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Showing posts from March, 2019

Blog Tour: The Way of Glory by Patricia J. Boomsma

The Way of Glory by Patricia J. Boomsma Publication Date: November 14, 2018 Edeleboom Books eBook & Paperback; 390 Pages Genre: Historical Fiction      Cate, a teenage girl from twelfth century England, joins her brothers and aunt on a crusade to save Jerusalem that stops in Hispania to battle the Moors. Life on a battlefield strains the family’s closeness as they confront the terror and contradictions of holy war. Cate’s dreams of sainthood change to those of a husband and children when she falls in love with a soldier, but she finds no peace even after the family settles on land taken from the Moors. Cate’s friendship with a conquered Moor soon leads to impossible choices as she faces the cost of betrayal and the loss of all she’s known. Praise for The Way of Glory     “One of the many impressive things about The Way of Glory is how lightly it wears its scrupulous research. This fine novel invites you to lose yourself to the compelling char

Carolina of Orange-Nassau: Ancestress of the Royal Houses of Europe by Moniek Bloks: A Book Review

Carolina of Orange-Nassau: Ancestress of the Royal Houses of Europe Author: Moniek Bloks Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography Publisher: Chronos Books Release Date: January 25, 2019 Pages: 97 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Carolina of Orange-Nassau (1743 – 1787) was born the daughter of William IV, Prince of Orange, and Anne, Princess Royal and was thus the granddaughter of King George II. It was upon the King's orders that she was named after his wife, Caroline of Ansbach. She was the first of Anne and William's children to survive to adulthood. When her father was at last made stadtholder of all seven united provinces, Carolina was included in the line of succession, in the event she had no brothers. A brother was eventually born, but due to his weak health, she remained an important figure. Carolina married Charles Christian of Nassau-Weilburg and suffered the loss of half her children, either in childbirth or infancy. Despi

Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts: A Book Review

Finding Dorothy Author: Elizabeth Letts Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Books Release Date: February 12, 2019 Pages: 352 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Hollywood, 1938: As soon as she learns that M-G-M is adapting her late husband’s masterpiece for the screen, seventy-seven-year-old Maud Gage Baum sets about trying to finagle her way onto the set. Nineteen years after Frank’s passing, Maud is the only person who can help the producers stay true to the spirit of the book—because she’s the only one left who knows its secrets.     But the moment she hears Judy Garland rehearsing the first notes of “Over the Rainbow,” Maud recognizes the yearning that defined her own life story, from her youth as a suffragette’s daughter to her coming of age as one of the first women in the Ivy League, from her blossoming romance with Frank to the hardscrabble prairie years that inspired The Wonderful Wizard of Oz . Judy reminds Maud of a

Death of an Eye (Eye of Isis #1) by Dana Stabenow: A Book Review

Death of an Eye (Eye of Isis #1) Author: Dana Stabenow Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Suspense Publisher: Head of Zeus Release Date: 2018 Pages: 231 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: For three centuries, the House of Ptolemy has governed the Kingdom of Egypt. Cleopatra – seventh of her name – rules from Alexandria, that beacon of commerce and learning that stands between the burning sands of the desert and the dark waters of the Middle Sea.      But her realm is beset by ethnic rivalries, aristocratic feuds and courtly intrigues. Not only that, she must contend with the insatiable appetite of Julius Caesar who needs Egyptian grain and Egyptian gold to further his ambitions. The world is watching the young Queen, waiting for a misstep...     And now her most trusted servant – her Eye – has been murdered and a vast shipment of newly minted coin stolen. Cleopatra cannot afford for the coins to go unrecovered or the murderers unp

Dear George, Dear Mary: A Novel of George Washington's First Love by Mary Calvi: A Book Review

Dear George, Dear Mary: A Novel of George Washington's First Love Author: Mary Calvi Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: St. Martin’s Press Release Date: February 19, 2019 Pages: 320 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: A never-before-told love story of George Washington and heiress Mary Philipse based on historical accounts, letters, and personal journals by nine-time New York Emmy Award-winning journalist Mary Calvi. "Love is said to be an involuntary passion, and it is, therefore, contended that it cannot be resisted." --George Washington     Did unrequited love spark a flame that ignited a cause that became the American Revolution? Crafted from hundreds of letters, witness accounts, and journal entries, Dear George, Dear Mary explores George's relationship with his first love, New York heiress Mary Philipse, the richest belle in Colonial America.      From elegant eighteenth-century society to bloody battlefields

Jerusalem's Queen (The Silent Years #3): A Novel of Salome Alexandra by Angela Hunt: A Book Review

Jerusalem's Queen (The Silent Years #3): A Novel of Salome Alexandra Author: Angela Hunt Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian, Biblical Fiction Publisher: Bethany House Publishers Release Date: 2018 Pages: 352 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Her Rise to the Throne Defied Expectations. And Then She Proved to Be One of Judea's Greatest Rulers.     Born in the small village of Modein, a place made famous by the warrior Maccabees, Salome Alexandra knows better than to harbor grand dreams for her future. She pales in comparison to her beautiful older sister, and though she learns to read at an early age, girls are not valued for their intellectual ability. However, when her father and sister are killed, John Hyrcanus, a distant relative, invites Salome and her mother to live with his family in Jerusalem, where her thirst for knowledge is noticed and indulged.     When her guardian betroths her to a pagan prince, she questions HaS

Of Fire and Lions by Mesu Andrews: A Book Review

Of Fire and Lions Author: Mesu Andrews Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian, Biblical Fiction Publisher: WaterBrook Release Date: March 5, 2019 Pages: 400 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: The Old Testament book of Daniel comes to life in this novel for readers of Lynn Austin's Chronicles of the Kings series or Francine Rivers' Mark of the Lion series.     Survival. A Hebrew girl first tasted it when she escaped death nearly seventy years ago as the Babylonians ransacked Jerusalem and took their finest as captives. She thought she'd perfected in the many years amongst the Magoi and the idol worshippers, pretending with all the others in King Nebuchadnezzar's court. Now, as Daniel's wife and a septuagenarian matriarch, Belili thinks she's safe and she can live out her days in Babylon without fear--until the night Daniel is escorted to Belshazzar's palace to interpret mysterious handwriting on a wall. The Persia