REVIEW - The Incredible Aunty Awesomesauce - pretty awesome as it happens

Date read: 24th September 2019

My rating: 4.5*

Genre I reckon: YA Humorous Sci-fi

Buy link: Amazon

Follow author on Facebook: JS Frankel




I read Catnip by this author before - see that review here
I enjoyed that one so much I wanted to read more by the same author. It's taken me a while thanks to a mahoosive TBR pile, but I was not disappointed.

A recently orphaned, troubled teen meets his estranged aunty who's out of this world - no, really, she is.

Loads of tension as aliens are on the hunt, mix in home security, a fab girlfriend and bullies...still not done...there's the author's wit too. All of this adds up to a story which is...well, pretty awesome.

This story is unlike any I've ever read. So refreshing in its originality. Sort of felt like a comic book (in a good way).

There's a subtle undertone of accepting diversity; not in a preachy way but in an amusing one.

Cool for all ages, but it is aimed at teens.
Give it a go.

Always in love and light,

TL

REVIEW - Unfinished Business - Trouble in Toronto

Date read: 15th September 2019

My rating: 4.5*

Genre I reckon: Kickass survivors of abuse

Buy link: Amazon

Follow author on Instagram: Wendy Hewlett 




This is book 2 in the Taylor Sinclair series. My review of book 1, Saving Grace, is here.

Well, I loved the first book. But this book takes it to the next level; it is full of action from the start. 

Someone is out to kill... Cail? Taylor? Oooh... could be either ;) 
But there's trouble between our heroes too. All the stress has taken its toll. Will either survive in any sense? 

There's kidnapping, explosions, drugs, more detail in Taylor's horrific past... 
But we also get more of a glimpse into the awesome Chris Cain too. She has her own history and current problems.
All whilst the baddies are out in full force. Oh, and the paps are up in her face too.
Hold onto your seats; this ride is bumpy! 

Poor Taylor; can she ever get a moment's peace? 

I love the characters in this series. I love the writing style. I love how the book argues with me when I have to put it down - a girl HAS to sleep and work, though!? 

Seriously gripping stuff. 

Honestly; give this one a read. It gets my full seal of approval. 

My only problem; do I read someone else from by burgeoning TBR, or jump straight into book 3?? I don't know!
And then there's the new Ailey of Skye by this, one of my favourite authors 😧
So much awesome, so little time!!


Always in love and light,
TL

REVIEW - The Mysteries of Udolpho - dull?

Date read: 6th September 2019

My rating: 3*

Genre I reckon: Supposedly Gothic Romance 

Buy link: Not giving you one!






Let me start by clarifying. I usually reserve reviews on this blog for books I'd genuinely recommend to a friend. This one is more a cautionary tale in case you too are tempted.

I admit it; I bought this book as it's cited in Northanger Abbey - ^thanks^ Jane Austen!

Described as "A quintessential Gothic romance, replete with incidents of physical and psychological terror; remote, crumbling castles; seemingly supernatural events; a brooding, scheming villain; and a persecuted heroine." - colour me intrigued.

I am not a fan of detailed description, and I feel like I am now overly familiar with every rock and crevice of the Pyrenees. Sure, give me a setting which can be beautiful, but don't make it the story. Too much!

I was expecting something akin to Dracula with its Gothic castles and spooky goings on, yet with a gentle love story. I was sorely disappointed. The castle didn't even come into it until about halfway through!

What I got was a soppy heroine. She cries ALL the time. The mountains are so beautiful they make her weep, she meets a pathetic boy which makes her cry, she gets torn away from him and home so she sobs. This may sound rational, but her eyes are seldom dry at all. Her second favourite hobby is fainting, which may be the only time she turns off the waterworks.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the sap she falls in love with, who is a soldier, also shares her passion for tears. Come on!!

And oh, the commas, which appear, in so many, odd places, as to leave you puzzled (see what I did there?). ;)

It's set in 1584 but reads more like the Georgian era it was written in, sadly.

There's not much dialogue, which I can forgive, given the time it was written. I'm fine with that.

And I did like some of the characters; Annette is rather fun and the Count de Villefort is charming.

Ordinarily, I'd have put this book down by the time I was a third of the way through; life's too short to read a book you don't enjoy. However, herein lies the reason for my 3 stars...I was oddly hooked. Was it a perverse pleasure which insisted I continue? The hope to get to a good bit? I really don't know.

Once the story finally got going, I did enjoy aspects. My modern mind was sadly not at all frightened by the modest attempts of terror. Emily was always too sceptical to allow me to believe supernatural occurrences were to blame.

At one point, a chap stands on guard to watch out for ghosts. It got really tense for a moment, then he started to read a book to while away the hours. That's fair enough, but I didn't need to read what he was reading! Really.

However, there was a sort of tidal flow to the story. Waves withdrew and then came crashing in, bringing chaos in their wake. It was rather pleasing.

Emily is admirable when not weeping. She stands fast to her virtuous upbringing, always using sound reasoning to do the right thing. Quite tough given some of the situations she finds herself in. She shows she has some strength after all.

I enjoyed the twists and turns, and actually some of the journeys.

And I truly appreciate its place in history. It helped to spark some greater works of fiction, such as the aforementioned Northanger Abbey. It deserves kudos.

Apparently, there's 'The Veiled Picture; or, The Mysteries of Gorgono' which is an abridgement, so maybe go for that instead.

Remember, this is only my opinion. You're entitled to a different one. Have you read this? Do let me know your impressions. 

Always in love and light,

TL

Regency Love - the details

OK, so over the past 16 posts, I've shared the plethora of research I gathered whilst writing my book.
And yes, I've included sneaky links to said book at the bottom of the posts - you can't blame a girl for trying 😉

But I thought I'd do a quick post all about the book itself.

Why did I write it?
Well, you may know that I have an author mission; to explore the many kinds of love.
And, as a lifelong fan of Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë (Jane Eyre is my all time favourite book), I wanted to follow in their footsteps.
Thus I find myself stepping back some two hundred years to explore love in Regency England.

So many Regency books I read either stop at marriage or involve indulgent naughtiness pre-marriage. But I wanted to go further than this. I wanted to portray a realistic story, feeling their were plenty of tales yet to be told.
What did women truly feel at the time? Did they go along with marriage blindly?
Although love was being considered during marital selection, this was also limited by the constraints of class.
I didn't want a poor girl chasing a duke. Lady Anne IS the daughter of a duke. She must have had something to say, but had no voice at the time. This author decided it was high time she was given an outlet.

What's it about then?
Regency Love - Reflections of a Young Lady is Lady Anne's story.
We join her as she enters the marriage mart, having been "bred for purpose". She is full of trepidation and excitement. She has no idea who she will find herself married to.

During her journey, she discovers that not all of the Ton are honourable. And secrets come to light.

She is not alone. There are two main girl friends who are going through the same process, and they support one another as they make their entry into Society.

But, this book does not close the doors at the church. Come and explore married life for those "fortunate" enough to succeed.

Choice is but an illusion. This is Regency England, where fortunes are won and lost with alarming regularity. Who amongst the nobility has kept and who has squandered the family fortune? 

Gossip and intrigue are rife amongst The Ton. Not all are honourable. And not all marriages are equal. 

Is it any good? 
How very dare you! 😂
lol, I don't expect you to take my word for it. Of course I love Regency Love, it's my book baby!!
ARC readers have begun leaving their reviews on Goodreads if you want to take a look.
But, by the time you read this, reviews should be going up in all the usual places. 

Added bonus; if you're reading this on release day, as planned (27th August 2019), you can still grab this (ebook) for the bargain price of 99c/99p! I mean it; that really is a bargain, this is a long book! 

Yes, 'tis I! 

Can I see a sample? 
Well, yes. You can actually see and hear me reading in a very plummy English accent on my IGTV and YoutTube Honestly, it's funny and well worth a watch! 

But here's a text snippet on Book Funnel (chapter 1 in its entirety as a pdf). 

Where can I buy it? 
I like to make my books available to all. 
So, if you follow this link, you can select your favourite book store.

But, if you want the direct Amazon ones, they are...
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada 
Amazon India

The paperback is also now available at Waterstones (as well as Amazon )

Thank you for your interest and support.

Always in love and light,
TL

Regency England Research - post 16 - The Summer of Celebrations

And so we face the final curtain (*sings the Frank Sinatra song dolefully*).

Here we are, my final Regency England post (*mops away tears*). It’s been quite a journey! Hopefully, you’ve gained an insight into the heaps of research that went into my book Regency Love – Reflections of a Young Lady. Perhaps it helps explain why it took me a year to write.

And maybe you’ve discovered some useful information for your own Regency romance/historical novel. I do hope so.

I wanted to end on a good note, so am focussing on the Summer of Celebrations.

Prinny, who we by now have learned, was fond of a good ‘bash’ (party), and he went ‘all out’ in 1814.

It was the centenary of Hanoverian rule (i.e. his family had sat on the throne for 100 years). It was also the anniversary of the Battle of the Nile and he had just signed the Treaty of Paris, making the two countries friends again. Huzzah!

There were three months of festivities, dubbed “The Summer of Celebrations”. Many dignitaries (the Allied Sovereigns) attended; King Louis XVIII, Czar Alexander I, King William III of Prussia, the Prince of Liechtenstein, and many more. You can imagine the parties, balls and banquets they experienced.

There was a big ceremony held for the new Duke of Wellington at Buckingham House.

James Sadler was invited by Queen Charlotte to perform a hot air balloon ascent in August– it was still a huge draw for the crowds.

The Grand Jubilee was held in honour of all these things. The main event was held on 1^st August across three parks (Hyde, St James’ and Green). All of London basically turned out to celebrate. There were model ships made for a re-enactment on the Serpentine. Pagodas, temples, all manner of things were constructed in aid of the celebration, many of which had fireworks launched from them. See more details in that link.

And so it is, under a burst of virtual fireworks that I end my Regency notes.

Thank you so much for being on this journey with me.

(*whispers*) don’t forget to buy my book 😉

Always in love and light,

TL

~ Please feel free to browse my blog. I jot down whatever writing tips come my way and review books I’d genuinely recommend to a friend. Don’t be a stranger now!

Regency England Research - post 15 - WAR; Peninsular Wars and Canadian

War! What is it good for? (*sings the Edwin Star song*)

Jane Austen wrote during the time of the Peninsular Wars yet they are not directly mentioned in her books. She does, however, refer to the officers and militia. I think she was trying to distract with pleasing tales of amusement with her ready wit.

However, they do get mentioned in mine, as a character dies over in one of the campaigns. Bonaparte and Wellington get mentioned. But I didn’t want to make too big a thing on it. Regency Love is not akin to War and Peace.

There’s no getting away from the fact that war was happening. Major events leading up to and including the Regency period:

v  1745- Jacobite Rising

v  1756-1763 – Seven Years’ War

v  1775 – 1783 – American War of Independence

v  1792 – 1802 – French Revolutionary Wars

v  1803 – 1815 – Napoleonic Wars

v  1854 – Crimean War

These all had an impact on the world. For instance, the French Revolution brought 40,000 refugees to England. Many escaped with nothing but their lives. Most lady’s maids during the Regency era were French, and it must be supposed some of these were formerly aristocracy. My Lady Anne’s own Clément was high born.

If we look at France we see the turmoil:

v  1789 – Revolution broke out

v  1792 – Revolutionary Wars began – this saw the execution of Louis XVI and the Reign of Terror by Jacobins

v  1795 – Rise of Napoleon (who actually brought in some pretty sound policies tbh)

v  1799 – Napoleon was defeated

v  1804 – Napoleon became emperor

v  1813 – Napoleon lost the Battle of Nations

v  1815 – Battle of Waterloo – The Restoration of Bourbon kings, Louis XVIII & Charles X

v  1830 – Revolution – Louis Phillipe becomes king

v  1848 – Revolution – Louis Napoleon as president

Phew!

Poor Boney! So undervalued in history!

Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to the Island of Elba when he abdicated. But in February 1815 he escaped and regained control of France (enter the 100 Days War).

However, in June 1815 the Battle of Waterloo saw an end to that, and Napoleon was exiled to St Helena.

This is, of course, another British hero, Stephen Fry playing Wellington in the hilarious Blackadder TV show

In the British corner, we had Arthur Wellesley (*enters like a champion boxer*), better known as the Duke of Wellington. He’s a fun character to inspect. He wasn’t exactly impoverished. His father was the 1^st Earl of Mornington over in Ireland. He was actually born in Dublin but attended Eton. However, he was the third surviving of five sons. So, he was one of those unfortunates who had to make his own way in the world as he had no entitlement and his family didn’t have much money.

Thus he entered a career in the army. He rose quickly through the ranks in successive battles across the globe, becoming field marshal in 1813 following the Battle of Vittoria. By the end of his military career he had actively taken part in 60 battles. Crikey!

He was awarded many titles and honours, including:

v  1805 – Knight of The Order of Bath

v  1807 – Privy Councilor

v  1809 – Baron Duoro

v  1812 – Earl & Marquess of Wellington

v  1814 – Marquess Duoro & Duke of Wellington

v  Wellington boots got named after him...!

He became prime minister in 1828 until 1830.

When he died in 1852 his body was laid to rest next to Nelson in St Paul’s Cathedral.

Moving further away from my homeland, trouble was still brewing ‘across the pond’.

The War of1812 in Canada saw the British trying to fight of the Yanks who were trying to take over Canada. I shan’t go into too many details. There’s lots of info around should you wish to explore.

Incidentally, travelling over to Canada was a trifle rough. The steam ships were just about to come in, but hadn’t quite yet. So, travel was largely via sailing packets. Most ships left Liverpool and took around 35 days to reach their destination. Eurgh!

OK, enough violence. I don’t like it! I’ll leave you to find more information if you need to. I may have to go and watch Sean Bean playing Sharpe to console myself!

Always in love and light,

TL
Far pleasanter things than war are to be found in the pages of Regency Love

Regency England Research - post 14 – TRANSPORTATION; carriages, roads and post

Do you know your phaeton from your landau? 😉 No, I’m not being rude, these were carriages and coaches. And there was a variety of these to be had during the Regency. In the time before cars, these were the mode of transport, but like cars, had their fashions and variance.

I’ll leave a link to a detailed post on types of carriages here (with handy pictures), and even then there were differences in phaetons and curricles.

In rough order of size, in summary, there was:

v  Dog Cart – single driver (room for dogs); variations of

v  Governess / Jaunting Cart – ladies or children would use these (horse or donkey pulled)

v  Gig – really made for one

v  Curricle – sportster of its day; two wheeled, fast, dangerous, pulled by two

v  Phaeton – two-seater with four wheels (quite showy-offy)

v  Hackney – London cab, really

v  Post-chaise – two to four passengers, but intended for post

v  Landau – similar to a barouche – could be pulled by a pair or a team

v  Barouche – four-passenger, pulled by four horses – convertible (very grand) – could be pulled by up to 6 horses

v  Family Coach – enclosed four passenger – more suiting to long journeys

v  Brake / Brake – Could carry up to six sportsmen and their dogs to their hunting ground

v  Stagecoach / Mailcoach – Combined post with passengers and set up in relays/stages. Up to seven passengers (some outside)

Note - The Hansom and the Brougham were not actually in use yet. The Hansom Cab was developed in 1834 by a Yorkshireman of that name. And the Brougham, pronounced broom, was built in 1838 (recall Regency technically ended in 1820). Thanking you very much, please (sorry; watched too much Miranda of late!).

Carriage horses also formed part of the flashiness. One had to pair teams correctly. They were stockier than riding horses as they had to have the power to pull hefty weights.

Some of the very rich had their own relays of horses stabled along their frequented routes. Of course, this was extremely expensive. Most would hire the post horses which were en-route.

Right, so that’s the horses and carriages. They travelled upon something which I hesitate to call roads. Tarmacadam wouldn’t arrive until 1902! Turnpikes and tollroads had been introduced, so they weren’t quite the rough dirt tracks they once were. Improvements had been made, but inclement weather would still render roads impassable and hazardous. Many a carriage was overturned on its journey.

Road improvements were partly responsible for the sharp decline in highwaymen (*sings the Adam and the Ants song*).  They had improved even since Jane Austen’s time.

Journey Times

One can roughly guesstimate journey times.

Ensure you check maps of the time to see which roads existed. The M1 wasn’t even imagined yet.

If one assumes carriages travelled at around 8-12mph you can use the speed-distance calculator.

This article helpfully notes that King George III travelled from Windsor to Weymouth in 11-13 hours.

Another way of looking at it, and I remind you to be wary of distance on new roads – carriages would travel very roughly at cycling speed. Things such as Google maps will calculate the journey time for you (“avoid motorways”), nudge nudge, wink wink 😉

 The carriages mention post-chaise and mailcoaches. So I ought to quickly discuss the postal service. There was an appalling lack of email or even telephones, so one relied on letters to carry information. With all these lovely new roads, one had a speedier method of reaching our correspondents.

Enter the Penny Post – hoorah! That linked post contains all sorts of wonderful information on postal rates and franking, yes franking. Boo; in London, during the war, it was raised to threepence post! In around 1840 envelopes and stamps were invented; such exciting times.

Thank you and come again.

Always in love and light,

TL

Lady Anne in Regency Love has use of a barouche, of course 😉