Doctor Death

Strong-minded and ambitious, Madeleine Karno is eager to shatter the constraints of her provincial French upbringing. She wants to become a pathologist like her father, whose assistant she is, but this is 1894, and autopsies are considered unseemly and ungodly, even when performed by a man—hence his odious nickname, Doctor Death. That a young woman should wish to spend her time dissecting corpses is too scandalous for words.

Thus, when seventeen-year-old Cecile Montaine is found dead in the snowy streets of Varbourg, her family will not permit a full post-mortem autopsy, and Madeleine and her father are left with a single mysterious clue: in the dead girl’s nostrils they find a type of parasite normally seen only in dogs. Soon after, the priest who held vigil by the dead girl’s corpse is brutally murdered. The thread that connects these two events is a tangled one, and as the death toll mounts, Madeleine must seek knowledge in odd places: behind convent walls, in secret diaries, and in the yellow stare of an aging wolf

Once I got into the story I could not put it down. Madeline is such a smart and determined character and takes advantage of every opportunity she is given in the murder investigations. There were quite a few twists, and I was completely surprised when all was revealed.  Well written and I look forward to the next book in the series.

This complimentary review copy was received thankfully from Atria Books vis NetGalley and in no way influenced my review of this book. These are my personal thoughts and reactions to the reading of the book.

Bellman and Black

ONE MOMENT IN TIME CAN HAUNT YOU FOREVER.

Caught up in a moment of boyhood competition, William Bellman recklessly aims his slingshot at a rook resting on a branch, killing the bird instantly. It is a small but cruel act, and is soon forgotten. By the time he is grown, with a wife and children of his own, William seems to have put the whole incident behind him. It was as if he never killed the thing at all. But rooks don’t forget . . .

Years later, when a stranger mysteriously enters William’s life, his fortunes begin to turn—and the terrible and unforeseen consequences of his past indiscretion take root. In a desperate bid to save the only precious thing he has left, he enters into a rather strange bargain, with an even stranger partner. Together, they found a decidedly macabre business.

And Bellman & Black is born.

I eagerly anticipated this book after loving the author's debut, The Thirteenth Tale. I was drawn into William's story even though it unfolded slowly.  We are introduced when he is a child and go through his life's up and downs for 50+ years.  William felt haunted by Mr. Black, but the book did not feel like a ghost story to me.   The book would make a great club selection with it's themes of abandonment, success, losses, death and eeriness's.  The writing was wonderful and I read the book in one sitting.  Can't wait to see what comes next from this author.

Author: Diane Setterfield
Published: October 2013
Pages:  336
Genre:  Historical
Source:  Atria's Galley Alley
Finished:  8/31/13



This complimentary review copy was received thankfully from Atria's Galley Alley and in no way influenced my review of this book. These are my personal thoughts and reactions to the reading of the book.

The Lavender Garden

Le Cote d’Azur, 1998: In the sun-dappled south of France, Emilie de la Martiniéres, the last of her gilded line, finds herself sole inheritor of her childhood home, a magnificent chateau and vineyard. With the house comes a mountain of debt – and almost as many questions.

Paris, 1944: A bright, young British office clerk, Constance Carruthers, is sent to Paris to be part of Churchill’s Special Operations Executive during the climax of the Nazi occupation. Separated from her contacts in the Resistance she stumbles into the heart of a prominent family who regularly entertain members of the German elite even as they plot to liberate France. In a city rife with collaborators and brave members of the Resistance, Constance’s most difficult decision may be determining whom to trust with her heart.

As Emilie discovers what really happened to her family during the war and finds a connection to Constance much closer than she suspects, the chateau itself will provide clues that can unlock the mysteries of her past, present, and future.

It took me until Constance's story was introduced to get totally invested.  Once that was accomplished, I could not put the book down.  I did not warm up to Emilie until half way through the book, she was a bit too naive and weak, but I liked that she came into her own as the book progressed. Lucinda does a fantastic job of telling a story within a story.

Author:  Lucinda Riley
Published: June 2013
Pages:
Genre: Contemporary/Historical
Source:  Atria Books
Finished: 6/30/13



This complimentary review copy was received thankfully from Diana and Atria Books and in no way influenced my review of this book. These are my personal thoughts and reactions to the reading of the book.

The Blackstone Affair Series

Naked (Book 1)

Brynne Bennett has left scandal in her past and is living the good life. An American grad student at the University of London and part-time photographic model, she’s getting back on track with lots of hard work and focus on a career in art conservation. When successful and charismatic London businessman Ethan Blackstone buys her nude portrait, he wants to possess more than just her image. He wants Brynne in his bed, serving him in every way possible. He has no trouble voicing his desires, and he isn’t taking “no” for an answer. At first, his dominant nature captivates her, but it isn’t clear if the force of his powerful desire will ultimately awaken or dispel the demons Brynne is carrying inside. There are secrets on both sides of this relationship—huge ones. Can Ethan erase the scars of Brynne’s past so that she can reveal her true self to him? Or will the shadows cast by Ethan’s own mysterious former life destroy their chance at happiness?

Book 1 in the series. Ethan is hired to protect Brynne, for a reason that is not made clear right away. I was hooked by the storyline and finished this short book quickly. This is not my usual genre and I thought there was a bit too much sex, without much tension.  Because of the cliffhanger, I want to know what happens and will read the second book.  

All In (Book 2)

Ethan Blackstone has a problem on his hands. He’s broken Brynne’s trust and she’s left him. He’s unwilling to live without her and isn’t giving up—he’s dead-set on getting his beautiful American girl back. The passion between them was explosive, but the secrets they hid from each other are dark and chilling and are powerful enough to destroy their shot at a life together. With political threats now directed at Brynne, Ethan is running out of time and he’ll need to gather all his strength and agility to protect her from the dangers that could take her away from him forever. Will Ethan be able to save Brynne from a past that keeps her locked in fear? Will he ever feel the warmth of her touch, the solidity of her trust again? This is a love-struck man who is willing to do whatever it takes to possess the heart of the woman he loves. He’ll go to any lengths to protect her. He’ll go all in.

 The first book's cliffhanger had me reaching for the second books as well as learning it was told in Ethan's POV.  We are given more of both Brynne and Ethan's background alluded to in book one, with more to be revealed in book three.  Ethan's POV was not as intriguing as I expected.  I really got tired of the slang used and still thought the romantic tension was lacking. I want to know what happens and will read the third book.

Eyes Wide Open (Book 3)

Big surprises are on the horizon for Ethan and Brynne as they struggle to adjust to what life has thrown at them. Demons from the past are threatening to destroy the passionate bond they’ve forged despite their vow that nothing will ever keep them apart. A truly devastating loss coupled with the promise of a new hope opens their eyes to what is most important, but is it possible for the lovers to move on from the painful histories that continue to haunt them? A stalker is still lurking in the shadows, plotting evil amidst the distraction of the 2012 Olympic games in London. Brynne and Ethan are on the cusp of losing everything as the stakes rise. Will they yield to circumstances beyond their control or will they give every ounce of fight they have left to save each other and win the ultimate prize of a life together?

 I was a bit let down with this third installment.  The threat from Brynne's past alluded to in the first two books fell flat for me.  It was not as intense as I expected.  I did like that both Ethan and Brynne's POV told the story.  I loved Ethan's niece, Zara! This three book series are short, quick reads. If you liked 50 Shades series, you will like this trilogy.

This complimentary review copy was received thankfully from Atria Books, a division of Simon and Schuster, and NetGalley and in no way influenced my review of this book. These are my personal thoughts and reactions to the reading of the book.

The Island House

One warm, rainy summer, Freya Dane, a PhD candidate in archeology arrives on the ancient Scottish island of Findnar. Estranged as a child from her recently dead father, himself an archaeologist, Freya yearns to understand more about the man, his work on the island and why he left her mother so many years ago. It seems Michael Dane uncovered much of Findnar’s Viking and Christian past through his search for an illusive tomb, and Freya continues his work. The discoveries she is destined to make, far greater than her father’s, will teach her the true meaning of love and of loss.

AD 800, and a wandering comet, an omen of evil, shines down on Findnar. The fears of the locals are justified. In a Viking raid, Signy, a Pictish girl, loses her entire family. Taken in by survivors of the island’s Christian community, she falls in love with an injured Viking youth left behind by the raiders and is cast out. Confused and bereft,eventually she becomes a nun, a decision that will unleash tragedy as she is plunged into a war between three religions. Forced to choose among her ancestors animist beliefs, her adopted faith and the man she loves, Signy will call out to Freya across the centuries. Ancient wrongs must be laid to rest in the present and the mystery at the heart of Findnar’s violent past exposed.

In time the comet will return, a link between past and present. But for these two women, time does not exist. For them the past will never die. It has waited for them both.

The author does a great job of alternating between past and present.  I was invested in both stories, hating to leave one, but wanting to know what was happening in the other.  I loved Signy's story and want to read more books that take place in this era. The relationship between Freya and Dan got off to a strange start, but their discoveries out shined it.

Author: Posie Graeme-Evans
Published: June 202
Pages: 448
Genre: Fiction/Historical Fiction
Source: Diana Franco/Atria Books
Finished: 7/22/12



This complimentary review copy was received thankfully from Diana Franco and Atria Books/a division of Simon and Schuster and in no way influenced my review of this book. These are my personal thoughts and reactions to the reading of the book.

Abdication

England, 1936.

The year began with the death of a beloved king and the ascension of a charismatic young monarch, sympathetic to the needs of the working class, glamorous and single. By year’s end, the world would be stunned as it witnessed that new leader give up his throne in the name of love, just as the unrest and violence that would result in a Second World War were becoming impossible to ignore.

During the tumultuous intervening months, amidst the whirl of social and political upheaval, wise-beyond-her-nineteen-years May Thomas will take the first, faltering steps toward creating a new life for herself. Just disembarked at Liverpool after a long journey from her home on a struggling sugar plantation in Barbados, she secures a position as secretary and driver to Sir Philip Blunt, a job that will open her eyes to the activities of the uppermost echelons of British society, and her heart to a man seemingly beyond her reach.
 
Outwardly affable spinster Evangeline Nettlefold is a girlhood friend to the American socialite Wallis Simpson, a goddaughter to Lady Joan Blunt and a new arrival to London from Baltimore. She will be generously welcomed into society’s most glittering circles, where one’s daily worth is determined by one’s proximity to a certain H.R.H. and his married mistress. But as the resentment she feels toward Wallis grows in magnitude, so too does the likelihood of disastrous consequences.

Young, idealistic Julian Richardson’s Oxford degree and his close friendship with Rupert Blunt have catapulted him from excruciating hours in his mother’s middle-class parlor to long holidays spent at stately homes and luxurious dinners in the company of a king. But even as he enjoys his time in this privileged world, his head cannot forget the struggles of those who live outside its gilded gates, and his uneasy heart cannot put aside his undeclared affection for May.

May, Evangeline and Julian will all become embroiled in the hidden truths, undeclared loves, unspoken sympathies and covert complicities that define the year chronicled in Abdication.

Having recently viewed The King's Speech and watching the Diamond Jubliee of Queen Elizabeth on the TV greatly enhanced the reading of this book. I was thinking it was going to be more about Edward and Wallis, and was pleasantly surprised that is wasn't. I loved the contrast between May and Evangeline, and how they are involved with the forbidden love affair. The other characters and their lives are just as absorbing.  A well written, enjoyable debut novel. All lovers of historical fiction will want to read this book .

Author: Juliet Nicolson
Published: May 2012
Pages: 342
Genre:  Historical Fiction
Source: Atria Books
Finished: 6/5/12


This complimentary review copy was received thankfully from Lisa Sciambra and Atria Books and in no way influenced my review of this book. These are my personal thoughts and reactions to the reading of the book.