The Sunday Post #56 ~sharing blog news and book haul

The Sunday Post ~ 56th Edition

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. 

May is flying by and I hope those of you participating in the Clean Sweep Challenge are making progress with your goals. Anyone needed some motivation let me know and I will unleash the hellhounds. Fear not, they won't bite as long as you are reading ARC's. Lot's of fun happens around the blogosphere so be sure and check below! 

Last week on the blog we brought you

• Black Venus by James MacManus (giveaway)
• Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan (blog tour-review/giveaway)
• The Seduction by M.J. Rose (blog tour-review)
• Waiting on Wednesday (+signed swag giveaway)
• Love is in Bloom (blog hop giveaway)
• After Dark by Emi Gayle (review)
• Black City by Elizabeth Richards (review)
• Caffeinated Confessions- Series, Trilogies and that Last Book Oh My!

This week on the blog look for

• The Year of Luminous Love by Lurlene McDaniel (US/CAN Giveaway)
• Girl with the Iron Touch by Kady Cross (review)
• Billion Dollar Cowboy by Carolyn Brown(review)
• Waiting on Wednesday 
• Day After By Emi Gayle (blog tour- review)
• All That Is Necessary by Jennie Coughlin  (review)
• How the Heck Did You Do That?!?! Blogger Tips & Tricks

Around the Blogosphere 

• Remember to take part in the Clean Sweep Challenges all weekend long.
• Apocalypse! An eight day blog hop hosted by Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblings, Maja@ The Nocturnal Library and Christy@ Love of Books. Starting July 13th they will kick off the event with a eight day blog hop giveaway! Join in Here

• Visit Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks from May 22nd – May 31^st and create your SUMMER OF LOVE Mixtape for a chance to win a trip for YOU and THREE friends to Las Vegas. *No purchase necessary. Ends May 31, 2013 Ma

New arrivals to the Caffeinated Cafe

For Review

The Angel Stone by Juliet Dark 
thanks to Random House 

Tumble & Fall by Alexandra Coutts
thanks to Macmillan 

Blackout by Robison Wells
thanks to HarperCollins

A signed copy of Bronze Gods by A.A. Aguirre 

thanks to authors! 

For Review Consideration

The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan
thanks to Random House 

Won 

Out of Reach by Jocelyn Stover

won from Dani @ Paulette's Papers

Purchased

That's my news what's new in your world? 
*leave a comment and I will stop by*

Giveaway: Black Venus by James MacManus

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there. Today I have a wonderful giveaway for our US/CAN followers thanks to Media Muscle and Book Trib. Check out this historical fiction and be sure to enter to win a copy! 

Black Venus
by James MacManus
Publisher: Macmillan
Publication date: May 7, 2013
Genre: Adult Historical Fiction 
Purchase*: Barnes and Noble/Amazon/Book Depository
*purchases through links support this blog

 A vivid novel of Charles Baudelaire and his lover Jeanne Duval, the Haitian cabaret singer who inspired his most famous and controversial poems, set in nineteenth-century Paris. For readers who have been drawn to The Paris Wife, Black Venus captures the artistic scene in the great French city decades earlier, when the likes of Dumas and Balzac argued literature in the cafes of the Left Bank. Among the bohemians, the young Charles Baudelaire stood out—dressed impeccably thanks to an inheritance that was quickly vanishing. Still at work on the poems that he hoped would make his name, he spent his nights enjoying the alcohol, opium, and women who filled the seedy streets of the city. One woman would catch his eye—a beautiful Haitian cabaret singer named Jeanne Duval. Their lives would remain forever intertwined thereafter, and their romance would inspire his most infamous poems—leading to the banning of his masterwork, Les Fleurs du Mal, and a scandalous public trial for obscenity.  James MacManus's Black Venus re-creates the classic Parisian literary world in vivid detail, complete with not just an affecting portrait of the famous poet but also his often misunderstood, much-maligned muse.

Since this book is a fiction novel based upon the french poet Charles Baudelaire we thought it might be fun to share a poems from his masterwork which was banned in Black Venus; Les Fleurs du mal 

Les Fleurs du mal

Les Fleurs du mal translates to The Flowers of Evil and was written by the french poet Charles Baudelaire and first published in 1857. Here is a poem contained within its pages:

L'Invitation au voyage Mon enfant, ma soeur, Songe à la douceur D'aller là-bas vivre ensemble! Aimer à loisir, Aimer et mourir Au pays qui te ressemble! Les soleils mouillés De ces ciels brouillés Pour mon esprit ont les charmes Si mystérieux De tes traîtres yeux, Brillant à travers leurs larmes. Là, tout n'est qu'ordre et beauté, Luxe, calme, et volupté. Des meubles luisantes, Polis par les ans, Décoreraient notre chambre: Les plus rare fleurs Mêlant leurs odeurs Aux vagues senteurs de l'ambre, Les riches plafonds, Les miroirs profonds, La splendeur orientale, Tout y parlerait A l'âme en secret Sa douce langue natale. Là, tout n'est qu'ordre et beauté, Luxe, calme et volupté. Vois sur ces canaux Dormir ces vaisseaux Dont l'humeur est vagabonde; C'est pour assouvir Ton moindre désir Qu'ils viennent du bout du monde. —Les soleils couchants Revêtent les champs, Les canaux, la ville entière, D'hyacinthe et d'or; Le monde s'endort Dans une chaude lumière. Là, tout n'est qu'ordre et beauté, Luxe, calme, et volupté.

Invitation to the Voyage Imagine, ma petite, Dear sister mine, how sweet Were we to go and take our pleasure Leisurely, you and I— To lie, to love, to die Off in that land made to your measure! A land whose suns' moist rays, Through the skies' misty haze, Hold quite the same dark charms for me As do your scheming eyes When they, in their like wise, Shine through your tears, perfidiously. There all is order, naught amiss: Comfort and beauty, calm and bliss. Treasure galore—ornate, Time-glossed—would decorate Our chamber, where the rarest blooms Would blend their lavish scent, Heady and opulent, With wisps of amber-like perfumes; Where all the Orient's Splendid, rich ornaments— Deep mirrors, ceilings fine—would each, In confidential tone, Speak to the soul alone In its own sweet and secret speech. There all is order, naught amiss: Comfort and beauty, calm and bliss. See how the ships, asleep— They who would ply the deep!— Line the canals: to satisfy Your merest whim they come From far-flung heathendom And skim the seven seas. —On high, The sunset's rays enfold In hyacinth and gold, Field and canal; and, with the night, As shadows gently fall, Behold! Life sleeps, and all Lies bathed in warmth and evening light. There all is order, naught amiss: Comfort and beauty, calm and bliss.

Selected Poem from Les Fleurs du mal A Bilingual Edition Charles Baudelaire

Translated by Norman R. Shapiro with engravings by David Schorr

Published by the University of Chicago Press  Copyright notice 

US/CAN Rafflecopter Giveaway

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Have I piqued your interest? 

Release Day Review: A Murder at Rosamund's Gate by Susanna Calkins

A Murder at Rosamund's Gate
by Susanna Calkins
Publisher: Macmillan 
Publication date: April 23, 2013
Genre: Adult Historical Mystery
Purchase*: Barnes and Noble/Amazon/Book Depository
ARC provided in exchange for unbiased review
*purchase through buy links supports this blog

For Lucy Campion, a seventeenth-century English chambermaid serving in the household of the local magistrate, life is an endless repetition of polishing pewter, emptying chamber pots, and dealing with other household chores until a fellow servant is ruthlessly killed, and someone close to Lucy falls under suspicion. Lucy can’t believe it, but in a time where the accused are presumed guilty until proven innocent, lawyers aren’t permitted to defend their clients, and—if the plague doesn't kill the suspect first—public executions draw a large crowd of spectators, Lucy knows she may never find out what really happened. Unless, that is, she can uncover the truth herself. Determined to do just that, Lucy finds herself venturing out of her expected station and into raucous printers’ shops, secretive gypsy camps, the foul streets of London, and even the bowels of Newgate prison on a trail that might lead her straight into the arms of the killer. In her debut novel Murder at Rosamund's Gate, Susanna Calkins seamlessly blends historical detail, romance, and mystery in a moving and highly entertaining tale.

The cover of A Murder at Rosamund’s Gate spoke to me and the synopsis with its promise of a mystery sealed the deal.  Susanna Calkins debut novel shares a wonderful murder mystery set in 1665 London with a Nancy Drew vibe. A young chambermaid unearths clues regarding a serial killer who is goes after young woman.

Lucy Campion is a chambermaid in the Hargraves home and she and the other servants are truly blessed to live in a home where the residents treat them more like family at a time period when young ladies are accosted and a servant can be fired at the drop of a hat. Her employer is the local Magistrate and his son a young lawyer. The tale shares with us the murders of young woman, the London courts and the horrors of the plague all through the eyes of our young maid. Lucy becomes someone of a young Nancy Drew as she tries to clear a loved one’s name and discover who killed her friend. There is a little side romance which I found quite interesting. The tale that unfolds was suspenseful with clever twists as Lucy uncovered clues and suspects.  

The Hargraves home is quite an unusual one especially for the time period but I’d like to think that this occurred more often than those of society at the time let on. The servants are almost regarded as family, indeed taking meals with the family when guests are not present. While this is certainly not the norm I find it hard to believe that all households treated their servants as property, beat them and that young ladies regularly fell victim to the master’s advances. The Magistrate read to his servants at night, and Lucy loved these moments, in fact she asked questions and voice opinions. She has an inquisitive mind, and questions the workings of the legal system, the local law enforcement and decides to look into the murders herself. Adam the magistrate’s son, a young lawyer delighted and confused me all at the same time. His treatment of Lucy wavered like a flag blowing in the wind and the author explains him rather well but I wanted to throttle him more than once. We had a delightful list of suspects, servants and secondary characters that helped keep me guessing regarding the serial killer. The characters were nicely developed and Lucy herself felt very real.

This tale is a story within a story within a story. On one hand we have a murder mystery and a romance and in the other we have London with its political time period, the plague and its flawed court systems. While the author did a wonderful job of weaving them all together and the pacing was well done, it also left some of the threads thin. She beautifully described London, the markets, and the feelings of the people but the mystery did not always take center stage as these side stories got in the way. While for the most part historically accurate the author readily admits to using some modern language and changing some dates and I think her reasoning was valid although at first I did find these things jarring. The twists and turns regarding suspects were suspenseful and perhaps my favorite thread throughout the tale. I found Lucy’s detective work clever and often feared she would be discovered. The romance was sweet, complicated and appealed to my romantic side. The tale accurately depicted the upper classes opinions of servants; Quakers, the courts and the church giving us an inside look at the Restoration period. Calkins did a nice job with the murder, adding clever twists. I solved this before Lucy but had to wait for the motive to be revealed. The reveal was quite climatic, as were other threads as they closed keeping me turning the pages late into the night. The ending closed most threads allowing the reader to comfortably fill in the pieces.

Historical fiction fans who enjoy a little side mystery will find A Murder at Rosamund’s Gate engaging. A nice debut I will certainly try this author again. 

Three and half cups of coffee out of five 

Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet
by Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #2
Publisher: Macmillan
Publication date: February 5, 2013
Genre: YA Dystopian
Purchase*: Barnes and Noble/Amazon/Book Depository
*purchase through buy links supports this blog

The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth... Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive. Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Cinder earned a spot on my top ten young adult reads in 2012 making Scarlet one of my most anticipated reads for 2013. The dystopian world and characters she created in Cinder captured my heart. Scarlet hailed as a companion book offers a retelling of Red Riding Hood and drops her right into Cinder’s world; it was captivating, original, filled with danger and I loved every minute of it. 

The tale unfolds from dual points of view and an occasional perspective from others. We split most of our time between Scarlet and Cinder. Cinder’s adventure continues from where we last saw her and Scarlet’s adventure is just beginning. As the two tales unfold events slowly bring the two storylines together and I was held captive despite a predictable storyline. The thrill lies in knowing what will happen and not being able to warn the characters as they move towards danger. 

We all know the characters from these beloved tales but Meyer molds them into unique, strong characters that you become passionate about. Cinder sees growth and acceptance in this second installment. She has already displayed loyalty and strength but here we see her vulnerable side as she struggles with her conscience. My beloved Iko is back! She has taken on an interesting form but her sense of humor was present. Kai is still struggling with his role as king, and his feelings for Cinder and his role is small in this book. Through Cinder we meet Throne a humorous characters with some amusing characteristics. I found myself giggling over some of his statements and actions. We meet Scarlet who lives on a farm in France. Her Grandmother Michelle Benoit has been missing for almost two weeks, and the police have called off the investigation claiming she is a run away. Right away we can see that Scarlet is a fiery character and I instantly connected with her. Wolf a street fighter agrees to help Scarlet search for her grandmother. He is streetwise, and goes from protective to leery as he interacts with Scarlet. Bad-boy from top to bottom Wolf reeks of confidence and purpose. He surprised me and I found him quite  swoon-worthy. He is taken aback by Scarlet and her bold, no-nonsense, in your face, just do it attitude. Their relationship is volatile and at times romantic. Our villain Queen Levana is back and ooh how I love to hate her!  We see growth and movement in Scarlet, Cinder and Wolf. Meyers has definitely created characters that are memorable and each has a unique voice.

I love the dystopian world Meyers created and while the tale that unfolds is predictable it offered me a unique chance to become caught up in the characters themselves. The romance which at first felt awkward slowly developed into something warm and fuzzy. I am looking forward to seeing how it develops. I still walked away with questions about the world, cyborgs and Lunars but I am confident my questions will be answered.  The author did a fantastic job of weaving these two fairy-tales together creating a memorable and enjoyable story. The ending left me in a  good place with high expectation for Cress the third book where we will meet Rapunzel. *dances*

Fans of dystopian and retellings will find Cinder and Scarlet delightful filled with unique characters, action packed moments and a few giggles. Cress will release in 2014 and yes my friends the wait is killing me!

Five cups of coffee from the Crescent Moon cafe out of five

Waiting on Wednesday #27

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme

 hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine

where we spotlight books we are eagerly anticipating.

Scarlet

by Marissa Meyer

Series: The Lunar Chronicles #2

Publisher: Macmillan

Publication date: February 5, 2013

Genre: YA Dystopian

Purchase: Barnes and Noble/Amazon/Book Depository

Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.
Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.
As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.

I love the world Meyer has created and am anxious to return. 

One Good Earl Deserves a Lover

by Sarah MacLean

Series: Rules of Scoundrels #2

Publisher: HarperCollins/Avon

Publication date: January 29, 2013

Genre: Historical Fiction

Purchase:Barnes and Noble/Amazon/Book Depository

The second in the incredible new Rules of Scoundrels series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean. Lady Philippa Marbury is odd. The bespectacled, brilliant fourth daughter of the Marquess of Needham and Dolby cares more for books than balls, flora than fashion and science than the season. Nearly engaged to Lord Castleton, Pippa wants to explore the scandalous parts of London she's never seen before marriage. And she knows just who to ask: the tall, charming, quick-witted bookkeeper of The Fallen Angel, London's most notorious and coveted gaming hell, known only as Cross. 
Like any good scientist, Pippa's done her research and Cross's reputation makes him perfect for her scheme. She wants science without emotion - the experience of ruination without the repercussions of ruination. And who better to provide her with the experience than this legendary man? But when this odd, unexpected female propositions Cross, it's more than tempting . . . and it will take everything he has to resist following his instincts - and giving the lady precisely what she wants.

Right now I am totally in love with this author. I cannot wait to read Pippa and Cross's story..eep! You can see my review of book one; A Rouge By Any Other Name here. 

I will not be participating in Waiting on Wednesday

during the month of October due to my month long event

but I hope you will stop in. WoW will be back in November. 

What books are you waiting on?