eyes.2c Reviews

The Earl's Christmas Colt (Entangled Flirts) by Rebecca Thomas Quite a lovely story about duty, love and marriage. Out of the blue, Lady Arabella Sutton is informed by her brother Will that she will have no second London season. She is to be married within a few days to Will's friend and future duke, Oliver Westwyck, the Earl of Marsdale. Arabella is never happier than being with her horses. Marriage is not part of that equation. In shock she flings herself onto her horse and rides off, despite a looming storm. Forced to take shelter at a local inn when her horse turns up lame, Arabella runs into a handsome, gentlemanly horse breeder at the inn's stables. Mr. Carrington undertakes to assist her with securing a room. Whilst he is about that Arabella overhears two serving maids discussing the guests. Apparently an Earl, Oliver Westwyck is staying here. Her erstwhile fiancé! Frantic lest her reputation suffer if he discovers her alone at an inn, a panicked Arabell...

The Temptation of Lady Serena (The Marriage Game) by Ella Quinn  The beginning of the story seemed a tad stilted but then maybe it just reflected the gauche innocence that is Serena. Out of her environment, stiff and unsure, Serena has been living a lonely life, managing the family's large estate whilst her brother's been part of Wellington's staff during the war. Said brother has returned with a wife who wastes no time in sending Serena off to London and out of her way.              A cousin to Phoebe (from The Seduction of Lady Phoebe fame), Serena meets Marcus' friend Viscount Robert Beaumont and promptly falls in love. Robert finally determines he might wed her on 'his terms.' 'Love was not right for Robert. Could he have her without it?' Her gentle demeanour hiding a firm will, Serena declares she will only marry him if he loves her. Well we spend some time with Robert chasing Serena across the channel, acting like a thwarted bear, an...

A Study in Ashes (The Baskerville Affair #3) by Emma Jane Holloway Evelina starts this episode with a bang. Blowing up the University of Camelin chemistry lab no less. Her world had narrowed to the university precincts bound as she is by the Gold King, Jasper Keating. Her price for allowing Nick to escape. All to no avail as he is dead.  Hauled before the University authorities she is for the moment confined to her quarters in the College of London. Who escorts her back to the College? None other than James Moriaty, the Blue King's man of business. We recognize the name for other reasons. Evelina is trapped by Keating, monitored by bracelets that create excruciating pain if she steps beyond her confines. Imogen has been unconscious for a year. Her twin dead sister Anna is involved. A realization that's nightmarish in its unfolding. Her sister Poppy engages Sherlock Holmes to look into Imogen's illness. And those dreadful Steam Barons. War lords run amok. The Scarlet Ba...

The Magic Path of Intuition by Florence Scovel Shinn I liked that opening chapter subheading. I'm still thinking about it. Intuition! So many of us ignore it, or feel guilty about it. Often our first response to a situation is intuitive, but how do we put that in words? So many 'if only' moments. This book is a chance to change that, a fascinating hitherto unpublished work by Shinn who died in 1940. Imagination and visualization, all form part of the journey. The affirmations in this quite beautiful production are a helpful guide to this growing process. The vivid colours, the photography, the welcoming words, the encompassing swirly lines underlining each heading on pages, all contrive to draw us into the text. I must admit the colours and production radiate a retro seventies 'get in touch with your inner self' feel about them. That's great because this is what the book is about, enhancing and recognizing your intuition as a powerful healing tool, ...

Mistress of the Wind by Michelle Diener Certainly a change of pace from my previous encounters with Diener's Tudor and other historical works. This work evidences her prodigious talent, the depths of her writing abilities shine. Beautifully crafted, this retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, is a pleasure to read. Poetic in its descriptions, the relationship that develops between Astrid and the Bear/Prince unfolds with an unfaltering intensity. Sold to the Bear/Prince by her family, Astrid travels to his castle. She is to be held there for a year as his companion, not wife if you will, mistress if you won't. She is not to leave and can never see the prince as a man, although he visits her at night. The hurt of being sold is revisited at certain times in the novel. We hurt with Astrid.             Astrid's cleverness, the humour we see hidden in her request for an axe after she,  with great trepidation, enters the castle stronghold and...

Cross of Vengeance (A Burren Mystery) by Cora Harrison In Ireland in the Middle Ages (1519) a Brehon was the Gaelic equivalent of a judge. The statutes that governed daily life in medieval Ireland were called Brehon Law. Mara, Brehon of the kingdom of Burren, a magistrate and the professor (ollamh) at Cahermacnaghten law school, accompanied by her students, attends an important mass, the Feast of the Holy Cross, at Kilnaboy Church, home to a significant 'relic: a piece of the true cross...housed inside a gold shrine.' When the relic is destroyed or stolen the Brehon has a role to play. Insights into the ancient laws of Ireland meander in and out of the storyline. I like the way each chapter opens with a quote from a relevant law, setting the scene for what is to come. The punishments for various crimes or abuses against the law is fascinating.   Arson, theft, fanatics, heretics, pilgrims, dark passions, jealousy and avarice present. Attitudes to Indulgences and Spanish i...

The Scribe by Antonio Garrido, translated by Simon Bruni Having been taught to read and write by her father, all Theresa wants to do is be a scribe and parchment maker. Theresa is battling with the prejudice of a woman's place in society. Given that this tale takes place in medieval Würzburg of 799, at a time when women's roles were even more proscribed, we can hardly be surprised by the attitudes of those around her. Garrido's writing is vivid and brings home the sights, sounds and smells of the time, and the hardships of Theresa's occupation. (Thank you also translator Bruni) At this time the surrounding country is besieged by famine. Denizens of Würzburg are in desperate straits.         A talented parchment maker and scribe Theresa is treated to all sorts of indignities by her fellow workers and especially the master parchment maker, the despicable Korne.  When Theresa had to go into the deepest maceration pool to find her cow skin for her parchment mak...

Sisters of the Bruce 1292-1314 by J. M. Harvey I had just finished watching the episode of A History of Scotland that referenced Robert the Bruce and the hardships his family suffered at the hand of the British host. When I had an opportunity to read the ARC of this novel, I couldn't resist. As a result of The Bruce and his men killing John Comyn (1306), Edward I, called for the 'Raising of the Dragon'. Which meant that no quarter would be given to The Bruce supporters, including his family. This work follows the effect of war and this edict upon the men and more particularly, the womenfolk of The Bruce.   The story is mostly expressed as a series of letters penned between the sisters, which adds to the sense of the personal. However this is more a history book than the fictionalized story of the sisters. This unfortunately renders it a dense and lengthy work. I found myself having to put it down and take it up over a longer period of time than I normally would. Should ...

The Cruel Path by David J Normoyle  Poignant and stark, with moments of joy, this dystopian novella sets the background for survival, death and what is to come thirty years hence in The Narrowing Path. This is a glimpse into the history of Arcandis and The Refuge through the eyes of Ealnor, one of three brothers. Teenage boys, those selected from the hierarchy of Arcandis society must walk the Green Path, and survive it. If they survive they will be future leaders.--the ascor. They will be amongst the chosen, certain of refuge when the surface of Arcandis becomes intolerable unto death. However the struggle will be ongoing, lasting a lifetime. There is always some one wanting to take your place.      The Triplets, brothers, have been (unusually) raised together as comrades, rather than potential enemies competing against each other for survival. Sorani, Frodan and Ealnor. They 'watched out for each other,...cared for each other, and...loved each other.' In a...

Compromising Willa (Entangled Scandalous #3) by Diana Quincy  Secrets and ruin. How do you face down society and retain your dignity when your reputation is, if not in shreds, decidedly singed around the edges? Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope is re-entering society after her disastrous first season. Damning rumours are circulating in the various clubs about her, and even years later she is shunned and barely noticed. Pursued by the new the Earl of Bellingham, a childhood friend, and author of her predicament, attracted to the Duke of Hartwell, a friend of her brother's, Willa is unsure of where to turn. Besides she has other fish to fry. Marriage is not even surfacing on her horizon. I like Willa as a main character. I like Hartwell. I thought I might like Bellingham but he was such a 'Bad Man' that I happily hissed and booed him from the sidelines whenever necessary.    The beginning of the story had me thinking this is a different. It captured my interest. Sadly th...

The Scandal Before Christmas: A Holiday Novella (The Reckless Brides 3.5) by Elizabeth Essex  'Twas three weeks before Christmas,  And all through the house, Nothing was stirring, not even a mouse. The fire it crackled, a comforting sound I grabbed a hot chocolate, and a novella I'd found. Excitingly romantic, a handsome young hound,              Ordered to marry,  he circled around, A navel lieutenant, a younger son, Suddenly found he was the one. Viscount in waiting he was to be, He stood his ground, wanting to flee. He plotted a near treacherous course,                          Down a path he was protestingly forced. The answer he puzzled and wrestled and fought, To do not what he wanted but just what he aught. By magic and chance he found his true start, A wren by perception, an eagle at heart. All browns and greys, a shy little dove, Hidden from l...

Sworn To Conflict (Courtlight #3) by Terah Edun The unsuspected continues to startle not only me but Ciardis herself, and all those who come into contact with her. But we're all up for the adventure of it. I have to say I just love the person that Ciardis is--loyal to a fault, compassionate, innocent in her reactions and honourable. Last seen Ciardis had confronted the Shadow Mage and then somehow been teleported or transported. Where? Smack bang in the middle of a battle far to the frozen north is where! Forced into a healing sleep for two weeks Ciardis awakes and finds herself with her once prospective sponsor General Barnaren, Prince Sebastian, the Lady Serena her original feather brained sponsor, and others who have chased her here. The battle is masking a greater and more dangerous secret! After a meeting with the Old Ones, the elementals of the Northern lands, and being gifted with a infinitesimal portion of their power, Ciardis is swept away once more to the Sanctuary...

Andrew (Lord of Despair ) by Grace Burrowes 'He should never have left in the first place.' So true and the story of the Alexander family continues, this time focusing on Gareth 's brother Andrew and Felicity's sister, Astrid Worthington, now Astrid Allen, Viscountess Amery. You may remember the interplay between a younger Astrid and Andrew at that time.     Lord Andrew Alexander has returned from abroad having fled his demons--his guilt at the drowning of his brother, father and Gareth's fiancé, and his good intentions with respect to not burdening Astrid with his heaviness. But, as Andrew reflects, 'Haring off to the four corners of the globe hadn't solved what was wrong with [him]. Astrid has been married in his absence, not happily, but comfortably. She is now widowed and pregnant. Intrigue rears it's ugly head though and it seems that Astrid may be the target of someone who has something to gain by her demise. What's more, it may be tha...

My Venice and Other Essays by Donna Leon What a delightful group of essays! Witty, sometimes hilarious, often self deprecating, always with an brilliant edge. Nothing is off the table. The conversation cuts a wide swathe through life in all it's complexities. Donna Leon brings Venice alive. Through the eyes of both an inhabitant and an expat we taste the puzzling differences and laugh at the idiosyncrasies, and the similarities.   I really identified with her piece about buying her villa! Sweeping in, being mesmerized by the view, but blind to the detrimental structure of the building. Ah, Bellissimo! Swept up by the view and the ambience, forgetting about the plumbing, the flooding roof and and collapsing walls. For Leon, 'it was love at first sight, and not for the first time, was to prove [her] ruin.' Each essay is a little gem and tells us something about Italians and Venice that as tourists we would never discover for ourselves. I must admit there are some mome...