Posted Sunday, 10 July, 2016 by jorielov A Study in Death, Anna Lee Huber, Berkley Prime Crime, Lady Darby Mysteries, Penguin Group (USA) 1 Comment
Borrowed Book By: My local library has always been quite keenly astute on forthcoming releases by authors whose books wink at me from the card catalogue, whenever I am seeking a new read within a genre I happen to have a penchant attachment. Cosy mysteries have always been knitted into my heart, and although I honestly cannot remember exactly if the library purchased the Lady Darby book series off a request of mine OR if they were requested by another patron, all I can simply say is that I felt immeasurably blessed that the first two novels of the Lady Darby mysteries were at my library! I did make enquiries on behalf of this series to be continued to be added to the library as forthcoming titles release henceforth forward!
As this series is a part of a personal quest to read Serial Fiction Library Finds, I was not compensated for this review nor was I obliged to share my thoughts on behalf of this novel or the Lady Darby Mysteries.
On how we left Lady Darby & Mr Gage in A Grave Matter:
From the very beginning, I was smitten with the idea of Lady Darby and Mr Gage as a true partnership of intellectual minds who were both naturally inclined to sleuth. Watching them grown closer together with each new story I was reading, was a happiness without measure, as it truly knitted together so very organically from how Huber approached disclosing their connective relationship. Circumstances would thrust them together out of dire situations where lives were at risk and mysteries needed to become resolved post haste.
This was one of my favourites of the series, simply because Huber allowed us a proper pause from the cardinal focus of sleuthing, to walk alongside Kiera and Gage – seeing exactly what was causing them the most stress in sorting out how they fit together and why that was presenting such a conflict as well. Concurrent to their difficulties in sorting out their feelings for each other, there was a greater scope of depth surrounding what was causing a lot of strife for Kiera and her brother Trevor.
Aside from the robbery at the graveyard, you would speculate A Grave Matter also spoke of the grave matters surrounding the heart, mind and subconscious state of the Darby siblings. Lady Darby and Trevor never had a talking out after her husband died; never addressed the guilt Trevor had from not being a better brother nor the anguish she has felt through the aftermath. There are moments in life that can undermine your progress forward if the past is not dealt with to such an extent as to not repeat itself through tortured memory. Better to talk things out, than to let their echoes fester and plague you til the day you can no longer handle their presence.
Kiera has struggled with her psychological well-being since we first met her, as she did not live during a time where society would treat her with kindness or compassionate understanding. They’d rather seek out every way they could riddle her with judgements spun out of hearsay or fear. Part of her healing was forestalled because she had trouble accepting the assistance of those who dearly cared for her happiness. She is closed-off to most emotionally attempting to control everyone’s perception of her, but the disservice is to forsake her process to heal and recovery a measure of joy by living a life removed from her past.
-quoted from my review of A Grave Matter
I truly loved the ending chapters of the third Lady Darby novel, because at long last, I was treated to a private conversation where Lady Darby & Gage finally at long last are forevermore now known as ‘Kiera & Sebastian’! They followed their hearts, they owned their individual truths and they elected to take the risk to join together for the sake of true love!
A Study in Death
Subtitle: A Lady Darby Mystery
Scotland, 1831. After a tumultuous courtship complicated by three deadly inquiries, Lady Kiera Darby is thrilled to have found both an investigative partner and a fiancé in Sebastian Gage. But with her well-meaning—and very pregnant—sister planning on making their wedding the event of the season, Kiera could use a respite from the impending madness.
Commissioned to paint the portrait of Lady Drummond, Kiera is saddened when she recognizes the pain in the baroness’s eyes. Lord Drummond is a brute, and his brusque treatment of his wife forces Kiera to think of the torment caused by her own late husband.
Kiera isn’t sure how to help, but when she finds Lady Drummond prostrate on the floor, things take a fatal turn. The physician called to the house and Lord Drummond appear satisfied to rule her death natural, but Kiera is convinced that poison is the real culprit.
Now, armed only with her knowledge of the macabre and her convictions, Kiera intends to discover the truth behind the baroness’s death—no matter what, or who, stands in her way…
Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 9780425281246
Series: Lady Darby Mysteries
Also in this series: The Anatomist's Wife, Mortal Arts, A Grave Matter
on 5th July, 2016
Pages: 336
The Lady Darby Mysteries:
The Anatomist’s Wife | No.1 | (see Review)
Mortal Arts | No.2 | (see Review)
A Grave Matter | No.3 | (see Review)
A Study in Death | No.4 | Synopsis
A Pressing Engagement | No.4.5 (e-novella) | Synopsis
As Death Draws Near | No.5 | Synopsis | Happy #PubDay 5th of July, 2016
Published By: Berkley Prime Crime (@BerkleyMystery)
imprint of Berkley Publishing (@BerkleyPub)
via Penguin Random House (@penguinrandom)
About Anna Lee Huber
Anna Lee Huber is the Award-Winning and National Bestselling Author of the Lady Darby Mystery Series. She was born and raised in a small town in Ohio. From a young age, her imagination was boundless. She spent her summers with her brothers and sister playing Star Wars, wearing snow boots and her mother's old nightgowns while swinging plastic bats as light-sabers, and The A-Team hanging off the riding lawn mower (what else were they supposed to use for the van?). In the fourth grade, she penned her first story, and she’s been writing ever since.
Anna attended college in Music City USA-Nashville, Tennessee, where she met her husband while acting in a school production of Our Town. They married just before she graduated summa cum laude from Lipscomb University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and a minor in Psychology. She now pens the award-winning Lady Darby historical mystery series for Berkley Publishing. Her debut novel, The Anatomist’s Wife, has won and been nominated for numerous awards, including a Daphne du Maurier Award and two 2013 RITA® Awards.
Anna is a member of Mystery Writers of America, the Historical Novel Society, International Thriller Writers, and Romance Writers of America. She currently lives in Indiana with her family, and when not hard at work on her next novel, she enjoys reading, singing, travel, and spending time with her family.
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Read More
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- Serial Fiction Library Finds (Personal)
Posted Sunday, 10 July, 2016 by jorielov in 19th Century, Amateur Detective, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Review (non-blog tour), Castles & Estates, Cosy Historical Mystery, Cosy Horror, Cosy Mystery, Crime Fiction, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Fly in the Ointment, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical Romance, Historical Thriller Suspense, Lady Detective Fiction, Library Catalogues & Databases, Library Find, Library Love, Local Libraries | Research Libraries, Psychological Suspense, Scotland, Siblings, Sisters & the Bond Between Them, the Victorian era
Posted Friday, 8 July, 2016 by jorielov A Grave Matter, Anna Lee Huber, Berkley Prime Crime, Lady Darby Mysteries, Penguin Group (USA) 0 Comments
Borrowed Book By: My local library has always been quite keenly astute on forthcoming releases by authors whose books wink at me from the card catalogue, whenever I am seeking a new read within a genre I happen to have a penchant attachment. Cosy mysteries have always been knitted into my heart, and although I honestly cannot remember exactly if the library purchased the Lady Darby book series off a request of mine OR if they were requested by another patron, all I can simply say is that I felt immeasurably blessed that the first two novels of the Lady Darby mysteries were at my library! I did make enquiries on behalf of this series to be continued to be added to the library as forthcoming titles release henceforth forward!
As this series is a part of a personal quest to read Serial Fiction Library Finds, I was not compensated for this review nor was I obliged to share my thoughts on behalf of this novel or the Lady Darby Mysteries.
On how we left Lady Darby & Mr Gage in Mortal Arts:
I believe, dear hearts, you’ve caught enough of a glimpse between my tweets in regards to this series, and my reviews as they are releasing throughout the week I’m spending inside #LadyDarby’s world – to recognise the series lit a flame of joy for me to devour! It is directly related to Lady Darby & Mr Gage, as I had such a lot of pleasure of declaring within the folds of this tweet! Such a beautiful journey where hearts are starting to heal, reconciliation of the past is unfolding and you have this incredibly layered romance being delivered to you in-between the investigative bits that truly flex the integrity of the series!
I daresay I was smiling the entire time Mr Gage re-entered Lady Darby’s life at Dalmay House! He draws out such a fiery reaction inside her heart – she quite nearly doesn’t know how to handle the emotions that he stirs within her, but at the same time, she’s so fiercely independent due to the circumstances she’s been subjected too, it’s almost as if she’s nearly unwilling to relent that a person can fall for someone they were never opting to meet. Her heart closed to love after her husband’s death and for good reason, yet that doesn’t mean that time wouldn’t find a way to heal her heart in such a way as to surprise her reasoning mind against the logic of such a discovery! He continues to challenge her whilst he vexes her conscience; she is never quite sure how she feels about him except to say, she doesn’t want to become ensnared by his gallantry. I think the greater truth is that she’s trying to resolve how and why she let her heart become smitten when she was truly considering walking into the life of an old maid. She has this will about her that she doesn’t deserve happiness and yet, at the same time, demands to find a way to breathe out a better life than the one where she’s hiding behind family. To say she’s conflicted is to put it mildly!
-quoted from my review of Mortal Arts
I am over the moon in wicked joy in watching these two sort out their relationship & start to realise that neither of them can live without the other close at hand! They truly took each other unawares & were trying to sort out how someone understood them to such a level of depth!
Further proof that at any particular time, this series is a Cosy Historical Mystery; a Gothic Romantic Suspense tale & a beautifully evolving Historical Romance that truly is a joy to read!
A Grave Matter
Subtitle: A Lady Darby Mystery
Scotland, 1830. Following the death of her dear friend, Lady Kiera Darby is in need of a safe haven. Returning to her childhood home, Kiera hopes her beloved brother Trevor and the merriment of the Hogmanay Ball will distract her. But when a caretaker is murdered and a grave is disturbed at nearby Dryburgh Abbey, Kiera is once more thrust into the cold grasp of death.
While Kiera knows that aiding in another inquiry will only further tarnish her reputation, her knowledge of anatomy could make the difference in solving the case. But agreeing to investigate means Kiera must deal with the complicated emotions aroused in her by inquiry agent Sebastian Gage.
When Gage arrives, he reveals that the incident at the Abbey was not the first-some fiend is digging up old bones and holding them for ransom. Now Kiera and Gage must catch the grave robber and put the case to rest...before another victim winds up six feet under.
Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 9780425253694
Series: Lady Darby Mysteries
Also in this series: The Anatomist's Wife, Mortal Arts, A Study in Death
on 1st July, 2014
Pages: 421
The Lady Darby Mysteries:
The Anatomist’s Wife | No.1 | (see Review)
Mortal Arts | No.2 | (see Review)
A Grave Matter | No.3 | Synopsis
A Study in Death | No.4 | Synopsis
A Pressing Engagement | No.4.5 (e-novella) | Synopsis
As Death Draws Near | No.5 | Synopsis | Happy #PubDay 5th of July, 2016
Published By: Berkley Prime Crime (@BerkleyMystery)
imprint of Berkley Publishing (@BerkleyPub)
via Penguin Random House (@penguinrandom)
About Anna Lee Huber
Anna Lee Huber is the Award-Winning and National Bestselling Author of the Lady Darby Mystery Series. She was born and raised in a small town in Ohio. From a young age, her imagination was boundless. She spent her summers with her brothers and sister playing Star Wars, wearing snow boots and her mother's old nightgowns while swinging plastic bats as light-sabers, and The A-Team hanging off the riding lawn mower (what else were they supposed to use for the van?). In the fourth grade, she penned her first story, and she’s been writing ever since.
Anna attended college in Music City USA-Nashville, Tennessee, where she met her husband while acting in a school production of Our Town. They married just before she graduated summa cum laude from Lipscomb University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and a minor in Psychology. She now pens the award-winning Lady Darby historical mystery series for Berkley Publishing. Her debut novel, The Anatomist’s Wife, has won and been nominated for numerous awards, including a Daphne du Maurier Award and two 2013 RITA® Awards.
Anna is a member of Mystery Writers of America, the Historical Novel Society, International Thriller Writers, and Romance Writers of America. She currently lives in Indiana with her family, and when not hard at work on her next novel, she enjoys reading, singing, travel, and spending time with her family.
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Read More
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- Serial Fiction Library Finds (Personal)
Posted Friday, 8 July, 2016 by jorielov in 19th Century, Amateur Detective, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Review (non-blog tour), Castles & Estates, Cosy Historical Mystery, Cosy Horror, Cosy Mystery, Crime Fiction, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical Romance, Historical Thriller Suspense, Lady Detective Fiction, Library Catalogues & Databases, Library Find, Library Love, Local Libraries | Research Libraries, Psychological Suspense, Scotland, Siblings, Sisters & the Bond Between Them, the Victorian era
Posted Monday, 16 May, 2016 by jorielov Camelot's Queen, Guinevere's Tale, Lawson Gartner Publishing, Nicole Evelina 0 Comments
Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours whereupon I am thankful to have been able to host such a diverse breadth of stories, authors and wonderful guest features since I became a hostess! I received a complimentary copy of “Camelot’s Queen” direct from the author Nicole Evelina in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why I appreciate reading Nicole Evelina’s Guinevere Tale series:
Evelina has taken us into the heart of Guinevere and her girlhood peers, as we walk inside those hours she spent on Avalon honing her talent and learning about the world from a point of view not concurrent to her parents or ancestral home. Evelina re-develops the image of Guinevere and the back-story therein, allowing us the grace to re-examine what we think we know of the characters being brought back to life inside this trilogy. It’s a curious undertaking, because although it’s rooted in a canonical history of literature, mythos and lore; there is a new attempt at re-developing a story whose depths are grounded by the character’s will of heart and spirit of passage through their growing years.
The complexity and the authentic voice inter-combine to bring a scope of realism to Guinevere and to the back-story of her life. It’s a wholly original complex origin story where even if you are as under-read as I am about Camelot and Arthurian Legend, you can curl inside this novel due to how well-told Evelina evoked it’s heart out of the pages she lent us to read!
Mythology, fable and lore can feel disconnected at times to an actuary world if the conception of their perimeters are not fully fleshed out and brought to such a high level of vision by their writers. This is where Nicole Evelina excels as her vision of the story is portrayed in such a convicting manner as to etch your heart directly into the lifeblood of her characters; you feel everything they are sensing and appreciate the direct connection in order to best understand their world. Definitely a harbinger of emotionally writ historical fiction centred on known persons who have inspired many but of whom feel more three dimensional inside this story as they are presented with equal fragility as their contemporary peerage.
The research Evelina put into this work of a trilogy is evidenced by how she chose to tell the story, first through direct sight of Guinevere approaching hard choices and managing her emotions in the thick of it and secondly, through enlivening the background with such scope of depth as to embrace the mystical and mythology of how Camelot exists. She even kept the continuity alive by bringing together the origins of those who call Avalon home with their familial heritages and beliefs; such as I celebrated in seeing Guinevere’s Rhiannon and Lugh arriving in time for her ascension to Priestess of Avalon. The fundamentals of religion and ancestry are inter-woven to the core of who Guinevere is and what she stood for thereby granting the reader a more grounded vision of the woman Guinevere became latter in life.
– as disclosed on my review of Daughter of Destiny, Guinevere’s Tale No.1
Camelot's Queen
Subtitle: Guinevere's Tale Book Two
by Nicole Evelina
Illustrator/Cover Designer: Jenny Quinlan (JennyQ)
Source: Author via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
History remembers Guinevere’s sin, but it was Arthur who transgressed first.
Forced into a marriage she neither anticipated nor desired, Guinevere finds herself High Queen, ruling and fighting alongside Arthur as they try to subdue the Saxons, Irish and Picts who threaten Britain from every direction. Though her heart still longs for her lost love, Guinevere slowly grows to care for her husband as they join together to defeat their enemies.
Meanwhile, within the walls of Camelot their closest allies plot against them. One schemes to make Guinevere his own, another seeks revenge for past transgressions, while a third fixes her eyes on the throne. When the unthinkable happens and Guinevere is feared dead, Arthur installs a new woman in her place, one who will poison his affections toward her, threatening Guinevere’s fragile sanity and eventually driving her into the arms of her champion.
Amid this tension a new challenge arises for the king and queen of Camelot: finding the Holy Grail, a sacred relic that promises lasting unity. But peace, as they will soon learn, can be just as dangerous as war. As the court begins to turn on itself, it becomes clear that the quest that was to be Arthur’s lasting legacy may end in the burning fires of condemnation.
This highly anticipated sequel to Daughter of Destiny proves there is much more to Guinevere’s story than her marriage and an affair. See the legend you think you know through her eyes and live the adventure of Camelot’s golden days yourself – but prepared to suffer its downfall as well.
Genres: After Canons, Arthurian Legend, Feminist Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Historical-Fantasy, Women's Fiction Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 978-0996763134
Also by this author: Daughter of Destiny, Nicole Evelina (Guest Post: Camelot's Queen), Been Searching For You, Madame Presidentess, Mistress of Legend
Also in this series: Daughter of Destiny, Mistress of Legend
Published by Lawson Gartner Publishing
on 9th April, 2016
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 481
Book No. 1 Daughter of Destiny (review)
Book No. 2 Camelot’s Queen
Book No. 3 Mistress of the Legend releases late 2016/early 2017
Read an Excerpt of the Novel: Read More
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2016 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Posted Monday, 16 May, 2016 by jorielov in 6th Century, After the Canon, Apothecary, Arthurian Legend, Avalon, Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Britian, British Literature, Disillusionment in Marriage, Domestic Violence, Early Middle Ages [the Dark Ages] (1001-1300), Earthen Magic, Earthen Spirituality, Flashbacks & Recollective Memories, Folklore and Mythology, Herbalist, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Romance, History, Indie Author, Inspired By Author OR Book, Kidnapping or Unexplained Disappearances, Loss of an unbourne child, Marriage of Convenience, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Midwife | Midwifery, Midwives & Childbirth, Mythological Societies, Parapsychological Gifts, Passionate Researcher, Psychological Abuse, PTSD, Re-Told Tales, Realistic Fiction, Spirituality & Metaphysics, Supernatural Fiction, Superstitions & Old World Beliefs, Trauma | Abuse & Recovery, Warfare & Power Realignment, Women's Fiction, Women's Health, Women's Rights, Writing Style & Voice
Posted Saturday, 7 May, 2016 by jorielov ChocLitUK, Pirates of Ile Sainte Anne series, Sally Malcolm, The Legend of the Gypsy Hawk 0 Comments
Why I feature #ChocLitSaturdays (book reviews & guest author features)
and created #ChocLitSaturday (the chat via @ChocLitSaturday):
I wanted to create a bit of a niche on Jorie Loves A Story to showcase romance fiction steeped in relationships, courtships, and the breadth of marriage enveloped by characters written honestly whose lives not only endear you to them but they nestle into your heart as their story is being read!
I am always seeking relationship-based romance which strikes a chord within my mind’s eye as well as my heart! I’m a romantic optimist, and I love curling into a romance where I can be swept inside the past, as history becomes lit alive in the fullness of the narrative and I can wander amongst the supporting cast observing the principal characters fall in love and sort out if they are a proper match for each other!
I love how an Indie Publisher like ChocLitUK is such a positive alternative for those of us who do not identify ourselves as girls and women who read ‘chick-lit’. I appreciate the stories which alight in my hands from ChocLit as much as I appreciate the inspirational romances I gravitate towards because there is a certain level of depth to both outlets in romance which encourage my spirits and gives me a beautiful story to absorb! Whilst sorting out how promote my book reviews on behalf of ChocLit, I coined the phrase “ChocLitSaturdays”, which is a nod to the fact my ChocLit reviews & features debut on ‘a Saturday’ but further to the point that on the ‘weekend’ we want to dip into a world wholly ideal and romantic during our hours off from the work week!
Acquired Book By: I am a regular reviewer for ChocLitUK, where I hand select which books in either their backlist and/or current releases I would like to read next for my #ChocLitSaturdays blog feature. I received a complimentary copy of “The Legend of the Gypsy Hawk” from ChocLit in exchange for an honest review! I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why Jorie loves ‘Pirate Fiction’:
You see, Pirates of the Carribbean arrived on the silver screen at precisely the right timing for me – so much so – I went to see the original film four times before it finally left theaters! I would have gone back for the fifth showing if my theater hadn’t pulled the film the morning of All Saint’s Day! Ironically, they were meant to keep it on the 1st of November but apparently the plans fell through – otherwise, I would have had the pleasure of saying I had spent four months with that blessed film! I went back for each successive sequel, completely caught up in the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow and full of laughter as he made me smile, chuckle and laugh crazily right along with him!
Most of the appeal is how the actor Johnny Depp brought Captain Jack to life – as let’s face it, he singularly knew how to give personality and spunk to Jack! Even when he’s half off his rail and being completely irrational, there is something charming about Captain Jack! I loved the supporting cast as well – finding likeable portrayals in all of them, but especially Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom! I went on to follow their careers and appreciated how they continued to bring unique characters to life. Depp has had such a strong array of characters since Captain Jack Sparrow, the bloke will surely never be pigeon holed by any character he’s ever played! The diversity of his choices and the ability to remain true to each of them as if no other character ever existed before them is true craftsmanship!
However, my love of pirates in fiction did not start with Captain Jack, although he does give a girl a reason to swoon after him – if only for the humour, the adventure and the crazy appeal of living in the moment whilst you try to sort out where his true alliances lie – no, my love of pirates in fiction began with Gabriel Bryne! Yes, dear hearts – it was the film Shipwrecked! I was so caught up inside this film, I wished it had spun out a sequel! The back-story alone was worth every inch of it’s cinematic experience, but it’s a clever adventure where pirates can be outwitted by teenagers!
From there, I’ve had a twinkle in my eye for pirates in fiction and every blue moon I find a new film or a new book where I find myself charmed by the pirate in question! I become invested in the adventure first and foremost, but it’s also seeing how the choices in lifestyle also motivated the character to become the rebellious rogue they are as the story progresses forward! Depending on the story, I am either rooting for the pirate (oy – you should have heard me encouraging Captain Jack in the darkened theater!) or I’m rallying behind those who are trying to overcome the pirates hold on whichever circumstances they had the upper hand upon! A good instance of this would be Swiss Family Robinson where your championing the Robinsons and their homemade assault on the pirates climbing the cliffside mountain!
I knew there would be more High Seas adventures from ChocLit because I was already convinced of their stories as soon as I read Zana Bell’s Close to the Wind! And, in regards to Captain Jack Sparrow – had no idea truly, I’d get a fifth installment on the 26th of May, 2017! Eek. Too. Wicked. for Words!
Here’s one of my first s/o tweets on behalf of the then-new Digital Release:
The Legend of the Gypsy Hawk
Come then, and I’ll tell you the tale of the Gypsy Hawk and her wily captain – the infamous Zachary Hazard …
To Amelia Dauphin, freedom is her most prized possession and she will stop at nothing to keep it. Daughter of a Pirate King and the youngest captain in her father’s fleet, she lives on the island of Ile Sainte Anne, where pirates roam free and liberty reigns.
Zachary Hazard, captain of the Gypsy Hawk, hasn’t been seen on Ile Sainte Anne for six years but his reputation precedes him. To Zach, liberty is the open water and he has little time for the land-bound pirate island.
But when he hears that Amelia’s people could be in danger, he has no choice but to return. And what begins then is a desperate fight for freedom and a legend in the making …
A swashbuckling pirate adventure. Pirates of the Caribbean for adults with a sizzling romance at the heart!
Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Book Page on World Weaver Press
ISBN: 9781781892657
Series: Pirates of Ile Sainte Anne
on 16th March, 2016
Pages: 315
Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLituk)
Available Formats: Paperback & E-Book
Originally published as Beyond the Far Horizon (2012)
Follow the tag for the novel to see my previous tweets on this novel’s behalf!
Converse via: #LegendOfTheGypsyHawk and #ChocLit
About Sally Malcolm
Sally lives in London, England with her American husband and two children. She is co-founder and commissioning editor of Fandemonium Books, the licensed publisher of novels based on the American TV series Stargate SG1, Atlantis and Universe.
Sally is the author of five of the Stargate novels. She has also written four audio Stargate dramas. And recently she completed work on three episodes of the video game Stargate SG-1: Unleashed which were voiced by Stargate SG-1 stars Richard Dean Anderson, Michael Shanks, Amanda Tapping and Chris Judge.
The Legend of the Gypsy Hawk is the first in the Pirates of Ile Sainte Anne series.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Read More
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2016 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Posted Saturday, 7 May, 2016 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 18th Century, Action & Adventure Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Caribbean, Caribbean History, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Indie Author, Modern British Author, Modern British Literature, Pirates and Swashbucklers, Pirates of the Caribbean series, Rebels and Rogues, Romance Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Treasure Hunt, TV Serials & Motion Pictures, Vulgarity in Literature
Posted Thursday, 28 April, 2016 by jorielov Camelot's Queen, Guinevere's Tale, Lawson Gartner Publishing, Nicole Evelina 0 Comments
Certain stories I am reading evoke such an awareness of presence, both in conception and the backbone of it’s world-building, I become inspired to ask the writer to shed a bit of light on how they drew inspiration to first conceive these ideas and how they were able to manifest them inside their story as a whole.
When I first read Daughter of Destiny, I had such a strong connection to the manner in which the whole story came alive in my mind’s eye – it was such a powerful dramatic historical story, and the beauty of it was how Ms Evelina approached re-telling such a well-known canon of influence!
Which is why I had this to say on the author’s behalf:
The research Evelina put into this work of a trilogy is evidenced by how she chose to tell the story, first through direct sight of Guinevere approaching hard choices and managing her emotions in the thick of it and secondly, through enlivening the background with such scope of depth as to embrace the mystical and mythology of how Camelot exists. She even kept the continuity alive by bringing together the origins of those who call Avalon home with their familial heritages and beliefs; such as I celebrated in seeing Guinevere’s Rhiannon and Lugh arriving in time for her ascension to Priestess of Avalon. The fundamentals of religion and ancestry are inter-woven to the core of who Guinevere is and what she stood for thereby granting the reader a more grounded vision of the woman Guinevere became latter in life. – quoted from my review on behalf of Daughter of Destiny
If you are seeking an author who champion’s strong women and who approaches telling their story in a multi-layered approach with a stirring plot which highlights their character’s journey through a legacy you felt you knew previously but only had a smidge of a hint about – this is your author! I loved how the historical layers merged so wonderfully into the mystical and how Evelina truly wrote a story for women today who are seeking such a strong narrative in our modern world, where Feminist Historical Fiction is starting to become a focal point of interest.
She truly captured my heart and my mind, enriching the experience in getting to know Camelot in such a personal way as to give me a hearty read about a woman I thought I had understood but hadn’t quite realised the adversities and the pressures of her society she had to overcome in order to live the life she was meant to lead.
History remembers Guinevere’s sin, but it was Arthur who transgressed first.
Forced into a marriage she neither anticipated nor desired, Guinevere finds herself High Queen, ruling and fighting alongside Arthur as they try to subdue the Saxons, Irish and Picts who threaten Britain from every direction. Though her heart still longs for her lost love, Guinevere slowly grows to care for her husband as they join together to defeat their enemies.
Meanwhile, within the walls of Camelot their closest allies plot against them. One schemes to make Guinevere his own, another seeks revenge for past transgressions, while a third fixes her eyes on the throne. When the unthinkable happens and Guinevere is feared dead, Arthur installs a new woman in her place, one who will poison his affections toward her, threatening Guinevere’s fragile sanity and eventually driving her into the arms of her champion.
Amid this tension a new challenge arises for the king and queen of Camelot: finding the Holy Grail, a sacred relic that promises lasting unity. But peace, as they will soon learn, can be just as dangerous as war. As the court begins to turn on itself, it becomes clear that the quest that was to be Arthur’s lasting legacy may end in the burning fires of condemnation.
This highly anticipated sequel to Daughter of Destiny proves there is much more to Guinevere’s story than her marriage and an affair. See the legend you think you know through her eyes and live the adventure of Camelot’s golden days yourself – but prepared to suffer its downfall as well.
Book No. 1 Daughter of Destiny (review)
Book No. 2 Camelot’s Queen releases 12th of April 2016
Book No. 3 Mistress of the Legend releases late 2016/early 2017
The topic which I most wanted to hear Ms Evelina’s response about her series:
How did you conceptionalise the supernatural elements which are threaded through Guinevere’s tales whilst acknowledging the rich legacy of the original canon but augmenting a bit outside of it to pepper in your own inclinations towards what you felt would be a good interpretation of the magic and organic telling of the story? Did you find any sequence of this to be most challenging to show visually inside of the novels?
That’s a really great question, and one with a long answer. When I first set out to write these books, I considered stripping them of all magic and making them pure historical fiction, but that felt too sterile to me. It’s probably because I want to believe in magic. I just couldn’t conceive of Arthurian legend without at least a little magic. Read More
Posted Thursday, 28 April, 2016 by jorielov in 6th Century, After the Canon, Arthurian Legend, Avalon, Blog Tour Host, Britian, British Literature, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Earthen Magic, Earthen Spirituality, Folklore and Mythology, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Romance, History, Indie Author, Inspired By Author OR Book, Mythological Societies, Parapsychological Gifts, Passionate Researcher, Re-Told Tales, Reader Submitted Guest Post (Topic) for Author, Spirituality & Metaphysics, Supernatural Fiction, Superstitions & Old World Beliefs, Warfare & Power Realignment, Women's Fiction, Wordsmiths & Palettes of Sage, Writing Style & Voice
