Guest Post with Helen Hollick

This week I was lucky enough to have two authors agree to guest post here. Helen Hollick is the author of the amazing novel The Kingmaking which I just reviewed. This book was awesome (as if I haven't gushed enough about it) and I am so excited to here what she has to say.



The Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy
The Kingmaking ~ Pendragon’s Banner ~ Shadow of the King

I had no interest in history at school. The lesson I looked forward to was English. Mrs Llewellyn brought passion to the subject and suggested such exciting novels for us to read. She encouraged my writing and spent time showing me how to make my essays better—advice I have never forgotten and am willing to pass on to other new authors.
After leaving school I found a job as an assistant at my local library. While working there I re-discovered Rosemary Sutcliff’s wonderful novels set in Roman Britain – Eagle of the Ninth, Frontier Wolf, Mark of the Horse Lord etc, and then Mary Stewart’s Hollow Hills Trilogy - and I had discovered the real Arthur.
I had never liked the traditional Arthurian stories. I could not accept that King Arthur of the medieval tales was so poor at being a king. To become King, and then abandon his Kingdom in search of the Holy Grail? Surely he would have foreseen the affair between Lancelot and Guinevere?
Mary Stewart’s novels had an author’s note where she stated that if Arthur had existed he would have been a post-Roman war lord. I liked that idea and read as much about the ‘real’, more interesting Arthur as I could.
I also read novels, but was frustrated with most of them. They were not how I saw things. I was so annoyed at one of them that I threw the book away. That made my mind up. I was going to write my ideas of what might have really happened.
There would be no knights in armour, turreted castles or Holy Grails, No myth, no magic. No Lancelot, no Merlin. Instead, I went back to the early Welsh legends of Arthur and his wife, Gwenhwyfar. The early legends turned out to be far more exciting than the other stories. This Arthur was real.
I wanted to bring Arthur alive to put flesh and bone on the names we are familiar with – to make my readers think “Yes, that is how it was!”
My characters were to be people no different to us – yes the situation was very different – no running water, no heating, electricity or plumbing. All food had to be hunted or grown, no medical services … but people do not change, emotions remain the same. They loved and hated, wept and laughed. Were compassionate or spiteful.
It took me ten years to finish the Kingmaking – I was so proud when finally I finished. Even more proud when my good friend Sharon Kay Penman recommended me to her agent, who passed me to William Heinemann/ Random House UK. And now Sourcebooks Inc have renewed the pride by publishing this fabulous new edition.

Helen Hollick
Main Website: www.helenhollick.net
My Pirate Novels: www.myspace.com/cptjesamiahacorne
1066 the Movie: www.myspace.com/haroldgodwinson
or: www.1066thefilmplc.com


Thanks so much to Ms. Hollick for taking the time out to share this with us! I have to admit to being curious as to why she decided to write this book as well as take such a realistic spin on this story. If you haven't had the chance yet, definitely check this book out as it will be worth your time :) And if you want to read more reviews, interviews, and guest posts on this book then check out the links below!


http://harrietdevine.typepad.com/harriet_devines_blog/2009/02/the-kingmaking.html 2/20
http://lazyhabits.wordpress.com/2009/02/20/the-kingmaking/ 2/21 and interview 2/27
http://carpelibrisreviews.com/the-kingmaking-by-helen-hollick-book-tour-giveaway/ 2/23
http://www.historicalnovels.info/Kingmaking.html 2/23
http://www.historicalnovels.info/historical-novels-blog.html
http://www.bibliophilemusings.com/2009/02/review-interview-kingmaking-by-helen.html 2/23
http://lilly-readingextravaganza.blogspot.com/2009/02/kingmaking-by-helen-hollick.html 2/23 and guest blog 2/25
http://chikune.com/blog/?p=484
http://chikune.com/blog/?p=488 2/24
http://booksaremyonlyfriends.blogspot.com/ 2/25
http://peekingbetweenthepages.blogspot.com/ 2/26 and guest blog 2/27
http://webereading.blogspot.com/ 2/26
http://www.caramellunacy.blogspot.com 2/26
http://bookthoughtsbylisa.blogspot.com/ 3/1
http://www.skrishnasbooks.com/ 3/1
http://jennifersrandommusings.wordpress.com/ 3/1
http://rhireading.blogspot.com/ 3/1
http://passagestothepast.blogspot.com/ 3/2
http://thetometraveller.blogspot.com/ 3/2
http://steventill.com/ 3/2
http://savvyverseandwit.blogspot.com / 3/2 and interview 3/3
http://www.carlanayland.blogspot.com/
http://readersrespite.blogspot.com/ 3/3 and interview on 3/5
http://libraryqueue.blogspot.com/ 3/4
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/ 3/4
http://www.myfriendamysblog.com/ 3/5
http://samsbookblog.blogspot.com 3/5
http://goodbooksbrightside.blogspot.com/ 3/5

The Kingmaking by Helen Hollick

Wow! What an amazing beginning to this trilogy and I am hooked. The Kingmaking is Hollick's story of Arthur and the king that he might have been. It begins with our first introduction to Arthur as he meets Gwenhwyfar and finds that someday he might be king. The Kingmaking takes the reader on a journey, both Arthur and Gwenhwyfars', and the struggles and triumphs that may lead to Arthur becoming king. It is a journey filled with blood and battles, love and redemption, and so many other things that make up a great novel.

Can I just say right now that I loved this novel? I mean this is historical fiction at its' best and I was entranced. I fell in love with Arthur and Gwenhwyfar's relationship right at the beginning of the story. I felt like Hollick portrayed Arthur realistically so that the reader could see all of his faults along with his strengths. This just helped me to like his character even more although there were times that I wished I could shake him when he was making the "wrong" choices. This was a gritty novel that brought to life the legend of Arthur and made it come across as realistically as possile.

Helen Hollick is a very talented writer and the writing flowed for me. For such a long novel (over 500 pages), I found myself knocking off huge chunks at a time as I couldn't put the book down. I flew through this story and when I was finished I instantly wanted more. I'm so excited to read the next portion of this story and can't wait to get my hands on the 2nd book. Here is a taste of Hollick's writing:

"Gwenhwyfar smiled at him, her eyes crinkling. She remembered her hand, and shyly withdrew it. She liked him! He made her laugh. With mock sincerity Arthur said, 'I grant you are an exceptional girl, Gwenhwyfar, but a man needs other men.'

'A man needs a woman to comfort him through the night and to give him sons.' Gwenhwyfar's retort came with a knowing grin."

All in all, I absolutely enjoyed this book and am going to highly recommend it. Anyone who enjoys historical fiction should give this one a try as it is an epic tale that kept me on my toes. Seriously, this was a really great read and a huge thanks to Paul at Sourcebooks for sending this one to me. I'll be posting a guest post from the author so check that out as well :)

My Rating/Recommendations: 4.5 out of 5; Recommended to anyone who enjoys historical fiction

Challenges: New Author Challenge, A-Z Challenge ("K" Title), 100+ Challenge, Historical Fiction Challenge

Guest Post with Linda Wisdom

Hey guys, I'm lucky enough to be able to share a guest post from Linda Wisdom. I just read and reviewed Wicked By Any Other Name that is the newest book in her Hex series so check out my review if you haven't. This is a fun series that I highly recommend so let's see what Ms. Wisdom has to say :)

The Librarian Explains The Trouble With Witches

Whenever Jazz needed to do research she visited The Library and if you who have read the Hex series you know The (long e) Librarian is the one to torment Jazz, guide her to the correct research realm, but also make her work for it. He does the same when Stasi seeks answers in Wicked By Any Other Name and leaves her with more questions than enlightenment.

And now The Librarian has decided it’s time to have a talk with the young witchlings about the dangers of venturing outside the protected magickal realms. But he forgets that maybe some of these witchlings might see it as more of an adventure!

The witchlings sat in a semi-circle around the ornate chair that resembled a throne. But then, the wizard seated in the chair did think of himself as a member of wizard royalty even if his kingdom consisted of many portals and realms that held books, scrolls, papyruses and even stone tablets filled with every form of magick and magickal history known to the supernatural community. And woe be to anyone who dared interfere with The (long e if you please) Librarian who ruled his kingdom with an iron plumed pen. Banishment from The Library was one of his favorite punishments.

The short bodied wizard wore old-fashioned bottle green colored knee britches, a faded waistcoat over a linen shirt the color of old parchment and a bottle green long tailed coat. Narrowed black eyes peered at the witchlings over the rim of
ancient half-spectacles perched on his beaklike nose, while his thinning brown hair was fashioned in a neat comb over.

“As you mature and gain full use of your magickal gifts, you must always consider your behavior,” he spoke in a rusty voice. After all, why speak when you can better use your time reading? “ There are those who haven’t carried themselves with the poise and grace your kind are known for and as such, they were banished to the earthly realm for the past 700 years.”

“The class of 1313,” one dark-haired witchling piped up. “But they have all had such rich lives.” She didn’t cower under The Librarian’s censuring look and the wizard knew she would cause trouble in decades to come.

“And they have had much trouble they could have avoided,” he said. “Such as Anastasia Romanov, Stasi,” his nose wrinkled with distaste. “She was one of the Witches Academy shining jewels and she chose to follow her classmates into banishment and ultimately living in a small town that offers little in magicakal enrichment.” He placed his fingers together steeple fashion and sat back in the chair, enjoying the rapt attention the young girls gave him. “By consorting withumans she was threatened with a lawsuit in Wizards’ Court and treated as a pariah among those she walked with. She was a shopkeeper.” His upper lip curled. “

“And a handsome wizard named Trevor Barnes walked into her shop and saw red hearts over her head, the same over his head that meant that they were soulmates,” another sighed. “

“Yes, well.” Clearly not something the prissy wizard cared to think about. “But she had taken care of the lake in her town and that was harmed by magick. She had been accused of interfering with a human’s marriage, and she learned that many did not see her as anything other than a creature of the dark arts.”

“But she wasn’t!” a student protested. “She only wanted women to be happy with themselves. It was wrong of them to see her as evil. To treat her so shabbily.”

“And that is what happens when you interact with others who have no idea of what you truly are,” he instructed. “Anastasia – there was no way The Librarian would use her nickname – was reminded of her time in Olde Salem during the Witch Trials and she fought many battles during a time when the veils of the realms were the thinnest. When Samhain connected with Mercury Retrograde and a lunar eclipse. When ghosts could not understand troubles in their own realms and modern conveniences proved to be useless as the snow fell on their town and took out power.” He glanced at the torches burning along the walls and candles on his worktable. “Some things are best left alone. In order to understand what can happen to you among humans you must study those who have walked among them. Anastasia and others have been among them for 700 years and while they may have performed their share of good deeds along the way, they also have created trouble that has only added to their banishment.”

“But they’re allowed here in The Library,” one witchling inserted. “I have seen Jazz, Griet,” she quickly amended under his glare, “and Blair, ur, Eilidh, and others from that class.”

“Yes, well, Eurydice,” he named the headmistress of the Witches Academy along with being the head of the Witches Council, “has deemed they be allowed to come here. Naturally, I make sure they follow all the rules.” A scroll that appeared to weigh a least 1000 pounds suddenly appeared then plopped itself on his desk.

The witchlings stared at the scroll of rules and fervently hoped they wouldn’t have to memorize them all. The Librarian is well known for inventive punishments if you break one of his ironclad rules.

“But Stasi is happy now,” the dark haired witchling reminded him. “Isn’t that what counts?”

The Librarian sniffed. “Perhaps you need to study more of our history as you help dust the shelves.” He smiled at the memory of that particular realm being miles long.

What about you? Would you prefer to stay in a safe orderly world such as The Librarian’s or would you rather venture out into the outside world as Stasi did even if her time there includes danger and the threat of her world never being the same again?

Linda

Thanks so much Linda for sharing this with us! I've gotta say that I would want to venture into the outside world myself but of course I've read the series and think it sounds like fun. LOL! If you haven't checked this series out yet then pick up 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover. And many thanks to Linda for sharing this and taking the time to post here.

Wicked By Any Other Name by Linda Wisdom

Wicked By Any Other Name introduces us to Stasi Romanov and her best friend Blair Fitzpatrick. Stasi is being sued in wizard's court by a vindictive customer who says that she ruined her marriage. Then Stasi meets Trevor Barnes, the wizard she will be going up against in court, and realizes that there is a lot more important things that she needs to worry about including the little red hearts over Trevor's head.

Wicked By Any Other Name is a continuation of Wisdom's Hex series and a great addition. Although the previous two books focused on Jazz Tremaine, in this one the focus is on Stasi and it was a great change of pace. I was happy to see that Jazz was still a part of the book and loved seeing all of the old characters from the previous book. The characters are one of the things that makes Wisdom's books so fun and such good books. I love all of them and they are all different and original in their own way. My newest favorite character was Horace the gargoyle, and I hope that she continues to keep him in future books. He was a hoot to read about and you couldn't help but like him.

Trevor and Stasi had a really great chemistry and I was rooting for them the entire way. I loved the red hearts idea and while I don't want to go into it further as to avoid spoilers, it was fun to read about. The tie in to the Salem witch trials was a great idea and I was hooked with this book. All in all, a great read and addition to this series.

My Rating/Recommendations: 4 out of 5; Recommended to paranormal romance lovers but start at the first book!

Challenges: 2nds Challenge, 100+ Challenge, A-Z Challenge ("W" Author), Romance Reading Challenge

**Thanks to Danielle at Sourcebooks for sending me such an enjoyable read! Be on the lookout for a guest post from Linda Wisdom tomorrow :)

The Sunday Salon- February Wrap-up

I'm happy to say that February was a great month of reading for me and as of right now I am on track to hit 100 books this year. I know my reading will slow down in the summer time but for now I am enjoying the colder weather. Although I am about done with the snow :) Anyways, this month I read:

• Fatal February by Barbara Levenson- This was so-so for me...on one hand I enjoyed the mystery and the main character but I did have some issues with other parts of the story. I ended up liking it but not loving it.


• Ramses, Volume I: Son of Light by Christian Jacq- I've been wanting to read historical fiction this year and this was a perfect example of why. I LOVED this book and be on the lookout for a review of it this week at some point.


• Heartstopper by Joy Fielding- Another good thriller from Mrs. Fielding! I'll be looking up her backlist and reading the other books that she has written.


• The Kingmaking by Helen Hollick- I was sent this book to review and I'm so glad that I had the chance to read it. I'll be sharing a guest post on March 5th as well as my review so be on the lookout for it. Great read!


• Wicked By Any Other Name by Linda Wisdom- If you remember back, I read and reviewed Hex Appeal by this author and enjoyed it. This is the next in the series and was just as enjoyable as the previous one that I had read. I HAVE to get the 1st book in this series and read it ASAP!


• Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen- What a fun read! I read this for a bunch of challenges and am definitely going to be continuing on with this series.


• Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn- This was a reread for me but a great start to this series. I will be reviewing and participating in a blog tour for this series so expect to see this review sometime this week as well. BTW-how do you incorporate YouTube videos into your posts? If someone could comment and let me know that would be great!

So that is it for me. I'm currently reading In The Woods by Tana French which is number 18 for the year. I'm not very far into it but I do like it so far. I'm also working on America and the Age of Genocide. I've learned so much from this book already! I'm behind in reviews as always (I've only reviewed one book for the month of February) but I am determined to catch up. I've also joined the 1% Well Read Challenge and Orbis Terrarum Challenge which is craziness but I'm excited! I'll be by to see all of your posts later today...happy reading :)

Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

What is it with so many books having two guys chasing after the same girl? On the risk of going off on a bit of a tangent rather than reviewing this book, I have to say that it is becoming quite common. I mean Jacob and Edward in the Twilight books, Adam and Samuel in this series, Ranger and Joe in the Plum series (I haven't gotten to that point in this series but have heard about it) and I'm sure there are more out there. Quite the dilemma for the heroine. I suppose it is the idea of two guys fighting over the girl that is appealing but anyways before I get off track... :)

Give a brief summary:

In the 2nd installment in the Mercy Thompson series, Mercy helps Stefan out and gets herself into a worldwind of trouble. Now she is dealing with sorcerors, demons, vampires, and werewolves and has her hands full. Plus, she is still trying to sort out her feelings between Adam and Samuel.

Likes?

Everything about this book and this series so far. Mercy's character is unique and likeable and I love that she is so headstrong. The world that Briggs creates draws me in and I get lost within the book. I love the chemistry between Adam and Mercy and am hoping that they eventually find each other. I also enjoy all of the other elements that Briggs includes within these novels including the fae, vampires, and other things that go bump in the night. This story was fast-paced and intense with a bit of edge to it that kept me turning the pages as fast as I could.

Dislikes?

None. Other than I am ready for some resolution between the Adam-Samuel-Mercy triangle that is going on. But it doesn't detract from the story in the least in my opinion so I can't really count that as a dislike. I just want to know which guy she chooses! Chalk it up to my impatience but it will be one of the reasons why I pick up the next book sooner rather than later.

Additional thoughts?

Hmmm...give this series a try! It is a great start if you haven't tried any urban fantasy in my opinion and might get you more interested in this genre. All in all, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the 3rd book in this series. I'm liking this series so much that I might have to buy copies for my keeper shelf (which is rare for me).

My Rating/Recommendations: 4.5 out of 5; Recommended to urban fantasy and paranormal romance fans!

Challenges: Support Library Challenge, 100+ Book Challenge, 2nds Challenge, A-Z Challenge ("B" Author)

Library Loot- February 26th

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and Alessandra that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post any time during the week-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky. And of course check out what other participants are getting from the library.

I really didn't go to the library this week other to pick up the books that came in for me. America and the Age of Genocide came back in so I'm back to reading that along with another book. I've gotten myself a bit overextended between review and library books so I might try going to the library less in the next couple of weeks. I am not sure if that will work but we'll see. I just have so many good books that I really want to read and not enough time in the day to get to them all. From the library this week came:

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah- I've been wanting to read this one for awhile now and finally got around to requesting it.

Heat Stroke by Rachel Caine- I read and enjoyed the 1st book in this series so I'm hoping that this one is just as good ;)

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga- This is for the Book Awards II and Orbis Terrarum Challenge.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld- I've been wanting to read this one for awhile now so I finally took the time to request it.

That's my loot for this week. Blogger is doing funny things with my pictures and the spacing so sorry for reposting this so many times. Let me know if you've read any of these and what you thought. Happy reading :)

Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris

Give a brief summary of the book:

Harper and Tolliver are back and this time Harper is showing her skills off to a college professor and his class. While it is obvious that the professor believes that Harper is a fraud, as only he has seen the secret records of how every person in the cemetary has died there isn't much he can say to discredit her especially when she finds an unexpected body. Before Harper and Tolliver know it they are caught up in the midst of another mystery with some clients from their past.

Likes?

Hmm...I liked everything about this book. It was nice to get back to Harper and Tolliver and once again I found myself caught up in the mystery. Their relationship shifted a bit in this book which has made me more interested in seeing how the rest of the series turns out. I enjoy Harper's character and can't help but root for her. Charlaine Harris writes with such fluidity that I find myself carried on in her stories and before I know it the book is already finished. Seriously, I flew through this one :)

Dislikes?

I can't say that I have any serious qualms with this series so far. I'm still a little bit weirded out by Tolliver and Harper's relationship but I think that is more from the fact that they haven't figured it out yet. I'll be interested in seeing the direction that Harris takes with this and personally I'm not sure which way I want it to go. LOL! I'm a bit wishy-washy on it.

Additional Thoughts:

The only thing that I want to add is that I obviously need to get going on the Sookie series if I am enjoying this one so much. I will definitely be picking up the 3rd book in this series and am planning on reading Harris' other mystery series as well.

My Rating/Recommendations: 4 out of 5; Recommended to mystery lovers but start with the 1st in this series

Challenges: Support Library Challenge, 100+ Book Challenge, A-Z Challenge ("G" Title)

**I've decided to use this format for books in series...I find it is hard to review them without giving away spoilers and this makes it easier :)

The Sunday Salon- Imitation In Death by J.D. Robb

Good morning everyone! I hope everyone is warm and cozy wherever they are. We just got a few more inches of snow here and it feels like winter may never end. That being said, yesterday was a perfect day to curl up with a book and that is just what I did. I gulped down New Moon by Stephanie Meyer and found that it was the perfect way to spend the day (aside from cleaning which couldn't be ignored). I also finished The Kingmaking by Helen Hollick this week and absolutely LOVED it! I'm excited to have found this new author and am looking forward to reading the other two books in this trilogy. I've picked up Wicked By Any Other Name by Linda Wisdom as my next read and am excited to begin it. Oh yeah, America and the Age of Genocide came back in from the library so I'm back to reading that as well. Yay! Well, that's my reading news for the week so on to the review:

Imitation In Death is a continuation of the In Death series featuring Eve Dallas and her husband Roarke. In this novel, Eve is dealing with a killer who imitates famous serial killers like Jack the Ripper. The killer leaves a note on the body of his first victim addressed to Dallas, and just like that Eve is caught up in a new case.

I really enjoyed this book and find that for me this series just gets stronger and better. I love the characters and their relationships with one another which is what makes this series for me. They grow from book to book and it is fun to see it. Eve is prickly and difficult but I just love her as the main character. And the ending of this book was great! I'm so excited to see how this changes or affects Peabody and Eve's relationship or if it doesn't change it at all. Of course, I love this series but if you haven't read it yet then give it a try!

My Rating/Recommendations: 4 out of 5; Recommended to those who enjoy mysteries, romance, and lots of character growth
Challenges: 100+ Book Challenge, Support Your Library Challenge, A-Z Challenge ("R" Author)

Call of the Highland Moon by Kendra Leigh Castle

If you all remember awhile back I got the chance to read Dark Highland Moon by this author and absolutely loved it. I was in the mood for a good romance and it fit the bill for me. Unfortunately, it was the 2nd book in this series and so I added the first one to my TBR list to go back to. I ended up requesting this one from the library when I realized I was craving another romance and happily this didn't disappoint.

Let's begin with a bit about the book: Gideon (a werewolf) has run to America trying to get his head on straight and learn to be the future leader of his pack. He is looking for something more but isn't sure what that is. Gideon has just decided to go back home and accept his responsibilities when he is attacked by a group of werewolves. Carly finds him in his wolf form on her doorstep wounded and brings what she thinks is a very large dog home with her. And the story begins...

I will admit that I am a sucker for a well-laid out romance once in awhile and this author can write one. I was hooked from the first page and barely put the book down unless I absolutely had too :) I loved the romance and chemistry between Carly and Gideon and couldn't get enough of their story. I wasn't sure how it was going to work between the two of them but the author pulled it all together in the end for me. The ending made the book for me and although I can't sure for sake of spoilers suffice it to say that it was awesome! I love the mix of paranormal and romance in this series and am so glad that I found out about this author. I would highly recommend this book to those who enjoy paranormal romances and of course the 2nd book as well.

My Rating/Recommendations: 4.5 out of 5; Recommended to readers of romance and paranormal romances (highly recommended!)
Challenges: Support Library Challenge, 100+ Book Challenge, 1st in a Series Challenge, Romance Reading Challenge

P.S.- I was lucky enough to score an ARC of the 3rd book in this series and am dying to read it! I'll wait till closer to the publishing date though and I think that I will reread the 2nd book while I'm at it :)