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ClareR (6253 KP) rated The King’s Mother in Books

Jan 7, 2025  
The King’s Mother
The King’s Mother
Annie Garthwaite | 2024 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I realise as I write this that I’ve read The King’s Mother before the first part of this duology (Cecily). Ah well. It hasn’t spoilt my enjoyment one bit, though. I have a fair bit of knowledge of the War of the Roses from Edward and Richard’s points of view, and it was fascinating to learn about Edward’s reign (and later Richard’s) from Cecily.

This novel explores those things that the women, in particular, would have experienced. Their lives wouldn’t have just been about waiting for their husbands, sons and fathers to come home, it would have been about the relationships with other women, their children, and in Cecily’s case, about her relationship to the throne and those in power.

Cecily was a formidable woman (as was Henry VII’s mother, Margaret Beaufort). She saw the death of her husband, sons, and regime changes. She backed her sons up, no matter her personal opinions. She was unendingly loyal - but anyone else was fair game!

This is such a well-researched, gripping read. I would have hated to have been in Cecily’s shoes, and she proved that power didn’t always bring happiness.

This was a fabulous read, and I will go back and read Cecily. If you enjoy historical fiction, then this would be a great addition to your TBR!
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2593 KP) rated Three Strikes – You're Dead! in Books

Jun 28, 2024  
Three Strikes – You're Dead!
Three Strikes – You're Dead!
Various Authors | 2024 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Give This Collection a Sporting Chance
This is a collection of 14 crime fiction short stories with a sports theme. And there are plenty of unique sports here. The collection starts out with one of three baseball stories as the hero of a playoff game winds up dead moments after scoring the winning run. We’ve got a bounty hunter who is trying to bring in an ultimate Frisbee player. A college swimming coach is found dead at practice one morning. A woman plans to avenge her brother’s death in the bull riding ring. A biathlete is kidnapped. And a tennis coach finds himself in grave danger.

With all the stories, this is definitely long enough to be a full-length book, so you are getting your money's worth. The twists on a couple of the stories didn't quite work for me, but most of the stories held together very well. Likewise, the characters are all real. Considering the shorter space that the writers had to work with, I am always impressed when they can pull both of those things off. I'm not the biggest sports fan in the world, but I still found myself being pulled into these stories. Whether you are a diehard sports fanatic or have a casual interest at best, you'll enjoy this collection.
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Jul 7, 2022  
Author Thomas H. McNeely visits my blog to discuss what it means to lose where we live in an emotional yet touching guest post. Read up on his coming of age/short stories fiction book PICTURES OF THE SHARK while you're there. Be sure to enter the giveaway for a chance to win an editorial critique of an excerpt from an unpublished short story or novel and/or an autographed copy of Pictures of the Shark.

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2022/07/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-pictures-of.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
A sudden snowfall in Houston reveals family secrets. A trip to Universal Studios to snap a picture of the shark from Jaws becomes a battle of wills between father and son. A midnight séance and the ghost of Janis Joplin conjure the mysteries of sex. A young boy’s pilgrimage to see Elvis Presley becomes a moment of transformation. A young woman discovers the responsibilities of talent and freedom.

Pictures of the Shark, by Houston native and Dobie Paisano award-winning author Thomas H. McNeely, traces a young man's coming of age and falling apart. From the rough and tumble of Houston's early seventies East End to the post-punk Texas bohemia of late eighties Austin, this novel in stories examines what happens when childhood trauma haunts adult lives.