The Moon Sister: Blog Tour and Review

The Moon Sister  by Lucinda Riley is the fifth novel in the Seven Sisters series.  I reviewed The Pearl Sister which was the fourth book on this blog here.  I was delighted to be again selected for the blog tour by Atria, the publisher.  I received a review copy from them via Net Galley.  This post includes my  review.

ABOUT THE MOON SISTER:

Tiggy D’Aplièse spends her days experiencing the raw beauty of the Scottish Highlands doing a job she loves at a deer sanctuary. But when the sanctuary is forced to close, she is offered a job as a wildlife consultant on the vast and isolated estate of the elusive and troubled laird, Charlie Kinnaird. She has no idea that the move will not only irrevocably alter her future, but also bring her face-to-face with her past.

At the estate, she meets Chilly, an elderly Romani man who fled from Spain seventy years before. He tells her that not only does she possess a sixth sense passed down from her ancestors, but it was foretold long ago that he would be the one to send her back home…

In 1912, in the poor Romani community outside the city walls of Granada, Lucía Amaya-Albaycin is born. Destined to be the greatest flamenco dancer of her generation—and named La Candela, due to the inner flame that burns through her when she dances— Lucía is whisked away by her ambitious and talented guitarist father at the tender age of ten to dance in the flamenco bars of Barcelona. Her mother is devastated by the loss of her daughter and as civil war threatens in Spain, tragedy strikes the rest of her family. Now in Madrid, Lucía and her troupe of dancers are forced to flee for their lives, their journey taking them far across the water to South America and eventually, to North America and New York—Lucía’s long-held dream. But to pursue it, she must choose between her passion for her career and the man she adores.

Featuring Lucinda Riley’s “addictive storytelling with a moving, emotional heart” (Dinah Jeffries), THE MOON SISTER follows these two women bound across time and distance on their journey to discover their true futures—but at the risk of potentially losing the men they had hoped to build futures with.

                                

                              

My Review

I've wanted to read this book ever since I first saw the summary. I loved both female protagonists of this dual period novel.

I admire those who like Tiggy are dedicated to preserving threatened animals and their habitats.  Tiggy also faced down sexual harassment and numerous revelations that impacted her sense of identity when she discovered her Romani birth family in Spain.  Yet she remained focused on her vocation to protect animals. She has been criticized in a Goodreads review for not being a consistent vegan.  A vegan once told me that dairy foods were the most difficult animal products for her to give up, and that she struggled with eliminating dairy for years.  Even principled vegans may have difficulties. Becoming  a vegan can be a process.  I feel that Tiggy is a strong woman who always remained true to the central core of herself throughout the novel.

I've had a love of flamenco dancing and a fascination with the trance state called duende ever since I first learned about its existence in the Highlander: The Series episode Duende. This is why I identified with Lucia's dedication to flamenco.  I felt that her strengths lay in being loyal to her gift and to family.

I thought that The Moon Sister was a moving portrayal of these memorable characters.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lucinda Riley is the New York Times bestselling author of over twenty novels, including The Orchid House, The Girl on the Cliff, and the Seven Sisters series. Her books have sold more than fifteen million copies in over thirty languages globally. She was born in Ireland and divides her time between England and West Cork with her husband and four children. Visit her online and learn more about The Seven Sisters series at LucindaRiley.com.

The Pearl Thief

I've read two books by Elizabeth Wein dealing with female pilots, and reviewed one of them on this blog here.  Female pilots are a focus of  this blog. Wein created some memorable women and girls flying planes in  Rose Under Fire  and Black Dove, White Raven.

 I do need to point out that Julie, the central character of The Pearl Thief , isn't a pilot.  She's the spy protagonist of Wein's Code Name Verity which I didn't read because it was written in a way that didn't hold my attention.  There's supposed to be a movie in development.  If this film ever manifests, I suspect I will like it better than the book.

The Pearl Thief  is a prequel about Julie's early life in Scotland.  So why would I want to read the prequel to a book I didn't even like, and why would I think the review should be posted to Flying High Reviews?   You'll have to read my review to find out the answer to these questions, but I'll tell you right now that I did read every wonderful page of The Pearl Thief.

                                   

The main reason why I wanted to read The Pearl Thief is because British Travellers are prominent in the plot.  Travellers are often confused with the Romani who are now believed to have originated in India.  Travellers are native to Britain.  They were also called Tinkers because they mended pots and kettles, but the term Tinker was used as an insult.  Elizabeth Wein serves up intriguing snippets of the history and culture of Travellers in this novel.  I'd love to find out more.
 
Yet this blog is supposed to center on strong female characters.  Are there any in The Pearl Thief ?  You bet! First and foremost is the Traveller girl, Ellen who braves prejudice and abuse whenever she tangles with people in authority.   She's also fiercely loyal to her family.   Another strong female character is Ellen's dog Pinky who also exhibits bravery in the face of any threat to Ellen. Julie is willing to challenge convention by calling Travellers friends and defending them.  She also occasionally dressed in a man's kilt and was mistaken for a boy.

Another reason why I wanted to read this latest book by Wein is that it's a mystery beginning as a missing person case.   I am a fan of the mystery genre and this one involves several surprising twists. So this is an absorbing and well constructed mystery with great characters and a strong statement against prejudice.  I expect this to be one of my best reads of 2017.


                                       
                                   

The King's Mistress by Sandy Blair

Blurb:
The king of Scotland is in a snit. Which means Britt MacKinnon, proud Captain of the King’s Guard, has an onerous task: fetch Alexander’s favorite paramour back to the royal bed—now. Never mind that the crown should be about the business of getting a legitimate heir. Especially since England’s Edward I would love nothing more than to seize an empty Scottish throne. 

When the handsome soldier appears on her doorstep, Geneen Armstrong has to think quickly. Her twin lies abed in her cottage, pregnant with the king’s bastard. If the barren queen learns the truth, the foolish girl’s life won’t be worth a farthing. 

She must somehow transform her graceless, plain-spoken self into her vivacious, talented sister. Then, after the court is convinced she carries no child, use her herbal knowledge to sour the king’s taste for her sister’s company—for good. 

By the time Britt realizes this unusually articulate, ungodly stubborn woman is the wrong woman, tendrils of attraction have already tightened into a bond. A bond that will be tested when the king’s unexpected death puts Scotland’s very destiny at stake—and unleashes an ever-tangling web of court intrigues, secrets…and lies.

My thoughts:

Really like the heroine in this one. She's spunky and a go-getter and also strives to protect those she loves. The hero...nice to come across a strong, sexy knight that isn't establishing his dominance or manliness at every page. He's comfortable in his own skin and an overall good guy. The back and forth banter is fun. The writing itself really placed me back in time and the story is rich in history with fun facts thrown in.

I have some quibbles, however:

The prose was weird and hard to adjust to. Though I respect the author was staying true to Scottish brogue, it was a bit much at times and often I did a double take and had to reread things.

"And who kenned, mayhap she and their bairns might even become a force in bridging the rift twixt Britt and his father."

"As you lust" was another phrase constantly appearing. I got what it meant, but it bugged me as a reader nevertheless.

And some turns in the story didn't make sense to me. WHY would Britt leave her in the queen's chambers knowing the woman wanted her dead?

The scenario when he goes home to his father's to deal with a person I shall not mention because it's a spoiler, the outcome of his visit, the...convenience was...too convenient.

I also felt that with the main story being saving her sister from the queen was over too soon. To me, that was the main plot line and suddenly it was over and we were left with a different, less exciting story.

Lovely characters, however, and a nice escape from modern times. Three bikes. I bought this on Kindle.

Highland Storms by Christina Courtenay

I don't know how this woman does it.. one fabulous historical romance after another and as usual, Courtenay does the male POV wonderfully. And as usual I fell in love with the hero myself. (I'm super picky so this is not a easy feat!)

Highland Storms is a sequel to Trade Winds, but if you haven't read Trade Winds, this could stand alone without major confusion. The hero, Brice, is the son of the couple previously in Trade. He leaves Sweden and heads to Scotland where he has a family home and land and a suspicious landlord, Seton. Seems Seton has been "skimming off the top" and not doing his duties. Brice means to get to the bottom of it. 


Seton is an evil cretin. His crimes may not stop at just thievery when Brice shows up threatening all his plans. He was Marsaili, the lovely housekeeper. Will he stoop to rape or abduction to get her? Marsaili fends him off as well all other suitors, but can she fend off Brice? He does something to her.. (giggling)


What seems like a slow plot in the beginning becomes super exciting in the last half. There's false accusations and arrests, beatings, hidden tunnels, lies revealed, abductions, escapes, and a ship briefly with a docking in Amsterdam. And the best part??? The dog. There's this dog named Liath and his role isn't minimal. The lovable hound even saves the day at point. I absolutely loved this scene! I stayed up till 4am reading this scene. I couldn't put the book down.


And the hero and the heroine must not only survive all that, but come to terms with the fact that they just may love each other.. (They are both hesitant for their own reasons to fall in love...) 


Favorite quote: "Love is when you realise a part of you will die if you can't be with a certain someone. That life isn't worth living if you can't share it with that special person. That you want to kill, with your bare hands, anyone who comes between you."


I wholeheartedly give this five stars, five well deserved stars. I received this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Culloden Spirit by Anita Davison

This is another author I consider myself a fan of... Davison is very talented, draws me right into the story, and has the perfect balance of telling/showing/fiction/history/ and descriptive details. I read her Trencarrow Secret earlier this year and really enjoyed it. I liked the story of Trencarrow more, but I love the heroine in this one even more than in that one. Again, perfect balance. Carrie Gordon is both feminine and proper, but also brave and strong. She loves her gowns and she behaves with manners and propriety, but when push comes to shove, she's not above eavesdropping, fighting off assailants, or running towards burning fires to save her friends.

In the beginning, she comes across as a bit snotty. She doesn't seem to think of much but herself and her immediate comforts. Gradually, with the help of her sister and just plain ole Scottish hospitality, Carrie begins to change. She sees the servants as people with feelings, people who miss their families, have interests. She friends some gypsies that are permitted to stay on her Scottish uncle's land. She also learns about what love really is. It's not being on the arm of the most eligible or richest bachelor... but something else entirely.


But who is she in love with? Is she in love in with the castle ghost who died in the battle of Culloden? Does her heart belong to Duncan, the Culloden heir? OR is the neighboring laird the object of her affection? Is she even seeing a ghost or is it a prank?


All these thoughts are running through Carrie's mind as she unwittingly becomes involved in intrigue. The laird's employees don't like the gypsies residing on the land for some reason.. Accusations of thievery and poaching begin to fly. Hostile words are exchanged between landowners.. and some major action occurs as a result that could very well determine where Carrie's heart lies.


I've neglected, however, to tell what this story is really about. It's about an American girl accompanying her family to Scotland in 1900 in order to rebuild a very old estate. It's on this estate that Carrie may lose her heart or her life. Cause there's some evil at work....


Favorite quotes:


"Ye could store a month's supplies in those sleeves and how do ye move with yer skirt so straight and tight? Ye must waddle like a duck."


"Some men believe a wild woman lurks in every female subconscious."


Five stars and I received a pdf file from the author in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Corrag by Susan Fletcher

This read like one big monologue broken every now and then by a man's letters to his wife. The monologue is narrated by Corrag (her mother's name was Cora and she was called a hag, thus the combo), the heroine of the story. Tho monologue is about geese, witches, her mother, her mare, moss men, pretty much whatever comes to Corrag's mind.


You think this is about the battle of Glencoe and the massacre of the MacDonald clan?

 You are in for a long wait. You must get thru all the monologue I mentioned above till you will learn of the battle in the last quarter or so. And be forewarned: there are no quotation marks. (I have an ARC, but I have a bad feeling it is just one of those books..) It's almost impossible to tell if Corrag is talking to herself, talking to Charles (whom wants to know her story), or just thinking to herself.


Even tho this is an arc, there was a quote in here that I can't resist posting. It may be changed before publication, but here goes: "I know how my talking can be. I was always  for going on and on-for saying so much a person's eyes grow fish-like, and dead."


I couldn't agree more. my eyes grew fish-like and dead while reading this.


But hey, so far, I'm the only one in the world who doesn't love it, so do give it a go and form your own opinion.


I found this article on the internet about the battle of Glencoe more interesting than the book: http://www.thesonsofscotland.co.uk/themassacreofglencoe1692.htm


I won this on Librarything.