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 Susanna Horenbout, a young painter with a famous father, is sent to Henry VIII’s court in order to serve as the king’s personal illuminator. Before she even approaches the presence of the king, she’s the focus of an attempted murder, and is placed under the protection of courtier John Parker. As she and Parker develop intense feelings for one another, they’re also forced to contend with plots against the king by some of his closest advisors. Can their careers – and indeed their lives – survive the best efforts of their foes?
The subject of this book is very intriguing; there is little new in Tudor England fiction these days, but a female painter and a mystery surrounding her seemed like it had potential to be quite the read. While this was overall an enjoyable book, it did have some flaws that marred what could have been an exceptional and unusual debut in the over-saturated Tudor-obsessed historical fiction world.
The primary flaw was the speed of the narrative. This is a short book and actions throughout feel rushed. It’s hard to get attached to characters who are constantly going, without much rest for pages. It seems as though every time the two main characters get an interlude to develop their relationship, they’re interrupted by something related to the general mystery / intrigue plot, and personally I always prefer character development to a racing plot. The plot itself is a good intrigue plot, and perfectly suited for those who are after that sort of thing – it’s just rushed along without much chance for a break.
Overall, it’s a real shame, because Diener has a beautiful way with words and I could tell that there were moments in this book that I could have happily luxuriated in her turns of phrase. I will certainly be eagerly looking for any books she writes in the future, because I think she could become quite good if she lets the historic world and her characters take on a bit more prominence. I believe this book is the first in a series, so I’ll be looking forward to advance reviews of the next.
While In a Treacherous Court does have its flaws, it also has its perks, and it’s worth a read for anyone seeking a fast, different historical fiction read set in the Tudor world.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I received this book for free for review.
 Mario is one of the enduring characters of my childhood, an instantly recognizable face and voice, and a character that still features in video games which can be just as fun as they were when I was six years old. There’s no way that nostalgia won’t creep its way into my review, and I’m not sure that it shouldn’t. I could not resist this book by Jeff Ryan, which delves into the history of Nintendo in America, just how Nintendo caught on with the masses at one of the worst times to release video games in history, and how they continue to captivate us as competition ramps up from a series of new competitors.
I was particularly entranced by the early sections of the book where Ryan looks at Nintendo’s history. I knew they started out in the nineteenth century as a card company, but the intervening years until the NES was released in North America were mostly lost to me. Ryan fills in the gaps and does quite a bit towards explaining just why Mario was so successful when other characters failed. He suggests that Mario’s very lack of personality, beyond the simple facts of his life, make him appealing because he is an everyman. There is a reason Mario doesn’t speak beyond “Woohoo!” because the less we know about him, the more we can put ourselves in his shoes. It’s an intriguing concept, and it’s true that Mario games the few for me which don’t actually need a story to succeed.
Ryan is clearly a Nintendo fan, which comes through in his writing, and is instantly appealing to another person who has had a Nintendo console nearby for the past twenty-five years. We didn’t get our NES until I was four, but that means I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have the ability to play a Mario game more or less whenever I wished. This book definitely succeeds in tapping into those memories and covering all aspects of Nintendo, not just Mario games.
Perhaps the only thing the book is lacking is actual hands-on interviews conducted by the author himself. A lot of it is research gleaned from a huge variety of sources, but we don’t get much insight into the personalities of the people behind Nintendo. Shigeru Miyamoto is of course the posterchild for cool Nintendo games; I loved hearing more about the older games that he created before Mario and how Mario changed as time went on, but would have loved even more insight from the mind of a man who can create gaming addictions at will.
I did quite like the rotating history of Nintendo’s competitors and how Nintendo has managed to innovate and remain on top for years. After the slow sales of the GameCube, many people thought Nintendo was going to be like Sega and sell only software because of the difficulties they were having. But Nintendo fought back with the Wii, which has been ridiculously successful and found a home with everyone from small children to elderly disabled.
There is every indication that the company will continue to fight back in the future, providing pure fun for all to enjoy, and in the end Super Mario was a lovely tribute to both the company and the great character of Mario himself. If you’re a Nintendo fan, you can’t go wrong with this book.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I received this book for free for review via Netgalley.
 Irene and Nate Stanley move to Oregon in search of a better life for themselves and their family. Irene is reluctant to leave her extended family, but believes in the hope that her husband gives her. Instead, what they get is a seemingly random housebreaking and the death of their son, Shep. The murderer Daniel Robbin is caught, but the death of a child is something that neither can really cope with – driving away their daughter, Bliss, and launching life-changing consequences for the family.
This was one of the first books I bought for my Kindle nearly a year ago, and all this time it’s simply sat there unread – a book that, like so many, loses its luster once acquired. Luckily, I was travelling and had nothing on me but the Kindle, so when everything else ALSO seemed to lose appeal (don’t we all hate it when that happens?) I finally opened this title and started to read. I’m glad I did – this was a powerful book with a surprise twist at the end that I hardly expected, but which really added to the strength of the entire book.
The novel is told through alternating viewpoints. Most of the book is from Irene’s perspective as she loses her son, with the occasional chapter from Bliss, and the rest of the book is told by Tab Mason, the man who has been ordered to kill Daniel Robbin. Robbin has been on death row for years and Tab has never been the one to actually kill a man, nor is he comfortable with it. This perspective provides a really fascinating and heartbreaking look into the toll the death penalty takes on the people who are actually required to follow through with it.
The main thrust of the storyline, though, is Irene’s personal struggle with the murder of her son and the incredibly difficult pain she has to go through as a mother. She essentially dies inside – at first, she lives for the fact that her son’s murderer is going to be killed, until she decides to forgive him on what would have been Shep’s 25th birthday. She writes him a letter and, surprisingly and secretly, she and Daniel begin corresponding. This leads to the biggest twist in the book, which I obviously won’t spoil for you. It’s a fascinating meditation on the power of forgiveness, though, and the strength of a mother’s love.
For a book I wasn’t actually sure I’d like after I bought it, The Crying Tree was a powerful surprise, and certainly one I’d recommend to those who aren’t afraid of tackling more difficult issues in their reading.
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 The insect kingdom is an incredible place, and many of us humans hardly think about them unless they’re annoying us, in which case we promptly squash them and forget about it. But insects are unbelievably diverse; new species are being uncovered virtually every day. Since they are so different from us, insects provide us the unique opportunity to study genetics without reading human traits into them. We simply can’t ascribe an ant human emotions, certainly not as easily as we can with monkeys or dogs or lions. Zuk uses this perspective to explore the sexual and familial relationships of insects and apply her conclusions to help us examine the human condition and what really is special about us – and them.
The non-fiction bug has bitten me hard, so I thought it was only appropriate to read non-fiction about insects! Stupid jokes aside, this was a genuinely fascinating book in ways I never suspected it would be. Marlene Zuk makes biology incredibly interesting, using examples from a variety of insect species to demonstrate interesting facts about genetics that I’d never really have thought about. One of my favorite chapters was on insect parenting, where she goes into depth on the vastly different aspects of insect parenting, including how some insects are more attentive to their young than some cuddlier creatures. She does pull from many other species when comparing with insects, which I think helps the book fit in nicely with a lot of things that casual readers already know.
I also loved that she used insects as a means of questioning what precisely it means to be human. Outside of consciousness, which is impossible to really define as we have no idea what causes or even if everyone’s is the same, much of human behavior is replicated elsewhere. For example, bees communicate with each other in what is for all intents and purposes a language, and if we narrow the definition of language enough to exclude them it becomes pretty clear that we’re doing it solely to make ourselves look special. Bees confer on decisions, like when moving to a new hive, do waggle dances to show each other where food is, and can fly in large groups to unfamiliar destinations without losing stragglers. It’s very sophisticated behavior for such tiny insects.
Zuk also spends some time on gender roles and how our assumptions of insect genders throughout the years have reflected on our own biases. Even now, many of her students find it impossible to believe that certain insects, like many of the bees you see flying around or army ants, are female. The queen bee was for years assumed to be a male bee – of course, no one even postulated that it could be female until one was dissected for evidence. She shows how ingrained gender roles still are in our society, an unfortunate reality that was excellently illustrated in this case.
She also spends quite a bit of time explaining evolution and how insects may have turned out to be this way. I really appreciated this – I haven’t read much about evolution and I don’t feel I learned much in school, so having such a fantastic explanation alongside interesting traits that seem improbable was incredibly helpful. Among other things, she helps to explain how different “personalities” can have their own advantages – meaning both work from a selection standpoint – and she also goes into some experiments done on artificial selection and the advantages some really peculiar aspects of insect life might have, especially in light of their extremely short lifespans. It felt quite comprehensive and detailed to me, but I was never at a loss for understanding. I felt like I’d learned something once I’d finished.
Even if you’ve never looked at a bug and wondered whether it was male or female, Sex on Six Legs is a genuinely fascinating book. Its title is provocative, which I hope gets it the attention it deserves, but the content is so much more than a look at insect sex. Zuk uses insects to help define our own world, imparting a great deal of biological knowledge and wisdom along the way. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.
I am an Amazon Associate. I received this book for free for review from Netgalley.
 Cora Cash, one of America’s greatest heiresses in the late Victorian era, naturally has a scheming mama. And that scheming mama wants her incredibly wealthy daughter married to a British peer. She’d like a prince, but she’ll settle for a duke, regardless of what Cora really wants – which is her American friend Teddy. But when Cora meets the Duke, Ivo, by complete accident, she begins to fall for him and finds herself married to him in very short order. But British society is further from home than just the ocean crossing and Cora soon finds herself in over her head between her mother-in-law, the Prince Regent, and the many preferences and proprieties that encapsulate her new husband’s every day life.
This book is sold as similar to Jane Austen and Edith Wharton, as a book that is reminiscent of Downton Abbey, a television series I recently watched and fell in love with. It had huge shoes to fill, so perhaps it’s not a surprise that it came up short. It was an enjoyable read, but much shallower than all three comparisons. In reality, I came across someone else saying it was like The Luxe series for adults, and I think that’s probably the most apt description I’ve seen yet.
Part of the problem with the book is that much of it is told and little of it is shown to us. Cora is meant to be a stubborn, plucky heroine, determined to escape the shadows of her mother’s influence, but in reality she is a girl who reacts, not a girl who acts. She seems much more comfortable letting her money and comfort slide her along through life without really fighting for anything she cares about. Even towards the end of the book, most of her ‘growth’ consists of ordering the butler to do things to spite her mother-in-law.
The one aspect I really enjoyed was the story of Cora’s colored maid Bertha. Bertha has her own difficulties as a colored lady’s maid, particularly in her native US. Things begins to change for her as she moves to England with Cora and the stigma fades away to some extent, offering her the first chance of an independent life she has really ever had. But her loyalty to Cora often gets in the way. This was actually a really fascinating aspect of the story and had me wondering what ladies’ maids really thought – were they loyal to the women who had fashioned their entire careers? I wished others servants were equally fleshed out because I’m sure the more fleshed out dynamics of an American versus British ‘downstairs’ would have been fascinating. As it is, Bertha ignores most of the other servants, completely isolating herself.
The American Heiress was certainly an enjoyable read that I managed to zip through in just one day. But I think the many comparisons it’s received have done it a disservice, and the book is best treated as a lighter historical read than classic material. Historical beach reading at its best.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I received this book for free for review.
 Wearing his very best, Oliver le Beau Blackthorn sets off to propose marriage to his beloved, Madelyn. Since his amorous advances were received favorably, he’s reasonably certain that he has a chance at her hand in marriage, even though he is a bastard. Reasonably certain, anyway, until her brother kicks him out and delivers him the beating of his life, right in front of Madelyn’s little sister Chelsea. Beau begins a lifelong campaign to get revenge on Thomas; what he doesn’t count on is Chelsea dropping right into his lap. Nearly forced to marry the odious and insincere reverand who rules Thomas’s life, Chelsea is determined to get the ultimate revenge by eloping with Beau. The pair soon discover that they’re united in a lot more than dislike for Thomas.
This was a sweet, very readable historical romance that at times even had me laughing. The main couple have that all-important chemistry; in fact, they’re more often found teasing each other than anything else, which made me really feel that they had a particular connection. They are truly adorable together, and their discovery of that makes for a very enchanting read. This is the basis of the appeal of the entire book, and it’s one thing Michaels does very very well.
The plot itself is very simple; the couple set out for Gretna Green and mainly focus on evading Thomas. He is not evil, just misguided, with little affection for either of his sisters; so there isn’t really a villain at all in the story, though it could have very easily slipped into that trope. I personally had envisioned quite a few different scenarios towards the end in the way of the HEA – I didn’t actually expect it to end the way it did. But it was a good ending, and no one really reads romances for the exterior plots anyway.
I suppose my only problem with the book is the title. Beau is not a rake. They make occasional references to his “extensive experience” with women but he’s ridiculously far from the classic image of a rake. Not once does he take advantage of Chelsea – he never even tries. He’s rather the perfect gentleman. I wonder if the book was given that title just to attract attention and trade on the well-known romance stereotype – it’s not at all descriptive of the contents of the book.
The Taming of the Rake is a sweet, funny, and enchanting romance, a great choice for other historical romance fans, and definitely recommended by me.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I received this book for free from Netgalley.
 Maggie Bullock would do just about anything to save her father’s life, so when she has to rob a bank to pay for his medical treatments, she goes and does it. She has no regret; the bank is run by a man she thought was her father’s friend, but who failed to loan him the money for his treatments. Immediately, Maggie flees the small town she grew up in, but hot on her heels is bounty hunter Dean Collier. He’s been offered a chance to make good if he catches her, and he truly longs to be a sheriff again, but he hadn’t counted on Maggie’s bewitching ways. Over the three weeks it takes him to return her for ransom, their resilience will be tested over and over again.
I downloaded this book because of the many rave reviews it was receiving on Twitter. While I don’t think they were entirely undeserved, on first impression this book and I didn’t get along particularly well. In part I think it was because Dean’s attraction was described a little too coarsely – I have no idea what men think but personally, this was a bit more than I had bargained for. It’s hard to describe what exactly put me off him, but his thoughts towards her are far from honorable, probably fairly accurately along the lines of what a man with a captured woman actually thinks. He never takes advantage of her – but the start of the book had me worried.
Regardless, I perservered, and it’s once the couple get to know each other that the book comes into its own and becomes an enjoyable read. Rooting along with Maggie and Dean against the bad guys when the final showdown occurs is as satisfying as you’d expect it to be. Dean is a fairly stereotypical romance novel hero – a guilt complex because he blames himself for deaths he couldn’t have helped – but Maggie is a feisty Western heroine and I couldn’t help but like her. She does her best to see things as they truly are and seize the moment. She had me from the first few virtual pages – that bank robbing scene is very well written and perfectly done to grab the eager reader. She has some hard facts to face over the course of the novel, but she always accepts and follows what she believes in. It’s just a shame Dean isn’t as appealing!
Overall, I’m not sure I’ll be singing Catch Me‘s praises to every romance reader I know. But if you’re looking for a satisfying Western romance and prepared to overlook a hero in favor of a strong heroine, this one could be the book you’re looking for.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I received this book for free from Netgalley.
 Katey Kontent is one secretary of many in 1938 New York City, living with her stylish friend Eve and generally just having fun as a single 25-year-old. She and Eve don’t make much money, but they have their routines set at the boardinghouse and consider one another best friends. Then, while out one night, the girls bump into Tinker Grey, a wealthy young man that Kate immediately pegs as wealthy, privileged, and unattainable. But Tinker goes on to make a huge effect on their lives in a pivotal year for both women. Katey vividly learns the results of her own choices and how she has the power to shape her own destiny.
This was a truly incredible read. It sounded fantastic, but I really didn’t expect to end up loving it quite as much as I did. I read it entirely on public transport, which usually makes for distractions, but not with this book, as I was completely and totally absorbed in my Kindle no matter what happened – to the extent that at times I worried I’d miss my stop and had to put it away!
The first and primary thing I loved about this book was the atmosphere. It is so successful at evoking late 30’s New York. The parties, the restaurants, the high societies, right down to the difficulties of Kate’s initial job at the secretary pool and her various fading living spaces. Tinker’s life is vividly contrasted with Kate’s starting position – and then there is the stereotypical older woman, Anne, who complicates everything Kate thinks she knows over and over again throughout the book. It’s a vivid backdrop that explores the nature of wealth, hard work, and simple luck, and rings true as a very American story.
I adored the perspective of single women trying very hard to make it for themselves. The book is from Kate’s point of view, and she is a strong woman – not afraid to be feminine, but constantly reaching for the stars and refusing to settle for anything less than she truly deserves. She has to make a number of choices over this pivotal year in her life, and she learns very sharply that her decisions make her destiny.
The supporting characters are definitely not without their charms and complete the whole picture that the novel makes. Eve is equally determined to escape her past and her well-meaning parents by living it up somewhere she is completely anonymous; Kate’s love interests display that old-fashioned form of wooing; and best of all, the characters are bookworms. They’re often well read, make comments about what they’re reading, and bring me in with the sort of allusions that only another reader would adore.
Rules of Civility completely won me over and I’d happily recommend it to any other reader; it’s just that good.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I received this book for free for review from Netgalley.
 Piet Barol has always longed to be more than his humble upbringings. He’s searching for a job in Amsterdam in 1907 that will catapult him into the life he believe he’s always deserved. With a letter of introduction in hand, he hastens to the doorstep of the Vermeulen-Sickerts, whose son, a musical genius, refuses to go outside and follows carefully constructed rituals to keep himself safe. Piet lands the job and almost immediately sets about making himself indispensable and liked in the family. His climb to prosperity is both scandalous and gripping, rich with the opulence of the period and the emotional complexities that rise from Piet’s relationships.
This book is not for the sensitive, because as the title implies, it does get quite scandalous, and Piet doesn’t hesistate to trade on his physical appeal to gain traction with the ladies, going as far as he is allowed. There is a lot of tension between him and several other characters in the book, men and women, as his attractiveness and relentless ambition drives him to sleep with anyone despite his own personal preferences.
That isn’t the part I liked about the book, really, although I thought those relationships were well done. I was interested in two other aspects; Piet’s relationship with the smallest member of the Vermeulen-Sickerts family was one that stuck out to me. The poor boy has such a conflict within himself, and while Piet’s relationship with him only pushes him in the correct direction, I still felt quite a lot of sympathy for him.
The other part that I really enjoyed was the setting. In particular, most of the book is set in Amsterdam, and it’s very glamorous at that. I loved hearing about the parties, the usual contrast between the lives of the servants and the lives of the aristocrats, and all of the little details that Mason fills the book with. Later on in the book, Piet heads off on a steamship, and once again we get that contrast; Piet is not in first class, but his connections with a servant friend get him there. Along with him, we experience the huge difference that a change in station entails, and it’s almost too easy to see why he longs to climb the social ladder so deeply.
It’s obvious at the end of this novel that the series hasn’t quite ended yet, and I do believe Mason intends to follow up with more details of Piet’s life. This isn’t going to be a favorite of mine, but I did enjoy the ride. I’d recommend it for anyone looking for an excellent depiction of Belle Epoque Amsterdam, complex characters, and who doesn’t mind some racy scenes in their books.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I received this book for free from Amazon Vine.
 The faerie world has never been comfortable for October Daye. Half-human, half-fae, she formerly ran investigations until her magical heritage lost her fourteen years of her life and the people she loved. Even though she’s decided that she’s finished with that half of her life, serving as a grocery store clerk until her need to avoid dawn gets her fired, the fae aren’t finished with her. She is drawn back into the world against her will, but with no power to resist her latest investigation into a friend’s death.
Ana of the Book Smugglers recommended this to me as her favorite recent urban fantasy series, and since you all know how much I love urban fantasy, there was simply no way I could say no. While this hasn’t displaced my current favorites, it’s fantastic to discover a new one.
This is proper urban fantasy, set right in the midst of San Francisco, where the fae blend neatly in the human world whenever possible. There are only a few times where they are vulnerable, such as at dawn, when October (Toby) must hide herself from detection. She has lost everything and mainly wishes to hide in the midst of the urban jungle. But she’s left no choice in the matter and must delve up old memories as she searches for a killer, and we’re right along with her on her journey.
This made it really easy to be immersed in the world as Toby’s investigation carries her around different sections of the fae, reacquainting her with old allies, enemies, and even lovers. There are quite a few places for McGuire to go with future installments in the series even as the current mystery begins to wrap up. This is a very eerie world; I’ve never been to San Francisco but I got a feel for the grimness of this version of the city, with its constant danger and quirky, often threatening inhabitants.
I really enjoyed the character of Toby in this book. I loved her casual banter, her struggles with other characters, and the fact that she feels like a human even though she’s actually half fae. It makes her very easy to sympathize with, especially because her concerns are actually very human in nature, particularly in the beginning of the book. She just wants to survive, to see her child, to be with the people she loves. I think it would be a challenge not to feel for her.
I did very much enjoy this particular urban fantasy and I’m looking forward to reading more in the series. There are three more, with another book coming out in October. In fact, now that I’ve written this review, I’m a bit tempted to go buy them now! Rosemary and Rue would be an excellent choice for anyone else who is craving a little bit more urban fantasy.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I bought this book.
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