Monday, January 31, 2011

Mailbox Mondays and Giveaway Winner


To Be Queen: A Novel of the Early Life of Eleanor of Aquitaine

"The author of The Queen's Pawn delves into the early life of the legendary Eleanor of Aquitaine in her new historical novel.

After her father's sudden death, fifteen-year-old Eleanor is quickly crowned Duchess of Aquitaine and betrothed to King Louis VII. When her new husband cannot pronounce her given name, Alienor becomes Eleanor, Queen of France.

Although Louis is enamored of his bride, the newly crowned king is easily manipulated by the church and a God that Eleanor doesn't believe in. Now, if she can find the strength to fight for what she wants, Eleanor may finally find the passion she has longed for, and the means to fulfill her legacy as Queen".

Giveaway:
The winner of....

Kimberly Sue


For more Pink Carnation series check out Historically Obsessed's reading challenge

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Thursday, January 27, 2011

Book Review: TO SERVE A KING By Donna Russo Morin

Just released in bookstores everywhere as of January 25th 2011 in paperback this one is meant for the intrigue lovers. “To Serve a King” delves into the notably renaissance inspired court of King Francis I of France. His court was overflowing with spies, beautiful women, men, and artists. I love the French court and this novel covers many of the aspects I so dearly enjoy reading. I really was fascinated with Donna’s previous novel “The Secret of the Glass” but I found this novel distinctly different from her previous release. I much enjoyed the change of pace and bravo Donna for adding twists that this must know it all reader never saw coming.

Genevieve Gravois tragically lost her parents in a fire at the glorious once in a millennium meeting of two of history’s most monumental kings of Europe. King Henry VIII of England and King Francois I of France meet in the event known as “the field of cloth and gold” it was meant to strengthen the friendship between the two kings following the Anglo-French treaty of 1514. Left parentless under abnormal circumstances Genevieve is taken in by her aunt who from what I summarized was one of King Henry’s spies. Henry’s brilliant plans for the two year old orphaned child was for her to become his stealthiest and deadliest spy he ever deployed against his longtime friend enemy the King of France Francois I.

When the timing was perfect Genevieve was sent to the French court leaving behind an emotionally frigid aunt on her death bed. The French court was where her duties lie and Genevieve found ease in infiltrating Francois’ most beloved courtier’s lives. Being sent to court under the pretense that her grandmother paid for her a position at court, Genevieve became lady in waiting to the stunning king’s mistress the Duchess Anne de Pisseleau. In France it was customary for the mistress to be the leading lady at court that was nothing new. The mistresses were the ones with all the real power and they possessed more pull than even the queen. Genevieve never expected to become a real part of the elite royal click. No matter what she had a mission to serve her true king and nothing not even the people she grew to love would stand in the way of her duty.

Heart and mind torn asunder Genevieve was torn between two worlds. Turn her back on Henry or love the man she was brought up to despise, she had to make her bed and lie in it. There was only one choice; she had to decide if she was French or English and there would be no going back.

⅘ this month has been a pretty hard month for me and it took me way longer than I expected it would to complete this novel. The book was lovely and I really enjoyed the twists that I never saw coming. I quit smoking this month and have found that one of the hardest things was dividing my time up right since I was not smoking while I reading anymore. The worse was at night I felt so sick from the quit smoking meds that I could not focus at all. It just felt like I was in a fog that had nothing to do with my books but I was determined to quit. Once I shook off the funk I was back on track and really did get into this intriguing novel. It had all my favorites, hot girls, beautiful clothing, stunning locations, passionate love affairs, and best of all a woman with her own mind. If you love historical fiction then this one is a whole new adventurous read that will defiantly shake your reading up a bit. I would recommend this one for all French, Tudor, and historical fiction lovers.

• FTC-Book was sent by publisher
• PG-13 Rating for some sexual reference and violence
 Amazon
The Courtier's SecretThe Secret of the GlassTo Serve a King

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Monday, January 24, 2011

News Update: Help Pope Joan Come to the US!

 As many of you know this past fall I had the wonderful opportunity to meet author Donna Woolfolk Cross and see her movie Pope Joan. I am still pushing for this movie to be released in the states and I know there are many more other people out in the US who would love to see this movie in their local theaters. I figured I would spread the word on how you can help to make this happen with just a little bit of support.

From Donna Woolfolk Cross:
"The good news is that the film won several awards, including Best Feature Film at the prestigious Ojai Film Festival and also at the Moondance Film Festival, as well as an award for Best Movie Soundtrack at the Park City Film Festival. To learn my take on the film, as well as some "insider" information, see my interview in Moving Pictures Magazine. (Be patient - it could take a few moments to open; it's a .pdf file.)

So now you may be wondering when Pope Joan will come to a theater near you. The good news: the success of the movie on the film circuit helped me wrest the project from the cold dead hands of its U.S. representative (one film festival director, eager to screen Pope Joan, told me he called this group only to be told that they didn't represent the film. They had completely forgotten about Pope Joan--so no wonder we couldn't get U.S.distribution!) We're now seeking a new U.S. distributor, so keep your fingers crossed. Learn how you can help.

Also, readers and fans in Upstate New York might want to save the date of April 2nd. By special permission of Constantin Film, there will be a one-night "Red Carpet Screening" of Pope Joan at the Palace Theater in Syracuse, New York. This will be a gala occasion, thanks to the talents of Tracy Higgenbotham of 5 Star Events, a division of Women TIES, a wonderful company that supports and promotes women entrepreneurs all over the country. All proceeds will benefit the Gage Foundation, a worthy organization that has restored the home of feminist visionary Matilda Joslyn Gage and created an inspiring Center for Social Justice.

Details of the event are still being worked out, so I'll keep you posted--and yes, this means you'll hear from me again soon.

Finally, the issue of ordination of women remains a hot topic. Five Anglican Bishops announced last month that they would join the Catholic Church, responding to the Pope's invitation to Anglican clergy opposed to the ordination of women bishops, something the Church of England is considering. The Pope lured the Anglican Bishops by promising this will never happen in the Catholic Church. But as James Bond learned, never say never..

Last month the National Coalition of American nuns went public in their endorsement of women's ordination, along with Roy Bourgeois, a priest who is expected to be excommunicated by the Vatican because of his support for female priests. Click here to learn more".

"Cross makes an excellent, entertaining case in her work of historical fiction that, in the Dark Ages, a woman sat on the papal throne for two years. Born in Ingelheim in A.D. 814 to a tyrannical English canon and the once-heathen Saxon he made his wife, Joan shows intelligence and persistence from an early age. One of her two older brothers teaches her to read and write, and her education is furthered by a Greek scholar who instructs her in languages and the classics. Her mother, however, sings her the songs of her pagan gods, creating a dichotomy within her daughter that will last throughout her life. The Greek scholar arranges for the continuation of her education at the palace school of the Lord Bishop of Dorstadt, where she meets the red-haired knight Gerold, who is to become the love of her life. After a savage attack by Norsemen destroys the village, Joan adopts the identity of her older brother, slain in the raid, and makes her way to Fulda, to become the learned scholar and healer Brother John Anglicus. After surviving the plague, Joan goes to Rome, where her wisdom and medical skills gain her entrance into papal circles. Lavishly plotted, the book brims with fairs, weddings and stupendous banquets, famine, plague and brutal battles. Joan is always central to the vivid action as she wars with the two sides of herself, "mind and heart, faith and doubt, will and desire." Ultimately, though she leads a man's life, Joan dies a woman's death, losing her life in childbirth. In this colorful, richly imagined novel, Cross ably inspires a suspension of disbelief, pulling off the improbable feat of writing a romance starring a pregnant pope". 

Check out my posts on "Pope Joan"
Tacoma Film Festival and Pope Joan meet and greet
For the love of Pope Joan
Book Review "Pope Joan"

Amazon 
Pope Joan: A Novel
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Sunday, January 23, 2011

Early Mailbox Mondays


The Three Crowns: The Story of William and Mary by Jean Plaidy

"When an empire is at stake, one woman stands between the past and the future

In post-Restoration England, King Charles II has fathered numerous bastards, but not a single legitimate heir. Because of this, his brother, James, Duke of York, is heir-presumptive to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland—the three crowns of Britain. But James’s devout Catholicism, and desire to return Britain to the rule of Rome, does not sit well with his subjects and his time as king is sure to be short.
Raised under the Protestant guardianship of her uncle King Charles, James’s daughter Mary finds herself at fifteen facing a marriage to the Dutch and Protestant William of Orange, long prophesied to be destined for the throne. But can she follow her calling to rule Britain without losing the love of her father?

Captivating in its historical detail, lush and sweeping in its scope, and unforgettable in its dramatic depiction of relationships between monarchs and families, The Three Crowns is the singular story of the only joint sovereigns in British history".

Madonna of the Seven Hills: A Novel of the BorgiasMadonna of the Seven Hills: A Novel of the Borgias  by Jean Plaidy


"The most beautiful woman in Rome, Lucrezia Borgia, was born into a family—and a destiny—she could not hope to escape . . .
Fifteenth-century Rome: The Borgia family is on the rise. Lucrezia’s father, Pope Alexander VI, places his illegitimate daughter and her only brothers, Cesare, Giovanni, and Goffredo, in the jeweled splendor—and scandal—of his court. From the Pope’s affairs with adolescent girls to Cesare’s dangerous jealousy of anyone who inspires Lucrezia’s affections to the ominous birth of a child conceived in secret, no Borgia can elude infamy.

Young Lucrezia gradually accepts her fate as she comes to terms with the delicate nature of her relationships with her father and brothers. The unbreakable bond she shares with them both exhilarates and terrifies her as her innocence begins to fade. Soon she will understand that her family’s love pales next to their quest for power and that she herself is the greatest tool in their political arsenal.

From the inimitable pen of Jean Plaidy, this family’s epic legend is replete
with passion, intrigue, and murder—and it’s only the beginning". 

Light on Lucrezia: A Novel of the BorgiasLight on Lucrezia: A Novel of the Borgias  by Jean Plaidy

"Some said she was an elegant seductress. Others swore she was an incestuous murderess. It didn’t matter what they called her. She was the most dangerous and sought-after woman in all of Rome. She was Lucrezia Borgia.

Born into Rome’s notorious Borgia family, young Lucrezia led a life colored by violence and betrayal. Now, married for the second time at just eighteen, she hopes for happiness with her handsome husband, Alfonso. But faced with brutal murder, she’s soon torn between her love for her husband and her devotion to her brother Cesare . . . And in the days when the Borgias ruled Italy, no one was safe from the long arm of their power. Even Lucrezia.

In this compelling story of a beautiful woman caught up in a tortuous web of fear and love, Jean Plaidy sheds light on the much maligned Lucrezia and vividly brings her to life".

The Tudor Secret (The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles)The Tudor Secret (The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles) by C.W. Gortner

"In Gortner's latest riveting historical (after The Last Queen), the influential Dudley family sends orphan servant Brendan Prescott to serve their cruel son, Lord Robert, at King Edward's court, and the young man is soon caught up in intrigue, suspicion, and shifting loyalties. Young King Edward is under the thumb of the Dudleys, but illness is greatly affecting his influence. Then the lion-eyed Princess Elizabeth, whom the Dudleys view as a threat, arrives and Prescott becomes a spy for her protector, William Cecil. Deeper involvement in the conspiracies surrounding the throne makes Prescott increasingly uncertain of loyalties, including his own, and he begins to question his fate and identity. In Gortner's capable hands, Prescott is a believable and enjoyable hero, a man of strong loyalties but naïve enough to be exploited. And while the Dudleys are mostly broadly drawn villains, Robert has depth, and though readers familiar with the Tudor era will know the key players, they may be surprised by their depiction here. Gortner handles action with aplomb, adding a riveting, fast-paced thriller to the crowded genre of Tudor fiction".

The Creation of EveThe Creation of Eve by Lynn Cullen

"The largely unknown story of female Renaissance painter Sofonisba Anguissola (c. 1532–1625) is beautifully imagined here in YA novelist Cullen's sparkling adult debut. In a page-turning tale that brings to life the undercurrent of political, romantic, and interfamily rivalries in the court of Spanish King Felipe II, the author shines a light on Sofonisba, who is brought under the tutelage of Michelangelo and later appointed as a lady-in-waiting for the king's 14-year-old wife, Elisabeth, to whom she becomes a close confidante. The author offers an intriguing vision of what life was like for women of different economic and political stations at that time, and she also takes care to not short-shrift the specifics of Sofonisba's art and methods. Cullen has found a winning subject in Sofonisba, whose broken heart as a young woman colors her perceptions and judgment about the queen and her imperious husband, as well as the young Elizabeth's attraction to the king's brother, and Elizabeth's odd relationship with the king's son from his first marriage. Ongoing references to the Spanish Inquisition and the life of the controversial Michelangelo add depth to this rich story".
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Saturday, January 22, 2011

New Release: The Arrow Chest by Robert Parry

"London, 1876. The painter Amos Roselli is in love with his life-long friend and model, the beautiful Daphne - and she with him - until one day she is discovered by another man, a powerful and wealthy industrialist. What will happen when Daphne realizes she has sacrificed her happiness to a loveless marriage? What will happen when the artist realizes he has lost his most cherished source of inspiration? And how will they negotiate the ever-increasing frequency of strange and bizarre events that seem to be driving them inexorably towards self-destruction. Here, amid the extravagant Neo-Gothic culture of Victorian England, the iconic poem ‘The Lady of Shalott’ blends with mysterious and ghostly glimpses of Tudor history. Romantic, atmospheric and deeply dark".


Amazon
The Arrow Chest
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Friday, January 21, 2011

2010 Reading Challenges Wrap Up

Okay...this year I down right sucked at my reading challenges. I wish I would have kept better track of them. I just could not keep up this year. I decided to post my info anyways as a non-official entry deal. Recently I opened up a brand new reading challenge for The Pink Carnation series by Laure Willig for more info or to sign up check it out here.

Jean Plaidy 2010 Challenge, Royal Intrigue
The Loves of Charles II part 1, part 2, part 3
End of the year status: 5 Plaidy novels read.
End of the year status: 2 journal entries.


French Historicals Oh La La, Enchanted by Josephine

The Princess of Nowhere
 A Royal Likeness by Christine Trent
Désirée: The Bestselling Story of Napoleon's First Love by Annemarie Selinko
The Forever Queen by Helen Hollick
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
The Rebel Princess by Judith Koll Healey
The Canterbury Papers by Judith Koll Healey
Dracula In Love, Karen Essex
How To Mellify a Corpse, Vicki Leon
The Royal Road To Fotheringhay
I Serve by Rosanne E Lortz
The Confessions of Catherine De Medici by C.W. Gortner
Watermark by Vanitha Sankaran
The Queen's Pawn by Christy English
Claude and Camille by Stephanie Cowell
The Scarlet Lion by Elizabeth Chadwick
The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick
The Loves of Charles II part 1, part 2, part 3
Powder and Patch by Georgette Heyer
Notorious Royal Marriages by Leslie Carroll  
End of the year status:20 French historicals read.



Romance Challenge, Royal Reviews
By Royal Decree by Kate Emerson
 A Royal Likeness by Christine Trent
Désirée: The Bestselling Story of Napoleon's First Love by Annemarie Selinko
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
The Jewel of St. Petersburg by Kate Furnivall
His Last Letter by Jeane Westin
Dracula In Love, Karen Essex
Lady of The Butterflies, Fiona Mountain
Claude and Camille by Stephanie Cowell
Powder and Patch by Georgette Heyer
Arabella by Georgette Heyer
End of the year status: 11 romances read.



ARC Reading Challenge, So Many Precious Books, So Little Time
The Rose of York: Fall From Grace by Sandra Worth
Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray
By Royal Decree by Kate Emerson
The Darling Strumpet by Gillian Bagwell
The Princess of Nowhere by Prince Lorenzo Borghese
Dark moon of Avalon by Anna Elliott
Twilight of Avalon by Anna Elliott
Désirée: The Bestselling Story of Napoleon's First Love by Annemarie Selinko
A Royal Likeness by Christine Trent
The Forever Queen by Helen Hollick
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
Penelope's Daughter by Laurel Corona
The Jewel of St. Petersburg by Kate Furnivall
The Rebel Princess by Judith Koll Healey
The Countess and the King by Susan Holloway Scott
The Canterbury Papers by Judith Koll Healey
His Last Letter by Jeane Westin
Dracula In Love, Karen Essex
The Red Queen, Philippa Gregory
For The King's Favor, Elizabeth Chadwick
Georgette Heyer's Regency World, Jennifer Kloester
Prisoners In The Palace, Michaela MacColl
Lady of The Butterflies, Fiona Mountain
For The King, Catherine Delors
How To Mellify a Corpse, Vicki Leon
I Serve: A Novel of The Black Prince, Rosanne E. Lortz
The Confessions of Catherine De Medici, C.W. Gortner
Watermark, Sankaran Vanitha
The Queen's Pawn, Christy English
Claude and Camille, Stephanie Cowell
Within The Hollow Crown, Margaret Campbell Barnes
The Scarlet Lion, Elizabeth Chadwick
The Stolen Crown, Susan Higginbotham
Powder and Patch, Georgette Heyer
Arabella, Georgette Heyer
Notorious Royal Marriages 
End of the year status: 36 arc's read in 2010.


Historical Fiction Reading Challenge, Royal Reviews
The Rose of York: Fall From Grace by Sandra Worth
Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray
By Royal Decree by Kate Emerson
The Darling Strumpet by Gillian Bagwell
The Princess of Nowhere by Prince Lorenzo Borghese
Dark moon of Avalon by Anna Elliott
Twilight of Avalon by Anna Elliott
Désirée: The Bestselling Story of Napoleon's First Love by Annemarie Selinko
A Royal Likeness by Christine Trent
The Forever Queen by Helen Hollick
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
Penelope's Daughter by Laurel Corona
The Jewel of St. Petersburg by Kate Furnivall
Beauty's Release by A.N Roquelaure
The Rebel Princess by Judith Koll Healey
Beauty's Punishment by A.N Roquelaure
The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by A.N Roquelaure
The Countess and the King by Susan Holloway Scott
The Canterbury Papers by Judith Koll Healey
His Last Letter by Jeane Westin
Dracula In Love, Karen Essex
The Red Queen, Philippa Gregory
For The King's Favor, Elizabeth Chadwick
Georgette Heyer's Regency World, Jennifer Kloester
Prisoners In The Palace, Michaela MacColl
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
Lady of The Butterflies, Fiona Mountain
The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold
Royal Road to Fotheringhay, Jean Plaidy
For The King, Catherine Delors
How To Mellify a Corpse, Vicki Leon
I Serve: A Novel of The Black Prince, Rosanne E. Lortz
The Confessions of Catherine De Medici, C.W. Gortner
Watermark, Sankaran Vanitha
The Queen's Pawn, Christy English
Claude and Camille, Stephanie Cowell
Within The Hollow Crown, Margaret Campbell Barnes
Rochester-The Mad Earl,  Kathleen Kellow
The Scarlet Lion, Elizabeth Chadwick
The Greatest Knight, Elizabeth Chadwick
The Stolen Crown, Susan Higginbotham
The Loves of Charles II, Jean Plaidy
Powder and Patch, Georgette Heyer
Eve: A Novel of the First Woman, Elissa Elliott
Arabella, Georgette Heyer
Notorious Royal Marriages 
End of the year status:  46 HF books read in 2010

The Rose of York: Fall From Grace by Sandra Worth 
End of the year status: 4 Tudor novels read.

The Loves of Charles II part 1, part 2, part 3 by Jean Plaidy 3 book in one reprint
End of the year status: 5 royal mistress novels read.

The Loves of Charles II part 1, part 2, part 3
End of year status: 5 books owned by me read.
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