The Memory Weaver by Jane Kirkpatrick

Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Netgalley

Read: September 12, 2015

Eliza Spalding Warren was just a child when she was taken hostage by the Cayuse Indians during a massacre in 1847. Now the young mother of two children, Eliza faces a different kind of dislocation; her impulsive husband wants them to make a new start in another territory, which will mean leaving her beloved home and her departed mother's grave--and returning to the land of her captivity. Eliza longs to know how her mother, an early missionary to the Nez Perce Indians, dealt with the challenges of life with a sometimes difficult husband and with her daughter's captivity. When Eliza is finally given her mother's diary, she is stunned to find that her own memories are not necessarily the whole story of what happened. Can she lay the dark past to rest and move on? Or will her childhood memories always hold her hostage? Based on true events, The Memory Weaver is New York Times bestselling author Jane Kirkpatrick's latest literary journey into the past, where threads of western landscapes, family, and faith weave a tapestry of hope inside every pioneering woman's heart. Readers will find themselves swept up in this emotional story of the memories that entangle us and the healing that awaits us when we bravely unravel the threads of the past.

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I owe my interest in Jane Kirkpatrick's The Memory Weaver to the artist who created the jacket. The contrasting colors caught my eye and while I wasn't overly enthusiastic over the premise, the imagery that graced the cover sparked something nostalgic in my imagination and prompted me to disregard any and all hesitation I felt regarding the material. Unfortunately for me, the narrative it concealed proved an uphill battle. I struggled with Kirkpatrick's style and tone from the first page to the last, I threw the book aside several times out of frustration, and more than once considered abandoning it altogether. 

I understand the novel is inspired fiction, but I found Kirkpatrick's approach unabashedly preachy. I've said the same thing about a lot of Christian writers and I have been judged and openly harassed by many of their fans. I'm well aware that my opinions ruffle feathers, but I personally appreciate subtly and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I appreciate characters who live by their faith above those who shove it down everyone else's throats or play the ever-suffering martyr. It works for some, it just isn't a good fit for me. 

I felt Kirkpatrick's interpretation of Eliza Spalding Warren almost identical to that of her mother, Eliza Hart Spalding and the lack of definition was incredibly annoying. The two share significantly similar names which caused confusion in and of itself, but the fact that the author failed to gift them individual voices amplified the issue tenfold. 

I think the story would have been stronger if the author had abandoned the journal approach and told it from dual perspective of the Eliza and her mother before, during and after the massacre at Waiilatpu. I realize the author wanted to address family legacies and the dynamic between mother and daughter, but I didn't feel that angle had enough material to carry all three hundred and thirty six pages of this novel. It got lost in translation and didn't strike me as particularly compelling even when it shown through the events of Eliza and Andrew's marriage. 

I don't know much about the Nez Perce, my knowledge base begins and ends with Chief Joseph, but I'm very familiar with Indian Country and sites such as Sand Creek, Washita, Wounded Knee and Little Bighorn and feel Kirkpatrick's effort shallowly representative of the complex history and culture of the native people. What little there is comes to the reader through Eliza who, in my opinion, possesses jarringly compassionate and modern ideas for someone who witnessed the 1847 Whitman massacre firsthand. Maybe it's just me, but I think the experience would have left her somewhat conflicted and felt Kirkpatrick's handling of the subject both superficial and unauthentic.

Atmospherically I've little to comment on. I've driven this part of the country more times than I can count and was disappointed that so little of it came to life under Kirkpatrick's pen. The characters also failed to impress and their emotional journeys didn't capture or captivate my imagination. Other reviewers have been mightily impressed with The Memory Weaver, and while I can appreciate varied opinions and tastes, I can't say I share in their admiration or delight.

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Was that what I was being? I didn’t want stubborn to be the legacy I gave my girls or my sisters. I wanted them to see strength in their heritage, to learn that that they could grow from challenges face. Yes, I could tell a travel story, of my escape from terrible harm. But was that the only story I wanted to be remembered for? No, I wanted them to remember their grandmother’s courage, and see a bit of that inside of me and themselves. 

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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...

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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. 

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

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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… 

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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.

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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.

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Interview with A.L. Sowards, author of The Rules in Rome

Author interviews are one of my favorite things to post which is why I am super excited to welcome author A.L. Sowards to Flashlight Commentary to discuss The Rules in Rome.

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Welcome to Flashlight Commentary. It’s great to have you with us. To start things off, please tell us a bit about The Rules in Rome.
Thank you so much for inviting me to be part of your blog!

The Rules in Rome is a WWII thriller about two American spies in Rome in the months leading up to the city’s liberation in June 1944. Bastien Ley is pretending to be a German officer, Hauptmann Adalard Dietrich. Gracie Begni is the OSS radio operator transmitting his reports. As they gather intelligence for the US Army, they have to stay a few steps ahead of the Gestapo—and avoid unnecessary complications like falling in love. The novel is a mix of action, history, and romance. I like to keep my books clean enough that my nephews can read them, so the romance and language are appropriate for most readers, even young ones.

Where did this story begin? What inspired you to write a story set in Rome during WWII? 
Normally my ideas are a little more original, but this one was inspired by another novel, Night of the Fox, by Jack Higgins. In Night of the Fox, an experienced male agent is paired with a young female agent and they’re sent on a mission to the Channel Islands. They fall in love (and lust) immediately. It got me thinking—what would happen if a pair of agents fell in love, but pretended they hadn’t? Or started off hating each other and then gradually fell in love? Rome seemed like a good location, so with the Higgins-inspired premise, I began the book.

How would you describe Gracie Begni? What kind of woman is she? 
Gracie has given up on pleasing her mother. She’ll never be thin enough or pretty enough. But Gracie thinks being smart is better than being beautiful. She jumps at the chance to join OSS for several reasons: she wants to help with the war effort and prove that she can do hard things, and she also wants to get away from her mother and a set of bad memories. She’s had a few cherished relationships in the past that have ended for one reason or another, and she hungers for a close friend. She wants to be valued as a talented radio operator, but she’s a little naive about how hard it will be to operate in occupied Italy. She has a difficult time adjusting to life in the field but she has good intentions and always tries to do the right thing.

How would you characterize Bastien Ley? What makes him tick? 
Bastien is driven. His father was arrested by the Gestapo when he was a young adult, and he is determined to keep the promise he made to his dad to take care of the family. Bastien is the oldest of five children (four still living when The Rules in Rome begins). His early efforts for the family included sneaking them out of Nazi Germany. Now he’d determined to do all he can to win the war as quickly as possible, before his youngest brother, Lukas, is drawn into the conflict. 

Bastien is a talented, competent spy. He’s a good friend because he worries about others before he worries about himself, but he can appear cold sometimes because he has the ability to focus on his mission and ignore any potential distractions. He’s sometimes independent to a fault, but he’s also loyal and thoughtful.

Odette Annable, author's choice to play Gracie Begni

I loved Otavia’s role in the story and think her a particular memorable supporting character. Without giving away too much, what can you tell us about her? 
Ottavia was raised in Rome and she loves the city. She’s expecting a baby but her husband had to flee Rome so he wouldn’t be rounded up by the Nazis. Her husband joined a band of partisans and Ottavia is basically a courier, transporting information from several sympathetic Italians to the Americans via Gracie. She’s empathetic and has a naturally sunny disposition and that makes her an ideal friend for Gracie.

What sort of research went into The Rules in Rome? What sources did find most valuable? 
I read lots of nonfiction books on WWII and used the internet too. Probably the single most useful book was The Battle for Rome: The Germans, the Allies, the Partisans, and the Pope, September 1943—June 1944. I read books about OSS, books about WWII radio operators, books about the military situation, and the memoir of an American spy who was really there at the time (Peter Tompkins). I even found an old OSS training video about clandestine radios on YouTube and that was enormously helpful for writing scenes when Gracie was working with her radio.

You probably have many, but is there a scene you particularly enjoyed writing?
For most of the book I was looking forward to writing the climactic scenes near the end (chapters 44-48). It was a federal holiday and my husband took the kids out for most of the day so I had a long stretch of quiet time. I wrote about 8,000 words that day, which I think is still my record.

What scene posed the greatest challenge for you as an author? Why was it troublesome and how did you work through it?  
Honestly, of the five books I’ve finished, this was probably the easiest to write. If I had to pinpoint a difficult scene, I’d say the first scene because the first scene is always hard. As an author you want to have something exciting to convince readers to keep reading, but you also want to introduce the characters and give readers a reason to care about them. It’s sometimes tricky to shift through what a reader needs to know right at the beginning and what can or should wait so you don’t bore them with background information. 

Originally, I was going to begin the book later chronologically, and have Bastien rescue an Italian partisan from prison after he’d already taken Dietrich’s identity. But I was going to have to explain how Bastien became Dietrich at some point, so I figured I might as well show the reader in a scene. 

I worked through it with lots of tweaks and some suggestions from my writers’ group.

Sometimes fiction takes on a life of its own and forces the author to make sacrifices for the sake of the story. Is there a character or concept you wish you could have spent more time on?
In an early draft, Adalard Dietrich (the German officer Bastien is impersonating) has a fiancée that Bastien isn’t initially aware of. She’s the daughter of a well-connected Nazi, so when she doesn’t get any letters from him, she has her daddy send out an SD investigator. The plot point added a fun twist to the novel—Bastien and Gracie suddenly have to make all their meetings secret, and Bastien’s friend Heinie is disappointed in how Bastien is mistreating both is fiancée and his Rome girlfriend. But the manuscript was too long (and that affects the paperback and audiobook price), and taking that out reduced the word count. I found another reason for the SD to investigate Bastien, so that part stayed. If the book hadn’t been so long, I would have left it all in.

Historical novelists frequently have to adjust facts to make their stories work. Did you have to invent or change anything while writing The Rules in Rome and if so, what did you alter? 
I try to adjust my story to fit history rather than the other way around, but of course I have to balance historical accuracy with good storytelling. Most of the changes I made involved inserting fictional characters into historical events. Every single character in my book with a speaking part is fictional. I usually have them involved in things that don’t contradict history, but sometimes the specific events aren’t historical. The curfew party, for example, was fictional, but mirrored what I’ve read about the real curfew parties that were common at the time. At the time of the story, Catholic churches in Rome frequently hid Jews, escaped POWs, and others trying to avoid arrest, but the specific dates and locations involving my characters are fictional. In one scene, Zimmerman searches prison records in a way that was done by a real SS officer, Herbert Kappler. In that chapter, I give a fictional character the credit (or blame) for what a real person did. 

It was also a bit of stretch to have Heinie work in Gestapo headquarters. But I needed him there, so I invented a reason.

Damian Lewis, author's choice to play Bastien Ley

If you could sit down and talk with one of your characters, maybe meet and discuss things over drinks, who would you choose and why?
Probably Bastien. I’d love to pick his brain about the time period, especially about the US military during WWII. His knowledge would come in handy for the book I’m currently working on.

Just because I’m curious, if you could pick a fantasy cast to play the leads in a screen adaptation of The Rules in Rome, who would you hire? 
When I started this book, I’d just finished a trilogy with a hero who had brown hair, brown eyes, and about average height and build for the time. I wanted my next hero to be different, so I gave Bastien light brown hair and blue eyes, and made him tall.

Gracie was partially inspired by an eight-year-old child I taught in church. She had a birthmark on her cheek, and I thought it was cute, but I wondered if the time would come when she wouldn’t like it. For Gracie’s appearance, I described how this little girl might look in her early twenties.

So while neither of the main characters started out looking like movie stars, this was a fun question to brainstorm.

Bastien Ley: Damian Lewis. I didn’t realize he was British until I was looking his name up for this interview. But I figure if he can sound like an American for Band of Brothers (he played Dick Winters), then he can probably manage Bastien’s accent. 
Gracie Begni: Odette Annable. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her in anything, but she looks a lot like the woman on the book cover, and the cover designers did a good job matching my imagination (minus Gracie’s birthmark).
Heinie Vogel: Jeremy Renner
Otavia: Lily Collins
Angelo: Adrien Brody
Otto Ostheim: Tom Felton
Kornelius Zimmerman: Daniel Craig

Finally, what's next for you? Do you have a new project in the works? 
I have a World War One novel, The Spider and the Sparrow, due for release in February 2016, so I’m doing edits on it now. My other novels can be described as historical thrillers, but this one is more historical fiction. It’s still fast-paced, but it covers a longer time period, there’s more of a balance between the plot-driven and the character-driven aspects of the story, and I feel like the language is richer. It’s been challenging and rewarding to jump into a new time period.

I’ve also started a coming-of-age novel about Bastien’s younger brother, Lukas. It’s not really a sequel to The Rules in Rome, but readers will recognize a few characters.

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PRAISE FOR THE RULES IN ROME

I felt like I was holding my breath through most of the book and couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Some parts were hard to read as the realities of war were described. - Melanie, Amazon Reviewer

A.L. Sowards does an incredible job at writing suspenseful, action packed, spy thrillers set during WWII. I am amazed at how well she writes a novel that feels like you are reading history. - Lisa F- Bookworm Lisa "Bookworm Lisa", Amazon Reviewer

Where this book really shines is in its characterizations, both for the main leads and the secondary characters. Gracie and Bastian are immediately relatable, distinct, and you just can’t help rooting for them. Both change and adapt as the story progresses, keeping the reader engaged each step of the way. - Sarah L. Gruwell, Amazon Reviewer

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A little mystery, a little history, a little romance, and a lot of action, adventure, and suspense. Primarily, I write to entertain. I also hope my books will teach readers something new about history or about life. My books are usually set during wartime, so there is some violence, but I keep the language and romance family-friendly. My goal is for my writing to be thrilling, clean, and uplifting.

I was born in Georgia but consider Moses Lake, Washington my hometown. I came to Utah to attend school (BYU) and ended up staying. Books have always been an important part of my life. I remember writing self-illustrated storybooks at my grandparent's house when I was in elementary school (none of those made it to publication for many good reasons) and attending my first writer's conference when I was in third grade.

Now I'm a busy mom with young chidren. I still love to read and I also love to write. I'm usually reading a couple books at once and working on multiple writing projects too. Other than that, my life is pretty ordinary. I'm grateful for that. I'll let the characters in my books have all the adventures.

Website ❧  Goodreads ❧  Blog ❧  Newsletter ❧  Facebook ❧  Twitter

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Format: Print & eBook Publication Date: February 3, 2015 Released by: Covenant Communications Inc. ISBN-13: 978-1621088820 Length: 304 pages Genre: Historical Fiction

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Interview with Amy Stewart, author of Girl Waits With Gun

Author interviews are one of my favorite things to post which is why I am super excited to welcome author Amy Stewart to Flashlight Commentary to discuss Girl Waits With Gun.

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Welcome to Flashlight Commentary Amy. It’s great to have you with us. To start things off, please tell us a bit about Girl Waits With Gun.
Girl Waits with Gun is a novel based on a true story. In 1914, a factory owner named Henry Kaufman ran his car into a buggy being driven by three sisters: Constance, Norma, and Fleurette Kopp. They got into a dispute over the damages, and the conflict escalated until the sisters were getting kidnapping threats and having shots fired at their house. The oldest sister, Constance, helped the sheriff convict the guy, and the event really changed the lives of all three sisters and set them on a remarkable new path.

Where did this story begin? How did you discover Constance Kopp?
I ran across a newspaper clipping about the case in the New York Times. Now, this happens to writers all the time: you're doing research, looking for one thing, and you stumble across another thing by accident and think, "Oh, that's interesting." I did a little more looking around, found a few more stories about them, and realized that I'd stumbled into a fascinating and totally forgotten story.

What makes Constance different from most women?
When this story began, Constance was thirty-five, unmarried, still living at home, and really had no prospects for the future. But she was bold and sure of herself, and she was also physically quite strong: Constance was six feet tall and weighed 180 pounds. She could stand up for herself, but she'd never really been tested before.

Constance’s sisters, Norma and Fleurette, don’t run with the crowd either. Can you tell us a little about them as well?
Fleurette was the youngest--she was sixteen when this started. She was a very talented seamstress who made all her own clothes and dressed very fashionably. She liked to sing and dance, and had ideas about getting into the theater. The kidnapping threats were aimed at her--the young, petite, pretty one.

Norma was closer in age to Constance. She was thirty-one, also unmarried, and very hard-nosed, obstinate, opinionated, and plain-spoken. Although this didn't happen in real life, in my telling of this story, Norma kept carrier pigeons and was very interested in the idea of using birds to send messages.

Without giving away too much, what can you tell us about Henry Kaufman?
Kaufman owned a silk dyeing factory in Paterson, NJ. At that time, Paterson was a real factory down, very much dominated by the silk industry. I don't know a great deal about what he was like in real life, but my version of Henry Kaufman is a spoiled kid who's grown into a drunk and irresponsible adult who runs with a pretty tough crowd. 

What sort of research went into Girl Waits With Gun? What sources did find most valuable?
I spent a couple of years on the research. I've collected hundreds of newspaper clippings, both from digitized newspapers online and microfilm in library basements. I pulled court records, wills, birth certificates, death certificates, land deeds--all of that. I used Ancestry.com extensively to find them in census records, city directories, immigration records, and the like. And, thanks to Ancestry, I tracked down a few relatives who had stories to share about their amazing aunts. 

You probably have many, but is there a scene you particularly enjoyed writing?
There's a scene near the end--I won't give too much away--but's a very powerful moment for a fictional character named Lucy Blake, a factory worker in Kaufman's factory. That scene actually made me cry. It really took me by surprise.   

What scene posed the greatest challenge for you as an author? Why was it troublesome and how did you work through it? 
Well, it was a challenge to take this enormous pile of research and figure out how to shape it into a story. I used to think that nonfiction writers had a harder time with story, because we are constrained by our fidelity to the truth. But now I realize that novelists face an even bigger challenge--too many options! The story can really go in any direction, and that can get overwhelming.  I spend a lot of time sitting very still and trying to imagine Constance talking in her own voice. I want very much to be true to her, and I have to sort of summon her up.

Sometimes fiction takes on a life of its own and forces the author to make sacrifices for the sake of the story. Is there a character or concept you wish you could have spent more time on?
There are some characters I had to get rid of!  I killed off their mother a few years early (Sorry, Mrs. Kopp) because I thought that three women under one roof would be enough. I actually had a better handle on Mrs. Kopp dead than alive.  

Historical novelists frequently have to adjust facts to make their stories work. Did you have to invent or change anything while writing Girl Waits With Gun and if so, what did you alter?
Yes, and I was careful to explain it all in the afterword. I put in that fictional character, Lucy Blake, to give Constance a way into Henry Kaufman's world. And I invented Norma's interest in messenger pigeons. I also made slight adjustments to the ages of some minor characters, such as their brother's kids. There's a lawyer, John Ward, who was actually in their lives in later years, and I put him in this story as Henry Kaufman's lawyer even though he wasn't in real life.

Constance and Fleurette

If you could sit down and talk with one of your characters, maybe meet and discuss things over drinks, who would you choose and why?
Oh, it would definitely be Constance! The story is told from her point of view, and it really is her story. I'm very attached to her--I feel as close to her as I might to, say, my own great-grandmother, who would have been about her age and who I also never met.

Just because I’m curious, if you could pick a fantasy cast to play the leads in a screen adaptation of Girl Waits With Gun, who would you hire?
I have thought about it!  One person who comes to mind for Constance is Gwendoline Christie from Game of Thrones. She's got the stature. I'm less certain about Norma and Fleurette. I feel like a young version of Kathy Bates could play Norma very well, I just don't know who that would be. And a very young Jennifer Jason Leigh could have played Fleurette--Fleurette was only a little over five feet tall, and I think Leigh is five three and also very pretty but also sort of dramatic and daring.

Finally, what's next for you? Do you have a new project in the works?
Oh yes. There is more coming from the Kopp sisters! They had a very interesting life, and I'm not through with them. Stay tuned. 

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PRAISE FOR GIRL WAITS WITH GUN

"A sheer delight to read and based on actual events, this debut historical mystery packs the unexpected, the unconventional, and a serendipitous humor into every chapter. Details from the historical record are accurately portrayed by villains and good guys alike, and readers will cross their fingers for the further adventures of Constance and Sheriff Heath. For fans of the Phryne Fisher series by Kerry Greenwood, and the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes mysteries by Laurie R. King."— Booklist, starred

"Hardened criminals are no match for pistol-packing spinster Constance Kopp and her redoubtable sisters in this hilarious and exciting period drama by bestseller Stewart (The Drunken Botanist). This is an elegant tale of suspense, mystery, and wry humor...A surprising Kopp family secret, a kidnapped baby, and other twists consistently ratchet up the stakes throughout, resulting in an exhilarating yarn."— Publishers Weekly, starred

"In her engaging first novel, Stewart (The Drunken Botanist) draws from the true story of the Kopp sisters (Constance became one of the country’s first female deputy sheriffs) and creates a welcome addition to the genre of the unconventional female sleuth. Colorful, well-drawn characters come to life on the page, and historical details are woven tightly into the narrative. The satisfying conclusion sets up an opening for future Constance Kopp novels. VERDICT: Historical fiction fans and followers of Rhys Bowen’s 'Molly Murphy' mysteries and Victoria Thompson’s 'Gaslight Mystery' series will delight in the eccentric and feisty Kopp women."— Library Journal, starred

"A period thriller that rivals any other historical-based suspense novel. Stewart weaves an amazingly delightful tale, one I was hard pressed to put down. This novel should be listed for debut novel awards."— Suspense Magazine

"How could you not fall in love with a book about one of the first female deputy sheriffs and her sisters--especially when it’s written by the enthralling Amy Stewart? Full of long-held secrets, kicked-up dust, simmering danger, and oh yes, that gun — this gritty romp illuminates one of history’s strongest women with a hold-your-breath panache."— Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Is This Tomorrow and Pictures of You

“Girl Waits With Gun makes excellent use of history to put a fresh spin on classic cop-and-crook types. Amy Stewart's true-life protagonist is a ‘rough and tumble’ version of the early 20th century's New Woman.  She is witty, sharply-drawn, and suffers no fools!”— Suzanne Rindell, author of The Other Typist

“Yowza! Amy Stewart’s debut boasts pomaded gangsters, pistol-packin’ dames, kidnappings, shots in the dark, and everything from Girls Gone Wrong to carrier pigeons finding their way home. You might want to stay up all night reading, you might want to lie down on your fainting couch with a cool cloth on your forehead. Either way, you’ll have the time of your life.” — Robert Goolrick, New York Times bestselling author of A Reliable Wife

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Amy Stewart lives in northern California, where she and her husband own an antiquarian bookstore called Eureka Books. She writes books by typing very quickly and loudly on a jet black keyboard that has no letters printed on the keys, proving (to herself, because no one else particularly cares) that she is an excellent touch typist.

When she's not writing books, reading them, or shelving them, she might be painting. You can see examples of her paintings here and here.

You can also find her all over the country speaking to audiences at bookstores, botanical gardens, garden clubs, and college and museum lecture series. To find out if she's coming to your town, visit the Events page of her website.

Four of Amy's books have been New York Times bestsellers, and she has enjoyed contributing to the New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Good Morning America, and CBS Sunday Morning.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) granted her a Creative Writing Fellowship, and she's the winner of the American Horticultural Society's Book Award.

Website ❧  Twitter ❧  Facebook ❧  Google+ ❧  Pinterest ❧  Goodreads ❧  Blog

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Format: Print, Audio & eBook Publication Date: September 1, 2015 Released by: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ISBN-13: 978-0544409910 Length: 416 pages Genre: Historical Mystery

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The Lady Bornekova by Sara R. Turnquist

Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Personal Kindle Library

Read: July 28, 2015

The red-headed Karin is strong-willed and determined, something she inherited from her father. She tries to keep her true nature a secret to avoid being deemed a traitor by those loyal to the king. Karin and her father butt heads over her duty to her family and the Czech Crown. She is then sequestered to the Royal Viscount’s hunting lodge. Not aware of everything that is happening, she becomes the target of an individual with murderous intent. Her heart soon becomes entangled though her father intends to wed her to another. The turmoil inside Karin deepens and reflects the turmoil of her homeland, on the brink of the Hussite Wars.

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I began Sara R. Turnquist’s The Lady Bornekova with absolutely no knowledge of the Hussite Wars. My imaginings were shaped by the author’s descriptions and the atmosphere she created within the narrative. I found the initial chapters vague in terms of plot, the author’s deliberate attempts to manufacture intrigue lacked polish, but I felt reasonably confident in my understanding of Karin’s situation and the period in which her story took place. That is, until I googled the Council of Constance. 

I didn’t have an exact date of reference, but my rough estimate is that the story began in late October 1414. To put this in perspective, Joan of Arc is two and the battle of Agincourt is barely a year away. Neither of these facts have anything to do with Turnquist’s story, but they do add a certain perspective for those with any knowledge of the age. Most, if not all, of Turnquist’s descriptions of social custom, fashion, architecture, and interior design were appropriate to a Victorian romance. She mentions wallpaper, empire waists, settees, drapes, a breakfast buffet and a four poster carriage, none of which are a characteristic of life in the early 1400s. 

Taking a few deep breaths, I steeled my nerves, and set about finishing the book, but my enjoyment dissipated as I noticed more and more historical anachronisms. I believe the book was reviewed in terms of grammar and spelling, but what Turnquist needed here was a content editor. The number of factual errors and period contradictions in this piece had me dumbfounded and while I give the author a lot of credit for tackling a lesser known event in a rarely seen locale, I admit the research that went into this piece left me disappointed. 

My issues, however, are not limited to historical accuracy. Turnquist employs multiple narrators in this piece, but she often draws on characters of limited importance. Maybe I’m alone in this, but I’d have appreciated the story much more if the author had exercised more restraint and limited herself to two or three well-rounded and defined POVs. 

The characters themselves didn’t leave much of an impression on me and I didn’t find the politics particularly interesting. The dialogue didn’t strike me as authentic and I couldn’t have cared less for the romance. The book is readable and ambitious in terms of the material it covers, but I didn’t enjoy the time I spent with it and would have a hard time recommending it to fellow readers.  

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Lord, help me to remember You are in control and that vengeance is Yours.

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Season of Mists by Jennifer Corkill

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Author

Read: July 13, 2015

The year is 1888. Justine Holloway finds herself an orphan after her parents die in a horrific fire. She is sent to live with her godparents, Harold Mendenhall and his sister Frances. On the boat ride home, she meets Amun Farouk, a handsome Egyptian Ambassador who is also sailing to England to meet her godfather. What Justine does not realize as she dons the veil of mourning is that Harold runs a secret organization under the nose of polite society, much to the dismay of his genteel sister. The Council was created for the protection of humanity from the Varius, refugees from a parallel universe who shift their form while others channel the forces of magic. They seek refuge in Victorian London, hidden in the slums, easily forgotten until a human ends up incinerated or sucked dry. Drawn into the plot against her will, Justine finds herself the object of a vampire’s lurid obsession. According to ancient texts, vampires kill humans for fodder, their blood and the air they breathe inferior, but this killer has other intentions for her. Does Justine’s survival depend on Amun or will he kill her to save humanity?

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Jennifer Corkill’s Season of Mists was one of those books that more or less found me. The author very kindly offered me a copy in exchange for an honest review and the rest is pretty much history. 

I’ll be blunt, the cover doesn’t do much for me. I’ve seen the same model on a lot of ebooks and much like the image that once graced Andrea Zuvich’s The Stuart Vampire, I don’t think the jacket does justice to Corkill’s story. 

Part paranormal fantasy and part historic fiction, the novel has a lot of fun material in it. Other reviewers have compared Justine Holloway’s adventure to The Mummy and Downton Abbey, but I personally think Corkill’s work closer to The Young Sherlock Holmes, you know, with a stronger female protagonist, shape-shifters and vampires.

In terms of style and technique, I won’t lie, the novel took me a while to get into. It wasn’t until chapter eight that I felt the story really took off so if you’re reading this, understand patience will be rewarded. Ideally, I’d have liked more in terms of world building, but I’m pickier than most and generally speaking, I found Corkill’s representation of paranormal London dark, engaging and fun.

All told, Season of Mists is a solid paranormal debut. Recommended alongside That Scoundrel Emile Dubois by Lucinda Elliot and Mozart's Blood by Louise Marley.

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"... trust me when I say humans are not the only species living in London. In fact, we are the docile ones in comparison.”

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