Chanticleer Book Reviews

Category: Reviews

  • CAPE HORN: ONE MAN’S DREAM, ONE WOMAN’S NIGHTMARE by Réanne Hemingway-Douglass

    CAPE HORN: ONE MAN’S DREAM, ONE WOMAN’S NIGHTMARE by Réanne Hemingway-Douglass

    In Cape Horn: One Man’s Dream, One Woman’s Nightmare, Réanne Hemingway-Douglass vividly recreates a sailing voyage in which she and her husband Don set out to round Cape Horn. As the reader discovers, they never quite got there. Meanwhile, Hemingway-Douglass shares the heady magic of starlit nights and breathtaking dawns, grueling and toilsome days, emotions ranging from joy to absolute terror, and a determination not to give up hope when all seems lost.

    Situated on the southernmost tip of South America, Cape Horn is surrounded by some of the most treacherous waters on the planet due to its gigantic waves, lurking icebergs, strong currents, and high winds.  The Panama Canal was built at huge expense as a way to avoid Cape Horn. To this day, the Horn is a dangerous challenge for even the most experienced yachtsmen.  The author’s husband, Don, had dreamed all his life of rounding the Horn. Réanne Hemingway-Douglass knew this when she married him, and dutifully agreed to accompany him as crew.

    Five hundred miles northwest of Cape Horn, the Douglass’s 42 foot sailboat, Le Dauphin Amical, was pitchpoled by a monster rogue wave (more than 80 to 100 feet high) in a Force 11 storm. Hemingway-Douglass and her husband spent the next 42 days struggling to reach safety aboard their crippled vessel. Surviving each day was a miracle, a true adventure in living.

    In recounting their story, the author broaches the love-hate relationship of a ship’s captain and its crew. Captains are solitary humans driven by their own goals, agendas, and methods. The captain is the one who must make the hard decisions—no matter how difficult, dangerous, or demanding they are for the crew.

    Don Douglass, captain of the Le Dauphin, was no exception. Fortunately, he was also highly competent, extremely driven, and unrelenting—all characteristics required for survival in dangerous situations.

    A novice sailor, Hemingway-Douglass discovered that Don’s role of captain superseded his role as her husband and lover—for better or for worse.  I know of no other nautical book that accurately and honestly portrays this transformation.  It is a forthright perspective about life onboard that all sailors, captains and crews, should acknowledge before setting sail together.

    The author passionately captures and vividly describes her months at sea with her husband, her captain, in this page-turner true adventure that tested their endurance and their marriage. Highly recommended.

  • PUGET SOUND WHALES FOR SALE: The FIGHT to END ORCA HUNTING by Sandra Pollard

    PUGET SOUND WHALES FOR SALE: The FIGHT to END ORCA HUNTING by Sandra Pollard

    This is the history of two parallel and competing movements involving the beautiful Puget Sound orcas. One is the orcas-as-commodities commercial movement to capture the killer whales and sell them to marine parks all over the world, where they are kept in small pens and trained to perform for public amusement. The other is the growing appreciation of both scientists and the general public for orcas as intelligent, sensitive, family-oriented wild creatures deserving of protection.

    Packed with poignant details, such as a description of captive orcas in Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. talking to each other via a phone call, and reports of newly captured orcas crying so loudly and mournfully that one man said his cat tried to hide under a chair to get away from the heart-rending sound are accounted for in this expose of these cruel practices for the sake of entertainment. The brutality is painful to read about—when the first captures took place, the hunters used harpoons and wire nets to catch the orcas. Later, explosives were thrown into the water to chase the whales into a net. Needless to say, many orcas died during the capture process, and most who survived to be sold into captivity in small pens didn’t live long.

    But as the attendance and profitability of marine entertainment parks exploded, so did the protest movement to stop the brutal practice of capturing whales. Government agencies clashed, with the NOAA Office of Protected Resources enacting the Marine Mammal Protection Act and establishing rules to protect the orcas, while the National Marine Fisheries Service granted “economic hardship” exemptions to SeaWorld Inc. to capture even more whales. Scientists and commercial entities argued over the number of killer whales in existence. Soon it evolved into a media blitz and a court battle, with the state of Washington against the Feds from Washington, D.C. and SeaWorld to stop the practice of capturing orcas.

    Fortunately, the conservationists prevailed and today the orcas of Puget Sound swim free, their number sadly decimated after a decade of captures and killings, and now their small population threatened by human over-fishing and pollution.

    As Pollard points out, killer whales in other locations such as Iceland still face the danger of capture, and orcas are still penned up in amusement parks and forced to perform for entertainment.

    When are wild animals a resource to be harvested for profit? And when do they deserve to be protected from harm? When does capture of a species become kidnapping, training become torture, and captivity become imprisonment? When does the death of a wild animal at the hands of a human become murder? Readers will find themselves pondering these questions as they explore the history presented in this meticulously researched book.

  • WHERE the BONES are BURIED by Jeanne Matthews

    WHERE the BONES are BURIED by Jeanne Matthews

    Waiting for the other shoe to drop and looking over her shoulder is what cultural anthropologist Dinah Pelerin feels like she has spent the majority of her adult life doing. With a plum new job at the university in Berlin and Thor Ramberg, the James Bond-like Norwegian cop sleeping next to her, there should be plenty to keep her happy. And she is ready for a new lease on life.

    However, Dinah’s new found happiness flies out the door when she literally opens it to Swan Calms, her Seminole Indian mother, who has a tomahawk to grind with her ex-husband’s German business partner. The fact that her ex got an early ticket to the happy hunting ground in the sky or that she has no valid claim to the pile of money the partner has stashed doesn’t deter Swan.

    Armed with a gun and a half-baked plan Swan is intent on getting “her share” and she didn’t show up on Dinah’s and Thor’s doorstep alone. She’s managed to drag her former arch enemy and current sidekick, Margaret, along for the ride. Tension between the two older women immediately ratchets-up, leaving Dinah to wonder what planets must have collided to bring Margaret, also an ex-wife of the same drug-dealing man, and Swan together. With a pathological liar for a mother and murder in Margaret’s background, the outlook isn’t looking so good.

    Swan’s plan turns to blackmail, putting everyone’s life the line. Then the plan turns deadly and Swan becomes the focus of a murder investigation. Genetic ties and misplaced loyalties press Dinah to channel her inner warrior to track down the evidence needed to exonerate her mother. But what if the evidence proves her guilt?

    Secrets, lies, and betrayal weigh heavily in this fifth installment of the Dinah Pelerin series. And, Dinah knows well that the cruelest lies are those of omission. Like Dinah, each character in this rich, quirky cast has a story to tell but their truths rest dangerously below the surface. Dinah’s hunt for the killer tests her resolve and forces her to question her own truths. By releasing the secrets of her past, Dinah gains a new level of strength and confidence. Her final hurdle is one of trust, and readers will root for her as she grapples with a long-overdue leap of faith.

    With a strong sense of setting, author Jeanne Matthews invites the reader to travel vicariously with Dinah while she navigates her way through the sights, sounds and history of Berlin. As Dinah delves deeper into the city, the reader becomes privy to the eccentricities of a European sub-culture in love with the Native American past, and to the darker side of the antiquities trade.

    Where the Bones are Buried contains a large cast of characters, some fun and peculiar, some dark and tortured, all of whom have a hidden agenda. While the associated subplots are intricate, “red herring” aficionados will savor the challenge of bringing together the myriad clues of this clever and complex mystery. Matthews has, once again, crafted an entertaining, and, at times, humorous mystery that will have mystery readers enthralled.

  • MUCH ADO ABOUT MINERS by Jacquie Rogers

    MUCH ADO ABOUT MINERS by Jacquie Rogers

    What happens when a handsome gun-slinging cowboy, tries to stop a bank robbery only to get shot by the one and only Miss Iris Gardner, the farsighted, bespectacled bank teller with a loaded peacemaker, and the president of her local suffragist branch. Kade McKinnon, overhears her name as he fades in and out of consciousness. If memory serves him, it belongs to the most ornery, rambunctious girl to ever cross Kade’s path during his younger days.

    But Iris is no longer a young girl; she has developed into a hot blooded, intelligent, and beautiful woman. And unbeknownst to Iris, she has caught the attention of the most well-known gunslinger-for-hire in the West, by trying to blow his head off. It isn’t the first time Iris has shot a man.

    Iris is by far the most independent woman you will meet in all the territory. She is a woman with a plan, and there is no man around that can steer her off her path. She believes that there is more for her than “cleaning and breeding.” She, along with several other suffragists in Silver City, Idaho, created a mining investment company that is sure to set them all on the path for financial independence. All seems to be going according to plan until Kade, the older boy she used to have a crush on, rides into town and she shoots him.

    Kade is a gunslinger, a “for hire” true rough and tough man of the West. He lives for the adventure and loves life on the trail. He has made it plain that he is not going to get tied down by a wife. He is in town to get the job he was hired to do done, and then it is back on the trail to his next paid adventure.  And there’s nothing that will change his mind. As much as he is attracted to Iris, he knows that he is not the settling down type of man. So Kade tries to keep his mind on his work and off from her fine figure and blonde tresses.

    Hilarity, adventure, mistaken identities, and romance make Much Ado about Miners by Jacquie Rogers a hit for anyone who has a penchant for classic Westerns and Shakespearean comedies. She lassos the genres together in a most enjoyable way making this tale a true pleasure to read. From saddles sores and thorns from the trail, to finally being able to breathe when the last binding on the corset is released, even the most die hard Western readers will be impressed with Roger’s knowledge and expertise she portrays as she takes you back in time to Silver City.

    Rogers’ delightful characters bring their own distinct flavor to Much Ado About Miners: the Shakespeare quoting sidekick, Phineas; a trouble-making scraggly yellow feline named “Duke;” dastardly despicable bad guys; and others. Her scenes had me laughing so hard at times, I was  in tears! This entertaining tale will have you rooting for the good guys while hanging on for a wild and fun ride that starts on the first page and doesn’t let up to the very end. And, trust me, you’ll never think about biscuits in the same way again.

    I was caught hook, line and sinker in this heartwarming, romantic tale of the old West with its unforgettable characters and delightful surprises. There are three more rollicking adventures in the Hearts of Owyhee series by Jacquie Rogers waiting to be enjoyed. What are you waiting for?

     

  • PATHWAYS to HOPE by Harish Malhotra, M.D.

    PATHWAYS to HOPE by Harish Malhotra, M.D.

    Pathways to Hope is a wealth of practical advice and  positive messages presented in an easy to digest manner. It is a slightly more analytic approach to metaphor as a healing technique than Dr. Harish Malhotra’s earlier book, Metaphors of Healing. However, Pathways is still an accessible and powerful tool to help those with personal difficulties on a self-help basis, and yet comprehensive enough to be a guide to those professionals who want to add new methods and techniques to their patient communication skills.

    Dr. Malhotra proposes 23 essential pathways, all with playful titles, ranging from “Go on with Your Best Face,” “Leave Nothing Unturned” to “Change the Storm into a Breeze.” As the titles imply, the author employs ordinary experience to deal with extraordinary issues that afflict humans.  Again, Dr. Malhotra offers a simple, but brilliant, idea: Use the healing language of metaphor as a therapeutic strategy and a curative approach for daily life. What do these pathways of hope offer therapists and patients?

    He advises, that first, therapists should not depend on a single approach to solving problems, such as depending exclusively on standard psychotherapy or behavioral techniques. Dr. Malhotra believes in adjusting the style to fit the person, regardless of the type of therapy. For example:  If a patient has hallucinations that tell him to cut himself, his behavior is unlikely to change by telling him to look at the origins of the behavior.  He offers that instead of taking the “origin’s route” that the therapist shifting his patient’s attention to what voice the patient is actually listening to, and then guide the patient to determine  whether that voice is using  good judgment. This pathway may enable the patient to “deny the voice that is only loud thoughts” in his mind.

    Second, Dr. Malhotra advises us to highlight the positives—thought, word and deed—so that we may “put different highlights in our life book.”  How can one counsel a lonely patient, one who seeks but has no hope of meeting people?  The author shows that by connecting to the social media, hundreds of different opportunities present themselves. We strike up friendships through slight measures: small talk, shaking hands, smiling and just paying attention to a person.  A simple recipe: Grow a social network by taking small positive steps whenever and wherever you can.

    Whether you are a therapist, patient or truth seeker, what can be learned from this book?  We can summarize some major markers. Pathway l, “Go with Your Best Face,” emphasizes that we focus on our strengths, not our weaknesses. Pathway 8, “Search for the Silver Lining,” encourages the reader to pay attention to the joys of living rather than the fear of dying. Pathway 11, “Make Yourself a Happy Person,” clarifies that we all have choices, and that “happiness is an inside job.” One more illustration of metaphor, Pathway 12, “Leave Nothing Unturned,” focuses on good habits that inspire positive attitudes and healthy lifestyles—“neither of which require a copyright.”  Ordinary people can live extraordinary lives by considering new pathways, by hearing new stories, by learning by metaphor.

    Pathways of Hope and Metaphors of Healing are not theoretical psychotherapy books. As Dr. Malhotra makes clear, these are lighthearted stories to provide innovative insights and language to enhance our everyday lives. He seeks to empower readers with his decades of experience in helping people transform their lives and improve difficult situations in their daily lives.

    As with Metaphors of Healing, this is not a book to be read in one sitting or all at once. It is one that the reader will find herself/himself picking up again and again taking in a chapter or a metaphor to ponder and, perhaps, adapt. It will become a gentle companion that guides and inspires. One will find, on reflection and on rereading, that these simple stories contain deep insight and wisdom. Clinicians and those seeking to increase their understanding of themselves and their fellow humans would benefit immensely from reading Dr. Malhotra’s gentle, healing stories.

  • BLOOD RELATIONS by Lonna Enox

    BLOOD RELATIONS by Lonna Enox

    In a tangled web of mystery and lies, the truth can only be discovered, if the seeker can survive. Often working out a mystery and following the clues can lead to danger. Unfortunately, sometimes the answers found may not be the ones sought after.

    Blood Relations is the second book in this cozy mystery series set in the contemporary Southwest. Not only will readers be intrigued throughout the story, they will enjoy the vivid descriptions of a wild bird refuge, the rugged beauty of the Southwest, along with the visuals of the quaint small towns and their local personalities that the mystery revolves around.

    Sorrel, a retired investigative journalist, is simply seeking peace after the brutal murder of her husband. She opened a small gift shop out of her home in Saddle Gap, with a close girlfriend, Teri, who handles the daily operations. This allows Sorrel to pursue her passion, photography, especially wildlife photography. She is mentored by her friend, John, also a professional wildlife photographer.

    It was on one of John and Sorrel’s trips that this mystery starts. Sorrel arrives at the Annual Crane Festival in Socorro, New Mexico as she and John had planned.  The morning starts with some amazing views of the wintering birds, as well as a striking sunrise. When John fails to show up, and she is instead greeted by Chris Reed, a Saddle Gap detective, Sorrel fears the worst.

    Sorrel is determined to figure out what has happened to John. She feels that he is in trouble, and she will not stop searching until she gets some answers. Reed and Sorrel start to investigate John’s disappearance. Along the way they encounter many strange things that, at that point, don’t seem to make any sense: a dead body of an unidentified man, strange papers, phone messages from John’s attorney, and strange coded messages left in various places.

    Sorrel and Reed’s search propels them into harm’s way, where  they find themselves terrorized and in situations that require tenacity, survival skills, and teamwork. When these experiences cause Sorrel to question the people and events in her life, she learns of a deception that will change her life forever.

    Sorrel and Reed have a feisty friendship that teeters on becoming more. She dodges his romantic flirtations with her sassy comments, exerting her independence. Undaunted, Detective Reed is more intrigued by her and her secretive past.

    Not many books leave me with the urge to immediately re-read them, but Blood Relations most certainly did. The subtlety of the details and clues written throughout the mystery surfaced only after I finished reading. It is an amazing talent for an author to leave you wanting to re-read her novel. And this well-written and entertaining book made me do so. I then went on to read book one, The Last Dance, which was awarded the Best Debut Mystery in the CLUE Awards. I was not disappointed. This reviewer is looking forward to reading the next book in this captivating and engaging contemporary Southwestern mystery series by Lonna Enox.

     

  • THE DEVIL’S MUSIC by Pearl R. Meaker

    THE DEVIL’S MUSIC by Pearl R. Meaker

    The last thing Emory Crawford – loving wife, empty nester, knitter,  library volunteer, blue-grass fiddler, and an avid reader of Miss Marple mysteries – would ever expect to find at quiet Twombly College, was an on-campus murder. The victim was a friend, fellow bluegrass musician, and bestselling author, Dr. Archibald Finlay Dawson.

    When the police arrive, college president Jarius Twombly declares that he wants the whole thing kept as quiet as possible during the conference. And he wants the murderer arrested before it is over, while everyone is still in attendance. He assigns Jebbin Crawford, college chemistry professor (and Emory’s husband), to monitor and report on the investigation. His friend and lab partner, Dr. Chatterjee, known as Chatty, will conduct the actual forensics analysis.

    The stunned Emory seeks furry comfort with her two cats, Hortense and Kumquat, and her dog, Sophie. She finds liquid comfort in the form of hot chocolate in one cup and herbal tea in the other. As curiosity consumes her, Emory begins asking herself questions: Who could have wanted to kill Dr. Dawson?  Who had an alibi for the time of the murder? Then she wonders aloud just what her favorite mystery series sleuth, Jane Marple, would do. The cats stare at her.

    Pearl R. Meaker, the author of The Devil’s Music, introduces us to a range of intriguing and peculiar characters as Emory, a self-acknowledged Miss Marple wannabe, begins her own investigation in her own non-threatening way. After all, she is a grandmother who knits and bakes cookies.

    The author delightfully takes us through Emory’s transformation from empty nester homemaker to crime-solver in The Devil’s Music. Emory must wrestle with self-doubt as she begins to trust her own investigative deductions. While the scientists use their labs and research methods to solve the crime, Emory precedes to continue seeking clues and answers in her own way.

    We learn that Emory is quite well-read, and that her broad collection of interests aids her in astutely and stealthily gathering information. Meaker deftly weaves in fascinating bits of Salem witch trials history, old superstitions, the powers of herbal tinctures, the symbolism of flowers, and Bluegrass music. One can almost hear the devil’s music, a specific type of Bluegrass—practically a character itself in the mystery—as Emory discovers the missing pieces to the puzzle.

    The inquisitive and delightful Mrs. Emory Crawford, who uses her intuition and her knitting projects to solve crimes, will surely become a favorite sleuth to cozy mystery fans. Her quirky sidekicks with their interesting peculiarities, along with the locals of this quaint college town in the heartland of America, add touches of humor to this mystery.

    Classic mystery readers will not be disappointed with The Devil’s Music’s plot twists and intriguing puzzles in this entertaining whodunit by Pearl R. Meaker. We look forward to the next book in this winsome new cozy mystery series.

  • WORST OF ALL EVILS by Janet McClintock

    WORST OF ALL EVILS by Janet McClintock

    After an economic collapse, the US Constitution is set aside; civil rights are a thing of the past. A driver can get pulled over just for being out late. Even unpaid parking tickets can warrant harassment and a stint in a holding cell.

    This is not the America that Joan Bowman fought for in Iraq; she swore an oath to uphold the constitution. An underground group, The Constitutional Defense Legion (CDL) has formed to do just that, through any means possible. They have adopted John Stark’s motto, “Live Free or Die” which always elicits “death is not the worst of all evils” as a response.

    Joan meets a CDL recruiter at the gym, and decides that by joining their forces, she can help overthrow the current tyrannical government. Her reasoning followed the quote from Edmond Burke: ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’

    Joan’s life gets turned upside-down when the CDL decides to make her home into a ‘base of operations’ and moves two other CDL members into it. She learns that asking questions isn’t the best way to get answers; everything is on a ‘need to know’ basis.

    Joan is a martial arts enthusiast, putting her fighting skills to good use when some of the CDL’s missions go sideways. Disobeying orders, she uses her own decision-making skills to rescue her colleagues.

    She can charm the keys off an unsuspecting suitor while gathering intelligence undercover, with no one questioning her motives. But as Joan starts to rise through the ranks, she starts to question the legion’s direction and becomes wary of the stone-cold, heartless personalities in the inner circle, witnessing unnecessary use of force.

    Duncan, who is grooming Joan for his own position, “is” the Legion, and lives for the Legion. He suffers from PTSD from a jungle ambush where he was the sole survivor. His best friend, Kearney, resents Joan and makes no effort to hide it, making her life as miserable as he can. Duncan works closely with Joan but is respectful and distant. Joan is told to be watchful of Duncan, and is unsure, for a while, why everyone is so afraid of him.

    Duncan realizes Joan might be the key to unlocking his personal demons, but their budding romance keeps getting interrupted. It was refreshing to see a relationship develop without the cliché “he noticed her curves” or similar sentiment that finds its way into so many stories where a man and woman are forced to work together and then form a connection. Instead, Joan starts to notice Duncan’s physique after a very long time, but knows she can’t trust him as much as she’d like to.  After all, he admitted he would have killed her if she hadn’t turned over her house to the CDL.

    “Just because a person is paranoid it doesn’t mean there isn’t someone actually following him.” Over time, Joan becomes paranoid from being undercover for so long. Joan knows that no one can get out of the CDL alive and she has few options left.  The CDL’s motto, that “there are evils worse than death” begins to haunt her.

     Worst of All Evils is a harrowing look into how a terrorist organization might function, how individuals can get trapped in a situation that spirals out of their control, beyond their ability to leave. McClintock doesn’t spare us torture, violence, or even the after-effects of drinking too much. However, the fight sequences and chase scenes are entertaining and fun to visualize.

    This thriller will have you on the edge of your seat wondering what is going to happen next. I can easily see Worst of All Evils as a TV series because of the Joan character, a “relatively unnoticeable brunette,”  who surprises us at every turn with her skills of observation, quick thinking, as well as with her flaws and mistakes. If you enjoy raw dialogue, fast action, and risk taking (powered by PTSD), you’ll love Worst of All Evils by Janet McClintock.

     

  • A CUP of HEMLOCK by Clyde Curley

    A CUP of HEMLOCK by Clyde Curley

    A cold-hearted and brutal murder of a beloved Portland, Oregon high school teacher has seasoned Detective Matthew Toussaint and his young assistant partner, Detective Missy Owens, digging deep to uncover any clues that will help track down the violent and desperate murderer before more lives are endangered.

    The murder investigation opens up old wounds and exposes weaknesses with the sanctioned guardians of our youth—the government overseers of their education and along with their parents. The detectives find themselves coming face-to-face with incomprehensible, and sometimes dangerous, behaviors from  personalities that transcend socio-economic class norms—for better or for worse.

    Clyde Curley’s intriguing and captivating Detective Toussaint Mysteries explore and expose the undercurrents in today’s society by bringing the daunting issues to our very doorsteps. If you are seeking a slash-and-gore thriller or steamy sex scenes, you will not find them in this refreshing and   thought-provoking police procedural. Classic mystery fans will be more than pleased with the series’ cast of characters (including the quirky City of Portland), along with enjoying its complex storyline, and the enthralling denouements.

    A Cup of Hemlock is an engrossing read that deliciously builds suspense on several levels until it is a full-blown page-turner. However, readers will find themselves slowing down as to not miss any of the subtext and rich undertones that permeate the work.

    Curley’s complex and engaging central characters add to the mystery’s nuance and drama making this reviewer eagerly anticipating the third novel in this thoroughly addictive series. Detective Toussaint and his bookseller brother, Parker, are characters that you would want to have a beer or cup of coffee with and discuss philosophy, or the latest basketball game, or maybe just the events of the day.

    A Cup of Hemlock is an intriguing classic murder mystery that is a perfect companion for those who want to hunker down with a great read that will linger long after the last page is read. It is the second novel in the Detective Toussaint Mystery series that is based in the Pacific Northwest.

    Clyde Curley’s prodigious novels —yes they come in at more than 500 Classic-Detectivepages, but you will be wishing it was longer—are page turners that tackle and explore the big ethical and societal issues of today.  Curley’s deft use of murder mysteries to microscopically explore society’s ethical issues is nothing short of brilliant. Highly recommended.

     

  • THE LILY and THE LION by Catherine A. Wilson and Catherine T. Wilson

    THE LILY and THE LION by Catherine A. Wilson and Catherine T. Wilson

    Court intrigue, romance, and adventure combine to create a thoroughly enjoyable and suspenseful medieval saga, The Lily and the Lion by Catherine A. Wilson and Catherine T. Wilson. It is an enthralling melodrama set in 1360 France and England, and the first book in the Lions and Lilies series. A mostly epistolary novel, the action nevertheless vibrates with urgency.

    The novel begins with Cecile d’Armagnac, a beautiful young French courtier, learning that her engagement to the Dauphin has been called off. When she asks why, she discovers that the man who raised her, Jean d’Armagnac, is not her real father. While he does not know much about who her real parents are, he has recently learned that she has a twin sister who has been raised at a convent in England.

    Cecile writes to her new sister, despite a lingering bitterness over these revelations. While Cecile and her sister, Catherine, could not have been raised in more different circumstances, they begin to find common ground. Meanwhile, their discovery of each other alerts the very villains they were hidden from nineteen years ago to their presence. The convent’s steward, Gillet de Bellegarde, proposes that he act as courier for the sisters’ letters. Instead, he becomes their protector as Catherine survives an assassination attempt by the wicked Lord Salisbury and Cecile becomes entangled with the Black Prince, the English prince Edward.

    After nearly drowning, Cecile escapes the Black Prince and is rescued by Gillet. As they flee to the countryside together, their sparking banter evolves into love in the face of numerous complications. Catherine is guarded in England by Gillet’s mentor, Simon, the Earl of Wexford. A crude man, he shocks Catherine’s fresh from the convent sensibilities even as he helps her discover the realities of the world. Several twists serve to complicate both sisters’ paths toward the placid family life and blissful reunion of their dreams. As they seek the identities of their parents, they learn that their past is darker and the future more uncertain than they could have imagined.

    Against the backdrop of conflict between England and France, historical details add depth to the narrative and explore a period of history not often touched in historical romance. Dialogue such as, “You impertinent cesspit of deceit!” adds an element of over the top fun. While the history here certainly is not the story’s main component, The Lily and the Lion will beguile readers with its compelling characters and nonstop drama.

    Readers will be left wanting more as they will desperately want to find out what happens when Historical-RomanceCecile and Catherine finally meet for the first time. Fortunately for this reader, the next Lions and Lilies book, The Order of the Lily, is available.

    The Lily and the Lion by Catherine A. Wilson and Catherine T. Wilson was awarded First Place for Historical Romance in the Chatelaine Awards for Romantic Fiction, a division of the Chanticleer Reviews Novel Writing Competitions.