Windfall by Penny Vincenzi

What can I say but another so-so read. I really like Penny's writing style but, this one just kind of put me to sleep. Cassia Tallow inherits some money from her godmother. Since marrying and having 3 children Cassia has put her medical degree on hold but with the money she now decides to go back to work and do all the things her husband has forbade her over the years. After 624 pages of turmoil Cassia finally grows into herself and finds out where the money really came from. Just a little too slow of a read for me. Her trilogy is oh so much better.

Movies

Another thing I want to try and do this winter is settle down and watch at least one or two dvd's every weekend. I am so behind on them and there are lots here at the library I am gonna try and get watched this winter. This weekend I watched Knowing with Nic Cage and The Proposal with Sandra Bullock. Sad to say both movies were just like my reading has been. Just so-so. The Knowing was actually kind of silly. It's no wonder Nic is in financail trouble with the last few movies he has chosen to make. Watched it in surround sound which made it a little better but still what I felt a very silly movie. The Proposal was kind of cute but had the potential to be so much funnier and I am not sure what happened. Had a great cast with Craig T Nelson, Mary Sternburgeon and Betty White but was just a kind of flat movie. Let's hope next weekends are much better!

Gonna try this again

I really want to have a blog.. so why can't I seem to do it?!? Question of the year and I am gonna give it one more go. Lately it seems like everything I have read has been rather dull and boring or not even readable. This weekend I started Windfall by Penny Vincenzi and it's a chunkster. I am crossing my fingers that it will be a good read. I would like to at least start off again with a good review. Will let you all know in a couple days.

The Tsarina's Daughter

I finally finished this book! Jeesh took me over two weeks and it should have only taken a couple days. This is the story of Tsar Nicholas daughter Tatiana. Instead of Anastasia being the one who escaped this time it is Tatiana. I enjoyed the book alot as I don't know much about the revolution of Russia other than the story of the killing of this family. Tatiana tells the story of her growing up and the fragility of both her mother's mental health and her brother's illness with hemophilia and how supposedly Rasputin helped to keep him alive. It was a very good read and a different take on what might have happened during this time in history.

This is the 6th in the Abby Cooper series by Victoria Laurie. I really enjoyed this book and when I come back in my next life I want to be Abby Cooper. How cool would it be to have psychic abilities!! When Abby's boyfriend's cousin is kidnapped and they take off to Las Vegas to try and find him. After Dutch disappears Abby calls in her sister and girlfriend to come to Vegas and the search is on. A great cozy from the first page to the last. Highly recommend the whole Abby Cooper series.

Cold Rock River

I read RoseFlower Creek awhile ago and fell in love with J.L. Miles. I couldn't wait to get my hands on Cold Rock River and it was even better.

It takes place in rural Georgia in 1963. A pregnant 17 yr old Adie Jenkins discovers the diary of 17 yr old Tempe Jordan, a slave girl, begun as the civil war was winding down. Adie is haunted by the death of her younger sister, Annie and Tempe is grief stricken over the selling of her 3 young children by sired by her master. Adie and Tempe's stories are both of family, race, love, loss and longing. You become so involved in both stories it is hard to put the book down. With many twists and turns it all comes to a very surprising ending. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to my next read by this author. I highly recommend Cold Rock River and Roseflower Creek.

The Heretic Queen

I fell in love with Michelle Moran when I read her first book Nefertiti. Now with The Heretic Queen I love her even more.

The Heretic Queen is the story of Nefertari, niece of the heretic queen Nefertiti. Nefertari comes to the court of Pharoah Seti I after her family is killed. She becomes great friends with Ramesses I. When he becomes co- monarch and marries Iset, Nefertari realizes she loves Ramesses and wants to marry him too. Once they marry Nefertari is afraid that the Egyptian people will never accept a heretic descendant as their ruler. This is a love story full of romance, deceit, intrigue and suspense. Nefertari's and Ramesses love for each other is a true tale and Ms Moran brings it to life in her story. I only wish the book would have gone on for another 300 pages.

I can't wait for her next novel to become available and I highly recommend The Heretic Queen to any and all historical fiction fans.