Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More


Sep 10

8

For the King’s Favor by Elizabeth Chadwick

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on September 8, 2010
Posted in England • Historical Fiction  | 10 Comments

Ida de Tosney was a ward of King HenryII through childhood.  As a teenager she was presented to the King  who would determine her future.  Hopefully he would find a suitable marriage for her and she would have a happy life.  However, once set eyes on Ida, he decided to keep her for himself and kept her as his mistress.  She had no say in the matter.  
Ida prayed that she wouldn’t become pregnant and have King Henry’s bastard child.  She took every preventative measure she could find however, she conceived a son.  Though she was worried about the religious ramifications, she fell in love with her son.  In the mean time, she became infatuated with Roger Bigod.  
Roger had a story of his own.  He rebelled against his father and took the side of King HenryII.  He spent the majority of the time trying to win the Kings favor and getting his family land holdings after his father died.  His rightful title was Earl and he wanted it.
Eventually, King Henry married Ida de Tosney off to Roger Bigod and they had many children of their own.  However, the son she had with King HenryII, was kept from her.
Many of my friends, including those at Historical Tapestry have been encouraging me to read a Elizabeth Chadwick book for a very long time.  I have had her on my TBR and finely had the chance to read one of her books when I received an invitation to review this advance readers’ copy.  
Chadwick did not disappoint!  She had a good cast of characters from real life to draw from.  She made them come back to life with richly textured scenes of England and Royalty.  I felt like I was one of the maids,  getting to witness everything that happened.   I will definitely be reading more Chadwick in the future!
Note: For the King’s Favor was released previously as The Time of Singing.
4.5/5
Thanks to Danielle Jackson of Sourcebooks, Inc. for this book.
Also reviewed by:
If you reviewed this book, please include the link in the comments so I can give you some “link love.”

“R” is for Roger Bigod
Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.

Aug 10

16

Houdini Pie by Paul Michel

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on August 16, 2010
Posted in Books Read in 2010 • Depression • Era • Historical Fiction  | 6 Comments

Halley, named after Halley’s Comet was born right after his father Charles got caught in one of his fraudulent schemes. Once Hal was considered old enough he was expected to work for Charles in his less than honest business ventures including running a lucrative alcohol business during prohibition.

In 1934, as a young man Hal is a pitcher for and upstart baseball team and strikes just about everyone out. His Uncle Warren shows up after a long absence and asks Hal to join in him in a business venture that his Charles is also tied up with. Hal thinks it sounds preposterous but his mother Vera talks him into doing it with the promise of riches, gold actually. 
A Hopi Indian and his daughter lead the search, with the story of their ancestors, who were Lizard people. They hid treasure in Los Angeles California way beneath a downtown street. Somehow the crackpot sounding scheme get approval from the mayor and they are allowed to dig.
This is a story about love, hope and loyalty for Hal. Though the constant reference to Houdini Pie and it’s symbolism got a little tiresome to me, the book flowed well with simple old fashioned story telling. Some of it was quite predictable but the book was enjoyable.
3/5
Thanks to Mary Myers of Bennet & Hastings Publishing for this book.
If you reviewed this book also, please leave a link in the comments.
Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.

Jun 10

15

Captivity by Deborah Noyes

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on June 15, 2010
Posted in Books Read in 2010 • Historical Fiction  | 10 Comments

Captivity is actually two stories intertwined that took place mostly in upstate New York in the early to mid 19th century. The first is about the real life Fox Sisters. They were a family of women who were mediums who claimed that they could communicate with the deceased. They had many followers but were also constantly questioned by people who wanted to discredit them. They were put though numerous tests which included improper poking and prodding of the women by men. The Fox Sisters inadvertently gave birth to the Spiritualist Movement.

The second part of the story is about the fictional reclusive Clara Gill. She long ago suffered the loss of her secret lover William. The scandalous affair came out and Clara never fully recovered. Her mother had died in childbirth and she lived with her father all of her life, until his death. She never married.
Maggie Fox is invited in by Clara’s father to work. She served Clara tea in her room, which she rarely left. Slowly Clara started to respond to Maggie and they became friends, even though Clara didn’t believe in the Spiritual Movement. Because of their friendship, Clara starts coming out of her room and eventually starts going out into the community again.
There are many layers to this story and they are slowly peeled away, layer by layer until the very end. Deborah Noyes shows both sides of the historical Spiritualist Movement/ debate of the time, while crafting interesting characters and plots. At times I found the story dragged and in fact, I had trouble getting through the first 100 pages and almost gave up. However, I was rewarded greatly with my perseverance and I discovered a gem.
If you’re looking for a fast paced story with a neat and tidy, all questions answered ending, this is not a good book for you. However, if you are a patient reader you will be greatly rewarded with a thought provoking and insightful story.
4/5

Thanks to Caitlin Hamilton Summie of Unbridled Books for this book. Please look for a guest post here tomorrow, at So Many Precious Books by Deborah Noyes to find out more about the Fox Sisters and for a chance to win a copy of this book.

Have you reviewed this book? Please leave a link in the comments so I can include it in this post.

M is for Maggie Fox.
Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.

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