The Water Keeper

tags: contemporary Christian fiction, human trafficking, mystery, romance, thriller

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From Goodreads

Murphy Shepherd is a man with many secrets. He lives alone on an island, tending the grounds for a church with no parishioners, and he's dedicated his life to rescuing those in peril. But as he mourns the loss of his mentor and friend, Murph himself may be more lost than he realizes.

When he pulls a beautiful woman named Summer out of Florida's Intracoastal Waterway, Murph's mission to lay his mentor to rest at the end of the world takes a dangerous turn.

Drawn to Summer, and desperate to find her missing daughter, Murph is pulled deeper and deeper into the dark and dangerous world of modern-day slavery.

With help from some unexpected new friends, including a faithful Labrador he plucks from the ocean and an ex-convict named Clay, Murph must race against the clock to locate the girl before he is consumed by the secrets of his past--and the ghosts who tried to bury them.

I never heard of this author before this book appeared on my Hoopla suggestions. It is a mystery with  romance and Christian quotes on the side. The first few chapters were not so exciting but picked up as soon as the mother looking for her daughter appeared. She started telling the story of a book series she had gotten addicted to and declared the books cured her of narcotics addiction. The story of the books [within the story] is a truly engrossing action thriller with a hint of romance between a priest and a nun working as a team to rescue young girls from predators. The story parallels the actual novel. There is a reason and it is easy to guess why. 

I'm rating it 5 stars regardless of the many many coincidences and the super duper hard-to-kill Murphy and the dog. The main character, Murphy, meeting the other people and even the adorable "super" dog Gunner is too contrived but I am giving the author a pass because I enjoyed the book. The sequel is already on my Kindle. 

Highly recommended for readers who like thrillers and are not easily offended by Christian and Bible quotes.

My Demon

tags: fantasy, Kdrama, Netflix, romance, supernatural 

16 episodes, Friday and Saturday

A demon Jeong Gu-won is superior to humans in every way, but when he loses his powers, he will have to work with a chaebol heiress Do Do-hee to recover them, and romance begins to bloom in this process.

Song Kang and Kim You-Jung. They are both pretty. Kim You-Jung is not only beautiful, she is also one of the best acting actresses in KDramaland.

Song Kang's Sweet Home Season 2, a horror fantasy series is coming on December 1, 2023 on Netflix. Can't wait.

See You In My 19th Life

tags: fantasy, KDrama, Netflix streaming, reincarnation, romance

16 episodes, Saturday and Sunday starting June 17, 2023

It stars my number one favorite Korean actress, Shin Hye-sun.

Her dramas currently streaming on Netflix

Stranger, second lead

Mr. Queen, lead

Hymn of Death, lead

The Bride Of Lammermoor

tags: classics, gothic, historical fiction, romance, Scotland, tragedy

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

from GoodReads

This is a story of national change and personal tragedy. For Lucy Ashton and Edgar Ravenswood, acts of heroism are thwarted and love is doomed by social, political and historical division. This edition restores the action to the years of uncertainty and political flux before the Union of Scotland and England in 1707.

The opera Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti is based on this tragic story, a la Romeo and Juliet, of 17 year old Lucy Ashton and 20 year old Edgar Ravenswood, The Bride Of Lammermoor written by Sir Walter Scott. Scott has said that the story is based on a true story which is included in the book as a Preface. The true story is as interesting and tragic as the fictional novel. The book is short at 350+ pages and will be worth your time reading. I was surprised that the doomed story of Lucy and Edgar does not take up the whole book, just a part of it, but essential to the narrative. 

Watch the opera first, then read the book, read the true story last. 

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The aria il dolce suono became one of the more popular soprano arias

after the release of the movie The Fifth Element. The aria is performed by the character Plavalaguna, sung by Albanian soprano Inva Mula Tchako. Inva Mula has the perfect voice for the aria. 

The Diva Dance 

The Princess Bride

tags: adventure, book within a book, fantasy, romance, satire
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

from GoodReads

Once upon a time came a story so full of high adventure and true love that it became an instant classic and won the hearts of millions. Now in hardcover in America for the first time since 1973 (in its native Florin, it has been on the Florinise Times bestseller list continuously since the week it was published), this special edition of The Princess Bride is a true keepsake for devoted fans as well as those lucky enough to discover it for the first time. What reader can forget or resist such colorful characters as Westley- handsome farm boy who risks death and much, much worse for the woman he loves; Inigo- the Spanish swordsman who lives only to avenge his father's death; Fezzik- the Turk, the gentlest giant ever to have uprooted a tree with his bare hands; Vizzini-the evil Sicilian, with a mind so keen he's foiled by his own perfect logic; Prince Humperdinck- the eviler ruler of Florin, who has an equally insatiable thirst for war and the beauteous Buttercup; Count Rugen- the evilest man of all, who thrives on the excruciating pain of others; Miracle Max- the King's ex-Miracle Man, who can raise the dead (kind of); The Dread Pirate Roberts- supreme looter and plunderer of the high seas; and, of course, Buttercup- the princess bride, the most perfect, beautiful woman in the history of the world.

S. Morgenstern's timeless tale--discovered and wonderfully abridged by William Goldman--pits country against country, good against evil, love against hate. From the Cliffs of Insanity through the Fire Swamp and down into the Zoo of Death, this incredible journey and brilliant tale is peppered with strange beasties both monstrous and gentle, and memorable surprises both terrible and sublime.

Fictional William Goldman is given the job of abridging the original book which he deems the best book he has never read. His fictional father read it to him when he was a little boy. In shortening the novel, he decides to leave only the best parts. According to him, this book has everything you could possibly want in a novel

Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles.

I love the movie and I equally love the book. The story of Inigo Montoya becoming a mercenary and out for revenge on Count Rugen is explained better in the book and will make you love his character even more. I like how Goldman created fictional characters of himself, wife, son, and grandson. 

Can You Forgive Her?

tags: historical fiction, politics, romance, Victorian era, 1000 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

from GoodReads

Alice Vavasor cannot decide whether to marry her ambitious but violent cousin George or the upright and gentlemanly John Grey - and finds herself accepting and rejecting each of them in turn.

Increasingly confused about her own feelings and unable to forgive herself for such vacillation, her situation is contrasted with that of her friend Lady Glencora - forced to marry the rising politician Plantagenet Palliser in order to prevent the worthless Burgo Fitzgerald from wasting her vast fortune.

In asking his readers to pardon Alice for her transgression of the Victorian moral code, Trollope created a telling and wide-ranging account of the social world of his day.

Wow. I finished reading this thousand-page book and I loved it! I've been on a Regency and Victorian era reading period because there are no new books worth my time. I reread some of Jane Austen's books then suddenly remembered I wanted to read Anthony Trollope's books written during the Victorian period. Goodreads readers recommend to start with more-than-a-thousand-page Can You Forgive Her? But what's up with the title? 

“Poor Alice! I hope that she may be forgiven. It was her special fault, that when at Rome she longed for Tibur, and when at Tibur she regretted Rome.”

My answer is of course, I forgive her, Alice Vavasor that is, regardless of her being hard-headed and wishy-washy. She is a very independent young woman, growing up without a mother who died when she was a baby, and her father who hardly pays attention to her. Alice resents her elderly aunts telling her whom to marry and makes a mistake in taking back her promise to marry the handsome and moderately rich gentleman, John Grey. During this time, it's disgraceful for both parties to cancel the engagement and Alice feels she has sinned by doing so and doesn't deserve to be forgiven. 

The other young woman, the wealthy heiress Lady Glencora Palliser, is married to a duke's heir, Plantagenet Palliser. Lady Glencora was in love with a beautiful idler, wastrel, and gambler, Burdo Fitzgerald but was "jumped on" by her titled aunts to marry the better man, Palliser. Both aunts are indeed correct for jumping on Lady Glencora and Alice Vavasor.

The third woman, the rich young widow Mrs. Greenow, the sister of Alice's father spends her time on  matchmaking. She and the characters in her universe provide lots of funny moments although there are plenty of LOL scenes all throughout the book.

One of the love-to-hate characters is the heir to Vavasor Hall, George Vavasor, Alice's first cousin whom she was engaged to briefly when she was only 19 and then again after her disengagement from John Grey, but rejected him both times eventually. He is described as short in stature, with very dark hair and eyebrows, has small hands and feet, and has a scar running from under his left eye down to his jaw. He got the scar when he was just a boy for confronting a burglar in their home. In other words, he is as ugly as sin, even his grandfather says so often. He is also a penniless ne'er do well wastrel and even though a pauper wants a seat at the Parliament, carelessly using Alice's money. He is a brute and a violent man, a total villain. Alice who thinks she is still in love with him but realizes she isn't, is lucky to escape his clutches. 

Anthony Trollope had managed to make George's character evil, murderous, and pathetic but funny in a way. When George was desperate and mad at everyone and everything whom he deems has wronged him including his grandfather, his sister Kate, Alice, John Grey, his uncle, the city, the country, the sun, the universe, he curses at them mightily and thinks of a thousand ways to murder them. Trollope had a way with words that I really like. I wasn't bored at all reading about the countless number of characters and the political parts of the novel. I'll try to read the rest of the series, 5 more books, that are more about the Pallisers and politics.

 Highly recommended for British Victorian historical fiction readers.

M. C. Beaton's Poor Relation Series

from goodreads and Amazon

1 - Lady Fortescue Steps Out

After her husband’s death, Lady Fortescue knows she must work, even though the thought will appall her society relatives. So she decides to transform her once-grand Bond Street home into a hotel, the Poor Relation, offering society guests the pleasure of being waited upon by nobility.
 
With the help of other down-and-out aristocrats, London’s newest, most fashionable hotel is born. And it is the perfect venue for Lady Fortescue to play with the love lives of her guests and staff, starting with her nephew, the dashing Duke of Rowcester. Lady Fortescue has it on good authority that the duke once shared a dance with darling Harriet James, the hotel cook. When the duke comes to London, Lady Fortescue orchestrates a reunion that is sure to scandalize the ton. 

2 - Miss Tonks Turns To Crime

The fashionable Poor Relation hotel has rescued its six owners from genteel poverty, but they need ready cash for its upkeep. Once more, one of them must discreetly rob a rich relative.

The faded spinster Miss Letitia Tonks is dispatched to disguise herself as a highwayman and hold up the carriage that is transporting her nip-farthing sister and her lovely young niece, Cassandra. But by a twist of fate, their dashing prankish neighbor, Lord Eston, himself masked as a highwayman, does the deed for her--and grabs the opportunity to dazzle Cassandra with a swift kiss.

3 - Mrs. Budley Falls From Grace

The Poor Relation is in need of money to survive. Widow Eliza Budley wants to help save her new home, but with her fortune lost due to her deceased husband’s gambling debts, how can she? With no rich relative to go to, Eliza calls on the senile, elderly Marquess of Peterhouse, and pretends to be a relation while she steals just enough of his worldly goods to fund the hotel. But when she arrives at his bleak castle, she learns the Marquess is deceased, leaving his handsome nephew in charge of the estate. Once the dashing heir learns of her devious plot, can he get past her criminal leanings long enough to fall in love with her?

4 - Sir Philip's Folly

The owners of the Poor Relation Hotel are busy once again. This time, Sir Philip Sommerville has installed a vulgar, grasping woman in the hotel, and his co-owners are frantic to remove her. At the same time, they decide they must help a young guest find a husband. These experienced schemers almost make and break the wrong matches, but greed is revealed, and love triumphs.

5 - Coronel Sandhurst To The Rescue

Due to a bad wager by one of its founders, the popular Poor Relation hotel is in financial trouble. Fortunately, founder Colonel Sandhurst has a plan. Offering the hotel as a sanctuary to a bride running from her arranged marriage, the colonel plans to return her to her father in exchange for a ransom rich enough to settle the hotel’s debts. But the colonel’s plan goes awry when the bride’s jilted fiancé shows up instead, mistakes a hotel maid for his future wife, and promptly falls in love. To make matters worse, the ransomed bride herself is now smitten with another dashing guest, a nobleman unhappily betrothed to another woman. Now it will take all the matchmaking prowess of the eccentric staff of the Poor Relation to get these romantic affairs in order—and save their beloved hotel from bankruptcy.

6 - Back In Society

Life is finally looking up for the eccentric owners of London’s Poor Relation hotel. The Prince of Wales’s coat of arms gleams over the entrance. All but one of the rooms are filled by the open-handed Prince Hugo and his entourage. The owners have taken on a popular actor as a new partner. Finally, these once-impoverished aristocrats have reached a position comfortable enough to allow them to consider offers to buy the hotel.
 
But their hard-earned success stands in stark contrast to the plight of their latest guest, Lady Jane Fremney. The slight, beautiful daughter of the Earl of Durby has been cast out of her family for refusing to marry the man her father has chosen. Lonely and bankrupt, Lady Jane has decided to commit suicide. But when hotelier Miss Tonks uncovers her plans, the entire staff tries to rescue Lady Jane by finding her a suitable husband—fast! Fortunately, these lovable hoteliers have a knack for matchmaking.

I have read all of the Hamish Macbeth [set in fictional Lochdubh, Scotland] and Agatha Raisin [set in The Cotswolds, England] mystery books by Marion Chesney Gibbons writing as M. C. Beaton. She passed away December 2019 and I'm awaiting the last books for both series to be issued later this year. Although I have tired of both characters, I still read them as soon as they are published hoping Hamish will finally marry either Priscilla or Elspeth, and Agatha, Sir Charles Fraith. Now I'll never know.

I'm no fan of romance novels but I read a few of her romance series years ago and a couple of her Edwardian mystery series. I decided to read one of her romance novelette series, Poor Relation, set in the Regency period, which I finished in 4 days. They are very short, 150 and up to 220 pages, and I liked all of them. Her sense of humor and engaging writing style easily earned 4 stars from me.