The Second Empress by Michelle Moran: A Review

Michelle Moran explored the French Revolution years in her popular Madam Tussaud. Her new novel, The Second Empress: A Novel of Napoleon's Court revives the next chapter in French history. The story opens in the year 1809 and covers the latter part of Emperor Napoleon's reign.

After conquering most of Europe, Napoleon is greatly fatigued but must set himself to the task producing the all-important heir. He divorces his beloved but barren Josephine. This turbulent story is told from the point of view of the three key women. Born of royal Austrian blood, Marie-Louise (Napoleon's second wife) leaves her home to become the reluctant baby-maker. Hortense Beauharnais, stepdaughter from Napoleon's first wife Josephine, is her sympathetic ally. Pauline, Napoleon's promiscuous, narcissistic sister is vicious in her efforts to oust her brother's new wife so that she can claim the crown for herself. A fourth voice is Pauline's chamberlain and confidant, Paul Moreau.

The wealth of historical detail, drawn from the women's notes and letters, creates a realistic portrait of the heady royal court gone berserk. Marie Louise is decidedly the most interesting character, but the shifting points of view interfere with any real character development. The book comes across as a series of vignettes. Michelle Moran's signature is to immediately draw the reader in to her historical period. This book is no exception, but it lacked the immediacy and continuity of Madame Tussaud.

The Farm Is A Crackling Good Radioactive Read

There are many ways to become a marked man in this life. One is to have secrets that powerful individuals fear getting out and becoming public knowledge. For former Navy SEAL and medical doctor Andy Carlson, it's also about having a deeply ingrained sense of morality. If the secret you're guarding threatens countless human lives, and could potentially endanger national security, one's priorities should shift from closely guarding secrets to deciding to throw in the towel as a good soldier. In the edge-of-your-seat page-turner, The Farm, by the talented author Charles C. Anderson, that's just what Carlson does-he resigns from the SEALs, though he still remains a member of the Reserves. The evidence he discovers suggests that the U.S. government is secretly buying old Soviet tactical nuclear weapons for purposes other than disarmament.

Leaving behind his old life as a Navy SEAL, where he followed orders without asking too many questions, a life where he killed whoever he was either ordered to kill or who was an obstacle to his mission, and resuming his career as an emergency physician, does not mean other interested parties are through with him. Repercussions emanating from his final mission, in which he and his friend Josiah (Joe) Chambers are inserted into the Saudi Arabian desert by helicopter. Joe dies when the helicopter they're flying in blows up during a sandstorm, but Andy, the first one out of the plane, survives. He carries out his mission, and rescues a then sixteen-year-old young woman from sexual abuse and possibly getting tortured and murdered.

Andy Carlson's resignation from the SEALs and his return to his family's ancestral farm in Virginia called "The Farm," is not enough to deter certain interested parties from attempting to kill him and eliminate the possibility the secrets he knows will ever become public knowledge. The CIA is after Carlson, as are Russian arms dealers. Can one man hope to survive such a determined onslaught of pursuers?

The Farm is a richly complex novel, one that is extremely well-researched. Charles C. Anderson has created intense, larger-that-life three-dimensional characters, and, as in his novel The First To Say No, he displays an impressive knowledge of the medical profession and history. That's because Anderson is, himself, a retired Naval officer, and emergency physician, and a weapons specialist, and he lives in Virginia at the actual plantation known as The Farm that's almost like a character in its own right in his novel. Anderson writes with immense authority about the history of The Farm, Farmville, and Virginia, because he and his family have lived there for generations. It's been in his family since 1743, and has played an important role throughout America's history. Knowing that the place called The Farm is an actual plantation with tunnels and caves underneath it and the grounds where it's built upon made the novel pop for me.

I had not known before reading The Farm how vital the place Hampton Roads which Anderson writes about is to America. Four nuclear carriers could be destroyed if a nuclear warhead went off there, at "the only shipyard capable of building those Nimitz class carriers." This would be both militarily and economically crippling to the United States. As Andy tells the CIA agent, Lindsey: "The last time I heard, each carrier cost five billion dollars and each took five years to build."

When Andy's friend Joe Chambers died on his last mission in Saudi Arabia, Andy had to hold back his emotions, to get back to America alive and in one piece. The experience made him into a functioning alcoholic, and because of that experience, and others we read about in The Farm, it's with good reason that Andy thinks of the Deputy Director of the CIA, James Harrison, as the Weasel. Harrison is a cunning, resourceful person, but he's also very self-serving. Carlson discovers that the Weasel's interest in Russian nuclear warheads has nothing `t all to do with a desire to make sure Russia is complying with disarmament. Instead, he has something much more sinister in mind:

    "Is that your goal, to disarm these warheads permanently?" Andy asked.

    "What else could we do with them?"

    "You could use them to blame some nuclear terrorist act on somebody else," Andy said.

    "You're asking me to believe the best from you when all I've seen is your worst side."

Andy has a few tricks up his sleeve, like his intimate knowledge of The Farm, its tunnel and cave systems, and other aspects of the fortress-like plantation, and three allies who I won't get into much in this review as they're mentioned elsewhere in other reviews. Reading about the strategies he uses against the CIA and Russians was very fascinating. Will Andy's expertise with weapons, his medical knowledge, and The Farm itself, enable him to outwit and defeat his foes? Read the excellent novel The Farm to find out!

50 Shades of Grey Trilogy Review

This review of the 50 Shades of Grey Trilogy attempts to understand why the books have become such a success.

The novels originally started out as Twilight fan fiction so as anyone who has read Twilight will know, the novels are, in essence, a romance between a couple with very different personalities and backgrounds.

The two main characters in the books are Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey with Christian being the "50 Shades" from the title.

Anastasia is an inexperienced, innocent college student. She is young and beautiful and self-conscious. She has never been in love and never found anyone who even tempted her into a relationship. Although she has many admirers she is unaware of the effect she has on the men in her life so when she first stumbles into Christians office she is not expecting to find love and at first she doesn't.

Christian is the complete opposite of Ana, he is a successful self-made billionaire who also happens to be extremely handsome but feels he is incapable of loving anyone. He comes across as jealous, controlling and bad tempered, all of which he is. He does not have relationships, just sexual partners and to call it a partnership would be wrong it is much more like an arrangement.

Without giving too much away the plot revolves around the couple's relationship. it's a case of opposites attract in the extreme and the struggle the pair have to try and fit into each other's world. Can two people with two completely different outlooks make a relationship work?

The books are classed as erotic fiction and they are, but the underlying plot is not the sexual relationship between the pair but the emotional and physical connection. A series of novels about a couple who strive to make it against the odds.

So why do readers love the 50 Shades Trilogy?

Quite simply, because it's a love story and the novels appeal to women mostly. However many people wrongly assume that the subject of BDSM and the idea of perhaps being handcuffed or spanked are what has women all over the world excited about the series. The truth is that the appeal for many women is not in fact the steamy scenario's presented in the books but the all-consuming love that Christian has for Ana.

Why One City Finds Books Fifty Shades of Burnt

With the momentum of the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon still building and anticipation of the movie filling the air; it is no surprise that a few negative-nancies are surfacing. Recently in Cleveland, two outspoken radio DJs hosted a Fifty Shades of Grey book burning; claiming that it was all in good fun but also hosting the event under the guise that the book is offensive toward women. Although only about 25 copies were burned in the blaze, set fire atop a sand pit for safety purposes, attendees made a point of speaking their minds about why they were there. Some said that the book ruined relationships, claiming that it made women have too high of expectations of their men. Others stated that the book is demeaning to women and the writing is not up to par, so to speak.

It's interesting and comical that male guests of the book burning event claim the book to be offensive to women. As female readers we are aware of exactly what we are picking up when we purchase this book. We are not fooled nor do we come with blinders on. We know that we are reading a fun, sexually exciting, love story... there is no false hope for an intellectually challenging, literary masterpiece. Female readers do not expect a scholarly piece with this novel, we merely want to read something that will piqué our interest and pass our time in a way other than staring at the television screen. For book burners to claim it is offensive in a way we female readers do not realize, they are underestimating our intelligence and undermining our reasoning for reading Fifty Shades of Grey.

As for those who believe the book has ruined relationships, that is an unfortunate and false assumption on their part. If men truly believe that their relationship was or can be ruined by a book's contents, the state of the relationship was or is obviously not stable to begin with. Placing blame on a book and the romance it contains only shows how little attention a man has paid to past events; it is an excuse not a valid reason. For the book burners who felt destroying the book was a symbol of taking back relationships, or proving the books guilt in a failed marriage, maybe some deep thinking is in order. Just maybe, these men should take their wives or girlfriends heightened libido any way they can get it... and go out and buy them a shiny new copy of Fifty Shades of Grey.

The Third Grace

Just like Paul preaching at Mars Hill way back when, this wonderful debut novel weaves a modern story of choices. What choices? The same as the people in Mars Hill had... whether to believe in various idols or in the One True God. Mary Grace was raised on a farm with her siblings in Nebraska. At a young age, she decided that she wanted to live in the city. A young man from France came to live with Mary Grace and her family as an exchange student when suddenly an event happened that changed lives forever.

Mary Grace changed her name to one of the three goddesses depicted in the statute known as the Three Graces. Mary Grace was brought up in a strong Christian home with her siblings, but the young man from overseas introduced her to Greek mythology. All through Francois' short stay, he was the center of attention as far as Mary Grace was concerned. They shared some private moments together though thankfully each time something or someone prevented Mary Grace from going into dangerous waters. Later in her young adult life, Mary Grace comes to know just how much she was protected by God when she learns of other events that involved Francois.

Working in the costume arena, with little formal schooling, Mary Grace now known as Aglaia earned a reputation that received attention from others worldwide. Her knowledge and skill in sewing, material selections, and putting together accurate costumes garnered her great respect as she worked for a private company. Mary has been carrying a secret love or is it lust? When her mother learns She is going to Paris to present one of her costumes for display, she hands her François' Bible to return to him and that sets in motion events of heart and life.

Lou is a woman who is driven by self ambition and unashamedly uses people for her own benefit. Her working as a professor for a university is not all what Lou wants. She is assertively and sublimely weaving a web to trap Aglaia in ways that are covert and meant only for her own gratification and tenure at the university. Does Lou want Aglaia at the university to teach or make costumes or is there some evil plans made to ruin lives? Whose lives will be changed? Naomi, her best friend since they were little girls, tries to mend the broken relationship with her. Why? What secret has Naomi never told her best friend? Why did Naomi move away on the day Mary Grace's brother Joel was going to be laid to rest?

There are many threads that the author brings together to weave a very gripping and poignant story of choices, forgiveness, love, and more. Readers will enjoy this story from page one until the end. Get a copy of The Third Grace, something to drink and enjoy a fresh and unique story.

My rating is 4 ½ stars.