Jamie Brenner: The Gin Lovers (Books #1 & #2)

Prohibition, flappers, bootleggers, illegal booze, speakeasies, jazz jam sessions, illicit love affairs, fashion, society matrons, politics, and money. . . lots of money. The gilded, repressed world of New York's high society meets and collides with the sophisticated, liberated, and seedy world of flappers, bootleggers, speakeasies and jazz in Jamie Brenner's new soap-opera style serial, The Gin Lovers.

The Gin Lovers (Book #1) 

The Gin Lovers
Book #1

It's 1925 and New York City is mourning the passing of society leader Geraldine Delacorte in a grand funeral attended by upper echelons of society that includes the Vanderbilts and Astors. William is now the head of the family and his wife Charlotte Delacorte better make sure everything goes without a hitch. Unfortunately, his sister Mae shows up at the funeral in full flapper regalia driven by Jake Larkin, a most inappropriate escort whose presence and manner intrigue Charlotte. Not about to let Mae embarrass the family, William kicks her out of the funeral. Mae runs to her lover, Fiona, with whom she is conducting an openly hot and heavy affair.

Charlotte tries her best to play hostess at the funeral, but can't seem to impress her controlling husband or exacting social nemesis, the high and mighty Amelia Astor. Almost as soon as the funeral is over, however, William departs for Boston leaving Charlotte in charge of the troublesome Mae. When Mae sneaks out of the house late at night and Charlotte follows her to the Vesper Club, Charlotte ends up getting a taste of the illicit world of night clubs and speakeasies, and to her surprise not only meets Mae's lover Fiona, but ends up enjoying the evening and Jake Larkin's company more than expected.

I was hooked on all the drama when I was done reading the first episode of this serial! There is Mae's impulsive behavior and passionate love for money grabbing Fiona, which causes havoc for everyone. Fiona making a play for a bigger role at work when her boss Boom Boom asks her to find a new source of liquor after she loses her suppliers, and sexy bootlegger Jake Larkin who has his eye on Charlotte. Charlotte surprises herself by enjoying the underworld nightlife and becoming protective of Mae, while recognizing William's controlling streak and discovering one of his secrets.

The Gin Lovers serves as a good set up for this serial, as well as an introduction to the cast of characters. The atmosphere is excellent in this first installment, particularly in the clubs where Brenner uses fashion, music, and dancing, plus contrasting (liberal vs. conservative) societal attitudes and moral beliefs of the times to take the reader to a different time.

Little White Lies: The Gin Lovers (Book #2) 

Little White Lies:
The Gin Lovers
Book #2

I thought I was hooked with The Gin Lovers. However, Little White Lies is when things really begin to get good! This is where the story as a whole begins to take shape.

Charlotte's world is spinning out of control. She finds out that William has been keeping some darn big secrets from her. Suspicious already, she catches him talking on the side with the high and mighty Amelia Astor, who Charlotte suspects is after her husband, and yes. . . William is off to Boston. Again!

Well, that's fine with her because she takes the time to go off to the clubs with Mae where she can wear her new dress by Coco Chanel and spends the night listening to music at a Harlem speakeasy with sexy Jake where their mutual fascination with each other grows by the minute. But just as Jake and Charlotte's feelings are growing, Amelia and William scheme and plot, and after key revelations from William these two make decisions about Mae's life behind Charlotte's back.

In the meantime, Boom Boom promotes Fiona to "hostess" at the Vesper Club and she accepts. This means more than just keeping men in the club, and Fiona takes it a step further -- maybe a step too far. To top it all off? The D.A. has an agent hoping to get at Boom Boom working undercover inside the nightclub. Fiona wants/needs money and since Mae's inheritance is frozen her passion has turned to icicles. Poor Mae is desperate, heartbroken, and reacts accordingly. Oh, the drama!!

Little White Lies is a great second episode ending in a cliff hanger that left me wanting the next installment immediately! The Mae/Fiona melodrama and the possibilities that seem to be opening up for Charlotte and Jake were high points for me, and curiosity about William's secrets is killing me. Plus, I'm really taken with William and Charlotte's butler, Rafferty! What is it with him? More!

Category: Historical Fiction/Romance
Series: The Gin Lovers
Publisher/Release Date: St. Martin Griffin/October 8, 2012
Format: Digital (ebook)
Episodes 1 & 2 - Grade: B

Series:
The Gin Lovers, #1
Little White Lies: The Gin Lovers, #2

Review: The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty

It's 1922, the population in Wichita, Kansas is approximately 8,000 strong and the Klan has claimed 6,000 of those citizens. The growing Midwestern city is just beginning to experience a few of the changes hitting the rest of the country influenced by World War I. Women still wear long skirts and corsets from a previous era and flappers with their short hemlines, bobbed hair, rolled down stockings and smoking habits might be acceptable in the big cities, but such things are viewed with a jaundiced eye in Wichita, Kansas. Divorces, condoms, and other means of birth control are unacceptable, Prohibition is in full force, and homosexuality and lewd cohabitation are both illegal.

Cora Carlisle's life with her handsome, prosperous husband Alan, a successful attorney who has provided Cora with everything to lead a comfortable, conventional lifestyle seems to be good. Or so it seems until Cora seeks the position as chaperone to accompany a talented and very ambitious Louise Brooks to the Denishawn School of Dancing in New York City and Alan has no choice but to accept Cora's decision. The further the train takes Louise and Cora from Wichita, the more obvious it becomes that there's something very wrong with both their lives. In this historical fiction tale, Louise Brooks' life is the real tale and Cora's the fictional. However, it is Cora's life that is central from beginning to end with Louise's providing the impetus for change in Cora's life.

Cora has secrets and has become an expert at following the conventional attitudes of her time to avoid being ostracized by the small community where she lives, plus her upbringing makes her understandably judgmental toward the beginning of the story. Moriarty begins revealing Cora's fascinating background through her memories of childhood as she was being transported to the Midwest in one of the "orphan trains" sponsored by The New York Founding Home, ending up in Kansas where she was adopted by a loving farming couple and eventually meeting and marrying Alan. Moriarty weaves these historical events into Cora's life as the real reason for her trip to New York City is revealed.

Louise, whose parents are well off but neglectful and uncaring, is portrayed as a young 15 year-old whose contempt for the world, arrogance, vanity and ambition hide a rather dark past. Her trip to New York City is more of a getaway than an opportunity to study. The 36 year-old Cora and the 15 year-old Louise are two very different women, so that where Louise is brash, aware of her beauty and not afraid to flaunt or use it to get what she wants, Cora sees herself as plain and non-sexual, an expert at wearing a public mask full of secrets, lies and repressed needs locked inside and bound up as tight as her corset. However, during those five weeks in New York City as Cora escorts Louise and experiences new freedoms, makes some soul shaking discoveries and meets new people who make a difference in her life, Cora's perspective begins to change and finds the courage to impulsively grab the only possibility she sees for happiness and a future.

I had a tough time reviewing this book and writing a summary that would give you a sense of the story without giving away spoilers or the wrong idea. The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty is historical fiction, not only because Louise Brooks is part of the story, but because although Cora's fictional character is really the protagonist, Ms. Moriarty also weaves historical events within her life and stays well within the boundaries of time period in detail. The atmosphere is excellent, and Ms. Moriarty also keeps to facts when in comes to the settings, both New York City and Wichita, Kansas.

I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect of the book, as well as how Moriarty develops Cora's character. Once Cora is revealed, she catches up to changes going on in America and we see a portrait of people who lived within the structure of society by necessity, without necessarily adhering to society's rules. Cora found the guts to choose such a life, and yes I was heartbroken that under the circumstances this was the best life Moriarty's characters could find at that time. There's a reason for the first paragraph in this review, all of it is relevant to the story. Secrets and lies. That's what this story engenders in the end. Lives built on secrets and lies in order to survive while outwardly conforming to a repressive society's rules just to find a little happiness.

Louise Brooks plays a pivotal role in Cora's life when they go to New York City, but frankly her contribution is more an aside to Cora's story than anything else. She represented a big change for women during that era, just as she does in this story, but eventually in this book just as in reality, Louise's contribution becomes more "newspaper clippings" and "gossip fodder" than anything else. I found that the sections that cover Louise's life are not as seamlessly woven in as expected and feel that they were more of an interruption to the real story being told than a pertinent contribution. Cora, Alan, Joseph, and Raymond are the characters whose lives and choices held my attention.

My other problem with the story is that it begins in 1922 and ends in the 1980's, covering Cora's long lifespan. The depth and details found from the beginning to the time Cora returns to Wichita to settle her life are fascinating. However after that, the story loses focus and the rest is rushed and lacks real depth, checking off major events in Cora's life, the amazing changes that take place in American society during that time period in history, as well as following Louise's descent into obscurity until the very end.

The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty was a quick paced historical fiction read, with a fascinating story involving the fictional characters that provided a small window into tough choices people had to make, women in particular, to find a small modicum of independence and a little happiness during a period in America's history that brought broad changes, but not enough. A mixed bag for me, the story provides the reader with excellent historical facts, atmosphere and background, however the main historical figure's contribution became a distraction, plus the story loses focus due to the long time period covered. Regardless, there is much to be enjoyed in this story, as well as much to think about in terms of the issues presented by Moriarty when placed in both historical and contemporary context.

Category: Historical Fiction
Publisher/Release Date: Riverhead/June 5, 2012 - Kindle Ed.
Grade: B- 

You can find out more about Laura Moriarty here.
See book summary with pictures of Louise Brooks here.

Highlight: The Chaperone: A Novel by Laura Moriarty

Only a few years before becoming a famous silent-film star and an icon of her generation, a fifteen-year-old Louise Brooks leaves Wichita, Kansas, to study with the prestigious Denishawn School of Dancing in New York. Much to her annoyance, she is accompanied by a thirty-six-year-old chaperone, who is neither mother nor friend. Cora Carlisle, a complicated but traditional woman with her own reasons for making the trip, has no idea what she’s in for. Young Louise, already stunningly beautiful and sporting her famous black bob with blunt bangs, is known for her arrogance and her lack of respect for convention. Ultimately, the five weeks they spend together will transform their lives forever.

For Cora, the city holds the promise of discovery that might answer the question at the core of her being, and even as she does her best to watch over Louise in this strange and bustling place she embarks on a mission of her own. And while what she finds isn’t what she anticipated, she is liberated in a way she could not have imagined. Over the course of Cora’s relationship with Louise, her eyes are opened to the promise of the twentieth century and a new understanding of the possibilities for being fully alive.

Drawing on the rich history of the 1920s,’30s, and beyond--from the orphan trains to Prohibition, flappers, and the onset of the Great Depression to the burgeoning movement for equal rights and new opportunities for women--Laura Moriarty’s The Chaperone illustrates how rapidly everything, from fashion and hemlines to values and attitudes, was changing at this time and what a vast difference it all made for Louise Brooks, Cora Carlisle, and others like them.

"There is no Garbo! There is no Dietrich! There is only Louise Brooks!" - Henri Langlois, 1955

Review: It Takes Two by Elliott Mackle

It Takes Two is a gay historical romance/mystery set right after World War II in the Southern town of Fort Myers, Florida. In his first novel, Elliott Mackle tackles bigotry against homosexuality and people of color, PTSD affecting veterans of World War II, and a 'why-done-it,' all while building a romance-in-the-making between the two central characters, Dan and Bud.

U.S. Navy veteran, Lieutenant Dan Ewing has suffered from survivors’ guilt and nightmares ever since he lost his best buddy and sexual partner of 18 months when his ship was sunk by a submarine and the majority of the men were lost at sea. In Spencer 'Bud' Wright, he finally seems to have found the man whose company helps him find solace. Unfortunately, Bud fights the reality of their attraction and relationship. Sergeant Bud Wright, veteran and ex-sharpshooter, is now a Lee County detective. He and Dan are having what he thinks of as a friendship with occasional sexual benefits. Bud is not beneath playing a little grab-ass, but a homosexual? No. He is confused and scared of the consequences, but most of all afraid 'mixing it up' with Dan might be more than just the fulfillment of a teen-age fantasy. What poor deluded Bud doesn't understand is that sooner or later Dan always gets what he wants.

Managing the Caloosa Hotel with its private club where gambling, drinking and loose behaviors are only acceptable behind closed doors becomes a dangerous proposition for Dan, especially after he inadvertently becomes involved in one of Bud's murder investigations. In a hotel room located at the edge of 'Colored Town,' two men are found shot: a colored soldier and a white man. The white man is husband to the daughter of the most influential man in town. All hell breaks loose when the white man's widow shows up and shoots up the scene, almost shooting Dan in the process. Bud and Dan get mixed up in a whydunit that involves powerful players, bigotry, the KKK, civil rights advocates, and corruption.

It Takes Two is written in the first person narrative from Dan's perspective. In Mackle's hands the first person point of view becomes quite effective as he creates a quick, intimate connection between the reader and the narrator's emotions. The result is that he reeled me in from page one. However, (and this has become one of my favorite aspects of Elliott Mackle's writing style), Bud and the secondary characters, as seen through Dan's point of view, are just as fleshed out as Dan is himself.

The story must be read and the characters viewed from a historical and not a contemporary perspective. These characters have just been through war, seen the world and experienced situations that vastly changed their lives and their points of view. Yet, with few exceptions, when they return home America remains much the same as before these soldiers went to war, particularly in places like Fort Myers. The time is right after World War II and Mackle certainly succeeds by using the right historical touches and creating an atmosphere that transports the reader to place and time. Personally, I love the way language is consistently used throughout to maximize all of the above.

Mr. Mackle utilizes the whydunit aspect of the story as a tool to enhance the historical elements, Southern atmosphere, and to develop the budding romance between Dan and Bud. Mackle also weaves in the subject of PTSD seamlessly and with authority, and by using ex-servicemen and women as central and secondary characters gives this story a wonderful military-on-leave atmosphere outside of the military environment that feels true to time and place, making It Takes Two an excellent read.

Last year, I fell a little in love with Elliott Mackle's writing style after reading Captain Harding's Six Day War because of the way he drew me into the story, but along the way found myself falling rather hard for his characters. Fortunately for me It Takes Two was reprinted and re-released because this time I fell rather hard for both his writing style as well as with his wonderful characters -- I loved Dan and Bud! This is a book I will re-read, so it is definitely highly recommended.

Category: LGBT - Gay Historical/Romance
Series: None
Publisher/Release Date: Lethe Press/June 1, 2012
Source: ARC from author
Grade: A

Visit Elliott Mackle here.

Quotes: March Favorite so far...

You all know I love my quotes. Here are a few I've chosen from the books I've either read, or I'm reading this month. The reason behind choosing them? Well, these either made me laugh, smile, or think, plus they will give you clues about the characters or the stories.

Family... it is a bitch. [...] Summer vacations...if you thought about it, what kind of people actually gathered together at a lake with cabins and all that crap anyway? Hadn't they ever watched Friday the 13th? Jason? Hockey masks? Machetes? A good time for me, yeah -- oh hell yeah -- but not as much for the members of your average Prius-driving middle class. 

Stupidity is everywhere. [Cal - Doubletake by Rob Thurman]

How could I be so petty? he wondered. It's only a word, right? He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but the word seemed to be imprinted on his eyelids in flowing, femmy script.

Mangina. 

His balls recoiled, drawing up into his body as if he'd just been plunged into a cold swimming pool. [Waafrneeaasuu!! from Strawberries and Other Erotic Fruits by Jerry L. Wheeler]

Even if you're not attracted to a woman, something in your blood compels you to conquer her, to find her weaknesses and exploit them until she surrenders to your charm like every other woman. 

That wasn't true. He didn't need to charm every female he came in contact with. He just happened to be a sociable kind of guy. [Seth - Dalton's Undoing by RaeAnne Thayne]

A man's fate, as you no doubt feel deeply in your present circumstances, is rarely in his own hands. But you have already shown, again and again, that you put duty before desire, as a man must. [Father - Purgatory by Jeff Man]

Review: The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa

The people celebrate
and go all the way
for the Feast of the Goat
the Thirtieth of May.

—"Mataron El Chivo"
“They Killed the Goat”
A Dominican merengue

The Feast of the Goat or La Fiesta del Chivo is a fictionalized account of the Trujillo Era written by the Peruvian writer and winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature, Mario Vargas Llosa. This powerful and haunting historical fiction novel depicts the last day in the life of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina who held power over his people in the Dominican Republic between 1930 and May 30, 1961. The original book is written in Spanish, however in my opinion the translation of the book by Edith Grossman is excellent and I do not have complaints when it comes to either the language nor how the translation effected the writer's prose.

Vargas Llosa approaches the story from three different points of view:

• The present and past memories of the fictional character Urania Cabral.
• Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina's view of events as they unfold on the day that he was assassinated, May 30, 1961, and his memories of past events. 
• The point of view of the Trujillo's assassins as events unfold on May 30, 1961, and their memories of the past events that motivated their actions. 

The three perspectives allow the writer to present the full scope of the history encompassing the Trujillo Era in a fast paced style that keeps the reader glued to the pages. The three points of view, which seem disparate at first, alternate and get closer to each other until they merge at the end in a cohesive manner.

Vargas Llosa uses the fictional characters of Urania, Agustin Cabral and their family to bring cohesion to the story, as Urania returns to the city of Santo Domingo after years of absence, and in turn to her memories of the past while confronting her senile and silent father with his past sins. Her memories, accusations and revelations take the reader to a time when the Dominican Republic and its people lived under the mesmerizing power of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina. Vargas Llosa uses Urania as the voice representing Dominican women of her time, as she narrates experiences that are full of wonder, innocence, horror, and ultimately terrible betrayal. The betrayal experienced by Urania is a double edged sword as it comes from her father and from a society that is patriarchal in nature, killing her faith in men.

Trujillo had quite a few nicknames: el Jefe (the Chief), el Generalissimo, the Benefactor, and of course the Goat. Vargas Llosa portrays Trujillo on his last day as an old man in his 70's who is slowly losing control of his body, his allies, the country and its people. It is an intimate and personal portrayal of a man who truly believes his own press: God and Trujillo, Trujillo and God. He believes that he is savior to the Dominican people and that they owe him everything, including their properties, women, children and even their very lives. As the base of his rule there is authoritarianism and paternalism, however this is combined with violence and corruption that ends in immense abuse of power over his people, family, collaborators and enemies alike.

More than anything else, what he could not forgive was that just as he had corrupted and brutalized this country, the Goat had also corrupted and brutalized Antonio de la Maza. - Antonio de la Maza - Chapter 6

The assassins point of view is the most compelling for me in this story. Vargas Llosa portrays the last moments, the history and motives that placed Antonio de la Maza, Antonio (Tony) Imbert Barrera, Lieutenant Amadito García Guerrero, and Salvador (El Turco) Estrella Sadhalá on the San Cristóbal Highway on May 30, 1961 and made assassins out of family men and former trujillistas. Theirs are stories of men who were subjugated first through love and then through fear, and whose spirits were almost broken after years of giving of themselves to a man and a country that took it all and gave nothing in return except terror and betrayal. Their stories are moving, horrifying, and violent, and the individual motivations and the after effects of their collective actions, as portrayed by Vargas Llosa, are fascinating.

"They kill our fathers, our brothers, our friends. And now they’re killing our women. And here we sit, resigned, waiting our turn,” he heard himself say. Antonio (Tony) Imbert Barrera - Chapter 9

Vargas Llosa is known for successfully "depicting the effects of authoritarianism, violence and the abuse of power on the individual." The Feast of the Goat is an excellent example of this theme. He explores it through all three points of view, even that of Trujillo himself, as it is through him that the reader experiences how and why that power is abused and used to control collaborators and enemies alike. Previously I mentioned authoritarianism and paternalism, however Vargas Llosa goes further by portraying the Trujillo Era as a machista-run society and makes a connection between sex and power, where sex is used by Trujillo as a controlling tool to obtain and maintain his power.

Furthermore, in my opinion, where Vargas Llosa truly succeeds with The Feast of the Goat in his portrayal of the Latin American dictator and in his usage of a conversational, fast paced style that makes this historical fiction novel accessible to the reader. His inclusion of violence and torture is key and contributes to the sense of reality the reader experiences when confronted with true horror and terror. Torture and violence are not just words that are mentioned within the narration. Vargas Llosa brilliantly weaves in history and fiction to make this an excellent read.

There's so much more that I could say about The Feast of the Goat. This is a partial re-read for me, I first read it in Spanish, however this is my first attempt at reading the English translation. I would like to thank Mariana for encouraging me to re-read it in English for our book club. A note: I enjoyed this book this time around much more than the first time. Why? Well, the first time I didn't know anything about the history of the Dominican Republic and researched both history and characters as I read the book, this time I just enjoyed it. What I can tell you all is that both times the story haunted me for days after I finished it.

The Feast of the Goat (La Fiesta del Chivo) by Mario Vargas Llosa. Highly recommended.

Category: Historical Fiction
Series: None
Publisher/Release Date: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1 edition / March 4, 2011 - Kindle Edition
First Read: B+
Grade: A

---------------------------
Note: I started a side blog Quotes and Thoughts that I will be using to post write ups on the books I'm reading, as I read them. Not reviews, just thoughts on specific moments in a story that catch my attention, or even to expand on a particular thread in a story while writing a review. I wrote two posts about The Feast of the Goat on that site:

Links to Quotes and Thoughts:
Sex and Power in The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa
The end justifies the means... The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa

Impressions: Maisie Dobbs (Book 1) by Jacqueline Winspear

Maisie Dobbs isn't just any young housemaid. Through her own natural intelligence—and the patronage of her benevolent employers—she works her way into college at Cambridge. When World War I breaks out, Maisie goes to the front as a nurse. It is there that she learns that coincidences are meaningful and the truth elusive. After the War, Maisie sets up on her own as a private investigator. But her very first assignment, seemingly an ordinary infidelity case, soon reveals a much deeper, darker web of secrets, which will force Maisie to revisit the horrors of the Great War and the love she left behind.

"I'm really taken with how the plight of English soldiers, during and after WWI, is depicted in this mystery novel. I'm loving the details, and the characters so far. Just went backward in time to Maisie's childhood and I'm surprised that I'm enjoying that part of it as much as her "present" time."

Those were my first impressions of Maisie Dobbs, Book 1, after having read the first part of the book. Frankly, I was taken with the historical fiction aspect of these mystery novels. Jacqueline Winspear makes much of those small WWI historical details in post-war London that give this novel a unique atmosphere. The characters that populate the novel have all been affected in one way or another by the war, and even ten years later are dealing with its effects.

This first book does contain a mystery, however it's main focus is Maisie Dobbs herself. The character is introduced and her background is thoroughly explored and developed for the reader. In the first part of the book we meet Maisie ten years after the war ended as a newly minted psychologist-investigator working on her first solo case. This is a short section that leaves off with many questions about both the case and Maisie herself.

On the longer and more detailed second part of the book, we flash back to Maisie  as a young, orphaned girl who goes to work at Lord and Lady Compton's household as a downstairs maid. This second part of the book is where Winspear really gets to the nitty gritty details of what makes this main character tick and to the basis of the story. Masie's life is covered from childhood through young adulthood. Her brilliance and intelligence are recognized by the Comptons and rewarded. Lady Compton and Maisie's mentor Maurice Blanche encourage her to study at a college for girls in Cambridge, however at the onset of the war Maisie decides to do her part as a nurse and soon departs for France.

By the time the third part of the book comes along, we know Maisie and most of her story. This is where the mystery is really developed and takes its unexpected turn -- all of it related to the war, the soldiers and the lingering effects of post-war trauma for them and the country itself. There's danger and I enjoyed the investigation part in this section as it reveals part of the history I mentioned before.

I enjoyed this book for its setting, atmosphere and historical fiction details. The time period was certainly a plus for me as well. Maisie as a character is endearing in some sections, but there is a certain restraint and perfection about her that makes it difficult to connect with her character emotionally at certain times. Even when in love, Maisie seems to be a too cautious and measured woman. There's a "new age" aspect to the story and her character that threw me off and didn't seem to fit into this story.

Some of the secondary characters were well developed while others seemed one-dimensional. However, I'm hoping that throughout the series the author will do a better job of characterization on that front. Unexpectedly, I did cry at the end of this book. Those soldiers got to me, and there's a particular story involving Maisie that broke my heart.

Although I wasn't overwhelmed by this first book in the Maisie Dobbs series, I did go on to read the latest release, A Lesson In Secrets, Book 8, as I was curious to see how Maisie fared after all that time, and will read the next release in the series.

Category: Mystery/Historical Fiction
Series: Maisie Dobbs, Book 1
Publisher/Released: Soho Press, July 1, 2003 - Kindle Edition
Grade: Grade B

Visit Jacqueline Winspear here.

Friday to Friday: Historical Fiction and Leonardo Padura Fuentes

So how was your week? Mine is finally done! It's still rainy and cold in Jersey, but at least I'm home cozy and warm at the moment. I had a long working-week, but it turned out to be good with one book-related event this last week and some really nice reads.

Last Friday night, as a last minute outing, my brothers invited me to go along with them to meet Leonardo Padura Fuentes, a favorite author, in an evening at the Instituto Cervantes New York at Amster Yard in New York City. Mr. Padura was hosting a chat where he was discussing history and fiction in his latest release, the literary historical fiction novel El Hombre Que Amaba a Los Perros -- you might have seen that book mentioned here before. I've also mentioned my favorite works by him to date, the Inspector Mario Conde series.

It was an informal chat where basically he explained the process used while researching the novel, although he did address the fictional part of the book briefly. However, most of the evening was taken up with questions and answers about Trotsky's fascinating character, as well as that of his assassin, Rafael Mercader.

The key points for me came when he focused on how to pull together all that historical research he gathered throughout five long years and put together a fictional novel.  His points:

• Respect historical moments when writing the fictional aspect of the story. 
• Construct fiction as logically as possible while combining it with history. 
• Characterization is key, especially that of the fictional characters in the book. In El Hombre Que Amaba a Los Perros that would be Ivan, a seemingly insignificant secondary character, but the very important narrator of the story.
• Take into consideration that in a historical fiction novel there is no mystery as the end is usually well known. 
• The narrative, making it fast paced and constructing the plot into a novel instead of a historical piece, is key.

Mr. Padura was quite gracious and the question and answer session, where not only this book but his other works were discussed, lasted quite a long time, and he and his beautiful wife gave of their time afterward as well. I took the opportunity to speak to him personally and he signed my book. Meeting him was an unexpected pleasure. 

About the Author: Leonardo Padura was born in 1955 in Havana and lives in Cuba. He is a journalist and writer of novels and essays, as well as screenplays. His literary works include a number of short-story collections, literary essays and nine novels translated into over 15 different languages but international fame came with the Havana Quartet, all featuring Inspector Mario Conde.

The Inspector Mario Conde Series:

• Pasado perfecto (1991). Havana Blue (2007)
• Vientos de cuaresma (1994). Havana Gold (2008)
• Mascaras (1997). Havana Red (2005)
• Paisaje de otoño (1998). Havana Black (2006)
• La Neblina de Ayer. Havana Fever (2009)
• Adiós Hemingway (2005, novella); published with same title in English in 2006 - the first of his books to be translated into English.

Review: The Moonlight Mistress by Victoria Janssen

It is the eve of the Great War, and English chemist Lucilla Osbourne finds herself trapped on hostile German soil. Panicked and alone, she turns to a young Frenchman for shelter. Together they spend a night of intense passion, but their dangerous circumstances won't allow more than a brief affair.
Even with the memory of Lucilla's lushness ever present, scientist Pascal Fournier is distracted by his reason for being in enemy territory—Tanneken Claes has information Pascal could use against the enemy but, even more extraordinary…she's a werewolf.

After entrusting Pascal with her secret, Tanneken and her mate, Noel, are captured. Suspecting a rogue scientist rumored to have a fascination with werewolves is behind the abduction, Pascal knows he must act fast to save them. He's all too aware of Professor Kauz's reputed perversions and lust for control….

As war rages, Pascal and Lucilla combine efforts to stop Kauz, struggling with danger, power and secret desires transformed by the unyielding hunger for the beating of a lover's heart.

I picked up The Moonlight Mistress by Janssen thinking it was erotica with paranormal elements and a bit of a historical background, especially after reading the above book description. Instead I found much more. The story begins in Germany right as they invade Belgium and WW-I explodes and introduces the reader to Lucilla and Pascal -- the core couple. However, most of the story takes place in France after the Germans invade that country and as war rages on.

There are multiple protagonists in The Moonlight Mistress and some of them are part of an English battalion fighting in France. The war is not used as background, instead Janssen thoroughly develops the plot and cast of characters while incorporating well-written historical details and making the war part of the story. The reader is right there with those men as they dig ditches, sleep in the mud, and as they experience battles, hunger, losses and small victories. Janssen cleverly integrates the historical details into the paranormal aspect of the book; an unexpected and pleasant surprise.

The erotic scenes are great and don't overwhelm the story, although there are plenty. The couples are all likable and their relationships are thoroughly developed. There are M/F, M/M and M/M/F erotic scenes to go with the storylines Ms. Janssen weaves into The Moonlight Mistress. The M/F scenes start on the warm side with Lucilla and Pascal and get hotter as the story goes on. In the beginning sexual tension is used to develop the M/M relationship, however the sexual encounters are hot from beginning to end as is the M/M/F. You will find that all the female protagonists in the story are either strong women or women with a defined path.

The Moonlight Mistress is a well-written, enjoyable adventure with well-developed characters, hot, erotic encounters, and thorough historical details cleverly incorporated into the overall story.

Genre: Historical Erotica/Paranormal
Series: None
Release Date: Harlequin Spice - December 1, 2009 - Kindle Edition
Grade: B+

Visit Victoria Janssen here.

2009: Favorite New-to-Me Authors

I make a point of searching for new authors every year. I make lists and eventually those authors that attract my interest get read. 2009 has been a great year for me when it comes to new-to-me authors as you'll see by my list below. I didn't get to many I wanted to this year, but then, there's always 2010!

Linnea Sinclair - Sci/Fi Romance

In March of this year, after devouring Gabriel's Ghost, Shades of Dark and Hope's Folly, I undoubtedly became a Linnea Sinclair fan and she moved up to the top of my list as a favorite author in the Sci-Fi Romance genre. I still have a few books from her backlist to read, The Down Home Zombie Blues, Finder's Keepers and Games of Command are all in my TBR pile and I'll be reading them in 2010. As you can imagine the new installment in the Dock Five series, Rebels and Lovers is also one of my most anticipated books of 2010. I cannot wait for this book!

Ilona Andrews - Urban Fantasy

Urban Fantasy was a new-to-me genre this year. My goal was to choose and read at least three urban fantasy series -- to give it a chance, something I had been reluctant to do. After much research and thought, I chose the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews as my starter series. In April 2009, I read Magic Bites, and proceeded to devour Magic Burns and Magic Strikes in a matter of days! I couldn't stop reading. After falling in love with the world and the characters Andrews created in the Kate Daniels series, I went on to read more of their work. With the addition of their quirky installment on a new series On the Edge and their excellent short story Sci/Fi Romance Silent Blade, Ilona Andrews moved to the top of the new-to-me favorite authors list of 2009. Magic Bleeds is also on my 2010 list of most anticipated books.

Meljean Brook - Paranormal Romance

Paranormal romance is a genre I enjoy, but don't necessarily love. After a while there just seem to be too many vampires, werewolves and "other" creatures running around, and uniqueness in a series seems to be tough to find. Maintaining tight worldbuilding in a series and balancing it out with the romances taking place in each book seems to be a definite challenge.

This year my paranormal romance reading had dwindled down to three series, but after reading Must Love Hellhounds Anthology, I decided to give the Guardian series by Meljean Brook a try. Well, I haven't been this excited about a paranormal series since I started reading the Psy/Changeling series by Nalini Singh. I began by reading Demon Angel last month and I've already finished Demon Moon and Demon Night. Demon Bound is next on my list and I'll be catching up with this series soon! Brooks is an excellent addition to my paranormal romance list of authors and her series is one I'll definitely continue to follow.

Pam Rosenthal - Historical Romance

I'm always looking for new or new-to-me historical romance writers to add to my list. As opposed to last year when I read quite a few excellent historical romance books, this year most of them fell in the average to the very good category. Pam Rosenthal's The Edge of Impropriety was a surprisingly fresh read, and one I remember even now in a category that too often feels saturated by sameness and predictability. Her backlist is one I will be exploring and I hope to read her new books in the future.

Margaret Campbell Barnes - Historical Fiction

It has been a while since I've read historical fiction, a genre I truly love. Margaret Campbell Barnes' The Tudor Rose: A Novel of Elizabeth of York reminded me not only of that love, but sparked my interest in reading more by this author. She has an excellent backlist and I'll definitely be exploring her work as well as reacquainting myself with other historical fiction authors I've neglected.

Lisa Dale - Contemporary Romance

I cut my teeth reading contemporary romance and to this day it's my favorite genre. My comfort reads are usually contemporary romances. A good contemporary will do it for me every. single. time. But boy are good, straight contemporary romances tough to find these days! The balance is hardly ever there... they are either plagued with suspense (I call it a plague), or the chick lit wave hits them with such force that the romance is lost and they're hardly recognizable. So, to find a contemporary romance writer, one that balances the romance with a good, meaty plot and great characters (including secondary ones), is not that easy. Dale seems to have the potential for reaching this balance. She didn't quite achieve it with Simple Wishes, but she wrote a book I enjoyed regardless. Her It Happened One Night got even closer to reaching that balance, so yes! I'm definitely keeping my eye on this author who only has two books out and whose writing I've enjoyed enough to look forward to that third one.

Sarah Mayberry - Category Romance

After a few years of not reading category romance, 2009 was my year to give this genre another chance. I enjoyed books by different authors, Jill Shalvis, Raeanne Thayne and Lucy Monroe. However of all the authors, Sarah Mayberry was the one who met the requirements most often, that feeling of having read a meaty romance when in fact it was a Blaze. I love the short, quick format for those occasions when I can't seem to find the time or the energy for a long read. Sarah Mayberry left me satisfied after I finished her books. My favorite one is Anything For You, a friends to lovers, which should not be a surprise to anyone who knows me by now. I still have some of her books in my TBR, but I'm saving those for the holidays. :)

China Mieville - Fantasy

After reading Perdido Street Station, I can't say anything but that China Mieville blew my mind. I haven't read any fantasy like Mieville's and I want to read more. I have The City and The City in my TBR pile, but I won't read it. I want to read The Scar and King Rat first, two of his previous books, THEN I'll read The City and The City... I don't know what else to say, but that at some point I'll have to gather my thoughts and write something about this book. I finished it at a time when I did not have the time to do a write up and I wanted to do it justice, so I opted for not reviewing it because it deserved both the time and the effort.

Ginn Hale - M/M Fantasy

Ginn Hale wrote one of my favorite fantasy books of 2009, not just M/M, but fantasy. Wicked Gentlemen is a book that stayed with me for quite a while after a read it. I truly couldn't put it away, the atmosphere, the world, the characters, they all stayed with me and I couldn't shake them. This book is one of two books that received an A+ from me this year, so you know I loved it. Her follow up book Lord Foster's Devils is another book I can't wait to read in 2010.

Steve Kluger, Vincent Diamond and Z.A. Maxfield - M/M Romance

In the LGBT category, under M/M Romance there are many authors I "discovered" and really liked or loved this year. There are many more whose work stayed in my TBR pile or TBB list, so my choices were not easy to make. I made those choices based on how the books I read by these authors affected me and how or if they stayed with me.

Steve Kluger's "Almost Like Being in Love" is a book I had on my TBB list for a while, but had not made a move to buy until last month. Reading the book moved this author to the top of my list with little effort. I'll definitely be checking out his other work, no question about it.

Vincent Diamond's "Rough Cut: Vincent Diamond Collected" is a collection of short stories that stayed with me long after I finished reading them. I followed that up with the Animal Attraction 2 Anthology and Feathers. I'm hoping Diamond will just keep writing although I know editing keeps her busy, busy.

And, last but not least, Z.A. Maxfield's ePistols at Dawn was my first book by this amazing author. A book that also stayed with me, not only for the relationships in the book, but for her amazing study of the way society uses masks, individual fears and insecurities, choices and how to triumph over the whole mess. I have other books by Maxfield in my TBR pile ready for reading and hope to get to them early next year.

Who were your favorite new authors of 2009?

Review: The Tudor Rose by Margaret Campbell Barnes

Elizabeth of York, the only living descendant of Edward IV, has the most valuable possession in all of England -- a legitimate claim to the crown.

Two princes battle to win Britain's most rightful heiress for a bride and her kingdom for his own. On one side is her uncle Richard, the last Plantagenet King, whom she fears is the murderer of her two brothers, the would-be kings. On the other side is Henry Tudor, the exiled knight. Can he save her from a horrifying marriage to a cut-throat soldier?

Thrust into the intrigue and drama of the War of the Roses, Elizabeth has a country within her grasp - if she can find the strength to unite a kingdom torn apart by a thirst for power.

The times between King Edward III of England and Henry VII, the first Tudor King, were full of intrigue, bloody battles and civil war. The Lancastrians and the Yorkists, descendants of the prolific Edward III both had a legitimate claim to the crown and they were tearing the country apart by warring against each other. This has always been one of my favorite times in English history to study and just enjoy. When I realized the Tudor Rose by Margaret Campbell Barnes was available, I had to read it.

In the The Tudor Rose, Margaret Campbell Barnes begins by introducing a young Elizabeth of York in 1483, right as the French King Louis XI breaks the betrothal contracts between his son, Charles The Dauphin and Elizabeth. The book covers Elizabeth's life up until the birth of her last child. Throughout The Tudor Rose, Campbell Barnes weaves history and fiction seamlessly. There were a couple of instances where creative license was taken, but for the most part she uses known history accurately and beautifully. I love the way she develops and explores the characters in this book. She specifically explores the duality in their personalities and lets the reader be the judge.

When we first meet young Elizabeth, the French King's rejection feels more like a personal affront than a matter of state. Elizabeth quickly realizes that as the daughter of a King, she is not just a woman -- she is more a chess piece in the game of political alliances. This single act of rejection serves to make her aware of the ambitious and cruel acts of men -- a theme explored by Campbell Barnes throughout the book. A few months later, her father is dead and this lesson will serve Bess well.

Fearful of Richard of Gloucester, the King's younger brother and his closest relative by blood, Bess' mother, the calculating Dowager Queen Elizabeth Woodville, calls on her powerful Woodville relatives and attempts to take control of the new King, young Edward. When Richard thwarts her, she quickly moves the rest of her children into sanctuary. During their time in sanctuary, a seventeen-year old Bess is seen as the one who consoles her mother and takes responsibility for her siblings. Although young, Bess is quite sharp and recognizes her mother erred against Richard, however she soon loses faith in Richard's promise to be the young King's protector. Not long after, when he imprisons her two brothers Edward and Richard, and ceases the crown for himself all hope seems to disappear, as Richard of Gloucester becomes King Richard III.

At this point, Campbell Barnes tells us the account of the two princes in the Tower. Did Richard have the princes murdered? Bess agonizes as certainty and doubt plague her throughout her life. In the midst of loss and grief Bess' mother approaches her with the idea of a betrothal to the Lancastrian, Henry of Richmond. Horrified at first Bess refuses, but with confirmation of her brothers' murder and the realization that she is now the legitimate heir to Edward IV, she hastily agrees to marry Henry.

After a failed plot by Henry's supporters to cease the crown, Elizabeth is finally set free from sanctuary and returns to court with a public promise from Richard that she and her sisters will not be harmed. Soon after, Richard's son dies and Queen Anne of Neville goes into decline. During this time, we not only see Richard's duality, but Elizabeth's true understanding of it. After the Queen's death, Richard shocks Elizabeth by proposing a marriage between them in an attempt to secure the crown. This incestuous proposal gives Bess the impetus to seek help from powerful Lord Stanley and the second plot against Richard III is set into motion and succeeds.

In The Tudor Rose, Richard III's character just took over the pages. The way Campbell Barnes weaved history with fiction when it comes to this particular character was fascinating. Elizabeth's reactions to him were portrayed as those of a confused and troubled young woman who admired his accomplishments and talents while recognizing his faults. The battle where Richard loses his life to the Lancastrians is one of the most touching and fascinating narrations in this book. I couldn't stop reading and was just as arrested, horrified and admiring of him, as was Elizabeth herself.

Although Elizabeth looked forward to giving herself to her husband and hoped for a good marriage, she was to be disappointed. King Henry VII is portrayed as a cautious man whose cruelty is cold and who lacked passion. Bess describes Henry as a man who could "neither love nor hate." For a warm, giving woman like Bess who came from the passionate Plantagenets, this was a tough road. Campbell Barnes also explores the duality in Henry's character through Bess' doubts about his actions. Impostors, one of which claimed to be Bess' adored brother, Richard of York, plagued Henry's reign. He was a man who cared much for hoarding money and things and who left the crown well stocked for his successor, Bess' favorite son, King Henry VIII.

Elizabeth of York, first born to King Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville took the motto a "Humble and Reverent Queen." She was a giving, warm woman who gave much of herself to her family and the people around her, yet kept little for herself. She's portrayed as someone who was loved dearly by those around her, but who craved the passion denied her by her husband, King Henry VII. She suffered dearly throughout her life and never stopped grieving for her young murdered brothers, especially for the youngest Richard, Duke of York. However, a Plantagenet through and through, strong and focused she forged ahead and gave birth to the Tudor dynasty. The only English Queen to have been the wife, daughter, sister, niece, and mother to English Kings, she gave herself to her family and her people.

First released in 1953, The Tudor Rose is a classic. If you love historical fiction like I do, this is a book I know you'll enjoy.

Review based on ARC copy from Sourcebooks.

Books by Margaret Campbell Barnes you might enjoy.
The Tudor Rose
Brief Gaudy Hour
My Lady of Cleves
King's Fool

Originally posted at Musings of a Bibliophile September 28, 2009