Chelsea Bellingeri

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I loved that the setting was Prague/Bohemia as it gave me a nice change of pace from the more prevalent England/Scotland settings. I would also say this one focuses a tad more on the historical fiction side than historical romance - but there is still some (clean) romance in there for those that need it in their stories. This was also one of those books that had me googling things as I read. I don't recall learning much about Prague in school, so it made me curious about its history and the people featured in the story.

So for those that are familiar with the setting, this story takes place in the early 17th Century during the time of King and Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II. This was a time of conflict between the Catholic Church and Protestants, and preceded the Thirty Years War. (See, I learned something!)

Our heroine is Lady Ludmila Novakova. Mila's father is high chancellor to King Rudolf, and her mother was the king's close personal friend. As Mila has been living safe behind the protected walls of the castle, she is not really aware of the struggle outside the castle walls. All she knows of the Catholic-Protestant conflict is the anti-Protestant rumors she hears around the castle. So at a naive seventeen years old, Mila is about to embark on a very fast and eye-opening coming of age in the midst of a revolution. She will have the blindfold ripped off and many things she thought about her life and past will change. I quite liked Mila even though I didn't have a super strong emotional connection to her character. As I said, she was naive, but she was also courageous. I think I will enjoy following the rest of her story throughout the series.

We first meet Mila as she is fleeing Prague in fear that her father has betrothed her to an old man. When attacked by vagabonds, Mila is saved by our hero, Marc Sykora. Marc is the handsome second son of the village blacksmith, and also a rebel Protestant. There is an instant connection between the couple, but I wouldn't call this one insta-love. Yes, there was an immediate attraction and flirtation, but the romance wasn't at the forefront of the story so it didn't seem over the top fast if you know what I mean. Anywho, Marc is a great underdog, both handsome and honorable. I had more of a connection to his character than I did Mila, but I think that's because I didn't like the way she treated him sometimes, particularly when it seemed obvious to me that he was trying to help her and she didn't realize that (yet).

So the real focus of this story is the Catholic-Protestant conflict, which was very interesting. I'm not sure how much of this book was fiction or fact, but I found everything to be quite believable. There was a good amount of court intrigue, betrayal and scandal - with a good dose of the underdogs to root for. I am used to reading about the Catholic-Protestant conflict in Tudor and Elizabethan-era books set in England, so this was a really nice change of perspective.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 4 stars / 1 flame.… (meer)

This novel is a suspense, fantasy, romance novel.

Mila lives in Prague, the Kingdom of Bohemia, in 1610. It’s spring and everyone, including Mila, want to leave. Mila has heard that she is to wed an older man, so she runs away. This is where the novel begins. She makes it a short distance before she encounters some ruffians. Her lack of abilities keep her dagger from protecting her, but she is saved by Marc. She quickly realizes that everyone recognizes her, so running away will be quite difficult. Marc is one of the blacksmith’s sons, so he knows how to use a weapon and easily escorts her home safely.

When Mila returns she learns that she is not engaged, so her plight isn’t as desperate as she thought. Curious about Marc, Mila finds his shop and gives him tickets to a party at the castle. Both Mila and Marc want to spend time together and fall in love almost instantly. After establishing the romance between the high-ranking upper-class Catholic and a lower-class blacksmith who is Protestant, the suspense can begin! The king and his court are Catholic and rule the Catholic church. Many of the lower born are Protestants who are ready to rebel. They are hungry and some who protest have been murdered by men who supposedly work for the king. Mila doesn’t realize how bad things have gotten. As she spends time with Marc and learns that he is a leader with the rebels, Mila realizes how desperate people are and want to help them. Her father, the Chancellor, has no desire to help and bears questionable affection for his daughter. He does, however, make her a good match with a man she’s grown up with, Radek. She doesn’t love him; she wants Marc. As tensions mount between the Protestants and Catholics, Mila’s father with Radek and Marc and Mila, the story becomes one of desperation as Mila tries to escape her pending marriage and escape to help others and love Marc.

I actually enjoyed this romance although there isn’t anything original in the story at all. The writing is smooth and keeps the story flowing at a nice pace where you don’t get bored. It’s a lovely read for a couple of days if you enjoy romance with a side order of danger.… (meer)

An absorbing YA Paranormal thriller/mystery.

Alex Ramsey is a sixteen year old girl living in Massachusetts, not too far from Salem (famous for the witch trials of the 17th century.) Her parents are emotionally distant, but otherwise Alex has a good support group, including her life-long best friend , Peter. When new boy James comes to town, strange things start to happen. Alex begins to have disturbing dreams, and ever increasing brushes with death. Then her grandmother tells her an old family secret, and Alex's whole world turns upside down...

What a pleasant surprise this book was for me - the protagonists were likeable, the story builds slowly at first and then becomes more and more mysterious and suspenseful. I was reminded more than a few times of the old 'Dark Shadows' soap opera - definitely a good thing in my book. The twists and turns keep coming - all the way to the end. Looking forward to the next book in this series.… (meer)