Rosa's Gold by Ray Kingfisher

Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Netgalley

Read: July 11, 2016

Nicole Sutton’s world has been turned upside down. Sixteen and suffering the fallout of a devastating family tragedy, she is forced to move away from her London home to the quiet town of Henley—and a new life she never wanted nor expected. In the dusty cellar of her strange new house, Nicole stumbles upon a worn old journal left behind by a previous occupant. Inside, through the eyes of a soldier named Mac, she finds herself drawn into a brutally honest memoir of the horrors of war and Auschwitz—and of the life and love Mac had to leave behind. The more Nicole reads, the more she is able to make sense of her own troubles. Because Mac’s story is so much more than a journal: it is the story of a family fighting for survival in the darkest days of humanity, of hope in the face of persecution. And then there’s the buried gold...

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I was optimistic going into Ray Kingfisher’s Rosa’s Gold, but the reality didn’t live up to my expectations. I don’t mean to imply that my opinion trumps anyone else’s because it doesn’t, but I’m not gonna lie, I expected more from a book with one hundred four and five star ratings. A lot more.

The lack of character development grated my nerves and I was bitterly disappointed with the passionless relationship between Mac and Rosa. I’m sorry, but a couple of chaste kisses does not an epic romance make. Structurally speaking, the novel was all over the place and the plot really doesn’t get around to the gold until the final fourth of the narrative. That’s right folks, the novel’s primary plot point is tagged on like an afterthought in the final chapters. Why? I don’t know, the decision made as much sense as introducing a third narrator, one Mrs. Belotti, in the thirty-seventh of thirty-nine chapters, but that’s just my opinion. 

I’m not gonna get on my soapbox about Nicole’s annoyingly infantile parents, but I will stay that I didn’t care for the contemporary story line. Nicole’s experience hardly qualifies as a compelling arc and I don’t consider her an active participant in the narrative. I suppose one could argue, that much like Bastian in The Neverending Story, but while Nicole bears witness, she doesn’t stand up to anything in the end, she merely stands up and I don’t think that’s quite the same thing. 

My last issue, or at least the last I feel the need to mention, is continuity. In the jacket description and on pages eight, twenty-eight, and thirty, Nicole is sixteen years of age. On page sixteen, one hundred nine, two seventy-one, two seventy-two, and two seventy-eight, she is seventeen. I’ll grant it’s a minor detail, but I noticed it just the same and I can’t help wondering how many other continuity issues I’d have found I’d been actively hunting them. I mean no offense, but how is the reader supposed to keep the details straight if the narrative contracts itself? And yes, I checked my ARC edition from Lake Union against the one currently available through Amazon Digital Services, and the same errors exist in both. My ARC also lacks the usual disclaimer for unedited manuscripts which leads me to believe the book is ready for release and any comment on the editing failures is fair game.

At the end of the day, Rosa’s Gold simply didn’t suit my tastes. I’m happy to have tried it, but I don’t see myself recommending it to other readers down the road. 

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I wonder whether they took that idea and twisted it into ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ – the words erected across those dark, threatening gates like a mantra to the suffering masses. Was it a mantra? Was it prayer? Or was it there merely to taunt those people that little bit more? Either way, ‘twisted’ is the correct word; everything in that horrid place in those horrid times was twisted in one way or another.

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The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach by Pam Jenoff

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Obtained from: Netgalley

Read: May 24, 2016

Young Adelia Monteforte flees fascist Italy for America, where she is whisked away to the shore by her well-meaning aunt and uncle. Here, she meets and falls for Charlie Connally, the eldest of the four Irish-Catholic boys next door. But all hopes for a future together are soon throttled by the war and a tragedy that hits much closer to home. Grief-stricken, Addie flees—first to Washington and then to war-torn London—and finds a position at a prestigious newspaper, as well as a chance to redeem lost time, lost family…and lost love. But the past always nips at her heels, demanding to be reckoned with. And in a final, fateful choice, Addie discovers that the way home may be a path she never suspected.

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Pam Jenoff has been one of my go-to writers for a while. I always enjoy the time I spend with her stories and I think that is why I put off reading The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach for as long as I did. I’d flagged it as a comfort read and kept it in my back pocket to distract me when I found myself in rough patch.

The story surprised me in many ways. I found it slower than Jenoff's other novels, but it is a story of self-discovery so the pacing was actually quite appropriate to the action. Adelia Monteforte is a young girl when Jenoff introduces her and it takes years for her to experience the events that shape the woman she becomes. It is a process that unfolds as she enters each new phase of her life and I liked how Jenoff structured the story to emphasize that idea. 

Another thing I like about this piece was how it highlighted America’s pre-war years. Europe was a world away and the United States didn’t really understand the magnitude or fear experienced by those on the other side of the Atlantic. I know the era through my own research, but I appreciated Jenoff’s effort at illustrating the naivety that existed in America and showing her audience how blissfully unaffected the average American was prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. 

The heart of the story, however, is the idea of family, the roles each individual plays in it, how those roles change over time, and how they play into the choices we make as adults. It’s a subtle idea with no flashy bells and whistles, but it’s elegant and moving nonetheless. It takes a while to get there of course, the narrative spans a handful of countries over a period of years, but there a sense that it comes full circle in the end and I liked how everything came into focus in the final chapters. 

The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach is a heartfelt coming of age novel of love and renewal. It’s not the heaviest historical I ever read, but I’d definitely recommend it to readers of period romance and/or women’s fiction. 

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“Running doesn’t make the pain stop. You take it with you.”

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The Girl from Venice by Martin Cruz Smith

Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Netgalley

Read: July 7, 2016

The highly anticipated new standalone novel from Martin Cruz Smith, whom The Washington Post has declared “that uncommon phenomenon: a popular and well-regarded crime novelist who is also a writer of real distinction,” The Girl from Venice is a suspenseful World War II love story set against the beauty, mystery, and danger of occupied Venice. Venice, 1945. The war may be waning, but the city known as La Serenissima is still occupied and the people of Italy fear the power of the Third Reich. One night, under a canopy of stars, a fisherman named Cenzo comes across a young woman’s body floating in the lagoon and soon discovers that she is still alive and in trouble. Born to a wealthy Jewish family, Giulia is on the run from the Wehrmacht SS. Cenzo chooses to protect Giulia rather than hand her over to the Nazis. This act of kindness leads them into the world of Partisans, random executions, the arts of forgery and high explosives, Mussolini’s broken promises, the black market and gold, and, everywhere, the enigmatic maze of the Venice Lagoon. The Girl from Venice is a thriller, a mystery, and a retelling of Italian history that will take your breath away. Most of all it is a love story.

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The phrase “highly anticipated” should set off warning bells, but I ignored my misgivings and jumped at Martin Cruz Smith’s The Girl from Venice. I’m a WWII junkie and have absolutely no restraint when considering literature set against the conflict, but looking back, I wish I’d have listened to my gut and passed on the narrative.

Please excuse my assessment, but Smith’s character development felt remarkably thin. As a reader, I couldn’t connect to a single member of the cast which made it intensely difficult to care how their stories turned out. I appreciated the brisk pace of the story, but I felt the individuals themselves were clichéd and forgettable.

Factually there are a few interesting points peppered throughout the narrative, but creating an atmosphere and transporting his readers wasn’t Smith’s priority. The Girl from Venice is first and foremost a mystery and at the end of the day, I feel the piece best suited to fans of that genre. The novel happens to take place during WWII, but when push comes to shove, it lacks the depth and detail I associate with good historic fiction.

At the end of the day I can't say I was particularly impressed with The Girl from Venice and I don't think I'll be recommending it to others any time soon. If failed satisfy any of my expectations and left no impression whatsoever.

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He hadn’t studied her in the light before. She was imperious, with straight hair and a sharp chin. Cenzo thought that if he could see the world with her eyes, it would be a place where your death was on a list. The girl came with ghosts.

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Whispering Vines by Amy Schisler

Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Netgalley

Read: March 31, 2016

When Alex O’Donnell’s world falls apart, she finds it hard to imagine that a door to a new world will open. Leaving everything she knows behind, Alex moves from her Baltimore apartment to a villa in Italy where she discovers the inherited vineyard she never knew existed and a life of possibilities beyond her hopes and dreams. Arriving at the villa, Alex is taken aback by the animosity and scorn of the vineyard’s co-owner, Nicolas Giordano. Resentful of Alex’s sudden appearance, Nicolas struggles to maintain his control over his business and his feelings for his new partner. The discovery of a journal from World War II becomes the tie that binds Alex and Nicolas as they work to secure their future while putting together the pieces of a puzzle from the past. Unlock the hidden secrets within the Whispering Vines.

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At first glance, Amy Schisler’s Whispering Vines looked like my kind of fiction. I’m a bit of a WWII junkie and jump at anything set during the conflict. I was not familiar with Schisler or her work, but the subject matter was too tempting to ignore so I set about procuring myself a copy. Unfortunately, the novel didn’t live up to my expectations and I ended up speed reading the bulk of the second half. 

By the end of the first chapter I was annoyed to discover the author tells more than she shows. Schisler attempts to develop her characters by throwing a barrage of facts at her readers and I found little of note in the way of world building. I found the author's treatment exceedingly superficial and as such, couldn’t get relate to her heroine or envision the world Alex inhabited. I also found the novel formulaic, predictable, and sickeningly saccharine. I respect that some readers really enjoy this type of sugary storytelling, but I readily admit that I am not among their number. At the end of the day, I am drawn to intensity, tension, and conflict, the like of which Whispering Vines simply did not afford. 

Historically speaking, I wish the author had done more with the material. I appreciated the detail Schisler incorporated into the text, but I think there was room to dig deeper into the subject matter on which the narrative was based. The mystery surrounding Robbiano’s Madonna and Child was interesting and plays to curiosities regarding the methodical theft and appropriation of art by German forces during WWII, but I felt Schisler played it safe in her representations.

I did enjoy the details Schisler used regarding vineyards and the business of wine making and I appreciated the use of a war era journal to venture into multiple story lines, but I’m can’t say the novel rivals Teresa Neumann’s Bianca's Vineyard or Trini Amador’s Gracianna and would have a hard time recommending it to other readers. 

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“Love is all that matters,” Signora said, turning back to the younger woman. “Life brings hardship, and pain, and more loss than you think you can survive, but in the end, love will carry you through the agony and restore the breath you need to keep living. You must have love, or you have nothing.”

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The Vatican Princess by C.W. Gortner

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Obtained from: Netgalley

Read: March 1, 2016

Glamorous and predatory, the Borgias became Italy’s most ruthless and powerful family, electrifying and terrorizing their 15th-century Renaissance world. To this day, Lucrezia Borgia is known as one of history’s most notorious villainesses, accused of incest and luring men to doom with her arsenal of poison. International bestselling author C.W. Gortner’s new novel delves beyond the myth to depict Lucrezia in her own voice, from her pampered childhood in the palaces of Rome to her ill-fated, scandalous arranged marriages and complex relationship with her adored father and her rival brothers—brutal Juan and enigmatic Cesare. This is the dramatic, untold story of a papal princess who came of age in an era of savage intrigue and unparalleled splendor, and whose courage led her to overcome the fate imposed on her by her Borgia blood.

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I didn’t set out to read C.W. Gortner’s The Vatican Princess because I love the Borgias. I appreciate their role in politics, but I’ve never been particularly enamored with their legendary drama. Truth be told, my interest in the novel was inspired by the author who penned it. Gortner’s books hold a treasured place in my personal library and I couldn’t resist adding another of his volumes to my collection.

Historically speaking, I’m accustomed to seeing Lucretia painted as a cold and calculating temptress, but the vulnerable and vibrant woman Gortner created within these pages bears little resemblance to traditional interpretation. She is introduced as a naïve innocent and I found the development of her personal and political awareness refreshingly thought-provoking. To the outside world she is an integral part of a frighteningly powerful family, but behind the scenes she is considered little more than a pawn to be bought, sold, traded, and used in her family’s ambitious and deadly machinations. As a reader, I sympathized with her character, fell in love with her tenacity, and adored the juxtaposition in how she ultimately wielded her own brand Borgia determination and strength against her oppressors. 

Speaking of antagonists, I was thoroughly impressed with Gortner’s range. Too often authors paint good and evil in simple opposition, but Lucretia’s adversaries are a diverse collection of serpents that challenge her both emotionally and physically. Gortner doesn’t hold back in his descriptions of Borgia brutality and I felt the approach, while graphic, created a necessary intensity in the fabric of the narrative. The material is shocking and uncomfortable, but the author’s handling of the subject matter produces a tangible tension and unsettling sense of menace in the minds of his audience. 

Gortner utilizes the lurid myths surrounding the family to his advantage, but historically speaking, he takes relatively few liberties. There are embellishments here and there, but I’ve no complaint regarding his deviations. He blend of fact and fiction is seamless and the changes he incorporated into the narrative only enhance the telling. 

A sympathetic portrait steeped in passionate political intrigue, The Vatican Princess stands as testament to both Gortner’s talent and vision. In redefining Lucretia his novel challenges long-standing standing perceptions and bring new dimension to the life she lived.

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“There can be no other reason. Infamy is no accident. It is a poison in our blood. It is the price of being a Borgia”

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The Rules in Rome by A.L. Sowards

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Netgalley

Read: September 2, 2015

With Hitler’s forces firmly entrenched in Europe, countless heroes seek to end the madman’s reign. Bastien Ley is one of the best. Working in Italy for the Office of Strategic Services, he’s been tasked with sabotaging German convoys. When his team kills an officer headed for Rome, the man’s similarity to Bastien is undeniable, and seeing an opportunity to turn the tide of the war, Bastien makes a bold decision: he will assume the dead officer’s identity. He becomes Dietrich, an Iron Cross–wearing German officer—an ideal position from which to infiltrate the Nazi ranks in Rome. To help with his stressful assignment, his superiors send him a reinforcement in the form of the lovely Gracie Begni, an intelligent and eager radio operator with absolutely no undercover experience. With a gulf of resentment between them, these two agents must find a way to portray a couple in love. Soon their reluctant alliance becomes much more as Bastien and Gracie find themselves getting lost in their feelings for each other. But as they engage in battle against the deadliest foe the world has ever known, the pair quickly realizes their love may be doomed. As the Rome Gestapo threatens to destroy all they’ve worked for, will Bastien and Gracie survive their charade?

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To say I was excited when A.L. Sowards The Rules in Rome appeared in the Netgalley catalog is something of an understatement. I'd been eyeing the author's work for a while and was positively giddy when my request to review the novel was approved. I began reading it almost immediately and was pleased to discover my enthusiasm wasn't misplaced. The action and historic detail in the narrative impressed me so much that I actually reached out to author A.L. Sowards about hosting an interview before finishing the book, but looking back, I think what stands out the most is how different the novel feels in comparison to others of my experience. 

Most of the WWII fiction I've encountered takes place in England, France, Germany, Poland, Austria and Belgium, but Sowards chose Italy for the backdrop of her story and I found myself very intrigued by her decision to venture into territory that is less commonly portrayed. I wont deny that Belinda Alexandra's Tuscan Rose had more atmospheric and cultural detail, but Sowards' effort was easily more cohesive and engaging and I think that is why I appreciated her so much more than that of her predecessor. 

I admit there were elements of the book that felt somewhat coincidental, but the author created enough situational drama that I didn't feel things like Bastien's physical resemblance to Adalard Dietrich detrimental to the narrative. I found it curious tha0t the reader is afforded more face time with Gracie than Bastien and wish there'd been more balance between Sowards' leads, but here again, I don't feel the small disparity had any adverse affect on the finished publication.

My interest in the novel begins and ends with the history incorporated in its premise. The love story was harder for me to get into, but I think fans of wartime romance will really enjoy the emotional hurdles Bastien and Grace face. The story is clean in terms of language and explicit intimacy, but it is war era fiction and Sowards doesn't shy away from demonstrating the dangers of covert espionage with moments of extreme tension and deadly violence.

The politics of the novel are presented in light to moderate terms and are very easy to understand. Sowards kept this aspect straightforward enough that those with limited comprehension of events don't feel overwhelmed by the material which is nice as it is very easy to cripple a good story with heavy-handed description of fact. 

Bottom line, The Rules in Rome proved a quick and captivating diversion. Lightly religious, inventive and energetic. 

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Bastien had almost gotten used to the idea of working with Gracie until yesterday’s fiasco. Now he was certain Vaughn-Harris had thought up the whole thing as one more shot at revenge. It wasn’t right for Vaughn-Harris to try to get Bastien killed and risk the information he collected, nor was it fair for Gracie to be thrown into a mission she wasn’t ready for.

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The Saffron Crocus by Alison McMahan

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Obtained from: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Read: May 16, 2015

Venice, 1643. Fifteen-year-old Isabella longs to sing in Monteverdi’s Choir, but only boys (and castrati) can do that. Her singing teacher, Margherita, introduces her to a new wonder: opera! Then Isabella finds Margherita murdered. And now people keep trying to kill Margherita’s handsome rogue of a son, Rafaele. Was Margherita killed so someone could steal her saffron business? Or was it a disgruntled lover, as Margherita—unbeknownst to Isabella—was one of Venice’s wealthiest courtesans? Or will Isabella and Rafaele find the answer deep in Margherita's past, buried in the Jewish Ghetto? Isabella has to solve the mystery of the Saffron Crocus fast, before Rafaele hangs for a murder he didn’t commit, though she fears the truth will drive her and the man she loves irrevocably apart.

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I was of two minds going into Alison McMahan's The Saffron Crocus. On one hand, I have a hit and miss relationship with young adult fiction and was worried the book wouldn't work for me. On the other, I was intrigued by the premise and curious to see if the author could make such a story work. 

Looking back, I can easily say I lucked out with the book and found it quite satisfying. McMahan's is well-rounded and memorable, but the mystery at the heart of the story makes the piece. The amount of historic detail also stuck a chord with me and I was fascinated at the level of authentic detail the author was able to squeeze into the narrative. 

Beautifully imagined and thoroughly engaging, The Saffron Crocus was well worth the time I spent with it. A wonderful story for both young adult and mature audiences.  

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It was Piero. Face down, one arm stretched out before him, as if in supplication. A puddle of blood under him. Dead.

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Juliet's Nurse by Lois Leveen

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Netgalley

Read: January 29, 2015

An enthralling new telling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet—told from the perspective of Juliet’s nurse. In Verona, a city ravaged by plague and political rivalries, a mother mourning the death of her day-old infant enters the household of the powerful Cappelletti family to become the wet-nurse to their newborn baby. As she serves her beloved Juliet over the next fourteen years, the nurse learns the Cappellettis’ darkest secrets. Those secrets—and the nurse’s deep personal grief—erupt across five momentous days of love and loss that destroy a daughter, and a family. By turns sensual, tragic, and comic, Juliet’s Nurse gives voice to one of literature’s most memorable and distinctive characters, a woman who was both insider and outsider among Verona’s wealthy ruling class. Exploring the romance and intrigue of interwoven loyalties, rivalries, jealousies, and losses only hinted at in Shakespeare’s play, this is a never-before-heard tale of the deepest love in Verona—the love between a grieving woman and the precious child of her heart. In the tradition of Sarah Dunant, Philippa Gregory, and Geraldine Brooks, Juliet’s Nurse is a rich prequel that reimagines the world’s most cherished tale of love and loss, suffering and survival.

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

I'm not a huge fan of Romeo and Juliet, but Lois Leveen's Juliet's Nurse caught my eye. Many of my favorite reviewers were touched by the author's handling of Shakespeare's classic and many were impressed with her interpretation of his characters, but having read the novel, I can't say I'm in agreement with their admiration. The story proved a pleasant enough diversion, but it wasn't quite what I'd expected going in. 

First and foremost, the story is horrendously slow. The first half takes place during Juliet's first three years of life, but remarkably little happens during this period. The author introduces many familiar characters - Angelica, Juliet, Tybalt, Friar Lorenzo, Lord Cappelletti and his wife - but she wallows in their backstories for chapters at time, utterly ignoring the fact that readers are familiar with these individuals and the circumstances that brought them together.

Another thing I struggled with was Leveen's tendency to repeat herself. Take for example, the deaths of Angelica's children. I was so overexposed to this concept that I didn't care for the loss she suffered and the indifference that bred, crippled the story's central theme. I realize Leveen was trying to draw on the sympathies of her audience, but I found her excessive reiteration desensitizing and dull. 

To top things off, Leveen's heroine bored me. It wasn't until the final third of the narrative that I felt Angelica took an active role in the story, but I couldn't help feeling the moment came too late. I'd checked out long before Leveen's fiction began to overlap Shakespeare's timeline and while I'm happy with the author's intent, I felt the execution lacking. 

Contrary to what you might think, there were elements in Juliet's Nurse I liked. Leveen's handling of plague and its impact on seventeenth century life was quite interesting and there were moments involving Lady Cappelletti that had genuine potential, but neither proved compelling enough for this particular reader. I feel the story a nice nod to the play on which it is based, but in all honesty, I don't think the author brought enough imagination to the table. 

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A plague on both your houses. If Mercutio’s many fornications are not enough to send him straight to hell, for this spiteful oath alone he deserves damnation.

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The Shepherdess of Siena by Linda Lafferty

Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Netgalley

Read: December 24, 2014

Raised by her aunt and uncle amidst the rolling hills of the Tuscan countryside, young orphan Virginia Tacci has always harbored a deep love for horses—though she knows she may never have the chance to ride. As a shepherdess in sixteenth-century Italy, Virginia’s possibilities are doubly limited by her peasant class and her gender. Yet while she tends her flock, Virginia is captivated by the daring equestrian feats of the high-spirited Isabella de’ Medici, who rides with the strength and courage of any man, much to the horror of her brother, the tyrannical Granduca Francesco de’ Medici. Inspired, the young shepherdess keeps one dream close to her heart: to race in Siena’s Palio. Twenty-six years after Florence captured Siena, Virginia’s defiance will rally the broken spirit of the Senese people and threaten the pernicious reign of the Granduca. Bringing alive the rich history of one of Tuscany’s most famed cities, this lush, captivating saga draws an illuminating portrait of one girl with an unbreakable spirit.

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After two attempts, I think it safe to say I've a love-hate relationship with Linda Ladderty. The premise of her novels spark my curiosity, but the realities don't sit well on my palate and may indicate a need for greater discretion in the future. I don't mean to sound harsh, I'm actually pretty disappointed, but House of Bathory was hardly the story I'd envisioned when I picked it up and here again, The Shepherdess of Siena failed to impress. 

I pegged the book as a slow starter some forty pages in, things weren't any better by sixty and I officially called code blue on the novel's pacing round about eighty. There is no momentum to this piece… and it centers on a bloody horse race! Call me crazy, but thundering hooves pounding round the piazza shouldn't leave one fighting off the sand man.

The characters were equally uninspiring. I liked Virginia Tacci's struggle against traditional gender roles, but I didn't get much else from the character. I thought Giorgio had potential, but I lost patience with him as soon as he began teaching Virginia to ride and they were only the beginning. How Lafferty made a de’ Medici boring I'll never know, but I couldn't care less about Isabella and found her scenes some of the most mundane of the entire novel. She's in the middle of the action, but as a character, she's downright dull. 

I hate to say it, but I didn’t find the time I spent with The Shepherdess of Siena at all pleasant. The style didn't appeal and there simply wasn't enough to the subject matter to compensate.

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“She has a gift, the horses are never wrong,” Cesare Brunelli said. “they recognize her spirit—a wild spirit like their own.”

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Allegra by Anna Lisle

Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Netgalley

Read: December 8, 2014

1822: Byron's young illegitimate daughter dies in an Italian convent, sent away from the mother who adored her. 1838: young Alice Clarke, unhappily married to a brutal man, is pursued on London's streets by a mysterious Greek man and a cloaked woman. Alice is in love with a man she can never have: a sea captain sailing the perilous route to India around Africa. When her lover vanishes on a voyage, Alice's pursuers draw her into an increasingly tense game of cat and mouse running between the early Victorian squalor of London's Rookeries and the splendour of its Mayfair squares. A murder in Regent's Park only reinforces the message that Alice is involved in a very dangerous game, but how is she linked to a notorious group of English poets living in Italy sixteen years earlier?

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Lord Bryon by Thomas Phillips

Anna Lisle's Allegra is one of those titles that didn't work for me. I picked it up on a whim, but quickly found myself frustrated by a premise that was too far-fetched and a delivery that didn't compensate for the liberties taken in its execution. To add insult to injury, I feel the cover art misrepresents the title and while I do not factor the jacket as part of my rating, I can't deny irritation with the design. 

The relative age of the model on front of the book led me to believe this was a young adult piece, but judging on content, I can honestly say Lisle wrote Allegra with a more mature audience in mind. I was naturally surprised, but shrugged it off as a mere misstep in the publishing process, a hiccup and nothing more. Other issues, however, were harder to ignore.

Cookie-cutter characters with no depth and little spirit, I found it difficult rouse my enthusiasm for Alice and her peers. The language is at times poetic, Lisle can turn a pretty phrase, but the narrative lacked allure, something I feel necessary especially in stories that revise history in the name of entertainment. It moves along at a brisk pace, but it is mechanical and progresses systematically from one twist to the next, often leaving me at a loss as I struggled to work through Lisle's work.

I wish I could recommend Allegra, but it simply wasn't my cup of tea. An aspiration with potential that never materialized, the title failed to captivate or delight. 

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At this moment I truly cast off Alice and became Allegra. Now, at last, Alice and her sprig muslins and coy bonnets became Allegra with the silks and velvets. Alice nibbled on sweetbreads; Allegra swallowed oysters whole.

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A Day of Fire: A Novel of Pompeii by Stephanie Dray, Ben Kane, E. Knight, Sophie Perinot, Kate Quinn & Vicky Alvear Shecter

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Obtained from: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Read: October 31, 2014

Pompeii was a lively resort flourishing in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius at the height of the Roman Empire. When Vesuvius erupted in an explosion of flame and ash, the entire town would be destroyed. Some of its citizens died in the chaos, some escaped the mountain's wrath... and these are their stories: A boy loses his innocence in Pompeii's flourishing streets. An heiress dreads her wedding day, not knowing it will be swallowed by fire. An ex-legionary stakes his entire future on a gladiator bout destined never to be finished. A crippled senator welcomes death, until a tomboy on horseback comes to his rescue. A young mother faces an impossible choice for her unborn child as the ash falls. A priestess and a whore seek redemption and resurrection as the town is buried. Six authors bring to life overlapping stories of patricians and slaves, warriors and politicians, villains and heroes who cross each others' path during Pompeii's fiery end. But who will escape, and who will be buried for eternity?

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Cast from the Garden of the Fugitives
Image by Daniele Florio

I have a hard time with anthologies and collaborations, but Grand Central proved such a wonderful experience that I swore I'd keep an open mind if another struck my fancy. Four months later A Day of Fire caught my eye and here I sit, once again amazed at the result.

Taking their cues from the graffiti littered walls of its ruins, these six authors set out to tell the story of a city's final moments, to chronicle the tragedy of Vesuvius' first century eruption through the experience of her citizens as a torrent of rock, pumice and fire rained hell from above.

Their characters come from all walks of life and offer extensive insight to the intricacies of life in the Roman Empire, but it is the drama they imagined and the intrigue they coaxed from the ashes that make A Day of Fire impossible to put down. From the Herculaneum Gate to the Garden of the Fugitives, their combined efforts culminate in a highly compelling portrait of Pompeii and her people.

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The Son by Vicky Alvear Shecter

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I liked Vicky Alvear Shecter's Curses and Smoke, but I loved The Son. I'll grant comparing a young adult piece to general fiction is an apples to oranges association, but the tone of the contribution, the mature nature of its themes and the dynamic Shecter created between Gaius Caecilius and Gaius Plinius Secundus really appealed to me.

Those familiar with the history know how significant Gaius Caecilius is to Pompeii which is why I got such a kick out of Shecter's portrayal. Far from the respected historian, here is seventeen year old boy, plagued with insecurities and grappling with his first taste of romance. The resulting contrast is both authentic and amusing and represents a creativity I can't help but admire.

“Here’s a secret few men will admit out loud. On the inside, most of us feel small, stupid, and weak no matter what our size or how old we are. You become a man when you realize none of that matters. Only what we do matters. A man of Rome will do his duty even when he feels broken inside.”

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The Heiress by Sophie Perinot

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It's been a few years since I tackled Sophie Perinot's The Sister Queens, but The Heiress reminded me why I hold its author in such high esteem. Taking inspiration from the frescos that grace the Villa dei Misteri, Perinot delves into the wedding traditions of ancient Rome and presents a surprisingly nontraditional love story that cuts straight to the heart.  

I wasn't sure about Aemilia Lepida, but the passion she harbors for Faustus quickly showed her as more than the poor little rich girl she initially appears to be and I adored the parallel Perinot created in Aemilia's experience and the famous imagery that graces her walls. That said, it was Gnaeus Helvius Sabinus that made the greatest impression on me. A historic figure of no particular importance, the highly educated would-be aedile proved my favorite of all the characters that appear in A Day of Fire.  

“You were born in fire, Aemilia, but by all the gods I will not let you die in it.” The words come out half spoken, half growled. The last thing I see as he carries me off is the shocked faces of the serving women with their hands full of my clothing.

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The Soldier by Ben Ken

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I selfishly hoped Ben Kane would tackle the gladiators and the Amphitheatre of Pompeii when I realized he'd contributed to this project and I'm happy to report I wasn't disappointed. I mean no offense to the other authors, but after reading Spartacus: Rebellion, I felt Kane and his particular expertise best suited for the material. 

The action in the arena was brilliantly done, but I loved how Kane balanced the physicality of those sequences against the everyday politics of life in Pompeii. Career soldier Lucius Satrius Rufus has enemies both on and off the field and I thought the illustration of his personal relationships and how those affiliations dictated his decisions during the eruption quite fascinating. 

“You and me, Sir, we’ve seen things as bad as this. If the damn Germans couldn’t kill us, I don’t see why a bloody great mountain should.” 

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The Senator by Kate Quinn

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I've read enough of her work to know that sitting down with anything by Kate Quinn will leave a smile on my face. Mistress of Rome, Daughters of Rome and Empress of the Seven Hills have graced my top shelf for some time so I was understandably excited about The Senator, but I readily admit Quinn's eye for historic detail and keen sense of comedic timing surpassed even my expectations.

Diana of the Cornelii and Senator Marcus Norbanus are a phenomenal pairing and while I have a sneaky suspicion their contrary personalities would prove entertaining just about anywhere, I took particular amusement at watching them butt heads in the Lupanar of Pompeii. I harbored a fondness for these characters prior to reading A Day of Fire and adored the insight this small chapter afforded, but more than that, I appreciated how seamlessly their story fit with the other contributions. All the entries are linked, but I felt Quinn's effort the most coordinated and comprehensive of the collection.  

One was big and the other was bigger; they had blood on their arms and blood on their shins; they had rough voices and white around their eyes. They might have been porters or fullers; legionaries or farmers; citizens or slaves—there were no such defined differences between men anymore, not now. In Pompeii there were only the dead, the dying, and the desperate.

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The Mother by E. Knight

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Historically, the home of Julius Polybius is one of the most impressive and enlightening buildings buried in the volcanic ash of Vesuvius, but the pregnant woman who died there is equally intriguing. A cameo character in several of the earlier contributions, Julilla finally enjoys the spotlight in E. Knight's The Mother. 

Maybe it's because Anne Seymour was such a firecracker in My Lady Viper, but I associate Knight with the creation of vibrant and passionate heroines which is why I was confused by the happily married and contented Julilla. Eagerly awaiting the birth of her child, the soon-to-be mother radiates maternal joy, but didn't fit the mold I'd envisioned. At least, not initially. As the situation worsens, Julilla's soul-searching reveals an uncommonly complex woman torn by loyalty, honor, expectation, duty, and a desire to be at the forefront of the decisions that determine her fate. 

What was once a place of tranquility is now blanketed in darkness and ash. The sky above is a reflection of a war with the gods. Is it possible that the end of the world is upon us?

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The Whore by Stephanie Dray

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None of those who contributed to A Day of Fire were unfamiliar to me. I've fond memories of reading many of their solo efforts, including Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran who supplied the introduction to the six part novel. That said, author Stephanie Dray was something of an anomaly within the group. I've followed her on social media for years, but I've not read her work and so approached The Whore with fresh and entirely unbiased objectivity. 

Considering her background it should come as no surprise that Dray's story incorporated the Temple of Isis and a spiritual connection to the Egyptian goddess, but it was the personal reflections of Capella and Prima that captured my imagination. The sisters are as different as night and day, but their trials comprise some of the most powerful moments and intimate revelations of the entire book. 

No, Isis loves me like an immortal mother who knows that all her mortal children must die. If not in this moment, then the next. For what is a year, a decade, a lifetime, but mere moments to a goddess older than time? She loves us for what we make of our moments. And Isis loves me for a strength I did not know was inside me before.

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Check Out All the Stops on the A Day of Fire Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, October 27
Review at The Maiden’s Court

Wednesday, October 29
Spotlight at Passages to the Past

Thursday, October 30
Review at leeanna.me
Review at Ageless Pages Reviews

Monday, November 3
Review at Bibliophilia, Please

Wednesday, November 5
Review at Peeking Between the Pages

Monday, November 10
Review at Flashlight Commentary

Wednesday, November 12
Review at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book

Thursday, November 13
Review at Book Lovers Paradise

Tuesday, November 18
Spotlight at Historical Fiction Connection

Wednesday, November 19
Review at Book Babe

Tuesday, November 25
Review at Reading the Past

Wednesday, November 26
Guest Post at Historical Tapestry

Friday, November 28
Review at The True Book Addict

Monday, December 1
Guest Post at From the TBR Pile

Thursday, December 4
Review at CelticLady’s Reviews

Friday, December 5
Review at Let Them Read Books

The French Executioner by C.C. Humphreys

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Obtained from: Author/Agent

Read: October 28, 2014

It is 1536 and the expert swordsman Jean Rombaud has been brought over from France by Henry VIII to behead his wife, Anne Boleyn. But on the eve of her execution Rombaud swears a vow to the ill-fated queen - to bury her six-fingered hand, symbol of her rumoured witchery, at a sacred crossroads. Yet in a Europe ravaged by religious war, the hand of this infamous Protestant icon is so powerful a relic that many will kill for it... From a battle between slave galleys to a Black Mass in a dungeon, through the hallucinations of St Anthony's Fire to the fortress of an apocalyptic Messiah, Jean seeks to honour his vow.

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If you're anything like me, you're looking at the cover of C.C. Humphreys' The French Executioner and stifling a groan. Titles like Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies, To Die For, The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn, The Lady in the Tower, The Dark Rose, Dark Eyed Queen, The Concubine, The King's Secret Matter, Murder Most Royal, and The Other Boleyn Girl are flashing through your mind and you're seriously questioning if you've the stomach for more.

Pardon my cynicism, but that's where my association with this title started and it would be difficult to appreciate the depth of my admiration without understanding where I stood prior to picking up the book. Anne Boleyn is a fascinating character, but her story has been done to death and frankly, I'd be hard pressed to give a damn about yet another adaption. Thankfully, The French Executioner is not Anne's story, but that of the swordsman who freed England's magisterial monarch of his second wife... or was it her from him? 

To get right to the point, I liked this book and not just because Humphreys re-imagined Anne's execution as a beginning rather than an end. I think his characterization of Jean Rombaud inspired and I found the intrigue he created around her famous appendage intensely provocative. Anne's legacy is forever intertwined with the history of the English Reformation and I love the idea that her earthly remains might have fed the fanatical fires that burned after her death. 

I'll grant there are some gruesome elements to the story and I felt the pacing dragged during the battle scenes, but I've very few complaints overall. The plot itself is fascinating and Humphreys' characters comprise one of the best ensemble casts I've had fortune to come across. Major and minor players have distinctive roles and I loved how Humphreys was able to bring so many different personalities and backgrounds to the table. Supporting figures like Abraham and Da Costa are as memorable as Fugger, Cibo, Beck, Januc and Haakon and that attention to detail made reading this piece a real pleasure. 

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She glanced around at the embarrassed, averted faces. “Why are you all so glum? Do you not know the relief it is to be a woman again after a thousand days of woe as Queen? My head is lighter for the loss of a crown and soon my shoulders will be lighter— ”

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The Novice by Mirella Sichirollo Patzer

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Obtained from: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Read: September 26, 2014

A young woman on the verge of taking her vows to become a nun. A desperate flight from a murderous massacre. One honorable man comes to her rescue. Another becomes her nemesis and captor. And a life and death search to reunite with her one true love. In 10th century Naples, Saracens run rampant, annihilating villages, murdering women and children. Death and despair is everywhere. Alone in the world, Sara is a young novice plagued with doubts about taking her final vows to become a nun. When her convent is attacked, she flees for her life straight into the arms of a group of Saracens who leave her to die alone in the woods. An honorable cavaliere named Nicolo comes to her rescue and offers to take her to the safety of Naples. As they journey together, they are irresistibly drawn to each other. Believing Sara to be a nun, the honorable Nicolo is torn between love and duty to respect her vows. Heartbroken, he does what honor demands and sets her free before she can tell him the truth that she is not a nun. In her search to reunite with Nicolo, she encounters Umberto, a dark and dangerous man who will stop at nothing in his obsession to possess her. With her sharp intellect, and her heart, Sara must rely on her own courage and strength to escape her abuser and find the only man she will ever love. A story that burns with intensity, intrigue, and passion from the author of the highly successful novel, Orphan of the Olive Tree.

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Have I been living under a rock? All things considered it's a very distinct possibility, but I ask because despite having a slew of titles to her name, The Novice marks my first experience with author Mirella Sichirollo Patzer.

I fell for this piece almost from the first. Even before I got to know the characters or understood direction of the story, I was overcome by Patzer's mastery of language and prose. There's something intoxicating about it, an artistry that draws you in and settles in the back of your mind. The atmospheric quality of the novel is equally appealing. I'm not overly familiar with 10th century Naples, but I had no problem envisioning Sara's world. 

Speaking of Sara, I have to note the complexity in her character. Patzer built a passionate fire in her heroine, a romantic and devoted spirit who defied my expectation and the truly captivated my imagination. An intensely sympathetic individual, Sara faces choices I could never understand, but Patzer's presentation made her profoundly relatable nonetheless. 

A beautiful if somewhat predictable piece, The Novice is a brilliant example of lyrical and ornate composition. Highly recommended. 

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Happiness is often subtle. Reason and melancholy can easily overpower dreams. Love and justice often battle each other in a man’s thoughts. So it was with him. At first, love prevailed. Whenever he thought of her, his soul would shimmer like moon-rippled water. When she looked at him, the very pillars of his manhood seemed to quake. When she passed by him, light-footed, from garden to portico, she arrived like a burst of sunlight, bringing rays of warmth into his soul, onto his wounded flesh. Then he recalled other musings less pleasant, but equally as important. The woman was a nun. He must keep his desires leashed and renounce any feelings for her. If he did not quell his ardor for this bride of Christ, he would come to rue the day. No man may long for a nun. It was a grave sin. 

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Check Out All the Stops on Mirella Sichirollo Patzer's The Novice Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, September 29
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, September 30
Review & Giveaway at Peeking Between the Pages
Interview at Triclinium – Elisabeth Storrs

Wednesday, October 1
Guest Post at Book Babe
Spotlight at Historical Fiction Obsession

Thursday, October 2
Review & Giveaway at The Book Binder’s Daughter
Interview & Giveaway at Historical Romance Lover

Friday, October 3
Spotlight & Giveaway at Historical Fiction Connection

Monday, October 6
Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective

Tuesday, October 7
Review at Unshelfish

Wednesday, October 8
Guest Post & Giveaway at Historical Tapestry

Thursday, October 9
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews

Friday, October 10
Review at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book
Guest Post at Keely Brooke Keith