Monthly Archives

April 2015

reviews April 30, 2015

Mistress Firebrand by Donna Thorland

Mistress Firebrand (Renegades of the American Revolution 3) by Donna Thorland

British Occupied Manhattan, 1777. American actress Jenny Leighton has been packing the John Street Theater with her witty comedies, but she longs to escape the provincial circuit for the glamour of the London stage. When the playwright General John Burgoyne visits the city, fresh from a recent success in the capitol, she seizes the opportunity to court his patronage. But her plan is foiled by British intelligence officer Severin Devere.

Severinís mission is to keep the pleasure-loving general focused on the war effortÖand away from pretty young actresses. But the tables are turned when Severin himself canít resist Jenny LeightonÖ

Months later, Jenny has abandoned her dreams of stage glory and begun writing seditious plays for the Rebels under the pen name ìCornelia,î ridiculing ìGentleman Johnnyî Burgoyne and his armyóand undermining the crownís campaign to take Albany. With Jennyís name now on the hanging list, Severin is ordered to find heróand deliver her to certain death. Soon, the two are launched on a desperate journey through the wilderness, toward an uncertain future shaped by the revolutionóand their passion for each other…

American revolution is an era that I haven’t read much – if anything, so this was all new and fascinating for me.

I liked Jenny who was a strong woman who was determined to be successful in her own right. In a time when actress was pretty much synonym for a whore it wasn’t easy to be taken seriously as a playwright.

Severin is half-Indian so he’s had his own share of troubles. I liked these two together and it was great to see this mutual respect between an actress and a spy. Jenny didn’t just fall head-over-heels in love but realized that Severin could be dangerous killer.

Jenny’s aunt Frances was interesting character as well as Angela Ferrers. Strong women, who chose another life than the life of a dutiful wife.

This was my first Thorland book but it definitely won’t be my last. In fact I don’t remember when was the last time I ordered the other books in a series before I even finished the book.

4,5/5

Published: NAL Trade (March 3, 2015)
Format: Paperback
Source: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

About the Author

A native of Bergenfield, New Jersey, Donna graduated from Yale with a degree in Classics and Art History. For many years she managed architecture and interpretation at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, and wrote and directed the Witch Cityís most popular Halloween theater festival, Eerie Events. She later earned an MFA in film production from the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Donna has been a sorority house mother, a Disney/ABC Television Writing Fellow, a WGA Writerís Access Project Honoree, and a writer on the ABC primetime drama, Cupid. Her screenwriting credits include episodes of the animated series, Tron: Uprising. Her short fiction has appeared in Alfred Hitchcockís Mystery Magazine and Albedo One. The director of several award-winning short films, her most recent project, The Night Caller, aired on WNET Channel 13 and was featured on Ainít It Cool News. Currently she is a writer on the WGN drama SALEM. She is married with one cat and divides her time between the real Salem and Los Angeles.

For more information visit Donna Thorland’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Mistress Firebrand Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, April 6
Excerpt at What Is That Book About
Excerpt & Giveaway at Peeking Between the Pages

Tuesday, April 7
Review & Giveaway at Flashlight Commentary

Wednesday, April 8
Interview at The Maiden’s Court

Thursday, April 9
Guest Post & Giveaway at Susan Heim on Writing

Friday, April 10
Spotlight at Broken Teepee

Sunday, April 12
Review at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book

Monday, April 13
Spotlight, Excerpt, & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Thursday, April 16
Review at Caroline Wilson Writes

Friday, April 17
Spotlight at I’d So Rather Be Reading

Saturday, April 18
Excerpt & Giveaway at A Dream Within a Dream

Monday, April 20
Review at Book Nerd

Tuesday, April 21
Guest Post & Giveaway at Book Babe

Wednesday, April 22
Guest Post & Excerpt at The Lit Bitch

Thursday, April 23
Spotlight & Giveaway at So Many Precious Books, So Little Time

Friday, April 24
Review at Back Porchervations

Monday, April 27
Review at Just One More Chapter

Tuesday, April 28
Review at Historical Readings & Views

Wednesday, April 29
Review & Giveaway at Unshelfish
Guest Post at Boom Baby Reviews

Thursday, April 30
Review at Bookramblings

Friday, May 1
Review, Excerpt, & Giveaway at Drey’s Library
Spotlight at Genre Queen

Sunday, May 3
Review at Forever Ashley

Monday, May 4
Review at A Chick Who Reads
Guest Post & Giveaway at To Read, or Not to Read

Tuesday, May 5
Excerpt at CelticLady’s Reviews

Wednesday, May 6
Review at Unabridged Chick

Thursday, May 7
Spotlight at A Literary Vacation

Friday, May 8
Interview at Scandalous Woman

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meme April 27, 2015

Mailbox Monday (27.4.15)

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia and is now hosted on its own blog.

Here’s what I got last week:

books27.4.15
The Rebel Pirate by Donna Thorland (bought)
The Turncoat by Donna Thorland (bought)
Odin’s Wolves by Giles Kristian (bought)
God of Vengeance by Giles Kristian (bought)
The Woodvilles: The Wars of the Roses and England’s Most Infamous Family by Susan Higginbotham (bought)
Jane Seymour: Henry VIII”s True Love by Elizabeth Norton (bought)

reviews April 16, 2015

Immigrant Soldier, The Story of a Ritchie Boy by K. Lang-Slattery

Immigrant Soldier, The Story of a Ritchie Boy, based on the true experiences of a refugee from Nazi Germany, combines a coming-of-age story with an immigrant tale and a World War II adventure. On a cold November morning in 1938, Herman watches in horror as his cousin is arrested. As a Jew, he realizes it is past time to flee Germany, a decision that catapults him from one adventure to another, his life changed forever by the gathering storm of world events. Gradually, Herman evolves from a frustrated teenager, looking for a place to belong, into a confident US Army intelligence officer who struggles with hate and forgiveness.

I’ve never heard of the Ritchie Boys before so this was very interesting and gave new side of the war.
I learned lot of new and this was the first time I read something with Jews fighting in a army during the war. Heman was very likeable and it was interesting to see him grow first from a boy to a refugee in a strange country and then to a war-hardened man. His life changed so much in relatively short time and he was determined to find out who he really is.

Probably my only problem was that at times it read more like an autobiography than a novel. Nothing wrong with the writing itself but it made connecting with Herman harder.

3,5/5

Published: Pacific Bookworks (February 9, 2015)
Format: ebook
Source: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

About the Author

Kathryn Lang-Slattery, a published author of fiction and nonfiction for youth, became fascinated with her uncleís World War II stories and began taping his conversations in 1996. Soon she knew she had found a fascinating untold story of Jewish refugees who became silent heroes. More than a decade spent researching, interviewing Ritchie Boys, and turning the true story of her uncle into fiction became an odyssey of discovery that resulted in the novel, Immigrant Soldier, The Story of a Ritchie Boy.

For more information please visit at K. Lang-Slatter’s website and blog. You can also find her on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Immigrant Soldier Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, April 6
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Spotlight at Unshelfish

Tuesday, April 7
Review at Book Nerd
Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Thursday, April 9
Review at Dianne Ascroft
Guest Post at Just One More Chapter

Friday, April 10
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews

Sunday, April 12
Review at Carole’s Ramblings

Monday, April 13
Spotlight at A Literary Vacation

Tuesday, April 14
Guest Post at Books and Benches

Wednesday, April 15
Spotlight, Excerpt, & Giveaway at So Many Precious Books, So Little Time

Thursday, April 16
Review at Bookramblings

Friday, April 17
Blog Tour Wrap-Up at Passages to the Past

reviews April 16, 2015

Scent of Triumph: A Novel of Perfume And Passion by Jan Moran

Scent of Triumph:
A Novel of Perfume And Passion

Perfume is the essence of beauty, the heart of illusion, the soul of desire. It is my past, my present, my future. ófrom the journal of Danielle Bretancourt

When French perfumer and aristocrat Danielle Bretancourt steps aboard a luxury ocean liner, leaving her son behind in Poland with his grandmother, she has no idea that her life is about to change forever. The year is 1939, and the declaration of war on the European continent soon threatens her beloved family, scattered across many countries. Traveling through London and Paris into occupied Poland, Danielle searches desperately for the remains of her family, relying on the strength of Jonathan Newell-Grey, a British shipping heir and Royal Navy officer. Finally, in the wake of unspeakable tragedy, she is forced to gather the fragments of her impoverished family and flee to America. There she vows to begin life anew, in 1940s Los Angeles.

Amidst the glamour of Hollywoodís Golden Age, Danielle works her way up from meager jobs to perfumer and fashion designer. Still, personal happiness eludes her. Can her sheer force of will attract the elusive love she desires, or will it only come at the ultimate cost?

This is the story of a strong, determined woman who, after losing her family during World War II, builds her life in America and becomes successful perfumer. It was interesting to see the perfume making and how sensible she was to different smells and it would have been interesting to see more about perfume making.

One of the continuing themes was Danielle’s search for her missing son Nicky. Nicky stayed behind in Poland with his grandmother, but when Poland is occupied by the Nazis things soon gets worse. Even when everyone else believes that Nicky didn’t survive, Danielle won’t give up.

WWII setting was what drew me to this book so I liked the first part more than her time in Los Angeles.
There’s lot going on and at times it goes little too much on the melodramatic side. But on the whole I really enjoyed this.

4/5

Published: St. Martin’s Press (March 31, 2015)
Format: ebook
Pages: 384
Source: France Book Tours

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JAN MORAN is the author of Fabulous Fragrances I and II, which earned spots on the Rizzoli Bookstore bestseller list, and other contemporary novels, including Flawless, Beauty Mark, and Runway. A fragrance and beauty industry expert, she has been featured on CNN, Instyle, and O Magazine, and has spoken before prestigious organizations, including The American Society of Perfumers. She earned her MBA from Harvard Business School and attended the University of California at Los Angeles Extension Writersí Program.