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Title: The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time, Bk 1)
Author: Robert Jordan
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication Date: 1990
Format: Trade Paperback Pages 688
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Paperback Swap

Description:

The peaceful villagers of Emond's Field pay little heed to rumors of war in the western lands until a savage attack by troll-like minions of the Dark One forces three young men to confront a destiny which has its origins in the time known as The Breaking of the World. This richly detailed fantasy presents a fully realized, complex adventure which will appeal to fans of classic quests.

Insight:
My son calls one day and said, “I need you to track down a book for me. I think it is fantasy, but it could be science fiction, has the word Eye in the title, I think, and has about 15 books in the series”.

OK, I have worked with less, but you would think that a 20 year old in the Air Force could be a little better at detail.

The book is heading back out to him in his monthly care package.
Hope I got the right one.

Sunday At the Movies

Matthew Goode ... Charles Ryder
Hayley Atwell ... Julia Flyte
Ben Whishaw ... Sebastian Flyte
Emma Thompson ... Lady Marchmain
Michael Gambon ... Lord Marchmain

Described as a poignant story of forbidden love and the loss of innocence set in England prior to the Second World War, Brideshead Revisited in the movie adaptation of the British television series that has had a strong following for years. I can see why so many were disappointed in the adaptation, because there is no way that all the nuances of an 11 episode series can be boiled down into two hours. With that being said, if you have never seen the series, I highly recommend the movie.

From first blush, it is a beautiful story, beautiful locations, beautiful costumes and exceptional acting.

Brideshead is not an easy story to tell. Told in a different light than the television version, the plotline tells of a triangular love story with a contemporary resonance. The 1920’s and 30’s were a different time, the Flyte family was all about class and tribalism and all decisions were made around their beliefs and way of behaving in a rich staunchly Catholic family. This family was raised to keep outsiders out and to keep their own secrets buried deep within one’s self.

Emma Thompson plays the family matriarch that only shows her children attention through her formal relationship with God. The only time that Julia and Sebastian spent time with her was either during church services, which were held in the family chapel or when they were discussing sins.

There is no way that that the children can live up to either their mothers standard or Gods, which leads to both of them having to hide their true selves and show that how a family conditions its children, by indoctrinating their relationship with God in such an austere way, will only result in destruction of their internal soul.

Brideshead is a character all its own. You cannot escape its draw. It is the one thing that Charles wanted, more than the people in it, but once there, he could not escape it. What is it about a place that will not let you leave?

Told through the eyes Charles you see all the beauty and damage within people and places.

A truly fascinating journey of tragic love, strong virtues and damaged people.

Countdown to Christmas Week 3

Please visit The Organized Home. This site is designed to help the procrastinator in me get ready for the holidays.

I highly suggest that you check out their homepage and sign up for a weekly reminder. I will only be posting here the items that will fit with my life and home, but there are many more ideas at suggestions at their site.

Welcome to Gifts and Giving Week! It's the time to focus on gift lists, gift buying and gift wrapping.

Gift-buying wins out as the "biggest holiday organization challenge". During Gifts and Giving Week, the goal is to get on top of the gift list.

For many families, gift-giving is a prime source of holiday financial stress. So the plan is to divide and conquer, spreading gift-buying over a four-week period, and tracking your purchases.


Week 3

· Observe Time Change Sunday. Check smoke detectors and assess your household's emergency plan.

· Divide the Christmas card list into five groups. Write and address the second group this week.

· Review and renegotiate adult gift giving. Can you simplify your family's "unwritten rules? Draw names and set a price limit for a gift exchange. Could your family dispense with adult gifts in favor of gifts to charity or family service project?

· Divide entries on your gift list into five groups. Continue shopping for Christmas gifts, and try to buy one-fifth of the gifts this week.

· To ensure delivery, finish all catalog and online shopping.

· Designate a special envelope for all receipts.

· Will you be making gifts this year? What can you "practically" get done in time? Now cut that list in half. You don't have as much time as you think.

· Plan Thanksgiving Dinner. Order the turkey.

· Review your holiday budget.

· Gift wrapping and supplies ready?

· If you need a babysitter during the holiday, make arrangements now.

· Start a stocking stuffers list.

The Diva Haunts the House

Title: The Diva Haunts the House
Author: Krista Davis
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: September 6, 2011
Format: Paperback, 304 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: Library
Series: Domestic Diva #5

What happened to snarky Natasha? Now I am a girl that loves a good snarky character, one that seems a bit too full of herself with enough wit and a few raised claws to make you either love her or hate her. Unfortunately, the Natasha that showed up in this book has been so white washed that she came across as more of a “oh yeah, she was there too” instead of one of the central characters that she has always been in the past. I miss the self-assured husband stealing M. Stewart wanna-be.

It is now Halloween in Old Town and Sophie Winston is in charge of the local haunted house. However, it appears that others have their own ideas on how to make this a spooky and unforgettable season. As a Halloween display begins to look too human, Sophie is once again drawn into another murder in her quiet neighborhood. The killer does not have just one victim in mind and if it is possible to use the rumors of a real vampire that used to roam their streets, well, the more the better and Sophie quickly needs to round up the suspects before more costumed revelers are caught up in the killer’s web.

This book did not appeal to me as well as the previous in the Domestic Diva series. I had a hard time keeping a couple of the characters straight, Natasha was almost non-existent, the interaction with the teenagers was a bit old fashioned and the story did not have the flow that the previous books had. The overall feel and storyline was just flat for me.

I enjoy this series and these characters and I am sure that Ms. Davis will get Natasha back to the witch on wheels that I have so appreciated in the past.

The Stranger You Seek

Title: The Stranger You Seek
Author: Amanda Kyle Williams
Publisher: Bantam
Publication Date: August 30, 2011
Format: ARC, 304 pages
Genre: Mystery/Fiction/Thriller
Source: Amazon Vine Program
Series: I believe this is the first in a new series.

What is that old adage - when you hear hoofbeats don't look for zebras. Well, that is exactly what came to mind when I was reading this wonderfully addicting book by Amanda Kyle Williams. Just when you think you know the who and what, Ms Williams throws in a subtle side comment that has you rethinking your completely misguided beliefs.

Like Hitchcock, Amanda Kyle Williams lets you build upon you own misconceptions and lets you go along your own merry way before bringing you to a precipice that leaves you without a logical foot to stand on. At no time does she lie to you, she only let you believe what you wanted and leaves you wondering how you could be so wrong.

The papers have called me a monster. You've either concluded that I am a braggart as well as a sadist or that I have a deep and driving need to be caught and punished. And you must certainly be wondering if I am, in fact, the stranger you seek. Shall I convince you?

How could you not pick up a book and continue reading with that kind of line.

As a killer begins to wreck havoc, Keye Street, an ex FBI profiler, is called in under the radar to help the Atlanta Police Department track down a killer. But there is something very different and taunting about this sociopath. Why are doors opened with no questions asked allowing cautious people to be victimized in such brutal fashion? What makes this killer and profile so different?

As Keye is trying to pay her bills and keep her private investigation enterprise going, she must also track down a calculating killer before it becomes too personal. As each play cat and mouse with the other, Keye battles her own demons, but most importantly, she must find all the pieces without becoming the next victim.

I love flawed characters; there is something much more human about them. Keye does not fit into your typical mold. She is a stronger woman then she will admit, she is more capable and competent then the male hierarchy will acknowledge, but at the crux of it all -- she is just a scared little girl battling the bottle. She is loved and she is needed, she just has to feel it before she can move on.

Waiting on Wednesday

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

Title: Breaking Point
Author: Dana Haynes
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: November 8, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
Genre: Thriller
Series: #2 in the NTSB Series (that is what I am calling it since I can't seem to find another other name for it)

Synopsis:

Three NTSB experts - people brought in to help investigate whenever a plane goes down - find themselves victims and witnesses rather than investigators when the plane they are on crashes.

En route to a conference, three NTSB experts -- known to insiders as "Crashers" -- Tommy Tomzak, a pathologist from Texas; Kiki Duvall, a sound engineer and former naval officer; and Isaiah Grey, investigator and former FBI agent – are aboard a twin turbo prop plane when, just outside of Helena, Montana, the plane crashes into a thickly forested moutainside. But the crash isn’t an accident - it was brought down on purpose - and the "Crashers" weren't the target. The plane was brought down by mercenaries, led by an enigmatic, shadowy self-described patriot known only as Calendar, using weapons technology banned by international treaty. The targets - three men who planned to blow the whistle on the weapons technology and the power brokers behind its development.

In a twisty, compelling thriller that goes from the streets of Spain, to the mountains of the western United States, to the heart of the dark, hidden corridors of power where there are dangerous secrets that few suspect and fewer know, the “Crashers” are literally dropped in the middle of a case that neither starts, nor ends, with a plane crash with some of their own on-board. A new team of Crashers fights time, as a fire rages ever closer to the wreckage, conflicting and confusing evidence, and unpredictable outside forces trying to prevent them from uncovering the truth. With alllies - unseen and even unknown - working behind the scenes to help them, the team is trapped in the midst of a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse with the deadliest of consquences, a game that not all of them will survive...

First Chapter First Paragraph

Title: Instruments of Darkness
Author: Imogen Robertson
Publisher: Penguin Group
Publication Date: 2009
Format: Audio
Genre: Historical Mystery
Series: Crowther and Westerman #1




Hosted by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea

First Paragraph:

GABRIEL CROWTHER OPENED his eyes.
‘Mr Crowther, sir?’
The light in the room was weak. Morning
light.

‘Whoever it is, send them away,’ he said.

He blinked. The maid was still there.

‘She won’t go, sir. It’s Mrs Westerman from Caveley
Park. She said she is determined, sir. And she said to
give you this.’

The maid held out a piece of paper, staying as far
away from the bed as she could, as if she feared her
master would bite.

Summary:
In the year 1780, Harriet Westerman, the willful mistress of a country manor in Sussex, finds a dead man on her grounds with a ring bearing the crest of Thornleigh Hall in his pocket. Not one to be bound by convention or to shy away from adventure, she recruits a reclusive local anatomist named Gabriel Crowther to help her find the murderer, and historical suspense's newest investigative duo is born.

For years, Mrs. Westerman has sensed the menace of neighboring Thornleigh Hall, seat of the Earl of Sussex. It is the home of a once- great family that has been reduced to an ailing invalid, his whorish wife, and his alcoholic second son, a man haunted by his years spent as a redcoat in the Revolutionary War. The same day, Alexander Adams is slain by an unknown killer in his London music shop, leaving his children orphaned. His death will lead back to Sussex, and to an explosive secret that has already destroyed one family and threatens many others.

Instruments of Darkness combines the brooding atmosphere of Anne Perry with the complex, compelling detail of Tess Gerritsen, moving from drawing room to dissecting room, from coffee house to country inn. Mrs. Westerman and Mr. Crowther are both razor-sharp minds and their personalities breathe spirit into this gripping historical mystery.

Mailbox Monday

Currently on a Blog Tour with a New Host Each Month


Title: Bright and Distant Shores
Author: Dominic Smith
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: 2011
Format: Trade Paperback; Pgs 467
Genre: Historical Fiction
Source: Simon and Schuster Advisory Board

Description

In the waning years of the nineteenth century there was a hunger for tribal artifacts, spawning collecting voyages from museums and collectors around the globe. In 1897, one such collector, a Chicago insurance magnate, sponsors an expedition into the South Seas to commemorate the completion of his company's new skyscraper—the world's tallest building. The ship is to bring back an array of Melanesian weaponry and handicrafts, but also several natives related by blood.

Caught up in this scheme are two orphans—Owen Graves, an itinerant trader from Chicago's South Side who has recently proposed to the girl he must leave behind, and Argus Niu, a mission houseboy in the New Hebrides who longs to be reunited with his sister. At the cusp of the twentieth century, the expedition forces a collision course between the tribal and the civilized, between two young men plagued by their respective and haunting pasts.

An epic and ambitious story that brings to mind E. L. Doctorow, with echoes of Melville and Robert Louis Stevenson, Bright and Distant Shores is a wondrous achievement by a writer known for creating compelling fiction from the fabric of history.

Opinion:

From the cover alone this is a keeper and after reading a couple paragraphs to whet my appetite, which I should not have done, I want to put down my other books and start on this one right away.

Sunday at the Movies

I have a very broad defination of "at the movies" and will include anything in the theater, Netflix or movie channels.

Coraline
Dakota Fanning ... Coraline Jones
Teri Hatcher ... Mel Jones / Other Mother / Beldam
Keith David ... The Cat
John Hodgman … Charlie Jones / Other Father

Summary:
An adventurous girl finds another world that is a strangely idealized version of her frustrating home, but it has sinister secrets.

Opinion:
I don’t know why my daughter dislikes this movie so much, but I just adore it. Dakota’s voice is perfect for the character and it took me half way though the movie to realize why Mel’s voice was so familiar.

Is it creepy, yes and I’m not too sure that it would work for younger children, but if you like a little eerie with your animation Neil Gaiman and Henry Selik put out a great movie.

Countdown to Christmas Week 2

It’s organizing and prepping week.

Please visit The Organized Home. This site is designed to help the procrastinator in me get ready for the holidays.

I highly suggest that you check out their homepage and sign up for a weekly reminder. I will only be posting here the items that will fit with my life and home, but there are many more ideas at suggestions at their site.


Week 2

• If you are decorating for Thanksgiving. Look over these items and make decisions as to what you want to put out and what can be donated to other organizations for their holiday decorating.

• Divide the Christmas card list into five groups. Write and address one group this week.

• Make a holiday budget. Set a comfortable level of holiday spending.

• Divide entries into five groups. Begin shopping for Christmas gifts, and try to buy one-fifth of the gifts this week.

• Set up a housework plan. A little bit every weeks makes it whole process possible.

• Grocery shopping list. Time to start thinking about the meal plan and what ingredients you will need to purchase. Start looking around for sales and coupons.

• Do you need a special outfit for a special occasion? Check what you have and what you will need.

• Do you need anything special for your holiday table? Will you be traveling to a potluck and need a special serving dish?

• It’s never too early to think wrapping paper and mailing boxes. Check what you have leftover from last year and see what you need to pick up. Don’t forget the tape. Every year I run out sooner than I think.

Eternal Love

Gordon and Norma Yeager were happily married for 72 years before they died last week, just one hour apart, while holding hands.

The State Center, Iowa couple were in a car accident last Wednesday and both sustained broken bones and injuries that left them in the intensive care unit.

"She was saying her chest hurt and what's wrong with Dad? Even laying there like that, she was worried about Dad," the couple's son, Dennis Yeager, stated. "And his back was hurting and he was asking about Mom."

As the couple’s condition deteriorated, they were moved into a room together and put into beds side-by-side so they could hold hands. Gordon, 94, passed away at 3:38 p.m. -- but what appeared on his monitor shocked his family.

"Someone in there said, 'Why, then, when we look at the monitor is the heart still beating?'" their daughter, Donna Sheets said. "The nurse said Dad was picking up Mom's heartbeat through Mom's hand."

Dennis added, "And we thought, 'Oh my gosh, Mom's heart is beating through him.”

Gordon’s wife Norma, 90, died exactly one hour later.

"Dad used to say that a woman is always worth waiting for," Dennis said. "Dad waited an hour for her and held the door for her."

Waiting On Wednesday

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

Title: The Boy in the Suitcase
Author: Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis
Publisher: Soho Crime
Publication Date: November 8, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
Genre: Mystery
Series: #1 in the Nina Borg Series

Synopsis:

Nina Borg, a Red Cross nurse, wife, and mother of two, is a compulsive do-gooder who can't say no when someone asks for help—even when she knows better. When her estranged friend Karin leaves her a key to a public locker in the Copenhagen train station, Nina gets suckered into her most dangerous project yet. Inside the locker is a suitcase, and inside the suitcase is a three-year-old boy: naked and drugged, but alive.

Is the boy a victim of child trafficking? Can he be turned over to authorities, or will they only return him to whoever sold him? When Karin is discovered brutally murdered, Nina realizes that her life and the boy's are in jeopardy, too. In an increasingly desperate trek across Denmark, Nina tries to figure out who the boy is, where he belongs, and who exactly is trying to hunt him down.

First Chapter First Paragraph

Title: The Diva Haunts the House
Author: Krista Davis
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Publication Date: 2011
Format: Paperback, 304 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Domestic Diva #4

Hosted by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea

First Paragraph:
I balanced on the ladder, aimed my gun, and squeezed the trigger. A gossamer string of wax shot out, creating a creepy cobweb. I cackled with glee. Pointing the gun at the gauzy black curtain covering the front window of the haunted house, I let fine theads fly. In seconds, it looked like no one had cleaned the place in years.

A shout upstairs interrupted my fun. It had to be my neighbor, Frank Hart.

I stepped off the ladder. "Frank?" A thud upstairs worried me. Had he fallen? I dashed to the foyer in time to see Frank slam gainst the built-in bookcase at the top of the stairs and stumble down.

Summary:
Domestic diva Sophie Winston is getting into the Halloween spirit—her decorations for a community haunted house are so good, it’s scary. Not to be outdone, rival domestic diva Natasha is throwing a spooktacular Halloween party at her house. But when Sophie arrives, she discovers one of Natasha’s guests dead in a Halloween display, and a pale, fanged partygoer fleeing the scene.

Could the killer be a real vampire—the same one rumored to have lived in Sophie’s haunted house back when it was a boardinghouse? Good thing a domestic diva never runs out of garlic.

Mailbox Monday

Currently on a Blog Tour with a New Host Each Month


Title: Triangles
Author: Ellen Hopkins
Publisher: Aria Books
Publication Date: 2011
Format: ARC Pages 533
Genre: Fiction
Source: Simon and Schuster Advisory Board


Description

THREE FEMALE FRIENDS FACE MIDLIFE CRISES IN A NO-HOLDS-BARRED EXPLORATION OF SEX, MARRIAGE, AND THE FRAGILITY OF LIFE.

Holly: Filled with regret for being a stay-athome mom, she sheds sixty pounds and loses herself in the world of extramarital sex. Will it bring the fulfillment she is searching for?

Andrea: A single mom and avowed celibate, she watches her friend Holly's meltdown with a mixture of concern and contempt. Holly is throwing away what Andrea has spent her whole life searching for—a committed relationship with a decent guy. So what if Andrea picks up Holly's castaway husband?

Marissa: She has more than her fair share of challenges—a gay, rebellious teenage son, a terminally ill daughter, and a husband who buries himself in his work rather than face the facts.

As one woman's marriage unravels, another's rekindles. As one woman's family comes apart at the seams, another's reconfigures into something bigger and better. In this story of connections and disconnections, one woman's up is another one's down, and all of them will learn the meaning of friendship, betrayal, and forgiveness.

Unflinchingly honest, emotionally powerful, surprisingly erotic, Triangles is the ultimate page-turner. Hopkins's gorgeous, expertly honed poetic verse perfectly captures the inner lives of her characters. Sometimes it happens like that. Sometimes you just get lost.

Get lost in the world of Triangles, where the lives of three unforgettable women intersect, and where there are no easy answers.

Opinion:

In all honesty, I do not think I will be reading this book. If the stories were to unfold in a usual book format, I might try it, but this book is written in verse. Each chapter is a new voice, each voice is a poem. Not my style or liking so I will give it a pass.

Sunday at the Movies

I have a very broad defination of "at the movies" and will include anything in the theater, Netflix or movie channels.

The Good Wife, Season 2
Julianna Margulies ... Alicia Florrick
Matt Czuchry ... Cary Agos
Archie Panjabi ... Kalinda Sharma
Josh Charles ... Will Gardner
Christine Baranski ... Diane Lockhart
Chris Noth ... Peter Florrick
Alan Cumming ... Eli Gold

About a year ago, a librarian saw me scanning the DVD section and asked if I was looking for anything specific, “No, just something that will keep my interest.” “Have you seen The Good Wife?” She pulled it off the shelf and told me that I would not be disappointed and to not watch the current season because I needed the back story first.

I have not been disappointed since. Season 1 ended with a great cliffhanger, would Alicia stay with her cheating politically driven husband or start afresh with Will, her boss and old college love interest. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.

Each weekly episode involves an interesting legal quandary, not like Law and Order, more along the interpersonal lines than the legal one, but they do throw in a curious twist. The interaction between characters is interesting, the viewer finds themselves liking the characters that they shouldn’t, curious about those with a hidden past, feeling the pain of a jilted lover, smiling at the softness of those with harder edges. Overall, the play among the cast is tantalizing. There is always a story within a story.

Whereas in Law and Order you have a bunch of stodgy old judges, The Good Wife has a recurring cast of quirky but fascinating judges that seem to appear with a regularity that makes you glad to see them again. Guest appearances are fun and what is funny, one of my favorite characters is not a regular, yet she should be. Maime Gummer (the daughter of Meryl Streep) plays Nancy Crozier a lovable quirky lawyer that has me wondering if she really is as naïve as she pretends or does that woman have brains under all the blonde hair and beauty.


If you are not much of a late evening television watcher and have not had a chance to see this program, I highly suggest that you take your time; track down the DVD’s of this series and settle in for some great television.

Countdown to Christmas - Week 1

So I stopped by my local ‘mart store and was shocked that Christmas decorations are already out and we haven’t even had a chance to shop for Halloween candy. So, I decided to take the proverbal bull by the horns and not let Christmas sneak up on me this year.

After a quick perusal of the web, I found a checklist at The Organized Home. This list is designed to help the procrastinator in me get ready for the holidays.

I highly suggest that you check out their homepage and sign up for a weekly reminder. I will only be posting her the items that will fit with my life and home, but there are many more ideas at suggestions at their site.

Week 1:

•Calendar. Add important get together dates.

•Start a master gift list. Not only the people you are buying for, but to help keep track of what you bought and what you spent.

•Begin a Christmas card list. Locate addresses, and consider making a computerized Christmas card address list for maximum time savings.

•If you are a list maker, search out a house cleaning list. This will help you to keep everything clean and ready for the holiday.

•Will your family travel this holiday season? Make travel plans and reservations this week.

•Will you host houseguests this year? Make arrangements for any overnight guests.

•Declutter tabletops and public rooms before you decorate.

•If you haven't done so already, decorate for Halloween or Harvest celebrations

Stories I Only Tell My Friends

Title: Stories I Only Tell My Friends
Author: Rob Lowe
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: April 26, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
Genre: He says Autobiography, but I think it is more of a Memoir

I do not think I came away from this book with what Mr. Lowe had intended. Not to say that it is not an interesting fast read book, but where I began thinking that Rob was the 80’s and 90’s version of Forrest Gump, the right place at the right time, I ended it with the belief that he was just darn lucky to have a career at all.

He will always be Sam Seaborn to me, I have no recollection of him in any other movie or television series before or after and if you were to wonder about my age; yes, we would have attended high school at the same time.

The book begin with the explanation of a slightly off balance mother and a divorced absentee father and how from an early age he knew that being an actor was all that he ever wanted to do. Getting himself to interviews and cattle calls, moving from the east coast to the west, and befriending the Sheen/Estevez clan and the Penn brothers, it all fell into place for him.

A good portion of the book is devoted to his auditioning and fighting for the role of Sodapop Curtis in the Outsiders. Considering the amount of time and effort that was put into this portion of the book, I would say that Rob considers this his crowning glory.

Mr. Lowe has no problem going on and on and on about his wild years and gives veiled references to their names and who their famous fathers are. Only a sentence or two mentions his 1988 underage tape controversy and the book ends with his leaving West Wing, so nothing was mentioned concerning the 2008 lawsuit with former employees or his battles with homeowners and newspaper employees. Guess we will have to wait for part two – the later years, to find his take on these matters.

As I said earlier, it is by luck alone that this man had a career at all. Very few of his movies have received any sort of recognition; and other than West Wing, no television series has lasted very long, but yet, we know who this man is, we can identify his face and recognize his name. Luck I tell you, it is just luck.

A Duty to the Dead

Title: A Duty to the Dead
Author: Charles Todd
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: 2009
Format: Audio
Genre: Historical Mystery
Series: #1 Bess Crawford

I am not sure why I keep picking up books that take place during World War I, but I do. Part of me must be looking for the fascination that other find with these books, but I am just lost – I am still looking for that gem that will make it all come together for me, I just have not come across it yet. Not to say that authors like the writing team of Charles Todd do not do a wonderful job in describing the influences and the people, but for me this historical period offers no spark or appeal.

England 1916 and Bess Crawford, an army nurse, is traveling on the Britannic when it hits a mine and is sunk. Bess carries with her a message from Lt. Arthur Graham, a soldier that she met and became close to several months prior. When she is in England, she must set out to find his family, deliver a message and set things right. Little does she know that she is about to become embroiled in a family full of secrets and lies.

The Graham family is quite peculiar, brothers divided and favorites are chosen. When Arthur knew he was dying he needed to set the past right - a past that would lead Bess Crawford down a dangerous path where she had to break through old stereotypes and fight for a brother that the others had abandoned.

As I said before, this book would be very good for someone that is drawn to this timeframe. An era where people and places were much simpler – not to say that people were not evil, they just were taken at face value and evil deeds were shocking.

I do not think that this is the right series for me. So, in my own misguided way, I will continue to stumble along in this journey until something sparks my curiosity.