Library of Clean Reads: Sourcebooks

Showing posts with label Sourcebooks. Show all posts

Friday, March 4, 2016

In Another Life by Julie Christine Johnson (Review and Giveaway!)

Julie Christine Johnson deftly transported me to Southern France with her lush descriptions and keen eye for details. Fans of Susanna Kearsley will surely enjoy this debut novel.

Book Details:

In Another Life by Julie Christine Johnson

Sourcebooks
ISBN: 978–2954168197
Release date: February 2, 2016
Historical Fiction/Contemporary Women’s Fiction/ Fantasy/Romance
368 pages Website | Goodreads

Content Rating: PG-13 (There is profanity - 2 f-words - one explicit sex scene, some violence in the form of sword fighting)

Book Description:

Historian Lia Carrer has finally returned to southern France, determined to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. But instead of finding solace in the region’s quiet hills and medieval ruins, she falls in love with Raoul, a man whose very existence challenges everything she knows about life–and about her husband’s death. As Raoul reveals the story of his past to Lia, she becomes entangled in the echoes of an ancient murder, resulting in a haunting and suspenseful journey that reminds Lia that the dead may not be as far from us as we think. Steeped in the rich history and romantic landscape of the Languedoc region, In Another Life is a story of love that conquers time and the lost loves that haunt us all.

Book Review

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

In Another Life is a well-written, atmospheric novel that takes you into Southern France both in modern day and during the medieval era. Lia Carrer is a historian who has studied the Cathar history and beliefs which include reincarnation. When she returns to Languedoc in France, where she had previously lived and where her husband Gabriel died in an accident during his bike race eighteen months previous, she must come to terms with where her life is heading.

Lia meets up with her close friends and begins the healing process. She also falls in love with Raoul, meets Lucas, a brooding photographer who enlists her help as he is creating a book on the Cathar history, and reunites with Jordi, a priest who shares her love of Cathar history. Unbeknownst to Lia, the three are connected and entangled in the history of 1208 when the Pope sanctified a crusade to exterminate the Cathars.

In Another Life reminded me of Susanne Kearsley's books, which I've enjoyed tremendously. Julie Christine Johnson deftly transported me to Southern France with her lush descriptions and keen eye for details. I enjoyed learning about a time in history I knew little about. I also enjoyed the mystery of those who came from another life because I am a fan of time travel, but in this case it was clearly reincarnation, which has less appeal for me. I liked Lia and felt for her struggles and I loved her relationship with her close friends.

I must admit I had mixed feelings about her relationship with Raoul and the way the story ended. Her relationship didn't seem real to me and I didn't see how they fell in love. There was a lack of passion that was present, which ultimately made sense seeing he had this in his former life. I can't say more without revealing the plot so I'll stop there, but this book felt somewhat anticlimactic to me. Too many loose plot threads too. I was left with a slew of questions at the end.

Apart from this, I truly did enjoy this novel. I loved the author's writing style and the way she built the aura of mystery. I liked how she easily portrayed family life in Europe and the struggles of a mourning young widow. These were strong points that resonated with me and that appealed to me. Fans of Susanna Kearsley will surely enjoy this debut novel. I certainly look forward to reading more from this promising author.

Buy the book | on Amazon | on Barnes & Noble | on Indiebound

About the Author:

In Another Life- Julie Christine Johnson

Julie Christine Johnson is the author of the novels In Another Life (February 2016, Sourcebooks Landmark) and The Crows of Beara (September 2017, Ashland Creek Press). Her short stories and essays have appeared in several journals, including Emerge Literary Journal, Mud Season Review; Cirque: A Literary Journal of the North Pacific Rim; Cobalt, the anthologies Stories for Sendai; Up, Do: Flash Fiction by Women Writers; and Three Minus One: Stories of Love and Loss and featured on the flash fiction podcast, No Extra Words. She holds undergraduate degrees in French and Psychology and a Master’s in International Affairs. A runner, hiker, and wine geek, Julie makes her home on the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington state with her husband. In Another Life is her first novel.

Visit Julie’s website and blog
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Enter the Giveaway!

Global giveaway open to US residents only: 5 participants will each win a print copy of this book. Be sure to follow each participant on Twitter/Facebook, for more chances to win

Visit each blogger on the tour: tweeting about the giveaway everyday of the Tour will give you 5 extra entries each time! [just follow the directions on the entry-form]

Entry -Form

CLICK ON THE BANNER TO READ REVIEWS, EXCERPT, INTERVIEW, GUEST-POST

Monday, January 6, 2014

Susanna Kearsley & Friends Tour and Giveaway of The Rose Garden!

Susanna Kearsley & Friends Tour

Celebrating the release of The Splendour Falls!

Susanna Kearsley will be on tour celebrating the re-release of her book The Splendour Falls. (Read my review here.) In view of this, Sourcebooks has generously offered to give away one of my favorite Kearsley books to one of my followers. So I have chosen The Rose Garden, which I loved. You can read my review of this spellbinding time travel tale that swept me away. Giveaway details are found as you scroll further down.

Here are the tour stops. If you find yourself anywhere near these cities, why don't you stop by?

Friday January 17th @ 7 pm
With Julie James & Mary Robinette Kowal
Anderson’s Bookshop
Naperville, IL
Friday January 17th is also Susanna Kearsley’s birthday! Her local Naperville publisher, Sourcebooks, will be providing champagne & cupcakes for the event!

Saturday January 18th @ 2 pm
With Deanna Raybourn & Joanna Bourne
Central Rappahannock Regional Library: Salem Church Branch
Fredericksburg, VA
With special guest and moderator, Lynn Spencer, one of the two publishers of the popular review site, All About Romance.

Monday January 20th @ 6:30 pm
With Karen White & Kimberly Brock
FoxTale Book Shoppe
Woodstock, GA
With special guest and moderator, Ariel Lawhon, co-founder of the popular online book club She Reads, and author of The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress.

Tuesday January 21st @ 7 pm
With Lauren Willig & Beatriz Williams
WORD Bookstore
Brooklyn, NY
With special guest and moderator, Sarah Wendell, co-founder and current mastermind of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

And now for the giveaway!

The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley

Eva Ward is a modern woman thrown back three centuries to 1715 only to find that might be exactly where she belongs. There she finds true love with Daniel Butler, but the discord surrounding Hanoverian King George plunges the lovers into a world of intrigue, treason, and love.

Entering the giveaway is easy:

Mandatory:
Leave a comment about why you want to win this book. Include an email address. If you do not include an email address your entry will not be valid.

Extra entry:

MUST be a separate comment or it will not count.
If you are a follower, new or current, leave a comment telling me so.

*Buttons for following found on top left-hand corner of blog.
*Giveaway ends January 12, 2014.

*Open to US and Canada.

*Please read my Giveaway Policy before entering my giveaways.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Thursday, January 2, 2014

The Splendour Falls by Susanna Kearsley

The Splendour Falls by Susanna Kearsley
Sourcebooks Landmark
ISBN: 978-1402258619
Trade paperback, 384 pages
Published January 2014

I’ve read several books by Susanna Kearsley and have fallen in love with her style of writing. Her settings are evocative and her characters different. The Splendour Falls is another good one that I enjoyed, but it’s not my favorite by her.

Emily’s cousin, Harry, a PhD history professor, invites her to join him in the medieval town of Chinon, France, where he is going to do some research. When she arrives there he is nowhere to be found, which is not that unusual, because he often forgets about others when he is deeply involved in something. Emily meets and becomes friends with a group of tourists from her hotel. She also meets some of the townsfolk, including the wealthy owner of Clos des Cloches, a vineyard on the cliffs next to the famous remains of the brooding castle, once owned by King John.

Emily soon realizes that things are not always what they seem, and that several harbour dark secrets. Legend says that during the 13th century siege of the castle, Queen Isabelle hid a “treasure of great price”. And another legend says that another Isabelle who lived in Chinon during the German occupation of WWII, fell in love with an enemy soldier and things became tragic. All these things are interconnected with the folks she meets, and soon Emily is trying to solve a mystery that has become deadly.

In essence, The Splendour Falls is a mystery novel. Kearsley, of course, blends in some romance, legend of an ancient castle, and a crew of diverse and sometimes mysterious characters. Emily is still mourning the loss of her parents’ marriage when they divorced and this has made her cynical of lasting love. Sometimes I found her to be bland, even though the story is written from her point-of-view. I felt I didn’t know enough about her.

Kearsley develops an intricate plot and includes scenes that may have seemed superfluous but had a lot of meaning and hidden clues that all comes together in the end. The character I liked the most was Paul who became a good friend to Emily. Her romance with an enigmatic man which I shall not name was based on too little and wasn’t convincing enough. It was mutual attraction, and they barely spoke. In addition, the whole story takes place within a week.

So although I enjoyed this one, I think I was expecting more because of having read other books by Kearsley that I just couldn’t put down. If you are a Kearsley fan, you may or may not be disappointed depending on what you’re looking for. Kearlsey includes all her trademark elements: an atmospheric setting, mystery, intrigue, secrets and legends. But for me, they still could not fully make up for a story that I thought was good but not fantastic.

Note: This book is rated P = Profanity for a few religious expletives.

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: Thanks to Sourcebooks for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Kid Konnection: Danny's Doodles: The Jelly Bean Experiment by David A. Adler

Danny's Doodles: The Jelly Bean Experiment by David A. Adler
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
ISBN: 978-1402287213
Published Sept 3, 2013
Paperback, 112 pages
Ages: 7-10

Danny and Calvin are friends but they are very different. Danny follows the rules at school but Calvin likes to break them and see what he can get away with. Danny likes baseball and Calvin likes doing strange experiments like the big jelly bean experiment. Danny thinks Calvin is weird, but as their friendship grows, Danny gets to appreciate that Calvin is odd and different and that's okay.

My son and I were looking forward to reading this cute chapter book sprinkled with doodle illustrations. We liked the doodling, but as we read one chapter after another we found ourselves a little bored. My son especially, to the point where he didn't want to finish the book. He didn't find it funny, and although the characters were in the fourth grade just like him, he said he didn't find it was realistic and he couldn't relate. We did end up finishing the book, but my son's opinion didn't change.

There is some mystery surrounding Calvin's father, and we liked that Danny did not make fun of Calvin's behaviour. The book has a very positive message that my son acknowledged, however we were nonetheless disappointed with this book and were expecting more from this experienced author.

Note: This book is rated C = clean read.

Reviewed by Laura & Son

Disclosure: Thanks to Sourcebooks for sending us this book for review. We were not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Every Saturday, Booking Mama hosts a feature called Kid Konnection—a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, visit Booking Mama.

Friday, June 14, 2013

Author Interview with Anne Cleeland and Giveaway of Tainted Angel

On Wednesday, I reviewed a fun and witty book called Tainted Angel by Anne Cleeland. You can read my review here. It involves spies, intrigue, danger and romance. Today, author Anne Cleeland joins me to answer a few questions. Please help me welcome her.

LCR: Hi Anne! Welcome to Library of Clean Reads. Why did you decide to write about a female spy in the 1800s?

AC: I’m one of those people who could never read enough Regencies—if you are familiar with Jane Austen, that’s the Regency period in England. I also love adventure stories, so it seemed natural to incorporate the on-going war with Napoleon as a backdrop to each of the stories in this series. Tainted Angel is essentially a Regency version of Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

My favorite stories are about ordinary women swept up in extraordinary events, so that’s what I like to write. The heroine is an agent for the Crown, but her spymaster suspects she is “tainted”—a double agent working for Napoleon. Her love interest has his own dark secrets—unless his affection is feigned and he is actually setting a trap to reveal her own treason. There are twists and double-crosses as the attraction between the two spies becomes more powerful than their mutual distrust—and England’s future hangs in the balance.

LCR: Yes, I loved those twists! Vidia Swanson is such an interesting character. She is an intelligent woman with nerves of steel, but she's still kind and subconsciously yearns for normalcy. Is she based on anyone you know, or purely a creation of your imagination?

AC: No—none of the characters are based on anyone else because of a secret that other writers understand but that sounds a little crazy to non-writers. (Leans closer.) The secret is the characters seem like real people to me. They run around and say things and I have to type as fast as I can just to keep up with them. It’s true!

In this story, the heroine hides behind a languid and elegant façade, but she’s had some terrible experiences in the last war and in her moment of truth, she has to decide whether to trust someone else at the risk of her life. She’s clever and funny and tragic, all at the same time—you nailed it, saying that she subconsciously yearns for normalcy.

LCR: What is your next work in progress?

I have a contemporary British detective series coming out in August, and the first book is called Murder in Thrall, if any of your readers like mysteries.

In November, the second historical in this Regency series will come out; Daughter of the God-King. It is about a heroine who travels to Egypt after her famous archaeologist parents disappear, only to discover that various factions from the last war are desperate to find her—for reasons that are unclear. She begins to suspect that her love interest is not what he seems, and she doesn’t know whether she can trust him, or trust anyone as she uncovers one devastating secret after the other, all while the next war looms on the horizon.

LCR: Oh, I can't wait to read your next books! Now, let's focus on you a little. What's the strangest thing that's ever happened to you?

AC: You know, I’ve lead a remarkably strange-free life, but I think nothing beats strange like childbirth. (Am I right, moms?) One moment you are the center of the universe, and the next moment you are looking into the eyes of the new center of the universe.

LCR: So true.... If you could travel back in time, where would you go?

AC: I would like to have been with the shepherds in the hills outside Bethlehem on the first Christmas. That must have been really something.

LCR: Especially seeing those magnificent angels. Favorite dessert?

AC: I love a good chocolate cake. Not too chocolate-y, and not too fancy—and no fruit fillings or other distractions. Instead, I love the kind they make in the grocery store bakery for kids’ parties. Yum.

LCR: Yum, is right. Thanks for joining us today and sharing more about you and your writing!

And now for the giveaway!

Sourcebooks is offering to give away one copy of this book to one of my readers.

Mandatory:

Leave a comment about why you want to win this book. Include an email address. If you do not include an email address your entry will not be valid.

Extra entries:

MUST be a separate comment or it will not count.
1) If you are a follower, new or current, leave a comment telling me so.

*Buttons for following found on top left-hand corner of blog.
*Giveaway ends June 28, 2013.

*Open to US and Canada.

*Please read my Giveaway Policy before entering my giveaways.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Author Interview with Joan Strasbaugh and Giveaway of The List Lover's Guide to Jane Austen

We're celebrating 200 years of Pride and Prejudice! I wonder what Jane Austen would think if she knew how far-reaching her work became. And it seems we can't get enough of Jane Austen. Joan Strasbaugh has joined me today to talk to you about her little gem of a resource book called The List Lover's Lovers Guide to Jane Austen. You can read my review to learn more about this book.

Please help me welcome Joan Strasbaugh.

LCR: Hi Joan. Welcome to Library of Clean Reads! I learned quite a few things about Jane Austen in your easy-and-fun-to-read guidebook written entirely in lists, with insightful excerpts of letters from Jane and her relatives.

JS: Hi Laura! Thanks so much for your interest in LLGTJA.

LCR: You are obviously a Janeite and expert on Jane Austen. How did you come up with the brilliant idea of writing a book about her entirely through lists?

JS: I'm a list maker and Austen fan, it was time to combine the two! The idea came to me when I was researching a talk on Sense and Sensibility for the JASNA AGM (the Jane Austen Society of North America Annual General Meeting, for those who don't know) in Forth Worth a couple of years ago. Nothing could be more fun than digging through the many wonderful books about JA -- but every now then I wished I had a handy little guide with "just the facts." Voila, the List Lover's Guide.

LCR: What was the hardest list to compose? The easiest? The most insightful?

JS: Good questions. The hardest was the relatives. Cousins married cousins quite a bit in her day, which can make for some confusing relationships. The easiest was the first and last lines of her books (finding the middle took a little math). The most insightful, hmm, maybe the first, last and middle lines of her novels, I can't tell you why -- that's the mystery that is Jane Austen -- but they were the most interesting to me.

LCR: During your research for this book, what there something new you learned about Jane Austen that surprised you?

JS: Yes, there were several things, but what impressed me most was what a wide circle of friends and social acquaintances she had. Sometimes she attended balls two or three times a week. She was out and about lots!

LCR: I'm guessing that's how she came up with such good material for her novels. If Jane Austen were alive today, what would you ask her?

JS: What do you watch on TV?

LCR: If you could travel back in time where would you go? Who would you like to meet?

JS: Never thought about it! Someplace with indoor plumbing. Of course I'd want to meet Jane Austen, but I'd like to meet her sister Cassandra, too, am curious what she'd be like.

LCR: I'm curious about Cassandra too. Favorite dessert?

JS: Now we're talking. My current favorite is anything with chocolate mousse.

LCR: Oh, I simply can't resist chocolate mousse. Thanks for sharing, Joan!

About Joan Strasbaugh:

JOAN STRASBAUGH is publisher and editor of Jones Books. She conceived of and coordinated the "Jane Austen in the 21st Century Humanities Festival" at the University of Wisconsin. She is a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America and Janeite since 1995.

And now for the giveaway!

Sourcebooks is offering to give away one copy of this book to one of my readers.

Mandatory:

Leave a comment about why you want to win this book. Include an email address. If you do not include an email address your entry will not be valid.

Extra entries:

MUST be a separate comment or it will not count.
1) If you are a follower, new or current, leave a comment telling me so.

*Buttons for following found on top left-hand corner of blog.
*Giveaway ends June 26, 2013.

*Open to US and Canada.

*Please read my Giveaway Policy before entering my giveaways.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Jack Absolute by C.C. Humphreys

Jack Absolute by C.C. Humphreys
Sourcebooks Landmark
ISBN: 978-1402280702
Published May 2013
Hardcover, 288 pages

This book made me experience such a wide range of emotions! I laughed, grimaced, rolled my eyes, yawned, gasped (not in that particular order) and my heart raced as the story came to a climax with a plot twist I did not see coming. Jack Absolute is the first book in an historical fiction series set during the American revolution that features the swashbuckling rogue hero, Jack Absolute, known as a charming womanizer, cavalry officer and the blood brother of a Mohawk leader.

The novel opens with a scene where a dual takes place and thus begins the story of Jack's many escapes, enough to make me think he has nine lives as he survives nearly impossible situations. Jack has just returned from years abroad and is soon after recruited as a spy for the British in the Revolutionary War. They want to use his connection to the Iroquois people to recruit them on their side of the War. Jack quickly realizes there is a traitor among them, part of a secret society bent on ruling the world, and they want to get rid of Jack because he is on their trail.

Humphreys is a great writer, bringing alive the character of Jack as only he could have done since he, being also an actor, played the role of Jack Absolute in the play The Rivals in 1987. Because he enjoyed this role so much he decided to write a novel based on this character, making him “the Double-O Seven of the 1770s”. It's clear that Humphreys did extensive research and included real-life figures in his story. I have to admit the military talk got boring for me, but I knew it to be essential to the story, so I forced myself to pay attention when reading these parts.

The last part of the book was suspenseful as Jack got closer to discovering what this secret society was and who was their leader. There is plenty of action in this book. The battle scenes are bloody and gruesome, but there is also romance and some funny scenes. Jack wins your heart because he is adorably imperfect, one minute making me want to shake him for his silly mistakes and the next making me marvel at his kindheartedness.

If you like historical fiction set during the American Revolution, this one delivers a good story with unforgettable characters and an ending that left me reeling.

Note: This book is rated P = profanity, S = explicit sex scene and V = violence for war battle scenes, both American and Iroquois. There are a few f-bombs and a few religious expletives. There are two sex scenes in this novel. The first one is at the beginning of the novel and explicit and the second toward the end of the novel and not too explicit.

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: Thanks to Sourcebooks for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

From the Kitchen of Half Truth by Maria Goodin

From the Kitchen of Half Truth by Maria Goodin
Sourcebooks Landmark
ISBN: 978-1402279485
Published April 2, 2013
Trade paperback, 352 pages

I didn't quite know what to expect from this novel, but I didn't think it would affect me so deeply, make me laugh and cry and sigh. I simply loved reading this book. I savored it and didn't wanting it to end.

Meg May grew up with an imaginative and free-spirited mom, Valerie, who told her funny and outlandish stories about her childhood. Whenever Meg asked her what really happened, her mom would repeat these same stories. As Meg grew up she became frustrated and rejected anything illogical and decided to become a scientist. She wanted to be the opposite of her mother. When Valerie became ill and Meg realized she was dying, Meg decided to spend the summer with her. Finally, she was determined to know the truth about her past, about who she was.

Meg learned more than she was prepared for but the presence of Ewan, the young gardener--who her mother hired to tend the vegetable garden and landscape--and her mother's advancing illness jolted her to question everything she ever believed and what truly matters. Is her mother crazy or is there a reason why she invents stories about her past life and Meg's childhood? And how will the truth change who she is?

Beautifully written, and filled with the warmth of comfort food, spices and herbs, gardens and orchards, and a loving but conflicted mother-and-daughter relationship, this debut novel is simply a delicious and feel-good read. I loved how Meg grew as a person, how she was torn with her feelings about a mother she adored yet rejected, until she came to realize the sacrifices her mother made in loving her to the best of her abilities. Valerie's character made me want to be a more fun-loving mom. Ewan was a smart and confident young man whose insightful nature helped both Meg and her mother heal. I was attracted to him immediately!

This is a warm novel that deals with relationships using quirky humour, nature, and the power of storytelling. It will count as one of my best read in 2013. Highly recommended.

Note: This book is rated C = clean read.

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: Thanks to Sourcebooks for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.