IMPOSTERS OF PATRIOTISM

Paperback, 348 pages

Published June 15th 2014 by Createspace

ISBN 1499175884 (ISBN13: 9781499175882)

edition languageEnglish

seriesMatt Hawkins #1

characters:Matt Hawkins, Sarah Gordon, Buzz Penberthy, Hank Gordon, James Fox

about the book:

Savannah, Georgia antiques store owner Matt Hawkins discovers a two-hundred-year-old journal containing a stunning accusation. The journal claims that America's most revered hero, George Washington, wrote a secret surrender letter to the British during the Revolutionary War-a seditious act that would have ended America's fight for independence. Meanwhile, the present-day race for president of the United States is a dead heat. The Republican nominee, a direct descendant of Washington's family, has shamelessly exploited his ties to the Founding Father-a strategy that has worked brilliantly to eliminate a once wide gap in the polls. As the past collides with the present, Hawkins and lovely historian Sarah Gordon are determined to unearth the truth about the journal's remarkable claim. But they must avoid a shadowy adversary who has a billion dollars riding on the election's outcome-and who will stop at nothing to ensure that Washington's surrender letter remains a secret. Ted Richardson's debut novel can perhaps best be described as historical fiction wrapped inside a modern-day mystery. Richardson ingeniously blends actual historical events with innovative mystery to create a fast-moving, well-plotted tale of suspense. 

my thoughts

I just finished this book.  Imagine, George Washington surrendering to the British.  (It doesn't really happen, the letter of surrender is never sent...but just think, how different would our lives be if Britain won the war?)

Imagine the consequences to any of Washington's descendants if such a letter was ever discovered.

A fantastic, well written book.  

If you have any interest in history, revolutionary history, or American history, this book is for you!!!

TENDING BRIGID'S FLAME

Paperback, 288 pages

Expected publication: November 8th 2015 by Llewellyn Publications

ISBN 0738740896 (ISBN13: 9780738740898)

Brigid is worshiped worldwide as a source of inspiration, protection, and blessing. In Tending Brigid's Flame, Lunaea Weatherstone presents the beloved Celtic goddess as a true soul-friend for women today, exploring her legends and lore, attributes and allies, holidays, symbols, and sacred places. Filled with rituals, exercises, and meditations, Tending Brigid's Flame shows how to welcome Brigid into your home and make sacred all the activities of everyday life, from food magic to faery traditions, and from scrying to personal healing. Using the symbolism of fires that burn in hearth, temple, and forge, this breathtaking book sends you on a journey through the transformative power of one of the world's most revered goddesses.

With illuminating reflections and real-world inspiration from nineteen wisewoman devotees of Brigid

my thoughts:

I became interested in the Goddess Brigid after reading several celtic themed books with Brigid as a main character.   This fascinating book by Lunaea Weatherstone increased my knowledge of Brigid as well as Celtic legend.  The author seemed to have a unique connection with Brigid, and this connection was relayed throughout the book.

Brigid is a complex and multidimensional Celtic Goddess, and this book greatly enhanced my understanding of her.   On a personal level, I am still seeking a path and exploring all avenues.   I am drawn to the Celtic goddess and wish to learn even more.  I will look for more writings by Lunaea Weatherstone.

This is a well written, highly enjoyable book.

A Thousand Nights

Hardcover, 336 pages

Published October 6th 2015 by Disney Hyperion

original titleA Thousand Nights

ISBN 1484722272 (ISBN13: 9781484722275)

Lo-Melkhiin killed three hundred girls before he came to her village, looking for a wife. When she sees the dust cloud on the horizon, she knows he has arrived. She knows he will want the loveliest girl: her sister. She vows she will not let her be next.

And so she is taken in her sister's place, and she believes death will soon follow. Lo-Melkhiin's court is a dangerous palace filled with pretty things: intricate statues with wretched eyes, exquisite threads to weave the most beautiful garments. She sees everything as if for the last time. But the first sun rises and sets, and she is not dead. Night after night, Lo-Melkhiin comes to her and listens to the stories she tells, and day after day she is awoken by the sunrise. Exploring the palace, she begins to unlock years of fear that have tormented and silenced a kingdom. Lo-Melkhiin was not always a cruel ruler. Something went wrong.

Far away, in their village, her sister is mourning. Through her pain, she calls upon the desert winds, conjuring a subtle unseen magic, and something besides death stirs the air.

Back at the palace, the words she speaks to Lo-Melkhiin every night are given a strange life of their own. Little things, at first: a dress from home, a vision of her sister. With each tale she spins, her power grows. Soon she dreams of bigger, more terrible magic: power enough to save a king, if she can put an end to the rule of a monster.





my thoughts:

Most of us are familiar with the tale of 1001 nights, Scheherazade and her marriage to the king.  This is a different take on the tale.  More interesting than other retellings I've read.

 I found it enjoyable without being overwhelming. The main character, with the exception of LoMelkhiin, are all nameless individuals (annoying). In my head, I assigned each individual a name.

This book totally lacked any romance of any kind. Ok, I can live with that. I liked the way the main character offered herself as LoMelkiin's 301st wife, instead of her more beautiful, exciting sister. She then told a tale every night of how her sister was superior in every way and would never be a wife to LoMelkiin. (This is the nightly story which supposedly kept him interested).
There was a certain degree of magic between the two, this was also what kept her alive.

The ending (no spoilers) was a disappointment. 

On a good note, I absolutely LOVE the cover of this book

ESTHER by Rebecca Kanner

From the award-winning author of Sinners and the Sea comes a breathtaking new look into the timeless tale of Queen Esther.

A glittering Persian king has a vast empire that reaches farther than where the sun meets the horizon. He is bathed in riches and commands a frightening military force. He possesses power beyond any other mortal man and rules his kingdom as a god. Anything he desires, he has. Any woman he wants, he possesses. Thousands of them. Young virgins from all across his many lands.

A Jewish girl is ripped from her hut by the king’s brutish warriors and forced to march across blistering, scorched earth to the capitol city. Trapped for months in the splendid cage of the king’s palace, she must avoid the ire of the king’s concubines and eunuchs all while preparing for her one night with the king. Soon the fated night arrives, and she does everything in her power to captivate the king and become his queen.

But wearing the crown brings with it a new set of dangers. When a ruthless man plies the king’s ear with whispers of genocide, it is up to the young queen to prevent the extermination of the Jews. She must find the strength within to violate the king’s law, risk her life, and save her people.

This is a story of finding hidden depths of courage within one’s self. Of risking it all to stand up for what is right.

This is the story of Queen Esther. 

my thoughts:

Rebecca Kanner has the unique ability of bringing her characters to life.  Esther is one of the most incredible women of Biblical literature. Kanner has taken what we know, done research and created an incredible woman of strength, cunning and determination.  A woman who can only be described as a Queen.   

I love Ms. Kanner's writing style.  She brings these characters to life for us.  We are willing participants of the stories of the Bible.   Esther has always been one of my favorite women from the Bible.  

This is a wonderfully written, well researched book.  Kanner's descriptions and writing style will leave the reader breathless and wanting more.  This is a work of fiction, but I feel as if I actually know Esther the person. 

I highly recommend ESTHER, This is a fabulous book, well worth the time it takes to read.
5/5 stars

If you like Red from ONCE UPON A TIME, you'll enjoy this book.

Hardcover, 416 pages

Published September 22nd 2015 by Kingswell Teen

ISBN 1484727460 (ISBN13: 9781484727461)

edition languageEnglish

Red is 16 and lives with Granny in a cottage in the village, where boarding up the house and hiding during Wolfstime is a means of survival. Red help's Granny with Granny's baked good business, catering as well as door-to-door sales. 

Red has a constant internal battle between her wild side and her strict, overprotective upbringing, and the issue of "control" as she discovers she has a hot temper when the "mean girls" push her too far. ("When we learn to control it, we needn't fear it," Rumpelstiltskin says in the series.) She has flashbacks to her 13th year when she received her cloak and the nickname "Red."

She is plagued by nightmares that she doesn't understand, but the Once Upon a Time fans will recognize them as her wolf side coming out. 

Red balances the difficult times with Granny at home and the girls at school with an emerging and satisfying romance with Peter.

my thoughts:

If you are a fan of the show, or of Red, you will enjoy this book.  I must confess, it was longer than I anticipated and not to quick moving in many spots, however, I enjoyed it and enjoyed Red's character.

I think the TV show misused Red.  Her character should have been so much more.  The Red in this book is multidimensional and fun.  I liked her as much, if not more than the Red on the tv show.

If you want to more more about Red and Granny, as well as other characters in her life...this book is a great start.

My netgalley copy didn't include the cover....Wow, when I saw the cover I thought it perfect!

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Books for allowing me to read and review this book.