A Daughter of Fair Verona by Christina Dodd

Synopsis: Once upon a time a young couple met and fell in love. You probably know that story, and how it ended ( badly). Only here’s the That’s not how it ended at all.

Romeo and Juliet are alive and well and the parents of seven kids. I’m the oldest, with the emphasis on ‘old’—a certified spinster at twenty, and happy to stay that way. It’s not easy to keep your taste for romance with parents like mine. Picture it—constant monologues, passionate declarations, fighting, making up, making out . . . it’s exhausting.

Each time they’ve presented me with a betrothal, I’ve set out to find the groom-to-be a more suitable bride. After all, someone sensible needs to stay home and manage this household. But their latest match, Duke Stephano, isn’t so easy to palm off on anyone else. The debaucher has had three previous wives—all of whom met unfortunate ends. Conscience forbids me from consigning another woman to that fate. As it turns out, I don’t have to . . .

At our betrothal ball—where, quite by accident, I meet a beautiful young man who makes me wonder if perhaps there is something to love at first sight—I stumble upon Duke Stephano with a dagger in his chest. But who killed him? His late wives’ families, his relatives, his mistress, his servants—half of Verona had motive. And when everyone around the Duke begins dying, disappearing, or descending into madness, I know I must uncover the killer . . . before death lies on me like an untimely frost.

Knives Out meets Bridgerton in Fair Verona, as New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd kicks off a frothy, irreverent, witty new series with an irresistible premise—Romeo and Juliet’s daughter as a clever, rebellious, fiercely independent young woman in fair Verona—told from the delightfully engaging point of view of the captivating Rosie Montague herself…

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I loved this rom-com set in the time of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" - Verona in the early Renaissance period. Our narrator and heroine is Rosie Montague - daughter of said Romeo and Juliet - who now finds herself in yet another unenviable position - yet another betrothal of marriage - and one she cannot (and will not) foister on an unsuspecting potential bride (Rosie is in the habit of playing matching maker for any potential or impending suitors put forward by her parents). This suitor is suitably unsuitable ....

"... he had said he wanted me for power and revenge -power over me, I assume, but revenge? on whom? ..."

On the day of the official betrothal, Rosie suddenly finds herself enamoured by another (a gate-crasher); her betrothed - Duke Leir Stephano - cruelly murdered; and herself the prime suspect. But Rosie is no ordinary fair maid - she is intelligent, independent, obstinate, and determined to find out who killed her betrothed if only to clear her name .. not so easy when the body count is rising.

This is a very enjoyable read - the chapters are short and concise, filled with compelling and humourous dialogue, narrated by a self-deprecating heroine, peppered with themes found in many a Shakespearean tome - jealousy, greed, envy, revenge, hatred, love and ... mean girls!

I believe this to be the first in a new series - so am eagerly awaiting what fate - and author Dodd - have in store for Rosie Montague.

For the reader worried that author Dodd has taken liberties with two of Shakespeare's own characters, fear not, the Bard himself was an habitual "borrower" of other peoples' stories. A keen reader may discern that in this instance, the Bard borrowed from a poem by Arthur Brooke who himself borrowed the plot from a story by Matteo Bandello.

The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie

Synopsis: When Thomas Lang, a hired gunman with a soft heart, is contracted to assassinate an American industrialist, he opts instead to warn the intended victim - a good deed that doesn't go unpunished. Within hours Lang is butting heads with a Buddha statue, matching wits with evil billionaires, and putting his life (among other things) in the hands of a bevy of femmes fatales, whilst trying to save a beautiful lady ...and prevent an international bloodbath to boot.

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Why has it taken me so long to find this tome???

Another one for that genre of "bad guy hero" narrative - this time from actor and comedian Hugh Laurie. Told in first person narrative by the man in the title - gun seller / assassin for hire Thomas Lang - we are taken on a non-stop, oft tongue-in-cheek adventure as Lang tries to right a wrong, save the life of the man he was hired to kill and the life of the damsel in distress, whilst at the same time saving the world under the guise of terrorist from evil villains (ie: businessmen) who are hoping to start WWIII in order to drum up sales.

As Lang laments.... " ... all I was doing - all I'd ever been doing since the whole thing started - was selling guns ..."

It is witty, humourous (in a dry, sartirical sort of way), it is action packed - with action and fabulous one-liners a-plenty - and has a hero intent on doing good under (and in) extreme circumstances - does he get the girl in the end, read on and find out!

Loved every minute of reading this!

Review: The Powerful Women of Outremer by Helen P Schrader

Synopsis: In the mild climate of the Mediterranean, a rare blossom once a prosperous, urbanized society inhabited by various ethnic and religious groups living harmoniously together for nearly two-hundred years. At the apex of this society, ruled a feudal elite notorious for its wealth and love of luxury. It was composed of politically savvy, diplomatically adept, well-educated and multilingual men – and women.

These women played an astonishing and indispensable role in shaping the character of their unique society. They were ruling queens, independent barons, nuns and pilgrims. They were merchants and artisans, diplomats and spies. They were warriors defending besieged cities and the most pitiful victims of conflict as slaves after a defeat.

While many primary sources readily recorded specific and noteworthy actions taken by individual women, there is no comprehensive or systematic description of women’s contribution to the life and society of Outremer. All we have are fragments of a mosaic badly damaged by time. Yet even these remnants have largely been neglected due to the prevailing emphasis on the era’s military history.

The Powerful Women of Outremer redresses that imbalance. In a chronological narrative, women’s contributions to the crusader states are highlighted. The book then explores women’s societal role in thematic chapters. Finally, a series of short biographies shine a light on the lives of individual women. By piecing together the scattered remnants of the historical mosaic, The Powerful Women of Outremer offers readers a clearer understanding of the importance of women to the history of the Near East and a richer picture of the women themselves.

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I remember quite a while ago when I was putting together my very first website "Women of History" - it was these women that intrigued me from my reading and research, and as such I was keen to share.  There was absolutely nothing about them on the web back in 1998 - so much so that the very first iteration of a new web encyclopedia "wikipedia" (Jan 2001) literally cut and paste without any acknowledgement.

So, to be honest, I think I came more into this to view another perspective of the history and women of Outremer, who were and are, as I mentioned, not unfamiliar to me.

The author emphasises that this is not for the expert but the hobby historian; it is a record of action and influence; it has no contemporary Moslem sources, nor does it provide any new evidence but instead collates it all in one place for the reader.

I found the first chapter provided no value to the reader - go straight to chapters 2 - 5 which talk about the formation of the Crusader State and the succession of its rulers. Chapter 6 provides a little more on Crusader society and provides three cases studies of notable women. Chapter 7 discusses legal rights. Chapter 8 royal power, again focusing on notable Crusader monarchs. Chapter 9 and 10 talks about the economy, patronage, and defence of the Holy Land, whilst Chapter 11 deals with the issues of defeat and enslavement.

All of this is followed by the biographies of the women discussed and featured in the tome - however, it is strictly a Eurocentric view. Which, of course it is - it is a study of those who came to Outremer, integrated with society through marriage, and "topped up" the gene pool with new arrivals from Europe.

Schrader, to give her her due, has put these women into context with the time and events, and has given them a little more "page time" than most standard Crusade texts - they are not invisible, you just needed to invest a little more time to seek them out.

If the reader is interested in this period, they will pick up this tome regardless - if you are solely interested in a collection of biographies on notable historical women, go straight to the end. Of course, the reader should always do their own research to gain perspective to to understand what each writer is trying to convey - no one tome should be taken as gospel, but should provide a platform for assessment and further discussion.