'The Book Of Lost Fragrances: A Novel Of Suspense" By M.J.Rose

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• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books (March 13, 2012)
• ISBN-13: 978-1451621303
• Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Also available as an e-book

I wish I could have adjusted my 'star ratings' to add a 6th star - because that's how much I enjoyed this book. Riveting stuff!

I have to admit to being a long time fan of M.J. Rose but I think that this is her best yet, although I was, and am, a huge fan of The Reincarnationist. Ostensibly this book it is to be one in a series but I find that this is a solid stand alone book. MJ Rose has an excellent trailer video about the book on her website - and you also find information about about the Joya fragrance that was inspired by the book.

When I was given the opportunity (thank you Amy Bruno!) to review this book I have to admit to not having any idea what it might be about. The minute I began reading though - I was hooked and could not put the book down until I finished... and I have to admit that I was sad when it ended!

Author M.J. Rose

This book has all of the elements that make heart sing when I read a book. Fragrance - I am a 'nose' and the industry of fragrance has intrigued me for many years. My memories are tied to scent. What a perfect addition to the book's theme!  Other titilalting  elements of the book include an ancient artifact from Egypt and the book is set in one of the world's most glorious cities - Paris. This book is a thriller to be sure, but it is also a story about families, love, the creation of fragrance, the bonds between people and how thin the veil between now and then can be. It's an irresistible combination that flows strongly from the first page through to the last gripping scene.

I found this book to be unstoppable, "un-put-downable and thoroughly engrossing from the first page to the last ! You simply can't miss with this book!
      

The synopsis:

A sweeping and suspenseful tale of secrets, intrigue, and lovers separated by time, all connected through the mystical qualities of a perfume created in the days of Cleopatra--and lost for 2,000 years.

Jac L'Etoile has always been haunted by the past, her memories infused with the exotic scents that she grew up surrounded by as the heir to a storied French perfume company. In order to flee the pain of those remembrances--and of her mother's suicide--she moved to America. Now, fourteen years later she and her brother have inherited the company along with it's financial problems. But when Robbie hints at an earth-shattering discovery in the family archives and then suddenly goes missing--leaving a dead body in his wake--Jac is plunged into a world she thought she'd left behind.

Back in Paris to investigate her brother's disappearance, Jac becomes haunted by the legend the House of L'Etoile has been espousing since 1799. Is there a scent that can unlock the mystery of reincarnation - or is it just another dream infused perfume?

The Book of Lost Fragrances fuses history, passion, and suspense, moving from Cleopatra's Egypt and the terrors of revolutionary France to Tibet's battle with China and the glamour of modern-day Paris. Jac's quest for the ancient perfume someone is willing to kill for becomes the key to understanding her own troubled past. 

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Comments about the book from well known people:

"From 18th-century Egypt and France to present-day Paris, New York, and China, Rose's deliciously sensual novel of paranormal suspense smoothly melds a perfume-scented quest to protect an ancient artifact with an ages-spanning romance. Rose imbues her characters with rich internal lives in a complex plot that races to a satisfying finish." —Publishers Weekly, Starred and Boxed Review

"Amazing... utterly engrossing. Elegantly written, with unforgettable characters. Will keep you up all night—and leave you with powerful feelings of revelation, wonder, and the infinitude of human possibility." —New York Times best selling author Douglas Preston

"Compelling... suspenseful tale. Once you catch a whiff, you will be enchanted". —Associated Press

"Rose has entered another realm and written what is bound to be one of this year's best books." —Seattle Post-Intelligencer

 

Follow the book blog tour

About the author, M.J. Rose:

M.J. Rose (www.mjrose.com) is the international best selling author of eleven novels and two non-fiction books on marketing. Her next novel THE BOOK OF LOST FRAGRANCES (Atria/S&S) will be published in March 2012.

Her fiction and non-fiction has appeared in many magazines and reviews including Oprah Magazine. She has been featured in the New York Times, Newsweek, Time, USA Today and on the Today Show, and NPR radio. 

A note about the author's fascination with fragrance:

M.J. Rose:  I've been fascinated with lost fragrances since long before I started writing The Book of Lost Fragrances... since I found a bottle of perfume on my great grandmother's dresser that had belonged to her mother in Russia. Here is one of those lost fragrances that stirs the senses and the imagination... (reasearched and described  with the help of the perfume writer  Dimitrios Dimitriadis

GUERLAIN - DJEDI

The most coveted and rare perfume from the Guerlain portfolio, Djedi was launched in 1926, right on the heels of Howard Carter's discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. Presented in a flacon resembling a golden sarcophagus with its lid being raised, Djedi is an exploration into decomposition and decay. Gloomy and desolate, Djedi has a dry, arid quality like the shifting desert sands… a "closed over the ages" feel furnished by dry vetiver, oakmoss, musk, and leather. This olfactory requiem pays hommage to fallen ancient Egyptian dynasties that have been lost to the sands of time.

Give-A-Way from Lark ! "Beaded Fantasies" by Sabine Lippert

What could be better than a great book? A great book that offers you a chance to win it !

Lark Books, one of my favorite craft publishers is offering a great chance to win a copy of this book!

The opportunity closes on March 15th at 9pm EDT. Go HERE for all of the information. Good luck !!

'All The King's Cooks: The Tudor Kitchens of King Henry VIII at Hampton Court Palace" by Peter Brears

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• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Souvenir Press; Second Edition, September 1, 2011
• ISBN-13: 978-0285638969 
• Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches 

This is an absolutely fascinating little book - well maybe not so little - about what it was like to supply food and beverage to the legions of court followers during the time of Henry VIII. I think we think little of what it was like to work in the kitchens and cellars of this vast Palace and how it was that the thousand upon thousands  of people who attended the Court daily were wined and dined. 

The books takes on a well written, easy to read look at the legions of workers and ingredients that were required each day.  

The chapters, as laid out in the geography of Hampton Court) include:

The Counting House (the hub of it all)
Serving The Courts (numbers, quantities and costs)
The Outer Court (poultry, bakehouse & woodyard)
The Green Cloth (counting house) Yard (jewels, spicery & chandlery)
The Pastry Yard (saucery, confectionary, pastry)
The Paved Passage (larders, boiling house,work houses)
The Hall Place& Lord's Side Kitchens (boiling, broiling & roasting)
The Privy Kitchen (food for the Rex)
Dining In The Chamber (etiquette & ritual)
Recipes !
Preparing For Dinner (pantry & cellars)

The book opens with a detailed diagram of The Kitchens at Hampton Court Palace with each area delineated on a numbered chart. That alone is pretty fascinating!

Cooking on this scale is something that none of us can really appreciate. Meals were served in what were called 'messes' - which got me to wondering if that is where our modern term "mess hall" came from. Different messes were meant for different groups and each group was allotted a certain amount of food and beverage a day - obviously the higher your rank the better, and greater quantity of daily sustenance, you were given.  There were maximum provisioning prices set per person - and the personnel of the Green Cloth were given a monumental daily task of working within their budgets to supply the ranks with their vittles!

The book is illustrated with many black and white images and a selection of color photographs that include Hampton Court Palace and the entrance to the Green Cloth area, photos of recreations of  Tudor fare and kitchen workers. I think that Tudor era confections are what truly amazed me the most. I have always been a marchepane fan but the Tudors did their sweets with style! Finely detailed figurines of knights and ladies - all colored to perfections. I think I might have wanted to collect these sweet treats rather than eat them!

I found this to be a fascinating book that should hold wide appeal for historians, Tudor fans and gourmets. The only thing that could have it better would be more color photographs! It's really an amazingly fun read!

"Vintage Weddings: One Hundred Years Of Bridal Fashion & Style" by Marnie Fogg

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• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Lark Crafts (January 3, 2012)
• ISBN-13: 978-1454702832
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 1 inches

I was given the opportunity to review this luscious book but, quite honestly, when I first saw it I wondered if it was really a book for me. That question was answered as soon as I opened the book. ooh!la!la!

If you met me you would wonder at my passion for fashion - I dress simply and for comfort, but I have had a life long fascination with the history of clothes and fashion and I avidly read Vogue - noting the make-up, hair styles and clothes that fascinate fashionistas.

This book is a luscious look at wedding fashions from the turn of the 20th century to the present - and a wonderful, photograph filled romp it is. If I had had a 'proper' wedding I found the dress of my dreams on page 192! This is a book about fashions but it also a wonderful compendium of the history of weddings and wedding fashion accessories as well as the changing styles of the all important wedding gown. You'll learn what the customs were for weddings throughout the time frames highlighted in the book. What times were matrimonial services generally held? What did pearls symbolize? Hollywood weddings? Royal weddings? How many pageboys, bridesmaids or ring bearers are 'de riguer' for a fashionable celebration? From off-the-wall weddings of royal (or Hollywood) pagentry to the short skirt-ed simplicity of the 'barefooted'70's bride this is book filled with dreams, lace, ruffles, elegance and fripperies. This book will bring smiles and pleasure to would be brides, long past brides,soon-to-be brides and those with memories of being a bride. It will appeal to brides, of course, but also to those, like me, who are enamored with the history of fashions and enjoy seeing how customs, styles,shapes, materials and accessories have changed over the decades.

This book has been a very happy surprise and will remain happily ensconced on my shelf - ready for day dreams and research. It's a beauty of a book and I can't help but recommend it ! Filled with photographs, fashion, facts and wedding trivia this is just an all around 'happy' book.

"Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile" by Julia Fox

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• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (January 31, 2012)
• ISBN-13: 978-0345516046
• US Release Date January 31, 2012

Another winner from Julia Fox!

I have been a fan of Julia Fox's writing since the publication of "Jane Boleyn". I was thrilled when I saw that her new book, "Sister Queens" was being published and jumped at the opportunity to read it.

Once again, Ms. Fox does not disappoint. This is a history book that reads as fluidly as fiction and her writing style can make you feel as if you are a participant in the history. A lot of the book is about Katherine of Aragon - in part I think because there is more extant historical documentation about Katherine's life than there is about Juana. I fell in love with the impetuous Juana when I read C.W. Gortner's historical novel "The Last Queen" - so I was even more happy to read some of the history behind the fiction in Julia Fox's book.Ms. Fox has carefully researched her subjects, cites historical documents, and covers the journey of these two women thoroughly - seamlessly weaving the threads of their lives taking you on a time traveler's glimpse into the time period and the other historical figures who formed the frame work of these women's lives. I've learned a lot from this book - and was entirely enjoyable. The author has a way of recounting history that makes some of the more cloudy history and relationships make sense and fall into place - no small feat with some of the more convoluted names and titles of British Aristocracy!

This book is enthralling and, for me at least, it was a book that I could not put down. I highly recommend this book for any history buffs like me, Tudor fans, or biography-philes. it's an excellent read!

This from Julia Fox's web site:

Katherine of Aragon, Henry VIIIs first bride, has become an icon: the betrayed wife, the revered Queen, the devoted mother, a woman callously cast aside by a selfish husband besotted by his strumpet of a mistress. Her sister, Juana of Castile, wife of Philip of Burgundy and mother of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, the most powerful man in Renaissance Europe, is still more of a legend. She is Juana the Mad, the wife so passionately in love with her husband that she could not bear to be parted from him even by death, keeping his coffin by her side for year upon year.

They were Sister Queens the accomplished daughters of Ferdinand and Isabella, the founders of a unified Spain. While their royal birth conferred entry into a world of privilege and plenty, it came at a devastating personal price. Since monarchs played their parts on an international stage, it was inevitable that the formidable Ferdinand and Isabella would send their children abroad as dynastic pawns. Katherine and Juana needed all their courage, resolve and inner strength as they confronted the harsh realities of life in a male-dominated world.

A gripping tale of love, sacrifice, the demands of duty and the conflict between ambition and loyalty at a time when even royal women had to fight for their positions in society Julia Foxs vibrant new biography teems with life. By placing Katherine and Juana squarely back into their family and Spanish contexts, she takes two remarkable women out of the shadows of the powerful men around them, showing us who they really were, how they coped with their setbacks and successes, how they gained the values by which they lived and died. Linked not only by blood but by cruel experience, their dual stories enrich our understanding of them both, casting a searchlight onto the turbulent age in which they lived. 

and this from the Amazon web page :

The history books have cast Katherine of Aragon, the first queen of King Henry VIII of England, as the ultimate symbol of the Betrayed Woman, cruelly tossed aside in favor of her husband’s seductive mistress, Anne Boleyn. Katherine’s sister, Juana of Castile, wife of Philip of Burgundy and mother of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, is portrayed as “Juana the Mad,” whose erratic behavior included keeping her beloved late husband’s coffin beside her for years. But historian Julia Fox, whose previous work painted an unprecedented portrait of Jane Boleyn, Anne’s sister, offers deeper insight in this first dual biography of Katherine and Juana, the daughters of Spain’s Ferdinand and Isabella, whose family ties remained strong despite their separation. Looking through the lens of their Spanish origins, Fox reveals these queens as flesh-and-blood women—equipped with character, intelligence, and conviction—who are worthy historical figures in their own right.

When they were young, Juana’s and Katherine’s futures appeared promising. They had secured politically advantageous marriages, but their dreams of love and power quickly dissolved, and the unions for which they’d spent their whole lives preparing were fraught with duplicity and betrayal. Juana, the elder sister, unexpectedly became Spain’s sovereign, but her authority was continually usurped, first by her husband and later by her son. Katherine, a young widow after the death of Prince Arthur of Wales, soon remarried his doting brother Henry and later became a key figure in a drama that altered England’s religious landscape.

Ousted from the positions of power and influence they had been groomed for and separated from their children, Katherine and Juana each turned to their rich and abiding faith and deep personal belief in their family’s dynastic legacy to cope with their enduring hardships. Sister Queens is a gripping tale of love, duty, and sacrifice—a remarkable reflection on the conflict between ambition and loyalty during an age when the greatest sin, it seems, was to have been born a woman.

Wishing You Joy!

'Winter Willow' by MZ Johansen 2011

I would like to thank you all for stopping by my book blog. I admit that I have not been as diligent as I would like to be with my reviews recently.That being said, one of my New Year's plans is to post reviews more regularly. I have a large list of 'already read' books to share!

I wish you all the love,laughter and magic of the season and wishes for joy and prosperity to come in the New Year!

"..Clouds appear and bring to men 

a chance to rest 

from looking at the moon.."

Basho

Machine Embroidered Flowers, Woodlands & Landscapes: The Art Of Alison Holt

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• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Search Press (October 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-13: 978-1844483457
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches

For anyone who loves the work of Annamieke Mein or Jane Hall you're in for a treat with this latest book from Alison Holt.  Lush and beautiful are words that just don't quite describe this book that is part eye-candy and part super well done instruction.

This is a book that is really about the art of 'seeing' and translating what you see into poetry made with thread. The instructional part of the book is very well written, with excellent photographs that illustrate the process very well. Search Press has always, in my opinion, spotted good books and publishes them to their full, beautiful, potential

I am, indeed, quite excited about this book and I know that it will be a "keeper" for. me. I think that it will have wide appeal since many of the techniques can be translated into hand embroidery if desired. Artists, quilters, embroiderers, textile and fiber artists alike will find something to tickle their imagination in the pages of this beautiful book. I can do nothing but highly recommend this gorgeous publication!

 I could go on describing this book - but I do believe that a picture is worth a thousand words and, hopefully, these photos, will tempt you to add this to your own 'keeper" library!

"At The Mercy Of The Queen" by Anne Clinard Barnhill

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• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (January 3, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-13: 978-0312662134

I was intrigued by the prospect of reading this book because it presents the oft told story of the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn from another perspective - that of her cousin and maid-of-honor, and confidant, Madge (Margaret) Shelton I wondered if there was really another angle that would be compelling enough to make for a good read.

By my 5 star rating you can tell that I found that the book really did offer a fresh, new view. Madge Shelton was in a very unique position in the Court of Henry VIII. 

Arriving from from the country as a young girl, Madge was innocent of the vagaries and morals of Court life. Her nickname at Court quickly becomes  "Pretty Madge" and the reader follows her story as she rebuffs the admiring courtiers and soon becomes Anne Boleyn's closest confident and champion.

Madge becomes swept along in the story of Anne's determination to be wife of King Henry and, later of Anne's desperate attempts to fulfill her royal duty of filling the royal nursery with make heirs - as her predecessor, Katherine of Aragon had failed to do  - a failure that led the Country though religious wars and the dismantling of the monasteries.

As Anne desperation for a son becomes the only focus of her life she hatches a plan to lure the King into an affair with Madge's; proffering her beauty and charms as bait in order to keep the the King from courting the King's current paramour, the milk faced Jane Seymour. Not long before Anne devises this plan to have Madge lure the King into an affair Madge herself has succumbed to lure of love - falling in love with a handsome, well placed Courtier named Charles Brandon who Madge initially called 'Sir Churlish'.

As the the story turns towards the final downfall of Anne Boleyn Charles exhorts Madge to leave with him so that they can be married and stay away form the increasing dangers of the Court. Madge's love and commitment to Anne force her to remain with Anne until the hour. Did Madge wait too long? Did she lose the love of her life by remaining true to Queen Anne?

This book is well written and well paced. The plethora of factual historical references keeps the flavor of the time - allowing the reader 'feel' as though they can 'smell' and 'be' in the book as a participant. The fact that Ms Barnhill can take a secondary historical note and create such a riveting story from it is surely testimony to her skill as a writer. This is her first book - and I am looking forward to more !

From Felt To Fabric: New techniques In Nuno Felting By Catherine O'Leary

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• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Lark Crafts; 1 edition (October 4, 2011)
• ISBN-13: 978-1600596674
• Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches 

When I was given the opportunity to review this book Lark I was excited. his book is right up my alley! Nuno felting has had a wide following for many years and this book takes the nuno felting process into a new direction. Catherine O'Leary has produced a beautiful volume - and introduces us to using a variety of fabrics (silks included of course!) on top of felt to create a wide range of fantastic textures, modular units and endless possibilities. I think this book will have wide appeal for all textile artists, felters, clothes mavens, and, most certainly, nuno felters! I love finding a familiar technique used in a fresh, stylish and utterly delightful way!  This is really an excellent book and it should have a place in your permanent textile arts library!

Some wonderful new ways to create fabric from modular 'new' nuno felted units.

Creating a new piece of fabric & cutting out modular units.

Endless possibilites

From haute couture to utilitarian the possibilities presented in this book are myriad.

The usual method of preparing nuno felts - with a twist!

This page shows the some of the best ways to use the new nuno felting for garment construction to emphasize the draping qualities.

"His Last Duchess" by Gabrielle Kimm

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• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (October 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-13: 978-1402261510

I have read other books about the Medicis. Many of them irk  me  just a bit with their concentration on sex and depravity. Yes, we all have noted that the Medici family was prone to some perversity but that is rally only a small part of the story of this truly amazing Renaissance family. The history of Florence and the Medici family is, perhaps, not complete without some portrayal of their odd familial sexual perversion but it need not be the focus of a book to be interesting. At least on my opinion - and although I don't consider myself a libertine by any stretch of the imagination- neither am I prude.

This book was a happy exception to the rule about fiction based on the Medici family. My favorite thing about the book is that it poignantly depicts the beauty that was Florence during the Renaissance. As a reader I can almost smell the air, breath in the scents of cooking and flowers, walk through sun warmed porticos and wander through darkened, shuttered room where anything might - and sometimes does -happen. This is a well researched book that shines with the basis of fact that makes reading good historical fiction so enjoyable and satisfying.

The story takes the reader through 16 year old  Lucrezia de Medici's ill fated marriage to the wealthy &  handsome Duke of Ferrara, Alphonso D'Este. Yes, there is some sex - but it a part of the story - not the story itself. That makes all of the difference for me as a reader.

The book is well researched, well written with subtlety blended plot lines that will have you routing for Lucrezia as the book nears the end. It's a compelling read that I certainly think can't fail to please. I thoroughly recommend this as a very readable, enjoyable, and illustrative book about this famous family.

"Dimensional Beaded Embroidery : A Reference Guide To Techniques" by Jamie Cloud Eakin

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• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Lark Crafts; 1 edition (October 4, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-13: 978-1600597961
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.8 x 0.7 inches 

This new book from Lark is a real treat for bead-o-philes everywhere.  The directions are clear and complete, concise, well illustrated and well written and easy to follow.

The chapters include:

• Materials and Tools
• Basic Techniques
• Getting Started and Designing
• Using Components
• Surface Stitches
• Bezel Stitches
• Edge Treatment Stitches
• Attachment Stitches
• The Projects !

There is a wealth of information in this well designed book and, if you're not already into bead embroidery - you surely will be by the time you've paged through this book. I have to admit that jewelry making has never been one of my greater obsessions, but thanks to being able to see some of the amazing jewelry making titles in the Lark line up I have to confess that I have dabbled a bit! Good Lord - one more thing to add to my peripatetic resume! I am, however, trying to stick to small things like earrings. If you have a hankering for beaded embroidery or are, like me, a technique junkie, this is a good book to have in your library! You'll be able to create these amazing beaded embroidery projects easily by following the super well done instructions! Go on - you know you need another obsession don't you ?!

"The Women Of The Cousin's War: The Duchess, The Queen and The King's Mother" by Phillipa Gregory, David Baldwin, Michael Jones and Bianca Amato and

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• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (September 13, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-13: 978-1451629545

I have some confessions to make. I owe some apologies as well. After I did my series of reviews for Helen Hollick life, work and health all went through a bit of a burble. It's been long enough that I have considered deleting this blog. I felt I had let myself and my few readers down by taking such a long hiatus. I know - blogging without obligation and all of that....but I was feeling pretty low. I have kept on reading though and now I realize that I don't want delete this blog because I still have so many wonderful books to share with all of you. You may not be interested in all them but everything I write about is a book I have found interesting for one reason or another. Lately I have been in a non-fiction phase on the literary front and a natural dyeing phase on the artistic front - so those are where I will begin to crawl back into the comfort of my willow tree.

I realize that I have a book from the Helen Hollick tour to settle on a lucky winner - and I will. I'll notify the winner and write to Helen to give her person's name. I hope you will accept my apology for being so long in getting back to you.

Okay - now about this excellent read.

Alongside this book I was also reading "Elizabeth: England's Slandered Queen" by Arlene Orkelund - so the combination could not have been any better! I think that it would be helpful if you have read Phillipa Gregory's earlier books, "The Red Queen" and "The White Queen" since they are mentioned quite often. You'll understand who's who alright without knowing about the books but the references  sort of make you want to refer to those books (and maybe that's one of the ideas). I would have been as happy without the reference - but no matter. I think the the "Red Queen" and "The White Queen" were panned a bit when they first came out but I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed both of them.

I was truly excited when I saw that this book was available for order. The women of the cousin's war were, in my opinion, some of the most fascinating, intelligent, strong willed and motivated women of their time.  I have always been a special fan of Elizabeth Woodville and her brother, Anthony, Lord Rivers. I think they were part of a very interesting family - well ahead of their time in terms of education and inquisitiveness. Elizabeth withstood such an incredible amount of stress and weathered it all with some aplomb I think. The stresses of their age are so very different from the stresses most of us deal with - but I've always believed - stress is stress and managing stress is what makes a winner (no - I don't manage stress too well!). I really admire Elizabeth and think that she was a most fitting Queen Consort for Edward IV. A strong role model for women of her time.

My hope for this book was that it would elucidate the war in context with the women who played such  important roles in the war. I was not disappointed from that perspective! Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, her daughter Elizabeth Woodville, the Queen (one of my favorite monarchs) and Margaret Beaufort, wife to Henry VII and mother to Henry VIII.  What an amazing trio of strong, well educated, survivors and game changers they were! I learned quite a bit about them and their familial relationships - which is what I wanted to understand more clearly. I found that this book really helped me sort out the myriad 'players' in this most important historical frame.

I might have given this  5 stars had it all been more 'fleshed out' but that was probably not the idea for this book - it's more of an introduction and, for me at least, a clarification and time line. As an introduction to these amazing women and their important roles in the long conflict that ruled their lives I found the book to be well worth the reading - and keeping. This book will remain as a permanent part of my "British History Library"! It really helped me to get a sense of these women and where they fit in the political framework of this conflict; the men in their lives and the conflicts and the family politics that shaped their lives and the lives of their families - and of British history itself.

"Bring It Close" by Helen Hollick

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• Paperback: 386 pages
• Publisher: Silverwood Books (June 22, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-13: 978-1906236625

In the third volume in the 'Sea Witch' series we learn that pirate Captain Jesamiah Acorn  has accepted  amnesty from the Governor but finds that the amnesty has not allowed old rifts to mend. He still has enemies - among them the infamous, sadistic pirate Edward Teach - better known as Blackbeard - who has an issue to settle with Jesamiah.  After a misdirected and impulsive tryst with a female acquaintance  Jesamiah returns home only to discover that, Tiola, now his fiancée, has  traveled to  North Carolina to assist with an imminent, likely difficult, birth. Jesamiah wants to go to Tiola but has one large problem - Edward Teach lives in North Carolina and going to find Tiola might mean a serious wrangle with the vindictive pirate. 

Teach must not discover that Tiola is pledged to Jesamiah and she must cloak her identity and her 'gift'. In a deal made long ago -Teach's soul belongs to the devil and Tiola must hide her powers in order to survive her chance meetings with Teach and to protect Jesamiah who has been wounded by Teach and has taken refuge at his family's home in Virgina. The plot twists and turns as it winds it's way through this story of love, a family's dark history, treachery and, ultimately some peace - before the seas of life turn wild once again.

To quote from Ms. Hollick's website - for who can say it better than she?

"....How is Jesamiah Acorne to clear his name, overturn a sentence of hanging, keep Tiola safe, put an end to Blackbeard and deal with being haunted by the ghost of his father? Bring It Close moves from the Bahamas to North Carolina and Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia at a swashbuckling pace. There is intrigue, misunderstandings, romance and adventure all wrapped up in a delightful blend of mystical fantasy....."

Oh did I not mention the fantasy?! It's one one of the things I like best about this series - and this volume in particular. The classic battle between good and evil is played out through the powers of Tiola - the 'white witch" and healer and the dark, dominating, malevolence of Blackbeard's diabolical mind. The whole series is filled with a hint of magic...and that's one of the elements that I love the best about this series: the fanciful aspect that, understated as it is, is a palpable element that runs throughout the series.

I can't speak highly enough of Helen Hollick's work. She is a master story teller - whose plots are well paced, filled with action, adventure, romance and yes, a bit of magic too. You will find yourself wanting to read more of her work and you will, most assuredly, be sad when this book ends. A sequel is in the works though - so we may not be sad for too long!

Now - leave a comment and I'll have a drawing - the prize is a signed copy of "Sea Witch"  from the author to you - just to whet your reading whistle!

"Pirate Code" by Helen Hollick

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• Paperback: 302 pages
• Publisher: Silverwood Books (June 15, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-13: 978-1906236632

"Pirate Code" is the second volume in Helen Hollick's "Sea Witch" series. The rollicking, riveting action continues as Jesamiah Acorn, Captain of the 'Sea Witch', continues his pursuit of the woman he loves, Tiola Oldstaugh. Tiola, now married to the wealthy, obdurate Dutchman Stefan Van Overstreet, knows that  Jesamiah is her true love but gaining her freedom is rife with peril.  Jesamiah has  renounced the pirate's life and has been trying to find his way in a world without it. He wants Tiloa divorced from the overbearing Van Overstreet, but Stefan has imposed a condition of his release of Tiola. The terms of Tiola's freedom are that Jesamiah goes to Spanish held Hispaniola and smuggle out barrels of indigo that are hidden on the island. The Governor wants Jesamiah to go to Hispaniola as well - but his reasons are  completely different - he wants to incite rebellion and dictates that Jesamiah search for a spy who's headquartered in Hispaniola.

The 'top dog' in Hispaniola is a dictator- a man who wants nothing more than to hang, draw and quarter Captain Jesamiah Acorn. War with Spain looms on the horizon and the search for the barrels of precious Indigo is perilous - and fraught with not only treachery and potential death but also with the amourous cravings of a lovely widow - Francesca Escudero.

Historically accurate details surround the adventures of the book. This volume is so much more than a mere love story -  treachery, skullduggery, action, adventure, warfare and plunder abound. You'll be  on the edge of seat all the way through this rollicking great adventure.

" Sea Witch" by Helen Hollick Blog Tour Special

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• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Silverwood Books (June 20, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-13: 978-1906236601

For the next three days I am honored to be reviewing the Sea Witch series by Helen Hollick. Today I review the first book in this wonderful series "Sea Witch" along with a fascinating author interview. On Wednesday I will be reviewing the second book, "Pirate Code" and on Thursday I will present "Bring It Close". Follow along, leave a comment and on Thursday I will be picking one name from the proverbial hat to win a copy of "Sea Witch" sent to you by the author herself!

I have to admit that I was never much of a pirate fan. Johnny Depp changed my feelings with his colorful portrayal of the swashbuckling, slightly swashed pirate ,Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates Of The Caribbean series. The movie series sufficed to fill my pirate cravings - until a chance meeting with Helen Hollick's dauntless character Captain Jesamiah Acorn.

First - I must correct an error in my initial 'teaser' post - this is more than a trilogy really because a fourth title in the series will soon be published - so it is, in actuality, a quad series.... and who knows, maybe the adventures will continue! That would be a good thing  because once you start to read the series you won't want the story to end! Trust me on this !

The action of this series is rooted in the 'golden age' of piracy - around 1716 - and the action extends from the infamous 'horn of Africa' to the beaches of the well known pirate haunts in the Caribbean. If you can, for a moment, consider what Johnny Depp would be like if he was 100 per cent more charismatic you would have an idea of how good the main protagonist of the series, Captain Jesamiah Acorn, is. His command of the sailing vessel "Sea Witch" give series it's name. The main female character, Tiola Oldstaugh is a white witch and healer who saves Jesamiah from a murderous attack perpetrated by a band of pirate hunters. Ms. Hollick used an anagram of "all that is good" to fashion Tiola's name. Brilliant ! I think that Tethys - the soul of the seas who is portrayed as a living entity - (which I'm sure some seafarers would swear is true!) is one of my favorite elements of the series. Tethys has sworn that the handsome, invincible Captain Acorn will be hers. Tiola's task is to use the forces of her will and her love to prevent the sea from laying claim to her proud pirate, Jesamiah.

In this volume we are also introduced to the characters of Philippe Moreno, Jesamiah's bullying, vindictive, grasping brother and Stefan Van Overstreet, the wealthy and domineering Cape Town Dutchman who also wants Tiola as his wife - for all the wrong reasons. These main characters set the stage for what becomes a love story, a history of the pirate culture and a thoroughly engrossing story that you simply will not want to put down. I would advise that you have the entire series in your hands because as soon as one book ends you will feel the need to begin reading the next.

In reading the series I had so many questions about how Helen Hollick became enamored of the pirate culture and how that fascination led her to pen this most enjoyable, well researched series. What follows is my interview with the author.

  

MZJ:  What about the history inspired you to pen this series?

HH:

The first Pirates of the Caribbean movie – The Curse of the Black Pearl, was such a fun movie to watch, and parts of it had an authentic “feel” (sadly, unlike the following two movies in the series) The nautical terms, for instance, were correct – and while this was a fantasy movie made for entertainment not history, I enjoyed the “intent” of its nature. I wanted to learn more though. How much of it was ‘real’ – how much made up? I bought a couple of non fiction books to read while on vacation and settled down to read. And was hooked. The reality of pirates is far better than any fiction novel! What a raggedy lot of rogues they were! 

Being a writer, of course, all the information I was taking in just bubbled over into the realm of imagination – and before I knew it, I had the entire plot of Sea Witch, the first Voyage in the series, in my head. And within three month, down on paper (well on the computer!)

MZJ: What is it about pirate culture that inspired you?

HH:

Real pirates were not the pleasant, charming rogues of Treasure Island, Frenchman’s Creek – or Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow. They were mean, vicious, rapists, thieves, thugs and murderers. But then, so were most of the men of the army and navy in the eighteenth century! For some reason readers, especially us ladies of (ahem) a mature age, love the excitement of an adventurous rogue and the romantic adventures of daring-do. 

The reality of historical events – shipwrecks, treasure galleons, escaping (or not) the gallows. Smuggling, fights, duels – sex – well, who can resist the romantic lure of a fictional scallywag of a pirate?

MZJ: Did you base the characters of Jesamiah and Tiola on anyone who lived at that time? 

HH:

Captain Jesamiah Acorne is a made-up character, but he is a composite of the many famous pirates, the nearest, I suppose, being Jack Sparrow and Calico Jack – Jack Rackham. I liken him more, though, as a blend of Hornblower, Richard Sharpe, James Bond and Indiana Jones. A larger than life heroic figure, capable, brave, handsome – quick to laugh, formidable when angry. A man with two sides, the romantic lover, but the unrepentant killer. 

Tiola is even more made up. Her name, Tiola Oldstagh (say it as Teo-la Oldstaff) is an anagram of ‘all that is good’. She is a white witch, a healer and a midwife. A Wise Woman of the Light, her soul the reincarnation of her ancestors, her gift of Craft passed from grandmother to granddaughter down through the generations from the Dawn of Time. Her task – to protect human life from the Force of Evil - from the Dark Malevolents.

Although I call her a White Witch, she cannot do “spells” – her gift is more the ability to harness the energy that surrounds and binds us – more akin to the Force in Star Wars than the magic of Harry Potter. 

I suppose part of the reason why I wanted to create her character was to move away from the belief that witches are evil crones, bent on doing harm. Tiola can not commit harm to anyone, unless it is the only way to save herself. A fact that Jesamiah cannot always understand!

MZJ:  Did a specific ship inspire you to develop the  Sea Witch

HH:

While writing the first novel of the series, Sea Witch, I was not expecting to write an entire series – the subsequent adventures just sprang from the moderate success of the first book. Initially, I based the ship herself – the Sea Witch – on the Whydah and Queen Anne’s Revenge, both famous ships that have been extensively archaeologically explored and recorded. By the time I had decided to write the second Voyage – Pirate Code, however, I had gathered more information about Tall Ships and had discovered the love of my life – the Rose, better known as HMS Surprise from the movie Master & Commander. The love for this beautiful vessel was compounded when I met – by chance encounter – with the man who built the replica ship. I just had to use her as a template for Sea Witch, even though, technically, Rose/Surprise was built about 50 years after my stories are set. But these are adventure yarns, and are not meant to be historically accurate novels.

MZJ: Did you travel for research? How did you become so familiar with the terminology and flavor of the golden age of piracy?

HH:

I think sailing and tall ships must be in my genetic make-up, for many of the things I just “know.” My father was in the Marines for a while, he loved the sea (although he served in the Kings Royal Rifles during World War II)  I also know that many of my ancestors, on his side, came from Bristol – which back in the 17^th and 18^th centuries was the main sailing port in England. 

I research my sailing detail thoroughly, and a good friend, acclaimed maritime author James L. Nelson kindly edits and corrects for me. I suppose most of it I have gleaned as an avid reader –  a hefty chunk is pure imagination, and some of it is…. intuition maybe?

I have been, twice, to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia where I have several scenes set in Bring It Close (the third Voyage) and because I have been to San Francisco, I may well set a future adventure on the Pacific Coast. (San Francisco Bay was not discovered until quite late, because the early sailors had no idea of what lay beyond that persistent, shrouding mist!) Book four – Ripples in the Sand is set in Devon, England, where I go quite often as my freelance editor, Jo, lives there. And of course early Georgian London will have to make an appearance at some point.

As for the rest… I have never been to Cape Town, the Caribbean – and come to that, I have never sailed on a Tall Ship….Not in this life anyway…

MZJ:  What do you consider to be the main cause for the elimination of the pirate culture? Do you think that the actions of the famous pirate, Blackbeard, figure into the demise?

HH:

Blackbeard – real name Edward Teach - was a nasty character. As mad as a hatter and probably riddled with syphilis, as most pirates (and sailors) were in those days. The only reason why we know so much about Blackbeard, and Jack Rackham (Calico Jack) with his fellow partners, the two women, Mary Reed and Anne Bonney – plus others such as Henry Morgan, Stede Bonnet, Charles Vane and William Kidd, is because they were caught, tried and hanged – or killed while attempting to be caught. 

The details of Blackbeard are in the Colonial Williamsburg records because Governor Spotswood of Virginia ordered the Navy under his command to put an end to Piracy along the Carolina and Virginia coast. Blackbeard was killed in the ensuing fight off the Ocracoke, but his surviving crew were taken for trial in Williamsburg, and were hanged there.

The same for Rackham and the two women, who were caught and tried in Port Royal. Rackham hanged, but “pleading their belly” (pregnant) the women were reprieved. Mary Reed died in jail, we do not know what happened to Anne Bonney (the subject of another Voyage – could Jesamiah have rescued her?) There were many more pirates whose deeds and exploits are ,lost to us because they were never caught (and I bet you those two above were not the only female pirates!)

Piracy, of course, still exists (off the Somalia coast for instance) but in its day, the Golden Age, piracy was a lucrative business for some of the more successful pirates. It was a short-lived phase, from around 1690 to about 1725. The cotton, sugar and tobacco trades were just starting to become profitable. There were no serious wars between England / France / Spain / Holland (though there were smaller ones in various combinations between these countries) Because there was no serious fighting there was a surplus of sailors, all without anything to do. Rumour spread of the treasure ships in the Arabian Ocean and then the Caribbean – the gold being transported by Spain, and the money to be made from tobacco and rum. 

There were several thousand pirates in the Caribbean in the early eighteenth century, Port Royal, Tortuga, Nassau were notorious pirate dens. At first there were only a handful of Royal Navy ships to counter the pirates – and even these few had no idea of Caribbean waters, weather, or sailing conditions. They could only careen (clean the ship’s hull of barnacles etc) in official Navy ports – could only provision there as well, while a pirate ship could go anywhere the crew wanted. The pirates ran rings around the Navy – until their actions started having a detrimental effect on trade. The English and Colonial merchants back in Philadelphia and London were losing money and demanded to have something done about it. Governors such as Alexander Spotswood and William Dampier did just that – and with better equipped and more capable Navy Captains. The tobacco ship convoys from Virginia became better organized and then there came the American War of Independence, followed almost immediately by the Napoleonic Wars when the Navies of America and England became the elite service we are familiar with. No match for a pirate.

MZJ: Did a particular plantation figure in your presentation of Jesamiah's family home? Was Philippe based on anyone who actually lived?

HH:

No Phillipe is entirely made up – I had to have a thoroughly bad character to balance Jesamiah – although the story of the relationship between the two “brothers” developed of its own accord. When I set out to write Sea Witch, I had no idea of the events that unravel in the third Voyage, Bring It Close.

I have researched the plantations of Virginia, and along the Rappahannock, but no, la Sorenta is not a real place.

MZJ :  How did you first become interested in writing historical fiction? Are you a history buff in general?

HH:

I hated history at school – it was taught in such a dull, boring manner. I only discovered history in my early twenties when I realized that King Arthur may have been a real person who lived in Post Roman Britain – I wanted to find out more abut him, and got hooked. And once bitten by the events of the past, it is not easy to lose the bug. After all, we are all a part of history – our ancestors, the mothers of our mothers, and fathers of our fathers, lived in the past. And how much of their DNA genetic memory has been passed down to us I wonder, for us to rekindle by revisiting the past – whether in fact or fiction?

For more about Helen Hollick and her truly amazing work you can her at:  

Website:      www.helenhollick.net

Facebook :  www.facebook.com/helen.hollick

The Sea Witch page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Helen-Hollick-Author/101822116574750