The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory

Author: Philippa Gregory
Publish Date: 2010
Website: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9987.Philippa_Gregory
ISBN: 9781416563723
List Price: $13.33 (paperback)
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Jacket Synopsis:
The second book in Philippa's stunning new trilogy, The Cousins War, brings to life the story of Margaret Beaufort, a shadowy and mysterious character in the first book of the series - The White Queen - but who now takes centre stage in the bitter struggle of The War of the Roses.

The Red Queen tells the story of the child-bride of Edmund Tudor, who, although widowed in her early teens, uses her determination of character and wily plotting to infiltrate the house of York under the guise of loyal friend and servant, undermine the support for Richard III and ultimately ensure that her only son, Henry Tudor, triumphs as King of England.

Through collaboration with the dowager Queen Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret agrees a betrothal between Henry and Elizabeth's daughter, thereby uniting the families and resolving the Cousins War once and for all by founding of the Tudor dynasty.

My Comments:
The next book in the series of the "Cousins War" after the "The White Queen". Determination is an understatement in this book. Her possessed spirit about being led by the inspiration of Joan of Arc was almost a little much. Considering anyone that was as driven and possessed by her ambition would be considered a loony today. Throughout the book she seemed too naive and ignorant to really accomplish the goal to make her son king. It was her perceived place in society and knowing how to use that place to her advantage to create any opportunity for her son that even helped to remotely achieve their goal. The book doesn't really show that she is really a mindful plotter nor all that smart about it. To me, she seems to have been used by the men around her to support their own selfish goals which, in the end, achieves Margaret's goal to put her son on the thrown. However fragile the whole plan was and that it eventually unfolded to her ultimate goal is beyond me. I think it was all just luck in the end because plot after plot fails and hardly without trying does the plan work.They knew it was their last chance before they were banished forever. They being Henry Tudor and his Uncle Jasper.

Since this is my first introduction to Margaret Beaufort, I won't discount her too much for being naive and ignorant. I plan on reading more material on her to better understand what kind of person she was and if this book portrays an appropriate likeness of the real person. Just as in the "White Queen" and the Melusina references, the constant "vision" or need to have a "vision" is a little daunting. Was she really that consumed by her need to be a "visionary?"

This one sentence shows Margaret's constant attitude throughout her life. "If I could live in a nunnery in this time of imprisonment, at least I would have lived with holy women and not this collection of fools."

Undead and Unappreciated (Betsy Taylor Series #3) by MaryJanice Davidson

Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Publish Date: July 5, 2005
Website: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1429808.MaryJanice_Davidson
ISBN: 9780425204337
List Price: $7.99 (Paperback)
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Jacket Synopsis:
Fans can't get enough of author MaryJanice Davidson and her topsy-turvy world of the undead with its newly-crowned queen, Betsy Taylor. Now, Betsy continues her reluctant reign while being bedeviled by family secrets...

Most women would love to live as royalty, but Betsy has found that being vampire queen has more problems than perks, except for always being awake for Midnight Madness sales. It may be easy to find blood (yuck) in the dark of night, but try finding a strawberry smoothie. And employees at her nightclub Scratch have been giving her nothing but grief since she killed their former boss. Some people...

But Betsy's "life" takes an interesting turn at a shower for her wicked stepmother, who lets it slip that Betsy has a long-lost half sister. Now twenty years old, this woman just so happens to be the devil's daughter - and destined to rule the world...

My Comments:

Another hilarious adventure of Queen Betsy of the Vampires... I love this series... This is the book she finds out about her long lost (half) sister, who happens to be the daughter of the Devil, but finds that her sister is the #1 Goody-Goody to rebel against her Mother from Hell (lol). She also learns that her step mother is pregnant with a (half) brother and causes her to think of all the human things she is missing out on like being a Mom. However, soon enough more vampire crises emerge and beckon her to save the world again, with help!! Love it!

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

Author: Philippa Gregory
Publish Date: January 1, 2008
Website: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9987.Philippa_Gregory
ISBN: 9781476735481
List Price: $10.57 (Paperback)
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Jacket Synopsis:
Brother turns on brother to win the ultimate prize, the throne of England, in this dazzling account of the wars of the Plantagenets. They are the claimants and kings who ruled England before the Tudors, and now Philippa Gregory brings them to life through the dramatic and intimate stories of the secret players: the indomitable women, starting with Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen.

The White Queen tells the story of a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition who, catching the eye of the newly crowned boy king, marries him in secret and ascends to royalty. While Elizabeth rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for the success of her family, her two sons become central figures in a mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the missing princes in the Tower of London whose fate is still unknown. From her uniquely qualified perspective, Philippa Gregory explores this most famous unsolved mystery of English history, informed by impeccable research and framed by her inimitable storytelling skills.

With The White Queen, Philippa Gregory brings the artistry and intellect of a master writer and storyteller to a new era in history and begins what is sure to be another bestselling classic series from this beloved author.

My Comments:
Let me first state that I very much enjoy Philippa Gregory's writing style. It is smooth, vivid, and logically laid out. This book is from the perspective of Elizabeth Woodville, her story of the White Queen of York during the time of the War of the Roses and ends with the inevitable Lancaster resurgence by the Tudor's. This story is mostly non-fiction where historical records are available to lay out the story, where there is no record or required personal insight, the author does a good job of piecing in fictional bridges to fill the holes in the historical records. She does propose several logical outcomes to certain situations that were not recorded to let the reader pause to question what they think may have happened, but in those parts of the book the author tries not to give a definitive answer where there are no facts.

Elizabeth's Mother was always a source of advice and comfort. Her initial advice to Elizabeth is "...give your husband a son and heir, protect the poor and innocent, and further the hopes of your family. Any ninny with a honest heart, a scheming family, and an open purse can do that." In this portrayal of Elizabeth, she appears to want to be an honest and fair queen. References like these show how strong women could be during a time when women could not rule and perceived to not maintain any form of power.

Page 183 - Anthony's response, a foreshadowing of future events? "All the York Family are a bloodthirsty lot, born and raised on the battlefield. Let us hope that when we finally have peace, they don't kill each other out of sheer habit."

Page 340 - "I am alone in a world of master conspirators." A statement made by Elizabeth as she tries to protect her sons from what she perceives as their York uncle Richard's attempt to steal the throne for himself. However, the book and the miniseries, leave question as to Richard's true goal for the throne. Whether it was to truly crown the Prince Edward to begin with, but with Elizabeth's defensive moves, did they cause Richard to doubt the intentions of the Rivers family. So much attention is given the the notion of witchcraft, it leaves much to the imagination of the reader.

The book does well overall to identify the major characters to these historical events and outline the many plots that were devised to gain advantage in every situation by every family who could remotely vie for the throne. An amazing historical time, but a brutal & horrible time to live, I am sure. This is 1 of 4 in the series of books called the "Cousin's War".

I am off to read the Red Queen, from the perspective of Margaret Beaufort, the last Lancaster family to have strong contention for the thrown with her son Henry Tudor...to be Henry the VII?

Undead and Unemployed (Betsy Taylor Series #2) by MaryJanice Davidson

Author: MaryJanice Davidson

Publish Date: August 3, 2004
Website: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1429808.MaryJanice_Davidson
ISBN: 9780425197486
List Price: $7.99 (Paperback)
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Jacket Synopsis:
Nothing can make Betsy Taylor give up her shoe fetish - even dying and rising as the new Queen of the Vampires. Being royally undead isn't all it's cracked up to be - there are still bills to be paid. And Betsy is determined to live as normally as possible, even if it means getting a job. A "feet" she accomplishes with panache, landing her dream job selling designer shoes at Macy's.

Things couldn't be better - except for her new friends, who keep pestering her while she's on the clock. As if she has time to socialize when there are deliciously sinful shoes to try on - and buy at a discount. It seems that vampires are being murdered in St. Paul, and they're all clamoring for Betsy to do something about it. The worse part is she's going to have to enlist the help of the one vamp who makes her blood boil: the oh-so-sexy Sinclair. Now, she's really treading on dangerous ground - high heels and all...

My Comments:
I totally love this series. Betsy has got to be the most sassy and hilarious character I have read in a long time. She knows she isn't the smartest, but her quips and come-backs are to die for hilarious! In this book, Betsy is now queen of the vampires and has a hard time adjusting to her new "dead life". She sees to it that she maintains a normal life like she would have if she were living. She is desperate to have a job, but unfortunately it is difficult to find a good night job when you are a vampire. So... she stumbles upon a shoe clerks job at Macy's, which by the way is her dream job. She is so into designer shoes like we are into breathing. In the midst of all this she is being stalked by a vampire killer... someone who wants to usurp the thrown?? Hmmm... As Eric and her new entourage of vamps seek to worship her...she wants no part. She just wants to be normal. Sorry Betsy, normal is no more. She is no drama queen and won't put up with it either. However, she continues to encounter some unnatural situations, ie. ghosts, vamp hierarchies! This series is too good to pass up. If you like a strong main character, comedy, romance, and disaster... this series is for you!! On to book 3...

Undead and Unwed (Betsy Taylor Series #1) by MaryJanice Davidson

Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Publish Date: 3/2/2004
Website: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1429808.MaryJanice_Davidson
ISBN: 9780425194850
List Price: $7.99 (Paperback)
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Jacket Synopsis:

First Betsy Taylor loses her job, then she's killed in a car accident.  But what really bites is that she can't seem to stay dead.  And now her new friends have the ridiculous idea that Betsy is the prophesied vampire queen, and they want her help in overthrowing the most obnoxious power-hungry vampire in five centuries.

My Comments:

This is the most hilarious, edgy, and entertaining book. I had picked up book #6 by accident not knowing it was part of a series and thought it was one of the most hilarious characters I have encountered. I had to start at book #1. Here we are... Betsy is a character unlike I have ever read. She is smart, sassy, comedic, and so sarcastic. I love her quips and sassiness. One of my favorites being that she refers to most morons as "asshats!" She can't seem to grasp her importance now that she is dead being the Queen of the Vampires when she was so insignificant (in her mind) when she was alive. Her journey through this book is nothing but exciting, funny, and sexy! You will fall in love with Betsy and her band of characters! I love the way MaryJanice writes. It is smooth and completely fun!! On to book #2!! If you like the Sookie Stackhouse series, you will love these just as much, if not more!!!

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Author: Alice Sebold
Publish Date: September 17, 2007
Website:  http://www.alicesebold.com
ISBN: 9780316001823
List Price: $14.99
My Rating: 3 out of 5

Jacket Synopsis: 
"My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973."

So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her - her friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks, her grief-stricken family unraveling.

Out of unspeakable tragedy and loss, The Lovely Bones succeeds, miraculously, in building a tale filled with hope, humor, suspense, even joy

My Comments:
I thought that this was an interesting thriller, but the authors writing style was not smooth and I had to re-read many times to follow the story line and character thought processes. I was not too crazy about the rape and murder of children, but this was the base line of the story, so beyond that if you could focus on the family and heaven it was a mediocre read. My main interest of the story was what was heaven like and how different people interpreted their own heavens. It was a loving tale a ...more I thought that this was an interesting thriller, but the authors writing style was not smooth and I had to re-read many times to follow the story line and characters' thought processes. I was not too crazy about the rape and murder of children, but this was the base line of the story, so beyond that if you could focus on the family and heaven it was a mediocre read. My main interest of the story was what was heaven like and how different people interpreted their own heavens. It was a loving tale about the family's trials and how they learn to live with loss, and how the dead learn to live with their loss. I probably will not explore any more writings by this author because I just didn't like her complicated writing style.