Review: Banquet of Lies by Michelle Diener

Originally, I thought this book was a romance story with a little bit of detective work mixed into it. Turns out, it's a detective story with a little bit of romance mixed into it. Even though my presumptions were wrong, it's still a good book with a very different heroine. Gigi is a lady of the upper crust who has traveled far and wide with her father. She's a little unusual because she is well educated, well traveled, hangs out with cooks and the below stairs staff, collects recipes and is a small time spy with her father. She's not exactly "in the know" with what they are running for other people but she knows it is political and important. It's also deadly if they get caught. 

The story opens with her father's murder. Gigi knows that the murderer is coming after her next so she goes underground by going below stairs. She takes the job of french chef to Lord Jonathan Aldridge who cannot abide English cooking any longer. Since Gigi is hidden in plain sight, she can keep a watch on her home and work to find the murderer before he finds her. 

I don't read detective or mystery books. They are just not my thing so I have to admit that the being chased constantly by someone in dark alleys or late at night or in a market started to really stress me out. When I read novels, it is to take a trip to a different place and time with a romance that is sigh worthy. I rarely have to worry about my heroine who has (once again) ran out into the back alley in the rain for a secret meeting without any protection but it definitely added a little bit of tension to the story.

What I thought worked in this book:
* The Food! All the talking of French food which I loooovvee. Creme Brulee, Beef Bourguignon, Brioche. Oh man. Made me wish the French restaurant in town hadn't closed up. 

* The heroine is genuinely likable. There are a lot of books out there where the female character is vapid or flat out irritating. Gigi is actually someone I'd want to hang out with. She's a strong woman, maybe a little head strong, but not in a grating way. She hangs out with the below stairs staff and genuinely cares for them. She interacts with the upper crust, political people, czars and ambassadors and holds her own with them.

* The reveal. I've never read a scene quite like it and I really, really enjoyed how it played out with all the characters together in one scene. All I can tell you is that its fast paced, heart warming and funny.

* The hero doesn't know what's going on but never seems like he's out of control of the situation. I liked Lord Jonathan. A lot. I wish we could have seen a little more of his alpha side. We know he led a battalion and we know he is a take charge kind of guy. He handles each situation calmly. He's never out of his depths. We know he desires Gigi but it just never goes anywhere.

Which leads me to what I didn't like about the book:
* I would have liked to have seen more develop between Jonathan and Gigi. The chemistry between them was there but the fruition of that chemistry didn't make it into the book. I would rate the heat on this book as kisses. Barely kisses. There were definite sparks but it was secondary to the story. There's not a lot of tension going on here and there should be. He was fooling around with his staff and he should be struggling with that issue a little harder, in my opinion.

* This is the closest I will come to a spoiler and it's my biggest gripe: It really, really bothered me that we don't know what happens to the butler, Edgars. It's just left up in the air at the end of the story. We walk away from him and that's it. Maybe it will come out in the next book because we don't really know how Jonathan and Gigi work out either. We know they will but it all ends up in the air.

With all that being said, I still liked the book. I already downloaded the previous book in this series to read. The author also hinted at a book with Lord Wittaker and I'd like to read that one too.

Banquet of Lies: 6 out of 10

Review: The Harem Midwife by Roberta Rich

When I saw "The Harem Midwife" novel up for review in the Edelweiss catalog, it appealed to me because 1) I know nothing about harems 2) how women in harems gave birth 3) that there were harem midwives (but that makes sense thinking about it now) 4) how women in harems lived and got along with each other. After reading it, I now have quite a bit of new information about harems. Hannah Levi is a Jew, exiled from her home in Venice, now living in Constantinople and working for the Sultan Murat III as a midwife for his harem. Except there is a problem...the Sultan only desires his wife. He can't "perform" with any of the women in his harem so there aren't many births happening for the midwife to assist with at the moment. This all changes when a young, wild child is brought into the harem to see if she can stir up the attentions of the Sultan.
    
While this all sounds sexually charged and titillating, it's not really. The sexual aspects of the book are very mild and generally summed up in a few short lines. It's a long, long ways from a bodice ripper. If you're looking for that, this is not your book. What I liked best about the book might surprise you. The story line was great, the characters well written and the plot was interesting but here are some of the reasons that made the book 7 out of 10 stars for me:
* the descriptions of the palace and the rooms in the harem. Roberta Rich does an amazing job of describing the grandeur and opulence of the environment - the bathing rooms, the birthing kiosk, the consummation room, the zoo - all described with attention to every detail. Even the descriptions of the streets, carriages and markets made you feel like you were there and could see what the characters saw. "A dwarf with a rounded forehead unhooked the door of the cage. The birds took flight, swooping and swirling overhead. The scent of orange blossoms filled the air. Hannah moved toward one of the doves at her feet. Fastened to its neck and to the necks of all the birds were scented pomanders, filling the room with that glorious aroma. It was as though a silk canopy had become unmoored from the ceiling and drifted down, holding her in a veil of fragrant oranges." Isn't that description amazing? Can't you see it and smell it? Love that.

* the descriptions of the birthing process and ensuing party - "At home in Venice, the birth room was a hushed, secluded space with only a midwife and perhaps the laboring woman's mother and mother-in-law. Here the entire harem believe a mother's suffering was cause for celebration." This celebration included dwarves doing gymnastics, acrobats, musicians, jugglers, an astrologer and a ton of people milling around. Sounds like a circus to me and would have made me insane.

* little things that I can't possibly imagine but delighted to read about - "The garden should have been dark. It was not. The flower beds were so well lit that Cesca could see every petal on the nodding heads of the tulips...The lawn glowed with light so bright it appeared as though the world had turned topsy-turvy. Instead of the stars being in the heavens, they were a carpet of illumination undulating on the grass...As her eyes adjusted, she realized she was looking at the glow of scores of beeswax candles, but they were moving...She bent over the closest source of light, surprised to see a tortoise at her feet. On its back was a beeswax candle pressed into the shape of a red rosette. All those pricks of light were tortoises with candles attached to their shells. She hoped her awe was not too apparent." I would have been in awe and would have definitely shown it. Just that description and the image it conveys, is worth the price of the book alone!

This was a really good read. It wasn't a book that I couldn't pull myself away from but it WAS a book that had me going back to it every chance I could. It was an escape to a magical environment in an exotic locale which made it a very good book indeed. Hannah and Levi are also featured in the book "The Midwife of Venice" which is first in the series. "The Harem Midwife" will be released February 25, 2014.

The Harem Midwife: 7 out of 10

Review: Summerset Abbey by T.J. Brown

Here is the setup by the author and publisher: "Reminiscent of Downton Abbey, this first novel in a new series follows two sisters and their maid as they are suddenly separated by the rigid class divisions within a sprawling aristocratic estate and thrust into an uncertain world on the brink of WWI... Rowena and Victoria, daughters to the second son of the Earl of Summerset, have always treated their governess’s daughter, Prudence, like a sister. But when their father dies and they move in with their uncle’s family in a much more traditional household, Prudence is relegated to the maids’ quarters, much to the girls’ shock and dismay."

I am not going to repeat all the details of the book. Other reviewers have done that admirably. I am going to touch on the Downton Abbey comparison.

Comparing it to Downton Abbey made me immediately want to read it until I realized watching Downton Abbey and reading about Downton Abbey are two different things. Downton Abbey is interesting to watch because you see the actors, the event, the costumes or the house even when the action is mundane. Reading about mundane things that happen in a big house is not nearly as exciting. Like watching paint dry.

I am often bored by Downton Abbey's slow pace and I felt the same thing with this book. Without the distraction of an extravagant set and costume design, the book is slow. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad book. It's just not a page turner, read it all in one setting kind of book and the romance is next to nothing.

If you watch Downton Abbey or any period pieces, you will know that the first season is for setting up the character's personalities, their backstories and explaining the family dynamics. This book is no different. It is the first in a trilogy so it sets up their history as a family and how they arrive at their current location. The downstairs staff just seem mean and cold to me. I don't see an endearing "downstairs" character like the ones on Downton Abbey or the Upstairs, Downstairs series.

Romance? Not hardly. Really, hardly any at all. There are men in the picture but the romance is chaste. Very, very chaste...makes Downton Abbey look like a hot bed of romance...which brings me to the ending.

The worst part is the ending but in true Downton Abbey form. It ends abruptly with a personal decision that left me with my mouth on the floor. I literally said out loud "What the hey?!" when it ended. I kept waiting for the announcer to come on and say "Next season on Summerset Abbey..." so I would have some kind of clue as to why this person did what they did and what was going to happen. It was very frustrating to say the least. But just like Downton Abbey ends with some kind of cliffhanger till the next season so does Summerset Abbey Book 1.

Rating this book is so difficult. As a romance, it falls waaaaaay short. As a Downton Abbey wannabe, it's not so bad and lots of people will enjoy this book. However, I am a romance blog writer so I am going to rate it as a romance and I am being generous.

Summerset Abbey rating: 4 out of 10

Review: The Wicked Wedding of Miss Ellie Vyne by Jayne Fresina

This is the blurb on the back of the book "By night Ellie Vyne fleeces unsuspecting aristocrats as the dashing Count de Bonneville. By day she avoids her sisters' matchmaking attempts and dreams up inventive insults to hurl at her childhood nemesis, the arrogant, far-too-handsome-for-his-own-good, James Hartley.

James finally has a lead on the villainous, thieving Count, tracking him to a shady inn. He bursts in on none other than "that Vyne woman"...in a shocking state of dishabille. Convinced she is the Count's mistress, James decides it's best to keep your enemies close. Very close." This sums up the first few pages of the book. The story is much, much more than that little blurb on the back of the book.

Ellie doesn't spend much time being a thief or fleecing aristocrats in the book. That is sorta her backstory that we just know about more than we see in action. James Hartley is after the Count de Bonneville because his mistress has given the Count the Hartley diamonds and he needs them back. Hartley spends most of his time trying to find the elusive Count. Most of the story happens while traveling to their childhood home place.

Just thought I should let you know, if you are looking for a book like Connie Brockway's All Through the NIght, where the heroine lives in two different worlds - this isn't really it. This book is light hearted, hilarious in parts, and doesn't take itself too seriously yet finds an emotional depth that is refreshing and genuine.

I loved James Hartley. At first, I couldn't figure out his character. He has a lot of internal dialog going on that is blustery and feathery and seems shallow at first but then I realized his actions were deep, soulful and in contrast to what he says a lot of the time. As he puts it "Most people expected him to be full of charm twenty- four hours a day, and it was a terrible burden. As Grieves, his valet, had dryly observed: this was the dark side to being an Infamous Rake— the valet’s description, not his. But James was not in the mood tonight to chat and flirt with her. Whoever she was. The last thing he wanted was to entertain a strange woman and cheer her out of a bad mood or tears or a headache." pg. 2 Yet, he finds himself doing this often and is very good at being a good listener and partner. 

I loved the valet, Grieves. I really enjoy books where the valet has an influence in the hero's life and is more like a mentor and coach. What I like about Grieves is that somehow he does what he is supposed to do as a valet and yet somehow still gets his message across to Hartley without being insubordinate. One of my favorite parts is when Hartley supposedly loses his memory and thinks he's the valet. Grieves encourages his role to his maximum advantage. Quite funny.

I loved Lady Mercy Danforth. The child is bratty, speaks her mind and looks down on others. I loved it! We meet her as she is hiding in Jame's carriage trying to get him to run away with her to "Gretna's Greens." There are plenty of novels where the children are either perfect and know more than the adults in the book or they are serious/scared/shy characters that need to learn to trust. Mercy Danforth is neither of these, She shows a lot of growth in this book and it is fun to watch. 

And finally, I loved Ellie Vyne. Hartley calls her Vyne most of the time. Like he's quietly interoggating her each time he says her name. I really liked that he didn't call her lady or madam or duchess, etc. She was just Vyne to him for most of the book. Ellie has a super sharp wit and is a quick thinker. When Hartley finds her "in bed" with the Count, she is so smart and quick on her feet. Literally! She is also dedicated to helping her family even though they don't return the sentiment and see her as a drain on the good family name.

There is a lot to like in this book and depth in a short period of time. I liked all the characters and enjoyed the pace of the book. It didn't drag on and on yet it didn't rush developing the characters either. This is the first book I have read by Jayne Fresina and I can't wait to read her other works. 

The Wicked Wedding of Miss Ellie Vyne rating: 7 out of 10

List of Julie Anne Long Books

	What I Did For a Duke (Pennyroyal Green, #5)
	The Perils of Pleasure (Pennyroyal Green, #1)
	How the Marquess Was Won (Pennyroyal Green, #6)
	Like No Other Lover (Pennyroyal Green, #2)
	I Kissed an Earl (Pennyroyal Green, #4)
	To Love a Thief  by Julie Anne Long   3.94 avg rating — 624 ratings — published 2005 — 6 editions
	Since the Surrender (Pennyroyal Green #3)
	The Runaway Duke  by Julie Anne Long   3.53 avg rating — 469 ratings — published 2004 — 5 editions
	The Secret To Seduction (Holt Sisters Trilogy, #3)  by Julie Anne Long   3.85 avg rating — 348 ratings — published 2007 — 11 editions
	Beauty and the Spy (Holt Sisters Trilogy #1)  by Julie Anne Long   3.83 avg rating — 336 ratings — published 2006 — 4 editions
	A Notorious Countess Confesses (Pennyroyal Green, #7)