Greatest Love on Earth by Mary Ellen Dennis

From the author's website... "Set against the exotic world of an 1875 circus and the high-society milieu of Denver, Colorado, Mary Ellen Dennis's THE GREATEST LOVE ON EARTH sweeps readers into a story of death-defying feats, dangerous rivalries, and a love that has all the thrills and romance of the greatest show on earth.
Bold, beautiful Calliope Kelley has two passions in life: her father's circus and Brian O'Connor, and she just may lose them both. For years she has singlehandedly struggled to keep the Sean Kelley Circus going. Then Brian O'Connor, the daredevil animal trainer Calliope has adored since childhood, returns to the circus, having found everything a man can want... except the right woman.
Soon their passion will explode under the Big Top. Soon a deadly enemy will begin sabotaging Calliope's beloved circus. As terror becomes the star attraction, it will take a woman's indomitable dreams and a man's enduring love to survive and triumph over the most impossible odds of all."

Well, I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this novel. Was it a mystery, was it a love story, was it the "circus" aspect going to take away from the plot? I took a chance and was, very happily, intrigued and engaged from the first line! Ms. Dennis has written a story that incorporates all three into a tight story that I read in just a few nights. It was one that I couldn't wait to get back to.... which is saying a lot right now... we are in the midst of the first weeks back to school.

I was surprised to be taken back to 19th century Denver. Many of the events, places and people of my town (albeit WAY before my time)... I know well. It made the story come alive that much more. I look forward to reading the other novel set in Colorado that Ms. Dennis has written. She does Colorado proud!

Thanks to Sourcebooks for providing a copy of The Greatest Love on Earth in exchange for this review.

To Die For by Sandra Byrd

What would you sacrifice for your best friend? Would you die for her?

Meg Wyatt has been Anne Boleyn's closest friend ever since they grew up together on neighboring manors in Kent. So when twenty-five-year-old Anne's star begins to ascend, of course she takes Meg along for the ride.
Life in the court of Henry VIII is thrilling...at first. Meg is made mistress of Anne's wardrobe, and she enjoys the spoils of this privileged orbit and uses her influence for good. She is young and beautiful and in favor; everyone at court assumes that being close to her is being close to Anne.
But favor is fickle and envy is often laced with venom. As Anne falls, so does Meg, and it becomes nearly impossible for her to discern ally from enemy. Suddenly life's unwelcome surprises rub against court's sheen to reveal the tarnished brass of false affections and the bona fide gold of those are true. Both Anne and Meg may lose everything. When your best friend is married to fearsome Henry VIII, you may soon find yourself not only friendless but headless as well.
A rich alchemy of fact and fiction, To Die For chronicles the glittering court life, the sweeping romance, and the heartbreaking fall from grace of a forsaken queen and Meg, her closest companion, who was forgotten by the ages but who is destined to live on in our hearts forever.

I have been reading a lot of Tudor fiction lately. And, while I like reading about the "major players"... it's nice to read the story of one of the many who were (as it says in the synopsis)... "forgotten by the ages". Meg's story may not be as dramatic and dangerous as Anne's but it is, most definitely, worth reading.

My favorite part about this novel was to see Anne from a different point of view. I've seen her as the victim and the villain but I've never really seen her through the eyes of her best friend. We all have a best friend... someone who's seen us at our best and at our worst and loves us no matter what. Anne had such a friend in Meg.

While Anne's fate is known and is just as sad as always, this was Meg's story. She was an ordinary girl who lived in extraordinary circumstances. Above all, though, she was a friend to another who was also living in extraordinary circumstances.

I loved that Ms. Byrd wrote Meg as a strong character... flaws and all. Although her friendship with Anne was the basis for her story, there was so much more. As with any historical figure... those remembered and those forgotten... it is so wonderful to remember that they are just like us. Meg just lives her life...even while at Henry's Court. Granted, she lives it in beautiful gowns and sumptuous surroundings (for the times, of course).

You can read more about To Die For by Sandra Byrd on her website...www.sandrabyrd.com

Thanks to Amy at Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours...http://hfvirtualbooktours.blogspot.com/2011_07_01_archive.html. Thanks as well to the publisher for providing a copy of To Die For in exchange a fair and thoughtful review.

Please check out HFVB for more blogs reviewing this beautifully written story of true friendship in desperate times and the woman who was "forgotten by the ages" but readers will remember every time they think of Anne Boleyn.

Venetia by Georgette Heyer

From Wikipedia... "Venetia Lanyon grew up in the country, away from the world with only her younger brother Aubrey, bookish and lamed, for company. Her peace and quiet is one day disturbed by the rakish Lord Damerel. At first, she sensibly keeps away from him for his very discourteous treatment of her, but when Lord Damerel finds an injured Aubrey and not only takes him into his home to recover but also treats him with great kindness, she revises her first opinion of him and they soon become the best of friends. When Venetia and Lord Damerel fall in love, however, Damerel is convinced that marriage with him would cause Venetia's social ruin. Venetia disagrees, and sets about creating her own happy ending."


Today is the 109th anniversary of Georgette Heyer's birth. She was born on August 16th, 1902.I thought it was the perfect day to review Venetia. Happy Birthday, Georgette!

I didn't begin to read romance novels until I was in college and I can pretty much say for certain that, until very recently, I had never read anything by Georgette Heyer. I have since read two... Cotillion and, now... Venetia.

It is a wonderful story whose characters, settings and, most importantly, dialogue combine to create such a well-crafted story. It took me by surprise that I read it so quickly. I was just drawn in. Venetia (as well as Cotillion) not only entertained but enlightened me. Most regency romance novels seem to focus on the "glittering" side of the era... the balls, the gowns and the societal "obligations". Venetia goes beyond that with a story that captured all that as well as an intimate story about a young woman coming to terms with her "lot" and doing what she can to rise above it.

I just loved that there was a character named Jasper. I adore that name! I will, someday, have a cat with that moniker. And, with said feline, I will be curled in chair reading one of the many novels that Georgette Heyer wrote.

I'm not the only one celebrating her birthday. Sourcebooks (who sent me a copy of Venetia in exchange for for this review) is offering many of Georgette Heyer's novel (in ebook form) for just $1.99... just click on this link... http://www.sourcebooks.com/readers/casavip/happy-birthday-ms-heyer.html

Happy Birthday, Georgette Heyer, Queen of the Regency Romance!!

A Most Unsuitable Match by Stephanie Grace Whitson

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing A Most Unsuitable Match Bethany House; Original edition (August 1, 2011) by Stephanie Grace Whitson



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A native of southern Illinois, Stephanie Grace Whitson has lived in Nebraska since 1975. She began what she calls "playing with imaginary friends" (writing fiction) when, as a result of teaching her four homeschooled children Nebraska history, she was personally encouraged and challenged by the lives of pioneer women in the West. Since her first book, Walks the Fire, was published in 1995, Stephanie's fiction titles have appeared on the ECPA bestseller list numerous times and been finalists for the Christy Award, the Inspirational Reader's Choice Award, and ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year.



Her first nonfiction work, How to Help a Grieving Friend, was released in 2005. In addition to serving in her local church and keeping up with two married children, two college students, and a high school senior, Stephanie enjoys motorcycle trips with her family and church friends. Her passionate interests in pioneer women's history, antique quilts, and French, Italian, and Hawaiian language and culture provide endless story-telling possibilities.



ABOUT THE BOOK

An unlikely attraction occurs between two passengers on a steamboat journey up the Missouri River to Montana...



She is a self-centered young woman from a privileged family who fears the outdoors and avoids anything rustic. He is a preacher living under a sense of duty and obligation to love the unlovable people in the world. She isn't letting anything deter her from solving a family mystery that surfaced after her mother's death. He is on a mission to reach the rejects of society in the remote wilderness regions of Montana. Miss Fannie Rousseau and Reverend Samuel Beck are opposites in every way... except in how they both keep wondering if their paths will ever cross again.



If you would like to read the first chapter of A Most Unsuitable Match, go HERE.