The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great (Catherine #1) by Eva Stachniak

Publisher: Bantam Books

Publish Date: January 10, 2012

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 444

ISBN: 978 0553808124

From award-winning author Eva Stachniak comes this passionate novel that illuminates, as only fiction can, the early life of one of history’s boldest women.  The Winter Palace tells the epic story of Catherine the Great’s improbable rise to power – as seen through the ever-watchful eyes of an all-but-invisible servant close to the throne.

Her name is Barbara – in Russian Varvara.  Nimble-witted and attentive, she’s allowed into the employ of the Empress Elizabeth, amid the glitter and cruelty of the world’s most eminent court.  Under the tutelage of Count Bestuzhev, Chancellor and spymaster, Varvara will be educated in skills from lock picking to lovemaking, learning above all else to listen – and to wait for opportunity.  That opportunity arrives in a slender young princess from Zerbst named Sophie, a playful teenager destined to become the indomitable Catherine the Great.  Sophie’s destiny at court is to marry the Empress’s nephew, but she has other, loftier, more dangerous ambitions, and she proves to be more guileful than she first appears.

What Sophie needs is an insider at court, a loyal pair of eyes and ears who knows the traps, the conspiracies, and the treacheries that surround her.  Varvara will become Sophie’s confidante – and together the two young women will rise to the pinnacle of absolute power.

My Thoughts

This was the first historical fiction novel I've read that has been set in Russia and I have to admit that I don't know much about Russian history, especially 1700's Russia.  I found this to be a very interesting read.  Told from the point of view of Varvara, the daughter of a bookbinder.  Upon his death, he has asked for her to be taken care of by the Palace and soon finds herself among different positions in the court.

"The Russian play unfolded before my eyes, I thought, in all its magnificent artifice.  Elizabeth the the Terrible, Peter the Fool and Catherine the Wise had made their appearance."

In my opinion, this is not a novel of Catherine the Great.  Being told from the POV of Varvara, this was more a story of her encounters in the palace.  Don't get me wrong, I found the story very interesting and I was always intrigued...it just wasn't based around Catherine and her rise to the throne, she was just one of many characters Varvara interacted with.  While Catherine is a main character I just found the subtitle misleading, the novel could have held strong as just The Winter Palace.  The book had a great beginning then started to lag a bit in the middle, when Varvara was married and left the Palace and then redeemed itself in the last 50 pages or so.

Let me tell you - court was cut throat in those times.  Lies, deceit, sabotaging...loved it!  Well researched, although not bogged down with too much history, dates, battles and what not that happened then, just enough to give you an idea of Russia during that time period.  

I would say this is more of a 3.5 star rating.  I really went back and forth from 3 to 4. 

I look forward to reading Empress of the Night: A Novel of Catherine the Great due out March 2014 which is told from the point of view of Catherine herself.

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

The Replacement Wife by Elieen Goudge

Publisher: Open Road Media
Publish Date: March 27, 2012
Format: download library
Pages: -
ISBN: -

Camille Hart, one of Manhattan’s most sought-after matchmakers, has survived more than her fair share of hardships.  Her mother died when she was a young girl, leaving her and her sister with an absentee father.  Now in her forties, she has already survived cancer once, though the battle revealed just how ill-equipped her husband Edward is to be a single parent.  So when doctors tell Camille that her cancer is back – and this time it’s terminal – she decides to put her matchmaking expertise to the test for one final job.  Seeking stability for her children and happiness for her husband, Camille sets out to find the perfect woman to replace her when she’s gone.

But what happens when a dying wish becomes a case of “be careful what you wish for?”  For Edward and Camille, the stunning conclusion arrives with one last twist of fate that no one saw coming.

My Thoughts

Honestly, I don't even know where to start, this book was kind of a hot mess.  The concept of the story was different...knowing you are dying and picking out the future wife for your husband.  Ballsy to say the least.  There were so many ups and downs with each character.  You wanted to feel for Camille and Edward and the bleak future they were facing, but I just had a hard time doing so.  Angie, I could have done without...I found myself skimming through her parts, but in the end she seemed to be the winner.  Speaking of the ending, I didn't see that coming...at all!  I found this to be a very loooong novel, I'm sure it could have been cut short by 100 pages, and some of "story filler" taken out and the entire story still told.  

I actually kind of enjoyed this book until Chapter 16, then all hell broke loose and I just wanted it to end.

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

The Apple Orchard (Bella Vista Chronicles #1) by Susan Wiggs

Publisher: Harliquin

Publish Date: April 30, 2013

Format: Audio

Discs: 10

ISBN: 978 1455836888

Tess Delaney makes a living restoring stolen treasures to their rightful owners.  People like Annelise Winther , who refuses to sell her long-gone mother’s beloved necklace – despite Tess’ advice.  To Annelise, the jewel’s value is in its memories.

But Tess’ own history is filled with gaps: a father she never met, a mother who spent more time travelling than with her daughter.  So Tess is shocked when she discovers the grandfather she never knew is in a coma.  And that she has been named in his will to inherit half of Bella Vista, a hundred-acre apple orchard in the magical Sonoma town called Archangel.

The rest is willed to Isabel Johansen.  A half sister she’s never heard of.  Against the rich landscape of Bella Vista, Tess begins to discover a world filled with simple pleasures of food and family, of the warm earth beneath her bare feet.  A world where family comes first and the roots of history run deep.

And in a season filled with new experiences, Tess begins to see the truth in something Annelise once told her: if you don’t believe memories are worth more than money, then perhaps you've not made the right kind of memories.

My Thoughts

This book has plenty to offer.  It has your romance, your mystery and a little bit of history thrown in there just to make it interesting.  But most of all it is a story about memories and finding something you didn't even know you had lost.  I listened to this on Audio and was not disappointed.  This is my first novel by Susan Wiggs (I know, where have I been??) and it is sure to not be my last...especially because this is the first novel of a new series.

I loved the characters.  The dept of both Tess and Isabel and the simplicity of Dominic.  As the story wove deeper and deeper I couldn't wait for more and found myself sitting in the car (listening) long after I had nowhere to go.

And who doesn't love a novel that involves travel, old artifacts and food...most of all food.  Each chapter begins with a delicious recipe talked about in the book, which I always love when a story is constantly talking about food!  This a a novel that fills your heart and soul with love and gives you that warm fuzzy feeling.  I'm looking forward to The Beekeeper's Ball due out later this year. 

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

Chai Tea Sunday by Heather A. Clark

Publisher: ECW Press

Publish Date: April 1, 2012

Format: download library

Pages: 298

ISBN: - 

Thirtysomething Nicky Fowler has it all – a rewarding career, a loving husband and the perfect home.  But when she and her husband suffer a complicated tragedy, the strain of two people dealing with an impossible situation in different ways breaks up her marriage.  Emotionally lost, Nicky travels to Kenya to volunteer at an orphanage.  Amidst the violence and abject poverty, Nicky discovers the one thing that keeps Kenyans moving forward: hope.  Over steaming mugs of chai, the country’s signature drink, Nicky opens up to her host mother Mama Bu, and finds understanding, love and strength.  And with that strength, Nicky realizes what she needs to do to save the endangered children she’s grown to love.

My Thoughts

So I wasn't really expecting to like this book as much as I did...I more or less read it because I love Chai tea.  It ended up being a great quick read.  

What I love most about this particular story, is that it was inspired by Clark's cousin, Rachel, and her experience with teaching in Kenya.  It really is a remarkable tale of how orphan children, who have literally nothing end up giving Nicky more than she ever imagined.  She finds out during her work at the orphanage that the Orphanage Director is harming the children and is determined to do something about it in a country that is corrupt and everyone can be bought off.  Right from beginning to end it was a heartfelt book that brought a few tears and a few winces. My only criticism is the end, I wish it had gone a different direction and Nicky's choices were based on her brain not her heart (cold to say that, I know) because I think it would have made for a more interesting conclusion.  It all just seemed too neat and tidy.  All in all it was a great debut novel.

A portion of proceeds from this novel go to Artbound, a charity that provides clean water, food, medical care, and funding to build schools in developing nations.

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

Publisher: Scribner
Publish Date: July 31, 2012
Format: Kobo ereader
Pages: -
ISBN: 978 1451681765

After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper in Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast.  To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season and shore leaves are granted every other year at best, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel.  Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind.  A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.

Tom, whose records as a lighthouse keeper are meticulous and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately.  But Isabel has taken the tiny baby to her breast.  Against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy.  When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world.  Their choice has devastated one of them. 

My Thoughts

This is a story of heartache.  If you are expecting a happy story, then it is not for you - it's pure heart-wrenching. What do you do when there is no right or wrong decision and no matter which you pick it will end up devastating the ones you love?  There is no answer.  You simple choose - and that is what Tom and Isabel did.

Beautifully told with characters that get so close to your heart you don't want to let them go.  There is not enough I can say about the amazing novel and the journey it will take you on.  Tales of love & lose and everything in between.  A story that stays with you long after you've finished.

My Rating: «««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.