History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

Written In the Ashes by K. Hollan Van Zandt Publisher: Harper Collins Release Date: Nov. 29, 2016 Category: Historical Fiction Tour Dates: May-June, 2017  ISBN:978-0062673688 ASIN: B01CY3A8X4 Available in: Print & ebook, Pages: 554 Source: This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis:  " Written in the Ashes is one of those rare novels that sets 'history' afire, to bathe readers in the glow of a greater, hotter truth. Fans of The Mists of Avalon will find this romantic/alchemical/feminist/spiritual epic equally captivating." —Tom Robbins, bestselling author of Tibetan Peach Pie: A True Account of an Imaginative Life, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, and Villa Incognito      In the bloody clash between Christians and pagans in fifth-century Alexandria, a servant girl becomes the last hope for preserving peace in this evocative and thrilling tale—a blend of history, adventure, religion, romance, and mysticism...

     Today, I have the pleasure to interview bestselling author, Kate Quinn. She is best known for  The Empress of Rome Saga and The Borgia Chronicles . Her latest novel, The Alice Network, focuses on a WWI spy network made up of women. In this interview we discuss these unsung heroines, who risked their lives in WWI. Mrs. Quinn also gives us a hint about what she is working on next. I hope this interview will give you some insight into the history of The Alice Network. I have given a very good review of this book, and I hope you will take the opportunity to read it. Thank you, Mrs. Quinn! What drew you to take a break from Ancient Rome and write about women in WWI?      I love ancient Rome, and I'd love to write more books about it someday, but I've never been a one-era writer. I've always had ideas for books in a wide array of historical periods, from ancient Rome clear through to World War I. When I saw the huge recent boom in populari...

The Alice Network Author: Kate Quinn Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: William Morrow Release Date: June 6, 2017 Pages:  528 Source: Edelweiss/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.  Synopsis: In an enthralling new historical novel from national bestselling author Kate Quinn, two women—a female spy recruited to the real-life Alice Network in France during World War I and an unconventional American socialite searching for her cousin in 1947—are brought together in a mesmerizing story of courage and redemption.       1947. In the chaotic aftermath of World War II, American college girl Charlie St. Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and on the verge of being thrown out of her very proper family. She's also nursing a desperate hope that her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France during the war, might still be alive. So when Charlie's parents banish her to Europe to have her "little problem" taken care of, Charlie breaks free and h...

      Today's guest writer is Cheryl Anne Stapp. She is the author of Before The Gold Rush - The Sinclairs of Rancho del Paso 1840-1849 , and Disaster & Triumph: Sacramento Women, Gold Rush Through the Civil War . I am currently reading Before the Gold Rush , and I find it fascinating! In this guest post, she writes about stories of pioneer women that settled in Sacramento. I hope you find these stories captivating and that it will give you some insight into her novel. Thank you, Mrs. Stapp!  Sacramento Women in the Pioneer Era      I don’t write fiction. I tried, but soon found that I have no talent for plotting. My first and only attempt at a historical romance was actually pretty far along when an editor friend pointed out there was more historical matter than romance in the manuscript…and as far as a well-constructed storyline with surprising plot twists, well…       But in 2009 I found my niche, largely inspire...

The Noble Servant (A Medieval Fairy Tale #3) Author: Melanie Dickerson Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Christian Publisher: Thomas Nelson Release Date: May 9, 2017 Pages: 336 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.  Synopsis: She lost everything to the scheme of an evil servant.      But she might just gain what she’s always wanted . . . if she makes it in time.      The impossible was happening. She, Magdalen of Mallin, was to marry the Duke of Wolfberg. Magdalen had dreamed about receiving a proposal ever since she met the duke two years ago. Such a marriage was the only way she could save her people from starvation. But why would a handsome, wealthy duke want to marry her, a poor baron’s daughter? It seemed too good to be true.      On the journey to Wolfberg Castle, Magdalen’s servant forces her to trade places and become her servant, threatening not only Magdalen’s life, but the lives of those...

Anne Boleyn: A King’s Obsession Author: Alison Weir Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Books Release Date: May 16, 2017 Pages: 561 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.  Synopsis: In this second novel of Alison Weir’s epic Six Tudor Queens series, the acclaimed author and historian weaves exciting new research into the story of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s most infamous wife, a woman ahead of her time whose very life—and death—forever changed a nation.      Born into a noble English family, Anne is barely a teenager when she is sent from her family’s Hever Castle to serve at the royal court of the Netherlands. This strategic move on the part of her opportunistic father also becomes a chance for the girl to grow and discover herself. There, and later in France, Anne thrives, preferring to absorb the works of progressive writers rather than participate in courtly flirtations. She also begins to understand the inequalities a...

The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn Author: Eric Ives Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography Publisher: Blackwell Publishing Release Date: 2004 Pages: 458 Source: My State Public Library  Synopsis: Anne Boleyn is the most notorious of England’s queens, but more famous for her death as an adulterer than for her life. Henry’s second wife and mother of Elizabeth I, Anne was the first English queen to be publicly executed. Yet what do we know of the achievements and legacy of her short reign?            In The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn , Eric Ives provides the most detailed and convincing portrait we have of the queen. He reveals a person of intellect with a passion for the new culture of the Renaissance, a woman who made her way in a man’s world by force of education and personality. She played a powerful and independent role in the faction-ridden court of Henry VIII and the unceasing struggle for royal favour that was Tudor politics. The conseq...