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 Eloise has finally scored a date with Colin, but more importantly, she’s found the Vaughn archives and is digging into Lord Sebastian Vaughn’s life. Miss Mary Alsworthy, essentially jilted by Lord Geoffrey Pinchingdale and her sister Letty, is at a loss. She’s older now and has no reliable husband prospects on the horizon. In a bid to gain more independence, she agrees to help Lord Vaughn by becoming one of the petals of the Black Tulip. After all, she has just the right coloring and she definitely needs more excitement in her life. Needless to say, she gets much more excitement than she bargained for.
This is my favorite Pink Carnation book so far. I found both characters to be stiff at first, but watching them soften – if only to each other – was possibly the best moment of the series. Mary went, believably, from self-serving to really caring about this man, and I could see how it happened. Best of all, this book is very much a meeting of the minds. Mary and Vaughn have the best snarky conversations of any characters and it seems as though their personalities just fit together perfectly. They are the cynics among a flock of impressionable romantics and it’s hard not to love them for it. As for the plot, I figured out who the Black Tulip was maybe halfway through the book, so the big reveal wasn’t all that much of a surprise, but that was okay with me; there were other exciting events going on. I also, contrary to popular opinion it seems, enjoyed that Willig left out the customary love scene in this one. It isn’t necessary and never really has been. There’s a spark between these two, but no need to follow it through when we all know how that goes. I think it works much better this way because it’s more about who they are as people.
Again, I think this is the best in the series. I have begun to accept that the series isn’t actually going to end any time soon, though, so if that bothers you, it may be worth staying away. Personally, I love these books, they’re perfect candy fare and I very much enjoy the history worked in and even the frame story of Colin and Eloise. Buy The Seduction of the Crimson Rose on Amazon.
 While walking one day, Henry Lee spies a crowd of people around a closed down hotel, marveling at the artifacts discovered within – remnants of those who were rounded up and sequestered in concentration camps during World War II. Henry, sore from losing his wife, Ethel, can hardly contain his hope as these belongings may just provide a link with his past, when he loved a beautiful Japanese girl and was convinced that everything would work out.
I loved this book. It’s always fun to start a review with that sentence, isn’t it? I can’t say I was hooked from the first page, but somewhere around when Henry meets Keiko, I fell in love and couldn’t wait to read more. I really didn’t, I finished it in only two days. Ford’s writing is lovely and he gives us a lot of history to think about. The Japanese internment during World War II is one of those murky areas of American history that, to be honest, was skipped over throughout my education. I only knew about it because a friend’s grandmother was imprisoned at first and have since come across it in other novels. It’s always appalled me; rounding up American citizens just because of their ancestry is disgusting. I was very interested in the exploration of it here, particularly the concerned Chinese citizens trying not to get arrested themselves.
Anyway, enough with the history! I really loved this book because it had a wonderful mix of sadness and hope, perfectly capturing bittersweet. It made me feel nostalgic for a past so distant from my own life that it’s like they lived in another country, even though I’m sure I wouldn’t want to have lived it. The title is so appropriate. Watching the story unfold is like listening to beautiful music, but with that edge of tension in it. I wanted to know what happened and I raced through it. I can’t wait to read this one again and savor it.
Highly recommended. Beautiful, bittersweet story and fascinating, important history.
Buy Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet on Amazon today.
 Stuart Jameson, a face-painter, is forced to flee his debts in Scotland for the small provincial city of Boston in the American colonies. He makes every effort to appear an honorable man in order to solicit customers, including hiring an apprentice. That apprentice just so happens to be one Fanny Easton, disguised as Francis Weston, a disgraced daughter of Boston’s tiny imitation of aristocracy determined to seize her one opportunity at becoming a painter. Together, they’re confronted by a murder mystery, an unexpected passion, and deep family secrets.
I was looking forward to reading this because one of the authors, Jane Kamensky, teaches at Brandeis University, which is where I did my undergrad degree. I didn’t take a class with her (American history isn’t my thing when it comes to academics) but I did meet with her and hear her speak. Also, the idea of proper historians writing historical fiction is exciting. I know they’re not going to get the history wrong and if they can write, it has the potential to be an amazing combination, at least for me. The question would be whether it lived up to my expectations, and I think it did in some ways but not in others.
First, I enjoyed this bawdy look at early Boston history. It’s a nice change from the pure and proper picture that I think early American history often gets. The volume of sex is a bit discomforting and unnecessary at times, and doesn’t always work with the plot, but a lot of this book seems to be about culture rather than plot. I’ve seen the writing referred to as purple and overblown in several places, but I’ve always been a fan of overwritten books. I like the way such authors can play with the English language, and here it isn’t done enough to mock but to give off an atmosphere.
As far as plot goes, however, it wasn’t particularly exciting. Looking back on the book, it’s very linear and predictable. I didn’t guess who actually committed the murder, but I did with almost everything else, especially the ending. And the romance didn’t sweep me away. Passion was there, yes, but love? It didn’t convince me. Lastly, as much as I like a great atmosphere, the book was too long for its plot. It took 150 pages to get to the mystery and it felt very slow, even though I don’t think it was meant to be suspenseful. Mostly, the book at times felt like the authors were playing with each other, the period, and words, and it wasn’t necessarily conducive to a fantastic plot and characters even if it provided an interesting atmosphere and feeling for the period.
After nearly 500 pages, I’m not sure I can recommend this unless you’re interested in that sort of playful atmosphere. The story is interesting enough, but it does take a while to read and needs some thought and engagement.
Check out Blindspot on Amazon.
As a young girl, Annette Vallon is a free spirit. She reads novels, rides horses, and hunts with her father. She is far from ordinary, particularly set against the backdrop of the French revolution. When young, Annette meets and falls in love with William Wordsworth, an English poet who has just found his muse. This book follows Annette in her journey to persevere during the French Revolution, as a woman who is strong, faithful, and brave.
I found it a bit difficult to engage with this book. I’m not sure why. It is well-written and well-told, particularly the love between Annette and William, and by the end I found myself overwhelmed by the story I’d read and a bit sad that I’d felt so distracted through the rest of the novel. I think I would have had a better time with it if I had a little more patience around this time of year. It’s unquestionably very good. Annette is a wonderful character, surrounded by loveable sidekicks and a few despicable enemies. The plot is always lively. I felt as though the author slipped into Annette’s narrative voice more easily as the story went along, and he did a very good job portraying a woman’s mind. It would have been easy to make Annette weak, considering all that happens in her life, but instead she is brave and daring. I wish there was more history written about her so that I could know more – and that, as Tipton says in his author’s note, Wordsworth’s nephew hadn’t destroyed all evidence of their correspondence.
It isn’t the best historical fiction I’ve read, but Annette Vallon is worth a look, particularly for those who like to really sink into a book and stay there.
Buy Annette Vallon on Amazon.
Thanks to Jeremy at Harper Collins for my copy!
 The first child of King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, Elizabeth of York seems destined for greatness. She is the apple of her father’s eye, betrothed to the heir to the French throne, and loved by the people. When her father dies too young and Richard III takes the throne over her brother Edward, Elizabeth’s mother rushes the family into sanctuary. Increasingly, the family hears horrible things about Richard and fears for the worst. One night, however, Richard himself visits the sanctuary and everything changes. As history inexorably moves forward, changing lives all over England, Elizabeth well earns her reputation as selfless, generous, and noble.
I’m not sure how to review this book. Let me say first that I really enjoyed it and give you my historian’s opinion. Sandra Worth never goes outside of the facts; she fills in between the lines. With Elizabeth of York, there is quite a bit to fill in; she is so little known. In some ways, I’d call this a very romantic interpretation of the history, but I think that’s why many of us read historical fiction. I simply know too much about Richard III. Worth has definitely done her research, and I really appreciated her selected bibliography at the end, but I’m wondering why she didn’t include more of the modern histories on Edward IV and Richard III. Personally, I loved the idea that Perkin Warbeck was actually the younger of the two princes in the tower. So little has been done on that possibility and it’s an exciting question, if one we’ll never know the answer to. I too wonder why the bones found in the Tower haven’t been exhumed and analyzed in recent years. If they are the princes, then these questions would be conclusively answered.
Okay, now, as a book, how did it hold up? Well, I really liked it. I loved Elizabeth. She’s a great, strong, sympathetic character throughout. I knew what was going to happen, so I didn’t get caught up in the plot, but I think if I didn’t know the history I would have been. In any case, the book is well-written and easy to lose yourself in for a while. Something else I really liked was how well the author depicted the changes between the Plantagenet kings and the Tudors and the shift into the early modern period, which for me is marked by the growth in the king’s power and the lessening of the nobles’ power.
Overall, this is solid, entertaining historical fiction and I definitely recommend it.
Buy The King’s Daughter on Amazon.
 Cassia Xiao is an impoverished girl whose aunt is determined to get her to Shanghai. Cassia has no objection to this and begs Madame Emerald, the owner of a fancy brothel, to take her on as a servant girl. Madame Emerald buys Cassia and does indeed set her up as a servant girl, but Cassia’s life is not grand until one of Madame Emerald’s lovers, Master Chang, takes a look at Cassia and sees something more. He doesn’t mind her unbound feet and takes her as his lover, insisted that she be set up like the other prostitutes, spending every day and night with her. They fall in love and Cassia is initiated into the secret Hong brotherhood. At one of these meetings, Master Chang is killed and Cassia falls from favor. It is only her determination that brings her back up from the streets to become one of Shanghai’s most revered figures.
Let me start off by saying that this book felt like it was taking me forever to read, although it only took me about a week in reality. The story is not bad at all when you look at it in summary. Cassia’s life would make for great fiction. On the whole, it reminded me of Memoirs of a Geisha; a tale of a slightly scandalous woman that is framed as if realistic but is actually fiction. The early 20th century Chinese setting was very interesting as well, particularly with the mafia-like “brotherhoods” and the difference between the country and the city. These are things I rarely come across in fiction.
The execution, however, for me left a lot to be desired. The prose is completely awkward. The dialogue is about as far from realistic as you can imagine. Worse, it was far more erotic than I’d bargained for and I’m sure some of the scenes should be up there as the worst written sex in fiction. I think the novel would have been far, far better off with just suggestion rather than going into the details.
I’m not sure if any of this is the fault of the translation or the original story and I know that I have been appalled by writing which other people don’t seem to mind in the past. So it might be just me. In all honesty, though, I really can’t recommend this book, except perhaps to look at the lovely cover. The model is the author herself.
 On the eve of the dissolution of monasteries, Matthew Shardlake is sent by Thomas Cromwell to a very troublesome monastery to work out who has murdered the last king’s commissioner. It is his duty to work out a tangle of secrets and lies in the midst of a religious controversy and struggles of his own.
At first, I wasn’t sure I was going to like this. It came highly recommended, but it didn’t start off with much promise. Trapped on a train with nothing else to read, though, I perservered and was rewarded. The mystery was intense and though I knew Shardlake wasn’t going to die, I wondered what would happen to all the rest of the characters. I also found the portrayal of Tudor England compelling. I don’t spend much time thinking about the dissolution of the monasteries because it makes me quite angry (all that beauty and history destroyed mainly on one man’s whim) but this book really shows a country in turmoil. People don’t know what to believe or what to do. It wasn’t a pleasant time to live, but it’s very interesting to read about. I think I’ll be reading the next in this series.
Buy Dissolution on Amazon today.
 In diary form, legendary seducer Don Juan Tenorio tells us in his own words how he got his reputation, how he goes about seducing women, and more intriguingly, his own love stories. Who knew Don Juan could fall in love? We learn that he seduces because he loves women as a whole, not for particular reasons of his own, but that he’s finally stymied by one woman who is particularly hard to win over and in the end challenges Don Juan to consider his own philosophies as he’s confronted with the startling loss of his heart.
I thought it sounded interesting, particularly because I’ve read reviews all over the blogosphere and they were universally praising. Don Juan is one of those characters who exists in phrases and popular knowledge but without much substance behind him. Abrams has provided that substance and done so in a way that Don Juan could conceivably be a real person, albeit a rare one. I think I was a bit let down, though, as I expected a bit more from it. I wanted deeper characters and more to the story than a fight to win a particular woman and a trail of lovers. I didn’t feel attachment and I knew the ending as soon as Don Juan met Dona Ana. That’s not what I look for in regular historical fiction, but I suppose given the subject I shouldn’t have expected so much. It would have been much better if I’d gone into it without any expectations and was looking for something lighter at that particular time instead of taking a break from that lighter fiction. I did enjoy it, but I felt it was lacking in complexity for my particular mood. So, most likely my fault, not Abrams’!
To sum up: a good read, but don’t expect much more than a book about Don Juan and his various exploits! Many others have loved this novel and so might you, don’t take my word for it.
Buy The Lost Diary of Don Juan on Amazon.
 In order to escape from a forced marriage of sorts, Lucy Carleton flees to Bath, her cousin and “intended” aiding her, until they reach the home of Miss Annis Wynchwood, a determined spinster who is really only 26 and quite beautiful. When Annis involves herself in Lucy’s affairs, she finds herself tied up with Sir Oliver Carleton, Lucy’s uncle, who is now responsible for her welfare, with unexpected results.
I think the best word to describe this book is delightful. I found the beginning somewhat confusing, but I think I just had to get used to the style, because I loved it afterwards. Heyer’s prose is sparkling, the battle of wits between the characters is engaging, and reading this book just left me wanting more. I’d say Annis’s struggle towards the end was most interesting; her choice between what she saw as her freedom and love. The comparison to Jane Austen is clear here with this an entirely character driven tale of relations and relationships. Very much worth a read for anyone interested in the period.
Buy it on Amazon.
 I really enjoyed Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks, so I was looking forward to this. I probably shouldn’t have been quite so excited, though. Little Women was my first “adult book” in elementary school and I have a lot of sentimental attachment to it. Besides that, I don’t normally like Civil War fiction but with the great exception of Sweetsmoke earlier this year I felt I should give it a try. And it was from the library, so giving it a try didn’t put me out any money or space on my shelves.
This book covers both the idealistic young adulthood of Mr. March and his current missionary duty in the south at a plantation where he teaches the former slaves. We’re used to the loving image put forth by Marmee and the girls in Little Women, but here we get the brutal reality of war as it affects the man himself and watch as his ideologies are eroded in the face of the struggle.
Honestly, I didn’t really like it. Like I said, this might just be me not liking Civil War books and nothing to do with the book itself. Mr. March irritated me with his high and mighty ideas. Worse, the way he treated Marmee after they married was intolerable and I think shameful, just because she didn’t conform to his ideas about how women should be. Gah. Maybe that’s period appropriate but it bugged me.
I did like how he had to adjust to the war and the hardships he went through, so maybe it was just all too harsh for me, raining too much on my Little Women parade. I thought the book did a great job exploring the issues of how the war could affect him and the problems of being so far from his family for so long. I liked the depiction of the March’s mind afterwards and the impact it made on his psyche.
I just didn’t like most of it. Unfortunate but true. I think if you like Civil war stories and aren’t attached to Little Women, you may like this one – it did win the Pulitzer, after all. It just wasn’t for me. Regardless, I am still planning on reading People of the Book, because at least I don’t have any expectations and nostalgic love wrapped up there.
Find this book on Amazon .
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