Book Review: The Flower Reader by Elizabeth Loupas & Giveaway (US Only)

I was drawn into The Flower Reader by Elizabeth Loupas from the first chapter. Any time a story starts with a girl who has the ability to read the future in flowers I’m interested. Flowers have always told Rinette what was inside a person – what they were like and what may happen to them in the future. She had visions when she would breathe in the scent of the flowers and they would talk to her. The beginning of the novel finds Mary of Guise, the queen regent of Scotland dying and she requests Rinette’s presence. She leaves with Rinette a silver casket that contains papers for her daughter Mary, Queen of Scots and tells her that she must hide it until she can get it to her. First though she will be reunited with the love of her life only to offend one man who ultimately doesn’t forget her humiliation of him.

As you may expect the drama begins and Rinette is drawn into a world that she never really wanted. It turns out everyone wants this casket for what it contains and will do anything to get it including the queen as and, for her own reasons, Rinette is withholding it from her as well. For Rinette it completely alters her life and not always in a good way. She loses people she loves and gains people she hates. She learns that the very people she trusted with her life may have betrayed her. Along the way though there is one man who stands by her side but is he hiding a secret as well? I also enjoyed how the author wove into the story the life of Mary, Queen of Scots as a young queen and how she embroiled her in the drama that Rinette was involved in.

I liked Rinette as a character. I found her to be strong woman who took the downfalls of her life and worked with them. She was tough when she needed to be especially if it meant protecting those she loved. There was also a whole host of other characters woven into the story and it was surprising that it wasn’t hard to keep track of them at all. One of my favorite things was the descriptions of the flowers and the meanings that Rinette took from them. I think I would have enjoyed a lot more on this aspect in the book because I did like that sideline that pegged Rinette as a witch even though she wasn’t. Of course anyone back in that time who was different in any way had to be playing with magic.

The Flower Reader by Elizabeth Loupas is a different take on your standard historical fiction novel in that the main characters are actually all fictional with our authentic characters more on the sidelines really. It was an interesting way to portray the story and it really caught my attention. In some ways I would almost say this was a historical mystery but better. I really enjoyed this portrayal of a time when Mary of Scotland was Queen – it was full of intrigue, backstabbing, murder, court politics, and love- all that really good stuff that make the book so good!

I read The Flower Reader by Elizabeth Loupas for her book tour with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. Please stop by the other tour stops to see what others thought of the book. You can find Elizabeth Loupas on her website as well as on Facebook and Twitter. You can pick up your own copy of The Flower Reader here in the US and here in Canada.

 

 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS (US ONLY)

I have one copy of The Flower Reader by Elizabeth Loupas up for grabs.  To enter…

• For 1 entry simply leave me a comment entering the giveaway.
• For 2 entries, follow my blog.  If you already do, thank you, and please let me know so I can pass the extra entry on to you as well.
• For 3 entries, blog or tweet this giveaway to spread the word.

This giveaway is open to US residents only (no PO boxes) and I will draw for the winner on Saturday, May 19/12.  Good luck everyone!

Source:  Review copy provided by the NAL Trade via NetGalley.  No compensation was received for this review and all opinions are my own.

Book Review: Leftovers by Arthur Wooten & Giveaway

What I love about reading and blogging is finding new authors and Arthur Wooten, the author of Leftovers, is one of them. What a fantastic gem this book is! It took me back to an era when Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland were popular, when gas was 21 cents a gallon and cigarettes 30 cents, and when Tupperware was all the rage! (I remember Tupperware parties and truth be told we still have quite a bit of Tupperware in our cupboards – lol). I loved this journey back in time and the people I got to meet!

Vivian fantasizes about being the perfect housewife. The reason it’s a fantasy is because Vivian is the worst housekeeper and cook there is. Truth be told after an incident as a kid she’s pretty scared of that lumbering gas stove in her kitchen. When her husband who married her for the money he thought she’d inherit tells her he’s leaving her, she’s shocked. She literally falls apart – the bills are piling up, the power is turned off, and finally Vivian’s house is taken from her.

Lucky for Vivian she has a couple of good friends in Babs and her brother Stew because they take her in. Stew is in heaven as he’s been harboring a crush on Vivian for years. If only she’d notice him as more than Bab’s brother and a friend. When Vivian is unable to find a job Babs suggests selling Tupperware as she does. Vivian is terrified of speaking in front of a group of people but she realizes she has no choice.

Turns out Vivian is a natural born seller and has a knack with people – they like her. Once she gains confidence she goes at it with a vengeance. She becomes a top seller in a short time and gets to go a convention that ends up being the catalyst to her transformation. The creator of the Tupperware Home Party, Brownie Wise, decides to take Vivian under her wing. Vivian gets a makeover, new clothes, and a car. On top of it she becomes the media spokeswoman for Tupperware. Life as Vivian knew it is never the same. The only thing she didn’t bank on was losing the two most important people in her life on her rise to stardom.

Vivian is a great character. She’s so hopeless that she’s funny. She can’t park a car if her life depends on it, she dresses like a slob, and obviously she can’t keep a husband. Yet, as she says, Tupperware changes her life and it does. Vivian gains the confidence to succeed and be her own woman – to make it on her own. Keep in mind this is the 1950′s when it was less common for women to be so successful. It was great to see Vivian find herself and realize that despite a bad childhood and marriage, she was strong enough to take care of herself. Every time she stepped further up the ladder of self confidence I cheered her on and it was great to see her grow so much from where she had started.

Arthur has a wonderful writing style. While really the story is a serious one – a woman trying to find her way – he writes in a way that lightens it up and makes it funny and serious all at the same time. I was hooked on the story from the beginning because you just can’t help but be sucked into Vivian’s crazy life and I couldn’t put it down. I’ll say that I enjoyed it so much that I went and bought three more of Arthur’s books for my Kindle. Leftovers is a wonderful story of a woman who was truly lost for most of her life but finds herself in an unexpected way by sheer determination and selling Tupperware. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to my friends!

Be sure to pop by Arthur’s website to check out Leftovers as well as his other novels. You can also visit Arthur on his blog or find him on Facebook and Twitter.  You can buy your own copy of Leftovers here at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, or for your Kindle (at only $2.99 – a steal!).

 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

I have one paperback copy (or if you prefer a Kindle copy) of Leftovers by Arthur Wooten up for grabs.  To enter…

• For 1 entry simply leave me a comment entering the giveaway.
• For 2 entries, follow my blog.  If you already do, thank you, and please let me know so I can pass the extra entry on to you as well.
• For 3 entries, blog or tweet this giveaway and spread the word!

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only and I will draw for the winner on Saturday, May 5/12.  Good luck to all!

Source: Review copy was provided by the author. No compensation was received for this review and all opinions are my own.

Book Review: The Thirteen by Susie Moloney

Are you feeling like reading something a little creepy – a story that will hold you in its spell for a little while? Well look no further because The Thirteen by Susie Moloney is just such a read! I read another book called The Dwelling by Susie Moloney years ago and I had really enjoyed it which was why I was initially interested int this one. However I’m always a sucker for a book that involves magic, witches and spells as it is and this novel encompasses all of that and more. The Thirteen was a great read for me – so much so that I spun through 300 pages at an amazing rate of speed with a pounding heart at times.

Paula’s life just hasn’t been going well at all. She’s been fired from another dead end job and she’s dreading telling her daughter Rowan that they are broke and have no good prospects in sight. So when a call comes from her mother’s closest friend Izzy telling her that her mother Audra is sick and in the hospital Paula takes it as the perfect chance to get away for a while and go home. Paula and Rowan haven’t been back to Haven Woods in years because Paula’s mother has always told her she wasn’t wanted there. When they saw Audra it was in the city at their home. However Paula feels she owes it to her mother to go and see how she is and if she can help her at all and besides she doesn’t realize she’s being drawn there for sinister reasons.

Haven Woods is one of those places that is described as the perfect place to raise a family and in fact, Paula had a great childhood; never wanting for anything although the town has definitely experienced its share of horrifying tragedies along the way. It feels strange for Paula being back home though after all that had happened there just before she left as a young pregnant girl. Rowan right off doesn’t like it there and keeps feeling as though the people she’s meeting are just plain weird. All except for Sanderson who was an old friend of her mothers. At his house she feels safe and along with her grandma’s dog Old Tex and Sanderson’s dog Gusto, it is where she is most comfortable. Paula too is finding things a little weird, especially the fact that she can’t seem to find out exactly what is wrong with her mother and that she can never seem to talk to a doctor about it.

Little do Paula or Rowan know what is going on behind the scenes and good thing too or they’d be hightailing it out of town in a big hurry. When Paula’s friend Marla who was her very best friend when they were girls invites her to a party on Friday night she really thinks nothing of it, nor of the fact that she’s insisting Paula bring Rowan. What Paula finds out is that nobody is who they really seem and for Rowan, all the nightmarish thoughts she’s had of Haven Woods seem to be even worse in real life. That’s about all I’m going to say for fear of giving away the best parts of the story – you’ll just have to read it yourself to find out the rest…

The Thirteen is the perfect story to settle in the cozy chair with and just read and read. It’s not really scary – it’s creepy and I do love creepy. If you’re a fan of witches and magic with a little horror thrown in then I’d suggest giving The Thirteen a read. You’ll probably like it just like I did!  Oh, and I do believe she left this novel open for a sequel and I for one would love to see one!

I read The Thirteen by Susie Moloney for her book tour with TLC Book Tours. Be sure and stop by the other tour stops to see what everyone else thinks about the book. You can find Susie on her website and you can purchase your own copy of The Thirteen here in the US and here in Canada.

Source: Review copy provided by TLC Book Tours and William Morrow Paperbacks. No compensation was received for this review and all opinions are my own.

Book Review: Empress of the Seven Hills by Kate Quinn

Empress of the Seven Hills by Kate Quinn is another journey to Ancient Rome that will keep you spellbound within its pages as you experience betrayals, adventure, battles, greed, power, and love. I first discovered Kate Quinn when I read her first book Mistress of Rome (my review) and I loved it. I haven’t read Daughters of Rome yet but it’s next on my list. You do not have to read these books in order. They stand alone quite well but it was nice to be able to recognize some of the characters and events being spoken about having read the first book.

Vix has decided that there is nothing for him in his home country so he ventures to Rome to try to make a life for himself. The only thing he knows for sure is he doesn’t want to be a gladiator – those days are over. What he does want to do is be a soldier; more specifically lead his own legion someday. Luckily for Vix he has an important contact in Rome who owes his family a favor or two so he heads to Senator Norbanus’s home. It is there that he catches his first look at the intriguing Sabina, who after a while, he remembers from when they were kids and she stole a kiss. Eventually Vix ends up as a guard in Sabina’s home and a secret relationship forms between the two. Little do they know that it will likely last a lifetime.

Sabina is a girl who craves adventure. She may love Vix but he can’t give her the adventure she craves – he isn’t ambitious enough in that regard as all he really wants to do is fight for the Emperor. One of her suitors Hadrian, a ward of the Emperor, catches her attention and they marry. Sabina gets her adventure following her husband on the road in battles and she also manages to get more of Vix. What Vix ends up learning the hard way though is that Sabina craves adventure more than she craves him. The one thing that Vix and Sabina always have and will agree on though is their devotion to Trajan and both will do anything to serve and protect him. Will it be enough though?

The characters in this novel just jump out at you. They have a depth to them and the life in Ancient Rome is described so vividly you feel sure you are experiencing it all with your favorite characters. Vix is by far my favorite. You know by his description that he is gorgeous and strong – all man. He is at times funny and often bawdy but he captures your heart nonetheless. Another character I adored was Titus, a man who isn’t described as handsome but is smart and quotes books all the time. I found him charming and loved his devotion to those he cared about like Vix and Sabina. Of course there are the bad people lurking as usual especially Plotina, the Emperor’s wife. She’s just evil and you would love to see someone squash her at some point. The novel is full of people who you will want to see succeed whether in battle or love.

Empress of the Seven Hills is everything historical fiction should be. If you have an interest in Ancient Rome you will love this novel as well as Kate’s other books as well. She brings Ancient Rome to life in a most interesting way. Her novels are never dull or boring – they are just exciting. It is clear that she has done her research and in her author’s note she tells us that the majority of characters and events are all based on things that have actually happened. The end of this novel leaves you wanting more because it ends on a note that pretty much tells you there is a sequel in the works and I can’t wait! Empress of the Seven Hills is a magnificent novel by Kate Quinn and well worth reading!

Be sure to check out the giveaway I have running right now for your own chance to win a copy of Empress of the Seven Hills as well as check out the excellent guest post Kate wrote for us on ‘A Day in the Life of a Writer’.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher. No compensation was received for this review and all opinions are solely my own.