Peeking Between the Pages

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The Bruges Tapestry by P.A. Staes & Giveaway (Int’l)

by

The Bruges Tapestry

The Bruges Tapestry by P.A. Staes is the first in a series of historical mysteries by this author that feature Claire DeMaer.  We are taken back in time to the year 1520 in Bruges, Belgium where we meet a family who weaves tapestries and then propelled forward to present time in which we find Claire investigating a tapestry that has been stolen.  This mystery was intriguing and the story enjoyable and  I found myself interested from the start of the story right to the end and managed to read it in only one day.

In this novel we meet two strong female characters.  In 1520 Bruges we are introduced to Beatrice, a sixteen year old who has gone through more in her short life than is imaginable but she keeps going forward with strength and conviction.  In present day California we meet Claire who is a detective for the Newport Beach Art Theft Detail.  She and her partner Artie notice that a 500 year old Flemish tapestry has gone missing from the Vatican.  Never in a million years does it occur to Claire that she will find this tapestry at the home of her best friend Nora’s boyfriend and she’s horrified when she does.  Of course she has no choice but to turn Nora’s boyfriend Paolo in but she knows with a sinking heart that Nora is going to be really upset with her.  As Claire learns Paolo’s side of the story – that he’s a distant descendant of the Duke who commissioned the tapestry in the past, she begins to wonder if there isn’t more to this story than just a stolen tapestry and sets out to do some investigating.

As for characters Claire is a great one and I was happy to learn that future books in this series will feature her.  She’s funny and I liked that she seemed like a really vulnerable woman.  She’s smart and has a good job but doesn’t feel as though she has the world at her feet.  She has the same fears as a lot of us that we may not be good enough, pretty enough, or smart enough.  It made her a really good character that was easy to relate to.  I very much enjoyed the forays into the past as I love books that alternate the past and present plus that was where the true history of tapestry weaving was revealed.  There is even a sweet little romance that comes to light in the novel that lightens things up and I’m sure we’ll see more of that in future books too.  The only thing I can foresee making some uncomfortable is the scandal portrayed that involves priests but it fits within the context of the story and is the catalyst for a huge part of the story but I just want to put it out there but at the same time say that it didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the novel in any way.

I also enjoyed the mystery of how this stolen tapestry linked back to Beatrice in the past and ultimately the story that this tapestry told.  It was fascinating to learn a little about the art of weaving tapestries as I knew nothing at all about it.  I also found it interesting that because many people back in the 1500’s couldn’t read they used symbols as a way of communicating a story on the tapestries.  Even more surprising to me was that tapestry weaving is an art that exists even today and it would certainly be something I would love to see one day.  I love when I learn something new in what I’m reading!  For me this was a really enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series!

The Bruges Tapestry Tour Banner FINAL

The Bruges Tapestry by P.A. Staes is touring with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and mine was the first tour stop so be sure to follow along with the rest of the tour stops for more reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways.  You can learn more about P.A. Staes on her website and blog.  You can pick up your own copy of The Bruges Tapestry at Amazon or Amazon Canada.

 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS (International)

I have one copy of The Bruges Tapestry by P.A. Staes to share with my readers.  To enter…

  • For 1 entry simply leave a comment entering the giveaway.
  • For 2 entries, follow my blog.  If you already do let me know so I can pass the extra entry on to you as well.
  • Tweet, like on Facebook, or Blog for 3 entries.

This giveaway is open Internationally!  I will draw for the winner on Saturday, March 30/13.  Good luck!

 

Source:  Review copy provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and the Publisher.  No compensation was received and all opinions are my own. 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Thank you for the opportunity to win! also for making it open to all. Much appreciated.

    I follow you on FB and GFC

    mystica123athotmaildotcom

  2. Really???? A mystery that takes place in my favorite place in the world? Please enter me! I follow your blog in my reader.

    BFish dot Reads at gmail dot com

  3. I love time slip stories, and I enjoy historical mysteries. This sounds great. Thanks for the giveaway.
    I’m a Google follower.

  4. Wonderful and fascinating novel which interests me greatly. I am an e-mail subscriber. Many thanks.

  6. Ooh, plenty of interesting angles to this one. Thanks for the chance to win. I’m an email follower.

    nanze55(at)hotmail(dot)com

  7. This sounds like fun! Thanks for the chance to win a copy. I follow you via email.
    Carolyn
    rexmoy(at)gmail(dot)com

  8. Dar, I am not sure this one is for me, but I did really enjoy your thoughtful review, and the love that you had for this book. I hope that the series continues to impress you. Good luck to all your contestants!

  10. I love historical fiction and have really been enjoying the historical mysteries in the last few years. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of this one!

  18. The two interweaving stories and the two strong female characters make this book sound very intriguing. Thanks for the giveaway.
    -email subscriber, GFC follower

  21. I love historical mysteries and would really enjoy learning more about tapestries.

    CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

    • Carol,

      I think you’re going to get hooked on tapestries. Soon you may be boring your friends with all you know about the art form. I know I can get very carried away on the topic.

      Pat Staes

  22. I follow your blog with GFC and with an e-mail subscription.

    CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

  23. Thank you so much for the lovely review. It’s such a pleasure to meet other lovers of historical mystery. Peeking Between the Pages is my new best friend!!

    For photos of Bruges, in case you haven’t been there, the reader can follow me on Pinterest PA Staes The Bruges Tapestry.

    Wishing continued success and happy reading to Peeking Between the Pages and followers.

  25. I am fascinated by the art and history of tapestries. I would love to read this one. I follow by email.

    • Hi Terry,

      I find tapestries to be breathtaking. If you can’t get to Europe, the Met in NY has exquisite tapestry, as does the museum in Cleveland. I just saw a lovely exhibit by Helena Hernmarck in Minneapolis at the Swedish Institute.

      Pat Staes

      • I absolutely adore The Cloisters in NYC and have spent many, many hours there just soaking in all the tapestries.

  26. What a fascinating novel this must be! I absolutely love tapestries. When I lived in Paris, a favorite haunt was the Cluny Museum with lots of very old tapestries. In addition, there is the Manufacture des Gobelins Museum that dates way back featuring the Gobelins tapestries. In addition, we visited Brussels often and I loved the lace and tapestry shops. We bought some French tapestries and brought them back to the U.S. with us. When one studies these old tapestries, it’s mind boggling to think of the years and years that people put into stitching them. I am so glad to learn about “The Bruges Tapestry” novel and I am certainly adding it to my Wish List. Thanks for the heads-up!

    Connie Fischer
    conniecape(at)aol(dot)com

    Will tweet and share on Facebook

      • Hi, Pat!

        I most certainly am! I found some lovely needlepoint replicas of Impressionists paintings in a little shop in Paris. I bought the canvas and the wools and completed Fragonard’s, “The Young Girl Reading” and Renoir’s, “The Young Girls at the Piano.” Each one took me about 18 months to finish but they are absolutely gorgeous hanging on the wall. Hoping my children will treasure them as well!

  27. I clicked on amazon and found out the book was only $2.99 on kindle!! Definately worth getting now at that price, it will probably go up.
    I follow on email
    I tweeted

  28. This mystery sounds wonderful! I’d love to visit Belgium someday, and this would be a good way to learn about the country. Please enter me in this giveaway. I’m a follower, and will post this in my blog’s sidebar. Thank you, Darlene!

    suko95(at)gmail(dot)com

    • Hi Suko,

      I highly recommend Belgium ( I am Flemish) – the food is fabulous and the country is beautiful. The Flemish say they taught the French to cook, but don’t tell anyone I said that.

      Pat Staes

  33. I really enjoy historical mysteries, might be why I enjoy genealogy so much. Thanks for the giveaway.

  34. This is the first I have heard of THE BRUGES TAPESTRY. I love a great historical read thank you.

    GFC: Mary Preston

    Email Subscriber:

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

  36. This looks like a great read – thanks for the giveaway!

    I am a blog follower, too!

  37. Thanks for this amazing giveaway! This book sounds great and I would love to win it!

    klaxon63350 (at) mypacks (dot) net

  41. I am also a follower, and was excited to read about this book because hoping to visit Bruges next year. It sounds very appealing (I hope not anachronistic).

  45. I love historical mysteries. They are so much fun to read. Thanks for the post and giveaway.
    lvsgund at gmail. com
    GFC follower

  46. This book sounds so exciting! If I don’t win the contest, I will definitely buy a copy. I’ve visited Bruges as well as the tapestry museum at Bayeux so I’m very interested in the story line. I also love historical mysteries (I just published Chronicle of the Mound Builders recently, a historical mystery about the ancient Cahokia Mound Builders).

    • It was fascinating! I learned a lot of history from the French perspective vs. British.

  48. Beautiful book cover and love the chance to try and win it. I am a follower as of today.

  49. historical + mystery = my favorite genre
    Thanks for the giveaway
    PMNSL95 at triad dot rr dot com

  54. My little table loom can never match a tapestry product. Weaving is fascinating with the many variables there are. Enjoy stories\mysteries that go between times as it gives me a peek into the past compared to today.