A Good Marriage

Big Little Lies meets Presumed Innocent in this

ISBN 0062367684
(ISBN13: 9780062367686)

riveting novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia, in which a woman’s brutal murder reveals the perilous compromises some couples make—and the secrets they keep—in order to stay together.
Lizzie Kitsakis is working late when she gets the call. Grueling hours are standard at elite law firms like Young & Crane, but they’d be easier to swallow if Lizzie was there voluntarily. Until recently, she’d been a happily underpaid federal prosecutor. That job and her brilliant, devoted husband Sam—she had everything she’d ever wanted. And then, suddenly, it all fell apart.
No. That’s a lie. It wasn’t sudden, was it? Long ago the cracks in Lizzie’s marriage had started to show. She was just good at averting her eyes.
The last thing Lizzie needs right now is a call from an inmate at Rikers asking for help—even if Zach Grayson is an old friend. But Zach is desperate: his wife, Amanda, has been found dead at the bottom of the stairs in their Brooklyn brownstone. And Zach’s the primary suspect.
As Lizzie is drawn into the dark heart of idyllic Park Slope, she learns that Zach and Amanda weren’t what they seemed—and that their friends, a close-knit group of fellow parents at the exclusive Grace Hall private school, might be protecting troubling secrets of their own. In the end, she’s left wondering not only whether her own marriage can be saved, but what it means to have a good marriage in the first place.

400 pages

Published May 5th 2020

(Harper)

First Impression

Set in the 1st person, A Good Marriage tells the story of Lizze and Amanda with a manuscript of the jury.

One evening whilst working late at the office, Lizzie receives a call from a friend, Zach, who after coming home from a "adult party" finds his wife, Amanda dead and has been arrested on suspicion of her death. 

After agreeing reluctantly to represent him 

My Rating ⭐⭐

A Good Marriage is BOTM for May 2020. 

So I was instantly expecting the book to have the WOW factor even though it was a slow paced book.

However, it failed to grip me in a meaningful way, which is a disappointment when there was a lot of 5 star reviews. 

I was not keen on Amanda's character and felt no connection to any of the characters. The writing was sloppy and all over place, making I it difficult to pick the plot back up after putting down... The court testimony seem pointless and irrelevant leading me to at times having to re-read previous pages.

After reading 100 pages I had to give up as I couldn't stand to read anymore.

Quotes

Heart of the Warrior, #2

Severin was born to be a warrior. Conceived as a mixed-blood when his vampire father sexually

ISBN 1937252175
(ISBN13: 9781937252175)

assaulted his dreck mother over two centuries ago, Severin retained the power of iron skin inherent to newborn drecks. However, Sev keeps this secret closely guarded. If it's discovered that inferior dreck blood flows in his vampire veins, it could destroy his life. And to make matters worse, his father suddenly wants to make amends for his transgressions. Sev wants nothing of his father's apology, especially now, as he contends with both an assassin who has marked Sev for blood vengeance and his overwhelming attraction to his teammate, Arion.
Arion is the son of King Bain's liaison, Gregos Savakis, who had Ari's course plotted before he was even born. But what Ari's overbearing parents wanted for him wasn't what Arion wanted for himself, and a lifetime spent fighting through one relationship after another with females from all walks of life has left him weary in his search for a mate. After a startling and erotic encounter with Sev over a month ago, Ari has begun to realize why. He's gay. And now he can't stop thinking about Sev. Arion suddenly realizes he's been forcing himself to be with females because that's what his parents expected. But what he wants is a male, and not just any male. Arion wants Severin.
Can the two overcome the secrets, prejudice, plotting, and the threat on Severin's life to find happily ever after with each other?

330 pages

Published May 23rd 2012

(Phoenix Press)

First Impression

Set in the 3rd person Heart of the Warrior continues from the Rise of the Fallen this time sharing Severin and Arion's story...

Both have their own secrets, which helps to work out the plot as they are scared of reaction they would get it they shared their secrets with those around them.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐

Although, repetitive at times I enjoyed reading Heart of the Warrior I noticed some mistakes with vocabulary towards the end. 

Filled with plenty of drama from beginning to end, but I found that the sexual scenes appeared to fast. 

Heart of the Warrior I felt was very beneficial to people who are struggling to help people in that are struggling to explain their sexuality to others helping them to see there is a way forward all they have to do is be brave.

Quotes

Knight of Pleasure, #2

THE GREATEST PASSION

ISBN 0446553387
(ISBN13: 9780446553384)

Lady Isobel Hume is an expert swordswoman who knows how to choose her battles. When the king asks her to wed a French nobleman to form a political alliance, she agrees. But that's before the devilishly charming Sir Stephen Carleton captures her heart-and tempts her to betray her betrothed, her king, and her country.
IS WORTH THE GREATEST PERIL
Sir Stephen Carleton enjoys his many female admirers-until he dedicates himself to winning the lovely Isobel. So when a threat against the king leads Isobel into mortal danger, Stephen has a chance to prove that he is more than a knight of pleasure...and that love can conquer all.

363 pages

Published December 1st 2009

(Forever)

First Impression

set in the 3rd person Knight of Pleasure begins with a Prologue set in the year 1409 in Northumberland, where it gives an insight into the mind of a 13 year old Isobel, who is more interested in playing knights with boys, which her father forbade her from doing. She was supposed to focus on not getting her gown dirty. Until her father appears with Lord Hume...

In the 1417, after the death of her husband, Lord Hume. Isobels' promised land's have been given to Bartholomew Graham, who even as a child always has circled around her, cheating at games and been a bully. 

She and her father rush to the bishop in hopes of challenging Grahams' ownership. Upon arriving she is told she has 3 choices marry Graham, return to her father to be married again to someone of his choice, or a political marriage to a Frenchman.

Sir Stephen is the typical knight, taking solace in Ale and women. While in Normandy, the King gives him the task of being an administrator until the French army decide to face the English army in battle. 

My Rating 

I was looking forward to reading Stephen's story since being introduced to him in the first book, Knight of Desire...

And I wasn't disappointed a Knight of Pleasure gave action, intrigue and passion.

I love the fact that Isobel wasn't a typical woman of the time and learnt how to use a sword. Also, that there was an element of spy work going off.

Before I knew it I was in the last page one thing I would have liked is the Epilogue to give a little more information about what they have been doing because Isobel and Stephen have kids but give no age.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good Historical Romance with strong main charaters.

Quotes

Elizabeth of York: A Tudor Queen and Her World

Many are familiar with the story of

ISBN 0345521366
(ISBN13: 9780345521361)

the much-married King Henry VIII of England and the celebrated reign of his daughter, Elizabeth I. But it is often forgotten that the life of the first Tudor queen, Elizabeth of York, Henry’s mother and Elizabeth’s grandmother, spanned one of England’s most dramatic and perilous periods. Now New York Times bestselling author and acclaimed historian Alison Weir presents the first modern biography of this extraordinary woman, whose very existence united the realm and ensured the survival of the Plantagenet bloodline.
Her birth was greeted with as much pomp and ceremony as that of a male heir. The first child of King Edward IV, Elizabeth enjoyed all the glittering trappings of royalty. But after the death of her father; the disappearance and probable murder of her brothers—the Princes in the Tower; and the usurpation of the throne by her calculating uncle Richard III, Elizabeth found her world turned upside-down: She and her siblings were declared bastards.
As Richard’s wife, Anne Neville, was dying, there were murmurs that the king sought to marry his niece Elizabeth, knowing that most people believed her to be England’s rightful queen. Weir addresses Elizabeth’s possible role in this and her covert support for Henry Tudor, the exiled pretender who defeated Richard at the Battle of Bosworth and was crowned Henry VII, first sovereign of the House of Tudor. Elizabeth’s subsequent marriage to Henry united the houses of York and Lancaster and signaled the end of the Wars of the Roses. For centuries historians have asserted that, as queen, she was kept under Henry’s firm grasp, but Weir shows that Elizabeth proved to be a model consort—pious and generous—who enjoyed the confidence of her husband, exerted a tangible and beneficial influence, and was revered by her son, the future King Henry VIII.
Drawing from a rich trove of historical records, Weir gives a long overdue and much-deserved look at this unforgettable princess whose line descends to today’s British monarch—a woman who overcame tragedy and danger to become one of England’s most beloved consorts.

572 pages

Published December 3rd 2013

(Ballantine Books)

First Impression

Alison Weir gives an outlined account of the life of Elizabeth of York, a woman who was seen as a crucial influence to the present British Monarchy. 

Through her book, Elizabeth of York, she highlights the decisions and influences of a important time in history and uses research to answer possibly some of the most controversial questions of the modern day.

My Rating ⭐

I felt that even though the book was suppose to be about Elizabeth of York it tended to be about everything else but her...

The prologue detailed information about the war of the roses, (also known as the Cousin's war).

From there Weir, gave information from her parents to Warwick, and Margaret Beaufort, sharing her marriage and her pregnancy of Henry VII.

I found that it was quite difficult to follow as the timeline seemed to be very random in one section Warwick had been killed by King Edward IV then it jumped to 1469 where Warwick was rebelling against Edward IV.

From the sections about Elizabeth, I was able to read I found that...In the year 1466, February 11th, Elizabeth, was born at Westminster, the first child between King Edward IV and Elizabeth Wydeville. 

Growing up she would have been aware that she was the daughter of the King, with a sense of her worldly importance, becoming use to travel at infancy.

At the age of 4, Elizabeth and her siblings, Mary and Cecily, were hurried in secrecy upstream to Westminster by their mother, who was reported 7 months pregnant, and maternal grandmother, after her father was forced to flee to the low countries, to be further reunited 5 months later, and for their security moved to the tower of London.

Unfortunately at chapter 2, I decided that it wasn't going to get any better and it would be within my best interest to stop reading, which is a shame because I really enjoy history and know a lot about the Tudor period.

I'm not sure if I can honestly recommend, Elizabeth of York by Alison Weir to anyone but I am sure that there will be someone who will find it a good read.

Quotes

Rise of the Fallen, #1

In the streets of Chicago exists an uneasy, centuries-old truce between vampires and their distant cousins,

ASIN B007OALZAI

a race of shifters called drecks. Vampire enforcement agency, All the King’s Men (AKM), is charged with maintaining the truce, but when volatile enforcer Micah Black loses his mate and falls into the biological agony that results from the broken bond, he tests the boundaries of the truce by seeking out Apostle, a leader in the dreck community. Micah wants Apostle to kill him, a request Apostle is more than happy to fulfill.
When ex-Army medic Samantha Garrett inadvertently disrupts the plot and saves Micah’s life, a chain reaction sets Micah’s heart on a collision course with Sam’s, but he will have to protect her from Apostle and her obsessive ex-husband, Steve, if they will have a chance at forever. Can Micah hold his emotions together to keep Sam alive?

186 pages

Published March 23rd 2012

(Phoenix Press)

Just a warning there is mention of self-harm and domestic violence...if you or someone you know is experiencing from any of these issues, please contact someone it could either be friends, family or professional help.

First Impression

Set in the 3rd person Rise of the Fallen tells the story of Micah and Samantha.

Micah is suffering from a broken heart after Jackson, his second mate left him a week ago and in a effort to relieve it he seeks to lose himself to pain, via fights each night.

For Samantha, the ex-Army medic, working as a dancer at night is the only way she can avoid leaving a trace from her abusive ex-husband.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐

I really enjoyed reading Rise of the Fallen I was captivated by then relationship between Sam and Micah till the end.

It was a fast pace book I felt, but it didn't take away from the story itself. There was plenty of action and the sexual scenes were very heated.

I would recommend Rise of the Fallen to anyone it was worth the read I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Heart of the Warrior.

Quotes

The Distant Hours

A long lost letter arrives in the

ISBN 1439152780
(ISBN13: 9781439152782)

post and Edie Burchill finds herself on a journey to Milderhurst Castle, a great but moldering old house, where the Blythe spinsters live and where her mother was billeted 50 years before as a 13 year old child during WWII. The elder Blythe sisters are twins and have spent most of their lives looking after the third and youngest sister, Juniper, who hasn’t been the same since her fiance jilted her in 1941.
Inside the decaying castle, Edie begins to unravel her mother’s past. But there are other secrets hidden in the stones of Milderhurst, and Edie is about to learn more than she expected. The truth of what happened in ‘the distant hours’ of the past has been waiting a long time for someone to find it.
Morton once again enthralls readers with an atmospheric story featuring unforgettable characters beset by love and circumstance and haunted by memory, that reminds us of the rich power of storytelling.

562 pages

Published November 9th 2010

(Atria)

First Impression

Set in the 1st person The Distant Hours is categorised into five different parts telling the story of  Edie, her mother, and Jupiter Blythe. 

The prologue grabs you and pulls you in, by both feet. After which, starts in 1992 with a letter.

Edie's mother after receiving a letter from a past friend, Jupiter Blythe on a Sunday, and begins to recap of her life as a 12/13 year old child during the second world war.

My Rating ⭐⭐

As the story progresses we as the audience find out a lot more than expected...

But unfortunately I had a hard time getting a feel for the book and after trying to settle in to a rhythm, at 8 chapters having not made any head way, I had to call it quits.

I love the fact that it was descriptive and loved the prologue but I wasn't going to force myself to read.

Quotes

Magic to the Bone, #1

Allie would rather moonlight as a Hound 

ISBN 0451462408
(ISBN13: 9780451462404)

than accept the family fortune - and the strings that come with it. All magic use has costs -- hers include migraines and memory loss. She finds a boy dying from a magic Offload with her father's signature, then her father is murdered. Allie's search for the truth calls on her country friend and the handsome man originally assigned as her bodyguard. Someone is forging magic signatures -- and hers is on her dead father.

355 pages

Published November 4th 2008

(New American Library)

First Impression

Magic to the Bone tells the story of Allie, a down-on-her-luck 25 year old woman who has try and make bed meet with low pay hound work.

Taking her black book and pen to help with her memory loss Allie goes to help the superstitious Mama Rossitto after receiving a call about a boy been hurt. 

Upon arriving and seeing the boy she finds that it is a serious problem and use of magic and begins to deal with the situation.

My Rating ⭐⭐

Changing from 1st person when discussing Allie and to 3rd person when talking about Cody. 

I found Magic to the Bone to be very bland, telling the tale of Allie Beckstrom and how the events of her dad been dead with her own magical signature on him leads to danger and betrayal in unexpected places.

I was disappointed as a there could have been so much more to the plot than there was which I felt let The book down, leaving it a chore to read in some parts.

I also felt The spacing between each paragraph was very off putting. 

I don't know if I would recommend it as it just left me feeling 'meh' but I would be willing to read the next book in the series, Magic in the Blood before deciding whether to give the series a miss it not.

Quotes

“...Magic is a heartless bitch, and she's had me by the throat for years.”

A Discovery of Witches, #1

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a

ISBN  0670022411
(ISBN13: 9780670022410)

bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

579 pages

Published February 2011

(Viking Penguin)

First Impression

Set in the 1st person A Discovery of Witches is the first book in the All Souls Trilogy linked to the t.v. show of the same name.

Through the book we learn about the story behind the relationship of Diana a scholar who is a descendant of Bishop witches and the vampire Matthew.  

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I found the first chapter very confusing, but found reading easier as I read more. 

A Discovery of Witches gives the viewpoints of both Diana and Matthew.

After Diana calls for the Ashmole 782 her world is turned upside down...daemons, vampires, and witches seem to pop up out over nowhere.

Throughout the chapters we learn of Diana's relationship between Matthew, which comes across as been very mixed in the beginning but also explores her relationships with other characters like Gillian , who I think is a very rude untrustworthy person that is stuck up herself as we see when she is discussing Diana's family.

Also Peter Knox, who  comes across as a power greedy man that can be seen when he discusses Ashmole 782 with Diana.

I enjoyed reading about the connection and bond between Diana and Matthew. I would recommend A Discovery Quotes Witches to anyone who liked Twilight...I look forward to reading the the next book in the series Shadow of Night.

Quotes

“Just because something seems impossible doesn’t make it untrue,”

“It begins with absence and desire.
It begins with blood and fear.
It begins with a discovery of witches.”

“It is a blessing as well as a burden to love so much that you can hurt so badly when love is gone.”

The Beloved

Escape from a bullying mother takes one young woman to an even more

ISBN 1471403793
(ISBN13: 9781471403798)

dangerous place. Alice Angel has known only a life of rules, restriction and punishments as she strays from the rigid path of Victorian proprietary that her mother has set out for her. A constant disappointment to all but her doting father, she longs for the day that she might break free from the stifling atmosphere of her mother's rule.
After a chance encounter with a charming stranger, and a final incident with her family that sees her condemned to the madhouse, Alice sees her opportunity to run and grasps it with both hands. She escapes to join the Agapemonites in their Abode of Love, where ex-Reverend Henry Prince rules his isolated colony of women as their Beloved. Prince ignites a passion in Alice that she never knew existed, and she dares to think she might be free at last.
But as Alice becomes more deeply drawn into the life of Prince's strange religious sect, secrets are revealed that seem to hint at a darker nature lurking behind the man's charm. Instead of freedom, is Alice in fact more trapped, alone and in danger than ever before?

286 pages

Published March 5th 2015

(Hot Key Books)

Just a warning The Beloved Mentions The Agapemone community and has some child abuse which is imperative of the Victorian era of you or someone you know is experiencing any issues please seek professional help.

First Impression

Giving two view points, The Beloved gives the story of 16 year old Alice, who has had a difficult relationship with her mother since she was born.

Also the viewpoint of her mother Temperance, who shares that she "could not bring herself to even like her daughter." And had a stronger relationship with her son Eli, who was the eldest of her two children.

My Rating ⭐⭐

I found it difficult to get into a rhythm with reading The Beloved.

Set in Bridgewater 1848, The Beloved opens up with Alice been strapped in her bed, and her asking her father to talk to her mother about the situation before he leaves, leading to the conclusion that her father is afraid of his wife as "he will never go against her wishes".

I feel sympathetic  towards both Alice and Temperance...

Alice because she much feel left out as everyone around her respects her mother and she feels annoyed that her mother hasn't shown her any warmth over her life as she seems to want to antagonize her when she states she "would ruin the whole day for Mama if I could".

Temperance because she is desperate to "finally be accepted into the upper echelons of society."  She also has to feel that Alice seems to go out of her way to embarrass her at every opportunity.

The Beloved is a very dark tale and a very trying read especially when it goes into the section where Alice joins up with Henry Prince and the The Agapemone community

I'm not sure that I would recommend The Beloved to anyone.

Quotes

Knight of Desire, #1

FEARLESS IN BATTLE

ISBN 0446553395
(ISBN13: 9780446553391)

His surcoat still bloody from battle, William FitzAlan comes to claim the strategic borderlands granted to him by the king. One last prize awaits him at the castle gates: the lovely Lady Catherine Rayburn.

TENDER IN BED
Catherine risked everything to spy for the crown. Her reward? Her lands are declared forfeit and she is given this choice: marry FitzAlan or be taken to the Tower. Catherine agrees to give her handsome new husband her body, but she's keeping secrets, and dare not give him her heart. As passion ignites and danger closes in, Catherine and William must learn to trust in each other to save their marriage, their land, and their very lives.

354 pages

Published July 1st 2009

(Forever)

Just to highlight there is some mention the Domestic Violence of you or someone you know has been in this situation please seek help...

First Impression

Starting in the year 1400, in England, near the Welsh border, the prologue of Knight of Desire tells the tale of a young girl on the eve of her wedding night. Feeling restless she plans to go ridding but stumbles upon a equally young William FitzAlan who insists on accompanying her...

5 years have past since that night Lady Catherine Rayburn awaits news from the King after letting him know if her husbands deceit with the Welsh rebel army. 

Some of the King's Men arrived at Ross Castle. William FitzAlan, after been granted Ross Castle upon the death of the traitor is leading them. He has been left to decide the Fate of Catherine either the tower or marriage.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Knight of Desire tells the story of the developing relationship between William FitzAlan and Lady Catherine Rayburn.

My heart goes to Lady Catherine who after years of a violent marriage has to learn that not all men are the same.

William has to master his patience side as good things come to those who wait.

I enjoyed reading how they both dealt with the ups and downs of their relationship.

I would recommend reading Knight of Desire to anyone who loves historical and I look forward to reading the second book in the series.

Quotes

Book of the Month May 2020

This is where I share 2020's May Book of the Month.

Genre

Waterstones	Fiction, Novel My Thoughts
Book of the Month	Thriller My Thoughts
Waterstones	Thriller My Thoughts

Look out for when I am going to be reading them on the calendar on my blog.

Death in Her Eyes, #1

Since she was four, Elle’s

ASIN BO83N269QL

life has been nothing but pain and death, so it’s not
surprising she ended up jaded.
When Elle’s absentee father kidnaps her from her own mother’s funeral, Elle is forcefully enrolled into Fallen Academy, a school for nephilim like herself.
Mind readers, seers, and elementals? Finally, Elle is with other freaks like herself.
Except, Elle soon finds that even surrounded by her own kind, she might just be too different to fit in.
Will Elle find her place among the other children of the fallen? Or does her father have plans of his own?

Published March 2020

(Embrace the Fantasy Publishing, LLC)

First Impression

Set in the 1st person Death in Her Eyes tells the story of Elle, who has what her mother called a "gift"...but she felt otherwise. 

Elle has visions of Death, triggered by a word or phrase. Sometimes through something small, like a flower in the ground. Especially when she touched someone new.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was asked by the author to review Death in Her Eyes.

During her mother's funeral Elle watches as her dad, who left when she was 13 appears. 

He kidnaps her and enrolls her into the Fallen Academy after telling her she is a nephilim.

Filled with emotional outbursts, strained relationships and indecision Death in Her Eyes leaves you wanting more.

Quotes

Captive Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine

Nearing her thirtieth birthday, Eleanor of Aquitaine has spent the past dozen frustrating

ISBN 0345511875
(ISBN13: 9780345511874)

years as wife to the pious King Louis VII of France. But when Henry of Anjou, the young and dynamic future king of England, arrives at the French court, he and the seductive Eleanor experience a mutual passion powerful enough to ignite the world. Indeed, after the annulment of Eleanor’s marriage to Louis and her remarriage to Henry, the union of this royal couple creates a vast empire that stretches from the Scottish border to the Pyrenees—and marks the beginning of the celebrated Plantagenet dynasty. But Henry and Eleanor’s marriage, charged with physical heat, begins a fiery downward spiral marred by power struggles and bitter betrayals. Amid the rivalries and infidelities, the couple’s rebellious sons grow impatient for power, and the scene is set for a vicious and tragic conflict that will threaten to engulf them all.

Pages 473

Published July 13th 2010

(Ballantine Books)

First Impression

set in 3rd person Captive Queen tells the historic tale of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who is trapped in a unhappy marriage to Louis VII, king of France. 

She is frustrated and has committed adultery with 2 people one Geoffrey, count of Anjou, who is presenting his son, Henry to the French court.

Both her and Henry seem to share an instant attraction to each other, desperate for an annulment from the King she urges the Abbott again to persuade the King to agree.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Eleanor of Aquitaine and Louis VII have shared a 14 year unhappy marriage and at 29 she has reached an impasse especially when she sees Henry FitzEmpress who sets off a wanton rush through her.

After a shared night of passion they make a marriage promise to each other. 

Eleanor pleads with the King himself in an effort to complete her promise. Once her annulment is declared she returns home and follows through with her promise.

To me Henry seems nothing more than a child "Henry lost control and, throwing himself on the floor, rolled around telling bloodcurdling oaths before finally falling quiet and grinding his teeth on the rushed strewn over the flagstones."

I wholeheartedly recommend reading Captive Queen it is a informative and rewarding experience. An amazing insight into the past dated from 1151 all the way through to 1204.

Quotes