Peeking Between the Pages

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Book Review: Against My Will by Benjamin Berkley

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Against My Will by Benjamin Berkely is the story of a woman who marries for all the wrong reasons and ultimately pays the price for it. It is also the story of a girl we meet through diary entries that take us back to the days of the holocaust. The women are related, their stories are powerful, and although many years apart in time their stories weave together in a way that brings them even closer together.

Danielle is a 29 year old Jewish woman who is well educated. She’s gone to law school, passed the bar exam, and intends to have a successful career. She still lives with her father who feels that she’s much too old to not be married already and decides to call in a matchmaker on the sly. Danielle arrives home one evening to find that her father has invited ‘the perfect man’ over to dinner. Danielle makes it clear to Jacob that she’s not interested in a relationship at all but because she does not want to disappoint her father she agrees to go out with him. The guy is a world class jerk but at every turn her father keeps telling her what a good catch he is, what a good job he has, etc. and Danielle feels pressured to continue to see him. Ultimately she is pressured into marrying him. They move into their new home and get on with married life only it’s not too long before Danielle realizes she married a very different man from the ‘perfect catch’ he’s supposed to be. She suffers emotional and physical abuse from him for six long months before she leaves him and runs away. In her new life she learns that love doesn’t mean being hurt and she learns that no woman should ever do anything against her will.

Danielle was quite well developed as a character and for the most part I liked her. I liked that she had a smart attitude and such but I was very disturbed that she let herself be pressured into the marriage at all. She disliked Jacob from the start. She hated his manners, didn’t think he was all that handsome, and definitely didn’t like the way he treated her. There were so many signs that this man was bad news. I can see when a woman falls madly in love with a guy and ends up in this kind of relationship but she didn’t even like Jacob, let alone love him. I think that Danielle had a low self esteem because of her weight and she also hated to disappoint her father. Maybe culture has a lot to do with it in terms of pleasing your parents. I love my dad to pieces but he couldn’t pressure me into marrying no matter how hard he tried. Anyhow it was interesting to read of Danielle’s struggles with abuse in modern times and her grandmother’s in the past for very different reasons.

I think this book deals with a very important topic – that being spousal abuse. It’s never ok to be emotionally or physically abused by anyone; your spouse included. Nobody has that right to violate your well being in such a way. I feel for the most part that this novel did a good job in portraying the struggles, despair, and hopelessness someone feels when they feel trapped in such a relationship as well as showing that there is hope and a life outside of that type of life. My one wish is that the dialog would have been better as in using I’m instead of I am all the time – that kind of thing. I’m not usually easily distracted by grammar but this did a bit. However it still did not take away from the important topic being handled in the novel and I think this book would be a good one to read for anyone experiencing any type of abuse whether in a marital relationship or not. Be forewarned though that there is disturbing subject matter in the book dealing with abuse and not everyone is able or wants to read material like that. I look forward to reading more books from this author especially if he continues to tackle issues such as abuse, etc. in his writing.

Against My Will by Benjamin Berkley is touring with Premier Virtual Author Book Tours so be sure to pop in and check out the other tour stops. You can find Benjamin Berkley on his website and you can purchase your own copy of Against My Will here in the US and here in Canada. Be sure to pop in next week when Benjamin will visit the blog with a guest post and a giveaway of his novel Against My Will!

Source:  Review copy provided by the Author.  No compensation was received for this review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Book Review: Written in the Ashes by K. Hollan Van Zandt

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Written in the Ashes by K. Hollan Van Zandt is a wonderful blend of history and fiction that held me captive from the very first page.  It is always the mark of a good author when almost five hundred pages can fly by and leave you still wanting more.  I love to read novels that take place in Ancient Egypt.  I find them fascinating to read and K. Hollan Van Zandt brings the world of Ancient Egypt alive in vivid detail.  Along with the history she has given us a tale with characters that are sure to capture your heart as they did mine. This novel has been chosen for a TV mini series as well and I have no problem seeing why and after reading it I will be anxious to see it on screen.

In the opening scenes we meet the beautiful Hannah who is a Jewish shepherd girl along with her father.  They’ve been traveling for days and stop for the night.  Hannah leaves her father by the fire and she stays with the herd to keep it safe.  When she is kidnapped and taken she has no idea if she will ever see her father again or even if he is alive.  The gang of men who take her bring her to be sold as a slave in Alexandria but not before roughing her up.  Luckily for Hannah she is bought by a young man named Tarek whose father is thankfully a kind man and not the type to beat women or slaves.  He is Alizar and he takes a shine to Hannah from the start but even more so when he hears her beautiful singing voice.  He asks her to promise not to run away and in return he will have her schooled and she will be given the opportunity to sing in order to earn money to free herself one day.  In light of the times and how horrible it could be for women like Hannah she knows she is fortunate to be where she is and it is not long before the family holds a special place in her heart either.

However things are not good everywhere in Alexandria as there is a battle of power that is sure to erupt soon and Hannah will find herself in the middle of it all.  While Hannah sings in the Great Library of Alexandria it is also where she takes her lessons.  It is also where she meets Hypatia, who is known in actual history as the first female mathematician, philosopher and astronomer.  Hypatia, like so many others, is entranced by Hannah’s voice but also by Hannah’s easy, unassuming manner.  It is she who gives Hannah the opportunity to sing.  As the story progresses Hypatia becomes a target as do other women deemed to be pagans and it seems nobody is safe anymore and the famed Great Library is burned to the ground.  As this was an actual historical site it really makes you stop to wonder just how much information would have been lost in this fire and what we may have learned from it today.

This novel is much to big in scope to cover in a review.  What I can say is that the writing is absolutely beautiful and so descriptive.  I could so easily picture the scenes in my mind and smell the smells and feel the heat of the fire, the breeze off the ocean, or the heat of the desert.  The author keeps the novel moving at a very good pace so you never find a lagging moment like you do sometimes with a chunkier book.  The characters are fantastic and so well developed.  I immediately felt a connection with Hannah and enjoyed following her life but also the people around her were likable and left an imprint on my mind.  Written in Ashes is an impressive debut novel that took this author ten years to complete and it shows in each and every word that she put her heart and soul into it.  I hope that a sequel comes much quicker than the first one took to complete.  If you like historical novels and especially ones taking place in Egypt as I do then this is one I don’t think you want to miss out on!

Written in Ashes by K. Hollan Van Zandt was on tour with Premier Virtual Author Book Tours for the month of September so pop over and check out all the other tour stops and see what they had to say about the novel.  You can learn more about K. Hollan Van Zandt’s work over on her website and as an added bonus this book is available for your Kindle for only $1.99 so snap it up!

Source: Copy was purchased by me prior to book tour.

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Book Spotlight: Written in the Ashes by K. Hollan Van Zandt & Giveaway (eBook only)

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Welcome to today’s spotlight on Written in the Ashes by K. Hollan Van Zandt which is touring with Premier Virtual Author Book Tours this month.  My apologies to the author as I was to have a review posted today but was hit instead with one horrible migraine.  Please watch for my review later this month.  This book really sounds good and I do love my historical fiction so this is just the kind of book I like to escape into once in a while. Written In the Ashes has even been optioned by Mark R. Harris, Academy Award-Winning Producer (Crash, Gods & Monsters) for a TV mini series!  So until I can have my review for you all I’m going to tell you about the book, the author, and offer up a copy of the eBook for a giveaway.

 

 

About Written in the Ashes

Who burned the Great Library of Alexandria?

When the Roman Empire collapses in the 5th century, the city of Alexandria, Egypt is plagued with unrest. Paganism is declared punishable by death and the populace splinters in religious upheaval.

Hannah, a beautiful Jewish shepherd girl is abducted from her home in the mountains of Sinai and sold as a slave in Alexandria to Alizar, an alchemist and successful vintner. Her rapturous singing voice destines her to become the most celebrated bard in the Great Library.

Meanwhile, the city’s bishop, Cyril, rises in power as his priests roam the streets persecuting the pagans. But while most citizens submit, a small resistance fights for justice.

Hypatia, the library’s charismatic headmistress, summons her allies to protect the world’s knowledge from the escalating violence. Risking his life, his family, and his hard-earned fortune, Alizar leads the conspiracy by secretly copying the library’s treasured manuscripts and smuggling them to safety.

When Hannah becomes the bishop’s target, she is sequestered across the harbor in the Temple of Isis. But an ancient ceremonial rite between a monk and priestess inside the Pharos lighthouse ignites a forbidden passion.

Torn between the men she loves, Hannah must undertake a quest to the lost oracles of Delfi and Amun-Ra to find the one thing powerful enough to protect the pagans: The Emerald Tablet.

Meanwhile, the Christians siege the city, exile the Jews, and fight the dwindling pagan resistance as the Great Library crumbles.

But not everything is lost. . .

 

Follow along on the tour with Premier Virtual Author Book Tours
Buy for your Kindle, Kobo, or Nook

 

About K. Hollan Van Zandt

K. Hollan Van Zandt has always loved libraries, oceans, ancient history and migrating birds. Her mentor, novelist Tom Robbins, instilled in her an abiding love and respect for language.She lives in Southern California, and dreams of a home in Greece. This, her first novel, took ten years to complete.

 

 

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GIVEAWAY DETAILS (eBook only)

I have one eBook copy only of Written in the Ashes by K. Hollan Van Zandt  up for grabs to my readers. To enter just leave me a comment.  This giveaway is open to everyone that has access to reading eBooks and I will draw for the winner on Saturday, September 22/12.  Good luck!

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Book Review: Dinner with Lisa by R.L. Prendergast & Giveaway

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Dinner with Lisa by R.L. Prendergast is a depression era novel taking place in 1933 that takes you away to a time and place where people went hungry, where jobs were scarce if there were any at all, and people lived in fear of even knowing if they’d be able to make it another day. R.L. Prendergast brings all that and more to life for us in Dinner with Lisa.

The novel opens with Joseph, a widower with four young children, traveling by train to the small town of Philibuster. His brother and his wife live there and Joseph is hoping to find work and the means to support his children. His brother had told him about a job and he applied via mail and was told to report to work on a certain date. Poor Joseph shows up but unfortunately his job was given away just the day before. Joseph is devastated – just how is he going to support his family now? As Joseph battles setback after setback he becomes increasingly worried about how he and his children are going to survive. Many things happen to Joseph and his family along the way in this tale but the one thing that ultimately shines through the pages is the power of love, family, and most of all hope even in the hardest and harshest of times.

I really liked Joseph. Even though he lost his wife in childbirth he was still trying to do his best for his children. He was an admirable and honest man who only wanted to work hard to support his family. His brother Henri is hilarious and a scheme he hatches with a buddy of his is quite funny. There is even a tiny bit of romance in this novel with a woman I’ll just call Lisa for now. I really found myself rooting for Joseph and his family and only wanting the best for them. I have to commend the author as well for bringing the depression to life within the pages of this book. His vivid descriptions of life in that era and the hardships that people endured really have you feeling as though you are living through them yourself and at the same time thankful that you’re not. I also really appreciated the historical significance of the novel. I learned many things about my own country of Canada that I hadn’t known previously.

I think this book really appealed to me on two levels. I live in one of the prairie provinces and I really enjoyed hearing about places and things that were familiar to me like Fort Edmonton, the Stanley Cup, the radio program The Shadow, or even the beginnings of the railroad in Alberta. Another was the era it takes place in which was the 1930’s and the descriptions of the rough times and scarcity of so many things brought me back to the stories my parents tell me of their own growing up years. Both of my parents grew up in the 1940’s and times were tough. Many times my grandparents went hungry in order to feed their children just as Joseph does in this novel. They lived through the times where your livelihood depended on your crops and how devastating it was when something happened to destroy them. This novel gave me more insight into what life would have been like for my parents and for that reason it really captured and held my attention. I think a novel is always better for a person when they can relate to it in such a such a personal way. I enjoyed it thoroughly and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys books that take place during the depression.

I read Dinner with Lisa by R.L. Prendergast for his book tour with Premier Virtual Author Book Tours.  Be sure to pop by the other tour stops to see what everyone else is saying about the book.  You can find Rod on his website, Facebook, or Twitter.  Your own copy of Dinner with Lisa can be purchased here in the US or here in Canada.

 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

I am pleased to offer up a copy of Dinner with Lisa by R.L. Prendergast to my readers. The giveaway is for a print copy or eBook copy of the book to Canadian or US readers or an eBook copy only to international readers. To enter…

  • For 1 entry simply leave me a comment entering the giveaway
  • For 2 entries, follow my blog.  If you already do, thank you, and just let me know so I can pass the extra entry on to you as well.
  • For 3 entries, blog or tweet this giveaway and spread the word.

This giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents for a print copy or eBook copy and to international entrants for an eBook copy only.  I will draw for the winner on Saturday, April 7/12.  Good luck!

Source: Review copy provided by Premier Virtual Author Book Tours and the Author. No compensation was received for this review and all opinions are my own.

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Book Review: The Firelight of Maalda by Melissa Douthit & Giveaway (eBook here (open Int’l) and Kindle giveaway on Melissa’s blog)

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The Firelight of Maalda by Melissa Douthit is book two in the Raie’Chaelia series and it’s another great fantasy adventure! I read the first book The Raie’ Chaelia last year (my review) and I really enjoyed it. Both books are kind of out of the realm of what I usually read but I find them fun, entertaining, and a little heart pounding at times. The series is written for young adults but it can be easily enjoyed by us older folks as well.

The Firelight of Maalda picks up right where the first book ends and finds Chalice, Jeremiah, Ben, and the rest of the survivors leaving Barenthren for Portalis where they will be safe and the survivors can be healed from the mental trauma they have suffered. It is there that Chalice learns more about who she is and begins to practice more with her powers. It is also here that she learns where her destiny will take her and what she has to do to protect those that she rules.

In this sequel the romance develops much more between Chalice and Jeremiah and as with book one it is handled very tastefully. These two are so completely bonded to each other that neither feels complete without the other one. Truthfully Jeremiah is the only one who can talk any sense into Chalice when she is on a rampage and Chalice is definitely a girl with a mind of her own who doesn’t like to be told what to do. I love that about her and also her spunky attitude is refreshing as well and it’s especially funny when she is subjected to princess lessons. Let’s just say that while Chalice’s history makes her a princess all she really longs to do is be out on the battlefield right alongside her people.

The book continues to build with plenty of action and suspense. There is, after all, an enemy to beat. The last few chapters of the book had me on the edge of my seat where I find myself still sitting because the book ended in a major cliffhanger. You can now find me anxiously awaiting the third book in the series to find out just what happened!

I quite enjoyed The Firelight of Maalda. I do think you should read book one to really enjoy this one. The Raie’ Chaelia introduces us to the characters and builds the world a little but The Firelight of Maalda really expands on Chalice’s powers and the world she lives in and that’s what made book two my favorite so far. Melissa writes in such a descriptive way and she paints such a vivid picture of the world that Chalice lives in that you can really see it in your mind and imagine yourself there. The Firelight of Maalda is certain to take you out of your own little world and transport you into one much larger and more exciting.

Buy your own copy of The Firelight of Maalda here in the US for your Kindle and here for your Nook.  Be sure to stop by Melissa’s other tour stops on her tour with Premier Virtual Author Book Tours.

 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

I have one eBook copy of The Firelight of Maalda by Melissa Douthit up for giveaway. To enter…

  • For 1 entry simply leave me a comment entering the giveaway.
  • For 2 entries, follow my blog.  If you already do, thank you, and please let me know so I can pass the extra entry on to you as well.
  • For 3 entries, blog or tweet this giveaway and spread the word.

This giveaway is open internationally since it is for an eBook.  I will draw for the winner on Saturday, February 18/12.  Good luck everyone!

 

MELISSA’S GIVEAWAY ON HER BLOG! (Enter by clicking the link below and answering the question there – do not answer it here). Here’s all the info you need:

Contest – Free Kindle

Enter a drawing and win a free Kindle by answering the following question:
What is the title of book two of the trilogy, The Legend of the Raie’Chaelia?

To answer the question go to this link and fill in the information (place answer in Message field):
http://melissadouthit.com/contact-me-2/

Contest ends March 10, 2012. Winner will be announced March 11th on Melissa Douthit’s Blog.

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Book Review: The Raie’ Chaelia by Melissa Douthit

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The Raie’ Chaelia by Melissa Douthit is a fun fantasy/adventure novel. It’s not my normal genre to read but once in a while I like to change things up and I’m sure glad I did for Melissa’s novel. This is a young adult novel but as an adult I really enjoyed it as well. It’s a very clean and well written story that takes you on a journey into another world.

The novel opens with Chalice, a girl just about to turn eighteen, heading for Branbury at the insistence of her grandfather as her village of Canton has been destroyed by the King’s men. This is the only home Chalice has ever known but her grandfather has sent her on a mission and she will follow his wishes. At one time the world Chalice lives in was ruled by a good King but now is ruled by a very evil King.

Chalice has been trained from young to be a warrior and she can definitely hold her own in any battle. When she arrives in Branbury though, she is dumbfounded. The village is totally deserted but everything is in it’s place. She arrives at the friend’s farm that her grandfather wanted her to go and it’s deserted too. All of a sudden though she senses a presence of someone else in the house. It turns out to be Jeremiah, a friend that Chalice has known since a young girl. Unfortunately for Jeremiah, sneaking up on Chalice doesn’t end up being a good idea as he gets tossed about some.

Both Chalice and Jeremiah know that something bad had to have happened for the families to have deserted the area and they intend to find out where their families have been taken. Before they can even plan anything properly they realize that the King’s men have landed on the island and they rush to escape through a hidden passage built by Jeremiah’s father. The two face many obstacles on their journey through the Terravailian world. Along the way they meet the cutest little creature called a Chinuk that helps them and an old man who appears to know much more about Chalice’s past than she does. However, with the good comes the bad and they also encounter pure evil to the point where they are on the verge of losing their lives.

I enjoyed this coming of age story of Chalice. She is a great character – very strong and brave. She wants more than anything to save her people and help them to build a better and safer world for themselves. This journey not only finds her experiencing her first love but it is also teaching her who she really is and what who she is means to the world she lives in.

I found the beginning of the novel a bit slow to start but it takes off quickly enough and sucks you right into the adventure. I found at times a little overwhelmed by all the new information being introduced but I can’t say that this took away from enjoying the story really – I just had to pay better attention. I loved how the author built this exciting world that the characters journey through. Melissa’s writing is very vivid and creative. I had no trouble imagining this world and it was almost like watching a movie. I found it very inventive and entertaining. This is the first in a trilogy and I’m looking forward to reading the next one and continuing on in Chalice’s journey.

I read The Raie’ Chaelia by Melissa Douthit for her book tour with Premier Virtual Author Book Tours. Be sure to check out what others are thinking about this book here. You can purchase your own eBook copy of The Raie’ Chaelia for your Kindle or Nook or you can pop by Peeking Between the Pages tomorrow to check out Melissa’s guest post and enter to win an eBook copy.

© 2010, Darlene of Peeking Between the Pages. All Rights Reserved. If you’re reading this on a site other than Peeking Between the Pages or Darlene’s Feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.



My eBook copy of The Raie’ Chaelia by Melissa Douthit was received for review from Premier Virtual Author Book Tours and the Author.

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