Friday, July 30, 2010

New Review - "Mistress of Rome" by Kate Quinn

Rating: ***** (5/5 stars)

This is a novel mainly about a slave named Thea. Thea is a Jew who survived the Masada uprising, only to be taken as a slave to Rome. She serves a haughty aristocratic wannabe named Lepida Pollia. Lepida's father is the organizer of the gladiatorial games and so Lepida and Thea get to sit closer to the action than other women. Lepida develops a crush on Arius, a reluctant but fierce gladiator. She sends Thea to him with love letters while she is away in the countryside for the summer. ...continue reading...

Sunday, July 25, 2010

New Reviews!

Good afternoon! I just realized that I forgot to post an older review, so here it is, plus two others! Aren't you lucky today!? Haha. Enjoy.

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"Petersburg" by Emily Hanlon
Rating: *** (3/5 stars)

"Petersburg" is a novel set during the 1905 Russian Revolution. The story revolves around four main characters: a middle-aged, self-made man named Alexei Kalinin; his nephew Misha; an outspoken young woman named Irina; and her cousin, the quiet and beautiful Anna. Irina is involved with the Terrorist Brigade, led by a man named Dmitri. They target people who are important politically, such as Leonti Yermolov. Yermolov, the head of the Okhrana, is to be their next target. ...continue reading...



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"The Vanishing Point" by Mary Sharratt
Rating: ***** (5/5 stars)

"The Vanishing Point" is a novel about two sisters in the late seventeenth century. May Powers is a beautiful young woman, yet she is an embarassment to her family. May is what we would call "the village slut". Living in a small English village, May ruined her only chance at redemption by sleeping with a tinkerer at her betrothal party (a tinkerer is, I guess, a sort of travelling hippie of the seventeenth century). So her father agrees to send her to America when his cousin asks for her to be married to his son. ...continue reading...




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"The Queen's Secret" by Jean Plaidy
Rating: *** (3/5 stars)

This is a novel about the life of Katherine of Valois. Katherine herself tells her story, beginning in her childhood. As a girl she lived first in the Hotel de Saint Paul with her siblings. Their mother rarely came to see them, and their father, the King of France, was mad. Thus, they did not have the greatest childhood. One day, the boys and girls are separated. The girls are taken to an abbey, where they remain until they are married. ...continue reading...




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Have a nice day! :)

Friday, July 9, 2010

New Reviews!

Good Morning! I have finally 3 new reviews for you!

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"Duchess of Aquitaine" by Margaret Ball
Rating: **** (4/5 stars)

This is a novel about Eleanor of Aquitaine (no surprise with the title). It spans her earlier years in France, from the time of her father's death to her divorce from Louis. Eleanor is only a teenager when her father dies. As he had only daughters, Eleanor inherits the rich duchy of Aquitaine. Eleanor knows she is prey to any ambitious man so she comes up with a brilliant plan before anyone can get to her. ...continue reading...



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"The Wild Hunt" by Elizabeth Chadwick
Rating: ***** (5/5 stars)

"The Wild Hunt" is a novel set during the Middle Ages in England, near the Welsh border. Guyon FitzMiles is a young noble who is forced to marry a young woman named Judith. Judith is only 15 years old and is hardly ready to become a wife, yet she knows she must, not just because King William Rufus wills it, but because if she does not, her uncle will take Ravenstow and the surrounding lands. ...continue reading...



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"The Running Vixen" by Elizabeth Chadwick
Rating: ***** (5/5 stars)

"The Running Vixen" is a stand alone sequel to "The Wild Hunt". It follows Adam de Lacey, the ward of Guyon FitzMiles (star of "The Wild Hunt"). Adam is now a grown man in possession of his father's estate at Thornford. He does some odd jobs here and there for the King, such as escorting the King's daughter Matilda back to England. When he stops in at Ravenstow to pay a visit to Guyon and Judith, he is surprised and a little unsettled to see Heulwen there. ...continue reading...



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Don't forget to check out my updated book lists!