Teaser Tuesday: The Lady in the Tower by Jean Plaidy

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. If you'd like to play along, please do the following:

Grab your current read.
Open to a random page.
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
Be careful not to include spoilers.
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.



from The Lady in the Tower: The Wives of Henry VIII by Jean Plaidy:

"They came for me yesterday, and we glided along the river to the great gray Tower. Many times had I seen it before but never with such fearful clarity. Once I came here in great pomp and glory--and never for one moment then would it have seemed possible that one day I should be brought here--a prisoner."

It's Monday! What are you reading?

What are you reading on Mondays? is a weekly meme hosted by J. Kaye at J. Kaye's book blog. Join the fun and click here to see what others are reading and reviewing this week.



This week I am continuing to savor Diana Gabaldon's Echo in the Bone; I'm taking my time with this one, enjoying not only the plot twists and turns, but anticipating finding some answers to questions that fans have been waiting years to find out!



Also planned for this week is the first book I have selected for the Jean Plaidy challenge, The Lady in the Tower: The Wives of Henry VIII (Anne Boleyn). I'm getting a late start on this challenge, but no pressure here as you simply choose any titles you want in this prolific author's royal historical fiction collection. (I've read most of the gothic romances this author has written under the name Victoria Holt, so I'm looking forward to reading the famous Plaidy royal novels.)



I have also posted my thoughts about the novel, Ransome's Honor by Kaye Dacus for the Everything Austen challenge.

Have a great week and enjoy your books!

Ransome's Honor by Kaye Dacus

from the publisher:

"When young Julia Witherington doesn't receive the proposal for marriage she expects from William Ransome, she determines to never forgive him. They go their separate ways--she returns to her family's Caribbean plantation, and he returns to the Royal Navy.

Now, twelve years later, Julia is about to receive a substantial inheritance, including her beloved plantation. When unscrupulous relatives try to gain the inheritance by forcing her into a marriage, she turns to the only eligible man to whom her father, Admiral Sir Edward Witherington, will not object--his most trusted captain and the man who broke her heart, William Ransome. Julia offers William her thirty-thousand pound dowry to feign marriage for one year, but then something she could never have imagined happens. She starts to fall in love with him again.

Can two people overcome their hurt, reconcile their conflicting desires and find a way to be happy together? Duty and honor, faith and love are intertwined in this intriguing tale from the Regency era."

my thoughts:

This was a simple, sweet Regency-era romance that was perfect for a quick, relaxing read. Having first learned of Kaye Dacus on the book blog, Jane Austen's World, I decided to add Ransome's Honor as part of my Jane Austen challenge since the plot is in the tradition of Austen's book, Persuasion. I enjoyed the character of Julia Whiterington, a strong, intelligent, umarried young woman of her times, determined to find her place in society which views women over twenty-five as spinsters. I was hoping the plot would take the reader to her plantation in the Caribbean for a little "spice" in the plot, but it appears you must wait for the planned sequels, Ransome's Crossing and Ransome's Quest to be written.

For those who enjoy Christian fiction and romances and stories of duty, honor, and faith, Ransome's Honor is sure to please.

I wonder what the rest of the world is doing today?

It's Monday! What are you reading?

What are you reading on Mondays? is a weekly meme hosted by J. Kaye at J. Kaye's book blog. You can click here to join in the fun to see what everyone is reading and reviewing this week.



On tap for this week is the Regency era historical romance, Ransome's Honor by Kaye Dacus. In the tradition of Jane Austen's Persuasion, it is a story of young sweethearts who reunite after a twelve year separation. Here's a sneak peek at Ransome's Honor:




Also planned for this week, after a two year wait.......(drumroll, please)......Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon!

I have also added my review of The Aviary Gate by Katie Hickman below.

Have a great week!

The Aviary Gate by Katie Hickman

from the publisher:

"Constantinople, 1599. Paul Pindar, a secretary to the English ambassador, thinks he has lost his love, Celia, in a shipwreck. Now, two years later, clues begin to emerge that she may be hidden among the ranks of the slaves in the Sultan's harem. But how can he be sure? And can they be reunited? With a secret rebellion rising within the Sultan's palace, danger surrounds the lovers. A lush tale of treacherous secrets, forbidden love, and murder in the Ottoman palace. The Aviary Gate is exotic historical fiction at its very best."

My thoughts:

I received The Aviary Gate by Katie Hickman as an ARC from Bloomsbury publishers and was fascinated by the setting of the book: the mysterious, secretive, and sensual world of a sixteenth century harem.

It was quite an eye-opening experience learning of the hierarchy of the Sultan's women slaves and concubines, as well as palace protocol (eyes downcast, silence and submission, isolation), and the rituals of perfuming and adorning the body for the Sultan's pleasure.

The story alternates between the present day and 1599 as Elizabeth Stavely, a university doctoral student, researches captivity narratives and discovers a fragment of parchment with a clue that indicates that an English woman may have been captured at sea and brought to the Ottoman palace. As she travels to Instanbul to continue her search through archives to attempt to discover the fate of Celia, the narrative flashes back to Celia's tale of separation from the man she planned to marry and her experiences during a time of rebellion and intrigue in the Sultan's harem. Elizabeth hopes that her research will answer several questions: Did Paul Pindar have knowledge of Celia's captivity? Was Celia able to escape from the palace and pass through the Aviary Gate? Was she reunited with Paul Pindar?

The present day story, unfortunately, includes details of Elizabeth's own romantic troubles which detracted from the story. I skimmed through these sections and concentrated on the research developments which were much more intriguing. There were several weak points in this novel; some characters were not fleshed out enough, and the story does not neatly tie up all the threads of the plot. Overall, though, it was an interesting journey with a message that sometimes the past tries to speak to us to bring stories to light.

Title: The Aviary Gate
Author: Katie Hickman
Publisher: Bloomsbury
2009
340 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

Spoiler Free/Excerpt Free Zone for Echo in the Bone

As the widget counter is almost winding down to the release date, I thought I would take a moment to let visitors to this site know that I intend to keep this blog a spoiler free and excerpt free zone for Echo in the Bone for quite some time. I'm not sure how long I will wait to post my thoughts about the book (several weeks or months, at least), but it won't be anytime soon. I believe everyone should have a chance to read Echo, absorb all its details, and savor the experience before readers start posting about plot details.

I will also be tip-toeing very carefully around other book blogs, as well, as I don't want to have any surprises in the plot revealed.

So rest assured, my lips are sealed and my blog will not spoil the fun for you!

Happy reading!