Jane Vows Vengeance

Jane Vows Vengeance. Michael Thomas Ford. 2012. Random House. 288 pages.

"What about this one?" Jane glanced at the magazine Lucy was holding up, opened to a picture of a bride standing in a field of daisies. 

This is the third novel in Michael Thomas Ford's paranormal series. The first is Jane Bites Back, and the second is Jane Goes Batty. If you've enjoyed the first few books in the series, you'll probably want to pick this one up too.

Jane Fairfax owns a bookshop and has recently had a novel published, even had that novel adapted into a movie, of sorts. But she's a woman keeping a secret from her husband-to-be. She's a vampire AND she's Jane Austen. While this knowledge certainly isn't common information, there are a LOT of people in her life who do know, including Walter's mother--Jane's future mother-in-law. By the way, his mother is keeping a BIG, BIG, BIG secret from him too. Poor Walter! No one ever tells him anything!

This novel sees the couple heading to Europe along with their friends and family. (Lucy, Ben, and Miriam, the mother-in-law). It isn't quite a wedding trip or a honeymoon trip--emphasis on the word quite. For Walter, it's a work-related trip, a select group will be touring historic homes. Sound boring? Well, some paranormal activity will liven things up a bit.

This novel had its moments. There were a few sparkly conversations, mainly between Jane and Byron, that made me happy I decided to continue on in this series. There were times this one almost almost worked for me. Some good scenes, some interesting developments. But at other times this novel was a mess. I'm not sure if it's because this book focused on the personal relationship between Jane and Walter, if it's because the book follows the couple's vacation, if it's because the focus was more on Jane trying to meet everyone else's expectations. But something felt off about it. This one had less social commentary, less satire, perhaps.

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I think this one tried to pay tribute to Agatha Christie and mystery novels, but, that aspect didn't quite work for me. As a mystery this one didn't quite work for me. So what I was left with was a somewhat boring story about Walter and Jane trying to get married peacefully and without a lot of fuss. The scene that probably bothered me the very most was their first attempt to marry. And the wedding is interrupted by Jane's husband. And the guests talk openly about Jane being a vampire, the marriage occurring almost two hundred years in the past, etc. And Walter has not left the room. The author didn't give any indication that Walter left the room, OR, that the guests were huddled together whispering, OR, that the guests left the room to talk together...AND we're supposed to believe that Walter didn't listen closely enough to catch on to the fact that Jane is a vampire....and he's completely SURPRISED by the revelation later on in the novel. I think another issue I have with the novel, with the series, is that Walter isn't a fully developed character. We don't know him well enough to love him, though we can respect that Walter is a good match for Jane, I suppose. Mainly he's just there, and sometimes he's there and reacts.

Read Jane Vows Vengeance

• If you enjoy paranormal novels
• If you like satire/humor

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Library Loot: Second Trip in August

New Loot:

• Beautiful Days by Anna Godbersen
• Above by Leah Bobet
• The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse
• The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene
• The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene

Leftover Loot:

• Titanic: Voices from the Disaster by Deborah Hopkinson
• When the Stars Go Blue by Caridad Ferrer
• Insignia by S.J. Kincaid
• Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
• Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
• The Clocks by Agatha Christie
• Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie
• The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side by Agatha Christie
•  Freddy and Mr. Camphor by Walter R. Brooks
• The King's Speech by Mark Logue and Peter Conradi
• The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton

  Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.    

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Sunday Salon: Watching Miss Marple

I recently watched two episodes of Miss Marple: Sleeping Murder and Moving Finger! I really enjoyed both movies, though, I admit to liking Moving Finger more because that happens to be one of my favorite Christie mysteries. 

The Moving Finger is about a not-so-quiet village being plagued with poison pen letters--anonymous accusations sent through the mail. Almost everyone in the village--with one or two exceptions--has received one. Several murders occur before Miss Marple arrives to help solve the case. I love this mystery because of the characters and the added romance.

The Sleeping Murder is another mystery that I've read. But it wasn't memorable to me. I watched this one without remembering any of the clues or who did it! Which was nice, I suppose! It's tricky to know what to do. On the one hand, I like to be surprised when reading the actual mystery, I wouldn't really want to know who did it ahead of time. But I like to be surprised when watching the movie too.

Watch Miss Marple

• If you're a fan of the books
• If you enjoy mysteries
• If you like mysteries set in the past

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Mansfield Park Revisited

Mansfield Park Revisited. Joan Aiken. 1985/2005. Sourcebooks. 201 pages.

The sudden and unexpected death of Sir Thomas Bertram, while abroad engaged on business relating to his various properties in the West Indies, could be a cause of nothing but sorrow, dismay, and consternation to the baronet's friends in England.

I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Joan Aiken's Mansfield Park Revisited. I do. I love the characters, the story, and most of all the redemption. Susan Price, Fanny's younger sister, is the heroine of Joan Aiken's Mansfield Park Revisited. When the novel opens, Edmund and Fanny are on their way to the West Indies with their youngest child.
Susan's day are soon brightened up by the arrival of two people to the neighborhood. A sadder-but-wiser, Mary Crawford, whose health is in decline, and her ever-faithful brother, Henry. Though Susan never knew either Crawford personally, she can't help but be drawn to them--particularly Mary. She knows the two have history with those she loves best--Fanny, Edward, Tom, etc., but she can't help believing that these two have changed for the better through the years. These two are not seeking society in the neighborhood, just a quiet, peaceful place to simply be.

Aiken is great at relationships, and I definitely enjoyed seeing Susan interact with Mary Crawford, Henry Crawford, Tom Bertram, Lady Bertram, Julia Yates, etc. Readers don't know much about Susan from Austen's novel, but, Aiken did a great job giving her life in this sequel. While readers do know more about Mary and Henry Crawford from Austen's Mansfield Park, I can't help believing that Henry Crawford has been misunderstood until Aiken set the story straight. (I do LOVE Henry Crawford.) Mary's redemption was a beautiful thing as well. Aiken did not rewrite the past--or try to justify it exactly--but she has through circumstance after circumstance brought Mary to a reflective, repentant place and given her an opportunity to blossom into a sensitive, perceptive, loving person. 

I loved every page of this one. I loved spending time with these characters. It was just a wonderful treat.

My first review. 

Read Mansfield Park Revisited

• If you love Mansfield Park, if you like Mansfield Park; even if you were bored with it, you may just find something to love in this historical romance
• If you love Jane Austen
• If you like historical romance

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Four 2012 Board Books

1, 2, 3 in the Sea (With Big Flaps). Sue DiCicco. 2012. Scholastic. 10 pages.

1 one fin
2 two eyes
3 three fish

1 one tail
2 two faces
3 three sea horses

 An ocean-themed board book about counting from one to three. It's bright, colorful, simple. The illustrations feature fish, turtles, sea horses, and whales. Overall, I like the "big flaps," however, I'm not sure about the biggest 'big flap' that unfolds more like a pop-up from a pop-up book. Flaps and little ones seem to do okay, pop-ups not as well with little hands. But for the most part, I think it works.

1, 2 at the Zoo (With Big Flaps). Sue DiCicco. 2012 Scholastic. 10 pages. 

1 one foot
2 two flippers
2 two penguins


1 one neck
2 two faces
2 two giraffes

A zoo-themed board book about counting from one to two. It is bright, colorful, oh-so-simple. The animals in the illustrations are fun: penguins, giraffes, monkeys, and elephants. The final flap reveals a Mom and her son at the zoo having fun. Most of the flaps, I think, will be fine. There is the one pop-up flap which I'm less sure about, but, for the most part I think this one works well.

Read 1, 2, 3 in the Sea and 1, 2 At the Zoo

• If you have little ones who love animals, zoos, aquariums, etc.
• If you want a very basic, very simple counting book

Go! Go! Go! Nicola Bird. Illustrated by Fiona Land. 2012 Scholastic. 10 pages.

Baby, say
scooter
motorbike
what a long car! 
limousine
ding! ding! bicycle
trailer

A touch-and-feel book about transportation. There is no story to this board book, just vocabulary--words identifying each method of transportation (ambulance, fire engine, police car, truck, van, hot air balloon, plane, etc.) The book is large--more the size of a traditional picture book than a board book. It's a very busy book.

My Race Car. Ace Landers. Illustrated by David A. White. 2012. Scholastic. 10 pages.

Race car, race car, zoom, zoom, go!
Around the racetrack, never slow.
Turn left, turn right, now just fly!
Take the lead and speed on by.

A simple, rhyming text about the thrill of racing. Fun size and shape, colorful, and the rhyming isn't bad at all. This would be a fun one to share with little ones. Perhaps easier to share with little ones that Go! Go! Go! since it actually has a story to it.

Read Go! Go! Go! and My Race Car

• If you have little ones always on the go! If your little ones like cars, trucks, and other vehicles
• If your little ones need another book to chew

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews