Book Review and ARC Giveaway: I Am the Chosen King by Helen Hollick

A wonderfully rich tapestry of royal struggles.

• Paperback: 592 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (March 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140224066X
• ISBN-13: 978-1402240669

     Genre:  Historical Fiction
     My Rating: 5.0

The year is 1066.  Earl Harold Godwineson of Wessex is lawfully chosen and crowned by the English Lords as King of England - for there is no-one else with the ability to defend the land against the threat of conquest by Duke William of Normandy.
Power and Passion, Love; Loyalty and lust for a throne - One Kingdom, Two Men, One Crown

Review: I have to say that I was a bit overwhelmed as I finished this book because I found it to be so  emotionally gripping.

The book blurb and the video stress the year 1066 but that is actually the very last part of this book. This wonderful story and covers the years from 1043 leading up to 1066 where it culminates with the brutal and devastating Battle of Hastings where the English Army under King Harold II battles the Duke of Normandy who had invaded England intent on taking the crown.

There were times I had a hard time putting the book down as I was so absorbed in the lives of the characters.  Earl Harold is a warm, loving husband (although lovely wife of 20 years is a handfasted wife) and loving father. He is also a strong warrior and intelligent diplomatic leader.  The book portrays his growth from a sensitive young man to a a respected leader who is chosen as King, not so much by his ambition but by his dedication to duty and love of country.

Duke William is also portrayed as he matures. His childhood is effected by his illegitimacy which leads to his becoming a cold and harsh leader. He ruthlessly claims and controls Normandy and then sets his sights on the English Crown. He is a man who would rather wipe out a town than offer terms of surrender.  Most of his lords are loyal out of fear and intimidation.  Although he develops a special relationship with his wife, Mathilda, who is a remarkably strong and astute woman, William has little time or affection to spare anyone else, even his children.

The story is full of men (and women) fighting for power with jealousies, unreasonable expectations and betrayals. King Edward is a loved king but a weak ruler.  He has an acrimonious relationship with his very strong mother, Emma, (The Forever Queen) and a cold relationship with his wife, Edith who is Harold’s sister. Edith eventually learns how to insinuate her counsel on Edward but, in concert with another brother, Tostig, she is greedy, cruel and overly ambitious without considering the consequences for those around them.

The family dynamics are quite interesting and the constant jostling and battling for favor and position gives one pause to think how difficult it would be to live under such conditions.  The writing is rich and descriptive of the countryside, the buildings, the weather and the people. Most importantly the author does an absolutely fabulous job of weaving the lives, loves, ambitions and personalities of the characters so they become alive to the reader. I was surprised that this read faster than I expected. I did however dread reading the last 50 or so pages as I was so caught up in Harold’s life that I did not want to face the ending I knew was coming: that fateful 1066 Battle of Hastings. If you love a truly rich historical that you can become immersed in I highly recommend this series.

xxx

If you missed it - here is the link to my review of The Forever Queen.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for the book to read and review.

This giveaway is limited to US entries because of the weight of the book. 
TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY FOR THE ARC COPY:

1.Visit the author's website and tell me something of interest you find there.
Please leave your e-mail!

2. For two extra entries comment on the Author's Interview.

3. For and extra entry answer the Question posed by the Author at Q.14.

4. For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.

5. For two extra entries, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.

(Seven total entries possible.)
It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.

* This contest is open to US only.
* No P.O. Boxes Please - for shipping reasons.
* This contest will close 10:00 PM (Central) on April 8, 2011. The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.

Guest Post: Alayna Williams - Beginnings, Middles and Ends

I'm pleased to welcome Alayna Williams with an interesting Guest Post today.

Beginnings, Middles, and Ends

by Alayna Williams

Writing a novel is like falling in and out of love. It's a relationship with stages. There's bliss, angst, reconciliation, and letting go. There are beginnings, middles and ends. And also sometimes shouting and tears.

Beginnings are tough for me. Nothing intimidates me more than staring at a blank page. There's absolutely nothing there but a sea of white. I chew on my lip and doubt myself. Can I conjure something from nothing? What if it never comes together?

I reluctantly tap out a first line. A hook. I squint at it, chew on my lip some more.

 

Is this concept worth pursuing? Is it attractive enough to chase through the next several months, through research and dreams and the flu? Is it going to be one of those easy relationships, with effortless flow? Or will this one be like pulling my own teeth?

There's no way to know. I futz and mumble to myself and stare at the first five pages, dawdle around the first chapter. I fret aloud and talk to the cat about the new relationship.

The cat usually ignores me. I screw up the courage to take the plunge. I decide that I like the idea. I flirt with it a bit, chase it around like a butterfly. I court it. Sometimes, I can be trusted to even put on a clean T-shirt while typing. I'm trying to impress it. I even make an outline.

And it flirts back with me...with snatches of phrases. Images. I type and scribble notes, fearful of losing anything. Typing, typing...

And then I'm suddenly at the middle. I'm all of a sudden in a committed relationship with the book. I can feel it taking shape, developing a life of its own. It starts to have its own moods.  Sometimes, it's cloying. Sometimes distant.

But we fall into a rhythm, greet each other at the same time every day. A standing date.

We talk. We do more than that. The book and I have discussions. In the middle, there are multiple ways for things to go. I try some things that work. I try some that don't. I pull out the note cards, fuss with my outline. I spread cards out on the floor all around me, trying to analyze and dissect what's working, what's not.

Sometimes, it's a test of endurance, pushing through. But I can see to the end. When I have the ending firmly structured, the last ten thousand words fly. It's bliss. I see where all the tendrils of thought and plot threads I had developed in the beginning curve back around. I think I understand the story, now: the hidden symbols, the growth of the character. I understand what it is about the story that attracted me to it. I understand what I'm afraid of about it.

The end is the best part. It gathers momentum, takes wing.

And flies right out of my hands. I type THE END on the last page.

And I feel a pang of sadness. It's gone. It's moved out of my life, out of my mind and my heart. There's still some tweaking to be done. Editing. Smoothing. But that part feels like the post-mortem of the relationship.

The story's gone. I did what I needed to: I gave the story a voice. And it left me. The nest's empty. Lonely.

And the only solution is to fill it again, with another egg of a story. Another beginning.  

ROGUE ORACLE is available at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

Author Bio:

Alayna Williams has an MA in sociology-criminology (research interests: fear of crime and victimology) and a BA in criminology. She has worked in and around criminal justice since 1997. Although she does read Tarot cards, she's never used them in criminal profiling or to locate lost scientists. She recently took up astronomy, but for the most part her primary role in studying constellations and dark matter is to follow her amateur astronomer-husband around central Ohio toting the telescope tripod and various lenses. Like the Pythia in Dark Oracle, she's been known to belly dance. Unlike the Pythia she'd never consider herself a professional

Writing as Laura Bickle, she's the author of EMBERS and SPARKS for Pocket - Juno Books. Writing as Alayna Williams, she's the author of DARK ORACLE and ROGUE ORACLE.

More info on her urban fantasy and general nerdiness is here: http://www.salamanderstales.com/

Laura/ Alayna’s blogs

http://www.salamanderstales.blogspot.com and http://delphisdaughters.blogspot.com

She’s a proud member of Word Whores.

She’s at Facebook, and Fangs, Fur, and Fey.

And Twitter...@Laura_Bickle

Sparky the fire salamander from EMBERS and SPARKS has his own Twitter account, @SparkySalamandr

Book Review: Rogue Oracle by Alayna Williams

It's in the cards: if you like action, mystery, horror and mysticism this is a book in your future.
Rogue Oracle (Delphic Oracle, Book 2) by Alayna Williams.

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 525 KB
• Print Length: 368 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (February 22, 2011)
• Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004INH9Q8

Genre: Fantasy Suspense
My Rating: 4.5

The more you know about the future, the more there may be to fear.
Tara Sheridan is the best criminal profiler around - and the most unconventional. Trained as a forensic psychologist, Tara also specializes in Tarot card reading. But she doesn't need her divination skills to realize that the new assignment from her friend and sometime lover, Agent Harry Li, is a dangerous proposition in every way.

Former Cold War operatives, all linked to a top-secret operation tracking the disposal of nuclear weapons in Russia, are disappearing. There are no bodies, and no clues to their whereabouts. Harry suspects a conspiracy to sell arms to the highest bidder. The cards - and Tara's increasingly ominous dreams - suggest something darker. Even as Tara sorts through her feelings for Harry and her fractured relationships with the mysterious order known as Delphi's Daughters, a killer is growing more ruthless by the day. And a nightmare that began decades ago in Chernobyl will reach a terrifying endgame that not even Tara could have foreseen…

Review: This book is packed full of action, unique characters and interesting data.

Tara is a sharp, professional forensic psychologist and profiler. Her tools however are unique. She is  associated with, but not quite part of, a group of women oracles known as Delphi’s Daughters. Each woman in the group has a unique skill and together they are intended to help protect the world about them.  Tara’s special ability is in reading Tarot cards. The cards almost slide out of the deck to help give her clues to the people and circumstances she is facing.

Harry is part of a Department of Justice Special Projects team where he is apparently accustomed to seeing some weird things.  Although he wouldn’t normally accept that Tarot cards could be of any use he has seen Tara in action and acknowledges that her hunches based on the cards are accurate and very helpful.

The villain in this story is rather alarming. The secrets he is selling are dangerous. As they chase after him they begin to think of him as a Chimera and the more clues they get, unfortunately from the crime scenes of missing spies, the more perplexed the team becomes.

This book is full of lots of great details from Tarot readings to the history and horrors of Chernobyl. I have mixed feelings about the Tarot readings but since I had little knowledge of them I found the descriptions very interesting.  The details of the damage done by the nuclear disaster is chilling especially in light of the recent tragedy in Japan.

There are several secondary characters with quirks and catchy or sometimes fiery personalities.  The Delphi Daughters are peripheral but the Pythia, the leader, is particularly interesting. There is humor added to the tense government departments as Tara, Harry and a few other team members race to catch the criminal who is killing spies and selling deadly secrets. I really liked the whole combination of fantasy and suspense and the multiple but distinct characters. The author's work experiences, including politics, criminology and technology, helped to make the story seem very authentic even if it is fantasy.

This is a very engaging read and fast paced as it keeps you wanting to know what will happen and how Tara will handle her dreams, her cards and ultimately the killer.  Book two with Tara and Harry worked fine as a stand alone, however, it did make me want to read the first book and check out other books by this author.

Check out more of the Rogue Oracle Tour at:

http://bewitchingbooktours.blogspot.com/2011/01/alayna-williams-rogue-oracle-tour.html

Join The British Babes Book Brigade from Sourcebooks!

I am sharing this message from Danielle and Beth at Sourcebooks. They are offering a great deal on some wonderful books! Don't miss out!

As many of you know, Sourcebooks is launching a Facebook Fan Page: The British Babes Book Brigade—giving you an all access pass to connect with the most beloved British female authors, who are now published by Sourcebooks! Thank you to everyone who “likes” use and for the comments on the page already; we’re happy to see you’re just as enthusiastic about this page as we are in creating it.

To celebrate the launch of our Facebook page, we are offering a number of British Babe eBooks for only .99 Cents from March 22-March 28. Here’s a link to our eBook Specials page, and where you can also sign up for a newsletter that let’s you know about our eBook deals on a regular basis: http://www.sourcebooks.com/readers/browse-our-lists/ebook-specials.html

·         The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick
·         The Kingmaking by Helen Hollick
·         Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine
·         Amelia O’Donohue Is So Not a Virgin by Helen FitzGerald
·         Miranda’s Big Mistake by Jill Mansell
·         Dating Mr. December by Phillipa Ashley
·         Willoughby’s Return by Jane Odiwe
·         The Other Mr. Darcy by Monica Fairview
·         Mr. Darcy Vampyre by Amanda Grange
·         Beautiful People by Wendy Holden

....All week, we’ll have great giveaways and the authors will be stopping by to chat with everyone as well. Don’t forget to check out the Discussion Boards! And as things continue to build, Beth and I will add more regular features, as well as opportunities for more great prizes J We’re looking forward to bringing you closer to our Fabulous British authors.

Best,

Danielle & Beth

Monday Mailbox March 21, 2011

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week.

This Meme started  with Marcia at The Printed Page but is on blog tour and for March the host is I'm Booking It.
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Looks like I get to post the Mailbox about once a month!

I had a weekend in February where I entered a few contests and was very blessed to win several books!

I participated in some of the LASR February Valentine contests.
I didn't win the book but was sent a nice gift by this author.
I do not have a picture but I received a very nice pink flip-top mirror engraved with pertinent info about the book The Showboat Affair.   
Thank you Judy Nickles.

I won an eBook copy of  

Dark Passages: Tristan & Karen (The Brethren Series) 
by Sara Reinke

at MotherLode Book Reviews

This paranormal romance

looks pretty good don't you think?

Thank you author Sara

and blogger GraceKrispy.

Next I won A Simple Amish Christmas

by Vannetta Chapman  

at Go Teen Writers.   
Thank you author Vannetta 
and blogger Stephanie.

I won the book

A Word to the End Time Church (Eye Witness)

by Georgie Newman

at Ponderings by Andrea

Thank you author Georgie 
and Blogger Andrea.

I also won an eBook copy of
The Shifters of 2040 (The Hunted of 2060)

by Ami Rebecca Blackwelder.

This was won at Bookinhly Yours.
Thank you author Ami 
and Blogger Jenai.

And last but not least

I visited Bookin' with "Bingo"

and won the audiobook:

Between the Plums (Stephanie Plum)

by Janet Evanovich

Thank you to Karen  ("Bingo")