New Releases in 2011 - Which ones are you waiting for?

Is it too early to get excited about some upcoming releases for 2011? Considering that I haven't finished all that I had planned to complete on my TBR shelf for 2010, it probably is jumping the gun a bit. Out of the hundreds of historical fiction and historical romance books coming out next year, I have carefully considered just a few titles that are a must to add to my library for the new year, and I'm interested to see what everyone else is anticipating for 2011. (These titles are making their U.S. debut.)

Elizabeth Chadwick - To Defy a King (available March 2011)

The privileged daughter of one of the most powerful men in England, Mahelt Marshal’s life changes dramatically when her father is suspected by King John. Her brothers become hostages and Mahelt is married to Hugh Bigod, heir to the earldom of Norfolk. Adapting to her new life is hard, but Mahelt comes to love Hugh deeply; however, defying her father in law brings disgrace and heartbreak. When King John sets out to subdue the Bigods, Mahelt faces her worst fears alone, knowing neither she, nor her marriage are likely to survive the outcome. A story of huge emotional power set against the road to Magna Carta and the fight to bring a tyrant king to heel.Click here for information about the novels of Elizabeth Chadwick.

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Karleen Koen - Before Versailles. (available June 2011)
I adored Through a Glass Darkly, so I'm looking forward to her newest release set in 1661 in the court of young Louis XIV. Click here for Karleen Koen's novels.




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Lauren Willig - The Orchid Affair (available January 2011) Another Pink Adventure! Can we ever get enough intrigue, swordplay, and romance? I don't think so!

Laura Grey, a veteran governess, joins the Selwick Spy School expecting to find elaborate disguises and thrilling exploits in service to the spy known as the Pink Carnation. She hardly expects her first assignment to be serving as governess for the children of Andre Jaouen, right-hand man to Bonaparte’s minister of police. Jaouen and his arch rival, Gaston Delaroche, are investigating a suspected Royalist plot to unseat Bonaparte, and Laura’s mission is to report any suspicious findings. At first the job is as lively as Latin textbooks and knitting, but Laura begins to notice strange behavior from Jaouen—secret meetings and odd comings and goings. As Laura edges closer to her employer, she makes a shocking discovery and is surprised to learn that she has far more in common with Jaouen than she originally thought. Click here for info about Lauren Willig's books.




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Jennifer Donnelly - The Wild Rose (available August 2011 - no cover yet)
The wonderful saga began in The Tea Rose and I have The Winter Rose planned for a December read for my blog. The trilogy will be complete with the summer 2011 release of The Wild Rose which is the final book of Finnegan saga, carrying the story forward until WWI and the 1920's. Click here for Jennifer Donnelly's books.




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Paullina Simons - The Summer Garden (available July 2011)I admit it -- I have never read one of the most celebrated epic love stories around....The Bronze Horseman! I know, I know.....there is absolutely no excuse for not making this fabulous series a priority. I plan to correct that. Click here for Paullina Simons info.





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So, what books are your can't-wait-for releases in 2011? Please share!

Now Face to Face by Karleen Koen

Book description:

"A bride at fifteen, widowed at the tender age of twenty, Barbara,
Countess Devane, embarks for colonial Virginia financially ruined
by the death of her husband in scandalous circumstances. Dressed in
mourning as is proper for a woman, she is patronizingly described
as a fragile black butterfly, but the fragility is deceiving. She
makes a place for herself in the new world, takes lovers and friends
across political divides, and questions the established traditions of
slavery. Facing enemies she never suspected, she must return to
England and deal face to face with the problems created by her
husband, who haunts her even in death. Back in London, she quickly
finds herself pulled into Jacobite plotting, and the treachery of
powerful men suddenly threatens her family, her friends, and a new love..."

My thoughts:

Now Face to Face, unfortunately, turned out to be a very disappointing sequel to Through A Glass Darkly. To be honest, there was entirely too much backstory to slog through which kept the plot from moving forward. Barbara, the Countess Devane, travels to colonial Virginia (after the death of her husband and subsequent financial ruin) to oversee her grandmother's tobacco plantation. After being introduced to a cast a ho-hum characters in Virginia (the exception being Colonel Edward Perry - a very fine gentleman and true friend) and plodding through several hundred pages, Barbara again suffers a heartbreaking loss -- will there be no end to the tragedy in her life? Meanwhile, back in England, divisions run deep as to which of two men, rival cousins, has the right to wear the crown of England. Again, the reader is subjected to hundreds of pages of backstory which keeps the plot stalled. It isn't until page 512 (in 721 pages) that we get even a glimmer of what we experienced in Through A Glass Darkly.....Barbara's return to England to "face" (hence the title) the problems associated with the heavy fine on her husband's estate for his part in the South Sea investment fiasco, as well as to "face" the tangled web of events at court. Diana, Barbara's mother, is as despicable as ever, even as age and debauchery are catching up with her; the Duchess of Tamworth is still iron-willed as ever and fiercely devoted to her grandchildren, and we learn of Jane's fate, Barbara's dear childhood friend. But, alas, it is all not enough to make up for the fact that we just don't have a true sense of what life will hold for Barbara ; there are some clues, but you're not left with a sense of closure for her. The ending is disjointed, at best. Very disappointing -- if there is another book to continue the saga, I'm afraid I've invested enough time and not gotten enough in return.

3/5