Victoria by Daisy Goodwin was a very easy read. It portrays only a small snapshot of Victoria's life within a 2-3 year span, from the time she took the throne to the moment of her engagement to Albert. I enjoyed the book for the historical aspect. I knew very little about Queen Victoria before reading this book, and was glad to read that such an independent and "saucy" young woman was Queen of England. Goodwin's writing of the piano duet between Victoria and Albert was positively electric, and conveyed their mutual attraction to one another. Overall, I enjoyed this book. I don't think it will be considered a classic retelling of Queen Victoria due to the limited time span of her life that it covers, but I did enjoy it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. It took a few chapters for me to get in sync with the pace of the story and slow character development, but i love Faber's writing style and unique description of events and things and "people" (or "Jesus lovers") around him. This was such a unique story with a unique delivery to the reader (for example, the use of special characters when denoting the Jesus lovers' special language). This would be a very interesting book for a book group - it would prompt unique discussions from various view points, specifically right/wrong, good/evil and the varying shades of human morality. This was a truly wonderful read. Enjoy!

This was a fairly interesting read, since the novel was based on historical characters and events. Historical fiction/nonfiction is my favorite genre so I was excited to get this book started. Overall an interesting read, which seems to pick up steam and energy toward the end. My pet peeve: short chapters make the book "choppy", which upsets the flow of the novel and makes character development more difficult. I enjoyed the time period (1610). This book could have been much shorter than 500 pages.

I absolutely loved this book. From the first chapter I was hooked on Reeve, and when I wasn't reading about her I worried about what was happening to her and the other girls in the story! I loved the main character (Reeve) and found her story very compelling. She is an intelligent women, wounded by past events but has overcome to be one tough broad - my favorite type of female protagonist. Book clubs will love this novel, because there are so many layers that the discussions will be very interesting. This book probably isn't appropriate for younger readers due to adult content but any adult who loves mysteries and thrillers will enjoy this great read.

17-18th century England is one of my favorite eras in history, so I enjoy reading books from that time period from many different genres (mystery, fiction, biography, etc.). Needless to say, I was very excited to get a chance to review this mystery. My excitement was short lived, however, as the first part of this novel was very slow. The character development seemed deliberate, like the author was following a formula, instead of allowing development in their own time within the story.

The mystery was predictable and contrite. When I got to the end of this novel, I walked away feeling like a chore had been accomplished rather than a fantasy fulfilled.

I requested an Advanced copy of this book because I love Historical Fiction, and the synopsis sounded fresh and interesting. I was frustrated at the slow pace of the character development and tired very quickly of Lea's "my father/husband know what's best for me" defense. I realize this took place in the past when women were more submissive and less educated than men but Lea prides herself on being an ethnologist like her father and yet she can't put 2 and 2 together to figure out why she's not getting pregnant? The best part of the book lay in the description of the setting including landscape, weather, and time. I liked Bibi and felt like she was the most genuine character in the novel. I enjoyed learning about the superstitions and beliefs of the Native American people. Overall, an interesting concept but average effort.

I sincerely enjoyed this debut novel by M.L. Stedman. A childless couple living on a remote island find a crying infant in the arms of her dead father. The novel becomes a struggle not between good and evil, but something much harder to clarify and define - like two varying shades of gray that deepened as the story developed. I loved Tom and his staunch refusal to pretend that his actions (and Isabel's) did not have consequences - at least for someone. I enjoyed the imagery of Janus as well. This is one of the best debut novels I've read in a long time and appreciated how the novel forced me to reflect what my own actions would have been in similar circumstances.

This book was average - on every level and in every aspect. My idea of a good book is this: I think about it when I'm not reading it, and I reflect on it for months (and sometimes years) after I've read it. I did neither of these. I found Tess very shallow - she seemed to fall very quickly for two men that she spent literally MINUTES with, and thoughts of these two men that she barely knew seemed to consume her like an immature schoolgirl with a senseless crush. While I did appreciate her independent streak with Lucille (whom I grew to abhor in record time), her rebellious attitude toward not wanting to be a "slave" to Lucille was undermined by her irrational fixation on men. It wore on my nerves that on one hand she was a women who knew what she wanted, but then she could never make a decision about men unless an event happened to make the decision for her. I have loved anything and everything Titanic since I was a teen, but this predictable novel was boring and a mediocre attempt at entertainment.