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Please join Joanna Hershon, author of A Dual Inheritance, as she tours the blogosphere with TLC Book Tours.
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Reviewed by Jax Kepple
Spanning the course of fifty years, A Dual Inheritance covers jealousy, wealth, love, longing, family and friendship as it affects the lives of first Ed Cantowitz and Hugh Shipley, and then their daughters Rebecca and Vivi. Author Joanna Hershon sets up the story right at the moment Ed and Hugh meet, and the story progresses chronologically through the ups and downs of their lives in the early 1970s, and then switches over to the entwined lives of their daughters, who meet at boarding school and bring the story up to present day.
When Ed and Hugh meet at Harvard while they are undergrads, they quickly become friends; the perfect compliments to each other. Hugh comes from old money, and his future is planned out for him but he can’t deny that deep down he wants to do more with his life. So he goes to Africa to start medical clinics and along the way marries his high school sweetheart, Helen. Ed has always resented and is extremely jealous of old wealth and how Hugh always has had everything given to him so easily, and decides to do whatever it takes to achieve immense wealth. After going to Helen’s parents’ house for a weekend getaway, Ed meets Helen’s father, who offers him a summer job and Ed begins his high profile career on Wall Street. After a chance encounter with Helen before she is due to leave for Africa, Ed becomes very bitter about everything and cuts Hugh and Helen off. He winds up marrying another motivated, high achieving woman, Jill, and together they become a New York City power couple.
Vivi and Rebecca’s story is not as intense until after an existential crisis that leads Rebecca to quit her job and break up with her boyfriend. Suddenly, Rebecca finds herself in Africa alone with Hugh and has an epiphany. I felt as though Vivi’s character was a tad underdeveloped, and she was clearly the least likable out of everyone, even though Hugh and Ed do some very questionable things. I liked how, while Rebecca and Vivi both portrayed aspects of their fathers, they were able to get past it and form a lasting friendship.
I truly enjoyed Hershon’s writing style – she is able to convey what each character is thinking and their motivations without being too simplistic. The story was a bit unpredictable but had a satisfying ending, after each character has gone through the ringer, personally and professionally. The result is a rich, layered story about how life is imperfect but it’s important to keep those you care about close.
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Jax is in an accountant at a hedge fund. She resides in NYC with her husband.
Review and giveaway copies were provided free of any obligation by Ballantine Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.
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About the book
Hay-on-Wye, 1995. Peter Byerly isn’t sure what drew him into this particular bookshop. Nine months earlier, the death of his beloved wife, Amanda, had left him shattered. The young antiquarian bookseller relocated from North Carolina to the English countryside, hoping to rediscover the joy he once took in collecting and restoring rare books. But upon opening an eighteenth-century study of Shakespeare forgeries, Peter is shocked when a portrait of Amanda tumbles out of its pages. Of course, it isn’t really her. The watercolor is clearly Victorian. Yet the resemblance is uncanny, and Peter becomes obsessed with learning the picture’s origins.
As he follows the trail back first to the Victorian era and then to Shakespeare’s time, Peter communes with Amanda’s spirit, learns the truth about his own past, and discovers a book that might definitively prove Shakespeare was, indeed, the author of all his plays.
Please join Paulo Coelho, author of Manuscript Found in Accra, as he tours the blogosphere with TLC Book Tours.
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Reviewed by Marcus Hammond
Much of Paulo Coelho’s writing can be categorized as metaphysical. Metaphysics, in essence, is a study of how one uses broad concepts to help define reality and our experiences within that reality. In Manuscript Found in Accra, Coelho uses a similar structure to that of Kahil Gibran’s The Prophet to provide insight into how we should experience topics like love, friendship, regret, loss, and family. Coelho loosely employs a fictional situation where a group of Jews, Christians, and Muslims gathers around a wise man, referred to as the Copt, to hear his words of wisdom prior to an attack by crusaders on Jerusalem. Through this narrative frame the diverse group of onlookers pose many existential questions that the Copt answers so that they can face the ensuing battle with peace in their hearts.
At one point, a young boy confesses that he feels useless. The Copt replies by explaining that uselessness occurs when a person tries to be something that they are not, in essence, lying to themselves and those around them about their identity. I found the passage relevant and inspiring because the world is full of problems that I fantasize about fixing yet feel powerless to do anything about. Coelho writes that everyone is useful in their own way as long as they stay true to themselves. As a teacher, I apply this lesson to the daily frustrations I feel when it seems impossible to reach my students. If I can’t reach every single student I do not become useless; I simply have to work within what is physically and mentally possible for my skills and position.
There are many relevant, inspirational moments in the book that I found myself pondering, however, the dialogue format does become a problem. Readers may find the Copt’s responses to be preachy and rambling if they don’t feel for a particular discussion topic. The close structure and style that Manuscript Found in Accra shares with Gibran’s The Prophet may also dissuade those looking for a more original offering.
Coelho imparts that life can be difficult, but by challenging ourselves, treating others well, and living by our own expectations, we can find peace and happiness. While every section of dialogue may not contain a universal lesson Coelho does try to cover topics that, at some point, we will all experience. Thus, Manuscript Found in Accra has the ability to inspire readers to reassess their experiences and improve themselves.
Rating: 
After obtaining a Masters in Liberal Arts and Literature Marcus has dedicated most of his time to teaching English Composition for a community college in the Midwest. In his down time, he spends time avidly reading an eclectic selection of books and doing freelance writing whenever he gets the chance. He lives in Kansas with his wife.
Review and giveaway copies were provided free of any obligation by Knopf. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.
Please welcome David Morrell, author of Murder as a Fine Art, as she tours the blogosphere with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.
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Reviewed by A.D. Cole
London, 1811, the most vicious set of murders in the country’s memory is perpetrated by a man named John Williams. Forty-three years later, Thomas De Quincy, famous for his memoir, Confessions of An Opium Eater, writes a series of essays. One of these essays is called On Murder As One of the Fine Arts. In this satirical essay, he details the artistry and skill involved in the infamous Ratcliffe Highway murders. The essay is merely dark humor. Just one writer’s way of managing the horror he feels knowing the atrocities his fellow man is capable of. Except now, the essay is more than that.
When a grisly set of copycat murders reawakens the terror of forty-three years ago, Thomas De Quincy is forced out of his laudanum haze and brought into the spotlight. At first, Detective Ryan and Constable Becker seek him out to question him about his essay. But a series of swift, surprising events quickly make apparent that Thomas De Quincy is at the center of this mystery. Not only is the killer modeling his art according to De Quincy’s prose, he is doing it for De Quincy. And he wants De Quincy dead.
With incredible historic detail and the fascinating ability to intertwine literary history and fiction, David Morrel spins a seamless, action-packed thriller with excellent twists and a satisfying ending. The characters are solid and compelling. Plot takes precedence over character development, though, so don’t be surprised if it takes you a while to warm up to Detective Ryan or Thomas De Quincy. As we get Emily De Quincy’s perspective directly from her journal writings, she’s a little easier to connect with right from the beginning.
The evolution of our understanding of the killer is also fascinating. I wasn’t immediately impressed with his “art.” I wasn’t immediately enthralled with the mystery. But as events unfolded, the conspiracy proved bigger and more intricate than I could have imagined. And the killer changed, in my mind, from a flat, cold-blooded murderer, to a complex and intriguing person with dark and disturbing motives.
Thomas De Quincy, his essays, and the Ratcliffe murders are the historical facts upon which this novel is based. The other notable aspect is the author’s emphasis on De Quincy’s belief that people sometimes do things for reasons they don’t understand. Before Freud was even born, Thomas De Quincy was espousing the belief that subconscious reactions to childhood experiences inevitably guide who a person becomes and how he behaves. This point is emphasized repeatedly throughout the novel. I’m reminded of Solomon’s dictum, “There is nothing new under the sun.” It’s always interesting to find that the person to whom we’ve attributed a particular advancement in knowledge or ideas, wasn’t in fact the first to discover it.
I could go on about all that I found intriguing or entertaining about this novel, but I think I’ve said enough. There are so many good reasons to read it. Historical fiction lovers or thriller enthusiasts are both target audiences. If you’ve ever read and enjoyed the novels of Matthew Pearl or Caleb Carr, then David Morrell’s Murder as a Fine Art is a book for you.
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A.D. Cole is a homeschooling mother and aspiring romance novelist. She lives in the Ozark foothills and spends her free time reading, writing, baking and pondering life’s little mysteries.
Review and giveaway copies were provided free of any obligation by Mulholland Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.
Please welcome Sandra Byrd, author of Roses Have Thorns, as she tours the blogosphere with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.
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Reviewed by Colleen Turner
It is with a heavy heart that young Elin von Snakenborg leaves Sweden, bound for England as part of Princess Cecilia’s entourage making the long, treacherous journey in the hopes of brokering a marriage between Queen Elizabeth of England and the Swedish King Erik. Right before leaving, Elin discovered that her fiancé was in love with her sister and her deceased father had gambled away part of her dowry, making her planned marriage uncertain at best. It is only upon arriving in England and meeting the kind and chivalrous William Parr, Marquis of Northampton, one of the highest ranking men in the country, that Elin’s spirits begin to lift. The excitement continues when William asks Elin to stay in England and become his wife when the rest of her party returns to Sweden. But it is only after her countrymen leave that Elin discovers William hasn’t been completely honest with her.
Due to questions regarding whether William was still married to his first wife, they are not able to proceed with the wedding. Left stranded in a strange country with no family or friends, the queen kindly offers Elin a place at court as a maid of honor. It is under the tender guidance of both the queen and her chief ladies that Elin, now going by the English name Helena, learns how to become a true Englishwoman and how to serve her queen with poise and dignity. It will take five years for their marriage to happen but once it does Helena becomes the Marchioness of Northampton, the highest ranking woman in England under the queen. And with this advancement in rank, the relationship between these two women continues to deepen.
After William dies, the feelings between Helena and another English gentleman, Thomas Gorges, intensifie and it seems like Helena’s chances to have it all – the chance to not only serve the queen as one of her closest ladies but to also have a passionate marriage with children – might become a reality. But how will Helena be able to balance the constant demands of the queen with the demands of a wife and mother? And when Helena must decide where her primary loyalty lays, with her queen or with her husband, which will she pick?
I have read all three books in Sandra Byrd’s Ladies in Waiting series and, while I have really enjoyed them all, Roses Have Thorns was by far my favorite. Being a huge fan of Tudor historical fiction, I was delighted to find a real member of Elizabeth’s court that I had never heard of. The relationship between Helena and Elizabeth is touching and they are presented as having both love and respect for each other. Through Helena’s eyes we see an Elizabeth that is not only smart, haughty and sometimes demanding but one that is compassionate and willing to set her own deep desire for romantic love and children aside for what is best for her country. We get to peek behind the hard mask of royalty to see the sad and lonely flesh and blood woman underneath.
The other aspect of Roses Have Thorns that I enjoyed was Helena’s struggles to juggle her demanding responsibilities at court with her responsibilities to her husband and children. While this is obviously at a different level, I think many working women will be able to see a little bit of themselves in Helena’s struggles and will be able to sympathize with the many sacrifices she will have to make in that ever shifting balance.
Roses Have Thorns hits on many of the tumultuous events surrounding Elizabeth’s reign that so many other books have as well, namely her extended battle with Mary, Queen of Scots, the constant struggle between the Catholic and Protestant factions within England, the continuous pressures to marry and produce an heir and her battle with Spain. What makes the book wholly unique to me is the humanization of the virgin queen and her close relationship with her Swedish lady in waiting. Any fan of historical fiction, especially surrounding the Tudors, will love this.
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Colleen lives in Tampa, Florida with her husband, son, their dog Oliver and their fish Finn. 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 and giveaway copies were provided free of any obligation by Howard Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.
