The Flower Reader by Elizabeth Loupas

Tags

Mary of Guise, mary queen of scots

It was not easy to search for a murderer when one was a queen’s lady

The Flower Reader is one of those books where the less you know about the story the better, so I’m keeping the plot description very brief and just will just tease instead with a few favorite quotes. Rinette Leslie of Granmuir is a very minor member of Mary of Guise’s household, and as such she’s the perfect choice when the dying regent needs someone to slip a casket of secret letters and other juicy stuff out of the castle and into its super-secret hiding place until it can be turned over to Scotland’s new queen, Mary Stuart.

No one paid any more attention to me. I walked out of the room with the silver casket and the masses of flowers in my arms.

Well, let’s just say things don’t exactly go according to Hoyle, and Rinette’s life is about to take some seriously unexpected twists and turns. Just about everyone is hot to get their hands on the casket and the secrets it contains (loved the Nostradamus twist!), and will go to any lengths to get their hands on them. No surprise, but Rinette finds herself right in the middle of it all dodging unknown assassins in darkened corridors.

You have made an enemy, Mistress Rinette.

The UK cover

And that is all I’m going to tell you – read it for yourself. I was hooked by the first chapter and loved every minute of it. I adored Rinette’s voice, especially her *asides* on the young queen and her court, and the mystery kept me guessing until the end (it will keep you turning the pages). The floromancy twist was unique and a lot of fun (especially the flower she thought of when looking at Darnley :D). I’m one reader who is about as tired of Mary Queen of Scots as I am of the Tudors, but this was a refreshing look at her, and set during her first years as queen before all that Darnley/Bothwell melodrama. My copy came with maps, genealogical charts and a cast of characters (very much appreciated). 5/5 stars. Run, don’t walk, to your nearest bookstore on April 3rd to get your hands on a copy.

Many thanks to the folks at NAL for an early copy, and a finished one at that. I love to quote so that was doubly appreciated.

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The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

Tags

historical fiction, historical romance, Jacobitism, scotland

Historical fiction author Carrie McClelland suddenly finds her current work-in-progress stalled and during a brief visit to Scotland she comes under the spell of Slains Castle in the remote northeast town of Cruden Bay.  The spell works its magic, the past comes alive and Carrie’s fingers fly across the keyboard and she transports the reader back to the  Jacobite plot of ’08 to restore King James to Scotland’s throne.

The story:

Sophia Paterson arrives at Slains castle, home of distant relative and she’s soon as immersed in Jacobite intrigue along with the rest of the family. John Moray, one of the many people who carries messages between Scotland and France, falls in love with Sophia, but he’s a very much wanted man and cannot stay in Scotland, nor can he take her back to France.

Parallel with Sophia’s story is Carrie’s, along with two brothers in love with her (although I’m pretty sure it’s only true love for one of them). Sophia’s past seems to have a life of its own, to the point that she’s writing real events before she could possibly have known them. Is *someone* from the past guiding her to discover what happened 300 years ago? If so, why?

I just loved this book to bits and frankly couldn’t put it down. A perfect blend of romance, real history and what if and for once I enjoyed the storyline in the present as much as that of the past. One big thumbs up to the author, she did a great job using her characters and dialogue to cover back history without those annoying info-dumps, i.e. historian brother Graham explaining in plain English to brother Stuie about Jacobite history. Nicely done. This novel has also been published in the UK under the title Sophia’s Secret, so don’t go and buy the same book again. 4.5/5 stars.

FTC, why I got it from the publisher since they so kindly offered (thank you Sourcebooks).

Corrag by Susan Fletcher

Tags

Jacobite, Jennifer Roberson

Basic plot run down: after witnessing the events at the Massacre at Glencoe, Corrag is accused of witchcraft and imprisoned. Irish minister (and secret Jacobite) Charles Leslie comes to interview her in hopes of finding proof that King William was truly behind the massacre. The narrative is told mostly from Corrag’s point of view as she recounts her life before and leading up to the events at Glencoe. This alternates with Leslie’s point of view as he writes home to his wife in Ireland recounting his reactions to Corrag’s tale.

I liked the idea of seeing Glencoe from Corrag’s viewpoint (supposedly she did exist), but unfortunately the narrative just didn’t work, at least for me. Much too much time is spent as Corrag recounts the times before she came to Glencoe, let alone her time assimilating into the community and the relationship with Alasdair. The massacre itself didn’t even happen until well past page 300 and by then there were only another 50 or so pages left to tell the story. As for Leslie’s letters home to his wife? Over and above the *yawn* factor, I was scratching my head at some of the information he was willing to put to paper in such dangerous times.

Yes, the writing was lovely, yes it was lyrical – but the repetition may drive you nuts (it did me). I’d have been better off dragging Jennifer Roberson’s Lady of the Glen out for a reread (don’t let that stupid WTF were they thinking cover from Kensington scare you). Library only, then buy it if you love it. That said, everyone else seems to love it to bits so it must be me again 😉

FTC, a win off of Librarything’s Early Reviewer program.

The Enchantress Saga by Nicola Thorne

…it was no strange accident that had brought her here: it was Analee’s destiny, woven before time in the stars perhaps, to enchant, to be enchanted.

 The Enchantress Saga is actually three books in one, and originally published under the author name of Katherine Yorke.Book #1, The Enchantress. Analee joins up with the Drivers, a gypsy clan who involve her in a little horse thieving – although it does introduce her to Jacobite supporter Brent Delamaine in a most unusual manner. Fearing the lusty embraces of  the head of the Driver clan, she flees with a group of young siblings who make their way as traveling musicians and dancers (and boy can our girl dance).  She meets up again with the handsome rogue Brent and well…let’s just say chemistry happens, but both of our lovers are in for quite a surprise when jealous Randal attacks Brent and that sets everyone on some very unexpected paths in life. Are Brent and Analee meant to find happiness in the end? Or does her destiny lie with another? Will she forever wander England barefoot, cold and hungry?

Book #2, Falcon Gold.  Analee and her husband, the powerful general known as The Falcon arrive in Paris. No surprise, but the beauteous Analee is the toast of the town and her husband’s jealously takes a very nasty turn. Now hating all things Hanoverian, Analee devotes herself to the cause of Bonnie Prince Charlie and that little romp in the hay is quite fruitful indeed. She eventually reconciles with her husband (why?) and they spend time in London where she’s once again much sought after by the men. The Falcon is enamored of the younger beauties and packs his wife off to her home at Derwentwater in the north (she actually prefers it). There’s a bit of a duel, some Jacobite intrigue and the mystery of her parentage is finally solved (figured that one out as soon as he landed in the story).

Book #3, Falcon Fury AKA The Lady of the Lakes. Honestly, I am not quite sure what happened in this one, outside of men lusting after Analee (when she’s not having another baby that is), The Falcon lusts after young nubile females (and bedding any he can get his hands on) as poor Brent pines away for his beloved enchantress – will they even find true happiness together?

As much as I wanted to love these books, my interest faded pretty quickly around the end of book one. I would have liked to see more Jacobite intrigue and less gypsy lore – the magic stuff and love spells wore very thin indeed, let alone Analee constantly reminding everyone (and I do mean everyone) of her gypsy heritage. Huge gripe – I really really did catch on how tacky and low class Ambrose was from his burping and but-scratching. I did not need to hear about him picking his nose, nor where it went afterwards. Really.

Not recommended.

Note: if you have issues with domestic violence in your books, this is very likely not the book for you.

Forever My Love by Rebecca Brandewyne

 “Echoing across the stormy waters of Loch Ness came a gypsy’s haunting curse, foretelling a forbidden passion that would drench the Scottish crags with blood.”

Mary Carmichael and Hunter MacBeth find themselves caught in the midst of a feud between their two families that has lasted generations.  Drawn to each other despite their mutual hatred, Hunter eventually seizes his chance and kidnaps Mary but his plans of rape turn into something else entirely. Mary is eventually returned to her family, branded as a *whore* and almost banished unless someone from the clan will step forward. Will it be the gentle hearted Edward or his badder than bad half-brother Hugh? Or will she be able to escape to Hunter’s loving arms?

Yes, there is definitely a whooooole lot more to the story than that, but there is just no way I am going to be able to recap it properly, plus I have other things to do today. Let’s just say this was one hell of a roller-coaster ride with a Romeo and Juliet pair of star-crossed lovers who love each other like no one has before them. Mary and Hunter face hardship and suffering, misunderstandings and separations, murder and mayhem, rape and madness and a stormed castle or two as they battle the baddies among their own clans to keep their love alive and solve the riddle of the gypsy curse. Or is the curse something else entirely? Will it finally solve the mystery of how it all began and thus bring peace to the rival clans?

“Minutes later Mary knew to whom the grave outside belonged and knew too, the answer to the puzzle of the legend’s curse.”

“…for love is the answer to the puzzle of the curse of the legend.”

And you won’t know what that means until the very very end. This is a classic example of your *old school* bodice ripper and is not going to appeal to every reader. And yes, since this is a romance there is plenty of sex between the two, although not as bad as some I’ve seen and thankfully no sightings of nether lips or volcanos of honey. Whew!  All in all jolly good fun with plenty of action, loving and laughter (lol at Hunter and Cadman’s efforts to sneak in to see the king) and recommended for lovers of big fat historical romances. Four stars.

A Love Through Time by Terri Brisbin

Tags

medieval, scotland, time slip

Pleasant reading

This is bit of a take-off on the Outlander premise of a circle of “singing stones” that can transport through time, albeit these stones were removed from the circle and built into an archway of a building. Our hero and heroine meet at a clan gathering, get shoved through the archway and are transported back through time. I could never figure out what year it was, I recall Edward III being mentioned as England’s king, and King David being the son of Robert the Bruce, so my research says sometime in the 14th century.

Anyway, our hero Alex is a double for the laird’s son and heir Alesander who has been away for five years in London with the Scott king David (who was being held as a hostage by the English). So he is mistaken for the young heir, and Maggie is taken as his leman (mistress). Lots of ups and downs follow our H&H as they try to understand what’s happened, and try to find their way home without being killed for pretending to be what they’re not.

All in all very entertaining, but you do have to suspend some disbelief. I am sorry, but no man of the our times (most especially an ACCOUNTANT!!) could go back to the 14th century and pick up a sword and even have a clue to what he was doing, let alone convince his peers that he was adept at it. Also, the author wrote the story so that Alex picked up a Scottish brogue and Gaelic when they went back in time, but no one noticed Maggie’s lack of English accent, let alone that she was from New Jersey. For those and a few other discrepancies I give it 4 stars instead of 5.

Note: if you are looking for something for a younger reader, this would not be a good choice. It’s a bit of a bodice ripper, with more sexual content and descriptions than is appropriate for a young teen. I believe there is a sequel but I haven’t tried to hunt it down.

Child of Awe ~ Kathryn Lynn Davis

Tags

historical fiction, historical romance, scotland

An engaging Scottish Historical and but it didn’t Awe me either (3.5 stars)

Child of Awe is the story of Muriella Calder whose father left her at a very young age as heiress to his large estates, much to the chagrin of the rest of the Calder and Rose clans. Muriella’s guardianship was given to the powerful Earl of Argyll and he eventually takes her away from her mother’s family (the Rose clan) by force with plans to wed her to his younger son John, who is not thrilled with his father’s choice for his bride. Muriella was also born with “the sight” and is haunted by visions of the future that cause her much angst in her relationships with her new husband and family.

The story carries on through multiple clashes between the warring clans, along with John and his older brother and their sister Elizabeth who was wed to one of Argyll’s great enemies, as Muriella struggles against her visions and comes to know the one great love of her life. This is not your standard romance where the H&H are drying to jump each other’s bones from their first glance and there were many times I wasn’t sure who she was going to end up with, as the first few years of her marriage had gotten off to such a rocky start.

Although this book is billed as historical romance, the author’s notes at the end of the book state that Muriella and John along with their clans did exist in early 16C (early 1500’s) Scotland, so I have to agree with another reviewer who stated that this is a tough toss up between calling it historical fiction instead of romance. Not the best in the genre (that’s still Outlander), but far from the worst either.

Lady Macbeth: A Novel by Susan King

Tags

historical fiction, medieval, scotland

A very different tale of Macbeth and his lady than Shakespeare’s

Lady Gruadh (Rue) is descended from one of two branches of the ancient royal line of Celtic Kings. First married against her wishes to Gilcomgan of Moray, her husband is killed in battle with Macbeth, and the pregnant Rue is married to Macbeth, Rue’s pure bloodline giving him a stronger claim to the throne of Scotland. Thus begins an uneasy truce between the two as they eventually make the marriage work and Macbeth schemes to take the reign of Scotland from Duncan. Amidst the plots and treacheries of 11C Scotland, the author also works in plentiful details of Celtic myths and lifestyle as she tells Rue’s story in the first person POV.

While I did enjoy this book, along with picking up some knowledge of Scottish history and the “real” Macbeth, I found this book to be slow paced at times with long periods of inaction and detailed descriptions of every day life. Although I typically don’t mind a slower paced book as long as the author can fully immerse me into another century, in this case I felt like I was on the outside looking in. Rue’s tale came off to this reader as a bit cold and aloof. I never felt I was a part of the story – just an interested bystander, and that is not where I want to be in a book. I also felt it too short at just over 300 pages, perhaps the characters would be been stronger and had more life if they had been fleshed out more, but that could have been the publisher’s decision and not the author. We’ll never know.

An entertaining and educational read about the “real” Macbeth instead of Shakespeare’s version, but it’s not a book I’m willing to give a five star rating to, nor one I will read more than once. If you’re not sure, get it from the library first and then if you love it, buy it. Side note, there is an extensive list of characters with their full names and titles (with pronunciation) along with a glossary at the back of the book. I really wish publishers would either put these at the front of the book or tell the reader it’s there in the back for my reference.

Kingdom of Shadows by Barbara Erskine

Tags

barbara erskine, england, scotland, time slip

  Basic Erskine regression story

Kingdom of Shadows is a parallel tale of Clare Royland in the 1980’s and Isobel Buchan in Scotland at the time of Robert The Bruce in the latter 13th and early 14th century. Clare is married to stock broker Paul Royland who gambled with insider trading and lost and needs to sell Clare’s Scottish Castle Duncairn to raise desperately needed funds. Unhappy in her marriage, Clare turns to yoga and meditation and she begins to see visions of the past as Isobel Buchan of Scotland relives her past through Clare.

The retelling of Isobel’s life in Scotland, an unhappy marriage and her ultimate affair with Robert the Bruce and capture by Edward I and imprisonment in one of those infamous cages on the castle wall is interwoven with that of the present day Clare whose husband intrigues to have her proven insane so that he can lay claim to her property. Erskine does point out in her notes at the end of the book that Isobel, her crowning of Robert at Scone and capitivy are historical fact, but the affair with Robert is merely supposition by the author.

I did find the story entertaining enough and it kept me reading, but this is definitely not one of Erskine’s best — that would be Child of the Phoenix or Hiding from the Light. While I enjoyed the story set in the 13/14C, I really didn’t particularly care for Isobel, she was a little too self centered for me and as for Clare — likeable enough but bordering on TSTL for putting up with that pompous pig of a husband and not seeing him for what he really was. If you’re an Erskine fan and can get your hands on a copy somewhat cheaply go for it, but don’t go out of your way either.

Island of the Swans by Ciji Ware

The story begins in 1870 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Maxwells of Monreith are well-born but always in financial difficulty. Jane is ever the tomboy, much to the chagrin of her grasping mother who has plans to marry the blossoming beauty into a wealthy family. Jane’s great friend and cohort in *crime* is Thomas Fraser and as the two grow older their friendship develops into something stronger. They hope to wed one day, although Jane’s mother and Thomas’ guardian Simon Fraser have other plans for the two and will resort to any means to separate the young lovers.

To avoid spoilers I’m not going into much more story detail, but word from the colonies forever changes Jane’s life and heartbroken she enters into a marriage with the handsome but ever so dark and brooding Alexander Gordon, Fourth Duke of Gordon. Can Jane let go of her lost love and make a successful, happy marriage? Can Alex accept there is a part of Jane that will always love Thomas or will he allow his jealousy to run out of control? Jane Gordon led quite a life; mother to six children, she was a celebrated beauty and favorite of George III and Queen Charlotte. She meddled in politics, assisted her husband in recruiting troops for the Gordon Highlanders, and managed to obtain brilliant marriages for her daughters despite Alex’s tight pocketbook.

I really enjoyed this book a lot, especially the first and last of it. Jane’s antics as a young girl were priceless (loved the pig race), as well as the early days of her courtship and marriage to Alex. Things got a bit slow in the middle third as it seemed pretty much made up of strum and drang and true love denied, as well as Jane and Alex’s constant arguments and reconciliations resulting in one baby after another. However, the latter part of the book definitely picked up steam when a very formidable Jane comes to London and makes her own mark on society and her tempestuous relationship with Alex continues.

I just have a few quibbles, first of which are the constant references to Alex as the Fourth Duke of Gordon. I got it the first time or two and I didn’t need to be clubbed over the head with it ad infinitum, and the constant use of “tis” in the dialog also began to grate after a while. There is quite a lot of sex in this book, and while quite tame by today’s standards a lot of it wasn’t all that necessary, and I got a bit tired of hearing about searching between one’s partner’s legs for the object of one’s desire. Less is more.

Lastly, as much as I love a pair of star crossed lovers, Jane and Thomas didn’t quite come to life for me as much as I’d like to see in a novel. I wanted something more like Ash and Juli in The Far Pavilions – oh the pain he felt when he watched Juli being married to the old goat – if Ware could have brought those emotions into the story this would have been a solid five stars. 3.5 stars, a very good book, just not a great one.

*****
My copy courtesy of the King County Library System