HFVBT: Guest Post by M.J. Rose

“When a woman is talking to you, listen to what she says with her eyes.”

            ― Victor Hugo

Excerpt from SEDUCTION - Chapter 37 - Victor to Fantine:
            “When I came upon you, you were looking out to sea, hands pressed together, fingers pointing toward the heavens. The aura of sadness around you was so palpable it was almost visible. By then I’d come to see us as partners in grief, and I think I believed that if I could rescue you from your misery, I would finally find relief as well.”
           

About the Author:

M.J. Rose is the international best selling author of eleven novels and two non-fiction books on marketing. Her fiction and non-fiction has appeared in many magazines and reviews including Oprah Magazine. She has been featured in the New York Times, Newsweek, Time, USA Today and on the Today Show, and NPR radio. Rose graduated from Syracuse University, spent the '80s in advertising, has a commercial in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC and since 2005 has run the first marketing company for authors - Authorbuzz.com. The television series PAST LIFE, was based on Rose's novels in the Renincarnationist series. She is one of the founding board members of Internation

al Thriller Writers and runs the blog- Buzz, Balls & Hype. She is also the co-founder of Peroozal.com and BookTrib.com.

Rose lives in CT with her husband the musician and composer, Doug Scofield, and their very spoiled and often photographed dog, Winka.

For more information on M.J. Rose and her novels, please visit her WEBSITE. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

HFVBT: Review of Seduction

Seduction: A Novel of Suspense By M.J. Rose

Published by Atria Books

To be released on May 7, 2013

384 pages

Historical Fiction

Received from Historical Fiction Virtual Blog Tour in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis: From the author of The Book of Lost Fragrances comes a haunting novel about a grieving woman who discovers the lost journal of novelist Victor Hugo, awakening mystery that spans centuries. In 1843, novelist Victor Hugo’s beloved nineteen-year-old daughter drowned. Ten years later, Hugo began participating in hundreds of séances to reestablish contact with her. In the process, he claimed to have communed with the likes of Plato, Galileo, Shakespeare, Dante, Jesus – and even the Devil himself. Hugo’s transcriptions of these conversations have all been published. Or so it was believed. Recovering from her own losses, mythologist Jac L’Etoile arrives on the Isle of Jersey – where Hugo conducted the séances – hoping to uncover a secret about the island’s Celtic roots. But the man who’s invited her there, a troubled soul named Theo Gaspard, has hopes she’ll help him discover something quite different – Hugo’s lost conversations with someone called the Shadow of the Sepulcher. What follows is an intricately plotted and atmospheric tale of suspense with a spellbinding ghost story at its heart, by one of America’s most gifted and imaginative novelists.

M.J. Rose has written a very interesting story on reincarnation and mythology that will leave wondering about your own past lives. Seduction tells us three stories that are intertwined, and at times, difficult to understand. Overall, I really enjoyed this book but it was a tad disjointed and I didn’t know how everything would be resolved.

The book begins with Victor Hugo and his attempts to connect with his deceased daughter, Didine. I found these scenes to be incredibly spooky. His connection with the Shadow of the Sepulcher gives you chills. Hugo’s pain and struggle dominated his life where nothing else mattered except to communicate with his lost daughter. The Shadow was able to feed off that pain and his temptations to Hugo were so compelling.

Next, we meet Jac and Theo, two very troubled souls; both questioning their sanity. I’ve always enjoy reading about journeys of self-discovery, and Jac’s journey doesn’t disappoint. In the beginning, Jac is skeptical of everything, including past lives. Her journey comes full circle with a very surprising end. I found it fairly interesting how Theo and his family fit into her journey. It took me awhile to figure it out, but I finally did at the end. However, I’m not sure it made sense to me.

Last, and this is where I felt the book lose it focus, is the introduction of the ancient Celtic family of Owain, Gwenore, and Brice. I really didn’t like how this storyline was brought into the book. I think I would have been happier if the focus remained on Hugo and Jac/Theo.

I thought this was a very interesting read. I don’t regret reading it and I would recommend it if you enjoy reincarnation.

HFVBT: Review & Giveaway of The Bruges Tapestry

The Bruges Tapestry by P.A. Staes
Published by CreateSpace
Published on August 29, 2012
254 pages
Historical Fiction
I received this book from Historical Fiction Virtual Blog Tour in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:

Following a 500-year-old mystery concerning a Flemish tapestry is routine work for Detective Claire DeMaer, since she’s employed by the Newport Beach Art Theft Detail. But, unlike past cases, this one involves arresting Paolo Campezzi, lover to her best friend Nora. Mr. Campezzi is a distant descendant of a Florentine Duke, who commissioned the tapestry in 1520 in Bruges, Belgium.

Claire finds that she must explore the true provenance of the tapestry, free Mr. Campezzi in order to re-establish her friendship with Nora and depend on the expertise of a textile expert she doesn’t know. All this must occur in 72 hours, before the Vatican takes the tapestry back.

But Claire isn’t the only one with the Vatican looking over her shoulder. Claire’s story intertwines with a 1520 diary by Beatrice van Hecke, the tapestry-weaver’s daughter. Only Claire can discover the secret that is woven in time.

I found The Bruges Tapestry to be a very engaging story from the very beginning. I loved the story of the tapestry; however, I wish the book focused more on the tapestry rather than the other subplots. The tapestry's story makes a wonderful story all in itself.

The story begins in 1544 with a very distraught girl named Beatrice, the daughter of a tapestry maker. Her story is heartbreaking and it reeks of the abuses of the Catholic Church. To me, Beatrice should have been the main character of this book. She is such a strong young girl for her time and faced tremendous horrors. I wanted to read more about her life. Her story ended much too abruptly.

Next, we meet Claire who I'm not too crazy about. She is an art theft detective in present day. She investigates the alleged (yes, I'm an attorney) theft of the tapestry. I really enjoyed the mystery surrounding the tapestry. Her unraveling of the tapestry's history was so intriguing. It kept me engaged in the book when her life issues bogged me down. I thought Claire's issues with her family and her former lover distracted from the story of the tapestry.

Overall, I enjoyed this book with some distractions. I loved the tapestry and I wanted more. I wanted to know more about Beatrice and her Duke; less about Claire and her issues. This is a fun historical mystery and I think readers will enjoy it.

About the author:

 

 

P.A. Staes is the author of The Bruges Tapestry; the first of the Clare DeMaere series of historical mysteries. To lend veracity to The Bruges Tapestry Ms. Staes traveled to Stirling Castle in Scotland, The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, The Cluny Museum and Gobelin Factory in Paris, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Cloisters to bring alive the rich and romantic world of tapestry. Ms. Staes lives in Southern California with her husband and two dogs.

 

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Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Monday, March 18
Review & Giveaway at Peeking Between the Pages
Tuesday, March 19
Review at Book Lovers Paradise
Review & Giveaway at Unabridged Chick
Wednesday, March 20
Review at Turning the Pages
Guest Post at Book Lovers Paradise
Thursday, March 21
Review & Giveaway at Kinx’s Book Nook
Friday, March 22
Review at A Book Geek
Monday, March 25
Review at A Bookish Affair
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Tuesday, March 26
Review at Ageless Pages Reviews
Wednesday, March 27
Review at Confessions of an Avid Reader
Thursday, March 28
Review at The Book Garden
Interview at The Maiden’s Court
Friday, March 29
Guest Post at Broken Teepee
Tuesday, April 2
Review at A Chick Who Reads
Wednesday, April 3
Guest Post at A Chick Who Reads
Thursday, April 4
Review at Book of Secrets
Review & Giveaway at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
Friday, April 5
Review at Broken Teepee