Get Over The Lies

I cried the other day.

I cried because I couldn't really afford a bottle of nail polish without breaking out a credit card.  It didn't matter that I couldn't actually find the nail polish in question (OPI's Envy the Adventure from their Nutcracker collection), but just the fact that I wanted the nail polish and couldn't get it broke me a little bit.  Which is admittedly ridiculous.

So instead I bought a book.  I can hear you all screaming now:  "You couldn't afford nail polish, why did you buy a book?!?!"  I broke out the credit card for this one.  I was walking through Walmart after I left work on Thanksgiving, feeling really sorry for myself and like I wasn't good enough.  I went for socks, but I ended up walking by the book section and Rachel Hollis' Girl, Wash Your Face was sitting there.  It's been suggested to me before, and I got it.  

I never thought I'd be the person who likes self-help or personal development books, but I've found that they really do help.  They make me think, and sometimes realize that things aren't as bad as they seem to me.  

Girl, Wash Your Face was the book I needed that I didn't know I needed.  Each chapter takes a big "lie" that we tell ourselves, or that we allow ourselves to believe.  Hollis then shares her experience with that lie and what finally made it click that she wanted to change.  That's the big thing.  You can't change your life if you don't WANT to.  Like the "Lie: I'll Start Tomorrow" chapter.  You can say that all you want (I've said it three times this week) but tomorrow will never come if you don't really want it to.  

This book definitely changed how I'm going to approach things.  I'm not going to be perfect, but accepting that is defeating one of the lies itself.  Perfection isn't necessary.

I'll get home from work tonight, wash my face, head to bed, and make tomorrow the best day that it can be!  Or so I tell myself today.

I'd write more, but this book is one you need to read for yourself because your experience will be different from mine.  It all depends on where you are in your life!

#girlwashyourface #theliethetruth #wantit #liveabetterlife #rachelhollis #bewhoyouweremeanttobe #queenvicsbookshelf #readabook #makelistsiswearithelps.

What's Life Without a Little Risk?

Guys, I laughed harder at these books than I have in a long time.  That and one of the boys is a bit of an idiot and makes some REALLY bad choices but hey.  We aren't there yet. 

Autumn Reed first came onto my radar a few years ago when she was writing the Stardust series with Julia Clarke (which is also amazing and I highly recommend).  I was super excited when I saw the first book of the Risking It series pop up, but life took over a little bit and I didn't get a chance to read the books until the third and final book came out.  In a few ways, I'm a bit glad that I did wait.  I read all three books really quickly, like usual, but the first two end on notes that make you want the next book and I'm not known to be the most patient person out there.

Emma has just finished her finals and lets her friend drag her off to a popular club in Vegas at the beginning of Raising the Stakes.  Now, we are in Vegas.  What good would life be without a bit of a gamble?  It's just not Emma doing the gambling.  Nicholas, Shane and Cole, who all meet Emma that night, are the ones who make an unorthodox bet.  Shockingly, I'm sure, I'm not going to tell you what it is.  But needless to say when Emma finds out about it, she's not the happiest camper in the forest.  But boy, oh boy, she is a girl after my own heart and gets those three back.  Leaving them with their jaws on the ground, Emma heads home for the holidays.  Cole follows her there to act as the guys' representative, and Emma forgives them.  Barely. 

In the accurately titled Playing to Win, Emma decides to go the unconventional route and date all three of the guys.  This is a risky gamble because they were all good friends before.  And there there's the question of what to tell everyone?  It's not just the four of them who are affected, but each of their families as well.  As Emma gets in deeper and deeper, she starts to question what brought the four of them together in the first place.  When everything comes to a head, is Emma going to brave enough to play her winning hand?  (Because it is totally a winning hand. I  want these three guys in my life!)

Just as Emma decided to fight for what she wants, the foursome are hit hard at another angle.  Nicholas decides stupidly that he needs to leave to support his sister, but he's sacrificing basically everyone's happiness.  Boy has some issues to work out in Defying the Odds, and it takes a life or death situation for someone Emma loves dearly to pull his head out of his tush and realize what it is that's really important. But Emma is faced with a decision.  Can the stay in her favor so she gets happily every after?

My bet would be yes (but don't take it from me.  I just read the books!)

Anyway.  These were a super quick and super fun read for me.  They were filled with just enough funny moments to balance out the drama, and I would like to claim Xavier as a best friend.  Oh, and can I have Emma's shoe collection?  I'll learn how to walk in heels!!

There are a lot of great things about these books!  For novellas, they have a great amount of character development and backstory.  You aren't just thrown in mid story,  you get all the bits and pieces.  They also don't condense a relationship down into an impossible timeline.  I know that a lot of romance and steamy books have an initial spark moment where things happen quickly and these have that moment in Raising the Stakes, but Emma also takes no shit and makes things move at her pace.  I think there's a lot of books that forget that slight detail that make me not enjoy them as much as I could.  Relationships aren't easy, and in a reverse harem book, you're dealing with multiple types of relationships all at the same time.  I also adore these covers!  They're practically perfect in every way.

Anyway.   Go read a book!  I'm already getting ready for my next caper in book land, and prepping for my 25 days of Holiday Books!  December is going to be a busy month for me!

#readabook #riskingit #playingtowin #raisingthestakes #defyingtheodds #vegas #reverseharem #shoes #shoesgloriousshoes #cactus #queenvicsbookshelf

Quoth the Raven....

Today's post is not about Edgar Allen Poe and his famous Raven, but rather about a conspiracy of ravens and the man who watches over them.  The man is Christopher Skaife, Yeoman Warder of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress The Tower of London, and he has one of the most unique and, quite frankly, amazing jobs that exist.  He is the Ravenmaster of the Tower of London and his charges are the seven ravens who call the  Tower their home.

Legends say that if the ravens leave the Tower, the Tower will crumble and the throne of Britain with it, so the birds are permanent residents of the fortress.  Where this legend came of is unclear as Skaife tells readers in one chapter of his book, but they began their tenure at Tower in the late 1800's.  The Ravenmaster: My Life With the Ravens at the Tower of London is a mixture of Skaife's day as a Yeoman Warder with tours, a day in the life of caring for the Ravens, a history lesson, and a mini biography of the man himself, and it was a quick and very interesting read for me.  I would have read a book twice as long with no complaining.

Skaife's day starts by feeding, watering, caring for and releasing the Ravens, of which their are seven.  In the book, he introduces us to Munin, Merlina, Erin, Rocky, Jubilee II, Gripp II, and Harris, but not included in the book is Raven Poppy, who joined the Tower in May 2018 as a six week old bird.  It makes sense that the book does not include Poppy--it was published in October of this year and therefore would have been at the publishers before Poppy's introduction. 

As he goes about his day, Skaife tells of Merlina's tricksy nature, Munin's black widow nature and crazy adventures, how to care for the birds, how to become a Yeoman Warder (to start you need 22 years of good service in Her Majesty's military, so I'm out.  Drat), some of the typical questions Yeoman Warders' get asked (HINT:  DO NOT ask for the bathroom.  Ask for the toilet.  It's not rude and you'll save some embarrassment.  Speaking from real life experience, not just the book), and funny stories of day to day life. 

Finally, he calls the birds in to bed, one by one, pair by pair, until everyone is settled for the night.  Merlina stays high on the Tower walls, watching over it all.

I've had my own run ins with the Tower ravens, and I've added a couple of those pictures here.  It's Merlina, I think, hanging out with one of the others.  I'm not sure who.  But when I visited in December 2013, I had a fabulous time and I was asking a few questions of one of the Warders--I'm not sure who.  For all I know, it was the Ravenmaster himself. 

I've also included one of my all-time favorite pictures from my semester abroad in my favorite city in the world.

Wallis and Diana

Well, I took a bit of a break there, but I'm really glad to come back to you all with this book here!  You may or may not know, but I am a huge history freak.  I love English and British history (there's a difference), and I'm definitely a monarchist.  My undergraduate thesis, which I want to rewrite because I know that I can do better, was about the power of Queen Elizabeth's ladies in waiting and my master's thesis on American women who married into the British aristocracy and how that changed the makeup of England's upper class.  So I like to think I'm fairly knowledgeable about the subject.

However, I've never found Wallis Simpson or Diana, Princess of Wales to be incredibly sympathetic characters.  That's not to say I don't feel for either of them and their struggles, but, especially in Diana's case, I feel like there's a cult that's risen up around them where we can't say anything bad.  Gill Paul's book, Another Woman's Husband, made me more sympathetic and more interested in learning the full extent of their stories.

I was five years old when Princess Diana was killed in a car accident in Paris.  I remember it,
actually, the news coverage constantly playing on the TV in my grandmother's kitchen, and maybe that is when I formed my opinions of Diana, because my Gran thought she was a spoiled child who couldn't buck up.  I understand more now.  But it is the fateful night of August 31, 1997 that is the opening event of the book.  Rachel and Alex are newly engaged.  Alex is a news reporter and Rachel owns a boutique store with authentic period pieces from the 1920s and 30s back home in England.  They are driving through Paris when their taxi pulls over.  There's been a car accident in the Alma Tunnel just in front of them.  Rachel is disgusted by the paparazzi taking pictures and videos of the event as Alex rushes forward to help how he can, even if it's just to translate.  This is how they learn that the car contained Princess Diana and her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, with their driver and Diana's bodyguard.  Alex finds a bracelet at the scene with a heart locket, engraved on one side with a "J" and a "17" on the other.  As the weeks unfurl, Alex is determined to make a video documentary about the crash, the many conspiracy theories, and who he thinks is responsible.  Rachel is less enthusiastic because she was disgusted with the lack of humanity as a woman lay dying.  Reporters were taking photos rather than trying to help her.  She's dealing with a break in at her shop too, where a good amount of her difficult to replace stock was stolen.  As she's replacing her stock, she is confronted with the mystery of the bracelet, which it seems Diana found or was given at Villa Windsor, the Paris home of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor--The former King, Edward VII and Wallis Simpson.  As Rachel goes about replacing her stock, planning her wedding, and trying to figure out the mystery of the bracelet, she finds more and more pieces of Wallis' life.

Rachel and Alex's story is not the only story in the book. Juxtaposed against them is Mary Kirk, who was once a good friend, if not the best friend, of Wallis from when she was still Bessiewallis Warfield (Wallis is pictured to the left and Mary to the right).  They met at a summer camp for girls,and went to the same finishing school, but Mary reveals a Wallis who, although she acted confident, was not.  Mary's Wallis constantly felt the need to marry someone with more money or more standing so that she could feel secure.  Wallis' first marriage was to Earl Spencer, a Navy Airman who was a drunk.  The book also implies that he was abusive, which would make the already-flighty Wallis nervous.  They divorced in 1927.  Mary was married during the period of Wallis' first marriage, to a man named Jacques Raffray, a French airman.  It was through Mary and Jacques that Wallis met her second husband, Ernest Simpson, a British shipping magnate.  Mary is jealous of their relationship, for she had come to find a bosom companion in Ernest.  Mary's first marriage proved to be as sad as Wallis' for Jacques was also a drinker, likely due to what he saw as a French airman in World War I.  They eventually separated, at which point Mary and Ernest began a relationship in London, ruining Mary's friendship with Wallis

Ernest was put under great pressure not to divorce Wallis during the abdication crisis, but he eventually did.  He gave her the grounds of adultery by taking Mary to a hotel publicly and staying the night with her.  Ernest and Mary married six months after his divorce was finalized, but only three weeks after hers was.  They went on to have one child, a little boy.  Mary never lived to see an October 4, 1941, letter written by Wallis. Rachel found the letter in an outfit that Wallis had worn, saying that she wanted to bury the hatchet and be friends again, but Mary had died two days before the letter was dated of breast cancer. 

Love is a very strong central theme in this books, but not only the love between couples.  Every romantic relationship in this book is strained or breaks at some point, but the bond between friends and family remains strong.  Although Mary and Wallis, for instance, fight and don't speak for the last part of Mary's life, it doesn't mean that they didn't love each other and perhaps, with more time and after the war, they may have reconciled, as people who have been friends and surrogate siblings to each other often do.  I also loved the attention to historical detail, and I learned a lot of small details through this book.  There are clothing designers, as an example, who keep detailed records of all of their clients wardrobe choices and measurements.  I know for someone as internationally important as Wallis Simpson, this may have been to preserve the history, but it seems more like something they did for all of their clients.

I really enjoyed this book, and I'm about to start a reread so that I can catch anything I might have missed.  It's opened my eyes a bit more to two figures--Wallis and Diana, even though we only know Diana through her death and the aftermath--that I had previously dismissed.  It's also a great story, full of drama that will keep you turning to the next page.

I also got caught up in the title, although I didn't realize it for the longest time!  It's actually Another Woman's Husband, which makes perfect sense with Mary's relationship with Ernest (And the fact that Ernest was married to another woman before Wallis, and divorced her to be with Wallis), but my brain was thinking in term's of Wallis, and the idea of her constantly being another man's wife!  Either way, I loved the title, and it fit so perfectly with the book.

#readabook #queenvicsbookshelf #wallissimpson #princessdi #monarchy #England #France #divorce #historicalfiction #anotherwomanshusband

Weddings Are Always Fun

 At the beginning of August, I had surgery.  Knowing I'd be stuck on my couch for a while, I went to my local Barnes and Noble's and found some new books to read.  I picked up Grant Ginder's The People We Hate at the Wedding because I LOVED the title.  I didn't even read the description, I just loved the title.  And as I read the book, I fell in love with the story as well.  It's a great story about family, and each member of the family has their own issues.

The mother of the family is Donna.  Many years ago, she was married to a rich Frenchman named Henrique.  Henrique found, stereotypically, a younger woman and moved on, divorcing Donna and leaving her with a daughter, Eloise.  Eloise lives in London and is getting married, but thanks to her rich father, had a privileged, private school upbringing.  Eloise's younger brother, Paul, in particular despises Eloise for being "better" than himself.  Paul also hates his mother, Donna, for erasing his father after the man died.  Little does he know.  Missing from the story is Alice, Donna's second daughter. 

The family has complicated relationships, to say the least.  I can definitely relate because my family relationships are complicated as well.  For instance, Alice.  Alice once lived in Mexico City working for a film firm, and living an amazing life.  Even when she got pregnant, her life seemed pretty good.  But then she miscarried, and it created a hole in her life.  She ended up moving home, and has filled that hole in a job she hates sleeping with her married boss.  Then Paul.  Paul is in a relationship with a man who, even from what we see from Paul's chapters, doesn't care.  When we get to Paul's boyfriend, Mark's chapters... I wanted to punch him myself.  Paul also hates his job, and that goes out with a bang.  Paul doesn't want to go to Eloise's wedding, and refuses until he leaves his job.  And Eloise.  I actually really like Eloise.  We don't meet her until about two thirds of the way through the book, once Alice, Donna, and Paul have made their way to London.  Eloise has her own pains from her life, but she truly wants a closer relationship with her siblings and her mother.

The way the lives of everyone in this book come together and are changed by a wedding are amazing.  They go into the wedding truly not liking or understanding each other, but by the time Eloise walks down the aisle, you can see the beginning of real healing starting.  Paul learns a secret that was kept from him, and sees his mother in a different light.  Donna's demons beaten when the truth comes out.  Alice regains some self worth and makes positive changes in her life, and Eloise gets to start rebuilding bridges. 

I'll admit that when I first started reading the book, I had trouble getting into it.  But I'm mostly blaming the fact that for almost three weeks I could lay my head back and fall asleep.  Once I really started reading, I was upset when I had to put the book down to do something like work.  But to feed my book addiction, I do need to work.  I can't wait to read this book again and find all the little pieces that I missed the first time around!

Grant Ginder lives, according to his Wikipedia page, in Laguna Beach, California, and I'm a little jealous.  He's published two other novels, This is How it Starts, and Driver's Education, both of whih are now on my To Be Read list.  (Is this where I admit that my To Be Read list is several thousand books long?)  I definitely suggest reading this one, if only to find out how Paul loses his job.  It's worth it for that scene alone.  I laughed so hard. 

#thepeoplewehateatthewedding #grantginder #family #weddings #thecoverwasblueithink

You Can Guard Me Any Day, Aiden.....

Okay I'm back!  I know that I keep saying I'm coming back and then I disappear again, but it's been a bit of a crazy month.  I had a surgery that I have had planned get scheduled much earlier than I planned, so the last few weeks have been an insane tizzy of getting ready for that.  However, I got this, and all is good.

I'm back, and so is my beloved Kathleen Brooks with the latest installment of the Forever Bluegrass series, Forever Guarded.  Now, the few books have left the family of Tammy and Pierce Davies in a strange spot.  Namely, fifty two year old Tammy is pregnant with her fifth child, who is, needless to say, a bit of a surprise.  That doesn't stop love!

Tammy and Pierce's eldest child is the nanotechnology genius, Dr. Piper Davies.  Now, Piper reminds me a lot of me.  She doesn't like to be the center of attention, and she doesn't like other people disrupting their lives for her.  So of all my Kathleen Brooks heroines, Piper is the one I identify with the most, which has made this book very close to my heart.  I have my favorite stories and story lines (Forever Hidden will be a forever favorite), but Piper is me.

Piper's newest creation is in the world viral nanotechnology.  She's created FAVOR, which is intended to stop the spread of viral pandemics.  Unfortunately, right at the moment, FAVOR needs a little tweaking as it is more likely to CAUSE a viral pandemic than save the world.  Ooooopsie.  This would be fine, Piper is more than brilliant enough to figure out how to solve the problem, but she's a little stressed out.  It would seem that someone has found out about the super secret FAVOR project and wants it in its cause-a-pandemic form.  This someone, later identified as Phobos, is stalking and threatening Piper. 

After a break in and attempted kidnapping/murder/I'm not sure but the bad guy DID get beaten up, Piper's cat is out of the bag.  All eyes turn to her, which causes a few panic attacks.  Including one that has badass Nash backing up and letting a newbie but a sweetie police officer deal with the tears.  Clearly the man has dealt with a crying woman before.  (Kathleen, can we see more of Officer Edsel?)  Nash escorts Piper back to Keeneston, by helicopter, and everyone ends up racing over.  And the Davies cousins flee as a very pregnant pixie, Tammy, comes racing to her daughter's side.  Piper recognizes that she needs protection, but refuses to put anyone she knows in danger (except for maybe her brother Dylan).  Tammy, of course, calls Dylan, WHO ANSWERS HIS MOTHER'S PHONE CALL IN THE MIDDLE OF A GUN BATTLE.  This one was shared in a tease from Kathleen, so I don't feel bad at all sharing it with y'all here.

Dylan became hot for me in that moment.  I don't know why, but I just don't swoon over him and Jackson the same way other members of the Cafe do.....  Anyway.

Eventually, Aiden Creed, a former SAS operative with a snazzy British accent that I LOVE and I haven't even heard in person yet, agrees to be her bodyguard and hops the pond.  Just before he gets there, however, Piper is attacked AGAIN, but Walker comes to the rescue.  Aiden is panty-melting, okay?  I love him already, and he is fascinated by Piper, even if he doesn't completely understand what she's talking about when she pulls out all the science.  It's wonderful.  Does he have a brother?  I'm single!  But Aiden is instantly attracted to Piper, and it really is wonderful.  He tries to keep it together, but eventually realizes that he can't protect Piper because he's emotionally compromised, so he's a smart boy and calls in someone new. At that point, Piper and Aiden have left Kentucky in an effort to keep Piper safe, and are in Rahmi, where we get an update from Prince Jamal!

I was super happy to see this update from Jamal and his wife, Nailah, because it showed to me that Jamal really learned a good lesson back in Forever Betrayed.  He dated his wife, and they fell in love.  It's truly wonderful.  Also, GO DIRAR FOR BEING AWESOME.  (You'll know what I'm talking about when you get there).

But Piper is kidnapped in Rahmi.  She manages to save herself and gets herself to another character we know and love, KING DRAVEN.  Oh, Draven.  He's the same Draven we know who acts like he is COVERED in sexcapades, but I know a secret!!  When Dylan sneaks into Draven's palace to rescue Piper, the most hilarious knife/his royal member dildo fight ensues.  I have never laughed so hard in my life.  Ends with a great line from Draven when he gestures to the dildo that is made from a mold of his royal member and says that they (Dylan and Aiden) know he's circumcised already.  I DIED. 

Anyway.  Phobos becomes a real jerk and TIES UP A WOMAN WHO IS NINE MONTHS PREGNANT WHAT THE HELL DUDE?!?!?!  He threatens Piper again, but this time, a plan is formed.  See, Piper has this wonderful little airborne virus that makes you expel waste through both ends in misery for forty eight hours before your internal organs start eating each other.  Its the perfect way to break in and save Tammy (and Pierce, but if he says Tammy is too old to have a baby one more time......).  There's a real moment here where I thought there was going to be parrot stew. 

It obviously ends happily.  I don't want to give it away, but it was a great ending.

So why did I love this book so much?  Well, A. as discussed, Piper is me, except insert obscure history for nanotech.  B.  I absolutely LOVED that we got to check in with some characters that we may not have seen in a while.  C.  We have TWO new babies, and THREE pregnancies announced, although we only know the parents in one case. 

I also loved this book because it was a bit different from the others.  Piper's father isn't a spy or a former Special Forces badass.  He's a scientist.  So Piper doesn't have the crazy training like the other Davies cousins.  She can't kill someone with a spoon.  But she does her best, and she wants to protect her family, just like everyone else.  She's a badass in her world, but not a physical one.  And feeling like she's let everyone down by not being perfect?  Oooof.  I know that feeling.

So what's up next for Keeneston?

Next we venture down to Shadow's Landing in South Carolina to spend some time with the Davies' Faulkner cousins.  I'm intereseted to learn more about them, starting with Gavin in Saving Shadows this October. 

After that we have Forever Notorious, a book that I know everyone has been waiting for.  It's the story of Abby Mueez, Ahmed's daughter.  I know what I'm hoping for in that book, but we have to wait until hopefully January, according to Kathleen. 

#broomspoonandskilletwanted #blossomcafe #keenestonismyhome #theroyalmember #placeyourbets #queenvicsbookshelf #bluegrass #kathleenbrooks

What is Your Deepest Sin?

I'm getting back into the swing of things!  Here's the first book of one of my favorite paranormal series.  I just did a re read too, in preparation for the start of a new series by the same author in just a few months!

Jeaniene Frost's heroine in the Night Prince series, which starts with Once Burned, is pretty awesome.  She's snarky, which I love, and she brings a legend to his knees.  Leila Dalton, known as Frankie to many, knows your deepest sin with a single touch of her hand, thanks to a childhood accident.  Beyond this power, she can link to an individual and track where they are in the present.  This makes her exceptionally special to some vampires who are searching for a foe of theirs.  This foe is particularly powerful as a vampire because he is old, vicious, and can set things on fire with a thought.  Oh, and he's Vlad the Impaler.

Leila links to Vlad and, not knowing who he is at the time, obtains his help in escaping the group hunting him, as they've kidnapped her.  When Vlad comes sweeping in, he and Leila start a strange connection that grows.  A ramification of Leila's accident was that she is fatally charged with electricity, but Vlad's fire starting abilities make him immune to Leila's power.  Vlad knows that the men who searched for him through Leila are not working alone, and he plans to use her power to hunt down the puppet master who is hunting him.  He whisks her from Florida to his home in Romania, and the search is on.

As it turns out, the man hunting Vlad is someone that he has long thought dead, and whose name I couldn't pronounce if I tried.  Mihaly Szilagyi was a contemporary of Vlad's, and boy is there some history between them.  As the hunt continues, Vlad and Leila are, predictably as they are the heroes of the book, drawn to each other.  Their relationship is not an easy one, of course.  Leila was, before Vlad, unable to really touch anyone, vampire included, because she could kill them, so she's pretty new to the relationship game.  Vlad, on the other hand, is a medieval warlord who has been burned by love in the past.  There is going to be a few issues, particularly when Leila wants to help hunt down the man threatening her and her only remaining family members.  Vlad is violently opposed to this and does his best to keep her protected behind stone walls.  He doesn't succeed.  I'll let you read the book to discover what happens when Leila gets loose!

One of the things that I really love about this book and this series is that it dispels some of the Dracula myths, and tells you some of the real history of the character.  Vlad the Impaler was the third of his name to rule Wallachia, province in Romania.  He had two wives and three children.  He did have a tendency to stick people on poles, but hey, it worked as a scare tactic!  Something that many people don't know however is that Vlad and his brother, Radu, were both prisoners of the Ottoman empire as children, where they likely suffered horrible abuse.  This was with their father's knowledge and consent, so it likely left a few scars that made him so vicious later in life. 

I love books that bring historical figures to life, and this series gets better with each book.

Nothing Says Love Like Getting Chased Through the Woods

Wow.  It's been a while since I've written, and I apologize.  I've had a rough couple of months, but I think I'm right back on track now.

I mean, I'm late on writing about the newest Keeneston book, so that says something right there!!  Back on the saddle, though!

Back on May 8th, Kathleen Brooks gifted us with Forever Hunted, book nine in the Forever Bluegrass series.  NINE, guys!  It's wonderful.  And book ten will be out on July 31st!!  I think that's the shortest time we've had between books.  I, for one, am SUPER excited, but first.

We've known for a few books now that Reagan Davies has been dating someone in secret. I can't say I blame her, her father is a jot overprotective.  He bugs her phone, scares her dates, etc., so she kept this relationship secret for SIXTEEN MONTHS which, considering Keeneston, is impressive.  However, at the end of book 8, Forever Devoted, we found out who Rea has been dating.

Carter Ashton.  Nice guy, horse racing farm owner, Carter Ashton.

Forever Hunted opens with a lovely opening salvo of Cy Davies diving over a table to get to the man kissing his baby girl.  It's wonderful.  I thought I wouldn't laugh so hard for the rest of the book, but I was wrong and I did, but I'll get there.

This book goes back and shows snippets of Rae and Carter's relationship over the last sixteen months, which I kind of have a love/hate relationship with.  I like that we got to see what happened, how the fell in love, how absofreakinglutely sweet Carter can be, but at the same time, I wanted to get on with the story after the town knows!  But anyway.  Cy is not happy, which causes a bit of a rift between Cy and the Ashtons, Will and Kenna.  However it is pregnant big sis Sienna who manages to make Cy see a bit of reason when she punches him in the nose.  See, Carter isn't really a "badass" the way some of the other sons-in-law are.  I mean, they consist of a badass security expert from Rahmi, a former Navy SEAL, and an FBI agent to name a few.  But Carter is amazing in his own way.

After the wedding, Rae and Carter are flying a horse, Miss Mambo, her owner, and the owner's boyfriend down to Florida when the owner's boyfriend, Mick, turns out to be a despicable person who wants to kill his girlfriend and her horse--and all witnesses--for some insurance money.  Not. Cool.  Needless to say, he doesn't succeed.  During a plane crash, several people end up dead, but importantly Miss Mambo, Carter and Rae, and Mick all get away.  They end up trekking through the Tennessee wilderness, Mick chasing Rae and Carter, trying to get away.

Back in Keeneston, everyone is in shock and instantly mobilizes to try and find them all, most importantly Rae and Carter.  This is what leads to more hilarity.  Ahmed is the big badass of the town.  Seriously.  I love him, but his very face causes people to panic when they are not Keenstonites.  He is paired up with the Viszla, Robyn, who loves Ahmed.  But Robyn has all of her ancestor Bob's quirk, including some amazing intelligence and the ability to freak Ahmed out.  Their relationship, and Ahmed's reaction when Robyn is in danger, leads to more laughter than the slo-mo image of Cy jumping a table.  Read it.  You will laugh. 

I love all of Kathleen's books (obviously) but this one falls into a bit of a different category to me.  It was sweeter, almost, and even with all the running through the woods, felt more romantic, almost like The Keeneston Roses.  It also has, to me, the best wedding of all of them, and it is perfect.

Plus, Ahmed's Spawn has given him an angel!

Go head to Keeneston and catch up with the town, then prepare for the next book Forever Guarded!  Something important to remember, which came up in the Cafe, is that while Carter's parents are awesome, they aren't in the "I work out and am former Special Forces" group that many of the Davies brothers are.  The heroine of Forever Guarded is Piper Davies, is the daughter of Pierce Davies, who is also not in the Special Forces group.  She's going to be a different breed then, for instance, Rea, who learned at her father's knee, or Layne, who can kill you with a spoon.

Oh, and there might be a rumor about something happening with Moonshine Hollow, TN, but we have no more information.


#keeneston #theblossomcafe #placeyourbets #broomspoonandskilletwanted #reaganandcarter #SatansSpawn #vizla #angelNemi

Artistry

Many years ago, I read Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha.  I remember being confused at first as to if it was a novel or a memoir, because it even comes with a forward by the author thanking the main character and such for telling her story.  I did eventually figure it out.  But then, the movie version of the book came out, and it's a beautiful piece.  Ziyi Zhang (right) plays the main character, Sayuri, and Michelle Yeoh plays her mentor, Mameha (left).  The imagery and filmography is stunning.

The book and move tell the story of Sayuri, a geisha in Kyoto.  Sayuri was born Chiyo, and sold the the geisha house when she was eight years old.  She makes an enemy of the head geisha, Hastumomo, simply, it seems, by being smart and pretty.  Sayuri has very distinctive blue-grey eyes.  After trying to run away, Chiyo is turned into a maid.  But she catches the eye of someone important, and when she is twelve, she reenters geisha training with the help of a popular and established geisha named Mameha.  The book follows through Chiyo--now Sayuri's--career as a geisha, where she battles personal desires with professional duty.  She is also still battling Hatsumomo's abuse.  During World War II, she is sent to live with a kimono maker, and survives the war.  When she returns, she helps old friends and patrons save their company.  And after that, she finds a happy life.

What I only learned recently is that Golden based his story on the life of Mineko Iwasaki, a popular geisha who had a life similar to Sayuri's.  When Golden wrote his book, he broke confidences by naming Mineko, who had broken the unspoken rules that you do not talk about life in the geisha district of Kyoto, known as Gion.  In response, she wrote her memoir with the help of Rande Brown and named it Geisha, A Life (for US readers.  In the UK it's titled Geisha of Gion).  In it, she tells what it was really like to be a geisha.

Mineko, for example, was the youngest of thirteen children.  Several of her sisters worked for the Iwasaki geisha house (okiya), and she was raised from the age of five to be the heir.  She didn't have troubles and toils like Chiyo.  She did have an older geisha that she called Old Meanie when she was a child, but became very close to as she got older.  She had real friendships with men, but the other geisha didn't like her because she was extremely popular and made a lot of money.  Mineko was a dancer, and her teachers pushed her to be even better.  She clears up a few of the mistakes that Golden makes--for instance, for geisha, the "mizuage" ceremony is not the ritual loss of virginity, but rather a coming of age ceremony.

Reading wise, Memoirs of a Geisha is a great read with a good plot.  But Geisha, a Life is a really interesting look into a world that is so different from what I, as a westerner, am used to.  It's  a little scatterbrained in it's telling, with time passing differently in different chapters, but it's really interesting, and more similar to a life that an American can recognize.  The world of the geisha is a tight sisterhood, but it comes with backstabbing and sibling rivalry that exists in any world.  I would recommend either of these books, depending on what you like to read.  Actually, I'd suggest reading them both, and I'd read them in the same order that I've discussed them in here. 

A Little Stardust in Your Life

This was not the original post I had planned for today, I'll be honest.  I was going to give you a nice comparison of Geisha, A Life and Memoirs of a Geisha, but that's just going to have to wait until later this week because I have to tell you about the Stardust Series by Autumn Reed and Julia Clarke.

The Stardust series is five books and a novella, and just finished up last week.  I was late on my reread, so I just finished the fifth book today.  I'm really glad that I did reread, though, because there are a lot of really beautiful moments in the book, and a lot of moments that make you laugh.  The series centers around Haley Jones and Team Jaguar of Zenith.  There's even a pretty awesome Golden Retriever who is named after a James Bond character!  There's one thing you have to know, however:  these books are a slow burn reverse harem.  that means, in the end, Haley is going to end up with more than one guy.  Don't let that turn you away from giving the books a try!

In the first book, Phoenix, Haley has just turned eighteen and learns that she and her father are in hiding from a pretty terrible man.  Just after Haley learns this revelation, her home, a secluded cabin in Coleville, blows up.  Haley is saved, and her dad, Brian, gets away, don't worry!  Haley is rescued by Ethan, Chase and Knox, who end up taking her to Santa Cruz to keep her safe (I won't tell you how, but it's pretty funny).  Once in Santa Cruz, Hayley meets Theo, Liam, and Jackson.  These six guys, Team Jaguar, become Haley's closest friends.  They help her find a job, and keep her busy while she tries to find her father.  The case that spins out over the five books is not the search for Haley's dad, but for evidence against the man who sent the Jones' into hiding in the first place.  During the course of the books, Haley also develops feelings for the guys in the group.  When one of them leaves, she blames herself and runs from the team, and the events of those months are chronicled in Chamaeleon, the novella that falls between books three and four.

In the fifth book, Polaris, everything finally comes together, and not quite in the way that I imagined.  A character that we meet a few times in the other books turs out to do something rather misguided, but with his heart in a decent place.  It definitely causes some friction, and made me second guess a few of the other characters, not going to like!

It's really hard, sometimes, to write these posts about series.  I don't want to give too much away about the plotline or the character development, because I do want you to go and read the books.  I want you to experience things for the first time, not expecting them.  There's nothing worst than being excited for a book and having it ruined because you know ever bit of what's going to happen. 

What I really love about these books are the characters themselves.  Haley has doubts and fears, and her life is not normal, but she rolls with the punches.  She spends some time wishing she had a normal life, but accepts that it just isnt' to be.  She's strong and fearless, but vulnerable when she needs to be.  Each of the guys also has their own stories, their own foibles, that make them see so real.  If you hadn't guessed, I like characters that aren't perfect.  When your character has a flaw, they become real. 

Haley's relationship with each of the members of Team Jaguar is also very believable.  They don't have the same relationship, it's not cookie cutter, and each of the guys takes their situation very differently. Some are okay with it right off starting line, but it takes some of the others time to adjust.  It actually takes Haley the longest time to come to grips with it

I also love that there's a happy ending, even if the ending is unconventional.  It comes with it's difficulties, and there are issues that need to be worked out, but the characters take the tiem to do that.  It's not a happy ever after to be a happy ever after, it's earned. 

Anyway.  I really suggest that you go read the Stardust series!  Autumn and Julia have done an amazing job, and I can't wait to read more from them!  (The Raising the Stakes series is next on my list!) 

My First Author Interview!!

Okay guys, this is cool!  Kathleen Brooks' newest book, Forever Hunted, comes out on May 8!  (Follow the link to preorder)  Between this release and a little birdie (okay, Kathleen herself) sharing that there's going to be a new spin-off-ish series from Keeneston, I asked if Kathleen would be willing to answer a few questions, and she said yes!  (Which never ceases to amaze me.  She's awesome and SO great with her fans/book junkies.)  So I came up with some questions that hopefully aren't typical "ask the author questions" and you can read the answers down below!  (I've rearranged the order a bit from the way I asked to her.)

ME:  Between the Bluegrass books, the Web of Lies series, and the Women of Power series, you have amazing storylines.  What’s the inspiration for them? 

KB:  I have different inspiration for each series. The Bluegrass series started as I remembered visiting my cousins in upstate New York as a child. They thought Kentucky was so foreign and full of stereotypes. The idea came to me to have this big city attorney coming to Kentucky and feeling out of place, but finding all the hidden treasures we have. The inspiration of the Women of Power was actually a History Channel show called The Men Who Built America. I watched the history of Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, and Ford, and thought, women are powerful too. We can build America too. We can run these major companies and be women full of emotion, love, and determination to succeed. Along the same lines, the Web of Lies was inspired by James Bond. Woman can fight for our country, save our country, and operate in the shadows as the best of spies. I actually wrote two of the books before the United States election and couldn’t believe how timely they were, which was really fun to explore.  (The first book in the Women of Power Series is Chosen for Power, and the first Web of Lies book is Whispered Lies)

ME:  Readers seem to be drawn to Keeneston for a variety of reasons, but what keeps you coming back to the town?  

KB:  I think what keeps me writing Keeneston books are the same things that keep readers reading them. These characters are part of my family and I miss them if I’m not writing in their world every so often. Bluegrass State of Mind was supposed to be one book only. But then I fell so in love with the town, the characters, and the community that I couldn’t stop writing. I may take a break to write other series, which to me are just as wonderful as Keeneston and all have the same feel you’ve come to expect from me, but I always come back home. (It's true.  Keeneston is home to me, and so many other readers.  Even if you love where you live, Keeneston is amazing.)

ME:  1.     Who is your favorite character to write and why?  Also, who is the hardest character to write and why? 

KB:  I’ll stick to secondary characters, because I could never choose a favorite main couple! For Keeneston the Rose sisters are always a hoot to write. As the series as moved onto the new generation in Forever Bluegrass, the older generation is passing the baton and Aniyah has picked it up. I want to be her best friend! I just love her and her big heart. In the Women of Power series, it’s hands down Shirley. She’s like the dirty minded version of Miss Violet! And in the Web of Lies series Alex made me chuckle as I explored my inner “dude-ness”, but I really enjoyed Humphrey. I liked how he grew from a snoring breaking and entering teacher to a confident man who the group all depended on. 

ME:  As a part of the Café, I see a lot of people making predictions about pairings and what they think is going to happen/has happened with characters.  Have any of these predictions made you change what was going to happen?  

KB:  I love seeing everyone’s predictions! Kathleen’s Blossom Café group on Facebook is such a great group of readers. I love seeing pictures posted of who they envision as characters and talking about what’s next, who the panty droppers are, who’s going to be pregnant next and how the father’s are going to act. However, I usually have everything planned out in advanced, so the pairings, the panty dropper and so on has already been decided before I even wrote them in the first time. However, where it’s helpful for me was especially in the Web of Lies series. I wanted to make sure I was keeping everyone in suspense since it was an ongoing plot line.  (I'm not explaining the panty dropper.  If you're curious, GO READ THE BOOKS.  You'll thank me later :) )

ME:  Anything to share on upcoming Bluegrass books, or your new series, set in Shadows Landing? 

KB:  Next up is Piper Davies’ story in Forever Guarded. I already love this book so much. I hate to step away from the computer at the end of the day. It’s also fun bringing in a Brit as the hero. I can tell you the story starts off with a bang and that Piper is going to grow a lot. She’s struggling with what she perceives as failure. She’s also different from other characters like Layne and Sophie, as she’s not trained in anyway by Special Forces fathers like her cousins were. But she’ll find her footing and her confidence along her journey. And there will also be a few cameos of past characters. As for Shadows Landing – I cannot wait to start this book! The characters have already been speaking to me so much that I’ve had to start their own notebook to write it all down. The things we love about Keeneston – small town community, quirky characters, love, togetherness and support even if you rib on each other – it’s all there in Shadows Landing too. It’s a small coastal town where everyone knows everyone and the biggest conflict is which BBQ you like the most. Until a woman washes up on shore after someone tried to kill her. And now trouble has come to Shadows Landing.  (We just got introduced the the Faulkner characters in Forever Devoted, and they all seem so much like their Davies cousins, except a little less Special Forces-ish.  Darn that Mother Faulkner for keeping them all apart!)

These next two questions I couldn't keep myself from asking.  I didn't think I'd get a straight answer out of Kathleen, and I didn't really.  I'll admit, I teared up a bit at the answer to the second one.

ME:  Will we ever actually find out how John Wolfe and/or DeAndre know everything in town? 
KB:  Where’s the fun in that? 

ME:  How exactly are the Rose sisters going to become immortal so we never lose them? 

KB:  I honestly don’t know. I know at some point they will need to pass on, but I just can’t bring myself to do it yet. I’ve joked that I’ll turn them into vampires so they can live forever, but that would need to be a different series! Can’t you see it? Miss Violet sees this handsome man and pulls her to her bosom… “Oh my!” Don’t worry, I’m not going to actually turn the Rose sisters into vampires! 


Check out Forever Hunted  on May 8!!

The hunt is on...

Carter Ashton had always been close to the entire Davies family. Until he decided he wanted to bring his relationship with Reagan Davies out of the shadows. As tempers flare, Carter must stand his ground or lose the love of his life. But when an old family friend asks for help, Carter unknowingly brings danger to the doorstep of the woman he loves.

 Reagan Davies has been hiding her relationship with Carter from her father and everyone else in Keeneston. It had just been a fun fling . . . until it became something much more in a very public way. And just when things couldn't possibly get any tougher for Reagan, she finds herself thrown into a dangerous game of life or death. Now instead of worrying about an over-protective father, Carter and Reagan find themselves in a fight for their lives. The person pursuing them has everything to lose if Carter and Reagan make it out alive, and will stop at nothing to hunt them down.

After that will be Forever Guarded, which does not have a confirmed release date yet!

A guarded heart is a lonely heart . . .

Piper Davies is a leading researcher in the fields of viruses and nanotechnology. All she ever wanted was to help save lives. But her newest creation has the potential to be manipulated to kill a single person, as well as launch a global pandemic if it ever landed in the wrong hands. And unfortunately, someone knows what she's created and will stop at nothing to get it. Piper's family hires someone to protect her when the threats become dangerous.

Security specialist Aiden Creed knew all to well what someone would do to get their hands on Piper's viral nanotech creation. His time in the British Army's Special Air Service exposed him to the true evil that hid throughout the world. What he didn't count on when he accepted this assignment was the danger Piper posed to his heart.

* * *  AND INTRODUCING  * * *

SAVING SHADOWS

Gavin Faulkner was the only doctor in the small South Carolina inner coastal town of Shadows Landing. He was used to patching up everything from fishing lures stuck in skin to gator bites. Nothing could surprise him anymore—except when he found an unconscious woman partially submerged on his beach after a fierce thunderstorm.

Ellery St. John’s last memory was of a bat swinging toward her head. The next thing she knew, she was cold, wet, and a sexy man was pressing his lips to hers. Too bad it turned out to be CPR instead of a passionate kiss.

Gavin thought Ellery would be safe in the small town where BBQ wars were the biggest danger, but he was wrong. Now it was up to him to help Ellery put the pieces together in order to discover who had tried to kill her and why before they both ended up at the bottom of the ocean.

I also want to say, to my faithful readers, I don't know how Kathleen does it!  She was awesome and shared the Saving Shadows blurb and cover with me Monday, before it was officially released.  It was wicked hard not to go dancing through the Café typing "I know something you don't know!!!"

Focus On Yourself Once In A While

Hey guys!  I have another guest post today, this one from a woman that I've known since high school and recently reconnected with!  She's an awesome person!

Hey!  I'm Alexa Racine, a fifth generation entrepredur who finally has my drem job of working from home running not one but two of my own businesses.  I'm a photographer who loves weddings & engagements because I'm a hopeless romantic.  I'm also a virtual health and fitness coach who helps women live happy and healthy lives while focusing on self-love and confidence.  Both of my jobs are so rewarding and give me a sense of purpose.  They also allow me to stay home and be with our dog, Lacey and our new baby who will be here in September.

Part of my job as a coach is spending time each day in personal development. I usually carve out 30 minutes in my morning routine to do this.  My favorite personal development is books about confidence and self-love.  My two favorites are You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero and Mastering Your Mean Girl by Melissa Abrosini.  Both books are written in a fun, flowing way that keeps you engaged and turning pages.  I always feel like I am talking ot a friend while reading these books because of the playful way it's written.  Specifically Jen Sincero uses humor and the occasional curse word in her writing, which helps me relate more making it feel like she's my BFF telling me what I need to hear.  Both of these books focus on limiting negative self-talk. boosting confidence and using affirmations to get you in the right state of mind.



I'm about to finish another book by Jen Sincero this week and already have my next book ready to go!  I have not read it yet but know fellow coaches who are currently reading it and I can't wait to start it!  My next book will be Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis, which features Holli's honesty, humor, and direct, no-nonsense advice--just like the other books I enjoy reading!  From what I hear, this book takesthe lies Hollis used to believe that made her feel crummy and helps women stop the limiting mind-sets that destroy our self-confidence.


Me again!  I actually have both of these books, but I haven't read them yet!  I'm starting Mastering Your Mean Girl on Monday.  You know, with all the other things I've got going on in my life! 

Go read a book, and enjoy the wonderful weather that we are FINALLY starting to get!

A Naked Runner in LA

I have been a bit under the weather, which means I'm behind on my blog posts!  I'm sorry to my loyal readers.  It also took me a little longer to finish today's book, Wonder Valley by Ivy Pochoda.  As I'm writing this, I'm still not quite sure what I think of the book. 

Wonder Valley is the story of six people who have oddly interconnected lives.  Unfortunately, I wasn't overly interestedin most of the characters.  I thought the story had a lot of potential, but it might be that it just wasn't my kind of book.  Anyway--One morning in LA, trafficis stopped by a naked runner.  He's never caught and nobody seems to know who he is.  Well, there's a few people who know, and they're some of the characters in the story.  The timeline is a little skewed, with some of the characters stories beginning years before the year of the naked runner.  There's a lawyer, Tony, who is unhappy with is life, who seems to have no point but to complain and help Britt find the runner, who is someone that she knew years ago.  He doesn't even help her without complainging.  Britt, on the other hand, I saw as a whiny kid who never seemed to take responsibility for her own actions.  She claims responsibility for someone else's murder, thinking it will make her feel better.  Blake is a con on the streets who is selling pills and wants to hunt the runner down for another reason all together.  Owen and James are twins on their father's weird chicken farm/cult, and they're both unhappy for different reasons.  I found Ren's story to be the most interesting, but his story seemed ot have nothing to do with any of the others.  He was loosely connected to the other characters.

This is really the first book that I've written on here that I'm not sure if I would reccomend it or not.  It definitely wasn't my type of book. I feel like the story was never finished, or even begun.  It didn't feel resolved in the end.  I'm sure there are people out there who think it's a fabulous book--and the writing is very good--but it just wasn't my type! 

How Do You Know When You Love Someone?

I read Eleanor and Park in about a day after grabbing it from my local library.  I grabbed it on a whim because it keeps showing up on "You Should Read These Books!" lists, and I wondered if it was as good as everyone kept insinuating it was.  It is a great book, but not one I closed at the end with a grin .  It's good in the way that it makes you sit and think about your relationships.  What are the people you're close to you hiding?

Eleanor is hiding a lot.  She's just been able to move back in with her mother, her mother's husband, Richie (NOT a good person), and her four younger siblings. Richie is a wife-beater, his children are terrified of him, and he's already kicked Eleanor out once--she landed on a friend of her mother's couch for a year.  Her clothes are obvious hand me downs and thrift store (nothing wrong with it!) but she wears who she is well.  Her most distinguishing feature is the crazy red hair she has.

Park, on the other hand, has a pretty nice family.  His mom is Korean, his father a small giant, and his younger brother seems to be following after his father.  There are a few fissures in the family too, but all in all, their life is smooth.  He's been in taekwondo since he was in kindergarten and he wears a lot of black.

On her first day of school, Eleanor ends up sitting next to Park.  They spend weeks sharing a bus seat but not talking.  Park notices Eleanor reading his comics, and their friendship, then their relationship starts.  It's a secret relationship, though, as Eleanor is afraid of what will happen if her mom and Richie find out.  While Park's mother is initially not entirely thrilled with rEleanor, they end up building a friendship of their own.  And when Eleanor is in trouble, she runs to Park.

The book makes several allusions to young love in the first few chapters, especially with their English teacher discussing Romeo and Juliet, which stays fresh in a reader's mind as their relationship is unfolding.  But there's a bigger question, I think, that comes out of the book.  How do you know, especially as teenagers, that you love someone?  I think the way that Eleanor and Park's relationship played out is a good version.  They didn't move particularly fast--I've seen snails go faster-- but it was steady and strong.  When Eleanor told Park everything, his first instinct was to help her, because he cared that much about her.

It makes a girl want a good relationship of her own.

Ah well.  When it's supposed to happen it will!  Go read a book (maybe this one?) and have a great weekend!  I'm already working on next week's books!

Charlotte

I took the last few days off from blogging--I got told I have mono and a sinus infection, so I've been doing a lot of sleeping.  But I did pull an old classic off the shelf to focus on for today.  I am not a fan of spiders, but who can help but love Charlotte's Web?  EB White's classic is more about the love of friendship than it is about spiders, thankfully! 

Wilbur is born the runt of his litter, saved by eight-year-old Fern.  She pleads with her father, a farmer who is going to put the poor thing down, and he relents.  Fern hand raises Wilbur for about a month, then sells him to her Uncle for six dollars.  Wilbur grows and thrives at Zuckerman's farm, but as he grows and gets plump, he begins to worry about being killed for bacon in the winter!

Wilbur also desperately wants a friend, and he finds one in Charlotte, a grey spider who lives in the barn with him.  When he worries, she comes up with a scheme to protect him.  "Some Pig," she writes in her web.  Wilbur becomes famous.

But the sad part, which is also comforting, is the end.  Charlotte lays her egg sack and dies, but Wilbur is determined to protect all 514 babies within.  The next spring they hatch and leave him alone again, except for three. 

There's no deep message coming from me tonight.  I just want you to dig back into some classis, and enjoy this beautiful story.  It won't take you long to read, I promise!

Princess of Wales

The Prince and Princess of Wales are extremely important members of the British Royal family because they are expected to rise to the throne.  The current Prince of Wales is, of course, Queen Elizabeth II's eldest son, Charles.  His wife Camilla is technically the Princess of Wales, having taken her husband's titles when they married, but the title is so firmly tied to the late Diana Spencer that she doesn't use it and is instead known as the Duchess of Cornwall.  Here's a quick history of the title:  It wasn't used by England's heirs until after the land was defeated and annexed into England in 1282--the first Prince of Wales, the future Edward II, had the title conferrred upon him in 1301.  The title is NOT hereditary--when the Prince of Wales dies or ascends to the throne, the title reverts to the crown and must then be conferred, at the monarch's will, to the next heir apparent.  This does not always happen.  For instance, Queen Elizabeth's uncle, Edward VIII, later Duke of Windsor became the heir apparent on May 6th, 1910, was created the Prince of Wales on June 23, 1911, and became king on January 20th, 1936.  Neither his brother, later George VI, nor his niece, Elizabeth II were every created the Prince or Princess of Wales.  There's an odd bit of history here that I won't get into.  It comes down to males being preferred to females in the line of succession.  No woman has held the title Princess of Wales in her own right.  As it currently stands, the only way I see of having a woman hold the title in her own right would be if William and Kate's son George were to have a daughter as a firstborn child and confer the title upon her.  The title was not filled until Prince Charles was granted the title in 1958, when he was ten years old.  Also interesting is that not every Prince of Wales has had a wife while he held the title.  Going back to Edward II, the first Prince of Wales--He held the title from 1301 to 1307, but did not marry until 1308.  His Queen, Isabella of France, was, therefore, never the Princess of Wales.  Their eldest son, Edward III, was never created the Prince of Wales

The first Princess of Wales in post-Welsh-conquest England was, then, the wife of the son of Edward III and Phillipa of Hainault, Edward of Woodstock.  Edward became known after his death as the Black Prince, likely because his armor was painted black.  He was a warrior prince, created the Prince of Wales on May 12, 1343, age 13, but unfortunately died on June 8th, 1375, barely a year before his father's death.  His wife was a cousin, once removed, Joan of Kent.  Penny Lawne's book Joan of Kent: The First Princess of Wales is, as she reports and my research shows, the first full biography of Joan, who is an incredibly intersting woman.  I always find biographies of people, espcially women, to be especially interesting.  In Joan's case, Penny Lawne has piecd together her life from what we do know--For instance, Wikipedia will tell you that Joan was born on September 29, 1328.  Lawne makes no assertion of her birthdate, but does say that she could be no more than eighteen months older than her brother, John, whose birth is recorded as April 7, 1330, just weeks after their father was executed for treason.  Seven witnesses support that date.  That does not mean that the date of September 29th is wrong, as the math works out to about eighteen months, but it shows one of the gaps in what historical records exist.

Much of Joan's early life is guessed at from what is known.  She lived in Queen Philippa of Hainault's household as a companion to her daughters, although the eldest, Isabella, wasn't born until June 1332.  That Joan would live in the Queen's household is not strange because she was a cousin of Edward III-once removed.  Indeed, Joan's mother was busy securing her children's inheiritance during most of Joan's childhood, so the stability of Court, migrant as it was, was probably good for the girl.  Her story gets very interesting in March, 1840, when Joan is around twelve.  She shows herself to be a headstrong girl and marries Thomas Holand without anyone's knowledge or approval.  The marriage becomes bigamous in 1341 when she is forced to marry William Montague, soon to be the second Earl of Salisbury.  Joan probably told her mother, who told Salisbury, and someone surely informed the monarchs, but they decided to let the bigamous marriage happen and deal with the problem later.  Holand was, after all, fighting overseas.  Due to their age--Joan at 12 and William at 13, they did not live together although they had a hosue in their name.  Montague lived with Prince Edward at the tower and was training to be a knight.  Joan stayed with the princesses.  That matter was not settled until 1349, when the pope decided in favor of Holand.  Joan, at this time, had been living with Montague for a few years.

Joan spent eleven years as Holand's wife, and bore him five children, only one of whom died young.  Holand died in 1360.  At this time, Prince Edward, who had seemily been in love with Joan for years, fought and had his father capitulate to allow him to marry Joan.  They had two children, boys, and ruled Aquitaine as Prince and Princess.  Their marriage was short, however.  The elder of their two sons died in 1370, and they moved from France to England.  In 1372, Edward tried to regain  his father's foothold in France (We are in the middle of the beginnig of the Hundred Years' War), but it shattered his weak health.  He died in 1376.

A year later, Joan becomes even more fascinating.  She's kept the strength and feistiness she showed as a child, but now, Edward III has died, and her son, Richard, is now a child king, Richard II.  Joan was Regent.  She had a great deal of authority that she wielded from the shadows.  Eventually, August 7, 1385, she died.

The most fascinating thing, to me, is how little we know, and yet how much we can piece together of Joan's life.  This is mostly done through notations about her in the lives of men.  And yet, we can piece together the story of an amazing, politically astute, firey woman who definitely forged her own path.