Jack Lark: Recruit by Paul Fraser Collard

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Obtained from: Personal Kindle Library

Read: May 14, 2016

Forced to leave London, young recruit Jack Lark is determined to make his way as a Redcoat. Despite the daily tirades of Sergeant Slater, a sadistic monster of a man who sees his new trainees as the scum of the earth, Jack holds on to his belief that the Army will give him a better life. His comrades are a rough and ready bunch, and Jack falls in with Charlie Evans, a cheerful young clerk who quickly comes to regret joining up. But once you've taken the Queen's Shilling, there is no way out: deserters always pay the highest price. As Charlie schemes to escape, Jack, always a loyal friend, is forced into an impossible situation where the wrong move could leave him taking the long walk to the gallows...

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

Jack Lark: Recruit is the second of the three novellas that preface Paul Fraser Collard's Jack Lark series. I don't think it necessary to read the books in order as the stories don't build on one another, but chronologically speaking, the events of the narrative take place between Rogue and Redcoat.

Recruit picks up during Jack’s enlistment and while I thoroughly enjoyed being reunited with Collard’s tenacious protagonist, I was struck by the historic details the author worked into this chapter of Jack's life. Our hero has lofty ambitions, but the reality of achieving those goals isn’t as straightforward as he imagined and I liked watching Jack process and adapt to his new position and circumstances.

Charlie Evans shares the spotlight throughout much of the narrative and in many ways his journey parallels Jack’s, but his experience ultimately follows a very different trajectory. In looking back on the story, I can’t say I liked what happened, but I genuinely appreciate Collard for utilizing Charlie to illustrate some of the bleaker truths of soldering for Queen Victoria.

Thematically, I think it safe to say Recruit is darker than Rogue, but I greatly enjoyed the contrast in the material and admire the range Collard exhibited approaching this piece as he did. I’m not sure what to expect from Redcoat at this point, but I can’t wait to see what will happen to Jack in the next installment.

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

"It is up to you to live up to the standards set by your forebears, the men who won the victories of which we are all so rightly proud. Men like you may come and go, but the regiment lives on. You must play your part in our history, for the regiment shall endure when you are so much dust."

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

Jack Lark: Rogue by Paul Fraser Collard

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Obtained from: Personal Kindle Library

Read: May 11, 2016

As pot boy at his mother's infamous London gin palace, Jack Lark is no stranger to trouble. Between dog fights and street scuffles, if he's not being set upon, he's starting a brawl himself. But when an unlikely ally draws him from the dark alleys of the East End into the bright lights of a masked ball, he gets a glimpse of another life. That life, once seen, is impossible to forget. Jack will do anything to outwit, outsmart and escape the cruelty in his own home. He is determined to get out, but what price will he be forced to pay for his freedom?

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

Paul Fraser Collard’s Jack Lark series has interested me for a while. My father gifted me a copy of book one last year, but in looking at the series as a whole, I decided it best to tackle the prequel novellas before the full length narrative which meant jumping in at Jack Lark: Rogue.

I inhaled this piece, but that fact has as much to do with its modest size as it does Collard’s ill-mannered protagonist. Life in Whitechapel hasn’t been easy for Jack Lark and the realities of daily life in the notorious district have gifted him the survival instincts of a country cat. He’s rough around the edges, but I found his pragmatism and pride endearing.

I was also struck by the complex relationship he shares with his mother. It’s obvious she cares about her son, but she is as much a product of Whitechapel as he is. She is used to hard living and despite her harsh treatment, I have to wonder if her decisions are motivated by selfish desire, selfless sacrifice, or a mixture of both.

Brief though it was, I enjoyed the time I spent with Jack Lark: Rogue and can’t wait to see what the next novella, Jack Lark: Recruit, has in store. 

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

He closed his eyes and made up his mind. He knew what he had said. He might not have a brass farthing to his name, but he did have his word.

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

Truce by Jordan Taylor

Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Kindle Unlimited

Read: September 7, 2015

Great War Centennial short stories take you from home front to Western Front, into the trenches, across No Man’s Land, into the hearts of soldiers and civilians whose fates are forever altered by war. 1914, a bitter Christmas Eve on the front line; not how Thomas imagined spending his holiday. Even a Christmas parcel from family disappoints and, when his company becomes aware of strange sounds from No Man’s Land, he fears the worst. Now the young private is unsure what lies in store for his Western Front Christmas...

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

I read most of Jordan Taylor's Great War Centennial series in November 2014. Young Blood, Old Grey, Poppy Lane and A Simple Mind were short reads, but enjoyable and I was initially quite thrilled to learn the author had added an additional title to their number. 

Unfortunately reality doesn't always meet expectation and Truce failed to live up to the standard set by its predecessors. Despite their modest length, the earlier installments had a clear beginning, middle and end. Truce, on the other hand, stuck me as vague and incomplete. 

I was also frustrated by how similar the novella felt in comparison to Sainsbury's 2014 Christmas Ad, Following the same format and formula, the novella covered the same emotional topic and historic scope as the commercial that went viral a month before its release. There are a handful of unique details, but generally speaking, if you've see the video, you've read the book. 

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

More in khaki join those in gray. Lighters and matches are produced. Thomas hears greetings of, "Merry Christmas," and "Frohe Weihnachten."

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

The Orange Lilies by Nathan Dylan Goodwin

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Obtained from: Kindle Unlimited
Read: September 5, 2015

Morton Farrier has spent his entire career as a forensic genealogist solving other people’s family history secrets, all the while knowing so little of his very own family’s mysterious past. However, this poignant Christmastime novella sees Morton’s skills put to use much closer to home, as he must confront his own past, present and future through events both present-day and one hundred years ago. It seems that not every soldier saw a truce on the Western Front that 1914 Christmas… 

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

I discovered Nathan Dylan Goodwin's The Orange Lilies while browsing the Kindle Unlimited catalog. None of my Goodreads contacts had read the novella and the Amazon reviews weren't particularly detailed, but the premise held promise and I decided to give it shot.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, I want to make a couple of things perfectly clear. The Orange Lilies is book 2.5 of Goodwin's Forensic Genealogist series, but it can be read as a standalone. I know because it's the first I picked up. It's also a bit of a slow starter so don't toss it aside if you aren't captivated by the end of chapter one. Here again folks, I'm speaking from experience.

Despite being a mere one hundred pages in length, the book is filled with several wonderful characters. Charlie, Nellie, Margaret and Morton in particular struck a chord with me. They each enjoy relatively modest face time with the reader, but they feel fresh and original nonetheless.

Goodwin's descriptions of the Western Front are brilliant. The author worked far more detail into the piece than I'd expected and I was quite impressed with his realistic portrayal life at the front. From the mud and blood to the mental fatigue and gallows humor of those struggling to survive the trenches, these scenes demonstrated both Goodwin's skill and dedication to authenticity.

The modern day story line is equally captivating. The multi-generational mystery of family secrets took longer for me to appreciate, but as the pieces fell into place, I recognized a growing fascination with the puzzle that represents Morton's personal history.

Highly recommended to fans of both historic and contemporary fiction.

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

He wondered, if he survived all of this, if he could simply go back and find that naive man again. He doubted it. He was sure that he was forever lost, consumed inside the broken man that he was today, who had seen and been the cause of so much horror and brutality.

═══════════════════════════ ❧   ═══════════════════════════

Dresden: A Survivor's Story by Victor Gregg

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Netgalley

Read: February 5, 2015

In 2011, Victor Gregg published Rifleman about his time on the front line in World War II. The experience of writing that memoir sparked long buried memories of his experience during the Dresden bombing. Whilst Kurt Vonnegut's acclaimed Slaughterhouse-Five draws on his experience as a Prisoner of War imprisoned in a deep cellar in Dresden while the firestorm raged through the city, wiping out generations of innocent lives, Victor Gregg remained above ground. This is his story. In four air raids between 13 and 15 February 1945, 772 Lancaster bombers of the British Royal Air Force and 527 of the United States Army Air Forces dropped more than 3,900 tons of high-explosive bombs and incendiary devices on Dresden. The resulting firestorm destroyed 15 square kilometres, or 6 square miles, of the city centre. 25,000 people, mostly civilians, were estimated to have been killed. Post-war discussion of whether or not the attacks were justified has led to the bombing becoming one of the moral issues of the Second World War. An established soldier turning his uniform to the 10th Parachute Regiment in 1944, he was captured at Arnhem where he volunteered to be sent to a work camp rather than become another faceless number in the huge POW camps. With two failed escape attempts under his belt, Gregg was eventually caught sabotaging a factory and sent for execution. Gregg’s first-hand narrative, personal and punchy, sees him through the trauma and carnage of the Dresden bombing. After the raid he spent five days helping to recover a city of innocent civilians, thousands of whom had died in the fire storm, trapped underground in human ovens. As order was restored his life was once more in danger and he escaped to the east, spending the last weeks of the war with the Russians. Harrowing and vivid, Gregg draws us in to the heart-wrenching, often futile attempts to save lives, and the tentative friendships and near-misses along the way.

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

Before I get too far ahead of myself, I want to make one thing perfectly clear. I like Victor Gregg's Dresden a lot, but I can't justify giving it more than three stars. First hands accounts such as this are priceless, but the book is not a complete memoir nor is it a comprehensive study of the bombing of Dresden and as a reviewer, I have to factor more than content alone.

Others have noted the writing is a little rough and I agree, but I liked it. Adding the spit and polish of clean crisp prose would have diminished Gregg's voice and stripped the account of its personality. My only complaint is that the publisher put a play by play of Gregg's entire experience on the jacket, leaving nothing for readers to discover on their own or reviewers to comment on without sounding like a broken record. 

Stark, but powerful, Dresden is an interesting volume for history buffs and a particularly noteworthy piece for those interested in the atrocity. Again, it is not a comprehensive analysis of the event, but the perspective it affords is both meaningful and unique.

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

I have every respect for the brave lads of the RAF who flew the bombers, they were under orders and, as a soldier, I know that orders are there to be obeyed. But, it is my belief that in the act of destroying the evil of the Third Reich we employed further and more terrible evils...

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

A Splendid Gift by Alyson Richman

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Personal Kindle Library

Read: February 18, 2015

March, 1942: Declared medically unfit to fly while France is beseiged by war, Saint-Exupéry languishes in homesick frustration, unable to aid his country—and unable to write. While his publisher tries in vain to ease the author’s mind, Saint-Exupéry meets the enchanting Silvia Hamilton at a cocktail party. Though they do not share a language, they are nonetheless drawn to each other, and where words fail them they find other forms of communication. In the proceeding months, Silvia’s warmth and grace give Saint-Exupéry the peace of mind he so desperately needs. And as their love affair flourishes, he finds himself inspired to tell a tale of such simplicity and beauty that a person of any age could find joy and comfort in it. With Silvia as his muse, he works furiously to compose his petite prince.

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

I often question writing reviews for novellas. They are so short that I wonder if commentary has any value, but review is what I do and page count in not indicative of one's ability to write so exercising prejudice seems an unreasonable alternative. Take Alyson Richmond's A Splendid Gift. The piece is only fifty-four pages long and half of it is dedicated to an excerpt from The Garden of Letters, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable.

A biographic fiction, the short centers on the affair between Silvia Hamilton and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of The Little Prince. It's a touching piece and illuminating in its way, but my favorite aspect of the story is how it showcases Richman's talent as a storyteller.  

Like The Lost Wife, A Splendid Gift isn't about the destination, but the journey that led there. Richman emphasizes emotional experience and I appreciate how deftly she was able to capture hope, loneliness, and love in simple, but poignant prose. Her characters are distinctive and relatable, but flawed and while I'd have welcomed more time with both Sylvia and Antoine, I greatly enjoyed the insight Richmond's brief tale afforded their romance and the influence it had on his work. 

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

His sorcery was instead funneled into his work, polishing every sentence until it gleamed like a wet stone. He was determined that the message of his story be universal , regardless of the reader’s age.

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

Prohibited! by Delancey Stewart

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Obtained from: Netgalley

Read: January 1, 2015

In 1920s New York, uptown debutante Evie McKenzie can see that the world is changing. And while her parents may think she’s destined for a life of quiet conversation and polite society, she is determined to roar with the twenties—whatever the cost! Evie knows she should really be getting her beauty sleep and dreaming of Roger White, the straight-laced Yale graduate her parents have chosen for her. Instead, she’s been heading out to the local speakeasy… and into the arms of dangerously charming Jack Taylor. But when Evie discovers an unexpectedly wild side to Roger, he’s suddenly competition for smooth-talking Jack—and she has a decision to make. Should she appease her parents… or commit the ultimate rebellion? One thing’s for certain: Evie is going to have a lot of fun making up her mind…

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

My decision to pick up Delancey Stewart's Prohibited! was purely self-indulgent. The cover caught my eye, but I really like the 1920s and jacket description sounded light and fun. My track record with new adult lit is decidedly hit and miss, but weighed against the modest length of the book, I figured I'd little to lose. 

Historically speaking, there isn't an abundance of detail in this piece, but what's there speaks directly to the roar and buzz of New York City's jazz scene. Against all odds, Stewart creates a subtle ambiance, giving the book a distinct feel despite its brevity. Roger and Jack are fairly one dimensional, but I liked what Stewart did with Evie. Her sexual awakening paired with her growing independence and sense of self added a layer of depth where I'd not expected it.

Though only six chapters, Prohibited! proved a delightfully diverting piece and one I'd easily recommend to fans of Jax Garren. 

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

She had said she was fine, but she worried that Jack had ignited something within her that might never stop burning. And at that moment, she had felt willing to do almost anything to feed that hungry fire simmering in her belly.

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

A Simple Mind by Jordan Taylor

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Personal Kindle Library

Read: November 23, 2014

Private Sharp would never be accused of over-thinking orders. Or anything else. Simultaneously the butt of jokes and recipient of confidences, fears, and fantasies shared by his comrades, Sharp is, in many ways, the perfect soldier. What finally sets this simple infantryman apart, however, will reach beyond isolated trenches in a way those serving with him could never have fathomed.

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

Personally, the subject matter in A Simple Mind made it the most difficult of the Great War Centennial series. Private Sharp is slow, but the bullying he experiences and the consistency with which he’s taken advantage of because of his condition took a lot out of me. Much more than I’d anticipated with a piece only twenty-three pages in length. 

More than the rest of the series, A Simple Mind illustrates the brutal realities of life on the front and the mentality of those struggling to survive the trenches. Taylor’s portrayal is unapologetically crude and carnal. Again, there is no Author’s Note to verify Taylor’s intent, but I found the contrast in the savagery she created and Private Sharp’s naïve innocence striking on a number of levels. 

And as much I deplore the idea of someone being victimized as Sharp is here, I can’t ignore the fact that the prejudice he suffers ultimately saves his life and immortalizes those who fell in No Man’s Land. Like the other books in the series, A Simple Mind has an acute and stirring message that rivals those seen in fully developed narratives. 

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

“You’re a good lad. You know—” Gran looked around to the deserted firebay. It was lunchtime in the third line and even shelling sounded as distant as the first roll of thunder. “I don’t think any one of those duffers gives a damn. They don’t mind living like this. It’s all gas over the same jam and lice everywhere, but they don’t give a damn about anything important. I only want to sit a spell in a park: hear birds, see children playing in the fountain,beautiful colors on the ladies’ gowns. What’s one tin of jam and a few bugs compared to that?”

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

Old Grey by Jordan Taylor

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Obtained from: Personal Kindle Library

Read: November 23, 2014

There is so much Lieutenant Rhodes never learned in officer training. So much about realities of the Western Front in 1916 he arrived unprepared for. Yet one job faces him which he’s sure he can handle: censoring outgoing letters from the men. As he reads through the gloom of his dugout, Rhodes discovers he knows far less than he imagined—not only about the Front, but about camaraderie, loss, and the human face of war.

═══════════════════════════ ❧ ═══════════════════════════

Taken as I was with the Great War Centennial series, I jumped straight from Poppy Lane into Old Grey. The books are not taxing by any means, but tackling three in a row evidenced I was sacrificing sleep for these books and despite my reputation and voracious appetite for literature, that doesn’t happen as often as you might imagine. 

Loss is poignant and popular theme in war time literature, but I’ve never seen it handled quite like this. Though we only meet one character, Taylor employed a variety of voices in Old Grey. The result is remarkably affective and memorable and highlights a gift few storytellers can claim to possess. 

I’ve seen firsthand the camaraderie that exists between those who’ve served together and appreciate the authenticity in Taylor’s interpretation. Old Grey is a somber story, but a moving one that captures many aspects of loss in the line of duty. 

═══════════════════════════ ❧ ═══════════════════════════

I have mentioned our lieutenant many times, of course. He read my letters, so you see one says only a sample on paper. Now The Old Grey has fallen and his shadow haunts our lips, our vision, our pens. Often, one does not speak much, even any, of the dead. The time is up. The living must remain unaffected. Or suffer madness. The Old Grey will not be ignored.

═══════════════════════════ ❧ ═══════════════════════════

Poppy Lane by Jordan Taylor

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Personal Kindle Library

Read: November 23, 2014

When a stray dog wanders into a trench, it’s no surprise: soldiers often see bewildered animals. Yet the stray of a frontline known as Poppy Lane will not leave, despite encouragement from some to do so. As seasons change and men flux in and out of the trench, the dog remains through floods, snow, shelling, and great battles she cannot understand—until she has transformed the face of Poppy Lane forever.

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

I’d planned to read a few pages before putting myself to bed, but the unexpected emotion elicited by Jordan Taylor’s Young Blood prompted me to put my plans aside in favor of Poppy Lane. For the record, the Great War Centennial series can be read in any order, I simply tackled them as they appeared on my kindle. 

Loyalty and compassion take on special meaning in this piece which is rather remarkable as it’s told from a dog’s perspective. The comings and goings of the various divisions, the mixed reactions to Poppy’s presence on the line and the ultimate revelation of her motivation is quite touching and paints very intimate portrait of the traditionally bleak backdrop of life in the trenches. 

Unlike Young Blood, there was no author’s note to anchor Poppy Lane and while I understand the dramatic difference in subject matter, I felt the absence and wished Taylor had left some record of her inspiration. Poppy’s is a simple story, but it resonates a sentimentality that is absolutely timeless and I'd have liked to know more about it.  

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

Each time she looks up, it seems she can see less. Each time she hears a footfall in the doorway at the gas curtain, the sound comes less distinct. Eyes growing clouded, deafened from years of shells, she goes on waiting, watching.

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

Young Blood by Jordan Taylor

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Obtained from: Personal Kindle Library

Read: November 23, 2014

Three boys are in search of adventure when Britain calls her subjects to serve in World War I. Determined to join up underage, they embark on adventures they never meant to have and witness more than they could have imagined. Young Blood, a short story based on historical events, brings to life the experiences of the child soldiers who fought in the trenches of the Western Front.

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

Jordan Taylor's Young Blood is one of four short stories that make up the Great War Centennial series. I don't know what prompted me to buy the books, I wasn't looking for WWI fiction at the time, but something about the titles intrigued me so without fanfare or recommendation all four became part of my ever-growing library. 

Initially I felt Young Blood fluffy. It moved quickly without any real insight to the characters or material and I wasn't at all convinced it worth the short amount time I'd set aside for it. Then of course, the story settled. Taylor's light tone was meant to imitate the youthful exuberance of a generation who didn't understand the gravitas of death, war and sacrifice. 

Her approach shook me to my core, but the final scene is what clinched it. I'm not one to spoil a good story so you'll have to read it to discover what I mean, but suffice it to say Taylor's work is a truly touching testament to the youngest defenders of the British line. 

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

I don’t know if Jerry feels as we do, hating what our daily existence has been reduced to, or if he’ll feel it after the attack at dawn, but I hope so. Perhaps, with unanimity, we could all go home.

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

Ismeni: A Prelude to The Legend of Sheba by Tosca Lee

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Obtained from: Personal Kindle Library

Read:  August 27, 2014

A mysterious beauty, a destiny set in the stars. Born under an inauspicious sign, young Ismeni is feared by her own people. The single thing she prays for: to live an invisible life. But that is not to be for the young woman who has captured the attention of the king's youngest son. A story of love, passion, and twists of fate through the eyes of the woman who will one day give birth to the legendary Queen of Sheba.

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

Why am I only now discovering Tosca Lee? It's a short, but Ismeni: A Prelude to The Legend of Sheba is absolutely fabulous and I can't for the life of me understand how I've not encountered this author before. 

The situational drama is believable despite the brevity of the piece and I couldn't help falling in love with Lee's heroine. I admit the plot leans toward the predictable, but the style and language in which it is written is flawlessly addictive. 

I'm not usually one to promote promotional freebies, but in this case I'm willing to make an exception. Ismeni is a delightful diversionary read that left me dying to get my hands on The Legend of Sheba: Rise of a Queen.

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

My mother argued my innocence against the tribal elders, who, I am told, craned to peer at my face even as she tried to shield it with her hands so they might not call such loveliness in a child unnatural . But men are easily swayed by fear. And so I grew up with the burden of a beauty that cannot be celebrated because of its potential, at any moment, to kill.

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

Shakespeare's Dark Lady: The Lost Story of Aemilia Bassano Lanyer by Sally O'Reilly

Rating: ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Personal Kindle Library

Read: August 27, 2014

The real Aemilia Basano Lanyer was Renaissance woman, centuries ahead of her time. England’s first professionally-published female poet, she is also suspected to have inspired the poetry of one our greatest and most beloved writers, William Shakespeare—and she continues to inspire writers to this day. With Dark Aemilia, Sally O’Reilly gives us a richly imagined novel of this mysterious, and nearly forgotten, woman, and now, she invites us to discover Ameilia Lanyer first-hand. A collection of Shakespeare’s famed "Dark Lady" sonnets; fascinating and hard-to-find historical details; and Aemilia’s own provocative poetry, as well as exclusive excerpts from the novel; Shakespeare’s Dark Lady is a must-read for poetry lovers and the ideal companion to Sally O’Reilly’s stunning debut—a novel "filled with all the passion, drama, and magic of Elizabethan England"

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

Not to be blunt, but this "book" is a bloody waste of time. The jacket description is misleading in that it gives the impression the title will offer some sort of insight to Aemilia's character when in fact is does nothing of the sort. 

The Dark Lady Sonnets by Shakespeare and Eve's Apologie by Aemilia Lanyer are freely available (I looked them up online) and I can't admire the attempt to fashion the Prologue, Chapter One and Historical Note from Dark Aemilia: A Novel of Shakespeare's Dark Lady into a teaser release as the novel's early pages are hardly indicative of its overall content. 

Honestly, I would have liked bonus material, maybe a scene from the book as witnessed by Lilith or Henry, but as it stands, I can't begin to understand what Macmillan is trying to do here.

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

I am a witch for the modern age. I keep my spells small, and price them high . What they ask for is the same as always. The common spells deal in love, or what love is meant to make, or else hate, and what that might accomplish. I mean the getting of lovers or babies (or the getting rid of them) or a handy hex for business or revenge. When a spell works, they keep you secret, and take the credit. When it fails, of course, the fault is yours. So a witch is wise to be cautious, quiet, and hard to find.

═══════════════════════════ ❧  ═══════════════════════════

The Other Girl by Pam Jenoff

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Obtained from: Netgalley

Read: August 18, 2014

One woman's determination to protect a child from the dangers of war will force her to face those lurking closer to home... Life in rural Poland during WWII brings a new set of challenges to Maria, estranged from her own family and left alone with her in-laws after her husband is sent to the front. For a young, newly pregnant wife, the days are especially cold, the nights unexpectedly lonely. The discovery of a girl hiding in the barn changes everything—Hannah is fleeing the German police who are taking Jews like her to special camps. Ignoring the risk to her own life and that of her unborn child, Maria is compelled to help. But in these dark days, no one can be trusted, and soon Maria finds her courage tested in ways she never expected and herself facing truths about her own family that the quiet village has kept buried for years...

════════════════════════════ ❧  ════════════════════════════

Pam Jenoff is one of my favorite authors. I've enjoyed her work for several years and love what she does with World War II fiction. Her latest release, The Other Girl is a novella, a companion piece to The Winter Guest, and though I've yet to finish the novel, I found the short interesting for the perspective it brought to the larger story. 

Naturally there isn't a lot of character development, but one can't help empathizing with Maria. A young woman, alone in a small Polish village, she struggles to make peace with her personal situation and understand the changes wrought by German occupation. I don't want to spoil anything, but suffice it to say her brief experience with Hannah and Janusz is quite moving. 

Understandably, I have difficulty stating a short is a must read, but the piece is certainly worth looking into if World War II fiction is something you find appealing.  

════════════════════════════ ❧  ════════════════════════════

Most villagers were just trying to survive. They were not complicit with the Germans like her own traitorous father, but it was hard to imagine them risking their own lives for a person they didn't know...

════════════════════════════ ❧  ════════════════════════════

Circus Escape by Lilliana Rose

Rating: ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Netgalley

Read: March 15, 2014

Nessie dreams of escaping her sheltered life to become a mechanical engineer with mechas. But wanting and doing are two very different things, and outer confidence hides inner fears—until she meets Joy. Joy is tough and self-reliant, used to be looking out for no one but herself. As her job keeps her always on the move, keeping to herself is the best way to survive. The very last person she expects to break her solitude is the prim and proper Nessie.

════════════════════════════ ❧  ════════════════════════════

I love steampunk. A carryover from my days spent reading naught but fantasy and science fiction, I think a wonderfully fun genre and adore how different author interpret the industrial clockwork elements that characterize the genre which is what led me to pick up Lilliana Rose's Circus Escape.

To be blunt, the novella has three major issues. One, the mechanical elements are cheesy and crudely described. Two, there is absolutely no chemistry between Rose's leads. And three, the plot is rushed and poorly presented with key elements literally materializing out of nowhere. 

At only thirty-nine pages I can't say it wasted much of my time, but I've seen authors do a lot with novellas and was disappointed at finding so little between these pages. 

════════════════════════════ ❧  ════════════════════════════

Normally, she would think about what to do nest and how lons it would take, but not today. It was time to do things diffferently.

════════════════════════════ ❧  ════════════════════════════

The Maidservant and the Murderer by Sam Thomas

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Obtained from: Personal Kindle Library

Read: January 4, 2014

On an autumn day in 1620, young Rebecca Hey rode into York in the back of a farmer’s wagon and started on the path that would eventually make her one of the most powerful women in the city. Rebecca was an ordinary country girl when she became John and Grace Hooke’s maidservant—a little light-fingered, perhaps, but never malicious. In the Hookes’ service, however, she finds herself caught between a vicious mistress and a rapacious master, with their quiet but kind son, Richard, the only benevolent face in view. In Samuel Thomas' e-original short story, Rebecca recounts her escape from this desperate situation, and bears witness to the choices that have turned her from a naïve young woman into the ruthless Rebecca Hooke. The question she would ask the reader is simple, “What else would you have had me do?”

════════════════════════════ ❧  ════════════════════════════

Antagonist. Otherwise known as an opponent, competitor, enemy or rival. In Sam Thomas' The Midwife's Tale, Rebecca Hooke is all of these to heroine Bridget Hodgson. Malevolent and self-serving, she seems a transparent adversary, but appearances can be deceiving.

In his latest novella, The Maidservant and the Murderer, Thomas  sheds light on Rebecca's troubled past, adding new depth to her character and illustrating the circumstances that molded her personality and effectively shaped the woman we see in Thomas' debut.

An illuminating short, I really enjoyed seeing a different side of this character and fervently hope Thomas' exploration of her early experiences mean we will be seeing more of her as Bridget's adventures continue. 

════════════════════════════ ❧  ════════════════════════════

I had always been a willful and contrary child, but now I felt my mischievousness turning to malice. I had not known this Rebecca when I was young, but welcomed her arrival, for she was well-suited for Mr. Hooke’s service.

════════════════════════════ ❧  ════════════════════════════

Whisper Of Jasmine by Deanna Raybourn

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Obtained from: Personal Library

Read: January 31, 2014

Notorious socialite Delilah Drummond won't be deterred by the war. Instead, she decides to throw the event of the year, and she's handing out invitations with an eye for wanton fun and wild abandon. There is the dashing explorer and archaeologist Gabriel Stark, a man at a crossroads in his life. Brilliant and restless, he's just committed to a secret enterprise that forces him to play a public role very different from the man he truly is. And then there is the charming if flighty Evangeline Merriweather. Evie has dreamed her whole life of adventure. Little does she know, she's about to get more than she bargained for. Especially after her vivacious Aunt Dove acts as fairy godmother, if a saucy one, providing a scandalous gown and a whisper of jasmine on her skin... Evie will shake cool Gabriel to his core, but just how far are they willing to take love at first sight? One seductive night will change Evie forever. Watch for her next adventure, in the City of Jasmine.

════════════════════════════ ❧  ════════════════════════════

Image by Angela Andriot

Deanna Raybourn's prequel novella, Whisper of Jasmine, is a delightful short and an amusing lead-in to City of Jasmine. Building a foundation for the larger story, Raybourn hints at many of the larger novel's motifs in this humorous six chapter narrative.

Having developed a bit of a crush on Gabriel Stark while reading City of Jasmine, I was only too happy to see a bit of his carefree impetuousness in this piece, but I also loved how Raybourn used the novella to showcase Aunt Dove's eccentricities and Delilah's burgeoning self-confidence, independence and sass. 

Infused with Raybourn's signature wit, I couldn't help chuckling at her playful dialogue and clever characterizations. A fun and flirtatious romance, Whisper of Jasmine plays beautifully into the exotic intrigue that follows. 

════════════════════════════ ❧  ════════════════════════════

“You haven’t had too much of Delilah’s punch have you? Rumour has it she has voodoo spells and love potions from New Orleans. I wouldn’t put it past her to have tipped something into the punch.”

════════════════════════════ ❧  ════════════════════════════