Heartbroke Bay by Lynn D’Urso

Tags

historical fiction, Lituya Bay

    Hannah Nelson comes to America in the employ of Lady Hamilton. During the train trip West, she is courted by Hans Nelson but Lady Hamilton has other ideas for a proper husband and one very much not to Hannah’s liking. Things take a spin after a major confrontation with her employer and Hannah accepts Hans’ offer of marriage. The country’s economy is in the tank, so they decide to try their luck at the Yukon Gold fields, but are turned by back by the Canadians for insufficient supplies (too many have already died, so they instituted these requirements). With prices sky-high in Skagway, they head to Sitka where employment is more likely. Once there, they meet up with a few other gold-hungry friends and when they hear of gold for the taking at Lituya Bay – who can resist the lure of gold?

Getting into the bay itself is no easy task as it has some very unusual (and dangerous!) wave activity going on, let alone the occasional earthquakes that have been known to generate a Tsunami here and there. Too complicated for me to explain, but you can read more on Wik and if you are really geeky there’s a bunch of geological info on The Giant Wave of 1958 here). On top of that, the gold isn’t just lying around, the work is long and hard and the results not terribly fruitful and the approach of winter gets closer and closer…

If there be a Christ, pray he grants us release from this heartbroke bay.

Let’s just say that the price of that gold might be more than anyone expected, but you’ll have to read it for yourself to find out what happened. At just over 300 pages, this is a quick easy read and I enjoyed it a lot, especially the wise old Tlingit Indian Negook who was constantly shaking his head over those foolish white folks. While I’ve heard about Alaska’s great Tsunami before, I wasn’t familiar with the specifics and I found the geologic makeup of the bay rather fascinating. According to the author’s notes at the end her story and characters were based on real people and events – an added plus for me.

I don’t know about anyone else, but no amount of gold would be worth risking that. Note: this book is written in the present tense (except for Hannah’s diary entries) and one I usually don’t care for, but it worked very well with this story.

FTC, I heard about this from Tara at Book Babe and I put in a purchase request at the library and they bought a few copies.

North and South by John Jakes

Tags

historical fiction, john jakes, north and south

 North and South is the tale of two families, the Hazards of Pennsylvania and the Mains of South Carolina. Orry Main and George Hazard meet in their first year at West Point Academy and begin a lifelong friendship – although that friendship will be sorely tempted as the debate over the rights to own slaves threatens to split the country in two. After their military service in the Mexican wars end, George returns to run the family’s iron works and raise his family, while Orry returns to the Main plantation to pine over the woman forever beyond his reach, Madeline LaMott.

“There was a clear rift in the Main household. A rift much like the one his own father said was slowly but inevitably dividing the country.”

I think most everyone has seen the mini-series at least once and knows the basics so I’m not going to rehash them all over again, nor spoil it for those who haven’t.  Jakes does have a tendency to stereo-type his characters, and you will definitely notice it here. George’s sister Virgilia is obsessed to the point of madness to free all slaves (of course Jakes must make her sexually frustrated as well as panting after a black man), and the revenge minded Elkanah Bent is badder than bad can be (of course Jakes gives him homosexual tendencies to make him even badder). There’s also Orry’s delightfully OTT evil wicked sister Ashton who can’t keep her hands out of any man’s pants, a woman everyone can love to hate (you will looooove the way she helped several cadets celebrate, and the trophys she took home with her).Despite the flaws, I still found this a compelling read as George and Orry battle to keep their friendship intact as the nation is on the brink of war. A door-stopper at 700+ pages in hardback, this really did move very quickly and the pages literally flew. The next book in the series is Love and War and takes the families and the country through the Civil War.

FTC? Purchased at the used book store.

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).

The Jade Alliance by Elizabeth Darrell

Tags

emma drummond, historical fiction, Hong Kong

Their parents murdered by angry peasants, the Brusilov family flees Russia for the relative safety of Hong Kong and set themselves up as jade merchants. Eldest daughter Nadia finds herself very attracted to British agent Andrew Stanton who would like nothing better than to court her, but consorting with the *enemy* would very much put his career on the line and he’s already got one scandalous skeleton in his closet. Nadia’s twin brother Ivan develops a strong attraction to the daughter of their Chinese factor and does something Really Stupid that brings the wrath of the Chinese community onto the Brusilov family and Nadia is caught up in the worst of it. Can Andrew save his beloved Nadia or will he succumb to the *dark side* brought about by a very surprising return from the past?

I’ve read several books by Darrell (who also writes under the name Emma Drummond) and found them all to be good solid reads, and this one is no exception. Nadia and Mathew made for a good pairing, and they had some serious bumps along the road to happiness – including a terrifying kidnapping and typhoon. Can’t say much without spoiling, but there is a surprise return from the past and Andrew develops a very odd attraction to that person. I understood the attraction in reverse, but not Andrew’s and that took away somewhat from my enjoyment of the story, it just seemed forced. I did enjoy the turn of the century Hong Kong setting as well as the views of the divergent cultures and societal mores, but if you are new to this author I wouldn’t recommend this book to be your first. Fans only, although I am fast becoming one. 3.5/5 stars.

Seventrees by Janice Young Brooks

Tags

historical fiction, Kansas

Seventrees is the story of three generations of strong women, beginning with Maggie Halleck. Her parents dead, Maggie is passed from one relation to another and spends several years with Amish relations before returning to her uncle’s household in Germantown, Pennsylvania. While unwelcome as a dependent child, he’s now mighty happy to have a *cheap* servant to look after his sickly wife. Maggie eventually marries schoolteacher Gerald Freiler, but he spends too much time chasing rainbows and can’t hold a job so they decide to try their fortunes in Santa Fe (still Mexican territory). Circumstances along the trail force them to delay Gerald’s dreams of riches and winter in Kansas – but Maggie’s taken one look and decided this is home. Maggie uses her brain and common sense and over the years builds a thriving business in the growing town of Seventrees while Gerald resents the loss of his dreams.

The story continues with that of their daughter Schooner (a nickname reflecting her birth in a prairie schooner), as tensions between north and south continue to heat up over the slavery issue. Schooner loves the one man she can’t have, and ends up making two ill-advised marriages to weaker willed men – will providence finally make the one man she wants available to her? Or will she wake up and smell the coffee and realize who is the right man for her?

Victoria, the result of Schooner’s second marriage to an English Lord (it’s too complicated and spoilerish to explain), thinks herself too well-born for the simple, dull life of Kansas and is thrilled when her mother sends her to her father England to be made into a proper lady. Will Victoria realize that there’s more gold to be found with home and family in Kansas than in the tarnished glitter of the English nobility? Is there truly no place like home?

Sorry, I couldn’t resist 😉

While not an action packed page turner, this was still a highly entertaining read for me. I loved watching Maggie and her family literally carve a business and town out of not much more than a small settlement by a missionary school.  The author does a great job of blending her fictional characters into history, and I was blown away at what a hot-bed Kansas was prior to and into the Civil war. Out of print and rather rare from the prices the used sellers are asking (!!), but I was able to snatch a copy from Paperbackswap and from the Worldcat listings it appears there are libraries in the US that have copies – so don’t forget to try for an ILL.

A little visit to the used book store…

Tags

historical fiction, Victorian era

…and my poor TBR pile has now reached disastrous proportions. Oh well. I received an email from a blogger pal saying she was going to be in my neck of the woods and where could we meet to swap books and fool that I am suggested my favorite local UBS, Browser’s Books. Here you’ll find your usual fantasy/detective/cookbooks/true crime sections, along with the more mainstream fiction shelves (lots of historical fiction goodies to be found if you look closely). But the best of all is an entire wall (and then some) of floor to ceiling, double stacked MMPB’s classified by Browsers as romance. Yes, there are a lot of romances there with some hilariously cheesy covers, but don’t let that frighten you away as there are some amazing treasures just sitting there waiting to be discovered, including a shelf full of old Victoria Holts, MM Kaye and more. Besides, some of those old *romances* from the 70’s and 80’s can turn out to be pretty darn good reads with a lot more history than sex so I’m not afraid to bite the bullet and experiment. Here’s my damage this week:

I remember the TV-mini but for the life of me I can’t recall if I ever read these or not. Nice to find a good used HB which I prefer to MMPB (my hands cramp holding them open). 

Three women of wealth and privilege are the pawns in a battle for power. Where money is the glittering reward – and love is the ultimate revenge.

In the elite world of Boston’s rich and powerful, tycoon Nikos Dobias is its uncrowned king. His three daughters are his heiresses apparent-pampered and privileged-until he makes a shocking decision that will plunge them into a race for exclusive control of his multimillion-dollar empire.

GISELLE…The eldes, as ruthlessly driven as her celebrated father, she vows to do whatever it takes to inherit it all-including betray her own flesh and blood.

RENA…The too-trusting middle child, she will do anything to save her marriage, even reveal the Dobiasses’ most scandalous secrets to a seductive stranger bent on her wealthy family’s ruin.

CORE…Nikos’ youngest and most beloved daughter, she stuns her father-and society-by refusing to compete in his cruel game of money and power. Cut off without a cent, the beautiful heiress must rebuild an empire from nothing. Only one man can help her, the man who has vowed to destroy Nikos Dobias, the man Corey now passionately loves.

Sounds delightfully smutty, no?

STORYVILLE. Transplanted Yankee Julia Randsome was a blue-blooded suffragette who wanted to close it down. Beautiful, naive Kate Cavanaugh was a prostitute who wanted to survive. Af fifteen, Kate had joined “the life” at an opulent, high-priced brothel in the steamy red-light district. She also fell in love with Julia Randsome’s son. Now each woman must make a devastating choice. And what happens next will bring them both face-to-face with the truth about each other and themselves…

Love the inside of the jacket,

SHE VOWED TO BECOME MORE THAN AN ORNAMENT OF VICTORIAN SOCIETY
As a child, beautiful, red-haired Mary Beecham was plucked out of poverty and placed in the lap of Victorian luxury. But her illegitimate birth branded her as a woman apart–and her brains and spirit made her reject playing a woman’s role in a world of wealth and power run by men. This is her spellbinding story … of her rise to rule the vast spice trade that united mighty England with the romantic East … of her searing passion for a man whom it was scandalous to desire… of a marriage that turned into the greatest trial a woman could face … and of the gamble she took and reward she reaped when she staked all on a love she had never dared dream would be hers.

Cinnamon Wharf is going straight to the top of the pile (after the library holds and the Vine books that is ;)). Had to buy that just for the cover alone.

Enter a Hidden World. Travel back two hundred years to an era of magic and sensuality. Lose yourself in the blossoming lives and loves of Colin and his twin sister Bea as they Journey from Switzerland to the Emperor’s court in China, bringing Colin’s extraordinary talent, – his ability to create precision clockwork machines that looked human, drew pictures, played music and were the rage of Europe. And pass through the gates of golden-spired Ayuthia where, in a world of passion and opulate splendor, brother and sister meet their astonishing and tumultuous destinies.

Enchantress could be a dud, but I’m willing to take a gamble.

Ernest Barbour — The bold, brutal munitions king, he wanted two things: power over his destiny – and the beautiful woman who was his brother’s wife.

Martin Barbour — Ernest’s handsome younger brother who walked in his shadow – until he claimed Amy Sessions and became Ernest’s most bitter enemy.

Amy Sessions — Aristocratic, lovely, she was coveted as a treasure too rare to be touched – but she dreamed of a man with fire in his kiss…a man who denied his passion for her…a man named Ernest Barbour.

Been years since I’ve read a Taylor Caldwell novel and thought it was time to fix that.

Sir John Danesfield, captivated by his illegitimate daughter’s spirit, takes her to Regency London to live with his mistress. At fifteen, Mavreen falls in love with the Vicomte Gerard de Valle, an impoverished French nobleman. Believing him lost to her, she enters a loveless marriage arranged by her father. When her husband dies she seeks Gerard across the Napoleonic war-ravaged wastes of Europe. It is finally to the snowy battlefields of Russia that Mavreen, passionate, headstrong, and courageous, goes in search of the man she loves.

I was surprised when I got home and started loading this on Goodreads it was already on my list after being recommended by a friend there. Apparently the first of three set in Napoleonic era and set in both France and Russia. Woohoo.

Her blood racing with desire, her heart pounding with the fulfillment of a thousand dreams, beautiful New York debutante Elsie Cooper pledged her life and love to darkly handsome Count Alexander Martynov. After a whirlwind courtship, he swept her away from home and family, to Imperia Russia. There she discovered a world in which incredible opulence coexisted with grinding poverty,and the Imperial Family, indeed the entire Court, lived in fear of the evil monk, Rasputin. Plunged into this royal circle of madness and treachery, Elsie soon realized that her marriage to Alexander had placed her very life in danger, and only by thwarting Rasputin’s awesome power could she hope to save herself and the man she loved.

I’m thinking this will be a cheesy romance, but one never knows just by judging the cover. Nice haul, and Browsers is a do not miss if you’re ever in the South Seattle area – right on Meeker Street in Kent, Washington.

PS, the store is for sale if anyone’s interested…

To Defy a King by Elizabeth Chadwick

Tags

elizabeth chadwick, historical fiction, medieval

   To Defy a King is the story of Mahelt, the eldest and most beloved daughter of my favorite hunk in history, William Marshal. Preparing an extended trip to get their lands in Ireland under control, Mahelt’s parents are anxious to see her married before they leave and to that end she is betrothed to Hugh Bigod, the son of Roger Bigod the powerful Earl of Norfolk. While still too young for the marriage bed, Mahelt and Hugh are married and she joins the Bigods at Framlingham Castle, although the very-independent-minded Mahelt and set-in-his-ways Roger don’t always see eye to eye.

When Mahelt reaches her fifteenth birthday she and Hugh are able to consummate their marriage and begin building a family together, but their happiness is ultimately threatened by the escalating tensions between King John and his barons.  Hugh also has a lot of tension of his own to deal with from his half-brother William Longespée, who is quite full of himself and his relationship to the King (he is John’s half-brother through his mother Ida see more about that here);

“…although for Longespée attendance on John was a validation of his royal blood and an opportunity to pose in fine clothes.”

The conflicts finally lead to open revolt against the King and Mahelt finds herself torn between loyalty to the Bigods who want to oust John and her father who swore fealty to John and is honor bound to keep it. And what of her beloved brothers who have been held hostage for years by John to ensure her father’s loyalty?

“Do not talk to me of God. I have been supping with the Devil…I thought I had a long enough spoon, but I was wrong.”

Can Hugh keep his wife and children safe from John’s clutches? Can Framlingham Castle withstand the King’s army? Sorry, but that’s all I’m going to tell you – read it for yourself. While the first half of the book might not be fast paced enough for some readers, I really enjoyed it and had a hard time putting it down. I loved watching the budding relationship between Hugh and Mahelt grow into a strong, loving marriage, as well as Hugh’s somewhat stormy relationship with his half-brother William Longespée. As for Hugh? I’m in love again….

One of Chadwick’s greatest strengths is the way she effortlessly brings the medieval period and mindset to life – from the food, clothing, sights, sounds etc. and this latest one is no disappointment. A big thumbs up on the author’s notes at the end as well, I for one appreciate knowing what was real, what was surmised for the sake of the story as well as how ongoing research has affected what she’s written in her previous books on the Marshal and Bigod families. 5/5 stars and a must for Chadwick fans.

********

FTC, yes yes I admit it, I got an advance copy. Shoot me. I would have preordered it and just had to wait longer to read it.

The Time of Singing by Elizabeth Chadwick

Tags

elizabeth chadwick, historical fiction, medieval

Another winner from Chadwick!

The Time of Singing retells the story of Roger Bigod, son of Hugh Bigod Earl of Norfolk, who joined the younger Henry in his revolt against his father Henry II. When the revolt fails Hugh loses the Earldom and lands and when he dies there is a bitter dispute over the right to inherit the Earldom between Roger and his step-mother and her two sons. While Roger serves Henry and bides his time to claim his Earldom young Ida de Tosney arrives in court as the King’s ward. Henry is smitten and has other plans for Ida and he makes her his mistress and she eventually bears him a son, William. Unhappy with her position as mistress to the king, Ida casts her hopes on Roger and Henry allows them to marry — although she must leave her son behind.

Henry still withholds the Earldom, but he does restore some of their lands and Ida and Roger build a life and family together and begin rebuild Framlingham Castle to greater heights than it was before. Once Richard I takes the crown at the death of Henry the Earldom is restored to Roger, and the rest of the book recounts their lives as they struggle to keep everything they hold dear as the battle lines are drawn during Richard’s absence on crusade and subsequent kidnapping threatens to bankrupt England.

A very enjoyable surprise for me was the appearance of my personal favorite hero, William Marshal – I did not expect him at all, or to feature so prominently – but it appears Bigod and Marshal were contemporaries and friends. Another big surprise was Ida’s son William – who readers of fiction set during the reigns of John and Henry III will recognize as William Longespée, and I have to admit many of my favorite moments in the book were of William and his attempts at a relationship with his mother, Roger and their children.

While I enjoyed this book very much, this is not an action packed, page turning, sit on the edge of your seat type of book, but one to sit back and savor like a fine red wine or a box of chocolates (or both!!). As always with Chadwick’s books, the way she brings the medieval period to life in such a graceful and effortless way, be it the sights, sounds, smells, food, clothes and battles is just awesome. As quoted on some of her book jackets, the next best thing to time travel. And coming very soon is the sequel, To Defy A King. Don’t miss it.

The Place of Stones Constance Heaven

Tags

france, historical fiction, historical romance, napoleon

A game of cat and mouse

Emma Tremayne’s ne’er do well father suddenly decides to up take her on a pleasure trip Paris – but is it just for pleasure? Napoleon rules as First Consul and plans to invade England. Emma and her father are eventually detained by the French authorities along with several other English visitors, but her father manages to escape and he disappears entirely. Emma is rescued by Lucien de Fontenay, and he brings her to his family’s estate in Provence masquerading as governess to his younger brother, but even this quiet country estate soon begins to be a hot bed of spies and counter spies and Emma finds herself in the midst of a plot to kidnap Napoleon. Who can she trust? Lucien who she’s fallen in love with? Her father who still has quite a few secrets up his sleeve?

This was an easy, enjoyable read that had me guessing at most of the mysteries until the end and I never knew for sure who were the good guys and who was on the dark side. Emma was a clever enough heroine with just the right amount of spunk without going over board, and thankfully no sign of TSTL syndrome. This novel is very similar in style to Victoria Holt’s romantic suspense novels, from the heroine in peril not knowing whom to trust, the first person narrative and even a brief stint in Cornwall. Just right for a rainy afternoon.

The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye

Tags

british raj, historical fiction, india

I can’t believe I waited 25+ years to read this again!  Oh well, the first copy I had I loaned out and never got back. I would give this 10 stars if I could, I had forgotten how good this book was. Thank you Amazon, for recommending books and Listmania — so many wonderful books I would never have found or rediscovered without you! A truly wonderful story of star-crossed lovers, treachery, intrigue, heroism, honor and bigotry. The author has a great feel and understanding of India under the British Raj. The story of Ash and Juli (Anjuli) was incredible. I could literally feel Ash’s pain while he had to sit through watching Juli be married to the evil Maharajah.

The first 2/3 of the book deal with Ash and Julie’s early lives together, culminating in the rescue of Juli from being Suttee with her sister. Those pages have to be some of the most heart stopping, page turning, sit on the edge of your seat excitement that I have ever come across in a book (and I have read a few).

The last portion of the book gets away from Ash and Juli (although they are together) and slows down to tell the story of the British incursions into Afghanistan (sp?)and the resultant disaster of setting up a British mission in Kabul. Ash is still prominent as a “spy” for the guides, in the disguise of a native of the country, but while still a good read, the story takes on a different character from the first portions of the book.

I resolve never to loan this book out again so that I won’t lose it, and to keep it on my “to be read again and again” shelf throughout the years. Highly recommended.

As a side note, if you are searching for a book for a younger teen to read, this is a good choice. The few scenes between Ash and Juli that were sexual in nature were left mostly to one’s imagination. This author is capable of building her scenes without graphic play by play bodice ripping.  It’s a door stopper, but well worth the effort.