Recent Reads {A Morbid Taste for Bones}

A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters - This has been on my to-read list for quite some time, and I chose it to read this past week because the mini-challenge at Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks was to read something set in the 12th century. Ironically, after I was almost finished, the anchor post included this very series as a suggestion.

The setting is the year 1137 in a Welsh mountain village. The monks of Shrewsbury Abbey have come to Gwytherin because they want to acquire the sacred remains of Saint Winifred to bring back to the abbey. Prior Robert is ambitious and vain, and frankly not very likable, and his insistence that the saint herself has requested that her relics be removed from the village are not well-received by the local people. When Rhisiart, the well-respected spokesman for the people of Gwytherin, is found shot dead with an arrow, Brother Cadfael (a native Welshman himself) is determined to find out who has committed murder. With the help of Rhisiart's daughter, Brother Cadfael starts to unravel the mystery, and undertakes to see the killer brought to justice, and avoid further scandal or ruin for the abbey or the people of Gwytherin - and for himself.

(#2 for the Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge)

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Recent Reads {Outlander}

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon - This is a series that has been on my to-read list for a very long time, having been recommended by at least three friends. I finally had the perfect reading storm so I could read it - managed to grab it at the library at a time when I didn't have much else I was reading and had plenty of time to devote to reading. I actually finished the book on New Years Day, so I'm counting it as my first book read in 2014! I know - that's sort of cheating. 

Claire Beauchamp Randall is a former combat nurse in 1945, and she and her husband are on a second honeymoon in Inverness. While out on her own in the countryside, she inadvertently touches a boulder in an ancient stone circle and finds that she has gone back in time. She is now the English or Sassenach "outlander" in Scotland of 1743. Claire is thrust into the hostilities between England and Scotland leading up to the Jacobite rebellion, and finds that while the Scots she lives among don't necessarily trust her, she would be worse off with the English. To complicate matters, it is decided by the lairds that she must marry a young Scots warrior, Jamie Fraser. Difficult choices, intrigue, and danger from many sides keep the story moving briskly, and often keep Claire guessing what to expect next. During it all, the fierce and loyal love growing between her and Jamie leads them both to face incredible odds in order to protect each other and stay together.

(#1 for the Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge)

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Recent Reads {June}

I'm horribly behind on this blog - again. In an attempt to 'catch up' a little, I will do just brief entries on some of the books I read over the last couple months. And then try to mend my procrastinating ways. We'll see how that works out. ;-)

June by Lori Copeland - no sooner had I finished the other two books in this set, and I had to read the third sister's story as well. June is the youngest of the three girls who leave their Michigan hometown to become mail order brides in different parts of the country. June travels to Washington state planning to marry a young pastor. But nothing works out as planned - her fiance is very ill when she arrives, and dies before they can marry. June takes up his cause of raising money to build a tabernacle, while at the same time developing a love for the ministry of an orphanage run by her friend Samantha. The orphanage turns out to be the preferred beneficiary of her late fiance's best friend. June has to make some difficult choices and eventually finds happiness with a husband as well.

By the same author: Hope, Faith

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Recent Reads {Faith}

I'm horribly behind on this blog - again. In an attempt to 'catch up' a little, I will do just brief entries on some of the books I read over the last couple months. And then try to mend my procrastinating ways. We'll see how that works out. ;-)

Faith by Lori Copeland - I had read the third in this trilogy, Hope, in the fall, and wanted to find out what happened to Hope's sisters. Each of the books stands alone, but when the other sisters or characters are referred to, it's fun to know what happened to them. Faith is the oldest of the three sisters that leave their Michigan town to become mail order brides. Faith journeys to Texas to marry a wealthy rancher. Unfortunately, she's not sure how welcome she is as his bride - his widowed mother seems to resent her and find fault with everything she does, and circumstances force Nicholas and Faith to keep postponing the wedding ceremony. After numerous postponements, misunderstandings, and conflicts, Faith even moves out of the ranch-house and starts making plans to return to Michigan before all is resolved and she and Nicholas admit their growing love for each other. Happy endings all around!

By the same author: Hope

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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

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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/