Son of the Shadows (Sevenwaters Book 2)

Juliet Marillier

It seems strange that this book is called *son* of the shadows when the main character is Liadan, daughter of Sorcha. It is she who carries the main action of the book. Perhaps the title refers to the Painted Man, who definitely lives in the shadows, outside of lawful society. Their paths cross when Liadan, a healer like her mother, is kidnapped to heal one of the Painted Man’s gang.

At first Liadan is angry and resentful at what happened to her, but she begins to see beneath the scars and tattoos of the Painted Man. Eventually their lives come together in an unexpected way.

This continuation of Sorcha’s story is every bit as satisfy at the first book in the series.

 

Advertisements

Daughter of the Forest

Juliet Marillier

This is the gateway drug to the Sevenwaters series, which I binge-read over a period of days. I was so enthralled by the series and so eager to find out what happened next, I’m sure I missed some of the subtleties of the series. I shall have to reread them soon to pick up what I missed.

This is basically a retelling of the fairy tale of the woman whose six brothers are turned into swans. Only she can reverse the curse by making them shirts, but must remain silent while she does it, or lose them forever.

Marillier has taken the bare bones of the fairy tale and woven a wonderful tale, full of love and pain. I recommend it highly.

The Countess Conspiracy

Courtney Milan

Just when I think a plot is a little farfetched, damn if NPR doesn’t do a segment on someone exactly like the heroine. This is the case with Violet, a brilliant plant scientist whose experiments with genetics reveals the idea of chromosomes carrying the genetic material that gives plants their characteristics. Unfortunately for Violet, she is stuck in a time period where women simply don’t do science, much less science studying the sex lives of plants. She is forced to hide behind a man to present her ideas as his.

Unfortunately, Sebastian, her life-long friend, is tired of the lying and posturing that being the public face of her discoveries requires. He has loved Violet since childhood and encourages her to step out of the shadows to take credit for her own brilliant work.

Another fact-based Milan novel with a strong heroine and a loving hero who values her for her strength.

Reading Heyer: The Black Moth

Rachel Hyland

I don’t remember my first Heyer. It was in high school, some 50+ years ago, and I have been a fan of her romances ever since. I’m reading one right now. Rachel Hyland, obviously another fan, turns a loving, albeit critical, eye on Heyer’s first novel, written when she was a teenager.

Chapter by chapter, she dissects the novel, exposing all its weaknesses as well as its strengths, revealing why it is so beloved by fans. Even Jenny the Wonder Horse comes under scrutiny.

This book is a delight and belongs in the library of every Heyer fan, whether a long-time reader or the first-time venturer into the wonderful world of Georgette Heyer.  More, please!

This Victorian Life

Sarah A. Chrisman

What started out as an interest in 19th-century living evolved  into a full-blown lifestyle. This couple live as completely as possible in the 19th century. The challenges and rewards make up the bulk of the book. Fortunately, the husband has a profession as a bicycle repairman that has changed little over the years. His job is much the same.

For Sarah keeping house is  a struggle at first, but she soon settles into a life without modern technology. I wouldn’t want to trade places with her, but it is interesting to read about her struggles and triumphs.

It is when she turns to long chapters about her and her husband’s bicycle trips that I tuned out and started skipping. They just aren’t very interesting to me. I’m glad that she and her husband are absorbed in minute details of bicycle travel using 19th-century bikes, but I found little of interest in them.

 

Rites of Passage

William Golding

I’m up to 1980 in my quest to read all the Booker Prize winners in order. I would not have read this book otherwise, and finished it only because of my commitment to myself. I confess to so skimming.

Set in the early days of the 19th century, this journal of a minor official on his way to Australia is mostly tedious posturing by a young man very pleased with himself. He writes of his superiority to the other passengers. One in particular is a Mr Colley, a clergyman. Only toward the end of the book do we find out that Mr Colley also kept a journal, and his account is very different from Mr Talbot’s.

Actually nothing much happens in the book, and I didn’t care very much about any of the characters.

 

The Forthright Lady Gillian

Amanda Scott

A competent romance. Lady Gillian is rescued from a high tide by the mysterious ‘Baron Hopgood.’ Annoyed because her family doesn’t believe her, Lady Gillian is determined to stick to her story. When her malicious sister places an ad in the local paper announcing the marriage of Lady Gillian and ‘Baron Hopgood,’ the story comes to that attention of the Duke, ‘Hopgood’s’ father. Apparently Baron Hopgood is one of her hero’s minor titles he uses when traveling incognito. He is actually the Marquess of Thorne, heir to the Duke’s title.

Determined to sort things out, he returns to Lady Gillian’s home, but instead of putting the lie to the story, he finds himself attracted to the outspoken, independent Lady Gillian.

Eventually, it all ends happily.

Heirs of Grace

Tim Pratt

When artist Bekah receives word that she has inherited some money and a large isolated house in N. Carolina, she thinks this would be the ideal opportunity to get away and concentrate on her art, free of worries about supporting herself. When she arrives in N. Carolina, she discovers things aren’t as easy as she hoped. Apparently there are a brood of other relatives that think they have a better claim to the inheritance and are willing to kill to get it.

With the help of a young attorney, Trey Howard, Bekah learns what she needs to know about how to protect herself from the others who want her property. Protecting her heart will be more challenging.

I like trans-racial romance stories (Bekah is black, Trey is white), and magic realism is my catnip. Put them together and you have a very enjoyable book.

Venice Observed

Mary McCarthy

Ever since I saw the film Dangerous Beauty about the famous Venetian courtesan, Veronica Franco, I have been obsessed with Venice. I read everything I can get my hands on about La Serenissima, the most serene republic.

This book, unlike the histories and other books I read, is an intensely personal reaction to the city. As we travel through the city, we share the keen observations of an articulate writer who has the gift of description.

I may never see Venice in this life, but this account is pure pleasure.

The House by the Sea

Mary Sarton

Surprised by the success of her first journal, A Journal of A Solitude, May Sarton followed it with this second journal. Not quite as interesting, but it contains the themes that will continue through her journals—her preoccupation with the weather, love of gardening, and the importance of her friends.

Leaving the small house she lived in, she moves to a three-story house along the coast of Maine.There she struggles with the challenge of trying to keep a garden in the severe weather and the coming and going of her friends.

She was a difficult person to know, but she was honest, and that comes through in her journals. It is an interesting journey, and I’m glad she shared it with us.