Twelve Sharp

It's been a while, so I have a stack of books to review. In memory of my mother-in-law who introduced me to so many great reads, the next few reviews will be authors from her stash. Thank you, Jo. I will miss your gentle wisdom!

Twelve Sharp is another winner from Evanovich. Ranger's jealous wife is after Stephanie. The bail bond's office is short-handed, Stephanie is working overtime to clear up the backlog of fugitives from justice, and Ranger's daughter has been kidnapped. And speaking of Ranger, where the heck is he? As Stephanie works desperately to find Ranger's daughter, she learns much about this man of mystery. Still she's torn between Joe and Ranger. The whole gang is here, Grandma, Sally, Lula, and Connie, along with some new additions. More laugh-out-loud humor. Four out of four bookworms.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

A can't-put-down read, this is my first Philippa Gregory book, but I can't wait to read more. Through the eyes of Mary Bolelyn, Gregory tells the story of Anne Boleyn's rise and fall. We know how it ends, but getting there is fascinating. Siblings Mary, Anne, and George Boleyn are pawns in the Howard family quest for power. George is already a courtier in King Henry's court when his sister, Mary, catches the king's eye. Never mind that she is married. In fact, that's a plus since any pregnancies resulting from the affaire can be pawned off on her husband who must forgo intimate relations with his wife in the meantime. Since Mary's husband is one of Henry's courtiers, he must watch and encourage the affaire. The Howard family and Mary's husband benefit from the liaison with titles, positions, and land awards. Anne coaxes her sister through the affaire and fills in for Mary when she is indisposed because of her pregnancies. After Mary loses the king's interest, Anne finds herself in the king's favor, but she won't be content with an illicit affaire. She will settle for nothing less than replacing Katherine of Aragon as Queen of England. Roles are reversed as Mary now advises Anne on how to win and keep the king. Anne will stop at nothing, not even murder and incest, to achieve her goal. While this sounds like a soap opera, all the political and religious machinations are dealt with as well as a woman's place in the world during that time period.

It's the characters that make history interesting. Unfortunately, when I was in high school, the teachers didn't seem to understand that. It wasn't until I got to college and took history classes from professors who were passionate about history and the people who made history that I developed a love of history. Gregory understands this as well. This book is all about the characters, what makes them who they are and what motivates them--everything behind the dates and places and events that you had to memorize in high school without learning why they happened. This is Tudor historical fiction at its best. Four out of four bookworms.