Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from August, 2013

Brides of the Storm (Book 2 of the Galveston Hurricane Mystery Series) by Amanda Still: A Book Review

Brides of the Storm (Book 2 of the Galveston Hurricane Mystery Series) Author: Amanda Still Genre: Mystery & Suspense, Paranormal, Historical Fiction Publisher: Gone Feral Publishing Release Date: May 6th, 2013 Pages: 360 Source: This book was given to my by the author in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis:  One Too Many Brides One bride died a year before the wedding, drowned in the waters of the Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900. One fell in love and expects a quiet wedding and a peaceful life. They are both surprised when the confused groom is suspected of a brutal murder. The gruesome death of a local prostitute occurred just after the "dead" wife returned to town. Are the two events connected? Dash, a female attorney, must find out the truth to bring peace to her own home as her adopted daughters are now torn between their love for her and suspicion that their original mother did not die in the storm, but might return. As Dash hunts a killer, she finds

The Last Queen: A Novel by C.W. Gortner: A Book Review

The Last Queen: A Novel Author: C.W. Gortner Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Books Release Date: 2009 Pages: 400 Source: Personal Collection Synopsis:  In This Stunning Novel, C.W. Gortner Brings To Life Juana of Castile , the third child of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand of Spain, who would become the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit her country's throne. Along the way, Gortner takes the reader from the somber majesty of Spain to the glittering and lethal courts of Flanders, France, and Tudor England.      Born amid her parents' ruthless struggle to unify and strengthen their kingdom, Juana, at the age of sixteen, is sent to wed Phillip, heir to the Habsburg Empire. Juana finds unexpected love and passion with her dashing young husband, and at first she is content with her children and her married life. But when tragedy strikes and she becomes heir to the Spanish throne, Juana finds herself plunged into a battle for power against her husband

Caesar's Wives: Sex, Power, And Politics In The Roman Empire by Annelise Freisenbruch: A Book Review

Caesars' Wives: Sex, Power, and Politics in the Roman Empire Author: Annelise Freisenbruch Genre: Nonfiction, Biography, History Publisher: Free Press Release Date: November 2010 Pages: 368 Source: My State Public Library Synopsis:  In Scandals and Power Struggles  obscured by time and legend, the wives, mistresses, mothers, sisters, and daughters of the caesars have been popularly characterized as heartless murderers, shameless adulteresses, and conniving politicians in the high dramas of the Roman court. Yet little has been known about who they really were and their true roles in the history-making schemes if imperial Rome's ruling Caesars--indeed, how they figured in the ride, decline, and fall of the empire.      Now in Caesars' Wives: Sex, Power, and Politics in the Roman Empire , Annelise Freisenbruch pulls back the veil on these fascinating women in Rome's power circles, giving them the chance to speak for themselves for the first time. With immpe

Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt: From Early Dynastic Times To The Death Of Cleopatra by Joyce Tyldesley: A Book Review

  Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt: from Early Dynastic Times to the Death of Cleopatra  Author: Joyce Tyldesley Genre: Nonfiction, Biography, History Publisher: Thames & Hudson Release Date: 2006 Pages: 224 Source: My State Public Library Synopsis:  This fascinating saga spans 3,000 years of Egyptian queenship from Early Dynastic times until the suicide of Cleopatra in 30 BC. Starting with the unique role of Egypt's women in the ancient world, the book goes on to present a biographical portrait of every queen, supplemented by a wealth of pictorial detail, datafiles, genealogical trees, timelines, and special features--from Childbirth to Wigs--highlighting different aspects of Egyptian culture.      The queen of Egypt was, first and foremost, a supportive wife and mother, but in times of dynastic crisis she was expected to act as her husband's deputy. The queen might be required to marshal troops, or to rule on behalf of an infant son. She might even be called upo

Hatchepsut by Joyce Tyldesley: A Book Review

Hatchepsut: The Female Pharaoh Author: Joyce Tyldesley Genre: Nonfiction, Biography, History Publisher: Viking Release Date: 1996 Pages: 304 Source: My State Public Library Synopsis:  Queen --or, as she would prefer to be remembered King--Hatchepsut was a remarkable woman. Born the eldest daughter of King Tuthmosis I, married to her half-brother Tuthmosis II, and guardian of her young stepson-nephew Tuthmosis III, Hatchepsut the Female Pharaoh, brilliantly defied tradition and established herself on the divine throne of the pharaohs to become the female embodiment of a man, dressing in male clothing and even sporting the pharaoh's traditional false beard. Her reign was a carefully balanced period of internal peace, foreign exploration, and monumental building, and Egypt prospered under her rule. After her death, however, a serious attempt was made to obliterate Hatchepsut's memory from the history of Egypt. Her monuments were either destroyed or usurped, her portraits we

Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter: A Book Review

Cleopatra's Moon Author: Vicky Alvear Shecter Genre: YA, Historical Fiction Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books Release Date: 2011 Pages: 368 Source: Personal Collection Synopsis:  Princess of Egypt      Cleopatra Selene is the only daughter of the brilliant Queen Cleopatra of Egypt and General Marcus Antonius of Rome. She's grown up with jewels on her arms, servants at her feet, and all the pleasures of a palace at her command, and she wants only to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a great and powerful queen.      Prisoner of Rome      Then the Roman ruler Octavianus, who has always wanted Egypt's wealth, launches a war that destroys all Selene has ever known. Taken to live in Octavianus's palace in Rome, she vows to defeat him and reclaim her kingdom at all costs. Yet even as she gathers support for her return, Selene finds herself torn between two young men and two different paths to power. Will love distract her from her goal--or help he

Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson: A Book Review

Strands of Bronze and Gold Author: Jane Nickerson Genre: YA, Historical, Mystery & Suspense,  Horror Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Release Date: March 12, 2013 Pages: 352 Source: Personal Collection Synopsis: When seventeen year-old Sophia Petherham's beloved father dies, she receives and unexpected letter. An invitation--on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting--from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.       Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to peice together the mystery of his past, it's as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives--all with hair as re

Jezebel: The Untold Story of the Bible's Harlot Queen by Lesley Hazelton: A Book Review

Jezebel: The Untold Story of the Bible's Harlot Queen Author: Hazelton, Lesley Genre: Nonfiction, Biography, History, Religion Release Date: 2007 Pages: 272 Publisher: Doubleday Source: Personal Collection Synopsis:  There is no woman with a worse reputation than Jezebel, the ancient qeen who corrupted a nation and met one of the most gruesome fates in the Bible. But what if this version of her story is merely one her enemies wanted us to believe? What if Jezebel, far from being a conniving harlot was, in fact, framed?      In this remarkable biography, Lesley Hazelton shows exactly how the proud and courageous queen of Israel was vilified and made into the very embodiment of wanton wickedness by her political and religious enemies. The epic and ultimately tragic confrontation between sophisticated mentalism, and is, without exaggeration, the original story of the unholy marriage of sex, politics, and religion.       Here at last is the real story of the rise and fal

Empress: A Novel by Evelyn McCune: A Book Review

Empress: A Novel Author: McCune, Evelyn Genre: Historical Fiction Release Date: 1994 Pages: 500 Publisher: Ballantine Books Source: Personal Collection Synopsis:  Young Jao is a tomboyish thirteen, the culturally insignificant second daughter of a nobleman's second wife, when she is summoned to the imperial palace as one of the Emperor's new concubines. Jao's straightforward ways and logic, her innocence, and her beauty earn her the great warrior Emperor Taitsung's respect, attention, and finally, his love. But his death finds her banished to a convent until his son, Emperor Kaotsung, realizes his passion for Jao. Recalled to the palace, Jao discovers a place so entrenched in enmity and malice that she is forced to fight for power and just rule.      Sweeping through exotic, turbulent seventh-century China, Empress is the captivating epic of one extraordinary woman who would become the only female emperor in all of China's history. The story of Wu Jao, s

Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life by Alison Weir: A Book Review

Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life Author: Weir, Alison Genre: Nonfiction, Biography, History Release Date: 1999 Pages: 441 Publisher: Ballantine Books Source: Personal Collection Synopsis:  Renowned in her time for being the most beautiful woman in Europe, the wife of two kings and the mother of three, Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the great heroines of the Middle Ages. At a time when women were regarded as little more than chattel, Eleanor managed to defy convention as she exercised power in the political sphere and crucial influence over her husbands and sons. In this beautifully written biography, Alison Weir paints a vibrant portrait of this truly exceptional woman, and provides new insights into her intimate world. Eleanor of Aquitaine lived a long life of many contrasts, of splendor and desolation, power and peril, and in this stunning narrative, Weir captures the woman--the queen--in all her glory. With astonishing historical detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresist

The Queen's Vow: A Novel of Isabella of Castile by C. W. Gortner: A Book Review

The Queen's Vow: A Novel of Isabella of Castile Author: Gortner, C.W. Genre: Historical Fiction Release Date: June 12, 2012 Pages: 400 Publisher: Ballantine Books Source: Personal Collection Synopsis: "No one believed I was destined for greatness.” So begins Isabella’s story, in this evocative, vividly imagined novel about one of history’s most famous and controversial queens—the warrior who united a fractured country, the champion of the faith whose reign gave rise to the Inquisition, and the visionary who sent Columbus to discover a New World. Acclaimed author C. W. Gortner envisages the turbulent early years of a woman whose mythic rise to power would go on to transform a monarchy, a nation, and the world. Young Isabella is barely a teenager when she and her brother are taken from their mother’s home to live under the watchful eye of their half-brother, King Enrique, and his sultry, conniving queen. There, Isabella is thrust into danger when she

Home

     Hello, and welcome to my blog!       Most of history is told from a male's perspective. My intent of this blog is to show history from a different perspective, a woman's. These books that I am going to review are about women in historical eras. These are both nonfiction and fiction and can fit into any genre: historical, YA, mystery, fantasy, etc.      It took me a week to create this blog. I would like to thank my parents for helping me and for their encouragement.      I would also like to thank my friend and computer wiz, Allen, for putting this blog up on the website. Without his help, this blog would most likely not be up right now for I do not understand computer software. I greatly appreciate his availability and kindness to help me.      Last, but not least, I would like to thank those who visited my website. So enjoy my blog! I'll be updating consistently! :)