Bethany Swafford's Blog, page 19

The Lost Girls of Paris

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The Lost Girls of Paris

by Pam Jenoff

Edition: ebook, ARC

Synopsis: 1946, Manhattan

Grace Healey is rebuilding her life after losing her husband during the war. One morning while passing through Grand Central Terminal on her way to work, she finds an abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. Unable to resist her own curiosity, Grace opens the suitcase, where she discovers a dozen photographs—each of a different woman. In a moment of impulse, Grace takes the photographs and quickly leaves the station.

Grace soon learns that the suitcase belonged to a woman named Eleanor Trigg, leader of a ring of female secret agents who were deployed out of London during the war. Twelve of these women were sent to Occupied Europe as couriers and radio operators to aid the resistance, but they never returned home, their fates a mystery. Setting out to learn the truth behind the women in the photographs, Grace finds herself drawn to a young mother turned agent named Marie, whose daring mission overseas reveals a remarkable story of friendship, valor and betrayal.

Vividly rendered and inspired by true events, New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff shines a light on the incredible heroics of the brave women of the war, and weaves a mesmerizing tale of courage, sisterhood and the great strength of women to survive in the hardest of circumstances.

Eleanor is put in charge of a women’s division of spies during World War Two. Marie is recruited to be one of those spies. Three years later, Grace finds a suitcase with photographs of women. What is the truth behind what happened to those girl’s in Paris?

This was an extremely intriguing and well-written book. Each viewpoint (Eleanor’s as she made the hard decisions, Marie’s in the field, and Grace as she tries to follow the clues she has) were so compelling I had moments of disappointment when I shifted from one to the other. The life of a radio operator in occupied France was really brought to life.

I would have liked to have seen more of Marie’s life in France. I understand her time was short because of the betrayal that led to the girls being lost, but her romance felt as though it overshadowed the work she’d trained to do.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book I would recommend to readers of World War Two.

 

Winning Miss Winthrop

Winning Miss Winthrop

by Carolyn Miller

Edition: ebook, 2018

Synopsis: Catherine Winthrop has cried out to God too many times to count. Years ago, the man who stole her heart rejected her–and she’s never recovered. Now tragedy has brought him back into her life. This time it isn’t her heart he’s taking, it’s her home and her family’s good name–and she has no one to share her grief.

Jonathan Carlew’s life may look enviable from the outside–wealthy, handsome, landed–but the mystery surrounding his birth has shadowed his entire life. Now as he ascends to the barony, fresh challenges await, including a scheming mama who wants him to embrace power, even at the cost of losing love. How can he remain the kind, honorable man he strives to be and still meet the demands of his new society responsibilities?

These two broken hearts must decide whether their painful past and bitter present will be all they can share, or if forgiveness can provide a path to freedom for the future.

Catherine has lost everything: her father, her place in society, her home…her heart. Faced with daily reminders of how things used to be, can she take a chance and trust the man who has back into her life?

I very much enjoyed Catherine’s journey through this book. She struggles to remain positive in the face of grief and disappointment. She is reluctant to trust after everything she has been through, and she is a believable, reliable character.

Opposite her is Jonathon, who has unexpectedly inherited Catherine’s home. Though he has reason to be angry and he is standoffish often, he is kind and honorable when can be.

The plot moves at an excellent pace. The supporting characters do exactly that: they support Catherine and Jonathon through the story without taking over.

I look forward to reading more by this author.

A Dangerous Duet

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A Dangerous Duet

by Karen Odden

Edition: Paperback, ARC

Synopsis: Nineteen-year-old Nell Hallam lives in a modest corner of Mayfair with her brother Matthew, an inspector at Scotland Yard. An exceptionally talented pianist, she aspires to attend the Royal Academy; but with tuition beyond their means, Nell sets out to earn the money herself—by playing piano in a popular Soho music hall. And the fact that she will have to disguise herself as a man and slip out at night to do it doesn’t deter her.

Spending evenings at the Octavian is like entering an alternate world, one of lively energy, fascinating performers, raucous patrons—and dark secrets. And when Nell stumbles upon the operations of an infamous crime ring working in the shadows of the music hall, she is drawn into a conspiracy that stretches the length of London. To further complicate matters, she has begun to fall for the hall owner’s charismatic son, Jack, who has secrets of his own.

The more Nell becomes a part of the Octavian’s world, the more she risks the relationships with the people she loves. And when another performer is left for dead in an alley as a warning, she realizes her future could be in jeopardy in more ways than one.

To earn the tuition for the Royal Academy, Nell disguises herself as a man to play piano in a Soho music hall. She is drawn into a conspiracy far bigger than she suspects when a friend is left for dead. Her heart is also not safe from Jack, who may be more involved in criminal activities than she realizes.

Nell is a lovely protagonist. I admired her determination to follow her ambition, even if it meant unconventional means. Her struggles to overcome the concerns of her past, and the shadow of her mother’s actions, made her sympathetic. Her uncertainty about who to trust was realistic.

Once she begins to unravel the mystery, the plot begins to move at a quick pace. (I was amused at how many people saw through Mell’s disguise.) The details of the period and or music were spot on. The only thing that was out of place was Nell’s reaction to her doctor’s secret. It did not seem appropriate for the time and era.

For readers looking for a Victorian mystery with a dash of romance, they won’t go wrong with this one.

A Light of Her Own

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A Light of Her Own

by Carrie Callaghan

Edition: ebook, ARC

Synopsis: In Holland 1633, a woman’s ambition has no place. 

Judith is a painter, dodging the law and whispers of murder to become the first woman admitted to the prestigious Haarlem artist’s guild. Maria is a Catholic in a country where the faith is banned, hoping to absolve her sins by recovering a lost saint’s relic. 

Both women’s destinies will be shaped by their ambitions, running counter to the city’s most powerful men, whose own plans spell disaster. A vivid portrait of a remarkable artist, A Light of Her Own is a richly-woven story of grit against the backdrop of Rembrandts and repressive religious rule.

Judith Leyster works hard and does whatever is needed to be admitted to the Artists Guild. As the only woman, she must overcome prejudice and disdain as she fights to prove she is as worthy as any man.

I found this to be a fascinating fictional look into a time period I know little about. The author did a phenomenal job of bringing the setting to life in her narrative. The day to day aspects of what this artist !at have had to deal with made the story more real.

On the other hand, we have Maria, the daughter of the artist who trained Judith. The author went with the premise that these two would have been friends. However, I found the chapters devotes to what Maria was dealing with uninteresting. No doubt she had her own trials, but it felt as though her story took away from Judith’s.

Overall, it is an excellent historical telling of a gifted artist. I would recommend it to readers with an appreciation for art.

An Author’s Random Musing: Where Did the Summer Go?

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Well, summer is officially over with already. I have been so busy this year, it feels like I haven’t had a chance to sit and enjoy a single season (besides the fact that my state decided to skip Spring completely this year).

For most of the summer, I had a second job as a library clerk. If you love books as much as I do, you’ll know this was an absolute dream job. If you ever have the opportunity to pursue it as a career or just volunteer, do it. Handling books every day was fantastic, not to mention being able to gush over a book with a patron who just picked up a book you just read yourself.

Yeah, I’m going to miss that job.

This past month, my first YA book was released into the world. It was an amazing moment to be able to hold the completed book in paperback form.

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(Available here: here  and on Amazon)

Oh, and that’s another surprise that happened over the summer. You’ll notice “Award Winning Author” on the cover of my newest release. I took third place in an unpublished novel award, The Rosemary Award. I have the award (just a piece of paper, really) on my desk to keep me going whenever I feel down. Oh, and third place in the Athena Award isn’t too shabby either.

Would it be too much to slap “Award Winning Author” every place I can?

My two books with a small press have been returned to me, so I am working on getting them re-edited and back into the world. I’ll show covers when I get them designed.

Next month is a big month. I am now preparing for this year’s NaNoWriMo. Every time I think I have it pinned down what I want to write, my brain goes “OH! IDEA!” My plot notebook is getting used frequently.

Here’s to all the words, good and bad, that will be coming!

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A Good Day for Climbing Trees

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A Good Day for Climbing Trees

By Jaco Jacobs

Edition: ARC, paperback

Synopsis: Sometimes, in the blink of an eye, you do something that changes your life forever.

Like climbing into a tree with a strange girl.

Marnus is tired of feeling invisible, living in the shadow of his two brothers.

His older brother is good at breaking swimming records and girls’ hearts. His younger brother is already a crafty entrepreneur who has tricked him into doing the dishes all summer.

But when a girl called Leila ends up on their doorstep one morning asking him to sign a petition, it’s the start of an unexpected adventure.

And finally, Marnus gets the chance to be noticed… 

Thirteen year old Marnus expects the holiday season to be uneventful with his month involved in An Important Case and his dad making ends meet at his business. but a girl called Leila appears on his doorstep and everything changes.

This was really a heart warming adventure. I absolutely adored Marnus and identified with his being a middle child. His uncertainty about saving the tree with Leila made sense for his character. How he made friends with those older than him along the way was a lot of fun.

The story is the perfect example of finding adventure in small things. The plot moves at a quick pace, but leaves enough time for the emotional moments to make an impact.

For younger readers looking for an everyday adventure, I would absolutely recommend this.

The Weaver’s Daughter

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The Weaver’s Daughter

by Sarah E. Ladd

Edition: paperback, 2018

Synopsis: Kate’s loyalties bind her to the past. Henry’s loyalties compel him to strive for a better future. In a landscape torn between tradition and vision, can two souls find the strength to overcome their preconceptions?

Loyalty has been at the heart of the Dearborne family for as long as Kate can remember, but a war is brewing in their small village, one that has the power to rip families asunder –including her own. As misguided actions are brought to light, she learns how deep her father’s pride and bitterness run, and she begins to wonder if her loyalty is well-placed.

Henry Stockton, heir to the Stockton fortune, returns home from three years at war seeking refuge from his haunting memories. Determined to bury the past, he embraces his grandfather’s goals to modernize his family’s wool mill, regardless of the grumblings from the local weavers. When tragedy strikes shortly after his arrival, Henry must sort truth from suspicion if he is to protect his family’s livelihood and legacy.

Henry has been warned about the Dearborne family. Kate, too, has been advised to stay far away from the Stocktons, but chance meetings continue to bring her to Henry’s side, blurring the jagged lines between loyalty, justice, and truth. Kate ultimately finds herself with the powerful decision that will forever affect her village’s future. As unlikely adversaries, Henry and Kate must come together to find a way to create peace for their families, and their village, and their souls – even if it means risking their hearts in the process.

Kate’s family clings to the way things have always been done, and this creates tension as others in the community look to the future. Henry is haunted by the war as he seeks to protect his employees and his mills from those opposed to progress.

As with other books by this author, these characters are portrayed so true to life. Kate’s feelings of being torn between her father, her brother, and then henry, are easy to understand. Though at first she distrusts Henry’s actions, she allows her opinion change by the evidence she sees.

The plot is well paced, and the details of this troubled time are expertly portrayed. I hope to read more of characters set in this community.

The Housekeeper’s Tale

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The Housekeeper’s Tale

by Tessa Boase

Edition: Kindle, 2014

Synopsis: The story of The Housekeeper’s Tale follows the lives of five women to delve into the secret existence of these powerful yet invisible women who ran our great English country houses.

From the 19th- to the mid 20th-century this was the most important professional job an uneducated woman could aspire to; the female equivalent of the butler. But we know very little about the women who filled these posts.

In the fictional view, the housekeeper was invariably a spinster in black silk: cold, remote and calculating. But what of the real lives? Tessa Boase turns domestic detective to take the reader on a journey of investigation, unearthing secret diaries, bundles of letters and neglected archives from the service wings of great houses – the housekeeping accounts, the doctor’s bills, the shopping lists, the character references.

Mrs Doar, Mrs Wells, Mrs Penketh, Mrs Mackenzie and Mrs Higgens are forgotten women, but each had an intriguing personal story. Through meticulous research and imaginative reconstruction, their tales are told here for the first time. There is a pregnancy, a court case, a love affair, a scandal. These were real women, with real problems. But they were also determined, ambitious and single-minded. Whatever their era – Victorian, Edwardian, the roaring Twenties, the liberated Sixties – without these women the world’s that they kept in order would have stopped spinning altogether.

Being a housekeeper was a job was one women in service sought to attain. Here are presented examples from the early nineteenth century to the present day, which show that this job is perhaps harder than any applicants ever imagined.

From start to finish, this was a fascinating book to read. I am accustomed to the cliche portrayals in literature, so I was interested to see what history has to say on the matter. Reading of the difficulties these women faced as they worked hard, for better or worse, at their occupations.

In each case, it was all too easy to see each side of the matter. After reading this, I have a great deal of respect for the women who made “housekeeping” their career, and the trials they had to face in the course of their work.

The Master of Liversedge

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The Master of Liversedge

by Alice Chetwynd Ley

Edition: ARC, 2018

Synopsis: William Arkwright, the master of Liversedge Mill, is a proud yet lonely man. 

The mill seems to be his only interest in life and his young step-sister Caroline is the only person able to bring a smile to his face. 

But Liversedge Mill is in trouble as the Luddite rebellion sweepings through the north. 

Workers are conspiring to smash machines and terrorise their masters. 

Mary Lister, Caroline’s new governess, arrives on a night of violence and death. 

Having been forced by the snowy track to travel the last part of her journey in a small farm waggon, crouched under a tarpaulin, Mary is confronted by uproar. 

The Luddites somehow discover that the wagon in which Mary was a passenger was carrying shearing frames — and they are out to smash the lot … 

Shaken and confused Mary finally reaches the Mill. 

Confronted by her haughty employer, Mary is determined not to let William’s over-bearing nature ruin her spirits. 

During the stormy weeks that follow her arrival, Mary is torn between her sympathy for the poor and downtrodden of the rebellion and her unwilling admiration for the inimitable Master of Liversedge. 

Who will she side with? 

Her head or her heart. 

The Master of Liversedge is a gripping historical romance from a master story-teller. 

Based on contemporary accounts of the Luddite uprisings in Yorkshire in 1812, we follow Mary Lister, who is a new governess in a family defending their mill. William Arkwright has little patience with Miss Lister, and her cousin who has Luddite sympathies. Can these two overcome their differences in a time of turmoil?

What I loved about this was the level of historical detail and accuracy. I felt the desperation of the mill workers who were losing their livelihood. I understood the mill owner trying to keep his business relevant and productive. Mary;s viewpoint as the outsider observing it all was perfect to show all sides.

The one point I did not enjoy was the romance. Mary and Mr. Arkwright may have spent time together, but they did nothing but argue. I in no way saw what attracted Mary, though see why Mr. Arkwright would be attracted to the sweet and innocent governess.

Overall, it is a enjoyable look to a troubled time. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy fictional telling of events that really happened.

Scarlet

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Scarlet

by Jen Geigle Johnson

Edition: ARC, 2018

Synopsis: The roads in and out of Paris are heavily guarded, but the dead have easy passage out of the city. A ragged old woman transports the coffins of the most recent victims of the guillotine and is waved on unimpeded. Later, the same crone watches five French aristocrats step out of their coffins unscathed. Not beheaded but spirited away to safety by that most elusive of spies: the Pimpernel. Or, as she’s known in polite society, Lady Scarlet Cavendish.

When not assuming her secret identity as a hero of the French Revolution, Scarlet presents herself as a fashionable, featherbrained young widow flitting about London. In truth, this façade is merely a diversion designed to conceal her clandestine work in France. Among members of the doomed French aristocracy, the Pimpernel is renowned for her bravery and cunning. But when tasked with rescuing handsome Comte Matteo Durand, she faces an unprecedented challenge: she is falling in love with the man. If ever there were a time to keep her head, it is now— because in a world brimming with intrigue, she is not the only one harboring secrets. And if Scarlet doesn’t take care, Madame la Guillotine may finally catch up with the Pimpernel.

As revolution spreads in France, and many nobles meet their end with Madame Guillotine, the Pimpernel evads all to rescue as many lives as possible. She risks all, including her heart, as she faces off against Robespierre and his cohorts.

This was is a retelling of the classic adventure/romance tale, The Scarlet Pimpernel, by baroness Orczy. Instead of a foppish gentleman as our hero, we have Lady Scarlet Cavendish, a widow who fools the vast majority of society as being a flighty, fashion obsessed emissary of Prince George. I will admit that while I do prefer Sir Percy Blakney of the original tale, Scarlet here is an admirable enough heroine. She and her friends play off each other exceptionally.

Her love interest, matteo, on the other hand, is a buffoon, and I did not like him at all. Also the “main character overhears part of a conversation and rushes away before she can hear what would explain the rest” cliche is tiresome. I disliked BOTH characters the further into the story I went for their lack of communication, which did not make sense at all.

Overall, it is a charming enough tale, though I will definitely pick up the original before I reread this one.