however due to this being the last Labor Day weekend I will have with my oldest son living at home I am…
|
A Tale of Uncharted Love on the Open Seas In this enchanting and highly original retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet sets out for the new world aboard the grand ship Pemberley’s Promise. She’s prepared for an uneventful voyage until a chance encounter with the handsome, taciturn Mr. Darcy turns her world upside down. When Elizabeth falls ill, Darcy throws convention overboard in a plan that will bind them to each other more deeply than he ever could have imagined. But the perils of their ocean voyage pale in comparison to the harsh reality of society’s rules that threaten their chance at happiness. When they return to the lavish halls of England, will their love survive? My Review: In Darcy’s Voyage, Kara Louise retells the timeless classic Pride & Prejudice in her own manner, begging the questions of what if fate and time were added to the relationship of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. While Darcy and Elizabeth meet in England, they do not truly become acquainted until they ride the same ship bound for New York. Darcy is headed to New York to escort his sister Georgiana back to England while Elizabeth is off to stay with relatives for a holiday. Louise keeps the characters relatively true to form, but alters the settings so very much that she does indeed rewrite Pride & Prejudice in an entirely new setting. True it begins and ends in England, however a vast amount of pride and indeed prejudices occur on the journey to New York. While I am not usually enthusiastic towards remakes of any novel, Darcy’s Voyage makes for an extremely delightful day of reading. I would recommend Darcy’s Voyage to anyone who enjoys remakes of Pride & Prejudice or who enjoys period novels. Kara Louise grew up in the San Fernando Valley, just north of Los Angeles. She moved to Wichita, Kansas in 1991 with her husband and son. She now lives just outside Wichita on 10 acres where she and her husband have a big garden, 3 horses, 2 goats, 6 cats, and a dog. Their son is married and lives in St. Louis. She began writing stories based on Pride and Prejudice in 2001 and has written 6 books based on that story. I received a complimentary copy of Darcy’s Voyage by Kara Louise from Sourcebooks. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.
Eighteen months ago, Nora James watched as her father was shot in an alley—and then she fled. She changed her name, her appearance and her job, hoping to keep her father’s shooter at bay. For months, it worked…but now her luck has run out. A ruthless assassin is on her trail, and soon Nora, now known as Danielle, will be found. But this time, she has FBI agent Nate Andersen by her side—right? The handsome agent would give his life to protect Danielle, but he’s wary of giving his heart…until a deadly confrontation leaves him with both on the line. My Review: Vanishing Act by Liz Johnson is the second in her Love Inspired Suspense series, which I had not heard of prior to reading Vanishing Act and I am very glad to be sharing this book with my readers. For those looking for an excellent suspense novel filled with a non-graphic romantic element then this is a book to read. Nora James is in hiding after witnessing her father’s murder, she has changed her name, appearance, relocated to Colorado and is working a very unique job and feels relatively safe, yet safety can only last so long. Nate Andersen is an F.B.I. Agent who is in charged of finding Nora and protecting from an assassin. Vanishing Act moves at a quick clip as the reader becomes invested in the lives of Nora as well as Nate. The main characters are well developed and Nora’s character is wonderfully written and definitely not the stereotypical heroine. The plot has just the right amount of twists and turns to keep the readers engaged and on their toes. I would recommend Vanishing Act to any reader who is looking for a wonderful suspense novel. About the Author: Liz Johnson grew up reading Christian fiction, and always dreamed of being part of the publishing industry. After graduating from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff with a degree in public relations, she set out to fulfill her dream. In 2006 she got her wish when she accepted a publicity position at a major trade book publisher. While working as a publicist in the industry, she decided to pursue her other dream-becoming an author. Along the way to having her novel published, she completed the Christian Writers Guild apprentice course and wrote articles for several magazines. Liz makes her home in Nashville, TN, where she enjoys theater, exploring the local music scene, and making frequent trips to Arizona to dote on her two nephews and three nieces. She loves stories of true love with happy endings. Keep up with Liz’s adventures in writing at www.lizjohnsonbooks.com. I received a complimentary copy of Vanishing Act by Liz Johnson from Liz Johnson to review. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.
From the Publisher: Have you ever asked yourself, “What if??” Here, four women face the decisions of their lifetimes in this stirring and unforgettable novel of love, loss, friendship, and family. Anna Geneva, a Chicago attorney coping with the death of a cherished friend, returns to her “speck on the map” hometown of Haven to finally come to terms with her mother, the man she left behind, and the road she did not take. Cami Drayton, Anna’s dearest friend from high school, is coming home too, forced by circumstance to move in with her alcoholic father . . . and to confront a dark family secret. Maeve, Anna’s mother, never left Haven, firmly rooted there by her sadness over her abandonment by the husband she desperately loved and the hope that someday he will return to her. And Amy Rickart—thin, beautiful, and striving for perfection—faces a future with the perfect man . . . but is haunted by the memory of what she used to be. Kristina Riggle’s The Life You’ve Imagined takes a provocative look at the choices we make—and the courage we must have to change. My Review: What if? A key question of The Life You’ve Imagined by Kristina Riggle as each of her characters takes a long look at their lives and ponders the ramifications of the actions they have taken thus far and the choices they have ignored. Cami Drayton has returned home to her alcoholic and verbally abusive father, severely in debt due to her gambling addiction. Maeve is Anna’s mother and harbors several secrets: her store is about to go through foreclosure and she has been in communication with her estranged husband. Her daughter, Anna, is a successful lawyer who has returned home on forced bereavement leave after the death of her friend and mentor, August. Amy Rickart is engaged to Paul Becker who happens to be brilliant, gorgeous and wealthy yet Amy may not be truly happy. She is finally thin and appears to have it all, yet her self-confidence does not quite allow the happiness that one hears comes from being thin, lovely, and with a handsome man. The Life You’ve Imagined is about four women; Cami, Anna, and Amy all went to school together and are catching up with each other while struggling with their own personal demons and Maeve, who has enough issues of her own. The story is told in first person and the chapters alternate between the four women. Riggle writes an intriguing and fast-paced story of life and how the choices we make affect where we are today. Riggle details the lives of each of the women to the point where the reader can easily identify with one, if not all of the characters. My all time favourite character was Maeve, possibly because I am closer to her age than to Cami, Anna, and Amy and my least favourite character from beginning to end is Amy, to the point that I cringed when I had to read about her. The Life You’ve Imagined is beautifully written and the characters are strong and witty and at times annoying, each sharing their joys and sorrows. If anyone has read the book, please leave a comment; I would very much like to discuss this one with someone besides my cat. I highly recommend The Life You’ve Imagined to any reader and think this would be an excellent discussion group choice. Kristina Riggle lives and writes in West Michigan. Besides her debut novel, Real Life & Liars, she has published short stories in the Cimarron Review, Literary Mama, Espresso Fiction, and elsewhere. She is also a freelance journalist writing primarily for The Grand Rapids Press, and coeditor for fiction at Literary Mama. Kristina was a full-time newspaper reporter for seven years before turning her attention to creative writing and freelancing. On Mondays, she can be found blogging at The Debutante Ball, a group blog of authors debuting in 2009. As well as writing, she enjoys spending lots of time with her husband, two kids, and dog. Real Life & Liars is set in Charlevoix, Michigan, a town close to Kristina’s heart as the home of her grandparents where she has visited often over the years. Some recognizable Charlevoix landmarks appear in the novel, as well as fictionalized versions of real places. The home of the Zielinski family on Dixon Avenue is based loosely on the house where her grandmother grew up. Follow Kristina on Twitter. For more reviews of the book, please follow the book tour.
From the Publisher: When Roy Vines married his wife, Rosalind, he traded his family and his inheritance for love—a painful choice that has blessed them with years of joy nestled in rural North Carolina with their beautiful daughters, sixteen-year-old Lola and little Janie Ray. But their happiness is threatened when Rosalind suddenly falls ill. Desperate to get her the help she needs, Roy does the one thing he swore he’d never do—turn to his heartless and bitter identical twin brother, Mont, for help. The price is steep—and includes opening their home to a teenage boy who believes Roy is the father who abandoned him. As bad blood threatens to destroy her family, Rosalind must make a difficult choice. Should she walk away—like Roy once did—for love, or try to mend wounds that may never be healed? And will the pain of choosing be more than her heart can bear? My Review: Family, secrets, and choices, Leaving Before It’s Over by Jean Reynolds Page explores the complex dynamics that make up the Vines family. Lola and Janie Ray Vines grew up believing their father’s parents were dead, and had no idea they had an Uncle Montgomery until the summer their mother Rosalind became ill and money was desperately needed. Roy Vines hitched his way to Gray’s Hollow to beg money from his parents and strikes a deal with his parents and his twin brother Montgomery. He will have financial assistance only if he takes 17-year-old Lucas to live with him. Roy does not know how he will explain this to Rosalind or his girls, especially when it is more complicated than it appears. Roy believes Lucas is Montgomery’s son, but his father and Montgomery are adamant that Lucas is the product of his first marriage, unfortunately Sherry is no longer alive to tell her side of the story. Confused? So are the members of the Vines family. Leaving Before It’s Over is filled with family love, adversity, misunderstandings, mistrusts, loyalty and love. The story is told through various members of the Vines family, which turns out to be an excellent choice allowing the complex emotions of the family members to shine through. Page writes a complicated family drama and clearly details how each family member deals with the dramas as they unfold. Leaving Before It’s Over makes for a quick read and anyone interested in family dynamics or likes a good drama may find Leaving Before It’s Over to be the perfect pick for an afternoon of reading. Jean Reynolds Page is the author of The Last Summer of Her Other Life, The Space Between Before and After, A Blessed Event, and Accidental Happiness. She grew up in North Carolina and graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She was a dance critic for more than ten years before turning full-time to fiction in 2001. In addition to North Carolina, she has lived in New York, Boston, Dallas, and Seattle. She and her family recently moved to Madison, Wisconsin. For more reviews of the book, please follow the book tour.
Italy, 1456. The Renaissance is in glorious bloom. A Carmelite monk, the great artist Fra Filippo Lippi acts as chaplain to the nuns of the Convent Santa Margherita. It is here that he encounters the greatest temptation of his life, beautiful Lucrezia Buti, who has been driven to holy orders more by poverty than piety. In Lucrezia’s flawless face Lippi sees the inspiration for countless Madonnas and he brings the young woman to his studio to serve as his model. But as painter and muse are united in an exhilarating whirl of artistic discovery, a passionate love develops, one that threatens to destroy them both even as it fuels some of Lippi’s greatest work. My Review: Twenty-two years ago I sat in a darkened auditorium taking Art History of the Renaissance to meet a college requirement, never thinking I would ever use the knowledge beyond that semester. I truly should have paid more attention to the lectures. The Miracles of Prato by Laurie Albanese and Laura Morowitz is a beautifully artistic tale of Fra Filippo Lippi, an ordained Carmelite monk and famous painter, and his immediate infatuation with Lucrezia Buti’s beauty. A story of fact intermixed with fiction; the authors take the reader deep inside the Renaissance period, the art and the powerful families of the time and especially the Medici and into the Convent Santa Margherita where they weave together a tale of what might have occurred between Fra Filippo and young Lucrezia. Albanese and Morowitz have managed to capture the essence of not only the Renaissance period (thankfully I did pay far greater attention in history classes) and life in a convent, but also added in elements of mystery, corruption, secrecy, and forbidden love. The prose takes on an artistic flair as the words, feeling, and thoughts flow across the pages and blend together in a near perfect harmony. The Miracles of Prato captures the reader from the prologue and has the reader hooked by the time the Buti sisters Spinetta and Lucrezia arrive at the Convent Santa Margherita upon the death of their father. The story is told in stunning and rich detail, the characters are finely crafted and easy to relate to, and the storyline is delicately yet expertly woven with a blend of historical fact, historical rumour, and fiction, making The Miracles of Prato a brilliantly engaging book. I especially was fascinated by the descriptions of various herbs and their uses in medicine, cooking, dyeing and silks, things the reader will learn from Sister Pureza, who ends up being one of my favorite characters. I cannot praise The Miracles of Prato enough and highly recommend it to readers as well as book discussion groups. Laurie Albanese is the author of the novel Lynelle by the Sea and the memoir Blue Suburbia, which was named a Book Sense Best Book of the Year and was an Entertainment Weekly Editor’s Choice selection. Laura Morowitz is a professor of art history and coauthor of Consuming the Past: The Medieval Revival in Fin-de-Siècle France. They both live in New Jersey with their families. For more reviews of the book, please follow the book tour.
It’s Monday What Are you Reading is the perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs. I am working on slowly my pace down, wish me luck! I Read and Reviewed (click the title to be taken to the review):
This week I am planning to read: Some of these are huge, so I doubt I shall get through this list. Visit next Monday to see if I managed to accomplish my reading goals.
 Life: August has been an intensely emotional month and I am hoping as the month comes to a close, things begin to settle down. I prefer a more mundane existence in hopes of achieving this I have been reading about different academic departments at the Universities and Colleges my son is applying to. to add to my joy (sarcasm) I have been proof-reading numerous college entrance essays and I have learned my oldest does not handle criticism well. Family Update: School resumed last week and I have been trying to adjust my sleep schedule and my day schedule around. When the boys were young I looked forward to the peace and quiet the school hours afforded me, now I am more saddened, my teens will be leaving the nest all too soon and I find I long for our summer days. My sons are doing very well and amongst the three of them they are learning four languages, two are cross country runners and one has the first theatre production of the season opening in three weeks. DH is up for full professor, so his days are filled with research, teaching and publishing. Needless to say, there are very few dull moments around our home. Saturday Night: Terry came over and we watched movies. All of us needed down time and the much needed a break was perfectly timed and lovely. Book News: I signed up for the Dewey’s Read-a-Thon which beings 9 October 2010. Have you signed up? Read and Reviewed: I managed to read and review 11 books which only totaled 3,296 pages. I truly had hoped to get more accomplished, but it was a hectic week. Do not want to wait until Monday to see the entire list? All my reviews are up and as usual I love comments. Today I will be reading: I shall continue with The Diaries of Sofia Tolstoy Translated by Cathy Porter. This is another tome, which I cannot wait to slowly devour. I am certain I shall be sharing bits of the novel with readers throughout the coming weeks. Happy Reading and please feel free to leave comments or suggestions. Visit the The Sunday Salon.
From the Publisher: Nate Ferrentino, who works for private security contractor Department 6, has been assigned to infiltrate this group. It’s a challenge he welcomes—until he learns that colleague Rachel Jessop will be going undercover with him. Thanks to their shared history, he’d much rather go alone…. The problem is, only married couples can participate in cult rituals. So, like it or not—and they don’t—Rachel and Nate must pretend to be husband and wife. There’s no choice. Because if Wycliff isn’t exposed, if he isn’t stopped, more people will die. And Rachel might be one of them. My Review: Undercover agents and a charismatic Ivy League cult leader blend to make White Heat by Brenda Novak, a thrillingly suspenseful first novel in Novak’s new “Heat” trilogy. Novak’s trilogy is being sold in three consecutive months which is rather a delightful change from the typical long waits between books. Body Heat will be released in September and the last novel in the trilogy, Killer Heat, will be released in October. White Heat takes place in Paradise, Arizona, where a dangerous cult run by Ivy League graduate Ethan Wycliff has already grown to 200 plus members. Nate Ferrentino and Rachel Jessop, both part of Department 6, a private security agency, must go undercover as a married couple to infiltrate the cult, unfortunately the history between Ferrentino and Jessop make this a very difficult assignment for them. Novak pens a masterful book, filled with complex emotions and a suspenseful plot. Wycliff’s characters are well thought out, strong, and resilient and while the book moves at a slower pace than other suspense novels I have read, this by no means a dull book; rather it is an intense read. I thoroughly enjoyed reading White Heat and look forward to reading Body Heat in September and Killer Heat in October. I highly recommend White Heat, Brenda Novak’s first book in the Heat trilogy to anyone who enjoys an excellent suspense novel. To learn about the author please visit the author’s website. I received a complimentary copy of White Heat by Brenda Novak from Big Honcho Media to review. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel. |
  |
         |
|
Copyright © 2010 Rundpinne - All Rights Reserved- Installed by Angela Vinez Designs |
||
Recent Comments