Review Tuesday (Slightly Late)...and a Diatribe on Historical Romance

My apologies for being slightly late for "Review Tuesday". I blame the Labor Day holiday on Monday as yesterday did not feel like a Tuesday.

Today I'm reviewing "The Day of the Duchess" by Sarah MacLean. It is a historical romance. Some of you may be thinking, "Why is Caroline reading historical romances?" Well, here goes. For those of you have been long time readers, you probably already know that my own writing is essentially historical romance. I have always preferred "historical fiction with strong romantic elements" but the publishing field does not always recognize this as a genre. They should. Really. Why? Because I find that people who write "historical fiction with strong romantic elements" spend a great deal of time getting the historical part right. I'm obsessive about getting the details correct--everything from language to clothing, and all things in between.

Recently, I've noticed a lot of chatter on the Historical Novel Society's Facebook group (and other places) about the trend in historical fiction towards making characters a bit too unique, as in taking one historically documented person who did terrific things or went against the grain, and using that as a backup to characters doing very unhistorical things. I will admit that I verged on that with "Rebel Heart". My heroine Julienne was pretty bad ass to start with--sort of like Mati Hari (who didn't come on the scene for many more decades) and Belle Boyd (a real Civil War spy) rolled into one. Sure, there are plenty of documented Civil War female spies on both sides of the fight, so I feel like Julienne's part in the spy ring was justified. She probably is a little too independent for the time period, but I like to believe that when dealt the hand she was given, the human spirit kicks in and does what it needs to do, no matter what the time period.

My issue with "straight" historical romance (meaning those novels with scantily clad ladies and gents on the cover), is that the authors often twist the time period and characters to suit modern day attitudes. This is what I encountered in "The Day of the Duchess". I was initially attracted to this novel because it features one of my favorite tropes, the second chance romance. In the novel, which is set in 1830s England, Seraphina Talbot and Malcolm, the Duke of Haven fall in love, but "Sera" is the daughter of a new earl, who won his title playing cards with Prince Regent many years before. I'm thinking that this is a stretch as well. Prinny, as the Prince Regent was known, was not a model citizen, so I could see this happening, but still, it's a stretch. In any case, Seraphina and her many sisters are known as the "Soiled S's". They all have "S" names which gets pretty ridiculous when you get down to Sesily (instead of Cecily). But I digress.

Because she is considered "beyond the pale", Seraphina doesn't trust the Duke to propose, even as they have imperiled her reputation with a lot of furtive glances and hand holding. Worried that her sisters will not be able to make decent marriages, Sera and her mother concoct a scheme to ensure that Duke makes an honest woman of her. Of course, the Duke does and when he finds out that he has been trapped, he is not a happy camper. Loads of bad things happen and Sera leaves Malcolm. She finds her fortune in a Boston tavern, and this is where I start to roll my eyes a bit. Sera has quite the singing voice, and after making friends with an enterprising American, takes to the stage as "The Dove".

Three years pass and Sera has decided that she wants to return home to England. She is hell bent on getting a divorce from Malcolm and running her own tavern in Covent Garden. The one thing that MacLean did get right was the fact that married women could not own property--anything that they owned belonged to their husbands. Also, divorces required an act of Parliament, which MacLean does detail, but it is a very simplistic explanation. Prior to the Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857, the only cause for a full divorce was adultery, at least for the husbands suing their wives for adultery. If a wife brought a case against the husband, she had to prove adultery and life threatening cruelty. So when Sera storms Parliament demanding a divorce, I found myself rolling my eyes once more. While Malcolm was a brute and cheated on Seraphina, there is no life threatening cruelty involved. Maybe emotional cruelty, but even then, that's a stretch, and it certainly wouldn't have held up in the 19th century. Sera convinces Malcolm that she is involved with her American business partner, so he promises to give her a divorce...if she helps him find a new wife. Of course, this is all an elaborate plot to win Sera back because Malcolm still loves her, even though he was a major idiot when they first married. But once again, this is starting to get outside of the realm of historical reality. MacLean leans heavy on the fact that Malcolm is a duke and therefore a "catch". The ladies that line up to vie for his hand are all newly minted debutantes. I am thinking that their families would not have wanted their daughters to marry a divorced lord, no matter what his title was. But we have very little information to figure this out as only 337 divorces were granted by Parliament before things changed in 1857.

I could go on about all the historical things that were just plain wrong in this novel, but I won't. And this is why I shy away from calling my novels "historical romances". I'm too entrenched in telling the truth, and so when I read something that plays hard and fast with the established facts of history, I get a bit touchy. I love romance, though you probably couldn't see that from looking at me. Is it so hard to write a historically accurate historical romance? What drives the established authors of the genre to commit such acts of...well fiction? Does the average reader of historical romance not know, or perhaps even worse, not care?

So, my review of "Day of the Duchess". MacLean is actually a great author. She does an excellent job with characterizations, even if some of them are a bit far fetched. Her prose is bit to "pretty" for my tastes but I'm sure it appeals to a lot of readers. Should you pick up this novel? Sure. If you are not acquainted with random historical nuances (such as I am) or you just want a fun read. There is a happy ending, though in some of the other reviews that I read, folks were not happy with sappy, predictable epilogue. To each his own, I suppose. "Day of the Duchess" is the third book in the "Scandal and Scoundrel" series by MacLean. Sera and Malcolm first appear in the first book of the series, "The Rogue Not Taken", which features Sera's younger sister, Sophie.

For more insight on marriage and divorce laws in England, check out the life and work of Caroline Norton. She is the reason that the Matrimonial Causes Act was passed. Her story is actually extremely sad, and when you compare the circumstances to fictitious renderings of divorce during the period, you might feel a little ashamed.

Review Tuesday: Stars Over Sunset Boulevard

Happy Tuesday folks and welcome to another edition of "Review Tuesday." I'm going to split this post between a novel that I read and reviewed last year, and a podcast that I have been enjoying lately.

First, I read "Stars Over Sunset Boulevard" for the Historical Novel Society in 2016. I wrote a feature on the novel which included an interview with the author, Susan Meissner. You can read that interview here.

"Stars Over Sunset Boulevard" is a fascinating look at the filming of "Gone with the Wind" as seen through the eyes of two female secretaries living during the golden age of Hollywood. Audrey is an enigmatic aspiring actress who befriends VIolet, a recently arrived southern girl running from a broken engagement. Audrey shows Violet the ropes of living in Hollywood and the two women become fast friends. But as Audrey becomes increasingly desperate to get her break, the two friends grow apart, particularly when a key costume piece goes missing from the set, and Violet uses the situation to ignite a relationship with Burt Redmond, Audrey's oldest friend.

"Stars Over Sunset Boulevard" is an interesting read though some portions seem unnecessary. Violet and Audrey easily carry the novel yet a modern day story line interrupts things. Readers may come to resent these intrusions and while everything ties together in the end, the novel may have been stronger without it. Also there are times when it seems like Audrey never has to pay for her many mistakes. She constantly comes out on top while Violet lives in fear that her comparatively few and less serious misdeeds will come to light. But all in all, the novel is a good read and is very enjoyable, and will appeal to those who love stories set during Hollywood's Golden Age.

And speaking of the Golden Age of Hollywood, I have recently become obsessed with podcasts. I know I'm late to the party, but better late than never, right? The podcast is called "You Must Remember This" and as creator Karina Longworth explains, it is a show dedicated to the "secret and/or lost history" of Hollywood's first century. I will say that this podcast is addictive so be prepared. The show has several seasons, my favorites being "MGM Stories" and "Dead Blondes". It just wrapped with a series about Jean Seburg and Jane Fonda, who led, in many cases, parallel lives. I didn't quite get into this one, but that doesn't mean that it won't appeal to some. New shows are expected this fall and I can't wait to see what the subject will be. Check out the website, where you can stream episodes and also take part in a forum, if that's your jam. There are also notes on the episodes and a film club that highlights the films mentioned on the show. The podcast is also available on iTunes.

Where I've Been: An Update in Five Paragraphs

As I briefly noted in Tuesday's post, I am mounting a comeback tour for Caroline Wilson Writes. So...where have I been? Well for many of you who have been following me for a few years, you know that my education background is in historic preservation, and for various reasons, I had not been able to pursue that in my day-to-day career. In December 2016, I was finally able to score a job in the field, but this required a move to my old college town of Charleston, SC.

Looking back on my time in the city during college, it was a prolific time of writing. I suppose it had something to do with being surrounded by 300 years of history. I have often mentioned that I struggle with writing. I love to do it but I get burned out easily and often don't have the motivation. It's a sad state of affairs given that I have half a dozen novels in various stages of progress. But in the last few weeks, I've begun to feel an irresistible pull towards researching and continuing on with a novel that I started about a year ago. It is in its very early stages, but I will confess that it will be set in the waning years of Gilded Age New York. More on that in a future post.

Now, how to balance my writing life with my work life. I don't have an answer to this. Being that I am professionally fulfilled for the first time in my working career (sad, I know), I often give all of myself during the day, with little left over in the evenings for writing. Previous to this job, I was often underutilized in my working roles, which left lots of extra time during the day to do what I wanted in terms of writing, researching, or networking online. So going forward, I have to devise a system for balancing everything.

So what am I doing with my days now? Well I work for a consulting firm that specializes in helping developers get federal tax credits for renovating historic buildings. What does that boil down to? I spend a lot of time writing complicated technical documents and reviewing architectural plans. But I do get to travel some and go through some super cool old (and often abandoned) buildings. So far this year, I've been all around South and North Carolina, with trips to Georgia, Florida, Memphis, TN, and Birmingham, AL. I hope to highlight some of my work travels in the blog since they deal with history.

That's all for now. Welcome back everyone and thank you for sitting tight while I spent some time away. I hope to post every Tuesday and Thursday going forward. Tuesdays will be devoted to reviews of historical fiction and sometimes non-fiction, or interesting documentaries or podcasts that I'm digging. Thursdays will be updates for my writing/research endeavors/travels. I'm looking forward to sharing my life and writing aspirations with you once again!

Review Tuesday: "The English Wife" by Lauren Willig

Hello all and thank you for tuning in. I know I've been sporadic at best with my musings and reviews in the last couple of years. I'm aiming to change that, but I will detail those changes in a different post.

So... "The English Wife" by Lauren Willig. I will say that I was a huge fan of Willig's first few books in the "Pink Carnation" series. Her writing was witty and fun, while combining great historical stories with modern day story lines. Now around the fifth entry of the series, I tapped out. I'm not a fan of the never ending series, no matter how good it is. So when Willig started writing standalone novels, I sat up a took interest. I tried reading "The Other Daughter" and just couldn't get into it. But "That Summer" returned to the formula of combining a modern day mystery with a historical plot line and I was hooked.

"The English Wife" returns to a wholly historical plot and it is done very well--to a point. Though now that I think of it, it would have been interesting to see it in the same format at "That Summer" with a modern day protagonist trying to solve a historical mystery. But I digress.

"The English Wife" is set in Gilded Age New York, and told from two perspectives--Janie Van Duyvil and Annabelle Van Duyvil. The catch is that Janie is telling the story from 1899 and Annabelle is slightly in the past (1895). The two women tell their stories until the timelines match up in the end, which is rather clever. Janie is the daughter of a distinguished, monied New York family. As the novel opens, her older brother Bay has been murdered and his beautiful English wife Annabelle is missing. Janie is determined to solve the mystery as she is convinced that her sister-in-law would have never murdered the man she loved.

Janie teams up with Burke, an intrepid news reporter with no love for New York's aristocracy. Their attempts to discover the real killer are interspersed with flashbacks featuring Annabelle. Before she met Bay Van Duyvil, she was an actress in a burlesque show, fleeing from her past. She meets Bay on a whim, and is immediately distrustful, but their shared love for Shakespeare joins them together. Their friendship blooms into love and love into marriage, but it is not long before cracks begin to show. What results in the end are devastating secrets being revealed.

"The English Wife" was a page turner for the first two hundred pages or so. But as the novel should have been climaxing, it just ran out of steam. I actually sat it down for several days and only picked it up today to finish. I loved Janie, who was truly trying to be the good daughter, but in the end decided to follow her heart. Annabelle and Bay's story is heartbreaking; their characters were both flawed, and as a result, their marriage becomes a sham. So what went wrong? For one thing, I just could not buy into who Willig chose to commit the murder. It makes sense on the surface, but there were other characters that had better motive. While I applaud Willig for taking the road less traveled, the result was forced, and frankly, nonsensical to a point.

So would I recommend the novel? Sure. The suffocating atmosphere of Gilded Age New York is done well and lends a darker feel to the novel. I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to reading whatever Willig has up her sleeve next. I really liked the fact that "The English Wife" was a true departure from her other historical novels. The book is out on January 9, 2018 and is available for pre-order on Amazon and all the other usual places. A big thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy.

Review: "Enemies of Versailles" by Sally Christie

Long time, no see folks! I thought it was worth coming out of hibernation to review the final installment Sally Christie’s Versailles Trilogy. Enemies of Versailles focuses on the last of Louis XV’s mistresses, Jeanne de Becu, Comtesse du Barry. Jeanne often gets a bad rap in history as she was a courtesan before becoming Louis’ Maitress en Titre. She was frequently called a whore and was considered grasping and flashy.

Enemies features Christie’s compelling and refreshingly humorous voice. I will admit that this last installment is not quite as compelling as the two previous entries. I believe this is because the novel is comprised only of Jeanne’s point of view as well as Madame Adelaide, Louis’ oldest surviving daughter. Nonetheless, it is still an enjoyable read.

Christie’s portrayal of Jeanne is much more forgiving, which is what makes her such a wonderful author. It is hard to make a reviled character likeable, yet it is easy to warm up to Jeanne. She was simple person who enjoyed the finer things in life. She rarely engages in politics.

The same cannot be said of Madame Adelaide. Nothing is likeable about her character, although her ability to remain completely blinkered to the outside world is amusing at times. She does undergo a bit of a redemption towards the end of the book as she realizes that infallibility and royalty are not the same thing.

History tells us that Jeanne de Becu did not have an easy end. While Louis XV’s remaining daughters escaped France at the beginning of the Revolution, Jeanne was not so lucky, and unfortunately we are with her right up to the very end. Her death was an unfortunate consequence of the overzealous Revolutionaries.

Enemies of Versailles is a fitting capstone on this excellent trilogy. Christie’s wit is fully on display while still capturing the upheaval of the last years of the Ancient Regime. I’ve read that Christie is hard at work on a new novel; I, for one, cannot wait to see the finished product! 

Review: "Rivals of Versailles" by Sally Christie

The Rivals of Versailles (The Mistresses of Versailles Trilogy #2) by Sally Christie

Publication Date: April 5, 2016
Atria Books
eBook & Paperback
448 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

And you thought sisters were a thing to fear! In this compelling follow-up to Sally Christie’s clever and absorbing debut, we meet none other than the Marquise de Pompadour, one of the greatest beauties of her generation and the first bourgeois mistress ever to grace the hallowed halls of Versailles.

 The year is 1745 and Louis XV’s bed is once again empty. Enter Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, a beautiful girl from the middle classes. As a child, a fortune teller had mapped out Jeanne’s destiny: she would become the lover of a king and the most powerful woman in the land. Eventually connections, luck, and a little scheming pave her way to Versailles and into the King’s arms. All too soon, conniving politicians and hopeful beauties seek to replace the bourgeoise interloper with a more suitable mistress. As Jeanne, now the Marquise de Pompadour, takes on her many rivals—including a lustful lady-in-waiting, a precocious 14-year-old prostitute, and even a cousin of the notorious Nesle sisters—she helps the king give himself over to a life of luxury and depravity. Around them, war rages, discontent grows, and France inches ever closer to the Revolution.

 Enigmatic beauty, social climber, actress, trendsetter, patron of the arts, spendthrift, whoremonger, friend, lover, foe: history books say many things about the famous Marquise de Pompadour. Alongside Catherine the Great of Russia and Maria Theresa of Austria, she is considered one of the three most powerful women of the 18th century, and one of the most influential royal mistresses of all time. In The Rivals of Versailles, Christie gets to the heart of Pompadour’s legendary relationship with Louis XV, France’s most “well-beloved” king. Pompadour was not only his mistress, but his confidante and influential political adviser for close to twenty years. Full of historical insight, decadence, wit and scandal, The Rivals of Versailles is about one woman’s trials and triumphs, her love for a king, and her role in shaping a nation.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound | Kobo

The Mistresses of Versailles Series

About the Author

I'm a life-long history buff - and I mean life-long. One of the first adult books I read was Antonia Fraser's masterful Mary, Queen of Scots. Wow! That book just blew my little ten year old mind: something about the way it brought the past right back to life, made it live again on the page. I date my obsession with history to that time, but I'd been writing ("writing") ever since I was able to hold a pencil. If you'd told my 12-year old self that I'd not be a writer when I grew up, I would have laughed you out of the tree house. With a few detours along the way, to work overseas in consulting and development, as well as to go to business school, I've finally come full circle to where I think I should be. I currently live in Toronto and when I'm not writing, I'm playing lots of tennis; doing random historical research (old census records are my favorite); playing Scrabble, and squirrel-watching (the room where I write has French doors leading out to a deck; I avidly follow, and feed, a scruffy gang). For more information please visit Sally Christie's website. You can also find her on Goodreads and Pinterest.

Blog Tour Schedule

Sunday, May 1 Review at A Book Drunkard Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past Monday, May 2 Review at Caroline Wilson Writes Tuesday, May 3 Interview at The Maiden's Court Wednesday, May 4 Review at To Read or Not to Read Review at With Her Nose Stuck In A Book Review, Guest Post, & Giveaway at History Undressed Thursday, May 5 Review at Bookish Friday, May 6 Review at History From a Woman's Perspective Monday, May 9 Review at Book Lovers Paradise Guest Post at leeanna.me Tuesday, May 10 Review at Ageless Pages Reviews Wednesday, May 11 Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book! Thursday, May 12 Review at The Lit Bitch Interview at Oh, for the Hook of a Book! Friday, May 13 Review at #redhead.with.book Sunday, May 15 Review at Svetlana's Reads and Views Review & Giveaway at Historical Fiction Obsession



Review

Hello all and welcome to an early edition of Review Tuesday! Today I'm very stoked to present my review for Sally Christie's latest novel, Rivals of Versailles. If you remember, I reviewed Sisters of Versailles last year and LOVED it.Rivals of Versailles is the next volume in the trilogy about the mistresses of Louis XV. I will admit that the beginning of Rivals didn't quite grab me. The novel mostly focuses on Jeanne Poisson, the woman who would become Madame Pompadour. The first section is told from the first person perspective and I initially found Jeanne a bit dull. But as the novel moved along, being told alternatively by the many minor mistresses that Louis XV had, Jeanne's character becomes more fleshed out. By the end of the novel, I was quite attached to her and even shed a tear or two. She was really a remarkable woman and though time and experience taught her to not trust anyone, she never became cruel or despicable. I think this was evidenced by her eventual friendship with Marie Leszczyńska, Louis's much put upon queen.

The many mistresses that followed in Jeanne's wake are all perfectly characterized. Rosalie was much like Pauline de Mailly-Nesle from Sisters of Versailles, so basically, not very sympathetic but so outrageous you wanted to see what she would do next. La Morphise was refreshingly simple and I found myself pitying her though after researching her a bit, she ended up all right. The second Marie Anne de Mailly (Marquise de Coislin) is outright hilarious--I was laughing so hard the hubby was questioning me why.

The slow descent of Louis XV into depravity is well done--you actually feel sorry for the poor man even though he did not deserve Jeanne's devotion. Their relationship is co-dependent in the extreme and yet Jeanne lived in constant fear of being discarded. It is no wonder she died early after the years of intrigue and dealing with stress.

All in all, Rivals of Versailles is an excellent book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It is wonderful to read historical fiction that covers real people, especially ones that are semi-famous and yet have very little fiction centered on them. I definitely recommend that you pick up a copy. Further information about the book and the characters can be found on Sally Christie's website. The final volume in the trilogy Enemies of Versailles will follow Jeanne de Becu, Comtesse du Barry and will be available in November. I can't wait!

Review Tuesday: "Under the Same Blue Sky" by Pamela Schoenwaldt

In Pamela Schoenewaldt’s latest novel,Under the Same Blue Sky, she seeks to bring social injustice to light through the eyes of quiet but defiant heroine Hazel Renner. As the daughter of German immigrants, she is raised with the benefit of a rich cultural heritage and a love for learning. But she is also saddled with the expectations of her doting parents–they expect great things out of her. Perhaps she should become a physician, her mother posits. Yet Hazel wants more out of life. She longs to escape the industrial landscape of Pittsburgh and join the artistic avant garde of early 20th-century Paris. But then World War I breaks out and her dreams are dashed. Almost overnight, Hazel’s parents become “Huns” and their successful hardware business is the target of shameful vandalism.

For Hazel, the war is the impetus she needs to unravel the truth of her birth and strange childhood memories. This journey leads her first to serve as a teacher in a small town outside Pittsburgh. There she encounters a Spanish American War veteran with mental problems. Through the lens of modern science, the reader can see that the man suffers from PTSD. Yet he is cruelly segregated from local society and ends up the victim of his own inner demons and the townspeople’s prejudices.

Later, Hazel becomes the secretary of a wealthy German aristocrat turned art dealer. As they work to rescue priceless items from the Motherland, she has the opportunity to fall in love with an old friend. But her happiness is short-lived as her employer is ridiculed and reviled for his ancestry, her father is claimed by the deep depression he experiences, and her lover becomes a pilot for the American Armed Forces. Hazel’s inner strength shines through these challenges. The reader is impressed with the notion that Hazel is truly good without being saccharine; she bears the weight of those around her with quiet fortitude, but still longs for true happiness amidst the strife. Her journey takes her far from her fretful beginnings. The end result is not what she pictured, but Hazel learns that empathy and love, in spite of the circumstances, can conquer all things.

Under the Same Blue Sky is wonderful, moving novel (I cried) that takes a whole new look at a setting that is familiar in the historical fiction world. I highly recommend it.

**This review is an excerpt from a feature article that I wrote for the Historical Novel Review.

Guest Post: AJ Mackenzie "In Search of the 1790s"

Joining us today is AJ Mackenzie, author of the new novel "The Body on the Doorstep" which is now available for purchase. Thanks for joining us today, AJ! 

 

In Search of the 1790s

 

‘The past is a foreign country’, L.P. Hartley famously declared in The Go-Between. ‘They do things differently there.’

Standing on the Dymchurch Wall and looking out over the English Channel towards France on a bright sunny spring morning, that statement never seemed more true. Behind us, a golf course lay serene in the sunshine. People strolled along the beach, children picked up seashells, dogs barked as they ran in the shallow surf. All was blissful and peaceful.

Things were a bit different in 1796. Britain and France were at war, and Britain faced the threat of imminent invasion. Rebellion was brewing in Ireland, and there were real fears it would spread to England too. The Romney Marsh smugglers, who for decades had carried silk and brandy and lace across the Channel into England, now had other more sinister cargo: secrets, and spies.

The Marsh itself was a different place too. The flat fields were fit for little but grazing, and the people were poor. It was probably poverty that led many of them – most of them – into smuggling. It was, as Reverend Hardcastle says at one point in The Body on the Doorstep, easier to list those members of his parish who were not involved in smuggling, than those who were.

Opinions among modern historians differ about the smugglers. Some see them as entrepreneurs, others as criminal gangs akin to the mafia. The real truth is probably somewhere in between, but there is no doubt that the smugglers were armed and dangerous. The penalty for those convicted of smuggling was death, and both men and women were hanged for this crime, every year.

People were poor, life was cheap. The Marsh was also malarial, and many people suffered from ‘marsh fever’. People in the uplands of the Weald of Kent knew this and shied away from the Marsh, feverish and unhealthy in summer, bitter and windswept the rest of the year. Evil in summer, grievous in winter, and never good, was how one proverb of the day put it.

Standing on the Dymchurch Wall that day, it felt like the peace of the day was an illusion. The real Romney Marsh lay underneath. The real picture was one of those centuries of hardship, of trying to wrest a living from the poor ground and the unforgiving sea, of defying danger and death to run smuggled goods into the country so the wealthy of London could have their luxuries; all against a backdrop of war, espionage and invasion.

That is the Romney Marsh we saw as we stood in the sunshine that morning. We hope that in The Body on the Doorstep, you will see it too.

　

Review Tuesday: "Newport" by Jill Morrow

It's Review Tuesday again and today I bring you a novel that I read last year during the great review drought of 2015.

Newport is a riveting historical fiction with elements of romance and mystery set in the early years of the Prohibition era, the novel unfolds over a couple days in the summer colony of Newport. Bennett Chapman has called his attorney Adrian De la Noye to his waterside mansion in order to re-write his will. Chapman is on the cusp of marrying Catherine Walsh, a woman half his age.

Adrian and legal assistant Jim arrive to discover many guests: Nicholas and Chloe, Chapman’s spoiled children, and Amy Walsh, Catherine’s niece. But Adrian is stunned to discover Catherine is the lost love he has done everything to forget. As Adrian and Jim sift through dark secrets, they must determine if Chapman is being directed by his long dead wife or just demented.

Newport is a richly drawn novel of changing social mores where the past has everything to do with the present. The characters are well-drawn, while the present action unfolding against past deeds effectively tells the story. The plot does lag a bit in the middle before picking up steam to the conclusion. Nonetheless, lovers of well-crafted historicals will enjoy Newport.

**I reviewed this novel for the San Francisco Book Review.

Review Tuesday: "These Shallow Graves" by Jennifer Donnelly

Happy Tuesday to you all!

As you know, today is Review Tuesday, which when I say that in my mind, it's in a sonorous voice and it echoes. Yes, I am short a few. :-)

Today I bring you my review of Jennifer Donnelly's These Shallow Graves. Have I ever mentioned my absolute and undying love for Jennifer Donnelly? I have been a major fangirl since I picked up her first novel The Tea Rose during finals weeks in college and it's a major miracle that I didn't fail because all I wanted to do was to read that novel. Donnelly has since moved on to other subjects including a dual-period novel entitled Revolution and a teen series focusing on the myths surrounding mermaids, so when I saw that she was publishing a new Victorian era novel, I was super stoked. These Shallow Graves is geared towards young adults but it still a wonderful novel that captures a lot of the grit of Gilded Age New York that was featured in her first novel.

The story follows Jo Montfort as she longs to test the glittering restrictive world of her birth. As one of New York’s elite, she has been raised to marry the perfect gentleman and have babies; but what Jo really longs for is to pursue her love of journalism. Her world is rocked when her father is discovered dead, a supposed suicide. Not believing her father capable of such a thing, Jo teams up with newspaper reporter Eddie Gallagher to uncover the dark secrets lurking just out of sight. She will risk her heart and social oblivion to discover to the truths that threaten to challenge her perfectly planned existence.

Jennifer Donnelly truly excels at historical fiction, whether it be for adults or teens. While These Shallow Graves is geared towards young adults, it will intrigue adult readers as well. At first the heart of the mystery seems easily solved, but as Jo and Eddie continue to uncover pieces to the puzzle, the real truth becomes further obscured. Descriptions of Victorian New York really give the novel its flavor while the characterizations are equally wonderful. So many female protagonists in today’s historical fiction are not in sync with the realities of their time periods. Jo Montfort is very aware of her place in society and the constraints upon her as a woman. She is constantly barraged with who she is and how she should act, which reminds the reader of how life used to be. But Jo is wonderfully smart and courageous, and though she challenges the establishment, she does it with grace and deportment.

I definitely recommend These Shallow Graves and basically anything by Donnelly so pick up a copy today.

**This review appeared the Historic Novel Review in February 2016.

Review Tuesday: "The Visitant: A Venetian Ghost Story" by Megan Chance

Hello all!

I know it has been many months since my last post and I hope you will forgive me. There have been many changes at Casa Wilson including a new job and a move to Charleston, SC so things have been a tad bit crazy.

Despite being busy, I have managed to fit in a few good books, so I'll be posting reviews in the coming weeks. Today, however, I bring you my review of The Visitant by Megan Chance. I was a big fan of An Inconvenient Wife which Chance published a few years ago, so I was eager to read this one when it was offered for review through the Historical Novel Society. Chance really excels at creating flawed characters--it's a talent that many authors don't even attempt to master.

The Visitant: A Venetian Ghost Story follows a disgraced Elena Spira to Venice in 1884 as she seeks to redeem her family. She carries many secrets with her, and must work to keep them hidden as she attends the ailing Samuel Farber. She has been tasked with keeping his secret safe, and nursing him to health so that he may return to America for an arranged marriage. He proves to be a truculent patient, and Elena must fight him and the dark forces residing in the crumbling Casa Basilio, all while evading the alluring stares of the casa’s owner, Nero Basilio.

Megan Chance is one of the few accomplished historical fiction writers specializing in Gothic novels. The Visitant evokes everything that is wonderful in the genre: secretive characters, an old house, and of course, ghosts and demons. In many ways it echoes Henry James’ Turn of the Screw. Chance excels at drawing the reader into the plot without giving much away, which leaves one guessing right up to the end. She also has created wonderfully nuanced characters in this novel. Elena, Samuel, and Nero all at times seem despicable, and yet they evoke sympathy. Elena is riddled with guilt over her past decisions and yet she longs to set free to live life as she sees fit. Yet she becomes embroiled in an ill-advised romantic relationship with Nero, who is all charm and deception. It is heartbreaking to see her realize the truth only to discover that she has given her heart away to the wrong person yet again.

The Visitant will keep you reading and guessing to the very end. I definitely recommend this one--curl up with a glass of wine (or in my case, a glass of whiskey) and prepare to be enthralled.

Author Spotlight: Jeanne Mackin's "The Beautiful American"

The Beautiful American by Jeanne Mackin

Publication Date: June 3, 2014
NAL/Penguin Group
Formats: eBook, Paperback, Audio
352 Pages
 Genre: Historical Fiction
   

 As recovery from World War II begins, expat American Nora Tours travels from her home in southern France to London in search of her missing sixteen-year-old daughter. There, she unexpectedly meets up with an old acquaintance, famous model-turned-photographer Lee Miller. Neither has emerged from the war unscathed. Nora is racked with the fear that her efforts to survive under the Vichy regime may have cost her daughter's life. Lee suffers from what she witnessed as a war correspondent photographing the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps. Nora and Lee knew each other in the heady days of late 1920's Paris, when Nora was giddy with love for her childhood sweetheart, Lee became the celebrated mistress of the artist Man Ray, and Lee's magnetic beauty drew them all into the glamorous lives of famous artists and their wealthy patrons. But Lee fails to realize that her friendship with Nora is even older, that it goes back to their days as children in Poughkeepsie, New York, when a devastating trauma marked Lee forever. Will Nora's reunion with Lee give them a chance to forgive past betrayals, and break years of silence? A novel of freedom and frailty, desire and daring, The Beautiful American portrays the extraordinary relationship between two passionate, unconventional woman.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOKS-A-MILLION | GOOGLE PLAY | IBOOKSTORE | INDIEBOUND | POWELL'S

PRAISE

"Will transport you to expat Paris." - Suzanne Rindell, author of The Other Typist "A brilliant, beautifully written literary masterpiece" - Sandra Dallas, author of Fallen Women "Leaves its essence of love, loss, regret and hope long after the novel concludes." - Erika Robuck, author of Fallen Beauty "Achingly beautiful and utterly mesmerizing...her vividly drawn characters...come heartbreakingly alive in their obsessions, tragedies and triumphs" - Jennifer Robson, author of Somewhere in France "From Poughkeepsie to Paris, from the razzmatazz of the twenties to the turmoil of World War Two and the perfume factories of Grasse, Mackin draws you into the world of expatriate artists and photographers and tells a story of love, betrayal, survival and friendship...an engaging and unforgettable novel" - Renee Rosen, author Doll Face

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeanne Mackin’s novel, The Beautiful American (New American Library), based on the life of photographer and war correspondent Lee Miller, received the 2014 CNY award for fiction. Her other novels include A Lady of Good Family, about gilded age personality Beatrix Farrand, The Sweet By and By, about nineteenth century spiritualist Maggie Fox, Dreams of Empire set in Napoleonic Egypt, The Queen’s War, about Eleanor of Aquitaine, and The Frenchwoman, set in revolutionary France and the Pennsylvania wilderness. Jeanne Mackin is also the author of the Cornell Book of Herbs and Edible Flowers (Cornell University publications) and co-editor of The Book of Love (W.W. Norton.) She was the recipient of a creative writing fellowship from the American Antiquarian Society and a keynote speaker for The Dickens Fellowship. Her work in journalism won awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, in Washington, D.C. She has taught or conducted workshops in Pennsylvania, Hawaii and at Goddard College in Vermont.

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BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

Monday, September 21 Spotlight at Let Them Read Books Tuesday, September 22 Interview at Please Pass the Books Wednesday, Spetember 23 Review at A Bookish Affair Review at History From a Woman's Perspective Spotlight at What Is That Book About Thursday, September 24 Review at History Undressed Review & Interview at Jorie Loves a Story Friday, September 25 Guest Post at A Bookish Affair Interview at History Undressed Spotlight at Book Nerd Sunday, September 27 Review at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book Monday, September 28 Review at I'm Shelf-ish Guest Post at To Read, or Not to Read Tuesday, September 29 Review at Build a Bookshelf Spotlight at Caroline Wilson Writes Wednesday, September 30 Review at Queen of All She Reads Spotlight at View From the Birdhouse Spotlight at CelticLady's Reviews Thursday, October 1 Review at Dive Under the Cover Interview at The Old Shelter Guest Post at Books and Benches Spotlight at The Lit Bitch Friday, October 2 Review at A Fold in the Spine Review & Interview at Singing Librarian Books Spotlight & Excerpt at A Literary Vacation

GIVEAWAY

To enter to win a paperback copy of The Beautiful American, please enter via the GLEAM form below. Rules – Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on October 2nd. You must be 18 or older to enter. – Giveaway is open to US residents only. – Only one entry per household. – All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion – Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen. The Beautiful American

Review: Duet for Three Hands by Tess Thompson

**Originally appeared in Historical Novel Review, Issue 73**

Duet for Three Hands is a new novel that explores the nature of love and race in the early 20^th-century South. The story is focused on the Bellmont family, an Old South family that has been able to remake its fortune on the back of new enterprise. But beneath the glittering façade there is trouble. Patriarch Frank Bellmont is a brutish drunk, while his wife, Clare, though as kind and loving as she is beautiful, often suffers his wrath. Their children, Frances and Whitmore, are as different as night and day. Frances, a spoiled, deluded beauty who courts scandal at every turn, lures a brilliant concert pianist into marriage. Whitmore is a sensitive dreamer who must hide his growing feelings for Jeselle, his best friend and the family’s black servant girl.

Tess Thompson has created a masterwork of Southern literature. Told from various points of view, Duet for Three Hands is a little slow to start as the various characters are introduced. The addition of Nathanial Fye and Lydia, his eventual protégée, seems nonsensical in the beginning, but all the threads come together by the end. The setting, however, is brilliantly captured, and practically palpitates with the tension of a sultry afternoon. Thompson does not shy away from depicting the cruelty of some Southern whites, but she does not condemn them all as miserable bigots, which is refreshing. While great brutality is often present, it is juxtaposed against selfless acts of kindness and sacrifice, leaving the reader with a full picture of life during this turbulent time period. Lovers of Southern fiction and general historical fiction will find Duet for Three Hands a welcome respite to the glut of beach reads this summer. Highly recommended.

Available at Amazon.

Author Spotlight: Andy Kutler and "The Other Side of Life"

December 1941, Pearl Harbor. A peaceful Sunday morning turns into a devastating attack on American soil. Naval officer Malcolm “Mac” Kelsey is severely wounded while defending his ship. A flawed man abandoned long ago by his alcoholic wife, Kelsey has been mired in despair and hopelessness following the accidental death of Lucy, the young daughter he considers the only redemptive aspect of his life. Near the point of death, Kelsey is brought to what he believes to be an afterlife where he is offered an opportunity to shed his past memories and embark upon an alternate path in another place and time. Eager to escape his torment and begin a more tranquil existence, Kelsey accepts, only to feel quickly betrayed as he soon finds himself back in the midst of battle, this time as a Union soldier at the dawn of the Civil War. Through Antietam, Gettysburg and four years of relentless fighting, Kelsey attempts to cast aside his painful past while trying to survive the horrors of combat. He crosses paths with compelling figures on both sides of the conflict determined to persevere and return to those they left behind. Each will endure unimaginable hardship and brutality that will forever reshape their core beliefs and values. Each will find their strength and resolve tested as they search for self-purpose, humanity, and reconciliation. Most of all, Mac Kelsey will discover the very essence of life and death, and whether the new beginning he has long coveted will bring him the inner peace he has so desperately sought.

ADVANCE PRAISE

“The Other Side of Life imaginatively mingles brutal scenes of Civil War battlefields with thought-provoking moral issues. It describes the conflicted loyalties and sufferings of that tragic era and the spiritual growth of the book’s hero—a naval officer wounded in the Pearl Harbor attack—and those he becomes close to when he is transported to the past. The swift-moving, compelling narrative grips the reader from first page to last.” -- Bernard Weisberger, historian and author of America Afire: Adams, Jefferson, and the Revolutionary Election of 1800 

“Andy Kutler has written a thoughtfully imaginative adventure across time, approaching the Civil War from a fresh perspective while creating memorable, compelling characters. The story flows beautifully and is consistently challenging.” -- Ivan R. Dee, Publisher, Now and Then Reader (nowandthenreader.com) 

"Andy Kutler's war scenes are gripping, his characters vulnerable and honest, and his story ultimately triumphant -- an exciting journey back into two levels of the past." -- David Hardin, author of Emblems of Woe: How the South Reacted to Lincoln's Murder 

“Employing some new twists on the novelist's technique of time travel, Andy Kutler sends a naval officer bombed at Pearl Harbor back to the Civil War. Among his comrades in a Union cavalry regiment he absorbs the enduring values of trust, loyalty, love, and selflessness during the chaos and tragedy of a war that took place a half century before he was born. Readers will find themselves immersed in this story and captivated by its principal characters.” -- James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom and The War That Forged a Nation 

“Profound, smart, and entertaining – the path through The Other Side of Life is an amazing journey through history.” -- Joe Weisberg, Creator and Executive Producer of FX’s The Americans and author of An Ordinary Spy

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andy Kutler is a writer living in Arlington, Virginia. A native of Madison, Wisconsin and a graduate of Michigan State University (B.A.) and Georgetown University (M.A.), he has previously worked on the senior legislative staff of two United States Senators before serving as a senior policy officer with the U.S. Secret Service. He is working today as a consultant to the national security community. While Andy’s writings have appeared in The Huffington Post and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Other Side of Life is his first novel. Andy's interests include travel, military history, his Wisconsin sports teams, and most importantly, spending time with his wife and two children. You can learn more about the author at www.andykutler.com.

BUY THE BOOK

Title: The Other Side of Life 

Author: Andy Kutler Pages: 360 

Publisher: Neverland Publishing Company LLC 

ISBN-13: 978-0-9903148-9-9 

Category/Genre: Historical Fiction 

Publication date: August 2015 

Format: Trade paperback and Kindle 

Available at: Amazon.com, Ingram Books 

List Price: $16.95 

Author Spotlight: Bob Strother's "Burning Time"

ISBN: 978-0-9743410-8-8

Cover Price: $23.95

Publisher: MOONSHINE PRESS

ABOUT

Louise Schmidt would sacrifice almost anything to protect and provide for her family—even her innocence…

Set in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the early 1900s, "Burning Time" portrays the life of Louise Schmidt, from early childhood to adulthood, as Louise, her mother, and younger brother fight to survive the abuse of Louise’s father, Will.

The largess of Will’s parents initially provides refuge from her father’s drunken exploits, but Louise learns too young that nothing lasts forever. Though previously ostracized from the family, the prodigal son returns at the behest of his ailing father, and brings along a new wife, Maude, who fans the flames of Will’s inherent avarice and disregard for his former wife and children.

At fifteen, Louise is forced from the only home she’s ever known and into marriage with a man ten years her senior.  Even as Louise comes to terms with her life and assumes the role of family matriarch, she still must face the consequences of her actions—including a death sentence for murder…

PRAISE

One part Southern Gothic, one part crime novel, one part coming-of-age story, Burning Time is a compelling read I couldn’t put down. It’s beautifully delivered in Strother’s clear, concise prose and authentic Southern voice.

—Susan M. Boyer, USA TODAY Bestselling Author of the Liz Talbot Mystery Series

A page-turner of historical fiction! Strother is a class act whose prose does not disappoint. He has mastered the art of rooting the reader in the time period and then supported that with a great coming of age tale.

—David Burnsworth, Author of the Brack Pelton Mystery Series

PURCHASE

Moonshine Press

Amazon

Author Spotlight: Rachel Demeter and "Finding Gabriel"

Colonel Gabriel de Laurent departed for the war intending to die.

After a decade of bloodstained battlegrounds while fighting in Napoleon's army, Gabriel returns to the streets of Paris a shattered and haunted soul. Plagued by inner demons, he swallows the barrel of his flintlock pistol and pulls the trigger. 

But fate has a different plan. 

Ariah Larochelle is a survivor. Orphaned at twelve and victim to a devastating crime, she has learned to keep her back to walls and to trust no one. But when she finds a gravely injured soldier washed up on the River Seine, she's moved by compassion. In spite of her reservations, she rescues him from the icy water and brings him into her home. 

Now scarred inside and out, Gabriel discovers a kindred spirit in Ariah – and feelings he imagined lost forever reawaken as he observes her strength in the face of adversity. But when Ariah's own lethal secrets unfold, their new love is threatened by ancient ghosts. Can Gabriel and Ariah find hope in the wreckage of their pasts – or will the cycle of history repeat again?  

Perfect for fans of Gaelen Foley's Lord of Ice and Judith James's Broken Wing, Finding Gabriel features all the dark romance, searing passion, and historical intrigue of The Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables.

Available August 27, 2015 from Momentum (Pan Macmillan) and can be pre-ordered at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, and Google Play.

Author bio

Rachel L. Demeter lives in the beautiful hills of Anaheim, California with Teddy, her goofy lowland sheepdog, and her high school sweetheart of eleven years. She enjoys writing dark, poignant romances that challenge the reader's emotions and explore the redeeming power of love.

Imagining dynamic worlds and characters has been Rachel's passion for longer than she can remember. Before learning how to read or write, she would dictate stories while her mother would record them for her. She holds a special affinity for the tortured hero and unconventional romances. Whether crafting the protagonist or antagonist, she ensures every character is given a soul.

Rachel endeavors to defy conventions by blending elements of romance, suspense, and horror. Some themes her stories never stray too far from: forbidden romance, soul mates, the power of love to redeem, mend all wounds, and triumph over darkness.
Her dream is to move readers and leave an emotional impact through her words.

Don't be a stranger! Rachel loves to connect and interact with her readers: 

• Visit Rachel's Official Website: http://racheldemeter.net
• Stay in the loop with Rachel's Author Newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/rldnewsletter
• Follow Rachel on Twitter: @RachelLDemeter
• Join Rachel on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rldemeter
• Add Rachel on Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/RachelLDemeter

Review: Sally Christie's "The Sisters of Versailles"

Hello dear readers!

Today I bring you a review of Sally Christie's upcoming novel, "The Sisters of Versailles". I was immediately excited upon sighting the novel on Netgalley and I was not disappointed. Christie explores the previously neglected reign of Louis XV and the result is nothing short of page turning.

This fascinating fictional (but still accurate) account takes on the lives of the notorious Mailly-Nesle. The five sisters--Louise, Pauline, Diane, Hortense, and Marie-Anne were brought up in the shadow of Versailles and expected to marry well. Instead, four of them become royal mistresses. Louise is the first to go to Versailles and capture the heart of King Louis VX. Naive and pure of heart, Louise is Louis's first documented mistress, but her unaffected ways and sweet spirit are overthrown by the arrival of Pauline. Described in the novel as "a force of nature", Pauline is determined to seduce the king and make a name for herself. The two sisters co-exist in a strange menage trois until Pauline's death leaves a void. Then Diane, Hortense, and Marie-Anne arrive on the scene, but it is the youngest Mailly-Nesle sister who impacts the king in ways previously not seen. Marie-Anne is determined to use her position to live the good life, but there are always sacrifices and consequences.

Louis XV's fascination with the Mailly-Nesle sisters was certainly a unique situation and one that has been surprisingly unexplored in the past. Sally Christie brings all five sisters to life, alternating each chapter with a new voice and view. The fact that each sister's voice is distinct is clear evidence of Christie's talents as a writer. The reader in turns will find themselves laughing with, rolling their eyes at, or downright hating the sisters. This lovely novel is not to be missed! There were many nights that I stayed awake long past my bedtime because I didn't want to put it down. It hits bookshelves on September 1, 2015 and can be pre-ordered through Amazon.

Review: Marci Jefferson's "Enchantress of Paris"

"Enchantress of Paris" details the rise and fall of Marie Mancini, niece of the powerful Cardinal Mazarin and possible true love of Louis XIV. Destined for convent, the willful and clever Marie strikes out on her own after catching the eye of the young Louis. Her uncle seeks to use her to control the king, but Marie sees Louis as more than a pawn. Their love electrifies the court, but as time comes for Louis to wed, Marie must outwit her uncle in an attempt to forge her own destiny.

"Enchantress of Paris" is similar to Marci Jefferson's debut novel "Girl on the Golden Coin" in that it details the life of a king's mistress. Pitted against forces larger than herself, Marie is determined to outfox the horoscope cast by her astrologer father and live her life happily. She is bold and cunning, but not without heart. The love she has for the king forces her to do the wise thing but not without consequences to herself and those around her. She is ultimately defeated by her uncle--she loses the battle, but not perhaps not the war as she goes on to live a scandalous but full life.

The characters are well drawn; Marie sparkles with vibrancy while Louis is young and all too trusting--truly the man before he becomes the great Sun King. Cardinal Mazarin is perfectly wicked while a host of other characters manage to carry their own plot points. The pacing starts to lag towards the end as Marie and Louis struggle in vain to be together, but character investment at that point spurs the reader on.

Marci Jefferson brings 17th century France to life in "Enchantress of Paris"; lovers of historical fiction will enjoy this new novel.