Happy International Women's Day!

Check out the article I posted over at my history blog, A Brave Heart. A primary source analysis I wrote in 2007 of a medieval man's "instructions" to his young wife. You can read it HERE.

HFVBT: Brandy Purdy's The Boleyn Bride - Review and {Giveaway} #BoleynBrideTour

My thoughts
Just when we thought we knew all there was to know about the Tudors and the families who brushed elbows with them, Brandy Purdy comes out with The Boleyn Bride, which brings us the life of Elizabeth Howard who became Elizabeth Boleyn, mother of the infamous Anne Boleyn. And what a tale she weaves.

Elizabeth is portrayed here as a vain and promiscuous woman and yet, one cannot help but root for her. Thrust into a life and marriage she did not want and forced to accept her fate demurely and obediently, which was what was expected of women of the time, she nonetheless goes after what she wants in her own way and lives the life she wants to live, albeit in secret. By this, I mean the taking of many lovers which surprisingly, in this tale, did not include king Henry VIII which has always been rumored in the annals of history. Her chief reason for not taking king Henry to her bed is what makes her an admirable character in my eyes. Despite her faults, she is capable of good and, in the end, she admits to the guilt of her hand in the demise of her precious son and daughter, George and Anne.

It has been some time since I've been so captivated by a Tudor based historical novel. I have to admit to being somewhat burned out by the over saturation of the Tudors since the cable television series brought them to the mainstream and the forefront of people's minds. However, The Boleyn Bride has renewed my interest. This book was truly an unputdownable read for me. I highly recommend it.

About the book
Publication Date: February 25, 2014
Kensington Publishing
Paperback; 272p
ISBN-10: 0758273363

From carefree young woman to disillusioned bride, the dazzling lady who would become mother and grandmother to two of history’s most infamous queens, has a fascinating story all her own…

At sixteen, Elizabeth Howard envisions a glorious life for herself as lady-in-waiting to the future queen, Catherine of Aragon. But when she is forced to marry Thomas Boleyn, a wealthy commoner, Elizabeth is left to stagnate in the countryside while her detested husband pursues his ambitions. There, she raises golden girl Mary, moody George, and ugly duckling Anne–while staving off boredom with a string of admirers. Until Henry VIII takes the throne…

When Thomas finally brings his highborn wife to London, Elizabeth indulges in lavish diversions and dalliances–and catches the lusty king’s eye. But those who enjoy Henry’s fickle favor must also guard against his wrath. For while her husband’s machinations bring Elizabeth and her children to the pinnacle of power, the distance to the scaffold is but a short one–and the Boleyn family’s fortune may be turning.

Praise for the novels of Brandy Purdy
“Recommended for readers who can’t get enough of the Tudors and have devoured all of Philippa Gregory’s books.” –Library Journal on The Boleyn Wife

“Purdy wonderfully reimagines the behind-the-scenes lives of the two sisters.” –Historical Novel Reviews on The Tudor Throne

Buy the Book
Amazon (eBook)
Amazon (Paperback)
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository
Bookish.com
Books-a-Million
Google Play
IndieBound
iTunes
Kobo
Target

About the Author
Brandy Purdy (Emily Purdy in the UK) is the author of the historical novels THE CONFESSION OF PIERS GAVESTON, THE BOLEYN WIFE (THE TUDOR WIFE), THE TUDOR THRONE (MARY & ELIZABETH), THE QUEEN’S PLEASURE (A COURT AFFAIR), and THE QUEEN’S RIVALS (THE FALLEN QUEEN). An ardent book lover since early childhood, she first became interested in history at the age of nine or ten years old when she read a book of ghost stories which contained a chapter about Anne Boleyn haunting the Tower of London. Visit her website at www.brandypurdy.com, you can also follow her, and her cat Tabby, via her blog at http://brandypurdy.blogspot.com where she posts updates about her work and weekly book reviews.

Visit other blogs on the tour--Tour Schedule
Twitter Hashtag: #BoleynBrideTour

Follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter form below to enter for a chance at one of two paperback copies of The Boleyn Bride by Brandy Purdy! (Open to U.S. only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A copy of this book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for providing it. 

Cat Thursday -- Mom guilt, take 2...and the cat needs to brush his teeth

Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! (share your post in the Mr. Linky below)

Well, another week has passed and we still have not celebrated the cats' birthdays. Terrible! Oh the guilt... Still not giving up on the idea though. haha!

He is not amused...

Now this is an idea!

Video: Parole de chat
Images source: lolcats   

Mister Linky's Magical Widgets -- Easy-Linky widget will appear right here!
This preview will disappear when the widget is displayed on your site.
For best results, use HTML mode to edit this section of the post.

Racehl L. Demeter's The Frost of Springtime - Book Blast and {Giveaway}

The recent release of The Frost of Springtime, by debut author Rachel L. Demeter, transports readers to the war torn streets of nineteenth century Paris. Driven by paradoxical characters, steamy encounters, and a compelling storyline, it's a bittersweet tale of revolution, redemption, and the healing power of love. Described as "poignant," emotionally devastating,” and “beautiful," The Frost of Springtime is sure to please historical and romance readers alike. Available now in both eBook and paperback. Currently Amazon Prime members can read the Kindle edition for free!

Publication Date: February 14, 2014
Black Lyon Publishing
Formats: Paperback, Kindle eBook

Genre: Historical Romance/Historical Fiction

To rescue her was to rescue his own soul.

On a cold Parisian night, Vicomte Aleksender de Lefèvre forges an everlasting bond with a broken girl during her darkest hour, rescuing her from a life of abuse and misery. Tormented by his own demons, he finds his first bit of solace in sheltering little Sofia Rose.

But when Aleksender is drawn away by the Franco-Prussian war, the seasons pass. And in that long year, Sofia matures into a stunning young woman—a dancer with an understanding of devotion and redemption far surpassing her age.

Alongside his closest friend, Aleksender returns home to find that “home” is gone, replaced by revolution, bloodshed, betrayal—and a love always out of reach. Scarred inside and out, he’s thrust into a world of sensuality and violence—a world in which all his hours have now grown dark, and where only Sofia might bring an end to the winter in his heart.

Inspired by the 1871 Paris Commune, The Frost of Springtime is a poignant tale of revolution, redemption, and the healing power of love.

Read an Excerpt

The heat of their bodies mingled as one. With each breath, Aleksender drank in the sweet essence of his beloved ward. His mind swam with unorthodox visions and desires. He inclined his head, lost to the power of her nearness, entranced by everything that was Sofia.

“Alek, my Alek …”

Each word infused Aleksender with a delicious and undeniable warmth. Intoxicated by roses and wintertime, he found it difficult to speak, difficult to think. Breathless, he swallowed and met the haunting depths of her eyes.

“Please,” she dreamily murmured, “I want you to kiss me again…”

READ SAMPLE PROLOGUE & FIRST TWO CHAPTERS ON GOODREADS.

Watch the Book Trailer



Praise for The Frost of Springtime

“I am astonished at this being Rachel L. Demeter’s debut work, for in form and style, it is very much a tour de force. A riveting story of love and courage in the aftermath of a brutal war, the author brilliantly juxtaposes the hazing splendor of French nobility and the impassioned elegance of two people in love, despite all the world’s oppositions. The title is, in a sense, a representation of change: the beginning of a new spring with La Belle Époque and the transition into a new era, for the world and our protagonists. The wistful loveliness of the setting paints a picture of a crying France, blending in with the dynamic romance perfectly. Or rather, it does not merely blend in the background as much as glitters like the brightest jewel, shining with a vibrancy that makes one want to relieve the halcyon days of grand old Paris. I was captivated by the setting, the lush writing of Rachel L. Demeter, and the subtle expressiveness of the characters, which all compelled me to research more of the historical background, of the 1871 Paris Commune, through which this story is made more infinitely dearer.” – Buried Under Romance

“We are in awe. The Frost of Springtime is a MUST HAVE! Despite that we loved the true facts, we fell instantly in love with the story. It was dark, emotionally devastating, and sensual. The innocence between the two main characters was beautiful and their love grew so strong throughout the story with such grace. One of us even cried while reading The Frost of Springtime. We loved the cover, we loved the writing style, and we adored the characters. We fell in love, really hard." – Divas Book Blog

“This novel is intricately detailed and wonderfully written! Opening with a heartbreaking scene, I was immediately drawn to the story of Aleksender and his Sofia. Of course, as the story moved on, other enchanting characters helped to make this poignant book complete. The author has blended historical facts with fiction skillfully, and presented several narratives flawlessly. It’s beautiful! I loved it!” – Romancebookworm’s Reviews

“I absolutely love this book. The Frost of Springtime shows how love and tragedy go hand in hand and that love can actually be more powerful than anything. I have found that most books do not hit this point right on the nail like this one does. It’s a Historical Romance and let me just tell you this is one book I couldn’t put down.” – Magic Within The Pages

“WOW!! The Frost of Springtime is a powerful, epic love story unlike anything I’ve ever read before. The emotional and visual/sensory depth is astounding. I felt Aleksender and Sofia’s connection from beginning to end. Aleksender’s path to healing was at times breathtaking and heartbreaking. This is a hero who loves his woman with every last breath, every fiber of his being… and there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for her. AMAZING cast of secondary characters as well… a 'villain' who actually leaves you morally torn! Beautifully written (loved the vivid imagery and descriptions!), dark, unusual, rich with history, epic scope, and a soul deep love that only comes once in a lifetime… Brava!!!” – Sivonna, an advanced reader

Buy the Book

Amazon (Kindle eBook) *Amazon Prime members can read the kindle edition for free!
Amazon (Paperback)
Barnes & Noble
Black Lyon Publishing

About the Author

Rachel L. Demeter lives in the beautiful hills of Anaheim, California with Teddy, her goofy lowland sheepdog, and high school sweetheart of ten years. She enjoys writing dark, edgy romances that challenge the reader’s emotions and examine the redeeming power of love. Imagining stories and characters has been Rachel’s passion for longer than she can remember. Before learning how to read or write, she would dictate stories while her mom would jot them down for her. She has a special affinity for the tortured hero and unconventional romances.

Whether sculpting the protagonist or antagonist, she always ensures that every character is given a soul. Rachel strives to intricately blend elements of romance, suspense, and horror. Some common themes her stories never stray too far from: forbidden romance, soul mates, the power of love to redeem, mend all wounds, and triumph over darkness.

Her dream is to move readers and leave an emotional impact through her words.



Author Links

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Google+
Goodreads
Pinterest
LinkedIn
YouTube

SIGN UP FOR RACHEL L. DEMETER'S NEWSLETTER.

Book Blast Schedule

Monday, March 3
HF Book Muse-News
Read More Romance
A Bibliotaph's Reviews
Oh, for the Hook of a Book
Romance Reviews by Alice
Good Books and Good Coffee

Tuesday, March 4
Diva's Book Blog
Room With Books
LovLivLife Reviews
Perusing Princesses
The Maiden's Court
Book Lovers Paradise
Flashlight Commentary

Wednesday, March 5
The True Book Addict
Curling Up By the Fire
Buried Under Romance
A Blog Hop Place for Books
Svetlana's Reads and Views
History From a Woman's Perspective

Thursday, March 6
Bibliophilia, Please
One Book at a Time
Susan Heim on Writing
Just One More Chapter
Romantic Historical Lovers
Blushing Divas Book Reviews
Devilishly Delicious Book Blog

Friday, March 7
I Read Indie
A Bookish Libraria
Historical Tapestry
Literary Chanteuse
CelticLady's Reviews
Magic Within the Pages
Confessions of an Avid Reader

Saturday, March 8
Book Nerd
MIBookshelf
Mina's Bookshelf
Between the Pages
Historical Fiction Obsession
Caffeinated Bookworm Reviews

Sunday, March 9
Rookie Romance 
A Dirty Book Affair
Passages to the Past
Caroline Wilson Writes
Book Obsessed Chicks
Love Romance Passion
Peeking Between the Pages

Giveaways

To enter to win one of the following prizes, please complete the Rafflecopter form below.

2 - Kindle Ebooks of THE FROST OF SPRINGTIME (open internationally)
1 - Signed Paperback of THE FROST OF SPRINGTIME (open to US residents only)
1 - $15 Amazon Gift Card (open to US residents only)

Giveaway will run from March 3-9. You must be 18 or older to enter.
Winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter on March 10 and notifiied via email.
Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

a Rafflecoptergiveaway

A Reading Life (28)

Has it really been a month since my last Reading Life post? Wow! Guess that harkens to a very busy February. I now have three clients of my own for my virtual assistant job, plus another I do work for and I'm now virtual assistant for historical fiction author, Rebecca Hazell. Also, big news (if you missed my post from yesterday)...I purchased my domain so now this blog's address is www.truebookaddict.com  Yay!

Listening To: I finally finished A Clash of Kings. Really loved it! Now I'm listening to The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian.

Books finished:
A Clash of Kings, George R.R. Martin
Take Charge of Your Life, William Glasser, MD
I Am Abraham, Jerome Charyn
Run with the Wolves, T.C. Tombs
Judas the Apostle, Van R. Mayhall Jr.

Reading: 
Outlander, Diana Gabaldon (TuesBookTalk)
Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides (Read-a-long at Unputdownables)
The Gendarme, Mark Mustian

Coming Up:  
Doctor Zhivago, Boris Pasternak 
Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys--My Classics Club Spin selection
The Light Between Oceans, M.L. Stedman
For review:
The Boleyn Bride, Brandy Purdy
The Grip of God, Rebecca Hazell

Watching: As I'm typing this, I'm watching Bates Motel. Love this show! Who would have thought little Freddie Highmore would end up being Norman Bates. haha! Watched Those Who Kill before this (with Chloe Sevigny ). Another great new show. Ripper Street is back on BBC America and the news is that it has not been cancelled over in the UK so that means more seasons to come. Yay! Vikings started back last week (the only legitimate historical programming on History Channel...shame on them) and Hannibal. Gah...will I ever get any reading done?! Oh, and did everyone enjoy the OSCARS as much as I did? Ellen really made it fun and I was thrilled that Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey won in their respective categories. Also, Cate Blanchett was phenomenal in Blue Jasmine--her win was well deserved--and though I haven't seen it yet, I was glad that Twelve Years a Slave won best picture.

Making: I am on the tour for the new Six Sisters' Stuff cookbook in April and I've already made two of the recipes. I won't go into that now because I want to save it for my review, but I will say that their cookbooks and website are quickly becoming my go-to for my home cooking. Tonight I made brownies from scratch and they turned out pretty good. I'll have to make them again. Also, you may or may not have heard of it, but there's a recipe around the internet for a dip called Crack dip. I know, I know. Terrible name. But seriously, it is really good and it is hard to stop eating it...thus, the name. lol Here's the recipe.

Grateful for: Monday and Tuesday being snow days. No school means no driving for me and less rushing around. I needed it.

Looking forward to: my monthly library sale this weekend!

Books I received or purchased: 

For review: 
Grist, Linda Little

Goodwill:
Mr. Peanut, Adam Ross
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, Heidi W. Durrow
Insatiable, Meg Cabot

Library Sale:
The Queen's Handmaiden, Jennifer Ashley
Bliss to You, Dean Koontz
Beautiful Ruins, Jess Walter
The Promises She Keeps, Erin Healy
The Girl in the Green Sweater, Krystyna Chiger, Daniel Paisner

What's going on in your reading life?

Quick Housekeeping Note

I wanted to apologize to my readers. If you subscribe via email, you may have missed a couple of posts last week. I recently purchased my domain (Woot!) and my blog address is now www.truebookaddict.com  Problem is, I didn't realize that my feed changed and I needed to update it in MailChimp. It's all fixed now (I hope) so hopefully you will see a message in your inbox this morning. Thanks for your patience and for being a part of this blog's readers. I appreciate you more than I can express in words.

Review: Judas the Apostle by Van R. Mayhall Jr.

My thoughts
The premise of Judas the Apostle is intriguing. Did Judas Iscariot have different intentions than what is traditionally known in the Bible, and is there evidence of this in an earlier Gospel? I have to admit to being fascinated by these kinds of stories. I always find myself wondering, "what do we really know about history and the Bible?" These kinds of novels give insight into what could be...opening our minds to new or different possibilities. A thriller in the vein of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, this book could have been more heavy on suspense, but instead was a bit heavy on words. Too much description of every day actions like what they're eating, etc. However, in all, Judas the Apostle is a respectable entry in the vein of biblical thriller. I think books with this type of ideology are important to get us thinking and questioning what is commonly known.

About the book
Title: Judas the Apostle
Genre: Historical Suspense Thriller
Author: Van R. Mayhall Jr.
Publisher: iUniverse
Pages: 300
Language: English

Ancient language expert Dr. Clotile Lejeune is happily living a quiet life in Seattle when her world is profoundly shaken. After she learns that her estranged father has been murdered, Cloe must travel with her soldier son, J. E., back to her Louisiana hometown to unlock the mysteries of a two-thousand-year-old oil jar her father has left her—a jar inscribed with the name Judas Iscariot. Anxious to find her father’s killer and dispel her own personal demons, Cloe has no idea that what she is about to uncover has the potential to set the international religious community on fire.

With the help of a mysterious cleric, her son, and a letter from her father, Cloe soon realizes the African oil jar her father unearthed during the war may be the most important relic discovered in centuries. But it is only the beginning. Across the globe, a billionaire arms merchant is leaving a trail of bodies in his wake in his pursuit of the jar and its contents.

In this biblical thriller, the race for answers takes a language professor on a dangerous quest across three continents in order to discover the identity of Judas Iscariot. Now only time will tell if Cloe can find out what the past is reaching out to tell her—before it is too late.

Purchase you copy:

About the author
Van R. Mayhall Jr. is the senior partner in a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, law firm where he practices corporate and business law and handles selected litigation. Born and raised in Baton Rouge, he was educated at Louisiana State University and Georgetown University. He and his wife, Lorri, have three grown children and enjoy boating on Lake Pontchartrain.

A copy of this book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for providing it.