Review: The King's Daughter by Christie Dickason

Book Info: The King's Daughter by Christie Dickason

Author Extras: Website

Publisher: Harper Collins

Source: TLC Book Tours, Publisher for Review

Rating: 4/5

Summary from the Publisher:

The daughter of a king – on sale to the highest bidder. As First Daughter of England, Elizabeth seems to live a life of privilege and luxury. Yet she is imprisoned by duty; a helpless pawn in the political machinations of her father, James I. She trusts only her beloved brother Henry until she is sent a slave-girl, Tallie, who becomes her unlikely advisor. As their friendship grows, the innocent Elizabeth must learn to listen to dangerous truths about her louche father and his volatile court. Can she risk playing their games of secrecy and subterfuge in order to forge her path to love and freedom?

Review:

It's been a little while since I've read any historical fiction, but this genre is one of my favorites when I just want to escape into a book.  So many HF books these days focus on the Tudors, and I was initially drawn to this book because it didn't.  I enjoy reading about different historical figures and time periods, instead of focusing on just one era.

Dickason really brought the Jacobean court to life.  The King's Daughter was rich in detail, but it wasn't overpowering.  I could really picture the clothes, the lifestyle, and those are the details that make a book special. 

I really liked Elizabeth, though I found myself feeling sorry for her for much of the book. Especially when it came to her father, she was simply a pawn to be used and manipulated.  King James was particularly unlikable, which made me that much more sympathetic to Elizabeth.  At times though, she did seem a little modern in her thinking.  It wasn't enough to be unbelievable, but just enough to make me pause.

The King's Daughter is a very enjoyable book, and a found myself staying up late to finish the book.  I will be reading more of Dickason's work, especially if she continues telling Elizabeth's story.

About the Author:

 Christie Dickason was born in America but also lived as a child in Thailand, Mexico and Switzerland. Harvard-educated, and a former theatre director and choreographer (with the Royal Shakespeare Company and at Ronnie Scott's among others), she lives in London with her family.

Review: Leaving Before It's Over by Jean Reynolds Page

Book Info:

Leaving Before It's Over by Jean Reynolds Page

Author Extras: Website

Publisher: Harper Collins, 2010

Source: TLC Book Tours, Publisher

Rating: 4.5/5

Summary From the Publisher:

When Roy Vines married his wife, Rosalind, he traded his family and his inheritance for love—a painful choice that has blessed them with years of joy nestled in rural North Carolina with their beautiful daughters, sixteen-year-old Lola and little Janie Ray.

But their happiness is threatened when Rosalind suddenly falls ill. Desperate to get her the help she needs, Roy does the one thing he swore he'd never do—turn to his heartless and bitter identical twin brother, Mont, for help.

Review:

This is the third book I've read by Jean Reynolds Page, and I like each one even more than the last.  This last one has convinced me that, without a doubt, that I need to read the last two books in her backlist.

Page's characters are so very vivid.  Even if they are people I wouldn't normally hang out with, I couldn't help but be drawn to them. Roy is a solid and likeable man.  Lola and Luke are typical kids.  They may make mistakes, but are ultimately good kids, and I couldn't help but wish them the best.  The Vines family, as a whole is stand-offish and cold, but they are still characters that most people can understand. I loved how I could see the situation from many different perspectives and that

I also love the family dynamics in this book. I think a slightly dysfunctional family is something that everyone relates to on some level, and that gives the story a very accessible quality.  If characters and families are too perfect they are hard to swallow, but the Vines family isn't that way at all.  There are those in the family that are easy to dislike, and those who I changed my mind about by the end of the book. In so many books either the plot or the characters stand out, and in Page's books they are both able to hold their own equally.  4.5 stars, very good +
About Jean Reynolds Page

Jean Reynolds Page is the author of The Last Summer of Her Other Life, The Space Between Before and After, A Blessed Event, and Accidental Happiness. She grew up in North Carolina and graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She was a dance critic for more than ten years before turning full-time to fiction in 2001. In addition to North Carolina, she has lived in New York, Boston, Dallas, and Seattle. She and her family recently moved to Madison, Wisconsin.

Other TLC Book Tour Stops

Review: I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman

Book Info:

I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman

Author Extras: Website, Facebook

Publisher:  Harper Collins, 2010

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Source: TLC Book Tours

Rating: 4/5

Summary from the Publisher:

Eliza Benedict cherishes her peaceful, ordinary suburban life with her successful husband and children, thirteen-year-old Iso and eight-year-old Albie. But her tranquillity is shattered when she receives a letter from the last person she ever expects—or wants—to hear from: Walter Bowman. There was your photo, in a magazine. Of course, you are older now. Still, I'd know you anywhere.


In the summer of 1985, when she was fifteen, Eliza was kidnapped by Walter and held hostage for almost six weeks. He had killed at least one girl and Eliza always suspected he had other victims as well. Now on death row in Virginia for the rape and murder of his final victim, Walter seems to be making a heartfelt act of contrition as his execution nears. Though Eliza wants nothing to do with him, she's never forgotten that Walter was most unpredictable when ignored. Desperate to shelter her children from this undisclosed trauma in her past, she cautiously makes contact with Walter. She's always wondered why Walter let her live, and perhaps now he'll tell her—and share the truth about his other victims.

Review:

The first time I picked up a Laura Lippman book I expected a mystery, with creepy serial killers, some blood and guts, and a crazy twist at the end of the book.  And since that wasn't what I got, I came away from the book disappointed.  Going into my second Lippman book I revised my expectations about what type of book I was getting, and this time it worked perfectly for me.

Lippman tells a captivating story, but her characters are really what stand out for me.  She is able to perfectly capture a sullen teenager in Iso, a distant sister in Vonnie, and a conflicted mother in Eliza.  And while I may not have always agreed with Eliza's decisions, I always understood why she did things.  Understandably the story focused on Eliza and Walter, but I did wish some minor characters (like Eliza's husband, Peter) had played a slightly larger role.

The psychological thriller side of I'd Know You Anywhere had me hooked right from the beginning, and I think it would be a good choice for book clubs.  I can imagine discussions around the central ethical issue of the death penalty as well as the character's motivations and actions. 4 stars, very good

About Laura Lippman:

Laura Lippman grew up in Baltimore and returned to her hometown in 1989 to work as a journalist. After writing seven books while still a full-time reporter, she left the Baltimore Sun to focus on fiction. The author of two New York Times bestsellers, What the Dead Know and Another Thing to Fall, she has won numerous awards for her work, including the Edgar, Quill, Anthony, Nero Wolfe, Agatha, Gumshoe, Barry, and Macavity.

I’d Know You Anywhere is Laura Lippman’s 18th book.

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Review: The Promised World by Lisa Tucker

Book Info:
The Promised World by Lisa Tucker

Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Atria (September 1, 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-416575382

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Source: Publisher/Blog Tour

Rating: 4/5

On a March afternoon, while Lila Cole is working in her quiet office, her twin brother Billy points an unloaded rifle out of a hotel window, closing down a city block. "Suicide by police" was obviously Billy's intended result, but the aftermath of his death brings shock after shock for Lila when she discovers that her brilliant but troubled twin -- the person she revered and was closer to than anyone in the world -- was not only estranged from his wife, but also charged with endangering the life of his middle child and namesake, eight-year-old William.

As Lila struggles to figure out what was truth and what was fiction in her brother's complicated past, her job, her marriage, and even her sanity will be put at risk. And when the hidden meaning behind Billy's stories comes to light, she will have to act before Billy's children are destroyed by the same heartbreaking reality that shattered her protector and twin more than twenty years ago.




I first heard Lisa Tucker's name mentioned on a Paperback Swap forum post a few years ago. The thread focused on highlighting authors you loved, but who weren't terribly well known. Lisa Tucker's name was new to me, but her books immediately caught my eye. I read The Song Reader right away and was thrilled to participate in this blog tour so that I could read her newest book.

The Promised World has a confusing feel to it. It's not that the writing is hard to understand or follow, but that Lila has huge gaps in what she can remember about her childhood. The details are revealed to Lila and the reader at the same time and disjointed telling

I didn't really like Lila too much as a character. I thought she came across as weak and passive. While it's obvious from the beginning of the book that something happened in her childhood, I had a hard time with her acceptance of her history being handed to her, with no questions asked.

Even though I didn't really click with Lila it didn't slow the story down at all. The story moved along very fast and I found The Promised World very hard to put down. I will definitely continue to read Lisa Tucker's back list. 4 stars

Thank you to TLC Book Tours and be sure to check out the other tour stops.

Review: The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

Book Info:
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (August 18, 2009)
ISBN-13: 9780061624773
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4/5

Towner Whitney, the self-confessed unreliable narrator, hails from a family of Salem women who can read the future in the patterns in lace, and who have guarded a history of secrets going back generations. Now the disappearance of two women is bringing Towner back home to Salem - and is bringing to light the shocking truth about the death of her twin sister.

The Lace Reader is filled with wonderful characters. Towner is a fascinating. I love flawed characters, and I especially love characters who don't try to hide their flaws. She lays all her faults and family history on the table right at the beginning. Eva is another character I would have loved to spend more time with. We mostly get to know her through other characters memories, but you can tell she is a wonderful, caring person.

The atmosphere in The Lace Reader is haunting. There is an air of mystery that hangs over the whole book like a fog. And like a fog, you don't get the whole story revealed to you at once. The story is slowly pieced together, and it comes together perfectly.

My one complaint about the book is the similarity to another book I read a year or two ago. I hate any kind of spoiler so I won't mention the other title, but I was a little disappointed that The Lace Reader wasn't as original as it first appeared to be. Overall, The Lace Reader was a captivating story and I would recommend it. 4 stars

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for organizing this tour

Some additional info about the book:

The Lace Reader’s book trailer

Soon, LaceReader.com will also have a downloadable t-shirt iron-on design and printable signage for booksellers.

In the September issue of Book Page, there will be a sweepstakes in which the grand prize is a trip for two to Salem, two nights at The Hawthorne Hotel, and a guided Lace Reader tour of Salem with Brunonia.

Brunonia is also headed back out on tour. Check the link for the schedule and to see if there is a stop near you.