New Book Alert: Rivals of the Republic by Annelise Freisenbruch & Giveaway

Rivals of the Republic by Annelise Freisenbruch

Book 1 of The Blood of Rome series

Kindle, Hardcover, & Paperback, 288 pages

The Overlook Press

Published: September 6^th 2016

ISBN: 1468312790

Genre: Historical Fiction

 

Book Blurb:

The body of a Vestal Virgin is found in the Tiber River, and soon after, A senator is found having bled to death in his bath. And as Roman authorities turn a strangely blind eye, Hortensia, the daughter of the capital’s most celebrated orator, begins investigating this trail of murders that leads straight into the dark heart of Rome. 

Despite her husband’s and father’s attempts to protect her and rebelling against the societal constraints to her sex, Hortensia plunges deeper into the corrupt underworld of the city. And only one man can save her from becoming the next victim: Lucrio, the ex-gladiator to whom she already owes her life. But Lucrio has secrets as well, and his past threatens to subsume both him and Hortensia. 

Rivals of the Republic is the exciting fiction debut from Roman historian and author Annelise Freisenbruch. Using her supreme knowledge of the period, Freisenbruch delivers a meticulously accurate and suspenseful mystery that will have readers gripped by her young heroine’s story from beginning to end.

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

 
Praise for Rivals of the Republic:

“This is a stunning novel that immerses us in the brutal world of the Roman Empire in the 1st century B.C. Annelise Freisenbruch is a gifted storyteller and tells a riveting tale. Highly recommended!”
—Alison Weir, bestelling author of Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen

“Annelise Freisenbruch’s Hortensia is a delight—passionate, articulate, fallible and, better still, inspired by a real woman.”
—Ruth Downie, author of the bestselling Medicus series

“A brilliant debut novel. Rivals of the Republic is an enthralling and convincing imagining of Ancient Rome, by an author who combines profound scholarship with a fluent and readable literary style.”

–Harry Sidebottom, bestselling author of the Throne of the Caesars series

“Rivals of the Republic takes us on an exciting journey into its heart as a young woman proves herself a worthy adversary in a war of wits with even the great general Crassus and his rival Pompey the Great. The enticing cast of characters includes the famous orators Hortensius Hortalus and Cicero, Vestal virgins, gladiators, expert forgers, and the young Julius Caesar.”
—Margaret George, bestselling author of The Memoirs of Cleopatra

 
About the Author:

A history of the wives, daughters, mothers and sisters of Rome’s emperors, The First Ladies of Rome received widespread critical acclaim, including excellent reviews in the The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Times, The Mail on Sunday, The Independent, The Guardian and The Irish Times, and was named as a Non-Fiction Book of the Year in The Scotsman. It has been translated into eight languages. Annelise was interviewed about the book on the BBC’s Woman’s Hour and has also appeared in an episode of PBS’sSecrets of the Dead series, ‘Lost Ships of Rome’ and in CNN's landmark 'Finding Jesus: Fact, Faith, Forgery'.

She now combines Latin teaching with writing, and has moved into historical fiction. Her first novel Rivals of the Republic - the opening installment of The Blood of Rome series -  is a crime adventure set in the world of the late Roman Republic, centring on the real-life character of Hortensia, a young woman who has inherited the gifts of her father Hortensius, Rome’s flamboyant king of the law court. (An earlier version of the novel was previously published as an e-book calledBlood in the Tiber). 

Annelise lives with her partner in Dorset and is Head of Classics at Port Regis School. When not writing or teaching, she enjoys cooking, listening to Bruce Springsteen and watching Andy Murray's matches from behind a sofa.

Find Annelise Freisenbruch: Website | Twitter | Blog

 
Giveaway!

 
Hey everyone!  I have a great giveaway opportunity for you all today - a hardcover copy of Rivals of the Republic is up for grabs!  This giveaway is open to the USA and Canada and is open now through September 11th.  Entries will be made through the Rafflecopter below.  Good luck everyone!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 


Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: Mail Order Bride: Christy by Vivi Holt

Mail Order Bride: Christy by Vivi Holt

Book 1 in the Orphan Brides Go West series

ARC, e-Book, 146 pages

Black Lab Press

February 18, 2016

★★★½☆☆ 

Heat Rating:

Genre: Historical Romance, Western

Source: Received from author for beta and review of revised and extended version (from short story to novella)

Christy finds herself orphaned and alone when her parents are tragically killed in a robbery gone wrong. Without a home to return to, she is stranded in a strange town where she discovers the kindness of a stranger and an opportunity for new love.
Brent has lost the love of his life and after years of loneliness he hopes to find a life-long companion through a Mail Order Bride service.

When the two strangers meet sparks fly, but misunderstandings threaten to tear them apart. Before Christy and Brent can have their fairy tale ending they will have to learn to trust each other and take a chance on love.

I first want to note that this review is of the updated version of this story. It was originally released as a short story, which I also read, and since has been expanded to become a novella. While I enjoyed the short story, don’t get me wrong, the fleshed out novella added a lot to the areas that had left me wanting more and is a much better piece for it.

One of the things that I really liked, and that was beneficial in the short story version, is that it opens up right on the major, plot defining action of the train robbery. This event will craft Christy’s future and drive her decisions going forth. I loved diving right into the action. Plenty of backstory is given in flashbacks as Christy deals with the loss of her parents which made up for the lack of exposition caused by starting out with a significant plot event. In these few flashback scenes I found a solid sense of who Christy’s parents were and a starting point for who she was as a person to serve as a benchmark for her development throughout the piece.

Sometimes when reading/reviewing mail-order bride novels I comment on how the situation of the woman becoming a mail-order bride can sometimes feel contrived or underdeveloped, but that is not the case here. I found a true sense of the absolute helplessness that Christy felt upon being left to fend for herself on a trip to relocate out west. Being stuck in a mid-west town with the help of some caring strangers: does she choose to head back to the city of Philadelphia that she just left and no longer belongs; does she try to continue the trip out to California and attempt to start out on her own in a foreign land; or does she try her luck at an endeavor as a mail-order bride in the west where at least she would have someone to support her? I truly felt that her best choice, and possibly one I would have made myself given similar circumstances, was to sign up to be a mail-order bride. That choice offered the best sense of security and place to a woman’s whose whole world had collapsed.

In addition to Christy, we get to know a little bit about Brent, the intended husband. We are offered flashback glimpses of his life too in order to learn about why he applied for a mail-order bride to begin with. Like Christy, his was a sad backstory too. Although I feel he was given a bit less development than the heroine we still get a sound sense of who he is as a person and his actions throughout make sense, however, I would have liked just a little bit more to develop his character fully.

One of the strengths of the author is how she creates a world with a solid sense of both time and place. She has three distinct locations to handle: Philadelphia (seen through Christy’s flashback scenes), Topeka, Kansas (where she spends a little bit of time between the death of her parents and going to her new husband), and Oklahoma (where Brent has his ranch). Each location was distinct – Philadelphia felt like a traditional city with a history to it, Topeka was a bustling, but still up-and-coming city, and the ranch was very rural. You immediately had a sense of what was not available to Christy upon her arrival in Oklahoma and how this would be an entirely different world from the one that she had grown up in. Christy and Brent’s new life together starts off with an upsetting (for Christy) discussion of why they can’t have a church wedding and instantly draws a nice juxtaposition of city versus country living. Another parallel that is drawn is the sense of community, how it grew stronger the farther west Christy traveled. After her loss she did not find help from Philadelphia, only a cold shoulder, but upon arriving in Oklahoma she finds all the friends and neighbors ready to welcome her into their fold and help her get settled and this definitely contributed to the feel of the developing pioneer life in the west.

Things did not always go smoothly for Christy and Brent and for quite some time it was possible that Christy was destined not only to make a huge mess of things but to also head back home. Holt did an excellent job of developing their relationship from one of frustration with one another, to mutual understanding and effort, to deciding if this marriage thing was going to work. I found the relationship development to be realistic especially given the situation in which in came about.

Overall, I think that Holt did a fabulous job crafting this short story into a novella on par with some of the more recent works. I love that she decided to go back and build this one up and give more to the readers. Having read the work twice, I didn’t feel like I was reading the exact same story, the updates added so much to it; so if you read the short story you will not be disappointed to read the novella length book.

 
Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Between the Coverz

Buy the Book: Amazon


Also by Vivi Holt:

Mail Order Bride: Ramona

Mail Order Bride: Katie
[My Review]

Of Peaks and Prairies (Paradise Valley #1)
[My Review]

The Strong One by Vivi Holt (Cutter’s Creek Book 2)
[My Review]

The Betrothed by Vivi Holt (Cutter’s Creek Book 7)
[My Review]


Find Vivi Holt: Amazon Page | Facebook | Twitter

 
 


Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court

New Book Alert: What the Duke Doesn't Know - Excerpt and Giveaway

What the Duke Doesn’t Know by Jane Ashford

Book 2 of The Duke's Sons Series

Kindle & Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages

Sourcebooks Casablanca

Published: September 6^th 2016

ISBN: 9781492621591

Genre: Historical Romance

 

Book Blurb:

A proper English wife, or the freedom of the sea?

Lord James Gresham is the fifth son of the Duke of Langford, a captain in the Royal Navy, and at a loss for what to do next. He’s made his fortune; perhaps now he should find a proper wife and set up his nursery. But the sea calls to him, while his search for a wife leaves him uninspired. And then, a dark beauty with a heart for revenge is swept into his life.

He can’t have both, but he won’t give up either

Half-English, half-Polynesian Kawena Benson is out to avenge her father and reclaim a cache of stolen jewels. There’s nothing for James to do but protest his innocence and help Kawena search for the jewels, even though it turns his world upside down.

 Buy the Book: Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble  | Chapters | iBooks | Indiebound

 
About the Author:

Jane Ashford discovered Georgette Heyer in junior high school and was captivated by the glittering world and witty language of Regency England. That delight led her to study English literature and travel widely in Britain and Europe. Her historical and contemporary romances have been published in Sweden, Italy, England, Denmark, France, Russia, Latvia, Slovenia, and Spain, as well as the U.S. Twenty-six of her new and backlist Regency romances are being published by Sourcebooks. Jane has been nominated for a Career Achievement Award by RT Book Reviews. She is currently rather nomadic.

Find Jane Ashford: Website | Facebook
 
With five adventure seeking sons, there’s a lot that the Duke of Langford doesn’t know. Luckily for us, Jane Ashford has agreed to pull back the curtain and reveal one of the Langford family’s secrets – just remember, don’t tell the Duke!

One thing the Duke doesn’t know: That his son James, home from the navy, is now traveling all over England in an effort to prove he’s not a jewel thief.

 
An Excerpt:

James had just started his letter to Nathaniel when there was a knock at the door. “Come in,” he called without looking up.

He heard the door open, and a lilting voice say, “Hello.”

James turned in his chair. Kawena stepped through his bedchamber door, shut it, walked over, and sat down in the armchair by the empty fireplace. “I wanted to thank you,” she began.

“You can’t sit here,” James said.

She looked down at the comfortable chair, back up at him. “Why not?”

“This is my bedroom.” The moment he said it, he became acutely conscious of the bed just a few feet away.

“I know. I came up to thank—”

“It isn’t proper,” he blurted out.

“But you are taking some trouble to help me. When you don’t really wish to. I can see that, you know. It is only right that I thank—”

“Not that. You shouldn’t be in a man’s bedchamber. Alone. With him. Me.” He heard himself stammering like a callow youth, and was revolted. She was just so very beautiful. Utterly alluring, really. The effect seemed multiplied here in his private quarters. And she appeared so at ease—as if they knew each other far better than they actually did. James could almost imagine her coming over to him, offering a hand to pull him to his feet, and closer… No, this line of thought was unacceptable. He stood and moved toward the door instead. “It isn’t done,” he added. “Young ladies do not visit gentlemen in their bedchambers.” Well, some did, if what he’d heard about country house parties was true, but that was…irrelevant to this discussion.

“We must speak only downstairs?” wondered Kawena. “Is that an English rule?”

Her honest bewilderment was rather charming. “If a man and a woman are alone in a bedchamber, people assume they’re…up to something improper,” James explained.

“Getting into bed together, you mean?” Kawena replied without a trace of embarrassment. She gazed at the wide four-poster as if it was on exhibit.

James felt his cheeks redden. Years at sea might have left him unused to polite female company, but even his brother, Robert, the town beau, would have been confounded by this quite unusual young woman. “Er, yes.”

“But we are not.”

“No… Not in this case. However—”

“And no people know that I’m here,” she pointed out. “I told no one I was coming up.”

“You can never tell when there’s a servant about,” James replied. The staff at Langford always seemed well aware of everyone’s movements.

“Do they hide and watch?” said Kawena, looking surprised.

James choked back a laugh, and then wondered if maybe they did. How else would that housemaid have seen Sebastian with the frogs…? But that was beside the point. He needed to remove a lovely young woman from his bedchamber—didn’t he? Yes, yes. And wasn’t that a problem he’d never imagined having? When had it become his job to preach the proprieties? He felt like a fool even trying. But if she didn’t go soon, he might not be able to resist… James decided to shift the onus off onto someone else. “This is my brother’s house. I wouldn’t wish to upset him, or his wife.”

Kawena cocked her head. “Your brother and Ariel would not approve of my being here?”

James assumed so. No, of course they wouldn’t. And that was beside the point. He nodded.

To his relief, Kawena rose at once. “I would not wish to offend them. They have been very kind to me.” She shrugged as she moved toward the door. “My father always says…” She paused, swallowed. “Said that it is rude to disregard others’ customs when it does you no harm to observe them.”

“Pr…precisely.” She passed quite close to him on her way out. Her long fall of black hair swayed seductively with each step. Was he really throwing her out of his room? Her initial words came floating back. She’d come up to thank him. Perhaps with something warmer than words? Some marvelous island custom? No. She hadn’t meant that. Clearly, obviously. No sign whatsoever of any such thing, despite her unembarrassed mention of bedding. Besides, it would be an awkward complication, as they were living together in his brother’s house. Not together. As fellow guests. Strangers, in fact.

“Good night,” said Kawena.

“Good night,” James replied, shutting the door firmly behind her.

He leaned against it, listening to her soft footsteps retreat along the corridor. Perhaps helping her wasn’t quite such a burden. It would give him a chance to become better acquainted with one of the loveliest, and most unusual, girls he’d ever encountered. Her courage and fire drew him—now that she’d stopped calling him names. How many women, how many people, would have done as she had, sailing halfway around the world to find justice? Very few, hardly any, really, he thought. She’d looked positively intrepid, stepping out of the shrubbery with her gun. And under his hands, on the turf, she’d felt… James fell into a pleasant reverie. It was some time before he returned to his letter.

 
A Giveaway!!!

As part of the tour for What the Duke Doesn't Know, we also have a tourwide giveaway for 10 copies of Heir to the Duke, the first in the Duke’s Sons series. The giveaway will run from August 28, 2016 through September 19, 2016.  Please note, that as I am not the tour coordinator I cannot answer any questions about this giveaway, you should contact the coordinator.  Good luck to everyone!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 


Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court

Wish List 5: Wives of Famous Men

Once a month I am planning on sharing with you all 5 of my biggest wish list books broken up by theme. I know that you all need more on your TBR!!! This month's theme focuses on titular women who are mostly known to history (if at all) for being the wives of famous men. Some of these women have powerful stories in their own right, but we just don't hear about them.  I am hopeful that those books I chose for this list will bring their stories to light.

** Please note - this post has been updated**  I had originally included The Raven's Bride by Lenore Hart as one of my wishlist books.  However, I have since heard about the major scandal over this book regarding the possibility of plagiarism with The Very Young Mrs. Poe by Cothburn O'Neal.  To me, the similarities are quite striking and even though the publisher stood behind Hart, I can't support an author on this blog who I have strong suspicions of plagiarizing.  Therefore, I have swapped that book out for another, that being, Call Me Zelda by Erika Robuck.  I hope you respect my choice not to support this author in this venue as I try to bring you the best recommendations.

Mrs. Houdini by Victoria Kelly

A captivating debut novel, meticulously researched and beautifully imagined, about the passionate marriage of Harry and Bess Houdini—a love story that defied death itself.

Before escape artist Harry Houdini died, he vowed he would find a way to speak to his beloved wife Bess from beyond the grave using a coded message known only to the two of them. When a widowed Bess begins seeing this code in seemingly impossible places, it becomes clear that Harry has an urgent message to convey. Unlocking the puzzle will set Bess on a course back through the pair’s extraordinary romance, which swept the illusionist and his bride from the beaches of Coney Island, to the palaces of Budapest, to the back lots of Hollywood. When the mystery finally leads Bess to the doorstep of a mysterious young photographer, she realizes that her husband’s magic may have been more than just illusion.

In surprising turns that weave through the uncertain days of the dawn of the twentieth century and continue into the dazzling 1920s, Mrs. Houdini is a thrilling tale that will take you deep into the heart of one of history’s greatest love stories—asking what drives people to believe in something bigger than themselves—even as it reveals the famous magician’s most remarkable feat of all.

The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict

A vivid and mesmerizing novel about the extraordinary woman who married and worked with one of the greatest scientists in history.

What secrets may have lurked in the shadows of Albert Einstein’s fame? His first wife, Mileva “Mitza” Marić, was more than the devoted mother of their three children—she was also a brilliant physicist in her own right, and her contributions to the special theory of relativity have been hotly debated for more than a century.

In 1896, the extraordinarily gifted Mileva is the only woman studying physics at an elite school in Zürich. There, she falls for charismatic fellow student Albert Einstein, who promises to treat her as an equal in both love and science. But as Albert’s fame grows, so too does Mileva’s worry that her light will be lost in her husband’s shadow forever.

A literary historical in the tradition of The Paris Wife and Mrs. Poe,The Other Einstein reveals a complicated partnership that is as fascinating as it is troubling.

Mrs. Hemmingway by Naomi Wood

The Paris Wife was only the beginning of the story . . .

Paula McLain’s New York Times–bestselling novel piqued readers’ interest about Ernest Hemingway’s romantic life. But Hadley was only one of four women married, in turn, to the legendary writer. Just as T.C. Boyle’s bestseller The Women completed the picture begun by Nancy Horan’s Loving Frank, Naomi Wood’s Mrs. Hemingway tells the story of how it was to love, and be loved by, the most famous and dashing writer of his generation. Hadley, Pauline, Martha and Mary: each Mrs. Hemingway thought their love would last forever; each one was wrong.

Told in four parts and based on real love letters and telegrams, Mrs. Hemingway reveals the explosive love triangles that wrecked each of Hemingway's marriages. Spanning 1920s bohemian Paris through 1960s Cold War America, populated with members of the fabled "Lost Generation," Mrs. Hemingway is a riveting tale of passion, love, and heartbreak.

The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin

In her national bestseller Alice I Have Been, Melanie Benjamin imagined the life of the woman who inspired Alice in Wonderland. Now, in this jubilant new novel, Benjamin shines a dazzling spotlight on another fascinating female figure whose story has never fully been told: a woman who became a nineteenth century icon and inspiration—and whose most daunting limitation became her greatest strength.

“Never would I allow my size to define me. Instead, I would define it.”

She was only two-foot eight-inches tall, but her legend reaches out to us more than a century later. As a child, Mercy Lavinia “Vinnie” Bump was encouraged to live a life hidden away from the public. Instead, she reached out to the immortal impresario P. T. Barnum, married the tiny superstar General Tom Thumb in the wedding of the century, and transformed into the world’s most unexpected celebrity.

Here, in Vinnie’s singular and spirited voice, is her amazing adventure—from a showboat “freak” revue where she endured jeering mobs to her fateful meeting with the two men who would change her life: P. T. Barnum and Charles Stratton, AKA Tom Thumb. Their wedding would captivate the nation, preempt coverage of the Civil War, and usher them into the White House and the company of presidents and queens. But Vinnie’s fame would also endanger the person she prized most: her similarly-sized sister, Minnie, a gentle soul unable to escape the glare of Vinnie’s spotlight.

A barnstorming novel of the Gilded Age, and of a woman’s public triumphs and personal tragedies, The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb is the irresistible epic of a heroine who conquered the country with a heart as big as her dreams—and whose story will surely win over yours.

Call Me Zelda by Erika Robuck

From the author of Hemingway’s Girl comes a richly imagined tale of Zelda Fitzgerald’s love, longing, and struggle against ever-threatening insanity.

From New York to Paris, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald reigned as king and queen of the Jazz Age, but those who really knew them saw their inner turmoil.

Committed to a Baltimore psychiatric hospital in 1932, Zelda vacillates between lucidity and madness as she fights to forge an identity independent of her famous husband. She discovers a sympathetic ear in her nurse Anna Howard, who finds herself drawn into the Fitzgerald’s tumultuous lives and wonders which of them is the true genius. But in taking greater emotional risks to save Zelda, Anna may end up paying a far higher price than she ever intended.

In this thoroughly researched, deeply moving novel, Erika Robuck explores the boundaries of female friendship, the complexity of marital devotion, and the sources of both art and madness.

Looking for some other novels about other famous wives?  Try these!

      The Traitor's Wife    The Ambitious Madame Bonaparte         Mrs. Poe             
    ★★★★☆                                ★★★★☆                          ★★★★★

Here are some of the wishlists from a few of my friends this month:

• Magdalena @ A Bookaholic Swede - The Romanov's
  
• Holly @ 2 Kids and Tired - Autobiographies
  
• Colleen @ A Literary Vacation - Novels Set in WWI
  
• Stephanie @ Layered Pages - A Little of This and A Little of That
• Erin @ Flashlight Commentary - Books Set in India

Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: The Betrothed by Vivi Holt

The Betrothed by Vivi Holt

Book 7 in the Cutter’s Creek Series

ARC, e-Book, 204 pages

Black Lab Press

August 8, 2016

★★★★☆

Heat Rating:

Genre: Historical Fiction, Western, Romance, Regency

Source: Received from Author for Beta and Review

Lady Charlotte Beaufort of Beaufort Manor, England, is accustomed to the finer things in life. She’s used to everything going her way. But it’s all about to change.

When her parents force her into an engagement with the Duke of Notherington, a man she barely knows, she runs away – traveling aboard a steamer to the New World.

Harry Brown, a silversmith’s apprentice from Greyburn, doesn’t stand a chance with the beautiful Charlotte. Then he runs afoul of the local thug, and he and his sister have to leave town. When Charlotte and Harry cross paths, the attraction is undeniable – but can they overcome generations of social barriers to admit their true feelings for one another?

Take a journey from the beautiful Lakes District of England to untamed Cutter's Creek, Montana Territory, where the rules of love are made to be broken.

This book started out as a bit of confusion for me at first: I didn’t realize that this starts out as a Regency in England, then makes its way to New York with immigrants, and then crosses the frontier en route to becoming a Western. This is something that I haven’t experienced previously, the mixing of two seemingly very different subgenres of historical romance. I will say that the two genres do not overlap, but rather seamlessly morph into the next thanks to the added stop in New York which doesn’t really fit either genre except within the greater arc of westward movement. Let me say that I did not love the Regency part of this novel as much as the Western. I strongly feel that Holt’s strength lies in her handling of the frontier life and I was ready to move away from England and get there fairly quickly.

While this story really follows the movements of three characters, Harry, Charlotte, and Camilla, it is really a story of change and evolution for Charlotte. From beginning to end she transforms from a high-society debutante who is destined to wed a duke to a frontierswoman capable of holding her own. Ordinarily this might not be so believable, however Holt has created a period of transition with the stopover in New York. It is here that Charlotte had a true introduction to the harsh realities of life, is brought very low, and then begins to see what she must do to survive in this new life she has opted for. You see the interplay of the perceptions of the life she grew up living and the new reality required on the frontier, not only from Charlotte’s perspective but that of Harry too. It was refreshing to see a heroine who has her damsel in distress moments but then can grow from that into her own person. Sure she makes plenty of mistakes along the way, but that is what made her feel the most realistic. Of the three characters I felt that Camilla could have used a bit more crafting. I know that she wasn’t the main crux of the story relationship-wise, but she is present right there with Harry and Charlotte throughout the whole thing. Unlike the other two, I didn’t feel that I was able to get to know her quite as well.

When we finally arrive in Cutter’s Creek I was very excited to see some familiar faces, from Holt’s prior contribution to the series, The Strong One. It was a striking moment for me when I made the familial connections.

Overall I found this to be a strong contribution to the Cutter’s Creek series, however I found that her prior outing, The Strong One, was a more solidly crafted piece.


Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Between the Coverz

Buy the Book: Amazon


Also by Vivi Holt:

Mail Order Bride: Christy

Mail Order Bride: Ramona

Mail Order Bride: Katie
[My Review]

Of Peaks and Prairies (Paradise Valley #1)
[My Review]

Other Books in the Cutter’s Creek Series:
The Cutter’s Creek series is a loosely interconnected series of novellas that all take place in Cutter’s Creek, Montana, each written by a different author.

The Healing Touch by Kit Morgan (Book 1)

The Strong One by Vivi Holt (Book 2)
[My Review]

New Beginnings by Annie Boone (Book 3)

A Lily Blooms by Kari Trumbo (Book 4)

A Penny Shines by Kari Trumbo (Book 5)

Becoming a Family by Annie Boone (Book 6)

 
Find Vivi Holt: Amazon Page | Facebook | Twitter

 
 


Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court

Historical Board Game Spotlight: New Bedford

New Bedford, a Game of Historic Whaling & Town Building

Designed by Nat Levan

Published by Dice Hate Me Games

1-4 Players ... 30-60 min ... Ages 13+

Set in the mid-1800s, the historical age of whaling, New Bedford gives 1 to 4 players the chance to build the Massachusetts town of the same name into a thriving community.  Gather resources to add buildings with new actions, and launch ships to go whaling.  Go out longest for the best choice, but wait too long and the whales become harder to catch.  And don't forget to pay your crew when ships return!  Carefully balance risk management and timing to become a leader of industry in this medium-weight worker placement and resource management game.

New Bedford, Massachusetts was one of the prime whaling communities of North America in the 1800's.  The whaling industry allowed cities to crop up along the Atlantic coast and drew cunning business moguls and gruff tradesmen alike to the salty shores.  Whale carcasses were used for many things, the most important of which was the oil obtained from rendering the fat.  This oil was used to light houses and street lamps until the more efficient and environmentally friendly kerosene was discovered.  Many different species of whales were targeted, including the peaceful and blubber-dense right whale, the larger bowhead whale, and the sperm whale, whose head cavity was filled with a valuable liquid form of oil.  As time wore on, whaling ships served to drastically reduce whale populations and drive the animals further and further from the shore.

The game of New Bedford seeks to replicate the whaling and town building process that took place around these times.  Players adopt the role of business men in charge of whaling ships.  Using money and resources, they build and launch ships to collect whales and use their reputation and funds to construct buildings in the town and gain dominance over New Bedford.

Your Whaling Empire

You start the game with an individual player board.  This contains a warehouse to store your goods, depictions of ships where you place whales they have caught, and a scoring area where you place whales that have been returned and successfully harvested.  Each player also starts with two workers and two ships in their supply, which they use to complete certain actions and catch whales.

A player board mid-game, along with the ocean bag where whales are found

The Sea Side Town

A central board depicts the town of New Bedford.  At the start of the game, it is very small and houses only the most simple structures.  As the game progresses, players build more districts and expand its borders.  Each building represents and action that can be performed which will progress your whaling venture.  For example, the farm allows you to collect food, the forest allows you to collect wood, and the town hall allows you to build new buildings.  Players take turns placing their workers on the board and taking actions.  The player who uses an action first usually gains a bonus, so it pays to prioritize your actions!

The town board has been expanded and workers have been placed to take actions

The Open Ocean

Once you collect enough resources, you may construct a ship, hire a crew, and launch it into the ocean to seek your fortune.  The further into the sea you wish to send a ship, the more hardtack (food) you need to spend.  However, the best whales are found further out.  Every round, the ships you have sent out sail closer back to the harbor, and collect whales as they travel.  Tiles are drawn from the ocean bag which represent varying whale varieties as well as open ocean.  If your crew finds only ocean open and no whales, it will negatively affect your future earnings.  As the game goes on, there is a greater chance you will draw open ocean from the bag.  This mirrors the fact that historic whaling severely threatened whale populations.  When your ship, laden with whales, finally returns to harbor, you will need to pay the lay, which is a term for the wages of your crew.  If you can pay your crew, you can collect victory points for the whales they caught.  If you cannot pay the crew, you will sell the whales to your opponents.  You will get money, but they will get the points.

The whaling board, depicting players' ships returning to town

The game lasts 12 rounds.  At the end of the last round, players total up their victory points.  Points are earned primarily by bringing in whales, but can also be earned by building up the town as well as collecting and amassing a fortune.  Whoever has the most points wins!

New Bedford is a great game in that it combines strategic gameplay with historical value.  The rise and fall of the whaling industry was an important event in the history of the United States and the world, and this theme has never been explored in the form of a board game.  This game is relatively easy to learn but there is strategy behind every decision.  Even people who are not "gamers" will be able to find enjoyment in playing out the historical aspects that New Bedford brings to the table.

In a pinch, the box can be used as a cat bed!

Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court

Historical Spotlight: Nantucket Whaling Museum

To visit Nantucket is really to visit the history of this little island off the coast of Massachusetts (I mean, you could go and not take in the history, but that’s not why we are all here!). One of the things I adamantly wanted to do when we went to Nantucket was to visit the Nantucket Whaling Museum (my husband, not so much). Seeing as so much of Nantucket’s history is wrapped up in the whaling industry of the 1800’s I wanted to see it for myself before we went on the fun part of our adventure (distillery tours, etc).

Just a short walk from where the ferry boats arrive, the Nantucket Whaling Museum is situated in a beautiful part of the historic town – you definitely feel like you walked into a 19^th century area with all the 21^st century amenities. The building itself was built in 1846 and was originally a candle factory which was involved in the whaling industry as the utilized spermaceti (a highly coveted at the time wax like substance that was only found in the head of sperm whales) in the candle making. After the whaling industry died off it was used as a warehouse and offices, and has now become the beautiful home of the Nantucket Whaling Museum.

For the price of a $6 ticket (adult) you can get access to the Nantucket Whaling Museum as well as the following other historical sites on the island: the Oldest House, the Old Mill, Greater Light, Old Gaol, and Fire Hose Cart House (a $10 adult ticket also includes a walking tour). We unfortunately did not make it to any of the other historical sites or on the walking tour because my ankle had raging tendonitis that week and just the limited walking we did that day left me with a softball sized inflammation on it. So we only did the museum, but that alone was worth the $6 price tag.

The other historical sites included in the ticket price
Photo Credit: Nantucket Historical Association Instagram

The first thing we did was watch a portion of the Nantucket film that is shown there – to get a feel for the island and to rest my ankle. It is a 50 minute film, so we didn’t watch the whole thing, but we certainly got a feel for where we were and if you have a few minutes to pop in to watch even just a part of in you won’t be disappointed. After that, we walked around the main gallery room which housed a full sized sperm whale skeleton. This whale had washed up on shore already dead on Nantucket in the 1990s and it is now beautifully displayed in the museum. It is amazing to stand beneath it and really get an idea of just how large that animal is. On the walls and around the gallery are displays of items of the whaling trade and information about them.

Next we headed upstairs to another gallery area that serves as a rotating exhibition space. While we were there, and this was the year that In the Heart of the Sea was due to come out in film, the display was called Stove by a Whale and revolved around the sinking of the whaleship Essex and the fates of those men aboard it (this exhibition is still there through November 2016, so you have time to see it if you get out there). This was a really cool and interactive exhibit. At the start you pull a sailor card from the box and you follow his plight throughout the exhibit. There is a timeline on the floor with stops that tell you what was happening in the life of that voyage and at certain major events there is a box that you can slide your card into and it will reveal if your sailor made it through that event. There is also a scale replica of one of the whaleboats that these men would have drifted in for days and when you sit in it you get a very real idea of just how small the world would have been for these men and how daunting the sea. My sailor stayed behind on a deserted island and was eventually rescued, my husband’s sailor died at sea.

Top: (L & M) Stove by a Whale Exhibit; (R) The Sperm Whale Skeleton
Bottom: (L) The Roof Walk; (R) Entrance to the Whaling Museum
Photo Credit: Me

Our next stop was the roof top walk. This is a beautiful space to just relax and take in the view of Nantucket’s harbor, but can also be utilized for events (it would be a beautiful location for a small reception or meeting). We took the stairs down from there and you can view one of the glass lenses that used to be in one of the lighthouses on the island, which was pretty cool.

Just one example of a type of scrimshaw
Photo Credit: Nantucket Historical Association Instagram

There are several other permanent exhibit galleries such as scrimshaw art (carvings in and on whale teeth and ivory), portraits of ship’s captains, decorative arts, and a gallery related to the history of candle making. All pretty cool, but we didn’t spend a lot of time here as I had come for the Stove by a Whale exhibit and we had other things to see and do that day. You can read more about their permanent exhibits as well as their rotating exhibitions here. Oh, and there is a pretty awesome gift shop there as well – I bought some cute tea towels for my kitchen that have a sperm whale and a ship on them, but I could have bought a bunch more things.

If you are going to be in Nantucket, I encourage you to spend an hour or two at the Nantucket Whaling Museum, it is a very well done museum that showcases that island’s history – and it is rather inexpensive too.

You can follow the Nantucket Whaling Museum on Instagram (technically the Nantucket Historical Association) and check out their Youtube channel for some interesting videos of the museum and local history.


Have you been to Nantucket?  What did you do on the island?  Have you visited the Whaling Museum?

 


Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court