Night of a Thousand Stars by Deanna Raybourn Blog Tour!

Thank you for stopping by my leg of the Night of a Thousand Stars by Deanna Raybourn Blog Tour! I was so excited to read this book. I hope my review piques your interest and you like the book if you read it.  Click the banner above to follow the rest of the tour!

Publication: September 30, 2014

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

Source: The Publisher on behalf of this tour.

New York Times bestselling author Deanna Raybourn returns with a Jazz Age tale of grand adventure On the verge of a stilted life as an aristocrat's wife, Poppy Hammond does the only sensible thing—she flees the chapel in her wedding gown. Assisted by the handsome curate who calls himself Sebastian Cantrip, she spirits away to her estranged father's quiet country village, pursued by the family she left in uproar. But when the dust of her broken engagement settles and Sebastian disappears under mysterious circumstances, Poppy discovers there is more to her hero than it seems. With only her feisty lady's maid for company, Poppy secures employment and travels incognita—east across the seas, chasing a hunch and the whisper of clues. Danger abounds beneath the canopies of the silken city, and Poppy finds herself in the perilous sights of those who will stop at nothing to recover a fabled ancient treasure. Torn between allegiance to her kindly employer and a dashing, shadowy figure, Poppy will risk it all as she attempts to unravel a much larger plan—one that stretches to the very heart of the British government, and one that could endanger everything, and everyone, that she holds dear.

I say it almost every time, but I do not know what it is about the 1920’s that I find so appealing to read about. It just seems like a fun and interesting time period to live in. 

“I say, if you’re running away from your wedding, you’re going about it quite wrong.”

From the beginning, I could tell this was adventure I would enjoy being apart of.  A Night of a Thousand Stars takes place in 1920, where Poppy is trying to escape out of a window on her wedding day.  She is aided by Sebastian, who she believes at the time is the curate.  She feels bad for leaving the groom (Gerald) behind, but she knows that she shouldn’t marry him.  She isn’t even convinced that Gerald really loves her, more like he is just  trying to accomplish things that any upstanding English gentleman should. 

I loved Poppy. She is headstrong, smart, and brave.  She isn’t content to have a title and be one of those stuck up society ladies who spends the majority of their time gossiping with other women.  Instead she  is looking for an adventure to shake things up and make life a little more lively.  And an adventure is exactly what she gets when she goes all the way to Damascus to track down Sebastian. The clues planted throughout the story kept me guessing all the way to the end. 

I had a good amount of fun reading this book. It was a fairly quick read and I happily discovered that it was filled with not just romance and mystery, but humor and adventure as well. I seen other works by this author before, but this was the first one of hers that I have read so far. It did not disappoint. Even though I don’t believe this is a series, I am hoping that there will more adventure and fun times with Poppy and Sebastian in the future.

RATING: 4 ½ out of 5.

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About the Author

A sixth-generation native Texan, Deanna Raybourn grew up in San Antonio, where she met her college sweetheart. She married him on her graduation day and went on to teach high school English and history. During summer vacation at the age of twenty-three, she wrote her first novel. After three years as a teacher, Deanna left education to have a baby and pursue writing full-time.

Deanna Raybourn is the author of the bestselling and award-winning Lady Julia series, as well as, The Dead Travel Fast, A Spear of Summer Grass, and City of Jasmine.

For more information please visit Deanna Raybourn’s website and blog. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

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The Outcasts by Kathleen Kent

Publication: September 24, 2013

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

A taut, thrilling adventure story about buried treasure, a manhunt, and a woman determined to make a new life for herself in the old west. It's the 19th century on the Gulf Coast, a time of opportunity and lawlessness. After escaping the Texas brothel where she'd been a virtual prisoner, Lucinda Carter heads for Middle Bayou to meet her lover, who has a plan to make them both rich, chasing rumors of a pirate's buried treasure. Meanwhile Nate Cannon, a young Texas policeman with a pure heart and a strong sense of justice, is on the hunt for a ruthless killer named McGill who has claimed the lives of men, women, and even children across the frontier. Who--if anyone--will survive when their paths finally cross? As Lucinda and Nate's stories converge, guns are drawn, debts are paid, and Kathleen Kent delivers an unforgettable portrait of a woman who will stop at nothing to make a new life for herself.

The main reason I was initially attracted to this book was the western setting. When I was younger, I would always sit and watch westerns on TV with my dad. The Outcasts sounded just like the type of western thriller that I would’ve watched on TV. So I wanted to try it.

Lucinda Carter is a prostitute who is not satisfied with how her life is and manages to escape from a brothel in the middle of the night. She leaves with money stolen from the woman who owns the place. Lucy is on her way to reunite with the man that she loves who is in search of buried treasure.

I did question some of her motives for doing some of the things that she did. I don’t believe she did everything for survival, I think there was more too it.

Nate Cannon is married and wants to provide a good home for his family. He joins up with Texas Rangers in search of a very bad man named McGill who is wanted for murder.

The story alternates between two points of view, that of Lucinda and Nate ; until they eventually come together.

The Outcasts has a lot going for it; Texas Rangers, prostitutes, action, romance, murder, betrayal, and drama. All of this takes place in Texas during the late 1800’s.

It took me a little bit of time to get into the story, but once I did the pace moved fairly well. And the story was quite enjoyable.

 

RATING: 3½ out of 5.

**I received this book on behalf of the publisher in exchange for nothing, but my honest opinion. Thank you.**

 

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Book Review: The Pirate’s Wish (The Assassin’s Curse #2) by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Publication Date: June 18, 2013

Publisher: Strange Chemistry

Synopsis: After setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword, their wits, and the secret to breaking the curse: complete three impossible tasks. With the help of their friend Marjani and a rather unusual ally, Ananna and Naji make their way south again, seeking what seems to be beyond their reach. Unfortunately, Naji has enemies from the shadowy world known as the Mists, and Ananna must still face the repercussions of going up against the Pirate Confederation. Together, Naji and Ananna must break the curse, escape their enemies — and come to terms with their growing romantic attraction.

Ananna is a feisty yet often frustrating character.  She is so stubborn and childish at times.  For a pirate, she gets into trouble way more than she should. I would have thought that with everything she has experienced firsthand, she would be more cautious of her surroundings and possible danger, but she wasn't. With that said though, I did enjoy the story and felt that it was a nice sequel to The Assassin’s Curse.

Ananna and Naji begin the story stuck on an island waiting to hopefully be rescued soon. While there Annana encounters for the first time a haughty manticore. They develop an interesting and unexpected type of friendship. Once rescued by Marjani, Naji and Ananna’s main goal is to get through the three impossible tasks in order to lift the curse that bind these two together.

If you’ve read the first book, then you know that there wasn’t that much romance in the story, I was happy to discover that in this story there was a bit more romance/romantic tension.  

I enjoyed The Pirate’s Wish a little more than I did The Assassin’s Curse, but they were both fun and quick reads. Pirates, magic, fights, curses, a manticore, and some romance….all mix together to create one heck of a supernatural adventure. Fans of YA Fantasy and Pirates might find this book right up their alley.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

**I received this book on behalf of Strange Chemistry/Angry Robot in exchange for nothing, but my honest opinion only. Thank you.**

 

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Keowee Valley by Katherine Scott Crawford

Keowee Valley is an absorbing historical fiction read set in the year of 1768 involving Quincy MacFadden, who finds out that her cousin is being held captive by Shawnee Indians. She bravely decides to do something not many women of that time would even consider doing…leaving behind her home in Charlestown and searching for cousin in hopes of finding him alive.

“I was an unlikely adventurer, at least by all appearances. I knew what the people of Charlestown saw when they looked at me: a wealthy woman clad in the new fashions, small of stature but possessed of an unruly mane of yellow hair that made me seem taller—a bluestocking with a well-worn volume forever in hand, one who looked out at the world from a pair of disconcertingly direct blue eyes. The ladies, especially, would whisper “orphan,” and allow that the early demise of my parents could be reason enough for a man such as my grandfather to keep me a spinster at age twenty-five. The gentlemen viewed my person with vague calculation, surely wondering just how much—as the sole granddaughter of Campbell MacFadden, Esquire, and heir by marriage to a profitable rice plantation—I was worth. And so when the trapper arrived in the hour before dawn, smelling of wood smoke and the sweat of a hard ride, I was ready: ready to abandon Charlestown and my life there, to shutter permanently those judging, prying eyes.”

-Katherine Scott Crawford, Keowee Valley

Quincy is independent, a free spirit, and a dreamer. Literally. She has been haunted with visions that she believes are actually omens. Because of this she feels as if she does not fit in anywhere. She longs for a different and better life for herself. When she hears news about her cousin, Owen being captured she realizes that this is the opportunity she has been hoping for. A chance to go someplace different and start anew; and that while she is on her journey for a different life, she will also find Owen.

She ends up in the gorgeous surroundings of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she begins a settlement while she awaits the arrival of Jackson Wolfe a handsome half Cherokee/half Irish man whom she is told can help her find and negotiate Owen’s freedom.

When Quincy and Jack meet there is a connection between them and soon a romance begins to spark. The passion that they share is undeniable…and not to mention steamy.

Jackson is not only good looking, but also a strong, kind man who knows is way around the Appalachian Mountains and is an excellent Cherokee tracker. Because Jack was a translator for the British army, he is stuck in middle and has a tough choice to make on whether to commit treason and flee or begrudgingly obey a King he hates.

My favorite thing about this story is that it’s full of vivid descriptions about the world during the Revolutionary war era that Quincy is in. Its gives the reader a better picture about how things are and adds to the story. I could almost see Quincy’s world unfolding as I read. Keowee Valley is ideal for readers who enjoy history, adventure, and romance. It was a satisfying read, but the ending still left some questions unanswered, so I am hoping for a possible sequel to tie things together.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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** I received this ARC from Bell Bridge Books in exchange for nothing, but my honest review. Thank you.** 

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