Review: An Unwilling Accomplice by Charles Todd

#3 HF Challenge

From Goodreads:

World War I Battlefield nurse Bess Crawford’s career is in jeopardy when a murder is committed on her watch, in this absorbing and atmospheric historical mystery from New York Times bestselling author Charles Todd.

 Home on leave, Bess Crawford is asked to accompany a wounded soldier confined to a wheelchair to Buckingham Palace, where he’s to be decorated by the King. The next morning when Bess goes to collect Wilkins, he has vanished. Both the Army and the nursing service hold Bess negligent for losing the war hero, and there will be an inquiry.

Then comes disturbing word from the Shropshire police, complicating the already difficult situation: Wilkins has been spotted, and he’s killed a man. If Bess is to save her own reputation, she must find Wilkins and uncover the truth. But the elusive soldier has disappeared again and even the Shropshire police have lost him. Suddenly, the moral implications of what has happened—that a patient in her charge has committed murder—become more important to Bess than her own future. She’s going to solve this mysterious puzzle, but righting an injustice and saving her honor may just cost Bess her life.

My Thoughts:

Historical mysteries usually never fail to disappoint, but this one had hits and misses.  It's the sixth in a series but that didn't diminish the story.  If anything I would like to go back to the beginning.  I think this one was the inevitable stinker in the series.  Every series has one.

The story takes place during WWI in England, so the historical detail is rich.  The story piqued my interest in researching nursing service during the war.  These women not only carried out extremely difficult tasks, but were saintly, and treated as such.  The uniform commanded respect, and it was given.  Bess was a lovely heroine with a rich background.  She was a delight and I fell for her right away.

The letdown for me was the story/mystery.  Seemed simple enough, but felt like it became complicated yet boring instead of filled with suspense.  Most time was spent driving between villages in England, and it was quite boring for me.  It didn't have the thrill of the chase at all.  Once the punch line came, I was like meh, whatever.  If it wasn't for Bess and the historical aspects, I would have given up.

I also want to pint out, the mood of England during the war.  I think the novel captures it wonderfully.  England lost many of its young men, others were shell shocked, and the populace was beaten.  But those always stood by their men and country.  The English take everything in stride. Keep calm and carry on indeed!

Read for Amy's Historical Fiction Challenge

© Jenny Girl - 2015 "All Rights Reserved"

Mad Men Reading Challenge from Coffee and a Book Chick

I tried to watch Mad Men when it first started and I couldn't get into it.  Not my thing.  However, I can't say no to a reading challenge, so when my friend Natalie from Coffee and a Book Chick said she was doing a challenge with the books that were seen in the series, I said sure why not?  I tried this with LOST and had some success.    So here are the details from Natalie's blog:


The Mad Men Reading Challenge details:

1. ENJOY.
2. Sign up below. If you write an announcement post, link it up.
3. Pick books from the NYPL list here and here and here.
4. Read the book or listen to the audiobook.
5. Write a review.
6. Add the graphic from this post to your write-up.
7. Every time you review a book from the list, add it to the Linky on the designated site: http://themadmenreadingchallenge.blogspot.com/
8. If you select books that weren't read on the Mad Men show, but were published (or were popular) during 1960 - 1968, just make a note of it in your post.
9. Feel free to post about a movie or television show from that time period - the intent of this challenge is to celebrate the time and to say good-by to Mad Men.
10. ENJOY!

As you can see the challenge is very wide open: either books seen on the show or books published during the time period of the show.  Easy peasy, right?

Come and join us!  It should be fun :)

© Jenny Girl - 2015 "All Rights Reserved"

For the King's Favor by Elizabeth Chadwick

#2 HF Challenge Read



From Goodreads:
A captivating story of a mother's love stretched to breaking and a knight determined to rebuild his life with the royal mistress, For the King's Favor is Elizabeth Chadwick at her best. Based on a true story never before told and impeccably researched, this is a testament to the power of sacrifice and the strength of love. 

When Roger Bigod, heir to the powerful earldom of Norfolk, arrives at court to settle an inheritance, he meets Ida de Tosney, young mistress to King Henry II. In Roger, Ida sees a chance for lasting love, but their decision to marry carries an agonizing price. It's a breathtaking novel of making choices, not giving up, and coping with the terrible shifting whims of the king.

My Thoughts:

I have a like not like relationship with Chadwick.  Some of her stories I devour and others, I just put to the side.  This one falls in the really like pile.  Chadwick is historian first when it comes to her writing and For the King's Favor is true to this recipe.

King's Favor tells the story of both Ida and Roger from the beginning: their upbringing, trials and tribulations, and how they came to be at court and eventually find one another.  Luckily Henry II adores Ida and lets her choose her own husband in Roger, after he is finished with her of course. Although to be fair, Henry doesn't appear to be as heinous as most kings are.  In any case, the second half of the book is Ida and Roger's story of love and rebuilding Roger's inheritance as well as staying on Henry's good side.  The time frame is 1150-1183 and this is a very tumultuous time in England.

Once Henry dies, his sons John and Richard the Lionhearted, who loves to go crusade and get himself captured, squabble over the kingdom.   All of which is paid for by their noble subjects, including Roger and Ida.  They manage to weather the storms, have a great relationship, raise wonderful children, and really have the best in life.

Chadwick weaves real historical detail and accuracy into all her novels.  The political machinations, relationships at court, everything is brought to life.  There is some romance but really that is a side note.  Chadwick makes history interesting, and For the King's Favor holds up her tradition of great story telling.

© Jenny Girl - 2015 "All Rights Reserved"

Inspiration Monday: Workout Ideas

Inspiration Monday is hosted by Trish from Love, Laughter and a Touch of Insanity.
I think Trish got side tracked with her two adorable little girls, so there is no link up this week. However, I am posting anyway and encourage you to do the same.   Trish will catch us next time!

My inspiration this week is workout ideas.  It's the beginning of May and whether you want to lose weight, try something new, or just get moving, now is as good a tome as any.  There are plenty of free workout videos on YouTube, but picking one can be challenging.  If you're new to fitness or it's been a while I recommend you start slow.  If you're experienced and looking for something new, I'll give you a harder option later on.

Full disclosure: I work out in the mornings for 30 minutes only.  That's all I can spare.  I also try to walk for 30 minutes at lunch.  Two morning outs of the week I walk the dog, so no workouts those days.  Please don't think I'm some fitness nut because I'm not.  I enjoy it, and feel better when I do it.  I also like variety because I can;t do the same thing day in and day out.  So I use some of the channels i mention below and set up a schedule for myself.  I work out in the basement and drink coffee while doing so.  Oh and water too.

For you newbies or beginners try JessicaSmithTV

She has tons of free videos, she is pleasant, encouraging, and seems real and down to earth.  Her main routine is different types of walking videos, and there is something for everyone.  Jessica has plenty of variety, like yoga, pilates, and barre routines.  You can sign up for her newsletter at her website:
Jessica Smith TV

For 2015 Jessica started the year out with a video series titled Fit in 15.  For four weeks every day was a different 15 video for you to do.  If you had more time, you can do 2 or more.  But if you're just getting back into things you may prefer the shorter workouts first.  She also posts links to other suggested workouts on her site.

I've never had a bad workout on her site and several favorited that I like to go to quickly.

If you're looking for more of a challenge, I recommend Fitness Blender

I recently discovered they have a separate website too, where you can sign up and pay for more personalized or wight loss help.  I stick with their Youtube channel for now.  Their videos do not feature music, so I play some in the background, because I need music in the morning.

Their workouts are pretty tough so I recommend getting in the habit first and then checking out their site.  Even their beginner workouts have me gasping, but that's a good thing.

Both Jessica Smith and Fitness Blender show good form throughout their moves, good pace, are encouraging, and sweating along with you.  It's not pretty people who look pretty the whole time.  You see them struggle too.  They also have videos where they answer questions about fitness, or cardio vs. weights etc.

You can't go wrong with either one, so I hope I have inspired you to give one of them a try!


© Jenny Girl - 2015 "All Rights Reserved"

Inspiration Monday: Zucchini Noodles

Welcome to my inaugural post for Inspiration Mondays created by Trish from Love, Laughter, and a Bit of Insanity.  Basically it's a reworking of her Pin-It and do It challenge without the Pinterest angle.  Every first and third Monday you post about something you created or did, like try a new recipe, a new workout, arts and crafts, anything that inspires you and that may inspire others.
Create your post and then link up at Trishs's place.

For this post I will tell you about my experiment with zucchini noodles.  Yes, these seem to be all the rage, healthier than pasta, and healthier for you.  I will try anything so, I bought 2 zucchinis and julienne peeler and off I went. There is a spiralizer device you can purchase for $30-40, but I figured i would see if I like these noodles first.

First you run the julienne peeler down the zucchini on each side until you hit the seed core.  Place your noodles into a colander and salt them to sweat the water out, otherwise your dish will be watery. I did the colander thing, and then put them on paper towels in a 200 degree oven to really sweat the crap out of them. Afterwards, I squeezed the last remaining drops if water, which was a lot, and decided to cook them.

I thought something tasty for my first time would be a good idea, so I made a garlic and olive oil saute, threw the noodles in a sauteed for a bit.  I adore garlic and olive oil with pasta.  Just in case, I also threw in a splash of tomato sauce.

Well, this is how they turned out:

They look watery but they were not.  The texture was ok, but the taste.....not my thing.  Not my vegetarian friend's thing either.  I rather have my zucchini fried with horseradish sauce on the side.  But hey at least I tried it.  I may try other noodle type things with my peeler, but I'm glad I didn't run out and buy that device.

Have you tried zucchini noodles before?  How did they turn out?  Did you like them?  Have a no fail recipe for me?

Please stop by Trish's blog and see what others are posting about!


© Jenny - 2015 "All Rights Reserved"

A Day in the Life

This event was thought up by Trish at Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity.
Basically we all have crazy days with lots of stuff going on.  Pick a day and write up what you do during that day.

Well here goes then!

6 am alarm goes off; hit snooze
6:15 get out of bed, put on work out clothes,grab coffee and head to basement to workout
6:30 -7 am 15 minute upper body, 15 minute lower body
7 am shower, get dressed, feed the doggie, and off to work!

Today I had an annual doctor appointment, and finally got to work at 10:30.  Grabbed another coffee before going up to my floor.  La Colombe = La good!

10:30 am - Finally at work.  Talk to the hubby, catch up with girlfriend at the office that only comes in once a week, check emails, respond to emails, answer coding questions (may explain in a later post), do second level reviews.  Check in with another manager on workflow issues.
Check out a few Hawaii properties

11:45 am - go out to get a salad with friend from the office

Noon - back to emails and workflow issues.  Approve a training video, clean desk off a bit
1:00 pm - Listen to educational webinar; go through piles of papers while listening, and eating lunch.  Also jot down interesting tidbits.  I actually learned something today!

2:15 pm - My boss stops by to catch up before I'm out for two days; much needed rest.  My boss is awesome.  Seriously, we get along so well, and respect each other greatly.  I work with a bunch of great women which is not easy to find in my field (Health Information Management)

2:30 pm - speak to someone about getting into the coding field
2:45 -3:00 pm - approve job offers for next class of students in my training program at work

3:00-4:30 pm - Update my staff on office stuff and their soon to be working from home status, write up a few performance evaluations, more second level reviews, clean up my desk and out the door!

5:00 pm -6:00 pm - Arrive home, pet the dog, help hubby out with some work questions, get dinner started

6-6:30 pm eat dinner; I will say mac and cheese was involved.  It's all out this week because starting Monday I MUST buckle down with my eating habits.

6:30 - 7:00 pm clean up kitchen, put on comfy clothes, play with the dog (Kona)

7:00 pm- 9:00 pm-Watch Kona get cuddled by her daddy; relax in my recliner, and occasionally knit on a shawl for someone at work.  Tonight it was Person of Interest and iZombie from the DVR.  Also checked Twitter from time to time, and work email.

9:00-9:30 pm - write this post, set up coffee for tomorrow, let dog out to bathroom, and go to bed by 9:30-9:45 pm.  Read for 30 minutes then snuggle to sleep with Kona

My husband is private, so I try not to include him too much of my blog things.  Please know he figures in here too, but like I said he is private and I respect that.

My days fly by at work, and I enjoy my "new" job immensely.  It was just what I needed because I was dying there for a while.  I think a future post will be about my job, and definitely TV shows I watch.  I watch a lot, and I'm probably hesitating because it will blow me away.

So, what's a day in your life like?  Makes you think when you put it on paper.  My life may not be exciting but it's all about perspective :)


© Jenny Girl - 2015 "All Rights Reserved"

Tour Stop and Review: The Witch of Painted Sorrows by MJ Rose

Publication Date: March 17, 2015
Atria Books
Formats: Hardcover, Ebook
Pages: 384

Genre: Historical Mystery

READ AN EXCERPT.

Possession. Power. Passion. International bestselling novelist M.J. Rose creates her most provocative and magical spellbinder yet in this erotic, gothic novel set against the lavish spectacle of 1890s Belle Époque Paris.

Sandrine Salome runs away to her grandmother’s Parisian mansion to escape her dangerous husband, but what she finds is even more menacing. The house, famous for its lavish art collection and elegant salons, is mysteriously closed up. Although her grandmother insits it’s dangerous for Sandrine to visit, she defies her and meets Julien Duplessi, a mesmerizing young architect. Together they explore the hidden night world of Paris, the forbidden occult underground and Sandrine’s deepest desires.

Among the bohemians and the demi-monde, Sandrine discovers her erotic nature as a lover and painter. Then darker influences threaten – her cold and cruel husband is tracking her down and something sinister is taking hold, changing Sandrine, altering her. She’s become possessed by La Lune: A witch, a legend and a sixteenth-century courtesan, who opens up her life to a darkness that may become a gift or a curse.

This is Sandrine’s “wild night of the soul,” her odyssey in the magnificent city of Paris, of art, love and witchery.

My Thoughts:

Ah 1890s Paris! A place in time I would love to travel back to and a great setting for this novel with its elements of spirits, courtesans, art, and passion.  The heroine Sandrine, who comes from a long line of courtesans, flees to Paris to escape a crappy husband and bad situation. She stays with her Grandmother, who is a bit mysterious from time to time, and along the way discovers that she can have a good life for herself, and that in order to do so, she must be strong and overcome some otherworldly challenges.  Otherworldly?  Why yes, because La Lune would like to live on through her most favorite descendant.

I will not reveal any spoilers, but hopefully the above whets your appetite for more.  As usual M.J. Rose is a master at using reincarnation and the sense of smell in her books to evoke changes and push the story along. Her descriptions of everything, the scenes, the food, what the characters smell to invoke memories and action in the story, actually translates over to the reader, at at least it did for me.  The sense of smell plays strongly in all of Rose's books, and for good reason.  Smells or scents invoke memories, and can comfort or sadden people.  While this may sound odd, it totally works in Rose's books and works well.

Overall this book was an enjoyable read with a wee bit of everything: passion, mystery, spiritualism, and romance.  If you haven't read an M.J. Rose book before, then this one would be a good one to start with.


Buy the Book

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iTunes
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About the Author

M.J. Rose grew up in New York City mostly in the labyrinthine galleries of the Metropolitan Museum, the dark tunnels and lush gardens of Central Park and reading her mother’s favorite books before she was allowed.

She is the author of more than a dozen novels, the co-president and founding board member of International Thriller Writers and the founder of the first marketing company for authors: AuthorBuzz.com. She lives in Greenwich, Connecticut. Visit her online at MJRose.com.

Connect with M.J. Rose on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Goodreads.

Sign up for M.J. Rose’s newsletter and get information about new releases, free book downloads, contests, excerpts and more.

Thanks to Amy and Netgalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

© Jenny Girl - 2015 "All Rights Reserved"