The Fatal Fashione

The Fatal Fashione by Karen Harper is an Elizabeth I mystery. This is book number 8 in this mystery series. I read this book for The Royalty Rules Challenge. I believe that this book is appropriate for an young adult. If my daughter was interested in murder mysteries I would let her read it and she is 11.


One of Queen Elizabeth's starchers is found died in a vat of starch. Queen Elizabeth with the help of her Privy Plot Council hunt for the murder. The evidence points to someone that she trusts. Can she prove that this person is innocent?


When I found this series, I was looking forward to reading it as I love the House of Tudor. I was a little disappointed. I had a hard time believing that Queen Elizabeth I would be running around London trying to solve murders and still have time to run the country and other social obligations. I felt that I was reading a mystery set in modern times not in 1566. I felt that the historical aspect was thrown in as an after thought not part of the setting. But the historical aspect was sparse. The language was very modern and I kept thinking would the Queen say that. I was about 100 pages in when I was able to let all that go and started to enjoy the mystery. I found the mystery part very entertaining. Toward the end I was unable to put the book down until it was finished. The ending was satisfying. If you like murder mysteries then you should like this, if you read this book for any historical value you would do better to read Jean Plaidy or Alison Weir.


I am know going to read my last book for this challenge The Courts of Love by Jean Plaidy which is also on my list for the TBR Challenge. Killing two birds with one stone.

Booking Through Thursday

While acknowledging that we can’t judge books by their covers, how much does the design of a book affect your reading enjoyment? Hardcover vs. softcover? Trade paperback vs. mass market paperback? Font? Illustrations? Etc.?

If a cover catches my eye I will pick up the book and read the back blurb to see if it is something I want to continue reading and then I will buy it or check it out at the library. Sometimes I will study the cover of a book to see if it will give me answers to questions that come up as I read the book, esp. murder mysteries.

I will buy soft covers because they are cheaper. There have been times I buy hardcovers because I like the book so much I want to keep the book, like the Harry Potter books, the Little house books, and any books buy Anne McCaffery.

I prefer mass market books again because they are cheaper. But some of my favorite authors are in trade paperback books like Philippa Gregory and Jean Plaidy. So I have no choice if I can't find them in the library I have to buy them.

I don't like font that is too small It does make it difficult read.

Sometimes illustrations will distract from a story and sometimes they enhance a story.

Chance to Win A Book

Kristi from one of my groups mentioned this. So I thought others maybe interested as well.

Julie Leto is posting a chapter a day for seven days on her site Plot Monkey's She is celebrating the release of her book Phantom Pleasures on April 1. Just leave a comment for a chance to win a 20 dollar gift certificate from Amazon or Borders.com. Also if you visit Passion for the Page and make a comment to her post, you will get a chance to win a signed copy of Julie Leto's new book.

Good luck

Innocent Traitor

Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir is about Lady Jane Grey. I read this book for the Royalty Rules Challenge. This is another chapter in the Tudor history. It is told in the first person by the people that are involved in Lady Jane's life as well as Lady Jane herself. Each chapter is someone else's point of view.

The story opens with the birth of Lady Jane Grey and the birth of Prince Edward who will be King. Lady Jane's parents are very disappointed that their first born is a girl. After the birth of Prince Edward, Lady Jane's parents believe that Lady Jane was born to marry Prince Edward and become Queen of England.

Lady Jane is educated and trained in the hopes of marrying Prince Edward thus becoming the Queen of England. Their hope dies when Prince Edward dies. But another plan has been developed to keep England Protestant. John Dudley, Duke of Northumerland, decides that Lady Jane is the best candidate for being the next ruler of England. He believes that he will be able to control her and he will run the country. With the help of Lady Jane's parents, he marries her to his son Guilford Dudley. What more can a power hungry man want. His son will be King.

But imagine his surprise when all of his plans fall apart. Lady Jane stands up to him. He is unable to find Princess Mary. All of his hopes come to naught. Princess Mary becomes the Queen of England. Lady Jane becomes a prisoner and is held in the Tower of London. She was Queen for nine days.

I loved this book. I had heard about Lady Jane Grey when I watched the movie Lady Jane. I always felt sorry for Lady Jane. Her life was never her own. Almost everyone she knew was manipulating her for their own aspirations. This book did not disappoint. It made Lady Jane into a sympathetic character. The best part was when she became queen and started to find her own voice surprising the people who thought they could control her. Reading this book made me wonder what kind of Queen would she have become is she had the chance.

Royalty Rules Challenge is geared towards young adults. I would recommend that Innocent Traitor for ages 16 and up due to sexual content.

This is Alison Weir first historical fiction book. She has written about 10 non fiction books that relate to English royalty esp. the Tudors. I plan to read her non fiction books and I look forward to her next historical fiction book, The Lady Elizabeth; which is about the early life of Queen Elizabeth I. If you like historical fiction read this book.

Happy Easter

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter.

I hope your Easter Basket is full of

chocolate and contains a book.

Two for One 3

Turbulence by Jessica Matthews is another book in the Code Red series. This time a team of emergency personnel leave Courage Bay, CA and got to Turning Point, TX to help the town when a Hurricane is about to hit.

This book focuses on firefighter Dana Ivie and Pilot Micky Flynn. They are sent to rescue a group of boy scouts. The find the boys and try to fly them to the hospital. The winds become to strong so they have to land the plane. Will Dana and Micky "have the courage to risk love?"

I did like reading this book. As this is a series there is a back story, but Jessica Matthews fills the reader in nicely if you had not read the previous book that relates to this book.

Hard Rain by Darlene Scalera is another book in the Code Red series. This time it is

about ER doctor Amy Sherwood who is from Courage Bay, CA and sheriff Jesse Boone who lives in Turning Point, TX.

Amy comes to Turning Point with three other colleagues to help the town out as the hurricane approches. She meets Jesse. He has the same name as her teenage love, who disappeared. Could this man be the father of her son?

This one was not one of my favorites. I felt that the ending was to quick. I felt that there should have been more development in the relationship between father and son, before the son accepted the father.

The End, BTT

You’ve just reached the end of a book . . . what do you do now? Savor and muse over the book? Dive right into the next one? Go take the dog for a walk, the kids to the park, before even thinking about the next book you’re going to read? What?
(Obviously, there can be more than one answer, here–a book with a cliff-hanger is going to engender different reactions than a serene, stand-alone, but you get the idea!)

It depends on the book. If it is a awesome book, like The Other Boleyn Girl, I like to savor it for an hour or two. If it is a book that is part of a series, like Cup of Clay, I want to read all the books in the series right away. I also put a book down because I did not want to continue because I was shocked like in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince but I had to keep reading because I had to find how the book was going to end. If you read the book you know what I am talking about. If it is an average book, pick up the next book right away to continue the search for that awesome book that stays with you for a little bit.