Mariana by Susanna Kearsley

The three times in her life she’d been to Exbury Julia Beckett found herself mysteriously drawn to an old house called Greywethers, and when she inherits a tidy sum she decides to give life in the countryside a whirl. Julia settles in well with the locals, especially with the hunky owner of Crofton Hall, Geoffrey de Mornay. Croston Hall has a few secrets of its own – including a portrait of a previous owner with a striking resemblance to Geoffrey. In true Kearsley fashion things start going bump in the night and Julia begins having strange episodes where she’s living the life of Mariana, a woman who lived in the 17C during the reign of Charles II.

This is a hard one to put into words, and actually it’s best left to discover for yourself – both Julia and Mariana’s lives take some very interesting twists and turns as the past is slowly revealed. Is it possible Mariana lives again, and will once again find her long lost love? Needless to say, I loved every minute of it, and even when I thought I knew what the ending was, Ms. Kearsley pulled the rug right out from under me. I did not see that coming, but I absolutely loved it. Bravo. I want more.

Thanks to the folks at Sourcebooks and Net Galley for an early copy.

The Lady’s Slipper by Deborah Swift

   England, 1660 and Charles II has been crowned King, although not all wounds from the Civil Wars have healed. Alice Ibbetson dabbles in plants and painting them and when she spies a very rare Lady Slipper orchid on Richard Wheeler’s property she aims to have it and protect it – even if she must steal it. Mission accomplished (or so she thinks), but Sir Geoffrey covets the plant for himself as the roots might wield the medicine he needs to cure his life-long skin condition. And what about Richard? Will he accuse her of theft and send her to gaol? Or will he fall victim to her charms instead? And what about her jerk husband Thomas dallying with that spiteful, sneaky, lying maid Ella? Alice’s theft has unforeseen consequences that will change the lives of everyone around her, let alone leave her at risk of facing …

Ummm, you know I can’t tell you that, don’t you?

I enjoyed this a lot, although I definitely preferred the chapters that focused on Alice and her knowledge and work with plants and painting them, and would have liked to have seen more of that. I had a hard time at first getting a focus on what was happening with the village folk, the Quaker community, as well as Sir Geoffrey and his family and how it would all tie in with Alice’s story – but never fear, there are more layers that unfold as the story progresses. My only real quibble, and it’s a minor one, is that many of the characters were a little too black and white, either very very good or very very bad.  Still, an enjoyable read and one I would recommend.

FTC, I won this from Librarything’s Early Reviewers program.

Lady of the Butterflies By Fiona Mountain

So which cover do you like best? I’m kind of fond of the last two. At least they have their heads.

“Reserve judgment until the truth is compelling.”

As the story begins, Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians are out and Charles Stuart is in. Eleanor is the daughter of Major William Goodricke, a strict Puritan and former soldier in Cromwell’s army.  Her father dies, leaving the family’s estate in Somerset, Tickenham Court, to a very young Eleanor. Her ward-ship is given to a like-minded associate of her father’s and he eventually marries her off to Edmund Ashfield. Eleanor loves her husband (so she thinks) but what about Edmund’s great friend, the dashing and ever so charming cavalier Richard Glanville who sets her heart a-flutter?

Eleanor settles into married life and motherhood, but the lure of the butterflies sends her flitting about the countryside in chase of them. Tragedy strikes, leaving Eleanor widowed – can she resist the charms of the oh-so-hunky Richard Glanville or will she keep her independence and control of her property? Well you know I’m not going to tell you but let’s just say that events start taking a dark turn and her fascination with the butterflies has spooked the superstitious country folk leaving her vulnerable to accusations of madness and witchcraft. Can she hold onto her property and her freedom? Or will she lose it all?

“no one who was not deprived of their senses would go in pursuit of butterflies”

This was a beautifully written novel, and one I had a hard time putting down. A lot of time is spent on Eleanor and her beloved butterflies, as well as the debates over whether or not to drain the fens (a very hot issue among the commonors) and may not suit readers liking their books action packed with heroines leaping tall buildings in a single bound, but for those who want to sit back and savor some lovely prose with a glass of red wine or a box of chocolates (or both!) this should do quite nicely. As very little of Eleanor’s life is known outside of birth, death and whom she married, the author has plenty of  *wiggle room* to weave her story as she sees it. Things did get just a wee bit melodramatic (the big search is all I’ll say), but a surprising ending and not one I saw coming at all. Eleanor is a passionate woman, and you will find some sex in this book, but I didn’t find it gratuitous, nor OTT as this reviewer from The Washington Post did.

FTC? I won it at Goodreads. Go and pester Harriet, she’s still not disclosing her book sources on all those blogs she has and we are all dying to know 😉

The King’s Touch by Jude Morgan

Tags

charles II, duke of monmouth, historical fiction, Restoration England

Beautiful prose and characterizations, but the slower pace will not appeal to all readers. The King’s Touch is the story of Charles II’s illegitimate son Jemmy, James Duke of Monmouth. Written in the first person POV, Jemmy recounts his life story from being removed by Charles from his mother’s care, through his relationship with his father and his aunt Minnette, Charles’ restoration to the English Crown and finally ending at the start of the Monmouth Rebellion at Charles’ death. The life and reign of Charles II and the main characters (and Charles’ many mistresses) are fairly well known, and not worth rehashing further.

Those looking for an action packed, bawdy romp through the Courts of Charles II should look elsewhere, this is not the book for you – I’d recommend Forever Amber. Yes, we see his mistresses and the intrigues and scandals of the Restoration period, but in lesser degree – even the plague and the great fire of London are almost afterthoughts in the story. As other reviewers have noted, what this book is about is Jemmy and his relationship with his very enigmatic father as Jemmy struggles to come to grips with his illegitimacy as others intrigue to have him declared legitimate and the true heir to the crown.

As stated previously, this is not a fast paced book and one that should be read in small doses so you can sit back and savor them slowly like you would a very decadent truffle or a fine glass of red wine (or both!!). Unfortunately for me, I had this as an interlibrary loan and not renewable and found myself under the gun at the last minute to blow through 500 + pages and I feel it impacted my enjoyment of this a bit

Twenty Years After ~ Alexandre Dumas père

The Musketeers are still swashbuckling twenty years later!

It’s been twenty years since the close of The Three Musketeers, and only D’Artagnan remains in service to the French Crown. Richelieu is dead and his protege Mazarin now holds the power behind the throne. Anne of Austria rules as regent for her young son, and civil war threatens France.

D’Artagnan is sent to bring the Musketeers out of retirement, but they find themselves at odds between the two sides in the civil unrest. D’Artagnan wants to be promoted to captain and Porthos who wants to be a baron, side with Mazarin, Athos and Aramis with the Fronduers (sp?). However, they soon find that although much has changed, their love and friendship for each other remain intact, particularly when faced with the evil son of Milady, who is bent upon revenge against those who executed his mother.

There’s way too much plot to even try to explain, leave it to say that there is much adventure and derring do, from the civil war in France to the conflict between Charles I and Oliver Cromwell in England. I especially enjoyed the nail biting, sit on the edge of your seat excitement during the escape from England and Mordaunt, along with the rescue of D’Artagnan, Porthos and Athos from Mazarin (what fun!). Along with the excitement comes the humor of their constant banter and escapades making for a near perfect read.

I personally liked the parts in England the best, but I think that’s because I have a better understanding of English history than French. Even after researching that period in France and Mazarin online, I still got a bit confused at times, but that is a minor issue in comparison to the rest of the story. Dumas is brilliant (as always) and his dialogue is among the best (as always). An awesome sequel to the Three Musketeers, and I am looking forward to starting the next chapter in this story, The Vicomte De Bragelonne.

Lady Anne’s Dangerous Man ~ Jeane Westin

Well, it is fluffy I have to grant that..

I had recently won a copy of the author’s newest novel, The Virgin’s Daughters: In the Court of Elizabeth I, and while waiting for that I looked at what else she’d written and found several romances and the library had them so I figured I’d give one a whirl. Big mistake.

Set during the reign of Charles II, Lady Anne finds that her betrothed has offered up her maidenhead to the lustful King. Distraught, she runs to her father for help, and until he can arrange to nullify the engagement sends her off in the protection of notorious highwayman “Gentleman Johnny” (odd choice for a protector, but oh well) and he takes her to his forest hideaway that is soooo well hidden they have buildings and a real life community going on there. Now it is a romance so you know sparks start flying as the two begin lusting after each other, but circumstances keep the two apart and also bring Anne’s fiancé Lord Waverby and her uncle back into the picture.

While I certainly wasn’t expecting high fiction going into this, I wasn’t really expecting such a trite fluffy mess either. Lady Anne was bordering on TSTL, the bad guys were cartoon cut-out villains and frankly our hero was unbelievably wishy washy. I really didn’t get any chemistry between the two, nor could I find myself caring much what happened. But worst of all was the purple prose, of which I’ll give you one example,

“For one too-swift moment, he allowed his eyes to absorb her appearance, the red glint of hair brushed into soft side curls, the bodice pushing up two orbs of quivering flesh like an offering of rich cream custard to the gods.”

At least orb is being used other than describing the heroine’s violet eyes in a romance novel. Skip this, I wish I had. Can I have my Friday afternoon back? Please?

Nightrider by Sandra Dubay

There’s a good reason this one is out of print….

“She knew, as he loved her, as he took her to the heights of passion – of pleasure – that she belonged to him, her lord and master, her highwayman, her nightrider, forever…” Oh dear, with such insightful (not) prose what is there left to say? Run for the hills perhaps?

Upon the death of her father the Earl of Barthorp, Lady Bliss Paynter is a ward of the court until Charles II sells her guardianship off to the odious Sir Basil Holme. Enter stage left Kit (Christopher) who becomes Baron de Wilde upon the death of his father. Kit’s family had supported Cromwell during the Civil Wars and lost their lands when Charles was restored to the throne – lands that were given to Bliss’s father. Kit vows to not let the villagers loyal to the de Wilde family and Chatham castle starve and he takes to the highway to rob from the rich and give to the poor. When Kit sets upon the carriage carrying the beauteous Bliss on the way to Chatham castle he steals a kiss and her heart as well…

Bliss’s guardian soon decides to wed her off to the fortune hunting Stephen Villiers, a distant cousin of George Villiers, The Duke of Buckingham. At this point the story becomes Terribly Tangled with Mistaken Identities, the Big Misunderstanding, and other silly plot twists that I have no desire to revisit again. I wish nothing more than to forget them and move on to better books.

I’m not one to let a cheesy cover scare me away from a book as I’ve found some really great treasures behind them but trust me – this book is not one of them. If you enjoy a book with a wimpy hero who does nothing but snarl and growl and furrow his eyebrows, a TSTL heroine who can’t seem to find any other fabric to wear besides velvet along with cardboard cut-out black and white baddies this might suit but otherwise I’d give it a miss. Oh, and if you’re thinking you don’t care because you’re just looking for a wall-paper historical with lots of sex like the cover suggests? Guess what – you’ll not find much of that either – what little sex there is in this book is very very tame. Skip this.

Alethea ~ Pamela Belle

Alethea is the oldest daughter of Thomazine Heron, whose story was told in The Moon in the Water and The Chains of Fate. Her talent for drawing is evident even at the age of eleven and her parents send her to stay with cousins in London where she can train with the famous artist Mary Beale. Once grown Alethea’s only desire is to paint and has no wish to marry and lose her independence – but there are three men determined to have her. Her beauty, wit and charm captures the fancy of John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, one of the more infamous and licentious members of Charles II’s court. Also in love with her is Jasper, the country-doctor son of Thomazine’s greatest friend, as well as the dark and brooding Kit who is forever scarred by his childhood and cannot let go of his obsessive and unhealthy desire for Alethea.

Can Alethea maintain her virtue against the onslaught of charm and poetry from the amusing but married Rochester? Or will she face scandal and succumb to her greatest desires? What about the staid, but oh so faithful Jasper who is willing to wait patiently? Will she escape Kit’s unnatural love or will it lead to violence? Will that evil witch Meraud finally get the just desserts she so greatly deserves? Inquiring minds want to know but I am not going to tell you – read it for yourself.

Set amidst the backdrop of 17C England during the reign of Charles II, including a terrifying look at the Great London Fire, I found this an absorbing read that kept me reading well into the wee hours of the night. While it might not appeal to readers looking for an action packed novel, I loved the character developments and family relationships Belle was able to create, as well as a look at this period in England’s history away from the King and his court. Belle has a nice knack for writing children and pets into her stories without them being cloying in their cuteness.

I have to say though, despite all the shenanigans with Rochester and his drinking cohorts, the all time scene stealer was Rochester’s pet monkey. The scene where Alethea’s parsimonious uncle pays a surprise visit during a dinner party and the pet cuts lose at the most inappropriate moment,

“The monkey shrieked rudely back and began, with intense concentration, an obscene ritual of intimate hygiene.”

Her uncle’s reaction? Priceless.

The French Mistress by Susan Holloway Scott

Did I read a different book again? Oh well. The French Mistress is I believe the third book written by Holloway Scott recounting the lives of mistresses of Charles II of England. Louise de Kérouaille is sent to the French court to serve as maid of honor to Charles’ sister Henriette-Anne, sister-in-law to Louis XIV. Louise serves her mistress faithfully and during Henriette’s visit to England she catches the roving eye of Charles II, but has to return to France with her mistress. Henriette soon dies mysteriously and Louise is sent to England to seduce Charles and provide political information to the French King. While keeping Charles at arm’s length for a time, she eventually becomes Charles’ favorite mistress (albeit not his only one) and is able to juggle life amidst the hatred of the English for anything French and Catholic, the intrigues of the English court, as well as her love for Charles while remaining loyal to Louis.

Well, that all sounds great and very much like the kind of book I love getting permanently lost in so why am I giving it three stars? I very much enjoyed the first part of the book while Louise was at the French Court in service to Henriette, as well as the first visit to England and the attraction between her and Charles. That said, it was well into two-thirds of the way through before Louise and Charles finally consummate their relationship and it then seemed the author found herself rushing to finish Louise’s story and keep it under 400 pages.

The first person narrative didn’t work well for me, it really seemed to limit the way the author conveyed Louise’s story, whether from putting her into contrived situations just so she could “witness” Henriette’s being abused by her husband to the last 100 or so pages where’s she’s dryly (very dryly I might add) recounting Charles’s political difficulties with Parliament, the Dutch and the matter of his succession. I prefer to see the action rather than have someone else tell me about it. The other problem with the first person narrative in this book was instead of someone else commenting to Louise on her generous bosom/creamy neck/beguiling eyes it was Louise giving herself those compliments. Who knows, perhaps that was intentional to remind us that Louise what a self-centered vain young miss she was? Lastly, and perhaps I’m forever spoiled and will always judge any book in Restoration England against Kathleen Winsor’s wonderful romp Forever Amber, this one just wasn’t bawdy enough somehow – it wasn’t “fun”. If you’re not sure get it from the library first, then buy it if you love it.

Devil Water by Anya Seton

Tags

17C England, historical fiction, Restoration England

Another winner from Seton.

I am so pleased that this author’s novels are being reprinted, I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them, especially Katherine. This is a fascinating tale, based upon the Radcliffs of Derentwater (Devil Water), staunch catholics and loyal to the Stuart cause, and descended from Charles II via the wrong side of the blanket. Charles Radcliff, the younger brother has a secret marriage to a lower born woman who gives birth to the love of his life, his daughter Jenny.

The story takes you from the moors of Northumberland to the Jacobite rebellion of ’15 to the tobacco farms of Virginia, and back again to London for a nail biting finish after the final Jacobite rebellion and the battle at Culloden. Seton has a wonderful way of setting her scenes so that you can almost feel you are right there with it. I also enjoyed her way of writing different dialects (the Northumbrians, and the Virginia “twangs”), which definitely enhance the reading experience.

All in all a highly entertaining read, and one I will pick up again and again over the years. It’s not quite up to the same par as Katherine (that’s a 10 star book in my rating) or the Winthrop Woman but definitely worth the time, especially for any lover of historical fiction.