A Light on the Veranda by Ciji Ware

I received a galley of this novel from NetGalley for review. This in no way affected my opinions.


A Light on the Veranda is a sequel to Midnight on Julia Street.

I just didn't connect with this book: the characters, the setting, even the historical story. The character Daphne has these flashbacks of sorts to her ancestor and namesake who lived two hundred years before. I guess these flashbacks were triggered by music, but sometimes she had them when there wasn't any music around, so I don't know.

The historic flashbacks were so random and oddly spaced out, and there weren't many of them. I could barely get a grip on any of the characters. And by the end of the book, I wondered what the point was of them. In Midnight on Julia Street the historic story was more affecting on the present day story. That wasn't the case here.

The present day story, well, dragged. A lot. The romance between Daphne and Simon... I just didn't feel the sparks.

Needless to say, about halfway through, I was wondering where the heck the story was going. I started skimming and speed reading from then on and I didn't really miss much. There were pages and pages of useless dialogue that really didn't serve any purpose to the story.

I like Ciji Ware's books, but this one was a miss with me. Actually, I really love her straight historical novels like A Race to Splendor and Wicked Company. So far, the time-slips novels are hit and miss.

If you read Midnight on Julia Street and want to find out what happens to Daphne, (which was my reason) then, I don't know, give this a shot.

The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood

I've never read The Robber Bridegroom, which inspired this work. From what I've read via summary: The Robber Bridegroom lures three different maidens and 'devours' them, whatever that means. In Atwood's contemporary novel The Robber Bride, she introduces the character of Zenia, who purposely ruins the lives of three friends: Tony, Charis and Roz. Among other things, she tries (and sometimes succeeds) in taking their men.

The way the novel was told was interesting (and sometimes long-winded). We see through the eyes of Tony, Charis and Roz, but never through Zenia's. She remains a mystery until the end.

The novels starts out on the day the three friends see Zenia after years (and thinking that the woman is dead and cremated). We see that day through each of the three women's eyes, what they did leading up to, etc. Then, we find out each of the three women's history with Zenia, how she intertwined herself into each of their lives.

What was masterfully done, is that as the friends (separately) confront Zenia at the end, we still don't know about the woman. We don't know what she's said was true or what was made up. She's an enigma, a sociopath, a compulsive liar. There was absolutely nothing good about the woman.

The characters of Tony, Charis and Roz are interesting. They are all completely different people, but are united because of Zenia. Otherwise, they might never have been friends. They meet often for lunch, having formed a support group of sorts.

They are a bunch of side characters, but they're not as fleshed out. Basically, it's the story of four women. It's about relationships between women, the good, the bad, and the ugly. The Robber Bride is a fascinating portrayal of how one person can come into our lives and completely turn it upside down. It's a great character-driven story. At first, I didn't know if it was going to be worth it, but as I got into the women's backgrounds with Zenia, I became engrossed. I couldn't believe the character of Zenia. I hope I never come across a Zenia in my life.

Named of the Dragon by Susanna Kearsley

Set in Wales, Named of the Dragon is probably Kearsley's most suspenseful novel to date.

Literary agent Lyn Ravenshaw agrees to spend the Christmas holiday with her client Bridget, a children's book author. Bridget has invited Lyn to Wales, where she is spending Christmas with James Swift, an author represented by another agent. Bridget incites Lyn to accompany her by dropping a few hints that Swift is not happy with his current agent and Lyn jumps at the chance.

In Wales, Lyn meets their neighbor, a young widow named Elen who has a young son. Between Lyn having strange dreams of a mysterious woman telling her to protect her son, to Elen telling her that she, Lyn, is her son's protector, Lyn feels that there is something odd about. Lyn, who is mourning the loss of her own baby, who died a few years ago, gets upset around babies and small children, constantly haunted by thoughts of her own.

Also while there, Lyn comes across Gareth Morgan, a reclusive playwright who thinks that Lyn is down there to try to snag him as a client. So, there's instant tension and the two don't get along so well.

Things get weird when Elen keeps mentioning that a dragon from the nearby tower is trying to steal her child. Everyone thinks Elen is off her rocker, but Lyn starts wondering if there isn't some truth to it. Something strange is definitely going on. And as time goes on, Lyn also starts to figure out what her dreams with the mysterious woman mean.

Named of the Dragon definitely has my favorite hero. Well, I guess he's sort of an anti-hero, I'm not sure. He's definitely the brooding type, sort of like Heathcliff, but not completely mental.

And the suspense was spot-on combined with a unique setting. A great suspense novel.

The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley

Verity Grey arrives in Scotland to join in on an archaeological dig, one that she doesn't know all the details to until she arrives. Her employer, the eccentric old Peter Quinnell believes he has found the sight of the resting place of the Ninth Legion – a Roman legion who mysteriously disappeared around 177 A.D. The thing is, he doesn't have any kind of physical evidence. He's only going by what a local boy – who appears to have 'the sight'- has said. The boy has supposedly seen a Sentinel walking about – a Roman solider.

Verity has her doubts, of course, but finds herself growing more fond of Quinnell and stays on to help. After hearing invisible horses at night, and being followed around by a ghost (the Sentinel) who seems determined to warn her about something, she starts to believe.

I loved the archaeological aspects - going through the dirt bit by bit - with the anticipation of finding something. And the odd cast of characters rounds out another great book by Susanna Kearsley.

The Shadowy Horses had the right balance of suspense, history, the beautiful sights, and a bit of romance.

The Splendour Falls by Susanna Kearsley

Susanna Kearsley's books always have great settings. In The Splendour Falls we find ourselves in Chinon, the setting of the famous Chateau de Chinon, where during the 12th century, Queen Isabelle was rumored to have hid her jewels.

Our heroine Emily Braden goes on holiday to Chinon to meet with her cousin Harry, who is hoping to discover the location of these jewels. Once arriving, Harry is no where in sight, but this doesn't seem to worry Emily – I guess Harry does that a lot.

At the Hotel de France, Emily meets an odd arrangement of folks from Canada, America, Germany and, of course, France. Also in there is a fellow Brit. Emily bonds with Paul, one of two brothers from Canada, and seems to have a thing for Neil, her fellow Brit.

As time goes on, Emily starts to think that maybe something has happened to Harry and starts a low key investigation to find him. Suspense ensues, someone is killed and a murderer is discovered.

Compared to her other books, The Splendour Falls isn't as suspenseful, but it does have its moments. There are times where Emily feels she's being followed, and those kinds of moments always freak me out. I also really liked the odd ensemble of characters. Kearsley fans should be satisfied with this.

Season of Storms by Susanna Kearsley

Season of Storms is my third Susanna Kearsley novel, and it was another good one.

During early 1900s Italy, playwright Galeazzo D'Ascanio, living at his villa Il Piascere writes a play for his love, actress Celia Sands. Only to have her disappear the night before the play's premiere.

In the modern day, another actress named Celia Sands (no relation to the first) is offered the part in the play written for Celia the first, a play that has yet to see the light of day. The play will be staged by D'Ascanio's grandson Alessandro, and will take place at the infamous Il Piacere.

At Il Piacere, Celia stays in the original Celia's room, and she can't help but think there's a few ghosts hanging about. And her restless dreams aren't helping, either.

In between rehearsals, Celia gets to know the others involved with the play, including Alessandro D'Ascanio, who is otherwise known as Alex. Alex is the quiet sort, but is obviously taken with Celia. However, there are some roadblocks preventing Celia from reciprocating.

There's a mystery going on, but it's not that big and only comes to light towards the end of the book. If it wasn't for my love of the theatre and for Italy, I can't say how much I would have liked Season of Storms. However, the characters were very engaging and the mysterious atmosphere of Il Piacere, which was located in the Lake District, was infectious.

Season of Storms was a very good and solid story, however The Winter Sea and Mariana remain my favorites.