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Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated The Wife's Shadow in Books
Jun 5, 2019
The Wife’s Shadow by Cath Weeks is one of those reads where a perfect life (or should that be wife?), plunders into chaos and snowballs out of control within a short matter of time. It’s a tense, fulfilling read and I raced through it!
Suzy is being harassed and there is apparently nothing she can do about it. She doesn’t know who it is, or why they are doing it. So, how the hell can anyone stop him then? The police are clueless, and her husband has only so much patience before he starts to lose sympathy. Is someone really out to get her, or is it just down to a vivid imagination and the stress of losing her mother very recently? In her husband’s eyes its a case of ‘come on luv, pull your socks up!’
And yes, I do have quite a lot to say about darling husband and stay-at-home dad, Mike. At first he’s very understanding, and quite rightly so, but there is only so much he can take when his paranoid wife keeps going on and insisting someone is watching her. What he does, during her worst moments, had me practically screaming at the book in anger! (In a good way!) Honestly, I became so involved in this story I felt worn out by the end of it, which I loved.
This is a well-written, tense read, and one I found myself trying to guess who the culprit was all the way through. The final revelation was just as much as a shock to me as it was to Suzy! I did not see THAT coming, and I’m one of those people who always thinks I know who’s done it. lol (Yeah, one of THOSE readers!) But it’s the final act that Suzy puts into action, which really rounds this story off well. Thankfully, I could breathe again when I closed the last page.
Imagine a small dream snowballing into an even bigger nightmare! That’s what Cath Weeks made happen to Suzy Taylor. Big time!
Suzy is being harassed and there is apparently nothing she can do about it. She doesn’t know who it is, or why they are doing it. So, how the hell can anyone stop him then? The police are clueless, and her husband has only so much patience before he starts to lose sympathy. Is someone really out to get her, or is it just down to a vivid imagination and the stress of losing her mother very recently? In her husband’s eyes its a case of ‘come on luv, pull your socks up!’
And yes, I do have quite a lot to say about darling husband and stay-at-home dad, Mike. At first he’s very understanding, and quite rightly so, but there is only so much he can take when his paranoid wife keeps going on and insisting someone is watching her. What he does, during her worst moments, had me practically screaming at the book in anger! (In a good way!) Honestly, I became so involved in this story I felt worn out by the end of it, which I loved.
This is a well-written, tense read, and one I found myself trying to guess who the culprit was all the way through. The final revelation was just as much as a shock to me as it was to Suzy! I did not see THAT coming, and I’m one of those people who always thinks I know who’s done it. lol (Yeah, one of THOSE readers!) But it’s the final act that Suzy puts into action, which really rounds this story off well. Thankfully, I could breathe again when I closed the last page.
Imagine a small dream snowballing into an even bigger nightmare! That’s what Cath Weeks made happen to Suzy Taylor. Big time!
ArecRain (8 KP) rated Depravity (Beastly Tales, #1) in Books
Jan 18, 2018
First off, let me say how furious I am that this is a three part series with each novel ending in a cliff hanger. Each novel has enough meat to it to count as individual novel, but they all end in maddening cliffhangers. I loathe cliff hangers more than I loathe serials.
That being said, this series had me from page one and I couldnt put it down until the very last one. I missed a lot of sleep for it I am a huge fan of fairy tale retellings, especially if there erotica involved. This is definitely one of the better retellings of Beauty and the Beast, albeit a very dark one. The female lead is almost raped more times than I can count, abused by her obnoxious sisters, manipulated by an arrogant sorceress, and subjected to dealing with a short tempered man child stuck in a beasts body. Through it all, Benella stays determined and loved her grit.
There are some themes that may not sit well with some people, especially with the Beasts treatment of Benella in the second novel. I think they are missing the point of this story, however. The premise is not just about looking beyond aesthetic value, it is about personal growth. While it is the Beautys purpose to look beyond outer appearances to appreciate what people have on the inside; it is the Beasts role to develop from well a beast to a better person. I feel that most people look past that.
This is a great series for those looking for an adult retelling of Beauty and the Beast and can handle the dark themes and cliff hangers that come with it. If you can accept an anti-hero with faults who falls for a strong woman who can hold her own in a hateful sexist world, then this is definitely the series for you.
That being said, this series had me from page one and I couldnt put it down until the very last one. I missed a lot of sleep for it I am a huge fan of fairy tale retellings, especially if there erotica involved. This is definitely one of the better retellings of Beauty and the Beast, albeit a very dark one. The female lead is almost raped more times than I can count, abused by her obnoxious sisters, manipulated by an arrogant sorceress, and subjected to dealing with a short tempered man child stuck in a beasts body. Through it all, Benella stays determined and loved her grit.
There are some themes that may not sit well with some people, especially with the Beasts treatment of Benella in the second novel. I think they are missing the point of this story, however. The premise is not just about looking beyond aesthetic value, it is about personal growth. While it is the Beautys purpose to look beyond outer appearances to appreciate what people have on the inside; it is the Beasts role to develop from well a beast to a better person. I feel that most people look past that.
This is a great series for those looking for an adult retelling of Beauty and the Beast and can handle the dark themes and cliff hangers that come with it. If you can accept an anti-hero with faults who falls for a strong woman who can hold her own in a hateful sexist world, then this is definitely the series for you.
Louise (64 KP) rated The Sleeper and the Spindle: Winner of the Cilip Kate Greenaway Medal 2016 in Books
Jul 2, 2018
My thoughts:
What a beautiful book! How have I not come across Chris Riddell before? I do not know! What an amazing illustrator!
The sleeper in the spindle is a combination of sleeping beauty and snow-white retelling with Gaiman’s dark twist added to it.There are two lands which are separated by huge mountains which no-one can get across, not even the birds fly over, the only one’s are three dwarves and they tunnel under. The dwarves are off to find the queen some silks for her pending wedding. Dorimar is the other kingdom where they make the best silks, once the dwarves get there they come across an Inn, which they usually drop by as they made friends with the local innkeeper. Only this time the Inn was packed with Villagers, There Is a plague travelling across the kingdom which puts everyone into a slumber which was casted by an enchantress. With this news the dwarves return to the Queen to let her know what is going on the other side of the mountains and could possibly come across to Kanselaire. With her pending wedding and the thoughts of being a dutiful wife and mother, one last adventure is what she needs, she is off to save Dorimar.
I have actually read the sleeper in the spindle before but from Gaiman’s short story collection Trigger Warning.
The story is very short only 72 pages so can be easily done in one sitting. However there is not a lot of character development and the Villain is the same old power/youth hungry menace.The ending will not be to everyone’s taste,but it was well written and an easy read
The illustrations are absolutely stunning, they are black and white with gold leaf added on every page, The detail is so intricate and amazing and definitely complements the story really well.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone as it is classed as a children’s book.
I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.
What a beautiful book! How have I not come across Chris Riddell before? I do not know! What an amazing illustrator!
The sleeper in the spindle is a combination of sleeping beauty and snow-white retelling with Gaiman’s dark twist added to it.There are two lands which are separated by huge mountains which no-one can get across, not even the birds fly over, the only one’s are three dwarves and they tunnel under. The dwarves are off to find the queen some silks for her pending wedding. Dorimar is the other kingdom where they make the best silks, once the dwarves get there they come across an Inn, which they usually drop by as they made friends with the local innkeeper. Only this time the Inn was packed with Villagers, There Is a plague travelling across the kingdom which puts everyone into a slumber which was casted by an enchantress. With this news the dwarves return to the Queen to let her know what is going on the other side of the mountains and could possibly come across to Kanselaire. With her pending wedding and the thoughts of being a dutiful wife and mother, one last adventure is what she needs, she is off to save Dorimar.
I have actually read the sleeper in the spindle before but from Gaiman’s short story collection Trigger Warning.
The story is very short only 72 pages so can be easily done in one sitting. However there is not a lot of character development and the Villain is the same old power/youth hungry menace.The ending will not be to everyone’s taste,but it was well written and an easy read
The illustrations are absolutely stunning, they are black and white with gold leaf added on every page, The detail is so intricate and amazing and definitely complements the story really well.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone as it is classed as a children’s book.
I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.
LilyLovesIndie (123 KP) rated Zombified in Books
Nov 5, 2018
This book was a very enjoyable read with an intriguing and promising premise for it's plot, but at times it just simply didn't deliver for me. That being said, I still felt compelled to find how the story ended and follow the characters through to the end, which is a strong point in it's favour.
The characters are a real mixed bunch, especially Henri and Josie. They capture your imagination and make you consider zombies in a completely different way, which was a positive for me as I usually shy away from anything to do with zombies. The other rag tags in the bunch are equally unusual, or perhaps unique is a better word, and they do capture your attention. They all have plenty of secrets, some of which could have been developed in more detail, but all of which give you something interesting about them.
In the main part, the plot is quite logical and develops well as the story progresses. It did stall slightly when it first started, and I don't feel like the pace was ever really capitalised on. It's clear LaCroix has tried hard to provide a good deal of development of characters, back stories and the plot in general, but at times, it didn't quite fit. The story had a rather strange and unexpected ending which was intriguing and works quite well as a cliff hanger.
In conclusion, I have to say I did find this book tough at times but it has something about it that redeems it. I can't quite pinpoint it, but I feel like with a little tweaking it could be a fantastic book, it's just not there yet, I will read the next in the series as I do want to know what happens to the characters, but I have mixed feelings about this book.
This book was reviewed as part of a blog tour (ARC provided for honest review) on Lily Loves Indie - http://lilylovesindie.co.uk/?p=515
The characters are a real mixed bunch, especially Henri and Josie. They capture your imagination and make you consider zombies in a completely different way, which was a positive for me as I usually shy away from anything to do with zombies. The other rag tags in the bunch are equally unusual, or perhaps unique is a better word, and they do capture your attention. They all have plenty of secrets, some of which could have been developed in more detail, but all of which give you something interesting about them.
In the main part, the plot is quite logical and develops well as the story progresses. It did stall slightly when it first started, and I don't feel like the pace was ever really capitalised on. It's clear LaCroix has tried hard to provide a good deal of development of characters, back stories and the plot in general, but at times, it didn't quite fit. The story had a rather strange and unexpected ending which was intriguing and works quite well as a cliff hanger.
In conclusion, I have to say I did find this book tough at times but it has something about it that redeems it. I can't quite pinpoint it, but I feel like with a little tweaking it could be a fantastic book, it's just not there yet, I will read the next in the series as I do want to know what happens to the characters, but I have mixed feelings about this book.
This book was reviewed as part of a blog tour (ARC provided for honest review) on Lily Loves Indie - http://lilylovesindie.co.uk/?p=515
Andrew Rich (36 KP) rated Nintendo Wii in Tech
Jun 20, 2019
Homebrew options including emulation (4 more)
Back compatibility
Good 3rd party hardware support
Intuitive user interface
Huge enthusiast base for support
No true HD output (1 more)
Fully deprecated by Nintendo as of January 2019
Better with age
Almost 13 years ago, Nintendo gave us the Wii, and if the enthusiast community is any measure, the Wii is still going strong. Even at its release, it wasn't the most powerful console - it wouldn't even do HD - and never had the game selection of the PS3 or XBox360, but it managed to chug along.
The motion controls are either fantastic - as in Wii Sports, Mario Kart and Skyward Sword, or just felt gimmicky, and even terrible - as in Mario Party 9, Ninjabread Man, and Chicken Shoot, and some didn't even use them, like my personal favorite @Muramasa: The Demon Blade. But the fact remains that it was, and is, still a good system.
These days, the original release games either look incredibly dated, or were designed around the system's limitations, and still manage to look good, but we're not seeing anymore new releases (except, of course, for Just Dance 2020. Thanks UbiSoft! ) so why is the Wii still good?
Well, between being back compatible to the GameCube, the Wii is also an absolute beast when it comes to emulating classic systems, from the Atari 2600 up to the original PlayStation. Add the Wii Classic Controller or Classic Controller Pro, and you've got a one-stop shop for every Nintendo Console - including handhelds - from the NES up to the Wii, as well as systems from Atari, Coleco, NEC, Sega, and Sony. It turns out the Wii is a great option for those of us who want to play the old classics, but aren't collectors; and might want games not on the NES, SNES, or PS classic mini consoles.
All this time later, that little box of tricks is still proving its use!
The motion controls are either fantastic - as in Wii Sports, Mario Kart and Skyward Sword, or just felt gimmicky, and even terrible - as in Mario Party 9, Ninjabread Man, and Chicken Shoot, and some didn't even use them, like my personal favorite @Muramasa: The Demon Blade. But the fact remains that it was, and is, still a good system.
These days, the original release games either look incredibly dated, or were designed around the system's limitations, and still manage to look good, but we're not seeing anymore new releases (except, of course, for Just Dance 2020. Thanks UbiSoft! ) so why is the Wii still good?
Well, between being back compatible to the GameCube, the Wii is also an absolute beast when it comes to emulating classic systems, from the Atari 2600 up to the original PlayStation. Add the Wii Classic Controller or Classic Controller Pro, and you've got a one-stop shop for every Nintendo Console - including handhelds - from the NES up to the Wii, as well as systems from Atari, Coleco, NEC, Sega, and Sony. It turns out the Wii is a great option for those of us who want to play the old classics, but aren't collectors; and might want games not on the NES, SNES, or PS classic mini consoles.
All this time later, that little box of tricks is still proving its use!
So a couple of months back I read Fallen and was decidedly unimpressed with the whole story in general. I still can’t explain why I decided to read to follow up book Torment. But I’m glad I did. Once again, it could have been better, I’m not saying it was as good as some of the books I have read lately, but it was much better than the first book.
This book sees Luce sent off to a posh school on the west coast (there happens to be special classes about angels and demons, which made me pull many faces when reading it). Daniel, the uber love interest of the first book, Luce’s ‘one true love’ send her here after the events at the end of fallen with the premise of keeping her safe. Rebellious teenage acts ensue, and as you can guess, Luce ends up not being very safe. I still have real issues with Daniel as the love interest. We know nothing about him, he hasn’t done a single thing to endear me to him, and I kind of route for Luce to screw him over a little bit and date someone who doesn’t control her every move without giving her even a glimpse of understanding as to why these things keep happening to her.
Other than that actually the general way the story is going was much more interesting to read, Luce had more backbone and the new characters that were introduced as her friends were well rounded and well written into the story. I can see where the story may head now, which is saying a lot as I didn’t get the first book at all. I can honestly say I will now read the rest, I just hope that the author carries on developing the story and possible try to include a few less cliché type scenarios.
This book sees Luce sent off to a posh school on the west coast (there happens to be special classes about angels and demons, which made me pull many faces when reading it). Daniel, the uber love interest of the first book, Luce’s ‘one true love’ send her here after the events at the end of fallen with the premise of keeping her safe. Rebellious teenage acts ensue, and as you can guess, Luce ends up not being very safe. I still have real issues with Daniel as the love interest. We know nothing about him, he hasn’t done a single thing to endear me to him, and I kind of route for Luce to screw him over a little bit and date someone who doesn’t control her every move without giving her even a glimpse of understanding as to why these things keep happening to her.
Other than that actually the general way the story is going was much more interesting to read, Luce had more backbone and the new characters that were introduced as her friends were well rounded and well written into the story. I can see where the story may head now, which is saying a lot as I didn’t get the first book at all. I can honestly say I will now read the rest, I just hope that the author carries on developing the story and possible try to include a few less cliché type scenarios.
Natari (73 KP) rated Midnight's Daughter (Dorina Basarab, #1) in Books
Jul 19, 2019
I adore the Dorina Basarab series. To truly appreciate them I recommend reading alongside Karen's other major series the Cassie Palmer series.
Dorina is a 500 year old dhampir with some serious memory problems from most of her life, so while she has experience and fun stories to tell she is still very modern and youthful. An outcast to both vampire and human world's, and repeatedly mocked and attacked by them too, Dory shows how 500 years helps build a thick skin. But deep down we still get a sassy, strong woman than Chance is known for writing.
The reason I love Dory starts in Midnight's Daughter but grows in the series. And that is because Dory is relateable. She is strong. She knows she is strong. She is confident in her strength. She knows her limitations. But she is also afraid. This internal dialogue you read is so very real and lifelike.
She is also hilarious and Karen chance style of writing will have you laughing as well as scream for the safety of for favourite characters.
Midnight Daughter as a book is well writte . With attention to detail throughout the history and action scenes that you will be holding for more at the stench or getting rather flustered at some romantic encounters. There is a good balance and it is infused with emotion and sensation so you aren't just stuck with a dry sex scene, it is romance not boring bedrooms with flat description or over the top swooning.
The romance plays key files in the plot and not just the sake of it being a romance. Much like in the Caddie Palmer series.
The storyline is very much a scene setter for the rest of the books. While a lot happens it is breaking the mold set by Carrie Palmer.
All in all a fun battle in both bar brawls and bedrooms with deep undercurrents of isolation, stigma and abandonment covered. Read it. Read it now.
Dorina is a 500 year old dhampir with some serious memory problems from most of her life, so while she has experience and fun stories to tell she is still very modern and youthful. An outcast to both vampire and human world's, and repeatedly mocked and attacked by them too, Dory shows how 500 years helps build a thick skin. But deep down we still get a sassy, strong woman than Chance is known for writing.
The reason I love Dory starts in Midnight's Daughter but grows in the series. And that is because Dory is relateable. She is strong. She knows she is strong. She is confident in her strength. She knows her limitations. But she is also afraid. This internal dialogue you read is so very real and lifelike.
She is also hilarious and Karen chance style of writing will have you laughing as well as scream for the safety of for favourite characters.
Midnight Daughter as a book is well writte . With attention to detail throughout the history and action scenes that you will be holding for more at the stench or getting rather flustered at some romantic encounters. There is a good balance and it is infused with emotion and sensation so you aren't just stuck with a dry sex scene, it is romance not boring bedrooms with flat description or over the top swooning.
The romance plays key files in the plot and not just the sake of it being a romance. Much like in the Caddie Palmer series.
The storyline is very much a scene setter for the rest of the books. While a lot happens it is breaking the mold set by Carrie Palmer.
All in all a fun battle in both bar brawls and bedrooms with deep undercurrents of isolation, stigma and abandonment covered. Read it. Read it now.
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated The Rest of The Story in Books
Aug 12, 2019
I’ll start by saying that this book is very much not my usual area of reading choice, no mention of murder at all - shock horror!! I tend to only read YA occasionally and run for the hills at the mere hint of the word romance or self-discovery but in the name of the book club and expanding my reading outlook I dived in.
I found the writing in this very well done, despite pretty much nothing happening of note (in my opinion) for most of the book I was still quite happy to keep reading. For a 17-year-old protagonist Emma Saylor is pretty likeable and as we follow her on a summer trip to her mother’s family we get to explore a world she didn’t know she was part of. Following her mother’s drug related death Emma’s father hasn't really spoken much about North Lake and her mother’s family, so we get a character driven exploration of family, friendship and self.
The discovery of her new family, the Calavanders, and learning about the ways of “Lake people” is well; a nice read. Many of the characters felt real and many developed nicely as we got to know them better. It’s not an in your face romance book and in particular the first three quarters are pleasantly light on teenage love drama.
The book for me did fall apart for the last part, where it felt like all of a sudden stuff needed to happen and it felt forced and out of kilter with the rest of the book. I think I had got comfortable with it not being much of a book about things happening and just a pleasant read of people and relationships. Emma’s dad seemed the only character to fall totally flat for me and again this only really hit in the last part of the book. Overall pleasantly surprised, it’s not going to be a go to genre for me but wouldn’t avoid picking up another book by Dessen for a change of pace in the future.
I found the writing in this very well done, despite pretty much nothing happening of note (in my opinion) for most of the book I was still quite happy to keep reading. For a 17-year-old protagonist Emma Saylor is pretty likeable and as we follow her on a summer trip to her mother’s family we get to explore a world she didn’t know she was part of. Following her mother’s drug related death Emma’s father hasn't really spoken much about North Lake and her mother’s family, so we get a character driven exploration of family, friendship and self.
The discovery of her new family, the Calavanders, and learning about the ways of “Lake people” is well; a nice read. Many of the characters felt real and many developed nicely as we got to know them better. It’s not an in your face romance book and in particular the first three quarters are pleasantly light on teenage love drama.
The book for me did fall apart for the last part, where it felt like all of a sudden stuff needed to happen and it felt forced and out of kilter with the rest of the book. I think I had got comfortable with it not being much of a book about things happening and just a pleasant read of people and relationships. Emma’s dad seemed the only character to fall totally flat for me and again this only really hit in the last part of the book. Overall pleasantly surprised, it’s not going to be a go to genre for me but wouldn’t avoid picking up another book by Dessen for a change of pace in the future.
Merissa (12879 KP) rated Two-Faced in Books
Dec 17, 2018
I received this book from Mark My Words Publicity in return for a fair and honest review.
We rejoin Caity and Eric as they go through their first year at college. Not only does Caity have the usual stresses of college - completely opposite roommate, disliking certain teachers, frat parties, etc - but she also has to cope with her ability to "de-mask" people. She is trying to have a 'normal' life but sometimes the mask will take over and she will do what she thinks is right, even if sometimes it isn't.
She is getting more used to being able to handle her ability but there is friction between herself and Eric as he struggles to understand and appreciate her ability. On the one hand, he accepts and relies on what she has to say she has seen 'behind the mask' but only when it suits him. He doesn't want to have his illusions shattered when it is about someone he likes, respects or cares about.
This is the start of a tumultuous time for them both as they try to figure out who is doing what, who is saying what, how something could be happening as well as dealing with a suddenly rocky relationship and helping their friends too.
This is the second story in the Masks series and you will need to read book 1 first but I can highly recommend both books. I turned the first page of both books and was immediately sucked into Caity's world as she deals with her ability and friends alike. It was really good to see 'old' friends in Two-Faced and to see how they have progressed during the time we've been gone.And that is how the books feels. Like it's real, like these characters are friends that you know and care about.
Excellently written and well-paced building up to the climax, I really can't recommend this highly enough.
We rejoin Caity and Eric as they go through their first year at college. Not only does Caity have the usual stresses of college - completely opposite roommate, disliking certain teachers, frat parties, etc - but she also has to cope with her ability to "de-mask" people. She is trying to have a 'normal' life but sometimes the mask will take over and she will do what she thinks is right, even if sometimes it isn't.
She is getting more used to being able to handle her ability but there is friction between herself and Eric as he struggles to understand and appreciate her ability. On the one hand, he accepts and relies on what she has to say she has seen 'behind the mask' but only when it suits him. He doesn't want to have his illusions shattered when it is about someone he likes, respects or cares about.
This is the start of a tumultuous time for them both as they try to figure out who is doing what, who is saying what, how something could be happening as well as dealing with a suddenly rocky relationship and helping their friends too.
This is the second story in the Masks series and you will need to read book 1 first but I can highly recommend both books. I turned the first page of both books and was immediately sucked into Caity's world as she deals with her ability and friends alike. It was really good to see 'old' friends in Two-Faced and to see how they have progressed during the time we've been gone.And that is how the books feels. Like it's real, like these characters are friends that you know and care about.
Excellently written and well-paced building up to the climax, I really can't recommend this highly enough.
Deborah (162 KP) rated The Scandalous Duchess in Books
Dec 21, 2018
I have to admit that I do enjoy Anne O'Brien as a writer of historical fiction. Maybe it's not great literature, but it's still an enjoyable ready and she actually makes a first person narrative come off, whereas with some other authors it sounds unnatural or is handled clumsily.
O'Brien's latest offering gives us the tale of Katherine de Swynford (nee de Roet), famous (or perhaps infamous!) as the mistress and later wife of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (and if you didn't know that he marries her, I think the title might give it away, so I don't think it's a spoiler!). There actually isn't all that much known about Katherine herself, which may seem surprising. I'm sure there may be other novels about her, but by far the best known is Anya Seton's 'Katherine' which might well give another author pause when looking to cover the same ground. The fact that so little is really known about her life does give an author a fair bit of freedom. It must be fairly obvious that there is a love story in there - she was his mistress for many years and then he chose to marry her, which I doubt anyone would have expected.
The novel's subtitle give it as 'the forbidden affair that started the Tudors' - who of course were descended from the legitimated Beaufort line.... but then again Joan was also the maternal grandmother of Edward IV and Richard III! The benefit of hindsight can show us clearly how a seemingly small decision, such as Katherine's decision to acquiesce in becoming John of Gaunt's mistress, can have such a huge impact - namely being a large factor in the Wars of the Roses!
I found this a well written and entertaining novel and I do enjoy my historical fiction! If you've read O'Brien before, I think you'll like this and if not I would recommend giving her a try. I find her writing far superior to the much touted Philippa Gregory.
O'Brien's latest offering gives us the tale of Katherine de Swynford (nee de Roet), famous (or perhaps infamous!) as the mistress and later wife of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (and if you didn't know that he marries her, I think the title might give it away, so I don't think it's a spoiler!). There actually isn't all that much known about Katherine herself, which may seem surprising. I'm sure there may be other novels about her, but by far the best known is Anya Seton's 'Katherine' which might well give another author pause when looking to cover the same ground. The fact that so little is really known about her life does give an author a fair bit of freedom. It must be fairly obvious that there is a love story in there - she was his mistress for many years and then he chose to marry her, which I doubt anyone would have expected.
The novel's subtitle give it as 'the forbidden affair that started the Tudors' - who of course were descended from the legitimated Beaufort line.... but then again Joan was also the maternal grandmother of Edward IV and Richard III! The benefit of hindsight can show us clearly how a seemingly small decision, such as Katherine's decision to acquiesce in becoming John of Gaunt's mistress, can have such a huge impact - namely being a large factor in the Wars of the Roses!
I found this a well written and entertaining novel and I do enjoy my historical fiction! If you've read O'Brien before, I think you'll like this and if not I would recommend giving her a try. I find her writing far superior to the much touted Philippa Gregory.