Mailbox Monday: Bonnie MacBird, Matt Sewell, Michelle Moran, & Diana Gabaldon

Hardback Art in the Blood by Bonnie MacBird
"London. A snowy December, 1888. Sherlock Holmes, 34, is languishing and back on cocaine after a disastrous Ripper investigation. Watson can neither comfort nor rouse his friend – until a strangely encoded letter arrives from Paris.

Mlle La Victoire, a beautiful French cabaret star writes that her illegitimate son by an English lord has disappeared, and she has been attacked in the streets of Montmartre.

Racing to Paris with Watson at his side, Holmes discovers the missing child is only the tip of the iceberg of a much larger problem. The most valuable statue since the Winged Victory has been violently stolen in Marseilles, and several children from a silk mill in Lancashire have been found murdered. The clues in all three cases point to a single, untouchable man.

Will Holmes recover in time to find the missing boy and stop a rising tide of murders? To do so he must stay one step ahead of a dangerous French rival and the threatening interference of his own brother, Mycroft.

This latest adventure, in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, sends the iconic duo from London to Paris and the icy wilds of Lancashire in a case which tests Watson's friendship and the fragility and gifts of Sherlock Holmes' own artistic nature to the limits".

Owls Our Most Charming Bird by Matt Sewell
"In this beautiful and highly giftable art book, artist and ornithologist Matt Sewell captures 50 species of the world's most evocative bird: the owl. Using pop-art watercolors and accompanied by witty and irreverent descriptions, Sewell expresses the individual characters of owls as never before. From tiny elf owls to huge Eurasian eagle owls, from the haunting barn owl to the elegant great horned owl, these wise, magical birds are otherworldly in their striking colors and stature. It's not just birdwatchers who are obsessed: Owls are a perennial favorite in pop culture, decorating, and among children as well as nature lovers and serious birders. From David Sedaris's Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls to Harry Potter's pet Hedwig, and throwback interest in Twin Peaks (which is returning to TV in 2016) and its trademark spooky owls, these birds are here to stay".

The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran
"In ancient Egypt, a forgotten princess must overcome her family’s past and remake history.
The winds of change are blowing through Thebes. A devastating palace fire has killed the Eighteenth Dynasty’s royal family—all with the exception of Nefertari, the niece of the reviled former queen, Nefertiti. The girl’s deceased family has been branded as heretical, and no one in Egypt will speak their names. A relic of a previous reign, Nefertari is pushed aside, an unimportant princess left to run wild in the palace. But this changes when she is taken under the wing of the Pharaoh’s aunt, then brought to the Temple of Hathor, where she is educated in a manner befitting a future queen.

Soon Nefertari catches the eye of the Crown Prince, and despite her family’s history, they fall in love and wish to marry. Yet all of Egypt opposes this union between the rising star of a new dynasty and the fading star of an old, heretical one. While political adversity sets the country on edge, Nefertari becomes the wife of Ramesses the Great. Destined to be the most powerful Pharaoh in Egypt, he is also the man who must confront the most famous exodus in history.

Sweeping in scope and meticulous in detail, The Heretic Queen is a novel of passion and power, heartbreak and redemption".

Dragonfly In Amber by Diana Gabaldon
"For twenty years Claire Randall has kept her secrets. But now she is returning with her grown daughter to Scotland’s majestic mist-shrouded hills. Here Claire plans to reveal a truth as stunning as the events that gave it birth: about the mystery of an ancient circle of standing stones ... about a love that transcends the boundaries of time ... and about James Fraser, a Scottish warrior whose gallantry once drew a young Claire from the security of her century to the dangers of his....
Now a legacy of blood and desire will test her beautiful copper-haired daughter, Brianna, as Claire’s spellbinding journey of self-discovery continues in the intrigue-ridden Paris court of Charles Stuart ... in a race to thwart a doomed Highlands uprising ... and in a desperate fight to save both the child and the man she loves...."

Giveaway: Watch the Lady: A Novel by Elizabeth Fremantle

Watch the Lady by Elizabeth Fremantle Tudor Trilogy #3

Giveaway: Watch the Lady: A Novel by Elizabeth Fremantle

ARC Giveaway: Art in the Blood by Bonnie MacBird

Art in the Blood: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure by Bonnie MacBird

ARC Giveaway for "Art in the Blood" by Bonnie MacBird

Book Review: ART IN THE BLOOD by Bonnie Macbird

Sherlock Holmes after the famous ripper case was in the grips of depression and addiction. His faithful companion Dr. Watson had moved out of their bachelor pad and married his sweetie. Watson’s days since the ripper case had been filled with marital bliss until his old landlady had sought him out to help Holmes. Discovering Holmes sunken so low, Watson kept a vigil on his long time companion. It was then when a mysteriously encoded letter arrived from France. It was from the famous French singer Emmeline la Victoire. Holmes instantly became recharged with the mysterious plea for help from Emmaline. Worried about writing too much information in a letter she had secretly encoded a plea for help in finding her missing son.  Intrigued by the letter Holmes could not resist the opportunity to discover where the child had gone. The detective duo instantly took off to Paris to interview their new client about her son and his privileged, art-collecting father the Earl of Pellingham.

After meeting their famous client La Victoire they discussed the situation with the child. Her son Emile had been born out of wedlock and his mother at the time had been very young. The parents had made an agreement that that Emile would live with his father in England and would be raised as his heir by his step mom as his real mother. La Victoire would see him once a year at holiday time as a “family friend”. She had contacted Holmes because she went to meet her son for their yearly visit but was told he was not coming and to never contact him or the Earl again. After making a few inquires La Victoire was nearly assaulted in the streets and was told to leave the boy alone because it would mean problems for her. Scared to death she reached out to the eccentric Holmes because the Earl of Pellingham was untouchable as far as the authorities were concerned. The earl was already being watched for unproven art thefts and his illegal work practices were yet to be proven.

Leave it to the professionals, Holmes and Dr. Watson to solve this classic who done it case. They were hot on the earl’s trail, which eventually led them to Madame’s son Emille.  Trying to solve one case they ended up also on another that went hand in hand. The case of the notoriously missing statue Marseilles Nike, it was speculated the earl had a hand in illegally acquiring the Nike.  Holmes and Watson were determined to find the child and save the Nike no mater what the cost was.

3.5/5 Defiantly a different type of read for me. I enjoyed this one but I found it just did not really grab me. I think it was a great novel it just was not my style, which is the only reason I gave it a low rating. Honestly there was nothing bad about it but just not my cup of tea. It was fast paced, good characters, and had a great twist ending I did not see coming. Releasing 10.6.2015

R ~ Rating for violence

FTC ~ this novel was sent to me by the publisher for review. I received no compensation for this honest review. 

S T A Y C O N N E C T E D W I T H M E :
YOUTUBE ~ BEAUTIFULLY OBSESSED ~ T W I T T E R ‪ ~ F A C E B O O K ~ I N S T A G R A M ~ G O O G L E +‪
~L I Z Z I E~

Book Review: THE STRANGLED QUEEN by Maurice Druon

Ruling King Philip IV passed away suddenly leaving his kingdom to his eldest son now known as Philip X. France at this time was in a complete melt down with the change of power and the loss of their great king. The new king inherited the crown and a whole mess of feuding fractions that his father had kept under control for some time. The dead kings loyal advisors took things in their own hands and a feud followed with the royal cousins. Philip found it was overwhelming to fill his fathers position and to make things worse his wife was still locked up for her crimes of adultery.  He felt trapped in a marriage that he could not get out of or end. He might have been able to seek an annulment if the Pope had not died suddenly; he was also a blood relative.  A new Pope had not been elected yet and the dead kings vindictive advisor Enguerrand Marigny was maliciously preventing a new Pope from being elected for his own diabolical reasons.

Stuck with his wife in jail Philip was in a major dilemma. A king needs heirs and he would not get them from an adulterous wife that was in jail. He needed help and he enlisted the help of his uncle in ridding himself of his wife and finding a new one. With everyone fighting especially the advisors and the Kings uncle, Philip proved he was no king like his father.  He relied heavily on his fathers corrupt advisors until the Templars curse proved it was out to destroy Philip the Fair’s family all the way down to the thirteenth generation.

4/5 this one like the previous novel in the series  “The Iron King” took awhile to pick up but once it did I found I could not put it down. It was kind of confusing at points with the advisors and all his family fighting with the royals but I did find that the character index was very helpful.

R ~ Rating for violence

FTC ~ this novel is from my personal collection.

S T A Y C O N N E C T E D W I T H M E :
YOUTUBE ~ BEAUTIFULLY OBSESSED ~ T W I T T E R ‪ ~ F A C E B O O K ~ I N S T A G R A M ~ G O O G L E +‪
~L I Z Z I E~

Early Mailbox Monday: Emma Campion, Maurice Druon, Conn Iggulden

A Triple Knot by Emma Campion

"Joan of Kent, renowned beauty and cousin to King Edward III, is destined for a politically strategic marriage. As the king begins a long dynastic struggle to claim the crown of France, plunging England into the Hundred Years’ War, he negotiates her betrothal to a potential ally and heir of a powerful lordship.
But Joan, haunted by nightmares of her father’s execution at the hands of her treacherous royal kin, fears the king’s selection and is not resigned to her fate. She secretly pledges herself to one of the king’s own knights, one who has become a trusted friend and protector. Now she must defend her vow as the king—furious at Joan’s defiance—prepares to marry her off to another man.

In A Triple Knot, Emma Campion brings Joan, the “Fair Maid of Kent” to glorious life, deftly weaving details of King Edward III’s extravagant court into a rich and emotionally resonant tale of intrigue, love, and betrayal".

The Poisoned Crown by Maurice Druon

A crown is a poisonous thing...

After having his first wife murdered and his mistress exiled, the weak and impotent King Louis X of France becomes besotted with the lovely and pious Princess Clemence of Hungary.

Having made her his new queen, and believing the succession assured, Louis foolishly embarks upon an ill-fated war against Flanders.

The kingdom needs an Iron King. But where his father, Philip IV, was strong, Louis is feeble. Surrounded by ruthlessly ambitious nobles, Including Robert of Artois and his monstrous aunt, Mahaut, Louis will find himself a lamb amongst wolves.

War of the Roses: Stormbird by Conn Iggulden
"The first book in #1 New York Times bestselling author Conn Iggulden’s brilliant new historical series about two families that plunged England into a devastating, decades-long civil war.
In 1437, the Lancaster king Henry VI ascends the throne of England after years of semi-peaceful regency. Named “The Lamb,” Henry is famed more for his gentle and pious nature than his father’s famous battlefield exploits; already, his dependence on his closest men has stirred whispers of weakness at court.

A secret truce negotiated with France to trade British territories for a royal bride—Margaret of Anjou—sparks revolts across English territory. The rival royal line, the House of York, sees the chaos brought on by Henry’s weakness and with it the opportunity to oust an ineffectual king.

As storm clouds gather over England, King Henry and his supporters find themselves besieged abroad and at home. Who or what can save the kingdom before it is too late"?

S T A Y C O N N E C T E D W I T H M E :
YOUTUBE ~ BEAUTIFULLY OBSESSED ~ T W I T T E R ‪ ~ F A C E B O O K ~ I N S T A G R A M ~ G O O G L E +‪
~L I Z Z I E~

Book Review: THE IRON KING by Maurice Druon

The Iron King, Philip the fair ruled France with an iron fist. Hard as a rock he was unmovable when it came to his will as king. His eldest daughter Isabella was the very unhappy Queen of England. It was well known that her husband forsook her bed for that of men.  His sons were all married to beautiful women of high rank. Isabella in league with their cousin Robert of Artois set out to uncover the truth behind the rumors that all three of her brother’s wives were committing adultery and making cuckolds of her brothers. Isabella hated her sister in-laws with a passion but Robert hated them even more. Their mother was Roberts’s aunt and she had “stolen” from him the Artois estate that he felt rightly belonged to him. Destroying the three adulterous wives meant his aunts greedy downfall. Robert and Isabella would stop at nothing to bring about their destruction. 

In the middle of Isabella and Roberts plot, king Philip was fighting his own battles in court. Philip's biggest battle at the moment was the destruction of the Knights Templars. The Templars grand master Jacques de Molay and many others were put on an unfair trail on trumped up charges.  They never had a chance of making it out alive. The grand master was condemned to death by burning at the stake. When the moment of his death came he used his dying breath to curse Philip for “thirteen generations” for murdering innocents. The curse left everyone uneasy and with in days the sister in-laws were on trial for adultery and the royal family was falling apart. Could the curse really be working against them? Could it be true that Philip’s actions against the innocent Templars cause the whole royal family to collapse in destruction? 

5/5 Loved this one to death. It was kind of slow in parts and a bit confusing when it came to the family ties and the three sister in-laws but it all worked out in the end. I was elated when I found out this is part of a big series called the Accursed Kings Series. The Iron King is the first book in the series. 

R ~ Rating for sexual reference and gory violence

FTC ~ this novel is part of my personal collection.

Amazon: The Iron King (The Accursed Kings, Book 1) by Maurice Druon

S T A Y C O N N E C T E D W I T H M E :
YOUTUBE ~ BEAUTIFULLY OBSESSED ~ T W I T T E R ‪ ~ F A C E B O O K ~ I N S T A G R A M ~ G O O G L E +‪
~L I Z Z I E~

Book Review: HIS LAST DUCHESS by Gabrielle Kimm

Lucrezia de’ Medici was Raised in a loving home. She was an innocent young woman awaiting her marriage to the handsome Duke of Ferrara. Having no idea what to expect in becoming the Duchess of Ferrara Lucrezia was more childlike than woman. She believed in fairy tale happy endings until she realized her handsome Duke was anything but a charming prince.

Alfonso de’ Este wanted to love Lucrezia from the moment he saw her but he was incapable of real love. He was a sadist and when it came time to go to the marriage bed he found Lucrezia’s innocence’s a roadblock to his passion. The marriage was left unconsummated and Alfonso began to despise Lucrezia for it. Since he could not control the situation in the royal bedroom he became cruel and sought to control Lucrezia by emotionally abusing her and eventually he escalated to physical abuse. Lucrezia was confused she did not understand what she did to incur her husbands wrath.  She was now afraid of him and what he could be capable of doing, her new home now became a prison under Alfonso’s watchful eye.

The marriage was under extreme strain when Alfonso decided to commission a portrait of Lucrezia. When the artists arrived Lucrezia was enthralled by their artistic skills. Fascinated by the artist’s young apprentice she discovered what it really felt like to love someone and be genuinely loved in return. It was a dangerous choice to have a liaison with anyone let alone an artist right under her cruel husbands nose. If he discovered her infidelity he would kill them both but that was a risk she was willing to take because she had to know what real love was.

4/5 Really good read, mysterious, fast paced and it kept me guessing all the way to the end. It was a real page-turner.

R ~ Rating for sexual references

FTC ~ this novel is from my personal collection

Amazon: His Last Duchess by Gabrielle Kimm

S T A Y C O N N E C T E D W I T H M E :
YOUTUBE ~ BEAUTIFULLY OBSESSED ~ T W I T T E R ‪ ~ F A C E B O O K ~ I N S T A G R A M ~ G O O G L E +‪
~L I Z Z I E~

New Release: The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory

The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory release 8.25.15
"By the #1 New York Times bestselling author behind the Starz original series The White Queen, a riveting new Tudor tale featuring King Henry VIII’s sixth wife Kateryn Parr, the first English queen to publish under her own name.
Why would a woman marry a serial killer?

Because she cannot refuse…

Kateryn Parr, a thirty-year-old widow in a secret affair with a new lover, has no choice when a man old enough to be her father who has buried four wives—King Henry VIII—commands her to marry him.

Kateryn has no doubt about the danger she faces: the previous queen lasted sixteen months, the one before barely half a year. But Henry adores his new bride and Kateryn’s trust in him grows as she unites the royal family, creates a radical study circle at the heart of the court, and rules the kingdom as Regent.

But is this enough to keep her safe? A leader of religious reform and the first woman to publish in English, Kateryn stands out as an independent woman with a mind of her own. But she cannot save the Protestants, under threat for their faith, and Henry’s dangerous gaze turns on her. The traditional churchmen and rivals for power accuse her of heresy—the punishment is death by fire and the king’s name is on the warrant…

From an author who has described all of Henry’s queens comes a deeply intimate portrayal of the last: a woman who longed for passion, power, and education at the court of a medieval killer".

Cover Reveal: America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

AMERICA'S FIRST DAUGHTER

Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

Releasing March 1st, 2016

"In a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, bestselling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph—a woman who kept the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American legacy.

From her earliest days, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson knows that though her father loves his family dearly, his devotion to his country runs deeper still. As Thomas Jefferson’s oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate in the wake of her mother’s death, traveling with him when he becomes American minister to France. And it is in Paris, at the glittering court and among the first tumultuous days of revolution, that she learns of her father’s liaison with Sally Hemings, a slave girl her own age.

Patsy too has fallen in love—with her father’s protégé, William Short, a staunch abolitionist intent on a career in Europe. Heartbroken at having to decide between being William’s wife or a devoted daughter, she returns to Virginia with her father and marries a man of his choosing, raising eleven children of her own.

Yet as family secrets come to light during her father’s presidency, Patsy must again decide how much she will sacrifice to protect his reputation, in the process defining not just Jefferson’s political legacy, but that of the nation he founded".

Pre-Order Now: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | Kobo and a Rafflecopter giveaway

LAURA KAMOIE has always been fascinated by the people, stories, and physical presence of the past, which led her to a lifetime of historical and archaeological study and training. She holds a doctoral degree in early American history from The College of William and Mary, published two non-fiction books on early America, and most recently held the position of Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Naval Academy before transitioning to a full-time career writing genre fiction as the New York Times bestselling author of over twenty books, Laura Kaye. Her debut historical novel, America's First Daughter, co-authored with Stephanie Dray, allowed her the exciting opportunity to combine her love of history with her passion for storytelling. Laura lives among the colonial charm of Annapolis, Maryland with her husband and two daughters.

Find Laura Here: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

STEPHANIE DRAY is a bestselling and award-nominated author of historical women’s fiction. Her series about Cleopatra’s daughter has been translated into six different languages, was nominated for a RITA Award and won the Golden Leaf. As STEPHANIE DRAVEN, she is a national bestselling author of paranormal romance, contemporary romance, and American-set historical women’s fiction. She is a frequent panelist and presenter at national writing conventions and lives near the nation’s capital. Before she became a novelist, she was a lawyer, a game designer, and a teacher. Now she uses the stories of women in history to inspire the young women of today.

Find Stephanie Here: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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Book Review: GIRL ON THE GOLDEN COIN by Marci Jefferson

Frances Stuart lived the poor life of an exiled distant royal. Her life changed instantly when her cousin Charles II reclaimed his rightful throne and brought about the Restoration period in England. Whisked away by her cousin Madame Henrietta, Frances was brought into the French court by its leading lady. Madame was freshly married to the ruling Sun king’s secretly but not secretly gay brother Philippe.  Henrietta had her own secrets that Frances was privy to. She was in love with her married brother in law the king of France. A vicious love triangle arose and Frances found herself caught up in it when Louis turns his affections towards Frances. The sun king was no fool and Frances was a stunningly beautiful young woman but when she refuses to become his mistress Louis rains his full ire down on her and banishes her to England under his terms. Louis banished her to prove her loyalty to him by being his spy in England. She was commanded to seduce the notorious womanizer King Charles II. She had no choice, she had to go and do Louis’ bidding because she had lost her cousins love and there was nothing left for her in France.  It was time to move forward and onto England.

Though Frances was a Stuart she never knew England as home. She had always wanted to belong somewhere and growing up the poor exiled royal she was it had a tremendous impact on her childhood. Frances would need allies in the English court and she had found one in the Duke of Buckingham. Beautiful in every possible way it was inevitable that Charles would be enticed with her show of beauty and naivety. Charles took notice immediately and appointed her new luxurious rooms at Whitehall and a position in his new Queen’s household. He made sure she had everything she could ever want. With Charles’ favor came a whole new entourage of admires. Everyone that met Frances fell in love with her innocent ways except the king’s long time official mistress Lady Castlemain. She had already bore Charles a whole slew of recognized children. Lady Castlemains grip on the king was unnerving to Frances. To be successful in keeping her oath to Louis she had to devise a plan to run with her innocence charade and avoid sleeping with Charles at all costs because now she had grown close to his queen and had also promised her too she would not become his mistress. Frances and the queen had become fast friends and she promised that she would lead Charles to her bed after receiving stimulation from Francis’ bed. The queen needed to produce an heir to secure her position and Frances promised to help her.

Over time at court Frances went with the flow of the moment. At times she argued with Lady Castlemain, other times with the Duke of Buckingham. Her nights were filled with the company of her admirers but only Charles mattered to her. Things between them had progressed over time and she was his favorite darling of the court. Secretly she had always been working with Louis but Charles had that famous Stuart charm that wedged its way into her true heart. She developed deep feelings for him. But loving a king that already had slew of mistress’ to fight off and an innocent wife was too much for Frances. A moment of weakness and she found herself at a turning point in her life. Sacrificing the love of the merry monarch could have dire consequences. She could stay at court and take lady Castlemains place as official royal mistress. She could be one of many in a troupe of women that loved the merry monarch Charles II but would it be enough for Frances?

5/5 Loved it!!!! I read this one super fast because it engrossed me from the very beginning. An amazing break out novel from Marci Golden. It just makes me think wow if this is her first novel what will she write next? As you all know I love the Stuarts but never read France’s story because I wanted to save it for a really good book and The Girl on the Golden Coin was an amazing great novel. The style was like many of the heavy hitters of historical fiction and I expect and hope for many more great novels from Marci because she is defiantly now a new favorite.

R ~ Rating for sexual reference.

FTC ~ I won this book in an online giveaway.
Amazon ~ GIRL ON THE GOLDEN COIN by Marci Jefferson