The Crown: The Official Companion by Robert Lacey

Title: The Crown: The Official Companion
Author: Robert Lacey
Genre: Non-fiction

Synopsis: The Netflix Original The Crown is based on the life of Queen Elizabeth II as she ascends to the throne and begins the first few years of her reign. This companion book describes what from the series is true to history and what was fictionalized for dramatic effect.

My Thoughts

When I saw that this book one I could get to review I was so stinkin' excited! I love this series and the British Royal Family so I knew I had to request a copy. This book is really beautifully put together. Each chapter is based on one episode from the series. The author discusses what happened in the episode, how it relates to what actually occurred in history. It is written in such a way that it reads really easily and much more like a story than a biographical text. I looked forward to reading it every night.
The book also has excellent photographs throughout complementing each topic. There are still images from the series and actual photographs of the people represented in the series. It is so interesting to see the actors who are chosen to play each person and then a photo of that person in real life. The cover of the book is really clever,  a profile photo of Queen Elizabeth II is set behind a profile photo of the actress who plays her in the series. On the back cover, it is flipped so the queen's profile is in front of the actress's profile.

If you have seen the series The Crown, enjoy reading about royalty, or just like reading historical non-fiction, this book is for you! 


Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!


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

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

Moonlight Over Paris by Jennifer Robson

Title: Moonlight Over Paris
Author: Jennifer Robson
Genre: Fiction

Synopsis: After surviving a publicly humiliating broken engagement and a life-threatening illness, 28 year old Lady Helena Montagu-Douglas-Parr decides it is time to really live. She applies to art school in Paris and moves in with her delightfully zany, recently widowed, aunt. Presenting herself as Helena Parr, an ordinary young aspiring artist, she makes new friends at school and opens herself up to a new Parisian life. Helena gets to mix with famous up and coming artists and writers of the mid-1920s and along the way meets newspaper-man Sam Howard. After surviving the war, is it possible for any one of them to let go of the past and move forward into the possibilities of the roaring twenties?

My Thoughts

I found this novel during my usual raid of the bargain book section at Barnes and Noble. After reading the book jacket I picked it up and put it down several times thinking it may just be too cheesy and predictable for my taste. Then when I saw the author had my same last name (after picking it up for the 4th time) I decided that I had to give it a read. 
I love that Helena decides to follow her dreams in an age where women born into titled families are expected to marry young and have a family and do nothing beyond that. It is so brave to actually step outside of the social norms especially after facing humiliation in one's social circle and hearing one's parents being told that it is likely you wouldn't survive your illness.
Robson shows Helena's vulnerabilities and how she uses them to create beautiful works of art, empathize with her art school friends, and finally to overcome them to believe in herself.
There is also a love story that runs throughout which is lovely and complicated and infuriating, as any good love story should be.
At 322 pages, this is one of the shorter novels I have read of late, and I was seriously torn between wanting to read it all at once and feeling sad that there were fewer and fewer pages left in this lovely story. I sincerely enjoyed reading this novel and I appreciated the depth that Jennifer Robson gave to the characters.
 I recommend everyone use the linked image above to purchase this book for yourself or as a holiday gift for someone you love. I can't wait to read more from this author.

If you like stories about bravery, art in the 1920s, Paris, or a good love story, this book is for you!

(On the off chance that she reads this, Jennifer, how do you pronounce your last name? My family pronounces it "Robe-sun" but I know others pronounce it phonetically, just curious!) 


Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!


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

Paradox Bound by Peter Clines

Title: Paradox Bound
Author: Peter Clines
Genre: Science Fiction

Synopsis: Eli Teague meets seemingly steampunk dressed Harry Prichard three times in his life before he learns about her search. A series of events leads Eli to join Harry on an adventure traveling across the United States and through history, in her Ford Model A, to save the American Dream.

My Thoughts
When I first read the description of this novel, I thought that it would be more historical fiction. It turns out, Paradox Bound is mostly Syfy with a touch of historical fiction. At the beginning, the reader needs time to really understand what is going on. I think this is intentional because the main character, Eli, is trying to figure out what has happened and it gives the reader an understanding of what he is going through. 
As more information is provided to the reader, the story becomes easier to follow. Traveling through time to save history is not a new idea, but Clines brings in an interesting element, the American Dream as a physical object that needs saving. This novel has enough predictability in the events to support the number of bizarre happenings and make it believable. It also has many moments of intense suspense and uncertainty to keep the reader totally engaged and on the edge of their seats.
I also really enjoyed the fact that while the protagonists were a man and a woman, there were no romantic entanglements between them. They are just honest-to-goodness partners working together to solve a mystery.

I'm really glad that I chose to take a chance on this novel, it is very enjoyable.

If you like science fiction, time travel, historical references, government conspiracies, and old-fashioned automobiles, this book is for you.  


Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!


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

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

The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory

Title: The Taming of the Queen
Author: Philippa Gregory
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis: Kateryn Parr, recently widowed for the second time and in love with a popular courtier, is selected by King Henry VII to become his 6th wife. Unable to refuse, Kateryn must marry a man old enough to be her father, and of whom she is terribly afraid. Kateryn must learn exactly how to keep her new husband happy because her life depends on it.

My Thoughts
I had finished reading this a few weeks ago. The fact that it has taken me this long to review it shows that it was only okay.
I love Philippa Gregory's historical fiction, so I was excited to read a novel about the wife who survives Henry VII. As with all of the novels I have read by Gregory, this one is written in a manner that makes you wonder how it will end, even though history has already informed me of the ending. 
Beyond that, this novel is just too long. Often, I find that I crush through a novel by this author so quickly that I am disappointed that there isn't more to the story. This novel is so slow in the middle. The point was made about Kateryn and Henry's relationship and the story needed to move on, but sadly it just felt repetitive. For about 100 pages I wanted to say "Okay, we get it, move on!"

If you are looking for great historical fiction, pick up any of Gregory's other novels, especially the ones in the Plantagenet series. Unfortunately, this one was a dud.


Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!


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