Dark Angels: A Novel

by Karleen Koen

Where do I begin with this one? There was so much going on in this novel, that it's difficult to find a place to begin! I guess I can begin with the fact that this novel is historical fiction. Set in the time of King Charles II and the time of Restoration in England. The story revolved around King Charles's court and the people within.

Our main character is Alice Verney. A young twenty-something maid-of-honor to the Queen, although temporarily on loan to Princess Henriette of France. Alice is a busybody and a meddler, thinking she can match-make to her heart's content, and she is also ambitious, setting her cap for a very old, very wealthy Duke in the hopes of becoming his Duchess. Our novel begins with the arrival of Princess Henriette and her entourage to the court of King Charles. Henriette is the sister to the king, and they have not seen each other for about 10 years. The next few weeks are full of frivolity and excitement. Alice is eager to return to the English court and find out how things have progressed in her absence. There is a lot going on in this time of fun, including the signing of an ultra-secret treaty with King Louis of France.

The parting of Princess Henriette and her entourage is sad at best. No one wants her to leave, including herself. But leave they must, and shortly after returning to France, the princess is poisoned, and Alice finds herself headed back to King Charles's court, searching out the princess's poisoner and the man behind it.

So begins a novel full of intrigue, romance and excitement. Many actual historical events were expertly woven into the fiction, presenting a fantastic idea of what could have been. The details of life at court were very believable and well-done. My problem with this novel is that there were so many loose ends that never got tied up. And some of the ones that were tied up were tied up just a little too neatly. The novel seemed to me to come to a sudden abrupt halt. And while I was satisfied with the conclusion, it still left me wanting more and wondering about all the other bits and pieces. Only after reading this book, did I find out that it is a prequel to two other works by Karleen Koen. I'll be searching those out to continue the story, but I can only hope that there is a sequel for the prequel in the works to fill in the missing pieces.

Overall, this was a great read for me. I read it in just a few days, and at times there were parts that were confusing and fast paced, but eventually I got into the rhythm and really enjoyed the book. Parts of this book may be disturbing to some, as there are some bedroom scenes, not as many and certainly not as detailed as they could be, but they are still there. One of the scenes of disaster in the novel is a homosexual brothel, so that give you an idea of some of the imagery included. However, there was little of it, but be forewarned that it is there a couple of times. Being a time of debauchery in the court of England, there could certainly have been much, much more and I am grateful that there wasn't. I enjoyed this book very much, and I'm looking forward to reading her other books and finding out what happens to Alice Verney much later on in life.

The Blood of Flowers

by Anita Amirrezvani

We begin by meeting a 14-year old Iranian girl who remains nameless throughout the novel. She is our narrator, as well as our heroine, and she does a fantastic job transporting us to 17th century Iran, and the world of the rug makers. The novel begins with an ominous sign- a comet in the sky signals a troubling year ahead for our heroine and her family. Of marriageable age at last, she is looking forward to a future arranged marriage, until the comet brings forth prophecies for an unlucky year ahead.

Sure enough, a short while later, our girl's father dies of a mysterious illness and her and her mother are left to fend for themselves. Without the income from her father for a dowry, she is unable to be matched to a suitor, and her and her mother find themselves reaching out to a distant relative for assistance. A short while later, the half-uncle of our girl summons her and her mother to live with him in the great city of Isfahan, and they leave their rustic village behind with hopes of earning favor and a life.

Our young woman has a talent for rug-making, and it is to her delight that they find their relative to be a master carpet-maker, a subject of the Shah's royal court, her uncle Gostaham quickly learns of her talent, and agrees to teach her, even though rug making is a man's job. Her and her mother also become household servants, grateful for the place to lay their heads at night, but well aware that they need to find a way to earn money for a dowry as well as freedom for both of them.

Then a marriage proposal comes to our young lady. At first, her mother is very excited, the marriage proposal is from a wealthy man and could secure a future for both of them. Then they learn that the marriage proposal is a short term deal called a sigheh. For a period of three months she agrees to the temporary marriage with the hopes that she will be able to someday earn the right as a permanent wife.

This book was wonderful. It was so vibrantly written, I could see myself wandering the streets of Persia, getting caught up in the smells and sounds of the marketplace. I could almost see the vibrant colors of the many Persian rugs we were told about. My heart rose and fell with our heroine, and I felt like I was a part of her tiny family. Many of the twists and turns were unexpected, but very realistic, and I am certain, very accurate historically. It was fascinating hearing details of how those beautiful Persian rugs were made, and how carefully each one is designed and put together.

Interwoven within the novel are short stories from Iranian culture, and they added such a wonderful layer to the story, and so many of the stories were what gave our heroine the courage she needed to tackle her next obstacle. I loved this book, and really didn't want to put it down. I am very glad to have read it, because it gave me a glimpse into another world that I truly know nothing about. I feel enriched having read this.

I definitely recommend this book, and I think both men and women would enjoy it, however, I do have to warn that there are "adult situations" and the accompanying language throughout. There are sensual moments, but I didn't feel they were extraneous or un-necessary. For the most part, they were essential to the flow of the story, and tied right in with our girl's rug making.

Coming Home

by David Lewis

I've decided that I need to start a label for Christian books. It seems that about half of what I read these days is Christian fiction, and while that may not be for everyone, I thought that maybe for some, that would be what they would prefer. So over the next few days I'll be getting that label up and in the sidebar.

But to the book. David Lewis happens to be the husband of author Beverly Lewis, whose books I've also enjoyed reading. This was his first solo novel, and judging on my reaction to it, I bet it won't be his last.

Our main character is Jessie, a 24 year old woman about to embark on her dream to move to the state of Oregon. Her boyfriend is supposed to move with her, and the eve of their move, he decides instead to break up with her, citing her mental health as the reason for the split. He has a point. As the story continues we find that Jessica is a young woman with a past that she doesn't want to remember, and in her attempt to repress those memories, she's also lost her happy memories. Jessie decides to head to Oregon on her own, and along the way takes a detour- the road less traveled, and heads to her old hometown, which is full of haunted memories for her. Before she realizes what she's doing, she's sitting in her car in front of her estranged grandmother's house, where her grandmother is hiding a few secrets of her own.

This was a strange book at first. I was drawn into Jessica's life easily enough, but the strange dreams and flashbacks were almost disconcerting at times. The introduction of her childhood friend, Andy was a welcome diversion from her strange musings for a time. I really enjoyed his perspective on Jessie and her life. With Andy's help, Jessica decides to find out the truth of her past, and tries to get rid of the ghosts that haunt her dreams. Scattered throughout the story is also Jessie and Andy's lost faith. They both grew up in Christian homes, but have lost their faith upon reaching adulthood, and both of them wonder if there really is a God. The spiritual journey of both of these people was very realistic, and very well-written. It was very, very believable.

I enjoyed this book a lot, it really had some teeth to it, and a whole lot of heart. What I didn't enjoy so much was the end. It wrapped up much too quickly and really felt a little contrived at the very end. Still, it was a sound ending and I was happy for it, I just wanted more to it.