When It Rained at Hembry Castle by Meredith Allard

When It Rained at Hembry Castle
by Meredith Allard

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Just released: January 28, 2016
Publisher: Copperfield Press
Genre: Historical
Paperback: 464 pages
Rating: 4

The Hembry Castle Chronicles series:
When It Rained at Hembry Castle
book 2 - tba

First sentence(s):
The mourners lined the village roads as far as the castle, their umbrellas pointed like black wreaths at the crying sky.

From Meredith Allard, author of the bestselling Loving Husband Trilogy, comes When It Rained at Hembry Castle, a lush historical novel set in Victorian England.

Perfect for fans of Downton Abbey, it's the story of an aristocratic family, secrets that dare not be told, and the wonder of falling in love.When the 8th Earl of Staton dies, his eldest son, the unreliable Richard, inherits the title and the family's home--Hembry Castle.

The Earl's niece, the American-born Daphne Meriwether, is intrigued by Edward Ellis, a rising author with a first-hand knowledge of Hembry Castle--from the servants' hall. And Edward, though captivated by the lovely Daphne, has his own hurdles he must overcome.

Can Richard come to terms with his title before bringing ruin on his family?

Will Edward and Daphne find their way to each other despite the obstacles of life at Hembry Castle?

When It Rained at Hembry Castle is a page-turning, romantic novel with vivid characters and an engrossing story that will keep you guessing until the end.

My two-bits:

Mellow drama with a stately Downton Abbey-ish air.

A gentle push and pull of English etiquette and American ways along with changing times comes through in this story.

This is one of those stories that grabs you for its setting and daily living situations.

Definitely, something to sit down with in a comfy chair and cup of tea.

~*~
* review copy courtesy of author

Smoke by Dan Vyleta

Smoke
by Dan Vyleta
Narrator: Allan Corduner

Find out more about this book and author:
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Website
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Twitter @danvyleta

Release date: May 2016
Publisher: Doubleday
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Victorian England
Hardback: 448 pages
Rating: 4

First sentence(s):
"Thomas, Thomas! Wake up!"
The first thing he does upon waking is to search his nightshirt, his bedding for soiling. He does this quickly, mechanically, still more than half asleep: runs a palm over his skin feeling for the telltale grit of Soot.

Welcome to a Victorian England unlike any other you have experienced before. Here, wicked thoughts (both harmless and hate-filled) appear in the air as telltale wisps of Smoke.

Young Thomas Argyle, a son of aristocracy, has been sent to an elite boarding school. Here he will be purged of Wickedness, for the wealthy do not Smoke. When he resists a sadistic headboy's temptations to Smoke, a much larger struggle beyond the school walls is revealed. Shortly thereafter, on a trip to London, Thomas and his best friend witness events that make them begin to question everything they have been taught about Smoke.

And thus the adventure begins... You will travel by coach to a grand estate where secrets lurk in attic rooms and hidden laboratories; where young love blossoms; and where a tumultuous relationship between a mother and her children is the crucible in which powerful passions are kindled, and dangerous deeds must be snuffed out in a desperate race against time.

PeekAbook:



My two-bits:

The focus in this story revolved around uncovering the mystery of the title, smoke. Set in a gritty Victorian England along with stuffy boarding school scenes, the colorful characters in this story tell the tale from their perspectives.

The world building rather than the mystery in this story captured my attention most.

I prefer this cover...

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* part of Audiobook Challenge

Waiting on Wednesday - 10.12.16

Waiting on Wednesday
sponsored by Jill at Breaking the Spine (details)
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I'm waiting for...

News of the World
by Paulette Jiles
-Historical, Western
Release date: October 4, 2016
Amazon | Goodreads
It is 1870 and Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd travels through northern Texas, giving live readings to paying audiences hungry for news of the world. An elderly widower who has lived through three wars and fought in two of them, the captain enjoys his rootless, solitary existence.

In Wichita Falls, he is offered a $50 gold piece to deliver a young orphan to her relatives in San Antonio. Four years earlier, a band of Kiowa raiders killed Johanna’s parents and sister; sparing the little girl, they raised her as one of their own. Recently rescued by the U.S. army, the ten-year-old has once again been torn away from the only home she knows.

Their 400-mile journey south through unsettled territory and unforgiving terrain proves difficult and at times dangerous. Johanna has forgotten the English language, tries to escape at every opportunity, throws away her shoes, and refuses to act “civilized.” Yet as the miles pass, the two lonely survivors tentatively begin to trust each other, forging a bond that marks the difference between life and death in this treacherous land.

Arriving in San Antonio, the reunion is neither happy nor welcome. The captain must hand Johanna over to an aunt and uncle she does not remember—strangers who regard her as an unwanted burden. A respectable man, Captain Kidd is faced with a terrible choice: abandon the girl to her fate or become—in the eyes of the law—a kidnapper himself. Exquisitely rendered and morally complex, News of the World is a brilliant work of historical fiction that explores the boundaries of family, responsibility, honor, and trust.

=====> Piqued my interest when it became a National Book Award Finalist–Fiction 2016.

Happy Release: Love Connection by Camilla Isley

Love Connection
(First Comes Love #1)
by Camilla Isley
-Romantic Comedy, Chick Lit, Adult, Contemporary
Release Date: October 8, 2016
Amazon | Goodreads -giveaway ends Dec 6
Have you ever wondered what might have been?
Gemma Dawson is at the airport, staring at two plane tickets to two different cities. Two different weddings. Two possible futures. She’s at a crossroads.

Be maid of honor at her best friend’s wedding or crash her ex’s?
Gemma’s decision, unknown to her, hinges on a delayed flight and a chance meeting. Now her life is about to go down two parallel tracks—will Gemma fly toward a life with her first love or a future with a man she’s not even met yet?

Stacking the Shelves - 10.8.16

Stacking the Shelves
hosted by Tynga's Reviews (details)
Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

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Bought:

Warm Bodies and The New Hunger:
A Special 5th Anniversary Edition
by Isaac Marion
-Zombies, YA
Amazon | Goodreads
=====> I really liked the movie version of Warm Bodies and saw that this book also offered The New Hunger novella. Awesome two-fer!

Jane Austen
(Adult Coloring Book): 55 Removable Coloring Plates
by Abrams Noterie (Creator), Anita Rundles (Illustrations)
Amazon | Goodreads
=====> Could not resist this one because of the variety of all the Jane novels - not just Pride and Prejudice.

Eileen
by Ottessa Moshfegh
-Historical, Mystery, Thriller
Amazon | Goodreads
=====> As a Man Booker Prize 2016 short list nominee, I was drawn to this.

=====> Book Passage, Corte Madera, hosted a visit from author, Liane Moriarty, presenting her latest, Truly Madly Guilty. She mentioned that her novel, Big Little Lies has been made into an HBO series that will run in 2017.

Truly Madly Guilty
by Liane Moriarty
-Women's Fiction, Australia
Amazon | Goodreads
For Review:

Brake Failure
by Alison Brodie
-Women's Fiction
courtesy of author - Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

Outward Blonde
by Trish Cook
-YA
courtesy of publisher -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

UNBOXING:

BOOK OF THE MONTH (details)
If you’re an avid reader, one thing is for certain: if you only shop the “bestseller” lists, you’re going to miss many of the best stories. That’s why we work hard to bring you the gems: well-written, immersive stories that transport you, give you thrills, and tug at your heartstrings. The books that are truly worth reading.

MONTH Box includes:
- A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles | Amazon | Goodreads
- Notecard from judge to selected book
- BOTM Bookmark

He can’t leave his hotel. You won’t want to.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Rules of Civility—a transporting novel about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel

“Towles’s greatest narrative effect is not the moments of wonder and synchronicity but the generous transformation of these peripheral workers, over the course of decades, into confidants, equals and, finally, friends. With them around, a life sentence in these gilded halls might make Rostov the luckiest man in Russia.” –The New York Times Book Review

In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery.

Brimming with humor, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the count’s endeavor to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.


AND watched: in theatre

The Girl on the Train (2016)
Director: Tate Taylor
Screenplay: Erin Cressida Wilson
Based on book by: Paula Hawkins
Starring: Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson, Justin Theroux
-Mystery, Thriller | imdb | my rating: 5
A divorcee becomes entangled in a missing persons investigation that promises to send shockwaves throughout her life.

=====> Captured the story well and the three actresses portrayals were spot on.

The Hollars (2016)
Director: John Krasinski
Writer: James C. Strouse
Based on book by:
Starring: Margo Martindale, John Krasinski
-Comedy, Drama, Romance | imdb | my rating: 4
A man returns to his small hometown after learning that his mother has fallen ill and is about to undergo surgery.

=====> Family drama with both happy and sad moments. Had a circle of life vibe.

Our Little Sister (2015)
Umimachi Diary (original title)
Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Screenplay: Hirokazu Koreeda
Based on manga by: Akimi Yoshida
Starring: Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho, Suzu Hirose
-Comedy, Drama, Japan | imdb | my rating: 5
A story that revolves around three sisters who live in their grandmother's home and the arrival of their thirteen-year-old half sister.

=====> Beautifully told story with gorgeous setting to enhance it. Sisterhood at its best.


AND watched: on DVD

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
Director: Peter R. Hunt
Screenplay: Simon Raven, Richard Maibaum
Based on book by: Ian Fleming
Starring: George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas
-Action, Adventure, Thriller | imdb | list | my rating: 2
James Bond woos a mob boss's daughter and goes undercover to uncover the true reason for Blofeld's allergy research in the Swiss Alps that involves beautiful women from around the world.

=====> So far, the least favorite, Bond film. Mostly because the actor did not really fit the part. And not crazy about the relationship aspect. I did like the Swiss and snow setting. Also, Diana Rigg was beautiful in it.


Currently flipping through: from the library

Adulthood Is a Myth:
A "Sarah's Scribbles" Collection
by Sarah Andersen
-Graphic Novel, Humor
Amazon | Goodreads
=====> Hilarious!

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* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently