(Blog Tour) Queen by Right by Anne Easter Smith

It was nice to read a book set during the War of the Roses, which is an era I'm not well read in. I learned – from the York perspective – much about the events and people surrounding the conflict while reading Queen by Right.

The novel is shown in the point of view of Cecily Neville, the wife of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and mother of Edward IV and Richard III. We see her as a child and then through the years, all the way up to the crowning of Edward IV. I loved the child Cecily, she was very spirited and often spoke her mind – while getting punished for it later. As she grew up, she lost a bit of that, but in it's place she became tough and fearless, earning the nickname 'Proud Cis'.

Since the book was from the point of view of a woman in those times, there was a lot of 'telling' instead of 'showing' of the major events throughout the conflict. However, there were some powerful scenes, such as Cecily meeting Joan of Arc while she was imprisoned – I quite liked how Joan of Arc was incorporated into the story, although there's no proof that the two ever met. The other scene that struck me was the scene at Ludlow, as Cecily held the hands of her sons George and Richard while staring down an army. This, we know, actually happened, and the way it was written in Queen by Right was very gripping.

Queen by Right was a chunkster, and took a bit for me to get through, but at the end, I felt rewarded. A good historical fiction novel.

I received the book for review as part of Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.

The Mask of Night by Tracy Grant

A great sequel to Secrets of a Lady, taking place at the beginning of 1820, a few months after the events of that novel ended.

Charles and Mélanie Fraser, one of the most fashionable couples in London, are attending a masqued ball hosted by close friends. The party, however, soon ends when a dead man is found floating in a fountain, having been stabbed through the heart.

Charles and Mélanie, having only had a few months to recover from their own stressful ordeal, are asked to help and reluctantly agree. Charles soon finds out that Mélanie already knows who the dead man is, and Charles already knows he's not going to like why.

The mystery has plenty of twists and turns, shady characters and lots of action. Everybody seems to be hiding something, and as the story goes on, the layers are peeled back and we finally learn the truth.

However, the most fascinating aspect of this story, for me, is the relationship between Charles and Mélanie. I can't say much for those who haven't read Secrets of a Lady, but let's just say their relationship is still on very shaky ground from the revelations found out in that novel. They're still feeling each other out. The fact that their relationship isn't perfect is one of the big reasons why I love these books.

Another winner from Tracy Grant!

Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal

Shades of Milk and Honey was a Regency romance à la Jane Austen or Georgette Heyer, but with a touch of fantasy.

In this version of Regency England, a talent for manipulating glamour was added along with music, drawing and such for a fashionable young lady's list of accomplishments. Other than that, everything else is relatively the same.

Shades of Milk and Honey is like an Austen novel in the sense that it borrows characters from Austen's stories. The heroine, Jane, is sort of like an Anne Elliot sort of character. There are also characters that resemble Darcy, Lydia, and Mr and Mrs Bennett in Jane's parents, among other characters.

The whole glamour thing took me a while to catch on to, but I eventually got it. Towards the end it got sort of distracting and in one scene I could barely keep up with what was happening; I had to reread it several times to finally get a hold of what was going on.

Jane has a particular talent for glamour and finds herself using it to get people out of nasty messes. Her talent soon has one upside, as it helps her find herself in her very own romance, something that at the age of 28, she had all but given up on.

All in all, a fairly good novel. Very entertaining.

Mariana by Susanna Kearsley

I just have to start this review out by saying: I hope Susanna Kearsley never, ever stops writing. This is only the second of her books that I have read, but it's another 5-star winner! I'll be rereading this sometime soon, no doubt!

Having said that, Marianna, like The Winter Sea, is another time-slip historical novel. Julia Beckett has been drawn to Greywethers since she was a kid, and as an adult decides to buy it. As Julia settles in, things start to happen that make Julia think she is starting to crack up.

She finds herself drawn into the past, literally, as Mariana Farr, a young woman who lived at Greywethers in the 17^th century. During these time slips, she is Mariana Farr; sometimes she can control it, sometimes she can't, but soon Julia finds herself more invested in the past than in the present. She realizes that the two are more intertwined then she would think.

I was so emotionally invested in Mariana, and I love that. I couldn't stop reading: torn between finding out what happens as soon as possible and never wanting the story to end.

I found the way Julia slipped into the past absolutely fascinating, but I don't want to give too much away. And as fascinating as it was, it was also a tad terrifying. I don't know how I would manage if that happened to me.

Mariana was a gorgeous book, flawlessly interweaving past and present. How everything flowed and tied together was absolutely masterful. The ending was just perfection, that even after I finished the book and went to bed, I turned the lights back on several times to read the last few pages. I just want to read the rest of Susanna Kearsley's books right now!

The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig

I received a review copy of this novel from Dutton. This in no way affected my opinions.

A delightful holiday mystery and addition to the Pink Carnation series.

I love Turnip, who is the hero of this story and a Pink Carnation favorite, and was very happy to find out he was getting his own book. He's one of the bumbling, loveable sort that you want to see have a happy ending.

The heroine in this story is a Arabella Dempsey, a young lady who after her aunt's interesting marriage, ventures forth to form her own future as a schoolmistress. On the day she goes in to Miss Climpson’s Select Seminary for Young Ladies to inquire about the job, she runs into Mr. Turnip Fitzhugh – literally – and comes across a Christmas pudding with a mysterious message tucked inside.

This Christmas pudding turns both their world's upside down. Before they know it, there is mysterious goings on at Miss Climpson's: folks sneaking around at night, Arabella's room being ransacked, and someone out there who seems to think Arabella has some sort of list that they are devilish eager to get their hands on.

Everything comes to a head at the Dowager Duchess of Dovedale's 12 day Christmas celebration. For those that have read the series, they will notice a familiar setting, as this part of the book takes place during the same time as the fifth Pink Carnation book: The Temptation of the Night Jasmine.

The Mischief of the Mistletoe was an absolutely charming and hilarious book. Turnip is a hoot and a half and Arabella was a great heroine who seemed to be just fine at taking care of herself, thank you very much.

Highly recommended to Pink Carnation fans.

Breathless by Anne Stuart

I received a galley of this novel from NetGalley for review. This in no way affected my opinions.

Breathless is the last installment in The House of Rohan trilogy. And it is definitely my favorite.

The heroes in the first two books were described as 'dangerous,' but they were nothing compared to Lucien de Malheur, otherwise known as The Scorpion. Lucien is as deadly as his name. He's also a dark, scarred, anti-hero hellbent on revenge.

His revenge is targeted at the Rohan family and he develops a plan focused on Miranda Rohan, the daughter of the hero and heroine from Reckless. Miranda is a fallen woman, an outcast, and Lucien sees her as an easy target for him to finally get his revenge on the Rohans.

Enter an old gothic home. This is where Lucien takes Miranda, threatening her to elope or he'll kill one of her brothers. The old, moldy, dark house is similar to its master. Miranda tries to make the best of her situation while trying to think of a scheme to get herself out of there.

As in the previous books, there was a secondary romance: that of Jacob Donnelly, an infamous thief, and Jane Pagett, the daughter of the secondary hero and heroine from Reckless, who is also Miranda's best friend. Donnelly and Jane meet when Jane unexpectedly interrupts him in the midst of stealing some very expensive jewels. Jane, who is engaged to a dead bore, gets caught up in the adventure. The thief and the upper class lady are so different from each other and they both know it.

The House of Rohan trilogy both started and ended on good notes. This is a great series from those who love dark historical romances.