Thursday, December 29, 2016

The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory


Title: The Boleyn Inheritance
Author: Philippa Gregory
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis: The story of the rise and fall of Henry VIII's fourth and fifth wives, Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard.

My Thoughts

After the last book I read, (see review below) it was so refreshing to start a book that I could just not put down. There are so few novels about Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard and, as usual, Gregory really creates relatable characters from what information history has provided her. 
The story is told from three first-person perspectives, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and lady-in-waiting, Jane Boleyn (Anne Boleyn's sister-in-law). This allows the reader to get a complete view of how events unfolded and give depth to each of the women. The true terror of the people at court is also made quite apparent throughout the novel as well. Henry VIII's madness is in full swing during this part of his life so everyone around him fears for theirs.
The author really works to humanize these women and show that they are more than the terrible things King Henry and history have said about them. She gives reasons for why they may have acted as they did. 

I have read many of Philippa Gregory's novels, all of them good, but this may be my favorite so far. As I have said before, I knew the fates of Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard before I started reading, but somehow Gregory builds suspense and endears the reader to the characters so you begin to wonder if maybe it will end differently.

I would recommend this to anyone who is intrigued by the Tudors, enjoys a good story, and/or appreciates interesting female protagonists. 
Enjoyed this novel as well? Not so much? Feel free to comment below!

To buy this book from amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from Philippa Gregory, visit her website linked above.

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Saffire: A Novel by Sigmund Brouwer

Title: Saffire
Author: Sigmund Brouwer
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis: Cattle farmer and ex-rodeo rider, John Holt travels to Panama where a new canal is being constructed. He is sent there by Teddy Roosevelt to help the Americans figure out who might be sabotaging the construction of the canal. Holt meets a young girl named Saffire whose mother has gone missing and decides to help her. This becomes a dangerous task and John Holt must choose between solving the mystery or heading home to his young daughter back in the United States.


My Thoughts

The synopsis on the back cover was a little misleading. When I first picked up this book I thought I was going to be reading a novel where Teddy Roosevelt played a strong role, this is far from true. Once I figured out that James Holt was the protagonist I was a little disappointed, but still interested to see what the novel had in store.
Saffire has a really enjoyable storyline, but just doesn't quite have the "grab your attention" quality I'm looking for in a book. The story takes place over four days, but it feels much longer. There are aspects of mystery and a love story, but neither of them are particularly fleshed out. 
I understand that the author is going for a love at first sight kind of feel, but it just doesn't really come across as romantic or as though it is deeper than just an initial attraction until the very end of the book.
 As far as the mystery portion goes, there is not enough information provided to really make the reader wonder who might be behind the sabotage. In attempting to create mystery the author really just left too many questions so the reader didn't understand what was happening in the story.
Overall, this on is not one I will be recommending to friends

To buy this book from amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from Sigmund Brouwer, visit the website linked above.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.