All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

This is the seventh book in the Southern Vampire Series (Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Bk. 1), Living Dead in Dallas (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Bk. 2), Club Dead (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Bk. 3), Dead to the World (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Bk. 4), Dead as a Doornail (Southern Vampire Mysteries), Definitely Dead (Southern Vampire Mysteries)).

The most recent books of Sookie's adventures I have picked up I have thought its going to start to get stale and samey but, each time I am proved wrong I am happy to say!

This book is more about Vampire Politics but, still as addictive as the other books. The Queen of Louisiana has hired Sookie to assist at a summit and Eric, Pam, Bill & Quinn amongst others get to go too. Of course they would it wouldn't be the same without them. And of course, there is Sookie's relationship with Quinn ....

Its difficult to write a review of this without giving lots of things away so suffice to say we still see all our favourite characters as well as some new ones (including ones from one of Charlaine's anthologies).

Hurricane Katrina was mentioned a little here too and how it has changed the vampire world. And this biook is also quite different from the earlier books but, I think if the books had stayed along those lines it would have started to get a little boring whereas this book is anything but ...

Murder Most Royal by Jean Plaidy

Synopsis

At the decadent French court of King Francois, the young Anne Boleyn grows into an enigmatic and striking woman, a temptation to many courtiers. But whilst Anne's ambitions are high, she has learned from her sister's unfortunate reputation. Unlike Mary, Anne refuses to become even a King's mistress. So when Anne returns to the English court of Henry VIII, it is the King who is led a dance by this mysterious young beauty. Before long Henry is lured away from his stale marriage to Katharine of Aragon. But the new Queen Anne is not loved by the people, and it is only a matter of time before Henry's patience runs out...

My View

This period with Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard is in my opinion one of the most fascinating in history and they are definitely two of my favourite of Henry's Queens.

I was rather expecting this to be a little different as in Anne's story seperate to katherine's but, we see Katherine appear from quite a young age and I really liked that, I've only in the past read books about Katherine shortly before she became Queen.

This is a riveting read but, there are some inaccuracies with saying that Anne slept with Henry before they married and Ms Plaidy's descriptions of Jane Seymour were a little bit much (IMO).

I am leaving the Tudors behind for a while as much I love this era I have saturated this part of Tudor history but, of courtse shall return!

The King's Secret Matter by Jean Plaidy

Synopsis

The personalities and intrigues of the English royal court are brought to vivid life in this tale of Katharine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII. The twelve-year marriage of Henry and Katharine has declined from an idyllic union into an uneasy stalemate.

The king's love for his aging queen has grown cold, and he is angry with her failure to give him the heir to the throne he desperately wants. When the seductive Anne Boleyn arrives at court, the king is captivated by her dark beauty and bold spirit, and becomes obsessed with his desire to possess her. With his chief advisor, Cardinal Wolsey, the king devises a secret plot to declare the marriage with Katharine null and void. But Katharine refuses to surrender to his wishes and fights desperately to retain her title and safeguard her daughter, Mary.

My View

The fourth in the Tudor series and I really start to feel for Katherine in this one, I loved the scenes of Mary with her mother, Katherine and how she doesn't want to be parted but, after a while she does seem to come across very clingy and also a tad annoying (I haven't read an awful lot about Mary Tudor so will have to soon!).

There seemed to be a lot going on in this instalment and I did find certain scenes rather drawn out in places, this being the final instalment in the Katherine trilogy I have to say I was not overly impressed I still did not get any involvement or feel I could get to know the characters (although of course we know much about the characters from history).

I have heard some say that Jean Plaidy's Tudor books can be a little dry and I would have a tendency to agree with that.

The Shadow of the Pomegranate by Jean Plaidy

Whilst the young King Henry VIII basks in the pageants and games of his glittering court, his doting queen's health and fortunes fade. Henry's affections for his older wife soon stray, leaving the lonely Katharine to instead use her marital sway to dangerous foreign advantage. Overseas battles play on Henry's volatile temper, and whilst many his power, rumours of his fruitful affairs are notorious. With no legitimate heir yet born, Katharine once again begins to fear for her future...

England loved the young lovers, but hardly were they wed when powerful people in Henry's court were spinning webs of intrigue around the innocent royal pair.

Spanish spies, the Pope's men, the Queen's seductive ladies-in-waiting, and especially the King's brilliant advisor, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey--all were obsessed with one question: Would Queen Katharine be able to give Henry the healthy son he so desperately needed? Everything depended on the answer, especially the destiny of Queen Katharine herself.

Jean Plaidy has never written more brilliantly of history's great women and men than in the bittersweet true story of young King Henry and his dear Kate, who wanted only to please her beloved husband but seemed fated to be thwarted at every turn. . . .

The second part of Katherine of Aragon's trilogy - I felt Katherine's personality coming through more in this book and of course this is the famous part of the story where Henry starts to cast Katherine aside after only having provided him with one healthy daughter.

But, of course there is more to the story than that - for me Katherine of Aragon is not one of the queen's I have very much fascination with, possibly because I liked Anne Boleyn and maybe saw Katherine as being in the way but, the more I read about Katherine the more I feel for her how scary it must have been coming from Spain to marry a man (boy!) she had never even met.

I did not enjoy this as the previous one, I do find with Jean Plaidy's books that you don't seem to get to know the characters as well as perhaps you could do and for me this book seemed to have a lot of flitting from one scene to the other but, that said still essential to read if your reading the Katherine trilogy.

Katherine, the Virgin Widow by Jean Plaidy

The young Spanish widow, Katharine of Aragon, has become the pawn between two powerful monarchies. After less than a year as the wife of the frail Prince Arthur, the question of whether the marriage was ever consummated will decide both her fate and England's. But whilst England and Spain dispute her dowry, in the wings awaits her unexpected escape from poverty: Henry, Arthur's younger, more handsome brother - the future King of England. He alone has the power to restore her position, but at what sacrifice?

This is the first book in the Katherine of Aragon trilogy, and second in the Tudors series. As I decided to read the Tudors series in order this one slightly back tracks on 'Uneasy Lies the Head' and covers a little of what was covered there but, thats no problem, as this could also be read alone.

Arthur dies shortly after becoming married to Katherine, leaving her a virgin widow as the marriage was never consummated, or was it? This must be one of the most debatable parts of our history as to whether Katherine and Arthur really did consummate their marriage. I would not like to say whether they did or didn't but, I more lean to the fact that they did or didn't.

Of course as we know Katherine then goes on to become Henry's wife, and also we see a glimpse of Katherine's sister Juana and life at Spanish and English court which was quite different as I found most of the books concentrate mainly on the English court.

Overall a good read, I don't think the book showed as much of Katherine's character I much preferred Philipps Gregory 'The Constant Princess' but, still a good read and whetted my appetite for the next 2 books.

Uneasy Lies The Head by Jean Plaidy

In the aftermath of the bloody Wars of the Roses, Henry Tudor has seized the English crown, finally uniting the warring Houses of York and Lancaster through his marriage to Elizabeth of York.

But whilst Henry VII rules wisely and justly, he is haunted by Elizabeth's missing brothers; the infamous two Princes, their fate in the Tower forever a shrouded secret. Then tragedy strikes at the heart of Henry's family, and it is against his own son that the widowed king must fight for a bride and his throne...

This was another interesting view for me for life with the Tudors, there was more here on Henry VIII's parents and life then something I have not really read a great deal on, most of my Tudor reading surrounds life from Henry VIII's rule, It was nice reading something different.

This is not the first Jean Plaidy book I have read but, this was the first from this particular Tudor series and also being book 1 in that series. Not only did this concentrate more on Henry's parents but, also on Henry's sisters, I think we know most of Arthur's story - and how tragically short that was - the only thing I think could have been done better was how quickly Ms Plaidy described what happened around Arthur's death one minute he was ill the next gone but, I wouldn't say it detracted from the story at all.

Another way of looking at Katherine of Aragon too - I can't say she is one of my favourite of Henry's wives but, I really felt for her here being sent to England to marry a future king must have been so daunting.

I found Henry's mother, Elizabeth of York a little bit of a walkover, she didn't seem to have any control over Henry VII, although he seemed quite a dominant figurehead. I would like to have seen more of Henry & Elizabeth's marriage written about as again this was, I wouldn't say skirted over but, maybe a little rushed.

This was a really good book and very easy to read. I have the whole of the Tudors series and the way its going I will be reading them all one after the other, I don't think I will ever tire of reading about the Tudors!

The Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George

Synopsis:

Much has been written about the mighty, egotistical Henry VIII: the man who dismantled the Church because it would not grant him the divorce he wanted; who married six women and beheaded two of them; who executed his friend Thomas More; who sacked the monasteries; who longed for a son and neglected his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth; who finally grew fat, disease-ridden, dissolute.

Now, in her magnificent work of storytelling and imagination, Margaret George bring us Henry VIII's story as he himself might have told it, in memoirs interspersed with irreverent comments from his jester and confidant, Will Somers. Brilliantly combining history, wit, dramatic narrative, and an extraordinary grasp of the pleasures and perils of power, this monumental novel shows us Henry the man more vividly than he has ever been seen before.

My view:

I think we must all know the story of Henry VIII and his famous six wives only too well, personally I have only mainly read the story fom the view of his wives or from the third person, this was so different to read it as though Henry was himself writing how he saw things.

I put off reading this for quite some time mainly crazy as thought it may sound it got such good reviews I thought I might not enjoy that much, which is what invariably happens to me (I tend to like the ones that don't get such good reviews for some bizarre reason ...)

Starting from when Henry was a young boy right up to almost the end of his life this was a fabulous account, almost as if you was reading Henry's own memoirs. I thought before reading this that I might find the notes by Will Somers a little boring as I wanted to read Henry's story but, no I think I added an interesting view to the story overall.

I do think it was written sympathetically towards Henry although I guess it would do as it was written by him! As an Anne Boleyn sympathiser I found the scenes of Anne being beheaded quite graphic but, also the scenes with Catherine Howard I really did feel for Henry, I think with that storyline for me I never really saw the 'Henry ' side of things and just that Catherine was beheaded and the reasons behind that.

Overall this was a brilliant account of Henry's life and possibly one of the best Tudor fiction books I have read!

Vengeance is Mine by Brandy Purdy

There was room for only one woman in George Boleyn's heart-his sister, the mercurial and fascinating Anne Boleyn, who was destined to change history and wear a crown. To his adoring wife, Lady Jane Rochford, he was cold and indifferent. When Anne failed to give Henry VIII the son she had promised him, and he was tiring of her tart tongue and tantrums, false charges of adultery were hastily concocted.

Lady Rochford provided the crowning touch when she accused her husband and his beloved sister of incest. Both died upon the scaffold. Lady Rochford paid dearly for her treachery. She was left alone, shunned and friendless, until wild, sweet, wanton Katherine Howard danced into her life and became Henry's fifth queen. When Katherine, disgusted by the obese and impotent King's fumbling attempts to make love to her, took a lusty young lover Lady Rochford helped them meet.

And when the truth came out, she was the first to betray them. As she sits in the Tower of London, being tormented by the ghosts of George and Anne Boleyn, and awaiting her own appointment with the headsman's axe, Lady Rochford takes up her pen. Vengeance Is Mine is her story.

This book bears similarities to Philippa Gregory's The Boleyn Inheritance in that it tells the story of Anne Boleyn and katheirne Howard but, this time the whole book is told from the whole viewpoint of Jane Rochford rather than the 3 different viewpoints.

Going from previous books I have read I always found Jane Rochford to be rather cold and calculating at her involvement in bringing the deaths of Anne & Katherine but, hear I sympathised with her to some degree, how George Boleyn was portrayed he was really quite horrible, at least to Jane there is a particular part where he makes love to her and then in the morning when he says it was you was really horrible and I quite felt for Jane, quite why he married her in the first place I don't know!

And then there is poor Katherine Howard, I'm rather fond of Katherine and really felt for her although she could at times be quite silly I do find her amusing so Jane's part in Katherine's downfall I did not sympathise with! Hearing Katherine practice putting her head on the block was awful, I just can't imagine what must have been going through the poor girls head.

And Anne of Cleves also plays a small part in this book as does Jane Seymour, there is little about Jane Seymour but, as it is told by Jane I guess that is why. There was a little more about Anne of Cleves and the part of Jane cutting her stinky armpit hair was quite gross! I'm so glad I wasn't eating while reading that!

I really really enjoyed this book, if you have read and loved The Boleyn Inheritance you will enjoy this and it was nice to see things through Jane Rochford's eyes.

Brief Gaudy Hour by Margaret Campbell Barnes

A beautifully written account of the life of Anne Boleyn, a story we know only too well and despite having read different authors accounts of her life I never tire of it, I never fail to be shocked at her ending, this was one of the most beautiful accounts of her life I have read.

The story goes right back to her life at Hever right to her grisly end at Tower Green. The book does have some historical inaccuracy but, this is a novel if historical fact bothers you that much then maybe this is not the book for you but, I would say it didn't bother me, it does weave between fact and fiction.That said this book was originally published in 1949, so maybe that should be taken into account too.

This novel, was I felt a little sympathetic to Anne so would appeal to those who like Anne more than they do Henry, despite what she done I did feel for her so possibly abnother reason why I liked this book so much. It elaborates quite a bit on Anne's relationship with Henry Percy whereas other books I have read in the past have perhaps skimmed over this part of her life.

Without going in to the storyline, which I am sure many know so well this is a brilliantly written story that anyone who loves historical fiction, and most especially Tudor fiction will love.

The descriptions of life at court are quite vivid and help you to set the scene in your mind.

A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands

That hot guy tied to Lissianna Argeneau’s bed? He’s not dessert—he’s the main course!

Lissianna has been spending her centuries pining for Mr. Right, not just a quick snack, and this sexy guy she finds in her bed looks like he might be a candidate. But there’s another, more pressing issue: her tendency to faint at the sign of blood… an especially annoying quirk for a vampire. Her mother thinks she has the perfect solution, and serves up the therapist on a silver platter (or at least a wrought iron bed). Of course it doesn’t hurt that this psychologist has a delicious looking neck.

What kind of cold-blooded vampire woman could resist a bite of that? Dr. Gregory Hewitt recovers from the shock of waking up in a stranger’s bedroom pretty quickly—once he sees a gorgeous woman about to treat him to a wild night of passion. But is it possible for the good doctor find true love with a hemophobic vampire vixen, or will he be just a good meal?

That’s a question Dr. Greg might be willing to sink his teeth into… if he can just get Lissianna to bite.

This is the fourth book but, should have been the first, sounds confusing? But, it does not detract at all from the story in fact I think if you wanted you could read this first to get Lissiana's story before reading the others but, I really think it doesn't matter.

Every inch as good as the other three I have so far read although, Etienne's story is my favourite so far.

Tall, Dark & Hungry by Lynsay Sands

New York hotels cost an arm and a leg, and Terri had flown from England to help plan her cousin's wedding. The new in-laws offered lodging. But they were a weird bunch. There was the sometimes-chipper-sometimes-brooding Lucern, and the wacky stage-actor, Vincent. (She couldn't imagine Broadway casting a hungrier singing-and-dancing Dracula.). And then there was Bastien. Just looking into his eyes, Terri had to admit she was falling for him - someone even taller, darker and hungrier than the other two. She was feeling a mite peckish herself. And if she stayed with him, those bloodsucking hotel owners wouldn't get her!

Bastien is a workaholic and lives in the gorgeous penthouse over the top of the Argeaneau offices. Kate has to go out of town and so it is left to Bastien and his brother to pick Terri up from the airport and she will also be staying at his gorgeous apartment!

Terri has no idea Bastien is a vampire, in fact she has no idea any of the Argenau's are vampires. So Bastien has to try and keep it from her for the 2 weeks she is staying. Just to make matters worse, Chris - Kate's editor colleague also has to stay at Bastien's apartment (apparently Chris is based on Lynsay's own editor).

I loved this one and despite the not so favourable reviews on Amazon this was a brilliant instalment in the Argenau's. Of course the end is fairly predictable but, its all nice and sweet!

Love Bites by Lynsay Sands

Etienne Argeneau's three hundred years of bachelorhood were at an end. Either that, or he'd be forever alone. He could only "turn" one human in his lifetime, and most of his kind reserved that power for creating a life mate. If he turned the wrong woman . . .

But what choice did he have? He had to save Rachel Garrett. He didn't know her very well, but the beautiful coroner had saved his life. To save hers he would make her immortal.

We first met Etienne in Single White Vampire but, this time its his own story. While Etienne is in the morgue, after having been shot and as Rachel prepares Etienne for a post mortem when Etienne wakes up sending Rachel into shock and subsequently fainting.

After having a week away from work Rachel returns and Etienne is back in the morgue again, only to find a madman trying to kill Etienne but, Rachel saves him and in turn Etienne saves Rachel by turning her into a vampire.

This was another hilarious romp in the life of the Argenau vampires, slightly different in that Rachel didn't really have much choice in being turned. All the great characters from SWV are back here although of course, we don't see them as much because this is Etienne's turn to take centre stage.

I'm beginning to like this world of Vampires even more than Charlaine Harris's!

Is it Spring yet?

After reading Margo's blog I thought I would change my template too! Nice and fresh and springlike, the other template was a bit stale and boring and not being too techie minded I was never too sure how to change the templates, and din't want to mmuck it up so I am very pleased it works!

I've also created a new blog! One of my other passions is photography and here's a link to the new one

http://clare-aphotographersblog.blogspot.com/

There's not much on there at the moment but, will be adding stuff over time.

Angels by Marian Keyes

The Walshes starred in a previous Keyes novel, the delightful Rachel's Holiday; Maggie is Rachel's older sister, (one of five) and the only one who "never did any of that nasty sleeping around business". Instead she got married to her first boyfriend Paul Garvan and everything was fine, until they suffered a couple of "setbacks". Unable to face sorting out the difficulties, Maggie hightails it to Los Angeles to stay with her old pal Emily. Emily is a script writer, her short film A Perfect Day was a big hit in Ireland, but her working life is a little tougher in the land of sunshine and fat-free Pringles. The two girls, along with a supporting cast of wannabes, scary film studio folk and slacker next door neighbours, get on with sorting out their emotional issues in a stylishly witty, wonderfully warm fashion. Maggie's devilish ex-boyfriend and the commitment phobic Troy add in a delightful frisson of sexual tension.

I think this must be the second in the series about the lovable Walshes, so looks like I've read them in totally the wrong order but, anyway ....

This was a fabulous funny feast as is the norm with Ms Keyes what Maggie gets up to in LA is pretty much hilarious for someone who was so settled before she left her husband. And Maggie's family feature quite a lot here which is great I think they are one of the funniest families in bookland!

However, this also touches on the very sensitive subject of miscarriage and thought it was so well done, although I'm lucky to have never suffered such a fate I thought it was very well done and Marian always has the brilliant way of dealing with issues like this while injecting a little light-heartedness, albeit sensitively.

This is not my favourite book from the Walshes, Watermelon still remains my favourite but, this was fun and a definite for anyone who loves chick-lit!

Changeling by Yasmine Galenorn

Meet the D'Artigo Sisters-three half human, half-Faerie, wild and sexy members of the OIA-the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. Camille, a witch, Delilah, a werecat, and Menolly, an acrobat extraordinaire turned vampire, are sent Earthside to keep them out of trouble by their superiors, but the girls find themselves smack in the middle of Demon-Central when Shadow Wing, the leader of the Subterranean Realms, decides to attempt a coup on both Earth and Otherworld. Now, with their erratic powers, the sisters must use their collective talents to prevent the demons from taking over and to save two worlds, one monster at a time.

Delilah:
"Someone’s been slaughtering the Weres of the Rainier Puma Pride, and my sisters and I have been enlisted to investigate by Zachary Lyonnesse, golden boy of the werepumas. Right away we smelled demon trouble, and we tracked it directly into the snare of the Hunters Moon Clan, sworn enemies of Puma Pride. But there’s more than Were rivalry at work. It’s that old demon Shadow Wing who’s setting a deadly snare for the pumas. We have to find out why, which means a visit one to of the Immortals. Unfortunately, for my sisters and me, our half-human blood is just enough to put us in mortal danger."

This is the second (of what I thought was three but, no apparently there is more) of the Sisters of the Moon series and Delilah ius a shapeshifter and to be honest I prefferred the character of the first book but, Deliliah was still very interesting!

So we have 3 sisters, which may sound similar to another well known series of 3 sisters, although they were all witches but, YG vehemently denies these have been influenced by any of those characters and if you read the books you will see that's true, the fact that there are 3 sisters and one is a witch is where the similarities end, and this is also classed as Paranormal Romance but, YG also vehemently makes another claim that this is Urban Fantasy which I would agree with it does not have some of the elements as PR which isn't a bad thing as I've read many excellent PR's.

As (what I thought was) the middle book this was good not fantastic but, a brilliant and addictive read, there are so many books of this type of genre out there at the moment and its easy to get overloaded and I'm sure I am missing out on some great series similar to this but, for now this one does for me, looking forward to reading Darkling!

Single White Vampire by Lynsay Sands

This is the first in Lynsay Sands Argenau vampires series, although it can be a bit confusing as the website has book 3 listed as the first but, apparently this one is, but anyway ...

This is the story of Lucern Arganeau, from a family of vampires consisting (so far) of a mother, two sons and a daughter. Lucern is over 400 years old so has seen a lot and lived through many eras! Lucern is also a vampire firstly writing historical books and now onto Vampire romances.

Because of his books he meets Kate who is his book editor and she is trying to convince him to go to book signings etc which he is very reluctant to do and finally she gets him to agree to go to a book convention which is where the fun starts.

Of course at first he doesn't want to go but, is convinced to go not only by Kate but, also by his Mother and his family, they like Kate and think she will be perfect for Lucern. And so of course, Kate & Lucern nenture on a romance which isn't as easy as it seems. Lucern isn't exactly up on all the things of the 21st century.

The trouble starts when Kate discovers Lucern is a vampire, she doesn't know at first, he only told her he had problems with the sun (haw haw) and when she sees him taking some blood from her colleague Chris then he just has to own up!

This was a very funny feast! Every vampire series I think has to be compared to Anne Rice's vampires and you couldn't get further from lestat and his crew than these, it was so funny and I loved every minute!

I hope to read them all there are 9 so far I think!

Shopholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella

Becky's life is blooming! She's working at London's newest fashion store The Look, house-hunting with husband Luke (her secret wish is a Shoe Room)...and she's pregnant! She couldn't be more overjoyed - especially since discovering that shopping cures morning sickness.

Everything has got to be perfect for her baby: from the designer nursery...to the latest, coolest pram...to the celebrity, must-have obstetrician. But when the celebrity obstetrician turns out to be her husband Luke's glamorous, intellectual ex-girlfriend, Becky's perfect world starts to crumble. She's shopping for two...but are there three in her marriage!

I have to say I love Becky! I can identify with her on so many levels, probably a lot of us could, whilst I love a good old shop I'm nothing as bad as her but, anyway ... reading a few reviews about this book I wasn't expecting the greatest thing but, I think this is one of the best after Shopoholic & Sister!

As this is now book 5 some may think Sophie should put the Shopoholic world to bed but, no! I love these books and hearing what Becky gets up to next is hilarious its just like catching up with an old friend you haven't seen in ages!

If you haven't read this book ... STOP HERE!

I absolutely hated Venetia and could really have punched her, the horrible things she said about Becky but, the part in the hospital just before she goes into labour was so cute when Luke said all the fantastic things about her but, my favourite part was when she thinks Luke is having an affair with venetia and she writes him the letter and he appears at the house just as Vogue get there, aww that was soooooo sweet!

Anyway, loved it loved it loved it and hope Becky is back soon with her daughter for some more hilarious adventures!

Heart of Stone by C E Murphy

'What secrets lie shrouded in darkness?
Okay, so jogging through Central Park after midnight wasn't a bright idea. But Margrit Knight never thought she'd encounter a dark new world filled with magical beings-not to mention a dying woman and a mysterious stranger with blood on his hands. Her logical, lawyer instincts told her it couldn't all be real-but she could hardly deny what she'd seen...and touched.

The mystery man, Alban, was a gargoyle. One of the fabled Old Races who had hidden their existence for centuries. Now he was a murder suspect, and he needed Margrit's help to take the heat off him and find the real killer. And as the dead pile up, it's a race against the sunrise to clear Alban's name and keep them both alive.

This is the first in a new series the Negotaiator Trilogy by C E Murphy and what a fantastic new world she has created! Margrit is a very interesting character and this book is told from both Margrits and Alban's point of view which puts an interesting view on things.

The world created here is drawn up quite slowly that said this is far from a slow book it was just a great way of getting you to understand the world that has been created. The beginning I felt Margrit seemed a little different to the character she turned into, not sure if that was intentional.

This being a trilogy of course the ending leaves you wanting more so can't wait for the nxt book out next month!

If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Aherne

Everything in Elizabeth Egan's life has its place, from the espresso cups in her gleaming kitchen to the swatches and paint pots of her interior design business. Order and precision keep life under control - and Elizabeth's heart from the pain and hurt she has suffered in the past. The only cloud on the horizon is her sister Saoirse, a red-haired whirlwind always leaving behind pieces, which Elizabeth struggles to pick up - including her six-year-old son Luke.

Being a reluctant mother while trying to keep her business on track is a full-time job, one which leaves little room for error - or fun. Until, one day, a stranger unexpectedly comes into their lives. Ivan is carefree, spontaneous and always looking for adventure - everything that Elizabeth is not. In no time at all, he has crept under her skin and started to change her life in ways she could never have . She knows barely anything about Ivan - who he is and whether he is everything he seems. And, if there is a future for their blossoming relationship!

This book is slightly different to Cecelia's other books but, equally as addictive to read. At first Elizabeth thinks her nephew, Luke just has this imaginary friend until he becomes Elizabeth's friend too!

I think this is one of those books where you either love it or hate it because, Ivan isn't exactly real per se it could be quite hard for some people to like him but, I loved this book because it was different and you can in some way relate to him because I think pretty much most of us had an imaginary friend when we was small or at least what other people thought was an imaginary friend but, who knows?

The Wildwood by Charles De Lint

A young artist returns to her cabin in the deep woods of Canada to concentrate on her illustrations. But somehow, strange and beautiful creatures are slipping into her drawings and sketches. The world of Faerie is reaching out to her for help--and she may be its last chance for survival.

This is (I Think!) Charles De Lints first book and its a delightful read, based on Brian Froud's faerie drawings and is part of Brian Froud's faerieland series.

Eithne who is an artist who sees whats around her without seeing it, if that makes any kind of sense! One day when drawing a sketch she looks and sees magickal being coming from the branches and trees. But, it doesn't stop there these magickal beings seem to step out into her world and she sees them all around her.

Having read some reviews some do not rate this book too highly and maybe because it was Charles's first book it is not as good as some of his others, so yes compared to his other works this perhaps does not live up to those but, compared to other authors this book is simply excellence!

Charles de Lint is an author I would highly recommend especially if you have a love of the world of Faerie.