Books, Books, Books, and a Cat

  Elizabeth Chadwick is a master at historical fiction.  I loved how she brought the story of Nesta, a Welsh princess, to life.  I had never heard of Nesta before, even though I have read quite a few books set in the 11th and 12th centuries.  Nesta's home is attacked, her father is killed, and her brother is sent fleeing to Ireland.  Nesta is forced to live with the Normans until she is of an age to be married off.  After a couple of years as a hostage, she catches the eye of Henry, the kings younger brother. He forces her to become his mistress, and Nesta starts a new form of captivity.  After having Henry's son, Nesta is offered in marriage to Gerald, who is a Norman who currently lives on the land where she grew up.  Gerald is a decent and honorable man but he is not Welsh and Nesta has never really been given a choice where her love life is concerned.  Owain enters her life and Nesta has to make a choice for herself.  Does she stay w...

 A truly remarkable and inspiring novel that reminds the reader to never forget the power of books. The Invisible Hour made the hours disappear as I became absorbed in Mia's world.  Ivy is a pregnant teenager  during a time where she has no options except to be sent away. She makes the choice  to run away and ends up at the Community, an isolated farm which is really more of a cult,  where she thinks she will be loved and accepted.  She ends up getting married to the leader of the Community and gives birth to Mia.  Mia is raised in a world that does not allow books or any type of imagination.  Life is all about following the strict rules that Joel, the leader, sets for the community.  One day Mia steps in a library and finds a book that seems to be written to her.  Mia is determined to escape until one day the unthinkable happens and the only thing that will save her is that book. What follows is a story that blends survival, a historica...

  Oh, that twist!  You have to love a Liv Constantine book because you know there is going to be an incredible twist somewhere.  I thought I had it figured out but I was completely wrong.   The Senator's Wife is told from multiple perspectives.  The first one is Sloane, who is a senator's wife.  She is deeply in love with her husband Robert and life would be a fairy tale except Sloane suffers from Lupus and her husband's cousin, Peg,  is an absolute mess.  Peg is married to Whit, who is also one of the perspectives in the novel. The other two points of view are Rosemary, Robert's mother, and Athena, a home health aide who is going to help Sloane after she recovers from hip surgery.  A horrific tragedy occurs and Sloane and Whit's lives are forever changed.  The two seek solace in one another's company however there seems to be a malicious force that is threatening their happiness.  This is a novel you have to read until the end...

  Speak of the Devil is an apt name for this novel as the man who is murdered was definitely a devil.  Jamie is a scientist and a well respected man in his community, so it is shocking when he is found decapitated with only his head being found on New Years Eve in 1999, in a hotel room. He is found by a group of seven different women who have gathered because they all  despise him.  They have all met before to discuss how he has impacted their lives.  This time though they did not expect to find his head.  The reader is left to wonder which one of these women could have killed him and why.  Throughout the novel you meet each woman and learn their backstory.  The reader is also introduced to Nova, a cop, who is trying to figure out what happened.  As it turns out she also has a connection to the women.  As each story was told I felt a deep loathing for this man who caused so much pain and horror.  I did want to keep reading to find o...