Blog Tour Review | A Pirate's Command by Meg Hennessy

A Pirate's Command by Meg Hennessy
Historical Romance published July 28, 2015  
Entangled: Select Historical
Author's Website | Goodreads | Buy the Book on Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads:

His secrets could destroy her... 

New Orleans, 1817

Colette Kincaid once knew such love and delicious passion in the arms of her pirate husband, Donato de la Roche. Yet Colette could not continue to live as the wife of a pirate, when reunited with her family. So she fled, taking their son with her and reconciling herself to never seeing her husband again...

Until their son is taken.

Donato is convinced his wife is behind his son's disappearance-just as she is convinced he is the villain. Now they're unable to leave each other's side as they seek their child, forced to confront the desire that still smolders between them. But Donato knows that soon he must face the secret about Colette he's been hiding for so long. And it's a secret for which there is no forgiveness...

What I Think....

If you are looking for a historical romance novel that is passionate, exciting, and overflowing with love, this is the book for you! I'm a sucker for pirates, so when this tour came available, I thought, "heck yes"! I wasn't familiar with the author, but I still wanted to give it a try and I couldn't be more pleased with the results. To say I enjoyed this novel is an understatement!

Hennessy brings to life two very diverse, intense characters, that can only be satisfied with each other. Colette Kincaid is the type of woman you don't take for granted. She's humble, compassionate, and loyal to almost a fault. Which is why she is living in New Orleans with her brother Jordan instead of her husband, Donato de la Roche. She loves Donato, but won't risk their son Enio's safety for her love of a pirate. Donato is a wanted man, known all over the ocean as a fearless warrior who shows no mercy in battle. She cannot be expected to raise their son in an environment like that. However, when Enio is abducted, Donato and Colette must work together to make their family whole again. Wild seas, dark nights, and deep hidden secrets are the least of their worries. True love is the only way they can piece back the broken pieces of their relationship. 

Now, what I loved most about this novel is the amount of love that seeps out of each page. Seriously, every motive, every choice, every single situation is handled with love in this novel. There were no ulterior motives behind any hidden doors that I found. It was just breathtaking to see such devotion from such a diverse family. Being a parent myself, I really connected with Colette and just adored her character. Donato was also a great example of a "family man". Today, we don't see nearly enough reputable men being written about and so this was definitely a seller for me! 

Hennessy does a great job with incorporating both the Spanish and the French customs into the novel, as well as accurate historical information. My only negative comment is that the pace was a bit slower then what I would have preferred. I felt like there could have been more "pirate-y" events and less lengthy descriptions. Nevertheless, I still loved it! 

Victoria ♥


{The reviewer was given an ARC  for an honest review}

About The Author

Meg Hennessy read her first historical romance when Rosemary Rodgers', Sweet Savage Love, swept the college campuses. She won't admit how many years ago that was, but was forever hooked on the genre of happy-ever-afters. Meg grew up immersed in the culture of her father's old Southern family and writes with a Southern flavor. It was her sense of wonderment when visiting her grandmother's home as a child that now bubbles upward into her writing of today, creating steamy nights of intrigue and romance.

She had been writing for years, but seriously pursued publication in 2009. Seeking authenticity for her first novel, she researched hundreds of books, visited numerous battlefields, and toured antebellum homes. When it came to putting pen to paper, Meg found her story-telling voice, as her heroine simply stepped into Shadows of a Southern Moon, winning the 2010 EPIC Award for best Historical Romance and launching her writing career.

Meg lives amid the beautiful rolling hills of southeastern Wisconsin. Besides writing and spoiling her much-loved horse, she enjoys backyard birding, nature walks, and admits to being a gardening addict. Having spun stories for years, she enjoys seeing her dream come true as her characters spring to life and step within the beautifully bound pages of a romance novel.

Blog Tour Schedule

August 10- undercover book reviews– Spotlight

August 10- Coffee Books & Art– Excerpt

August 10- girlygirlbookreviews– Review

August 11- Books That Hook– Excerpt / Spotlight

August 11- A Bookaholic’s Fix: Feeding the Addiction– Excerpt / Spotlight

August 12- Nerd Girl Official– Excerpt

August 12- A Dirty Book Affair– Excerpt / Spotlight

August 12- Mythical Books– Excerpt / Spotlight

August 12- Indy Book Fairy– Spotlight / Excerpt / Playlist

August 12- Bellas Book Bag- Excerpt / Spotlight

August 13- deal sharing aunt– Spotlight

August 13- Warrior Woman Winmill– Review

August 14- Literature Litehouse– Excerpt

August 14- Whispered Thoughts– Excerpt / Playlist

August 14- Jacklynn Love’s Reading– Excerpt / Spotlight / Playlist

August 14- Romantic Fanatic– Review

August 14- {Dive} Under The Cover– Review

August 14- Rose’s Book Blog– Review

August 14- The Chronic Romantic– Review / Excerpt / Spotlight

August 14- purpinkrosesbookcorner– Review / Excerpt

Blog Tour | "Baudelaire's Revenge" by Bob Van Laerhoven

Baudelaire's Revenge by Bob Van Laerhoven
Publication Date: April 15, 2014
Pegasus Books
Formats: eBook, Hardcover
Genre: Historical Mystery/Thriller

It is 1870, and Paris is in turmoil.

As the social and political turbulence of the Franco-Prussian War roils the city, workers starve to death while aristocrats seek refuge in orgies and seances. The Parisians are trapped like rats in their beautiful city but a series of gruesome murders captures their fascination and distracts them from the realities of war. The killer leaves lines from the recently deceased Charles Baudelaire's controversial anthology Les Fleurs du Mal on each corpse, written in the poet's exact handwriting. Commissioner Lefevre, a lover of poetry and a veteran of the Algerian war, is on the case, and his investigation is a thrilling, intoxicating journey into the sinister side of human nature, bringing to mind the brooding and tense atmosphere of Patrick Susskind's Perfume. Did Baudelaire rise from the grave? Did he truly die in the first place? The plot dramatically appears to extend as far as the court of the Emperor Napoleon III.

A vivid, intelligent, and intense historical crime novel that offers up some shocking revelations about sexual mores in 19th century France, this superb mystery illuminates the shadow life of one of the greatest names in poetry.

My Review...

I am going to keep this pretty short because honestly, this book is really hard for me to review.  I was so excited to read it when I first saw it, but I didn't love it quite as much as I expected to.  The story was very intriguing, but for me, it was confusing at times.  It took me a little bit to get into it, once Bouveraux started reading the memoirs I started to enjoy it more.  I think it's because it was written in first person and in those sections it's was clear what was happening.

It's nearly impossible for me to explain the plot!  It's a murder mystery, but it's darker and full of twists and turns.  Some you will see coming and some will hit you right out of the blue.  I felt like the ending was a little rushed.  There was all this build up and then it's just over and I was still left with some questions once the book was done. I did like the setting and I know that historically it's accurate to the time.  Obviously the Baudelaire story line is fiction, but very entertaining nonetheless.  

I will warn you that this story is very dark.  The murders are quite gruesome in nature and there are some pretty explicit descriptions of the sexual practices of the time and place in which it's set.  The chapters are short so they are quick to read.  The author does jump around a lot not only from character to character, but also in time and this is what confused me.  I also think that maybe part of the confusion comes from the translation from Dutch to English.  Overall I did end up enjoying it and if you like a dark, gritty read you may enjoy it as well.

Watch the Book Trailer

Buy the Book

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble (Hardcover)  |  Barnes & Noble (Nook)  |  IndieBound

About the Author

Bob Van Laerhoven became a full-time author in 1991 and has written more than thirty books in Holland and Belgium. The context of his stories isn’t invented behind his desk, rather it is rooted in personal experience. As a freelance travel writer, for example, he explored conflicts and trouble-spots across the globe from the early 1990s to 2005. Echoes of his experiences on the road also trickle through in his novels. Somalia, Liberia, Sudan, Gaza, Iran, Iraq, Myanmar… to name but a few.

During the Bosnian war, Van Laerhoven spent part of 1992 in the besieged city of Sarajevo. Three years later he was working for MSF - Doctors without frontiers - in the Bosnian city of Tuzla during the NATO bombings. At that moment the refugees arrived from the Muslim enclave of Srebrenica. Van Laerhoven was the first writer from the Low Countries to be given the chance to speak to the refugees. His conversations resulted in a travel book: Srebrenica. Getuigen van massamoord – Srebrenica. Testimony to a Mass Murder. The book denounces the rape and torture of the Muslim population of this Bosnian-Serbian enclave and is based on first-hand testimonies. He also concludes that mass murders took place, an idea that was questioned at the time but later proven accurate.

All these experiences contribute to Bob Van Laerhoven’s rich and commendable oeuvre, an oeuvre that typifies him as the versatile author of novels, travel stories, books for young adults, theatre pieces, biographies, poetry, non-fiction, letters, columns, articles... He is also a prize-winning author: in 2007 he won the Hercule Poirot Prize for best thriller of the year with his novel De Wraak van Baudelaire – Baudelaire’s Revenge.

For more information please visit Bob Van Laerhoven's website. You can also connect with him on Facebook and Twitter.

Review | "A Bride in Store" by Melissa Jagears

A Bride in Store by Melissa Jagears
Historical Romance/Christian Fiction published September 2, 2014
Bethany House Publishing
Author's website  |  Goodreads  |  Buy the Book on Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Mail-order bride Eliza Cantrell is on her way to meet her intended groom and help him grow his general store business when her train is held up by robbers and she loses her dowry. She's further thwarted upon arriving in Salt Flatts only to find Axel, her groom, away on business.  

Hoping a wife would push Axel to become a better business partner, William Stanton had encouraged him to seek a mail-order bride. With Axel gone, Will feels responsible for Eliza, so he finds her a place to stay and lets her help in the store. 

Working together isn't what they'd expected, and when Axel is further delayed, neither can ignore the sparks that fly. But Eliza is meant for Axel and is set on a future with the store, while Will is biding time until he can afford medical school. 

Their troubles are far from over when Axel returns to town, however, and soon both Will and Eliza must decide what they're willing to sacrifice to chase their dreams--or if God has a new dream in store for them both.

My Thoughts...

This was another win from Melissa Jagears and Bethany House.  I really enjoyed this book maybe even more than the first one in the series.  The male lead in this book was in the last book as well.  He is the oldest son of the family who were Everett's best friends.  We do get to see Everett and Julia a little bit in this story so that was nice.

Eliza in obviously the mail order bride here, she has decided to surprise her intended by showing up a week earlier than planned.  On the way, the train she is on in robbed and Eliza loses her entire inheritance.  She is also injured in the process and meets Will when he is called to help care for her injury.  Eliza and Will form a friendship while they work together in the store that Eliza will help her husband run if only he will return.  Will is working in the store with Axel for the time being, but he is meant for greater things.  He wants to be a doctor and actually does attend to a good many of the people in town.  They don't care that he doesn't have schooling, he cares for them and treats them in a much kinder way than the regular town doctor does.

The longer Will and Eliza work together the more he comes to care for her, and she for him, but she knows that once Axel returns she will have to marry him.  She made him a promise and she's not going to back out unless she has a very good reason.  She also has a dream of running her own store someday and this may be her only chance, plus there is the chance that she could learn to love Axel someday.  From the moment Axel return, things take an unexpected turn.  He's not the man he presented himself to be, in fact he's done things that even his business partner Will knows nothing about.  How will Eliza know which path to choose?  Will she and Will find their way to each other in the end?

I really did enjoy this story.  It is a religious story, but it's more subtle in this book than in the first one.  For me this one read more like historical fiction and less like religious fiction.  I felt like this definitely reflected the beliefs of the time it's set in so it's less "in your face" than some of the religious fiction I have read.

If you like a good historical romance, you like clean romance and you don't mind that is religious fiction then give this book a try!

XOXO, Shelly

*Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for my honest review.*

Blog Tour Review | "Fortunate Son" by David Marlett

Fortunate Son by David Marlett
Historical Fiction published February 25, 2014
The Story Plant
Author's website  |  Goodreads  |  Buy the Book on Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Meet James Annesley, son of 18th Century Ireland. Though you may have never heard his name before, his story has already touched you in profound ways. Now, for the first time, novelist David Marlett brings that incredible story to life.

Stretching from the dirty streets of Ireland to the endless possibilities of Colonial America, from drama on the high seas with the Royal Navy to a life-and-death race across England and up the Scottish Highlands, from the prospect of a hangman’s noose to a fate decided in the halls of justice, FORTUNATE SON is a powerful, relentless epic. Here nobility, duels, love, courage, revenge, honor, and treachery among family, friends and ancient enemies abound. And at its center is the most momentous trial in Irish history – the trial of Annesley v. Anglesea from which our modern “attorney/client privilege” was forged, and our concept of a “jury of one's peers” was put to the test.

Carefully researched, vividly evoked, and lovingly brought to the page, FORTUNATE SON is an unforgettable work of fiction based on fact, one that will resonate deep within you long after you finish it.

My Thoughts...

This is one of those books that it took me a little bit to get into, but once I did I really quite enjoyed it.  From what I gather this book is a work of fiction based on fact.  The story part of it is fiction, but it's all based on true facts about the trial of Annesley v. Anglesea.  The book contains pieces of actual testimony from the trial.  It's all very interesting.  

This is the story of James Annesley.  His father was killed when he was only 12 or 13 and his uncle Richard wanted the Anglesea title so he claimed that James was not legitimate.  Richard had his men put James on a ship and he was sold as an indentured servant in America.  This is James story, it follows him from the streets of Ireland to America where he stayed in servitude for nearly 14 years.  He finally makes his way back to Ireland where he fights to regain what is rightfully his in one of the biggest trials in Ireland's history.  Along the way James becomes quite a fine man.  Despite his situation he grows up to be a good man.  He does have the good fortune to have a couple of good male role models as he is growing up.  He also falls in love and is blessed to have a family of his own in the end.  There is a nice little twist at the end that I didn't expect and that made the book even better for me.

Overall I really enjoyed the book.  I would say the only thing that I didn't care for was how the accents were written and that's totally a personal thing.  I think sometimes it makes the reading a little slower going when you have to wade through all the odd spellings and stuff.  This is also why it took me a little longer to get into the book.  Once I got used to it the reading went smoother.

I did really enjoy the characters and the history of the story.  I liked the combination of fiction and non-fiction quite a lot.  I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good historical read.

XOXO, Shelly

*Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for my honest review.*