AUGUST 2008 REVIEWS:

THE SWORD AND THE SHIELD OF THE REALM
Florian Stone Wells, Sapientus, 2008, $18.95, pb, 344pp, 9780979957703
    The action in this novel takes place in the mid-fifteenth century, between the Ottoman/Islamic empire and Christian forces in Hungary. The main character, Lorian Comosicus, and his twelve-year-old stepbrother, Silvan, are on a mission when they meet a knight on a mission as well. The chance meeting and subsequent encounters provide an interesting mystery/historical fiction adventure that leads the reader into a pivotal point between medieval and Renaissance history.
    The author grew up in the same area where the ruins of Dracula’s castle still remain today. The book contains a very nice map of where the drama takes place, as well as an extensive glossary of terms used throughout the book (the terms are italicized the first time they are used).
    This book is the first of a series, the next book being titled The Field of the Blackbirds. -- Brad Eden

CAPTAIN'S SURRENDER
Alex Beecroft, Linden Bay Print, 2007, $12.99, pb, 187pp, 9781602020894
    Josh Andrews is a midshipman in the British Navy in the late 18th century, serving under a brutal and tyrannical commander. Punishments on Josh's ship are extreme, especially for the crime of sodomy. Because of this, Josh has learned to hide his inner self, only giving in to his desires on land and in secret. And then, one day, the ship picks up a new lieutenant -- Peter Kenyon, a gentlemanly captain in training. Peter and Josh share quarters during a voyage filled with misery, abuse, and injustice; but as the weeks go by, the greatest danger lies in the passion growing between them. If mutinous crews, marauding pirates, or deadly conditions don't kill them, Article 29 just might.
    The consequences of homosexuality in the British Navy are illustrated on page one, setting up a conflict that carries through the rest of the story. The historical detail is intricate but feels natural, never boring or overdone. If this author is as big a fan of Patrick O'Brian as this reviewer is, it definitely shows. The subplots surrounding the main love story feel like a plausible chain of events, not just the backdrop for a hookup. The pacing flows steadily from beginning to end, and the battles are exciting and gritty. This is a romance, though, and a realistic one, even if the intimate descriptions go a bit flowery at times. That's par for the romance course.
    One drawback: the cover. Romance novels (and e-pubs in particular) are often mocked for their cover art, but this one is just plain awful. In this case you really can't judge a book by its cover. Captain’s Surrender is a satisfying love story in a rough-and-tumble setting and a great addition to my GLBT romance collection. This one's a keeper. –- Heather Domin

THE WOLF AND THE LAMB: Book One of the Berkeley Trilogy
Rosy Cole, New Eve Publishing, 2008, £9.95, pb, 304pp, 9780955687716
    Mary Cole, a butcher’s daughter from Gloucester, is ignorant of the ways of the world. In a time when men of the aristocracy had “official” mistresses, the unscrupulous wandered the country abducting women without penalty. Mary is soon spotted by the Earl of Berkeley, a blackguard and womanizer, who decides that he must possess her. Through tricks and corrupt dealings, including the betrayal of Mary by her sisters, he abducts her, and she becomes his mistress.
    Mary’s distress and Berkeley’s weakness for her leads them to marry in secret, but he forces the priest to burn the marriage record; thus hidden, Mary could not take the name of Berkeley. After many years and many children, Mary convinces the Earl to marry her publicly, but the children born before this marriage would not inherit the family title. It becomes their mission to prove the earlier marriage and restore their sons’ rights. Society is against them, and their battle has just begun in this, the first volume of the Berkeley Trilogy.
Mary’s plight is told with compassion and the shameful history of England’s “great” families is retold with skill and evident research. Beyond Mary, there is too little character development, a difficult task when the author includes the multitudes connected to the Berkeleys during that period. Cole’s talent shines brightest in the scenes between Mary and her mother, revealing the pain of Mary’s shame and her mother’s inability to understand Mary’s determination to remain in the Berkeley household. Equally impressive is Cole’s attempt to unravel the tangled web of the families and loyalties of the peers.
   This novel will be enjoyed by anyone interested in the position of women and political turbulence in England at the end of the eighteenth century.
-– Catherine Perkins

THE ABBOT & THE ACOLYTE IN DEATH & TAXES
David Coles & Jack Everett, Libros International, 2008, £8.99, pb, 335pp, 9781905988184
    Abbot Rulitius is the Papal auditor and travels around the French countryside in the late 13th century auditing monasteries. In one such place he acquires an acolyte, the son of a disgraced local Duke who sided with the Cathars. The pair set off to audit another religious house, where they find themselves mixed up in several crimes including a murder.
    This is the first in a new series about this crime-solving duo, who both have their share of character-forming and life-changing experiences within these two covers. Rutilius needs to become a little more humble and less inclined to make unwise snap decisions, while young William has some growing up to do and needs to come to terms with the loss of his ducal heritage. Watching this happen is enjoyable, as is trying to work out whodunit and what else is going on at the monastery.
    Less laudable is the pace, which certainly gets faster towards the end of the book, but moves rather too slowly at the beginning and in the middle. It is some time before any actual sleuthing goes on, and while I certainly don’t advocate that nothing else should happen in a historical mystery but detecting, I prefer this to start slightly earlier on. Perhaps I was expecting something more akin to David Coles’s lively and pacy fantasies, and maybe now the introduction to the world of the abbot and the acolyte is over book two might be rather more exciting. -– Rachel A. Hyde

WAR ON THE MARGINS
Libby Cone, Booksurge, 2008, $12.99, pb, 337pp, 9781419689956
    The Channel Islands were a strategic location for both Axis and Allies during World War II. Their proximity to both England and France could have made them a hotly contested territory, but Churchill decided, early in the war, that they were indefensible, and the Nazis quickly occupied the territory. War on the Margins describes the effect of the Nazi occupation of Jersey, including the fear and paranoia that grip the island’s residents, causing neighbor to turn on neighbor—as well as some truly heroic acts of rebellion.
    Cone tells the story of several of the island’s residents, including Marlene, whose father’s Jewish ancestry changes her life in an unexpected way, and Suzanne and Lucille, surrealist artists who moved from France to Jersey and are an integral part of the resistance movement.
    War on the Margins is based on Cone’s master’s thesis in Jewish Studies, and includes abundant quotes from source materials, including communications describing the restrictions placed against Jewish residents of the Channel Islands. What begins as the requirement to register quickly snowballs into restrictions on business, finance, communication, and even the ability to leave their homes. The fortitude and strength of those who rebelled against the Nazi policies is inspiring, as are the acts of heroism committed by ordinary people who are willing to fight for freedom and equality for all.
    This novel was a quick read, but it was substantive, and the research that went into its creation was significant, illuminating the history of a lesser-known home front during World War II. Recommended. -– Nanette Donohue

REBEL DOVE
Linda Daly, Light Sword Press, 2007, $19.95, pb, 377pp, 9780979203091
    Though her home state, Virginia, is divided, Elise Hamilton knows exactly where she stands during the War Between the States—firmly on the side of the South. When an opportunity for some minor espionage arises, Elise gladly takes advantage, only to find herself caught by a handsome Yankee officer, Joshua Carmidy, who takes her to task for her misdeed. Elise is immediately attracted to Joshua, which appalls her—how could she desire the enemy? As the conflict heats up, so does the attraction, forcing Elise to decide if she is capable of loving a man whose beliefs conflict with her own.
    Elise is a Southern belle of the Scarlett O’Hara type—headstrong, independent, flirtatious, and rebellious—but not as well-developed. She seems selfish for the sake of being selfish, and when she finally does something to earn the reader’s sympathy, it’s too late. Though it follows the typical love-hate pattern of many historical romance novels, the relationship between Elise and Joshua develops too quickly and resolves very early in the book, leaving little suspense or tension. There are also some jarring shifts in the timeline of the novel, including one two-year break in the narrative that sent me flipping back through the book to figure out where the Civil War went and how the characters moved from the beginning of the war to the ending so quickly.
    Despite its flaws, readers who enjoy historical melodrama or lengthy family sagas may enjoy Rebel Dove. The supporting characters, especially Elise’s abolitionist friend Miranda, are interesting, and some of the side plots (especially the one involving Miranda’s father Lucas’s extramarital relationship with a slave) are luridly compelling. Rebel Dove is part of a saga that is intended to follow the characters and their families for a century, and the whole may be greater than the sum of its parts. -- Nanette Donohue

THE LAST FREE MEN
Jack Everett & David Coles, Virtual Tales, 2007, $6.95, e-book, 216 pp, 9781897442050
    Marcus Uffin Gellorix, the product of a Roman officer and Bryton mother, has been treated well by the sixth legion on Hadrian’s wall. This mixed birth gives him the ability to roam freely in both Roman and native circles, and even though neither really accept him, he can give both sides what they want. For the natives, it is Roman goods; for the Romans, it is information. This is how Marcus Uffin Gellorix makes his living. But then Roman justice rears its head and sends Uffin into slavery where he experiences first hand the cruelty on which Pax Romana was built.
    Iavolena was spoiled as a child and pampered as the wife of the Vircovicium Commandant who is twice her age. Further, he is unsatisfying in bed and gets himself posted to Hadrian’s wall far from the luxury she was accustomed to in Rome. But certain young women have ways of getting what they want, and the legion is full of attractive young men whom are easy to manipulate.
If you are not up on Latin geographic locations in and around the British isles, portions of this novel will be tough to follow. Also, some of the points of view changes were somewhat confusing. Although the Iavolena subplot to this duel story line novel did not seem to add much to the main plot, it was still a suspenseful and highly entertaining read. -- Michael Wilson

ZOE’
T.A. Ford, BookSurge, 2008, $17.99/C$18.99, pb, 388pp, 9781419691478
    In 17th century France, Zoé Bouchard, the product of a forbidden affair between her father and his African mistress, has long been aware that her future will be very different than that of her sweet, white half-sister Marianne. Always relegated to the background, Zoé is caught off guard when her sister is presented to the mysterious, tough Comte Julien La Roque de Toulouse, who instead of proposing to the legitimate daughter, is instantly drawn towards the exotic Zoé.
    The count decides he will have no other and proceeds to seduce the young woman. Zoé, also inexplicably drawn to this cold man, soon finds herself deep in a secret affair, frantically trying to hold on to her morals. When the truth is discovered by her cruel stepmother, Zoé’s hopes of salvation cannot be found. Her love for the count stays strong, even when an evil American slaveholder interferes, causing her father’s death, and purchasing Zoé from her stepmother.
    Ford weaves a dark tale of historical romance, taking readers through the pain and ecstasy of true love, the depths of sisterly love, and the unquestionable power of the human spirit. Rich in detail, this is an eloquent story with memorable characters and an underlying theme about the power of love and its inability to be conquered. -– Rebecca Roberts

THE SASSAMON CIRCLE
Louis Garafalo, Outskirts Press, Inc., 2008, $14.95, pb, 166pp, 9781432720667
    The Sassamon Circle is a fictional tale based on the few known facts of the life of John Sassamon, a Native American from southeastern Massachusetts.
Taking place during the first fifty years after the Pilgrims arrived in America, the story chronicles the intersecting paths of a fictional English family, the Laphams, and members of the Wompanoag tribe. Sassammon, being fluent in both English as well as native dialects, acts as an interpreter, communicating back and forth between the two cultures. After the death of young Arby Lapham, suspicions are heightened, and what follows is a story depicting the quick downward spiral of bloodthirsty revenge.
    The mysterious circumstances surrounding Sassamon’s own death in 1675 placed further strain on the tense relations between the English and Native Americans. Three natives were eventually tried, convicted, and executed for the murder in an English court, a decision factoring into the start of the King Philip War, the bloodiest per capita conflict in American history.
    Garafalo’s fast-paced storytelling gives readers a true glimpse at the strained relationships between English and Native Americans during the colonial period. With stakes for power, money, and land high for all involved, The Sassamon Circle succeeds in portraying the varying fates of the Laphams, Sassamon, and the Wompanoags. Their interwoven story is one that likely took place many times over the course of the initial English inhabitance of the East Coast, costing families on all sides to examine faith, seek revenge, and face incredible gains and losses. -- Erin E. Dorney

HITLER’S JUDAS
Tom Lewis, VP Publishing LLC, 2007, $14.95, pb, 290pp, 9780970579362.
    Knowing the Third Reich is doomed, the master opportunist, second most powerful man in Germany, and personal secretary to the Fuhrer, Martin Bormann plans a complicated escape route. But having grown accustomed to comfort, he will not leave penniless.
    The first step is to get control of the necessary finances by using intimidation, forgery, confusion, and decentralization. Being the only man Adolf Hitler trusted makes this step the easiest. Getting a person out of Germany is easily done. However, moving large amounts of gold bullion requires more than tricking a few accountants and bureaucrats.
    Martin Bormann must also go to the rich and powerful industrial leaders of the time, the very people he had been helping the National Socialist Party fleece for years and find a way to motivate them to help in his scheme. To ensure he makes contact with the right ones, he first requests an interview with the Pope, who is already operating an escape route out of Hitler’s Europe.
Horst Von Hollenbach, Germany’s celebrated u-boat captain; Edda Winger, Bormann’s mistress; and Klaus Berger, German’s most famous actor, all play their parts in Borman’s golden parachute escape scheme. The escape route’s first destination is Argentina but is changed to Pea Island, a small patch of land north of Cape Hatteras where the ruthless Martin Bormann meets an unexpected obstacle.
    Although there were a few missed editing opportunities, and Mr. Lewis was a little off as to how ships operate at sea, this was an entertaining read and was difficult to put down. -- Michael Wilson

THE RIVER, BY MOONLIGHT: A Novel
Camille Marchetta, Virtual Bookworm Publishing, 2007, $14.95, pb, 376pp, 9781602640177
    Lily Canning was a beautiful, talented, young painter. When she is found drowned in the Hudson River off of Manhattan, Lily’s family and friends are forced to search their hearts and memories, scrutinizing their moments with her: every look, every word, looking for answers. On the brink of entering the Great War, this family from the Hudson Valley embodies the various emotions and reactions experienced by all Americans trying to deal with their own personal tragedies under the shadow of war.
    Lily’s art was her life; she showed no desire for children, family, and all that was expected of a woman at the beginning of the twentieth century. Lily’s dedication to her work, modern sensibility, the conservative world of her parents and old New York, her friends’ participation in and support of the suffragist movement present a wonderfully eclectic sample of the feelings and experiences of the educated classes in an exciting, yet turbulent age.
    Marchetta’s novel moves slowly and deliberately, winding and deepening like a river. Just as grieving family and friends are in a daze, slowly wading through their confusion, disbelief, and grief, the picture of Lily’s life and death slowly comes into focus. The characters’ recollections of their time with Lily blend to give a luxuriously detailed picture of life in New York City and the Hudson Valley at the start of the Great War.
    Marchetta’s enthusiasm for the artistic process, painting, and research is evident, and this novel will be appreciated by anyone interested in the arts and the way our lives are affected by events beyond our control.
-– Catherine Perkins

VENGEANCE IS MINE: A Novel of Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard, and Lady Rochford, The Woman Who Helped Destroy Them Both
Brandy Purdy, iUniverse, 2007, $16.95, pb, 247pp, 0595481248
    Much has been written about the legendary Anne Boleyn, mistress turned queen of Henry VIII. However, never before has the story of Anne’s (and subsequent wife Katherine Howard’s) demise been told through the eyes of Lady Jane Rochford.
    Embittered by the unusually close relationship Queen Anne held with her brother George Boleyn (Rochford’s arranged husband), Rochford accuses the two of incest and conspiracy of murder. Disheartened by Anne’s failure to produce a male heir to the throne, and tired of her sharp tongue, Henry VIII believes the accusations, sentencing Anne, George, and a number their loyal friends to death by beheading.
    Expecting to live out the remainder of her days friendless and shunned by the court for turning on her own husband, Rochford is surprised by the vibrant entrance of Katherine Howard into Henry’s court. Howard, soon becoming disgusted with the king’s old age, obesity, and impotence, seeks a lover with Rochford’s help. Eventually, Rochford falls into her old pattern of betrayal, sending Howard and her lover to the chopping block. However, this time her plan backfires, and she too is sentenced to death for arranging these adulterous liaisons. From her tower, waiting to die and haunted by the ghosts of those whom she has betrayed, she pens this twisted tale.
    Although hard facts about Tudor history are difficult to locate, Purdy does an excellent job of filling in the gaps with imaginative and exciting plot twists. Characters jump off the page and the book will be a sure page-turner to anyone interested in this tumultuous time period. -– Erin E. Dorney

THE CONFEDERATE WAR BONNET: A Novel of the Civil War in Indian Territory
Jack Shakely, iUniverse, 2008, $17.95, pb, 264pp, 9780595709564
    In the spring of 1863, Jack Gaston is called from class at Harvard University to the dean's office to learn that he has been elected to the House of Warriors of the Creek Nation in Oklahoma, and that he is to report home immediately to serve in the Confederate army. Although Jack is anti-slavery, he returns to take his place in the Creek House. A Creek of mixed heritage, Gaston uses his love of Creek tradition, his education, his father's printing press, and the resources of his mother's wealthy St. Louis family to try and guide his people through the final years of the American Civil War.
    When Jack returns to his home, he discovers that there are hostilities between and within the various Indian nations in addition to the Confederate and Union divide. He also finds that the Confederate officers do not understand the fighting techniques traditionally employed by the Creek warriors. Perhaps the most disturbing news of all is the split within the Creek Nation along north and south lines.
    The Confederate War Bonnet, by Jack Shakely, is set in Eastern Oklahoma, in lands held by the Creek Nation. Shakely explores the reasons that the nations chose the sides that they did, exploring the impact of broken treaties on relationships between the Indians and the United States government. The novel is well written and, apart from a couple of near-encyclopedic entries, flows well. I would recommend this book for readers interested in Civil War or Creek history. -– Rob Amend

DARKNESS AND THE DEVIL BEHIND ME
Persia Walker, Rich Girl International, 2007, $12.95, 272pp, 9780979253805,
    In January 1923, Esther Todd, a rising young pianist, vanishes along the snowy streets of storm-swept Harlem. At the same time, thieves enter the home of her society patron and pull off a million-dollar heist. The police instantly believe Esther was involved, despite the protests from her sister, Ruth. After several months, any leads to Esther and the thieves have gone cold and the search for both is filed away.
    By Christmas 1926, Ruth still does not know what happened to her sister, and she is desperate to achieve closure. Her desperation leads her to Lanie Price, a one-time crime reporter who covered the initial story. Ruth asks Lanie, who writes for the society column now, to write about her sister again, to refresh the story and to hopefully uncover the truth. Seeking fresh material, Lanie starts asking hard questions to some of the most powerful people in Harlem, and putting herself in imminent danger, all to find out what happened to Esther.
    This mystery interweaves politics, race issues, romance, and adventure, creating a solid, historically-researched novel. Walker depicts an often unseen version of life during the Harlem Renaissance and Prohibition, and through the eyes of Lanie, readers are transported back to these fascinating times.
-– Rebecca Roberts

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