DAMNING THE DEAD by Kerry Blaisdell: release date 1/5/2022

 I guess this is my year for reviewing non-Georgian/Regency novels. Recently I finished Kerry Blaisdell's third novel in her series featuring Hyacinth Finch, who is sort-of-dead illicit antiquities dealer on a mission from the Archangel Michael.

Do I need to say I read the third because I really enjoyed the preceding books? If you haven't read Debriefing the Dead and Waking the Dead, do that before Damning the Dead.

Kerry Blaisdell’s Damning the Dead is the third in her Dead series. You might have thought Hyacinth Finch’s life—half-life? Non-life?—couldn’t get more complicated. You would be mistaken. She started out as an inoffensive buyer and seller of stolen antiquities. Now in the third book, she’s up to her neck in demons, Nazis, ghosts, and two boyfriends, one of them dead, the other half-demon. Then there’s her part-time job for Michael, the Archangel, and her guardianship of her nephew. They’re all bound to conflict at some point.

There’s a peculiar realism to these novels. Hyacinth is no superhero and neither are her allies. In spite of supernatural dangers, the characters still have to eat (if they’re even half alive), find transportation, and deal with sneaky and/or jealous boyfriends. Hyacinth remains ethically challenged in some respects. 

That grounded-in-reality feeling and the fact I’ve never yet foreseen all the twists and turns in Ms. Blaisdell’s novels keeps me reading. Also they’re page-turners. 

I received an ARC for my unbiased review.

  

 

Once in a while I review a book, usually one in the Georgian/Regency period. I do like other historical fiction, however, and mysteries, and besides, my father grew up in New York City not long after the period in which this series is set. I could not resist reading this turn-of-the-century mystery.

I’ve read and liked several of Rhys Bowen’s novels so I had high expectations for Wild Irish Rose by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles. There are a number of series running to a dozen or eighteen books that I love and keep reading, but I’ve been reading them since the first, and I think that makes a difference. Wild Irish Rose is the 18^th in the novels featuring Molly Murphy Sullivan. I found it difficult to establish a rapport with the characters, coming to it so late.

I did expect something a little meatier, more in the tradition of Anne Perry’s Victorian mysteries or Charles Todd’s WWI and early 20^th century mysteries. Something that bothered me a little is that it’s my understanding that the various ethnic groups in New York in the 19^th and early 20^th century tended to live in their own neighborhoods, like Little Italy in the case of Italian immigrants. There seems to be more of an ethnic mix in Molly’s neighborhood.

Another stumbling block for me was that Molly didn’t “feel” like a comparatively recent immigrant. But again, that may be because I’m a Joanie-come-lately to the books.

However, it’s well written and an entertaining read and fans of the series will probably enjoy it.  It’s scheduled for release on March 1, 2022.

 I received an ARC of Wild Irish Rose in exchange for my unbiased review.

 

I’m running a little behind this year. Today I put the Halloween decorations away except for the skeleton sitting on the rollator between the kitchen and the front room. I also put up a string of lights to augment the string still up from last December…or maybe the December before that.

I meant to do something seasonal and New Mexico for the blog this time but ran out of that commodity. So instead, here’s a semi-seasonal ditty:

My Favorite New Mexico Things (with apologies to The Sound of Music)

Rain in the arroyos and lightning that flashes,

Dust in your bedding and clothing and lashes,

Dry canyon winds that blow in the spring,

These are a few of my favorite things.

 

Doors and sashes in blue and old royal roads,

Pickups with firewood and artwork in loads,

Rose colored adobes and red chile strings,

These are a few of my favorite things.

 

Roadrunners that dash with never a stop,

Mesas standing tall with pueblos on top,

Kachinas and kivas, hidalgos and kings,

These are a few of my favorite things.

 

Happy holidays, everyone. 

 

Inexplicable Happening: Halloween must be coming

 Cue the Twilight Zone music.

I've long suspected that sometimes in our rational universe, weird stuff happens. This morning I used a ratty old bath towel to blot up water on the floor (the mop bucket leaked). Then I threw it in the washer and set it for hot water, heavy soil, and prewash. Turned it on and went away to do 

Isn't this vintage washer's 
expression sinister ?

something else. Came back to hang it to dry outside because why waste gas and electricity when New Mexico's air will dry it in no time? Somehow, the old white towel had turned into a pair of drawstring pants and the towel was gone. My housemate didn't take it out and didn't run her pants this morning so we can only conclude that the towel metamorphosed into pants.

Has anything this weird ever happened to you? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

18th Century Dance

 I've often written about doing research for novels. YouTube has generally been fairly far down on my list of resources because I'm a word, rather than a video, person. Another problem is that the camera work for many of the demonstrations is not well done. 

However, when they're good, they're often very good indeed. 

When I started writing historical romance, I knew nothing about period dance. Disclaimer: I still don't know much about it but at least I've now seen it performed, thanks to various groups on YouTube.   

It's Friday. If we were living in the 18th century, perhaps we would be attending a ball this evening. This is what it might look like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=___I5dy4PhQ Some seldom-seen or referenced 17^th and 18^th century dances. Have you ever heard of anyone performing "The Dumps" in a Georgian or Regency novel? I hadn't.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZWDrjLO7r4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdYoW6lhf6A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbXUWNaDKyw   No, I don’t know why one of the dancers is wearing a harlequin costume. Drafted from a masquerade because they were short one dancer and she knew the steps? We'll never know.

Wonderful music, too.

 

Wednesday, October 20th 2021 is Hagfish Day!

How is a hagfish like a book cover? According to https://nationaldaycalendar.com/hagfish-day-third-wednesday-in-october/,

"Hagfish are considered to be the ugliest of species. The idea behind this observance is to encourage everyone to look beyond the exterior...Not unlike a book cover, the day points out the benefits of looking deeper into the subject."

How ugly is the hagfish? Really, really ugly. 

Hagfish (two shown) are unlike most fish. They don’t have eyes, jaws or bones. From: https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/new-fossil-shows-how-hagfish-went-back-basics

Hagfish-hit highway in Oregon. Source: Depoe Bay Fire Dist/ Twitter They were destined for Asian dinner tables but they and their slime ended up on Highway 101 in Oregon.

A truck carrying over 3400 kilos [Note: about 7,495 pounds] of hagfish was travelling down the coastal road at around noon, when it hit...halted traffic.

Unable to stop, the truck ended up shifting weight which caused one of the cartons carrying live hagfish to "fly across the highway," as the Oregon State Police described.

While that carton landed somewhere on the road, others in the truck toppled and spilled all over, leading to a freak chain-reaction accident involving four vehicles. From: https://www.indiatoday.in/fyi/story/hagfish-slime-eel-covers-highway-oregon-1024496-2017-07-15

And that is all I am going to say about hagfish. I plan to celebrate living in a state with no seacoast.

Things That Last

 I have always loved old things: antiques, traditional ways of doing things, old photographs, stories about earlier times. This is probably why I write historical fiction/historical romance.

A while ago as I poured water into my Mr. Coffee®, it occurred to me that I’ve been using the same coffee maker almost every day for thirteen years. Now I’m wondering what its life expectancy is (for purposes of comparison, the dishwasher, refrigerator, and the washer, all new in 2008, had to be replaced in the last two years). The gas stove, bought at the same

time, has no oven light and no clock because it’s strictly gas, with no electric bells and whistles, is still going strong. I did have to have a repair guy come in to clean the soot out of the bottom of the oven when the holes got plugged and the oven stopped heating*. My Kitchenaid Junior stand mixer, now about forty years old, still works. By comparison, I’ve been through three (three!) printers in thirteen years.

That led to contemplation of things that last.

Years ago, I bought a Hoosier kitchen cabinet. For the benefit of those who aren’t familiar with the term, it’s like this early 20^th century advertising 

illustration. There were many different styles (mine is narrower and taller). My current house, like the last one, does not have a lot of built-in cabinets, so my Hoosier is a godsend. It houses my crockpot, some small kitchen equipment, dried fruit, spices and seasonings (including the weird medieval and 18^th century ones like musk, and the chiles and chile powders because this is New Mexico, after all), and it also serves as the liquor cabinet. I believe it’s over a century old. It will outlast me, and that’s an oddly comforting thought.

Maybe that’s why shabby chic furnishings, antiques and genealogy are popular: they spell stability. And I think the appeal of historical romance novels lies in the desire for things that last:  a long line of ancestors and a house inhabited by the same family for decades or centuries, heirlooms, enduring love.

But even if we don’t trace our ancestry back more than a generation and aren’t rooted in the same soil that nurtured our great-great-great-grandparents, we are still part of the continuity of centuries. I have my father’s heavy bone structure, my mother’s singing voice, my father’s aptitude for special relationships (you know, that thing about what direction gears are turning? Didn’t get that from Mum), and my mother’s skill with the language. My father and I both inherited his mother’s chin. I don’t know where my nose came from. No one in any of the family pictures has it. Maybe one of my great-greats in Somerset, England, Ireland, Sweden or parts unknown contributed it. Our roots go back a long, long way.

Arundel Castle, home of the Dukes of Norfolk

*The owner’s manual blithely assumes the owner will do this at intervals. To do so, it’s necessary to remove the oven door, either have long arms or crawl into the oven, remove some weird-shaped screws at the very back, lift out the steel plate that forms the bottom of the oven, clean the gas apertures, replace the plate, re-light the oven pilot, and replace the door. No doubt some people can do it. I can’t. I’ll happily pay a gas stove repair person to come out every five years or so rather than buy a new, complicated range that would have a life expectancy of twelve or thirteen years.  

Do You Know Where North Macedonia Is?

 

No, neither did I. But at the beginning of February, I mailed a copy of my first Georgian romance, An Unsuitable Duchess, to a new friend in North Macedonia.

I can hear you saying, “North Macedonia? Where’s that?” I had not heard of it before either (but I still tend to think of the world’s nations as they were when I was in grade school) and it’s a whole different world now. The post office clerk had to look it up.  

The Republic of North Macedonia is in the Balkans, surrounded by Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Albania. Its capital is Skopje.

On the right is Sirok Sokak Street in Bitola, North Macedonia.

I asked Andriana to send me a picture of the book against a picturesque background. And then, as in the introduction to that movie classic, Casablanca, we waited…and waited…and waited…

An Unsuitable Duchess finally arrived in Bitola on April 15, two and a half months after I mailed it. The pictures Andriana sent make me wish I could visit North Macedonia because it looks fascinating. Its history goes back into antiquity (it was invaded by Persians in the late 6^th century BCE).

Below is the clock tower in Bitola, the Saat Kula, which is also visible in the street scene. I love the architecture.

Then there’s a café scene, below, which I particularly like. That beverage looks coffee- and chocolate-based: two of my favorite things. Thanks, Andriana.

 

To the right, for comparison, is a picture long-time friend and fellow Sherlockian Lisa M. took in Paris of Captain Easterday’s Bargain when she was there for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup (soccer, for anyone who is unfamiliar with the sport). Lisa, I can’t believe you toted a trade paperback in your luggage.  

Don’t you wish travel was more like Star Trek’s transporter beam? The places we could visit!

 

Review of A Peculiar Combination by Ashley Weaver

 I spent a delightful afternoon and evening with Ashley Weaver’s historical novel, A Peculiar Combination, set in London shortly after the beginning of World War II. The characters are quirky and likable, so much so that I’m going to be looking for the next book in Ms. Weaver’s Electra McDonnell series, of which A Peculiar Combination is the first.    

My only quibble, the one bit that stopped me for a second or so, was the use of an anachronistic phrase by one of the characters: “…lose your cool…”, an expression dating to 1966, long after the period of A Peculiar Combination. Most readers won’t notice it. Picky of me? Yes. Make that, “very picky”. I like historical novels but I’m quite often annoyed by a clunky phrase or historical inaccuracy even in novels I otherwise enjoy. Clearly, Ms. Weaver has done a good job of research as well as of plotting and writing.

A Peculiar Combination should appeal to anyone who likes Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs novels. Ms. Weaver’s book is lighter in tone but sometimes one wants dessert, and this is it.

A Peculiar Combination was released on May 11, 2021. I received an ARC from Netgalley for an unbiased review.

Review: Exodus from the Alamo: The Anatomy of the Last Stand Myth by Phillip Thomas Tucker

 

I don’t usually review nonfiction. However, I’m making an exception for Exodus from the Alamo: The Anatomy of the Last Stand Myth by Phillip Thomas Tucker (Ph.D. history, 1990).   

First, because although I’ve long suspected we weren’t getting an entirely accurate story from our grade school history class, it never occurred to me that almost all of what we thought we knew was wrong. Wrong, or worse, outright lies.

I’ll hit the high points. The Alamo had no strategic value whatsoever and was indefensible. It had never been intended as a fort, it covered three acres, its perimeter wall was about one-quarter mile long and could not have been defended by the 182 men known to have been in the old mission. They were short of gunpowder, food and clothing—and had been before the thirteen day siege began. The majority of the defenders’ bodies were found outside the Alamo, as three separate groups broke out soon after the attack began. Tucker describes several acts of heroism by individuals but none of them had any hope of prevailing and none of them are the ones we hear about in the “legend” of the Alamo. And no, the Mexicans did not suffer thousands of casualties. Their losses were between two and three hundred, including wounded—and a number of those were likely from “friendly fire” in the pre-dawn attack.

And those are only the high points. To learn how this pointless effort was doomed from its conception, you’ll have to read the book. Every time I thought Tucker had revealed the worst failure by those in charge, I was mistaken. The words incompetent, ignorant, and undisciplined spring to mind.

My second reason for reviewing it is his glaring omission of a number of the Alamo’s inmates. Tucker presents convincing evidence of the survival of six or eight of the defenders and what became of them after the skirmish (General Santa Anna’s word). Yet he fails to mention approximately 20 women and children who were present and also survived. He was aware of them, as he quotes from an  account one of them wrote later, and he mentions a woman who tended Bowie during his illness.

What, were they chopped liver? Oh, wait! It was 1836, so women ranked with lapdogs: no need to mention them. However, Tucker is a product of the late 20^th century so his silence on the women’s survival seems odd. After the fighting ended (about 45 minutes after it began), Santa Anna issued each woman two silver dollars and a blanket to speed them on their way, one assumes.

Minor details: the first section of the book, dealing with the political background and motivations of the American influx into Texas, is not riveting. Once it moves on to the Alamo and the siege, it is fascinating and horrifying. For those interested in sources, Exodus from the Alamo’s notes and bibliography run to pages. 

Better editing might have resulted in correction of some peculiar typographical errors, like "abode" instead of "adobe", "rouges" instead of "rogues", and "would of" instead of "would have". 

Even if you have no interest in 19^th century America, military history or Texas, I recommend reading it. Ignorance is not bliss.

Portia & The Merchant of London on sale for $0.99 for one month

 My latest historical fiction/historical romance ebook is on sale from March 19 to April 17, 2021 on Amazon, Nook and ibooks. 

No bodices are ripped in my books; they aren't steamy. There is some "language" as my characters get into situations where "Zounds!" is not adequate.  

After her father's stroke, Portia Gillespie finds they have just enough money to live on, so where is her brother's

school tuition to come from? She and Mama have no idea until a moneylender comes to call. In spite of the prior debt, he is willing to lend this year's tuition. The only alternative to accepting the loan is to apprentice Benedict to one of the less expensive trades. Papa would be horrified.

Solomon de Toledo has fulfilled none of his family's expectations. He is neither a rabbi nor a physician, nor even a respectable importer or banker. Still, as a moneylender, he is able to aid Portia, whose character he admires as much as he respects her father's scholarship.

But when her father recovers and arranges Portia's betrothal, how will Solomon save her from her ruthless suitor?

Review: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

I requested an ARC for my unbiased review of The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner because I enjoy historical fiction, and particularly the eighteenth century. Ms. Penner’s novel weaves the story of a modern-day woman whose marriage is in crisis and that of two women in late eighteenth century London with crises of their own. The problem is different for each one but at the same time, they are interrelated. The cuts back and forth between the centuries and the three women are done with skill and the characters are three-dimensional. The mudlarking section made me want to be there searching the Thames foreshore to find cool old stuff. This is evidently her first novel. I’ll look forward to reading her future books. 

My only reservation about the book is because of one flaw which many readers will not even notice (though I’m hoping it was corrected before release). It’s a problem not limited to Ms. Penner’s otherwise excellent book. Even those who have written historical fiction for years sometimes make assumptions about past eras: for example, that letters must have been written on parchment or that bourbon was known in 18th century England. Unless a reader happens to be informed and fussy about historical details—as I am—such things will not interrupt the flow of a good story.

 

Review: Learning to Waltz by Kerryn Reid

 

I read a lot of historical romance novels, partly for enjoyment and partly for market research. My preference is for books with some depth, good writing, and no silliness (unless it’s intentional). 

Kerryn Reid’s Regency novel Learning to Waltz came my way recently via a free review copy, and what a delightful surprise it was.  Learning to Waltz exceeded my expectations.

I won’t describe the story; if you’re reading a book review, you’ve probably already seen either the blurb or a review giving a synopsis of the plot. I’ll just say that one of the things I particularly liked about Ms. Reid’s novel was that the characters were not cardboard and the situations they faced were the sort that real people might encounter. For me, that makes a more memorable story than the dukes/earls/Mayfair ballrooms kind of romance.

Oh, and I didn’t notice any cringe-worthy anachronisms. This is so rare in the historical romance genre that it deserves mention, and I’d give it an extra star just for that. As I can’t give it six stars, I’ve bought Ms. Reid’s other historical romance, Anna’s Refuge.