Wordless Wednesday

Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland

first picture of Jeremy Irons as Rodrigo Borgia...

Showtime's new show, The Borgias, will begin filming this summer and will air in Spring 2011. 

Zaptoit has posted the first picture of Jeremy Irons os the patriarch of the Borgias, Rodrigo (Pope Alexander VI).  I think he looks great and I am so excited for this new show!

books that make you go hmmm...

A Type of Beauty: the story of Kathleen Newton

by Patricia O'Reilly

Release Date:  June 3, 2010

SYNOPSIS:  "A Type of Beauty" is the dramatised account of the life of Kathleen Newton (1854-1882), whose intense affair with Jacques Tissot scandalised Victorian society. A sweeping story set in London, Agra, Bombay, and Paris, it brings to life the sights, scents, and emotional landscape of the Victorian era. When Kate Kelly, beautiful and feisty, travels to India to marry a man she has never seen, she thinks her life is over. But that is just the beginning. She ends up back in London with an unconsummated marriage, a pending divorce and pregnant by a man she despises. Despite the awfulness of her situation, she never loses hope of finding happiness, which she does in Paris on meeting sensual and mysterious French painter Jacques Tissot. Complications test their love for each other until destiny steps in.

Pre-order at PTTP's Amazon US Store | PTTP's Amazon UK Store

the winner of The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom is...

Congratulations to Mary from the blog Bookfan!!  You have won a copy of The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom!  I'll be sending you an email shortly for your address.

Thanks to all who entered and to author Kathleen Grissom for providing our giveaway copy!

Mailbox Monday

Another Monday, Another Mailbox!! This is a feature where we all share with each other the yummy books that showed up at our doors! WARNING: Mailbox Mondays can lead to extreme envy and GINORMOUS wishlists!!

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page.

My week was a bit slow, but I did rush out and purchase the 2 new Plaidy re-issues that came out on Tuesday! 

How was your week?

For a Queen's Love: The Stories of the Royal Wives of Philip II (A Novel of the Tudors)

(previously published as The Spanish Bridegroom)

SYNOPSIS:  Power-hungry monarch, cold-blooded murderer, obsessive monster—who could love such a man?

Set against the glittering courts of sixteenth-century Europe, the Spain of the dreaded Inquisition, and the tortured England of Bloody Mary, For a Queen’s Love is the story of Philip II of Spain—and of the women who loved him as a husband and father.

Philip was a dark and troubled man, who, like many royals, had been robbed of his childhood. His first marriage, a romantic union with childlike Maria Manoela, brought him tragedy and a troublesome son, Don Carlos. Then followed marriage with the jealously possessive Mary Tudor, a political union that ultimately failed to bring Philip an heir that would solidify the unified power he so deeply desired. And finally, marriage again to a young bride Philip stole from his unbalanced son, sowing the seeds of brutal murder. But history is seldom what it seems, and in the hands of beloved author Jean Plaidy, we hear another side to the story of Philip II—the most powerful of kings who was at once fanatic, murderer, husband, father, and lover.

A Favorite of the Queen: The Story of Lord Robert Dudley and Elizabeth I (A Novel of the Tudors)

(previously published as Gay Lord Robert)

SYNOPSIS:  Torn between her heart’s passion and duty to her kingdom, a young queen makes a dark choice…

Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester was the most powerful man in England during the reign of Elizabeth I. Handsome and clever, he drew the interest of many women—but it was Elizabeth herself that loved him best of all. Their relationship could have culminated in marriage but for the existence of Amy Robsart, Robert's tragic young wife, who stood between them and refused to be swept away to satisfy a monarch’s desire for a man that was not rightfully her own. But when Amy suddenly dies, under circumstances that many deem to be mysterious at best, the Queen and her lover are placed under a dark cloud of suspicion, and Elizabeth is forced to make a choice that will define her legacy.

3 copy giveaway: All Other Nights by Dara Horn

Thanks to the genorosity of W. W. Norton & Company Publishing I have 3 copies of Dara Horn's All Other Nights up for grabs! 

Giveaway is open to US entries ONLY.  Giveaway ends on March 22nd.  To enter, please leave a comment along with your email address. 

Giveaway Rules:

* One entry per person.
* If you've already won this book on another site, please let me know so that others have the chance.

SYNOPSIS:  A gripping epic about the great moral struggles of the Civil War. How is tonight different from all other nights? For Jacob Rappaport, a Jewish soldier in the Union army, it is a question his commanders have answered for him: on Passover in 1862 he is ordered to murder his own uncle, who is plotting to assassinate President Lincoln.

After that night, will Jacob ever speak for himself? The answer comes when his commanders send him on another mission—this time not to murder a spy but to marry one.

A page-turner rich with romance and the history of America (North and South), this is a book only Dara Horn could have written. Full of insight and surprise, layered with meaning, it is a brilliant parable of the moral divide that still haunts us: between those who value family first and those dedicated, at any cost, to social and racial justice for all.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!!

2010 NF Release: Empress of Rome: The Life of Livia by Matthew Dennison

ooooohhhh...this one sounds really good!

Empress of Rome: The Life of Livia

by Matthew Dennison

Release Date:  April 1, 2010

SYNOPSIS:  Empress of Rome is a brand-new biography of one of the most fascinating, perplexing and powerful figures of the ancient world: the empress Livia. Second wife of the emperor Augustus and the mother of his successor Tiberius, Livia has been vilified by posterity (most notably by Tacitus and Robert Graves) as the quintessence of the scheming Roman matriarch, poisoning her relatives one by one to smooth her son's path to the imperial throne. In this elegant and rigorously researched biography, Matthew Dennison rescues the historical Livia from this crudely drawn caricature of the popular imagination. He depicts a complex, courageous and richly gifted woman whose true crime was not was not murder but the exercise of power, and who, in a male-dominated society, had the energy to create for herself both a prominent public profile and a significant sphere of political influence. 

Pre-order at: PTTP's Amazon US Store | PTTP's Amazon US Store

2010 Release: Virgin Widow by Anne O'Brien

The Virgin Widow: England's Forgotten Queen

by Anne O'Brien

Release Date:  May 21, 2010

SYNOPSIS:  This title is about England's forgotten Queen. England, 1469. A daughter of Warwick the Kingmaker, Anne Neville cannot dictate her own future. Her marriage will be political, made purely to advance her family's interests. But at the age of fourteen, her father's treason forces her into exile, and into an uneasy betrothal with Edward of Lancaster. Edward is changeable and completely controlled by his powerful mother, Margaret of Anjou. In a hostile, impoverished court, Anne finds herself at the mercy of other's whims. On her wedding night, the audience assembled to witness her bedding instead witnesses a royal humiliation. At the point of consummation, Queen Margaret forbids the act. Anne went to her husband's bed a virgin, and she will remain so. The battle for the crown of England rages, and Anne's husband must fight for his cause. But he is foully done to death by Richard, Duke of Gloucester - a man who twice before has been betrothed to Anne. Anne must decide where her loyalties lie. And during the reign of King Edward, the wrong decision could mean death.

Pre-order at PTTP's Amazon US Store | PTTP's Amazon UK Store

Official trailer for the 4th season of The Tudors

I have got to catch up....this season looks sooo good!

Will you be watching?

Review: Young Bess by Margaret Irwin

Young Bess

by Margaret Irwin

Young Bess is the first book in Margaret Irwin’s Elizabeth I Trilogy and it covers the time of Elizabeth’s life from right before her father, Henry VIII dies to a few years into the reign of her brother, Edward VI.

After the death of Henry VIII, Elizabeth is sent to live with her step-mother, Catherine Parr and her new husband (and Elizabeth’s uncle) Thomas Seymour. Thomas is an infamous ladies man and turns his masculine wiles to young Elizabeth. He flirts with her shamelessly and even in front of Catherine, who dismisses it as nothing, much to her detriment. For Elizabeth is growing up and discovering the sway she has on men and she’s finding that she kinda likes it. With a father and mother as passionate as Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn were, this little acorn did not fall far from the tree where that’s concerned. But, Thomas is treading a thin line here with his attempt to seduce a princess of England and a future Queen…will his passion and ambition serve as his downfall?

Young Bess also touches on the power struggle between the Seymour brothers, Ned and Thomas over the governing of the realm while Edward VI is still a child. Edward VI features prominently and it was nice to see things from his point of view…and boy, is he his father’s son or what?!

Overall, Young Bess is an interesting read. I think it’s more suited for a younger audience, but that doesn’t mean that adults won’t enjoy it. Irwin has a unique writing style that I was too particularly fond of, but that’s just me and it seems that other people like it.

All that said, I do look forward to the second book in the trilogy, Elizabeth, Captive Princess which tells of her life during the reign of her sister, Mary and her fight for the throne. I enjoy anything about Elizabeth I and it’s always interesting to see how authors differ with their portrayal. That’s the great thing about historical fiction!

Review: Shadow of the King (Book 3, Pendragon's Banner Trilogy) by Helen Hollick

Shadow of the King

by Helen Hollick

The third and final installment of Helen Hollick’s Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy, Shadow of the King, finds Arthur and Gwen at Caer Caden, their kingdom in Britain. Arthur has been king for 11 years and though they are both still grieving over the deaths of their sons, they are basking in the love of their baby daughter.

Arthur is sent on a fool’s errand to Gaul under the pretext of war, but this turns out to be a ploy to get him away from his kingdom, leaving it vulnerable to invaders. Namely, his uncle Ambrosius, whose ultimate goal is to bring Britain back under the fold of Rome. But, Ambrosius is not the only one gunning for Arthur’s downfall and he again must prove that he is the Pendragon.

It’s rare that you find a trilogy where all 3 books hold up against each other. There’s bound to be one that‘s not quite as good as the others ….not so with this trilogy. I loved every one of them and I can tell you right now that I will be re-reading them again.

What I liked most about Shadow of the King was how we saw Arthur dealing with defeat for the first time and how he comes to terms with it. Hollick has a talent with bringing her characters to life – no one-dimensional people here – but I feel like I really got to know Arthur, faults and all and it made me love him even more. And who could not like Arthur’s queen, Gwen, who is the quintessential heroine …strong, courageous and fierce! And Arthur’s band of Artoriani are brave, loyal men who live to serve their King with everything they have. With their help, Arthur is able to shed his cloak of self doubt and return to Britain, to fight for his kingdom.

We meet up again with Winifred, Arthur’s first wife who he set aside to marry Gwen. Still calling herself Lady Pendragon, she will do anything in her power to get the crown for their son Cerdic. This tenacious ambition of hers will ultimately lead to her downfall. Cerdic, who loathes his father, the Pendragon and who has made it his lifelong mission to kill Arthur and take his lands has teamed up with the Saxons and invades Britain.

There isn’t one thing about this book that I didn’t like. Hollick’s writing is one of the best I’ve come across and her descriptions are so vivid that it seems as if there’s a movie screen in front of you, playing out the scenes as you’re reading. The characters emotions are very real and so relatable that you feel yourself empathize with them even if they are one of the villains! How I would love to see this novel on the big screen, but then again, I don’t think anyone could do it justice. (besides your own imagination).

Now, for those of you that may be put off by the size of this book…don’t be! It may seem huge, but with the chapters at 2-3 pages each it flows really quickly. I know I was so enthralled that I didn’t even look at the page numbers. Well, that is until the end when I knew I only had a few left and then I was like NOOOOOOO and read really slowly until the last page, savoring every word like a priest savors meat before lent.

Oh, and let me warn you – make sure you have some Kleenex handy and also, make sure your loved one isn’t in the room with you, so that they can’t make fun of you for crying about people you didn’t even know! Heehee.

Highly Recommended!

FCC: This book was sent to me by the publisher for review.

Wordless Wednesday

Glencoe, Scotland

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books that make you go hmmm...

Hmmm... 

Leonie and the Last Napoleon is the first novel of Tony Boullemier and was originally published in 2007.  I haven't read anything set in that time period, during the reign of Napoleon III so I think I will be picking this one up when it gets released on July 5, 2010.  It will also serve as research for the book I am attempting to write.

SYNOPSIS:  This remarkable novel is based on the diary of the author's great-grandmother Leonie Michel, born at the height of the 1848 revolution in Paris. Deadly illness and danger stalk her early life and her father, a doctor, faces ruin when he is prosecuted for treating patients with a revolutionary new cure before he is qualified. But when the Emperor Napoleon III calls on his brilliant medical skills, Leonie finds herself catapulted into glittering Paris society. As a blonde beauty of 17, she naturally catches the eye of the ageing emperor and his son and Napoleon encourages her to become an actress. Leonie finds herself mixing with celebrated writers, musicians and artists, plus the dashing soldiers of the Imperial Guard and their gilded women. But her life is threatened when she is kidnapped and held to ransom. And then France stumbles into war. When the enemy invades, Leonie's circle is torn apart and some of her closest friends are killed. She flees to England for safety, where she discovers that the exiled emperor is planning one last throw of the dice.

So, what think you?