Oh, the glory of it all!

Yep I got more awards and I'm not gonna lie, I am loving it!

I have been awarded the Zombie Chicken Award by Bev from Merry Weather and Smash from Great Books and Fresh Coffee. Both girls are absolutely wonderful and I love their blogs. If there is still such a person that hasn't visited their blogs, it must be done!

Here's what the award's all about:

"The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken - excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all..."

Now, I wouldn't want to even consider knowing what the wrath of zombie chickens is, therefore I am bestowing this award on five awesome bloggers and their blogs:

1. Dani from Reading is like breathing...it must be done (don't you just love the blog name?)

2. Cecilia from the epic rat (this girl is crazy and the award quite suiting)

3. Molly from my cozy book nook (her posts are always so thorough and interesting, it's a pleasure to read them)

4. Softdrink from Fizzy Thoughts (she is too ridiculously funny to not get this particular award)

5. Diane from Bibliophile by the Sea (she always reads such great books, I honestly don't know how she has so much luck)

And if that wasn't enough, Blodeuedd from Book girl of Mur-y-Castell gave me the Proximidade Award. I could not thank her enough, she is a great blogger and of course, so is her blog.

"This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this clever-written text into the body of their award."

Since I have already been deemed worthy of this award, not once but twice, I did give this award to eight blogger and that list still holds.

Donna Lea Simpson - interview

As promised two days ago, I give you a short interview with Donna Lea Simpson, the author of Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark. I hope you'll enjoy reading the interview and maybe even consider reading the book (that is, if my review didn't do the job :-) ).

Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark (Sourcebooks Casablanca – April 2009)
By: Donna Lea Simpson

RE: Lady Anne is quite a character. Did you have anyone specific in mind while creating Anne or did she just take on a life of her own?

DLS: Oddly enough, I was lately reminded of a character from one of my own Regency stories, a spinster named Ariadne Lambert. Ariadne, like Anne, was intelligent, nosy and stubborn. She was also passionate and headstrong. Anne is all those things, as well as independently wealthy (which made her more free to do what she wants) and titled.
I’ve always had a soft spot for heroines who knew their own mind, had indomitable wills, but had a softer, passionate side that only the hero can bring out. Lady Anne sprang almost fully formed into being, and I think she is the very essence of the heroine I always wanted to create!

RE: Do you have any authors that you absolutely love and have any of them had any influence on you writing style?

DLS: Jane Austen inspired me to read Regency romances. Among Regency and historical romance writers, I learned so much from Mary Balogh, Jo Beverley, and Mary Jo Putney. Stephanie Barron is brilliant!
But I have always read widely from authors from the time period, too: Maria Edgeworth, Sir Walter Scott, Charlotte Bronte. I think it is that blend of period writers and modern historical writers that helped me form my style!

RE: Are there going to be more adventures of Lady Anne and Lord Darkefell?

DLS: Oh yes! Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark, is followed by Lady Anne and the Ghost’s Revenge, (Sourcebooks Casablanca – August 2009) a tale of smugglers and murder on the Cornish coast, and then Lady Anne and the Gypsy Curse, set in Kent, Lady Anne’s home county. Lord Darkefell, of course, follows her around the country, determined to make her take his offer of marriage seriously while they investigate murder and mayhem together!

RE: Your deep interest and knowledge of historical England are quite apparent in Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark. Are there other countries whose history you're interested in and would like to use for your next novels?

DLS: I love writing about England, of course, and I have begun to get interested in England of the 1300s, a fascinating time period, but I am enthralled by Germany, and have been since taking a German culture course several years ago. It’s the perfect setting for Gothic tales; I think the Teutonic character, with undertones of melancholy (think The Sorrows of Young Werther) is ripe for historic romance. I used it in my last series of paranormal novels, the ‘Awaiting’ series. Interestingly enough, the royal houses of England and Germany have been, historically, closely tied until the events of the First and Second World Wars changed public perception of Germany, and the English monarch distanced themselves.
I’ve recently done some research on Belgium, a gallant little country I find fascinating. Through much of history what we now know as Belgium was tossed back and forth among the Netherlands, France, Germany… anyone who wanted to use it as a pawn. I am setting my fourth ‘Awaiting’ novel there, in the middle of the French invasion of 1795!

Thank you for such interesting questions… I’ve enjoyed answering them. If anyone is interested in learning more about the Georgian Era in England, (or my Lady Anne series of novels) I have a page devoted to it on my new website, http://www.donnaleasimpson.com/

Donna, thank you for making an effort to answer my questions. I really appreciate that and I can't wait to be reading more adventures of Lady Anne!

'Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark' by Donna Lea Simpson

I have to come right out and say that I did not use to consider myself a die-hard fan of romance novels. I did devour them when I was a teenager but then the real life happened and a happily-ever-after romance lost its appeal to me. I therefore approached Donna Lea Simpson’s Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark with a mixture of anxiety and skepticism. After reading it I can safely say that I am back on the bandwagon.
Lady Anne is visiting her lifelong friend Lydia at her husband’s family estate in 18th century Yorkshire. Anne arrives there upon Lydia’s strange and a bit frightening request. Apparently, there are rumors of a werewolf scavenging the lands of Darkfell Castle and Lydia’s fresh marriage to Lord John Darkfell gets slightly worrisome as well. After her arrival, Anne stumbles upon a vicious murder and realizes that her stay will be much more complicated than she bargained for. Especially that she has to deal with frustratingly stubborn Lord Darkfell, Lydia’s brother-in-law., who also happens to have an unfamiliar in its immensity pull on Anne.
I have to say that I really enjoyed Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark. It is a mixture of mystery, romance and historical fiction. Lady Anne is a feisty character, not easily overshadowed by others. She tends to be a little bit of a pest in her relentless search for the truth behind the murder, but Ms. Simpson makes sure that her heroine is a charming and funny pest that I couldn’t help but like.
The romance plot is surprisingly subtle. I appreciated the way Ms. Simpson engaged in developing this part of the story. There was nothing forceful or distasteful about it. Rather, the usual elements of romance like passion, attraction and finally love, smoothly and with ease find their way in to the forefront of the novel.
The best part of Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark in my opinion is the ‘whodunit’ plot. The investigation, the mystery and the air of suspense were presented with clear talent for writing mysteries on Donna Lea Simpson’s part. I was kept guessing to the very end, even though I tried my hardest to figure out who the murderer is.
This book is definitely a great read for the approaching summer. It is light and very entertaining, with a healthy dose of humor (which I think is very important) and an endearing heroine, with whom I think many women can easily identify.

Favorite quote:

“One can never be more sure of sensible conversation than when one talks to oneself.”

******

Special Thanks to Danielle J. from Sourcebooks for providing me with a copy of this book.

Don't forget to visit Donna's blog for more news about Lady Anne and other musings.

Last note, I promise: Come back on Friday to read a short but really awesome interview with Donna.

'Stakes & Stilettos' by Michelle Rowen

Since I started reading romance fiction I have realized that there truly is an abundance of different sub-genres within the romance category. And I have also been lucky to read romances that I really like. Every time I read one, I exclaim at the end, “That’s my favorite!”. I indulge myself in the hot, steamy ones and I love them but then I read a book like Stakes & Stilettos by Michelle Rowen which is the opposite of hot and steamy, and I love it too! Go figure.

Stakes & Stilettos is a paranormal romance. The heroine, Sarah Dearly, is a new vamp on the block with an honor of having drunk the blood of not one but two master vampires. She really wants to be a normal vampire girl, lead a love-filled life with her 600-year-old boyfriend Thierry, find a job that’ll allow her to be financially independent, and besides the fact that she is now immortal, be the cute, happy-go-lucky girl she’s always been. You know, it’s pretty much the regular, realistic dreams we girls have at some point in our lives. Unfortunately, all these plans will have to be put on hold when it turns out Sarah inadvertently made an enemy in high-school. This enemy is now an evil witch with a vengeance. And she is really bent on hurting Sarah, so much so that she turns her into a nightwalker, the most evil of the evil vampires that used to be blood-thirsty (pun intended), cold and ruthless killers. Oh, and there’s also the mysterious, Zorro-like vampire, who calls himself Red Devil, is a legend among vampires and seems to be saving Sarah’s life time and again. We soon find out that there’s a catch to it as well.

I absolutely adored Sarah Dearly. As her name implies, she really is a darling. She is very funny, sometimes quirky, a girl I would want to be my friend. All and all, Sarah is a vampire-next-door type of girl. She is also devoted to Thierry, despite the fact that others find him detached, cold and over-protective. The romance between the two is actually very tasteful (oh, those vampire puns), no overly hot sex scenes here, but that makes the book so much more relatable and just right. Ms. Rowen really knows how to balance the romance, the paranormal and the mystery elements. Not to mention, she is quite skilled at making readers laugh. Stakes & Stilettos is, in my opinion, a perfect romance book to entertain a reader at any time of the day. It’s light, funny, with endearing characters and a just-right touch of mystery.

******

Special Thanks to Hachette Book Group for providing me with a copy of this book.

Makes sure you visit Michelle Rowen's website for more paranormal fun.

CHALLENGES: 100+ Reading Challenge

'King's Fool' by Margaret Campbell Barnes

Many books have been written about the Tudor England, especially about Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, but King's Fool is a special one. I write 'special' because it is written from the perspective of Will Somers, the Court Jester. The story starts with young Will leaving his widowed father to work for his uncle. It soon becomes clear that Will is a clever young man, who may not have much skill in farming but soon, through his wit and talent for clever jokes, finds favor with King Henry. And so the real story of the King's Fool begins. He lives through Henry's six marriages, witnesses the cruelties, harsh politics and injustices performed during the Tudor king's reign. He also becomes the most constant companion of Henry's and a confidant of young Princess Mary.
King's Fool is a wonderful book. It has everything a historical fiction should have. Ms. Barnes introduces us, in a very skilled and convincing way, to the whirl of the court life, the intrigue, all the dangerous scheming, and to England in the midst of religious and political change of never before known proportions: the separation of the country from the Catholic Church and Pope. With Henry's six marriages, two of them ending in the wives' beheading, the book reads like a first class action novel despite the fact that King Henry VIII's life is no mystery.
Probably the best part of the book is that Will Somers is really no fool. His life is no easy one and he really has to be a skilled diplomat in order to survive the intrigues others paid for with their lives. Many times he finds himself balancing on a thin rope but he, the court jester, of all people survives. I think the main reason for this is that Will has a compassionate heart and his judgement of character is not clouded by the need to entertain the court and the King at all costs.
Thanks to Ms.Barnes, we see the King's fool, not as an accessory, a mere clown, but as a loving, non-judgemental human being, who has his share of misery and misfortune. He is loved by King Henry VIII, princess Mary and his wife Joanna because they see in him a true and pure heart, and not simply a jester, who provides fun at the cost of other people's mishaps.

******

Special Thanks to Danielle J. from Sourcebooks for providing me with a copy of this book.