Book tour: "The Queen's Vow" by C.W. Gortner

The Queen's Vow by C.W. Gortner

Reviewed as a part of Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
Author's website: www.cwgortner.com
Twitter event hashtag: #QueensVowVirtualTour
Pub Date: June 12, 2012
Book trailer

Isabella of Castile is one of history's most memorable queens: she was married to the powerful Ferdinand of Aragon (and together they united Spain into a powerhouse), masterminded the Inquisition, and launched Christopher Columbus on his voyages. The Queen's Vow is the newest book from the wonderful C.W. Gortner. It follows Isabella from life as a poor, forgotten princess to the powerful and influential monarch that she later became.


The book mainly focuses on her early years and hardships, all telling us how she became a legendary queen. Her teenage years were full of betrayals, lies, and back-stabbings that all put her and her future in jeopardy. At the age of 17 she became queen of Castile, yet was still met with opposition and struggles. Later, when the Inquisition erupts, she must once again prove to her people that she is a strong and capable ruler.


Overall, I loved the story and devoured the book in a day and a half. The only real knowledge I have of Spanish royalty (of any time period) is that of Isabella's two daughters: Katherine (who married Henry VIII of England) and Juana (the "Mad Queen," I reviewed a book about her HERE). It was fun to read an in-depth story of their infamous mother. The only part of this book that I had reservations on was the relationship between Isabella and Ferdinand. Sure, they were very devoted to each other yet still had their problems, which is all very realistic, but I wasn't sold on their desires to so ardently marry each other. They met exactly one time almost ten years before they wed. Besides their power/wealth, and a bit of gallantry on on Ferdinand's part, I wasn't so sure on what attracted them together initially. However, with all of the other characters and actions, it is easy to overlook this and understand their busy lives.

Tahleen reviews: "Death Comes to Pemberley" audiobook by P.D. James

Title: Death Comes to Pemberley
Author: P.D. James
Publisher: Random House Audio, 2011 (print available from Knopf)
Narrator: Rosalyn Landor

Rating: 2.5 stars

Taking place a few years after the ending of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, enough time for Darcy and Elizabeth to have a couple of sons, the main plot of Death Comes to Pemberley deals with a murder on Pemberley property, and the suspect is none other than... DUN DUN... GEORGE WICKHAM. However, Darcy and Elizabeth are convinced Wickham couldn't have possibly committed the heinous crime of bludgeoning his best friend (whose name is escaping me right now) to death. They are faced with a mystery, with the outcome being life or death for Wickham.

If this were just a mystery set in early 19th-century England, it would not be that bad. It was a decent mystery, and the outcome was not obvious. James did her research on the period, too, so it seems genuine. The writing is good, but my biggest problem with the novel was the characterization. I understand it's difficult to try to continue a story that is so deeply ingrained in our literary consciousness, but I found it hard to believe I was reading about the same characters in Austen's novel. I felt James took liberties with the characters, which is understandable considering the fact that she is writing a new story, but being such a fan of the original I was not impressed with the outcome.

Rosalyn Landor was a good narrator. Nothing remarkable, but she had a proper British accent that fit the story well.

If you like Georgian-era novels and mysteries, you might enjoy this latest P&P sequel/continuation/whatever you want to call it. If you are a purist and don't like anyone messing with your Austen, I would just move on.

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from the library.

Jana's Top Ten Most OCD Bookish Habits

 

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week we will post a new Top Ten list  that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to us on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers' lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Future topics can be found here.

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Hi all! It's Jana, here with another lovely TTT post! It's freebie week, so I got to sit and think about all the things I could write about. I finally decided on doing a post inspired by a post I did back in December on my own blog (That Artsy Reader Girl) called Bookish Bad Habits. It spurred quite a discussion over there, and even inspired other bloggers to write about their own bookish habits! It was a lot of fun, and now that I've been blogging even longer, I've come across more wacky habits of mine that I thought you might get a kick out of reading.

1. I HAVE to finish a book, even if the process is grueling and terrible.

2. I can't read a book with the dust jacket on, because it slips out of my hands. 

3. The books in a series always have to be the same format, and they have to sit in order on my shelf.

4. I can't quit reading unless I'm at a chapter break. However… the Kindle has killed me, because now I have to be at a chapter break AND a good percent number, like 10% or 35%. Quitting at 37% drives me nuts!

5. If I buy a book on Kindle that has a really pretty cover, I usually end up buying the actual book for my shelf. Unless I hated the book.

6. If a book has a really ugly cover, I'm less excited to post a review because then that image is on my BLOG.

7. I have WAY too many shelves/categories on Goodreads so I can organize my books. I'm serious. WAY too many. 

8. I absolutely HAVE to read a book's back cover summary before reading it (even if I read it before I bought it) because I can't stand going into a book blind, with no idea about what's going to happen. 

9. Even if I didn't like the book, or never plan to read it, I can't bring myself to get rid of it. It's painful!

10. I can't read library books. I just can't. Who knows where they have been? I am NOT taking them to bed with me. So germy! 

So, do any of you share these with me? Are there any that I'm forgetting? I'm so excited to see what your creative minds have come up with for today's freebie topic! Make sure to link up, and I'll be around to see them!

Kelly's review of "North of Beautiful"

Title: North of Beautiful
Author: Justina Chen Headley
Published: Little Brown Books, 2009

Terra Cooper is beautiful in every sense - her only flaw is the large purple/red birth mark covering her entire cheek. This birthmark is her biggest insecurity and the biggest obsession for her mother. Terra spends a lot of time covering it up and feels vulnerable when it is exposed. This changes when she meets Jacob. He helps her feel comfortable in her own skin, as he has facial flaws himself. They become closer and closer and get the chance to go on a journey of a lifetime to China together with their mothers. I loved reading all about their trip, adventures, and experiences abroad.

The one thing that crawled under my skin when I read this book was Terra's father. He was just a terrible person. (On my list of Horrible Characters, I'd place him in the ranks of Lord Voldemort and President Snow. Yeah, that awful.) He belittled his wife's weight and Terra's birthmark, ordered them around like servants, and carried around an air of superiority and self-righteousness. His emotional and psychological abuse was just as terrible as if he'd hit them. Terra is conflicted about her desires to leave for a college as far away from her father as possible yet not wanting to abandon her mother with him. I was hoping the entire book that Terra's mother would stand up to him and put him in his place (yet I didn't feel we got enough closure with their relationship at the end of the book).

Worst-Dad-Ever aside, I really loved the story. It's got a great message of acceptance with a wonderfully strong heroine and a great assortment of supporting characters, from the quirky old ladies Terra works to her droll older brother. On a related note, am I the only one that has seen that cover model EVERYWHERE? She pops up on a ton of different YA covers!

Winner of the 2 Year Giveaway!

Hello, everyone! For those of you in the USA, Happy Independence Day! I hope the weather is nice where y'all are at. I was run out of a ampitheater orchestral show last night by a pretty severe storm with lots of lightning. Needless to say I'll have to catch the fireworks tonight!

Anyway, I wanted to announce the winner of The Broke and the Bookish 2 Year Blogoverary Giveaway!

The winner is ...

Brooke from Txting Mr Darcy

Brooke chose as her prize Beauty Queens by Libba Bray!

The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.

What's a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program - or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan - or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?

Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Your tour guide? None other than Libba Bray, the hilarious, sensational, Printz Award-winning author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Going Bovine. The result is a novel that will make you laugh, make you think, and make you never see beauty the same way again.

Congratulations, Brooke! And thanks to all of you in joining us in supporting our anniversary!

Have a great day everyone!!

Julia's Top Ten Books For People Who Liked X Author

Learn more and check out the TTT schedule.

Top Ten Books For People Who Liked X Author

Hey everyone, this is Julia. Today's Top Ten Tuesday is to help those of you who need some recommendations based on some popular authors. So hopefully within the next few lines you will find something that you find interesting :)

If you like George R.R. Martin and his epic fantasy, then try The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss or of course The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

If you like J.K. Rowling and her younger fantasy, then try The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman or Cinder by Marissa Meyer

If you like Susanne Collins and her dystopian future, then try The Giver by Lois Lowry or The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe or Across the Universe by Beth Revis.

If you like E.L. James and her erotic romance, then try Bared to You by Silvia Day

If you like Julia Quinn and historical romance, then try A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean or Scandal of the Year by Laura Lee Guhrke


So, not a lot of descriptions as to why today, as it was really hard for me to do this. But all of the links go to the Goodreads pages where you can read about more if you are interested. I am really looking forward to seeing where you all today today's topic. So let the linkie funtimes begin!

-Julia

Daisy's Review of Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Title/Author: Hourglass (Hourglass #1) by Myra McEntire
Publisher/Date published: Egmont USA, June 14th 2011
How I got this book: own a copy

Goodreads summary: "One hour to rewrite the past...
For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back. So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.
Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?"

Sometimes you read a book and then you kick yourself for not reading it sooner because it's just that good and people have been telling you how awesome it is. Hourglass falls right into that category!

I was really excited to start Hourglass and then I noticed how many of my friends on Goodreads had given it high ratings and the excitement kicked up a notch! I LOVE starting a book that my friends have loved cause it usually means I will at least enjoy it very much as well. Though I did kind of worry about getting my hopes up only to be disappointed by the actual novel.

But I shouldn't have worried, Myra McEntire's writing gripped me from page 1 and it never once faltered for me throughout the whole novel! I adore the voice she gave Emerson and anyone that can manage to fit in a Gone With the Wind reference on the first page is a winner to me! I loved that I felt like I was right there experiencing everything along with Emerson!

Emerson was such a compelling main character! She's been through a lot and it's made her put up a wall so she won't get hurt again. I loved seeing how she grows as a character and learns to let people in. Also, I love that she can kick some butt! I loved the chemistry she had with Michael. And Kaleb.

To be honest, I'm partial to Kaleb, he's just *sigh*. That's it. I don't have words for it. He's that *sigh*-worthy.

I loved learning everything about Emerson's ability right along with her and was fascinated by all of it! There were laugh out loud funny moments and the tension between Michael and Em brought tears to my eyes, it was amazing! Also, there's a whole set of other characters for me to love, especially Kaleb! *sigh* He's narrating Timepiece, the second book in the series, so I just know I'll love that as well.

I've completely fallen in love with Myra McEntire's writing and recommend Hourglass for anyone who likes a good YA paranormal romance, to me it ranks among the best in the genre!

My rating: 5 stars