tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57645684463426933132024-03-14T03:45:15.146-07:00Once Upon A Historical TimeBook reviews on all things Historical Fiction. Including, Adult, YA, Teen, Christian, and Inspirational Historical Fiction. Happy Reading :)Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764568446342693313.post-80167359886235511822012-11-06T20:50:00.000-08:002012-11-07T20:51:15.470-08:00The Luxe by Anna Godbersen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMu-3lHXE3sV9Uq71xC5VlRSf7Q2BxWMxZyRjpk_8OvL44Mrzigf7TKaZFnRcZdh1r3lHKYONyQJfMf0E11KKxMD3jgLUTv9kIEiXqL7YCxKwk7wVDe8CnDWObhLYiuM81NC3ovjCjWgw/s1600/The+Luxe+by+Anna+Godbersen+Image+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMu-3lHXE3sV9Uq71xC5VlRSf7Q2BxWMxZyRjpk_8OvL44Mrzigf7TKaZFnRcZdh1r3lHKYONyQJfMf0E11KKxMD3jgLUTv9kIEiXqL7YCxKwk7wVDe8CnDWObhLYiuM81NC3ovjCjWgw/s400/The+Luxe+by+Anna+Godbersen+Image+Cover.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; color: #604a7b; font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow"; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #604A7B; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: lumm=75000; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: accent4; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themeshade: 191;">Pretty girls in pretty dresses, partying until
dawn.</span></i></div>
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<span style="background: white;">Irresistible boys
with mischievous smiles and dangerous intentions.</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">White lies, dark
secrets, and scandalous hookups.</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="background: white;">This is Manhattan,
1899. Beautiful sisters Elizabeth and Diana Holland rule Manhattan's social
scene. Or so it appears. When the girls discover their status among New York
City's elite is far from secure, suddenly everyone--from the backstabbing
socialite Penelope Hayes, to the debonair bachelor Henry Schoonmaker, to the
spiteful maid Lina Broud--threatens Elizabeth's and Diana's golden future.</span><br />
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<span style="background: white;">With the fate of
the Hollands resting on her shoulders, Elizabeth must choose between family
duty and true love. But when her carriage overturns near the East River, the
girl whose glittering life lit up the city's gossip pages is swallowed by the
rough current. As all of New York grieves, some begin to wonder whether life at
the top proved too much for this ethereal beauty, or if, perhaps, someone
wanted to see Manhattan's most celebrated daughter disappear...</span><br />
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<span style="background: white;">In a world of
luxury and deception, where appearance matters above everything and breaking
the social code means running the risk of being ostracized forever, five
teenagers lead dangerously scandalous lives. This thrilling trip to the age of
innocence is anything but innocent.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">The Luxe takes
place in Manhattan, New York during the year 1899. If Gossip Girl were to take place
in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s then this is what it would look like. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">Elizabeth and
Diana Holland are sisters who spend their time in Manhattan’s elite social
circles, attending glamorous parties dressed to the nines, and crushing on
handsome guys.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">Elizabeth is
considered the mature and responsible one. She usually does what she is told.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">Diana is more
adventures. She longs to be a free spirit and not trapped by society’s rules
and restrictions for women. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Imprint MT Shadow;"> This rich and exciting life they lead is all
they have ever known and when they find out that their life isn't as secure as
they once thought, a sacrifice has to be made. A sacrifice by way of an engagement between
Elizabeth and Henry Schoonmaker; son of one of the richest families in New
York. This further complicates things because Elizabeth is already in love with
someone else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">Enter Penelope
Hayes, who is supposed to be Elizabeth’s friend, but is more like a friend you
would never want to trust with anything. Penelope is in love with Henry. So
while Elizabeth opens up to her friend, Penelope is trying to plot against
Elizabeth in order to get what she wants and what she thinks she deserves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: 'Imprint MT Shadow';">“Don't go looking for boys in the dark</span>.</span></i><i><span style="font-family: 'Imprint MT Shadow';"><span style="color: #20124d;"><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">They will say
pretty things then</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">leave you with
scars.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Do go looking for
boys in the park.</span><br />
</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #20124d;">For that is where
the true gentlemen are.”</span><span style="color: #403152;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">-Anna
Godbersen, The Luxe (Luxe, #1)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">Secrets,
deception, jealousy, and romance all mix together in this teen/young adult
historical fiction novel. <i>The Luxe </i>is
a must read for anyone who enjoys a good historical fiction read and is a fan
of the Gossip Girl series. There were some parts in the book that were obvious
and I felt anyone could guess, but other than that I enjoyed reading it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">Rating: 3 out of 5.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">You can buy <i>The Luxe </i>here: </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><span style="color: #20124d;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/luxe-anna-godbersen/1100718453?ean=9780061345685">B&N</a></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><span style="color: #20124d;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Luxe-ebook/dp/B000SFP9RG/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1352180797&sr=1-3">Amazon</a></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><span style="color: #20124d;"><a href="http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/The-Luxe/book-h7IAcWYkykOu5m5_VZilLg/page1.html?s=ZEcSQth_8Ei7TFMlWwwWTg&r=1">Kobo</a></span></span></b></div>
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Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764568446342693313.post-38833748486975546242012-11-04T20:48:00.000-08:002012-11-07T20:49:41.141-08:00Keowee Valley by Katherine Scott Crawford<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLFLpbNqaF5v6vfNv-M856lySsaVXDDzOQ0vy5ZYvIrAgPQA0-fTDMA962PvLGtl27UXc-l1nBl_8JtczOft_41ZRMl0uv-BZcXZCw6yS2kMeqFaRbfM_SFQVETK5Xc-FkgVf7XlzMuQ/s1600/Keowee+Valley+by+Katherine+Scott+Crawford+Image+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLFLpbNqaF5v6vfNv-M856lySsaVXDDzOQ0vy5ZYvIrAgPQA0-fTDMA962PvLGtl27UXc-l1nBl_8JtczOft_41ZRMl0uv-BZcXZCw6yS2kMeqFaRbfM_SFQVETK5Xc-FkgVf7XlzMuQ/s320/Keowee+Valley+by+Katherine+Scott+Crawford+Image+Cover.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">Keowee Valley</span></i><span style="font-family: 'Imprint MT Shadow';"> is an absorbing historical fiction read
set in the year of 1768 involving Quincy MacFadden, who finds out that her cousin
is being held captive by Shawnee Indians. She bravely decides to do something
not many women of that time would even consider doing…leaving behind her home
in Charlestown and searching for cousin in hopes of finding him alive.</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #984807; font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow"; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #984807; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: lumm=50000; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: accent6; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 128;">“I was an unlikely adventurer, at least by all appearances. I knew
what the people of Charlestown saw when they looked at me: a wealthy woman clad
in the new fashions, small of stature but possessed of an unruly mane of yellow
hair that made me seem taller—a bluestocking with a well-worn volume forever in
hand, one who looked out at the world from a pair of disconcertingly direct
blue eyes. The ladies, especially, would whisper “orphan,” and allow that the
early demise of my parents could be reason enough for a man such as my
grandfather to keep me a spinster at age twenty-five. The gentlemen viewed my person
with vague calculation, surely wondering just how much—as the sole
granddaughter of Campbell MacFadden, Esquire, and heir by marriage to a
profitable rice plantation—I was worth. And so when the trapper arrived in the
hour before dawn, smelling of wood smoke and the sweat of a hard ride, I was
ready: ready to abandon Charlestown and my life there, to shutter permanently
those judging, prying eyes.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">-Katherine
Scott Crawford, Keowee Valley <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">Quincy is independent,
a free spirit, and a dreamer. Literally. She has been haunted with visions that
she believes are actually omens. Because of this she feels as if she does not
fit in anywhere. She longs for a different and better life for herself. When
she hears news about her cousin, Owen being captured she realizes that this is
the opportunity she has been hoping for. A chance to go someplace different and
start anew; and that while she is on her journey for a different life, she will
also find Owen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">She ends up in
the gorgeous surroundings of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she begins a
settlement while she awaits the arrival of Jackson Wolfe a handsome half Cherokee/half
Irish man whom she is told can help her find and negotiate Owen’s freedom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">When Quincy
and Jack meet there is a connection between them and soon a romance begins to
spark. The passion that they share is undeniable…and not to mention steamy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">Jackson is not
only good looking, but also a strong, kind man who knows is way around the Appalachian
Mountains and is an excellent Cherokee tracker. Because Jack was a translator
for the British army, he is stuck in middle and has a tough choice to make on whether
to commit treason and flee or begrudgingly obey a King he hates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">My favorite
thing about this story<i> </i>is that it’s full
of vivid descriptions about the world during the Revolutionary war era that Quincy
is in. Its gives the reader a better picture about how things are and adds to
the story. I could almost see Quincy’s world unfolding as I read. <i>Keowee Valley is </i>ideal for readers who
enjoy history, adventure, and romance. It was a satisfying read, but the ending
still left some questions unanswered, so I am hoping for a possible sequel to
tie things together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">Rating: 3 out of 5.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Keowee-Valley-ebook/dp/B0097HHHWG/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top">@ Amazon</a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/keowee-valley-katherine-scott-crawford/1112989787?ean=9781611941722">@ BN</a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><a href="http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Keowee-Valley/book-boeQxTTJfkSC2Ncto2JrBA/page1.html?s=Now4VaNLwkiSN9vJJ5psCw&r=1">@ Kobo</a></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Imprint MT Shadow';">**
I received this ARC from Bell Bridge Books in exchange for nothing, but my
honest review. Thank you.**</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764568446342693313.post-14872129210018156392012-11-03T20:47:00.000-07:002012-11-07T20:47:24.930-08:00Princess Elizabeth's Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal<i></i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWRfxMAsuju58UPffDwHZNc-qGvEnzdKMRFF0aspuuTq_fpRoFv6EhnpKq67ujj9eWeVaN9wdAtE4-A2xby47P-y3LFvLyulPVBHUaKf47F2bqxuI_1W3MNMPD3i7VzMSjf-hR-dnGnU/s1600/Princess+Elizabeth's+Spy+by+Susan+Elia+MacNeal+Cover+Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWRfxMAsuju58UPffDwHZNc-qGvEnzdKMRFF0aspuuTq_fpRoFv6EhnpKq67ujj9eWeVaN9wdAtE4-A2xby47P-y3LFvLyulPVBHUaKf47F2bqxuI_1W3MNMPD3i7VzMSjf-hR-dnGnU/s400/Princess+Elizabeth's+Spy+by+Susan+Elia+MacNeal+Cover+Image.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #953735; font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow"; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #953735; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: lumm=75000; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: accent2; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 191;">From <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13330549-princess-elizabeth-s-spy">Goodreads</a>: </span></b></div>
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<strong><i><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow"; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Susan Elia MacNeal introduced the remarkable Maggie
Hope in her acclaimed debut,</span></i></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"> </span></b></span><em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Mr. Churchill’s Secretary</span></em><strong><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow"; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">. <i>Now Maggie returns to protect
Britain’s beloved royals against an international plot—one that could change
the course of history.</i></span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"> </span></i></b></span><i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><br />
</span></i><strong><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> </span></strong><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><br />
<i><span style="background: white;">As World War II sweeps the continent and England
steels itself against German attack, Maggie Hope, former secretary to Prime
Minister Winston Churchill, completes her training to become a spy for MI-5.
Spirited, strong-willed, and possessing one of the sharpest minds in government
for mathematics and code-breaking, she fully expects to be sent abroad to
gather intelligence for the British front. Instead, to her great
disappointment, she is dispatched to go undercover at Windsor Castle, where she
will tutor the young Princess Elizabeth in math. Yet castle life quickly proves
more dangerous—and deadly—than Maggie ever expected. The upstairs-downstairs
world at Windsor is thrown into disarray by a shocking murder, which draws
Maggie into a vast conspiracy that places the entire royal family in peril. And
as she races to save England from a most disturbing fate, Maggie realizes that
a quick wit is her best defense, and that the smallest clues can unravel the
biggest secrets, even within her own family.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">**********************</span><br />
<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">Princess Elizabeth’s Spy</span></i><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"> takes place during WWII with Maggie Hope
not passing her undercover agent training for MI-5 and getting reassigned. She
is then sent to Windsor Castle under the premise of tutoring the young Princess
Elizabeth in math. Protecting the Princess and helping to stop the Nazi’s in
their attempt to take over England becomes the real agenda for Maggie. As she
tutors the young Princess, she has to deal with family issues arising, and not
to mention a murder, spies, and a kidnapping plot. Maggie tries to juggle
everything to the best of her abilities, but finds it challenging at times to separate
her spy life from her personal one while trying to expose dangers to the Royal
Family. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">I have not
read the previous book, <em><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #181818;">Mr. Churchill’s Secretary
</span></em>by Susan Elia MacNeal, but that did not hamper my enjoyment of this
book at all. And Maggie is a smart and brave character with a great personality
that I liked from the get go. <i>Princess
Elizabeth’s Spy</i> is a fun standalone novel that is easy to read and get
into. Especially for those who enjoy WWII storylines or British Historical
Fiction. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">Everything was described in such great detail that I felt like I was
in England during that time period. There was a lot of action during the course
of the story, which kept the excitement level high and me constantly turning
the page to discover what was going to happen next. Nothing in the book was predictable
for me which is good since it’s a mystery novel. The ending has me already
excited for the next book in the series. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">Rating: 3½ out of 5<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Imprint MT Shadow';">**
I received this ARC from Random House Publishing / Bantam Dell in exchange for
nothing, but my honest review. Thank you.**</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
</i>Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764568446342693313.post-48698778135973361552012-11-01T20:43:00.000-07:002012-11-07T20:43:59.611-08:00A Dangerous Inheritance by Alison Wier<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifW1D27Zq1G7SpZ8_5UK74HzJKbanjcdDY-pmlxwXjb9thyYqof8h_LkbIuLsBn7jlg_5PvsFhzYbYyg2f1JXhNBI4QGS9mbEEdE8jpnEJEQmteaAibvUhLWG2ey2bxjZQVvSi4D6aH2g/s1600/A+Dangerous+Inheritance+by+Alison+Weir+Cover+Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifW1D27Zq1G7SpZ8_5UK74HzJKbanjcdDY-pmlxwXjb9thyYqof8h_LkbIuLsBn7jlg_5PvsFhzYbYyg2f1JXhNBI4QGS9mbEEdE8jpnEJEQmteaAibvUhLWG2ey2bxjZQVvSi4D6aH2g/s400/A+Dangerous+Inheritance+by+Alison+Weir+Cover+Image.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">“We had none of us girls been born to
inherit a crown, and yet it has overshadowed us all our lives— and blighted
them. I thought once that it would be a wonderful thing to be a queen, to wield
power and wear the coveted diadem— but I know differently now. Tangling with
princes rarely brought anyone anything but ill-fortune and grief.” </span></i><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">– Alison Weir, A Dangerous Inheritance:
A Novel of Tudor Rivals and the Secret of the Tower<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">A Dangerous Inheritance</span></i><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"> is a fascinating story told from the
alternating points of view of Katherine Grey and Kate Plantagenet. With a time
difference of less than 100 years between them; Katherine in the year 1553 and
Kate in 1483, these two young royals lives become connected when they try to
investigate the mystery of the two miss Princes in the Tower; bothers Edward V
of England and Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">The novel
starts with Katherine Grey just receiving word that her sister Lady Jane Grey,
a Queen for only nine days had just been executed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">In 1553,
Katherine at age 12 and Jane, age 16 were married in a double ceremony. Katherine
married Henry Herbert and Jane married Guildford Dudley; men that their parents
Lady Frances Brandon and Henry Grey chose hoping that the marriages would prove
to be advantageous for the whole family. It was not. A plot developed for Jane
to take over the throne and become Queen, and she was…for nine short days until
Mary takes over the throne and Jane was imprisoned. Both Katherine and Jane
become unwilling pawns caught up in the schemes of their parents who were vying
for power and the throne. Their lives
were not their own, decisions were made for them, yet they were the ones who
paid a high price for those decisions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">As for Kate
Plantagenet, she is the illegitimate daughter of King Richard III. Kate begins
to hear rumors swirling around about her father being involved in the
disappearance of the two Princes in the Tower. She has great faith in her
father and believes he had nothing to do with their disappearances. She despises hearing these negative this
against King Richard III and because of this she sets out trying to uncover
what really happened. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">This is the
first novel I have read from Alison Weir, and I hope it will not be my last.
The novel was well written and pretty easy to follow along with
everything. The characters and their
story are intriguing and a bit sad at the same time, especially since they were
real people. The mystery with the princes adds a nice layer of suspense and I found
myself not wanting to stop until I found out what happened. Having said that
though, I think the novel would have been just as good without the mystery of
the two princes. But it was an
interesting and I think effective way to intertwine these two young women from
different time periods. It was a long
read, but an entertaining and enjoyable one nevertheless. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">Rating: 3½ out of 5<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Imprint MT Shadow';">**
I received this ARC from Random House/Ballantine Books via Edelweiss in
exchange for my honest review. Thank you.**</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764568446342693313.post-59885142317421158322012-11-01T20:39:00.000-07:002012-11-07T20:41:07.493-08:00My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioc6hh-HNDfYPHeuAaKyn3-6EV2TUPyxzK3ubRGZRXJdzQ0vMkMI0yCvdFbYrDr0AK4L7ox3ywPu0mLXKXJqnaz3WElO38o_DzUVVq6-ISLqDeCeCjFUHYhQzC9q839VgqCP9f9Lg1OeA/s1600/Super+Sweet+Sixteenth+Century+by+Rachel+Harris+Image+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioc6hh-HNDfYPHeuAaKyn3-6EV2TUPyxzK3ubRGZRXJdzQ0vMkMI0yCvdFbYrDr0AK4L7ox3ywPu0mLXKXJqnaz3WElO38o_DzUVVq6-ISLqDeCeCjFUHYhQzC9q839VgqCP9f9Lg1OeA/s320/Super+Sweet+Sixteenth+Century+by+Rachel+Harris+Image+Cover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13101487-my-super-sweet-sixteenth-century">From Goodreads:</a> </span><span style="color: #351c75;"><i><span style="background: white; font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">On the precipice of her
sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an
extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So
even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace
offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her
curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into
Renaissance<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i><em><span style="background: white; font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow"; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Firenze</span></em><i><span style="background: white; font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Thrust into the
sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items,
Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano,
and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the
much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted
birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></i><em><span style="background: white; font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow"; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">amore</span></em><i><span style="background: white; font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Can she find her
way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian
forever?</span></span></i></span><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75;"><b>*************</b></span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">Cat Crawford
is a teen girl on the verge of her 16<sup>th</sup> birthday. She is shy and a
bit of loner, part of which comes from being hurt and not wanting people to get
close to her. She is a big art enthusiast, and has been dreaming of going to
Italy and exploring her Italian heritage for quite some time. While on a tour
through the city she stumbles upon a gypsy and thus begins the start of her
time traveling adventure. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">When she
discovers that she must have gone back in time, she wasn’t as freaked out as I
thought she would be. Especially for a 15 year old, she took the situation
rather well…almost too well. Though she does panic a bit at first, she warms to
the idea and decides to use this trip as a way to discover more about her
family. Her family consisting of her uncle Marco, aunt Francesca, and cousins
Alessandra and Cipriano. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">While staying
her with her 16<sup>th</sup> century family she meets Lorenzo, the best friend
of Cipriano. Lorenzo is quite taken with Cat, but she dismisses him as being a
total player and wants nothing to do with him.
Eventually her feelings change and she starts to like him. The more she stays there and interacts with
everyone the more she starts to look at things differently. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><br /></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";"><span style="color: #351c75;">"Letting anyone besides Dad get close to
me was never a part of my life plan. I’ve seen what it does, the pain it can
cause. But now it’s happening anyway, and not just with Lorenzo. Alessandra,
Cipriano, my aunt and uncle… Loving each of them is like an earthquake— I can
feel it; I know the destruction it’ll leave behind and have witnessed previous
aftermaths, but I’m powerless to stop it. And the worst part is, I don’t really
want to."</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">-Rachel
Harris, My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: 'Imprint MT Shadow';">(That is one of
my favorite quotes in the book).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Imprint MT Shadow';"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Imprint MT Shadow";">My Super Sweet
Sixteenth Century (MSSSC for short) is a fun and light-hearted read, that I am
happy to have discovered. It has some fluffiness, but not too much so that it’s
over the top, which is good. Normally I
don’t like the whole time traveling concept in books, but for this story I didn’t
mind it. Even though this book is on the
younger side of the YA book spectrum than what I would normally go for, I was
still able to get into it and enjoy the story.
One thing that I liked was Rachel Harris’s way of describing Italy and the
various surroundings. It was so nicely detailed that I almost felt like I was
there too. My only big complaint is that there is a cliffhanger at the end.
That I was not expecting at all. Now I will be on pins and needles wondering
when the second book will be released and what will happen next. I liked this book enough that even though I
got it as an ARC, I ended up buying a copy anyway. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>Rating: 4 out of 5.</b></div>
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Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764568446342693313.post-49220789990130863662012-10-28T19:17:00.003-07:002012-10-28T19:17:43.810-07:00Hello Again!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0X5bjBTACL7uE7V2mWgW7rNQMRPihF7OLx1ByUdG2FAEa4TsJHuHNouEXtzfPFKjUjQxkt6KV3IyG_n4MIKyd32e3coKNj7z8l1iGWpnlweHrAQzcFMAZ-LsJxsGx0dpQuLkmEWCLH0/s1600/historical-fiction+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0X5bjBTACL7uE7V2mWgW7rNQMRPihF7OLx1ByUdG2FAEa4TsJHuHNouEXtzfPFKjUjQxkt6KV3IyG_n4MIKyd32e3coKNj7z8l1iGWpnlweHrAQzcFMAZ-LsJxsGx0dpQuLkmEWCLH0/s400/historical-fiction+image.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Hello :)<br />
<br />
I decided to create this Once Upon a Historical Time blog because I wanted one spot that would focus on just historical fiction. No matter what kind. I am still keeping up my other blog, The Life & Times of a Book Addict and you can even check out that blog by clicking on the Life & Times Book Reviews tab at the top. If you love Historical Fiction, I hope you enjoy this blog and decide to follow along. Happy Reading :)Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0