Revew: Queen by Right by Anne Easter Smith

Source: I received a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Publication Date: May 10^th, 2011

★★★★★

Back of the Book Synopsis: From the award-winning author of A Rose for the Crown, Daughter of York, and The King’s Grace comes another masterful historical novel—the story of Cecily of York, mother of two kings and the heroine of one of history’s greatest love stories.

Anne Easter Smith’s novels are beloved by readers for their ability “to grab you, sweep you along with the story, and make you fall in love with the characters.” * In Cecily Neville, duchess of York and ancestor of every English monarch to the present day, she has found her most engrossing character yet.

History remembers Cecily of York standing on the steps of the Market Cross at Ludlow, facing an attacking army while holding the hands of her two young sons. Queen by Right reveals how she came to step into her destiny, beginning with her marriage to Richard, duke of York, whom she meets when she is nine and he is thirteen. Raised together in her father’s household, they become a true love match and together face personal tragedies, pivotal events of history, and deadly political intrigue. All of England knows that Richard has a clear claim to the throne, and when King Henry VI becomes unfit to rule, Cecily must put aside her hopes and fears and help her husband decide what is right for their family and their country. Queen by Right marks Anne Easter Smith’s greatest achievement, a book that every fan of sweeping, exquisitely detailed historical fiction will devour.

My Review: While in the book store, Anne Easter Smith’s books would pop out at me as I would rummage the shelves at Barnes & Noble because her covers were so mesmerizing. So over the years I had collected all three of Smith’s books, but I regretfully never got around to reading them. After reading her latest novel “Queen by Right,” I really wish I had found time to squeeze them in somewhere in my hectic schedule! 

Anne’s latest novel, Queen by Right, depicts the life of Cecily Neville and the story is portrayed in her point of view where we see her transform from a spunky, carefree little girl who is immensely spoiled by her father; into a strong-willed and courageous woman. Cecily was one of the lucky ones because unlike most women of the decade, Cecily was able to marry her long time best friend and childhood companion, Richard Plantagenet, the Duke of York. Their love for one another was a force to be reckoned with and together they could do the impossible. Their romance was tastefully portrayed and was very inspiring. As the plot thickens, you can tell many were jealous of their unique passion for one another. 

Throughout the story, there were some very powerful scenes. Probably my two favorite scenes would be the meeting between Cecily and Joan of Arc while Joan was imprisoned for being a witch and the scene where Henry VI’s army plunders her castle and village and Cecily walks for miles dressed in her best gown and jewels, holding her two youngest boys hands, all the while holding head high earning her the nickname, Proud Cis.

My opinion: Smith’s story has caused me to fall madly in love with Cecily Neville, the Duchess of York. She really earned her name Proud Cis in my opinion. I admired her love and devotion to her husband, Richard and his cause all the while protecting her children from the tragic events, which took place during this era including the War of the Roses. 

I really loved how Smith miraculously incorporated Joan of Arc into the storyline as well. As mentioned in my interview with Anne, there is no documentation stating that Cecily actually met with Joan of Arc; however, there’s no documentation stating that they didn’t. 

Queen by Right is masterfully written and drawn out! I highly recommend this to ALL HF readers out there! 

If you would like the chance to win a copy of Anne Easter Smith’s latest novel, “Queen by Right,” make sure you click on this link so you can sign up for the random drawing, which ends June 6^th! Also, you can read my very interesting interview with Anne herself!

Review: Scimitar by Robin Raybould

★★1/2 
Source: I received a copy in exchange for a fair & honest review
Release Date: April 1st 2011 on Amazon & Available in Kindle Format

Review: Scimitar is Robin Raybould’s first work of Fiction. Raybould specializes in Renaissance Literature and through his knowledge he was able to bring to life the story of the hero Eduardo Ferrucci and his expedition through a world filled with books, 15th century politics, religion, and romance.

In the beginning of the story, we find the young Italian Eduardo Ferrucci working in a bookshop in Florence, Italy as a scribe. His entire family was wiped out due to the infamous plague. Before he knows it, Eduardo finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy with the Florentine police and doesn’t understand how he got in this predicament. He soon learns that he was betrayed by Philip Shamash and now Eduardo is given two crucial choices. Either execution or become a Florentine spy where he would be banned from Florence for ten years and be sent to Constantinople in order to spy on Philip Shamash.

Eduardo was dumbfounded by his future prospects and his role as a spy. He was just a simple scribe who had no knowledge of the Greeks nor did he have the necessary skills of a spy, but he realized he had no other choice and so he was forced to leave Florence and travel to a foreign city.

This book follows Eduardo on his life’s journey to many important cities and his many love affairs along the way. It also tells the story of the last days of the Eastern Roman Empire at the hands of the Turks.

Opinion: In reading the synopsis I set high expectations for this book and I found I was let down. I did like many aspects of Raybould’s story, such as the many heroic adventures and Eduardo’s many love affairs, but I feel there was just too much research information crammed into one book. Knowing that this was the author’s first Fiction novel I can see there being difficulty in deciding how much information is too much information for a Fiction novel and I think maybe Raybould struggled with this. At certain points I felt I was reading a nonfiction book and at other times it seemed like a fiction novel. Also, there were some very boring and unnecessary speeches that probably should have been thrown out. They didn’t aid the story line in any way.

Overall, I think Raybould gets an A for effort but there is a lot of room for improvement here. This was definitely not a light read because I struggled at times with it so I suggest not reading this before bed. I don’t really think I would recommend this book to anyone either, which I really hate to say. Hopefully, Raybould will be able to work out the kinks and maybe his next novel will be better.

Review & GIVEAWAY: By Fire, By Water by Mitchell James Kaplan

By Fire, By Water by Mitchell James Kaplan

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2 (Loved)

Genre: Historical Fiction
Book Source: I received this book from the publicist in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis from publisher: Luis de Santangel, chancellor to the court and lifelong friend of the lusty King Ferdinand, has had enough of the Spanish Inquisition. As Inquisitor General Tomas de Torquemada’s power and influence over Queen Isabel grow, so does the brutality of the Spanish Church and the paranoia it inspires. When a dear friend’s demise brings the violence close to home, Santangel takes retribution into his own hands, though the risk is great. Santangel is from a family of converses, and his Jewish heritage makes him a target. Soon, he finds himself implicated in the murder of the first Chief Inquisitor of Aragon and in possession of a mysterious text that has brought death and discrimination to Jews for centuries.

As he witnesses the horrific persecution of his loved ones, he begins slowly to reconnect with the Jewish faith his family left behind. Feeding his curiosity about his past is his growing love for Judith Migdal, a clever and beautiful Jewish woman navigating the mounting tensions in Granada. While he struggles to decide what his reputation is worth and what he can sacrifice, one man offers him a chance he thought he’d lost … the chance to hope for a better world. Christopher Columbus has plans to discover a route to paradise, and only Luis de Santángel can help him.

Within the dramatic story lies a subtle, insightful examination of the crisis of faith at the heart of the Spanish Inquisition. Irresolvable conflict rages within the conversos in By Fire, By Water, torn between the religion they left behind and the conversion meant to ensure their safety. In this story of love, God, faith, and torture, fifteenth-century Spain comes to dazzling, engrossing life.

Review: The Spanish Inquisition that took place in the late 15^th century is a historical subject that I wasn’t too familiar with before I devoured Kaplan’s book. It really described the three main religions during this era( Islam, Christianity, and Judaism) in such great detail, especially Christianity and Judaism. 

By Fire, By Water is not a light read; however, it’s not impossible. One of the many reasons why I enjoyed this book so much was that it actually made me think. The story is mainly focused on Luis de Santángel, King Ferdinand’s chancellor, and his journey with trying to answer questions about his Jewish ancestry that he will later regret because not only does it lead to his own downfall, but it also causes him to lose some very important people in his life. 

Kaplan did an outstanding job telling both sides of the story for both the Christians and the Jews. Before I read this book I knew little to nothing about the Jewish religion and found it to be a major eye opener to how they were treated back then. Everyone is familiar with the Jewish Holocaust and how the Jews were treated like animals instead of human beings. Well unfortunately, it was not so different for them back then either. 

It’s obvious that Kaplan really researched this era and the Spanish Inquisition in order to make it so captivating. This was a great read that really opened my eyes to other religions and what they had to go through. I would recommend this book to any historical fiction reader. It’s a definite must read.

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Review: O, Juliet by Robin Maxwell

O, Juliet by Robin Maxwell
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Robin Maxwell’s O, Juliet is a refreshing spin on Shakespeare’s classic Romeo & Juliet. Despite the similarities between Maxwell’s new take on Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, there are also many differences. For instance, instead of taking place in Verona, Maxwell moves the story to Florence. Also, another significant change to the classic is Juliet’s betrothed Jacopo Strozzi. Jacopo is a foul smelling, yellow-teeth retch of a man, whereas, Paris was a handsome gentleman who actually had tender feelings towards Juliet. By moving the setting to Florence, Maxwell takes advantage of the significant Medici family, who influenced Florence during the 15th century, in order to incorporate some historical aspects to her version of Romeo & Juliet.

Eighteen year old Juliet finds herself trapped in the middle of her father’s new business deal with Jacopo Strozzi. Juliet’s hand in marriage is her father’s way of enticing Jacopo into becoming his business partner in order to keep his silk trade booming. Juliet is repulsed by Jacopo’s foul breath, bad manners, and his intimidating mother. She expresses her emotions and feelings through her poetry that is inspired by Dante’s work.

When Juliet meets Romeo Monticecco, at her friend Lucrezia’s masquerade ball, she immediately falls in love with him. They find they have something in common; their love of Dante’s poetry. They quote his work to express their feelings towards one another, which brings them even closer. For once in Juliet’s life, she has found someone who actually understands and shares her passion for writing and reading poetry, however, this posses two problems. The Capalletti’s and the Monticecco’s are families at war with one another and Juliet is soon to be betrothed to Jacopo Strozzi.

I understand why there are mixed reviews about Maxwell’s spin on Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. I personally thought Maxwell’s take was enchanting and fresh. In Shakespeare’s version, Romeo & Juliet are young and their romance takes place within a week making it less believable. Maxwell’s characters are older, more mature, and their romance develops slower over a longer period of time. This allows the characters to become more developed and believable. You really get to know who Romeo & Juliet are as individuals. Unlike Shakespeare’s version, you get to witness what Romeo & Juliet are thinking and feeling as their romance develops.

Maxwell really made this her own and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Throughout the entire read you are wondering how she is going to end the story. Will she stay true to Shakespeare’s tragic ending or will she create a surprising twist and end it with them living happily ever after. You will just have to read and find out! For more reviews and news about other historical fiction authors visit my site http://allthingshistoricalfiction.blo...