Ciji WareBesprekingen

A compelling story with a strong woman architect as the main character, and lots of drama around the San Francisco earthquake of 1906.

This is a time slip book and I preferred the current day part of the story more than the past bit - that seemed a bit forced. But on the whole an enjoyable book and I am glad I read it

The first part of this book was very engaging but then it just turned tedious suddenly; I only skimmed the last 150 pages and am quite sure that I missed nothing. This book was trying very hard to be historical fiction, I think it even had daydreams of being a biography, but was really just a romance novel set in the past. And badly set there. The author's need to cram in historical figures is just farcical; I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the whole Robbie Burns episode.
I'm kind of sorry I wasted my time finishing it.

Well-researched, thrilling, and tense!

In the early days of WWII, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Washington, D.C. mining heiress, Catherine Farnsworth Cahill Thornton, is in a loveless marriage to a British diplomat posted far out of sight to the embassy in Chile. She joins the US war effort supporting our Allies in Europe by successfully stealing, copying, and returning undetected the French naval codebooks from the embassy of the Nazi-puppet Vichy French government. Assisting her is French diplomat Henri Charles Leblanc, the press attaché at the embassy.

When the French delegation is ultimately ordered out of the country, Catherine and Henri are both recruited for Churchill’s newly-formed spy operation, the SOE, the British Special Operations Executive. Separated, they are trained in spy craft at various secret schools established in the English countryside and eventually sent to secret undercover positions in Nazi-occupied France.

Inserted into hidden networks supporting the French Resistance, Henri in Paris and Catherine on the Mediterranean coast, the Cote d’Azur, both work to disrupt Nazi war operations, provide the members of the resistance with weapons, information, and other supplies, and help to spirit out downed aviators and their fellow secret agents as needed. With D-Day approaching, all this is accomplished under the very noses of the Nazis and the dreaded SS.

Author Ciji Ware has crafted a well-researched and thrilling historical fiction novel of WWII. “Landing by Moonlight” has the kind of characters that grow on you and become people that you worry about chapter after chapter. And worry I did! This story focuses on a piece of WWII history not really familiar to me. I’ve read some about the undercover men and women working right under the noses of the Nazis but they were always secondary characters to the hero or heroine. Here, they are front and center.

This story immerses you in the constant danger they had to have been under at all times and made for a tense, and exhilarating, reading experience. The mantra, “Trust no one,” was really brought home for me. Not even knowing who among your old friends and acquaintances were working for the Nazis, maybe just to get food for their children, was terrifying.

Besides the constant threat of exposure, the characters are out in the field accomplishing the big tasks that helped turn the tide of war in favor of the Allies – tasks that someone really had to do – exhilarating when successful and exhilarating when it was over. Characters need to blow off a little steam and relieve the pent-up tension so there are sexual relationships and well-written scenes of a sexual nature.

Another aspect of this book I enjoyed were the various settings. The characters move around from location to location and each time this author made me see and feel the time and the place. My favorite had to be the setting in the south of France. I could almost feel the sun, see the old boats, and taste the ‘new’ red wines.

I recommend this book to historical fiction readers, especially those that want a pretty immersive tale. This one so very well done.

I received a copy of the title from the publisher for purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

The main characters in this book are Fiona Fraser and Alexander Maxwell. After an impromptu "meet cute" in New York City in 2009 and fall instantly in love. Too bad that Alexander is already married. Alexander goes back to Scotland and dreams of Fiona. And Fiona stays in New York and dreams of Alexander.

Fast forward five years later when Fiona contacts Alexander again in order for her to create a Scottish home furnishings collection (yeah I forgot to mention Fiona is a designer and Alexander is an owner of a mill that weaves tartan cloth). Combine all of this with more baggage than a normal relationship could carry, shallow development of secondary characters, and Fiona and Alexander investigating their relatives from 250 years ago you will end up ready to scream.

The main problem I have with this four seasons quartet books is that they are actually spin-offs of Ms. Ware's earlier books. I had no idea about that going in since if I wanted to actually read the back story of the relatives that Fiona and Alexander are investigating I should have started with "Island of the Swans". I assumed (stupidly) that the quartets were connected to each other, but they are not.

I could maybe have overlooked that if this book was just not boring and wrong regarding bloodlines and a few other things.

First of all, reading about people investigating their ancestors is boring. About 60-70 percent of this book was Alexander telling Fiona the history of Jane Maxwell, Duchess of Gordon and Thomas Fraser (supposedly Alexander and Fiona's ancestors). You know how exciting it is to read a book where one character is telling you about everything that went on 250 years ago. And honestly there is no rhyme or reason for this plot to take up so much of the book. Who cares if your ancestors were in love 250 years ago? The fact that Fiona and Alexander spend so much time investigating them made the romance between them when it does occur seem like an after thought and assured since hey if my ancestor sexed up your ancestor 250 years ago this means we are meant to be together!

Second, Ms. Ware tries to bring in a plot-line involving memories through DNA (I hate romance novels that have been doing this lately). It is beyond absurd and just crazy. I felt like screeching DNA does not work like that while I was reading. I could have maybe ignored all of this mess except for one problem. Alexander Maxwell is not a freaking descendant of Jane Maxwell so it makes no sense how he somehow got memories from her. It is explained in pain staking detail in the book and through a genealogy chart that he is descended from her brother. And that the descendant from her brother was a nephew at best who then slept with a chamber maid. Apparently in Ms. Maxwell's world that doesn't matter since DNA just kinds of hangs out for 200 plus years and provides random relatives several times removed with memories. There is a reason for this of course when we read on later in the book but it just jarred me to keep reading about this whole thing and everything saying that Maxwell's family was direct descendants. At one point the character Alex refers to Jane Maxwell as his great grandmother (big sigh).

Third, at times when you read about Fiona's past you think she was raised in the 1950s, 1960s south. I don't want to divulge too much but seriously, it makes no sense about any of the events that she later spills to Alexander. I swear her whole storyline just gave me heartburn. Plus the 180 with her family was not heartwarming to read about. I just rolled my eyes.

Fourth, the author got the main premise behind "When Harry Met Sally" wrong! At one point Alexander tells Fiona about his past relationship and likens it to When Harry Met Sally by saying that he and another woman were not in "love" with one another that way. Seriously? Did the author not see this freaking movie? That is not what the movie is about. It's about the fact that two people who initially could not stand each other met decades later, became friends, slept together, stopped being friends, and then fell in love. It is a movie I break out every time I am having a bad day since it just warms me up from the inside out. To have a misunderstanding this big regarding this movie just kind of thrown into this novel just soured me from that point on.

Fifth, there were just sentences that made no sense. Such as:

"Expensive leather pumps shod her aristocratic-looking feet, and small, simple gold earrings complimented her stylish attire."

I don't even get how your feet can look aristocratic. Are they smoking a pipe?

"Looking directly at her boss, she announced, "There are thirteen million citizens of Scottish descent in the U.S. and Canada alone, and probably another three million outside of Scotland worldwide. There are millions more in North America and elsewhere with some claim to Scottish heritage, and even more who wished they had Scottish DNA."

Good grief. The U.S and Canada are in North America so that next part of the sentence is just basic geographic fail. Second, who the heck is running around claiming to be Scottish or wishing to be Scottish? Is this a thing now? What am I saying. Apparently people like to decorate their homes in Scottish furnishings (the whole point of Fiona going to Scotland to hunt down Alexander). Suffice it to say because of the above speech everyone in the boardroom feels shaken to their core about taking something from another culture and turning it into furniture for people to buy. She even at one point says this furniture may appeal to Saudi princes and Russian billionaires...

So yep, I am done. Happily with this book. I am going off to read "Little Women" to soothe myself.

It takes a lot for me to give a novel one or zero stars. There has to be pretty much nothing redeemable about a book in my eyes. Usually I can find something good to say whether it be the writing or plot points, but I have to say that this novel for me was just a total non-starter. I took me the better part of two weeks to struggle to the finish line with this novel. I fell asleep several times, got bored a few times and decided to just do something else (yes one time cleaning my oven was preferable to finishing this novel) and finally just bit the bullet,sat, and forced myself to finish it.

My brain is still mad at me by the way for this and I had to soothe it by re-watching Sherlock series 3 and appeasing it with images of Benedict Cumberbatch.

Now on to the novel. I decided to include this on my list of to be read for 2014 since the plot sounded interesting and I love books in a series. However, knowing what I know now I would never have stared this thing since this may be a quartet but none of the books has anything to with the prior book in the series (confusing I know) and so you don't even get to follow up with previous characters from what I can tell.

Book one of the Four Seasons Quartet, That Summer in Cornwall focuses on Meredith Champlin. Meredith finds herself the new legal guardian of her cousin's child Janet. Janet is spoiled and the offspring of a famous Hollywood director and actress. Meredith goes to Cornwall for the summer to stay with her cousin and Janet's aunt, Blythe Barton-Teague. Meredith needs help with Janet since the pre-teen is acting out about her father abandoning her to Meredith for the summer. Meredith also needs a break from her work as a nurse in a children's cancer ward in Wyoming. While there Meredith meets and falls for Sebastian Pryce. Sebastian is part of the Cornwall Search and Rescue Team and finds himself drawn to Meredith.

That plot sounds interesting right? You think you would get a lot of plot points with Meredith trying her best to be a mother to Janet, getting closer to her cousin Blythe. You get none of that. The entire novel as a whole is a shallow read from beginning to end. I have no idea what to make of Janet since you only have her acting out in horrible ways with no one really sitting down to talk to her about her mother or why her father just handed her off to a cousin she never met until the very end. The problem is that Ms. Ware does not get back to Janet until towards the end of the novel and I think by then most readers will not care about her. Speaking of Janet none of the other secondary characters like Blythe or her husband or step-son Richard have any depth to them at all. I felt like they were just around to say innocuous things to Meredith and keep on encouraging her in her endeavors.

Most important for me in a romance novel though is that the two leads have no chemistry together at all. Most of the novel dealing with Meredith being angry that Sebastian doesn't open up to her about everything and gets mad when he does not.

From the novel: "He's British, and besides he doesn't know you that very well...yet," Richard replied with a twinkle. Sebastian Pryce knows me better than you think Richard."

Seriously Meredith and Sebastian had only kissed Sebastian at this point in the novel. It made no sense for Meredith to be bringing the drama at that point. The entire novel just goes on like this with Meredith being mad that Sebastian won't open up to her, tell her about his ex girlfriend Claire. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Speaking of Sebastian's ex. There is also a horrible secret that deals with Sebastian and Claire who through the dumbest plot point ever comes to work for the Bartons. Clarie by the way was written as a nasty character at first and then somehow became sweet and loving. It made no sense. When you find out what drove her and Sebastian apart I don't know how much readers are going to sympathize with her. I know I sure as heck did not.

When we do have any love scenes between these two the chemistry is non-existent. I saw better chemistry between my cat and my living room coffee table. I was hoping that Ms. Ware would take pity on us all and have these two break up.

Also there was a side plot about Meredith and Sebastian running an obedience school and the Bartons starting a farm fresh dinner on the grounds of Barton Hall. There was very little detail provided about any of these things besides the Bartons needing the money. This would have been a wonderful opportunity to provide some interesting details about the visitors to Barton hall or show actual dog training activities, something. Instead we kept just focusing on Meredith begging Sebastian to open up to her or being mad at him for not opening up to her.

I was really excited to receive a copy of this book, since I had read books about Vera Atkins, Violette Szabo and other S.O.E agents, about Julia and Paul Child's time in the O.S.S., as well as books about events, that happened in France, during WWII. This novel did not disappoint.

From the first chapter, when Catherine and Henri broke into a safe in his French embassy to find codes to help Allies track the German Navy, I was caught up in the story. Both Catherine and Henri are in unhappy marriages and decide to join the S.O.E. to help Henri's native France to overthrow the Nazis. Both Catherine and Henri had to deal with rumors, that Henri was a double agent and actually a spy for the Vichy government, Germany's ally. Although, they were sent on separate missions, Catherine in the South of France and Henri in Paris, they never stopped thinking, if the other was safe. Both go through harrowing adventures, do meet up once and reaffirm their love, only to separate once again and be captured by the enemy. If you want to find out, how their story ends, you will have to read the book!

Not only was this novel well written, with an exciting plot, the author researched, thoroughly, the time period and the actual settings in various parts of France. By adding real personages and events, that happened, Ciji Ware added to the enjoyment of the novel.

I recommend this novel to anyone, who is interested in this time period, and loves spy stories.

Rich detail, well developed characters. I could hear the cadence of the voices in the way the words were arranged. Plot got a bit muddled, wasn't sure what the objective was until the end. All in all a good read.

I am a fan of Ciji Ware, but this left me flat.

Sigh... I have now fallen for another member of Clan Fraser. This was a fabulous representation of Jane Maxwell's life, including a fictional depiction of her sad and sordid love life. It would have been nice to have an epilogue at the end telling how Jane lived out the rest of her life... but it was easy enough to look up online.

If you enjoyed the story of Jane Maxwell Gordon, I recommend you read The Dukes series by Virginia Henley, which is about Jane's daughters and her crazy antics to obtain marriages for them all.

And of course this is a must read for Outlander fans.

This is a book with that extra something, it is not about reincarnation, but instead the main character, Corlis, smells things and sees things from the past. We do get an explanation to why this happen, why things that happened were so strong that they left a trace. It's New Awlins sugar, things are strange there.

Corlis is a non nonsense reporter. She loves to get a good story but that usually lands her in trouble because who would know that the person in the story was related to the guy owning the news station. So she changes job a lot. But I like her integrity. It's all about the story.

The book is about the past and the present. Corlis follows the news that is King Duvallon as he tries to save old buildings from getting torn down, and something fishy is going on behind the scenes. The guy who wants to build new things is not a good guy. And of course there are sparks between Corlis and King.

The second part is about the things Corlis sees. Back in the early 1800th century her ancestor lived in New Orleans. A lot was going on there and a lot of the people she meets in this book, she also "meets" back then, their ancestors that is. It all has to do with a building that they now want to tear down. So we see old Corlis in her unhappy relationship. We learn that 45 % of the black people were free people of color in New Orleans. How daughters of mixed unions were brought up to become high class courtesans. Everything connects. What is really helpful is the chart at the beginning of the book. How everyone now was related to the people back then.

The book changes now and then. Corlis chapters, and then old Corlis chapters.

Ok that sounds like there are a lot going on, but it's not a bad thing. You get into the story at once and there is no problem following it. I was really fascinated by the old story and I certainly did not know this about old New Orleans. It was a really interesting part of its history.

Ware knows how to mix her history and present and she does it so well.

Conclusion:

An interesting book about a truly fascinating city and a rich cast of characters.

Island of the Swans is based on the life of eighteenth-century Scottish duchess Jane Maxwell. As a young girl, Jane fell in love with fictional character, Thomas Fraser, and they promise to marry each other when they are old enough. The real Jane Maxwell married Alexander, the fourth Duke of Gordon, in 1767 after the soldier she loved was reported dead in America. Rumor is that while on her honeymoon she received a letter from the soldier, very much alive, asking her to marry him. Unfortunately she was now married to the Duke of Gordon, and spent her life torn between the man she had always loved and the man with whom she had a family.

Jane herself is a powerful woman and I really liked her. She was a figure to be reckoned with in politics and knew her own mind in many respects. She became a famous patroness of the arts and a political activist. The book is long but has a nice sweeping, epic feel to it. It seemed to me that some of the misunderstandings between the historical and fictional characters were too forced. I thought huge portions of the book were somewhat redundant and that, in general, there was a somewhat melodramatic feel to some parts of Jane's constant longing for Thomas.

I understand the author read Jane’s letters and tried to find the mysterious man that she references as her childhood love. She filled in the missing pieces and the fictional character of Thomas was very well formed. I also enjoyed the way the historical characters like King George III, William Pitt, and Robert Burns, the Scottish poet, added texture to the story.

A solid "meh." The parts that took place in the 18th century were much more interesting and well written. The present day story-line on the other hand was fraught with cliches, tired tropes, and pages of description of the main character's inner dialog. The whole cowgirl/ Wyoming angle was way overdone, and I seriously grew to hate Blythe's dead grandmother whose folksy quips she was always quoting. It was just too much with the dual story-lines of 18th century Cornwall and the present and took away from the setting. So, meh.

Sequel to Island of the Swans which I adored. Here we have Alex and Fiona, both descendents of Thomas Fraser and Jane Maxwell, Duchess of Gordon, the star crossed lovers from IOTS. Fiona and Alex meet for a day in 2008 in NYC and never forgot one another. A few years later they meet again while she is on a design research trip to Edinburgh for her boss, a Ralph Lauren-esque type designer for her idea of a new Scottish line for furnishings. She and Alex renew their friendship and soon - love, which happens quickly, but we are to assume it is attributed to this strange magnetism they have for one another. He runs a textile mill and shows her all around. It was all very sweet, but it had a tendency to include too many details about the locations, much like a travelogue, in parts. I found it distracting from the main storyline of Alex and Fiona reuniting and their blossoming romance. It brought back many memories of when I was there myself a few years ago, but I preferred the 2nd half of book when the plot centers more on their problems that need to be overcome so they can have their HEA ending which brought the story of their ancestors full circle. This gave the reader (such as moi!) much needed closure from The Island of the Swans, which I recommend reading first.½

blahblahblahpolitcalbullshitblahblahmorepolitcalbullshitblahblahblah

Didn't hold my interest.

It was a welcome return to Cornwall and the Barton-Teague family in this sequel to Ware's A Cottage by the Sea, though this one has no time traveling or supernatural hopping around from century to century. Meredith Champlin flies to Cornwall, England with her bratty niece who has just lost her mother (sister to Ware's heroine from the last book, Blythe) in a plane crash. Her father, a film director is too busy to take care of her. While in Cornwall for the summer, Meredith finds love in a hunky search and rescue veterinarian who is also an Afghan War vet. Lots of different plots going on and overall I liked it, but Meredith's pushiness when it came to having Sebastian (the vet) reveal all his past irked me. She knew she needed to lay off - but did she? No! and it sent him scurrying. But, eventually they find their way back to each before she leaves for Wyoming at the end of the summer. I liked this a lot, and it really makes me want to go to Cornwall myself and see this area of the world.

Wonderful book! I've never read any of Ciji's books before, but I guarantee that it won't be my last. Fascinating story, wonderful characters. Ciji has a way of making her characters come alive. I can't wait to read more of her books!

Historically, mildly interesting, but lackluster in literary qualities.

The largely romantic life story of the Duchess of Gordon, unhappily married to the Duke, a misogynist, while in love with Thomas Fraser, a Highland soldier. What keeps one reluctantly reading is that the book is peppered with historical figures who are fun to look up, and the reader keeps rooting for the Duchess to win her contest of wills and some kind of personal freedom.

Ware does not disappoint in creating a fiction based on fact in spite of hurriedly telling us a thin story of a woman who became a potent force in British politics and in private life. However, the Duchess of Gordon deserves better treatment from the author since she didn't get it from her husband.

I won’t be reading any more books by Ciji Ware.

A LIGHT ON THE VERANDA by Ciji Ware is an interesting historical romance set in Natchez, Mississippi. A sequel to Midnight on Julia Street with reappearing characters.A hundred year old secret may hold the past and the future for Daphne Duvallon. She is called back home to Natchez,Mississippi and drawn into the past.As secrets are revealed with haunted dreams,sexual tension builds between Daphne and Simon,wrongs of the past needs to be righted,romance blossoms,and secrets are revealed. Will a family is drawn closer or fall further apart due to secrets of the past. Ms. Ware knows how to weave historical with contemporary to create a great read. With a complex plot that is multilayered,and characters who are humorous at times,and very serious at others how can you go wrong with "A Light On The Veranda". A must read for anyone who enjoys historical romance,with a mix on contemporary,the heyday of Mississippi,old South, strong characters,and past meets present with a ghostly haunting. Received for an honest review from Net Galley and the publisher. Details can be found at Sourcebooks Landmark,an imprint of Sourcebooks,Inc,the author's website,and My Book Addiction and More.

RATING: 4

HEAT RATING: MILD

REVIEWED BY: AprilR,My Book Addiction and More

Author: CIJI Ware
Published by: Sourcebooks Landmark
Age Recommend: 16
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Raven Rating: 5
Blog Review For: GMTA
Review:

"A Light on the Veranda" by CIJI Ware was good read. The story took place in Natchez, Mississippi. It was very long, detailed and I thought the story was very well presented. The characters focusing on the past and the present really were simply amazing in the way it was presented. The authors' details were simply off the chart making this story a very fascinating read.

I liked the way the author presented Daphne Duvallon and Sim Hopkins both having emotional problems that they had to work through and in the end ....you just have to read to find out for yourself!

I really enjoyed the historical romance in this story. This story has many twist and turns and even some ghostly scenes that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Just when you think the story in going one way, another obstacle will be presented and you are off on a another different ride. You will have to keep up with this ride because it really takes off in different directions but in the end it comes together as a good read.

"A Light on the Veranda" was a story rich in the history of Natchez, Mississippi and if you are up for a good read of humor, romance and environmental issues you will lovethis read. I would definitely recommend this book as a good read.

Light on the Veranda is another great novel by CiJi Ware. I just love Ms. Ware's novels. They are always full of romance without being overly mushy. This novel is a richly descriptive story of past and present of local families who have lots of skeletons in their magnolia scented closets and the past has a way of catching up with the future.

A wonderfully researched story of very real people with fragile emotions and a city rich with history, of a past when women were controlled by the men in their lives and the morals of the times. When reading this book I could almost feel the humid atmosphere and feel the grandeur of the southern mansions. Ciji Ware does an awesome job of weaving the two stories together seamlessly where dreams are reality. The story is not all honeysuckle and mint juleps as there are unsavory characters and sad circumstances in both the past and the present, but the charm of the old south is definitely a lure that draws the reader in.

Light on the Veranda is the sequel to Midnight on Julia Street with a lot of the same characters. I would recommend that you read these books in order as to get a better understanding and feel for the people and locations. Again I highly recommend all of Ciji Ware's books. you will not be disappointed.

This book wasn't great. It's targeted for mid-life people getting ready to notably change their location and or situation in life. It looks at what you should do to downsize your home, pursue your hobbies, and move past emotional issues tied to objects in your home.

Review to appear in Historical Novels Review. A heads up...I adore Ciji Ware and Midnight on Julia Street is one of my favorite books of those I have read...and I have read many. The sultry New Orleans setting with a story that offers intrigue and mystery when a downtown historic building is the center of a battle. In a town where everyone appears to be related, and everyone knows someone, the history of the condemned building will reveal secrets no one could have imagined. Ware at her quintessential best! ~Wisteria Leigh


© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2008-2011].

This historical novel vividly recreates 18th-century Scotland, England, and America as it recounts the tale of a duchess separated from the man she loves and tormented by her jealous husband. Jane Maxwell is determined to marry her childhood sweetheart, Thomas Fraser, but she agrees to marry the Duke of Gordon when she receives the mistaken news that Thomas is dead in North America. When Thomas returns, Jane is tormented between her lover and her husband. The one thing I did not like about this novel is how long the love triangle went on with little progress in the story line other than the characters aging. Still, a good read overall and has peaked my interest in Jane Maxwell, a fascinating 18th-century figure.

When I read the initial review of "Race to Esplendor" I found it very appealing. I new almost nothing of the San Francisco earthquake, and nothing at all about the first women engineers in the US.

The first part of "Esplendor" lived up to my expectations. The portraits of life and society in San Francisco at the time are vivid and detailed. The descriptions of the changing building techniques seem acurate and are also understandable to the lay reader.

My attention started to waver in the second half of the book, when the focus changed from the building efforts in the two hotels to the convolutions of the love story between the main characters. If I want to know about twisting love stories, and feminine fears, I can go for a coffee with my girl friends; and probably would have more fun.