Giveaway : Free Printable November 2023 Calendar

November 2023, free printable calendar

...One of those days...
Actually is one of those weeks I feel like nothing is really interesting to me.
I started 3 books ( one at the time ) and I've abbandoned them after few chapters, so I don't have any review to post.
But since I needed something to do to kill my frustration, I 've already prepared the free printable calendar for next month.

HERE YOU ARE, click on the preview image and then download it :-). ENJOY !

You can also use it as a bookmark if you print it in a smaller size (for example in postcard format).

@TizianaFragnerGraphic
November 2023 Calendar
Size 1634 x 1264

In Italy we have only one day of celebration: November 1st.
In other countries November 2nd is also a public holiday and so I put a smaller star to highlight the day.

Wishing you a funny Halloween and a wonderful November.

Book review : Troubled Bones by Jeri Westerson

Troubled Bones
Crispin Guest Book 4
Medieval noir by Jeri Westerson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Superb !! 5 full stars !

( I'm an Italian reader, please be lenient with my English text, it's not my native tongue )

This is the 4th book of "Crispin Guest series" and if on the one hand I was excited to start reading it , on the other hand I didn't know what to expect.
I rated the previous 3 books 5 stars (  but I'm not someone who easily gives 5 stars ) and it's not always easy for an author to maintain the same level and continue to amaze the reader...BUT SHE DID IT, Jeri Westerton amazed me one more time with a gripping mystery of hers ! 

___ THE PLOT ___ This time we have a new scenario, the scene moves from London to the city of Canterbury, where Archbishop Courtney has asked Crispin, a former knight now in disgrace, to carry out a very important task: to protect the relics of England's most famous saint: Thomas Becket.
Crispin, who has been known as the Trucker ( a sort of detective ) for two years,  must also find out some heretics hidden among the monks.
 Crispin will find himself faced with a den of secrets and lying people and the resulting murder is as inexplicable as it is heinous.
Stuck in Canterbury with his protégé Jack and a group of pilgrims, Crispin will also find an old and dear friend: Geoffrey Chaucer ,the poet of King Richard II

__THE GENIALITY OF THE AUTHOR __   Once again holy relics are involved in the plot, so where's the news?
The novelty is not only in the change of city as a background scenario, but also the fact that in this adventure and investigation, in addition to important historical figures, we find also some characters involved as suspects and/or witnesses took  from an important English classical work (Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer )


__HISTORICAL FIGURE  IN THE BOOK ___
_ Geoffrey Chaucer, close friend and spy of the Duke of Lancaster  and  poet of King Richard II.He's best known for The Canterbury Tales and called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry".
  _ William Courtenay archbishop of Canterbury, vigorous leader of the English church and moderating influence in the political disputes of King Richard II of England.
_ Dom Thomas Chillenden,  treasurer in Canterbury cathedral and then prior of Christchurch priory
_  Saint Thomas Becket martyr relics -->   He was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his tragic murder in 1170. The book also explain of his conflicts with the crown and how his murder took place and by whom
_ John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, uncle of King Richard II and founder of the House of Lancaster.

____ FICTIONAL CHARACTER from CANTERBURY TALES __ I will not list the characters taken from Chaucer's famous classic work, I will only say that being Italian I had no idea what the "Canterbury Tales" are (I had only heard this title on several occasions) nor who the characters are and I realized the whole thing only later, by searching general info about the poem on web.

In the start of the story, Crispin and Jack meet a group of people on a pilgrimage, during a  dinner in the inn where everyone was staying  for some days (imagine a group trip nowadays, who stay in the same hotel and who obviously have dinner together in the evening... it was very funny and this is also a novelty in the adventures of our former knight).

In the animated conversation, each character's name and profession are told and since some professions no longer exist, it was by looking in the dictionary put by the author at the end of the book that I recognized the same professions that I had read on Wikipedia, looking for info on Canterbury Tales and its characters.

Now, you could also be completely uninterested in Chaucer and his poem, but I assure you that you will enjoy a very good mystery the same, because it is very well thought out and the suspense lasts until the end.
But if you are interested in history and literature, then you will be doubly fascinated by this read!

Each character has a personal background and we find both Crispin's allies and villains who will hinder him and the plot written by the author is gripping!

__ MAIN CHARACTERS __ some other innovations from the author:
 Jack is growing and changing not only in his body but also in his emotions.
At almost 13 years old, like all teenagers he needs to feel appreciated and reassured. He also  has his first crush.

The relationship between the Tracker and his protégé is further consolidated here and Crispin finds himself in the same questions as all inexperienced parents.
There also comes greater responsibilities at work for Jack, who will find himself facing a new challenge, just like what happens in all of our lives.

The emotional growth of the characters and the progression of their personal stories, amidst many daily difficulties, makes all almost real and tangible.

The characters are not perfect and each time , over the course of the books, they mature new important decisions and new concepts of life, through their own mistakes and the vicissitudes of those around them.Each of us, for one reason or another, could recognize ourselves in Crispin or Jack and that's what makes us love them even more!

___ WHY DO I LOVE THIS SERIES? __ it offers much more than a simple investigation, it has everything I'm looking for:
1__ Mysteries that are difficult to solve and which involve the reader through continuous clues, twists, theories and testimonies. There is never a dull moment.

2__ There is a lot of history and it is always told through ongoing events, in a tantalizing way, which will make you want to know even more.

3__ The characters are human in every sense, they have strengths and weaknesses and even when things end well, there is never an extremely perfect ending (and you might ask yourself: oh no! Why?? ...but I assure you that some seconds after you will realize: it was the right thing!)

4__ Each Guest adventure addresses a theme and there is always a moral lesson that you can learn or stop and consider for a few minutes.

5__ The atmosphere of every place and every conversation is conveyed so well by the writer through her words that every time I feel like I am exactly on the scene together with the characters.

6__ There is no romance involved in a love story, but Crispin is 31 years old and obviously not immune to female charm. His casual adventures (i.e. sexual encounters) are never too explicit and never vulgar.

7__ The 6 points above are packed with great entertainment and sense of humor.
In fact, the reading is smooth and the funny jokes (never too many and never too few) not only make me smile while I read, but make me feel Crispin and Jack like my dear friends, who I can't wait to see again and spend more time together.

------> Each book is readable as a standalone, but if you read them in order your enjoyment will be doubled !

If you want to know more about BOOK#1 - BOOK#2 and BOOK#3, you can read my reviews here :

BOOK #1 "Veil of Lies" :

BOOK #2 "Serpent in the Thorns" :

BOOK #3 "The Demon's Parchment" :


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Free Printable Romantic Ballerina Bookmark & Card | Vintage Stationery

A freebie for you: Free Printable Romantic 'Ballerina' Card and Bookmark

Hello everybody ! 😘

Do you love the charm of vintage style? Do you often find yourself lost in romantic thoughts while reading a good book?
Today I want to share a special graphic design I created. It features a graceful classical dancer caught in a quiet moment, reading what looks like a heartfelt love letter.
To make it even more special, I’ve paired the illustration with the moving romantic verses of poet Robert Creeley.

This design is part of my "print on demand" collection (currently on cushions, but coming soon to mugs and sweatshirts!). However, I wanted to give something back to my lovely readers.

You can DOWNLOAD IT FOR FREE to use as a card or a bookmark!

It’s the perfect companion to keep your place in your favorite historical novels or to send a sweet note to a friend.

How to get it:

Just CLICK on the PREVIEW IMAGES below and SAVE THEM to your device

@TizianaFragnerGraphic
Romantic Ballerina Card
Size 700 x 700

The scene shows a classical dancer reading what looks like a love letter. Next to the drawing are some romantic verses by the poet Robert Creeley.

@TizianaFragnerGraphic
Romantic Ballerina Bookmark
Size 300 x 700

I konw it's almost Halloween and perhaps it would have been more appropriate to publish bookmarks with Halloween images (which I already prepared a month ago because I printed them on breakfast mugs), but Halloween is not a holiday that I like too much and I prefer romantic or cute drawings... but who knows ...maybe next days I'll change my mind.

I hope you will enjoy it. :-)

Thanks for stopping by and have a nice day !

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Book review : Mysterious Lover by Mary Lancaster

Mysterious Lover
Crime and Passion Book 1
by Mary Lancaster
My rating: 4.8 of 5 stars

It has been a very enjoyable mystery-romance read !
I would re-read it in my future and that I would recommend it to a friend with my same book genre's tastes.

I was undecided whether to read a mystery with a gothic flavor or a beautiful love story that would involve me and make me dream, when I saw the series title: "Crime and Passion" I thought it was the right mix I was looking for and the cherries on the cake was a character different from the usual duke or bow street runner: a Hungarian soldier and doctor, political refugee, after the Hungarian revolution of 1848 (and the cover with him wearing his uniform also charmed me)... intriguing !! :-D

It turned out to be the right choice.

__THE PLOT ___ We are in London in 1851. The story opens almost immediately with an inexplicable murder: the maid of a rich family, murdered near the opera house, while she should have been at home doing her job. Next to her is a precious dagger and the 2 main characters of the story meet themselves, for the first time, at the crime scene:
Lady Grizelda, daughter of the maid's employer and the first to discover the body and Dragan Tizsa, a soldier in the Hungarian revolution, now a political refugee in England, employed as an assistant doctor.
The first thought of both is that the other is the culprit, but logic says otherwise. Unfortunately in the past (and perhaps even nowadays) the less well-off classes are those immediately accused by the law, while the rich... you know how it is!
Now each of the 2 characters has a personal reason to find the culprit.

___ THE CHARACTERS and WHY I LOVED THEM TWO __
I liked the characters straight away due to the fact that neither of them is the usual "winner" in society, but neither of them isolates themselves from the world or gives up, both do their best to live with dignity and to give dignity to the less fortunate.

It is true that Lady Grizelda is the rich daughter of a very important duke in the high society circle, but despite her privileged situation, she is a girl who usually remains in the shadow of her more charming sisters and brothers.
Griz, 24 years old, does not stand out for her beauty and wears glasses, which was considered a disadvantage in frivolous aristocratic society, especially during the events of the season, in finding a husband. However, this does not affect her vitality and her spirit, in fact she doesn't feel like an outcast at all, on the contrary she is dynamic, intelligent and really enterprising.
She doesn't cry over the fact of remaining a spinster, she decide to be a spinster for the rest of her life by embracing its advantages: independence (of course thanks also to the allowance of a rich family), dedicating herself to reading and knowledge and above all giving herself the opportunity to look at the world with different eyes from those of her former society: without social class barriers and helping those who were less fortunate than her.

Dragan on the contrary, possesses the beauty that everyone notices at first glance, but he is a political refugee, he has lost everything: homeland, family, friends and the possibility of completing his studies at university and creating a future for himself.
He has never been rich, although belonging to a noble family of lesser rank, but he does not use his beauty to take rich women into his bed, on the contrary he works as a doctor's assistant and has no illusions about a love life and wedding, because he does not earn enough to create and support a family.
However, he fights for his ideals, for freedom of thought, for everyone's right to vote and to help other refugees.

---> The attraction that immediately arises between them is not just an aesthetic fact, it is an affinity that they feel as together they ask questions around, look for clues, get into dangerous situations and get each other out of trouble during the adventure of an escape at breakneck speed.

___ A GOOD BALANCE BETWEEN MYSTERY AND ROMANCE__ the mystery is well thought and if at the beginning it took me a few chapters to feel taken by the investigations and the romance, after the first 20% of the book, I was completely immersed in reading and I savored any new discovery about the circumstances that led to the murder and the alleged perpetrators.

The possible hypotheses are numerous and all plausible. Suspicions fall on different people from time to time, which always left me in suspense while reading and wanting to guess myself who the murderer was and why.

The real culprit will truly be a surprise, a twist that I would never have imagined and which gave a touch of originality to the story !

As for the love story, it grows slowly but steadily and although there are no hot scenes, the agitation of the soul, the thought focused on the desire for the other and on the desire to spend more time together, the acceleration of the heartbeat, the excitement that comes from the birth of a feeling that brings new life into the lives of both , the sudden kisses that defy the rules of social classes, managed to excite me and make me feel the butterflies in the hero and heroine's stomachs.

The only one small and not too explicit sex scene is in the final part of the book, so even if the series is called "crime and passion" I would define it as a cozy mystery-clean romance ( well cozy and clean except that very short sex scene ), so nothing bloody or shocking and no hot sex scenes between lovers.
That is my favorite genre and I really liked it, but of course those who are seeking for stronger emotions will have to look elsewhere.

___ IS THERE ALSO A HISTORICAL PART? __ As I have already said, we are in 1851 and the book mentions the Hungarian revolution. Apart from this, there are no historical notions included in the novel, which I usually appreciate a lot.

However, the author manages to make the reader feel the atmosphere of the time.
The mean alleys, the flower sellers in Covent Garden, the prostitutes and their brazen and derisive way of speaking, the well-furnished living rooms and the parade of guests with bows and smiles, the false flattery of the world of the rich, the dedication of the servants and the desire to be able to rise in rank by moving from the class that serves to the one that is served... these are all well-described details that help the reader to enter perfectly into the setting of that time.

The series offers, so far, 3 other books and a Christmas novella.
Each book finds Dragan and Griz as detectives ( ___WARNING : SPOILER__[ who became husband and wife ]___SPOILER END, but focuses the romantic story on another couple (friends or relatives of Dragan and Griz).

I will DEFINITELY read the other books in the series and I really hope that the writer continues this saga by adding new adventures and refocusing the love interest on the couple Griz and Dragan. :-)

__ A FINAL NOTE ABOUT MY REVIEW : I'm from Italy and English is not my mother tongue, I tried my best but please forgive me for any grammar or form errors in my text )

READ ALSO "Crime & Passion" BOOK #2:
#2 Letters to a Lover review

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Book review : Murder on the Occident Express by Alex Wagner

Murder on the Occident Express
by Alex Wagner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nice, but I was expecting it a little bit more engaging, I have to admit it.

The reference to Agatha Christie, the train, the snow in the surrounding landscape... made me imagine a fascinating scenario and if the author was good at inventing a mystery completely different from that by our great Agatha, however she was unable to make it 100% captivating and engaging.

___ THE PLOT __ Penny Küfer, aspiring private detective, has just completed her first week of detective training.
After being disinherited by her mother and abandoned by her boyfriend, she has only one consolation left: the much-dreamed-of trip on the Occident Express, the most luxurious train that has ever traveled the European rails.
On the train we find also the owner of the train itself, Mrs. Madeleine and her family. It's clear right from the start that the rich members of the family hate each other, but when the first to die, does it so right before Penny's eyes... she takes the opportunity to investigate.

___ THE MAIN CHARACTERS___ Well, I liked Penny.
Very young, around 20 years old, she's not afraid to roll up her sleeves and live her life without her mother's money and pursuing her dreams. She is nice and enterprising, but she doesn't pretend to be the bravest or smartest, she simply tries to do her best and puts passion into what she does.

The male counterpart for half the book is the good doctor who together with her ascertains the cause of the deaths and formulates the first hypotheses, in the second part of the book we have the charming inspector, also in his early twenties and new to the profession.
I also liked the inspector, who is not the classic policeman who thinks he knows everything and doesn't want detectives around. He lets Penny help him.

___ WHY ONLY 3 STARS ___
As I was saying the inspector lets Penny help him, BUT HERE I have to blame the author: Penny practically does everything and the author could have left some of the interrogations and intelligent deductions to the detective.

1) It is neither credible that Penny, without any experience, discovers the whole truth on her own and acts with self-confidence, nor that the inspector doesn't even ask a question, leaving Penny to do it.

2) I myself had got from the beginning how (through what) the first two murders had occurred.

3) halfway through the book I had already rightly hypothesized who the culprit could be (only 3 suspects remained and 2 were too obvious to be, they would have immediately been investigated by the police).

4) In the last chapters Penny explains "how and why" the crime was committed, but it was already clear from all the author's explanations and from all Penny's explanations to the inspector, so it is a useless repetition.

5) I expected Penny and the young inspector she feels attracted to, to have at least a small romantic exchange.

___ CONCLUSION ___ The book entertained me for a couple of days, it wasn't a bad introduction to Penny's character, but I would have preferred to have a little more suspense.
Speaking of Penny's next adventures, already available in English up to number 7, I hope for more intricate mysteries and also in a love development with the young and charming inspector.

Available in German or English Edition only

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Book review : A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander

A Fatal Waltz
Lady Emily Mysteries #3
by Tasha Alexander
My rating: ★★★★★
Actually 4.5 of 5 stars

Another great mystery in this lovely Victorian setting series !

A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander starts a little slow but after two chapters it will involve you completely.

Indeed after the characters introduction and the arrival in Vienna, the glittering capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it gets straight to the heart of the intrigue.
I found myself totally immersed in the the nineteenth century's Vienna, thanks to the amazing descriptions of places, fabulous buildings, joyful and at the same time problematic events of that era.

This book made me want to listen to the Strauss waltz, making research on the web about period pictures and lithographs and to read even more about the different historical facts about Vienna happened at that time .

_____ THE PLOT _____ This is the 3rd installment in the series "Lady Emily Mysteries" , but well readable as a standalone.
This time Emily reluctantly agrees to attend a party at the sprawling English country estate of Lord Fortescue, a man she finds as odious as he is powerful.

In an already unbearable context, Emily finds among the guests Kristiana von Lange, an Austrian countess who was once linked romantically with Emily's fiancé, the debonair Colin Hargreaves.
What Emily believes will be an awful evening turns worse when Fortescue is found murdered and Robert Brandon, the husband of Emily's best friend Ivy, is arrested for the crime.

Determined to right this terrible wrong and clear Robert's name, Emily begins to dig for answers, a quest that will lead her from London's glittering ballrooms to the salons of the court of Vienna and also to the capital's sordid backstreets. Not until she engages a notorious anarchist in a game of wits does the shocking truth begin to emerge.

____ INTRICATE MYSTERY WELL DESIGNAD BY THE AUTHOR ____
This was an easy, fun read with glimpses of deeper stuff below the surface.
The mystery is compelling as it is not a simple murder but as often happens in this series, politics and espionage are expertly mixed with events that touch Emily's personal life and affections.

In my opinion, this is also the charm of the detective stories in this series: while we are entertained by the mystery, the author manages to introduce in a captivating way historical and political facts that actually happened and which entice us to find out even more.

Following the investigations, it comes naturally to me to formulate my suppositions, but I can never guess the killer's motivations and therefore the killer himself until the very end. So if you are a puzzle lover you will find your entertainment here.

___ A LITTLE ROMANTIC SUSPENSE ___ There is nothing better than an ex-love to make things more complicated even in the most beautiful and supportive relationship.
As a woman, while reading I couldn't help but detest Countess Von Lange, who like all ex-great loves, tortured Emily by reminding her how much power she had over Colin's emotional side and threatening her every time to take her beloved back. I felt close to Emily and I was jealous with her, I suffered with her and I felt a great satisfaction when... oops, no... you have to read the book!

______ THE CHARM OF THE HISTORICAL PART ____ In this book Sissi's lovers will be delighted by the appearance on the scene of the famous historical character, represented at a moment in life when beauty had already faded, partly due to time, partly due to personal pains, but her elegance and charm were always present.

Another historical figure present in the book is the famous Austrian painter Gustav Klimt, whose painting "The Kiss" is known throughout the world, even to those who know nothing about painting.

As it is written at the back of the book, in the author's notes, Vienna at that time was a city ahead of its time, a sophisticated place, the scene of great cultural, political and intellectual ferment. The city of Strauss' waltzes, with its austere and glittering beauty, was an obligatory stop on the Grand Tour, the journey that most of the young European aristocrats made.

Sisi, young empress and after the mourning for her son
The famous painting by G. Klimt "The Kiss"

At those times the ballrooms held up to two thousand people, who drank almond milk, lemonade and hundreds of bottles of champagne.
The Ringstrasse, with its dreamlike atmosphere, enchanted all who traveled it.

However, in all this splendor and innovation (like the facade of the Court Theater illuminated by four thousand electric lights), Vienna, like any great capital, also had a dark side:

_ anti-Semitism and poverty were rampant and the suicide rate was the highest in the entire continent. and often, in the morning, the city's many night owls started the day with the impressive account of yet another suicide.

In that wonderfully complicated city, Lady Emily for the first time in her life, has the opportunity to meet and make friends with people who do not belong to her social class and are not members of her servants.
In Victorian era rich people and aristocrats lived in their own gilded world and did not see the poverty and disease of the lower classes with their own eyes, they only knew those terrible living conditions of the poorer only through reading.
When Emily arrives in this beautiful snow-covered city, she can't help but fall in love with its beauties: the Ringstrasse, the balls, the museums, the opera, the cafés... However, facing the difficulties of some people who lived in extremely disadvantaged conditions, she cannot remain insensitive and begins to develop a social conscience and this is another theme that I really liked, i.e. opening our eyes to realities different from ours (also valid for today's society).

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** ------------- **
LIBRO disponibile anche in EDIZIONE LINGUA ITALIANA, leggi la mia recensione !

Un valzer fatale by Tasha Alexander

Un altro grande mistero in questa adorabile serie di ambientazione vittoriana!

A Fatal Waltz di Tasha Alexander inizia un po' lentamente ma dopo i primi due capitoli vi coinvolgerà completamente.

Infatti, dopo l'introduzione dei personaggi e l'arrivo a Vienna, la scintillante capitale dell'Impero austro-ungarico, si arriva dritti al cuore dell'intrigo.
Mi sono trovata totalmente immerso nella Vienna dell'Ottocento, grazie alle straordinarie descrizioni di luoghi, favolosi edifici, eventi gioiosi e allo stesso tempo problematici di quell'epoca.

Questo libro mi ha fatto venire voglia di ascoltare il valzer di Strauss, di fare ricerche sul web per leggere ancora di più riguardo ai diversi fatti storici accaduti a Vienna in quel periodo e poter vedere foto, quadri e litografie dei personaggi dell'epoca e di com'era la città allora.

_____ LA TRAMA _____ Questo è il terzo capitolo della serie "Lady Emily Mysteries", ma è ben leggibile come libro autonomo.
Questa volta Emily accetta con riluttanza di partecipare a una festa nella vasta tenuta di campagna inglese di Lord Fortescue, un uomo tanto odioso quanto potente e che non perde mai occasione di punzecchiare Emily ( l'antipatia è infatti reciproca ).

In un contesto già insopportabile, Emily trova tra gli ospiti Kristiana von Lange, una contessa austriaca un tempo legata sentimentalmente al suo fidanzato, l'affascinante spia Colin Hargreaves.
Quella che Emily crede sarà una serata terribilmente noiosa, peggiora quando Fortescue viene trovato assassinato e Robert Brandon, il marito della migliore amica di Emily, Ivy, viene arrestato per il crimine.

Determinata a correggere questo terribile torto e a riabilitare il nome di Robert, Emily inizia a cercare risposte, una ricerca che la porterà dalle scintillanti sale da ballo di Londra ai salotti della corte di Vienna e alle sordide stradine secondarie dei quartieri malfamati. Solo quando ingaggia un noto anarchico in un gioco d'ingegno la scioccante verità comincia a emergere.

______ UN MISTERO INTRICATO BEN PROGETTATO DALL'AUTRICE _____ Questa è stata una lettura facile e divertente con scorci di "qualcosa di più profondo" sotto la superficie.
Il mistero è avvincente in quanto non si tratta di un semplice omicidio ma come spesso accade in questa serie, politica e spionaggio sono sapientemente mescolati con eventi che toccano la vita personale e gli affetti di Emily. Questo a mio avviso è anche il fascino dei gialli di questa serie: mentre veniamo intrattenuti dal mistero, l'autrice riesce ad introdurre in maniera accattivante fatti storici e politici realmente accaduti e che ci invogliano a saperne ancora di più.

Ogni volta che leggo un giallo, seguendo le indagini, mi viene spontaneo formulare delle supposizioni, ma nei libri di Tasha Alexander non riesco mai a intuire fino all'ultimo le motivazioni dell'assassino e quindi l'assassino stesso, perciò ti dico: se sei un amante dei puzzle, questo ti piacerà!

___ UN PO' DI SUSPENSE ROMANTICA ___ Non c'è niente di meglio di un ex amore per rendere le cose più complicate anche nella relazione più bella e solidale.
Come donna, durante la lettura non potevo fare a meno di detestare la contessa Von Lange, che come molti gli ex-grandi amori, si divertiva a torturare Emily ricordandole quanto potere avesse ancora sulla parte emotiva di Colin e minacciandola ogni volta di riprendersi il suo amato.
Mi sentivo vicino ad Emily e soffrivo con lei, provavo quel pizzico di gelosia normale per tutti insieme a lei e ho provato una grande soddisfazione quando... ops, no... devi leggere il libro! :-)

Il rapporto d'amore, tra Emily e Colin si sviluppa in maniera abbastanza moderno per l'epoca vittoriana, ma rimane comunque coerente con quell'epoca sotto molti aspetti, dunque non c'è nulla che stoni con l'intera lettura, anche se non è il rigido cliché di coppia a cui siamo abituati nella lettura di libri calssici.

______ IL FASCINO DELLA PARTE STORICA ____ In questo libro gli amanti di Sissi rimarranno deliziati dall'apparizione sulla scena del celebre personaggio storico, rappresentato in un momento della vita in cui la bellezza era già sbiadita, in parte a causa del tempo, in parte a causa di dolori personali , ma non la sua eleganza, presente in ogni momento.

Un'altra figura storica presente nel libro è il famoso pittore austriaco Gustav Klimt, il cui dipinto "Il bacio" è noto in tutto il mondo, anche a chi non sa nulla di pittura.

Sissi giovane e dopo il lutto _ Il quadro di G. Klimt "Il bacio"

Come scrive l'auttrice nell'epilogo, Vienna a quel tempo era una città in anticipo sui tempi.
La capitale austriaca, la città dei valzer di Strauss, con la sua bellezza austera e scintillante, era un luogo sofisticato, teatro di grande fermento culturale, politico e intellettuale ed era una tappa obbligata del "Grand Tou"r, il viaggio che compiva la maggior parte dei giovani aristocratici europei.

A quei tempi le sale da ballo contenevano fino a duemila persone, che bevevano latte di mandorla, limonata e centinaia di bottiglie di champagne.
La Ringstrasse, con la sua atmosfera da sogno, incantava tutti coloro che la percorrevano.

Tuttavia, nonostante questo splendore e la grande modernità (come la facciata del Teatro di Corte illuminata da quattromila luci elettriche), Vienna, come ogni grande capitale, aveva anche un lato oscuro: l'antisemitismo e la povertà erano dilaganti e il tasso di suicidi era il più alto in tutto il continente, tanto che spesso, al mattino, i tanti nottambuli di turno iniziavano la giornata con il resoconto impressionante di un eennesimo suicidio

In quella città meravigliosamente complicata, Lady Emily, per la prima volta nella sua vita, ha l'opportunità di incontrare e fare amicizia con persone che non appartengono alla sua classe sociale e non fanno parte della sua servitù.

In epoca vittoriana i ricchi e gli aristocratici vivevano in un loro mondo dorato e non vedevano povertà e malattia delle classi meno abbienti con i proprio occhi, essi conoscevano le terribili condizioni di vita delle classi più basse solo attraverso la lettura.
Quando Emily arriva in questa bellissima città innevata, non può fare a meno di innamorarsi delle sue bellezze: la Ringstrasse, i balli, i musei, l'opera, i caffè.

Tuttavia, di fronte alle difficoltà di alcune persone che vivevano in condizioni di estremo svantaggio, non riesce a restare insensibile e comincia a sviluppare una coscienza sociale e questo è un altro tema che mi è piaciuto molto : aprire gli occhi sulle realtà diverse dalla nostra ( vale anche per la società odierna ).

Book review : The Highwayman's Letter by Martha Keyes | A Regency Clean Romance & Hidden Historical Gem!

The Highwayman's Letter
by Martha Keyes

GENRE: #CleanRegencyRomance
My rating: ★★★★★
(An absolute 4.9/5 hidden gem!)

What a truly delightful surprise this book turned out to be! I absolutely loved it!

This is a clean romance with a light, engaging plot.
The author masterfully captures your attention by beautifully describing the magic of a sweet love blossoming between two young people from entirely different social classes during the Regency era.
While I was initially skeptical, I became completely engrossed after reading the first two chapters and found myself utterly unable to put it down.

| SOMETHING SURPRISING:

What sets this book apart is the historical background. Usually, in standard historical romances, there is nothing genuinely historical except for the characters' outfits and the basic etiquette of the era. Here, however, the historical elements are deeply interesting, and I actually learned something brand new (which I will explain right after the plot summary below!).

___ 📜 THE PLOT ___

 
The Regency Era, circa 1816.
By day, Reginald Sinclair works a mundane job at the post office.
By night, he transforms into a gallant, masked bandit who robs the carriages of the wealthy aristocracy. He wears a mask and old-fashioned 18th-century clothes, but what truly made him infamous in high society is his signature move: he kisses the women inside the carriages he robs!

Enter Joanna, the most sensible daughter of an aristocratic family, who has just arrived in Bath to meet the man her father desperately hopes will become her future fiancé.

All of this unfolds against a dark backdrop of severe social injustice, specifically revolving around the "postal franking" system—where the poor are completely unable to pay for mail, while the privileged nobility use the postal service entirely for free, taking advantage of it for trivial reasons and worsening the living conditions of the lower class.

Inevitably, the paths of these two young people cross. What starts as a mere game quickly evolves into something far deeper, leading to intense courtship and dangerous challenges as their differing social classes and darker secrets begin to emerge.

___ 😊 MY HONEST IMPRESSIONS ___

 

| 😽 Why you shouldn't give up after the first chapter!

I must confess: after reading the very first chapter, I thought the book was a bit silly. The plot felt like a carbon copy of an old, black-and-white Hollywood costume movie—a masked bandit robbing carriages, pretending to be a gentleman, and kissing ladies.

By the second chapter, I thought the protagonist was way too naive and the plot borderline absurd, especially when he started talking to a little mouse (I mean, it felt like Snow White singing with the birds and forest animals! 😂). BUT THEN, LUCKILY, the author got completely on the right track. With a great dose of humor and those brilliant, witty comedy squabbles that I love so much, a beautiful story truly began. My advice? Do not give up after the first few chapters!

Because this is a clean romance, there are no explicit sex scenes or overly racy thoughts. Yet, I assure you that the agonizing wait leading up to that very first kiss created a breathtaking suspense filled with pure desire and emotion.
TThe banter and lighthearted jokes between the protagonists, combined with the raw pathos of their mutual attraction, were masterfully written.
The simple shiver on the skin from a touch of the hand, lips so close they tremble with anticipation, a stomach in turmoil, and the dizzying rush of a first kiss... it is described so vividly that despite my 52 years and life experiences, I was instantly transported back in time.
I relived every single emotion I felt when I was young, when a new love was born and you couldn't think of anything else.
💞👉Once again, this book proves that it isn’t explicit scenes that make a story interesting, but the raw emotions an author manages to unleash within your heart!

| 📜 THE HISTORICAL INSIGHTS I DIDN'T EXPECT:

A historical romance doesn't always offer genuine historical knowledge, but when it does, it adds massive value: it becomes pure entertainment combined with new learning! 🧠✨

• The Class Divide: One of the core themes of this novel is the massive gap between social classes, showing how aristocratic privileges negatively impacted the already difficult lives of poor workers.


• The Rigged Postal System: In particular, the story dives deep into how the mail system worked at the time.
  During the Regency period, sending mail was incredibly expensive. Members of Parliament were the only ones who could send letters for free—a privilege known as "franking." While this perk was legally meant strictly for official Crown business, nobles constantly took advantage of it for private, superficial gossip, even giving pre-signed letterheads to their friends as favors.

This corrupt privilege heavily burdened the poor, who had to pay just to receive their mail. Yes, you read that right! Back then, the recipient paid for the delivery. If someone didn’t have the money, they couldn't receive their letters—which often contained crucial news or messages from distant family members.

Throughout the book, you will see just how serious this issue was. Furthermore, in the epilogue, the author provides a fascinating, exhaustive breakdown of these historical facts. She even explains the methods used to fold and seal letters before envelopes became a thing! (In fact, both Reggie and Joanna use clever, specific folding systems in the novel to secure their mail without using traditional sealing wax).
The author also explores the subsequent rise of the private Penny Post and the secret codes people used to cram information onto a single page to save on paper costs.

It is genuinely brilliant and deeply educational!

| 🏆 IN CONCLUSION:

I truly hope I was able to convey my absolute enthusiasm for this hidden gem!❤️ Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing this historical journey with me! Let me know in the comments if you knew about this crazy postal rule! ✉️🐎🌸

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Book review : The Demon's Parchment by Jeri Westerson

The Demon's Parchment
Crispin Guest Book 3
Medieval noir by Jeri Westerson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another amazing mystery in the Crispin Guest medieval noir series !

5 stars well deserved because the plot is really intricate, but never tangled, which means that the author has been able to create a clever interweaving of topics with different characters, keeping the suspense high throughout the book, but without ever making the reader feel lost in the confusion.. on the contrary, the reader is able to perfectly follow the events and investigations carried out by Crispin, remaining amazed at each truth revealed.

___THE PLOT __ Crispin Guest is a former knight, about thirty years old, who 8 years earlier due to a mistake, was deprived of his knighthood, his noble title, his lands and his manor, spared death, but removed from court , he had to start living his life in the poorest part of the city.
In a constant regret of what his life was before, Crispin still manages to react, earning a living with his intelligence and his experiences as a knight, that is, finding lost things (often emotionally and religiously valuable) and investigating about the murders in which he often find himself involved.
This time, looking for stolen parchments, Crispin finds himself having to investigate a series of brutal murders in which the victims are children, he is in fact a serial killer.

__THEMES ADDRESSED IN THE BOOK AND IMPRESSIVE SCENES___ Although the mystery series is defined as "noir" (and a few words and some sex scenes definitely exclude the book from the cozies), I usually don't find shocking scenes or too strong to digest and that's why I love these thrillers: engaging from start to ending, great suspense and thrills, but nothing that makes one feel bad.

However, the themes addressed in this 3rd installment are strong themes: prostitution, child abuse, psychopathic killers, prejudice, marginalization, homosexuality.
Themes to reflect on since they have been part of society in all eras and also in ours.
Don't be scared, the reading is smooth and the author is very good at inserting these themes in the context of a mystery which still remains entertainment for us readers.
The only point where I had to read quickly, because it nauseated me, was when the murderer, now discovered by Crispin, described in detail the murders, the procedure and his disgusting and perverted sensations... but this was necessary to convey the gravity of the matter and how twisted and wrong the human mind can sometimes be.


___ USUAL CHARACTERS ___ In addition to Crispin, as always we find his faithful friends: twelve-year-old Jack, who, being alone in the world and with a past as a cutpurse, found in Crispin a very important emotional help and point of reference.
The good Abbot Nicholas in Westminster, always ready to welcome the former knight and help him in case of need. The couple who run the tavern, who despite being slightly older than Crispin, care about him like a son.
In all of this, with each episode, the bonds between these people become increasingly stronger and more important, thus creating a new family for our hero, a family that asks for nothing in return except affection and which makes Crispin's new life more tolerable and perhaps of greater value than when he was rich.

I love these characters, they are well described not so much physically, but in their way of being: gestures and emotions... they are truly real in their strengths and weaknesses.
Nobody is perfect, including Crispin, each of them is a good person, but with their own flaws and that makes them really believable, interesting and we would love to have them as friends.

Above all, Crispin is fascinating in his determination and physical prowess, in his cunning and desire to defend the just and the oppressed, but also in his stubbornness, his doubts, his pride, his naivety or his absurd prejudices, on which however he reasons and works ...until he admits (even if reluctantly) his own mistakes and changes his vision of things.

___THE HISTORICAL PART and REAL EXISTED CHARACTERS ___ Usually the historical part concerns missing objects, religious relics that actually existed/exist.
This time the story focuses more on facts and characters.

A historical fact introduced in the book is the exile of the Jews from England in 1290 by Edward I and all the ugly popular legends told about the Jewish community to justify their removal. Added to this is also the popular belief in the creation of monsters (the Golem) and magic.
One of the characters in this mystery is inspired by a Bishop who really existed in Spain during the Inquisition.

Even the serial killer is inspired by someone who, unfortunately, really existed and who claimed hundreds of victims (you will find explanations in the epilogue of the book).

But the historical character that I liked most in this book is a friend of Crispin's disguised as a woman.
Crispin hates his dressing like a woman and his selling her body for money and yet he can't help but be fond of him, because John / Eleonor Rykener (this is his name in the book and in reality) is always cheerful, funny and above all kind-hearted.
The always merry John/Eleonor, together with other friends with the same vocation as him, will even carry out a nice rescue of Crispin (who in this episode is beaten up and injured more times than usual).

IN CONCLUSION: this time too, suspense, intrigue, irony, lively jokes, action, a protagonist I adore and his fantastic friends gave me a wonderful read.

Readable as a standalone, but if you read the books in order from the first to last one (15 in total) you will enjoy each story even more! :-)

( Sorry for any text errors, English is not my mother tongue )

If you are curious to know something more about BOOK#1, BOOK#2 and #BOOK4, you can read my reviews here :

BOOK #1 "Veil of Lies" :

BOOK #2 "Serpent in the Thorns" :

BOOK #4 "Troubled Bones" :



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Giveaway : Free Printable October 2023 Calendar

New freebie to my readers : October 2023 calendar to download and print

Hello my readers and friends ! :-D

As it has become a habit in recent months, I'm here to give you my monthly freebie : the printable calender of October 2023, that you can download, by clicking on the preview here below.

You can print it in its format or in a smaller format such as a postcard and use it as a bookmark in your paper books (if some of you still love paper).

Personally, most of the time I read e-books, because of the lack of space at home and because it is more confortable to carry my readings in my bag with a Kindle or on my phone or tablet, but when I read a book that I think it's amazing and really enjoyable, then I also like to buy the paper edition and have it with me forever ! :-)

More it will be able to be read even in 20 years, when the file types have changed, but the paper edition will always be readable.

What is your favorite format? Paper or e-book? Let me know in the comments :-)

Here you are the printable calendar preview, just click on it and then download it for free.

@TizianaFragnerGraphic
October 2023 Calendar
Size 1634 x 1264

There are still a few days left until the beginning of October, so I wish you a good end of September and a good new start of next month.

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Book review : Lady Tinbough’s Dilemma by Clare Jayne

Lady Tinbough's Dilemma
Campbell and MacPherson Historical Mysteries #1
by Clare Jayne

GENRE: #Historical-mystery #YoungAdultRead

My rating: ★★★☆☆

A nice cozy mystery, suitable for young adults.
I only rate it 3 stars because I expected it to be more engaging and it would have been very interesting if the author had made it just a little longer by going deeper into the themes she had included.

__THE PLOT __ Edinburgh at the end of the 18th century.
Two young people, a boy and a girl who have just met, find themselves investigating the mystery of an emerald necklace stolen from a friend of her aunt's.
Obviously neither of them has experience in this type of thing and what starts out almost like a game turns into something much more serious when they learn of a murder as a result of another reprehensible act.

__ CHARACTERS __ I liked the two characters and it would have been easy to become fond of them if the author had developed in a deeper way their emotions and their inexperienced approach to life and society of the time with all the ensuing difficulties (mentioned here, but not sufficiently developed to make the book impressive).

She is a wealthy orphan who rejects the idea of marriage due to her parents' bad example. Added to this is the fact that at the time, as until the beginning of the 20th century, a man by marrying a woman became her master and could dispose of the woman and her goods as he wanted, also having every right to beat her if deemed it appropriate (interesting thought to reflect on, since today women still suffer a lot of abuse even in the most developed countries).
Ishbel therefore prefers to take refuge in books and at university (where at the time women could only attend lectures) despite this excluding her from being willingly accepted by the rich and aristocratic society.

Ewan lives a type of life opposite to hers, he frequents the social life with his friends and yet his good character can be glimpsed.
He is an affable boy with everyone, who does not feel uncomfortable with the less well-off, whom he treats in a friendly manner, including his valet and the rest of the staff of his house.
Another virtue of Ewan's is that he does not misjudge Ishbel for her interests which are so different from the demands of society at the time, but rather wins her affection by being sincerely interested in what she likes and by attending the lectures together with her, despite the contrary opinion of his best friends (another important point on which young adults can reflect and learn: there is not only physical attraction, but a sincere sharing of interests and the importance of following one's own ideas and desires without being influenced by the judgments of those around us, both society and relatives or friends).

___ THE HISTORICAL PART ___ as I have already said, everything could have been developed in more depth and a nice interesting novel could have come out of it, in any case, as a light read, I also found an interesting idea in the historical part.
---> The story begins with Ishbel and Ewan who for personal reasons participate in the trial of a robber called William Brodie, a character who actually existed and also known as Deacon Brodie, because he was named Deacon in 1781, i.e. leader of the trade, in Edinburgh.
The interesting part is that this character went down in history because of his double personality and double life: a wealthy business leader in Edinburgh by day and a thief by night with 2 lovers and 5 children that no one knew anything about.
---> It was precisely this character, tried and hanged in Edinburgh in 1788, who inspired the well-known writer Robert Louis Stevenson to write the novel "The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde".
--> The writer tells this in a short epilogue, but if like me you love doing some research on the web, in Wikipedia you will find the story of his life and how he was discovered and captured and where his house and the pubs dedicated to him are located.

__ MYSTERY PART __ the mystery could have been compelling, because from a simple theft we move not only to murder but to the theme of abuse of women (unfortunately a problem that is still current). However, the writer is still inexperienced and has not been able to put enough twists and clues to create enough suspense for the reader. I have read cozy mysteries that were certainly more engaging despite being light reads.

__ IN CONCLUSION all in all it was pleasant and if there weren't such a large number of books to read and so little time, I would read some other books in the series, but it won't happen anytime soon because I give priority to books that I think will give me stronger emotions.

( NOTE : since this book available in English edition only, I'm writing my review in English, a second language for me, so please be lenient with my text :-) thanks )

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Book review : Imperial Scandal by Teresa Grant

Imperial Scandal
Malcom and Suzanne Rannoch Mysteries
by Tracy grant

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

It's really difficult to review this book and also the author's style, some things are 4 stars, others 3.5 which I would round to 3.

I partly liked it and partly hated it. It was definitely an intense reading but difficult to read.
I honestly don't know if I will read more books in this series, probably not, but as happened last time too, after I finished the book for a while, I already feel like I miss the company of those characters... it's an odd thing!

Without a doubt this author's way of writing swallows the reader in a whirlwind of confusion, both understanding and emotional.

__ TOO MANY CHARACTERS ___ Well, such as in the first book of the series, here too we find an endless number of characters, that's the reason why the author put a characters list before starting the story.
Yes, I admit it helps a little, BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 20 RECURRING CHARACTERS, some invented, some really existed, PLUS ANOTHER 20 or so, historical and non-historical names ONLY MENTIONED throughout the book... I say : too much is too much !

---> But this is not enough to complicate things to the reader, indeed author's novels are so detailed that they seem like scripts for a TV series. Scenes and costumes are described in every shape, light, color and every fold.
The dialogues include both interesting exchanges for the reader and also banal lounge chatter, as happens in real life scenes.
If actors were to interpret the characters, they wouldn't need any guidance, the author describes every type of grimace, thought, emotion, action... the writer is good, but as they say: too much is too much and the book is unnecessarily too long in my opinion.

___ THE ROMANTIC TOUCH __ In the previous book I had grown fond of the 2 protagonists, Malcom and Suzanne and I liked their discovery of falling in love after an arranged marriage, above all I loved the complicity that was born between the two of them.
I wanted to read the second book precisely to find the two of them again, but in this book their couple, despite being in love, is left aside by the writer and in fact there was an element that disturbed me greatly in the behavior of one of the two. 
A petty behavior that I didn't expect from a main character and that I struggled to accept (and while I was reading I promised myself: I'm done with this series! ... But near the end ___WARNING : SPOILER [ this character finally changes for the better. I didn't think it would happen and it was a real sigh of relief, even if in subsequent books all this will have a consequence. ] __SPOILER END
LUCKILY I HAD MY ROMANTIC STORY with another couple (I won't say their names so as not to ruin the reading).

___THE PLOT ____ This time we are in Brussels, after Napoleon's return to France and the imminent danger of war.The story begins with a meeting between spies, an action scene with shootouts and 2 murders, one of which is strange and inexplicable, because it concerns not a spy, but a lady who was at a ball shortly before.
Compared to book #1, the mystery here is more interesting, but except for the opening scene, all the espionage part is resolved in lounge chatter at balls and the opera in Brussels, secret messages and interrogations of people connected to the victim, until about halfway through the book.
Furthermore, as in the first book, we find the theme of betrayals and a thousand lovers, all married people are lovers of someone or more than one: repetitive theme!

...AT THAT POINT, I THOUGHT:
Enough! How boring !!
I was wrong to read the second installment... the first one ended so well and I should have been happy with that...
AS SOON AS I FINISHED THINKING SO, THE TURNING POINT ARRIVED:

---> Having reached the point where the news of the war is communicated, the detailed description of the scenes becomes exciting, the emotions of panic and frenzy, the farewells of mothers, girlfriends, sisters to their men, the coming and going of soldiers ready to leave... it's very nice to read and I felt like I was inside a scene from the film "Gone with the Wind" (from Mitchell's book) or better yet inside a scene from the film and TV series about "Vanity Fair" by Thackeray, that was about the same historical moment. (I talk about films because there is no comparison with those fantastic novels and also because while I read, my mind "use to see" each thing I read like it was a movie).

---> With the beginning of the war, the historic battle of Waterloo, we have other very engaging scenes: suspense, bullets, battles, chases and ambushes, dead and wounded friends and acquaintances... everything described very well (but always with a billion fictional and historical  names, which I no longer took into account, except for the main ones, involved in the story of the murder ).

_ SO, TO SUMMARIZE MY OPINION: overall I liked the book and there was an happy ending , but there are too many characters, the plot is too long and detailed even with insignificant parts and all this creates great confusion for the reader, not allowing one to fully enjoy the story.
--> I think the author is well prepared from a historical point of view, but a myriad of names of characters who actually existed do not help the reader and in the end this is intended to be a light read.
--> The first half of the book was slower and had a repetitive theme (lovers and illicit relationships), while the second half involved me a lot.

ANOTHER PROBLEM (for me) REFERRING TO THE WHOLE SERIES:
the sequence in which books are read is not the same sequence in which they were published.
In fact, the first books of the series were written long after the others and the 2 protagonists have different names (yes, you understood correctly! ).
The writer wrote some books where the 2 main characters were called Charles and Melanie, then she changed publisher and wrote prequels with the names of Malcom and Suzanne (at the request of the new publisher), then in the last books I see that his name is Malcom and her Melanie (so mix the two pairs of names).
More, by reading some other reader's reviews, I saw that even the characters, despite being the same wife and husband, are more likeable in the recent books (which are actually those from the beginning of the series), while before they had slightly different and less pleasant personalities...WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ? THAT'S EXACTLY...IT'S ALL A GREAT CONFUSION!!

Not available in Italian language.

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Book review : Serpent in the Thorns by Jeri Westerson | Gritty & Fast-Paced Medieval Noir 🛡️

Serpent in the Thorns
Crispin Guest Book 2
Medieval mystery by Jeri Westerson

GENRE: #HistoricalFiction #MedievalMystery

📍 Setting: London (UK) | ⏳ Era: Late 14th Century

My rating: ★★★★★ (5 of 5 stars)

5 full stars well deserved, it has been an amazing read! __ I LOVED IT! __

I really think this series is bound to become one of my absolute favorites; the main character, Crispin Guest, has certainly already stolen my heart in books #1 and #2. He is such a fascinating, deeply human hero.

I'll start by telling you what this second gripping adventure is all about.

| 📜 THE PLOT IN SHORT

This is an engaging adventure from start to finish, and the tension begins immediately with a brutal murder. A simple-minded tavern girl comes to Crispin Guest (our fallen hero) in absolute panic, claiming there is a dead body in her room and that she was the one who killed him. The victim was precisely shot through the heart by an arrow.

It is instantly clear to Crispin that it could not have been her, but things are incredibly serious. The dead man turns out to be a French courier who was secretly delivering an invaluable religious relic to the English king, sent directly by the King of France. To protect the innocent girl from the gallows, Crispin—a former knight fallen into disgrace and estranged from the royal court—decides to keep some dark secrets to himself. Choosing not to reveal everything to the Sheriff will complicate the investigation, leading our hero into trouble after trouble.

| 🤗 MY THOUGHTS

| 🔎⚔️ A GRIPPING MYSTERY AND A LOT OF ACTION:

Crispin's investigations begin immediately and continue at a very good, steady pace for the first 25% of the book. But then, just when it seems that some knots are starting to untie, the pace changes completely and becomes faster and more pressing.

The suspense grows exponentially, leading to a series of daring adventures and sudden twists. Both Crispin and the reader barely get 5 minutes to catch a breath before the unexpected happens again!
It is a rollercoaster of action, intense suspense, sheer desperation, brilliant solutions, and shocking revelations. Some of these truths are truly jaw-dropping, especially if you have read book #1.
There is only fleeting relief before the action explodes again, right up until the final pages. Trust me, you won't have a single second to get bored!

| 🛡️🥀 DON'T EXPECT THE HINT OF ROMANCE FROM BOOK #1:

In this second episode of Crispin Guest, there is no falling in love, no romance, and no soft heartbeats... but I honestly didn't miss it at all! I simply didn't have the time! Everything was so compelling, fast-paced, and layered that I couldn't tear myself away from the pages. My desire to uncover the truth about this dangerous relic was so strong that I felt just as desperate for answers as our protagonist.

| ❤️⚔️ OUR HERO'S EMOTIONAL GROWTH:

Despite the story being set only one year after the first book, our hero follows a significant path of emotional growth that develops beautifully throughout the novel. Crispin is 30 years old, a mature man, but now his soul and his way of perceiving the world are truly deepening.

While before, his noble birth made him feel superior to commoners (sometimes making him appear arrogant), now he pauses to genuinely consider less fortunate people's feelings.
He begins to see the world of the nobility and the rich with different eyes, recognizing the arrogance and meanness that power and greed inspire in human beings.


---> More importantly, Crispin begins to realize how crucial it is to have people who care about him. He truly values their affection and discovers that he reciprocates it, especially toward his young companion, Jack. In the end, both the reader and our hero can draw a deep moral lesson from the hardships he endured.

| 📖 READABLE AS A STANDALONE, BUT STRONGLY RECOMMENDED FROM #1:

I mentioned in my previous review that all the books can be read as standalones, because the author is excellent at recapping Crispin Guest's background and the evolution of his world.

Nonetheless, I believe it is much more satisfying to experience this series starting from book 1. After all, there are 15 books in total, and in addition to the individual mysteries, there is a powerful common thread: the personal life of Crispin and his relationships.
Following his personal journey is equally interesting, and in my humble opinion, it is exactly what binds the reader to our hero and makes us so passionate about this well-written series.

| 👑📜 THE HISTORICAL PART & THE ROYAL INTRIGUES:

In this book, the medieval background is enriched by the fascinating history of a holy relic: the famous Crown of Thorns that Jesus wore on the day of his crucifixion, along with the legends of its power to grant invincibility to the pure of heart.
Even for non-religious readers, these are deeply interesting historical notions to learn—the kind of rich detail they never teach you in schools!

Additionally, we meet the Duke of Lancaster, John of Gaunt, who plays a major role in the plot. While the specific intrigue is a brilliant work of fiction created by the author, the character really existed and was a figure of massive historical importance.
As the uncle of King Richard II, he was the richest and most influential man in England after the king.
He was also the progenitor of the House of Lancaster, the royal dynasty starting with his son Henry IV (who deposed Richard II). This historical house would later fight the House of York starting in 1455, sparking the legendary **War of the Two Roses** (red for Lancaster, white for York). You can find all these fascinating historical notes in the author's epilogue at the end of the book!

| 🕶️❌ IT'S NOT A COZY MYSTERY:

Be prepared: this does not belong to the cozy genre. There are some harmless swear words, realistic fight scenes, and killings in self-defense. Nothing overly graphic or worse than what we usually see on TV, but it definitely has a darker, sharper edge than a standard cozy.

| 🏁✍️ IN CONCLUSION:

I definitely recommend *Serpent in the Thorns* to anyone who loves historical mysteries where high-octane action is perfectly balanced with smart investigation, all wrapped in an authentic setting and enriched by the author's notes.

Thank you all for stopping by and reading my opinion. What about you? Do you prefer your mysteries cozy or with a bit of historical edge? Let me know in the comments below!


If you want to know more about BOOK#1 - BOOK#3 and BOOK#4, you can read my reviews here :

BOOK #1 "Veil of Lies" :

BOOK #3 "The Demon's Parchment" :

BOOK #4 "Troubled Bones" :

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LIBRO disponibile anche in EDIZIONE LINGUA ITALIANA, leggi la mia recensione !
Lo trovi sia in versione Kindle sia versione cartacea.

Crispin Guest LIBRO 2
Giallo Medievale di Jeri Westerson
IL MERCANTE DI RELIQUIE PERDUTE

GENERE: #GialloStorico #GialloMedievale

📍 Luogo: Londra (UK) | ⏳ Era: Tardo 14° Secolo

Il mio voto: ★★★★★ (5 su 5 stelle)

Anche questo secondo libro della serie è stato bellissimo! __ LO ADORO! __

Penso proprio che questa serie diventerà una delle mie preferite; il protagonista mi ha già rubato il cuore nei libri #1 e #2. Crispin è un eroe davvero affascinante e profondamente umano.

| 📜 TRAMA IN BREVE

Un'avventura coinvolgente dall'inizio alla fine, che parte immediatamente con un omicidio. Una ragazza della taverna, con un chiaro ritardo mentale, va da Crispin Guest (il personaggio principale e il nostro eroe) dicendo che c'è un cadavere nella sua stanza e che lei è l'assassina.

Il morto è stato ucciso in maniera molto precisa da una freccia. È chiaro dunque che non possa essere stata lei, ma la cosa è grave, dal momento che la vittima è un corriere francese che doveva consegnare al re inglese un'importante reliquia religiosa da parte del sovrano di Francia.

Per proteggere la ragazza, Crispin — ex cavaliere caduto in disgrazia e allontanato da corte — decide di tenere per sé alcuni segreti e non rivelarli allo sceriffo, fatto che complicherà ulteriormente le cose portando guai su guai.

| 🤗 LA MIA OPINIONE

| 🔎⚔️ MISTERO COINVOLGENTE E TANTA AZIONE

Le indagini di Crispin cominciano immediatamente e proseguono a buon ritmo per il primo 25% del libro. Poi, mentre sembra che qualche nodo cominci a sciogliersi, in realtà il ritmo diventa sempre più incalzante.

La suspense cresce per sfociare poi in una serie di rocambolesche peripezie, intervallate da colpi di scena improvvisi. Abbiamo appena 5 minuti per riprendere fiato (sia il protagonista che noi lettori) ed ecco di nuovo: l'imprevisto, l'azione, la suspense, la disperazione, le soluzioni, nuove scioccanti rivelazioni (davvero sconvolgenti per il protagonista e di nuovo anche per noi lettori, soprattutto per chi ha letto il primo libro) e poi ancora un fuggente sollievo e di nuovo l'azione! Va avanti con questo bel ritmo fino quasi alla fine del libro e non avrete davvero tempo di annoiarvi!

| 🛡️🥀 NESSUNA TRACCIA DI ROMANTICISMO RISPETTO AL LIBRO #1

In questa seconda puntata di Crispin Guest non c'è stato alcun innamoramento o romanticismo, ma non ne ho sentito la mancanza... non ne ho avuto il tempo! Tutto è stato così travolgente che non riuscivo a staccarmi dal libro, tanta era la voglia di scoprire la verità su ogni cosa. Lo desideravo tanto quanto il nostro protagonista.

| ❤️⚔️ IL NOSTRO EROE CRESCE EMOTIVAMENTE

Pur essendo ambientata a solo un anno di distanza dal primo volume, la nostra spia ha comunque seguito un significativo percorso di crescita che si sviluppa durante tutto il libro. Crispin ha già 30 anni, è un uomo maturo, ma ora sta cambiando anche la sua anima e il suo modo di percepire il mondo.

Mentre prima la sua nascita nobile lo faceva sentire superiore a chi non lo era (e in un certo qual modo lo poteva far sembrare arrogante), ora egli si ferma a considerare i sentimenti dei meno fortunati. Comincia a vedere con occhi diversi le persone del mondo dei nobili e dei ricchi, riuscendo finalmente a scorgere l'arroganza e la meschinità che il potere e l'ingordigia ispirano nell'essere umano.

---> Ancora più importante: Crispin comincia a prendere in considerazione quanto sia effettivamente importante per lui avere intorno persone che gli vogliono bene. Ora dà valore al loro affetto e si accorge di contraccambiarlo, soprattutto nei confronti di Jack, tanto che alla fine, sia noi che il nostro eroe, riusciamo persino a trovare della positività in quelle che sembravano solo avversità.

| 📚🔗 STANDALONE O SERIE? IL MIO CONSIGLIO

Ho già detto nella precedente recensione che i libri sono leggibili come standalone, perché l'autrice spiega sempre il background del protagonista e l'evolversi delle situazioni. Nonostante questo, penso che sia molto più appagante leggere questa serie partendo dal libro 1, in fondo sono solo 15 volumi.

Poiché prima di approcciarmi alla saga ho letto diverse recensioni dei vari capitoli, ho potuto vedere che tutto si svolge nell'arco di circa 20 anni. Oltre alle varie avventure relative a omicidi e misteri, c'è un filo conduttore (la vita personale di Crispin e dei suoi amici) altrettanto interessante da seguire. Ed è probabilmente ciò che lega il lettore al nostro eroe, ciò che fa realmente appassionare a questa serie, davvero ben scritta (a mio modesto parere).

| 👑📜 LA PARTE STORICA E GLI INTRIGHI REALI

In questo libro, oltre al background medievale, viene introdotta la storia di un'altra santa reliquia storica: la celebre Corona di Spine che Gesù portava nel giorno della sua crocifissione, con tutte le leggende sul suo potere di donare l'invincibilità ai puri di cuore. Anche per chi non è religioso si tratta di nozioni interessanti da apprendere, dettagli che spesso non vengono raccontati a scuola.

Oltre a questo, troviamo in questa puntata il già citato (nel libro 1) Duca di Lancaster, che ricopre un importante ruolo in un complotto che, ovviamente, è frutto della finzione creata dall'autrice. Il personaggio, però, è realmente esistito ed è stata una figura di grande rilievo: zio del re Riccardo II, fu l'uomo più ricco d'Inghilterra dopo il sovrano e il più influente a corte. Fu anche il capostipite della dinastia dei re d'Inghilterra a partire da Enrico IV (suo figlio, il quale fece deporre il nipote del Duca, Riccardo II).

John of Gaunt fu inoltre il capostipite del casato reale inglese di Lancaster che, a partire dal 1455, sarà in guerra con gli York fino al 1485. Una faida che noi conosciamo storicamente come LA GUERRA DELLE DUE ROSE (rossa per i Lancaster e bianca per gli York). Potete trovare tutti questi cenni storici approfonditi nell'epilogo alla fine del libro.

| 🕶️❌ NON È UN COZY MYSTERY

Beh, sia chiaro: questo romanzo non appartiene al genere cozy. C'è qualche parolaccia inoffensiva, scene di lotta e uccisioni in autodifesa; niente di esagerato o che non si veda normalmente in tv, ma ovviamente questo lo allontana dalle atmosfere puramente cozy.

| 🏁✍️ CONCLUDENDO

Sicuramente lo consiglio a chi ama i mystery dove l'azione è ben bilanciata con l'investigazione, il tutto arricchito da un setting storico accurato e dalle note dell'autrice in fondo al libro.

Grazie a tutti per essere passati a leggere la mia opinione! E voi cosa ne pensate? Preferite i misteri dalle tinte soft o vi piacciono gli intrighi medievali più taglienti? Fatemelo sapere nei commenti qui sotto!

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