Review: The Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley

Tiggy D’Aplièse spends her days experiencing the raw beauty of the Scottish Highlands doing a job she loves at a deer sanctuary. But when the sanctuary is forced to close, she is offered a job as a wildlife consultant on the vast and isolated estate of the elusive and troubled laird, Charlie Kinnaird. She has no idea that the move will not only irrevocably alter her future, but also bring her face-to-face with her past.

 At the estate, she meets Chilly, an elderly Romani man who fled from Spain seventy years before. He tells her that not only does she possess a sixth sense passed down from her ancestors, but it was foretold long ago that he would be the one to send her back home…

In 1912, in the poor Romani community outside the city walls of Granada, Lucía Amaya-Albaycin is born. Destined to be the greatest flamenco dancer of her generation—and named La Candela, due to the inner flame that burns through her when she dances— Lucía is whisked away by her ambitious and talented guitarist father at the tender age of ten to dance in the flamenco bars of Barcelona. Her mother is devastated by the loss of her daughter and as civil war threatens in Spain, tragedy strikes the rest of her family. Now in Madrid, Lucía and her troupe of dancers are forced to flee for their lives, their journey taking them far across the water to South America and eventually, to North America and New York—Lucía’s long-held dream. But to pursue it, she must choose between her passion for her career and the man she adores.

Featuring Lucinda Riley’s “addictive storytelling with a moving, emotional heart” (Dinah Jeffries), THE MOON SISTER follows these two women bound across time and distance on their journey to discover their true futures—but at the risk of potentially losing the men they had hoped to build futures with.

Kindle, 533 pages

 Published February 19th, 2019

by Atria Books

**** 1/2

The Seven Sisters series is a favorite and one I have kept up to date on. One of the things I have really enjoyed is the different locations of the past storylines. We’ve been to Brazil, Norway, England, Australia and with The Moon Sister, Spain.

The Moon Sister isn’t a small book, coming in at 533 pages and Riley tells a great story. As with the other books she shows her uniqueness in the plots (both past and present) with interesting characters and just enough hints to anticipate the next book.

The blurb does a great job of outlining the story, thankfully I rarely read the whole blurb as I find it sometimes it gives too much of the story away - like it does here. I went into this one blind because I knew I’d be in for a treat. The Moon Sister was a wonderful ride, the historical aspect in Spain with its gypsy/flamenco dancing community was captivating. The author has a knack for creating both likable and unlikable characters.

The Moon Sister (as are the other books) is a journey of self-discovery with some mystery and a touch of romance. While this book could work as a stand-alone I recommend reading the whole series.

Spotlight/Giveaway: Isabella Unashamed by Helen R. Davis and Carolina Casas

Publication Date: September 7, 2017

Editorial Caliope

eBook & Paperback; 144 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction/Alternate History

Isabella of Castile is known as Europe's first great queen. Renowned for her marriage to Ferdinand of Aragon and birthing of modern day Spain, Isabella is also known as the queen who launched the Inquisition, completed the Reconquista and expelled the Jews from her nation. Not long after her triumph in 1492, her dynasty came apart and unraveled, and it was whispered by many that the Trastamara line was cursed.

But, what if Isabella had been wiser and not expelled the Jews, some of the very people who ironically helped put her on the throne of Castile?

What if Isabella had had more foresight and had her successor be Catalina, who, although the youngest, was the most like her and the wisest of her children?

How would the power balance of 15th and 16th century Europe shifted if Catalina had been the powerful queen regnant of Spain and not one of the 'merry wives' of Windsor?

 A joint effort, Isabella Unashamed is written by two authors from very different cultural backgrounds who have nonetheless joined together to create a haunting portrait of Spain's most famous queen, as well as a glimpse of what might have been had Isabella been wiser.

Available in eBook and Paperback on Amazon

About the Authors

Helen R. Davis is an American author. Her first novel, Evita: My Argentina was previously published as Evita: My Life and republished with Custom Book Publications in Hong Kong. Her second novel, CLEOPATRA UNCONQUERED, which is the first in a series, imagines a world in which Antony and Cleopatra, rather than Augustus Caesar, are the victors of the Battle of Actium. the sequel, CLEOPATRA VICTORIOUS, will be released soon, followed by the titles CLEOPATRA MAGNIFICA and CLEOPATRA TRIUMPHANT.

 Her third novel, or at least, her third historical novel/alternate history, THE MOST HAPPY, will be published with Callipe Editorial, based out of Madrid Spain, on July 25th, 2017.


 For more information, please visit Helen Davis’ website.

You can also connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Carolina Casas has a BA in History and a minor in women's studies. Her debut novel "Isabella Unashamed" was co-written with the author of "Cleopatra Unconquered" & "The Most Happy", Helen R. Davis and it is a powerful alternative historical novel that asks the important question that has been on everyone's mind: what-if? What if Isabella had taken a different route than the one she did following the surrender of Granada at the beginning of 1492. A young woman who enjoys life and giving to others, she is also a self-proclaimed nerd who currently resides in the lone star state of Texas where she spends her free time writing, drawing, reading about her favorite historical subjects and watching classical horror and rom-coms with her friends. Carolina's journey into the realm of alternate history began when she was very little. After a frightful and sleepless night, she was introduced to the legend of King Arthur and his knights through Sir Thomas Mallory's epic "Le Morte d'Arthur" which started her fascination with the medieval period and later with other eras. This, along with her curiosity, has led her to delve into the realm of alternate history.

 Carolina has several pages on Facebook where she works alongside other history buffs and novelists (Tudor Nerds with Glasses and Tudor Facts vs. Fiction), as well as a history blog where she shares her thoughts on movies and TV shows as well.

 You can also find her on Twitter and Goodreads.

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away an eBook of Isabella Unashamed! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules – Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on December 7th. You must be 18 or older to enter. – Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY. – Only one entry per household. – All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion. – Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

  Isabella Unashamed

A Divided Inheritance by Deborah Swift

A family divided by fortune. A country divided by faith.
London 1609...

Elspet Leviston’s greatest ambition is to continue the success of her father Nathaniel’s lace business. But her dreams are thrown into turmoil with the arrival of her mysterious cousin Zachary Deane – who has his own designs on Leviston’s Lace.

Zachary is a dedicated swordsman with a secret past that seems to invite trouble. So Nathaniel sends him on a Grand Tour, away from the distractions of Jacobean London. Elspet believes herself to be free of her hot-headed relative but when Nathaniel dies her fortunes change dramatically. She is forced to leave her beloved home and go in search of Zachary - determined to claim back from him the inheritance that is rightfully hers.

Under the searing Spanish sun, Elspet and Zachary become locked in a battle of wills. But these are dangerous times and they are soon embroiled in the roar and sweep of something far more threatening, sending them both on an unexpected journey of discovery which finally unlocks the true meaning of family . . 

A Divided Inheritance is a breathtaking adventure set in London just after the Gunpowder Plot and in the bustling courtyards of Golden Age Seville.

Paperback

Published October 24th 2013 by Pan MacMillan
source - personal library
**** 

Deborah Swift has once again delivered another wonderful novel.  Full of rich details that shows her knowledge and the amount of research that she did for this book.

This book comes in at just over 500 pages and it was a pleasure to read.  I love big books, but sometimes they run the risk of  being too wordy with unnecessary and repetitive information.  This was definitely not the case with A Divided Inheritance, to grasp the full story, looking at it from all sides it was the perfect length.

The author has shown her nack for details.  From lace making, sword play, English customs, Spanish customs to the religious conflicts in both England and Spain. It was also about relationships, trust, bonds and commitments (just to name a few).  It was very interesting to follow Elspet and Zachary's journey and to see where life was taking them and to see them change.

 I loved how every once in a while a little sentence or phase would pop up that left me scratching my head wonder, what? really? thinking that I can't wait to see where that leads. Meaning I had a couple late nighters.

This was a well written story that grabbed me right from the beginning and didn't let go till that last page was turned.  This book will appeal to those that love historical fiction royal free.