Category Archives: Reviews

review: Delilah

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Delilah by India Edghill When I was 8 years old I received an illustrated Bible from my aunt for Christmas. Though I no longer have it, I can remember the pictures that were scattered throughout. One featured a muscular, bloodied Samson pushing great pillars. I can’t recall ever learning more about the story–until now. I’m not sure what I expected… Read more »

review: The Musician’s Daughter

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The Musician’s Daughter by Susanne Dunlap Set in 1779 Vienna, Theresa is the daughter of a respected violinist under renowned composer Haydn. On Christmas Eve the family is shocked to find their much loved husband and father had been found dead, with a strange medallion around his neck and missing his prized violin. Theresa, the sole able member of the… Read more »

review: In a Treacherous Court

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In a Treacherous Court by Michelle Diener Susanna Horenbout, a Flemish painter, sails across the channel to join the court of Henry VIII and on the way a dying man’s message is entrusted to her. She immediately becomes the target of an unknown enemy and it falls to the king’s man, John Parker, to keep her safe. Together they unravel… Read more »

review: The Emperor’s Conspiracy

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The Emperor’s Conspiracy by Michelle Diener A smuggling operation during the Napoleonic era threatens to bring down the British government by depleting its gold and causing an economic catastrophe. In the middle of the conspiracy is Charlotte Raven, who is a wealthy ward but originated in the streets of London. Because she has links to the nobility and the commoners,… Read more »

review: For the King

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For the King by Catherine Delors After the French Revolution, when families were picking up the pieces of their scattered lives—loved ones dead, fled abroad or hiding from the new regime—two factions against Napoleon Bonaparte were actively plotting attacks and assassinations. The Chouans were royalists and wished to restore the monarchy, while the Jacobins were revolutionaries who did not support… Read more »

review: The Shadow Queen

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The Shadow Queen by Rebecca Dean You are a woman of great destiny. The man who will love you will love you with every atom of his being. Kissed by the sun, he will be the ruler of kingdoms and you will be his shadow queen. The love you share will echo down the centuries. Wallis Warfield Spencer Simpson is… Read more »

review: Claude & Camille

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Claude & Camille by Stephanie Cowell You don’t need to be an art history lover to enjoy this reimagining of Claude Monet and the life he shared with his muse and love Camille Doncieux. In a style that fits perfectly with the setting, Stephanie Cowell gives life to the very origins of the art movement known as Impressionism. Along with… Read more »

review: Penelope’s Daughter

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Penelope’s Daughter by Laurel Corona In this novel The Odyssey is retold through the eyes of a character Homer never imagined–the daughter Odysseus didn’t know he had. If you know the original story, which, sadly I’ve never read the epic poem in its entirety (we skimmed it in English class), you’ll notice Penelope has no daughter. Of course, this is… Read more »

review: Finding Emilie

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Finding Emilie by Laurel Corona Set in the decades leading up to the French Revolution, this is a story of two women: Emilie du Chatelet, the love of the famed French writer and philosopher Voltaire, and the daughter she died giving birth to, Stanislas-Adelaide (known in this story as Lili). Shorter chapters are set throughout the book to give us… Read more »

review: The Scarlet Lion

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review: The Scarlet Lion by Elizabeth Chadwick Being the sequel to The Greatest Knight, this novel covers the life of William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke from 1197 to shortly after his death in 1219. While his wife, Isabelle, is busy giving birth to the rest of their ten children, William is settling their estates in Normandy and trying to step… Read more »

review: Lady of the English

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Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick When his only son perished in a shipwreck, Henry I was forced to look elsewhere for England’s next monarch. Marrying a much younger woman did not produce another heir and so he began to weigh his other options: his nephew (son of his sister)–weak and already surrounded by factions–or his daughter, the strong… Read more »

review: The Greatest Knight

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The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick The Greatest Knight, set during a time when tournaments were the rage and war an unfortunate reality, spans the life and times of a humble knight who truly lived by the knight’s code of chivalry. A favorite in the tourney, he quickly made a name for himself and came to the notice of Eleanor… Read more »