A King's Ransom by Sharon Kay Penman

776 pages on Nook

I had never read much about the reign the Richard the Lionheart so I was really looking forward to this book after reading about his experiences in the Crusades from the previous book.  However, I was very bothered by the extreme viciousness in the writing regarding the torture of a 13 year old boy.  I had to put the book aside for several months before I could return to the narrative, skipping his actual capture by the agents of the Duke of Austria.  

The story of his captivity and negotiations regarding his release for ransom were enlightening as to the politics of that era.

Did I like it? Yes, but it really wasn't necessary to be that graphic regarding the torture for information. It lost a half star because of that.

Francesca: The Silk Merchant's Daughters by Bertrice Small

Giovanni Pietro D'Angelo, a wealthy silk merchant in Florence has been contacted my Lorenzo di Medici concerning his second daughter Francesca.  Titus Cesare, Duke of Torreno Boscoso, is seeking a wife for his heir and di Medici wants Francesca to be one of the 3 candidates.  After arguing with her father, Francesca reluctantly agrees to travel to Torreno Boscoso to meet the future Duke.
Two other young women are also to be considered and the young heir will choose from the 3 maidens.  

When Francesca is selected she flees into the forest in an attempt to escape her fate but there she undergoes a change - realizing what she may have lost as well as what she may have found. 

Francesca's transformation from a spoiled aristocrat to  the new duchessa is what is needed for she and the new duke to survive the difficulties ahead.

I wasn't fond of the ending but it did have a purpose.

 ★★★½

GENRE: Romance
CHARACTERS: Francesca, Rafaello, Titus Cesare, Terza,Alonza, Raoul du Barry
Series/ Progress: Silk Merchant's Daughters  2/4
DATE READ: April 18 - April 22
NO. OF PAGES: 400
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, AlphaKit
SOURCE: Nook Stockpile

Beyond Seduction by Stephanie Laurens

Gervase Tregarth, Earl of Crowhurst has to return home because of mischief his three young sisters has gotten into.  When he determines that the reason for their misbehavior is to prevent him from marrying a "London" lady who will send them away, Gervase promises them that he will only marry a lady who meets their approval.

Immediately, the girls indicate that their neighbor, Madeline Gasciogne, would be perfect.  Having known Madeline for many years, Gervase takes a closer look, getting involved with her family, 3 mischievous younger brothers, as well as local issues.

The romance that evolves as well as the story of the mixing of the families was very entertaining.

★★★½

GENRE: Historical Fiction
CHARACTERS: Gervase Tregarth, Madeline Gascoigne
Series/ Progress: Bastion Club/7
DATE READ: January 30 - February 3
NO. OF PAGES: 496
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, AlphaKit
SOURCE: Nook Stockpile

Temptation and Surrender by Stephanie Laurens

Emily and her siblings arrive in Colyton incognito so that they can hunt for their family treasure.  Having run away from a cruel uncle, Emily undertakes the position of innkeeper.  While bringing the Inn back to life,  Emily's involvement with the Inn owner overshadows her  need to find the treasure. What they find and where along with the love story, entertain for sure.

 ★★★

GENRE: Romance
CHARACTERS: Jonas Tallent, Emily Ann Colyton, Isobel Colyton, Rev. Filing, Harold Potheridge
Series/ Progress: Cynsters #15/23
DATE READ: January 14 - January 19
NO. OF PAGES: 355
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, AlphaKit
SOURCE: Nook

The Queen of Four Kingdoms by HRH Princess Michael of Kent

Yolande d'Aragon, after waiting 9 years for her betrothed, wed Louis II d'Anjou and supposedly ended the conflict over the succession to the kingdoms of Naples, Sicily, and Jerusalem.  Their marriage, which turned into a love match, produced 5 children but more importantly, help to maintain the French monarchy at the time of the Hundred Years War with England.

Yolande (Duchess of Anjou, Countess of Maine, Countess of Provence and Forcalquier,  Countess of Piedmont, and Titular Queen Consort of Naples, Sicily, and Jerusalem) utilized diplomacy and cunning in support of the French helping to unite the French factions of Burgundy and Armagnacs so that together they could defeat the English.  Yolande as regent in Anjou, lent their army of support Jeanne d'Arc and  edventually see the Dauphin crowned.

I have always had a fascination with royalty but usually I tend toward British. This is my first look into the French side and I found it completely captivating.

★★★★

GENRE: Historical Fiction
SUBJECT: Yolande d'Aragon
Setting: France, Anjou, Provence
CHARACTERS: Yolande d'Aragon, Louis II d'Anjou, Charles VII of France, Jeanne d'Arc
DATE READ: October 26 - November 12
NO. OF PAGES: 443
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI,
SOURCE: LT ER

A Sunless Sea by Anne Perry

Monk is brought to a sight along the river edge by screams and what he sees is a woman who has been hacked to pieces.  After identifying the body, his investigation leads him to a Doctor who had been investigating the effects of Opium.  When Monk finds that the doctor committed suicide several months earlier, he becomes suspicious of that and finds that the Doctor's widow is his prime suspect in the woman's murder.  Everything points to her as the murderer but Monk still solicits Oliver Rathbone to defend her while he still hunts for more evidence to clear her.

This book really centered more in the court room but the mystery was well developed and the recurring characters continue to grow as real people with real problems.


 ★★★½

GENRE: Historical Mystery
SUBJECT: Opium addictions
Setting: London England
CHARACTERS: William Monk, Sir Oliver Rathbone,Zenia Gadney, Joel Lambourn, Dinah Lambourn
DATE READ: August 27 - August 31
NO. OF PAGES: 400
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, MYSTERYCAT
SOURCE: audio stockpile

The Proposal by Mary Balogh

★★★½

GENRE: Romance
SUBJECT: class differences
Setting: England
CHARACTERS: Hugo Emes (Trentham), Lady Gwendoline Muir
DATE READ: June 9 - June 13
NO. OF PAGES: 285
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI , 
SOURCE: ebook stockpile

PLOT:....................................................................3.50
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.50
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.00
STYLE:..................................................................4.00
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................3.50
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.50
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.50
Threshold Quality.................................................3.50
Average..............................................................................................3.50 

What I loved about this story was the fact that the hero (shy yet strong and family-oriented)  puts aside his own feelings and decides that he needs to marry to advance his sister's prospects.  With the help of friends he meets and begins to court a widow who has a physical handicap.  The love story that evolves shows that what's on the inside is far more important than what's on the the outside.

Prime Minister's Secret Agent by Susan Elia MacNeal

★★★½

GENRE: Mystery
SUBJECT: Biological warfare development
Setting: Scotland
CHARACTERS: Maggie Hope, Clara Hess, Sarah Sanderson, John Stirling, Winston Churchill
DATE READ: March 31 - April 5
NO. OF PAGES: 320
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI 
SOURCE: NetGalley for review

PLOT:....................................................................3.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................4.00
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.00
STYLE:..................................................................4.00
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................3.00
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.50
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.50
Threshold Quality.................................................4.00
Average..............................................................................................3.50

Maggie Hope has returned home from her undercover assignment in Berlin, injured both physically and emotionally. Assigned as an instructor at a spy training site in Scotland, her spirit remains scarred as her body recovers.  Entangled in a new network of secrets, Maggie must put aside her own feelings to discover what is threatening the life of her friend and other civilians while the war rages and the global threats increase.

I thought that the plot on this mystery was a bit thinner than any of the previous but possibly that was in preparation for Maggie's next adventure.  Moving forward historically, there may have been lulls that needed to be handled to get the characters to the next phase of the adventures.

Seeing Maggie battle her inner demons was enough to carry the story.  Waiting for the next one!

Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters

 ★★★ 
GENRE: Historical mystery
SUBJECT: curses, surprise deaths
Setting: London, England; Egypt
CHARACTERS: Amelia 
DATE READ: February 5 - February 16
NO. OF PAGES: 384
Challenges: Amelia Peabody Emerson, Radcliffe Emerson, Ramses Emerson, Lady Harold Carrington, Sir Henry Baskerville, Alan Armadale, Lady Baskersville
SOURCE: Audio stockpile

PLOT:....................................................................3.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.00
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.00
STYLE:..................................................................3.00
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................3.00
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.00
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.00
Threshold Quality.................................................3.00
Average..............................................................................................3.00

Amelia and Emerson had resolved that they would not return to the digs in Egypt until their son, Ramses was older, however, when a strange death occurs, Lady Baskerville begs them to return to dig and continue her husband's work.

While continuing the excavation, Amelia and Emerson solve the murders that have been blamed on the Pharaoh's curse.  Light and fun.

Christmas Hope by Anne Perry

 ★★★ 

GENRE: Historical mystery
SUBJECT: class separatation
Setting: London, England
CHARACTERS: Claudine Burroughs, Wallace Burroughs, Squeaky Robinson, Dai Tregarron
DATE READ: February 5 - February 8
NO. OF PAGES: 197
Challenges: TIOLI, CATEGORY, ALPHACAT
SOURCE: LT ER

PLOT:....................................................................3.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.00
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.00
STYLE:..................................................................3.00
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................3.00
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.00
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.00
Threshold Quality.................................................3.00
Average..............................................................................................3.00  

As in Anne Perry's Christmas series, this book takes a minor character from her William Monk series and creates a story with Claudine Burroughs as the central character where she is working to find the truth surrounding the death of a prostitute that is being laid at the feet of Welsh poet. 

Claudine works through numerous lies and hidden agendas to save an innocent man.

Light Between the Oceans by M. L. Stedman

 ★★★★½

GENRE: Fiction
SUBJECT: post partum depression, isolation, child bonding
Setting: Janus Island, Australia
CHARACTERS: Tom Sherbourne, Isabel Sherbourne, Lucy Sherbourne, Hannah Roennfeldt
DATE READ: November 14 - November 20
NO. OF PAGES: 324
Off the Shelf (pre-2013)? Source?:   no, New Nook

PLOT:....................................................................4.50
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................4.50
TOPICS: ...............................................................4.50
STYLE:..................................................................5.00
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................4.00
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................5.00
OWNERSHIP:......................................................4.50
Threshold Quality.................................................4.00
Average..............................................................................................4.50

Tom Sherbourne went to war and when he returned his spirit was scarred by what he'd seen and done but he met Isabel and their spirits touched.  He was the lighthouse keeper on Janus Island and after their wedding they returned to this isolated locale.

Isabel suffered several miscarriages and one stillborn so when a small boat washed ashore with a dead man and a small baby, Isabel immediaely ook the child to her heart and cajoled Tom to allow her to keep it and pass it off as her own.

However, when they accidently determine that the child's mother is still searching for her child, the Sherbournes are in a quandary.

This story was so profound that often though I couldn't stay awake to read it, I couldn't go to sleep either.  It was beautiful written with well-defined character and situations that were very believable.

My favorite of the year!

Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penham

★★★½
GENRE: Historical Fiction
SUBJECT: Crusades, Christianity
Setting: Sicily, Palestine,
CHARACTERS: Richard I - the LionHearted, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Joanna of Sicily, Phillipe of France, Berengaria of Navarre, Henri of Champagne, Conrad of Montferrat, Hugh Duke of Burgundy, Saladin
DATE READ: October 29 - November 14
NO. OF PAGES: 665
Off the Shelf (pre-2013)? Source?:   no, new purchase

PLOT:....................................................................3.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.50
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.50
STYLE:..................................................................3.50
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................4.00
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.50
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.50
Threshold Quality.................................................3.50
Average..............................................................................................3.50

Eleanor of Aquitaine, a "barren queen" for Louis of France bore 4 sons for Henry II.  The most notable and her favorite was Richard known as the Lionheart.  After his older brother Hal's and his father's deaths, Richard became the King of the England and ruled Normandy, Aquitaine, and all the other little duchies that Henry had amassed  as well but Richard was a warrior and had pledged to take the Cross and liberate Jerusalem.  

Shortly after he was crowned, Richard, along with Phillipe of France, headed toward the Holy Land.  He stopped in Sicily, liberated his widowed sister, married his bride from Navarre, captured Cyprus, and freed Acre once in the Holy Land.  Single-minded in his quest, this skilled battle commander recklessly endangered himself to protect his own forces throughout numerous battles. 

However, Richard was no diplomat and quickly alienated not only his ally, Phillipe of France, but also Conrad of Montferrat (new King of Jerusalem) and  Hugh Duke of Burgundy.

Unfortunately, without the complete support of the other Christian commanders, Richard was unable to fully liberate Jerusalem from he Muslim control and was forced to a peace where the Holy Land was open  to Christians but still occupied by Muslims.

This was a fascinating story filing in the portion of Richard's life that was engrossed by his quest to free the Holy Land.  Very few books that I have read deal with this time in his life and I  was completely engrossed. 

The Gods of Newport by John Jakes

  ★★½

GENRE: Historical Fiction
SUBJECT: society standards, nouveau riche
Setting: Newport, RI
CHARACTERS: Sam Driver, Jenny Driver, Prince Molloy, Bill Brady, Mozart, Harry Lehr
DATE READ: September 18 - September 25
NO. OF PAGES: 480
Off the Shelf (pre-2013)? Source?:   yes, Audio stockpile

PLOT:....................................................................3.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................2.50
TOPICS: ...............................................................2.50
STYLE:..................................................................3.00
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................2.50
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................2.00
OWNERSHIP:......................................................2.00
Threshold Quality.................................................2.50
Average..............................................................................................2.50


This was the story of Sam Driver and his daughter Jenny.  Sam was a railroad baron who worked his way to being a millionaire at the turn of the century and ten set out to get his daughter accepted in polite society in Newport.

I thought this book would be a little bit better because John Jakes is known for his historical novels, but the characters were stereotypical and the story predictable.

Bond of Passion by Bertrice Small

 ★★★¼

GENRE: Historical Fiction/Romance
SUBJECT: Scottish revolution 
Setting: Scotland
CHARACTERS: Annabelle Baird, Angus Ferguson, Mary Queen of Scots, James Hepburn
DATE READ: September 16 - September 20
NO. OF PAGES: 432
Off the Shelf (pre-2013)? Source?:   yes, shelf stockpile

PLOT:....................................................................3.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.50
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.50
STYLE:..................................................................3.50
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................3.00
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.00
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.50
Threshold Quality.................................................3.00
Average..............................................................................................3.25

Annabelle is not a beautiful woman, but as the oldest of his daughters, she must be wed before three sisters and they must all be gone before their brother can take a wife.  Annabelle's father is determined that her deficiencies will not hamper her prospects and bargains with the Earl of Duin, Angus Ferguson, to add a parcel of land to her dower if the Earl will take her for his wife.

After the ceremony, the two newlyweds work at becoming friends which brings their passions to a head and leads to adventures for both during these turbulent times in Scotland.

I liked the main characters but story and the secondary characters were a bit same old, same old, however, the steamy love scenes will always keep me coming back for more.

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott

  ★★★

GENRE: Romance
SUBJECT: Normans vs. Saxons, Richard II reign
Setting: England
CHARACTERS: Ivanhoe, Cedric, Rowena, Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert, Isaac the Jew, Rebecca, Prince John, Black Knight, Robin of Locklsley
DATE READ: September 12 - September 13
NO. OF PAGES: 532
Off the Shelf (pre-2013)? Source?:   yes, Nook stockpile

PLOT:....................................................................3.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.00
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.00
STYLE:..................................................................2.50
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................2.50
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................2.50
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.00
Threshold Quality.................................................3.00
Average..............................................................................................2.81

This historical fiction adventure story may have been sensational in the early 19th century but history has been told far better in the 20th century so the book doesn't really hold up well.

This tale of Normans vs. Saxons in the reign of Richard the Lionheart also showed the social division of the Christians vs. Jews. Broken into three sections, we see Ivanhoe at the tournament as a disinherited knight, the captivity of the major characters and the trial of the Jewess, Rebecca, for sorcery.  The story was entertaining but not sensational.

The Greatest Knight: The Unsung Story of the Queen's Champion by Elizabeth Chadwick

 ★★★½
GENRE: Historical Fiction
SUBJECT: loyalty, honor
Setting: England, Normandy, France
CHARACTERS: William Marshall, Isabelle de Clare, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II, Richard Lionheart
DATE READ: August 22 - August 31
NO. OF PAGES: 440
Off the Shelf (pre-2013)? Source?:   yes, Nook Stockpile

PLOT:....................................................................3.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.50
TOPICS: ...............................................................4.00
STYLE:..................................................................4.00
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................3.50
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................4.00
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.00
Threshold Quality.................................................3.00
Average..............................................................................................3.50

Having just read Sharon Kay Penman's trilogy about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine where the reader meets William Marshall at the age of 5 and he continues in the background throughout, this book was extremely entertaining because of the background that is built by this other with the same history.

William Marshall here is shown as a man of chivalry, honor and loyalty as well as love for those of his family.  Frequently, he story shows how he is torn between what he desires to and what he sees as the honorable thing and Chadwick's William Marshall always manages to make the right choice at the right time.

Lord Carew's Bride by Mary Balogh

 ★★★

GENRE: Romance
SUBJECT: deformities, inner strength
Setting: London, England
CHARACTERS: Samantha Newman, Hartley Wade, Jennifer Thornhill, Gabriel Thornhill, Lionel Kersey
DATE READ: June 25 - June 26
NO. OF PAGES: 282
Off the Shelf (pre-2013)? Source?:   Yes, my shelves

PLOT:.........................................3.00
CHARACTERIZATION:............3.00
TOPICS:.....................................3.00
STYLE:.......................................3.00
ORIGINALITY:.............................3.00
ADDICTIVENESS:....................3.00
OWNERSHIP:............................3.00
Threshold Quality.......................3.00
Average...............................................................3.00


Samantha Newman was heartbroken in the "Dark Angel" so when we find her at the start, 6 years later, she is still unmarried but with a swarm of suitors at her feet.  While visiting her cousin at Thornhill, on a solitary walk she meets a young man with a withered hand and a limp.  They become friends over several weeks of clandestine meetings and so when Samantha meets hi in London she is pleasantly surprised to find that he is the Marquis of Carew and accepts his proposal without hesitation feeling that their friendship will protect her from the past.

There were few surprises in this book but it was a pleasant read.

The Pigeon Pie Mystery: A Novel by Julia Stuart

★★½

GENRE: Cozy Mystery
SUBJECT: Charity pensioners, 
Setting: Hampton Court, England
CHARACTERS: Princess Alexandrina, Pooki, Dr Henderson, Mjr. Gen Bagshot, Mrs. Bagshot, 
DATE READ: June 16 - June 25
NO. OF PAGES: 313
Off the Shelf (pre-2013)? Source?:   Yes, Giveaway prize

PLOT:...........................................2.50
CHARACTERIZATION:..............2.50
TOPICS:.......................................3.00
STYLE:.........................................3.00
ORIGINALITY:..............................3.00
ADDICTIVENESS:......................2.50
OWNERSHIP:..............................2.50
Threshold Quality.........................3.00
Average................................................................2.75

Princess Alexandrina (Mink) finds herself destitute when her father the Maharajah dies suddenly.  Before she can be evicted from her home, she is granted a "grace and favor" apartment at Hampton Court Palace.

Barely before you gets settled in her new "home" one of the other residents dies of arsenic poisoning  at a picnic casting suspicion on Mink's faithful servant Pooki.  She is determined t o find the true cause and sets out interviewing the other residents.

I didn't really care for the characters in this book (Mink was too flighty and snobby, others too 1 dimensional)  and the writing seem to lack a steady flow. 

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

 ★★★★½

GENRE: Historical Fiction
SUBJECT: Trojan War, Ancient Greek society
Setting: Greece, Troy
CHARACTERS: Patroclus, Achilles, Agamemnon, Odysseus, Hector, Thetis, Briseis
DATE READ: June 9 - June 13
NO. OF PAGES: 416
Off the Shelf (pre-2013)? Source?:   Yes, Kindle gift card

PLOT:.......................................4.00
CHARACTERIZATION:..........4.50
TOPICS:...................................4.50
STYLE:.....................................4.50
ORIGINALITY:..........................5.00
ADDICTIVENESS:.................4.50
OWNERSHIP:..........................5.00
THRESHOLD QUALITY:.........4.00
Average.........................................................4.50

A love story with just soldiers and war?  How can that be?  However, even though the backdrop of this story is the Trojan War, this truly is a love story just not the typical one that we expect.

From the very beginning the narrator Patroclus takes our hand and leads us to an ancient time when what was taught to young boys was the art of warfare.  Those that did not excel were fated for servitude.   But Patroclus was fortunate enough to be taken as Prince Achilles companion when he was fostered into exile in Phthia. 

There the love story of Achilles and Patroclus takes us on a journey through their youths and education - Achilles destiny lives in warfare as the stories have always told us, while Patroclus, at Achilles' side learns the art of healing.

The war with Troy brings Achilles and Patroclus to the site where the prophecies of Achilles' glory and death are twisted among the horrors of war.  "Some men gain glory after they die, while others fade. What is admired in one generation is abhorred in another. We cannot say who will survive the holocaust of memory."

Throughout this story we see how these two young honorable men lose their innocence while their destinies are intertwined causing their sacrifices and suffering fueled by pride over honor.

I've always been fascinated by mythology and this story combined a touch of history along with the wrath of the gods. 

Dream Eyes by Jayne Ann Krentz

Challenge Book #45

  ★★★½

GENRE: Paranormal Fiction
SUBJECT: psychic powers
Setting: Wilby OR
CHARACTERS: Judson Coppersmith, Gwen Frazier, Evelyn Ballinger, Harold Oxley
DATE READ: May 10 - May 13
NO. OF PAGES: 325
Off the Shelf (pre-2013)? Source?:   Yes, ER

PLOT:.........................................3.50
CHARACTERIZATION:............3.50
TOPICS:.....................................3.50
STYLE:.......................................4.00
ORIGINALITY:............................3.50
ADDICTIVENESS:....................3.50
OWNERSHIP:............................3.00
THRESHOLD QUALITY:..........3.50
Average......................................................3.50

Not normally being a "paranormal reader, I was reluctant to pick up this book and read it, but since I had received it from the LT ER program, my obligation took control and I put it on the reading for May.  I was extremely pleasantly surprised and well entertained my this book which told the story of two characters that both have special psychic abilities and the journey to find the murderer of a friend when there was only psychic evidence.  Glad I read it.