The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig

Read: December 16 - December 20
Format: Hardback 339 pages
Source: Public Library
Subject: spies, dowerless women,
Challenges: 11 in 11, 75 Book, TIOLI, SYLL
Category: Honeymoon - foreign settings/thrillers & The good old days - Historical Fiction
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Stars: ★★★★

This installment in the Pink Carnation is different than all the others in that the modern day characters are absent. The entire story takes place in the early 19th century with amusing characters that have flitted in and out of the previous books.

Turnip Fitzhugh and Arabella Dempsey are perfectly suited for each other because of how their personalities interact but what I enjoyed most was Turnip's realizations that the whole world didn't work the same for others as it did for him.

This was a fun read as well as an entertaining love story. My favorite so far in the series.

Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir

Read: November 30 - December 20
Format: Audiobook 16 CDs equivalent 679 pages
Source: Public Library
Subject: Tudor Dynasty, Reformation in England, succession
Challenges: 11 in 11, 75 Book, TIOLI, SYLL, AUDIO
Genre: Historical Fiction
Stars: ★★★½

The Tudor Dynasty is a part of history is frequently used as the background for historical fiction. The characters are full-bodied, stubborn, zealous in their belief of their own destiny.

This book which is a fictionalized biography of Lady Jane Grey shows her to be no different than other Tudors except for the fact that she did not believe that she should be queen.

Lady Jane Grey was the oldest daughter of the daughter of Henry VIII's younger sister, Mary Tudor. Early in her life, Jane's parents endeavored to arrange a marriage between Jane and Prince Edward, but that was never completed. Her parents instead married her off to the third son of the Duke Northumberland who was the head of Privy Council for King Edward during his minority.

Jane was a zealous Protestant and King Edward on his deathbed named Jane as his successor. He did not want his sister Mary because she was a fanatical Catholic and he could not exclude Mary without excluding Elizabeth, thereby put Jane in line for the throne.

The aftermath which has Jane condemned for treason, shows the ruthless of the period and Mary's obsession with Spain.

The book was an interesting depiction of what may actually occurred at that time. Whether it is true, we will never know, but it was entertaining and well-written.

Defending Angels by Mary Stanton

Read: December 5 - December 9

Format: Paperback 293 pages

Source: purchased through B&N

Subject: murder, hauntings, angels, personal independence

Challenges: 11 in 11, 75 Book, TIOLI, BOYS

Category: Setting up Housekeeping/ Leftovers

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Stars: ★★★★

Brianna Winston-Beaufort (Bree) is an attorney who having inherited her Uncle Franklin's law practice, moves from North Carolina to Savannah to escape from her family's law practice and strike out on her own. Needing temporary offices due to the fire that killed her uncle, Bree rents the first floor in an old Southern home in the historical district until repairs are complete at the regular offices.

However, the location that she has found, is a bit quirky… smack in the middle of an all-murderers cemetery. A great number of other strange occurrences continue as she is setting up shop - her landlady won't take a lease - just Bree's word is good enough, before she's walked out of the building, letterhead stationery arrives, and her first client calls after he's been declared dead.

This book was definitely a fun read with unusual characters and super writing. It does turn out to be, what I consider, a paranormal cozy mystery, but it was such fun, I'm going to have to keep it up.

I'm running out of time!

I'm running out of time so I've decided that I'm going to take advantage of a few overlaps to move me forward and closer to my goal. (the holidays - parties, shopping, decorating, baking all take time away from reading - so far I had 2 parties and been to 3 others - finished shopping and only partially finished wrapping - baking is done but visiting and parties aren't)

113. Defending Angels I've finished but haven't written the review yet.

114. Scones and Bones - recorded in Something New will double up in Setting up Housekeeping- cooking and crafts finishing that category

115. Outlander - recorded in Blind Date will double up in Love and Marriage (it was long enough for two books and went from meeting to marriage so it works) finishing up that category

I'm 2/3 done with Innocent traitor and will count that as Historical fiction as well as Honeymoon (it does have a foreign setting) so that will be 116 and 117. I'm trudging through The most Dangerous Thing (an ER) #118, having trouble with the download of The mischief of the mistletoe for #119, 120 (Historical fiction as well as Honeymoon)and lastly have Death in Vienna for #121(I swore to myself at the beginning of the y ear that I would get this one read - last book of course LOL)

SO 4 books (Innocent traitor,The most Dangerous Thing,The mischief of the mistletoe,Death in Vienna) and I reach the promise land! (last year I only had 1 overlap - this year 4 and next year as many as 32!) If there's time, I will try to erase the overlaps.

The Plantation by Chris Kuzneski

Read: November 10 - November 30

Format: e-book 416 pages

Source:purchased through B&N for Nook

Subject: slavery, revenge, sadism

Challenges: 11 in 11, 75 Book, TIOLI, BOYS

Category: Something New - books acquired in 2011

Genre: Thriller

Stars: ★★★★

This book is not for the faint of heart. It is filled with action but also with many thought provoking concepts, most notably, slavery of whites by blacks as a revenge for their past history.

How would you react if you were expecting your handsome boyfriend at the door and instead when you answer you are drugged and kidnapped and when you awake you know not where, you are a slave to a sadistic black man who says that a remote branch of your family enslaved his before the Civil War and now it's payback time?

Does anyone know where you are? Ariane, the kidnapped damsel, is fortunate because her boyfriend before leaving the US service, was a member of an elite taskforce which could handle just about anything. Jonathan and his buddy DJ track down the kidnappers on THE PLANTATION and work to rescue Ariane and 21 others in the same situation.

This is the first installment of the Payne & Jones series. I received book 3 as an ER and knew after reading that one that I wanted to read the beginning books in the series. The book was exciting and kept your attention but at times was a bit graphic in the violence of the situation. Definitely not bedtime material, but definitely a great read.