Recent Reads {The Rebel's Pledge}

The Rebel's Pledge by Rita Gerlach - When this book showed up as free for Kindle, it caught my eye because  part of the action takes place in St Mary's City in colonial Maryland - close to home. The storyline is very interesting, with lots of action, and that kept me 'turning' pages all the way through. Matthew Hale is the main character, a young man who took part in a rebellion against King James of England. He expects to be hanged as a traitor, but is instead sentenced to transport to the colonies where he is sold as a slave. His master is a good man and treats all his workers very well. Hale soon earns a place as steward and proves to be honorable and trustworthy, so he is sent back to England with the mission of bringing the master's daughter to Maryland. Not surprisingly, Hale and the young lady, Lara, fall in love and after facing many adventures and dangers in returning to Maryland, they marry with her father's blessing. Unfortunately, Lara's former suitor in England is a powerful man with evil intent and he comes after Lara and frames Hale as a murderer. Hale and Lara are separated again and face another set of adventures and dangers before they can clear Hale's name and save both their lives.

Overall I liked the book, although the love story itself is fairly predictable and formulaic. There were a few minor holes in the plot, but that didn't bother me much. What did bother me was what looked like extremely poor editing!

I would be interested in seeing the print version of the book, because I hope that the vast majority of the errors in grammar, punctuation, and word usage were the result of formatting from print to eBook! I have no idea how the technology works, but I have noticed that eBooks do have those kinds of mistakes to a larger degree than print, so I would like to give the benefit of the doubt to the author and editor. That said, the errors were abundant, and sucked quite a bit of enjoyment out of the reading. Word usage was the biggest problem. I found "barred teeth" instead of "bared" multiple times, "illusive" instead of "elusive" more than once, "vile" instead of "vial" a couple of times, and a host of other similar mistakes. Punctuation was also strange or completely wrong in many places. One of the characters was referred to interchangeably as "Teaque" or "Teague". I am willing to attribute most of these problems to formatting error, but there were also places where the sentences and wording were just downright awkward and confusing. I paid a brief visit to the author's website and found a preview chapter of a new book there and a couple of punctuation and grammatical errors stood out to me in that sample, so maybe editing is an ongoing issue.

©2008-2013 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Tuesday's Treasures - The Eight

This post is copied from my main blog, Homeschool Coffee Break, but because this link-up is about books, my contributions will appear here too!

This week I'm featuring another book that would never have caught my eye, except for the recommendation of an acquaintance. The Eight by Katherine Neville was suggested as a monthly read by a lady in a book club I was in several years ago. The book club members scrounged up copies through the library, inter-library loan, and half.com and got to reading. I purchased a copy and hoped that I wouldn't regret having spent the money. I never have.

This is a thriller/medieval mystery/historical novel/romantic adventure story all rolled into one.  The action jumps back and forth between two main characters and their respective time periods - Mireille, a French nun in the late 1700s; and Cat, a modern-day computer specialist in the 1970s. As revolution grips France, Mireille and her cousin Valentine flee the ancient abbey with the mission of carrying away pieces of an ancient chess set supposedly once owned by Charlemagne. Cat is sent to Algeria for her accounting firm, but has been asked to do a little side job while she is there - search for an antique chess piece. Each woman finds herself on a quest to find and decode the secret of the ancient chess set which holds a mysterious power, and to find the scattered pieces of the chess set before the team of  "bad guys" does. Intrigue, conspiracy, power struggles, and dangerous situations are part of their daily adventures in the Game they are involved in.  In many instances, it's hard to tell who is on the White Team and who is on the Black Team - and even which team is considered the "good guys"! The first time I read it, most of the surprise ending elements were truly unexpected - I read the final chapters with all the storyline resolutions and realized that it all made sense but I hadn't seen it coming at all. I've read it several times since and have enjoyed just as much upon each re-reading.  

There is also a sequel, The Fire, which is not quite as gripping, in my opinion, but is still very good.

One little caution - this is definitely a secular book, and subtly presents the idea that all religions are based in the same ancient mysticism. The mystical and fantasy elements will not appeal to all readers. There are also a  couple of 'love scenes' that aren't overly graphic, but are more descriptive than is necessary.

Here are the posts I originally wrote about The Eight and about The Fire.

The original post is linked at Every Bed of Roses for Tuesday's Treasures. Blog about a book on your shelf, one you're reading, or one you found at the library.

©2008-2013 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Reads {Grave Consequences}

Grave Consequences by Lisa T Bergren - It's been some time since I read the first book from this series by Bergren, Glamorous Illusions, so I did need to take a moment to re-orient myself with the characters and where the first book left off. Main character Cora Diehl Kensington is with her half-siblings on a grand tour of Europe. They have just escaped from a kidnapping plot and Cora is finally starting to feel accepted as part of their family, but she is also torn between the two men who are showing an interest in her. Pierre is a wealthy French nobleman who has graciously provided protection and hospitality for Cora's entire traveling party, and has openly declared his intention to court Cora. As much as she admires Pierre, she is unsure whether she fits in his world, and besides, she realizes she prefers the young tour guide assistant, Will. For his part, Will is in love with Cora but he also knows that her father will never allow him to court her. He also knows that it is imperative that he and his uncle (their tour guide) complete the tour and collect their fees so that he will be able to continue his schooling.

As the group carries on through France and Switzerland, they enjoy sightseeing excursions and some lovely adventures, but they also encounter danger when it appears that the would-be kidnappers are still in pursuit. Pierre and Will are both in pursuit of Cora's heart as well, and Cora agonizes over the difficult decision she will need to make. A decision made even more difficult when she realizes that her father's likely disapproval of her relationship with Will may cause him to destroy the young man in an effort to keep them apart.

By the same author: Glamorous Illusions, The Blessed, The Betrayed, The Begotten

©2008-2013 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Movie Night {Pride and Prejudice}

Pride and Prejudice - Kennady and I enjoyed a movie night last week and watched the movie version of Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. I guess I should say up front that the BBC mini-series starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth has been my favorite, and as much as I am willing to give other versions a chance, that is the standard that I measure by. Thankfully, this film adaptation measured up very well in comparison. In condensing the entire novel into just a bit more than two hours, it's to be expected that certain details and bits of dialogue would be left out. I think that this was very well done, and I didn't feel that any conversation that was truly important was left out. In fact, we had nearly reached the end of the movie before it occurred to me to mention to my daughter that the movie had entirely omitted a couple of minor characters - Mr and Mrs Hurst, and Maria Lucas - as the story was carried without their presence. The focus seemed to be on the interactions between Elizabeth and Darcy, which were very well played. Darcy was very serious and reserved, and Elizabeth was spirited and teasing. It was quite apparent that Elizabeth had determined that she would dislike Mr Darcy because of the slighting remark he made about her at the assembly, and yet she found herself drawn into conversations with him and liking him despite her resolve. The scene of Darcy's first proposal was excellently done, and Elizabeth's growing regret of her hasty and uncivil rejection was moving.

I did not care much for the portrayal of Bingley. In my opinion he appeared more of a buffoon than the agreeable and over-eager gentleman that Austen describes. On the other hand, Mr Collins is perhaps portrayed more kindly in this version than others, and isn't as completely ridiculous. As for Mr Bennet, I went back and forth as to whether I liked him as played by Donald Sutherland, but by the end when he interviews Elizabeth before giving his blessing to the marriage, I had warmed to him considerably and quite enjoyed that scene in particular.

While the BBC mini-series remains my favorite, this movie is so beautifully done that it will hereafter hold a very close second place. Highly recommended!

©2008-2013 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Tuesdays Treasures - A Barbecue for Charlotte

This post is copied from my main blog, Homeschool Coffee Break, but because this link-up is about books, my contributions will appear here too!

Happy Canada Day! (It was yesterday, July 1st)

I picked this book totally for its pictures, and its Canadian-ness. Truth.  A Barbecue for Charlotte is a children's book by Canadian painter and storyteller Marc Tetro. Tetro's artwork was popular on t-shirts and coffee mugs and that sort of thing sold as souvenirs, and I really liked the bold color-block style. So right around the time that we moved to the United States, someone in my family (I don't remember who - isn't that awful?!) gave me this book.

The simple story is about a moose named Charlotte that doesn't seem to quite fit in. She's not as girly as her sister, but she wasn't really welcome playing volleyball with the boys either. One day she found a little barbecue tripod that she could wear as a hat, and she thought it was fabulous! Of course the other moose made fun of her, but her grandma encouraged to keep on trying new things and being herself. Turned out Charlotte's strange "antlers" came in handy saving her sister from wolves!




Note the Hudson Bay blanket Charlotte has on her bed, and the map of Canada on the wall!


What's more Canadian than a moose and a Hudson Bay blanket? Other than a hockey game, I can't think of much.

The original post is linked at Every Bed of Roses for Tuesday's Treasures. Blog about a book on your shelf, one you're reading, or one you found at the library.

©2008-2013 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Reads {North By Northanger}

North By Northanger (Or, the Shades of Pemberley) by Carrie Bebris - Darcy and Elizabeth have a tough time finding peace and quiet. After the exhausting London season they've just endured, they only want to enjoy a quiet holiday at Bath before heading home to Pemberley to await the birth of their first child. While in Bath, however, they receive an invitation from Captain Tilney to visit him at Northanger Abbey on their way home. Apparently, their mothers were once good friends and Captain Tilney would like to renew the acquaintance. Their reception at Northanger Abbey is extremely odd, and within moments of their arrival they are wishing to be headed home. They do cut their visit with the Captain short, but at their next stop they are detained and find themselves accused of having stolen diamonds from the Abbey. Darcy must even spend some time in the jail. It appears that someone has gone to a great deal of trouble to implicate the Darcys. Desperate circumstances call for desperate measures, and Elizabeth contacts Lady Catherine DeBourgh for just such a favour. It is a mixed blessing indeed, for Lady Catherine does succeed in having Darcy released from the prison so they can return to Pemberley - but at the cost of the couple being subject to her as their chaperone. They continue to work to clear their names while at Pemberley, as they unravel clues about the friendship between Darcy's mother and Mrs Tilney. And all the while, Lady Catherine is trying Elizabeth's patience sorely. 

This Darcy and Elizabeth mystery relied far less on supernatural occurrences or fantasy elements, but there is plenty of intrigue and deception; and Elizabeth's wit and good humour are greatly tested as her pregnancy advances and she must deal with stressful events and people, including Lady Catherine, Mrs Bennet, and her sister Lydia Wickham.

My comments from a previous read: North By Northanger

By the same author: The Intrigue at Highbury, The Matter at Mansfield, Suspense and Sensibility,  Pride and Prescience

©2008-2013 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Reads {A British Bride by Agreement}

A British Bride by Agreement by Therese Stenzel - This is not my usual choice, because it is a contemporary setting, but at the time this book was free for Kindle and the description sounded interesting. I was a little surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did. The main character, Emma, has recently been widowed and finds that her late husband had gambling debts that will completely ruin her. She is loathe to return to her own family in Great Britain, fearing that her parents will try to exploit her as they have in the past and wanting to distance herself from their unscrupulous business practices. As a result, she has to give serious consideration to the proposal from her late husband's employer, the very wealthy Jonathan Steller. Jonathan is an honorable Christian man, but he is looking for a wife that will help him in his ambitions in the company business. The two do come to an agreement and marry, and although each also longs for a deep, loving relationship together, there are many obstacles and misunderstandings that seem to conspire to keep them from it.

Towards the end of the book, I felt that the storyline became untidy and that the resolution was rushed and not believable. There were a couple of abrupt insertions of character motives or subplots that were confusing and had me paging back to see if there was something I'd missed previously - and there wasn't - and at the end I thought there were details missing in the final showdown that were confusing.

Overall, for a light and clean romance, this story did fit the bill, and I am willing to give other titles by this author consideration for my reading list.

©2008-2013 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/