Review: A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

Title: A Curious Beginning (A Veronica Speedwell Mystery #1)
Author: Deanna Raybourn
Publisher:  NAL/Penguin (September 1, 2015)
ISBN: 9780451476012

Pages: 352 pages

How I Read It: eARC

Genre: mystery, historical fiction, romance
My Rating: 4 cups 

Synopsis:
In her thrilling new series, the New York Times bestselling author of the Lady Julia Grey mysteries, returns once more to Victorian England…and introduces intrepid adventuress Veronica Speedwell.

London, 1887. As the city prepares to celebrate Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee, Veronica Speedwell is marking a milestone of her own. After burying her spinster aunt, the orphaned Veronica is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry—and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as she is fending off admirers, Veronica wields her butterfly net and a sharpened hatpin with equal aplomb, and with her last connection to England now gone, she intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime.

But fate has other plans, as Veronica discovers when she thwarts her own abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron with ties to her mysterious past. Promising to reveal in time what he knows of the plot against her, the baron offers her temporary sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker—a reclusive natural historian as intriguing as he is bad-tempered. But before the baron can deliver on his tantalizing vow to reveal the secrets he has concealed for decades, he is found murdered. Suddenly Veronica and Stoker are forced to go on the run from an elusive assailant, wary partners in search of the villainous truth.

My Thoughts:

Deanna Raybourn has done it again! She never fails to deliver a book bursting with wit, clever plot twists, and pure entertainment. She is high on my list of 'go to' authors whenever I need a read guaranteed to put a smile on my face and whisk me away from the humdrum of everyday life into an exciting new adventure. I've read several of her books and she has never let me down. Above all else, her books are always sure to be loads of fun, and A Curious Beginning is no exception. Her delightful storytelling makes it impossible not to be pulled right into the story, and that cover is so gorgeous it simply begs you to open the book.

Many readers, myself included, were sad to see this author's Lady Julia Grey series come to an end. To fill the vacancies left by our beloved Julia and Brisbane, in this book we are introduced to a new mystery solving pair: the intrepid Miss Veronica Speedwell and the mysterious yet honorable Stoker. Once again, they are flawed but appealing characters, and while there are some similarities to their predecessors, these characters are also unique and cut from their own cloth.

Veronica is independent, plucky, and thoroughly modern for her time.

"Girls are not supposed to go roaming about the countryside without purpose. It is considered eccentric. So I bought a butterfly net and a killing jar, and that made it quite all right."

She plays by her own set of rules and is an exceptionally strong woman. Perhaps a little too strong at times, as a few of her actions and purported exploits feel a bit over the top (i.e. amputating a gangrenous toe without training or supervision), but I'm more than willing to suspend my disbelief and overlook that small complaint because Raybourn's work is just so deliciously fun to read! And Veronica is likable protagonist, in spite of her faults.

" 'I have been brought up to do good works and to conduct myself with propriety and decorum, and yet I am forever doing the unexpected. Something always gives me away for what I really am.'
 
'And what are you, child?'
 
'A woman in search of adventure,' I said gravely."
 

Stoker, for his part, is dark, moody, and full of secrets, not all of which are revealed in this installment. There is plenty of chemistry and slow-burning sexual tension going on, and as always, Raybourn is masterful with the witty banter and verbal sparring, particularly between the two leads.

" 'That is a tale straight from one of Mrs. Radcliffe's thrillers, Stoker. I expected better from you.'

 

'It is a perfectly logical hypothesis,' he returned. 'Now, do shut up and stop interrupting whilst I'm being interesting.' " 

 

The two are thrown together unexpectedly and must learn the truth of Veronica's unknown parentage in order to solve a murder and ensure their safety. Though an unlikely duo at first, they turn out to be quite kindred spirits in many respects and eventually begin to trust one another and form an effective pairing.

"You were entirely correct. The connection was there, only I failed to see it. That is the hallmark of a good partnership, you know - when one partner sees the forest and the other studies the trees."

The beginning of the book is slightly slower paced as we get to know these new characters, but the action really picks up in the second half as the mystery is solved. When all is said and done the groundwork is laid nicely for the continuation of the series. There are more than a few laugh out loud moments, and you feel the frustration as poor Stoker is at times outmatched by the very outspoken and headstrong Veronica.

"He dropped his head into his hands. 'Why must you argue before I have even had my tea? So many words.' "

By the end of the book, however, the two seem to be achieving more even footing, and I look forward to seeing their partnership continue and their relationship evolve in upcoming books. We also have the promise of additional glimpses into Stoker's shadowy past, and that is a tantalizing prospect in its own right. I enjoyed this first book tremendously and feel certain this series will only become even more engaging as it progresses, so sign me up for book 2, please! I can't wait for the next adventure to begin!

"As Arcadia Brown would say, 'Excelsior!' Ever upward, ever forward."

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Virgin's Daughter by Laura Andersen

Title: The Virgin's Daughter (A Tudor Legacy Novel #1)
Author: Laura Andersen
Publisher:  Ballantine Books (May 26, 2015)
ISBN: 9780804179362

Pages: 368 pages

How I Read It: eARC

Genre: historical fiction, alternate history
My Rating: 4.5 cups 

Synopsis:
What if Elizabeth the First, the celebrated Virgin Queen, had a daughter? For those who just can’t get enough of the scandalous Tudors, the author of the wildly popular Boleyn King series offers an enthralling new saga of the royal family, set in Elizabethan England. Perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir.

Andersen explores the thrilling possibility of a Tudor heir, the daughter of Elizabeth I, in her new trilogy, a captivating continuation of the alternate history of the Tudors launched in the award-winning Boleyn King trilogy. With her originality and imagination, Andersen breathes fresh life into this ever-fascinating epoch. Peppered with realistic period-details and genuine historical figures to add dimension and texture to her captivating story, Andersen brings the seduction and glamour of the Tudor court to life in this spellbinding new novel.

My Thoughts:

"...who ever said that being friends with royalty was fair?"

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of the alternate history Laura Andersen began in her Boleyn Trilogy, so I was incredibly excited to learn she was releasing a new series of books set in that same world and focusing on the next generation of characters. While this book is listed as Book #1 of this new series, it very much builds on the story of the first trilogy. While you could read it as a standalone, I would not recommend it. Your enjoyment and appreciation will be so much greater if you are aware of and love the previous books - I am and I do, so I can say without hesitation that I absolutely adored this book as well.

It feels almost like a reunion with old friends. Nearly all of our favorite characters from the first three books are present, albeit more in the background than on center stage, and established fans of the series will appreciate the manner in which Andersen flawlessly captures and conveys these much loved characters even in small scenes and snippets of dialogue. She also effectively illustrates how these characters have evolved over the unseen intervening years, particularly Elizabeth and the subtle changes the weight of the monarchy has wrought on her personality.

"She had always cared about her appearance, but as queen her appearance was as much a part of ruling as her edicts. The nobility wanted a woman they could admire and pretend to understand, and the people needed a figure of myth so that they might not remember that she was only a woman."

To carry the main crux of the story this time, we are introduced to a captivating new cast in the children of Elizabeth, Dominic and Minuette, and Renaud. Just as The Boleyn King did not solely focus on William, here too the title character is not the only star of the show. In fact, this is actually more Lucette's story than it is Princess Anne's, and I'm fine with that. Lucette is a terrific character, and this focus on her story allows a few remaining questions from the prior books to be explored and dealt with. Andersen writes characters that are easy to care about and does a marvelous job with an ensemble cast, giving them all great depth and individuality. I have high hopes that the upcoming books will delve deeper into each of these newly introduced family members because the glimpses we have seen here are most intriguing.

I found all aspects of this novel to be extremely well done. Andersen once again weaves her altered events in amongst historical fact with great skill and believability. As always, I found it fascinating to discover what changed and what didn't in her version of events, and how even altered timelines might lead to identical outcomes. The plot is multi-faceted and very cleverly done. The romance is handled well and complements rather than dominates the story. This author has a lovely writing style and a great sense of pace that makes the reading fun and effortless. Her prose immerses you in this world perfectly, and I could happily spend a great deal of time there.

My only minor complaint would be that the reader is never really shown 'why' the bad guy came to be bad. I can't fully explain without venturing into spoiler territory, but perhaps others who have read this book will understand what I mean. Don't get me wrong, he totally works as the villain and we know the motivations for his present actions. We simply don't get a clear explanation or trigger for what started him on the path to badness. That was the only real issue I had, and it was in no way troubling enough to spoil my enjoyment of this book. To put it plainly, I loved this book and savored every minute spent with it. It was over much too soon for me, and I am already anticipating the next installment, with fingers crossed that it includes an extra large helping of Dominic...because, even though he's no longer a true lead character in these new books, we could all use a little more Dominic Courtenay in our lives.

"What we think and feel, for good or bad, is all we can honestly offer another human being."

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey

Title: The Girl at Midnight (The Girl at Midnight #1)
Author: Melissa Grey
Publisher:  Delacorte Press (April 28, 2015)
ISBN: 9780385744652

Pages: 368 pages

How I Read It: eARC

Genre: young adult fiction, paranormal, urban fantasy
My Rating: 3 cups 

Synopsis:

For readers of Cassandra Clare's City of Bones and Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone, The Girl at Midnight is the story of a modern girl caught in an ancient war.

Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she's ever known.

Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she's fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it's time to act.

Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the Firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, but if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it's how to hunt down what she wants . . . and how to take it.

But some jobs aren't as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire.

My Thoughts:

“Every good fairy tale has a kernel of truth to it.”

I must confess to having some difficulty pinning down my perspective on this young adult title. It is not a bad book; however, I do feel it is lacking somewhat in originality. I entirely agree with the reviews that compare it to Daughter of Smoke and Bone and the Mortal Instruments series, with even a few echoes of The Hunger Games thrown in. There are many parallels here, particularly to Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and having read that series previously, I found the numerous similarities put a bit of a damper on my enjoyment of this story. To be clear, while obviously heavily influenced, this is not a complete carbon copy. There are a few unique twists in this tale and the writing itself is solid, although, in comparison, it lacks some of the lyrical quality and sophistication found in Laini Taylor's work.

This book is slightly more superficial and definitely leans more toward the 'young' side of young adult, which in itself is not a bad thing. The romance in particular is fairly predictable, with too much teenage 'hormonal swooning' for my taste, and there are some weaknesses in the plot. Specifically, it lacks depth overall, and certain events happen 'just because' without sufficient background or explanation. These events seem to be shallow plot devices, necessary to advance the plot in the desired manner, but are not well integrated or supported and result in a rather clunky feel to the narrative at times.

The characters themselves are likeable enough, but I was not quite as emotionally engaged as I could have been. I would have especially liked greater exploration of the war at the center of the conflict between the Avicen and the Drakharin. As the primary motivating factor for so many actions and events in this tale, I believe a deeper understanding of this age-old clash would have lent resonance and allowed me to feel more invested in the characters and their struggles. 

"War is like a drug...You spend so long chasing victory that you become blind to the fact that you'll never find it."

All that being said, there is potential here. I think actual teens and young adults who are fans of this genre would greatly enjoy this book, more so than I did as an adult, and some of the issues which concerned me may not be nearly as bothersome to younger readers. There is much here to appeal to such readers - plenty of action, snarky dialogue, magic, romance, even tantalizing food descriptions to awaken their sweet tooth. And, honestly, not all YA titles need to (nor should) captivate an adult audience. The demographic is classified as it is for a reason, and books that cater to the YOUNG in Young Adult are every bit as worthy as those that deal with subject matter more suited to the upper limit of that age category.

Ultimately, I did enjoy this novel enough to continue on with this series and see how Grey progresses the story, but I would hope that she also progresses as an author by developing more of her own unique voice rather than drawing quite so much inspiration from other works. Although, such influences, as well as the many references to books and book collecting throughout The Girl at Midnight, speak to her deep and genuine love of books...and that is something all fellow bibliophiles can certainly relate to.

"...I like to be around all these books. They're very good at making you forget your troubles. It's like having a million friends, wrapped in paper and scrawled in ink."

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourn

Title: Silent on the Moor (Lady Julia Grey #3)
& Midsummer Night (Lady Julia Grey #3.5)
Author: Deanna Raybourn
Publisher: March 1 2009 by Mira
ISBN: 1426829396 (ISBN13: 9781426829390)
Pages: 558 pages (3.5 novella 50 pages)
How We Read It: Amazon kindle ebook
Genre: historical fiction, romance, mystery
Our Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis: 
Despite his admonitions to stay away, Lady Julia arrives in Yorkshire to find Brisbane as remote and maddeningly attractive as ever. Cloistered together, they share the moldering house with the proud but impoverished remnants of an ancient family: the sort that keeps their bloodline pure and their secrets close. Lady Allenby and her daughters, dependent upon Brisbane and devastated by their fall in society, seem adrift on the moor winds, powerless to change their fortunes. But poison does not discriminate between classes.... 
 
A mystery unfolds from the rotten heart of Grimsgrave, one Lady Julia may have to solve alone, as Brisbane appears inextricably tangled in its heinous twists and turns. But blood will out, and before spring touches the craggy northern landscape, Lady Julia will have uncovered a Gypsy witch, a dark rider and a long-buried legacy of malevolence and evil. 

Our thoughts:

Deanna Raybourn provides a third installment in the wonderful story of Lady Julia Grey. Silent on the Moor is another interesting, mysterious, romantic tale. Julia risks traveling to the far reaches of Yorkshire to find what has become of the troubled Nicolas Brisbane. Julia is a woman not of her time (l9th century) and goes about breaking society's rules. She is intelligent, fallible, rich and loves a good mystery. Brisbane is the brooding hero, and set on the Yorkshire Moors, images of Heathcliff quickly come to mind.

Julia finds Nicholas in trouble and dealing with his past as this tale reveals more of his story, which we thought was great. The author continues to build solid characters that are not only multifaceted but exhibit real emotions, allowing you to become a part of not only the history of the time but also the growing connections that exist between them.

At the heart of each of book has been the growing relationship between Julia and Brisbane. This installment will not fail to deliver:

“I sagged against him in relief, and his arm came around to catch me close to him. I could feel the beat of his heart under my ear and it was the pulse of all the world to me”.

How will it all resolve itself? If you haven't read the first two books in the series, you'll want to do so as you become absorbed in the lives of these fascinating characters.

“I was the daughter of an earl…born to privilege and wealth most people could not even hope to imagine. And in that moment, I would have happily traded places with a little maid who had everything I did not”.

The novella - Midsummer Night - is short and well-paced tale of Brisbane and Julia’s wedding - inclusive of all the wonderful, colourful characters and historical details that we know and love from this series. We fully appreciate and approve of novellas in this series as it fills in the life gaps of the larger stories with incidentals that were not included in earlier books.  Fans will want to know about their wedding, and with all of the hilarious and eccentric March family involved in the day, the short story is a fun way to spend an afternoon.

Our Rating:

Review: The Hawley Book of the Dead by Chrysler Szarlan

Title: The Hawley Book of the Dead
Author: Chrysler Szarlan
Publisher:  Ballantine Books (September 23 2014)
ISBN: 9780345545022

Pages: 352 pages

How We Read It: eARC

Genre: adult fiction, mystery, fantasy, paranormal, witches

Synopsis:

For fans of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane and A Discovery of Witches comes a brilliantly imagined debut novel brimming with rich history, suspense, and magic.

Revelation “Reve” Dyer grew up with her grandmother’s family stories, stretching back centuries to Reve’s ancestors, who founded the town of Hawley Five Corners, Massachusetts. Their history is steeped in secrets, for few outsiders know that an ancient magic runs in the Dyer women’s blood, and that Reve is a magician whose powers are all too real.

Reve and her husband are world-famous Las Vegas illusionists. They have three lovely young daughters, a beautiful home, and what seems like a charmed life. But Reve’s world is shattered when an intruder alters her trick pistol and she accidentally shoots and kills her beloved husband onstage.

Fearing for her daughters’ lives, Reve flees with them to the place she has always felt safest—an antiquated farmhouse in the forest of Hawley Five Corners, where the magic of her ancestors reigns, and her oldest friend—and first love—is the town’s chief of police. Here, in the forest, with its undeniable air of enchantment, Reve hopes she and her girls will be protected.

Delving into the past for answers, Reve is drawn deeper into her family’s legends. What she discovers is The Hawley Book of the Dead, an ancient leather-bound journal holding mysterious mythic power. As she pieces together the truth behind the book, Reve will have to shield herself and her daughters against an uncertain, increasingly dangerous fate. For soon it becomes clear that the stranger who upended Reve’s life in Las Vegas has followed her to Hawley—and that she has something he desperately wants.

Brimming with rich history, suspense, and magic, The Hawley Book of the Dead is a brilliantly imagined debut novel from a riveting new voice.

 Our Thoughts:

As you can see from the synopsis detailed above, there is a lot going on in this novel. We found it to be a very descriptive tale with well-rendered settings and events that immersed us and made us feel we were experiencing everything right along with the characters.

This is a well-written narrative, with a truly haunting and magical flavor. Simplistically, it would at first appear that this book is a straightforward mystery thriller about a stalker out to destroy a family. However, delving deeper, one discovers that this tale is about magic - and not just stage magic - as you are introduced to a parallel world that exists just beyond the veil – fascinating! There are interesting tidbits regarding stage magic scattered throughout, as well as intriguing information about Irish mythology woven into the history of the tale.

Szarlan knows how to write, and there are some wonderful references to the more ‘everyday’ forms of magic that we all experience:

“Writing is a kind of magic. One person sits in a room alone and makes marks on a page that represent the image in her mind. Another person looks at those marks, weeks or months or a hundred years later, and similar images appear in that person’s mind. Magic.”

The character portraits are very real and relatable: the main character of Reve is really earthy, and we enjoyed her journey to discover the truth about her life. Her conflicted emotions, feelings of fear, anger, guilt, and particularly grief, felt true to life and authentic. It takes a talented writer to seamlessly relate a tale that can skillfully combine fantasy in a realistic setting, and Szarlan does an admirable job, crafting a book with a paranormal mystery, thriller elements, hints of mythology and even a touch of romance – very clever.

We would like to point out that the comparison made to A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness is a bit of a stretch. Yes, they are both stories involving a mysterious book and centering on witches, but overall they are quite different. This book is less complex and has more of a ‘thriller’ feel to it. There is not as much historical detail presented, and here the magic is based on a specific ‘gift’ unique to each individual witch rather than involving actual spells per se. The working of magic is more alluded to than overt. And that’s okay – we found this book to be very enjoyable - but don’t go in expecting a Harkness (HUGE Harkness fans here) or you may be disappointed.

Although this book is the first in a series, rest assured that it does not end with a cliffhanger. This opening volume resolves nicely while leaving plenty of potential for further stories. After this solid debut effort, we look forward to what else Szarlan has in store for us with the next novels in The Revelation Quartet, for let it be said, we all need a little more magic in our lives:

“Why we no longer want to believe in magic in our real lives is a puzzle, but we don’t. The possibility frightens us, makes us retreat into the turtle shells that our rational minds are.” 

 Our Rating:

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher provided through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn

Title:  Silent in the Sanctuary (Lady Julia Grey #2)

Series: Lady Julia Grey Mystery
Author: Deanna Raybourn

Publisher:  December 28 2007 by Mira

ISBN: 0778324923 (ISBN13: 9780778324928)

Pages:  552 pages

Source of Book: Amazon kindle ebook

Genre: historical fiction, romance, mystery

Synopsis:

Fresh from a six-month sojourn in Italy, Lady Julia returns home to Sussex to find her father's estate crowded with family and friends but dark deeds are afoot at the deconsecrated abbey, and a murderer roams the ancient cloisters.

Much to her surprise, the one man she had hoped to forget--the enigmatic and compelling Nicholas Brisbane--is among her father's house guests; and he is not alone. Not to be outdone, Julia shows him that two can play at flirtation and promptly introduces him to her devoted, younger, titled Italian count.

But the homecoming celebrations quickly take a ghastly turn when one of the guests is found brutally murdered in the chapel, and a member of Lady Julia's own family confesses to the crime. Certain of her cousin's innocence, Lady Julia resumes her unlikely and deliciously intriguing partnership with Nicholas Brisbane, setting out to unravel a tangle of deceit before the killer can strike again. When a sudden snowstorm blankets the abbey like a shroud, it falls to Lady Julia and Nicholas Brisbane to answer the shriek of murder most foul.

Our Thoughts:

The second volume in this Victorian mystery series picks up several months after the end of the first. Lady Julia is on vacation in Italy recovering from the traumatic events of her investigation into her husband's death (mystery from the first novel).  At the summons of their father, Julia and her brothers return home to England for Christmas at the very gothic Bellmont Abbey. What follows next is a clever amalgamation of an Agatha Christie ‘whodunit’ with a good game of Cluedo – there’s even a candlestick! The plot twists and suspects keep coming as Julia and Brisbane once more work together on this murder case.

This read was light and fun, a nice break from the more serious reads. The mystery is intriguing and the twists and turns combined with a number of smaller intrigues help to keep the pace moving along nicely. Lady Julia's eccentric family is one of the main features in this book and are a delight to read about. Yet the heart of the book is the relationship between Lady Julia and Brisbane - the chemistry between the two is most engaging. One of Raybourn's major talents is creating characters that are easy to love and fun to spend time with – they make you smile.  Being the second in the series, there's also that feeling of familiarity right from the first few pages as the characters you know and love are back and facing another mystery. Her stories are full of humour – it’s laugh-out-loud stuff:

Morag, my maid, entered the drawing room to announce a visitor.

"The Count of Four-not-cheese".

I gave her an evil look…. "And his name is Fornacci," I hissed at her.

A few hours after a dinner:

"Aquinas, I am afraid the Reverend Mr Snow has died suddenly."

Aquinas was a superior servant; he betrayed little reaction to the news that there was a corpse in the chapel.

He merely blinked once, slowly, and then crossed himself.

"I do hope it was not the duck, my lady."

“I know what that is!” I cried suddenly. “It’s a hookah!”

“And you know this from your many nights spent in opium dens?”he inquired blandly.
“Alice in Wonderland, actually” I admitted. “The caterpillar”.

This was such a fun and entertaining read. We would highly recommend this series to everyone as it appears to be shaping up to be a 'go-to' read when you need to delve into familiar, friendly characters with a touch of the intrigue and romance.

Our Rating: