So many books . . .

Kate Sutton, at the order of Queen Mary, has been sent to live in a lonely, remote castle called Perilous Gard. Upon arriving, she learns of the mysterious disappearance of a small girl that occurred a few months prior, and of the strange behavior of the castle's residents. Rumor has it that the child had been abducted by Fairies. Having little else to occupy her time, Kate makes a bold decision to try to solve the mystery herself. The story was a little dry, and the romantic element felt a little too pat at the end, but the story was otherwise charming.

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Elizabeth Marie Pope (wiki)

Jane Stern, a middle-aged woman with all kinds of issues ranging from phobias and depression to anxiety and being overweight, tells the tale of how she did the unexpected (even to herself) and became a volunteer EMT for the small town of Georgetown, Connecticut. A writer by profession, Jane infuses her experiences responding to calls, riding in ambulances with victims and on-scene traumas with just the right amount of poignancy and humor. Readers may very well be inspired to become EMTs themselves.

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Interview with Jane Stern

Gods' Concubine is the second book in Douglass' Troy Game series, and it was definitely more engaging and enjoyable than the first. This time around, a thousand years have passed, and the characters we met in the first book have been reborn into the age of William the Conqueror. In fact, Brutus is William himself and Cornelia is the queen of England, wife to Edward the Confessor. Coel is reborn as Harold Godwinson (Harold II) and in a cruel twist of fate Genvissa has been reborn as Harold's wife. Other characters from the first book are also reborn and find themselves drawn once again into the struggle for control over the Troy Game, which has itself been lying and waiting for a thousand years.

This combination of fantasy and historical fiction is an intriguing way of presenting a time period in history. The reader is left guessing, and possibly researching further, as to which details are real and documented and which are purely the product of the author's vivid imagination.

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Douglass' homepage Sara Douglass (wiki)

Anna Frith is a widow with two very young sons when plague comes to her small English village. Over the course of one year she sees the disease take the lives of two thirds of everyone she knows, including those of her own children, but she is sustained by the support and friendship of the rector's wife Elinor. In many chapters the author introduces another family or individual of Anna's acquaintance, which to the reader feels a bit like getting to know the other townsfolk, both likeable and otherwise, in the village. A book about plague would probably not generally be described as feel-good, but for me this story, especially the satisfying twist at the end, was very enjoyable.

Rating: 5/5 Further reading: Brooks' homepage Geraldine Brooks (wiki)

The full title of this book is actually Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot: Being the Correspondence of Two Young Ladies of Quality Regarding Various Magical Scandals in London and the Country, but it would appear LJ has a limit to the number of characters in the subject!

This is a charming, fanciful tale of magic and intrigue, told through the correspondence of two young cousins, Cecelia and Kate. Soon after Kate leaves for a Season in London, both girls find themselves involved in a mystery concerning an enchanted chocolate pot. There is something about the writing style that I would almost describe as "delicate." It is a fun story in a magical alternate reality that the reader would almost like to step into.

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Patricia C. Wrede (wiki) Caroline Stevermer (wiki)

This book was fun, insightful, really easy to just browse through, and full of all kinds of "ah ha!" moments. I recommend it for both social and professional situations -- you’ll look at your family, friends, co-workers and even strangers in a whole new way.

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Pease's homepage

With Hades' Daughter, Douglass kicks off her 4-book series The Troy Game, in which descendants of the ancient Trojans journey to a new, foreign land where, with the assistance of The Game, they begin to build Troia Nova. Along the way, they capture Cornelia, a Greek princess who is brutally forced into marriage with the Trojans' leader Brutus. Brutus ultimately plans to abandon Cornelia for Genvissa, the woman whose mystical powers will ensure that he and she will reign as king and queen.

Unfortunately, none of the main characters are particularly likeable, so I didn't find I had much emotional investment in their well-being. Also, "The Game," referred to many, many times, remains even at the end of the book a somewhat confusing and nebulous concept. I do like Sara Douglass, so I'll still finish the series.

Rating: 3/5 Further reading: Douglass' homepage Sara Douglass (wiki)

Having enjoyed Naslund's Ahab's Wife previously, I was looking forward to her new historical fiction about Marie Antoinette. The story begins as 14-year-old Marie, daughter of the Empress of Austria, journeys to France to wed the 15-year-old Dauphin (Louis XVI); and ends with her memorable death at the guillotine during the French Revolution.

It's hard sometimes to read through a book knowing full well how it ends. There is always that distracting, perpetual dark shadow looming in the background. When the family was making their escape attempt I was cheering them on, whimsically hoping that maybe this time around they would succeed, but alas! Throughout the book I had to keep reminding myself that, although intensely researched, this was still a work of fiction -- it was like reading the intimate thoughts from someone's diary. I felt both sympathy for Marie and the royal family and pity at their self-absorption and naïveté. It does not cause the reader to think they are truly evil or ruthless people, but that the fault lies perhaps in how they are raised in a world of true opulence; isolated, untouched and unaffected by the reality, and especially the plights, of the average citizen. As is the mark of good historical fiction, upon finishing I was compelled to learn more about the real historical figures therein.

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Naslund's homepage

In June 1941 Tatiana is a 17-year-old girl living with her family in Leningrad, just as Germany begins an invasion of the Soviet Union. A chance encounter at a bus stop seems like fate when she meets an army officer named Alexander and they both instantly sense an unearthly connection to each other. As Alexander helps her home with her groceries they both discover, to their horror, that Tatiana's sister is Alexander's girlfriend. Tatiana is unwilling to hurt her sister, but neither can she deny her own attachment to Alexander. Meanwhile, Leningrad is under a blockade, winter has arrived, and food supplies are dwindling.

The Bronze Horseman is one of those stories that sucks you in right from page one. I could hardly bear to put it down when my breaks at work were over. It is definitely the fastest 637 pages I've ever plowed through!

Rating: 5/5 Further reading: Simons' homepage Paullina Simons (wiki)

Anya Seton has certainly done her homework in researching this story of Elizabeth Fones, a true historical figure in 17th-century Puritan New England. Despite marrying into the powerful Winthrop family of Boston, Elizabeth has difficulty conforming to expectations for a woman, nearly risking her very life in a time of suspicion, violence, religious zeal and political anxiety. Eventually, she is forced to flee from New England entirely with her tormented second husband, although this new life brings her little peace. Although her troubles are by no means over, with her third and final marriage Elizabeth finally has an opportunity to marry for love. Ms. Seton has an amazing way of bringing characters from the past to life. I highly recommend all of her works.

Rating: 5/5 Further reading: Anya Seton (wiki) Can you tell I love Anya Seton?