Recent Reads {Midsummer Night}

Midsummer Night by Deanna Raybourn - At long last, I had another Lady Julia novel (okay - really it's only a novella) to enjoy! And I was torn between devouring it all in one sitting, or forcing myself to slow down and make it last for at least a couple of days. I opted for the latter. This addition to the quirky Lady Julia Grey series tells about the Julia and Brisbane's wedding. Readers of the series will note that Julia and Brisbane are embroiled in a mystery while still on their wedding trip, but the wedding itself wasn't described. That happens in this shorter book.

The entire eccentric March family gathers at Bellmont Abbey to celebrate as Lady Julia and Nicholas Brisbane tie the knot at midsummer's. As always with this delightfully odd family, there are disagreements and humorous mishaps. There is not really a murder mystery here, although a past nemesis appears to threaten Julia. Mostly this is just a little bit of romantic comedy background to keep fans of Lady Julia satisfied until another full-length mystery is available. Which I hope is very soon!

By the same author: A Spear of Summer Grass, Silent in the Grave, Silent in the Sanctuary, Dark Road to Darjeeling, The Dark Enquiry, Silent Night, The Dead Travel Fast

©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 {Behind the Shattered Glass}

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Behind the Shattered Glass by Tasha Alexander - I have been waiting for what seems like a long time for the newest Lady Emily mystery, and it was a quick and entertaining read! Emily and her husband Colin are settled in the English country home, enjoying their little sons and hosting a couple of guests, when a quiet evening is interrupted by a man stumbling in the door and falling down dead. He turns out to be their neighbor, the Marquess of Montagu. Of course Emily and Colin are called upon to investigate, but it seems like almost everyone they talk to is lying about something. The list of potential suspects includes the cousin of the Marquess who thought she would inherit the title until another long-lost cousin showed up, and a vicar's daughter who had been in a relationship with the Marquess and claimed they were engaged. Neither is completely honest with Emily. The trail also leads them to several serving girls and their families that may have had a reason for revenge. 

One thing that makes this novel a little different is that the chapters alternate between Lady Emily's first-person narrative, and a third person narrative that describes what is happening 'downstairs' - with the servants of the household, particularly the housemaid Lily. I really enjoyed the glimpse of life below stairs, although the trouble-making kitchen maid didn't seem to have a real motive for being so nasty.

The solution to the mystery did come as rather a surprise to me, but after the reveal the story gets quickly and rather too neatly wrapped up with a couple of odd couple romances. All in all, an enjoyable mystery, but not the best in the series. Also? I have no idea how the title relates to the story. LOL

By the same author: Death in the Floating City, A Crimson Warning, Dangerous to Know, Tears of Pearl, A Fatal Waltz, A Poisoned Season, And Only to Deceive

  ©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 {The White Princess}

The White Princess by Philippa Gregory - This latest in the series about the Cousins' War focuses on Elizabeth of York, the daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, as she is married to Henry Tudor after he claims the crown of England. Elizabeth is a York through and through, and she is also grieving the death of Richard III, her uncle and lover. The betrothal had been arranged many years earlier, and with the Lancastrian Tudors finally claiming the throne, the hope was that the marriage would be seen as a reuniting of the two rival houses. Henry Tudor and Elizabeth start out seeing each other as the enemy so their relationship is rocky at best. Still, Henry and his scheming mother cannot trust Elizabeth or her family, because of the possibility that one or both of the York princes are still alive somewhere and might come to challenge Henry for the throne. Rumors and plots are constantly swirling in the background, and even as Elizabeth keeps her distance from any plotting, she cannot help but hope that maybe there is some truth to rumors that her brothers are still alive. Eventually an affection grows between Henry and Elizabeth, especially as they have children, but Henry's ever-present fear of 'the boy' (a surviving York prince) and his mother's constant interference and control over him make their lives together difficult. As always, Gregory delivers history as it might have been seen from a woman's point of view, and her own possible explanation of one of the mysteries of English history - what happened to the York princes? 

By the same author: The Kingmaker's Daughter, The White Queen, The Red Queen, The Constant Princess, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Boleyn Inheritance

©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 {Liberty Hill}

Liberty Hill by Sonia Heisinger - This young adult book was offered for free on Kindle some time ago, and the description and cover caught my eye. There are two main characters - Lucius Flynn and Evelyn Brennan. They were childhood friends, and their fathers planned for them to marry when they came of age. Both are from Irish families that came to New York City and built a shipping business together. However, the marriage is something neither of them really want. Under the pretense of a honeymoon trip, they instead set out to the goldfields of California via the Panama route. Lucius is planning to use Evelyn's dowry money to set himself up as a gold miner and build a new life for himself, and he promises to send Evelyn back to Ireland as she wishes as soon as he has done so; and in the meantime they agree to keep the fact that they are married a secret. They make friends and enemies while on their journey, and face many dangers and adventures. All the while, Lucius and Evelyn are in a back-and-forth pattern in their relationship - do they trust each other? do they even like each other? - and both find that perhaps dissolving the marriage might not be best after all. Lucius is full of faults - he is a notorious drinker and gambler, he takes reckless chances with Evelyn's money, and when he does attempt to be a gentleman and a man that Evelyn can trust and respect, luck is not with him. For her part, Evelyn is maddeningly stubborn and cold-hearted, reluctant to give Lucius a fair chance when he does try. Neither of them are particularly likable, and I was sometimes stumped as to why any of the characters like either one of them, never mind how they might be attracted to one another. Lucius does show some growth and development as a character through the story, but Evelyn softened only the tiniest bit as the plot developed.

I was kept interested by the storyline and the hope that Lucius and Evelyn would eventually overcome their rocky start and patch up their relationship, perhaps even find happiness. I became dismayed when I realized I was well past the halfway mark of the book and they were nowhere near California yet. By the time I reached the end of the book, I had suspected that they wouldn't reach their destination and perhaps there would be a sequel. And that turned out to be the case. I guess somehow I missed the fact that this is supposed to be the first in a series! I don't suppose it's really a spoiler alert to say that the story definitely doesn't end with this first book in the series, and that the ending wasn't particularly satisfying as far as resolving various plot elements. The reader really is left hanging and waiting for the next installment, should they be interested enough in reading it. I am not sure whether I will or not. It won't be a priority, let's put it that way. My other criticism is that while the narration remains in third person throughout, it jumps about quite randomly as to which character's point of view is dominant. This type of narration works well when a particular chapter or section sticks with one character and then there is a break before switching to another character so that it's clear to the reader. This author didn't wait for chapter or section breaks to switch focus, and sometimes didn't even wait for a new paragraph, so I was left feeling almost disoriented.

©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 Spear of Summer Grass}

A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna Raybourn - I have been an avid fan of Raybourn's Lady Julia series for quite some time, and also enjoyed her stand-alone novel, The Dead Travel Fast, so I was eager to see what she would do with a setting in 1920s British Kenya. I was not disappointed. Delilah Drummond is a daring socialite with a talent for scandal and failed romances. With the death of her third husband shocking society, her mother decide that Delilah needs to get out of the public eye until the scandals die down, and so she is sent to her stepfather's crumbling estate in British Kenya. There she connects with the eclectic British ex-pat society, including enigmatic safari guide Ryder White. Despite their efforts to avoid any entanglement with each other, as the story progresses, they are developing feelings for each other. But both are proud and fiercely independent, and both carry plenty of baggage from their past. Delilah also finds herself falling in love with the land of Africa and with its people, and struggles with the decisions of whether she will return to her socialite lifestyle when her 'exile' is ended, or whether it is worth her while to stay in Africa and build a new life there.

Delilah is not always a likable character - she is jaded and selfish, and carelessly contemptuous of her cousin Dora (who has been sent to Africa with her as companion). She has all kinds of bad habits, including promiscuity, and she can be crude and mean-tempered. But she is cool and confident under pressure, intelligent, and has a knack for social justice and compassion hidden under a rock-hard facade. Despite her faults and flaws, she was also someone who had been hurt badly by life and at least part of her prickly nature was her way of trying to protect herself from further hurt. The development of her character through the story is very well-done, so that even when she is behaving abominably, and acting quite stupidly, I couldn't help but sympathize with her and desperately hope that it all came out right for her and that she would find happiness. Ryder is a similar character in that he puts up a wall around himself and acts as if he is cold and uncaring in order to protect himself from being vulnerable. Both characters take some very daring chances as they realize that their loyalty to the Africa they love, and their need to be together is worth the risk.

A very enjoyable read that truly made me wish there would be a sequel!

By the same author: Silent in the Grave, Silent in the Sanctuary, Dark Road to Darjeeling, The Dark Enquiry, Silent Night, The Dead Travel Fast

©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 {Hope}

Hope by Lori Copeland - Hope Kallahan is a sweet-natured but slightly scatterbrained mail-order bride on a stagecoach trip to meet the man she will marry. As it happens, she is on the same stagecoach as the daughter of a senator, which means that they've been targeted by outlaws planning to rob the stage and hold the senator's daughter for ransom. However, the daughter and her companion had not resumed their journey at the last stop, so the gang takes Hope instead, convinced that she is Senator Ferry's daughter. Hope is terrified and appalled at the outlaws' plans for her, and yet one of the men is different - somehow kind and gentlemanly, despite the circumstances. Later she finds out that this outlaw is actually undercover agent Dan Sullivan, and his mission has been to find out how this gang is getting the information about which stagecoaches are carrying valuables. The mission is abandoned when Dan decides to get Hope to safety when she becomes very ill. He plans to deliver her to her husband-to-be, but their journey is rife with mishaps and delays, through which they grow to know and trust each other - and eventually love each other.

Way too many coincidences and outlandish storylines to be believable, but a funny and sweet romance all the same. I really enjoyed it, and was a little surprised to realize that it's the third in a set. Hope's two sisters each have a book telling their story as well.

©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 {The Kingmaker's Daughter}

The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory - The man known as the "kingmaker" in fifteenth-century England was Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick. He was a very powerful figure during the Cousins' War (or Wars of the Roses, as we may be more familiar with them) and it was widely believed that his political power was needed to back a successful claim to the throne. Warwick didn't have a son of his own, only two daughters, and he made ruthless use of them in his political strategizing, but both grew up to wield power of their own. This story focuses on the younger daughter, Anne Neville, who grew up in the court of King Edward IV and his queen, Elizabeth Woodville. But when her father clashes with Edward, and eventually makes war on him, Anne is merely a pawn on the political chessboard. She is married off at fourteen and soon becomes a widow; her father is killed in battle against the king, so she and her mother and sister must hide in sanctuary. Her older sister Isabel is married to the king's enemy and rival for the throne, his own brother George, Duke of Clarence. Anne seizes the opportunity to make her own choices, and accepts the marriage offer of King Edward's youngest brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester. She and Isabel are expected at the court of Elizabeth Woodville, but they know that she hates them because of their father, so the days are full of suspicion and intrigue. Even when Edward's death leads her husband Richard to the throne, Anne is not at peace because she fears more than ever for the lives of her loved ones, including her only son.  

I really appreciated this account, albeit fictionalized and imagined, of a woman usually regarded as such a minor player during the Cousins' War. Surprisingly little is known about Anne and her sister. One of the things Gregory does so well is relate historical events as they may have been seen and experienced by the women who lived through them. Already in this series, she has given the White Queen (Elizabeth Woodville) and the Red Queen (Margaret Beaufort) equal time, and the newest book in the series is from the point of view of Elizabeth of York. It is interesting to read about the same events thinking how they would have been seen by people on opposite sides of the issues.

By the same author: The White Queen, The Red Queen, The Constant Princess, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Boleyn Inheritance

©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/