Review: Kathy Fischer-Brown's "The Serpent's Tooth Trilogy"

Please join Kathy Fischer-Brown as she tours virtually for her Serpent's Tooth trilogy - Lord Esterleigh's Daughter, Courting the Devil, & The Partisan’s Wife - and her novel Winter Fire. Blog tour includes a chance to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card. See below to enter.

Lord Esterleigh’s Daughter: Book 1, The Serpent’s Tooth trilogy

Publication Date: June 13, 2012 Books We Love Ltd.
Formats: eBook, Paperback

As a child, Anne Fairfield dreams of the father she never knew, the hero who died fighting the French and their Indian allies in a land across the sea. Her mother’s stories, and fantasies of her own devising, sustain and nurture her through a poor and lonely existence. Until one winter night, a strange man comes to call, and the life she has known comes crashing down like shattered glass. Forced to confront sordid truths, secrets and lies, the headstrong young woman begins to learn that, like generations of women ruled by their hearts, she is destined to follow in their footsteps. Set against the backdrop of 18th century England, Lord Esterleigh’s Daughter is the first book in “The Serpent’s Tooth” trilogy, which follows Anne from the rural countryside, to London society and into the center of the American Revolution.

My Review

I read the first book in the trilogy and enjoyed the Ms. Fischer-Brown's style. Her writing sets the tone and scene for this novel, which is set in England in the mid-eighteenth century. I will admit that I had a hard time liking Anne at first--she is childish, headstrong, and completely selfish. Her upbringing was obviously hard, but was filled with love, and while discovering the truth about her father may have been traumatic, she seems bent on punishing everyone around her as a result.

As she digs deeper into the past, she becomes more amenable to her circumstances, and thus more likeable. The novels excels in that it introduces a myriad of characters, all of whom leave the reader wanting more. I've noticed a lot of comparisions to Jane Austen or rather "the dark side" of Jane Austen. I don't really get that beyond the fact that the book is set in England and deals with the aristocracy. The novel is set nearly half a century before Jane Austen even began to write her novels--if anything, I would reference Daniel Defoe or Henry Fielding, though there is little comedy in Anne's journey. The novel is quite gothic in fact.

All in all, Lord Esterleigh's Daughter  is an interesting read that aptly captures the period in which it is set. Be prepared to purchase the second and third novels in the trilogy as the first is a true cliff hanger!

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Courting the Devil: Book 2, The Serpent’s Tooth trilogy

Publication Date: August 31, 2012 Books We Love Ltd.
Formats: eBook, Paperback

Four years after a near fatal blunder uproots her from her home and inheritance, Anne Darvey, daughter of the Marquess of Esterleigh, finds herself an indentured servant on a farm near Fort Edward in New York, as the British army advances toward Albany. Driven by guilt over the pain she has caused her father and grief over her lover’s death, she sets out to deliver a message. The consequences lead to the discovery that all is not as it seems, and sets in motion events that lead to love and danger. Set against the backdrop of the American Revolution, Courting the Devil is the second book in “The Serpent’s Tooth” trilogy, which follows Anne from her childhood in the rural English countryside, to London society, and into the center of the American Revolution.

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The Partisan’s Wife: Book 3, The Serpent’s Tooth trilogy

Publication Date: February 6, 2013 Books We Love Ltd.
Formats: eBook, Paperback

Faced with an impossible choice, Anne Marlowe is torn between her husband’s love and the hope of her receiving father’s forgiveness. As American forces follow up on their tide-turning victories over the British at Freeman’s Farm and Bemis Heights, Peter is drawn deeper into the shady network of espionage that could cost them both their lives. Is his commitment to “the Cause” stronger than his hard-won love for Anne? Will her sacrifice tear them apart again...this time forever? Or will they find the peace and happiness they both seek in a new beginning? The Partisan’s Wife follows Anne and Peter through the war torn landscape of Revolutionary War America, from the Battle of Saratoga to British-occupied New York and Philadelphia, and beyond.

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Winter Fire

Publication Date: November 6, 2010 Books We Love Ltd.
Formats: eBook, Paperback

When Ethan Caine pulled the unconscious woman from the half-frozen creek, he had no idea that his world was about to explode. Dressed in quilled doeskin of Iroquois design, she stirred up dark secrets from his past. At the same time, she was everything he desired. But she was more Indian than white, and on the run for murder. He needed to know the truth. He needed to find it within himself to trust her. Banished by the Seneca Indians who adopted and raised her, ostracized by the whites in the settlement, Zara Grey wanted only to be accepted. “Ethancaine” treated her with kindness and concern. It was easy to trust him. But her Indian ways disturbed him, and in her heart she would always be Seneca.

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About the Author

As a child Kathy wanted to be a writer when she grew up. She also wanted to act on the stage. After receiving an MFA in Acting from the Mason Gross School of the Arts and playing the part of starving young artist in New York, she taught theater classes at a small college in the Mid-West before returning home to the East Coast, where over the years, she and her husband raised two kids and an assortment of dogs. During stints in advertising, children’s media publishing, and education reform in the former Soviet Unions, she wrote whenever she could. Her love of early American history has its roots in family vacations up and down the East Coast visiting old forts and battlefields and places such as Williamsburg, Mystic Sea Port, and Sturbridge Village. During this time, she daydreamed in high school history classes, imagining the everyday people behind all the dates and conflicts and how they lived. Claiming her best ideas are born of dreams, Kathy has written a number of stories over the years. Her first published novel, Winter Fire, a 1998 Golden Heart finalist in historical romance, was reissued in 2010 by Books We Love, Ltd., which also released Lord Esterleigh’s Daughter, Courting the Devil, and The Partisan’s Wife. When not writing, she enjoys reading, cooking, photography, playing “ball” with the dogs, and rooting on her favorite sports teams. For more information visit Kathy Fischer-Brown's website. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Monday, May 5 Review at Caroline Wilson Writes (Lord Esterleigh's Daughter) Tuesday, May 13 Guest Post at The Bookworm Friday, May 16 Review at History From a Woman's Perspective (Lord Esterleigh's Daughter) Monday, May 19 Review at Just One More Chapter (Lord Esterleigh's Daughter) Tuesday, May 20 Guest Post at Just One More Chapter Tuesday, May 27 Guest Post at Book Lovers Paradise (with Louise Turner and Juliet Waldron) Monday, June 9 Spotlight at Historical Fiction Connection Thursday, June 12 Review at Book Nerd (Winter Fire) Monday, June 17 Review at Historical Fiction Obsession (Lord Esterleigh's Daughter) Wednesday, June 18 Review at So Many Books, So Little Time (Winter Fire) Wednesday, June 25 Review at Closed the Cover (Winter Fire) Monday, June 30 Review at Book Nerd (Courting the Devil)

Giveaway

To win a $20 Amazon Gift Card please complete the Rafflecopter giveaway form below. Giveaway is open internationally. Giveaway ends at 11:59pm on June 30th. You must be 18 or older to enter. Winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter on July 1st and notified via email. Winner have 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen. a Rafflecopter giveaway