Book of the Month: January

I read alot of books this month thanks to a staycation so I had quite a few books to consider for my best of the month. Keeper of the Queen's Jewels is an obvious choice because its one of the only two books I rated 5 out of 5 stars. Keeper is Adrienne Dillard's most recent novel, which was published in 2022. It is about Jane Seymour and her lady in waiting Margery Horsman. Each chapter alternates between the points of view of Jane and Margery. Margery was one of the ladies in waiting for Anne Boleyn who stayed on at Henry VIII's behest after Anne's beheading. For some reason he kept on all of Anne's attendants. At first Margery handled the wardrobe but later became in charge of the jewelry. She was adept at picking out the right jewels for the right gown. She also had her own drama to deal with, not just Jane's.

I learned alot about Jane's political ability. Yes, she did have some ability. I was not aware that she was terrified of ending up like her predecessor but I probably should have known that she would be afraid. Any woman would mistrust Henry VIII considering how he disposed of two prior wives. The court attendants were likewise terrified of Henry, including Margery. Everyone tiptoed around him so as not to set off his temper.

I loved reading about the dresses that the ladies wore, and the jewels of course, as well as descriptions of the food offered at these lavish Tudor feasts. Keeper is a feast for the eyes.

Book Cover of the Month: January

None of the covers of the books that I read this month were enticing. However, if I had to pick just one as my favorite is would have to be Sunburn by Andi Watson. Sunburn is a full length graphic novel about a girl who travels to Greece one summer to visit a family friend. The sunny colors of Greece, blue and white, on the cover caught my attention and was the reason I was interested in getting the novel. 

Illustrator Simon Gane did the artwork for the book. He is a British artist from Bath who works for Vertigo. Vertigo is an imprint of DC Comics that caters to mature audiences but also more sophisticated cartoonists. Gane is also a magazine and children's book illustrator. He sells original artworks from his Instagram page.

The Papal Assassin

The Papal Assassin is the first book in S. J. Martin's Papal Assassin Series. She previously published five book in her Breton Horse Warrior Series. The second book in the new series, The Papal Assassin's Wife, was published last month on December 5, 2022. I am looking forward to reading it because the Papal Assassin was wonderful.

The publisher's summary:

It is 1088, King William the Conqueror is dead, and his two eldest sons are about to go to war for the throne of England. It is a turbulent time in Europe, and Chatillon, at the heart of it all, must decide which of William's sons the Pope should support. Should it be the eldest, Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy or William Rufus, who has already crowned himself King of England?

Piers De Chatillon, the tall, handsome master swordsman, powerful Papal envoy and assassin, has finally married the beautiful young Isabella Embriaco. He intends to turn her into a top political courtesan, assassin and spy. She will be trained to bring him valuable information by moving through the noble beds of Europe and removing those men who cause him problems. His dangerous lifestyle will repeatedly put her life at risk as she becomes a pawn in a deadly game.

Chatillon, involved in the imminent war between the two brothers, disregards the warnings of his friends to take care. They know a brutal Saracen pirate is out for revenge and will try to kill Chatillon and his new wife. Chatillon sends Isabella to Ghent on her first mission to kill an old enemy of his, not realising she is now carrying his child. Meanwhile, the Saracen assassins follow close behind her, and Chatillon is over a hundred leagues away in Normandy, too far away to save her.

This was a great read. From the first pages to the ending I was unable to put the book down. The Eleventh Century is a favorite period of mine so it made this fast paced historical mystery extra special. I heard that some of the characters from the Breton Horse Warriors Series are included in this new series. I will have to read at least one of those novels to see if I would like the series.

Piers is the consummate politician. Having worked in government for most of my life, I appreciate seeing someone with the skillset to get things done. He has a dark side but so do our current crop of leaders and if I'm honest, every great leader in history has had this too. Yes, I studied political science. I was amazed at Piers' successes and was rooting for him all along. He is a fascinating character and with the comeuppance he received from an enemy toward the end, I can see him having a soft side in future novels.

This is a lovely start to a new series. I am excited about it's future. 

Can't Wait Wednesday #17

The Can't Wait Wednesday meme has been hosted by the Wishful Endings blog for awhile. Here, we discuss the books that we haven't read yet. 

I have tried to purchase Christine DeMelo's newest book The Apprentice. It was published two months ago but my Kindle purchase will not go through. DeMelo writes historical fiction stories set in Italy during the Renaissance and I have loved every one of her previous 13 novels. All of them have been standalones as is The Apprentice. This novel is a tale of forbidden love and danger that revolves around historical facts from 1600 Naples, Italy. A man named Carlo convinces Florentine Maestro Giovanni Balducci that he should be hired as an apprentice. The two travel south to complete important commissions such as the adornment of the San Gaudioso catacombs. Here, Carlo meets and falls in love with a local monk. Later he meets a famous nun, Sister Giulia de Marco and her confessor, Father Aniello Arcieri, while restoring an altarpiece in a church. Sister Giulia and Father Arcieri draw Carlo into their Confraternity of Carnal Charity, whose wealthy noble acolytes believe divine glory can be achieved through sexual ecstasy. Unable to continue living a lie, Carlo confesses his secret to Sister Giulia and she assigns him a prominent role within the cult. The problem? Carlo captures the attention of the Holy Inquisition.

So, what's up Amazon? Why can't I buy my book?

Zemindar

Zemindar was published in 1981. I selected it because I needed a book title beginning with Z for the Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge. It is an epic story (1,031 pages) of a family that moves from England to India just before the Indian Mutiny. The book won the Georgette Hayer Historical Novel Prize that same year. The main character is Englishwoman Laura Hewitt. Laura accompanies her cousin Emily and Emily's husband Charles to Calcutta which is a wedding trip, not honeymoon, where Laura is a paid lady's companion for her cousin. She is also in love with Charles. After several months the group meets Charles' half-brother Oliver Erskine who is the zemindar, or hereditary ruler, of a vast estate called Hassanganj. Charles had never met Oliver before but receives an invitation to visit Hassanganj. While they are there, Emily gives birth and the Sepoy rebellion and siege of Lucknow occurs, known in history as the Mutiny, the Sepoy Rebellion and The First War for Independence. Zemindar has been republished several times in the past forty years. Each time the font gets bigger and the book has grown from its original 799 pages to the current 1031 pages. I am glad for the font size and cannot imagine how hard it would be been to read this after its initial publication. 

I finished the book in just 3 days. The story moved along quickly but there was a lull in the action when the characters were escaping from Hassanganj, which was about 200 pages long. Other than that, Zemindar was a captivating read. The characters were well developed and all of them were kindhearted to each other. They had opposite personalities which gave the novel some flavor. Laura is the main character and her point of view dominates. She is the character who grew the most during her nine months in India. Laura had an independent mind before the trip. Her cousin Emily and husband Charles were stuck in the rigid mindset of the British upper classes and could not adjust to India's culture. Oliver was the villain of the story but he wasn't really a villain. His reputation was rough, having had many sexual affairs with both British and Indian women. Even though he was born into a wealthy British family, he was raised in India and spent his entire life there. He understood the importance of independence to the Indians as well as their customs. Oliver was respected by them for accommodating their religious traditions but also by living their lifestyle. The reader learns about their side of the story on independence from Oliver's dialogue. The reader also learns about the history of the Mutiny, although it is from the point of view of the British. Still, there are aspects of what happened that are true to history. 

The descriptions of India were on point. It is an exotic destination for me and I never tire reading about it. In every book set in India that I have read, the British characters are incredibly bored. None of them have much to do and partying becomes a must. Zemindar shows this the best, perhaps because of the page count. The oppressive heat in India is best described here also. The author has the characters removing their excessive clothing at certain times of the day, napping during the warmest part of the day and sipping water at the right times in order to stay healthy. 

I loved Zemindar and am rating it 4 out of 5 stars. It lost one star for the dull escape they made from Hassanganj.

The Magdalene Deception

The Magdalene Deception is the first book in a trilogy called The Magdalene Chronicles. It is Gary McAvoy's debut novel.  McAvoy has published 6 books to date but recommends that readers begin with this book before reading any of the later novels including his Vatican Secrets Archives series. I have already read three books in the Vatican Secret Archives Series, but I decided to take McAvoy's advice and go back to the beginning. 

The publisher's summary:

For two thousand years, believers have relied on Christ's Resurrection as the bedrock of Christian faith. But what if the Vatican had been blackmailed into suppressing a first century manuscript revealing a different story about what happened after Christ's death-and that long-hidden document suddenly reappears? Michael Dominic, a young Jesuit priest expert in the study of ancient writings, is assigned to the Vatican as an archivist in the Church's legendary Secret Archives. Hana Sinclair, a reporter for a Paris newspaper whose privileged family owns a prominent Swiss bank, is chasing a story about Jewis gold stolen by the Nazis during WWII - millions of dollars in bullion that ended up in the vaults of the Vatican Bank. When Dominic discovers a long hidden papyrus written by Mary Magdalene -one- that threatens the very foundations of Christianity - he and Hana, aided by the brave Swiss Guards, try to prevent sinister forces from obtaining the manuscript, among them the feared Ustasha underground fascist movement, Interpol, and shadowy figures at the highest levels of the Vatican itself. Based on illuminating historical facts - including the intriguing true story of Berenger Sauniere, the mysterious abbe in the French village of Rennes-le-Chateau; and that Cathars, fabled keepers of the Holy Grail - The Magdalene Deception will take readers on a gripping journey through one of the world's most secretive institutions and the sensitive, often explosive manuscripts found in it's vaults.

As someone who loves codicology and paleography, this book was a perfect fit for me. I loved reading about the Vatican library and found myself dreaming about being able to personally sit inside its walls and choose manuscripts at will. The book introduces all of the characters in both the Magdalene Trilogy and the Vatican Secret Archives Series. Hana Sinclair, Cardinal Enrico Petrini and Karl Dengler resemble their characters in subsequent novels. Father Michael Dominic is quite different though. I was surprised that as a priest he didn't believe that prayer works or that his faith could be shaken by this new found document. Two years after his ordination, Dominic had plenty of doubts about his vocation. This perplexed me.

Also, there was not much suspense or mystery to the story. I got bored in several parts of the novel and did not feel a sense of impending doom over the possible release of the manuscript to the public. When Dominic translated it, I rejected its allegations about church history (no spoilers here) and can only assume that the general public in the story would reject it too. It was too far-fetched to be taken seriously but on top of that there was no mention of the manuscript being validated or not validated. It was only translated.

I expected more as the 3 books that I previously read had alot of suspense. Perhaps the author just got better at writing, which is always a good thing. The best I can say is that The Magdalene Deception is a good start to the series.

3 out of 5 stars.

Can't Wait Wednesday #16

The Can't Wait Wednesday meme has been hosted by the Wishful Endings blog for awhile. Here, we discuss the books that we haven't read yet. Later this month Janie Chang will be publishing her latest novel, The Porcelain Moon. The book takes place in France during WWI and I am anxiously awaiting it's publication on February 21, 2023.  

In 1918 a young Chinese woman, Pauline Deng, runs away from her uncle's home in Paris in order to evade an arranged marriage set up for her in Shanghai. Pauline's cousin Theo is helping her prevent the marriage. Theo is a translator for the Chinese Labour Corps in the French countryside. Another woman, Camille Roussel, is planning to leave her abusive husband. Camille offers Pauline a room for her to stay in and they become fast friends. However, Pauline soon discovers a perilous secret that Camille has been concealing. As both their situations escalate, they are forced to make an awful decision that will bind them together for the rest of their lives. The history that the author has built her story on is the historical fact that 140,000 Chinese workers were brought to Europe as non-combatant labor during WWI.  

I read the author's Library of Legends and loved it.  Here's hoping that The Porcelain Moon is just as entertaining.

The Avignon Affair

The Avignon Affair is the newest installment of the Vatican Secret Archives thriller series by Gary McAvoy and Ronald Moore. It takes place in Rome and Paris in the present day. There is also an alternating plot that takes place in France in the 1300s that concerns the death of a cardinal who is masquerading as a bishop while carrying a secret document. 

The publisher's summary:

Father Michael Dominic is called to France for an unusual assignment. A fourteenth-century bishop was found in a crypt buried under the burnt remnants of Notre-Dame-but he's wearing the ring of a cardinal, and two parchment scrolls had been hidden in his garment sleeve. Who was this 700-year-old custodian of carefully guarded secrets?

Once Father Dominic decodes the rolled scrolls, long-hidden confessions are exposed that throw France into political turmoil while creating havoc within Dominic's own team of friends. Relationships are tested and shocking new revelations emerge in The Avignon Affair.

I could not put this book down. The mystery to be solved begins with the Prologue so that the rest of the story is about what happened, how and why. The team of Father Dominic, Hana Sinclair and Marco Picard return in this installment of the series to solve another mystery from medieval times. Medieval mysteries are my favorite sub-genre so this series is a perfect fit for me. The team includes Father Michael Dominic who is the head of the Vatican Secret Archives, Hana Sinclair who is a reporter for the French newspaper Le Monde and Marco Picard, a bodyguard hired by Sinclair's grandfather to protect her. After reading 3 books in the series, they have become old friends to me.

While I was riveted by the story, the plot turned into a fantastical ending that was not believable. It was definitely interesting but just not plausible. I hate to be a spoiler here so I won't go into any details. The history part of the series delves into the Papacy of the late 1300s and the French monarchy which I thoroughly enjoyed. The authors mixed the older history with the new as the rebuilding of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is also part of the story. This mix is what makes this series tick. 

I hate to give a McAvoy book a lower rating that 5 out of 5 stars but The Avignon Affair had flaws. I am rating it 4 because the suspense level was significant.

Census

Census is a 5 part Comixology Original comic by Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman. It is advertised as a horror comedy by the publisher. I have read the first 4 installments of the series and the final part will be published January 17, 2023. The story is about Liam Malone who takes a job as a census taker for $32 an hour. Liam has no ambition in life. After six years attending college he has not been able to obtain a degree and is looking for any job other than cleaning up human waste. While riding a bus in New York City he sees a sign that says "Good pay, flexible hours, no experience necessary" so heads over for an interview and gets a job working for the Census Bureau. What Liam doesn't know about this new job is that he will be counting demons for the Underworld census. He has to count and register all of the demons, djinns, changelings and other supernatural beings in New York. Liam learns that to get the job of a lifetime you sometimes have to sell your soul.

The idea for the story is rather creative but with Liam meeting female supernaturals who rape him for his blood, this is obviously written by a man. A woman writer would never create a character who is unappealing physically but cannot fight off the women who want him. The adolescent stuff aside, Census is hilarious. The reader sees Liam going door to door, never knowing what he is going to find when that door opens. Liam's home situation is also hilarious. He shares an apartment with two other men and they alternate who gets to sleep in a bed and who has to sleep in the bathtub. One roommate is always shown naked sitting on a toilet so the adolescent element continues throughout the story.

Each installment of the comic shows Liam coming across different types of creatures. For example, in part 2 he comes across a group of leprechauns that he must register. I enjoyed the story and wish it could keep on going. However, there is only one more release before this comic ends.

4 out of 5 stars.

The Sterling Affair

The Sterling Affair is the 8th installment of the Forensic Genealogist Series by Nathan Dylan Goodwin. I have read four other books in the series but not in order of publication so I was surprised to read in Sterling that the main character, Morton Farrier, was married with one child. The plot for Sterling is a bit more complex than prior novels. I am not sure how I feel about that as I loved the earlier books. However, the author is keeping the series fresh. His last two books are part of a new series, Venator Cold Case Series, wherein an investigative genetic geneology company, called Venator of course, is used to solve homicides. Venator is introduced in Sterling .

Back to the book at hand. . . The publisher's summary:  

When an unannounced stranger comes calling at Morton Farrier’s front door, he finds himself faced with the most intriguing and confounding case of his career to-date as a forensic genealogist. He agrees to accept the contract to identify a man who had been secretly living under the name of his new client’s long-deceased brother. Morton must use his range of resources and research skills to help him deconstruct this mysterious man’s life, ultimately leading him back into the murky world of 1950s international affairs of state. Meanwhile, Morton is faced with his own alarmingly close DNA match which itself comes with far-reaching implications for the Farriers.

I did not enjoy the book as much as I expected. The subplot concerning the spies was complex and while I normally love spy thrillers, I missed the simplicity of the earlier novels which focused on how Morton went about his genealogical research. As someone who enjoys doing this kind of research, the earlier novels hit my spot. That said, both of the book's subplots were intricately woven and well researched. I can see how Goodwin has improved his writing.

The story began with an Abstract that discussed the removal of 1,000 files by civil servants from England's National Archives relating to MI5, MI6 and MI8. The files were taken to Whitehall. This intrigued me and is part of the reason why I tried to concentrate on the spy subplot to make sure that I didn't miss anything. The information for the Abstract came from an article in The Guardian on December 26, 2017. Each of the files contained dozens of papers and some of these files included documents on the Falklands, Northern Ireland's Troubles, Britain's administration in Palestine, and tests on polio vaccines. 

I am sorry to say that Sterling is only a 3 out of 5 stars as Goodwin is one of my favorite authors.

Murder in Plain Sight

Murder in Plain Sight is the first book in the Brotherhood of the Raven trilogy that takes place in Amish country. It is different from the usual Amish fiction as this one is a murder mystery. Author Marta Perry has published 118 novels! All of them are Amish fiction. I enjoyed this book so I think I will be very busy reading some of her novels this year. 

The publisher's summary:  

Did a sweet-faced Amish teenager brutally murder a young woman? To save her career, big-city lawyer Jessica Langdon is determined to defend him—against the community's bitter and even violent outrage. Yet without an understanding of Amish culture, Jessica must rely on arrogant businessman Trey Morgan, who has ties to the Amish community… and believes in the boy's guilt.

Jessica has threats coming from all sides: a local fanatic, stirred up by the biased publicity of the case; the dead girl's boyfriend; even from the person she's learned to trust the most, Trey Morgan. But just when Jessica fears she's placed her trust in the wrong man, Trey saves her life. And now they must both reach into a dangerous past to protect everyone's future—including their own.

The mystery concerning who killed Cherry Wilson was expertly plotted. However, our protagonist Jessica Langdon is a lousy attorney. No, this is not stated in the story but it is obvious that she is incompetent because she was sharing confidential information about the case with most of the characters in the story. She let herself be guided by them.

Jessica's character is the only character I didn't like much. She is not plausible as an attorney. Trey is interesting in that he is an Englischer who is fully trusted by his Amish neighbors. His mother Geneva is a sweet, wise woman and I would love to read more stories that include them both. The Amish Bishop was portrayed as a kindly old soul. He was not the usual ornery, stay away from the English, boss that I am accustomed to read about. All of these characters would make awesome series characters. Jessica needs work though. The budding romance between Jessica and Trey was hard for me to accept. While opposites attract, I felt that the author was telling the reader and not showing the reader how their relationship developed.

Despite the negatives I described above, the solving of the crime was suspenseful and kept me reading. 3 out of 5 stars.

Night at the Belfry

James Ransom is 74, and a far cry from the tough young boxer he remembers from the 80's. Sick of growing increasingly powerless and reliant on others in his old age, James reconnects with a former trainer and hatches a possibly fatal plan to regain the control he believes he's lost. He plans on training for a final boxing match during which he hopes to die. His trainer is searching for the right opponent while James trains. In the meantime, James' daughter is constantly checking on him and wonders whether he should be living in an assisted living facility. James wants to avoid that possibility at all costs.

As I advance in age I find myself liking stories about seniors more and more. There is no reason to accept crappy behavior from the younger generations and our hero James finds an interesting way to become stronger. After getting mugged on a train by a kid he gets up early one day to see if he runs into the kid again. James sees him on the street and punches him in the face but gets injured in the process. The important idea here, in my opinion, is that he gets his revenge.

The artwork is beautiful and I liked the cool toned purple and blue palette. Xavior Saxon not only wrote this engaging story but he also did the artwork. Night is his first graphic novel and I am looking forward to seeing what he brings us in the future.

5 out of 5 stars.

The White Ship

I needed to find a book that had the color white in the title for the Color Coded Reading Challenge.  I found this history book by Charles Spencer that I thought would be good. However, I had a hard time becoming interested in it.

The publisher's summary:

The sinking of the White Ship in 1120 is one of the greatest disasters England has ever suffered. In one catastrophic night, the king’s heir and the flower of Anglo-Norman society were drowned and the future of the crown was thrown violently off course.

In a riveting narrative, Charles Spencer follows the story from the Norman Conquest through to the decades that would become known as the Anarchy: a civil war of untold violence that saw families turn in on each other with English and Norman barons, rebellious Welsh princes and the Scottish king all playing a part in a desperate game of thrones. All because of the loss of one vessel – the White Ship – the medieval Titanic.

One review of the book states that it is just as gripping as a thriller. I beg to differ. The writing style is scholarly and while it tells a part of English history most of us are unfamiliar with, it was rather dull. The most excited I got was when I ran across a name of a direct ancestor here and there. I was expecting the book to be about a ship that sank at sea and wondered whether there would be some mystery concerning the sinking. The ship didn't sink until the halfway point in the story. 

The White Ship is a history book with a small section about a shipwreck. 2 out of 5 stars.

The Missing Girls of Alardyce House

The Missing Girls of Alardyce House is Heather Atkinson's first book in her Alardyce Trilogy. It takes place in Edinburgh during the Victorian Era and was published in June 2022. The second book in the trilogy was published in October 2022 and the third book will be published later in 2023. This is the first book of Atkinson's that I have read. I recognized her name when I selected the book but was not aware that she has published 50 novels. Wow! Why am I just getting around to reading her works?

The publisher's summary:

Edinburgh 1880. When Amy Osbourne’s parents are lost at sea, she is forced to leave her London home and is sent to live with her aunt and uncle at the opposite end of the country.

Alardyce House is depressing and dreary, her aunt haughty and cruel. Amy strikes up a friendship with her cousin Edward but his older brother Henry is just as conceited as his mother, and a mutual loathing develops between him and Amy. 

As her weeks of mourning pass, the realisation begins to dawn on Amy that her aunt has designs on her inheritance and the candidate she favours to be her niece’s husband fills Amy with horror. Struggling in this strange, unwelcoming environment, Amy begins to suspect that something isn’t right at Alardyce House. 

There are rumours below stairs of a monster on the loose, local women are being brutally attacked and her cousin Henry is the prime suspect. Alardyce House is full of dark secrets and Amy isn’t sure who she can trust…

The story is pretty fast paced for historical fiction. Amy's story dominates the book and the reader does not hear about any girls going missing from the house until the end so the title is misleading. The publisher's summary was also somewhat misleading. There is alot of sex, including rape, in the story but there are no graphic descriptions. We only read that it happens. If this would bother you, be on notice that you probably don't want to read the book. There is also physical and emotional abuse among the characters. Part of the mystery is figuring out who is abusing whom.

I thought the book was entertaining. The brutality that Amy experienced was something that women of the era were unfortunately subjected to so it seemed normal to me. 4 out of 5 stars.

Keeper of the Queen's Jewels

Adrienne Dillard has published four books to date, three of them historical fiction accounts of Jane Seymour, Catherine Carey (Anne Boleyn's niece) and Jane Boleyn.  Keeper of the Queen's Jewels is her most recent novel, which was published in 2022 and it is about Jane Seymour.

The publisher's summary:

Two women with opposing allegiances are bound together by desperate circumstances: one must birth a son to secure the throne. The other hides a dangerous secret that could cost them their lives. No longer the meek and mild, the ineffectual queen of the history books, Jane Seymour is reimagined as a woman on the precipice - one misplaced step away from oblivion. 

In the maid's dormitory, Margery Horsman struggles as she comes to terms with the fallout of her careless words, uttered recklessly in a fit of envy and greed, ending in the ruin and death of her first love. Surrounded, yet feeling alone and abandoned, Margery searches for her place in the world. When a young widower still grieving over the loss of his wife asks for her hand, Margery steps into a role she never imagined, that of mother to a half-orphaned boy.

As religious rebellion threatens to tear the country in two, fortune's wheel turns, and formerly rising stars of the Tudor court tumble. Amid the upheaval, a queen and her devoted maid will unite to preserve the legacy of Anne Boleyn for England's once and future queen:  Gloriana. 

Each chapter alternates between the points of view of Jane Seymour and Margery Horsman. Margery was one of the ladies in waiting for Anne Boleyn who stayed on at Henry VIII's behest after Anne's beheading. For some reason he kept on all of Anne's attendants. I can only presume that there were political reasons for this but the book doesn't go into it. At first Margery handled the wardrobe but later became in charge of the jewelry. She was adept at picking out the right jewels for the right gown. 

The characters were taken from real life. I was not familiar with them in depth, particularly Jane Seymour, and I learned alot about her political ability. Yes, she did have some ability. I was not aware that she was terrified of ending up like her predecessor but I probably should have known that she would be afraid. Any woman would mistrust Henry VIII considering how he disposed of two prior wives. The Tudor setting is always going to be exciting for me. I love reading about the dresses that the ladies wore, and the jewels of course, as well as descriptions of the food offered at feasts. 

Keeper has a nice take on often told stories of the wives of Henry VIII. With the perspective of someone with real power, the power of holding the jewels, the reader learns everything that that entails.

5 out of 5 stars.

Can't Wait Wednesday #16

This is my first Can't Wait Wednesday post of 2023. There are two books which I want to showcase that I discovered last month from the Nonfiction Reader Challenge. The Bright Ages and The Light Ages are histories of the medieval era which is my favorite era in history. I am awaiting their arrival from Amazon.

The Light Ages is a history of medieval science. Author Seb Falk gives us this history through the eyes of a fourteenth century crusading astronomer monk, John of Westwyk. Westwyk was born in a rural manor, educated in a grand monastery and then exited to a clifftop priory. He navigated by the stars, cured diseases, and told time with an ancient astrolabe. During Westwyk's travels he encounters an English abbot with leprosy, a French craftsman and spy and a Persian polymath who founded the world's most advanced observatory.  The book kind of sounds similar to the travels of Marco Polo but with a scientific bent.

The Bright Ages is a new history of the medieval era.  I am not sure what is "new" but will soon find out. Advertised as a magisterial history, The Bright Ages captures this era from Europe to the Mediterranean, Asia and Africa. The publisher's summary of the book states that it will give the reader a fresh look on the Fall of Rome, Charlemagne, the Vikings, the Crusades, and the Black Death, but also to the multi-religious experience of Iberia, the rise of Byzantium, and the genius of Hildegard and the power of queens. The burning of heretics is also covered and I am interested in this because I have 6 direct ancestors who were burned at the stake for their religious beliefs. 2 of them were Roman Catholic and the others were Protestants.

Whisper in the Night

I had never heard of D.K. Hood before buying Whisper in the Night. I was surprised to find out that she has published 19 novels to date with her 20th novel coming out in March 2023. All of her titles are from the Detectives Kane and Alton series which are serial killer thrillers featuring Sheriff Jenna Alton and her ex-special forces deputy Dave Kane. I loved Whisper so much that I am going to need to read every one of these 19 other books. It is hard to believe that I never discovered her before since she is such a prolific writer.

The publisher's summary:

Fifteen-year-old Lindy Rosen has been having nightmares for weeks, waking in a panic, screaming that there's a man in her room watching her sleep.  Her parents assumed it was her overactive imagination, but when one morning they find Lindy missing from her bedroom, they're not so sure.  Detective Jenna Alton is called to investigate.  Within hours of the schoolgirl going missing, the kidnapper reaches out to Jenna with a video of Lindy bound and tied to a chair, crying to be set free.  And a simple message - you've got 24 hours to find her or I'll kill her.  Jenna's team work around the clock to try to find Lindy before the deadline, but time runs out, and Jenna receives a devastating message. The killer has made good on his promise. He's playing a dangerous game  and no one knows what his next one will be.  But just two days later, one of Lindy's school friends is taken in the middle of the night and the countdown begins again. 

I loved this book! I was engaged from the first page and couldn't put the book down until I had read through it completely in one sitting. There was one issue that I have though.  Around page 60 Lindy's body is found. However, there was no build up from the police officers working a scene before it is announced that the body was found. The reader finds out when Jenna mentions it as a past event. I think this is a mistake, but only because I have never read a mystery where the discovery of the body is not fully developed. It should be essential to the rest of the story. The rest of the story was intense and fast paced and the ending resolved all of the questions concerning the crimes. Again, I take issue with how Jenna resolved the crime. She didn't. The killer appeared in her home and told her who he was and that she was going to be his next killing. Jenna had no idea who the serial killer was until he showed up in her kitchen. The killer conveniently spilled out answers to the who, how and why questions about his crime spree before being handcuffed. While the beginning and ending were a little unorthodox, Whisper is still a fantastic novel because of the intense suspense the author created.

4 out of 5 stars.

Death on the Danube

In Death on the Danube, recent divorcee Lana Hanson agrees to fill in as a tour guide for her friend Dotty Thompson's Wanderlust Tours business during a Christmas Eve conversation. Dotty wants Lana to travel to Budapest in order to lead a group after one of the guides was injured in a skiing accident. With no job and being 2 months behind in rent, Lana agrees to go. It's a perfect way for her to ring in the new year and also pay her rent. Upon arrival in Budapest, Hungary the tour quickly turns into a nightmare when Carl, Lana's fellow tour guide, is found floating in the Danube River. The question is whether he was murdered or died in an accident. With all of the tourists having had problems with Carl, Lana finds her self trapped with nine murder suspects. When another tour guest dies, Lana has to figure out who the killer is before she also ends up floating in the Danube River. Death on the Danube is the first book in the Travel Can Be Murder cozy mystery series by Jennifer Alderson.

I did not care for the book. The murder didn't happen until I was 60% in to the story. There was no investigation by Lana other than checking the internet to find out who her passengers were. She did not interview the passengers nor did she interface with Budapest law enforcement. She did nothing to solve the crime as I was promised by the publisher's summary of the book. The passenger's problems with Carl did not surface until after he was dead so there was no point to the novel. All I read about was the tour itinerary and how Lana felt as she was pampered by hotel staff.

This story was boring. No rating.

Night Shift

Night Shift is Robin Cook's 39th medical thriller. At 82 years of age he is still on staff at the Massachusetts Ear and Eye Infirmary in Boston. His first novel was published 46 years ago and I have enjoyed all but one, Intersection. He has had an incredible literary journey as well as a successful medical practice as an ophthalmologist.

The publisher's summary:  

Colleagues turned spouses, Dr. Laurie Montgomery and Dr. Jack Stapleton already have their plates full with demanding forensic pathology work and family pressures. The last thing they need is the sudden death of a colleague. Yet when Laurie's apparently vital and healthy longtime friend Dr. Sue Passero dies mysteriously in the hospital parking garage, an autopsy is required, and it falls uncomfortably under Laurie's purview as the chief medical examiner. So when Laurie asked Jack to take special care with the case, he can hardly refuse.

With his curiosity sparked by an inconclusive autopsy, the indefatigable Jack is compelled to resolve the case at hand, and sets out to investigate on-site at Manhattan Memorial Hospital, even though it means blatantly defying the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner's rules. What started out as an inquiry into Sue's tragic passing soon turns into a deadly and dangerous chess game between Jack and the clever and deranged killer, who might just administer another lethal blow if Jack isn't careful.

Night Shift is a first-rate story. With the story taking place within a two day period of time, the book has a supersonic pace that keeps you reading until it has been finished in one sitting. Cook's writing has not suffered with this long-standing series, while other authors seem to lose interest in their series and characters. What most likely keeps the series fresh for Cook is that the story always revolves around an issue or problem in medicine today. Cook does give the reader plenty of development with his characters but the main thrust of all of his novels is modern medicine. In Night Shift, the focus is on medical serial killers. 

I enjoyed revisiting the usual characters: Laurie, Jack, Vinnie who is Jack's assistant, and officer Lou Saldano. Vinnie and Lou are not central to this particular story. There are new characters such as the deceased Dr. Passero and her closest colleagues and they were interesting. Laurie and Jack's relationship has suffered since Laurie became his boss and, finally, he has asked her to step down. Laurie does not respond to the request in this installment of the series but perhaps she will think about it in the next novel. Jack has always been a little rough around the edges but it seems to me that he has become rougher since his wife became his boss.

The main problem for the story to resolve is to determine what killed Dr. Passero. Her autopsy showed that there was nothing wrong with her so Jack has to rely on information from those closest to her to come up with the reason that she was killed. He hears from a colleague that Dr. Passero was involved in hospital politics. Jack speaks with quite a few hospital staff before figuring it all out.

Night Shift is a superb entry for this series. 5 out of 5 stars.

2023 New Release Reading Challenge

I am rejoining the New Release Challenge this year.  It is an easy one for me as most of my book selections every year are new releases. I will be increasing my personal challenge by selecting the New Release Pro level of participation which requires that I read between 31 and 60 new release books. Won't you join me in this challenge?  Here are the rules:

• Books have to be released and reviewed in 2023

• Other challenges can be used as well, if you are participating in the Netgalley / Edelweiss challenge or in the COYER challenge, books can count towards more than one challenge, as long as the ones you use for the 2023 New Release Reading Challenge qualify to the other rules.

• The minimum length for a book to qualify is 100 pages, it can be in any format though, physical, e-book, ARC or audiobook.

• The New Release Challenge is open from January 1st through December 31st 2023, and sign-ups are open until September 1st 2023.

• You don’t have to be a blogger to participate, you can link to your review on Goodreads or Booklikes instead – so don’t be shy

• If you want to spread the love, please use #2023NewReleaseChallenge on Twitter 

There are five levels  in the 2023 New Release Challenge:

1. 1-30 books per year – New Release Newbie
2. 31-60 books per year – New Release Pro
3. 61-100 books per year – New Release Veteran
4. 101-200 books per year – New Release Enthusiast
5. 200+ books per year – New Release Obsessed

To sign up, please link your sign-up post in the challenge post from the Unconventional Boookworms Blog.

Blood Oath 1 Through 4

Blood Oath is a  5 part Comixology Original by Rob Hart and Alex Segura. I have read installments 1 through 4. Installment 5 will be released soon. The story takes place during Prohibition with Hazel Crenshaw tending to her Staten Island farm, caring for her younger sister and running her business. Her business becomes tangled up with the New York gangs that will eventually coalesce into the mafia. With the farm not doing as well as Hazel hoped, she helps bootleggers by letting them store their alcohol on her farm. When the Crenshaw farm is attacked, Hazel has to defend her home but realizes that her flirtation with the gangs also put her and her family in danger.  

Blood Oath blends bootlegging and vampires into a horror story that entertains. While it is a horror story, it is also a family story as both Hazel and the vampires act in their respective family interests. A fun read, I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

Sunburn

Sunburn is Andi Watson's fourth graphic novel. Sunburn is a sweet, clean fiction story about 16 year old Rachel. Rachel is happy to have found a summer job at a butcher's shop where she will be mopping the floor and performing other mundane tasks. At the last minute her mother receives a phone call from her best friend Diane with an invitation for Rachel to spend the summer in Greece with her. Of course, Rachel decides to give up that summer job and take a free trip to Greece.

Rachel hasn't seen Diane and her husband Peter since she was a baby. However, she assimilated into the Greek culture swiftly and even made a friend. Benjamin is attracted to Rachel and she feels the same way about him. They spend most of their days and nights together getting to know one another. 

Sunburn has no foul language, violence or sex so it is appropriate for kids. The adults do alot of drinking and party every night. Rachel and Ben tag along with them. There is a mystery concerning why Diane invites a young person every summer to her home and Benjamin has something to do with it. I couldn't figure it out though. The story is illustrated in the blues and whites that you see in Greece which made the story more attractive to the reader.

This is a lovely story. 5 out of 5 stars.

Happy New Year!