Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

Genre: YA Fantasy
Series: The Twilight Saga #4
My Rating: 5 stars
Read: November 2008

*Warning - Spoiler alert*

I got the 'happy ever after' I was wishing for and I wasn't the least bit disappointed. Predicting (or hoping for) much of what happened before I started the book did not in anyway lessen the riveting read.

I didn't find it disappointing or contrived or fluffy, the tearing pace & excitement made it easy to overlook the odd spelling error and cheesy cliché.

Breaking Dawn was my favourite of the series, obviously it wouldn't be my favourite without the others in the series, (they were essential building blocks to create suspense and enhance the storyline) but for me, Breaking Dawn had everything I could have wished for and more!

Bella joins the Cullens in immortality and comes into her own as a vampire with the ultimate gift - the ability to shield and protect her loved ones. Reading about vampire 'gifts'; those from visiting covens and the vampires of the Volturi was fascinating. Bella's pregnancy was the curve ball that I didn't see, the impossible physiology of this really didn't bother me, after all we are reading a paranormal love story. I loved the whole graphic, indepth view of Bella's pregnancy and the vampire C-section birth of Renesmee human/immortal/hybrid. Jacob imprinting with Nessie made sense to me, in a bizarre way and explained Jacob & Bella's odd dependence & infatuation with each other.

I loved the themes of 'vegetarian' vampires becoming more family less coven orientated, enemies becoming allies & friends and I would have been severely peeved if the happy ending had not eventuated. I think after the saga & angst of 2500 pages the Cullen family deserved their HAPPY EVER AFTER and so did I.

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The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran

Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Date: 8th Jan 2009 (1st published Aug 2008)
Pages: 383
Book Source: Own purchase

Synopsis: In ancient Egypt, a forgotten princess must overcome her family’s past and remake history.

The winds of change are blowing through Thebes. A devastating palace fire has killed the Eighteenth Dynasty’s royal family–with the exception of Nefertari, the niece of the reviled former queen, Nefertiti. The girl’s deceased family has been branded as heretical, and no one in Egypt will speak their names. Nefertari is pushed aside, an unimportant princess left to run wild in the palace. But this changes when she is taken under the wing of the Pharaoh’s aunt, then brought to the Temple of Hathor, where she is educated in a manner befitting a future queen.

Soon Nefertari catches the eye of the Crown Prince, and despite her family’s history, they fall in love and wish to marry. Yet all of Egypt opposes this union between the rising star of a new dynasty and the fading star of an old, heretical one. While political adversity sets the country on edge, Nefertari becomes the wife of Ramesses the Great. Destined to be the most powerful Pharaoh in Egypt, he is also the man who must confront the most famous exodus in history.

My Thoughts:

Loved it, loved it, loved it. I don't normally gush about a novel but I enjoyed this even more than 'Nefertiti' & I really didn't want it to end. 

It was a vivid, captivating page-turner and I thoroughly enjoyed being immersed in the Ancient Egyptian world. I have been interested in Ancient Egypt since my own school years, then helping my sons with assignments on Ancient Egypt; the pharoahs, the Gods, their customs and burial practices, I have always found their highly advanced civilisation fascinating. 

Nefertari, the orphaned daughter of Mutnodjmet and niece of the infamous Nefertiti is an absolute delight in this novel. She is kind-hearted and moral like her mother but very strong and clever without being calculating. 

I was caught up in the love story between Nefertari and Ramesses the Great, Nefertari's battle to gain the respect and admiration of Egypt and her triumph over her family's checkered past. I await Michelle Moran's next novel, 'Cleopatra's Daughter' with much anticipation and great impatience! 

To read more about this fantastic author click here 

The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick

'The Story of William Marshal' 
Genre: Historical Fiction
Series: William Marshall #2
Publication Date: November 2005
Pages: 552
Book Source: Own purchase

Synopsis: A penniless young knight, William Marshal is plucked from obscurity when he saves the life of Henry II's formidable queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. In gratitude, she appoints him tutor in arms to her son. However, being a royal favorite brings its share of conflict and envy. Besmirched by his enemies, banished from court, William seeks redemption in pilgrimages across Europe and the Holy Land, returning to find bygones forgotten and his prowess on the battlefield in demand. The only knight ever to unhorse the legendary Richard Coeur de Lion, William is offered the hand in marriage of Isabelle de Clare, 18-year-old ward of the King. Strangers to each other on their wedding day, the pair must immediately confront deadly political intrigue, strained family loyalties and betrayals. As King Richard prepares to depart on crusade, other men, including the King's own brother John, are waiting for their moment to seize power - it is William's duty to stand in their path...

My Thoughts:

Another favourite read for 2008 In this rich tapestry of medieval life Chadwick chronicles the life of William Marshal 'one of Englands's greatest forgotten heroes' from humble origins through his service to 4 kings & finally as Regent of England. 

Marshal is loyal to those he pledges his fealty even in the face of death, a rare commodity in an age where many men switched allegiance to suit themselves. He was well known and loved as a chivalrous knight & for his success on the tourney circuit. When his older brother John inherits the family lands, William travels to Normandy to train as a knight and earns a place in his uncle's household. Here he saves Eleanor of Aquitane from capture by enemy knights & in her gratitude she assigns William tutelage of Prince Henry, heir to the throne. 

Upon the death of Henry II, Richard impressed with William's loyalty requests that William serve him. For his loyalty and courage William is rewarded with the hand in marriage of Isabelle de Clare (an Anglo-Irish heiress.) Their marriage offers Isabelle freedom (she has been a ward of the Crown for 3 years) & William financial security. 

Their match which begins as one of expediency soon becomes much more - William refers to Isabelle as his "safe harbour". The Greatest Knight is a seamless blend of fact & fiction. Elizabeth Chadwick, embellishes those parts of William's life not covered by the biography of his life, the HISTOIRE DE GUILLAUME LE MARECHAL, but in a manner she trusts is consistent with the man's personality and achievements. 

It was an absolute delight to learn more about this fascinating man, a man of high integrity & morals, loyal character & courageous nature. I look forward to reading the next chapter in William's life - The Scarlet Lion. 

For those interested in learning more about William Marshal check out the website created by Gerry Kissell; it is fascinating reading. Gerry spent nearly thirty years researching William Marshal's life.

The Love Knot by Elizabeth Chadwick

Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Date: Jan 2006 (1st published 1998)
Pages: 480
Book Source: Own

Synopsis: In the summer of 1140, Oliver Pascal returns home from a long pilgrimage to discover England ravaged by civil war and his family lands forfeit to the conflict between Henry I's daughter Mathilda, and her cousin Stephen of Blois, who has seized the crown at her expense. Riding to the Earl of Gloucester's keep at Bristol, Oliver stumbles upon the aftermath of a mercenary attack on an isolated village. Among the survivors are Richard, an illegitimate royal son and half-brother to the Earl himself, and the boy's young nurse Catrin. Widowed, stubborn and proud, she has much in common with Oliver, a man still grieving for a wife lost in childbirth.

At Bristol, Catrin meets Ethel, a wise woman and midwife, who begins to train her in the healing arts and is instrumental in bringing Oliver and Catrin together as lovers. But the endurance of that love is threatened by the perils of injury in battle, the danger of childbirth, the upheaval of continuing civil war, and the risk of loving in exchange for nothing but heartbreak. In the end Catrin must decide where her true loyalties lie.

My Thoughts:

One of my favourite reads of 2008. The Love Knot is a beautiful love story, set during the turmoil of civil war between King Stephen & Empress Matilda in 12th century England. 

Oliver Pascal returns home from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land after losing his wife in childbirth. After losing his lands to King Stephen, Oliver becomes a hearth Knight to Robert of Gloucester, illegitimate brother to Empress Matilda. Oliver rescues the only survivors of a village raided by mercenaries, Richard an orphaned boy is the illegitimate son of the old king and half-brother to Earl Robert & Catrin, maid to the young boy's mother and widowed. 

Richard and Catrin are accepted into the household of Robert of Gloucester but Catrin being an independent, spirited young woman, soon tires of court life. Ehelreda, the old midwife & healer offers to teach Catrin the trade of a midwife & the secrets of her ancient art. I thought Ethel was an endearing character and I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about childbirth and healing in the middle ages. 

The Love Knot is a carefully-woven tale, each page flowing with rich colour & detail of the period. The characters are beautifully portrayed & I was carried along by the emerging love between Oliver & Catrin. I liked the fact that they were 'ordinary' characters, a landless knight and a lady's maid. 

Much of Elizabeth Chadwick's research is carried out as a member of Regia Anglorum, an early medieval re-enactment society; while aiding authenticity Elizabeth does mention that it is not a guarantee to 100% accuracy. This a vivid historical read intricately woven with romance & mystery. 

On a Highland Shore by Kathleen Givens

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars Read: January 2008 Kathleen Givens breathes life into history & her characters, creating a moving & captivating story. Set in 13th century Scotland Margaret MacDonald is preparing to marry Lachlan Ross, (cousin to King Alexander.) When Ross betrays Margaret, she refuses to marry him and travels to England with her sister Nell and her brother Rignor to ask the King to break her betrothal contract. On returning home, Margaret finds viking raiders have destroyed her home in Somerstrath, decimated her clan & murdered her family. Gannon MacMagnus, a half-Irish, half-Norse warrior offers Margaret hope of defeating the barbarians & reuniting her clan. I couldn't turn the pages of this book fast enough; the pace was frantic but beautifully developed and I was caught up in Margaret & Gannon's developing love story. Givens weaves the story with breathtaking clarity, showing the raw beauty as well as the brutality of the time. The depictions of the viking raids are violent & graphic as is the carnage in the battle scenes. Difficult to read but I didn't find it to be gratuitous violence. I found the Author's note referring to which of the characters and events are real, informative & an appreciated addition. Givens admits to mixing fact and fiction but hopes her "depictions are close to the spirit if not the letter of the past." This novel was pure escapism! If you like this review vote for it on Goodreads