Lighthouse Bay by Kimberley Freeman

About the Book:

From the author of Wildflower Hill, this breathtaking novel travels more than a century between two love stories set in the Australian seaside town of Lighthouse Bay.

In 1901, a ship sinks off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The only survivor is Isabella Winterbourne, who clutches a priceless gift meant for the Australian Parliament. This gift could be her ticket to a new life, free from the bonds of her husband and his overbearing family. But whom can she trust in Lighthouse Bay?

Fast-forward to 2011: after losing her lover, Libby Slater leaves her life in Paris to return to her hometown of Lighthouse Bay, hoping to gain some perspective and grieve her recent loss. Libby also attempts to reconcile with her sister, Juliet, to whom she hasn’t spoken in twenty years. Libby did something so unforgivable, Juliet is unsure if she can ever trust her sister again.

In these two adventurous love stories, both Isabella and Libby must learn that letting go of the past is the only way to move into the future. The answers they seek lie in Lighthouse Bay.
(from Goodreads)

My thoughts:

Wildflower Hill was one of my top favorite reads in 2011, so Kimberley Freeman's new release was a highly anticipated read for me this year. I'm happy to say she did not disappoint -- another 5 star read!

Two stories......two women one hundred years apart.......both have had their lives affected in different ways by the rich and powerful Winterbourne  family.

Set on the beautiful Australian coast, Lighthouse Bay is a story of survival from heartbreak, with mystery, secrets, and adventure. Loved every minute of this time slip novel!

5/5 stars

*This book is from my personal library.

River of Destiny by Barbara Erskine

About the Book:

An Anglo-Saxon Burial ground that must not be disturbed.....

A Victorian tragedy of forbidden love.....

And an ancient curse whose power grows ever stronger.....

From the bestselling author of Time's Legacy and Lady of Hay comes a thrilling new novel, River of Destiny, whose epic story spans Anglo Saxon Britain, Victorian Suffolk and the present day.



My thoughts:

I love Barbara Erskine books! They are a unique blend of the supernatural,  history, and mystery and they never fail to give me the chills!   She has a way of developing a chilling atmosphere in her books with cold mists and ghostly echoes from the past.

The novel centers on a modern day couple who have moved to Suffolk to enjoy a more leisure way of life by sailing on the River Deben and settling in to a development of restored historical barns. It doesn't take long for strange events to start frightening the couple.......a ghostly Viking ship that appears in the mists of the river while they're sailing......echoes of horses clopping on cobblestones in the night....

The contemporary setting is the stage for the two historical stories from the past to unfold. The ancient  Anglo Saxon tale of a powerful sword and a violent and tragic Victorian tale of forbidden passions came to life and I could not put it down! Awesome!

Why only four stars then? I thought way too much time was spent on unnecessary and uninteresting modern day relationships. The wow factor in this novel were definitely the historical threads and made this a great read.

4/5 stars

Title: River of Destiny
Author: Barbara Erskine
kindle edition
2013

*This book is from my personal library.

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by The Countess of Carnarvon

About the Book:

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey tells the story behind Highclere Castle, the real-life inspiration for the hit PBS show Downton Abbey, and the life of one of its most famous inhabitants, Lady Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon and the basis of the fictional character Lady Cora Crawley.  Drawing on a rich store of materials from the archives of Highclere Castle, including diaries, letters, and photographs, the current Lady Carnarvon has written a transporting story of this fabled home on the brink of war.

Much like her Masterpiece Classic counterpart, Lady Almina was the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, Alfred de Rothschild, who married his daughter off at a young age, her dowry serving as the crucial link in the effort to preserve the Earl of Carnarvon's ancestral home.  Throwing open the doors of Highclere Castle to tend to the wounded of World War I, Lady Almina distinguished herself as a brave and remarkable woman.

This rich tale contrasts the splendor of Edwardian life in a great house against the backdrop of the First World War and offers an inspiring and revealing picture of the woman at the center of the history of Highclere Castle. (from back cover)

My Thoughts:

It's no secret that I am a fan of the Downton Abbey series and have already featured a few Downton-esque books that help feed my addiction to the period and the upstairs/downstairs scenario. When I learned that the character of Lady Cora was inspired by women similar to the 5th Countess of Carnarvon, the Lady Almina, I knew I wanted to explore her story.

 And who better to give us a behind-the-scenes look at living in the beautiful and historic Highclere Castle than the present Countess of Carnarvon, Lady Fiona Carnarvon?

I devoured this book, and it was everything that I hoped it would be. Almina was a fabulously wealthy heiress who was contracted in marriage to the 5th Earl of Carnarvon. I was happy to learn that although theirs was an arranged marriage (her wealth was needed to pay for a heavily-in-debt estate), their relationship had a solid foundation in friendship and mutual admiration. She was a vivacious and energetic woman who took her role seriously as the Lady of the castle and supporter of Lord Carnarvon. She organized brilliant house parties and society balls, entertained royalty and the rich and famous, participated generously in charitable causes, and supported her husband's varied interests. The Lord Carnarvon was also quite an interesting person who had a passion for the technological advances of his time (he was quite the avid car collector and was fascinated with flying) and he loved to travel, especially to his beloved Egypt.( His long friendship with Howard Carter and the financial backing of the Carnarvons led to one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the twentieth century!) Their relationship was a happy one, and they enjoyed all the privileges of their rank and wealth.

When war entered their lives, we learn that Almina's true passion in life was born.  Almina looked for ways to aid those in need, and money from her staggeringly wealthy family was never denied. She spearheaded the project of opening Highclere Castle as a place of recuperation for wounded officers, and it is here that we learn of her amazingly progressive ideas and her passion for caring for the sick. She approached healing holistically, insisting that the patients of Highclere receive not only the best medical care for their  physical injuries, but their emotional and mental health was also a priority. Highclere provided a place of peace and restoration, and the Countess worked tirelessly for several years in the capacity as nurse and administrator.

Filled with photos, details of daily domestic duties of the downstairs inhabitants, fashion, society news, background on the war, and the fascinating story of the family's involvement in the discovery of the tomb of King Tut, this book is a portrait of Edwardian high society and a remarkable couple. Fans of Downton Abbey will detect many story lines of the show have their origins in the real history of Highclere Castle and the Carnarvon family.

4.5/5 stars

Title: Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle
Author: Lady Fiona Carnarvon (8th Countess of Carnarvon)
2011
Publisher: Broadway
310 pages
genre: biography/nonfiction

*This book is from my personal library.

The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell

About the Book:

In this "energetic" (Kirkus Reviews) re-creation of Anne Boleyn's tragic life -- and death -- Robin Maxwell offers a pitch-perfect version of a bawdy and exuberant time filled with lust, betrayal, love, and murder.

When the young Queen Elizabeth I is entrusted with Anne Boleyn's secret diary, she discovers a great deal about the much-maligned mother she never knew. And on learning the truth about her lascivious and despotic father, Henry VIII, she vows never to relinquish control to any man. But this avowal doesn't prevent Elizabeth from pursuing a torrid love affair with her horsemaster, Robin Dudley -- described with near-shocking candor -- as too are Anne's graphic trysts with a very persistent and lustful Henry. Blending a historian's attention to accuracy with a novelist's artful rendering, Maxwell weaves compelling descriptions of court life and devastating portraits of actual people into her naughty, page-turning tale. The result is a masterpiece of historical fiction -- so prophetic of our time that one would think it were ripped from today's headlines. (from back cover)

My Thoughts:

I'm hitting my TBR pile very hard this year, so it's quite possible to see many books that were all the rage quite some time ago just making an appearance on my blog. I'm determined to get to books that have been languishing on my shelf for three or more years, and this was one of them! I happen to love the Tudor period and never seem to tire of the tale of "the great matter" or the lustful life of Henry VIII and his parade of wives.

I was first intrigued with The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn a few years ago because I thought it would be a unique experience to read passages in a diary written by the doomed queen.....but in the last few years, we've seen an over abundance of "secret diaries," "missing manuscripts," "hidden letters," and "lost memoirs" on the literary scene,  haven't we? It might be time to put that plot device aside for a while.

The story alternates between the time of the beginning of Elizabeth's reign  and the diary entries written by Anne (beginning in January of 1522 and ending with the days before her death). The diary is Anne's legacy for her daughter and a way of expressing her thoughts and opinions in a time when no woman dared to exert her  independence in a man's world.  Through the words of the diary, the reader comes to know the many facets of Anne's life, as a daughter, an object of desire by the King of England, a wife, a mother, and a much-maligned figure. We all know the chain of events that will lead to her demise, but what comes across as particularly poignant in the words of Anne Boleyn are her feelings for her daughter and her desire to protect and teach her the hard lessons in life. Anne knows she will not live to see her daughter grow up, so in a last desperate act to reach out to her daughter to let her know of her mother's love, she writes in the last entry in her diary,

    "My darling Elizabeth,

          When last I laid my eyes upon your sweet self you were not yet three years old. More
     beautiful than a painted doll you were....Perhaps you have no memory of those early years
     but I can truly say, Elizabeth that tho our times together were sadly few, you knew me and 
    you loved me. ..I so cherished those rare, enchanted hours and hope you have some memory of them, because I must die knowing I leave you a motherless child in a cruel and dangerous
   world....

        Let no man be your master....."

I had a few quibbles with the historical facts (for example, too many references to Anne's sixth finger and witch's mark on her neck) and a great deal of artistic license with Elizabeth's private life which made me rate this book 3 stars. Fun for Tudor enthusiasts, but definitely as  much fiction as fact.

A new edition of the book is being published with this cover:

3/5 Stars

Title: The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn
Author: Robin Maxwell
1997
Simon & Schuster
281 pages
genre: historical fiction

*This book is from my personal library.

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2013

It's that time of year again!

It's time to start thinking about 2013 reading challenges, and while I'm usually low key about joining challenges, I do enjoy some of the creative themes and concepts some bloggers design.

The one challenge I know I'm up for is one that includes my favorite genre, historical fiction. Historical Tapestry is once again hosting the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge for 2013, a gathering place for all historical fiction enthusiasts to link their reviews and learn about other great HF novels. Click here for information on signing up for this challenge.

I've alread started planning for 2013 by adding all of the books that I am looking forward to reading as they are released in the new year. I'm signing up for the 25+ level (Ancient History Level):


Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2013:

1. The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen by Syrie James (Jan.)
2  The Ashford Affair by Lauren Willig
3. A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna Raybourn
4. The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick
5. The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley
6. Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon
7. Royal Mistress by Anne Easter Smith
8. When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman
9.  Jean Plaidy*
10. Helen Hollick*
11. Georgette Heyer*
12. Ken Follett*
13. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles*
14. Barbara Erskine*
15. Jane and the Wandering Eye by Stephanie Barron (Jan.)
16. Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by the Countess of Carnarvon (Jan.)
17. The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell (Jan.)
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.

*From my TBR pile


Are you in? What new releases in 2013 are you looking forward to reading?