travelerbypage

[travelerbypage]

Book Review: Receiver of Many

Book: Receiver of Many

Author: Rachel Alexander

Genre: Fiction/Mythology/Romance

Summary: Persephone's life has been one of leisure among the verdant fields: the maiden of flowers, forever sheltered by her mother, the Harvest Goddess Demeter. Now she is a woman, a goddess in her own right, yearning for freedom - even as the terms of an ancient pact are about to come due. Hades' life has been one of solitude in the somber land of the dead: for millennia he has served as the God of the Underworld, living without attachments, eternally governing the souls of mortals. But he dreams of the young goddess who was promised to be his wife, and knows it is time for the Underworld to have a Queen. When Hades arrives to claim his betrothed, he finds a young goddess eager to unearth her divine potential - and a powerful mother unwilling to let go. Receiver of Many begins an erotic story of passion and possession, duty and desire, and a struggle that threatens both ancient Greece and the Realm of the Dead itself. -Self-published, 2015.

For some clarity above, the author published it herself - I am not claiming that I'm Rachel Alexander.

Well folks, it's been a while and I apologize for that. I read a few books in March that I considered to be more personal reading and then, with the lockdown, I got sucked into a rabbit hole of Hidden Objects games. By the time I realized I was spending a lot of time playing games and not reading, it was almost the end of April. So, needless to say, I'm going to be reading a lot more so I can break up my time in a realistic way.

On to the review:

I got this book a while ago and I was looking forward to reading it because I love mythology and I especially love Hades and Persephone. They're one of my favorite mythological power couples.

I think Alexander did a great job. She weaves the mythology and Ancient Greek culture and language together masterfully and her writing is very engaging. Even though I know the myth of Hades and Persephone, Alexander recreates it in a way that is fresh and exciting, almost as if you're reading it for the first time.

I love the way she wrote Hades and Persephone; their relationship is romantic, but it's not romanticized. They have their own problems that they need to resolve and even by the end of the book, they're not completely resolved - they still need to have their big moment in the sequel.

I will say this though - if you're not a fan of hardcore erotica, this isn't for you. There are a lot of sex scenes and the majority of them are very descriptive. This is just a warning in case you don't like it.

Other than that, I really enjoyed it. Alexander is a great writer and I look forward to reading the conclusion.

I give Receiver of Many an A+.

~*~

Please support the author by buying the book or borrowing it from a friend or your local library.

Thanks for reading!

#book review #Rachel Alexander #Receiver of Many

[travelerbypage]

Book Review: The Dollhouse

Book: The Dollhouse

Author: Fiona Davis

Genre: Fiction/Historical/Mystery

Summary: When she arrives at the famed Barbizon Hotel in 1952, secretarial school enrollment in hand, Darby McLaughlin is everything her modeling agency hall mates aren't: plain, self-conscious, homesick, and utterly convinced she doesn't belong. Yet when Darby befriends Esme, a Barbizon maid, she's introduced to an entirely new side of New York City: seedy jazz clubs where the music is as addictive as the heroin that's used there, the startling sounds of bebop, and even the possibility of romance. More than half a century later, the Barbizon's gone condo and most of its long-ago guests are forgotten. But rumors of Darby's involvement in a deadly skirmish with a hotel maid back in 1952 haunt the halls of the building as surely as the melancholy music that floats from the elderly woman's rent-controlled apartment. It's a combination too intoxicating for journalist Rose Lewin, Darby's upstairs neighbor, to resist - not to mention the perfect distraction from her own imploding personal life. Yet as Rose's obsession deepens, the ethics of her investigation become increasingly murky, and neither woman will remain unchanged when the shocking truth is finally revealed. -Penguin, 2016.

I've read Davis's works before and enjoyed them, but I missed out on reading The Dollhouse when it came out during the Advanced Reader program from Penguin. The Dollhouse is her first novel and it follows the same structure that can be found in her later novels. It splits time between the present and the past at first, but eventually the plots join together in some form.

Darby is a young woman staying at the Barbizon Hotel in 1952. She's attending secretarial school, but feels like a fish out of water coming from Ohio and is thrust into the city on her own. After she makes friends with Esme, she's shown another side of New York City, one that she feels more drawn to in spite of its dangers. Rose is a journalist in the present, doing a story on her mysterious veiled neighbor and the other former residents of the hotel. But as she seeks out the truth, Rose crosses the line, eager to escape her own life as it crumbles around her. The two women's lives become entwined and they affect each other in ways that will stay with them forever.

The story itself was very interesting in a historical aspect. Davis likes to focus on old New York buildings as part of her novels. It's a very specific feature and if you like that, you'll definitely enjoy these books. The Dollhouse is a nice split timeline story. I preferred Darby to Rose, but that's mostly because I didn't find Rose to be very likeable. Darby's plot is your standard 'fish-out-of-water' story while Rose's is the 'finding-yourself-when-all-is-lost' story. It's a pleasant enough read and a good one for the summer. It's not a mind blowing novel in fiction, but it's a nice way to introduce you to New York's history. I certainly learned a lot reading this book.

I give The Dollhouse a B+.

~*~

Please support the author by buying the book or by borrowing it from a friend or your local library.

Thanks for reading!

#book review #The Dollhouse #Fiona Davis

[travelerbypage]

Book Review: Death Wears A Mask

Book: Death Wears A Mask

Author: Ashley Weaver

Genre: Fiction/Mystery/Historical/Romance

Summary: Following the murderous events of the Brightwell Hotel, Amory Ames is looking forward to a tranquil period of reconnecting with her reformed playboy husband, Milo. She hopes a quiet stay at their London flat will help mend their relationship. However, Amory soon finds herself drawn into another investigation when an old friend of her mother's asks her to look into the disappearance of valuable jewelry snatched at a dinner party. Amory agrees to help lay a trap to catch the culprit at a lavish masked ball. But when one of the illustrious party guests is murdered, she is pulled back into the world of detection, caught up in both a mystery and a set of romantic entanglements where nothing is as it seems. -Minotaur Books, 2015.

This is the second title in the Amory Ames mystery series. She and her husband Milo have to solve a missing jewelry mystery, which becomes a murder mystery once a trap for the jewel thief goes wrong. I really enjoyed the first book in the series so I decided to continue reading more of the books. I wasn't disappointed with this one either.

The mystery plot itself is a pretty classic one and Weaver does a good job with it. Amory and Milo are fun and interesting characters; their dynamic is really good and enjoyable to read. They appear to be growing closer and more in sync with each other. I'm looking forward to reading more of their mystery solving exploits.

The mystery was good at keeping me guessing and I enjoyed collecting the various clues and bits of information at the same time as Amory. The characters were ones you might find in an Agatha Christie novel and the atmosphere of the time period is very authentic. I don't have any serious complaints. It was a fun read all around.

I give Death Wears a Mask an A+.

~*~

Please support the author by buying the book or by borrowing it from a friend or your local library.

Thanks for reading!

#Death Wears A Mask #Ashley Weaver #Book review

[travelerbypage]

Book Review: The Violets of March

Book: The Violets of March

Author: Sarah Jio

Genre: Fiction/Mystery/Romance/Historical

Summary: In her twenties, Emily Wilson was on top of the world: she had a bestselling novel, a husband plucked from the pages of GQ, and a one-way ticket to happily ever after. Nearly a decade later, the tide has turned on Emily's good fortune. So when her great-aunt Bee invites her to spend the month of March on Bainbridge Island in Washington State, Emily accepts, longing to be healed by the sea. Researching her next book, Emily discovers a red velvet diary, dated 1943, whose contents reveal startling connections to her own life. -Plume, 2011.

After enjoying Jio's novel The Last Camellia, I picked up a few more of her books. I decided to start with this book because I knew I would be reading it close to March. Like the previous novel, I read this book within a day or two. It's very easy to read and the plot lines are very easy to follow.

That being said, this is Jio's first novel and, as such, I can see all of the pitfalls of a first novel. The pacing is much too fast, the main character is a borderline Mary Sue (seriously - there is not a single person who dislikes Emily), and the formatting for switching back and forth between past and present is clunky and a bit of a pain to read.

In spite of these pitfalls, I did enjoy it. It's a nice guilty pleasure read of a plot that you might find on the Lifetime or Hallmark channels. Is it overly saccharine and melodramatic? Yes. But will it warm your heart to read about the adorable, clumsy city girl and her exploits into discovering the mystery of her family while winning hearts everywhere? Quite possibly! You can see the potential of a really good story, I just don't think anyone told her she needed to work on pacing during revisions. I can see that she's grown from having read one of her later novels so I'm not going to penalize her too harshly for anything.

If you want a nice guilty pleasure book, give this one a try.

I give The Violets of March a B+.

~*~

Please support the author by buying the book or by borrowing it from a friend or your local library.

Thanks for reading!

#book review #The Violets of March #Sarah Jio

[travelerbypage]

Book Review: The Sorbonne Affair

Book: The Sorbonne Affair

Author: Mark Pryor

Genre: Fiction/Mystery

Summary: Someone is spying on American author Helen Hancock. While in Paris to conduct research and teach a small class of writers, she discovers a spy camera hidden in her room at the Sorbonne Hotel. She notifies the US Embassy, and former FBI profiler Hugo Marston is dispatched to investigate. Almost immediately, the stakes are raised from surveillance to murder when the hotel employee who appears to be responsible for bugging Hancock's suite is found dead. The next day, a salacious video clip explodes across the Internet, showing the author in the embrace of one of her writing students - both are naked, and nothing is left to the imagination. As more bodies pile up, the list of suspects narrows; but everyone at the Sorbonne Hotel has something to hide, and no one is being fully honest with Hugo. He teams up with Lieutenant Camille Lerens to solve the case, but a close call on the streets of Paris proves that he could be the killer's next target. -Seventh Street Books, 2017.

I decided to try another Hugo Marston mystery since I liked the first one. Plus, I always enjoy a good mystery that involves authors and hotels. This one continues right off from the last one I read, The Paris Librarian. This time, Hugo is asked to help a famous author who thinks she's being spied on. When a secret camera is discovered in her suite, Hugo must find out who placed it there and why.

The writing and storytelling are in line with the previous book and the side storyline that Hugo goes through with his former colleague, Tim, is equally interesting. While there isn't a resolution to the side story this time (that will probably come in the next book), it provides some much needed backstory of our duo. It tells of the special relationship between Hugo and Tim and the dark secret they share.

The main mystery is pretty good, but my only complaint is that the rationale behind the murder of the first victim isn't explained very well. It's technically a simple reason, but as it's the catalyst to the whole plot, I wish it was given a more dedicated explanation.

I'm still interested in reading more of the series and I still recommend it to anyone who is interested in reading the series.

I give The Sorbonne Affair an A.

~*~

Please support the author by buying the book or by borrowing it from a friend or your local library.

Thanks for reading!

#book review #The Sorbonne Affair #Mark Pryor

[travelerbypage]

Book Review: Flame in the Mist

Book: Flame in the Mist

Author: Renee Ahdieh

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Adventure/Romance

Summary: The only daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has always known she'd been raised for one purpose and one purpose only: to marry. Never mind her cunning, which rivals that of her twin brother, Kenshin, or her skills as an accomplished alchemist. Since Mariko was not born a boy, her fate was sealed the moment she drew her first breath. So, at just seventeen years old, Mariko is sent to the imperial palace to meet her betrothed, a man she did not choose, for the very first time. But the journey is cut short when Mariko's convoy is viciously attacked by the Black Clan, a dangerous group of bandits who've been hired to kill Mariko before she reaches the palace. The lone survivor, Mariko narrowly escapes to the woods, where she plots her revenge. Dressed as a peasant boy, she sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and hunt down those responsible for the target on her back. Once she's within their ranks, though, Mariko finds for the first time she's appreciated for her intellect and abilities. She even finds herself falling in love - a love that will force her to question everything she's ever known about her family, her purpose, and her deepest desires. - G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2017.

I found this book originally as part of the Penguin Advanced Reader program. I wasn't able to get the book as part of the program so I got it once it was published.

I have to be honest. The book wasn't what I expected it to be. That's mostly because of the main character, Mariko. Her personality clashes with mine so whenever she acted impudently or arrogantly, I had to put the book down out of second hand embarrassment. I'm not saying she would be universally disliked. I know that there are plenty of people who like her and will like her. I, personally, just didn't find anything likable about her.

Here's the thing the summary doesn't tell you - this book is a Mulan retelling (that's how it was marketed to us on the Advanced Reader Program) so when the book summary tells you that her intellect and abilities are appreciated - they're mainly appreciated when she's disguised as a boy. I say "mainly" for a reason and it's related to a spoiler so I can't elaborate on that. Ahdieh also does Mariko a disservice. The summary tells us she's cunning and she's an alchemist. While Mariko performs acts that can be considered "cunning", she's a child's interpretation of cunning. She gets away with her disguise and her actions purely out of sheer luck or because the other characters allow her to. As for being an alchemist, Ahdieh never defines what that is or demonstrates the extent of Mariko's talents. We're told that she's made multiple "inventions" and even describes one of them, but she doesn't provide a history of Mariko's inventions (also, does being an inventor = an alchemist? Those two words have very~ different definitions and connotations.) or her attempts to buck her society's expectations of her. We just have to assume that Mariko is this incredible character, but all of her words and actions suggest otherwise.

Also, Ahdieh makes a point of constantly telling readers how unfair and robbed Mariko's life is because she was born a girl. Mariko has enough inner monologues about the curse of her being a girl to become annoying. Every time a new one would begin, I'd roll my eyes. Mariko can certainly bemoan her circumstances, but not to the point where it invites the reader to lose sympathy with her. I think Ahdieh took the whole "woe is me, for I am a woman" point too far. In fact, what would have been a much more powerful moment would have been if Mariko decided to make the decision she had made outside of the events of the book within the actual story. I can't elaborate on it because it's a spoiler, but, as I think about it, if Mariko had decided to take a significant symbol of her identity as a woman and destroy it in the events of the novel, rather than before the story starts, I think it would have been an immensely powerful action within the context of the story's events.

Ahdieh certainly has Mariko go through a worldview transformation of sorts, but I fail to see it change her in terms of personality. Her choices don't have any serious consequences for her own safety or welfare. There's a sequel and I have it, so I wonder if she will actually change then.

The love story is. . . awkward. By awkward, I mean awkwardly written. Ahdieh spends so much time focusing on Mariko's disdain of being a woman and all things feminine that when it was time to draw attention to the fact that she's a woman feeling attraction to a man, it feels jarring and false. I'm not saying she's not allowed to feel attraction towards a man; it just comes out of nowhere and feels fake. The "love story" is the "fine line between love and hate" trope and, in my view, there wasn't enough time between the transition from hate to love. It goes from "I despise this man and everything about him" to making out on the forest floor within three chapters after the "hate" phase has been firmly established. I was certainly surprised by the love interest himself - it wasn't who I was expecting, but it made sense.

One thing I liked about the book was Ahdieh's handling of twists and surprises. There were characters that I thought I had figured out their role and purpose, but I was fooled. I was pleasantly surprised by the turns that occurred. It's honestly the twists that are keeping me going and make me want to read the sequel.

In spite of the lackluster heroine and the poorly written romance, the other characters are interesting and the setting is very magical. I hope the sequel will deliver a satisfying conclusion.

I give Flame in the Mist a B.

~*~

Please support the author by buying the book or by borrowing it from a friend or your local library.

Thanks for reading!

#book review #flame in the mist #renee ahdieh

[travelerbypage]

Book Review: Home by Nightfall

Book: Home by Nightfall

Author: Charles Finch

Genre: Fiction/Historical/Mystery

Summary: It's London, 1876, and the whole city is abuzz with the enigmatic disappearance of a famous foreign pianist. Lenox has an eye on the matter - as a partner in a now-thriving detective agency, he's a natural choice to investigate. Just when he's tempted to turn his focus to it entirely, however, his grieving brother asks him to come down to Sussex, and Lenox leaves the metropolis behind for the quieter country life of his boyhood. Or so he thinks. Something strange is afoot in Markethouse: small thefts - books, blankets, animals - and, more alarmingly, a break-in at the house of a local insurance agent. As he and his brother investigate this accumulation of mysteries, Lenox realizes that something very strange and serious indeed may be happening, more than just local mischief. Soon, he's racing to solve two cases at once, one in London and one in the country, before either turns deadly. Blending Charles Finch's trademark wit, elegance, and depth of research, this new mystery, equal parts Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, may be the finest in the series. Minotaur Books, 2015.

This book is part of a series featuring a British private detective. The combination of the plot and the time period interested me, so I was really excited to get in and see how it would go.

Seeing as how I'm jumping into the middle of the series, I expected characters and circumstances I wouldn't understand. Luckily, there was only a bit of that. Finch explains any empty gaps in information very well and they're compact enough so as to not take away from the story. I appreciated that so I wouldn't get too sidetracked.

The plot itself is good. I have a feeling that if I had read the series from the beginning, I wouldn't have had the feeling that the book was moving at a slower pace than I liked. Finch likes to settle in the moment with his fans; update them on the state of his characters and give them new insights into his detective and his companions. This isn't a problem and he doesn't dwell too much on the side plots; it just stretched the pacing a little more than what I would have liked.

Lennox, the private detective, decides to spend some time back at his family home at his brother's request. In the process, he stumbles upon a little mystery that turns to have more serious consequences than he first anticipated. At the same time, a famous pianist goes missing and Lennox has to juggle both cases.

The countryside mystery is much more interesting than the missing pianist. In fact, the way Finch treats the missing pianist case disappointed me, but that was only after everything else was tidied up. I was engaged and actively trying to figure out the solution the whole time so that is a point in Finch's favor. While the cases are no less sinister than other mystery novels, I would say that the series won't be like "modern" mystery novels. They focus less on the sensationalism and drama and more on the process and bare facts - Sherlock Holmes would have approved. I still found the novel to be engaging and I think I would read more of the series in the future.

I give Home by Nightfall an A.

~*~

Please support the author by buying the book or by borrowing it from a friend or your local library.

Thanks for reading!

#book review #Home by Nightfall #Charles Finch

[travelerbypage]

Book Review: The Winter Rose

Book: The Winter Rose

Author: Jennifer Donnelly

Genre: Fiction/Historical/Romance

Summary: When India Selwyn Jones graduates from the London School of Medicine for Women in 1900, she is advised to set up her practice in a fashionable neighborhood. Instead, the idealistic India chooses to work in the East End, serving the poor. There, India meets Sid Malone, one of London’s most notorious gangsters. Before long, an unpredictable, passionate, and bittersweet affair ensues. -Hachette Books, 2008.

The Winter Rose is the sequel to The Tea Rose. It focuses on India Selwyn-Jones, a woman who becomes a doctor with dreams of opening a nonprofit clinic for women and children in Whitechapel. While her intentions are good, her ignorance of her patients’ life conditions frequently clashes with her own beliefs. In the slums of East London, she meets Sid Malone, one of the top criminals in Whitechapel. Their meeting sets off sparks that not only affect their own lives, but the future of those around them.

Having had a lot of characterization issues with the first book in this trilogy, I went into this book with some caution. After finishing it, I found that, between the two, I prefer this one. India isn't a Mary Sue like Fiona and, while her views are challenged and she changes in response to her experiences, she suffers more misfortune than most characters. She's a relatively strong character and it wasn't as frustrating to read about her character as Fiona was.

The romance between her and Sid Malone (who is actually Fiona's brother, Charlie) is okay. It's not a major theme of the story as much as the growth the two go through individually. While there's no set process for people to fall in love, you'll find the attraction/pining stage to be a lot shorter than others you might have read.

Donnelly also ties Fiona and Joe as well as the youngest Finnegan, Seamie, into the plot. If you liked Fiona or wanted to know what would happen to Seamie, they have their own plot lines in the story, adding to its length. Seamie's story is the setup for the final book in the trilogy so be prepared for a cliffhanger with his plot line. I also could actually tolerate Fiona this time around because she's taken down a peg and actually has to suffer the consequences of her actions. Maybe Donnelly received enough criticism about her so she decided to make Fiona have flaws like the rest of her characters.

The villain of the novel seemed a little too edgy for me though; almost in a cartoonish way. He does despicable things and Donnelly tries to make him pitiable instead of straight out evil, but it doesn't really work. The moments made to make him look sympathetic don't really do much to give him credibility as a "realistic antagonist". I suppose it's all a matter of perspective.

Overall, it's an okay book. I think it's an improvement over the first one, but not by much. I'm not reading the third book - these two books have satisfied any lingering curiosity I might have had over this series. The research into the time period and setting is still a strong point; it's only the characters that fail to bring this series to a higher rating from me.

I give The Winter Rose a B-.

~*~

Please support the author by buying the book or by borrowing it from a friend or your local library.

Thanks for reading!

#book review #The Winter Rose #Jennifer Donnelly

[travelerbypage]

Book Review: You Were Here

Book: You Were Here

Author: Gian Sardar

Genre: Fiction/Historical/Thriller

Summary: Death, accidental and early, has always been Abby Walters’s preoccupation. She’s thirty-three and eager to settle down with her commitment-shy boyfriend when an old recurring dream returns: a paralyzing nightmare of being buried alive, the taste of dirt in her mouth suffocating and real. But this time the dream reveals a name: Claire Ballantine, a woman from her family’s past. Looking for answers, and to stop the nightmares, Abby returns home to Minnesota for the first time in fourteen years, where she reconnects with her high school crush, Aiden, now a detective on the trail of a violent criminal. When Abby tries on her grandmother’s diamond ring, which she always dreamed would be hers, she discovers a cryptic note hidden beneath the ring box’s velvet lining. What secret was her grandmother hiding? Could this be the key to what’s haunting Abby? In 1948, young Eva Marten can’t believe her luck when she meets William, a handsome businessman who sees that she’s more than her meager farm-town roots. Their passionate love affair is only the beginning - or at least it will be, Eva knows, once he leaves his distant, upper-class wife, Claire. Eva’s love for William and determination to follow her heart sweeps them both off their feet, pushing Eva and Claire to a chilling confrontation. An ill-fated love triangle in the past. A horrifying crime in the present. Mesmerizing twists and a long-buried secret that may finally rise to light. You Were Here weaves together two worlds separated by decades, unveiling just how much lurks beneath the surface of our lives. -Putnam, 2017.

For my first book of 2020, I chose a book that had been on Penguin’s Advanced Reader program (it has been retired as of last year) and I didn’t get to read it. The summary intrigued me so I decided to get it anyway.

I’m going to say this upfront. If you’re intrigued by the book because of the mystery/thriller aspect, don’t read this. This book is one of those stories where it’s about the journey, not the destination. It’s all about character development and growth. The thriller/mystery aspect is only a side thread and a hook to get you interested. You will be disappointed if you have other expectations.

I also have a problem with the writing. This feels like the fifth book I’ve encountered the author being encouraged to indulge her wish to be like Virginia Woolf - and I hate it. Sardar writes her scenes via sentence fragments. For example, instead of simply writing something like, “The pungent scent of bacon grease and fried eggs filled the air as Lawrence and Avery sat on plastic covered stools, their shoes scuffing the linoleum floor.”, she writes: “Bacon grease and fried eggs. Stained linoleum. Fragmented plastic on paper menus.” That’s all to describe a diner. For me, that kind of writing belongs in a high school writing club. It’s pretentious; especially if she was trying to write a thriller. Some things need to be concrete. They need to be spelled out. There were a few moments where I was left scratching my head because what happened wasn’t clear enough. There’s a difference between deliberate ambiguity and pretentious ambiguity. The author isn’t doing it because the story calls for it - they’re doing it because they want to be smarter than you. That attitude doesn’t win any devoted fans.

If you read the two plots as simple fiction stories instead of one entwined thriller, they’re alright; not terrible. I’m just not a fan of the writing style or the bait and switch for the genre being advertised. The ending is also unsatisfying, but that’s the author’s choice.

I give You Were Here a C+.

~*~

You can support the author by buying the book or by borrowing it from a friend or your local library.

Thanks for reading!

#book review #You Were Here #Gian Sardar

[travelerbypage]

Book Review: The Tsarina’s Legacy

Book: The Tsarina's Legacy

Author: Jennifer Laam

Genre: Fiction/Historical/Political

Summary: Then. . . Since the moment he first saw her on the night she seized the throne, Grigory "Grisha" Potemkin has loved Empress Catherine of Russia. Their love was forged first from passion and then from friendship, as they began a long and prosperous political association. Now older, they face treacherous new threats, both from outside of Russia and from within their intimate circle. Haunted by the horrors of his campaign against the Muslim Turks, Grisha hopes to construct a mosque in the heart of the empire. Unfortunately, Catherine's young new lover, the ambitious and charming Platon Zubov, stands in his way. Grisha determines that to preserve Catherine's legacy, he must save her from Zubov's dangerous influence and win back her heart.

Now. . . When she learns she is the heiress to the Romanov throne, Veronica Herrera's life swiftly turns upside down. Even as she gains a noble legacy, she loses everything she once thought important. Heartbroken and seeking purpose, Veronica agrees to accept a ceremonial position as the new tsarina and to act as an advocate to free a Russian artist sentenced to prison for displaying paintings critical of church and government. For her efforts, she is both celebrated and chastised. As her political role comes under fire, Veronica is forced to decide between the glamorous perks of European royalty and staying true to herself. -St. Martin's Griffin, 2016.

For my last book of 2019, my choice could have been a lot worse. I had read the prequel to this book and had mixed feelings about it. I bought this book before I even read the first book (a mistake I have yet to learn from) and because I'm a perfectionist, I determined to swallow my pride and just read it, despite my misgivings. Sadly, they were not put to rest.

Despite Laam's note saying she wanted to focus on Catherine the Great, she really set out to write a commentary on Russia's treatment of members of the LGBT community. She acknowledges this in the end notes as she wanted to have her characters address what was, at the time, a prevalent topic (and it probably still is today). However, she is no Charles Dickens. While Dickens is able to both comment on society's failings and darker tendencies while at the same time weaving a good story, Laam fails to do so here.

Any plot, both in the present day and in the past, is completely skewered in her attempts to comment on Russia's treatment of homosexuals. Because she is so focused on the commentary for the present day section, the chapters of the past suffer as a result. Events happen, but the characters in the past are treated more as a commercial break to be placed between the present day chapters. Nothing really happens to show growth with the historical characters and the reader isn't given any opportunities to care about the characters. It was a waste of time and waste of plot.

The present day chapters reveal the flaws in Laam's writing. She's so focused on the social commentary that there is a lack of any real plot. Sure, Veronica goes to Russia, but does she grow? Does she triumph over her adversaries? No. She remains unchanged and regrets every action she takes while in Russia. She's a contradictory character. She tries to be strong and independent, but fails miserably every time. She can't even make her own decisions in this book. Everyone makes the choices for her. She wallows in self-doubt and self-pity. She reminds me of that meme where a character says, "And now my work here is done." and a second character says, "But you didn't do anything." The first character is Veronica and the second character represents the Russian people she supposedly aides. By the way, the summary is inaccurate - Veronica never shows a desire for the perks of royalty and is actually quite disgusted with them from the beginning; she finds them abhorrent.

By the end of the story, has Veronica made any real impact? Has anything changed? No. Laam implies that change will come, but she doesn't seem to have the courage to make it happen. It's almost like her editior said, "Okay. I know you wanted to criticize Russia, but don't actually change too much. You might get slammed." So Laam comes out swinging hard, but by the end of the book, her words are little more than a slap on the wrist.

To be frank, she was better off writing an essay or a short story to criticize Russia, rather than try to write a full novel about it. When a writer wants to include activism in their story, they better make the story good enough to balance the activist message or it all falls to pieces.

I give The Tsarina's Legacy a D-.

~*~

I honestly wouldn't even recommend buying this book. Borrow it from a friend or your local library.

Thanks for reading! Hope to see you in 2020!

#book reviews #book review #Jennifer Laam #The Tsarina's Legacy

[travelerbypage]

Book Review: Columbine

Book: Columbine

Author: Dave Cullen

Genre: Nonfiction/True Crime

Summary: On April 20, 1999, two boys went to their high school with bombs and guns. Their goal was to leave "a lasting impression on the world." The horror they inflicted left an indelible stamp on the American psyche. Now in this definitive account, Dave Cullen presents a compelling and utterly human profile of teenage killers. With a keen investigative eye and psychological acumen, he draws on hundreds of interviews, thousands of pages of police files, FBI psychologists, and the boys' tapes and diaries. This close-up portrait of violence, a community rendered helpless, and police blunders and cover-ups is an unforgettable cautionary tale for our time. In the tradition of Helter Skelter and In Cold Blood, Columbine is a revelatory work destined to be a classic. -Twelve, 2009.

Columbine was not a part of my memory when it happened. I didn't even know it had happened until my high school hosted a Columbine survivor talking about Rachel's Challenge. I don't know if it was Craig Scott or just someone who was a part of the group that was traveling across the nation, but our school had a presentation about Columbine and Rachel Scott. Ever since then, I was fascinated, in a psychological sense, by the tragedy and how it happened.

I saw this book multiple times when I was working at Barnes & Noble, but I didn't pick it up for a while because I wasn't sure if I should. I didn't know what I would find if I read it. Finally, I decided to pick it up and read it. Funnily enough, I decided to listen to the audio book first. I'm glad I did so because I was able to process things on an emotional level first.

The book is very thorough. It focuses not only on the event, the before, and the after,  but the fallout and the many different players within the tragedy. It's hard and frustrating to read as hindsight makes everything so obvious. It's difficult to not get angry with police, the psychiatrists, and the families of the murderers.

Cullen documents and recounts the movements of both the killers and the community. He uses both his firsthand experiences as a journalist covering the shooting and primary documents from the psychiatrists studying the mental state of the shooters as well as from law enforcement. It's a very thorough documentation and his work on the story is clearly deep and intense. I think it's a good compilation of information and investigative journalism.

For as much as I compliment the book, however. I still want to insist on reading with an open mind. A former friend of the killers has issues with Cullen's book and, as someone who interacted with them directly, he may have some credence that Cullen may not have discussed. For example, Cullen argues that the killers weren't bullied, while the friend disputes that in a book of his own. Rather than take a side, I would suggest reading both and making your own conclusions.

Cullen has a very good book and I think it is a good foundation for anyone who wants to learn more about what happened. I would just be prepared for the emotional experience that could come with it.

I give Columbine an A+.

~*~

Please support the author by either buying the book or by borrowing it from a friend or your local library.

Thanks for reading!

#book review #Dave Cullen #columbine

[travelerbypage]

Book Review: Five Presidents - My Extraordinary Journey with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford

Book: Five Presidents - My Extraordinary Journey with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford

Author: Clint Hill with Lisa McCubbin

Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir/U.S. History

Summary: As he did in the New York Times bestselling books Mrs. Kennedy and Me and Five Days in November, retired Secret Service agent Clint Hill brings history to life with Five Presidents, a rare and fascinating portrait of the American presidency. Clint Hill delivers a stunning perspective from the eyes of an everyman who saw the most historic moments of the twenty-first century during his seventeen years protecting the most powerful office in the nation. Hill walked alongside Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, and Gerald R. Ford, seeing them through a long, tumultuous era: the Cold War; the Cuban Missile Crisis; the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy; the Vietnam War; Watergate; and the resignations of Spiro Agnew and Richard M. Nixon. With a unique insider's perspective and a moving touch, Hill sheds new light on the character and personality of these five presidents, revealing their humanity in the face of grave decisions. -Gallery Books, 2016.

After reading Mrs. Kennedy and Me, I knew I would read anything Clint Hill wrote. He has been a witness to such incredible moments in history and I was more than curious to know what his life was like after the Kennedy assassination.

Hill wastes no time in keeping to the facts of his experiences and he sticks to just the facts without overemphasizing or over exaggerating anything. He very rarely gives his opinion and when he does, it's very brief and kept to a minimum. He doesn't tell the reader how to think about a situation or a person. I really appreciated that as it is a danger to historical memoirs - the writer inserting too much of his/her opinion on the events outside of their own lives.

Hill writes in chronological order - starting with Eisenhower and ending with Ford. If you're not a fan of Johnson, you may not enjoy this as Johnson is the president that Hill spent the most time with. I won't "spoil" anything, but I found Hill's each unique relationship with each president really interesting. I enjoyed seeing how Hill interacted with his colleagues and how history affected him on a personal level.

If you're not a fan of U.S. history, presidents, or the Secret Service, this book is not for you. I still found Hill to be great writer and storyteller. His narrative is engaging and he keeps your interest easily. I really enjoyed this book and I'm glad Hill decided to write it. It's a wonderful read and I think it's a rare person who wouldn't like it.

I give Five Presidents: My Extraordinary Journey with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford an A+.

~*~

Please support the author by buying the book or by borrowing it from a friend or your local library.

Thanks for reading!

#Five Presidents - My Extraordinary Journey with Eisenhower Kennedy Johnson Nixon and Ford #Clint Hill #book review

[travelerbypage]

Book Review: Four Days in November - The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

Book: Four Days in November - The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

Author: Vincent Bugliosi

Genre: Non-Fiction/U.S. History/Assassinations

Summary: Four Days in November is an extraordinarily exciting, precise, and definitive narrative of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, by Lee Harvey Oswald. It is drawn from Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, a monumental and historic account of the event and all the conspiracy theories it spawned, by Vincent Bugliosi, legendary prosecutor of Charles Manson and author of Helter Skelter. For general readers, the carefully documented account presented in Four Days is utterly persuasive: Oswald did it and he acted alone. -W.W. Norton, 2007.

I have never read a recreation of an event that was so detailed and thoroughly researched. Bugliosi is one of the most thorough researchers and chroniclers I have seen. I have the highest respect for his work and I want to read more of it. I got this book in D.C. when I visited Arlington National Cemetery. The detail intrigued me and I was curious to see how much I would glean from it.

This isn't your average Kennedy Assassination book. Bugliosi details every action and word that was taken or said by everyone involved. This isn't even the full book. Four Days in November only recounts the assassination and aftermath. The full book, Reclaiming History, also goes in and debunks every conspiracy theory about the assassination. There are over two thousand cited notes and an enormous bibliography. He even conducted interviews with some of the law enforcement officers and government officials. I am extremely impressed and this book will be the first one I recommend to anyone who wants to know more about the assassination.

The writing isn't melodramatic. It's just cold, hard facts. It feels weird that in the span of all of this detail, Kennedy is dead before you even reach a hundred pages. The first day alone is over three hundred pages in a book that's slightly over five hundred pages. It's strange to quantify an event like this in this way, but those were the little details I noticed.

I learned a ton of details I had never noticed or considered until now. It quite literally changed my thoughts about the assassination. Again, I highly recommend this book. It's probably the best book on the JFK assassination that's out there. I'm glad I read it.

I give Four Days in November - The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy an A+.

~*~

Please support the author by buying the book or by borrowing it from a friend or your local library.

Thanks for reading!

#Four Days in November - The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy #Vincent Bugliosi #Book review

[travelerbypage]

Book Review: Long Shadows: The Farewell to JFK

Book: Long Shadows - The Farewell to JFK

Author: Jim Leeke

Genre: Non Fiction/History/American Funerals

Summary: Our nation has seldom known a time so terrible and sad as November 1963, when young President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was slain, mourned, and buried. Author Jim Leeke returns us to those four grey and cold days, the shock of a young president fallen, the strength of his black-draped widow, the mourning of the world's leaders gathered silently on an Arlington cemetery hillside as the world watched. Long Shadows, The Farewell to JFK recounts the hour-by-hour drama as experienced by those in the armed services who planned the ceremonies, bore the casket, fashioned the eternal flame, and carried John Kennedy to his grave. Especially, this is the story of the 3rd US Infantry, the "Old Guard," whose members toiled under unimaginable pressure, with little to guide them, and the eyes of a nation upon them. It was a time when everything stopped, and long shadows fell across the nation. -Attic Window Publishing, 2008.

I bought this book in D.C. when I visited two years ago. As JFK is still a big topic of interest to me, I thought it would be interesting to read. The book is about JFK's funeral told through the eyes of the people who performed it. The detail is spectacular and Leeke really did his research.

The details of the narrative bring the funeral to life and it becomes very real for the reader. What makes the narrative so powerful are the personal touches by the officers and other military and government personnel that recount their experiences that day. Some of them are so powerful, they brought me to tears.

I really enjoyed learning about this new side of the JFK funeral, as short as the book was. It's a unique perspective that is sometimes all too easily overlooked or forgotten. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in JFK.

I give Long Shadows - The Farewell to JFK  an A+.

~*~

Please support the author by buying the book or by borrowing it from a friend or your local library.

Thanks for reading!

#book reviews #jim leeke #Long Shadows The Farewell to JFK

[travelerbypage]

Book Review: Killer Look

Book: Killer Look

Author: Linda Fairstein

Genre: Mystery/Police Serial/Drama

Summary: New York City is one of the fashion capitals of the world, well known for its glamour and style. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the runway, where American haute couture continually astounds with its creativity, daring, and innovation in the name of beauty. Yet high fashion means high stakes, as Alex Cooper quickly discovers when businessman and designer Wolf Savage is found dead in an apparent suicide, mere days before the biggest show of his career. When the man's daughter insists Savage's death was murder, the case becomes more than a media sensation: It is a race to find a killer in a world created entirely out of fantasy and illusion. With her own job at the DA's office in jeopardy, and the temptation to self-medicate her PTSD with alcohol almost too strong to resist, Alex is not anyone's first choice for help. But she is determined to uncover the grime - and the possible homicide - beneath the glitz. Along with detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace, Alex must penetrate the twisted roots and mixed motives among the high-profile players in the Garment District. The investigation takes the trio from the missing money in Wolf Savage's international fashion house to his own recovery from addiction; from the role of Louisiana voodoo in his life to his excessive womanizing; and to the family secrets he kept so well-hidden, even from those closest to him - just as things are about to get deadly on the catwalk. With Killer Look, Linda Fairstein proves once again why she is the "queen of intelligent suspense." -Dutton, 2016

I decided to drop myself into another series, drawn in by the fashion aspect of the synopsis. I have to say, I was really taken in by the story. I was nervous at first because the first few chapters weren't grabbing my interest. But I kept at it and once the mystery got going, I got sucked in.

After being saved from a kidnapping, Alex Cooper returns to duty unofficially after a famous designer dies under mysterious circumstances. While she solves the case, she has to come to grips with the trauma she suffered as well as the corruption surrounding her in the law offices.

I'm meeting Alex Cooper for the first time under special circumstances so I can't really comment on her too much as a character. I thought she would be in danger to be too crippled by her trauma from the kidnapping to focus on the case. That doesn't turn out to be the case and the book is better for it. She reminds me of an amateur detective with the way she goes about finding evidence and interviewing suspects when she's not supposed to. It was a lot of fun to read,

The story itself reads like your typical police serial - like CSI or NCIS or any other procedural show. If you like that sort of plot and setting, you'll enjoy this immensely. If not, you'll want to pass on this series.

The writing is good and it's not overly complicated. It's very easy to read. I had no trouble getting through it.

Overall, it's a good story, a good mystery, and you don't have to know the characters very well in order to understand what's going on. After I finish all of my other books, I may check out the other books in this series.

I give Killer Look an A.

~*~

Please support the author by buying the book or by borrowing it from a friend or your local library.

Thanks for reading!

#book review #Killer Look #Linda Fairstein

[travelerbypage]

Book Review: The Black-Eyed Blonde

Book: The Black-Eyed Blonde

Author: Benjamin Black

Genre: Hard-Boiled Detective/Gangster/Noir/Police Novel

Summary: "It was one of those Tuesday afternoons in summer when you wonder if the earth has stopped revolving. The telephone on my desk had the air of something that knows it's being watched. Cars trickled past in the street below the dusty window of my office, and a few of the good folks of our fair city ambled along the sidewalk, men in hats, mostly, going nowhere." So begins The Black-Eyed Blonde, a new novel featuring Philip Marlowe - yes, that Philip Marlowe. Channeling Raymond Chandler, Benjamin Black has brought Marlowe back to life for a new adventure on the mean streets of Bay City, California. It is the early 1950s, Marlowe is as restless and lonely as ever, and business is a little slow. Then a new client is shown in: young, beautiful, and expensively dressed, she wants Marlowe to find her former lover, a man named Nico Peterson. Marlowe sets off on his search, but almost immediately discovers that Peterson's disappearance is merely the first in a series of bewildering events. Soon he is tangling with one of Bay City's richest families and developing a singular appreciation for how far they will go to protect their fortune. Only Benjamin Black, a modern master of the genre, could write a new Philip Marlowe novel that has all of the panache and charm of the originals while delivering a story that is as sharp and fresh as today's best crime fiction. -Henry Holt, 2014.

I have a bit of a complicated relationship with this book. While the cover and the title intrigued me, the plot summary didn't grab me. I walked away from it initially and I caved in the next time I saw it.

I never read a hard-boiled, 1950s private detective novel before and now I know why. The story is a classic detective novel of that period - a pretty, mysterious woman appears on the private detective's doorstep with a case for him: a lover of hers has disappeared and she wants the detective to find him. In the process of his investigation, the detective finds himself in more danger than he initially thought.

While the story itself was interesting, and that's what kept me reading, the style of writing was not my cup of tea. There was nothing wrong with it in the sense of grammar. I just wasn't the right audience. I can't get into the detective's soliloquizing and the melancholy of the world the characters live in sunk too deeply into me. It's your stereotypical hard-boiled detective novel - think Guys and Dolls, Double Indemnity, and The Maltese Falcon. It takes place in the 1950s so expect to get all of the good and bad that comes with that period.

I also read that Philip Marlowe was the main character in detective novels written by Raymond Chandler. So, this is a novel that gets the same sort of treatment that Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle where modern authors write "new cases" for the classic detectives. Since I've never read a Raymond Chandler novel, I can't speak to that point. It's simply something I want to warn prospective readers because I'm a canon snob and I refuse to read the modern "Sherlock Holmes cases" and "Hercule Poirot cases" that are written today. If anyone's a canon snob for Raymond Chandler novels, you'll want to skip this one.

Overall, it's a good detective story. I'm just not the right person to appreciate this novel.

I give The Black-Eyed Blonde a B.

~*~

Please support the author by buying the book or by borrowing it from a friend or your local library.

Thanks for reading!

#book review #The Black-Eyed Blonde #Benjamin Black

[travelerbypage]

Book Review: The Widow’s House

Book: The Widow's House

Author: Carol Goodman

Genre: Fiction/Thriller/Mystery

Summary: When Jess and Clare Martin move from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to their former college town in the Hudson River Valley, they are hoping for rejuvenation - of their marriage, their savings, and Jess's writing career. They take a caretaker's job at Riven House, a crumbling estate and the home of their old college writing professor. While Clare once had dreams of being a writer, those plans fell by the wayside when Jess made a big, splashy literary debut in their twenties. But it's been years, now, since his first novel, and the advance has long been spent. Clare's hope is that the pastoral beauty and nostalgia of the Hudson Valley will offer him inspiration. But their new life isn't all quaint town libraries and fragrant apple orchards. There is a haunting pall that hangs over Riven House like a funeral veil. Something is just not right. Soon, Clare begins to hear babies crying at night and see strange figures in the fog at the edge of their property. Diving into the history of the area, she discovers that Riven House has a dark and anguished past. And whatever this thing is - this menacing force that destroys the inhabitants of the estate - it seems to be after Clare next . . . - William Morrow, 2017.

As much as I loved my previous book, I was happy to sink back into the comfort of fiction and especially into the fantastic world created by Carol Goodman.

This book took me back to the first Goodman novels - the ones that captured me in their mystique and haunting atmosphere. I especially loved reading this in the fall because the shorter days and spooky nights framed this story perfectly.

Clare Martin and her husband become caretakers to a crumbling house in the Hudson River Valley. Clare, who gave up her dreams of writing to support her husband's work, is encouraged to take up her writing once more. But the ghosts of the past walk the property and Clare has to separate illusion from reality while coming to terms with the changes in her own life.

Typically, I'm not a fan of reading about relationships on the rocks because I like indulging in the escapism aspect of books. However, if it's a side plot, then I have no problem with reading it. A part of me always hopes the couple might remain together, but I know that life isn't like that and people shouldn't stay in unhealthy relationships. Goodman shows the relationship is not what Clare believes it to be so that by the time the book is over, she has grown into a different person.

The book is classic Goodman in that the story is presented as something simple, but gets more complicated and thrilling as time goes on. What seems to be a simple ghost story transforms into a more complicated and terrifying story. What's even better is that Goodman adds a sort of small, but significant last thought that makes the reader wonder. I'm not calling it a twist because the information is not confirmed - it's left in the hypothetical. It's fantastic and it makes the reader think about it long after finishing the book.

I also enjoyed how even the characters and their motivations aren't simple. I came to certain conclusions about specific characters, but Goodman writes different conversations and events that make me reconsider my conclusions. Her characters are complicated and I love that. This is especially great considering the story is told in the first person - Clare is an unreliable narrator and the reader can only trust her so much.

The thriller aspect of the book was also fantastic. It's creepy and spine tingling. It's not hokey or cheesy. It's genuinely scary and it's "realistic" horror - the events are the kind of "ghostly" happenings that would realistically happen should anyone experience what Clare did.

Overall, I adored this book and I continue to enjoy Goodman's novels - she still has yet to write something that I absolutely hate.

I give The Widow's House an A+.

~*~

Please support the author by buying the book or by borrowing it from a friend or your local library.

Thanks for reading!

#book review #Carol Goodman #The Widow's House