Review: The First Emma by by Camille Di Maio

Still playing catch up on my ARCs.

Release Date: May 5, 2020

A fascinating true story about how a woman turns her husband's brewing company into an empire that survives Prohibition, after he is murdered by one of his mistresses. 

I knew nothing about Emma Koehler or Pearl Brewing before picking this up, but the only thing better than a dramatic story is one that's true, so I couldn't resist. It's a great story, but I think it could have been told in a slightly better way. It's as though the author attempted to tell it in dual time periods - one when Emma is elderly and hires a young woman to take notes for her autobiography, and the other as Emma's past. The problem is, we only get Emma's past as she's dictating it, so it's not always a true dual-time period story because we only really hear Emma telling us about her past, we don't get to actually see it very much. That was a little disappointing, and I felt like much of her accomplishments were brushed over, but it's still a great story about woman who wouldn't be held back by the personal tragedies that befell her. Not only did she rise above them, she became more successful and powerful than her narcissistic husband had been during a time when women didn't have the right to vote, and managed to maintain it through WWI, Prohibition, the Great Depression, and even the start of WWII.

Additional dimension is added by exploring the fictional character Mabel Hartley, the notes taker. Rather than just being a means of storytelling, she provides a much needed happier ending too.

Advanced review copy from publisher via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Review: Silent in the Grave (Lady Julia Grey #1) by Deanna Raybourn

After her husband dies suddenly but not entirely unexpectedly, Lady Julia Grey is approached by a private investigator who claims it may have been murder. She refuses to believe him until a year later when she finds a threatening note while clearing out her husband's old things, but has the trail gone too cold to find the killer?

A little bit of a character/scene spoiler warning (not a crucial plot spoiler).

I think I would have enjoyed this more if the main character's love interest hadn't drugged her without her consent. I realize it wasn't for any malicious purpose, but even so, it made it difficult to understand her interest in him after that point, especially given her more modern and feminist beliefs. I suppose the author was trying to make him daring and a bit dangerous but I think there are ways to do that without violating consent like that, especially given that it served no purpose for the plot.

I am still debating whether to carry on with the series or not. With this one exception, I did enjoy the characters, the witty dialogue, and even the plot, although I must say I called whodunit from very early on (though I admit for not the reasons I originally thought). I am a bit curious to see where Lady Julia goes from here.

Review: A Well-Behaved Woman by Therese Anne Fowler

Release Date: October 16, 2018

A leader of the woman's suffrage movement, Alva Vanderbilt (nee Smith) rejected much about the social convention of her time, and yet arguably also beat them at their own game. If you can't join them, beat them.

The first half of this was a little boring. I know it was setting the scene for Alva coming into her own later on, and we did get to see sparks of the woman she would become, but much of it was just inane snobbish chatter. I suppose it's fitting because that's probably exactly how Alva felt about it too, but it didn't make for the best reading. If we'd gotten to see a bit more of that sarcastic wit that occasionally flared up in Alva, even just internally, it probably would have been a lot more entertaining.

Additionally, I kept waiting for this to turn more political and see how Alva became so important to the suffrage movement, but we actually see very little of that, and only at the very end. It's definitely more about her earlier private life, which could have been more interesting if her characterization was fuller.

Still, watching Alva go from dutiful daughter, sister, wife, and mother to taking her fate and future into her own hands was very fulfilling and I was cheering her on the whole time. About the last third of the book is when it gets most interesting.

Advanced review copy from publisher via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Review: The Lost Queen by Signe Pike

Release Date: September 4, 2018 (yes, I'm behind on my advanced review copies)

Although based on the twin sister of the legend who inspired Merlin, I would not say this is the Arthurian legend. "Pendragon" is featured, but he's not among the main characters. It's really about the daughter of a Celtic chieftain, Languoreth (aka Gwendydd in Welsh folklore), after the withdrawal of the Romans, during the invasions of the Angles and Christianity. This has always been a time period that fascinated me because there's so little reliable written history from it. This novel is a mixture of that history and the folklore that predates Geoffrey of Monmouth's Arthurian legend, and really brings this obscure time period to life.

The Celtic mysticism was a little heavy for me, but it was very well written with fleshed out characters, and the plot moved along at a steady pace.

Languoreth character was a little frustrating though. The book goes on and on about how important it was that she marry the high king's son so she (and therefore her father and brother) would have influence at court. But I really didn't see any examples of how she used her influence and power to aid her family, or her people. On the contrary, she usually does precisely the opposite of what her father, advisers, or any other allies tell her to do, and usually with unsuccessful results. She is otherwise a likable character, and the author does well to evoke empathy for her, but I kept waiting for her to do something politically significant since that's what the book had been building up to the whole time.

Additionally, there was one thing that didn't make sense to me but this one might be a bit of a spoiler:

Ariane gives Languoreth this big lecture about how important it is for her to marry the prince even if her heart is with another man. And then in the next moment, Ariane is encouraging her and even setting up a rendezvous for Languoreth and the man she loves. I get that Ariane is not Christian and doesn't believe in the Christian ideals of no sex outside marriage - but in no culture or religion would a man be cool with finding out his soon-to-be bride had sex with another man only weeks before the wedding. So if it was discovered, it would ruin everything that Ariane has just lectured Languoreth about 5 minutes ago (okay, not literally 5 minutes). If the marriage was really as important as Ariane believed, why would she then risk it by helping Languoreth hook up with someone else? Supposedly, Ariane wove some kind of magic that assured no one noticed they were gone while they did the naughty - but this is one of the very reasons why I felt like the mysticism was heavy handed. It just seemed too convenient sometimes.

So there were definitely things that let this book down a little bit, but overall it was a good story with excellent prose - the author certainly knows how to bring a scene and setting alive. It begs for a sequel, hopefully one in which the main character is a little more useful.

Advanced review copy from publisher via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Review: The Tudor Bride by Joanna Hickson

A sequel to The Agincourt Bride, about the latter portion of Catherine of Valois' life. It's as good as the first, and again written in first person from the point of view of Catherine's servant, Mette. It dragged a little bit in the middle, the beginning and end were much more eventful, but I suppose that was to be expected given that not much was going on in Catherine's world at the time. Still, it manages to hold your interest and the ending was moving.

I still think it might have been better written in third person or from multiple character's points of view. Limiting the narrative to one character who was normally by Catherine's side, but not always privy to everything going on felt a little like you didn't get to see everything.

Overall, a read good and good follow up to The Agincourt Bride, though it could be read as a stand alone, if you enjoyed the first book, definitely read this sequel.

Review: The Orphan of Florence by Jeanne Kalogridis

Release Date: October 3, 2017

This fast paced novel involving Jewish mysticism follows a foundling pickpocket who winds up apprenticing with a Jewish magician in Renaissance Florence, not realizing he holds the key to her past, or what kind of danger she's landed herself in when she gets involved in the war between Lorenzo de Medici and the Pope.

It seemed a little unrealistic at first, but then things come together. Well written and plot driven, the action, espionage, and mystery keeps you wanting to know more. I liked the characters but wasn't extremely attached to them - sometimes the main character was a little slow to realize what was going on. I felt like the mysticism was a little heavy handed but I guess that's just Kalogridis' style. Over all, a quick, enjoyable read, but don't expect too much from it.


Advanced review copy from publisher via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Review: Flight of the Sparrow

This was a well written and very interesting novel about the ordeal of the historical Mary Rowlandson, who was captured by Native Americans and held captive for nearly 3 months before she was ransomed back to her husband.

Overall, I thought it was a fascinating story and subject matter, told in third person present tense, but my main complaint was that I found it hard to believe Mary would want to stay with the Native Americans after only being with them for 3 months. To be fair, her transformation didn't feel abrupt or rushed in the narrative of the book, but when I realized everything that had happened while she was with the Native Americans happened within 3 months, it didn't feel like enough time had passed for her to change so greatly, unless maybe she was suffering from Stockholm Syndrome (and it didn't seem like that was the author's intention). Particularly because Mary admits that she only had one friend in the entire Native American camp, why would you want to stay in a community where you don't exactly have friends? I understand she ironically enjoyed freedoms as a slave to the Native Americans that she felt couldn't in Puritan society, but also important to psychological health is friendship, and a human connection, which she admitted herself she only found with one person. If you only have one friend in a whole community, wouldn't you feel more like an outcast? Why would you want to stay in such a place? I also understand that she learned to adapt to their culture to survive, and that allowed her to learn and grow as a person, but adapting to a place doesn't necessarily mean that's where you want to remain. Not after only 3 months, anyway.

Regardless, it was a good story and I was constantly wanting to know what would happen next. I myself have ancestors who were attacked and taken hostage by Native Americans, so it allowed me some insight into what they might have experienced.

Review: Illuminating Women in the Medieval World by Christine Sciacca

Release Date: June 20, 2017

This is an analysis of women's roles in the middle ages using medieval illustrations of women, and accompanying them with only a very brief description of each. It comes across as rather like an academic coffee table book. I was hoping for much more text and analyses than what there is, but it is still interesting if you take it for what it is. I am sure the images are much more interesting in the print version too (I was given a free ebook copy for review from the publisher via NetGalley). It is published by Getty Museum, and indeed it strikes me as the type of book you would buy in a museum gift shop as a souvenir of the paintings you viewed there.

Review: The Boleyn King (Boleyn Trilogy #1) by Laura Andersen

An alternate history novel on what England's monarchy would have looked like had Anne Boleyn delivered a healthy, surviving boy to Henry VIII and subsequently never been executed.

I was a little disappointed by the fact that so many of the main characters were fictional. Obviously, being alternate history, you would expect some fictional characters, but I expected them to be characters born from the alternate event in question. For example, if they were the children of one of the four wives Henry VIII never wound up marrying, that would make sense, but that's not the case. Several fictional characters were born before the birth of Anne's son, sometimes to fictional parents too. I guess I expected everything leading up to the birth of Anne's surviving son to be historical and the only alternate events and people to be anything that would have happened after or as a result of that. The premise of this book is a great idea, but for me, it kind of loses some plausibility when you decide to make up things that occurred before the alternate event the book is based on.

Despite my long rant though, I did eventually get over my initial disappointment. Mostly. It wasn't what I expected but that doesn't mean I couldn't enjoy it for what it was. The character development was good, the plot interesting, the writing quality was very good.

It did feel a little like a young adult romance novel though. Fortunately, it's more than just that - there's also political intrigue, coup plots, mysteries, spying, etc. Marriage was an integral part of politics at the time, so it's to be expected that love and marriage play a large role in the book, but because the main characters are teens or in their early 20s, it had a very teen-like feel to it and I was surprised it wasn't marketed as young adult, as it easily could have been. Nothing wrong with young adult, I probably would have loved this book when I was younger but alas, I'm not that young anymore and usually look for something more mature.

Review: Christmas in America by Holly Bush, Piper Huguley, Joanna Shupe, and Donna Thorland

This is a compilation of short historical romance stories set during Christmas time. Since each story is independent of each other with what I felt was varying degrees of writing quality, I'll do a short review of each one.

Into the Evermore started off really well with a great hook to catch your interest but after that it was a little boring. It was like it climaxed at the opening and then nothing really happened after that. Additionally the writing quality wasn't great and probably needed an editor, or a better editor. Particularly in the beginning, there are a few paragraphs where literally every sentence in the paragraph starts with the same pronoun.

The Cowboy's Christmas was also a little lack luster. The characterization seemed good on the surface but I felt like there wasn't much depth. The writing was okay but the dialogue could be a little hokey sometimes.

Miracle on Ladies' Mile was an excellent Mr. Selfridge-esque story set in the Gilded Age. Great writing with compelling characters you just want to know more about. Just the right amount of humor in it too.

Christmas at Mount Holly. No surprise I loved this one. Donna Thorland is a great storyteller and she did not disappoint. We finally get a bit more of a glimpse into The Widow's backstory, an absolute must read for anyone following Thorland's series.

There's some very sexy scenes in here so not one for the clean romance fans (I say bring it on though).

So although I didn't love the first two stories, I adored the second two, and I guess that means the rating averages out to about 3 stars.

Review: Rebellion's Message by Michael Jecks

Advanced review copy from publisher via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Release Date: August 1, 2016

A petty thief happens upon a coded message regarding the rebellion against Queen Mary in 1554 and winds up falsely accused of murder in the process.

Written with a tongue-in-cheek wit, it has a fun plot, but the characterization was lacking. The side characters didn't have much development, and the main character, though a likable rogue, sometimes came across as immature and not very bright. The author was using the main character's ignorance as a way to explain things to the reader (ie, someone explains it to the main character so it gets explained to the reader too). The downside to this is it makes the main character seem stupid but admittedly, the immaturity was often a part of the humor too so sometimes the author got away with it.

It's a good read if you're looking for something quick and light but don't expect too much from the characters.

Review: Naked by Eliza Redgold

Advanced review copy from publisher via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Release Date: July 14, 2015

This is a retelling of the legend of Lady Godiva, who rode naked through the town of Coventry to convince her husband to lift the harsh taxes he'd imposed on the people there. By proving that she would shame herself in order to save her people from starvation, she succeeded in shaming her husband into lifting the taxes.

Although this is very much a love story, Redgold draws on the political state of England during the 11th century to create a more elaborate tale of deceit and betrayal. It is much more than a simple tale of a selfish and cruel Lord and his high taxes, and his caring wife who makes him see reason. Godiva, a Saxon, lived during England's Danish reign of King Canute. Despite the fact that Canute was viewed as a more apt ruler than his Saxon predecessor, the Danes are very much the antagonists in this story. Leofric, the Earl of Mercia is rebuilding his Saxon lands after they have been decimated by the Danish warrior Thurkill the Tall, while also attempted to prevent the same thing from happening to his neighbors in the Middle Lands, including Godiva's Coventry. Godiva realizes the best way to defend her newly inherited lands from the invading Danes after her parents have been murdered by Thurkill, is to spurn her childhood best friend Edmund, who had hoped to marry her, and instead marry the powerful Earl of Mercia, a man she barely knows. But she fears Earl Leofric only intends to swallow her lands into his own, to gain more power. Can she trust him? Can she rule Coventry as well as her wise parents had?

Godiva is strong, independent, and educated in both politics and battle, having been raised as both son and daughter in the absence of any siblings. At the same time, she is young and can be naive at times, making her a flawed but likable character.

The writing style may take some getting used to for some. Much of it is written with short, choppy sentences which I think was an attempt at sounding dramatic and poetic. However, this may just be a matter of personal preference, some readers may enjoy the writing style. Regardless, it is not unreadable or poorly written, just a different style.

My only complaint therefore is that I feel as though the ending was wrapped up a little too quickly and neatly. The antagonist spills out his master plan and motives in some kind of Scooby-Doo-like reveal, in a clear attempts to explain everything to the reader even though much of it we could have figured out for ourselves. But worse is the fact that Godiva had little to no involvement in or knowledge of any of these greater events going on behind her back, which was a little disappointing. Her world was very limited to Coventry and her marriage (which is spun as a result of her devotion to her lands and people) and yet, despite being told from her first person point of view, the novel still managed to have a steady and eventful plot. In a slightly murder-mystery style, there are clues and mysteries along the way that keep the reader wanting to know more and wanting to read more. All in all, an enjoyable but light read.

Review: Ross Poldark: A Novel of Cornwall, 1783-1787 by Winston Graham

After being wounded while fighting in the American Revolutionary War, Ross Poldark returns home to Cornwall, England to find his father dead, his sweetheart engaged to his spoiled cousin, his estate in ruins, and that everyone believed him dead in Virginia. But it takes more than that to keep Ross Poldark down, and he determines to rebuild his life almost entirely from scratch.

The BBC love Poldark - they made a TV series of it in 1975 and now they are remaking it (aired on PBS in the US), and the publishers are reissuing the books along with it. I have been watching the new series and it inspired me to pick up the books. Surprisingly, I have to say this is one of those rare moments when the "movie" is better than the books.

It's a great story with great characters and that is owed to the books, but the narrative of the books is a little stilted at times, which is something I find is common with books written and originally published in the 1940s and 1950s. Maybe it was just a different style of writing that isn't easy for modern readers to appreciate but regardless it takes getting used to.

It also seems the TV series follows the books fairly closely, so that there is not a huge amount of difference between them. Such a rarity means that while it may be enjoyable for people who have already read the books to watch a visual enactment of it, the reverse doesn't hold much for viewers who read the books after watching it. I tend to read the book after seeing the movie because I like to see everything the movie wasn't able to cover. In this case, because it so closely follows the books, reading them doesn't really give you anything the show doesn't. There's a little bit more to Jinny and Jim's story and we get to see more of Demelza's endearing, childlike antics which were mostly removed from the TV show, I think in order to make her seem older (she is only 13 at the start of the books). However, the internal dialogue doesn't really tell us anything the show isn't able to convey. At least, that was the case with the first book. I will likely carry on with the rest of the book series, especially if the TV series doesn't make it all the way to the end (though it likely will), but not right now.

I'm not saying the book wasn't enjoyable, just that it would perhaps have been more enjoyable to read it first, then watch the TV show, but unfortunately I've done it the other way around.

Review: Queen's Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle

Twice widowed Katherine Parr finds herself the unwilling object of Henry VIII's affections and is forced to marry him while her heart lies with playboy Thomas Seymour. Being queen has it's advantages but passionate Reformer Katherine must tread carefully in a court that is still half Catholic and will jump at the chance to see her become the third beheaded queen of Henry VIII.

As much as present tense narrative is still my unfavored form of story telling, it's refreshing to see an author making use of showing, rather than too much telling. For the most part, the characterization was well done, especially with Elizabeth and I would have liked to see more of her. But I did have trouble understanding how an intelligent and experienced woman like Katherine could fall for a douchebag like Thomas Seymour (it's really the only word to describe him). I am not just saying that because I had the benefit of knowing what Thomas would later do - in fact, in the beginning I wondered if the author would take a nontraditional approach and portray Seymour as a misunderstood victim of rumors. But he is just not a likable character and I couldn't understand why Katherine loved him. It even seems like Katherine herself couldn't understand it - behavior she admitted would otherwise by annoying, on him was "adorable". So although this is a good, quick read, it won't satisfy a thirst for real romance, at least not with Katherine. Katherine's trusted servant and friend Dot and her love interest William Savage will have to suffice.

One thing that puzzled me is why the narrative kept referring to Katherine's sister Anne as "Sister Anne". At first, I thought she was a nun but she is married with children. It's not like there were lots of other "Anne's" in the story that the author needed a way to distinguish her, though there was a few mentions of Anne Boleyn, it's not like she was a present character. It really should have been "her sister Anne" or "sister Anne". I still can't figure out why "sister" was being capitalized, as if it were a title.

Apart from these two complaints, it was an enjoyable read and I do think the author did well to make this an exciting and interesting story. Of all of Henry's wives, Katherine Parr's story may appear among the most uneventful on the surface but this novel is anything but uneventful. I appreciated the inclusion of some theology of the characters, since so many contemporary historical novels don't seem to truly understand how important the religious conflict was at the time. They may make mention of this person being Catholic and that person being Reformed but they don't seem to realistically include theological discussions and arguments being had.

So although I had a few issues to pick at, I was surprised to wind up enjoying this, considering I don't normally like present tense novels. If you're looking for one about Katherine Parr, this is a good option.

Review: The Great Abraham Lincoln Pocket Watch Conspiracy by Jacopo della Quercia

Received ARC from publisher via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.
Release date: August 5, 2014

A mysterious pocket watch once owned by Abraham Lincoln comes into the possession of his son, leading President Taft and friends on an adventure concerning national (and world) security.

Though it wasn't as hilarious and I expected, overall, it was an amusing and fun sci-fi/steampunk adventure. It's a quick and easy read and I enjoyed the numerous appearances of different historical figures and the way the story brought together different aspects of history. There was one chunk somewhere in the middle where it did not feel very adventurous and just seemed to be scenes of endless, sometimes pointless dialogue, but it soon picked up the pace again. I'm not heavily into steampunk normally but this one was thankfully lacking in vampires and zombies so that was a relief for me. It definitely leans more towards the sci-fi end of the steampunk genre.

Review: The Rebel Pirate by Donna Thorland

Sarah Ward, daughter of an infamous pirate, wants nothing to do with piracy or the rebels. James Sparhawk, established British naval captain, wants only to get revenge on his father. When their paths collide amid the beginnings of a revolution, they find themselves reassessing their priorities and which side of the oncoming war they will be on.

Unlike some romance novels, this one is actually fleshed out with a complex story, interesting characters, and descriptions that make the historical setting come alive. The only thing I initially had trouble getting on board with (no pun intended) was the romance. The attraction between the two main characters is instantaneous, before we even really know enough about each character to understand why they are so attracted to one another. I prefer to see a romance grow as two people bond and get to know each other. It seemed a little unrealistic that two people who just met days ago would be risking so much to help one another. But the good thing about this book is that there is plenty more going on in the story than just the romance so it didn’t bother me nearly as much as it could have if there wasn’t more to keep me interested. And by the end, I was on board with the romance, it just took some time to get passed the initial “love at first sight” idea.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere of a building rebellion and reading about the characters who got caught up in it.

Review: Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by the Countess of Carnarvon

This is a very well written and interesting account of Lady Almina, Countess of Carnarvon, and her family, including coverage of the family's involvement of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb.

The biggest downside is that while there is a bibliography, there's no citations and I get the impression that some of the more intimate details are actually just family lore and legend passed down the generations. The author is, after all, the current Countess of Carnarvon and so this is essentially her husband's family history. As a genealogy enthusiast myself, I can certainly appreciate the incorporation of stories passed down generations but it also means that I always take family lore with a grain of salt. I wish that it was more clear about what information came from what sources. That said, to be fair, the author prefaces the book by making it clear this is "not a history" or biography so she is upfront about it being rather more like a family story.

But if you think that means it's all about gossip, you'd be wrong. Almina's contribution to society, especially during the war, was very admirable and I enjoyed reading about her personal growth and professional growth during her efforts to help people and support the war. This, along with the detailed account of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, which was funded by her husband, were definitely the highlights of this book.