9/24/2016 0 Comments Love, Lust, Loyalty, Betrayal – The Accidental Empress Isn’t Your Typical Fairy TaleWhen I read Allison Pataki’s debut novel, The Traitor’s Wife, I became an immediate fan. I couldn’t get enough! I finished that book and could not wait for the next one. I tweeted and posted about it endlessly (I’m sure that my friends and family thought I had lost my mind!) I started following Allison on Facebook and Twitter. I set up a Google alert so I would know as soon as she made it public what her next book was going to be about. When she started teasing about the subject matter, I was giddy with excitement! I started Googling Empress Sisi and was immediately drawn in to her story! I could not wait to read Allison’s take on this very dramatic story. I was also a little nervous. Allison’s first novel was so compelling, how could she top it? It is so unlikely for lightning to strike twice! Happily, my fears were completely unfounded. The Accidental Empress is captivating, grabbing you from the first word to the last. I absolutely could not put it down. I should have known better - Allison Pataki is an inspired storyteller and has a way of writing that pulls you into her world and makes you never want to leave it. As a young girl of 15, Elizabeth (or Sisi, as she was called), travelled with her sister Helene from Germany to Austria to meet their cousin, Emperor Franz Josef, to whom Helene was betrothed. It was an arranged marriage, and Franz Josef and Helene were ill at ease with each other. However, once Franz Josef met Sisi, he fell madly in love with her. He informed his mother that he would marry Sisi, or he would not marry at all. His mother, the domineering Princess Sophie of Bavaria, reluctantly agreed, and they were married within the year. So begins the complicated story of Sisi’s life as Empress of Austria. Against the glamourous background of the Habsburg court, we find a story of a young girl thrust into a position that she didn’t ask for and didn’t really want. She is emotionally tortured by her mother-in-law (who I wanted to punch in the face more than a few times) and suffers more than her fair share of tragic events, but she is a survivor and perseveres. This book is so good! I was actually sad when it was over, and I am currently suffering the symptoms of a book hangover: the struggle a person goes through trying to reconnect with reality after finishing an AMAZING book. The characters were extraordinarily well developed and researched. The notes that Allison Pataki included at the end of the book separate the fact from the fiction and help us to understand an empire with which we may not be familiar. She is also gentle in her storytelling, bringing the stories to life but she doesn’t take the easy way out by indulging in graphic violence or descriptions of intimacy. She takes her time and coaxes you into the story, making you care about her characters and being protective of them. When Allison revealed the cover art for The Accidental Empress, she ran a contest. She challenged her followers to post the cover of the book as their profile page for 10 days. Those who did were entered to win an autographed copy of the book, and I was so excited the day I learned that I was one of the 10 winners! Next, Allison started recruiting fans to join her book launch team to help publicize the book, and of course I was one of the first to volunteer! I was already preaching the wonderfulness that is Allison Pataki’s writing, so it seemed like a natural thing to do. I was proud to be on her team, and I wholeheartedly told everyone who would listen that they HAD to read this book. I am currently suffering the symptoms of a book hangover: the struggle a person goes through trying to reconnect with reality after finishing an AMAZING book. I give The Accidental Empress 2 enthusiastic thumbs up, 5 stars, a 10 out of 10. I cannot recommend this book highly enough! Now excuse me, I think I’m going to go read it again…
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9/17/2016 0 Comments Gooseberry IslandGooseberry Island is a compelling story of modern love in the midst of a war, and the unique challenges that come along with loving a good person who is coping with PTSD. Lindsey and David met on the eve of his deployment as an Army Ranger to the war torn landscape of Afghanistan. They spent an entire night on a beach bench together, talking, watching the stars, dreaming of the future, falling in love. The next day, David was on a transport heading off to war. They keep in touch by Skype and email, luxuries afforded to modern day warriors. However, modern warfare is not all that different from wars gone by. David experiences things that change him at his core. Where there was once optimism, there is now depression; panic has replaced his relaxed, easy going nature. His body may be back stateside, but his mind and emotions are still fighting what seems to be a never-ending battle. Lindsey finds David’s issues all too familiar, having dealt with the PTSD of her own father, himself a war veteran. She is unsure if she wants to willingly take on the challenges that will come along with being in a relationship with David, even though she is sure that he is her soulmate. Steven Manchester has woven an intricate tale describing the horrors of war juxtaposed against the idyllic setting of the small New England town of Gooseberry Island. I became a fan of Steven’s writing with his last book, Pressed Pennies, and with Gooseberry Island, my admiration for his writing has only grown. He is a masterful storyteller with a singular ability to bring people and places to life, regardless of whether the subject is familiar to the reader or completely foreign. This book is yet another triumph for Steven Manchester, who is quickly taking his well-deserved place amongst the best contemporary authors of today. I whole-heartedly recommend this book! This review was written based on a copy of Gooseberry Island that I received from the author in exchange for an honest review. |
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