Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and the Great War by Heather Webb, Hazel Gaynor, Beatriz Williams, Jennifer Robson, Jessica Brockmole, Kate Kerrigan, Evangeline Holland, Lauren Willig, & Marci Jefferson

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Obtained from: Author

Read: December 6, 2015

Top voices in historical fiction deliver an unforgettable collection of short stories set in the aftermath of World War I—featuring bestselling authors such as Hazel Gaynor, Jennifer Robson, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig and edited by Heather Webb. On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month... November 11, 1918. After four long, dark years of fighting, the Great War ends at last, and the world is forever changed. For soldiers, loved ones, and survivors the years ahead stretch with new promise, even as their hearts are marked by all those who have been lost. As families come back together, lovers reunite, and strangers take solace in each other, everyone has a story to tell. In this moving anthology, nine authors share stories of love, strength, and renewal as hope takes root in a fall of poppies.

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There are a handful of authors I truly love reading and when I get an email from one asking me to review their work... Well, it's not a question of if I'll review it so much as when I can fit it into my schedule. It doesn't happen often, but this is how I came to possess an ARC edition of Fall of Poppies. 

I'd been eyeing the anthology since it was announced and thought it'd make a great companion to Grand Central. It is an entirely different group of authors, but it in terms of subject matter, I felt the two complimented one another and having loved the first, I couldn't help being drawn to the second. 

I suppose I should admit that I was familiar with the works of Jessica Brockmole, Marci Jefferson, and Heather Webb prior to Fall of Poppies. I've recommended Letters from Skye, Enchantress of Paris, Girl on the Golden Coin, Rodin's Lover, and Becoming Josephine several times each and I was eager to see how each writer would navigate storytelling on a smaller scale. I admire each greatly and couldn't have been happier about getting to experience their latest publications before the official release date.

Hazel Gaynor, Evangeline Holland, Kate Kerrigan, Jennifer Robson, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig were names I knew well. I'd eyed many of their titles with interest, but Fall of Poppies marks my first experience with each. It was a long time coming, but Fall of Poppies was an introduction I wont soon forget and I'll likely be on the lookout for each of these ladies in the coming year. 

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The Daughter of Belgium by Marci Jefferson

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Marci Jefferson's The Daughter of Belguim, like many of the stories, touches on a lot of interesting subject matter. Taking inspiration from the story of Edith Cavell, Jefferson tackled the silent struggles of those who dedicated to tending the wounded. Strength tempered by pain and loss is not something I see everyday, but Jefferson's presentation of Amelie proved both convincing and powerful. I liked the combination and felt the complexity of her personality and past experience intensely relatable.

"This man's nationality was not his choice. He followed orders, and not he cannot even speak."

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The Record Set Right by Lauren Willig

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Lauren Willig's The Record Set Right was bittersweet in tone, but the drama it depicted brought a smile to my fact. A tale of misunderstanding and missed opportunities, Millie's retrospective narrative stuck a chord with me. Romance isn't only for the young and I liked how this short defied trends to illustrate that idea. The pivotal moment was slightly predictable, but characters themselves were uniquely drawn and held genuine appeal in my eyes. 

He was my impossible dream, my lady in a tower. Such loves are never meant to be requited; like a falling star; they fade before they hit the earth, leaving only a faint memory of brightness lost.

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All For the Love of You by Jennifer Robson

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Jennifer Robson's All For the Love of You highlights one of the more intriguing chapters of WWI in that it deals with mask making and the effort help those who'd been disfigured in the conflict. The struggles Daisy witnesses are illuminating, but the craftsmanship and professionalism she witnesses in the studio is what captured my attention. Anna Coleman Ladd is not a character I'd encountered in my studies, but I enjoyed learning about her through Robson's effort and appreciate how the piece illustrated both her and her work. 

The notion that a man might have his face blown apart and yet live, and then be expected ti spend the rest of his life exposed to the horror and fear his appearance provoked, was something few people had thought of before the war and its chilling modern apparatus of death.

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After You've Gone by Evangeline Holland

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The plot details of Evangeline Holland's After You've Gone were a little far-fetched for my personal tastes, but I loved the subject matter she explored and the way the author approached it. It is the first of the anthology submission to include the male POV and the story touched on larger concepts, such as racism and artistic pursuits in times of war. Holland's work is not heavy-handed, but flows naturally toward a subtle touching conclusion. 

What was it about these colored Americans - Negroes, as they were called and called themselves - that made them open their hearts and their arms to people of their shared skin...

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Something Worth Landing For by Jessica Brockmole

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In terms of plot, Jessica Brockmole's Something Worth Landing For was my favorite submission to Fall of Poppies. I love the balance she found in her portrayal of Victorie and Wes, the vulnerability she brought to each character and the material she covered, but there is an authentic quality to the drama these characters experience that struck so close to home it made my heart ache. Simple, but beautifully drawn, the story took my breath away and brought a tear to my eye. 

Life is full of decisions, some made in fear, some made in loneliness, some made in a tavern over two mugs of wine. Even those that happen in an instant can last a lifetime. But they don't have to be wrong. Do not the best intentions sometimes reveal the best people? 

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Hour of the Bells by Heather Webb

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Conceptually, Heather Webb's Hour of the Bells stopped me dead in my tracks. Born a German citizen, Beatrix married a Frenchman and watched as their son took up arms against her homeland. For her, the war is intensely personal and threatens crush her heart and soul. Hour of the Bells is a love story, but not the kind I'd anticipated when I accepted Fall of Poppies for review. Emotionally it is raw, powerful and poignant. The kind of story that haunts you long after you've said goodbye. 

Time's passage never escaped her - not for a moment. The clocks made sure of it. There weren't enough minutes, enough hours, to erase her loss. 

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An American Airman in Paris by Beatriz Williams

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I cheered when I realized Beatriz Williams' An American Airman in Paris was written entirely from the male POV. I was quite vocal about my frustration with the marginalization of the male narrator at the 2015 Historical Novel Society Conference and adored Williams for bucking the trend. Octavian's struggle is a mosaic of varied emotion, but I felt the passionate depth Williams portrayed in him was as refreshing as it was provocative. The story is somber and somewhat difficult in terms of theme, but in my eyes it stands as the most pleasantly surprising submission of the anthology.

There was something in his blood, something that chilled and slowed when danger approached, like the thickening of sea ice in the middle of January. The higher the stakes, the more everything slowed, the clearer his mind became: an extreme economy of thought and motion, as if her were a machine directing his own actions.

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The Photograph by Kate Kerrigan

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Kate Kerrigan's The Photograph stands out in that it is the only one of the Fall of Poppies Submissions that doesn't take place on the continent. Centered in Dublin, the story incorporates a larger world view of the conflict and I couldn't help appreciating how it touched on additional conflict of the age. The modern elements didn't appeal to me as much as the historic ones did, but like Williams, I think Kerrigan characterizations of Clive and Eileen defied both stereotypes and trends.  

There was something certain in history, a dependable truth in knowing where you came from. It made her feel secure. 

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Hush by Hazel Gaynor

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Hazel Gaynor's Hush anchors the collection as the final submission in Fall of Poppies. It was hardest of the stories for me to get into, but ultimately I think it the most comprehensive. All the stories highlight a love of some sort, but Hush touches on many. It plays with other emotions, notably courage of conviction and individual guilt, but I was particularly drawn to Gaynor's illustration of hope in the face of tragedy and loss. 

She would fight for him if she could, would become his bones, his skin, his very breath, if only he could come home safe to her. 

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Tristan and Iseult by J.D. Smith

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Personal Kindle Library

Read: February 15, 2015

In a land of fog and desperate tribes, Tristan fights to protect western Briton from Saxon invaders. In the wake of battle, he returns to Kernow bearing grave news, and the order of power shifts. As Tristan defends the west, his uncle, King Mark, faces enemies to the east beyond the sea: the Irish Bloodshields. Mark is determined to unite the tribes of Briton and Ireland and forge an alliance that would see an end to war and the beginnings of peace. Iseult, the daughter of Irish kings and a woman of the blood, resigns herself to her inevitable fate: marriage to Lord Morholt. A bloody duel changes her course, and she finds herself stranded on the coast of Kernow bringing with her the possibility of peace. But when she loses her heart to one man and marries another, her future and that of Briton flutters grey. Three people and a hope that will never fade, this is a story of promise; the legend of love. 

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Tristan and Isolde by Hugues Merle

Retellings are an interesting subgenre. The writing and tone are exclusive to the author who put pen to page, the plot is borrowed, and the characterizations, atmosphere and theme an odd combination of both the familiar and authentic. The best retellings strike a balance. They are built within the framework of the original material, but bring something new to the table, something surprising and/or unexpected.

I give J.D Smith a lot of credit, her telling of Tristan and Iseult is true to the tragic romance, but she makes it her own in a way I not anticipated. I admire that and feel the double take I experienced while reading her work speaks to her skill as a storyteller. Like other readers, I was impressed with what she achieved in only 220 pages, but I admit I wasn't as enchanted with other aspects of the narrative. 

I didn't like Smith's decision to write in the first person. I realize I'm in the minority here, but I found Smith's tone bland and monotonous. I felt Tristan's voice and personality difficult to differentiate from that of Iseult and that bothered more than I care to admit. I also felt it took a long time for things to get interesting and confess it wasn't until the appearance of Cunedda's second youngest daughter in the final chapters of the novel that I found myself genuinely engaged in Smith's story. 

There were moments, enough to make the time I spent with Tristan and Iseult worthwhile, but Smith's wasn't the breathtaking tale I'd hoped for and while I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, I can't help doubting its ability to hold its own again other adaptations. 

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It occurs to me now that Mark's decision did indeed come after. That is why I am to fight the Irish Lord. To prove my worth as a man of Kernow, as the nephew of a great king. Or perish at the hands of a more skilled warrior.

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Gracelin O'Malley by Ann Moore

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Obtained from: Netgalley/Personal Library

Read: September 28, 2014

Gracelin’s father, Patrick, named her for the light of the sea that shone in her eyes. But joy and laughter leave the O’Malley clan when Gracelin is six-and-a-half and tragedy befalls the family. Less than a decade later, Gracelin must put her romantic dreams aside and marry a local landowner, the son of an English lord, to save her loved ones from financial ruin. Although she is a dutiful wife to capricious Bram Donnelly, Gracelin takes dangerous risks. With political violence sweeping through Ireland and the potato blight destroying lives, she secretly sides with the Young Irelanders, among them her brilliant brother, Sean, and the rebel leader Morgan McDonagh. Set against the rise of the Irish rebellion, with a cast of unforgettable characters led by the indomitable eponymous heroine, Gracelin O’Malley weaves a spellbinding story of courage, hope, and passion.

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I think every reviewer has a list. Books they read before they began to chronicle their thoughts, titles that haunt their memory. My list is remarkably short, but Ann Moore's Gracelin O'Malley has topped it for the better part of the last three years which is why I jumped at the opportunity to review it as a new release when the book was reprinted by Open Road Media. 

For the record, I don't think the description does Grace any favors. I've read the book four times and I've never seen her decision to marry Bram as a sacrifice of romantic ideals. To me it's always seemed a practical arrangement, the decision of naive teenager who wishes only to improve the lives of those she loves, but it is the catalyst that forever alters the course of her life. Her volatile marriage forges a steely determination that never would have existed otherwise. This is a character who is truly defined by the adversity she faces and watching her come into her own, witnessing that journey from idealistic girl to resolute and purposeful woman is truly inspiring.

Grace isn't the only memorable character either. Morgan McDonagh is one of the few leading men to have gotten under my skin. A fierce and ambitious patriot, Morgan's experiences with the Young Irelanders could be a novel in and of itself. Bram Donnelly, Sean O'Malley, Patrick O'Malley, Gran Doughtery, Father Brown, Lord Evans, Moira Sullivan, Henry Adams, Aislinn McDonagh, Julia Martin... I usually gravitate to a single character, but Moore presents such a rich ensemble cast that doing so is absolutely impossible. 

Historically, the book is a powerfully detailed story of the great famine. Moore doesn't hold back in her brutally unapologetic portrayal of the crisis. She attacks the political upheaval and rebellion in similar fashion and in so doing, provides readers a comprehensive portrait of nineteenth century Ireland and depravity that drove so many from her shores.

An extraordinary story of family and the lengths one goes to protect it, Gracelin O'Malley is an absolute must. An elegantly crafted fiction that remains with you long after the final page. 

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McDonagh had proven himself a brilliant leader and readily deserving of the praise heaped upon him by the people of Ireland. They thought him invincible, and as long as he traversed the countryside speaking of victory and showing them the way, they continued to hope that the battle would indeed be won. They hid him and fed him, loved him and called him their own son; despite those among them who turned on their own and tried to collect the reward for his capture, McDonagh had remained free—and freed others. Surely God marched with such a man as this, they said, and had McDonagh asked them to swim across the sea and fight England on her own land, they would have done it.

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The Outlaw Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Obtained from: Netgalley

Read: October 2, 2013

Fulke FitzWarin has played many roles -- loyal knight, dangerous outlaw, dashing lover, loyal husband. But when a violent quarrel with King John disrupts Fulke's ambition to become Lord of his own castle, his true character as a valiant hero is revealed.

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How does one describe reading Chadwick? I began contemplating the question when I received The Outlaw Knight for review and even after reading the book the only thing I'm sure of is that I am incapable of doing justice to the author or her work. 

Do you start in with the emotional beauty of her stories? Give comment on the range and depth she portrays in John's petulant outbursts, Jean's brotherly affection and William's stubborn pride? Or it is better to highlight the intricate complexities of the interrelationships her characters enjoy, for example the fraternal loyalty shared by Theobald and Hubert or the steadfast devotion that exists between Fulke and Maude. 

Of course one can't forget the author's obvious attention to detail. Close your eyes and you can picture the stable yard at Alberbury, the garrison at Whittington and even the salting larder at Shipley. Honestly, Chadwick takes scene building to an entirely different level, immersing her readers in the world her characters inhabit by crafting a vivid and comprehensive portrait of medieval life within the confines of a fictional narrative. I don't often agree with promotional endorsements, but Sharon Kay Penman was spot on when she declared these books the next best thing to time travel. 

Then again, perhaps it is best to go in an entirely different direction and describe Chadwick's gift for storytelling. Her ability to manipulate both history and mythology in the tale of a marcher lord who becomes an outlaw, tames Welsh dragons, slays Irish serpents and defies his king in the name of honor, justice, chivalry, and pride. 

When all is said and done, I suppose it doesn't matter. For years I've made due shoving Chadwick's books at my friends with the terse order to read and thank me later. It isn't a particularly articulate recommendation, but it seems to work well enough. Suffice it to say that true to form, The Outlaw Knight, is a wonderfully addictive read. A beautiful story you can't help but fall in love with. 

*Note: This title was previously published as Lords of the White Castle. 

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"By God on the Cross and the Devil in the pit of hell, I will give Fulke FitzWarin and his brothers the justice of common law," he choked. "I will have them strung from the gibbet on Whittington's battlements and they can gaze on their land from from there!"

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The Guardian Duke: A Forgotten Castles Novel by Jamie Carie

Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Netgalley

Read: Nov. 2, 2011

The Guardian Duke is award-winning novelist Jamie Carie’s most exciting story yet, a uniquely arranged Regency-era romantic adventure where hero and heroine know each other through written letters but have yet to meet. Gabriel, the Duke of St. Easton, is ordered by the King to take guardianship over Lady Alexandria Featherstone whose parents are presumed dead after failing to return from a high profile treasure hunt. But Alexandria ignores this royal reassignment, believing her parents are still alive and duly following clues that may lead to their whereabouts. Gabriel, pressured by what are actually the King’s ulterior motives, pursues her across windswept England and the rolling green hills of Ireland but is always one step behind. When they do meet, the search for earthly treasure will pale in comparison to what God has planned for both of them.

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*** NOTE: This review contains spoilers. Please take heed and proceed at your own risk. 

As an avid reader I hate admitting this but I am confused as to what this book was trying to do. There are many aspects to the novel but none of them felt fully developed. Half-baked is a wonderful way to go when you making chocolate cookies or eating Ben and Jerry’s but it doesn't work as well with literature.

Lady Alexandria, as a character, lacks cohesiveness. She doesn't know how to write a proper letter to a duke who she believes by definition must be old, monocled and suffering from gout but she has no difficulty leaving the only home she has ever known, travelling across the country, tracking the movements of her parents a year after their last correspondence or booking passage to Iceland? Either she is an inexperienced aristocrat who has no idea how to cope with life off her island or she a determined young woman who is more than capable of taking care of herself despite the conventions of the day. She can’t be both.

Alex’s motives also seemed inconsistent. She is so determined to find her parents that she defies the king’s wishes but she tarries in Belfast to watch Baylor compete in a local contest and is more than content to order fine clothes and attend the opera and a masked ball in Dublin? I’ll grant that she intended to seek out information at both Dublin events but she seemed to lose her drive and focus during her sojourn there. I was left questioning where the heroine was coming from. 

Gabriel suffers from hearing loss mysteriously brought on when he is named guardian of the supposedly orphaned Alexandria Featherstone. The affliction plagues him the first half of the novel but disappears without mention when he leaves London. Naturally the condition reappears as he prepares to leave for Ireland which is why I am upset that there was so little attention paid to his momentary recovery. It is a good idea but the execution is sketchy. It needs to be all or nothing. Commit to the story line or forget it entirely. 

Jamie Carie is an inspired fiction writer and B&H is a religious publishing group but The Guardian Duke doesn’t feel like most of the religion based fiction I've encountered. Alex mentions God and faith in her letters and lets loose the occasional prayer but just the same, I found it incredibly easy to forget heroine is in fact a devout character. There is too much religion to say the book shouldn't be classified as inspired fiction but I also feel there isn't enough to it to feel like it solidly belongs in the genre. Again, half-baked.

In terms of storytelling I was frustrated that there was no real climax. There is this huge build up and then… nothing. There is an art to writing series. The books need to be connected but each edition also needs to feel like a complete story in and of itself. For me, The Guardian Duke felt like an extended epilogue.

On the upside, I did like what Carie did with the letters. I live in an age where people fall in love online, essentially losing themselves to someone else’s words. Carie’s handling of the letters between Gabriel and Alex and the emotions each felt upon reading the correspondence translated very well throughout the book.

Light regency romance recommended to fans of the Daughters of Mannerling by Marion Chesney. 

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It was a  sad truth that lies had always flown out of her mouth with the ease of a bard telling a tall tale. She couldn't seem to help it.

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