Book Review Index

Here is an alphabetized listing by author of all the reviews I have posted on this blog (with links!). You can find my movie reviews at the bottom of the page as well.



A

B

Bair-O'Keeffe, Kristin - Thirsty - Historical Fiction, United States, 19th c

Barnes, Margaret Campbell - The Passionate Brood - Historical Fiction, Plantagenet, 12th c

Barnes, Margaret Campbell - Within the Hollow Crown - Historical Fiction, Plantagenet, 14th c

Barker, Nicole – Dancing with Ana – Young Adult

Binchy, Maeve - Tara Road - Romance, Audio Book

Blake, Sarah - The Postmistress - Historical Fiction, WWII, Audio Book

Borghese, Prince Lorenzo - Princess of Nowhere - Historical Fiction, France, Italy, 19th c

Borman, Tracy - Elizabeth's Women: The Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen - Tudor Non Fiction, 17th c

Bray, Libba - Going Bovine - Young Adult, Fantasy

Bray, Libba – A Great and Terrible Beauty – Young Adult, Series

Brightwell, Gerri - The Dark Lantern - Victorian Historical Fiction

Bronte, Charlotte – Jane Eyre – Classic, Audio Book

Brown, Patrick - Industrial Pioneers - Non-Fiction, United States

Burton, Gabrielle - Impatient with Desire - Historical Fiction, United States

C

Carroll, Leslie - Notorious Royal Marriages - Non Fiction

Chadwick, Elizabeth - For the King's Favor - Historical Fiction, 12 c.

Chadwick, Elizabeth - The Greatest Knight - Historical Fiction, 12 c.

Chadwick, Elizabeth - The Scarlet Lion - Historical Fiction, 12 c.

Chevalier, Tracy - Girl With A Pearl Earring - Art Historical Fiction, 17th c

Chevalier, Tracy - The Lady and the Unicorn - Art Historical Fiction, 15th c

Cornwell, Bernard - Agincourt - Historical Fiction, France, 15th c

Corona, Laurel - Penelope's Daughter - Historical Fiction, Ancient Greece

Cowell, Stephanie - Claude & Camille - Art Historical Fiction, France, 19th c,

Cullen, Lynn - The Creation of Eve - Art Historical Fiction, Spain, Italy, 17th c

D

Delors, Catherine - For the King - Historical Fiction, France, 19th c

De Rosnay, Tatiana - Sarah's Key - Historical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, France, 20th c

Dunant, Sarah - Sacred Hearts - Historical Fiction, Italy, Convent

E

Elliott, Elissa – Eve – Biblical Fiction

Emmons, Kristina - Roeing Oaks - Victorian Historical Fiction

Erickson, Carolly - The Memoirs of Mary Queen of Scots - YA Historical Fiction, France, Scotland, England, 16th c

Essex, Karen - Dracula in Love - Victorian Historical Fiction

Etzioni-Halevy, Eva - The Triumph of Deborah - Biblical Fiction

Evanovich, Janet - Smitten - Romance, Audio Book

F

Fox, Angie - The Accidental Demon Slayer - Paranormal Romance, Series

Fox, Angie – The Dangerous Book For Demon Slayers – Paranormal Romance, Series

G

Gaiman, Neil - Coraline - Young Adult

Gardner, Laurien – Plain Jane – Tudor Historical Fiction

Gortner, C. W. - Confessions of Catherine de Medici - French Historical Fiction

Gortner, C. W. - The Tudor Secret - Historical Fiction - Thriller, English, 16th c

Gregory, Philippa - The Boleyn Inheritance - Tudor Historical Fiction

Gregory, Philippa - The Constant Princess - Tudor Historical Fiction

Gregory, Philippa - The Other Boleyn Girl - Tudor Historical Fiction

Gregory, Philippa - The Queen's Fool - Tudor Historical Fiction

Gruen, Sara - Water for Elephants - Historical Fiction, Audiobook, United States

H

Hart, Marjorie - Summer at Tiffany - Memoir, 1940's, United States

Higginbotham, Susan - The Queen of Last Hopes - Historical Fiction, 15th c, England, Wars of the Roses

Holland, Cecelia - Great Maria - Historical Fiction, Italy, 11th c

Hollick, Helen - The Forever Queen - Historical Fiction, England, 11th c

Howe, Katherine - The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane - Historical Fiction, United States

I

J

K

Kaplan, Mitchell James - By Fire, By Water - Historical Fiction, Spain

King, Susan Fraser - Queen Hereafter - Historical Fiction, Scotland, 11th C

Koen, Karleen - Dark Angels - Historical Fiction/Romance, Series, England, Charles II

L

Laker, Rosalind - The Golden Tulip - Art Historical Fiction, Romance

Langton, Jerry – Rage – True Crime

Leonard, Elmore - The Hot Kid - Western, Thriller, Audio Book

M

Maguire, Gregory - Son of a Witch - Fantasy, Fiction, Audio Book

Malcolm, M. L. - Heart of Lies - Historical Fiction, Europe & China

Martin, George, R. R. - A Game of Thrones - Historical Fantasy, Series, Book 1

Martin, George, R. R. - A Clash of Kings - Historical Fantasy, Series, Book 2

Maxwell, Robin - O, Juliet - Historical Fiction, Italy

Maxwell, Robin – The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn – Tudor Historical Fiction, England

Miller, Joel, L - The Revolutionary Paul Revere - Non Fiction, United States

Moran, Michelle - Cleopatra's Daughter - Egyptian/Roman Historical Fiction, Young Adult

Moran, Michelle – The Heretic Queen – Egyptian Historical Fiction

Moran, Michelle – Nefertiti – Egyptian Historical Fiction

Morin, Donna Russo - The Secret of the Glass - Italian Historical Fiction

Mottley, Peter - The Harlot's Progress: Yorkshire Molly - Victorian Historical Fiction

N

Niffenegger, Audrey - Her Fearful Symmetry - Contemporary Fiction, England

Niffenegger, Audrey - The Time Traveler's Wife - Contemporary Fiction, United States

O

P

Patterson, James – 1st to Die – Mystery, Audio Book, Women's Murder Club

Patterson, James – 2nd Chance – Mystery, Audio Book, Women's Murder Club

Patterson, James - 3rd Degree - Mystery, Audio Book, Women's Murder Club

Patterson, James - 4th of July - Mystery, Audio Book, Women's Murder Club

Pattillo, Beth - Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart - Fiction, England

Picoult, Jodi - Salem Falls - Contemporary Fiction, Audio Book, New England

Plaidy, Jean – Madame Serpent – French Historical Fiction, Series

Plaidy, Jean - The Merry Monarch's Wife - English Historical Fiction

Plaidy, Jean - The Rose Without A Thorn - Tudor Historical Fiction

Plaidy, Jean - The Shadow of the Pomegranate - Tudor Historical Fiction, Audio Book

Q

R

Rinaldi, Ann - The Fifth of March - Historical Fiction, American Revolution, 17th c, YA, Audio

S

Sankaran, Vanitha - Watermark - Historical Fiction, Inquisition, France, 14th c

Scott, Susan Holloway - Royal Harlot - Historical Fiction, Charles II, England, 17th c

Scott, Susan Holloway - The Countess and the King - Historical Fiction, Charles II, James II, England, 17th c.

Sebold, Alice - The Lovely Bones - Contemporary Fiction, Audio Book

Shakespeare, William - Hamlet - Classic, Audio Book

Smith, Alexander McCall - The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency - Mystery, Series, Audio Book

Smith, Anne Easter - Daughter of York - Historical Fiction, Plantagenet, Audio Book

Steel, Danielle - Five Days in Paris - Romance, Audio Book

T

Trent, Christine - A Royal Likeness - Historical Fiction, England/Scotland

Trent, Christine - The Queen's Dollmaker - Historical Fiction, France/England

U

V

W

Wagner, Kathryn - Dancing for Degas - Art Historical Fiction, France

Wahlder, Michele - Alphatudes - Non-Fiction, Inspirational

Waldherr, Kris - Doomed Queens - Non-Fiction

Waters, Sarah - Fingersmith - Victorian Historical Fiction

Weir, Alison – Innocent Traitor – Tudor Historical Fiction

Woolley, Persia - Child of the Northern Spring - Arthurian Historical Fiction, England

Worth, Sandra - Pale Rose of England - Tudor Historical Fiction, England, 15th c

X

Y

Z

Movie Reviews

The Young Victoria

Sherlock Holmes

Dolley Madison: America's First Lady

Earth Days: Seeds of a Revolution

Fingersmith

God in America

The Lovely Bones

The Time Traveler's Wife

Robin Hood - Season 1

Robin Hood - Season 2

Robin Hood (2010)

Tudors - Season 1

Tudors - Season 2

Tudors - Season 3

Robert E. Lee: At War with His Country...and Himself

Boardwalk Empire - Season 1

Dinosaur Wars

The Pacific

Panama Canal: Gateway to the American Century

The Reagans

Triangle Fire




Copyright © 2009-2011 by The Maiden’s Court

Blog Update

Happy Saturday everyone! I'm working on some changes to my blog over the next week, so please bear with me if there is a mess or things don't work right away, haha. You will notice three new buttons on the righthand sidebar - Reviews, Author Interviews, and Challenges. These buttons will eventually be linked to indicies of the above named categories. This should make it easier to find these as you want to see them.

This week will also be a review catch up week. I have several reviews to write and post - so that will be this weeks theme. The following reviews will {hopefully} be posted:

Five Days in Paris by Danielle Steel
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
The Hot Kid by Elmore Leonard
The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

Tonight I will be posting the review of The Merry Monarch's Wife by Jean Plaidy.
Thanks everyone for making the past week a great success!




Copyright © 2009-2011 by The Maiden’s Court

New Award - HF Lovely Ladies

I first have to give a huge thanks to LizzyJ at Historically Obsessed for this one! It was so exciting to just get an award but then when I looked at who else got this award too it made me feel so good to be considered with these wonderful ladies. All of them are people whose blogs I follow and love to talk to. They all make my blogging experience a wonderful thing I look forward to every day!

Here is what it means to get this award:

“What is the criteria to be a H.F. Lovely Ladies Award you ask? You obviously have to be a woman to get this one. Specializing in Historical Fiction, be it novels, historical events, or fine art. These special ladies are the type who go above and beyond the call of duty daily and enjoy it! Since like me they are obsessed with HF theses ladies are a constant support with a flowing wealth of knowledge in the blogging community. They also play an active role in the blogger community hosting events and letting us all know events that they are not hosting. Being super blogger's who constantly are viewing and commenting on other sites with positive feedback. Their blogs have unique qualities like being beautiful and having excellent content. What is amazing is they do all this on the daily and still manage to run a household in their own physical domain. The "super women" blogger's of historical fiction.” Eloquently put by LizzyJ!

I would love to pass this award on to a couple special ladies who fit this description:

• Susie at All Things Royal – She has followed my blog since it started – on of my first followers. She always has wonderful posts about historical figures and amazing giveaways. She is a wonderful lady!
  
• Virginie Barbeau at Virginie Says – Another one of my early blogging friends – and has stuck with me through this experience. I absolutely love the challenge that she is hosting right now (and there will be another this winter!) and she always has some new books that I add to my TBR pile!

If you haven’t checked out these blogs you really should. They are amazing. Thank you so much LizzyJ for including me in this elite list of ladies.




Copyright © 2009-2011 by The Maiden’s Court

Women of Charles II - Nell Gwyn

This is the last woman who loved Charles II that we are going to explore this week. After this one, I think I have hit all of the most important ones. There will still be a book review and vocab posts this week on this subject.

Nell Gwyn was very different from the women Charles’ typically had dalliances with. She was an actress and grew up in the streets – she wasn’t at all refined like the other ladies we saw this week. Nell started off her theatre career at a young age as a vendor of oranges during the productions at the King’s Theatre. She started out acting at age 14. She was able to move up the ranks and become one of the first well known actresses at the time.

Nell met King Charles while watching a show with a date. They seem to have began their relationship shortly thereafter in April of 1668. Nell found her way as mistress relatively unblocked at the time as Barbara Palmer was basically no real competition at the time. Louise de Keroualle would eventually become her rival a few years into their relationship. Nell had 2 sons by Charles: Charles Beauclerk (in 1670) and James Beauclerk (in 1671 – he died at age 6). This would give him 8 sons – and none of these were from his wife!

Her relationship with Charles lasted until his death. He is said to have made the famous statement on his deathbed to his brother James, “And let not poor Nelly starve”. James followed his brother’s request – her debts were paid off, she was given a pension, and her mortgage was paid. Two years after Charles death Nell suffered 2 strokes, one that paralyzed one side and the other that left her bedridden. She died a few months later at the age of 37.

If you would like to read more about Nell try these books:

The King’s Favorite: A Novel of Nell Gwyn and King Charles II by Susan Holloway Scott

Nell Gwyn: Mistress to a King by Charles Beauclerk (a descendant of Charles and Nell)

Nell Gwyn by Derek Parker




Copyright © 2009-2011 by The Maiden’s Court

Women of Charles II - Louise de Keroualle

This third woman who was one of Charles II’s many mistresses is Louise de Keroualle. This was actually one woman that I knew a little about before reading The Merry Monarch’s Wife but didn’t realize it was the same person I thought it was (I read Dark Angels by Karleen Koen but she goes by Renee not Louise).

Louise began her royal advancing in the French Court of Louis XIV. It is believed that she was placed there to become the mistress to the French King (well at least she became mistress to one king!). She was placed in the household of Henrietta, Duchess of Orleans – King Charles II’s sister. During a trip to England, visiting the court of Charles, the Duchess of Orleans suddenly died. This caused Louise to have nowhere to turn and Charles made her a lady in his wife, Catherine’s, household (first he places Barbara in her household, then Louise. I’m seeing a pattern here…).

There were many rumors that Louise had be specifically sent to England as a spy to be placed in Charles’ court. Maybe…maybe not, I don’t know. Louise became mistress to Charles around 1670. The people of England did not like Louise because she was French and Catholic, just as they really didn’t like their Queen because they were Catholic. Louise had one child with Charles II – Charles Lennox in 1672. She was given the title of Duchess of Portsmouth in 1673.

Louise was able to maintain her position as Charles’ mistress until his death. She then rather quickly fell from favor and moved back to France. She lived to be 85.

If you are interested in other reading about Louise try:

The French Mistress by Susan Holloway Scott or

Dark Angels by Karleen Koen




Copyright © 2009-2011 by The Maiden’s Court

Women of Charles II - Barbara Palmer - Duchess of Cleveland

For our second woman in the life of Charles II we have Barbara Palmer, the 1st Duchess of Cleveland. This one is a mistress, probably his most well known. I find it interesting that I had heard of his many mistresses before, but not his wife!

Barbara Palmer was married to Roger Palmer, but they were mostly separated after the birth of her first child. She was a well-known courtesan in England.

She met Charles II in about 1660 while he was still abroad in the Hague. At court, Barbara held much more power than Queen Catherine of Braganza. The two were constantly butting heads. Charles appointed Barbara as Lady of the Bedchamber to his Queen, something Catherine was not too happy about (can you blame her?)

Barbara had many children during him time with Charles and he acknowledged 5 of them:
Lady Anne Palmer (Fitzroy)
Charles Palmer (Fitzroy)
Henry Fitzroy
Charlotte Fitzroy
George Fitzroy

(Another interesting note: I didn't know until recently that Fitzroy means "son of the king" and was usually a last name given to the illegitimate children of kings).

Around the mid 1670's Barbara's power over the king began to wane and he passed her aside for his new mistress, Louise de Keroualle (tomorrow's topic). She eventually died of dropsy (oedema).

If you would like to read more about Barbara Palmer try:

Royal Harlot: A Novel of the Countess Castlemaine and King Charles II by Susan Holloway Scott

Copyright © 2009 by The Maiden’s Court

Winners of Dancing with Ana

We have 3 winners of Dancing with Ana that have been selected from Randomizer.com.

Those 3 winners are:

Pam!

Sue!

and

Jenny N!

Ladies I will be contacting you by email to get your addresses. Congrats all. Thanks to everyone who participated in this contest.




Copyright © 2009 by The Maiden’s Court

Women of Charles II - Catherine of Braganza

Hello everyone, welcome to the first of a four part series on The Women of Charles II. Each day I am going to reveal one woman who played a major role in the life of King Chales II. I thought that it would be appropriate to start off the week with his wife: Catherine of Braganza.

Catherine came to England from the newly recognized country of Portugal. By marrying into England, she was able to protect her home country from invasion by Spain. Catherine and Charles were married on April 23, 1662 - she was 23, considered old for a first marriage, especially a royal one.

Catherine was not popular in England because she was a Catholic and they were still holding a grudge against Catholics after the reign of "Bloody" Mary Tudor. But, she was able to have influence over the people in one way; she introduced the custom of tea drinking to England. This is traditionally thought of as an English custom, but not until she started it!

Catherine had to share her life with Charles with his many other mistresses. Even in this situation, Charles insisted that Catherine be respected, as she was his wife. He took her side when plots were discovered trying to implicate her, as a Catholic, in plans to kill the king. He also refused many times to divorce her. Catherine was never able to carry a child to term, having at least 2 miscarriages, and not having a legitimate heir to the throne was a reason the people brought up the idea of a divorce.

After Charles' sudden death in 1685, Catherine stayed in England for awhile. She returned to Portugal in 1692, during the reign of William and Mary. Upon her return to Portugal, she was named Regent and ruled during her brother's illness. She died in 1705.

If you would like further reading on Catherine of Braganza try:
The Merry Monarch's Wife: The Story of Catherine of Braganza (A Queens of England Novel) by Jean Plaidy

or

Wife to Charles II by Hilda Lewis




Copyright © 2009 by The Maiden’s Court

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Pick 2 lines from your current read and share them as well as the title and author.

These lines are from Coraline by Neil Gaiman, pg 37.

"'We could be rare specimens of an exotic breed of African dancing elephants' said the cat. 'But we're not. At least', it added cattily, after darting a brief look at Coraline, 'I'm not.'"



Copyright © 2009 by The Maiden’s Court

Interview with Nicole Barker

Hey everyone! I had the chance to ask Nicole Barker, the author of Dancing with Ana, a few questions about her new book and her writing style. She has been so helpful over the last week with the Theme Week. I hope that you enjoy her responses.

Do you have a routine when you write? A specific place or time of day?

I attempt to apply a schedule to my writing, but I fail miserably. If something comes to me, I stop whatever I'm doing and write. I also “shush” anyone who tries to talk to me when I'm writing. Don't I sound like a wonderful person to live with? I write on my laptop, sitting outside under a covered patio. It's the most quiet place in my house.

How long has the process been in getting Dancing with Ana to the status it is at today?

I wrote the first words at the end of August 2008 and the book was released on August 1, 2009. It was a very intense year.

How did you come up with the title and cover for this book?

The title relates to a flirting with disaster concept. There are thousands of victims of anorexia, some more apparent than others. Most start off simply dancing with ana, but of course there is nothing simple about it. It's an incredibly addictive disease, playing both friend and foe. Every victim stays at the dance for a different amount of time. Some dance for awhile, others stay much longer...some never leave.

The image on the the cover symbolizes a few different ideas. Obviously, it represents dancing. The young girl represents innocence and simplicity. The fact that she is spinning represents both carefree times and being out of control.

To expand on the previous question a little, how did you decide that this subject (Anorexia) was what you wanted to write about?

Well, I wanted to write about the importance and strength of friendship. Once I realized Beth's situation with her father, I knew anorexia would be her coping mechanism. I guess I wanted to portray a very normal girl in a very typical situation dealing with it by succumbing to an eating disorder. It was also important that as she goes down this path, she is still surrounded by positivity and love. You can never underestimate the impact of support and love when a person needs it most.

What sort of research did you do for this book? Did you have a group of teenagers to bounce some ideas off of?

You are the first reviewer to ask me this question. This is a story of fiction, but I tapped into my own personal experiences in order to write it.

Once the book was done, I did have five girls ranging in age from twelve to fifteen read it and give me their feedback. I also had a fourteen year-old girl help me with some of the texting language.

I have heard some incredible feedback from people who are really touched by this book, was it your intention that this book would be able to help people who may be going through similar situations?

Definitely! Truly, readers who are going through a similar situation as Beth, or Rachel, were on my mind as I wrote. I hope they walk away from this book with a feeling of hope.

Has this experience encouraged you to work on a new project? If so, is there anything yet you can tell us about it?

Yes, I am currently working on another young adult book. This one is set in the Northeast. My main character is Lily and she has two best friends. There's a love story...

Thank-you Nicole for all your wonderful help and the great book!

Nicole Barker grew up in Portland, Oregon and attended Southern Oregon State College in the town of Ashland. Nestled in the foothills of the Siskiyou Mountains, Nicole took to writing while pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities with a strong emphasis on early childhood development. Shortly after graduation, she spent several months traveling around the United States and parts of Canada. Nicole lives in South Florida with her husband, three kids, two dogs, frogs, hermit crabs and fish. She is currently working on her second YA book.  You can visit Nicole at her website.

Copyright © 2009 by The Maiden’s Court

B-I-N-G-O!

I just received this amazingly cool award from LizzyJ at Historically Obsessed and Jenny Girl from Jenny Loves to Read. I am so honored to receive this award. It is always awesome to know that other people like what I am doing. Thank-you. My award was for the "G" - Gorgeous (from LizzyJ) and "I" - Informative (from Jenny Girl).

I am going to continue to pass this along on to 5 other blogs that represent qualities represented by B-I-N-G-and-O.

B- Beautiful - Susie at All Things Royal - she has some of the most amazing photos on her blog from her trip to England!

I- Informative - Arleigh at Historical Fiction.com - she always has all kinds of information about new books coming out and other tidbits.

N- Neighborly - Miss Lucy at Enchanted by Josephine - she is always posting on everyone else's blogs as well as keeping up her own. She is one of the nicest people I know.

G - Gorgeous - Annie at Reading, Writing, and Ranting - I absolutely love the background and the layout of her blog!

O- Outstanding - Marie Burton at The Burton Review - this blog has everything - an amazing personality, wealth of knowlege and is nice to look at.

If you haven't already - take a look at what these great blogs have to offer! Pass this along and make someone elses day!




Copyright © 2009 by The Maiden’s Court

Mailbox Monday #8

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marica at The Printed Page.

So this week I received one book in my mailbox.

Won From Teddyrae at The Ecclectic Reader
The Last Queen by C. W. Gortner.

I have been wanting to read this book for quite some time. I was so excited to find out that I had won this book and was happy to receive a signed copy.

I ordered some books this week, so I should have some more books for next week, as well as some review books that might come and another win!

Anything good in your boxes?




Copyright © 2009 by The Maiden’s Court

A Well Rounded Challenge Complete

I finished this challenge today and I feel that it was a worthwhile one. It helped me to keep track of the challeges that I have left and actually made me complete books for each one - instead of just focusing on one challenge.

This challenge is like a clean up challenge for all my other challenges. It is hosted by Teddy Rose at So Many Precious Books, So Little Time. Thanks for the awesome challenge.

Here are the rules:
1.) Read a total of 5 books: 1 book for each challenge
2.) Books can be in paper form, eBook, or audio book
3.) This challenge runs through the end of 2009

Here are the challenges that I used for this challenge and the books that met those challenges:
1.) 2009 Audio Book Challenge - 2nd Chance by James Patterson
2.) Jean Plaidy Challenge - The Merry Monarch's Wife by Jean Plaidy
3.) Four Month Challenge - The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran
4.) 2009 Read & Review Challenge - Rage: The Story of A Sibling Murder by Jerry Langton
5.) Read Your Own Books Challenge - Eve by Elissa Elliott





Copyright © 2009 by The Maiden’s Court

Sunday Update

Happy Sunday everyone! Man is it hot here today. Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

I wanted to let you guys know what my plan is for the blog this week.

Wednesday I will be announcing the winners of Dancing with Ana. If you haven't entered yet you still can here.

I will also be posting the interview with Nicole Barker sometime during the week as well. That will wrap up Dancing with Ana Theme Week.

Next week's focus will be The Women of Charles II. Each day I will have a post about one of the women in his life and at the end of the week I will have my review of The Merry Monarch's Wife by Jean Plaidy. I will also have an extensive list of vocabulary words from this book as well!

Also, a long term plan is to work on posting some reviews of books that I read during my pre-blogging days. These will appear every now and then. As I go through my bookshelf I will be updating my reviews that I missed.

Can't wait to see you around the blog this week!




Copyright © 2009 by The Maiden’s Court

Audiobook Review: 2nd Chance by James Patterson

2nd Chance by James Patterson with Andrew Gross
Book 2 in the Women's Murder Club Series

Unabridged, 8 hrs.

Hachette Audio

Melissa Leo, Jeremy Piven (Narrators)

March 1, 2002

★★★★ ½☆

 

 

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

 

Source: Personal Collection

2nd Chance reconvenes the Women's Murder Club, four friends (a detective, a reporter, an assistant district attorney, and a medical examiner) who used their networking skills, feminine intuition, and professional wiles to solve a baffling series of murders in 1st to Die. This time, the murders of two African Americans, a little girl and an old woman, bear all the signs of a serial killer for Lindsay Boxer, newly promoted to lieutenant of San Francisco's homicide squad. But there's an odd detail she finds even more disturbing: both victims were related to city cops. A symbol glimpsed at both murder scenes leads to a racist hate group, but the taunting killer strikes again and again, leaving deliberate clues and eluding the police ever more cleverly. In the meantime, each of the women has a personal stake at risk--and the killer knows who they are.

This is my second read in this series in the last month. I am very happy to be reading these on audio book; I think that hearing these stories is more effective than reading them myself.

Lindsay and her 3 best girl friends are back on the case again. Lindsay has been promoted to the position of Lieutenant after the success of the last murder case. This time a string of murders are occurring that appear to be racially motivated and by someone with amazing aim with a firearm. As with all major murder cases a nickname is given to the killer – Chimera – from the symbol that is left behind at the scene as a calling card. While Lindsay is wrapped up in this case her father walks back into the picture – after being gone for 20 years…

I enjoyed this book just as much as the first one. It surged ahead at a great speed and changed direction a million times. I wish I could jump right into the next one – but I think I’m going to have to get it through interlibrary loan, which will take a little time.

★★★★ ½☆

Two well-known actors were the narrators of this audio book – Melissa Leo narrated the main part of the novel (about the girls and investigation) and Jeremy Piven narrated the parts from the perspective of the murderer. It was effective to have the different parts narrated by different people, different genders, because it helped to differentiate between the stories. Both people did a great job.

You can listen to a short sample from the audiobook (links to Audible)

Where to Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by James Patterson:
James Patterson has penned many mystery/thriller novels, the other books in the Women's Murder Club series include:
 

1st to Die [My Review]


3rd Degree [My Review]


4th of July [My Review]


5th Horseman


6th Target


7th Heaven


8th Confession


9th Judgment


10th Anniversary


11th Hour


12 of Never


Unlucky 13


14th Deadly Sin
(To be released in May 2015)

Find James Patterson: Website | Facebook | Twitter |Pinterest | Instagram

Copyright © 2009 by The Maiden’s Court

A Call for Questions!

I have a unique opportunity for anyone who is interested. Nicole Barker has offered to answer any questions that you might have about Dancing with Ana! If you have anything that you would like to ask her you can either leave the question here in a comment or email it to me at dolleygurl@hotmail.com. I will compile the questions and send them to Nicole. I will then post the answers here on the blog. So send me those questions!

You can check out my review here.

You can enter the giveaway for the book here.




Copyright © 2009 by The Maiden’s Court

GIVEAWAY - Dancing with Ana

Giveaway – 3 copies of Dancing with Ana by Nicole Barker
Hey everyone! As promised last week we have another giveaway! This time, the wonderful Nicole Barker has generously offered up 3 signed copies of her new book Dancing with Ana. I just finished reading this book about a week ago and it is truly amazing. If you missed my review you can read it here. I would recommend entering for this book not only for yourself but for any teenage daughters you have. It is worth the read. You can check out the Dancing with Ana website for more information or to purchase the book.

Here are the many ways you can enter:
1) Leave a comment with your email address for 1 entry
2) Become a follower of my blog (or let me know if you are already a follower) for 1 entry
3) Comment on my review of Dancing with Ana and let me know here that you commented for 1 entry
4) Post on your blog, Twitter or Facebook a link to the Dancing with Ana website for 2 entries (here is the link for your convenience http://www.dancingwithana.com/)
5) Post about this giveaway on your blog or Twitter for 2 entries

This contest is only open to residents of the US and Canada. Sorry to those of you across the pond, but this was not up to me.

The last day to enter the contest is Tuesday August 18, 2009. I will pick the winners at random on August 19th. I will send an email to the winners as well as post them on my blog to get your mailing address. These books will be sent to you from the author. Good luck to everyone – this book will not disappoint!

This giveaway is now closed and no longer accepting entries.




Copyright © 2009 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: Dancing with Ana by Nicole Barker

Dancing with Ana by Nicole Barker

ARC, Paperback, 170 pages

Golden Rod Press

July 13, 2009

★★★★ ½☆

 

Genre: Young Adult

 

Source: Received from Author for Review

Beth is a lucky girl... She comes from a loving family. She has three best friends. She loves to surf and lives five minutes from the beach. She also recently discovered that the boy she's grown up with has the most amazing green eyes... Beth has every reason to smile. Every reason to be happy. Every reason to feel blessed. 

Then why is she sticking her fingers down her throat?

Welcome everyone to Dancing with Ana theme week! Hopefully you will find some useful information here this week and we can have a great conversation. To kick off the week we have my review of Dancing with Ana. So without further ado...

Beth’s life is perfect. She has what every high school girl wants: great friends, a great body, and a cute boy who likes her…except that it’s only on the surface. Underneath everything her life is a mess. Her parents are divorced and the loss of her father is eating at her slowly. She begins to not enjoy the things that she used to and becomes fixated on losing weight. Everyone around her is worried about her. Will she be able to regain control of her life or will it continue to spin out of control?

Beth’s story is one that is poignant for many young girls in today’s society. Divorce and weight issues are common scenarios. While this story could have easily fallen into clichéd territory, Nicole Barker does a phenomenal job at creating stories and characters that you care about. By the second chapter I was absorbed in Beth’s story and couldn’t wait to read what would happen next. Her characters are very real. They not only have real problems, but they react in real ways. Being a few years out of high-school myself, I could still relate to the problems Beth and her friends were facing. The way this story is written I think that anyone of any age can relate and enjoy it.

This book would be a perfect book for any teen girl to read; it’s hard being a teen today. Issues of self image, self-mutilation, peer pressure, divorce, and relationships are all approached in this story in a way that is sensitive but without feeling patronizing and preachy. It really illustrates how quickly something can spiral out of control and how hard it can be to climb back out of that hole. There is a light at the end of the tunnel though.

I received this book from the author for review. This was a quick and awesome read. I would highly recommend this read. Don’t brush it off because it is a young adult novel.

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• SMS Book Reviews
• Missy's  Book Nook

 

Where to Buy: Amazon | B&N

 

Find Nicole Barker: Website | Facebook | Twitter

 

Copyright © 2009 by The Maiden’s Court