Book Tour and Review: A Courtesan's Scandal by Julia London

A Courtesan's Scandal by Julia London


My rating: 4.25/5.0


I received this from Sarah Reidy at Simon and Schuster for a Pocket Books Tour.


My Review:

I really enjoyed this story of Kate Bergeron, a courtesan and Grayson Christopher, the Duke of Darlington.

I haven't read stories centered around Courtesans before so this was a learning experience for me. I have been away from historical romance for awhile, but with books like this one coming out I will definitely be reading more in the future.

This book centers around Grayson and Kate having to act as if they are involved so the Prince of Wales who actually bought Kate as his courtesan, isn't suspected of having an affair. Grayson and Kate don't like each other at first. Grayson is all about propriety and how he looks for his family. Kate is just tired of men thinking they own her. Of course attraction ensues and makes the story very interesting.

I really liked Kate's character. She is a beauty and therefore she was picked and groomed to become a courtesan. She has an interesting past and really has made something of herself. She also has a generous side and wants to help those she left behind in the area she came from. I like that she was learning something new and wanted a different life for herself. I loved her naivite. It was fun and refreshing.

Grayson as a character was very masculine and confident and that made him very sexy. He cares a lot for his family and always tries to do the right thing. Yes he has a mistress who is married, but that was acceptable at the time. I didn't really like that arc of the story, but it was important to the story and important to the character growth of Grayson.

To me this was a very enjoyable book. I haven't read Julia London before so I don't know her writing style. I enjoyed her writing. She tells a great story. It was a little hurried at the end, but the rest of the book was so enjoyable that I can overlook that.

This is the third book in this series, but I don't feel like I missed anything by not reading the other two. I couldn't even tell you who the other two were about. I have a couple of guesses by couples mentioned in the book, but I don't think the stories completely hinge on each other. I do want to go back and read the other two and also more of Julia London's backlist.

About the Book:

Kate Bergeron is the beautiful and mysterious former mistress of a cloth merchant . . . and the latest beauty to capture the interest of the Prince of Wales.  Mired in a disastrous divorce, the Prince attempts to distract attention from his next amorous pursuit by ordering Grason Christopher,k the eligible Duke of Darlington to pretend to London society that he is having an affair with Kate.  When Grayson reluctantly agrees to his Prince's demand, he finds the lady no more wiling than he is.  Kate will grudgingly act the part in public, but her favors are not for sale to any man.  As Grayson and Kate mimic ardor for the world to see, they find what started as a deception becoming all too real.  And when passion flames into love, their predicament becomes extreme.  Fore while marriage between a duke and a courtesan could never happen, Kate knows in her heart that she is willing to accept nothing less ...

Challenges:
100+ Book Challenge
Fall Into Reading Challenge 2009

Book Tour and Giveaway: A Precious Jewel by Mary Balogh

Join Mary Balogh, author of the Regency romance novel,  A Precious Jewel (Dell, November 2009), as she virtually tours the blogosphere in November on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

MARY BALOGH is the New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed Slightly series and Simply quartet of novels set at Miss Martin’s School for Girls, as well as many other beloved novels. She is also the author of First Comes Marriage, Then Comes Seduction, At Last Comes Love, and Seducing An Angel, all featuring the Huxtable family. A former teacher, she grew up in Wales and now lives in Canada. To learn more, visit the author’s website at www.MaryBalogh.com.

She was unlike any woman he’d ever met in the ton or the demimonde. But Sir Gerald Stapleton frequented Mrs. Blyth’s euphemistically dubbed “finishing school” for pure, uncomplicated pleasure—and nothing else. So why was this confirmed bachelor so thoroughly captivated by one woman in particular? Why did he find himself wondering how such a rare jewel of grace, beauty, and refinement as Priss had ended up a courtesan? And when she needed protection, why did Gerald, who’d sworn he’d never get entangled in affairs of the heart, hasten to set her up as his own pampered mistress to ensure her safety—and have her all to himself?
For Priscilla Wentworth, the path leading to Sir Gerald’s bed had been as filled with misfortune as it suddenly seemed charmed. But Priss couldn’t allow herself to believe she’d ever be more to a man like Sir Gerald than a well-cared-for object of pleasure. Now, despite Gerald’s deep distrust of marriage, neither scandal nor society’s censure can keep them apart—only the fear of trusting their hearts.




My review will go up in December but until then you have a chance to win a copy of Mary Balogh's A Precious Jewel by leaving a comment on this post.  Just leave your email (in code) and you can win a copy of this book. Open to the US and Canada only please.  Giveaway will run through November 30.

Additional entries for:

• Being a follower of my blog (rss, blogger, email) (+3 for each)
• Being a follower on twitter (@cfulcher) (+3)
• Tweeting, posting on your blog about this giveaway (+3/day for tweet, +5 for blog post, sidebar is fine)  Sample Tweet: RT @cfulcher Win a copy of A Precious Jewel by Mary Balogh at My Reading Room http://ow.ly/BEUl
  

All entries can be left in one comment.  Post additional comments for tweets left on separate days.

Review: Revenge of the Wannabes by Lisi Harrison (The Clique #3)

Revenge of the Wannabes by Lisi Harrison




My rating: 4.75/5.0

Publisher: Little Brown Young Readers
Release Date: June 4, 2005
Pages: 224


My Review:

The Halloween Party has come and gone and so has the fashion show. The Clique is starting to fall apart and Massie is rounding up her best buds to stay with her. So is Claire now really in? Especially now that Alicia is friends with Olivia?

The third installment of The Clique was definitely interesting. It never slowed down in the world of what the girls will do to stay in The Clique (or create their own new one). With a fashion shoot on the horizon and new friends popping up, this is definitely one in the series to read.

I think I enjoyed this one the most because it showed more of some of the other characters and they appeared to have backbone and that is a good thing to see - girls shouldn't be ruled by one leader.  Alicia breaking out and trying to start her own clique was neat to watch and the ending of the book is good.  It also shows the bad side of friendship, but thankfully some of the characters show remorse for things that were done.

It's the usual middle school drama in the book, but it was good. I enjoyed every moment of this book and can't wait to read the next one. Massie becomes more human, Claire is still Claire and I still love the little brother Todd as a character, and he is a character.

Come join the fun and get into The Clique.

About the Book:

Thanksgiving. Weeks before Christmas. Alicia and Olivia are on their way to Manhattan so the Teen People editors can do a story on them about winning the Octavian Country Day uniform design contest. When Massie finally processes that the girls who hijacked her victory are also modeling for Teen People, she is livid. It should have been her. 'Ehmagod, what will everyone think when they find out it wasn't me who was asked to model? I will be SO over.' Massie decides it's time to get revenge. This snake can not lay idle in the weeds for one more second. Kristen and Dylan throw out terrible 'revenge' suggestions and Massie vetoes them all. She will think of something! But first she has to go home and exfoliate. The social minefields of Westchester County's most privileged middle school girls drive the page-turning action of this addictive series, set in New York City's most elite suburban county. The Clique . . . the only thing harder than getting in is staying in.

Challenges:
100+ Book Challenge
Support Your Local Library Challenge
Fall Into Reading Challenge 2009

Review: Best Friends For Never by Lisi Harrison (The Clique #2)

Best Friends for Never by Lisi Harrison




My rating: 4.0/5.0

Publisher: Little Brown Young Readers

Release Date: October 6, 2004

Pages: 208



My Review:

The second in The Clique series focusing on 5 middle school girls, 4 who are definitely in and one that might be in. I have seen a lot of people were put off by the name of this book, but as one who had a spat with my best friends in middle school, the name does not bother me. No I don't believe all girls will go through this - but some do.

While this wasn't as good as the first or third book, it was good. In this one Massie wants to have a boy/girl Halloween party and introducing boys into The Clique mix definitely makes things interesting. The girls begin fighting over a boy and Claire is somewhat in with The Clique since she and Massie are throwing the party together. Claire thankfully continues her friendship with Layne and her brother Todd is up to his usual antics (I love Todd). Overall this is a quick and enjoyable read. Clean for the younger teenagers, and a good book. I quickly went from the first book to this one and couldn't wait to start the third.

About the Book:

In the second book starring Westchester County's most privileged middle schoolers, the Clique declares Massie a hero for hosting the first boy/girl Halloween party of 8th grade. Massie's already hired Landon Dorsey, the hottest party planner in the 9-1-4 area code, but her parents insist she has to invite the entire class. Unfortunately that means everyone. Layne is bummed that the boys will be there -- she IMs Claire that's so "DESPR8" -- as Claire wonders if maybe a boyfriend will make her happy.Meanwhile, Massie and the Clique are fighting over who gets to invite Derek Herrington. Dylan thought it was obvious that she was the one who danced all night with Derek at the OCD benefit last month, but says "Whatevs" when Kristen gets all weird about it. Fine, she can have him. He was a terrible dancer anyway and there will be tons of guys to choose from at the party....

Challenges:
100+ Book Challenge
Support Your Local Library Challenge
Fall Into Reading Challenge 2009

 

Review and Giveaway - The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate

The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate




My rating: 4.5/5.0



Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: November 12, 2009

I received this ARC from Gillian Levinson of the Penguin Young Readers Group for review along with Wanderlust by Lucy Silag. I will be reviewing in a few weeks.  Thank you so much Gillian!

What would you do to remain the top girl in the school dating the top guy? What would you do to make sure that you win the Palmetto Princess and your boyfriend wins the Prince title?

This book is a dark look at teenage life. Natalie has made her way to the top and wants to stay there and she doesn't want Justin Balmer to beat out her boyfriend Mike King for the Palmetto Prince title.

I enjoyed this book - it read quickly for me. I believe in the letter I got with the book it said it was a cross between Heathers and Cruel Intentions. I was sold on the book at that point because for some reason I loved both of those dark and twisty movies. I would never personally go that far for something I wanted, but for some reason reading or watching it is interesting.

Natalie is not very likable (and she's not supposed to be I think), but for some reason you just keep reading. I did end up liking her some by the end. She is the main character in the book and it all centers around her. We see her with her boyfriend Mike, at school and with friends and even the ones who want to be like her. We see the good and the bad of Natalie and see her struggles.

This book brought out all kinds of feelings in me - from being appalled, to being sympathetic and just understanding how teenagers are and how this is such a tough time in life. It's a dark and edgy book that's highly entertaining.  It's also thought-provoking book and I really enjoyed it.

About the Book:

A steamy Southern beauty makes one fatal mistake

Natalie Hargrove would kill to be her high school’s Palmetto Princess. But her boyfriend Mike King doesn’t share her dream and risks losing the honor of Palmetto Prince to Natalie’s nemesis, Justin Balmer. So she convinces Mike to help play a prank on Justin. . . one that goes terribly wrong. They tie him to the front of the church after a party—when they arrive the next morning, Justin is dead.

From blackmail to buried desire, dark secrets to darker deeds, Natalie unravels. She never should’ve messed with fate. Fate is the one thing more twisted than Natalie Hargrove.



 Challenges:
100+ Book Challenge
Fall Into Reading Challenge 2009





And yes there is a giveaway.  I have a gently used ARC I would like to pass on to one lucky commenter.  Open to the US and Canada only.  Ends 11/18/2009.  To enter simply leave your email address (in code).

For extra entries:

• Follow me on blogger, rss, email (+3 old or new followers)
• Follow me on twitter (+3 @cfulcher - old or new followers)
• Tweet this giveaway (+5)
• Post somewhere on your blog about this giveaway (+5)

You can place each entry all together in one comment (use additional comments for tweets made on different days) I'll add up the entries and place them in my spreadsheet.

Waiting on Wednesday - November 11

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Miriam Parker posted about this one on Goodreads and I love Joshlynn Jackson.  I loved Gods in Alabama and The Girl Who Stopped Swimming.

Backseat Saints



Release: June 8, 2010



About the Book:

Rose Mae Lolley is a fierce and dirty girl, long-suppressed under flowery skirts and bow-trimmed ballet flats. As "Mrs. Ro Grandee" she's trapped in a marriage that's thick with love and sick with abuse. Her true self has been bound in the chains of marital bliss in rural Texas, letting "Ro" make eggs, iron shirts, and take her punches. She seems doomed to spend the rest of her life battered outside by her husband and inside by her former self, until fate throws her in the path of an airport gypsy---one who shares her past and knows her future. The tarot cards foretell that Rose's beautiful, abusive husband is going to kill her. Unless she kills him first.

Hot-blooded Rose Mae escapes from under Ro's perky compliance and emerges with a gun and a plan to beat the hand she's been dealt. Following messages that her long-missing mother has left hidden for her in graffiti and behind paintings, Rose and her dog Gretel set out from Amarillo, TX back to her hometown of Fruiton, AL, and then on to California, unearthing a host of family secrets as she goes. Running for her life, she realizes that she must face her past in order to overcome her fate---death by marriage---and become a girl who is strong enough to save herself from the one who loves her best.

BACKSEAT SAINTS will dazzle readers with a fresh and heartwrenching portrayal of the lengths a mother will go to right the wrongs she's created, and how far a daughter will go to escape the demands of forgiveness. With the seed of a minor character from her popular best-seller, GODS IN ALABAMA, Jackson has built a whole new story full of her trademark sly wit, endearingly off-kilter characters, and utterly riveting plot twists.

So what are you waiting on this week?

Article: The Best Foods for Strong Bones

Julie Harabedian from FSB Associates passed this interesting article on to me to post.  I have The Whole-Food Guide to Strong Bones: A Holistic Approach by Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D. in my to be reviewed pile and plan on reading and reviewing it soon.  But for now enjoy this article by the author.

The Best Foods for Strong Bones
by Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D.,
Author of The Whole-Food Guide to Strong Bones: A Holistic Approach

Let me make very clear what the best foods are for the bones -- in this order:

1. Vegetables, especially leafy greens, and also roots and stalks (for the iron and calcium, and for vitamins K and C, which, together with protein, help deposit the collagen matrix)

2. Protein, such as animal foods, beans, and soy foods (for the collagen matrix)

3. Stock (for the minerals)

4. Whole grains (for the magnesium)

5. Foods rich in trace minerals, such as seaweeds, nuts, and seeds

6. Edible bones (for the calcium and other minerals)

7. Healthy fats (for the fat-soluble vitamins needed for the bones, such as vitamins K and D)

To underscore the approach of eating for bone health, the recipes in part 3 are generally arranged in the above order, although in most cases the fats are included in the recipes, not featured as a separate food. Every section, then, relates to bone health in a specific way. Let's take a closer look at these categories and review how each relates to bone health.

Vegetables

Calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and other minerals are found abundantly in the vegetable kingdom, especially in produce that's organically grown. Of particular value for bone health are all the leafy green vegetables, such as kale, collard greens, mustard greens, arugula, bok choy, parsley, watercress, and mesclun, the only exceptions being spinach and Swiss chard, as explained below. Other vegetables especially helpful to the bones include broccoli, cabbage, carrots, zucchini, and acorn or butternut squash. In fact, the food that provides the most calcium per calorie is bok choy, at 790 mg per 100 calories when cooked. Other vegetables with a high calcium content include cooked mustard greens, with 495 mg calcium per 100 calories; raw celery, with 250 mg calcium per 100 calories; and steamed broccoli, with 164 mg calcium per 100 calories. For comparison, skim milk provides 351 mg of calcium per 100 calories, so the veggies are quite within the ballpark.

Some vegetables, most notably spinach and Swiss chard, contain a relative abundance of calcium but also contain oxalates, substances that may interfere with calcium absorption in some cases. However, people on low calcium diets (300 to 400 mg per day) are more efficient at overriding the effect of oxalates and absorbing calcium than people on diets high in calcium-rich dairy products.

Protein Foods

As explained earlier, protein is essential for giving bones the flexibility that helps prevent fractures. There is controversy as to whether protein from animal or vegetable sources is better. For quite some time, the popular assumption was that a diet high in animal protein could contribute to osteoporosis. This assumption has been shown to be incorrect. Some people object to the consumption of animal foods for a variety of reasons. My viewpoint has always been that the choice to be vegetarian or not is a very personal one, and that either can be very healthful as long as the diet is balanced and the foods consumed are fresh, natural, and unrefined -- and hopefully organic.

Cooking with Stock

Cooking with stock is a very traditional way of increasing the nutritional value of dishes made with added liquid, such as soups, stews, grains, beans, and sauces. By cooking bones and vegetables for a long time over low heat, many of the minerals are leached out into the cooking water, making the stock highly nutritious and also alkalizing, especially if something sour has been added such as vinegar or wine.

Whole Grains

In modern times, the primary grains that most cultures rely on for sustenance -- rice and wheat -- are usually stripped of their bran and germ and thereby made deficient in nutrients. Whole grains, such as brown rice, whole wheat, barley, oats, rye, millet, cornmeal, amaranth, quinoa, teff, and buckwheat, are excellent sources of complex carbohydrates, fiber, and B vitamins, and they're very satisfying to boot. Consuming sufficient amounts of whole grains (about a handful of cooked whole grain per meal) also means you need to consume less animal protein due to a concept known as protein sparing. When grains (or fats) provide more calories, this diminishes the body's need to metabolize proteins for energy. This conserves muscle tissue, and whatever is good for the muscles is good for the bones. In addition, whole grains are a good source of magnesium, which helps increase absorption of calcium from the blood into the bones.

Foods Rich in Trace Minerals

Seaweeds, nuts, and seeds are some of the foods richest in trace minerals. As mentioned in chapter 3, trace minerals play an important role in bone health. Remember, less important than how much calcium you eat is the balance of minerals (and other nutrients). Eating food rich in trace minerals will go a long way toward providing mineral balance.

Seaweeds, which are most commonly used in Japanese cuisine are rich in minerals, making them an excellent addition to healthful cooking. In fact, a study of osteoporosis in Taiwan found that those who include seaweed in their diet two or more times per week showed a slightly higher protection against osteoporosis (Shaw 1993). Seaweeds are also valuable for being especially high in iodine, which is necessary for good thyroid function. As discussed in chapter 3, the thyroid and parathyroid glands play an important role in bone health.

Nuts and seeds have the advantage of also being a great source of bone-healthy essential fatty acids, as well as plant protein. A handful of nuts or seeds a day is a good source of trace minerals, such as iron, boron, selenium, phosphorus, and magnesium.

Edible Bones

Perhaps your initial response to the idea of eating bones is "what?!" But bones can be eaten when prepared in certain ways, and if you think about it, what better source of natural minerals for our bones than bones themselves? See the recipes in part 3.

Healthy Fats

Good-quality fats are essential for bone health. As we apply the "three-bears-rule" again, too much is no good, but too little is no good, as well. You need to eat enough of these important nutrients, even if that means unlearning a fat phobia. The average postmenopausal woman needs about 65 grams of fat daily. That means you need approximately 2 or 3 tablespoons of good-quality fat per day in an eating regime based on vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds, or about 1 or 2 tablespoons if your diet also includes animal products. Nutritionist Udo Erasmus cautions against using any one type of fat exclusively because it won't contain a full profile of fatty acids and therefore might create an imbalance (Erasmus 1993). We need both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. However, a diet high in polyunsaturated vegetable oils is skewed too much in favor of the latter.

REFERENCES:
Shaw, C.  K. 1993. An epidemilogic study of osteoporosis in Taiwan. Annals of Epidemiology 3 (3):264-271.

Erasmus, U. 1993. Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill: The Complete Guide to Fats, Oils, Cholesterol, and Human Health. Burnaby, BC: Alive Books.

Reprinted with permission by New Harbinger Publications, Inc. The Whole-Food Guide to Strong Bones: A Holistic Approach by Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D. www.newharbinger.com.
The above is an excerpt from the book The Whole-Food Guide to Strong Bones: A Holistic Approach by Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.
Copyright © 2009 Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D., author of The Whole-Food Guide to Strong Bones: A Holistic Approach

Author Bio
Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D., author of The Whole-Food Guide to Strong Bones: A Holistic Approach, is a health educator and award-winning writer, consultant, and lecturer. She is the founder and CEO of the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in New York City. She is author of several books including Food and Healing and writes a column, "Food and Your Health," for New York Spirit magazine.
For more information please visit www.FoodAndHealing.com.