Review: A Trip Knot by Emma Campion

Published July 08, 2014
Broadway Books
Pages: 480
ISBN: 978-0-307-58929-3

Synopsis

The critically acclaimed author of The King's Mistress brings another fascinating woman from history to life in an enthralling story of political intrigue, personal tragedy, and illicit love.

Joan of Kent, renowned beauty and cousin to King Edward III, is destined for a politically strategic marriage. As the king begins a long dynastic struggle to claim the crown of France, plunging England into the Hundred Years’ War, he negotiates her betrothal to a potential ally and heir of a powerful lordship.
 
But Joan, haunted by nightmares of her father’s execution at the hands of her treacherous royal kin, fears the king’s selection and is not resigned to her fate. She secretly pledges herself to one of the king’s own knights, one who has become a trusted friend and protector. Now she must defend her vow as the king—furious at Joan’s defiance—prepares to marry her off to another man.
 
In A Triple Knot, Emma Campion brings Joan, the “Fair Maid of Kent” to glorious life, deftly weaving details of King Edward III’s extravagant court into a rich and emotionally resonant tale of intrigue, love, and betrayal.

What Did I Think About The Story?

In the royal world where marriage is based more on alliances gained then love between the participants, the Joan of Kent that Emma Campion weaves through A Trip Knot is one extraordinary woman. While the King, her mother and many others seek to use her as a pawn for their own means, Joan refuses to let anyone own her heart and decides to go against everything expected of her and marry the man she loves in secret, a man below her station. Joan and Thomas Holland, her brave knight husband, give the reader a wonderful love story to swoon over, one that faces every possible obstacle in the hopes of that ever illusive happily-ever-after.

The Triple Knot that Joan finds herself in are the three men she must juggle in her dangerous game of marriage and love: Thomas, the husband she marries in secret and loves with all her heart; Will Montague, the spineless young man she is forced to marry who cares nothing for her; and Ned, her cousin and heir to the throne with a prominent dark side who is determined to have Joan at any and all costs. It takes a smart and savvy woman with a spine of steal to manage this balancing act and Joan is just that young woman. How she navigates this ever shifting dilemma without ever fully giving in to the wants of the King or giving up on the marriage with Thomas that so many refuse to even acknowledge was commendable and exciting to watch unfold. However, history being history, events don't always work out exactly as one wishes and my heart soared and broke right along with Joan's.

The world of the English court, the furnishings, the clothes, the landscapes and much more all come vividly to life within the pages of the story. It is easy to immerse yourself in the goings on and become a part of Joan's world, for better or for worse,  as well as feel connected to the characters. I love a story that makes me feel a participant in the story instead of a spectator and Ms. Campion does this exceptionally well.

On the downside, one things I often find a problem in epic historical fiction like this is keeping the characters straight as so many of them have similar names and titles. While Ms. Campion does try to assist with this confusion by calling some characters by their nicknames (prince Edward becomes Ned to differentiate between the king and prince, William Montague becomes Will to differentiate him from his father, etc) I still found myself having to reread passages and check the names against the character listing at the front of the book to make sure I had the right person in mind and therefore kept straight the intricate connections between characters. My only other complaint would have to be with Joan's sometimes shifting heart. While she clearly loves Thomas her attraction to her cousin Ned somewhat pulled from that love and made it feel less epic at times.  While it's easy to understand why the heart of a young woman like Joan would long for other things while she pined for the husband of her heart it just made me see her as indecisive at times when I wished to see her as stronger than that. But alas no one is perfect and I have a feeling this Joan is much more true to history than the one of my imaginings.

I very much enjoyed being immersed in the world of A Triple Knot and watching this heroine of history navigate this difficult world on her own terms. Having read very little about Joan of Kent before I am now excited to search out more books about her life. Highly recommended to those who enjoy Plantagenet English history and strong determined characters.

What Did I Think About The Cover?

It's ok but I don't think it really highlights any particular part of the story or makes me need to turn the book over and read the back.  I would have preferred some more vibrant colors or something that gives that feeling of danger or excitement that overshadowed Joan's life.


Rating: 4.0/5.0

I received a free copy of this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review...thank you Blogging for Books!

 

 

About the Author

 

 

EMMA CAMPION is the author of The King's Mistress and A Triple Knot and did her graduate work in medieval and Anglo-Saxon literature. She lives in Seattle. Visit her at www.emmacampion.com.

A Grave Inheritanc​e Blog Tour: Review

Publication Date: December 1, 2014
Carina Press
eBook; ASIN: B00OHV6MFA

Series: Goddess Born
Genre: Historical/Paranormal/New Adult/Romance

Synopsis

Selah Kilbrid may descend from the goddess Brigid, but her heart beats—and breaks—the same as any human. Yet enduring the scorn of London’s most noble lords and ladies is a small price to pay for a chance at true happiness. Selah would endure much more for love, and her betrothed, Lord Henry Fitzalan, is prepared to challenge anyone foolish enough to stand in their way—even another goddess born.

But when a captivating young gentleman draws Selah into a world shadowed by secrets, she is forced to confront her darkest fears. What if some differences are too great to overcome and a future with Henry is doomed from the start?

With these doubts threatening her impending marriage and the very last of Brigid’s fire draining from her soul, a violent attack on an innocent child pushes Selah to the very edge of her power. She must find a way to cross into the Otherworld and regain her strength—or forfeit the streets of London to death and disease.

What Did I Think About the Story?

With Kari Edgren's first book in her Goddess Born series (you can read my review of Goddess Born HERE) the author did a wonderful job of combining 1700s Colonial Pennsylvanian history with an otherworldly environment of  ancient powers and healing. In this second installment we move away from the Quaker community our main character Selah has always known into the dangerous, unfamiliar worlds of both London society and the darker and dirtier back alleys of this ever-shifting city. As in the first book, Selah once again has to navigate the very human issues surrounding her, such as being accepted by her fiancé's noble counterparts that see her as little more than an upstart, as well as the fantastical otherworld that now presents new obstacles and enlightenment that she never even imagined existed.

Selah is a character unlike any other I have seen before. I love the way Ms. Edgren presents her as both a plucky, proud woman ready to fight for the love she has found with Henry Fitzalan as well as a young woman with the goddess Brigid's blood flowing through her veins, blood that gives her this remarkable gift that requires her to heal anyone who asks for her help whether she truly wants to or not. Expanding her story beyond what we saw in Goddess Born, everything Selah must face in A Grave Inheritance pushes her further and further and makes her fight even harder for what she truly wants out of this life as well as to keep herself and those she loves alive.

While the more realistic down-to-earth issues she is facing - getting others to support her marriage to Henry and getting his betrothal to the Princess Amelia dropped so Henry and she can marry, keeping her relationship with her best friend Nora from falling apart in London when their interests pull them in different directions, etc - are interesting, it is the advancement of the otherworldly storyline that really drew me in. In London Selah discovers that there are many more descendants of Brigid walking around, each with their own unique powers, and that the restrictions she has placed on her own powers are only the tip of what she is capable of doing.   Along with these more positive discoveries there is the realization that an ancient evil is also prowling the streets, an evil that wants nothing more than to draw the descendants of Brigid into a battle to save the humans they have been charged with protecting and to unleash even more evil onto the world.

A Grave Inheritance ends on a delicious cliffhanger that has me itching for the next book in the series to come out! I highly recommend those interested in a cross over between historical fiction and fantasy to read both Goddess Born and A Grave Inheritance in preparation for the next book to come. It is easy to become very attached to these well drawn and intriguing characters and the experiences they go through, and I cannot wait to see what angles the story takes and the conclusion to this captivating series.

 

What Do I Think About the Cover?

I'm not a big fan. I really loved the cover for Goddess Born as it seemed to highlight the sparkle and brilliance of Selah's power while this cover seems more desolate and sad, two things that Selah just doesn't represent. She is a powerful character and I like the idea of seeing her that way on the covers.


My Rating: 4.0/5.0

 

Thank you to Amy at Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for providing me with a free copy of A Grave Inheritance in exchange for an honest review. Be sure to continue below for more information about the author, the book and the rest of the blog tour!

 

 

 

About the Author

 

 

Kari Edgren is the author of the Goddess Born series. In 2010 and 2011 she was a semifinalist for the
Amazon Break Through Novel Award. In 2013, she was a RWA Golden Heart finalist. Ms. Edgren enjoys writing both historical and contemporary fiction, so long as there’s a spark of paranormal. She resides on a mountain top in the Pacific Northwest where she spends a great deal of time dreaming about the sun and torturing her husband and children with strange food and random historical facts.

For more information please visit Kari Edgren’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Sign Up for Kari Edgren’s Newsletter.

Buy the eBook

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble

 

A Grave Inheritance Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, December 2

Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Thursday, December 4

Review at A Book Geek
Review at I’d So Rather Be Reading

Friday, December 5

Spotlight at The Reader’s Hollow

Monday, December 9

Review at Book Lovers Paradise

Wednesday, December 11

Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book

Friday, December 19

Spotlight at Flashlight Commentary

Monday, December 22

Review at The Mad Reviewer

Friday, December 26

Review at The Book Nerd

Monday, December 29

Review at Peeking Between the Pages

Tuesday, December 30

Review at Nicely Phrased Book Blog
Review at 100 Pages a Day – Stephanie’s Book Reviews

Thursday, January 1

Review at Mel’s Shelves

Friday, January 2

Review at So Many Books, So Little Time

Monday, January 5

Review at Book Babe
Review at The True Book Addict

Tuesday, January 6

Spotlight at Just One More Chapter

Wednesday, January 7

Review at Back Porchervations

Friday, January 9
Review at Romantic Historical Reviews
Review at A Literary Vacation


 



Book Blast: The Iris Fan by Laura Joh Rowland

Please join author Laura Joh Rowland as she tours the blogosphere with HF Virtual Book Tours for The Iris Fan: A Novel of Feudal Japan, from December 9th - January 9th!


Publication Date: December 9, 2014
Minotaur Books
Formats: eBook, Hardcover

Series: Sano Ichiro Mystery Series (Book 18)
Genre: Historical Mystery

Japan, 1709. The shogun is old and ailing. Amid the ever-treacherous intrigue in the court, Sano Ichirō has been demoted from chamberlain to a lowly patrol guard. His relationship with his wife Reiko is in tatters, and a bizarre new alliance between his two enemies Yanagisawa and Lord Ienobu has left him puzzled and wary. Sano’s onetime friend Hirata is a reluctant conspirator in a plot against the ruling regime. Yet, Sano’s dedication to the Way of the Warrior—the samurai code of honor—is undiminished.

Then a harrowing, almost inconceivable crime takes place. In his own palace, the shogun is stabbed with a fan made of painted silk with sharp-pointed iron ribs. Sano is restored to the rank of chief investigator to find the culprit. This is the most significant, and most dangerous, investigation of his career. If the shogun’s heir is displeased, he will have Sano and his family put to death without waiting for the shogun’s permission, then worry about the consequences later. And Sano has enemies of his own, as well as unexpected allies. As the previously unimaginable death of the shogun seems ever more possible, Sano finds himself at the center of warring forces that threaten not only his own family but Japan itself.

Riveting and richly imagined, with a magnificent sense of time and place, The Iris Fan is the triumphant conclusion to Laura Joh Rowland’s brilliant series of thrillers set in feudal Japan.

The Sano Ichiro Mystery Series Titles

Shinjū
Bundori
The Way of the Traitor
The Concubine’s Tattoo
The Samurai’s Wife
Black Lotus
The Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria
The Dragon King’s Palace
The Perfumed Sleeve
The Assassin’s Touch
The Red Chrysanthemum
The Snow Empress
The Fire Kimono
The Cloud Pavilion
The Ronin’s Mistress
The Incense Game
The Shogun’s Daughter
The Iris Fan

Buy the Book

Amazon US 
Amazon UK 
Barnes & Noble 
Book Depository 
IndieBound

About the Author

Granddaughter of Chinese and Korean immigrants, Laura Joh Rowland grew up in Michigan and where she graduated with a B.S. in microbiology and a Master of Public Health at the University of Michigan. She is the author of sixteen previous Sano Ichiro thrillers set in feudal Japan. The Fire Kimono was named one of the Wall Street Journal’s “Five Best Historical Mystery Novels”; and The Snow Empress and The Cloud Pavilion were among Publishers Weekly’s Best Mysteries of the Year. She currently lives in New Orleans with her husband. She has worked as a chemist, microbiologist, sanitary inspector and quality engineer.

For more information please visit Laura’s website. You can also follow her on Facebook.

 

The Iris Fan Blog Tour & Book Blast Schedule

 Tuesday, December 9
 
Book Blast, Excerpt, & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, December 10
 
Book Blast at Literary Chanteuse

Friday, December 12
 
Book Blast at Queen of All She Reads

Monday, December 15
 
Book Blast at Layered Pages

Tuesday, December 16
 
Review at Book Dilettante
Interview at Dianne Ascroft's Blog

Wednesday, December 17

Book Blast at CelticLady's Reviews

Thursday, December 18th

Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Friday, December 19th

Review at Unshelfish
Book Blast at I'd So Rather Be Reading

 Monday, December 22nd

Review at Broken Teepee
Review at Buried Under Books
Book Blast at Historical Fiction Obsession

Tuesday, December 23rd

Review at Book Nerd

Monday, December 29th

Interview at Bunny's Book Reviews

Wednesday, December 31st

Book Blast at Becky on Books

Sunday, January 4th

Review at Carole's Ramblings

Monday, January 5th

Review & Interview at Jorie Loves A Story
Book Blast at Brooke Blogs

Tuesday, January 6th

Review & Interview at The Bluest Butterfly

Wednesday, January 7th

Review at Book Babe
Review at Svetlana's Reads and Views

Thursday, January 8th

Book Blast at A Literary Vacation

Friday, January 9th

Review at Booksie's Blog

 

2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge



While this blog is new (and therefore you wouldn't know my reading patterns yet) anyone who knows me knows I love historical fiction! It is my all time favorite genre and has been since as far back as I can remember. For the past few years I have participated in the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge previously hosted by Historical Tapestry and now in the wonderful hands of Amy over at Passages to the Past. As most of the books I choose are historical fiction anyways this is an easy challenge for me to accomplish!

Anyone who might like to participate just needs to go over to Passages to the Past HERE, read the instructions for participating and sign up. Easy  Peasy! For the challenge the levels are as follows:

 

20th century Reader - 2 books
Victorian Reader - 5 books
Renaissance Reader - 10 books
Medieval - 15 books
Ancient History - 25 books
Prehistoric - 50+ books

 

 

I'm going to shoot for Ancient History as Prehistoric is right around my challenge number for total books in 2015. Anyone else going to be participating? Let me know!

Spotlight on Bodo, the Apostate by Donald Michael Platt

Please join Donald Michael Platt as he tours with HF Virtual Book Tours for Bodo, the Apostate, from December 8-January 9.

Publication Date: September 29, 2014
Raven’s Wing Books
Formats: eBook, Paperback

Genre: Historical Fiction

“… in the meantime, a credible report caused all ecclesiastics of the Catholic Church to lament and weep.” Prudentius of Troyes, Annales Bertiniani, anno 839

On Ascension Day May 22, 838, Bishop Bodo, chaplain, confessor, and favorite of both his kin, Emperor Louis the Pious, son of Charlemagne, and Empress Judith, caused the greatest scandal of the Carolingian Empire and the 9th century Roman Church.

Bodo, the novel, dramatizes the causes, motivations, and aftermath of Bodo’s astonishing cause célèbre that took place during an age of superstitions, a confused Roman Church, heterodoxies, lingering paganism, broken oaths, rebellions, and dissolution of the Carolingian Empire.

About the  Author

Author of four other novels, ROCAMORA, HOUSE OF ROCAMORA, A GATHERING OF VULTURES, and CLOSE TO THE SUN, Donald Michael Platt was born and raised in San Francisco. Donald graduated from Lowell High School and received his B.A. in History from the University of California at Berkeley. After two years in the Army, Donald attended graduate school at San Jose State where he won a batch of literary awards in the annual SENATOR PHELAN LITERARY CONTEST.

Donald moved to southern California to begin his professional writing career. He sold to the TV

series, MR. NOVAK, ghosted for health food guru, Dan Dale Alexander, and wrote for and with diverse producers, among them as Harry Joe Brown, Sig Schlager, Albert J. Cohen, Al Ruddy plus Paul Stader Sr, Hollywood stuntman and stunt/2nd unit director. While in Hollywood, Donald taught Creative Writing and Advanced Placement European History at Fairfax High School where he was Social Studies Department Chairman.

After living in Florianópolis, Brazil, setting of his horror novel A GATHERING OF VULTURES, pub. 2007 & 2011, he moved to Florida where he wrote as a with: VITAMIN ENRICHED, pub.1999, for Carl DeSantis, founder of Rexall Sundown Vitamins; and THE COUPLE’S DISEASE, Finding a Cure for Your Lost “Love” Life, pub. 2002, for Lawrence S. Hakim, MD, FACS, Head of Sexual Dysfunction Unit at the Cleveland Clinic.

Currently, Donald resides in Winter Haven, Florida where he is polishing a dark novel and preparing to write a sequel to CLOSE TO THE SUN.

For more information please visit Donald Michael Platt’s website. You can also connect with him on Facebook and Twitter.

Bodo, the Apostate Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, December 8

Review at Oh, For the Hook of a Book

Wednesday, December 10

Review at Back Porchervations
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews

Thursday, December 11

Spotlight at Boom Baby Reviews

Friday, December 12

Guest Post at Back Porchervations

Wednesday, December 17

Interview at Oh, For the Hook of a Book

Monday, December 22

Guest Post at Words and Peace

Tuesday, December 23

Review at Book Nerd

Monday, December 29

Review at Next Chapter Book Reviews

Monday, January 5

Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views
Spotlight at The Literary Vacation

Tuesday, January 6

Review at Broken Teepee

Thursday, January 7

Review at A Bibliophile’s Reverie

Friday, January 8

Review at Just One More Chapter
Review at The Never Ending Book



Spotlight on The Unquiet Bones by Mel Starr

Please join Mel Starr as he tours the blogosphere with HF Virtual Book Tours for The Unquiet Bones (The Chronicles of Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon #1), from December 1-January 2!

Publication Date: November 27, 2014
Lion Fiction
Paperback; 256p
ISBN: 978-1-78264-030-1
Series: The Chronicles of Hugh de Singleton
Genre: Historical Mystery

Hugh of Singleton, fourth son of a minor knight, has been educated as a clerk, usually a prelude to taking holy orders. However, he feels no real calling-despite his lively faith-and he turns to the profession of surgeon, training in Paris and then hanging his sign in Oxford. Soon after, a local lord asks Hugh de Singleton to track the killer of a young woman whose bones have been found in the castle cesspool. Through his medical knowledge, Singleton identifies her as the impetuous missing daughter of a local blacksmith. The young man she loved-whom she had provoked very publicly-is quickly arrested and sentenced at Oxford. But this is just the beginning of the tale. The story of Singleton’s adventure unfolds with realistic medical procedures, droll medieval wit, romantic distractions, and a consistent underlying sense of Christian compassion.

Praise for The Unquiet Bones

“This skilfully woven story is a delight to read. The setting is exceptionally well crafted. Highly recommended.” —Davis Bunn, best-selling author

Buy the Book

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Kreger Publications

About the Author

Mel Starr was born and grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. After graduating with a MA in history
from Western Michigan University in 1970, he taught history in Michigan public schools for thirty-nine years, thirty-five of those in Portage, where he retired in 2003 as chairman of the social studies department of Portage Northern High School. Mel and his wife, Susan, have two daughters and seven grandchildren.

For more information please visit Mel Starr’s website.

The Unquiet Bones Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, December 1

Review at Carpe Librum

Wednesday, December 10

Spotlight & Giveaway at Broken Teepee

Thursday, December 18

Review & Giveaway at Historical Fiction Obsession

Friday, December 19

Spotlight & Giveaway at Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More

Saturday, December 20

Review at Book Nerd

Monday, December 22

Review at Flashlight Commentary

Friday, December 26

Spotlight at Layered Pages

Monday, December 29

Review at A Book Geek
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews

Tuesday, December 30

Review at My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews
Review & Giveaway at Words and Peace

Wednesday, December 31

Review at Beth’s Book Nook Blog

Friday, January 2

Review & Giveaway at Luxury Reading
Spotlight at A Literary Vacation

 



Welcome To My New Blog!!

It's My Blog's Birthday!!!

 

Today begins it all...

 

 

For a number of years now I have loved the experience of being a reviewer for the wonderful blog Luxury Reading and, more recently, Historical Tapestry. Dipping  my toes into the world of book blogging through these sites has let me learn the nuts and bolts of blogging as well as solidified my love of reading and sharing my thoughts with other bookaholics. Then last year I thought...why not start a blog of my very own? Right after that thought came doubts and worry that I wouldn't be able to do it on my own and that no one would even read it. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that this was something I really wanted to do. And here we are!

 

If you're here and reading this I sincerely hope you come back as I review books I love, share guest posts and author and book spotlights and even have a giveaway or two along the way. If you feel so inclined I would love it if you followed me (look on the right hand sidebar for different ways to do so) and if you leave your information in a comment below I would be more than happy to follow you back (heck, I might already be doing so!). Since I'm new at this any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated as well. Let me now what you think and I cannot wait to discuss books with all of you!!!