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 The world has not been kind to Ash Turner, but he has resolutely made the most of it. Born to a mother intent on giving away her family’s last morsels of food, dyslexic in a world which doesn’t understand his condition, and fiercely protective of two brothers he struggles to understand, Ash’s moment of triumph, after years of hard-working success, has finally arrived when he gets in line to inherit the dukedom from the distant relative who would not help him and his brothers in their time of need.
But he hadn’t accounted for Margaret, the daughter of that duke, who is not only watching her father die but herself and her brothers being disinherited. She’s determined to hate Ash, and pretends to be a nurse so she can spy on him for her brothers. As time goes on, though, she realizes that she can’t hate him; he cherishes his family in ways she’s never known, and treats her like a somebody even though she’s now a bastard and dressed as a servant. Torn between loyalty to her family and a growing love for Ash, Margaret has to weigh her values carefully to avoid making what could be the biggest mistake of her life.
I knew I had to read more by Courtney Milan as soon as I’d finished Unlocked earlier this year, and I am so thankful she hasn’t let me down with this book. As with most romances, this story is really about the characters, and I loved them both, especially Ash. It’s hard not to fall for someone who is genuinely charming to all levels of society; he knows what it’s like to be poor as well as he knows what it’s like to be rich, and he’s not going to put down the people he knew and loved from either phase of his life.
Margaret is his target almost as soon as he sees her; he really has no idea who she is. She has, obviously, her own problems to face, not only her growing attraction and feelings for Ash, but her loyalty to her father. As the book progresses and she tends to him, she starts to realize that he may not care much for her at all. And when she thinks about her brothers, and compares her family life to that of Ash’s, who loves his brothers and isn’t afraid to show it, she finally starts to wonder about what’s been lacking and just how she can fix it. More, she sees what Ash is doing for the dukedom – for her mother’s home – and her opinion gradually starts to shift. (It’s a romance, we all know the ending).
In short, Unveiled is a really lovely book that will grab you by the heartstrings and force you to keep reading. And the book certainly left me keen to read Mark’s story in Unclaimed, the next book in the series – who doesn’t love the prospect of a hero who writes a book about chastity?
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I purchased this book.
 This history of cholera focuses on one of the last, and most lethally quick, epidemics to strike London. It was one of the last because this time, two diligent men found what they believed to be the cause, and circumstances started to change. The first man, Dr. John Snow, was already a pre-eminent anaesthesiologist who even put Queen Victoria to sleep. The second was a well-meaning clergyman, Henry Whitehead, who was acquainted with many of the victims that got their water from the offending Broadstreet Pump. Johnson takes us through the history of the epidemic and describes precisely how these two men solved the cholera mystery and began a chain of reaction that would have an impact on public health in cities worldwide.
Cholera isn’t a problem that has gone away for us in the modern day world. It’s a disease we keep at bay with a supply of clean water. But before people realized it was caused by dirty water, they believed various theories, including that the poor brought it upon themselves, or that it was caused by noxious air. It’s remarkable to read how tenaciously people who were very highly placed in society clung to these theories, even as evidence started to prove them wrong. They did close off the Broadstreet Pump which caused the cholera, eventually, but they didn’t really believe it was the cause. Not until the “ghost map” was created – a map which outlined precisely who had died from the illness and where they lived – did the connection finally become established between the pump and the outbreak.
In history terms, this is a very compelling book; the end is full of notes and I certainly was keen to learn more after reading. Unfortunately, close to the end, the author starts to go off on some mysterious tangents that become less related to the actual history of the outbreak. He goes on about the new threats to cities, including things like terrorism, and even the advantages and whether they outweigh the risks. It all felt a bit unrelated. It was as though he was trying to connect the history with the modern day, but he didn’t particularly succeed for most of it; the only interesting bit out of this was when he discussed the threats of cholera now, rather than the various other aspects of city life. After all, while cholera did happen because of the cramped conditions in cities, I felt like the rest of the book was more about the illness and general sanitary conditions and less about the city.
Anyway, I still found The Ghost Map to be a very good, and quick, read, a thoughtful look into the sanitary conditions of Victorian London and an illness which still has an effect on many parts of the world today.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I purchased this book.
 Three generations of women, none of whom ever really managed to get along, collide at one Maine “cottage”. The matriarch of the family, Alice, is disappointed by the way her progeny have turned out, especially Karen, her oldest daughter. Karen and Alice have never really connected, to the point of Alice becoming jealous of her late husband’s affection for his daughter. Now Karen’s daughter Maggie goes to the cottage to escape a disastrous relationship and her own personal issues, including the fact that she seldom sees her mother. The last of our narrators is Ann Marie, who married into the family, and finds herself trapped in the life of a housewife while struggling to maintain her perfect image.
What I appreciated most about this book was the perspective each woman had about the others. As in real life, we never know all the details of someone else’s life, not even those who are closest to us. So each woman judges the others and we can see why they’re right, why they’re wrong, or what they’ve missed. For example, Alice and her daughter Karen simply do not get along; what both women generally miss is the fact that they struggle to be close because they are too similar to one another. Is it any surprise that they were both loved so deeply by Alice’s husband Daniel?
I’d also suggest that a large part of the book’s humor comes from this – and it helps to lighten the very important and deep issues that they all face when coming together. It’s difficult to actually like any of the women – particular Alice – simply because we’re seeing them, flaws and all, and I’m not sure I’d actually want to be friends with them. Except perhaps for Maggie, who despite her difficulties is a kind girl who is uncertain about her life. But this is the sort of book where you don’t need to like the characters to actually enjoy the book.
To underscore the similarities between them despite their often acerbic opinions of one another, many of the women struggle, or have struggled, with the same problems. Alcoholism is a big issue and has affected all of the women in ways that they may not have known about until this story is told. Uncertain pregnancies is another – Alice was never sure she wanted to have children, and didn’t know what to do with them. Now Maggie is pregnant, but increasingly worried about her decision. And motherhood – Ann Marie isn’t sure what to do with her daughter, who has just announced that she’s a lesbian, and must return to loving her daughter as a person rather than focusing on this one aspect of her.
As you can obviously tell, this is a very character-driven book. There is a plot going on at the same time, with different strands for each woman, but the ending is somewhat lackluster, so I hesitate to really recommend that as one of the book’s charms. But if you’re interested in a character study, with women you’re not sure you like even as you can begin to understand the workings of their various minds, you could hardly go wrong with Maine.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I purchased this book.
 Ling Suyin was the Emperor’s favorite concubine, renowned across China for her seductive ways. But now the Emperor has passed on, and Suyin hopes for a quiet life of retirement. Suyin isn’t destined for peace, though, as her life is in danger from assassins. She’s rescued by the warlord Li Tao, a harsh man who knows he’s trapped in a world of relentless politics and fighting but isn’t sure how to get out of it. The empire is starting to fracture. The threats to Suyin make him a pawn and put him at risk, but he’s still compelled to protect her, especially as they start to fall in love.
Jeannie Lin’s historical romance novels are so refreshing. I love Regency England as much as the next romance reader, but it is so nice to escape and focus on somewhere else for a change. Tang dynasty China is certainly a drastic change, and Lin’s ability to weave historical detail in with a genuinely romantic love story makes me incredibly hopeful that other readers seek them out and appreciate them as much as I do. I am not personally well acquainted with the period, but these books give a very different feel that I find refreshing and enjoyable – they certainly make me curious to learn more.
It was difficult to imagine, going into this particular book, how Lin was going to redeem Li Tao, who was actually the villain of her previous book, Butterfly Swords. Amazingly, she manages it, and quite well too, as we get a peek inside his head and start to process the many motivations that drive him. Suyin and Tao don’t start out trusting each other; in fact, Suyin mostly wants to be free, and views herself as a prisoner. She really does want that peace and quiet, and even as she starts to fall for Tao, she isn’t sure she’s actually going to get it. The last thing she wants is to remain in the political spotlight as she has for most of her life.
In fact, as I approached the end of the book, I started really wondering how on earth these two were actually going to end up happily together. I knew they had to, but the number of obstacles stacked up against them becomes truly forbidding. The ending, however, wraps up neatly – if a little bit too much – but left this reader satisfied with the romance and looking forward to much more from a talented author who is still relatively new. I’d recommend The Dragon and the Pearl to any historical romance reader – but start with Butterfly Swords to better understand the backstory.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I received this book for free for review from Netgalley.
 I know what you’re thinking – this book is a completely out-of-the-ordinary read for me. And it is, I’ve read very few books like this in my life. But I became curious about wheat when my mother was advised to eat much less of it by her doctor because of the sugar content, even in whole wheat bread, and when I saw this book on Netgalley I decided I had to know more.
Dr. Davis believes that genetically modified wheat is the scourge of modern society. He has seen hundreds of patients whose health has improved and weight has dropped simply by reducing or, better, completely eliminating wheat from their diets. It’s not the only solution, and he doesn’t say so; some people aren’t actually sensitive to wheat. But for those whom medicine has ultimately failed, whose health problems are unexplained, eliminating wheat may help. Not in all cases, but in many.
This is an intriguing book, although I’m ever wary of faulty science, but a lot of it seems logical to me. Bread, these days, is not really bread, something that other food writers have mentioned countless times. Look at the ingredients – there’s all sorts of stuff in there to produce it quickly and to prevent it from going moldy. No one can afford to buy bread daily, and no one really eats enough bread to justify it, so we’re in a new situation which has uncertain effects on health. Knowing in particular that wheat products contain a ton of sugar that shoots up blood sugar and creates lows can’t really be a good thing. Most notably, as in the title, Dr. Davis tries to connect the prevalence of genetically modified wheat to the size of American bellies – in that people who have never had beer now sport “beer bellies”.
It helps that Davis includes references to medical studies, so he does have some justification for what he’s saying beyond personal experience. He also includes a helpful week of a wheat-free diet plan, because that’s about how long it will take for someone to end the cravings and enjoy the benefits he says he feels – less hunger, fewer mood swings, and so on. While I think at times the author goes a little bit too far in his comparisons of wheat as evil, overall I really appreciated the message, and his plan is to change your lifestyle rather than force you into a diet you’ll never accomplish. I’ve even thought about trying his plan myself, but I love bread (I’m unquestionably one of his wheat addicts), so I doubt I’d stick to it!
More than anything, I appreciated that Davis made me think about what I’m eating and what’s in the packaged foods I buy, and renew my commitment to make more fresh food rather than relying on something a machine has processed. Wheat Belly
an interesting read for anyone who, like me, has been curious about the effects of wheat, or thinks a wheat-free diet may help improve their health.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I downloaded this book for free from Netgalley.
 This is the sixth book in the Saxon Chronicles series, focusing on Uhtred of Bebbanburg, by Bernard Cornwell. Read my review (one of the first on this blog) of the first book if you haven’t read this series before and want to avoid spoilers!
The great King Alfred is on his deathbed, and with that thought in mind, chaos is ready to strike the country that would become England. The Vikings still haven’t been completely vanquished and are a constant threat, but worse are the factions that threaten to split the fledgling kingdom up from within. After nearly being killed up North, Uhtred returns to his king to pay his final homage and to do his best to keep the realm from falling to pieces without a strong leader.
Uhtred remains true to his warrior roots in this novel, more or less constantly fighting to secure his kingdom. It wouldn’t be a book about him without a battle in the shield wall and the adrenaline of a fight well won. But though the battles are well written, they’re not all this series has to offer, and as in other installments, this sixth one has the power to keep us drawn to Uhtred and those he remains close to.
One of these is Aethelflaed, Alfred’s daughter, a true leader of her people. As soon as she appeared in this series, as a young girl, I was thrilled, and I’ve only been more pleased with her development as the series carries on. Naturally, she and Uhtred have become a couple, and very much contrary to the way Cornwell sometimes treats his women, Aethelflaed is developed as the strong, leading woman that history tells us she was, with a bit of loving to round out her character in fiction. I can’t wait to read more about her, and Uhtred’s devotion to her, as the series carries on.
As always, Cornwell successfully delivers a number of other fascinating encounters and adventures for Uhtred. One that sticks in my mind here is his encounter with a mysterious witch and “earth goddess”, a potent reminder that while Alfred’s kingdom is becoming increasingly Christian, the religious landscape of the time was far from black-and-white, even beyond Uhtred’s own Norse beliefs. It also adds a creepy interlude for Uhtred as he’s forced to contemplate the future of this realm he’s committed to defending.
For those who want an adrenaline-filled look into early England, with a fantastic main character who feels like he belongs in that time period, you simply can’t go wrong with this series. Death of Kings is an installment that will keep fans like me very happy and eagerly anticipating the next volume. This is a much grittier variety of historical fiction, perfectly suited to a society based around battle, and provides an excellent change if you’re a bit tired of reading about the same old Tudors.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I received this book for free for review from the publisher.
 Late as usual, I meant to write this post last weekend, but we had house guests and unfortunately I had no time for blogging at all, something that seems to happen a bit too often these days for various reasons. It’s especially annoying when I actually feel more keen on blogging than I have in months; I’m not entirely sure why, but it’s a very good feeling.
This weekend, I’m focusing on accomplishing everything I need to take a week off starting on Wednesday for my trip to see this in real life:
As you can probably imagine, I am very excited to visit Rome! Food, history, romance, I can’t wait. I look forward to sharing my own pictures with you when I return. We’ll be celebrating our second wedding anniversary while there, so it will be an extra special holiday.
Anyway, on to September! I finished 16 books in the end over a nice variety of genres, and I even managed to get some non-fiction read. I’m very pleased about that.
Fiction
- You Are My Only, Beth Kephart
- Miles, Mystery, and Mayhem, Lois McMaster Bujold
- Next to Love, Ellen Feldman
- Becoming Marie Antoinette, Juliet Grey
- The Maid, Kimberly Cutter
- Maine, J. Courtney Sullivan
- The Reinvention of Love, Helen Humphreys
- Unveiled, Courtney Milan
- One Salt Sea, Seanan McGuire
- Death of Kings, Bernard Cornwell
Non-fiction
Books of the Month
 
Honestly, those choices were actually surprisingly easy ones. The Emperor of All Maladies was a fantastic, stand-out book, even as it made me worry. And Next to Love has really stuck with me, so it deserves a mention here too.
October has been with us for more than a week now, so I already know quite a bit of what will be appearing. I’m shockingly on top of things, in that I only have a few books to get reviewed from those above, so the ones without links will soon appear here. I’ve already read a couple of fantastic romance novels, for those who read this blog and enjoy them as well, and I’m currently working on The Glitter and the Gold, Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan’s life in her own words.
As I may have mentioned to some of you, I’m pondering trying to actually write a historical novel myself (especially with all this newfound verve for writing I’ve acquired since I changed jobs), and I think she would make an excellent first subject. Stories about American heiresses who married English lords are very popular these days – except that Consuelo was unhappy, and fought for the right to her happiness against societal dictates. She was an utterly fascinating woman.
For the rest of October, I’ve already begun selecting books I might try to read for the Read-a-thon – it’ll be a tight squeeze to actually fit it in with the amount of catching up I’ll be doing after my trip, but I’m determined to participate. I’m also hoping that I can read:
- The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
- Storm Front, Jim Butcher
- The Plantagenets, Derek Wilson
- The Art of Fielding, Chad Harbach
And we’ll see where whim takes me aside from those!
What do you have planned for October?
 This is the fifth book in the series. Rosemary and Rue is the first book.
The sons of the Duchess of Saltmist have been kidnapped, and usual it’s October Daye who is called upon to rescue them. The stakes are very high; if Toby doesn’t find the boys, her country is going to go to war with those under the sea. To make the situation even more complicated, she’s finally gotten together with Connor, a Selkie, and they may be forever separated if she doesn’t succeed in her mission. With her many allies by her side, Toby sets out to find the kidnapper, even when those she holds most dear are threatened.
This particular book is a turning point for Toby – she is not the same woman at the end of the book as she was at the start of it. Several storylines that have been building over the course of the last few books – if not since the start of the series – actually see a resolution, and with devastating effect. Some of the things that happen to her are gut-wrenching, and the world really isn’t going to be the same. She isn’t even the same herself; thanks to the changes which took effect in the last book, Toby is still getting to grips with her own changed identity and magic.
The mythology and backstory of all of the characters continues to grow and change in this book. I loved learning more about the Luidaeg in particular, who finally starts to be revealed in this book, and who is becoming much more than an all-powerful sea witch. We also get bits and pieces about the other characters.
I think my only problem with the book really was that I don’t like Connor very much. The entire time, I was busy rooting for Toby to finally realize that it’s actually Tybalt she loves, which as you can imagine lessened the impact of parts of the book for me. I’ve heard some say this is a Peeta and Gale situation, but I don’t think it is; there just isn’t any chemistry at all between Toby and Connor, and I’ve actually yet to find anyone saying they prefer the latter. Nor does Toby really think about it; she loved Connor when she was young so she must love him now. Since Tybalt is by far the better, more complex character, I just couldn’t get behind those bits of the story.
Regardless of personal preference though, One Salt Sea was a fantastic addition to the universe and one that has really, genuinely changed everything. I’m not sure how I’m going to wait until next year to get the sixth book, but I know I’ll have it preordered as soon as I see it available. In the meantime, I’m going to read Feed, as Mira Grant is actually a pen name for Seanan McGuire, and hope for some more magic there.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I bought this book.
 Everyone who has heard about the tragedy of the Titanic, or watched the film, probably remembers that the band kept on playing even as the ship sank into the ocean. They gave their lives so that people would remain calm and get on the boats in an orderly fashion. Nearly everyone who survived remembered the band, and we know that none of them survived, so the story certainly seems plausible. In this book, Turner looks at the men in the band – W. Hartley, C. Krins, R. Bricoux, W.T. Brailey, J. Woodward, J.F. Clarke, J.L. Hume, and P.C. Taylor – and considers both their lives before the disaster and the role they may have played in the final moments of the ship’s sinking.
I’ve never heard anything much about the musicians on the Titanic beyond the fact that they died playing. Like everyone else of my age, I’ve seen the film (twice in theaters) and their story is certainly a sad and noble one. Turner takes us behind the scenes with this book and looks at how exactly each man got on the Titanic. Who was waiting for them when they returned from the ship? How did each man become a musician? Were they career musicians or were they just building experience for greater things? These are all questions he seeks to answer.
He also considers the day of the sinking itself, thinking about what songs the men played, how two bands fit together into one for the final moments, and why they might have chosen to play. They could have been ordered to by the bandmaster, or they might have decided to carry on as one, knowing that they were unlikely to have a priority place on the available lifeboats anyway.
Lastly, Turner also looks at the aftermath of the disaster, and how these particular men’s deaths affected their families. The White Star Line, who owned the ship, did have to pay money out to the employees’ families, but who it went to was a matter up for debate in many of the men’s families.
Overall, The Band that Played On was a worthy, deeper look at these eight men, and a very good choice of read for people who are interested in further information about the Titanic and the people who actually ran the boat.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I received this book for free for review.
 As with the other volumes, this is an omnibus composed of three separate stories – two books and a novella. I won’t avoid spoilers for Young Miles or Cordelia’s Honor, so read those reviews before starting this book!
All of the stories in this particular omnibus deal with genetics and the manipulation of them.
In the first of the two books, Cetaganda, Miles and his cousin Ivan find themselves amongst the Cetagandans when a murder mystery sets off – with him and Ivan at the center of it. Miles was passed a mysterious object and set up so the Cetangandans will think he stole it. He needs to use his famous mind to get the Barrayaran embassy out of trouble, and if he meets a few of the gorgeous Haut class, who ride around in opaque bubbles, along the way then he certainly isn’t going to protest. This particular planet, Tau Ceti, separates genetically the higher class from the public face, the ghem lords, leading to some very interesting politics. While I don’t think this was actually my favorite story of them all, I still enjoyed watching Miles dig himself out of trouble.
Ethan of Athos, the next story, doesn’t feature Miles at all, but it’s set in the same time period. The title character is from Athos, a planet where only men are allowed to live. They create children using a limited number of female ovaries donated in the distant past – the babies are then placed in the uterine receptors, developed on Beta, and selected to be male. As you can imagine, this leads to an absolutely fascinating society of men who simply have never seen women and don’t know what they’re like. When a new batch of ovaries arrived and is found to be contaminated, it is Ethan, who has made his life’s work creating babies, who is sent to Jackson’s Hole to investigate the problem. While there, he meets Elli Quinn (who was introduced in Young Miles), one of the Dendarii Mercenaries, and has his expectations of women flipped upside down as they team up to try and get to the root of the problem.
Even though this particular book didn’t feature Miles, it still manages to give us a wider view of the universe Bujold has established, show Ethan how women are actually independent and different beings just like men (I loved this), and also shows us how Miles is regarded by an outsider like Elli. She has a lot of hero worship for him, especially given he made her life liveable again, but it was nice to revisit the character and see what Ethan gathered of him just from Elli’s recollections. It’s also a bit lighter than the other stories in the series, and Ethan’s behavior towards women before he learns is absolutely comical. I loved seeing his expectations completely subverted by the women he meets.
The last story, “Labyrinth”, finds Miles in a desperate battle to rescue a genetically modified woman from the basement. Because she’s considered a “monster”, she’s about to be killed, but he is persuaded to save her. Miles may not be genetically mutated himself, but he always has a soft spot for people who simply look different. A sweet story, but again not my favorite, and lacking the power of “The Mountains of Mourning”.
Still, even if this wasn’t the best volume, I loved reading every virtual page of it, and I can’t wait to carry on with the series.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I downloaded this book from the Baen Free Library.
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