King of My Scars by Abby North; Whoever Romances in Vegas Stays in Vegas

 

King of My Scars by Abby North; Whoever Romances in Vegas Stays in Vegas

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Abby North’s Suspenseful Romance novel, King of My Scars, can be a bit paint by numbers in terms of romance but it doesn't shy away from darker and more disturbing topics like domestic abuse, battered person syndrome, stalking, and self-esteem issues.

Ariana has fled her abusive husband, Aaron. She leaves their swank Los Angeles home for Las Vegas hoping to move on. She is rescued in a tight spot by Denham King, hotelier, who moves her to one of his penthouse suites. He's handsome, charming, helpful, and kind but Ariana is reluctant to pursue a romance with him. She has had two previous bad relationships and isn't sure she is ready for #3. Then again the third time could be the charm.

Ariana is a strong yet vulnerable lead character. North expertly details how her trauma affected many of her actions in the present. Her trauma is realistically described and depicted and despite being put into a new romance. It doesn't shy away from her fear and reluctance to embark on another serious relationship.

That she has had two abusive relationships is a very understandable detail. She fled her first boyfriend Jonny who stalked her so much that she moved cross country and changed her name. When she encountered Aaron, she was susceptible to the love bombing, the manipulation, the controlling masquerading as caring, and the sharp criticisms coming from her latest lover.

While one would expect Ariana to recognize the signs and flee immediately from the scene, that isn't always the case. She was so determined to believe that her prior relationship was a one-time thing that she justified the abuse until it was too late. There is also a part of her that believed that she deserved the abuse that she was given. 

She emerged as someone with low self-esteem, PTSD, and battered person syndrome. She may have been able to physically leave the situation but mentally and emotionally, she's still there.

This perspective helps to understand the context of her struggles so they make sense. She is in danger a few times and is rescued by Denham. While it can be cringy and some would say dated, in this specific situation it works. She has extreme PTSD from both of her bad relationships so of course she would be on edge and feel helpless. These situations probably aren't helping either.

Ariana is naturally cynical and mistrusts Denham. Even though he's handsome, wealthy, charming, and empathetic, she is still living in the mindset of reluctance and caution that were her survival instincts during her previous relationships. After all, if Aaron was able to play the part of a nice guy before revealing his true colors, who’s to say that Denham isn't doing the same?

I don't know if North intended this but there are times when the Reader doubts Denham 's sincerity. There are a few red flags like when he uses his vast wealth to solve problems, hides information from Ariana, or veers towards arrogance. While Denham is written as a better alternative to Ariana's exes, he could become yet another abuser in her life and Ariana might have fallen into familiar and toxic territory. 

Perhaps these are traits that make Denham a multi-layered flawed character, but it could also be a commentary that Ariana’s suspicions are not entirely wrong. At least, Denham is aware of those traits and works on them so Ariana doesn't end up with more of the same.

The Las Vegas setting is also a subtle play on the book's themes of relationships. It is a city of glitz and spectacle where one can't always tell fantasy from reality at first. Someone is drawn to a casino for the atmosphere and the opportunity to win easy money. A few hours later they give away their life savings and have to go to Gambler's Anonymous. 

Ariana’s exes and Denham are like that, good looking, flashy, charming, charismatic and appear like nice guys to her. She is drawn in by the fantasy and then is left battered by the reality of her ex's abusive natures. 

What sets Denham apart from them, is that he is able to transcend the initial illusion that often comes with first meeting someone who creates instant attraction. He is able to show through his actions that he is a good man and has the patience to wait for Ariana to recognize that. 

He is the reality of love that lives within the Vegas illusions and helps Ariana to live in that reality as well. 

Jack The Bodiless (Galactic Milieu Series Book 2) by Julian May; The Return of an Old Friend

 Jack The Bodiless (Galactic Milieu Series Book 2) by Julian May; The Return of an Old Friend

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: It's an interesting experience to reread a book after many years. In 1997, I read Julian May’s The Galactic Milieu Series. I was new to reading Science Fiction, mostly limited to Ray Bradbury's works. I was curious about this series about The Remillards, a telepathic family, or metapsychic family to use the book's terminology. It left such a large impression on me that Science Fiction became one of my favorite genres to read.

Almost 30 years later, I wondered after almost three decades of reading speculative fiction if The Galactic Milieu Series still holds up. I am glad to report that as far as the second volume in the series and the first that I read, Jack The Bodiless is concerned, it not only held up, it actually improved with age.

The most prominent and influential family is The Remillard Family whose members are highly metapsychic.When patriarch Victor dies, The Remillards receive mental impressions of two monsters, Fury and Hydra who commit a series of murders over the years leaving the family vulnerable. Meanwhile, Paul and Teresa Kendall-Remillard are expecting their fifth child, Jon or Jack, who is genius, self-aware, and could potentially be the most powerful psychic in the family even as an infant.

The Earth that May envisioned has some interesting touches that are both imaginative and thought provoking. When I previously read it, the future was far away and remote. Now that it’s here, the parallels can’t be missed. 

The setting of this book is over 100 years after a time called The Great Intervention (detailed in the first book in the series, Intervention unread by me.). Various alien races made contact with Earth inviting them to join the Galactic Milieu, sort of an intergalactic United Nations. Earthlings received many perks because of this union including long life spans, rejuvenated youth, mental telepathy, other metapsychic abilities, and the ability to travel to the stars. It is an amazing world that May built in which the human mind is invited into a higher consciousness that explores unlimited potential beyond our little blue dot in the vast universe.

However as readers of Science Fiction all know, there is always a catch to what seems to be a great offer and in the case of the Milieu, that catch is Unity. The Milieu wants Earth’s residents to join their minds and consciousness with the other species as a hive mind. Many are on board with this concept, and those who are supportive are granted higher positions in society. 

However, there are plenty of humans who rebelled against the concept like Rogatien “Rogi” Remillard, the cynical and deadpan narrator of the book. Rebels are concerned about the death of individuality, privacy, and human frailties.

 It is a conflict that carries over throughout the series. It’s also open-ended and invites readers to weigh their own opinions about the cost of vast knowledge and power vs. a life of mental subservience and conformity.

While Earth hasn’t exactly made contact with alien species and psychic abilities are still more theoretical than real, many of the issues that are discussed in this series are still very relevant. In this era of vast technology, social media, surveillance, censorship, and instantaneous connections we humans are made painfully aware of what is at stake.

We are surrounded by conflicts about privacy, the pursuit of vast knowledge, the price of conformity, and the desire to be individuals. May recognized these concerns in the 90’s and inserted them into her imaginary world. Now we are weighing that for ourselves. 

As detailed as May’s futuristic world is, her characters are just as well written. None more so than the large Remillard Family. They are like a fictional futuristic psychic version of the Kennedys, a family that is rich in wealth, power, influence, charisma, and inner turmoil. 

They are enthralling as a family unit and as individuals. They have some great struggles and conflicts that are pulled out of soap opera just as they are out of science fiction. Conflicts like infidelity, divorce, differing viewpoints, child abuse, illness, mental disorders are just as important as the wider conflicts with the Galactic Milieu. The Remillards are a very realistic family that lives in a fanciful universe.

Brothers Marc and Jack Remillards are a pair of stand outs in this intriguing family. Marc is an adolescent who at times acts more mature than his lecherous father and emotional mother. He shares a special bond with Jack even before Jack is born where they communicate telepathically. He also receives visions and mental impressions suggesting that his fate is much larger than he thought.

Jack too is also a brilliant character. He thinks complex thoughts inside the womb. Even after he is born, and suffers tremendous physical pain, his brain is still highly active. His brain practically ascends to a higher plane of existence that doesn’t need to be contained by a corporeal body. The overall impression is a small child who is highly intelligent, otherworldly, and somewhat disconcerting in his otherworldliness.

Surrounding this family are Fury and Hydra terrifying creatures that destroy their victims from within. It is a strange union in which Fury is clearly the dominant leader and Hydra the excitable follower. They conspire to destroy the Remillards from within.

They are like things from nightmares and feed off Remillard Family’s pain, insecurities, fears, and anger. They are unleashed in violent confrontations that are chilling and disturbing.

Jack the Bodiless is highly recommended for readers of science fiction, particularly those who are interested in reading about psychic powers, intergalactic space travel, dysfunctional families, rebellions, utopias, and the potential of expanded human potential, knowledge, and consciousness. 

Girls, Crime, and The Ruling Body by Barry Ziman; Secrets, Murder, and The Political Elite

 

Girls, Crime, and The Ruling Body by Barry Ziman; Secrets, Murder, and The Political Elite

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: In the hallowed halls of the rich, famous, and powerful lie some of the darkest secrets: sexual assault, rape, pedophilia, abuse, shady business deals, racketeering, corruption, fraud, mismanagement, cooking account books, workplace violations, safety and health violations, double dealing, treason, murder, supporting and sometimes committing genocide. They think that their wealth and famous names will prevent them from facing any accountability or punishment. Unfortunately, in many cases, they are right. Barry R. Ziman’s Girls, Crime, and The Ruling Body is about people like that and how the wealthy and powerful do terrible illegal things and quite often get away with it. 

Ryan McNeil is the chief of staff for Assemblyman Nickolas Somatos, a brilliant and ambitious New York based politician who has his sights set on higher positions of power. Cathy Wilet, a beautiful intern, is reported missing and foul play is suspected. This concerns Ryan because by chance he was one of the last people to see Cathy alive. He is questioned by police after he reveals his connection with her. Ryan is considered a person of interest so he becomes obsessed with the case and Cathy. This puts him at odds with his job when Ryan's notoriety affects Somatos’ approval ratings and his relationship with his girlfriend, Caroline who leaves him. Seven years later, Ryan is still chief of staff to Somatos who is now a U.S. Congressman. He also has an advantageous though unhappy marriage to his sophisticated but troubled wife, Annie. Ryan's new life begins to crumble when another woman ends up missing in a case similar to Cathy's and because of the similarities, Ryan becomes a primary suspect.

What is particularly striking about Girls, Crime, and The Ruling Body is the inside look at the wealthy and powerful and how they function, operate, and maintain control over the United State's population. It's the type of world where everything and everybody has a price and quite often that price is high.

Somatos is a politician who might have started out with good intentions and ideals, a real concern and desire to change the world. However, idealism has been replaced by pragmatism. The good intentions became mired in compromise and gain. He still has certain beliefs that he wants to come to fruition but knows that the price is his soul to become the arrogant hypocritical judgemental politician that he once ran against. He is one of many in this book who live a life of unchecked privilege, of wealth, power, influence, and glamor. Decisions are made by people like him on behalf of the people who are expected to follow along without complaining.

It's the type of glamorous surface that occurs so often in these types of works. We might admire or envy those people from afar but fear or are suspicious towards them when we learn what is inside. Various other characters in the book are seduced and fall susceptible to this life: politicians, business people, lobbyists, spouses, lovers, interns, media. Everyone is held under a microscope as their inner selves are revealed. Quite often those inner selves are repellant, repugnant, and filled with naked aggressive, hateful, decadent, violent, and murderous intentions.

 This behavior is seen by Ryan who stands on the outside and wants in. He is no better than anyone else. He has frequent affairs and has an ambitious drive to climb higher in this cesspool. Even his concern for the welfare of Cathy and the other women isn't based on any real concern but is actually based on his lustful obsession for them and fear over what these cases could mean for his long term career and family plans. 

This book has a very cynical view towards politics, justice, and the American system. That cynicism carries over to the end. For spoiler’s sake specific points won't be mentioned. Let's just say it doesn't end the way many mysteries and thrillers do. Instead it continues the cycle of powerful people doing horrible crimes to innocent people and facing no accountability for it. Everything gets swept under and covered by complacency, apathy, and insulating privilege. 

We want to believe that everyone is created equal but unfortunately some are born at the finish line and are able to influence everyone and everything else in their favor. Money, fame, and power often interfere with the actual pursuits of justice, equality, mercy, and compassion. That won't keep many from pursuing them and helping people to actually be seen as equal no matter their race, sexuality, gender identity, country of origin, faith, beliefs, or income status. Maybe then when we are truly seen as equal, justice can truly be met. 

What Happened At The Abbey (The Straithbairn Trilogy) Book One by Isobel Blackthorn; Blackthorn Goes Gothic in Engaging Historical Murder Mystery

 

What Happened At The Abbey (The Straithbairn Trilogy) Book One by Isobel Blackthorn; Blackthorn Goes Gothic in Engaging Historical Murder Mystery 

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Isobel Blackthorn is a favorite author of the blog. She is one of the best recent mystery/suspense authors. Her attention to setting and character brings new light to the Cozy Mystery, Locked Room Case, and other subgenres. Her books, The Cabin Sessions and Emma's Tapestry were favorites on the Best of the Best Year End Lists of 2021 and 2022 respectively. So when I say that What Happened At The Abbey, the first in Blackthorn's The Straithbairn Trilogy is the best of Blackthorn's work, I mean that it is the best of quite an impressive collection indeed.

What Happened at the Abbey is a loving tribute to the Gothic Mystery with an innocent female protagonist hired to work at a creepy wealthy estate for an eccentric family and unearths a secret that the family or their antecedents are trying to hide. It is a wonderful subgenre already and a personal favorite but Blackthorn's attention to tone and character make this a great addition to the genre and a stellar work in its own right.

Ingrid Barker is escaping an abusive marriage with her daughter, Susan. She had to leave her upper middle class lifestyle behind and travel North to Scotland to accept the position of housekeeper at Straithbairn Abbey. As she adjusts to her new surroundings and life as a single mother, Ingrid gets to know her employers, the McLeod Family particularly the argumentative daughter, Gertrude and the feckless secretive son, Miles. Miles in particular arouses suspicion with his cryptic words, his habit of sneaking around outside at night, and family's apparent dislike of him. It becomes clear that something is creepy in the estate of Straithbairn. Meanwhile, Ingrid is receiving threats of her own as she learns that her abusive ex husband is hot on her trail.

The atmosphere is one of stern judgment and deep ominous potentially demonic energy. Ingrid personifies Straithbairn as a “house that seems to frown down on all who behold it.” It's described with rugged countryside, omnipresent sharp craggy stones, a dour facade, and no softness. It is cold, imposing, and already unloving. 

The people who dwell inside Straithbairn are just as dysfunctional as the location that surrounds them. The McCleods are people who share a last name but harbor no illusions that they love each other or consider themselves family. Charles, their father, has a tight psychological grip on his children. Gertrude cares more about the estate than she does for the people who live inside it. Blake loses himself in alcohol and defeatism.

Then there's Miles whose arrival instantly brings derision and anger from the rest of his family. He is the McLeod Family Outsider. He appears at Straithbairn to collect moss for an academic study. But his first person narrative (which he alternates with Ingrid’s point of view) reveals more about him than he tells others. 

Miles is haunted by his family history and is searching for some answers to questions that have dogged him for years. His narration suggests him as someone who is teetering on the edge of sanity. He alternates between trying to retain rational thought and drifting towards paranoid delusions and fantasies. With the potentially supernatural atmosphere that charges the air, there are moments where it is uncertain if Miles is going insane or actually possessed by demons. What is apparent is that Miles is a man who is inwardly suffering and has no support from the people around him leading to further suffering.

The tension is also experienced by Ingrid. For someone who survived a physically and emotionally abusive marriage, Ingrid no doubt personifies her own experience with the setting around her. Her Anxiety and PTSD is paramount as well as her desire to get away from her previous situation. Straithbairn reminds her of her marriage: intimidating, isolated, domineering, confining, and loveless.

Ingrid is also someone whose own nerves are naturally at an all-time high. She shows a tremendous amount of strength of character by pulling herself and Susan out of a bad situation and  starting over in another country by telling people that she is a widow. However, she shows obvious signs of PTSD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. She is suspicious of the bond that develops between Susan and Ethel, the cook. She finds a newcomer, Hamish, to be alternatively attractive and mysterious. Then there is the news of Edward's return which causes her to fear the world inside and outside the estate.

The tension in the air consumes Ingrid and it becomes clear that something terrifying is hiding in the fringes or under the surface and is about to happen. 

It breaks when Ingrid and Miles come face to face with their own fears, anxieties, insecurities, and paranoia and those that cause them. 

 

Lit List LitPick Book Reviews

 Lit List: LitPick Book Reviews

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

It's no secret that I have been incredibly busy this year working on other projects. When I haven't been   reading and reviewing books for the   Bookworm Reviews, I have been editing,   summarizing, and reviewing books for   other sources. I would like to highlight some of those other sources.                                                                                                            

Here is a brief summary and review for the books that I have reviewed for LitPick Book Reviews site. Because of restrictions, I cannot post the full reviews here so I am just posting brief summaries and reviews

The Cuban Gambit by Jay Perin 

The third volume in this series. It involves the powerful, wealthy, and ruthless Shepherd, Barrons, and Kingsley Families who in the wake of their defeat of archenemy, Jared Sanders find themselves embroiled in corporate takeovers, extramarital affairs, kidnapping, scandals and plenty of drama.

This wide encompassing series features a wide variety of multifaceted characters with various goals and motives. There is enough glitz and glamor to put an 80's night time soap opera to shame and enough intergenerational conflict, high stakes, and deep characterization of a Shakespearean Tragedy. It reveals the inner personal struggles of various public figures with all of their conniving schemes and on rare occasions their empathetic warmth.

The Devil's Calling by Michael Kelley

Academic couple Sean McQueen and M Edens are adjusting to a new life together with their children and their recently established all-female college. Unfortunately, a new AI program and some messages from a previous enemy reawakens old fears and grudges as M is about to go on a lecture tour.

This book is awash in both science and spirit to make a technological and metaphysical masterpiece. Sean and M take different views but are able to bridge those views into something that combines the best of both worlds.

They are aided by a brilliantly written circle of friends and family and a deep abiding love for each other. This allows them to overcome every struggle and work together when it comes to a dramatic confrontation against an old enemy

Art Imitating Life by Claire Merchant

After a devastating breakup, Paige Stewart and her friends Liam and Nathaniel (the latter of whom has a crush on Paige) find themselves in a parallel universe. In the fantasy kingdom of Avellithia, the trio must play the parts of Sage the Sorceress, Nathaniel the Rogue, and Liam the Archer to fight an approaching army. Along the way, they discover counterparts of everyone they know and get involved in various romantic engagements.

The parallel universe of Avellithia is very interesting and well written. Unfortunately, it's buried under too much Teen Romance. The love shapes among Paige, Nathaniel, and other characters takes precedence over the potential magic, fantastic elements, and conflicts among kingdoms. The results end up becoming boring and cliche. Because of the focus on Romance over Fantasy, there are some fascinating touches that are introduced but not brought to their fullest fruition.

The Music Within Your Heart by Isaac Samuel Miller 

Songwriter, Sophia looks back on her troubled life. She comes from a dysfunctional background with a mentally ill mother, a father with a secret life, and a brother who was murdered in a hate crime. She is surrounded by racism as she attends college and tries to earn a living as a singer. She also ends up being caught between Sammy, the white son of a racist and Kyle, a charismatic African-American musician.

This is a brilliant character study of Sophia looking back on her hard life to see what went wrong and right. Her journey is both heart wrenching and heartwarming. Many of the more racist elements make for suspenseful and tense moments as Sophia doubts even the seemingly good people around her. She also navigates through her romances with grit and determination as she and Sammy have their ups and downs while Kyle proves to be a charming and engaging presence before he comes to an untimely end.

New Book Alert: Accidentally Engaged to The Billionaire Book 5 by Bridget Taylor; Some Reality But Soap Opera Schemes Overshadow Charming Wish Fulfillment

 

New Book Alert: Accidentally Engaged to The Billionaire Book 5 by Bridget Taylor; Some Reality But Soap Opera Schemes Overshadow Charming Wish Fulfillment

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Bridget Taylor's Accidentally Engaged to the Billionaire Book 1 was a charming display of wish fulfillment as billionaire Charles Bentley is ordered to get married by his 35th birthday or risk losing his fortune. On a whim, he proposes at first sight to Jane, a pizza deliverer who is in financial straits. The two attend balls, fancy dinners, and country clubs acting like a happily engaged couple under the suspicions of Charles' avaricious uncle, Jack and attorney, Wyatt. Meanwhile, Charles and Jane are supported by Charles' cousin, James and challenged by Jane's sister, Helena who has her own private grudge against the Bentley family. Five books later, Accidentally Engaged to the Billionaire Book 5, moves things considerably. Charles and Jane have married and while Charles loves Jane, Jane is uncertain about her own feelings and the two intend to still end their marriage after a year. That is until Jane, who had long believed that she couldn't have children, learns that she is pregnant. Meanwhile, James and Helena have taken their relationship to a higher level with an impending engagement. Jack however has plans to destroy both couples and keep the Bentley inheritance for himself. Book 5 of the Accidentally Engaged series offers some slight semblance of reality into this modern fairy tale particularly with the ever present class conflicts and pregnancy complications. Jane's pregnancy is handled with much care and sympathy. We see a couple who adjusted to the fact that children would not be in the cards, making their unusual situation easier, are now blindsided by this emotional complication. The complication becomes physical when they learn that Jane has fibroids and giving birth could potentially injure or even kill her. This plot brings the romanticism of the previous book to a halt and allows Taylor to inject some realism into an otherwise paint by numbers romance. Many romances end with marriage or babies ever after. Once the couple says I do and they can hear the pitter patter of little feet, then it's over. Hugs and happy endings for all. But that's not always the case as Book 5 demonstrates. Pregnancy itself is a very complicated painful thing that is very difficult for couples to go through and it can be very hard physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. Some are just not prepared for the reality of having a family, especially a couple who began so arbitrarily and unrealistically as Charles and Jane did. There are also times when the plot takes on soap opera extremes. Uncle Jack who was the primary antagonist in Book 1 was mostly in small doses then as the uptight snob. Now he forces his way to the forefront as a scenery devouring villain. He appears to have taken lessons from J.R. Ewing from Dallas as he connives to take James and Charles' inheritances. He especially threatens James by demanding he take a DNA test to see if he is biologically a Bentley. Another nice touch in Book 5 is something that I had long predicted: longtime adversaries James and Helena would end their animosity and hook up. I was right and in a nice twist from Jane and Charles' speedy engagement and marriage, they take the time to get to know each other. They have a typical courtship and slow burning romance that culminates in a marriage, suggesting that the conflicts that Jane and Charles have because of their speed will be or have been worked out during the pre-wedding phase. Like with Jane's pregnancy complications, this brings this otherwise airy romance down to earth.

Classics Corner: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald; Welcome to the Public Domain, Old Sport

 

Classics Corner: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald; Welcome to the Public Domain, Old Sport

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Jay Gatsby has achieved a feat achieved by many before him such as King Arthur, Robin Hood, Don Quixote, Cinderella, Hamlet, Jane Eyre, Mr. Darcy, Oliver Twist, Ebenezer Scrooge, Sherlock Holmes,  Alice, Dracula, Huckleberry Finn, The Wizard of OZ (book form not MGM movie form) have received. He,Daisy and Tom Buchanan, Nick Caraway and the "whole rotten crowd" have entered the public domain. That means that F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic gets all that comes with it: academic interests, adaptation, remakes, alternate points of view, parodies, merchandise and the rest. (A zombie version is reportedly in the works.)

Many take The Great Gatsby at face value. They think it reveals the glamor of the Roaring Twenties, the parties, drinking, and what the hell fun before reality hit with the Crash of '29. It's a lot deeper than that.

The Great Gatsby is about the illusion of fame and celebrity and how the rich and famous look to the people underneath them. To them, they look attractive, carefree, and cannot possibly have anything wrong with their lives. The countless suicides, public meltdowns, and o.d’s of celebrities have shown otherwise. Inside every celebrity is a frightened suffering person that has to hide that suffering under the spotlight

Jay Gatsby, the eponymous protagonist Fitzgerald’s novel is someone who has an illusion of a rich and famous life but suffers a lonely existence. He is a wealthy mysterious man who throws the wildest parties that are attended by the best and brightest of the Roaring Twenties: gangsters, politicians, actors, producers, and scores of flappers.

The people drink, dance and have a great time and wonder about their mysterious host who throws the parties but is rarely seen at them. Is he a bootlegger? Is he a distant cousin of Kaiser Wilhelm? Did he kill a man? No one knows, but still they go to his parties. All they know is he is the  man who seems to have everything, wealth, splendor, fame, and the masses can’t help but enjoy themselves.

To them Gatsby is the embodiment of the Jazz Age: Live free, live rich, live large, and have fun. In this liberated freedom of the Jazz Age, many people felt free to experiment. Women in particular were free from corsets, wore short skirts, smoked in public, and were allowed to embrace their sexuality and that often involved having affairs. Fitzgerald captured that carefree and sexually liberated milieu that surrounds Gatsby perfectly.

Gatsby’s life is recounted by Nick Carraway, the naive narrator and Gatsby’s next-door neighbor. At first, Nick watches bemused at all the people who attend Gatsby’s parties. He watches the events next door with a detached admiration and perhaps some slight envy at his neighbor’s carefree seemingly easy adventurous lifestyle (some think maybe with lust for Gatsby). Until he realizes that he has a closer connection to Gatsby than he was previously aware. This connection comes in the form of Daisy Buchanan, Nick’s second cousin and her husband, Tom, an old friend of Nick’s.

While getting reacquainted with the Buchanans and their friend, Jordan Baker whom Daisy wants to “fling together” with Nick, Nick learns that Tom has a mistress in the city and that Daisy and Gatsby are former lovers. Nick becomes a go-between as Daisy and Gatsby are reunited and rekindle their love affair.

By far the most intriguing character in the book is Gatsby, whom Nick describes as “worth the whole damn bunch put together.” At the very least, he is a much better character than the narcissistic Daisy and the bad-tempered Tom whom Nick describes as “careless people. They smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they made.”

 As Nick gets to know his wealthy friend, he begins to piece together the events in his life that shaped him. He learns about Gatsby’s impoverished background and his drive to improve himself and his situation. Nick also learns how Gatsby obtained his wealth through his military service and making good connections with wealthy, sometimes shady characters. In learning about Gatsby’s backstory, Nick saw a man who was constantly trying to look upwards and always trying to achieve happiness.

Even when he has found wealth, success, and is surrounded by the “Bright Young Things,” Gatsby still isn’t happy. He purposely chose the mansion on West Egg, Long Island, because it overlooks the lake surrounding the East Egg where Daisy lives.  Jordan confides to Nick that the only reason that Gatsby began the parties in the first place was so by chance that Daisy would wander into them. It’s no surprise that once Daisy is back in Gatsby’s arms that the parties cease. Through all of his wealth, connections, and fame, Gatsby still yearns for his lost love, “The One That Got Away.”

What makes Gatsby’s story sadder is that Daisy is not really worth the attention Gatsby gives her. He is still caught up in his romantic juvenile fantasies of the young innocent girl that he remembers, not the vapid flirt that she has become. She is less interested in loving Gatsby than she is fascinated by his big house and shiny things and wants to get even with her husband and his mistress, Myrtle Wilson. Even when Gatsby forces Daisy’s hand by confronting Tom with their affair, she still can’t summon the courage to decide between them playing both men at once. Even after a violent occurrence which puts all matters upfront, Daisy avoids Gatsby entirely and poor Gatsby still believes that somehow, someway Daisy will come rushing into his arms.

Like the real-life celebrities who have come to violent ends, Jay Gatsby’s life is sadder and lonelier than anyone realizes. This is shown particularly in the final crushing scenes when despite all of the countless people that attended his parties, despite the love he held for Daisy, the only people in attendance at Gatsby’s funeral are a permanent house guest, Gatsby’s estranged father, and Nick, who is revealed to be Gatsby’s best, truest, and only real friend.

Weekly Reader: The Earl's Sinful Quest by Lisa Campbell; Dark and Mature Regency Romance Shows Love After Death

 

Weekly Reader: The Earl's Sinful Quest by Lisa Campbell; Dark and Mature Regency Romance Shows Love After Death

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: The Earl's Sinful Quest is among the darker more mature of the Regency Romances that I read this month. The female protagonist is in a different stage in her life from the other women. She isn't a young virginal woman in her late teens or early twenties awaiting her Season so she can catch a potential husband and first love. Lady Amelia Turner has already been through that. In fact, she is a widow and currently the Dowager Countess of Wilton. 

Her husband, Arthur, died a year after their marriage leaving Amelia a widow who is at the mercy of her in laws including her domineering sister in law, Leonora and younger brother in law, Malcolm who is forced to end his medical studies and assume the title of the Earl of Wilton.

Of course in the time honored tradition of any romance, Malcolm appears and he and Amelia hit it off, developing a friendship that evolves into a romance. 

This romance does a good job of pointing out many of the social standards of the time period.

Once Amelia and Malcolm's romance develops, they face public scrutiny. This is a society in which some believe that being involved with the widow of one's brother is technically considered incest (even though they are not related by blood.) It's a Biblical concept that is still believed in some cultures. Amelia and Malcolm's romance could be cause for scorn and scandal. Not to mention, Amelia could look like a gold digger being with two brothers from the same family. At the time, their relationship could be enough to end their reputation.

Because of the situation that she is in, Amelia is not as naive as many other female protagonists in her genre. She understands the ideal of marriages of convenience and to her credit had a good one. She married Arthur to get her family out of debt and to help his reputation. He was gay and needed a wife for appearances. Despite their marriage not being consummated, Amelia and Arthur were good friends and generally happy with their marriage. In Arthur, Amelia found a close friend and loyal supporter.

In Malcolm, Amelia finds not only a good friend but a lover. Malcolm fills the emotional needs that his late brother could not. Malcolm also recognizes that emotional need with Amelia. Even though he never married and is by definition less experienced than Ame!ia, he has been committed to his studies and pursuits of women. He 

is regarded as a family outsider. 

When he is welcomed by Amelia, he finally feels a connection to his family that he previously kept at arm's length. He finally feels accepted. Their love making is established late in the book as they slow!y recognize each other as friends before they become lovers.

This book also shows what happens when most of the scrutiny comes from within one's own family. Malcolm and Arthur's sister, Leonore is unmarried but uses her dominating personality to control things from behind the scenes. She thinks that she knows best regardless of their arguments to the contrary. She tries to arrange the engagement of Amelia and Malcolm to the Duke of Derby and his sister. She disregards their feelings in the matter.

Leonore has a marginal hold in society. As a wealthy unmarried woman, no one regards her. She is completely diminished, so all that she has is her limited role that she is determined to hold onto. It is very likely that she sees Amelia as a threat so is determined to marry her off in an attempt to get rid of her. Leonore is a woman who social climbing and maintaining a good reputation are everything to her because that's all she has. She is unable to fill the one role that society placed on her, to be a loyal, loving, and wealthy wife so she expects others to do so. Her determination flies into obsession and causes her to tdo some manipulative and abusive  things to hold onto that role.

The Earl's Sinful Quest is filled with darker themes and characters than your average Regency romance but it still retains the sweetness and attention to detail that surrounds other romances. Somehow, the darkness is what actually makes Amelia and Malcolm better lovers.

New Book Alert: The Artist and His Billionaire by CJ Turner; Sweet and Sexy M/M Romance

 

New Book Alert: The Artist and His Billionaire by CJ Turner; Sweet and Sexy M/M Romance

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: The covers of many Romance novels often promise us a sexy time. They feature shirtless men with muscles and great pecs and beautiful women with long gowns that barely cover their breasts. Sometimes, the couple are in modem clothes but their smoldering exprssions reveal that they would rather have them off. Whether the models are alone or draped in each other's arms, the images practically steam with lust and passion. 

Male-Male romances are no different only instead of a man and a woman, the covers feature one or two hunky shirtless muscular men, often from the neck down. That's the way they are, sex sells and all that. The sexy covers are part of the window dressing and wish fulfilment that Romances provide. However, they often conceal that the cover is only part of the story. If done right, a Romance novel can transcend the sexy promise of wish fulfilment and give us an engaging character driven story of a couple who are perfect for each other, but have obstacles that prevent them from seeing that. 

CJ Turner's book, The Artist and His Billionaire, is the right kind of romance between two completely different men. It is both sweet and sexy featuring these two characters who are a perfect match.

Lennox Sewell is an artist working for Ms. Pearson, a florist, to pay the bills. One day, a handsome man in a clearly fancy business suit walks into the shop with a beautiful woman wearing a big shiny diamond engagement ring. The man, Theo Collins, plunks down a huge sum for a large bouquet for an upcoming wedding. Despite Lennox's initial assumptions, Theo is not the groom. He is the best friend of the bride to be, Livvy (the woman with the ring). Instead Theo is gay and very available, as is Lennox.

Theo and Lennox have the usual class differences that define these type of romances: Theo is from an uppeclass family. Lennox from a working class one. Theo is a businessman while Lennox longs to leave the flower shop to become a recognized artist. However, their similarities emerge when they recognize an altruistic need to help others. Theo wants to use recycled plastic to create cost alternatives for building materials. Lennox not only draws suggestions for potential kitchen cabinets, but he also suggests that cargo containers can be used to create recycled external outer shells for affordable housing. The two recognize the interests of providing affordable housing and the need they fill for each other: Theo with the money and big ideas, Lennox with the experience of living paycheck to paycheck and the artistic eye. They are drawn to each other because of their attraction, but also by their intelligence and commitment to higher purposes. 

Moments like these are what makes them a good couple.

There are many stumbling blocks that get in the way of them being together like a clingy ex of Theo's, Theo's snobbish friends and colleagues, and Lennox's pride and suspicions that Theo is only "slumming" when he goes out with a lower class man like him. Of course they get in the way of their union and of course each one is challenged. There are some moments of fringy dialogue ("I'm an artist." "No, you're a magician because you cast a spell over me.") But these are minor flaws in this charming book.

When Lennox and Theo have sex, and they do, it is a winning chapter. This is because they have certainly earned the right to be together. We have seen them together and separate. They had angst and worried whether their love is the real thing or a one night stand. They have been hurt by previous lovers and are concerned whether their differences are too much. (Lennox is particularly concerned about this.) Their union becomes an inevitable but welcome release.

The Artist and His Billionaire is an effective romance. When it is sweet, it is very sweet. When it is sexy, well, it is very sexy indeed.

New Book Alert: The Awakening of the Lost Baroness by Hazel Linwood; Sharp Brisk Plot Driven Regency Era Romance

 

New Book Alert: The Awakening of the Lost Baroness by Hazel Linwood; Sharp Brisk Plot Driven Regency Era Romance

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Regency Romance #2 is The Awakening of The Lost Baroness by Hazel Linwood. Similar to The Heiress of Epsom by Hedley J. Huntt, both take great detail to explore the Regency era with its elegant style, rigid class snobbery, and literature that explored both the witty and passionate sides of the people that lived within it. 

However Huntt and Linwood differ in their approaches. The Heiress of Epsom had a few bursts of plot but brimmed with a pair of likeable characters. By contrast, The Awakening of the Lost Baroness had characters who are less defined but are surrounded by a plot that is a lot more engaging, sharper, and has a few interesting twists.

Amanda Jonson lived her life as a commoner until on her mother's deathbed, the older woman revealed the truth: She was once a maid who was secretly engaged to a Baron's son. When the family found out, the Baron was forced to end the marriage and marry a more acceptable woman. Amanda was finally welcomed into her father, the Baron of Foley's family and is accepted by him, her grandmother, and younger half-sister, Patricia.

She also attracts the romantic attention of Lord Henry, the Earl of Sutcliffe. Unfortunately, Patricia is also in love with him, much to the delight of his mother, and Amanda's grandmother wants to set Amanda up with the Duke of Avery.

The plot moves along at a brisk pace,so brisk that we don't always get to know the characters. The revelation of Amanda's family ties are revealed before the events of the book, so we don't get to know what her former life was like, her mother as a person (besides Amanda remembering her after death), how she feels about her sudden windfall, or the family and Henry's initial reaction about her and vice versa. 

The book is set five years after the reveal and Amanda is already settled into the family. A couple of early chapters or a prologue would help to establish her as a character.

However in this case, the plot moves the characters rather than the other way around. When Amanda's father is taken ill, the question of her marriageability becomes important. She is taken to London to meet Avery. Meanwhile, Henry has made his choice to wed Amanda and he will disinherit himself to do it. He also moves to London to make his own way in the world, either through the army or investing in other friend's businesses.

 It is a bit contrived that both would find their way to London, but since they live in a rural area and London is the central hub of contemporary life at the time, it makes sense.

There are some pretty tense scenes that reveal that in a Regency Era Romance, all is not necessarily fancy dress balls and invitations to tea with Grandmama. Amanda, Patricia, and their grandmother are invited to the opera and Amanda is invited to sit in Avery's box seat. It is in Avery's box seat that he attempts to rape her. Only Amanda's fast feet save her from becoming victimized by the Duke's brutality.

 Besides the deplorable actions of the Duke, even worse is the behavior of her Grandmother who still wants her granddaughter to go through with marrying Avery even after Amanda tells her what he did. ("He is not….the gentleman that he should be, but we are doing this for your own good," Grandma says like a "loving" grandmother should.)

The only one who will defend her is Henry and he is prepared to do so with pistols during a duel. The duel chapter captures how high the stakes can be in such a potentially dangerous situation. It also fortunately takes the romance out of such a conflict by revealing it for the bloody destructive mess that it is, even when both parties survive.

There are some points that leave one scratching their heads especially when it's revealed that much of the plot was orchestrated by some scheming characters. In reality, such characters would be revealed as sociopaths and certainly deserve to be estranged from the others or punished more than they are, but that does not happen. Retribution is cast aside for Happy Ever After.

Where The Heiress of Epsom takes a meandering time where the Reader gets to know the characters, The Awakening of the Baroness speeds through so the Reader can see the world around the characters. Both offer loving tributes to an era that is worth exploring again and again through literature.

Weekly Reader: The Heiress of Epsom: Her Lady's Heart by Hedley J. Huntt; Cute, Charming Character Driven Regency Era Romance

 Weekly Reader: The Heiress of Epsom: Her Lady's Heart by Hedley J. Huntt; Cute, Charming Character Driven Regency Era Romance

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: For the first romance books of this month, I am reviewing a pair of Regency era Historical Romances. What is it about this era that inspires the romantic side of authors and Readers? Sure there are many romances set in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Quite a few Westerns and some books set during the World Wars sprinkle with more than enough love stories. But the Regency Era, between 1811-1820, in England tops the list of historical romance fiction time periods and these won't be the only two that I am reviewing this month either. 

The most obvious reason is that the authors and Readers are fans of the works from that period, particularly Jane Austen, so they want to pay tribute to one of their favorite authors. Another reason could be because of the period itself with the elegant styles and architectures, the social customs and manners. There is a quaint elegance that people want to study and escape into. 

With that elegance and fine manners, there was also a contradiction. This was a contradiction in which many rebelled against convention and embraced passion and emotion. This wasn't just the era of the cultured politeness of Jane Austen. This was also the era of the Romantic poets like William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Blake, Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Keats, and the "mad, bad, and dangerous to know" Lord Byron. The time of the Rake, those lady's men who could challenge the norm and arouse the interest of the young swooning ladies and the ladies who mocked and satirized those conventions in Gothic novels and comedies of manners.

It is the convention vs. passion that many authors seem to find so irresistible and like to put in their works. 

That is what is intrinsic in the first two Regency era Romances, the side of convention: young people being forced into situations that they would rather not be in, like arranged marriages vs. their romantic passionate feelings for the right person. In a sense, they tell the same story of young people from wealthy and titled families falling in love with someone considered unsuitable and fighting off family pressure to marry someone more acceptable. However, authors Hedley J. Huntt and Hazel Linwood choose different ways to tell them and in their differences show their writing advantages.

Huntt's version of the Regency Era, The Heiress of Epsom: Her Lady's Heart, is strong on character with a slight plot. Very little goes on story wise, but we are given two charming lovers that are so likeable and packed with brilliant traits that I like the journey that they are on.

The first of the lovers is Lady Caroline Cartoghan, the only daughter of Zachary Cartoghan, the Marquess of Epsom. As is the role of many young women of the time, her only job is to marry up to give her family more prominence. The only thing higher than a Marquess is a Duke and that's one step closer to Royalty. In fact, her parents are practically salivating over the fact that Finley Rashford, Duke of Kirkeby, will be arriving soon to appraise his potential bride. She is more interested in Oliver Russell, the local potstal worker. Oliver Russell, a man with no title.

Or rather Oliver had a title. He was once a Viscont of Barj, and his father an Earl, but that was before his alcoholic and compulsive gambling father lost the family wealth, home, and title. Who help engineered his downfall? Why none other than the Marquess of Epsom, Caroline's father. Once he gets to know Caroline, Oliver sees a potential pathway to romance.

Caroline and Oliver are a winning pair both in their time together and separate. They both question the societal rules. Even though Caroline considers her maid, Vivian, a friend and confidant, she despairs that she doesn't know her as a person or her life outside of working for the Cartoghan Family.

Caroline is a woman who while loves her parents is starting to question her role in this snobbish society. Her older brother, Jack, can romance many, drink himself silly, and do whatever he wants. But if she steps one toe out of line, it is a cause for scandal. She questions the double standard.

The only place that she can feel welcome is the local bookstore. There she reads French Literature, sensational novels, and works that are forbidden, and is free to express herself in ways that are more open.

That is what attracts Oliver to her and vice versa. They are both characters who question the norm. Oliver shares a similar passion for literature, particularly poetry, which he often quotes to swooning maidens like a pop singer quoting their lyrics to adoring fans. He is clearly a charming flirt, but that's not all to him.

Unlike Caroline, Oliver is able to cross class lines. In fact, now that he is outside of his former class, he sees how foolish those people are. That is probably why, even though he tried before like funding a failed expedition, he shows no current interest in regaining his fortune or title. In fact, his best friend is bookseller, John Ruppert, who gives him books and good solid advice. He has an inner circle that includes various people of different social classes from Lady Ryssa, a rich dowager looking for a handsome young wealthy man to marry to Marvy, a poor young boy who delivers messages between the lovers and who Oliver and John treat like a kid brother.

Since Caroline's parents forbid Oliver from calling on the house, the two maintains their relationship via correspondence, hitting each other exactly where their hearts lie: through writing. For example Oliver writes to Caroline, "My heart yearns for you, for an eternity with you, or at least a second in passing." It's the letter writing that one would expect between lovers from that period. They express such emotional heartfelt words through writing that societal constraints deprive them from revealing with their voices.

This is a book that not a lot happen. But when it does, it happens in quick spurts followed by many chapters and pages of contemplation and indecision. Most of the actions are motivated by Caroline and Oliver's behavior and mannerisms. In one chapter, Caroline asks Finley some provocative questions that show that intellectually, she runs circles around this guy.

Another chapter features Oliver and Caroline engaging in a kiss that is seen by Finley and Jack, both of whom are not happy. Oliver and Caroline kiss to express the physical passion which they can no longer deny and only share through letters.

The final third of the book is too delicious to reveal but hinges on Caroline feeling smothered by her family's expectations and desperation to do anything to end their control over her. It also hinges on Oliver's love for her and concerns about gaining back what he lost.

The Heiress of Epsom is a fine tribute to an era that continues to fascinates both Readers and Authors. Caroline and Oliver make for a charming lovely pair to welcome Romantics into that time.