History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

Murder in The Merchant’s Hall: An Elizabethan Spy Thriller Author: Kathy Lynn Emerson Genre: Historical Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Publisher: Severn House Release Date: 2015 Pages: 256 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: The intriguing new mystery featuring Tudor sleuth, Mistress Rosamond Jaffrey.     When Lina Walkenden is found clutching a bloody knife over the dead body of her brother-in-law and guardian, there’s only one person she can turn to for help: her childhood friend Rosamond Jaffrey. Rosamond vows to do all she can to prove Lina’s innocence, but when it transpires Lina was being forced into a marriage against her will and was instead besotted by her fiance’s charming yet unscrupulous nephew, her motives for murder seem overwhelming.     In desperation, Rosamond seeks out the help of the Queen’s spymaster himself, Sir Francis Walsingham – but when she overhears a conversation at the French Embassy, it seems Li...

The Fairest Beauty (Hagenheim Series #3) Author: Melanie Dickerson Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Christian  Publisher: Zondervan Release Date: 2013 Pages: 334 Source: Personal Collection Synopsis: Sophie has long wished to get away from her stepmother’s jealous anger, and believes escape is her only chance to be happy. Then a young man named Gabe arrives from Hagenheim Castle, claiming she is betrothed to his older brother, and everything twists upside down. This could be her chance at freedom—but can she trust another person to keep her safe?      Gabe knows he defied his parents Rose and Wilhelm by going to find Sophie, and now he believes they had a right to worry: the orphan girl has stolen his heart. Though romance is impossible—she is his brother’s future wife, and Gabe himself is betrothed to someone else—he promises to himself he will keep her safe, no matter what.      When the pair are forced to run to the Cottage of the Seven, th...

The Wrath and The Dawn Author: Renee Ahdieh Genre: YA, Fantasy Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Son’s Books Release Date: 2015 Pages: 416 Source: My State Public Library Synopsis: A sumptuous and epically told love story inspired by A Thousand and One Nights        Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi’s wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.      She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the de...

     Today's guest writer is Kaaren Christopherson. She is the author of Decorum , a novel about Gilded Age New York. In this essay, Ms. Christopherson discusses the various types of women characters that appear in her book and the challenges she encountered while writing them. I hope this guest post gives you some insight into her novel, Decorum . Thank you, Ms. Christopherson. Strong Women: Good Girls, Bad Girls, and Girls in Search of Themselves By Kaaren Christopherson, author of Decorum       One of the joys of writing Decorum —a novel about deception, love, bigamy, and murder in Gilded Age New York—was the great variety of women who presented themselves as characters, all jockeying for positions of advantage in their particular plot situations. Good girls, bad girls, you name it, Decorum has them. As an author, each type of woman presented her own writing challenges. The Good Girls      Let’s start with the most challen...

The Merchant’s Daughter (Hagenheim Series #2) Author: Melanie Dickerson Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Christian Publisher: Zondervan Release Date: 2011 Pages: 284 Source: Personal Collection Synopsis: An unthinkable danger. An unexpected choice. Annabel, once the daughter of a wealthy merchant, is trapped in indentured servitude to Lord Ranulf, a recluse who is rumored to be both terrifying and beastly. Her circumstances are made even worse by the proximity of Lord Ranulf s bailiff a revolting man who has made unwelcome advances on Annabel in the past. Believing that life in a nunnery is the best way to escape the escalation of the bailiff's vile behavior and to preserve the faith that sustains her, Annabel is surprised to discover a sense of security and joy in her encounters with Lord Ranulf. As Annabel struggles to confront her feelings, she is involved in a situation that could place Ranulf in grave danger. Ranulf's future, and possibly his heart, may rest in her ha...

Tower of Thorns (Book #2 of The Blackthorn and Grim Series) Author: Juliet Marillier Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy Publisher: Roc Release Date: November 3, 2015 Pages: 439 Source: Publisher/Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Award-winning author Juliet Marillier’s “lavishly detailed” Blackthorn & Grim series continues as a mysterious creature holds an enchanted and imperiled ancient Ireland in thrall.      Disillusioned healer Blackthorn and her companion, Grim, have settled in Dalriada to wait out the seven years of Blackthorn’s bond to her fey mentor, hoping to avoid any dire challenges. But trouble has a way of seeking out Blackthorn and Grim.      Lady Geiléis, a noblewoman from the northern border, has asked for the prince of Dalriada’s help in expelling a howling creature from an old tower on her land—one surrounded by an impenetrable hedge of thorns. Casting a blight over the entire district, and impossible to d...

Dreamer’s Pool (Book #1 of The Blackthorn and Grim Series) Author:  Juliet Marillier Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy Publisher: Roc Release Date: 2014 Pages: 464 Source: Personal Collection Synopsis: Award-winning author Juliet Marillier “weaves magic, mythology, and folklore into every sentence on the page” (The Book Smugglers). Now she begins an all-new and enchanting series that will transport readers to a magical vision of ancient Ireland....      In exchange for help escaping her long and wrongful imprisonment, embittered magical healer Blackthorn has vowed to set aside her bid for vengeance against the man who destroyed all that she once held dear. Followed by a former prison mate, a silent hulk of a man named Grim, she travels north to Dalriada. There she’ll live on the fringe of a mysterious forest, duty bound for seven years to assist anyone who asks for her help.      Oran, crown prince of Dalriada, has waited anxiously for the ...