Now Reading.... Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer

Footsteps in the Dark
by Georgette Heyer

Publication Date: January 2007
(first published 1932)
Paperback: 352 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance



Overview
The ramshackle old house, with its rambling charm, is beloved of Peter, Margaret, and Celia who inherited it from their uncle. Local wisdom, however, says the Priory is haunted and then a murder is committed. Can the answer be found in the realm of the supernatural or is it more down to earth?

To Tame a Highland Warrior by Karen Marie Moning

Rating: SNAG!

To Tame a Highland Warrior
by Karen Marie Moning
Genre: Romance, Historical Fiction
Paperback: 366 pages
Publication Date: June 2004





Cover Description

Only her love could gentle his savage soul—
He was born to a clan of warriors of supernatural strength, but Gavrael McIllioch abandoned his name and his Highland castle, determined to escape the dark fate of his ancestors. Hiding his identity from the relentless rival clan that hunted him, he called himself Grimm to protect the people he cared for, vowing never to acknowledge his love for ravishing Jillian St. Clair. Yet even from afar he watched over her, and when her father sent an urgent summons, "Come for Jillian," he raced to her side—into a competition to win her hand in marriage.
 
Why had he run from her so many years before? And why return now to see her offered as a prize in her father's manipulative game? Furious, Jillian vowed never to wed. But Grimm was the man she loved, the one who urged her to marry another. He tried to pretend indifference as she tempted him, but he could not deny the fierce desires that compelled him to abduct her from the altar. She was the only woman who could tame the beast that raged within him—even as deadly enemies plotted to destroy them both....

Verdict

To Tame a Highland Warrior is not one of Moning's best endeavors. It was very reminiscent of the typical trashy romance novel. The romantic overtures, at times, were so ridiculously sweet I felt like Molasses was dripping from the pages. The novel lacked that typical Moning quality that I find so enticing.
However, if you are a big fan of Moning, it is worth the time and money.

Good Reading!
Sarah :)

The Devlin Diary by Christi Phillips

Rating: BRAG!

The Devlin Diary

by Christi Phillips
Historical Fiction, Mystery
Paperback: 464 pages
Publication Date: April 2010





Verdict
Mesmerizing! The Devlin Diary goes down as one of my all-time favorites! I loved this book.... LOVED IT! Claire and Andrew are history fellows at Trinity, Cambridge and are trying to solve a murder in the current time period. Hannah and Edward are both doctors trying to solve several murders during the 1670's near Whitehall. Mystery, romance, high level vocabulary, history, royalty.... It's got it all! Christi Phillips ability to perfects the details of the time period is astounding. You will lose yourself in this book! Terrific purchase.

Good Reading,
Sarah :)


 

Trinity, Cambridge



Whitehall from St. James Park
Copyright © Sara Douglass Enterprises Pty Ltd 2006

About the Author
Christi Phillips is the author of The Devlin Diary and The Rossetti Letter, which is being translated into eight languages including Russian, German, Spanish and Portuguese. Her research combines a few of her favorite things: old books, libraries, and travel. When she’s not rummaging around in an archive or exploring the historic heart of a European city, she lives with her husband in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she is at work on her next novel, set in France.
http://christi-phillips.com/

Now Reading.... The Devlin Diary by Christi Phillips

The Devlin Diary

by Christi Phillips
Historical Fiction, Mystery
Paperback: 464 pages
Publication Date: April 2010







Cover Description

From the bestselling author of The Rossetti Letter comes a “thrilling” (Library Journal) novel of intrigue, passion, and royal secrets that shifts tantalizingly between Restoration-era London and present-day Cambridge, England. London, 1672. A vicious killer stalks the court of Charles II, inscribing the victims’ bodies with mysterious markings.Are the murders the random acts of a madman?Or the violent effects of a deeply hidden conspiracy?
Cambridge, 2008. Teaching history at Trinity College is Claire Donovan’s dream come true—until one of her colleagues is found dead on the banks of the River Cam. The only key to the professor’s unsolved murder is the seventeenth-century diary kept by his last research subject, Hannah Devlin, physician to the king’s mistress. Through the arcane collections of Cambridge’s most eminent libraries, Claire and fellow historian Andrew Kent follow the clues Hannah left behind, uncovering secrets of London’s dark past and Cambridge’s murky present and discovering that the events of three hundred years ago still have consequences today. . . .

Good Reading,
Sarah :)

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson

Rating: DRAG!

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas
by James Patterson
Romance, Fiction
Paperback: 304 pages
Publication Date: July 2003





Cover Description

Katie Wilkinson has finally found the perfect man - but one day he suddenly disappears, leaving behind only a diary written by a new mother named Suzanne for her baby, Nicholas. In it she intimately reveals the romance between herself and the child's father, her hopes for their marriage, and her unparalleled joy in motherhood. As Katie reads on, she realizes that the man she loves is Suzanne's husband. Now, filled with terror and hope, Katie must struggle to understand what has happened - and find out if her new love has a prayer of surviving.

VERDICT

I guess if you are a James Patterson fan you might enjoy Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas. This was the first James Patterson book I have read and I am a bit dissapointed. It is a touching (and depressing at times) love story with some beautiful details, but I didn't appreciate the way it alternated back and for between the diary and present day events. Without seeing more of Katie and Matt's relationship, I felt a bit cheated.

All in all, I would spend my $7.99 elsewhere.

Good Reading,

Sarah :)

Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning

Rating: BRAG!

Beyond the Highland Mist
(Highlander Series #1)

by Karen Marie Moning
Romantic Fiction, Time-Travel, Faeries
Paperback: 416 pages
Publication Date: June 2004

Warning: Sexual Content



VERDICT
Tantalizing faerie tale for grown-ups! Beyond the Highland Mist is an unbelievably gorgeous love story. Karen Marie Moning combines a bit of magic, a bit of faerie, some sensual highland men, and a lot of undiscovered love. Wonderful ending, beautifully told!

Good Reading!
Sarah ;)

Other books by Karen Marie Moning

Now Reading... Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning

Beyond the Highland Mist
(Highlander Series #1)
by Karen Marie Moning
Romantic Fiction, Time-Travel, Faeries
Paperback: 416 pages
Publication Date: June 2004








Cover Summary
 
An alluring laird
 
He was known throughout the kingdom as Hawk, legendary predator of the battlefield and the boudoir. No woman could refuse his touch, but no woman ever stirred his heart - until a vengeful fairy tumbled Adrienne de Simone out of modern-day Seattle and into medieval Scotland. Captive in a century not her own, entirely too bold, too outspoken, she was an irresistible challenge to the sixteenth-century rogue. Coerced into a marriage with Hawk, Adrienne vowed to keep him at arm's length - but his sweet seduction played havoc with her resolve.
 
A prisoner in time
 
She had a perfect "no" on her perfect lips for the notorious laird, but Hawk swore she would whisper his name with desire, begging for the passion he longed to ignite within her. Not even the barriers of time and space would keep him from winning her love. Despite her uncertainty about following the promptings of her own passionate heart, Adrienne's reservations were no match for Hawk's determination to keep her by his side....

Author's Website
http://www.karenmoning.com/


Reading Soon
Devlin Diary by Christi Phillips
Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

Rating: BRAG!

by Sarah Addison Allen
Contemporary Fiction, Mystery
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publication Date: March 2011






Cover Description

The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Chased the Moon welcomes you to her newest locale: Walls of Water, North Carolina, where the secrets are thicker than the fog from the town’s famous waterfalls, and the stuff of superstition is just as real as you want it to be.

It’s the dubious distinction of thirty-year-old Willa Jackson to hail from a fine old Southern family of means that met with financial ruin generations ago. The Blue Ridge Madam—built by Willa’s great-great-grandfather during Walls of Water’s heyday, and once the town’s grandest home—has stood for years as a lonely monument to misfortune and scandal. And Willa herself has long strived to build a life beyond the brooding Jackson family shadow. No easy task in a town shaped by years of tradition and the well-marked boundaries of the haves and have-nots.

But Willa has lately learned that an old classmate—socialite do-gooder Paxton Osgood—of the very prominent Osgood family, has restored the Blue Ridge Madam to her former glory, with plans to open a top-flight inn. Maybe, at last, the troubled past can be laid to rest while something new and wonderful rises from its ashes. But what rises instead is a skeleton, found buried beneath the property’s lone peach tree, and certain to drag up dire consequences along with it.  Show More

For the bones—those of charismatic traveling salesman Tucker Devlin, who worked his dark charms on Walls of Water seventy-five years ago—are not all that lay hidden out of sight and mind. Long-kept secrets surrounding the troubling remains have also come to light, seemingly heralded by a spate of sudden strange occurrences throughout the town.

Now, thrust together in an unlikely friendship, united by a full-blooded mystery, Willa and Paxton must confront the dangerous passions and tragic betrayals that once bound their families—and uncover truths of the long-dead that have transcended time and defied the grave to touch the hearts and souls of the living.

Resonant with insight into the deep and lasting power of friendship, love, and tradition, The Peach Keeper is a portrait of the unshakable bonds that—in good times and bad, from one generation to the next—endure forever.


VERDICT

Delicious enough to devour in a day! Sarah Addison Allen bestows on us a magical tale about friendship, southern charm, romance, and female independence. The Peach Keeper was thoroughly entertaining until the very end.
This charming story is the first novel I have read of Ms. Allen's. Now, I cannot wait to read more from her.

Good Reading,
Sarah :)


Quotes from The Peach Keeper

"Happiness means taking risks. And if you're not a little scared, you're not doing it right."

"When you're a teenager, your friends are your life. When you grow up, friendships seem to get pushed further and further back, until it seems like a luxury, a frivolity, like a bubble bath."

"Maybe you're afraid to relax and let some things just happen."


About the Author
taken from www.sarahaddisonallen.com

Seven Things About Sarah
1. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a trash man. I would spend hours daydreaming about riding on the back of a garbage truck, jumping off at every house and dumping people's trash into it.
2. I was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina, a place Rolling Stone magazine once called "America's New Freak Capital."
3. I have my B.A. in Literature, a major I chose because I thought it was amazing that I could get a diploma just for reading fiction. It was like being able to major in eating chocolate.
4. I can't turn away stray cats and I'm convinced they know this.
5. My father was a copy editor, reporter, and award-winning columnist for our local paper.
6. My mother has a nose ring, but we pretend it's not there.
7. Garden Spells, my mainstream debut, didn't start out as a magical novel. It was supposed to be a simple story about two sisters reconnecting after many years. But then the apple tree started throwing apples and the story took on a life of its own... and my life hasn't been the same since.

There's a Lion in My Bathroom! by Giles Paley-Phillips

Rating: BRAG!

by Giles Paley-Phillips
Illustrator: Matt Dawson
Genre: Children's Poetry, Children's Literature, Visual Poetry
Ages: 7 and up
Publication Date: August 2010
Paperback: 112 pages





Press Release
 

VERDICT

Hilarious, entertaining! There's a Lion in My Bathroom is a fantastic read for all ages! My kids and I can't wait to see what Giles Paley-Phillips comes up with next.
Pleased to know that part of the proceeds are donated to Luekemia and Lymphoma research.

Good Reading,
Sarah :)

Thereʼs A Lion In My Bathroom is a beautiful collection of nonsense poetry by author Giles Paley-Phillips. The book contains a selection of hilarious poems accompanied by striking illustrations by talented new illustrator Matthew Dawson. This book, intended for children, is equally appealing for adults of all ages who have retained their adolescent sense of humour. With a percentage of the profits from the sale of each copy of the book being donated to Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research, whatʼs not to love? Find out why Robin Hood lost an archery competition and how a bullied shark managed to save the day and turn the tables on his bullies.

Giles Paley-Phillips lives in Seaford with this family. He is a doting father and part-time rock star, this collection was obviously written with the intention of making his children smile. Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research is a charity dear to his heart, having sadly lost his mother to the disease when he was six years old.

Illustrator, Matthew Dawson lives in Surrey with his pencils, vast amounts of paper and not enough room for a dog. He works as a graphic designer but has a passion for illustration which is evident in his work, you can see more of his work at http://www.matt-dawson.co.uk/. Released by Rebel Books LLP, a new independent publishing house based in the North West, this is their third publication to date. Dedicated to producing beautiful timeless books for children and young adults, they believe Thereʼs A Lion In My Bathroom is a very special title. Their books are available to order online or through bookshops and you can find out more by visiting www.rebelbookspublishing.co.uk. Thereʼs a Lion in My Bathroom is due for release on 30th August 2010.

The Scarlet Lion by Elizabeth Chadwick

Rating: BRAG!

by Elizabeth Chadwick
Historical Fiction, British Literature, Romance
Publication Date: December 2006
Hardcover: 592 pages





VERDICT

If you fancy historical fiction and haven't read an Elizabeth Chadwick novel, don't wait any longer! She is truly a master of the genre. I laid siege to this book and wished many times to take a short vacation from my life in order to finish it all at once.

The Scarlet Lion, while certainly a stand-alone novel, is the continuation of The Greatest Knight and William Marshal's life. Elizabeth Chadwick novels include accurate historical details with some ingenious imagination added that fill in the gaps.

Truly Delightful!

Good Reading,
Sarah :)



William Marshal's Effigy - Temple Church, London



William Marshal Coat of Arms

Other Elizabeth Chadwick Novels

The Greatest Knight
The Time of Singing

Shadows and Strongholds

To Defy a King

Lords of the White Castle

The Champion

The Marsh King's Daughter

The Wild Hunt

The Winter Mantle

A Place Beyond Courage

Daughters of the Grail

The Running Vixen

Shields of Pride

The Leopard Unleashed

First Knight

Lady of the English