New Book Review -- Between Two Fires, by Mark Noce

I've had the good fortune to make the acquaintance of Mark Noce through blogging, and the equally good fortune to get an advance reading of his debut novel, Between Two Fires. Mark is on a blog tour now, and -- lucky me -- I had the good fortune even again to get an interview with Mark. Next week I'll be posting that interview, so please do return to learn more about him, his book, and his writing process. 

Meanwhile, here is the review of his book I posted on Goodreads yesterday:

I love a good mystery, and I love fiction that takes place in historical times. I’m also hooked on stories set in Celtic Britain. So these are three great reasons to be delighted with Mark Noce’s debut novel, Between Two Fires.

The book opens in the year A.D. 597—post-Arthurian times, when Wales is in disarray from the invading Saxons. The Romans are gone. Arthur’s Camelot is distant history. Christianity coexists with remnants of the old Druid religion. Fragmented Wales is riddled by power struggles between kings want to be sole ruler of Wales, if it can ever be united enough to withstand the Saxons. The ambitious King Vortigen of Dyfed has decided to marry his illegitimate daughter Branwen to King Morgan of Caerleon and Caerwent, also known as the Hammer King. Illegitimate or not, it’s to Morgan’s advantage to breed sons by Branwen for the future, and it’s to Vortigen’s advantage to have his daughter strategically placed to spy on Morgan. Yes. It’s that kind of world, full of intrigue and counterplots set in motion by those who have other plans for Branwen.

At first, sixteen-year-old Branwen, smart but dutiful, is resigned to her destiny. Then several attempts on her life force her to make her own destiny, one very much at odds to the future her father had planned. Choosing love over duty, using healing skills she learned from her mother, trusting her own natural leadership, Branwen becomes a legend throughout Wales. The story is told throughout through her eyes in present tense, which gives a sense of immediacy to every scene. Subplots abound, all of them well-resolved. From the opening line (Today I will marry a man I have never met), the main story’s builds tension, and each chapter ends on a page turner.

The story takes place over a three-year period, during which Branwen evolves into a revered figure the people call Mab Ceridwen, with the love of her life by her side. I can’t tell much more of the storyline beyond this without spoilers. But this is a book to settle into, as you become immersed in history, legend, and a great love story.

You can learn more about Between Two Fires and the author HERE. And you can preorder the book HERE  (I did, and I can hardly wait for it to arrive, so that I can take it to his book signing in Sacramento next month -- September 3rd).

How about you? Have you had the opportunity to get a book signed by an author you like? Do you like historical fiction? If so, what period of time and what setting? 

Mira's Diary - A Satifying Way to Travel

I had planned to post more about the Spain trip (which I will in due course), but when I arrived home close to midnight nearly two weeks ago, I came down with a summer cold that my husband caught a few days later. The upside of being sick with a cold is that you are sick enough to hold off on work, but not too sick to read! So I read indeed, and with great pleasure. One of these pleasures was Mira's Diary -- Home Sweet Rome.

                                       
Mira's Diary is the charming time travel mystery series by Marissa Moss.

I came across Book I, Lost In Paris, last year and wrote a review of it for Sacramento/San Francisco Book Review. You can read the review of Lost in Paris HERE.

The Paris adventure left me waiting for Mira's next one, and Home Sweet Rome does not disappoint.

The over-all frame is this: Mira's mother, a time traveler, is somewhere in the past, trying to avert something terrible happening in the future. She shifts around to various historical eras -- and she can't tell the family all the details, but she leaves postcards as clues as to her next destination. Mira's father -- who knows his wife time travels -- is a renowned photographer on a fellowship to photograph modern wonders of the world. This gives the family the excuse they need to go to the cities mentioned in the postcards. As it turns out, Mira is a time traveler, too, and her mother needs her help in piecing together the various cases that all seem part of the larger mystery.

This time, Mira lands in 16th century Rome during the Inquisition, when the Church is persecuting independent scientific thinkers. Dressed as a boy named Marco, she first works in the kitchen of the Del Monte palazzo. Another servant named Giovanni befriends her and introduces her to his master, none other than the painter Caravaggio. Caravaggio arranges for her to meet Del Monte in person and Mira -- as Marco-- is soon put to work as a scribe, copying letters and reports and cataloguing books for the Cardinal del Monte. Soon she finds her work is connected to the heretical ideas (in those days) of Giordano Bruno, a mathemetician and scientist. (I will not be a spoiler and reveal how these are linked.)

The story is fast paced, the settings wonderfully realized, pulling a reader into a personal experience of ancient architecture and well-known paintings. This is like a free trip to 16th century Rome—a tour of famous buildings, without a tedious tour guide. One of the delights of a series like this is that you can learn about history in ways that aren't a bit dull. Young people will like this book for the adventure, and it's a great introduction to some of the science we take for granted today.

Meanwhile . . . there are the Watchers. The Watchers are a group of "time police" who punish anyone trying to tamper with history. They are trying to hunt down Mira's mother -- and Mira, too, whenever she shows up out of her own time. Mira manages to complete her part of the mission involving Bruno; but her mother hasn't returned to the present, and the overriding mystery remains with an aura of worry for Mira's family. Mira's father believes Mother's ultimate mission involves something in the future that threatens them as a family.

One can only wait for Book Three to get a closer look at what that threat may be, and to enjoy another free trip to a historical locale.

Author, Marissa Moss

Contact information:

Marissa Moss's Website

Facebook

Author Page on Amazon





How about you? Do you like time travel stories? Historical novels? Mysteries? Stories involving art? What are some of your favorite reads? Why?