BOOK REVIEW: Love's Sorrow by Terri Rochenski

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SYNOPSIS

Hired as a nanny for her cousin’s children, Anne Tearle finds security and a loving family. The children are a dream, but London society is a world of its own, one where a displaced farm girl has no business being. But, wealthy rake, Gavin MacKay, helps her to see associating with the upper class might not be as horrid as she first assumed. 

Like all things worthwhile, love comes at a price, and the cost soon bestows more anguish than joy. Lost, but not undone, Anne must find the courage to begin life anew, or succumb to sorrow's unrelenting waves of grief.

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REVIEW

The start of "Love's Sorrow" reminded me of a Jane Austen novel, with the strict rules that governed the society of the day.  Anne Tearle was an orphan and had been taken in by her Uncle Edward and his family.  From there her life was much like that of a Cinderella, with her Aunt Martha treating her more like a slave than a relative.  Why was (is?) it that orphans were treated as social pariahs simply because they had had the misfortune of losing both their parents?

At the right age, she is offered 'employment' by a London branch of the family.  Anne arrives, assuming that besides caring for the children, she will be having other domestic duties and is somewhat perplexed that she is being treated more like one of the family.  And the young ladies of London society and their mothers are not happy with her arrival, as Anne is sweet natured and beautiful and rather quickly drew the attention of one of the city's most eligible bachelors, Gavin MacKay.

Gavin is amused by Anne's lack of sophistication (as compared to the other young ladies of that circle) and rather quickly sets his sights on her.  He figures she will be a good, healthy woman to bear his children.  All seems to be going well.  He is *ahem* quite amorous in his attentions to his new bride.  Unfortunately, two miscarriages are followed by a live birth, only to have Anne and Gavin's son die a few days after being born.  The relationship chills, to put it mildly.  In all fairness, more than a few marriages fall apart at the inability to conceive and bear children, especially in such heartbreaking circumstances.

Am I the only one who drew a comparison here between the characters in this book and the situation with Prince Charles and Diana Spencer?  A courtship was engineered between a rich and powerful man and a young woman 'without a past' that would make an acceptable wife and mother.  In one case, once 'the heir and a spare' was born, the marriage (which apparently was just a sham) fell apart.  In the other, failure to produce an heir made people choose actions that caused the failure of the marriage.  One man eventually married the girlfriend he had before he met his wife; the other was found in a compromising situation with an old girlfriend, which became the nail in the coffin of his marriage.

There were quite a few 'heated' moments in "Love's Sorrow", but presented in such a way that they were much more tantalizing than words and images of a more blatant nature.  I don't search out erotica by any means, but for me, when literary physical intimacy does not read like a set of construction plans, with measurements, colloquialisms for parts of the body/drawings, it is much more enticing.

As I approached the end of "Love's Sorrow", I knew the story could not be 'over'.  (Thank goodness its subtitle is "Means of Mercy #1, so that we know there will be at least one sequel.)  There is a superb twist at the end ... well, that you just have to read for yourself! ;)

"Love's Sorrow" is not an artificially sweet book - thank goodness; neither is life.  Nor is it so full of heat that it is liable to cause you to fan yourself with the book when you need to take a break.  So what is it?  It is a seriously wonderful start to a series I am going to follow like a hawk.  Luckily, I do know that Means of Mercy #2 (Love's Revenge) is due out in November 2014!

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AUTHOR INFORMATION

Website * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn

Terri started writing stories in the 8th grade, when a little gnome whispered in her brain. Gundi’s Great Adventure never hit the best seller list, but it started a long love affair with storytelling.

Today she enjoys an escape to Middle Earth during the rare ‘me’ moments her three young children allow. When not playing toys, picking them back up, or kissing boo-boos, she can be found sprawled on the couch with a book or pencil in hand, and toothpicks propping her eyelids open.

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(Disclaimer:  I received an e-copy of this book from the author and Roane Publishing in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was received.)

BOOK REVIEW:Ritual Tea by Mario Zeleny

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Book Information

Title: Ritual Tea: How the 9 Secrets of Tea Can Transform Your Life
Author: Mario Zeleny
Publisher: Sancti Spiritus
Pages: 200
Genre: Self-help/Inspirational
Format: Paperback/Kindle

Media headlines abound these days saying, “Tea is trendy…” and we believe it until we read the first chapter of Ritual Tea: How the 9 Secrets of Tea Can Transform Your Life.   Entitled, Tea’s Sordid and Holy Exploits, chapter one is a worldwide, whirlwind tour of tea history that leaves the reader knowing once and for all that tea has always been trendy for very good reasons. Next to water, tea is the world’s most popular drink.

Author Mario Zeleny, lifelong tea lover and personal coach, extracts the magic of tea from its history, uses, and benefits but also from its power to change the world. He brings the secrets of tea into modern light, and makes it accessible for contemporary lifestyles.

“We do not have to be a Buddhist monk, or study The Way of Tea for decades to be your own Tea Master,” says Zeleny, “but you must understand its secrets to reap tea’s transformative qualities in your life.”
Ritual Tea boasts over 30 links to free tea products, ten personal rituals to help with everything from anxiety to sleep, and 10 charts that make crafting our own ritual a breeze.

Discover the transformative power of tea hidden in its history, versatility, and essence through simple, timeless and individualized rituals. To help us on the tea path, the author has made a free Ritual Tea ecourse available through ArtSpellz.com.

Tea has made a 5000 year trek to inhabit the world and in its wake it has altered not only individual lives but cultures and countries.  Ritual Tea asks, “Who will we be in tea’s history?”  Will we just make tea, or will we allow tea make us?

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BOOK REVIEW

I learned as much about rituals in general from Mario Zeleny's book "Ritual Tea" as I did about tea or the use of tea in rituals.  I also learned more about tea during the time I read the book than I have in my entire half-century or so on this planet.  The cup of "Ritual Tea" is so full, each sip leaves you wanting more and being satisfied at the same time.

After sweating it out in the garden in the morning, there are few things I like better than a big glass (or two-depending on how long I worked) of brewed sweet tea over ice.  Instead of such a case of simply drinking tea, "Ritual Tea" espouses the idea of 'taking tea', which is an entirely different experience.  Drinking tea is about quenching thirst.  Taking tea is about what kind of tea, how it is made, with whom you are drinking the tea (and solo is a perfectly valid option), the other sights, sounds, aromas etc going on around the tea drinkers at the time.

Mr. Zeleny takes us on a wonderful tour of the world of tea, it's history, and the amazing range of varieties and uses of tea.  There is a list of links at the end of the book around which you could build a tea connoisseur training program.

"Ritual Tea" would enrich any tea-drinkers library.  It would look good on your living room "tea table" (like a coffee table book, but for tea - get it?).  If you are expecting visitors from another country where tea is a popular beverage, you can honor your guests by presenting tea in a manner to which they are accustomed.

I am at the "gathering supplies" stage (my term) of taking tea.  Until about a month ago, I didn't even have a teacup in the house.  Then I found a nice, mostly matched set of cups and saucers that look more like teacups than coffee cups.  Several people I know who write like to have a cup of tea on their desk (or wherever they are writing) to 'keep their juices going'.

Having read "Ritual Tea" through once, I would now like to go back through and really savor it ... over a nice cup of tea, of course.  This will be my go-to all things tea book.

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AUTHOR INFORMATION

Mario Zeleny – Lover of all things tea.  Mario spent 15 years in healthcare and social services in clinical and administrative roles that offered coaching to employees and volunteers.  

An artist and entrepreneur from an early age, Mario now brings his love of writing, art, spirit, coaching and ritual together online at his creative living site, Sancti Spiritus, and also from his transformational art site, Art Spellz. 

Mario looks forward to completing his education with Mentor Coach and St. Clement Seminary. He currently resides in Sacramento with his husband of 8 years, their children and their domestic sovereign, a pug named Brigit.

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GIVEAWAYS!!!

Click the link to be taken to Art Spellz for several giveaways, featuring the book "Ritual Tea", tea and accessories!

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(Disclaimer:  I was provided an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was received.)

BOOK REVIEW:The Lens and the Looker by Lory S. Kaufman

  

I am so pleased to bring a review today of "The Lens and the Looker", the first installment of the Verona Trilogy, by Lory S. Kaufman, and brought to you by iRead Book Tours!

SYNOPSIS

The LENS and the LOOKER

BOOK #1 of The Verona Trilogy:
It’s the 24th century and humans, with the help of artificial intelligences (A.I.s), have finally created the perfect post-dystopian society. To make equally perfect citizens for this world, the elders have created History Camps, full sized recreations of cities from Earth’s distant pasts. Here teens live the way their ancestors did, doing the same dirty jobs and experiencing the same degradation. History Camps teach youths not to repeat the mistakes that almost caused the planet to die. But not everything goes to plan.

In this first of a trilogy, we meet three spoiled teens in the year 2347. Hansum almost 17, is good looking and athletic. Shamira, 15, is sassy, independent and an artistic genius. Lincoln, 14, is the smart-aleck. But you don’t have to scratch too far beneath the surface to find his insecurities.

These three “hard cases” refuse the valuable lessons History Camps teach. But when they are kidnapped and taken back in time to 1347 Verona, Italy, they only have two choices; adapt to the harsh medieval ways or die. The dangers are many, their enemies are powerful, and safety is a long way away. It’s hardly the ideal environment to fall in love – but that’s exactly what happens. In an attempt to survive, the trio risks introducing technology from the future. It could save them – or it could change history.


REVIEW

I started "The Lens and the Looker" after my husband and I came home from our slightly-delayed anniversary supper and finished the book some time after 1 a.m. the next morning.  I've never literally not been able to put a book down before, but came very, very close with "The Lens and the Looker".

One would expect a post-dystopian novel about young people to have different language than such a book written for young people, and "Lens" does not disappoint.  Our three heroes (Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln) are 'hard cases' and even the regular History Camps do not teach them the intended lessons, so they are sent to "Total Immersion History Camps"  where the young people are left without some of the 24th century technology to which they are used.  It quickly becomes apparent that they are to 'hard case' for even those camps when they are taken back 1000 years in time to the "real" 14th century Verona, Italy.

Think about it.  No electricity, no indoor plumbing, no computers, no internet (ohmygoodness!).  It's not that you go home to these conveniences at the end of the day...they don't exist yet.

Luckily, the teens have an 'insurance policy', a holographic AI (artificial intelligence) called Pan.  They were not supposed to have him at the History Camp, but they did; and with Pan, they created disruptions.  But back in the real 1347, they are lucky to have Pan.  At first, they are still just trying to mess things up for other people, but Pan becomes a very useful tool in helping the young people adapt to their new surroundings.  When their time-traveling guide dies in that period, Pan becomes a lifeline.

There's also a nice bit of social commentary in "The Lens and the Looker".  There are wide class differences in medieval times.  Peasants are treated little better than cattle by the noble classes.  The young people are given the names Romero, Carmella and Maruccio (Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln) and supplied with enough technology to be able to communicate in the Italian of the day.

We are also introduced to the de la Cappa family, whose father, Agistino, is a lensmaker.  They have come on hard times, due to the father's alcoholism.  It is to this family that the time-traveler brings the three 'orphans'.  In our day, orphans would probably be brought into a home as family.  Back then, they were brought in as servants.  Signora de la Cappa talks to angels, and everyone assumes she is crazy.  Their daughter, Guilietta, is kindly and of an age to be of interest to Romero/Hansum and a friend to Carmella/Shamira.

I'm sure you can imagine some of the predicaments into which the young people become entangled.  Do they introduce technology centuries ahead of time to survive or make their lives easier in the 14th century?  You really, really need to read "The Lens and the Looker" to find out!

GoodReads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Book Depository * Indigo Chapters

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AUTHOR INFORMATION

"I write Post-Dystopian fiction. After society’s collapse, which is imagined in so many great dystopian stories, humans will either fade into history, with the dinosaurs, or, if it learns the right lessons, society will go on to construct a civilization to last tens of thousands of years. The books of THE VERONA TRILOGY are the exciting adventures of young people doing the latter.” -Lory Kaufman

On the artistic side of Lory’s career, he’s written, acted and directed children’s theatre and musical theatre. He enjoys art, especially sculpture. He loves science fiction and historical fiction and he has been deeply involved in the green movement all across North America. All this shows through when you read his work. Lory has three grown children and works and lives in Kingston, Canada.

Website * GoodReads * Facebook * Twitter

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(Disclaimer:  I was provided a copy of "The Lens and the Looker" from the author via iRead Virtual Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was received.)

BOOK REVIEW:Murder in Merino by Sally Goldenbaum

SYNOPSIS

Fall is usually a relaxing time in Sea Harbor, but it’s turning out to be a busy season for Izzy Chambers Perry. Not only is she helping the Seaside Knitters make a magnificent throw to celebrate the fortieth wedding anniversary of her aunt and uncle, she and her husband are finally selling the cottage she lived in before they married and had a darling baby girl.

To Izzy’s surprise, newcomer Julia Ainsley seems determined to buy the home—although she’s never set foot inside. But on the day of the open house, things take a tragic turn. A body is uncovered in the cottage’s backyard. When the police find Julia’s name and phone number in the victim’s pocket, this slender thread of evidence makes her a person of interest.

Soon the spotlight of suspicion widens to include old friends and town leaders, as a tragic happening, long buried in the sleepy seaside town, is slowly brought to the surface. Before the Endicotts’ joyful anniversary celebration can be realized, the Seaside Knitters must work to unravel the real reason Julia Ainsley has come to their town and the tangled and tragic ties from the past that bind friends and townsfolk together.

REVIEW

More than almost any other book I have read, I felt a part of the town of Sea Harbor.  I was not an observer of Ben and Nell Endicott's weekly "friends and family supper", I was a guest.  And as such, I almost felt like I had a stake in the town's happenings, and by extension, the wonderful story woven (or would that be knitted) by Sally Goldenbaum in "Murder in Merino".

Like most small communities, it can be difficult for an outsider to break into the community, as Julia Ainsley finds out.  Her meetings with the gentleman friend of one of the Seaside Knitters strains that woman's relationship, and the woman's friends try to set things right.

But then the owner/bartender of a popular local restaurant winds up dead in the backyard of Julia's new home and the game is on.

The story of "Murder in Merino" is knit together and embellished as wonderfully as the Endicott's anniversary afghan on which the knitters work throughout the course of the book (and for which detailed instructions are presented at book's end).

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AUTHOR INFORMATION

Sally Goldenbaum is a sometime philosophy teacher, a knitter, and an editor, and the author of more than thirty novels. Sally became more serious about knitting with the birth of her first grandchild and the creation of the Seaside Knitters mystery series. Her fictional knitting friends are teaching her the intricacies of women’s friendship, the mysteries of small-town living, and the very best way to pick up dropped stitches on a lacy knit shawl.

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BOOK REVIEW: Death Runs Adrift by Karen MacInerney

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SYNOPSIS

With her own wedding fast approaching and her mother-in-law dating an unexpected beau, the last thing Natalie Barnes needs is to find a young man shot dead in a dinghy. A note she finds with the body suggests the dearly departed had a secret rendezvous planned with somebody on the island. But when suspicion is cast on a fisherman Natalie believes to be innocent, she begins to wonder if the murder was the result of a lover’s quarrel . . . or a lobsterman’s disagreement gone horribly wrong.

REVIEW

Unlike some of the other tour participant-reviewers, this is my first experience with the Grey Whale Inn Mysteries.  Luckily, "Adrift" stands quite well all on its own, and not having read the previous installments is no obstacle to having a great time with this book.

Having said that, if any of you want to TBR the whole series on GoodReads, like I did, you can visit the "Grey Whale Inn Mysteries" page to get info on the whole series:  #1 - "Murder on the Rocks, #2 - "Dead and Berried", #3 - "Murder Most Maine, #4 - Berried to the Hilt, #5 - "Brush with Death", in addition to "Death Runs Adrift".  

Maybe the 'B&B cozy' has been 'done before' as an agent at a Writers' League Conference in Austin told the Ms. MacInerney (see the entire interview at Kelly P's Blog).  But just as the Atlantic coastline is vastly different from the Pacific coastline, so are MacInerney's cozies different from the rank and file examples of the genre.  Borrowing a comparison from the folk tale genre, the writing in "Adrift" is neither too hot, nor too cold; it's just right.

If the Grey Whale existed in real life, and Natalie Barnes was a real person, I would definitely stay at her bed and breakfast when I went visiting friends in the area.  Since it is not, and she is not, I can not.  But I can do a virtual equivalent and recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries (in general) and cozies (in particular).  If you like the smell of home-baked goods, farm and sea-fresh recipes and the tang of salty sea air, do not walk to the Grey Whale.  Run.  Or better yet, take a boat ... just don't peek in any adrift skiffs.

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AUTHOR INFORMATION

Critically acclaimed author Karen MacInerney also teaches writers’ workshops and drives a mean carpool. Her book Murder on the Rocks was selected as an Agatha nominee for Best First Novel. When she’s not writing or chauffeuring children, she loves to read, drink coffee, attempt unusual recipes, and hit the local hike-and-bike trail. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two children, and escapes to Maine as often as possible.’

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BOOK REVIEW: To Sleep...Perchance to Die by Donald Grippo

SYNOPSIS

Eurasian beauty Mai Faca plots to marry Jake Warden, a successful oral surgeon forbidden to her because of family honor. In an unheard-of scheme, fellow oral surgeon, Bret Manley, falls victim to Mai's seduction as she and Jake play a cruel trick to be together. Jake acts with surgical precision to clear the path to Mai's happiness, threatening lives including his own. In a wake of turmoil and destruction, Bret's uncle and well-known criminal attorney, Hubie Santos, attempts to find out if a surgeon would use his knowledge to kill.

REVIEW

I almost wanted to be in Jake and Mai's corner at the beginning.  You know the story: true love (or at least true lust) lovers kept apart by a family's deadly prejudices, and the fact that Jake was trapped in a loveless marriage.  But what they do to Bret is nothing short of despicable.  Jake is a selfish, petulant SOB and Mai - well, I am all about supporting women - but Mai is my definition of a whore.  (I know, strong words from a cozy mystery love like myself, eh?)  So strong was my dislike of these two characters, it almost made "To Sleep" difficult to read.

Thank goodness, in swoops Bret's uncle, famed lawyer Hubie Santos (based on an actual attorney of the same name), who, with the help of his go-to PI Bob Dillon, begin to unwind the web of lies and intrigue woven by Jake and Mai.  The book's Hubie is the kind of lawyer you'd want in your corner if you were ever railroaded into something criminal.  

Shakespeare fan that I am. I enjoyed the quotes at the beginning of each chapter.  I wouldn't call them foreshadowing, but they did fit the events that followed.  The title of the book gives a nod to Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy.  

If ever a character had cause for revenge, I would say that Bret would have that cause.  The karmic backlash due Jake, Mai and Sammy (Bret's cellmate in prison) is tsunami-sized.  I would be hard-pressed to not want revenge myself if I were in similar situations.  By the time "that Friday" was in full swing, I was actually pacing with the book, wanting to shout at Bret to get his attention so he didn't actually mess things up  for real for himself at the last minute.  

"To Sleep...Perchance to Die" is a gripping medical thriller that will squeeze a range of emotions out of you while you read.  It is a 'cold, hard light of day' look into what people will do when their backs are against the wall, or the depths they will go to, in order to get what they want.  An extra little chill goes down my spine when I think that "To Sleep" could have easily been a true-crime book; while a work of fiction, the situations in the book (deceit, betrayal, murder) happen far too often in real life.

INFO AND LINKS

Category: Adult fiction, 232 pages

Genre: medical thriller / murder mystery
Publisher: Turn the Page Publishing
Published: June 2013 Hardcover, June 2014 Softcover
Available in: Print and e-book (mobi for Kindle & ePub)
Content Rating: R

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AUTHOR INFORMATION

Donald R. Grippo, DDS practiced oral and maxillofacial surgery in northeastern Connecticut for more than thirty years. On a daily basis, he encountered patient's fear of undergoing oral surgery and associated anesthesia. To help allay such fear he wrote "A Guide to the Guy or Gal Who Takes Your Teeth Out", a series of short stories dealing with the treatment of typical oral surgical problems. His resume includes working as a dentist at the Tennessee State Prison outside of Nashville and as a guard at the Hartford State Jail on Syms Street in Hartford.

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This post will also be shared with:

Sunday Post Linkup/Stacking the Shelves

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer.  ~ It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga @ Tynga's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

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LAST WEEK

On Monday, May 5, I reviewed:

Click the book button for my review.  As the tour continues until May 21, you can go to Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for the rest of the tour schedule and to enter a giveaway for a tote with print copies of both "Lethal Lily" and "Thyme to Die".

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On Tuesday, May 6, I reviewed:

Click the book button for my review.  The tour continues until Wednesday, May 14th, and you can see the rest of the tour schedule at the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours site.

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Wednesday, May 7th, was a busy day.  I had two reviews that day!

Click the book button for my review.  The tour continues until Thursday, May 22, and you can see the rest of the tour schedule at the Virtual Authors Book Tours site.

Click the button for my review.  The tour continues until Wednesday, May 14, and you can see the rest of the tour schedule at the Worldwind Virtual Book Tours site.  Please note this book is intended for mature audiences.

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Then I just had to show one more time the early gift our 11 year old daughter gave her dad ad me on our 17th wedding anniversary last Friday (May 9)!  Although it's hard to see, there is a little heart in the "sign's post" at the bottom.

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THIS WEEK:  (links in this section go to the book's page at the respective tour companies)

Monday, May 12:  

(for iRead Book Tours)

Wednesday, May 14:

(for Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours)

Thursday, May 15:

(for iRead Book Tours).  I will also be reviewing books 2 and 3 of the Verona Trilogy in the following weeks as part of the tour.

Friday, May 16:  

(for Roane Publishing)  I'm one of the three stops on the final day of the tour.