewed vigor.

Tickenham Court’s land has been coveted and pursued for the land reclamation proposal, refused, for years, by the Goodricke family. The proposal will bring great wealth to all involved, except for the inhabitants whose very livelihoods depend upon it’s current state and the flora and fauna that abide there, all which will be eradicated with the drainage of it’s moors and marshes. As the heiress of Tickenham Court, Merrick makes a point of finding a Eleanor a suitable match for marriage. She hopes for a Lord to reside once more over its affairs instead of it falling into the hands of a ‘flighty’ young girl, with a whimsical and eccentric perspective of life.

Eleanor’s first love, Edmund, and subsequent marriage and children, seems like the perfect union, until Eleanor meets Richard, the flamboyant, dark and dangerously handsome best friend, igniting a lust within her, that threatens to devour and destroy everything she has, if pursued. When Edmund succumbs to the ague, Eleanor’s life is torn apart, her loyalties tested. Secrets, deception, lies and love weave themselves together to form a cocoon of mystery, fatalistic dreams and skewed perceptions. What happens next can only be described as a maelstrom of missed opportunities, misconceptions and misunderstandings that tumble and turn, one over the other, until the reader is left holding their breath with the turn of each page.

The Lady of the Butterflies is rife with emotion, passion, and one woman’s determination to be her own person, while ensuring that no harm comes to her family because of her actions, a task easier said than done. Detailed, alternately heart breaking and heart pounding, tense, high-strung, intimately portrayed, Eleanor’s tale of a woman seeking to find a place in a man’s world where she is both lusted after and abhorred, combines wanton lust with calculated intellect to deliver a tale that jumps off the pages and demands the reader’s undivided attention.

The Lady of the Butterflies is perfection. Immaculately researched, lush, vivid and alive, it tests the reader’s mind, heart and spirit with every new twist and turn. Characters are strong, real, and invoke visceral, passionate internal responses. Based on true accounts, but pieced together with the writer’s own research and fleshed out with her opinions, this book is, to any historical fiction fan, what the bible is to any Christian, or a microscope to a scholar. Superb and sublime and completely and utterly unforgettable.

Rating: 5/5

Claudia lives on beautiful Cape Cod with her husband and two children.

The review copy of 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: The Second Duchess by Elizabeth Loupas

[ 6 ] July 5, 2011

Reviewed by Colleen Turner

In The Second Duchess, Elizabeth Loupas expands on Robert Browning’s Victorian poem “My Last Duchess” to bring to life the very real and very enigmatic court of Ferrara under Alfonso II d’Este. Through the eyes of his second duchess, Barbara of Austria, we are thrust head first and unprotected into this 16th century pit of vipers, made to feel, smell, taste, see and hear the danger and intrigue at one of the key points of the Italian Renaissance.

Barbara of Austria doesn’t expect happily-ever-after from her marriage to Duke Alfonso d’Este. As a relatively unattractive, older princess of Austria, one that could have as easily been sent off to become a nun like some of her sisters, she expects the culture, splendor and exulted status that being the Duchess of Ferrara should bring. She is determined to ignore the whispers of sin and murder that surround her new husband and his first wife’s death. She soon finds that is not something she can easily do.

Inquisitive by nature she begins to ask questions and search out the truth of what happened to her predecessor Lucrezia d’Medici. When her own life becomes endangered she no longer knows who she can trust or what to believe. Behind every smile and every declaration of truth seems to lie forbidden secrets. Did her husband kill his first wife and, if so, is she now in danger of unleashing the monsters that lie within him? If he isn’t out to silence her, then who in fact is and what are they hiding? As she nears the precipice of discovery she finds it is too late to turn around and start fresh as the second duchess. Will she find the answers she so readily seeks, or will she follow in Lucrezia’s now cold footsteps?

I absolutely loved The Second Duchess! The story is told both from the viewpoint of Barbara of Austria as she navigates through the court of Ferrara and Lucrezia d’Medici, looking on from a state of death called immobila. As Barbara tries to uncover more and more of the truth, Lucrezia tells us what really happened to her, slowly and slyly, as she looks on with distaste at the proceedings.

The Second Duchess was a great historical whodunit that really kept me guessing to the end. This is the sort of story that you feel you are listening to or seeing first hand as it is happening instead of reading almost five hundred years in the future. Following close to historical fact while also cleanly incorporating fictional characters from Browning’s poem, The Second Duchess is a book that will please history, historical fiction and mystery lovers alike.

Rating: 5/5

Colleen lives in Tampa, Florida with her husband, son and pet fish. When not working or taking care of her family she has her nose stuck in a book (and, let’s face it, often when she is working or taking care of her family as well). Nothing excites her more than discovering a new author to obsess over or a hidden jewel of a book to worship.

Review copy 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: Queen by Right by Anne Easter Smith

[ 5 ] May 16, 2011

Please join Anne Easter Smith, author of Queen By Right, as she tours the blogosphere with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours!

Reviewed by Erin McKibbin

At the close of the Hundred Year War arose one of history’s greatest love stories: the story of Duke Richard Plantagenet and Duchess Cecily Neville. Matched as childhood friends, Cecily and “Dickon” grew up together, fell in love, and founded a royal line whose descendants sit on the English throne today.

Richard Plantagenet, the son of an executed traitor, had a greater claim to the throne than King Henry himself. And yet, his highest ambition was to serve his king with dignity. Cecily Neville, “the Rose of Raby,” was the youngest (and most favored) child of the very powerful Earl Ralph Neville of Westmorland and her only desire was to see her husband succeed in all he could be. Despite their marriage being arranged, they ended up being one of the few nobles of the time to have had a “true love match.”

Like most love stories, Cecily and Richard’s love and lives were fraught with peril and tragedy. Shortly after they were wed, they were pulled into France where the fate of Jeane d’Arc (the French peasant who wore men’s clothes and led the French army against England) unhinged Cecily who saw too much of herself in this martyr. Jeane’s execution caused Cecily to violently miscarry her first child, nearly leaving her barren and the Plantagenet line without an heir. It was Richard’s love, her female support network, and Cecily’s rock solid faith in the Blessed Virgin that healed her wounds and allowed her to give birth to 13 children. She lived long enough to witness her own offspring being crowned.

Queen By Right is a riveting tale about medieval feminism, devout faith, and undying love. Anne Easter Smith demonstrates her very thorough research skills by bringing the story of these dynamic characters to life. Through Smith’s eyes, we get a fresh perspective on the Plantagenet line, the end of the Hundred Year War, and the beginning of the line of Tudors.

Rating: 3.5/5

Erin fell in love with the written word as a small child and subsequently spent most of her life happily devouring literature. She works as a freelance news, marketing, and technical writer as well as a full-time researcher/investigator in the sign industry. Erin lives just outside of Cleveland, Ohio enjoying the beauty of life with her children and grandchildren.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Touchstone. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: The Arrow Chest by Robert Parry

[ 13 ] April 14, 2011

Reviewed by Claudia Robinson

“The paper fan, meanwhile, that she holds in her hand together with the complex code of signals that has grown up around the object over the years, becomes an expression of unending subtly and sophistication in her hands: to open invitingly as her eyes meet his across the room; to draw it shut a moment later as she is distracted elsewhere; to raise it to her right cheek to express interest in a conversation nearby; or to beat it waspishly against her palm when irritated by another.” Amos, describing Daphne, in The Arrow Chest

Robert Parry is a word smith. His ability to extract his own perceptions of the past and present them in a novel in fantastical manner, one that disallows his readers anything BUT their total and complete submersion in to his tales, is ingenious. Dark humor, bizarre circumstances and festering desires fuse together seamlessly in his latest book, The Arrow Chest, creating yet another sumptuous and slightly demonic, story.

Young, virile, handsome, if not slightly off kilter, Amos Roselli is a painter with a very special and beautiful muse, his childhood friend, and love of his life Daphne, now married to Oliver Ramsey. Set in Victorian England, this haunting (literal and figurative) story, weaves the lives of King Henry VIII and the infamous Anne Boleyn with those of star crossed lovers, Daphne and Amos. From the moment Amos is called upon to sketch the remains (minus head) thought to belong to Anne Boleyn, strange things begin to happen.

Commissioned to paint a portrait of the beastly and corpulent Ramsey, Amos and Daphne are thrown together once again, rekindling old feelings and setting a course, that for all, is sure to end in tragedy. Trapped in a loveless marriage, Daphne cleaves to Amos, embroiling him in what she considers a plot against her, should she not conceive an heir soon. When Daphne reveals her passion for seances, and the ability to contact the dead, things begin to get dark, leaving Amos to believe he might even be losing his mind.

Parry displays, yet again, an uncanny ability to bring fact and fiction together in a flawless fashion that is, for me, Robert’s trademark. He leaves his readers contemplating the accuracy of his stories as well as those they have read before, and ultimately having to choose the ‘reality’ of their preference. More often than not, Parry’s adaptation, will win.

Anyone enamored with Tudor history, Gothic England, or times begone, laden with dazzling debauchery, will fall in love with The Arrow Chest. My only critique? The cover. Such a decadent novel is deserving of a cover far more beautiful, much more opulent. In a store, I would have passed over the book, the cover rendering too immature for the content within. I’d love to see it rebound in something magical. Bottom line though? READ IT!

Rating: 4.5/5

Read Robert Parry’s guest post about The Arrow Chest and check out Claudia’s review of his last novel, Virgin and the Crab

Claudia lives on Cape Cod with her husband and two children. She entertains her passion for reading in between being a full-time Mom, aspiring writer, avid photographer & co-leader of the Cape Cod Community Angels, a non-profit organization for young girls involved in volunteering in their Community.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Robert Parry. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Sins of the House of Borgia by Sarah Bower

[ 5 ] March 19, 2011

Reviewed by Colleen Turner

“All my life I had been obedient to the men who exercised authority over me. Staying behind in Toledo at my father’s insistence, until it was too late to travel safely and I was forced to witness my mother’s lonely, unnecessary death on the beach at Nettuno. Renouncing my own faith and family in favour of these Borgias with their dangerous charm, their plausible lies and their inhumane religion. Even taking my vicious nickname because it was bestowed on me by a man. My name. My real name.” – Sins of the House of Borgia

Her real name is Esther Sarfati and she emerges as our competent and enigmatic narrator. She has the unique ability to be an active part of the intrigue surrounding the heyday of the Borgias but to be removed enough to also be our proverbial “fly on the wall”.

In 1492 Esther and her mother are left behind in Spain while her father travels to Rome to work for Cardinal Borgia in hopes of escaping the Jewish persecution building in Spain under King Ferdinand. Cardinal Borgia soon becomes Pope Alexander VI and her father rises as a prominent banker for the Vatican. One day he informs her that she will be joining the household of one of the Pope’s illegitimate children, Lucrezia Borgia, who will be marrying for the third time at twenty-one. She is also told she must convert to Christianity and have nothing more to do with her family or her previous life.

In Lucrezia’s household she must change everything about herself. She is even made to change her name to Violante by Lucrezia’s cruel yet charming brother, Cesare. Violante easily succumbs to the somehow pious yet vulgar ways of the court and becomes so enamored by Cesare she gives into his advances and ends up pregnant. He barely acknowledges their child and leaves Violante bereft of the love she is sure he feels for her.

While Cesare leaves Violante longing for him, Lucrezia begins to keep Violante close. When a horrid secret is revealed to Violante after Cesare’s death, she finally realizes that she was used as a pawn by them all, as everyone else without Borgia blood inevitably is. This finally pushes Violante to leave before it is too late.

Sins of the House of Borgia is beautifully written and so effectively exemplifies the glamour of the Borgia court that you can easily sympathize with Esther’s loss of self within it. This novel is not meant to be rushed through and I am not able to come close to describing all the people, intrigues and alliances in this review. The author does a wonderful job of combining the facts known about the Borgias with rumors and elaborations of those known to be around them but for which the history books say very little. I will be waiting to see what Ms. Bower has to offer next.

Rating: 4.5/5

Check out Sarah Bower’s guest post and learn about the inspiration behind the book

Colleen lives in Tampa, Florida with her husband, son and pet fish. When not working or taking care of her family she has her nose stuck in a book (and, let’s face it, often when she is working or taking care of her family as well). Nothing excites her more than discovering a new author to obsess over or a hidden jewel of a book to worship.

Review copy 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: The Queen’s Lover by Vanora Bennett

[ 8 ] March 16, 2011

Please join Vanora Bennett, author of The Queen’s Lover, as she tours the blogosphere with TLC Book Tours!

Reviewed by Erin McKibbin

During the Hundred Year War, little Catherine de Valois had much to worry about. Her father, the King of France was mad; her mother an adulterer; her brothers, uncles, and cousins were destroying France with their infighting; England had invaded and won; and she and her brother Charlie were all but completely neglected by their parents and the palace staff. But, to make things worse, Catherine had fallen in love with a landless, title less Welshman. Promised in marriage to the conquering King Henry V of England, Catherine begins to understand her royal blood cannot save her from her fate or from a broken heart.

Owen Tudor, son of a Welsh insurgent, was sent to King Henry IV as a ward after his father fled the British Isles and his family was captured. Growing up in the royal household, he overlooked the lack of civil rights he and his fellow Welshmen suffered during the reigns of Henry IV and V (the Lancastrian kings). His loyalty to the English crown was so complete that he willingly accompanied Duke Thomas of Clarence to France on a mission to offer a marriage proposal to the youngest daughter of King Charles VI, the mentally disturbed and vanquished Lord in Paris. Little did Owen realize that this trip would inspire a love of the written word, the love of a beautiful princess, and a lifetime where his devotion to his king is tested.

Christine de Pizan, known as Europe’s First Feminist, grew up as a friend and companion to the Royal de Valois children in France. Her life-long companionship with Charles VI and her fame brought about by her published works of poetry won her the position of tutor to Catherine and Charles, the youngest (and most neglected) children of Charles VI and Isabeau. Christine loved France deeply and she truly believed in the sanctity of royal blood. When she heard that her student, Catherine, had been promised in marriage to the usurper Henry V of England, she turned her back on the would-be daughter and supported young Charles in his endless fight to wrest France from English rule.

Jehanne of Arc was a teenage girl who followed the voices she thought to be that of God. These voices told her that Charles de Valois was the true heir to the French thrown, not the son of English Henry V and Catherine de Valois. God told her to wear men’s clothing and to join Charles’ efforts. So deep was her belief that she successfully led Charles to many victories and even successfully had Charles coroneted in Reims. Despite her efforts, she was abandoned to the English, who promptly put her to death for heresy. Her efforts also won her the admiration of Christine de Pizan, whose last published works was an epic poem in Jehanne’s honor.

Vanora Bennett brings to life France and England at the end of the Hundred Year War and demonstrates how a couple of young impetuous lovers found one of the most famous English Dynasties that history has ever seen. The Queen’s Lover is a captivating story taking place in the landscape of a Europe in chaos as the ancient aristocracies crumbled and a new world order emerged.

Rating: 4.5/5

Erin fell in love with the written word as a small child and subsequently spent most of her life happily devouring literature. She works as a freelance news, marketing, and technical writer as well as a full-time researcher/investigator in the sign industry. Erin lives just outside of Cleveland, Ohio enjoying the beauty of life with her children and grandchildren.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Harper Paperbacks. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: The Gendarme by Mark Mustian

[ 5 ] January 27, 2011

Emmett Conn was a gendarme during World War I and escorted Armenians from Turkey to Syria. The “escort” was in fact part of the Armenian genocide, which few people survived. While there, he met a woman named Araxie and became fascinated with her. As the war came to an end, they were separated and Emmett was injured.

Emmett is now an elderly man near the end of his life and is experiencing memory loss due to his war injury. He begins to have seizures and dreams of not being able to escape.  Due to his age and veteran status, people believe him to be senile and confused. What they don’t understand is that he has become overwhelmed with his memories of the events that took place during the war that others have intentionally overlooked.

Seven decades later, with his confusion and memory loss at its peak, he loses his grasp on reality. And although his daughter, whom he was somewhat estranged from, cares for him and tries to help him overcome the difficulties of his health, he doesn’t know the difference between the past and the present. Because of this he longs for absolution and decides to begin looking for Araxie so that he can ask for her forgiveness.

The Gendarme is written in the first person, and Mark Mustain’s prose in this book is expressed so beautifully that it’s nearly poetic. He speaks of love in such a way that we start to see how it rises above race, religion, and matters of the government. The Gendarme is a story of hope and survival; one that will have readers thinking about it even after turning the last page. It is a story of memories, denial, and reparation; it is a story of the human spirit.

The most important lesson I learned from The Gendarme is that nothing can divide us as human beings in the face of love.

Rating: 3.5/5

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Amy Einhorn Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Queen Hereafter: A Novel of Margaret of Scotland by Susan King

[ 7 ] January 17, 2011

Reviewed by Alisha C.

I usually enjoy the type of historical fiction where little information is known about the people or subjects. The lack of concrete knowledge allows the author to freely add details and story elements that may or may not have actually occurred.

Queen Hereafter is different in that much is known about Margaret of Scotland. She is an admirable and pious character and the novel’s intent is to further illustrate a portion of her life in finer detail. The novel is very well researched and the historical details are well organized to move the story along. The fictional details King has added feel at home within the history.

The novel begins before Margaret is queen, a daughter of royalty lost in unfamiliar lands, and a young girl who is very content to join the convent and dedicate her life to the church. We learn the details of her marriage and how she feels about marrying an older man and becoming a queen. The novel is crafted as a coming-of-age story chosen carefully to illuminate the change from woman to queen, wife, mother, and caretaker of the people of Scotland.

Margaret learns how to be a queen and a mother, but never loses sight of everything that is important to her. She sticks very close to her faith and is always convincing her husband, Malcolm III, to give more food, clothing, shelter and money to the people. Many times, she goes without and gives her belongings and food to others.

Queen Hereafter explores the ideas of married life, sex, childbirth and motherhood, while also describing a woman who would later be canonized a saint. Margaret’s first priority is always goodwill and she never loses sight of this endeavor; she spends much of her life creating new ways to give to her people –  at one point, she even feeds  poor children at her own table with her own spoon.

The story within Queen Hereafter is fulfilling and feels whole on it’s own, but also provides an intricate retelling of the time period. It only falls short when you look at it in relation to Margaret’s life. If you know her history, this story is but a brief snapshot of her very full life leaving you wanting much more. The  characters are well written and enjoyable. King gives us a Margaret of Scotland who never wavers in her beliefs, but is constantly changing to accommodate everything that is new in her life.

Rating: 4/5

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 Crown Publishing. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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