alvin 79

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

Monday, 28 October 2013

"A Divided Inheritance" by Deborah Swift~Author Commentary

Posted on 20:08 by batista
SUMMARY :


A family divided by fortune. A country divided by faith.London 1609...

Elspet Leviston’s greatest ambition is to continue the success of her father Nathaniel’s lace business. But her dreams are thrown into turmoil with the arrival of her mysterious cousin Zachary Deane – who has his own designs on Leviston’s Lace.

Zachary is a dedicated swordsman with a secret past that seems to invite trouble. So Nathaniel sends him on a Grand Tour, away from the distractions of Jacobean London. Elspet believes herself to be free of her hot-headed relative but when Nathaniel dies her fortunes change dramatically. She is forced to leave her beloved home and go in search of Zachary - determined to claim back from him the inheritance that is rightfully hers.

Under the searing Spanish sun, Elspet and Zachary become locked in a battle of wills. But these are dangerous times and they are soon embroiled in the roar and sweep of something far more threatening, sending them both on an unexpected journey of discovery which finally unlocks the true meaning of family . . .

A Divided Inheritance is a breathtaking adventure set in London just after the Gunpowder Plot and in the bustling courtyards of Golden Age Seville.



PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :

Published by:  PAN Books/Macmillan
Pages:  520
Genre:  Historical Fiction
Author:  Deborah Swift
Purchase:  Amazon


ABOUT THE AUTHOR :



Deborah Swift used to work in the theatre and at the BBC as a set and costume designer, before studying for an MA in Creative Writing in 2007. She lives in a beautiful area of Lancashire near the Lake District National Park.  She is the author of The Lady’s Slipper and is a member of the Historical Writers Association, the Historical Novel Society, and the Romantic Novelists Association.

For more information, please visit Deborah's website. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter



A BOOKISH LIBRARIA IS DELIGHTED TO HAVE MS SWIFT WITH US TODAY FOR AN AUTHOR COMMENTARY :




Researching the Jacobean Family Home

By Deborah Swift

 

In A Divided Inheritance, Elspet Leviston stands to lose her family’s house and business to a cousin she never knew existed. To recreate the house in my mind I researched the late Elizabethan and Early Jacobean style – a period much overlooked, but with its own distinct characteristics.

 

Elspet lives in London and her house has been in the family for generations, so it is likely that the actual fabric of the building would have been Tudor or even earlier, but with more modern furnishings. She also tells us in the novel that her father is quite reluctant to update the house – to buy new drapes or replace worn items. Westview House in the novel would be quite shabby, but with good quality furniture.

 

I used a real house to model Elspet’s home on. I find it much easier to write if I have a good sense of the geography of a house and a real picture of where doors, windows and so forth would have been. I couldn’t find a suitable house in Londonof the right middling size, though I used the street map of the time to locate where the house would have stood. Much of this area of London was lost in the subsequent Great Fire of 1666.

 

The house I chose to use is Bampfylde House which is actually in Exeter, but was the period and style which would have been similar to London houses of the time. Sadly this building no longer stands, as it was destroyed by incendiary bombs in 1942. Such a catastrophe! But there is a fascinating article about its history here, along with interesting tales of when it was visited by the Duke of Bedford.
 

 

http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/bampfylde-house-elizabethan-mansion-in.html

The paintings of the house were done by Robert Dymond, an antiquarian who visited it when it was still there, in 1864. The house has a small courtyard and the front, and a larger one behind, which I make good use of in the novel for Zachary Deane’s sword practice.

 

Jacobean furniture was massive, heavy and built to last. Often from oak, and built on simple lines, it is characterised by ornate carvings, and friezes of decorative designs. Chairs were probably quite uncomfortable as upholstery was little-used.
 
 

 

There would have been shutters at the mullioned windows to keep in the warmth, and drapes possibly hand-embroidered with crewel work. Here are some examples of crewel work designs from the Victoria and Albert museum. Elspet’s mother may have spent long hours embroidering items such as these, and rubbing them with lavender or sandalwood to keep off moths.
 

 

 

Ceilings were elaborately plastered, as in the Oak Room shown here - but these would have been stained with smoke from open fires and from tobacco.
 
 

 

It was crucial to me to have a real sense of what Elspet might lose if she failed to keep her family’s house, so the reader can empathise with that. Re-creating the dark, somewhat structured interior of the house was also vital as a contrast to what Elspet later finds in Spain when she has to pursue her cousin to hot and dusty Seville. At the time Seville is the busiest port in Europe during Spain’s Golden Age, full of new and exciting sights, scents and sounds. There Elspet finds a completely different lifestyle, architecture and customs. Not only that, but she finds a new physical freedom she could never have found in London.

 

By the way, those interested in Jacobean houses might also find this article of interest – how Apethorpe Hall, a Jacobean treasure, was saved by one man.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/gardening/article-1085531/The-selfless-man-Britain-How-man-worked-unpaid-20-years-preserve-forgotten-Northamptonshire-palace.html
 
 
 
                                                             A Jacobean Bed
 

Thank you for reading, and thank you to Deb for hosting me.

 

Deborah Swift’s website and blogs: http://www.deborahswift.com

Buy the book: http://www.amazon.com/A-Divided-Inheritance-ebook/dp/B00CYM19CA/

 

 

Picture Credits:

Jacobean Bed http://www.nicespace.me/how-to-recognize-jacobean-furniture-design

Jacobean Furniture

http://chestofbooks.com/home-improvement/furniture/Styles/Jacobean-Part-6.html

Bampfylde House

http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/bampfylde-house-elizabethan-mansion-in.html

Crewel Embroidery - wikipedia
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/i/english-embroidery-introduction/



QUITE THE HISTORY LESSON, DEBORAH!!!  THANK YOU FOR THE VISIT AND THE PICTURES YOU'VE SHARED....


NOW:  THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS "A DIVIDED INHERITANCE:"

To say that this book has been thoroughly researched and soundly set in the 1600's, London, would be an understatement.  Richly detailed in every way, this is a novel that pleases even the staunchest historical fiction aficionado.  Ms Swift is never out of the element of Jacobean England, and I dare anyone to catch her in a flaw!

Not only is this a resplendent historical, but it is also a gorgeously written story of love and mystery.
I fell in love with the characters, as well as their turbulent relationship.  I think that's what makes a book truly enjoyable to read.  The side story of the lace and embroidery was fascinating to me, as well, since I am a needlewoman, having spent over 40 years practicing needlepoint and cross stitch myself.  Just an added bonus.

Deborah Swift's writing style is reminiscent of "The Count of Monte Cristo" in its swash-buckling and drama.  There is a timelessness about it.  She is an author who stands alone in historical fiction because of her sense not only of scene and setting, but of characterization, plot, and authentic descriptions of costuming.

If you're looking for a novel that will bring you a few hours of authenticity, escape and mystery, this is the one.  Ms Swift knows how to engage a reader.  You'll find yourself swept up in the love story, the romance and the beauty of London and Spain...

5 stars             Deborah/TheBookishDame








 
 


*NOTE:

This review and author's guest post was brought to you in cooperation with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.  The thoughts and impressions of the book are my own.

Please follow the entire tour of reviews, interviews and other guest posts, as well as giveaways by clicking on this link:  http://www.hfvirtualbooktours.com
Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to Facebook
Posted in A Divided Inheritance, Author Deborah Swift, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Jacobean, London 1600's, Restoration Period, Spain | No comments
Newer Post Older Post Home

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Popular Posts

  • GIVEAWAY!! "Pure" by Julianna Baggott~Post-Apocalypse Drama!
    SUMMARY :    We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . . Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Bef...
  • "Her Majesty's Will" by David Blixt~Guest Post with the Author
    SUMMARY : From the Author HER MAJESTY'S WILL is many things. It's a spy novel. It's a Tudor novel. It's a Shakespeare nov...
  • "The Imposter Bride" by Nancy Richler~Beautifully Written...
    SUMMARY: The Imposter Bride  by Nancy Richler is an unforgettable novel about a mysterious mail-order bride in the wake of WWII, whose sudde...
  • "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld~YA Dystopian
    SUMMARY : Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixt...
  • "The Book of Someday" by Dianne Dixon~Ravishing
    SUMMARY : With a tone reminiscent of Jodi Picoult, Kristin Hannah, and Carol Cassella, Dixon pulls at the threads between regret and nostalg...
  • "The Sleeping Dictionary" by Sujata Massey~Exotic and Enticing...
    SUMMARY : In 1930, a great ocean wave blots out a Bengali village, leaving only one survivor, a young girl. As a maidservant in a British bo...

Categories

  • 1100's
  • 13th c
  • 1600's
  • 1600's England
  • 1660s
  • 1800's Paris
  • 1800s
  • 1930's setting
  • 1960's
  • 19th c London
  • 200th Anniversary of Pride and Prejudice
  • 2013
  • 2013 Review of Books
  • 2014
  • A Divided Inheritance
  • A Fatal Likeness
  • A History of the Present Illness
  • A Killing of Angels
  • A Lack of Temperance
  • A Murder At Rosamund's Gate
  • A Thing Done
  • A White Room
  • A White Wind Blew
  • abolution
  • Abraham Lincoln
  • Acquitaine
  • action novel
  • adoption
  • Afghanistan
  • Africa
  • Al Quaeda
  • Alaina Claiborne
  • alchemy
  • Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
  • Alice Hoffman
  • aliens
  • Allegiant
  • Always Watching
  • Amarok
  • American history
  • American novel
  • American Revolution
  • Amity & Sorrow
  • An Italian Obsession
  • Ancient Athens
  • Angel Baby
  • Angelology
  • angels
  • Angels Assassin
  • Ann Boleyn
  • Anne Boleyn
  • Antarctica
  • antebellum
  • apocalypse
  • apple orchard
  • Archers of Avalon
  • Archetype
  • art forgeries
  • art world
  • artist
  • Aryan race
  • Astor + Blue Editions Publishers
  • Astor Place Vintage
  • asylum
  • At Home In Mitford
  • Atria books
  • audio book
  • Audio CD
  • Audio CDs
  • Austensibly Ordinary
  • Author Alana White
  • Author Alice Hoffman
  • Author Allen Wyler
  • Author Alyssa Goodnight
  • Author Amanda Scott
  • Author Amy Hatvany
  • Author Angela Hunt
  • Author Angela J. Townsend
  • Author Anne Easter Smith
  • Author Anton Disclafani
  • Author Becky Aikman
  • Author Brunonia Barry
  • Author Catherine McKenzie
  • Author Chelsea Fine
  • Author David Morrell
  • Author Deb Elkink
  • Author Deborah Swift
  • Author DL Bogdan
  • Author Elin Hilderbrand
  • Author Ella Chase March
  • Author Erika Robuck
  • Author Hannah Fielding
  • Author Heather Gudenkauf
  • Author Henry Massie
  • Author Irina Shapiro
  • Author Jeffrey Deaver
  • Author Jennifer Laam
  • Author Juliette Fay
  • Author Karin Slaughter
  • Author Kfir Luzzatto
  • Author Khanh Ha
  • Author Kirsten Miller
  • Author Kristyn Kusek Lewis
  • Author Lynn Shepherd
  • Author Maggie Stiefvater
  • Author MD Waters
  • Author Melody Carlson
  • Author Michelle Diener
  • Author Morgan K Wyatt
  • Author Nelson DeMille
  • Author nna Loan-Wilsey
  • Author Paula Brackston
  • Author Robin Bridge
  • Author Sam Thomas
  • Author Sandra Byrd
  • Author Stephanie Carroll
  • Author Stephanie Lehmann
  • Author Susan Gregg Gilmore
  • Author Susanna Calkins
  • Author Suzanne Jenkins
  • Author Tiffany Baker
  • Author Tinney Sue Heath
  • Author Wally Lamb
  • Author Abigail Reynolds
  • Author Adam McOmber
  • Author Alissa Nutting
  • Author Ally Condie
  • Author Alyxandra Harvey
  • Author Amanda Coplin
  • Author Amanda Hocking
  • Author Ann Leary
  • Author Ann Weisgarber
  • Author Anne Easter Smith
  • Author Anthony V. Aqua
  • Author ASA Harrison
  • Author Barbara Kyle
  • Author Benjamin Constable
  • Author Blair Richmond
  • Author Brandy Purdy
  • Author C W Gortnor
  • Author Carol Tibaldi
  • Author Catherine McKenzie
  • Author Cathy Marie Buchanan
  • Author Chelsea Cain
  • Author Chevy Stevens
  • Author Colleen McCullough
  • Author Cornelia Read
  • Author Crystal Leigh McVea
  • Author Curtis Sittenfeld
  • Author Cynthia Woolf
  • Author D. J. Niko
  • Author Danielle Trussoni
  • Author Darien Gee
  • Author David Blixt
  • Author David Cristofano
  • Author Dean Crawford
  • Author Dianne Dixon
  • Author DJ Niko
  • Author Donna Fletcher Crow
  • Author Donna Tartt
  • Author Eben Alexander MD
  • Author Edie Eckman
  • Author Eleanor Catton
  • Author Elin Hildebrand
  • Author Elizabeth Berg
  • Author Elizabeth Black
  • Author Elizabeth Flock
  • Author Elizabeth Fremantle
  • Author Elizabeth Loupas
  • Author Emma Donoghue
  • Author Erika Mailman
  • Author Frances Mayes
  • Author Francisco Haghenbeck
  • Author Gail Godwin
  • Author George Eliot
  • Author Gerbrand Bakker
  • Author Gillian Flynn
  • author guest post
  • Author Hank Phillipi Ryan
  • Author Hannah Kent
  • Author Heather A Clark
  • Author Heather Webb
  • Author Hilary Mantel
  • Author Hugh Brewster
  • Author Ian McEwan
  • Author JA Jance
  • Author James Houston Turner
  • Author James MacManus
  • Author James Markert
  • Author Jan Karon
  • Author Jane Grey
  • Author Jason Mott
  • Author Jean Burnett
  • Author Jean Zimmerman
  • Author Jeannie Lin
  • Author Jennie Fields
  • Author Jennifer Chiaverini
  • Author Jennifer Cody Epstein
  • Author Jennifer duBois
  • Author Jennifer McMahon
  • Author JL Spelbring
  • Author Jo Baker
  • Author Joelle Hoverson
  • Author Joyce Carol Oates
  • Author Judith Kischt
  • Author Judith Merkle Riley
  • Author Julianna Baggott
  • Author Juliet Grey
  • Author Justin Cronin
  • Author Kate Atkinson
  • Author Kate Rhodes
  • Author Kathy Reichs
  • Author Kayla McLaren
  • Author Ken Follett
  • Author Kim Rendfeld
  • Author Kimberly Elkins
  • Author Laini Taylor
  • Author Laura Joh Rowland
  • Author Laurel O Donnell
  • Author Lauren Willig
  • Author Lee Martin
  • Author Lee Smith
  • Author Leila Meacham
  • Author Lisa April Smith
  • Author Lisa Carter
  • Author Liz Curtis Higgs
  • Author Liz Jensen
  • Author Lousie Aronson
  • Author M J Rose
  • Author Marci Jefferson
  • Author Marci Nault
  • Author Maria Semple
  • Author Marlene Dietrich
  • Author Mary Sharratt
  • Author Maryanne OHara
  • Author Maurice Sendak
  • Author Melissa Darnell
  • Author Mia March
  • Author Michael Schofield
  • Author Michelle Diener
  • Author Michelle Madhok
  • Author Millicent Monks
  • Author Mingmei Yip
  • Author MJ Rose
  • Author MK McClintock
  • Author Mo Hayder
  • Author Nancy Bilyeau
  • Author Nancy Richler
  • Author Naomi Alderman
  • Author Nelson DeMille
  • Author Nina Benneton
  • Author of Sharp Objects
  • Author Patricia Cornwell
  • Author Peggy Riley
  • Author R Ira Harris
  • Author Rachel Cohn
  • Author Rachel Urquhart
  • Author Raymond Khoury
  • Author Richard Lange
  • Author Rick Yancey
  • Author Rita Gerlach
  • Author Robert Garnett
  • Author Ronald Frame
  • Author Sandy Nathan
  • Author Sarah Jio
  • Author Sarah Raynor
  • Author Sarah Selecky
  • Author Scott Westerfeld
  • Author Sophie McKenzie
  • Author Stephanie Thornton
  • Author Sue Monk Kidd
  • Author Sujata Massey
  • Author Suzanne Desrochers
  • Author Syrie James
  • Author T. J. Brown
  • Author Tarina Tarantino
  • Author Tatiana de Rosnay
  • Author Tess Gerritsen
  • Author Therese Anne Fowler
  • Author Tom Rob Smith
  • Author Tracy Chevalier
  • Author Tracy Guzeman
  • Author Vanessa Diffenbaugh
  • Author Veronica Roth
  • authors
  • Authors Julie Mannix von Zerneck and Kathy Hatfield
  • Authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
  • Bad Girls of the Bible
  • Ballet
  • Banquet of Lies
  • Barbara Delinsky
  • Baudelaire
  • beachy
  • Beautiful Creatures
  • Becoming Josephine
  • Bermuda Triangle
  • Bernadette
  • Beside Two Rivers
  • Best Books of 2012
  • Beta
  • Beyond the Valley
  • biography
  • Black Dahlia and White Rose
  • Black Venus
  • Blackberry Winter
  • Blood Between Queens
  • Blood Prophecy
  • body parts
  • bombing of Japan
  • Bones of the Lost
  • Book Anew
  • Book Last to Die
  • Book My Bookshop
  • Book Songbird
  • Book Finds
  • Book haul
  • Book Haul 10 13
  • Book Haul 11 9 13
  • Book Haul 1st Nov
  • Book Haul 3 27 14
  • Book Haul 4 22 13
  • Book Haul 5 2013
  • Book Haul 8 17 13
  • Book Haul 8 2014
  • Book Haul Dec 2
  • Book Haul December End
  • Book Haul End of April
  • Book Haul Feb March
  • Book Haul March April 2013
  • Book Haul My Purchase 10 24 13
  • Book Haul week Jan 26 2013
  • Book Hauls Belated 3 26 14
  • Books
  • Books in Review
  • books in the mail
  • books read
  • Border Bride
  • Boston based book
  • Boston-based
  • Brad Meltzer
  • Break the Skin
  • Bring Up The Bodies
  • British Empire colonialism
  • British novel
  • British Thriller
  • brothel
  • Burial Rites
  • Buried Treasure
  • Burning Embers
  • cadavers
  • Call Me Zelda
  • Canada
  • Canadian American Author
  • Canadian authors
  • cancer survival
  • Carnegie
  • Carolina Reckoning
  • Cartwheel
  • Cascade
  • Castles
  • Catching Fire
  • Celts
  • Charlemagne
  • Charles Dickens
  • Charles Dickens In Love
  • Charleston SC
  • Charlotte NC
  • Chicago
  • Child 44
  • child abduction
  • child abuse
  • child kidnapping
  • child murder
  • childhood mental illness
  • childhood schizophrenia
  • China
  • Chinese culture
  • christian fiction
  • Christmas 2013
  • Christmas at the White House
  • Clann Series
  • Clara and the Mouse King
  • clones
  • Close My Eyes
  • Close Your Eyes Hold Hands
  • clothes and dressing
  • coming of age novel
  • communes
  • Compulsively Mr. Darcy
  • Confessions of Marie Antoinette
  • Connect the Shapes Crochet Motifs
  • Contemporary Fiction
  • Contemporary novel
  • Contest
  • convent
  • courtesans
  • Covet
  • crafts
  • cremation
  • crime novel
  • Crochet
  • cross over fiction
  • cross stitching
  • Cuba
  • Cuban Revolution
  • cults
  • Cumberland Island
  • Customs and Kings
  • Daddy Love
  • Dangerous Illusions
  • Daniel Deronda
  • Darkness Dwellers
  • Daughter of the Sky
  • Daughters of the Potomac
  • Days of Blood and Starlight
  • death and dying
  • December TBR
  • demons
  • Desert
  • Divergent series
  • doctors
  • Drake Vampires
  • Dream Lover
  • Dream When You're Feeling Blue
  • Druids
  • Dust
  • dwarf
  • dystopian
  • dystopian novel
  • early1900s
  • earth's end
  • ebooks
  • eclectic reading
  • Edgar Degas
  • Edited compilation
  • Edith Wharton
  • Edwardian England
  • Elephant in the Sky
  • Elizabeth Boleyn
  • Elizabeth I
  • Elizabeth of England
  • Ellen Gilchrist
  • Emile Zola
  • Emily Dickinson
  • England
  • English history
  • English queen
  • English setting
  • English spys
  • English writer
  • environment
  • espionage
  • Everything I Never Told You
  • Exceeding Expectations
  • Exploration
  • Expressionist art
  • F Scott Fitzgerald
  • F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • faeries
  • family dynamics
  • fantasy
  • fashion
  • Father Christmas
  • Father Christmas update
  • Favorite Books of 2013
  • favorite bookshops
  • Felice's Worlds
  • feudal Japan
  • Fiction
  • Finding Colin Firth
  • Flesh
  • Flora
  • Florence 1400s
  • Florence Italy
  • flowers
  • forensics novel
  • Forgotten
  • Forgotten Tales of China
  • France
  • Frances Stuart
  • French
  • French poet
  • French Revolution
  • Friendship Bread
  • friendships
  • Frog Music
  • Fuse
  • futuristic
  • Galveston TX
  • gangsters
  • General Fiction
  • Germany
  • ghosts
  • Gilded Lives Fatal Voyage
  • Girl on the Golden Coin
  • Giveaway winners
  • giveaways
  • gold hunting
  • gold rush
  • Gone Girl
  • Goodwill Hunting
  • gothic mystery
  • Grief
  • Guests on Earth
  • Havisham
  • healing
  • Heat Like Mine
  • heaven
  • Henry VIII
  • Her Majestys Will
  • Highland Fling
  • Hildegard von Bingen
  • Hiroshima
  • historical fiction
  • Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
  • historical India
  • historical romance
  • Holland
  • Hollywood
  • Holocaust
  • Holocaust survivor
  • home and garden
  • horror
  • horses
  • How I Came to Sparkle; grief
  • How I Read Books
  • human trafficking
  • Huntingtons Disease
  • Iceland
  • Illuminations
  • illustrations
  • immortal love
  • In My Book Stacks
  • incest
  • India
  • individual booksellers
  • infidelity
  • insane asylum
  • insanity
  • inspirational fiction
  • Insurgent
  • iPad cover case
  • Island of the White Rose
  • IVFertilization
  • Jack Caffery
  • Jacobean
  • Jane Austen
  • Jane Austen Christmas Week
  • Jane Austen inspired
  • Jane Grey
  • Jani
  • January First
  • Japan
  • Jeffery Deaver
  • Jeffery Deavers
  • Jennifer Gilmore
  • jesters
  • Jesus
  • jewelry
  • jewelry making
  • Jewish culture
  • Jhumpa Lahiri
  • Josephine Bonaparte
  • June 1st week Book Haul
  • Karin Slaughter
  • Katerina Trilogy Vol II
  • Katherine Grey
  • Katherine Parr
  • kidnapping
  • Kiki Strike
  • King Arthur
  • King Charles I
  • KKK
  • knitting
  • Knitting classic style
  • LasVegas
  • Laura Bridgman
  • Laura Lippman
  • lesbians
  • Library Loot
  • Library Loot Haul
  • Literary Fiction
  • Little Brown and Co.
  • Little Mercies
  • London
  • London 1600's
  • London England
  • Longbourn
  • Louis of France
  • Louisville KY
  • love story
  • Lullaby
  • Lydia Bennet
  • MA
  • MA author
  • mafia
  • magical
  • Maine
  • Manhattan
  • Marie Antoinette
  • Marilyn Monroe
  • marriage
  • Martinique
  • Mary Grey
  • Mary Queen of Scots
  • Mary Shelley
  • Mary Todd Lincoln
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • medical thriller
  • Medici
  • medieval England
  • Memoirs and Non-Fiction
  • Memoirs and Other
  • mental illness
  • Mercy Snow
  • Mexican cartel
  • Mexico
  • Midnight Witch
  • Midwifery
  • MJ Rose
  • moral issues
  • More Last Minute Knitted Gifts
  • motherhood
  • mothers
  • mountains
  • Moving Target
  • Mr. Darcy
  • Mr. Darcy's Refuge
  • Mrs. Keckley
  • Mrs. Lincolns Dressmaker
  • multi-cultural
  • murder
  • Murder As A Fine Art
  • murder mystery
  • My Purchasing Criteria
  • mystery
  • mystery and suspense
  • Mystery Writers of America
  • mystery/thriller
  • mystical creatures
  • Mything You by Greta Buckle
  • mythology
  • Nantucket
  • Napoleon
  • Napoleonic era
  • Narrator Mary Beth Hurt
  • NC
  • NC novel
  • NDE afterlife experiences
  • necromancy
  • needlework
  • Nephilim
  • New Amsterdam
  • New England
  • New France
  • New York
  • New York City
  • news reporter
  • Non-fiction
  • NonFiction about Jane Austen books
  • North Carolina
  • nuns
  • NW USA
  • NYC
  • obsessive love
  • Old South
  • Oleander Girl
  • One Kick
  • orphans
  • overcoming rejection
  • Paradise Misplaced
  • paranormal
  • Paris
  • past lives
  • pedophile
  • Penguin
  • Penguin classics
  • Perfection
  • Playlist Pride and Prejudice
  • Polio
  • polygamy
  • Poppet
  • post traumatic stress disorder
  • Post war Europe
  • post-apocalypse
  • Pride and Prejudice
  • Princeton
  • prohibition
  • Proof of Heaven
  • prophesy
  • prostitute
  • prostitution
  • psychological novel
  • Quakers
  • queen
  • Queen Elizabeth I
  • Queen Mary Tudor
  • Queens Gambit
  • Rasputins Shadow
  • recipes
  • Reddevil 4
  • Reformation
  • reincarnation
  • Rennaissance
  • restauranteur
  • Restoration Period
  • Review Questionnaire
  • Richard III
  • River's End
  • rivers in MA
  • Rizzoli and Isles
  • Roaring 20's
  • Romance
  • romance novel
  • Roses Have Thorns
  • Royal Mistress
  • Russia
  • Russian mafia
  • Russian secret service
  • Salem MA
  • sanitorium
  • Saturday Night Widows
  • Scarlet Letter
  • scary story
  • schizophrenia
  • scientific
  • Scotland
  • Scottish
  • Scottish History
  • scrap booking
  • seafaring
  • seances
  • secret society
  • Secret Storm
  • Seduction
  • Sensory Integration Disorder
  • Sensory Processing Disorder
  • Sept 2012 Finds
  • series
  • series book
  • servants
  • sex slave
  • sexually explicit
  • Shakers
  • Shakespeare
  • Shanghai
  • Sharing Reading Habits
  • Shelley
  • Shieldmaiden
  • short stories
  • Simo and Schuster
  • sirens
  • Sisterland
  • sisters
  • Sisters of Treason
  • ski town
  • slavery
  • Snatched
  • snow
  • Socialism
  • soldiers
  • Somerset
  • Songs of Three Islands: A Memoir
  • Sourcebooks
  • South America
  • Southern Gothic
  • Southern town
  • Spain
  • speakeasy
  • spiritual novel
  • Spun
  • St. Martin's Press
  • step mothers
  • Summer read
  • Summer Reading List
  • Summerset Abbey
  • summertime
  • supernatural
  • surrogacy
  • Survival Lessons
  • Suspense Thriller
  • Suspense Thrillers
  • Sweden
  • Sweet Tooth
  • Sweetness #9
  • sy fy
  • syfy
  • syfy inclined
  • Tampa
  • teachers
  • techno thriller
  • Ten White Geese
  • Tennessee Textile workers
  • terrorism
  • Texas
  • The 5th Wave
  • The Accursed
  • The Accused
  • The Age of Desire
  • The Ashford Affair
  • The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society
  • The Bad Miss Bennet
  • The Beautiful Mystery
  • The Blue Bistro
  • The Boleyn Bride
  • The Bone Bed
  • The Book of Fragrances
  • The Book of Someday
  • The Chalice
  • The Cross and the Dragon
  • The Drowning House
  • The Emperor's Conspiracy
  • The Emperors Conspiracy
  • The Forgotten Queen
  • The Funeral Dress
  • The Ghost Runner
  • The Gilded Lily
  • The Girl She Used To Be
  • The Girl With All The Gifts
  • The Gods of Heavenly Punishment
  • The Goldfinch
  • The Good House
  • The Gravity of Birds
  • the grotesque
  • The Hands of Time
  • The House I Loved
  • The Imposter Bride
  • The Independence of Mary Bennet
  • The Inheritors
  • The Invention of Wings
  • The Jade Temptress
  • The Jazz Age
  • The Killing Room
  • The Lace Reader
  • The Ladys Slipper
  • The Lake House
  • The Language of Flowers
  • The Last Runaway
  • The Liars Gospel
  • The Lowlands
  • The Luminaries
  • The Matchmaker
  • The Midwife's Tale
  • The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen
  • The Mothers
  • The Nine Fold Heaven
  • The Nutcracker
  • The Offering
  • The onahlossee Riding Camp for Girls
  • The Orchardist
  • The Orphanmaster
  • The Other Woman
  • The Painted Girls
  • The Panther
  • The Paris Architect
  • The Passage
  • the plague
  • The Postmistress
  • The Predator
  • The Promise
  • The Queen's Dwarf
  • The Queens Rivals
  • The Quest
  • The Raven Boys
  • The Red Lily Crown
  • The Reformation
  • The Returned
  • The Riddle of Solomon
  • The Sea House
  • The Secret Book of Frida Kahlo
  • The Secret Daughter of the Tsar
  • The Secret History Empress Theodora
  • The Secret Keeper
  • The Shogun's Daughter
  • The Shortest Way Home
  • The Sign of the Weeping Virgin
  • The Silent Wife
  • The Sleeping Dictionary
  • The Snugg
  • The Sparkle Factory
  • The Tenth Saint
  • The Tudor Conspiracy
  • The Uninvited
  • The Visionist
  • The Winter People
  • therapy
  • This Cake Is For The Party
  • Thomas Cromwell
  • Three Lives of Tomomi Ishikawa
  • thrillers
  • Titanic
  • Tsar
  • tuberculosis
  • Tudor England
  • Two Week Wait
  • Uglies
  • Undercover Rebel
  • Underground Railroad
  • Unfailing Light
  • unwed mothers
  • Valley of Ashes
  • Vampires
  • Vanity Fair magazine
  • Vermont
  • Vespucci
  • Victor Hugo
  • Victorian era
  • Vietnam
  • Viking history
  • vintage clothing
  • violence
  • Waking Up In Heaven
  • war
  • Waverly Hills Sanatorium
  • We Are Water
  • Wear This Now
  • Weekly Book Haul
  • Western
  • Western Romance
  • What Happened To My Sister
  • What I'm Reading
  • What Is Visible
  • What's in the mail
  • Whats on my shelf
  • Where'd You Go
  • White Forest
  • Who I Review
  • Why I Buy Books
  • widowed
  • witches
  • witness protection agency
  • wolves
  • Woman of Ill Fame
  • Women Authors
  • Women Writers
  • women's friendships
  • Women's issues
  • women's temperance league
  • womens story
  • Woodrow Wilson
  • World Without End
  • writers
  • WWI
  • WWII
  • YA fiction
  • YA Novel
  • Z A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald
  • Zelda Fitzgerald

Blog Archive

  • ►  2014 (39)
    • ►  August (2)
    • ►  July (7)
    • ►  May (1)
    • ►  April (7)
    • ►  March (9)
    • ►  February (8)
    • ►  January (5)
  • ▼  2013 (182)
    • ►  December (13)
    • ►  November (17)
    • ▼  October (22)
      • "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt~Incomparable!
      • "The Silent Wife" by A.S.A. Harrison~"Gone Girl" g...
      • "A Divided Inheritance" by Deborah Swift~Author Co...
      • "Tampa" by Alissa Nutting~Explicit Sex & Controver...
      • A Final October Book Haul~10/27/13
      • "Songs of 3 Islands:A Memoir" by Millicent Monks~M...
      • GIVEAWAY!! "Banquet of Lies" by Michele Diener~Li...
      • "The Funeral Dress" by Susan Gregg Gilmore~Go Out ...
      • Another Book Haul~Mostly My Own Purchases!
      • "The Imposter Bride" by Nancy Richler~Beautifully ...
      • Book Haul: Finishing Up from Last Couple of Weeks...
      • "The Quest" by Nelson DeMille~Nobody Writes Like Him!
      • "Havisham" by Ronald Frame~The Whole Story!
      • "Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard von Bingen" b...
      • "The Inheritors" by Judith Kirscht~Class & Racial ...
      • Book Haul~HUGE!! Sept. & October
      • "Guests on Earth" by Lee Smith~ Living With Mental...
      • "Rasputin's Shadow" by Raymond Khoury~ New Thriller!
      • "January First" by Michael Schofield~Childhood Sch...
      • "The Shogun's Daughter" by Laura Joh Rowland~Samua...
      • "The Nine Fold Heaven" by Mingmei Yip~Exotic Shang...
      • "The Passage" by Justin Cronin~The Best of Apocaly...
    • ►  September (6)
    • ►  August (15)
    • ►  July (12)
    • ►  June (16)
    • ►  May (13)
    • ►  April (17)
    • ►  March (11)
    • ►  February (10)
    • ►  January (30)
  • ►  2012 (79)
    • ►  December (33)
    • ►  November (17)
    • ►  October (16)
    • ►  September (13)
Powered by Blogger.

About Me

batista
View my complete profile