| Created 1999.08.05; Updated 2008.03.21 |
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The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 03/20/08 - Charlotte Brontë plays sleuth in the Laura Joh Rowland mystery The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte. "What particularly stuck in my mind [about Brontë] was the thought that no matter how much adventure she’d experienced, she always craved more," says Rowland. "She was the ultimate yearning, romantic, creative spirit. I decided that Charlotte would make the perfect heroine for a historical suspense novel." British novelist Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855) is best known for Jane Eyre. More... |
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The Little Lady Agency and the Prince SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 03/13/08 - Hester Browne created the ultimate freelance girlfriend-mentor in heroine Melissa "Honey" Romney-Jones. Alter ego Honey is everything Melissa thinks she’s not: smart sophisticated and sexy. "I have Melissa’s practicality, and Melissa’s paranoia about how big her bum looks in skirts," says Little Lady Agency author Hester Browne. "But I like to think I have Honey’s wardrobe. Honey and I are both keen on Vivian Westwood. I definitely have Honey’s collection of high-heeled black shoes!" More... |
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Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 03/04/08 - "I rarely plan storylines," says Aunt Dimity author Nancy Atherton. "I don’t want to know what’s going to happen before it happens. Where’s the fun in that? So, I let the story unfold as I go along. It keeps my energy up. I can’t wait to find out what happens next." More... |
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Daughter of York…Edward IV’s sister Margaret SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 02/27/08 - Author Anne Easter Smith’s second fiction novel, Daughter of York, depicts the life of Margaret of York in the late 15th century England. "A Rose for the Crown and Daughter of York are for readers who enjoy settling into a book and living with the characters for a good long time," says Smith. "In my novels, I strive to serve those readers who are looking for accuracy in historical fact and yet also engage those who are looking for a good story with strong characters, a little romance and lots of period detail." More... |
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The Labrador Pact… Save the Family at All Cost SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 02/18/08 - In Matt Haig’s novel The Labrador Pact, we see the world through the eyes of Prince, a handsome Labrador dog. He can talk to other non-human animals. With humans he communicates by means of therapeutic tail-wagging. Labs have chosen to remember duty to their family rather than live for themselves. Prince knows that keeping the family together at all costs is the basis of the Labrador Pact, a pact that determines what Labradors are allowed to do and not do. More... |
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Ronald Regan and Margaret Thatcher A Political Marriage
… A Marriage of Minds SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 02/06/08 - President Ronald Reagan was worried the destruction of the Argentine military would destabilize Latin America. In a secret phone call, Reagan asked Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, would she break off the British attack in the Falklands for a cease-fire? "I didn't lose some of my best ships and some of my finest lives, to leave quietly under a cease-fire without the Argentines withdrawing," said Thatcher. The Falklands victory solidified Thatcher’s position, helped make her dominant in British politics for the next decade. More... |
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Past Secrets…Secrets Don’t Stay Secret Forever SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 02/04/08 - In Cathy Kelly’s ninth novel, Christie Devlin an art teacher in Dublin Ireland who can see what’s in the future for everyone…except herself. She’s never developed her abilities, sees only glimpses of what could be. Her mostly happy 35-year marriage is jeopardized by a past secret that haunts her. Christie’s neighbor Faye Reid is a single mother who has her own secret, one she’s kept hidden for 18 years. Her daughter Amber needs to know the truth to avoid making the same mistakes. Maggie Maguire doesn’t tell her parents the real reason she’s returned home is not to help care for her mother, but because she’s devastated that her boyfriend cheated on her. More... |
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Consequence of Sin…Ursula Marlow, Edwardian Detective Who-done-it set it Edwardian times is author Langley-Hawthorne's debut. SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 01/31/08 - There’s a dead body in her bedroom! In a panic, Winfred Stanford-Jones calls Ursula Marlow, the heiress, suffragette and would-be journalist. Ursula’s father considers her friends some undesirable people…such as Winfred. Ursula’s father has overindulged her, as only a rich single-parent parent can. Convinced her friend is innocent, Ursula calls in her father’s solicitor, Lord Wrotham, to help. More... |
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The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen…Her Secret Seaside
Romance SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 01/21/08 - The story of The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen takes place in the two years before the publication of Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. "Jane Austen was in her early thirties and had already written the first drafts of three complete novels, but was stalled in her writing career," says author Syrie James. "I couldn't help but wonder: what happened during those missing years?" Maybe Austen fans had noticed a gap in Austen biographies, a complete silence from January 1809 through April 1811. |
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The Black Arrow…Classic Swashbuckling Story SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 02/04/08 - Set during the War of the Roses, The Black Arrow tells the story of Dick Shelton, a boy who becomes a follower of a Robin Hood-like character known as the Black Arrow. The War of the Roses was a series of civil wars fought between 1455 and 1489 over the throne of England. The symbol of the two royal houses was the Red Rose of Lancaster and the White Rose of York. The consequence was the collapse of the Plantagenet dynasty, replaced by Tudor rulers. More... |
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Someday My Prince will Come…because I Say So SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 01/08/08 - "As a child I was obsessed with princesses," says author Jerramy Fine. "I was sure I’d been switched at birth! My hippy parents couldn’t possibly have spawned someone like me!" Every little girl wants her Prince Charming, but for Fine, it went beyond Disney princesses. Soon she was consumed by anything and everything British. Fine’s first time in England was her semester abroad. Fine didn’t anticipate the effect a British accent would have on her. She thought she’d died and gone to heaven! More... |
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Innocent Traitor…The Nine Days Queen, Lady Jane
Grey SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 01/02/08 - Through the voices of multiple narrators, author Alison Weir weaves a tight web of British royal intrigue. Lady Jane Grey is caught in the middle of her parents’ and regent Northumberland’s ambitions to rule England. The boy-king Edward VI would be remembered in Mark Twain's novel, The Prince and the Pauper, in which the young Edward VI and a penniless boy of identical appearance replace each other. As the real 15-year-old Edward VI lay dying of either disease or arsenic poisoning, John Dudley, First Duke of Northumberland and regent to Edward, schemes to rule the country. More... |
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Winston Churchill Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: the
Great Speeches SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 12/28/07 - "I've always been a great admirer of Sir Winston Churchill, admirer of his career, admirer of his strength, admirer of his character, so much so that I keep a stern-looking bust of Sir Winston in the Oval Office; he watches my every move," said President George W. Bush in 2004. Tony Blair loaned the Churchill bust from the Government Art Collection for the duration of Bush’s term of office. None of this is mentioned in the book, Winston Churchill Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: the Great Speeches, but shows Churchill is still relevant today. More... |
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Pullman’s The Golden Compass Scares the Kids SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 12/20/07 - Because it’s the story of a young girl, I expected the book The Golden Compass to be lighter and more magical than Harry Potter. It’s not. Lyra is the heroine of the Compass world. Pantalaimon is her constant companion, her dæmon. Pronounced "demon", it’s not a hidden computer program that runs in the background as any geek reading this expects, but an animal creature that’s the embodiment of her soul. More... |
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The Tudors…The King, The Queen and The Mistress SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 12/13/07 - King Henry the VIII, Queen Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Imagine the scandal today. What if Brad Pitt divorced Jennifer Aniston to marry Angelina Jolie so she could have his child? Oh wait, that happened except for the married part. Anne had a girl. Angelina had a girl. Hmmm. In The Tudors…The King, The Queen and The Mistress, author Anne Gracie follows King Henry VIII and his interactions with philosopher Sir Thomas More, Cardinal Wolsey, his wife Catherine, his daughter (Bloody) Mary, and a few mistresses before his infamous relationship with Anne Boleyn. More... |
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Eleanor of Aquitaine…Scandalous Queen of Love SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 12/05/07 - Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Can you imagine the scandal today if Hilary Clinton left Bill Clinton, married George W. Bush, and had his child five months later? That’s the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Eleanor leaves her husband King Louis VII of France and marries rival Henry, future king of England (Henry Plantagenet). Five months later, in 1157, she gives birth to a son, William. More... |
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The Saffron Kitchen…A Mother Can't Go Back SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 11/28/07 - Yasmin Crowther's The Saffron Kitchen is a love story and a tragedy that spans two generations and two cultures. The Saffron Kitchen begins in London. Maryam's daughter Sara suffers a miscarriage due to Maryam's selfishness. Unhappy with her life in London, Maryam runs away to the village in Iran where as a child she spent some of her happiest moments. She leaves her husband and her daughter in London. More... |
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Elizabeth & Leicester…friends or lovers? SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 11/19/07 — We know Queen Elizabeth formed strong attachments to people and loved them deeply. Was her relationship with Robert Dudley the Earl of Leicester a kinship due to the loss of a parent? Or, was there a clandestine romantic relationship between the two? Were they secret lovers? Was Arthur Dudley their illegitimate son? More... |
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Very Bad Things, and the People Who Say Them SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 11/14/07 — Berdoll's Very Nice Ways to Say Very Bad Things will make you laugh and shake your head at what people used to say when trying to insult people. This entertaining book of euphemisms is filled with known and unknown sayings that demonstrate the subtle art of the veiled insult. Today we live in an age when foul language has become thoroughly democratic and equally available to everyone, but there was a time when mincing words was considered an art. More... |
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Evans dashes romance in 'A Hopeless Romantic' SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 11/07/07 — An overly
romantic woman rejects romance and finds the man of her dreams.
In 'A Hopeless Romantic', Twenty-eight-year-old Laura Foster
is a hopeless romantic. Strike that, all she ever really had
was hope. She thinks every man she meets is Mr. Right. But, they
always end up as Mr. Wrong. |
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Austen's Elizabeth Writes Home in…Letters from
Pemberley SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 11/02/07 — Letters from Pemberly is not so much a sequel as a continuation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth's first year as mistress of Pemberley is told though 25 letters Elizabeth writes to her beloved sister Jane. The joy, making new friends and living as Mrs. Darcy at Pemberley is evident in every letter, even when Elizabeth talks about Lydia and her frequent requests for money to help her and her disreputable husband Mr. Wickam. More... |
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The Heir Inherits SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 10/26/07 — Second book in the The Ravenscar Dynasty trilogy, starts in 1918 when thirty three year old Edward Deravenel has built the family company Deravenels up so it has business interests in France, Wonderful French wines and when the time was right after world war 1 oil in Persia. As heir to the family business Edward also inherits Ravenscar a gorgeous estate. More... |
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Never Surrender...A Call to All Englishmen by Gabrielle Pantera Three Stars *** SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 10/17/07 — Jock Colville, Churchill's Aid de Camp, once gave the Prime Minister a briefing in the bath. After Churchill stood up in exasperation Coville made a mental note to never give the Prime Minister a briefing in the bath again. Winston Churchill's defiance in saying "Never surrender!", when all around him wanted to talk peace, is a story of one man's courage to stand against the greatest odds. More... |
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The Dilemma…so Much Family Drama SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 10/08/07 — Francesca Channing stops working to have her first child Jack. After Jack is born, her husband doesn't want her to go back to work. Bard is twenty-two years older than she is. He has certain ideas of what a wife should do. Bard is a wealthy, charismatic man used to getting his way. He's hard on his wife and kids. She goes along with his demands to stop working, but what's she to do with her days? The baby has a nanny and the houses have housekeepers. More... |
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BRITISH WEEKLY Pauline Kiernan's book Filthy Shakespeare is a great gift for anyone who loves Shakespeare, but a little dry. He gave all the vices of the day equal time. Some were wittily funny. Some were erotic. Hidden meanings and secrets were the order of the Elizabethan day. To counter plots against the crown, Elizabeth I had just founded the secret service, today's M15 and M16. Shakespeare wrote in such a way that his audience needed to decode his meaning. More... |
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BRITISH WEEKLY Paul Wilkerson's book Rat Salad is a great musical journey for anyone, whether a fan or new to Black Sabbath's music. It's early 1969 in Birmingham, England. A blues band tired of being confused with another local band called "Earth" changes its name to the title of one of their songs. Black Sabbath. "Rat Salad" is the name of one of the songs on the Paranoid Album, first released in January 1970. More... |
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BRITISH WEEKLY Janet Mullany's humorous novel explores the differences between men and hats. Tradesman's daughter Miss Philomena Wellesley-Clegg is big on hats…and men. When a man becomes more important then a hat, she knows she's in trouble. As in chick lit, the girl is so independent that she doesn't need a man…and so opinionated that what man would have her? A number of plot devices used are Big Secret, such as the contrived engagement, the heroine's visit to a brothel, her good works gone bad, and more. More... |
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BRITISH WEEKLY Susan Ronald's biography portrays the cunning and piracy of Elizabeth I. Elizabeth played a cunning game of cat and mouse, both in her court and on the high seas. England was in turmoil due to the years of religious strife when Elizabeth ascended the throne. Spain owed the English crown money that would never be repaid, money squandered by her brother in-law to finance Spain's wars. However, Philip wasn't a total loss to Elizabeth. He had saved Elizabeth's head from her older sister Bloody Mary. More... |
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BRITISH WEEKLY Philippa Gregory’s novel evokes the splendor and turbulence of Henry the VIII's court. Mary Boleyn is The Other Boleyn Girl. Mary was mostly forgotten in the shadow of her more famous sister Anne. Mary enjoyed the simple pleasure of court and is faithful to her husband until the roving eye of King Henry the VIII falls on her. More... |
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BRITISH WEEKLY Emma Campbell Webster's novel Lost in Austen makes an entertaining game of the works of Jane Austen. Your mission, as a proper gentleman’s daughter of limited means but of considerable intelligence and wit, is to circumvent the many pitfalls society throws in your way to becoming happily married to a gentleman of consequence. You are, of course, Elizabeth Bennett of the great English novel Pride and Prejudice. More... |
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BRITISH WEEKLY Saturday, August 18, 2007, #1170 The Verneys...Father and Son at War by Gabrielle Pantera Nothing sours a father-son relationship like trying to kill each other’s friends. Edmond Verney and his son Ralph chose opposing sides in the English Civil Wars of 1642 to 1651. Edmond chose the Cavaliers or Royalists. Ralph chose the new order, the Roundheads or Parliamentarians. The Varney ambition to advance to government position and title inevitably got them involved in wars. Edmond's older brother Francis rebelled and became a Barbary pirate. More... |