Can't Wait Wednesday No. 62: Time's Convert, by Deborah Harkness

Welcome to "Can't Wait Wednesday"!

This is a weekly event hosted by

Tressa @ Wishful Endings!

This is also where we excited book bloggers showcase future releases we're eagerly anticipating! 
For more information, 
please click HERE.


There's also a Linky widget, so participating blogs can link up!

Here's my choice for this week!

 Time's Convert

(All Souls Universe, Book 1)

Deborah Harkness

Hardcover, 400 pages

Viking

     September 18, 2018        

Fantasy, Historical Fiction,

Paranormal Romance

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches, a novel about what it takes to become a vampire.

Set in contemporary Paris and London, and the American colonies during the upheaval and unrest that exploded into the Revolutionary War, a sweeping story that braids together the past and present.

On the battlefields of the American Revolution, Matthew de Clermont meets Marcus MacNeil, a young surgeon from Massachusetts, during a moment of political awakening when it seems that the world is on the brink of a brighter future. When Matthew offers him a chance at immortality and a new life, free from the restraints of his puritanical upbringing, Marcus seizes the opportunity to become a vampire. But his transformation is not an easy one and the ancient traditions and responsibilities of the de Clermont family clash with Marcus's deeply-held beliefs in liberty, equality, and brotherhood.

Fast forward to contemporary London, where Marcus has fallen for Phoebe Taylor, a young employee at Sotheby's. She decides to become a vampire, too, and though the process at first seems uncomplicated, the couple discovers that the challenges facing a human who wishes to be a vampire are no less formidable in the modern world than they were in the 18th century. The shadows that Marcus believed he'd escaped centuries ago may return to haunt them both--forever.

A passionate love story and a fascinating exploration of the power of tradition and the possibilities for change, Time's Convert will delight fans of the All Souls trilogy and all readers of magic, the supernatural, and romance.

 

Why I can't wait for this one!

So this is yet another author whose work I want to read! The All Souls Trilogy has garnered raves from all paranormal fans, and I need to get started on it!! After I finish it, I will then be able to dive into this  one! Crossing my fingers..... The thing is, I do have a sort of obsession for romantic vamps.... Away with Dracula!! Lol.  
Aside from the above, this book sounds especially fascinating, because part of the story takes place during the American Revolution! This is the very first time I've come across a vampire romance set in this time period in American History. Part of the novel does take place in modern times, too, though, but still..... I LOVE this combination!

Deborah Harkness is a professor of history at the University of Southern California. She has received Fullbright, Guggenheim, and National Humanities Center fellowships, and her most recent scholarly work is The Jewel House: Elizabethan London and the Scientific Revolution. She is also the author of the New York Times bestselling All Souls Trilogy, and writes an award-winning wine blog.

Website/Goodreads/Facebook
Twitter
Amazon Author Page

What do you think of my
choice this week? 
Please leave a comment and
let me know!

  

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL MOMS!!!!

May God bless all mothers, 
because they have chosen to accept

the great gift of life He 

has given them!!

Buddy Read Update No. 3: Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland

Dread Nation

(Dread Nation, Book 1)

Justina Ireland

Hardcover, 464 pages

Bilzer + Bray

April 3, 2018

African-American Fiction, Alternative History, American History, Diverse Reads, Fantasy, 

Feminist Fiction, Historical Fiction,

Horror, Humor, Paranormal Fiction, Satire,

Social Justice, Southern Gothic,

Young Adult Fiction

Be sure to visit Barb's blog to read her half of our "chat"! You can access her post HERE!

Warning!
This post, as well as that of my fellow 
buddy reader, may contain spoilers!
Read at your own risk!

Both Barb and I have already finished this book, and will have our reviews up next week. What an AMAZING read this book has been (although some things did tick me off)! And it's been GREAT being able to share thoughts and insights on the same book with another book blogger! 

As I mentioned in last week's update, this book is VERY well-written, and the characters are SO real..... The female protagonist, Jane McKeene, is a VERY dynamic, strong character, and the author has skillfully used her as a spokesperson for social justice and feminist ideals. So these are the aspects of this novel that I've GREATLY enjoyed! And I'm SO glad the zombie element wasn't the main one in this book! Lol.

This will be our last update before our reviews. I hope you've all enjoyed our "chats"! We will DEFINITELY be doing more of these buddy reads in the future, as this one has been SO much fun!! (Just no horror novels, please, Barb! Lol.)

Here's our last "chat" on this book!

Barb: So now that we've had the big reveal about Jane's mother, does it make you feel any differently about her? It seems I've been up and down on my feelings about her and didn't care much for her and then did. Now I'm kind of back into the not liking category. Yes, we understand why she was so generous with the slaves, but she was living a false life. I can sort of see why she did it, but when she tried to kill her own daughter (I'm assuming just to keep her secret safe?), that kind of crossed a line for me.

Maria: You know, I've been going through the same type of "emotional roller-coaster" with Jane's mom. I can admire her for helping her fellow slaves, and really don't mind that she "lived a false life", pretending to be a white woman. She did this in order to survive, and I can't say I blame her for that. Besides, in her position as mistress of the plantation, "Rose Hill", she was indeed able to rescue many slaves. 

Having said the above, I do agree with you about the attempted drowning incident. In fact, I was horrified! So then my emotions, as well as opinion, switched again. I HATED her for attempting to kill an innocent child. And not only that, but HER OWN DAUGHTER! There's no justification for this type of thing! And she was doing it to protect her secret. So she was only thinking of herself. 

Remember when I asked you whether you thought that Jane's mom had ambivalent feelings about her daughter? I think somehow I picked up something lurking in the background, early on. Maybe I'm psychic! Lol.

So the final verdict is in: Jane's mom is yet another of this novel's despicable characters!

Barb: Along those lines, how did you feel about Jane killing her father? I really didn't mind. Sounds kind of harsh but he seems pretty despicable.
 

Maria: Oh, I TOTALLY minded that!! I was SO shocked when I read that part of the book!! I didn't like it at all!! I really think that Ireland could have had Jane kill her father in order to save her mother's life, as her father was beating her (the mother). (And how IRONIC that would have been!) That would have been in character for Jane. She was a heroic personality. But she killed him IN HIS SLEEP. Yes, she knew that he could have killed her mother at any point. But to kill her father IN COLD BLOOD..... This is totally HORRIFYING, especially considering the fact that she was a child when she did that! And then, on top of it, she LIED about the murder, not only to her mother and the other people at the plantation, but to the reader, as well.

This event, as well as the lying, plus her mother's attempt to kill Jane, has DEFINITELY affected my overall impression of the novel. Initially, it was overwhelmingly positive. Now, I'm not all gung-ho on it anymore.....Ireland just HAD to throw a couple of monkey wrenches into the works!

Barb: I really hated that Jane asked Kate to cozy up with the Sheriff. I get why she did it, but I felt badly for Kate. We can assume Jane knows her mother's secret, and do you think that played into her request of Kate?

Maria: Oh, I HATED this, too! And this was yet another surprise in the plot. This made me see Jane in a negative light for the first time. She was basically USING Kate. Yes, she had a plan which involved their escape from Summerland, but hey, the end does NOT justify the means. This was a manipulative scheme Jane engaged in. And to expect her BEST FRIEND (because, let's face it, by this point, she and Kate were, indeed, BFFs) to do something like this? And let's not forget that Kate SAVED her (Jane's) life. Had Kate not intervened, Jane could very well have died from the brutal whipping she received.

I'm not sure that the secret Jane's mom had been hiding played into this request. I just think it was rather, well, DESPICABLE (our favorite word, lol) for Jane to have made such a request of her friend. Maybe Jane felt there was no other choice, though.

Barb: What about Mr. Tinkerer (I can't remember his name and I don't have the book handy!) and his big reveal? I kind of have hopes for him and Jane together but do you think she would give in to her feelings with Mayor Carr's son?

Maria: I also had my hopes up for them, as there does seem to be attraction on both sides. His first name is Gideon, although he's known as "the tinkerer". I liked him a lot. He was the only man in Summerland who treated Jane with respect, plus he obviously admired her. He considered her a very intelligent woman. Furthermore, he was very kind to her, especially when he found out that Jane was being whipped. 

Jane was obviously shocked and surprised when she found out that he was related to Mayor Carr. However, I'm sure she then began to admire him for opposing his father's racist views and brutal methods of controlling African-Americans. So I think a romance could have developed. I certainly hope that Gideon will return in the sequel!

Barb: So we learn that Mr. Redfern was actually doing some good and he even let Jackson go. I knew more was going on with him.

Maria: I'm really happy about this! I didn't like that a Native American was being cast in the role of one of the villains in this novel, but it turned out that he was not really all that bad. This was a very nice surprise! I hope we see more of Mr. Redfern, as I'd like to see him helping "the cause" as much as possible!

Barb: So we've kind of touched on the controversy with this author and her representation of Native Americans. Does this affect your feelings on the book? I understand this is fantasy and alternative history. I read for enjoyment and try not to read too much into things. However, I think what bothers me the most is that Ireland comes across as such an activist, and has apparently brought other authors' actions into question, but has brushed off recent concerns regarding her writing. I have to admit, it does sort of taint my outlook on the book. However, I still want to read the next one. Like I said, it's an enjoyment thing. 

Maria: You know, it really doesn't make sense for Ireland to be such an activist regarding African-Americans, and then to be insensitive toward Native Americans. Prejudice is prejudice, no matter the ethnic group or race. On the other hand, I'm not sure that she has in fact been insensitive toward Native Americans. Yes, she did make Mr. Redfern sound like a villain, but then it turned out that he was actually working "behind the scenes" to help out Jane and her friends. (Although his dislike of Jane really bothers me. I wonder if that was "pretend", too.) 

I really need to do some research on this topic. However, I am already unhappy about the things I mentioned above, so, even if Ireland has in reality portrayed Native Americans fairly and objectively, I am not altogether satisfied with this book.


Well, folks, again, this is our last buddy read update. Just stay tuned for next week's reviews! 

This has been a fun and very enjoyable project that sparked some interesting discussions, and I'm ready to do more buddy reads with Barb in the future, as well as with any other book bloggers who would like to read books along with me! A great BIG THANK YOU to all of you who read and commented on our posts!!  <3  : )


 

What do you all think?

Have we piqued your curiosity

about this book?

Be sure to let us know!

Don't forget to visit Barb's blog

to get her side of the "chat"!

 

Book Blogger Hop No. 129: Picking ONE Favorite Book?

Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop,

hosted by Billy @

Ramblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer!

This Week's Question

Could you ever pick a favorite 

book, or is it like choosing

your favorite child?

(Submitted  by Elizabeth @

Silver's Reviews)

My Answer

I could NEVER in a million years choose ONE book as my all-time favorite, although Jane Eyre does come pretty close! Well, this novel is my favorite CLASSIC, but I do enjoy reading other types of fiction. Therefore, I would have to say that yes, choosing just one favorite book would be much like choosing my favorite child, if I had ever had kids, which, sadly, I never did.....

I am totally excluding nonfiction here. I have several favorites there, as well!

As anyone who has ever visited this blog and read my posts and reviews knows, I'm a VERY eclectic reader. I do stick to genre fiction (otherwise known as popular fiction) on this blog, though, reserving literary fiction and nonfiction for my other blog, MindSpirit Book Journeys, which has been sadly neglected because of lack of time. Within the parameters of genre fiction, though, I definitely have more than one favorite!

My "Big Three", all right up there jostling with each other, are: The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Twilight Saga, by Stephenie Meyer, and the Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling. I need to read The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis, to see whether I can make this a four-series list!

After these books, there are others, such as the Vampire Academy series, by Richelle Mead, (yeah, I LOVE good vamps that don't kill humans!), the River of Time series, by Lisa T. Bergren, Sunshine and Shadow, by the husband and wife team of Sharon and Tom Curtis, Night Magic, by Charlotte Vale Allen, Dansville, by Robin McCorquodale, Tryst, by Elswyth Thane, My Name Is Asher Lev, by Chaim Potok, A Canticle for Leibowtiz, by Walter M. Miller, Jr., The Martian Chronicles and Fahrenheit 451, both by Ray Bradbury, The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Leguin, ALL of the original Sherlock Holmes stories, by Arthur Conan Doyle, the Demon Trappers series, by Jana Oliver, and on and on and on..... You get the idea! Lol. Some of these books are pictured below. Click on the images for the Goodreads or Amazon page.

What are your thoughts on

this topic?

If you're participating in this hop,

I'll go comment on your 

own BBH post.

If not, I will then comment on one 

of your blog posts!

Thanks for visiting!!!  
 

Can't Wait Wednesday No. 61: All The Way, by Kristen Proby

Welcome to "Can't Wait Wednesday"!

This is a weekly event hosted by

Tressa @ Wishful Endings!

This is also where we excited book bloggers showcase future releases we're eagerly anticipating! 
For more information, 
please click HERE.


There's also a Linky widget, so participating blogs can link up!

Here's my choice for this week!

 All The Way

(Romancing Manhattan, Book 1)

Kristen Proby

Trade Paperback, 288 pages

William Morrow Paperbacks

     August 21, 2018        

Contemporary Fiction,

Contemporary Romance

In New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kristen Proby’s brand new Romancing Manhattan series, three brothers get more than they bargain for as they practice law, balance life, and navigate love in and around New York City.

Finn Cavanaugh is known for being a force to be reckoned with in the courtroom. He owns a successful law firm with his brother and brother-in-law in Manhattan. On the rare occasion that he has down time, he spends it at his home in Martha’s Vineyard. But when Finn’s troubled niece goes to stay with him for the summer in Martha’s Vineyard, he’s reluctant to take time off from work. That is, until he meets his beautiful new neighbor, London.

London Watson is a Tony Award winning actress on Broadway. When tragedy strikes her family, leaving her alone and injured, she flees Manhattan for Martha’s Vineyard. Hoping she can figure out how to pick up the pieces of her life, London is convinced that she’ll never be able to return to the stage. But when she meets the charming young girl next door and her sexy uncle, they soon lure London out of her shell as she finally begins to heal from the wounds of her past.

But when London feels confident enough to return to the spotlight, she’s dealt another devastating blow. Will the newfound love between London and Finn be enough to conquer all? Or will it be over before it has a chance to grow…? 

 

Why I can't wait for this one!

I have a really soft spot for romances set in New York City, so this one was a no-brainer for me!  Besides, I really like that cover.  All that blue sky above, and the good-looking guy towards the bottom of the image.....I'm sold!! 

Kristen was born and raised in a small resort town in her beloved Montana. In her mid-twenties, she decided to stretch her wings and move to the Pacific Northwest, where she made her home for more than a dozen years.

During that time, Kristen wrote many romance novels and joined organizations such as RWA and other small writing groups. She spent countless hours in workshops, and more mornings than she can count up before the dawn so she could write before going to work. She submitted many manuscripts to agents and editors alike, but was always told no. In the summer of 2012, the self-publishing scene was new and thriving, and Kristen had one goal: to publish just one book. It was something she longed to cross off of her bucket list.

Not only did she publish one book, she’s since published close to thirty titles, many of which have hit the USA Today, New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists. She continues to self publish, best known for her With Me In Seattle and Boudreaux series, and is also proud to work with William Morrow, a division of HarperCollins, with the Fusion Series.

Kristen and her husband, John, make their home in her hometown of Whitefish, Montana with their two pugs and two cats. 

Website/Goodreads/Facebook
Twitter
Amazon Author Page

What do you think of my
choice this week? 
Please leave a comment and
let me know!