Accidental Mother

This is a great book. It's about loss and while that's a deep subject, the book itself isn't too deep, although I did shed a few tears. This is a it's-worth-staying-up-until-2am-to-finish book. Sophie is a successful single woman who is highly committed to her career as a party planner who ends up with 2 young kids that she doesn't really want.

While it's not going to win any awards in literature, it tells a good story and is worth reading.

Sweeping Up Glass

I bought this book at Goodwill, just for its title. I know, I know. You can't judge a book by its cover and that is true for this one. It had potential if the story moved quicker, but it was too slow and boring to continue, so back to Goodwill it goes.

Save Me

Look Again is one of my favorite books, and definitely my favorite from this author. I came across this one and decided to give it a try and it wasn't bad. It was a very quick read and I couldn't put it down. It's a great beach read and doesn't have any depth. It's about a mother who is volunteering as a lunch helper and ends up being involved with something fatal. I can't give details, since the surprises in the book are what makes it one worth reading.

The only real complaint I have against the novel is that it's unrealistic. However, by the time I realized the facts weren't believable, I was hooked and didn't care. Not the best writing but one of those books where it doesn't matter.

Rasputin's Daughter

I now know more than I ever cared to know about Rasputin. This dude was crazy sick. This book is really about Maria, his daughter and his life is seen through her eyes, thankfully, as it lessens the blow of evil.

While this was a good book, readable, well written, organized well, good characters, and interesting, it is very dark and sexually explicit.

The character development is very interesting. I started out really liking Maria when she was naive and didn't know what her father's real character was life. But as soon as she saw some things her father did, but failed to speak up or put a stop to it, I rapidly grew to dislike her. But I still respect her for some things, which is why I continued to read it.

If you are interested in reading about the crazy Rasputin this would be an entertaining book to say the least.

Figures in Silk

The setting for this book is just after the War of the Roses. I have recently read several historical fiction books on or near this era and this one was probably the best. That being said, I did grow weary of the silk industry by the end of the book. And Bennett could have done a better job at being more concise in her descriptions.

The story focuses around the two Lambert daughters who get married off after the war. Jane, who becomes Jane Shore is widely written about in other books in this era, as she becomes the mistress to King Edward IV. It was very interesting getting a new glimpse into her life as a sister and the power she had at court. Isabel became Isabel Claver and married into the silk business. This story line is unique to similar books in the genre, which I enjoyed. Isabel is really the main character in the book, as she unknowingly falls into a relationship with the king's brother, Richard after she is widowed young. The book is full of shady dealings and relationships, which is true to the period. If you like 15th century London books, this is a good one to read!