Seduced by the hot sun and blinding passions of Renaissance Italy, sixteen-year-old Lucrezia de’ Medici sees a gilded life stretching ahead. Her wealthy new husband handpicked her to be his bride, and his great castle in Ferrara will be her playground. But Alfonso d’Este, Duke of Ferrara quickly proves to be just as dangerous and mysterious as he is dark and handsome, and the stone walls of the castle seem to trap Lucrezia like a prison.

Only the duke’s lover Francesca seems able to tame his increasing fury, as his desperate need to produce an heir drives him deep into precarious obsession. With her head full of heartbroken dreams, Lucrezia flees from him down a dangerous path that may cost her everything.

Step into the elegant world of the Robert Browning poem “My Last Duchess,” as imagined by Gabrielle Kimm, where she brings to life the passions and people of sixteenth-century Tuscany and Ferrara. It is a chilling story of forbidden love and dark decadence that will haunt you.

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark; Original edition (October 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402261519
• ISBN-13: 978-1402261510

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Gabrielle Kimm is a graduate of the creative writing master’s program at the University of Chichester. She is writing her second novel, The Courtesan’s Lover, which features one of the characters of His Last Duchess as the heroine. www.gabriellekimm.co.uk

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…Excellent historical fiction about Lucrezia di Medici and her husband Alfonso II, the Duke of Ferrara. Their marriage was twisted; more that HE was twisted and she loved another who she later left for. Kimm does an excellent job making the reader feel as if they themselves are there and writes the story in such a way that you keep turning the pages as fast as you can read. I definitely recommend this to those who enjoy a good historical fiction novel about someone in history.

My Book Rating:

I received a copy for review in exchange for an honest review from Sourcebooks. 

• Paperback: 275 pages
• Publisher: Fiction Std (August 9, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1936558149
• ISBN-13: 978-1936558148

Please note that these were FREE as of TODAY. I can not guarantee that they will be free at a later time from this post. Hopefully you’ll get the chance to download them while they remain free.

Below are today’s latest free finds (click the covers to the download pages)…

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ADULT FICTION

CHILDREN’S FICTION

YOUNG ADULT FICTION

CLASSICS

MISCELLANEOUS

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So, the balance has to be a delicate one. The plot, as every writer knows, can be difficult enough. One must create a storyline that follows a dramatic arc that doesn’t crest too early, lest the writer lose the tension and build-up. There must be a revelatory ending that finishes the book (also known as the denouement), and it all should end on a slight beat of wisdom. Happy endings are not necessary, but something should be learned by the end of the book.

The theme can be woven in by various ways. In my book, “The God’s Wife,” a tale of ancient Egypt, I tell the story of a two women who share one split soul, but I don’t just come out and announce that fact. Instead, I alternate stories between the two women, and have them discover things about themselves that seem similar to the reader (both have overbearing and cold mothers, both have loving boyfriends but interfering would-be suitors, both are dancers, both lack confidence at times to tackle their jobs, etc.). I also throw in chapters where they consider the nature of the soul, and their own feelings of lack or emptiness. I tie it to the events that are happening around them, so these scenes don’t seem out of place. However, it should seem obvious (at least to me!) that the two women don’t feel whole and wonder what is missing in their lives.

Let me say that I’ve been thrilled with the acceptance and appreciation my novel has gotten from all quarters: reviews, personal comments, Amazon comments, Facebook comments, even discussions with two radio announcers who loved “The God’s Wife.” But there have been a few, just a few, who seemed to read the book for plot only and missed the whole split-soul theme entirely.

Was it my fault? I don’t know. As a writer, I can only saw I sweated to put in as many clues and commentary as possible to lead the reader to the right place. It’s only if the reader understands the spit-soul concept that the ending makes any sense! So, if it’s vital that I did my work correctly.

However, if I put any more street signs up saying, “beware, the two protagonists share a split soul,” I’d be beating the reader over the head and belittling his or her interpretive powers.

Is there a happy medium, or am I just worrying too much? After all, there’s always someone who doesn’t “get” my favorite movie or can’t sit through the music of my favorite composer, Mozart.

Let me know in the comments section if you have any ideas for getting readers to read beyond the plot.

- Lynn Voedisch

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Lynn Voedisch is a fiction writer and journalist with many years experience working for newspapers and magazines, such as the Chicago Sun-Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, Dance magazine and many other publications. She also has worked as and editor and writer/critic for Technorati.com, an online news service. Her previously published novel, is EXCITED LIGHT (ASJA Press). Lynn is a member of the board of directors for the Society of Midland Authors. She lives three blocks from the border of Chicago with her husband and two cats. Her son recently graduated from law school and Lynn looks forward to having a lawyer in the family. Her hobbies are tennis and tai chi.

The women of ancient Egypt were the freest of any civilization on earth, until the modern era. In several dynasties of ancient Egypt the God’s Wives of Amun stood tall, priestesses of wealth and power, who represented the pinnacle of female power in the Egyptian state. Many called The God’s Wife of Amun second only to the Pharaoh in dominance. THE GOD’S WIFE follows the adventures of a 16-year-old girl, Neferet, who is thrust into the role of The Gods Wife of Amun without proper training. Surrounded by political intrigue and ensnared by sexual stalking, Neferet navigates the temple, doing her duties, while keeping her family name pristine and not ending up like her predecessor—dead. Meanwhile, a modern-day Chicago dancer, Rebecca, is rehearsing for a role in an ancient Egyptian production and finds herself blacking out and experiencing realistic dreams about life in Egypt. It’s as if she’s coming in contact with Neferet’s world. Are the two parallel worlds on a collision course? They seem to be, for Neferet has just used an old spell to bring protection to her world, and Rebecca meets a mysterious Egyptian man who says he’ll whisk her away to Alexandria. Magic and realism mix for a powerful ending in THE GOD’S WIFE.

• Paperback: 275 pages
• Publisher: Fiction Std (August 9, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1936558149
• ISBN-13: 978-1936558148

The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley (Fantasy/Historical Romance) - Eva Ward is a modern woman thrown back three centuries to 1715 only to find that might be exactly where she belongs. There she finds true love with Daniel Butler, but the discord surrounding Hanoverian King George plunges the lovers into a world of intrigue, treason, and love.

Never Been Bit by Lydia Dare (Paranormal Historical Romance) - This is the third in a trilogy of vampire Regency romances, where the glittering world of English high society is a playground for the rich, titled, and undead.

Vampire Alec McQuarrie’s heart was broken long before it stopped beating. Now Alec’s after-life is an endless search for pleasure. Young witch Sorcha Ferguson has come to London in search of a man, beast-or even a blood sucker-of her very own…

Utterly Charming by Kristine Grayson (Fantasy Romance) - In this thoroughly unique and irresistible romantic romp from a talented new author, a struggling Seattle lawyer, desperate to keep her fledging law firm from going under, takes a case involving a strange but incredibly attractive man. Before she knows it, all of Nora’s wishes come true, along with the realization that her client is Prince Charming…the real Prince Charming. There’s just one problem: despite being a gorgeous hunk, he’s a 1,000 year old magician who still has to deal with a Sleeping Beauty and one wicked stepmother before he and Nora can have a future together.

Lord and Lady Spy by Shana Galen (Historical Romance) - Lord Adrian and Lady Bridget Smythe have the pictureperfect high society marriage. Little does the ton know that each is one of England’s most preeminent spies- with their secret identities guarded even from each other. But what are secret agents to do when the spying game is over and they suddenly discover a whole new spark in each other?

His Last Duchess by Gabrielle Kimm (Historical Fiction) - The chilling story of Lucrezia de Medici, duchess to Alfonso d’Este, His Last Duchess paints a portrait of a lonely young girl and her marriage to an inscrutable duke. Lucrezia longs for love, Alfonso desperately needs an heir, and in a true story of lust and dark decadence, the dramatic fireworks the marriage kindles threaten to destroy the duke’s entire inheritance-and Lucrezia’s future. His Last Duchess gorgeously brings to life the passions and people of sixteenth-century Tuscany and Ferrara.

I’m REALLY looking forward to seeing this movie and I’m hoping that director, Wayne Wang (he directed Joy Luck Club), does a good job. Yes I know that most books are better than the movies and that there are few movie adaptations of books that come out good, but please let this be one of those excellent movies.

Perfect You by Holly Skelton (Children’s Fiction) Future Review & Author Guest Post @my children’s book blog BookSnatchers. - In this letter from God, children will discover He has blessed them with gifts and talents that make them unique and able to serve the world in a very special way! Could the gift of bravery make you a police officer or firefighter, or could your compassion help you to be a great doctor or teacher? The possibilities are endless!

Perfect You is a story for parents to share with their children to encourage them to discover their talents so that they can live a life of purpose and happiness. – FROM THE BOOK BACK

Cry to Heaven by Anne Rice (Adult Fiction) Latest hardback book purchase for my personal shelves. - Anne Rice demonstrates her power to enthrall the reader as she makes real for us the exalted and fearful life of an extraordinary society–the eighteenth-century world of the castrati, the male sopranos whose glorious voices, unmatched by any singers since their time, brought them the adulation of the royal courts and grand opera houses of Europe. This is a novel that charms, shocks, and moves us by its portrayal of passionate and fascinating lives, by its re-creation of a strange and exotic moment in history–and by the ways in which it considers, and adds resonance to, our deepest images of the masculine and the feminine. It is a mesmerizing feat of storytelling. – FROM B&N (I am an affiliate.)

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly (Fantasy Fiction) Latest used book purchase for my personal shelves. - High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the death of his mother. He is angry and alone, with only the books on his shelf for company. But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness, and as he takes refuge in his imagination, he finds that reality and fantasy have begun to meld. While his family falls apart around him, David is violently propelled into a land that is a strange reflection of his own world, populated by heroes and monsters, and ruled over by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious book… The Book of Lost Things.

An imaginative tribute to the journey we must all make through the loss of innocence into adulthood, John Connolly’s latest novel is a book for every adult who can recall the moment when childhood began to fade, and for every adult about to face that moment. The Book of Lost Things is a story of hope for all who have lost, and for all who have yet to lose. It is an exhilarating tale that reminds us of the enduring power of stories in our lives.

Altar of Bones by Philip Carter (Thriller Fiction) Latest hardback book purchase for my personal shelves. - “They didn’t have to kill him…He never drank from the altar of bones.”

Cryptic dying words from a murdered homeless woman in present day San Francisco unlock a decades-buried secret that changed history. Now a pair of ruthless assassins are sent to cut the few living “loose ends.” And a young, resourceful woman on the run encounters a determined man with his own connected past and vengeful agenda. Forced to partner for survival and answers, a fast-paced and deadly game of cat and mouse ensues, taking them across the globe from the winding streets of Paris to the faded palaces of Budapest to the frozen lakes of Mongolia…where destiny, passion, and further betrayal await them.

The Altar of Bones has it all: The Russian mob. KGB spies. Presidential assasination. A doomed Hollywood legend. Deathbed confessions. Corrosive power. Shattered families. Guardians of an ancient religious icon housing a secret others will kill to possess. The dark promise of immortality. And it delivers on its ambitious premise to leave you stunned and breathless at the end.

The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue (Fantasy Fiction) Latest hardback book purchase for my personal shelves. - Inspired by the WB Yeats poem that tempts a child from home to the waters and the wild, The Stolen Child is a modern fairy tale narrated by the child Henry Day and his double.On a summer night, Henry Day runs away from home and hides in a hollow tree. There he is taken by the changelings—an unaging tribe of wild children who live in darkness and in secret. They spirit him away, name him Aniday, and make him one of their own. Stuck forever as a child, Aniday grows in spirit, struggling to remember the life and family he left behind. He also seeks to understand and fit in this shadow land, as modern life encroaches upon both myth and nature.In his place, the changelings leave a double, a boy who steals Henry’s life in the world. This new Henry Day must adjust to a modern culture while hiding his true identity from the Day family. But he can’t hide his extraordinary talent for the piano (a skill the true Henry never displayed), and his dazzling performances prompt his father to suspect that the son he has raised is an imposter. As he ages the new Henry Day becomes haunted by vague but persistent memories of life in another time and place, of a German piano teacher and his prodigy. Of a time when he, too, had been a stolen child. Both Henry and Aniday obsessively search for who they once were before they changed places in the world.The Stolen Child is a classic tale of leaving childhood and the search for identity. With just the right mix of fantasy and realism, Keith Donohue has created a bedtime story for adults and a literary fable of remarkable depth and strange delights.

The story in The Legionary is alluded to in I, Claudius. We hear about the disaster in Teutoburger Wald, where three legions were betrayed and led into an ambush. The campaigns of retribution under Germanicus Caesar are kind of glossed over. We see Germanicus standing before the Emperor Augustus “in triumph”. In reality, Germanicus did not triumph over Arminius and the Germanic Alliance until two years after the death of Augustus. I always wanted to learn more about the campaigns of Germanicus Caesar and was determined to read all I could. Sadly, books on the subject outside of the original historical sources were nonexistent.

Fast-forward to winter 2004, when I found myself as an Army Staff Sergeant in Iraq. I decided that I wanted to write a book about the campaigns, only I wanted to focus on the individual soldiers in the ranks, rather than the Emperor and generals. I started doing my research, focusing on the primary sources, namely the Annals of Tacitus. My parents sent me some books while I was in Iraq; one of which was Adrian Goldsworthy’s In the Name of Rome. Goldsworthy is probably the most highly respected Roman historian of our era and his interpretation of the original sources is unparalleled. Lo and behold, there was an entire chapter in his book dedicated to the campaigns of Germanicus Caesar. This, combined with the primary sources he referenced, gave me what I needed from a historical perspective.

Amongst the other books I got sent was another Goldsworthy, The Complete Roman Army. It is a very nicely done coffee table book that is probably the most thorough ever compiled about life in the Imperial Legions. There was another great book on Roman medicine, as well as an old one that I had about daily life in Ancient Rome. By the time I came home from Iraq, I had a working draft in place.

For me, the research is the key. It truly upsets me when historical novelists will deliberately distort facts to support a preconceived personal agenda. I try to avoid this at all costs with my books. While the individual legionaries are fictitious characters, the major events are written as accurately as I am able. I feel this is an obligation of all writers of historical events. There is a bond of trust between the author and the reader, especially if the reader is not well versed in the historical period they are reading about. Regardless of whether or not a book is fictitious, they will take the events portrayed at face value and we as authors owe it to them to tell them the history as accurately as possible. Besides, I have found that the old adage “truth is stranger than fiction” to be very much the case.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…James Mace has served in the U.S. military since 1993 and has made the Roman Army a life study. He is a full-time soldier with the Idaho Army National Guard and a veteran of the Iraq War. He wrote numerous articles on bodybuilding and physical fitness before turning his attention to historical novels. He lives in Meridian, Idaho.

CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR ONLINE… Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Rome’s Vengeance In the year A.D. 9, three Roman Legions under Quintilius Varus were betrayed by the Germanic war chief, Arminius, and destroyed in the forest known as Teutoburger Wald. Six years later Rome is finally ready to unleash Her vengeance on the barbarians. The Emperor Tiberius has sent his adopted son, Germanicus Caesar, into Germania with an army of forty-thousand legionaries. The come not on a mission of conquest, but one of annihilation. With them is a young legionary named Artorius. For him the war is a personal vendetta; a chance to avenge his brother, who was killed in Teutoburger Wald. In Germania Arminius knows the Romans are coming. He realizes that the only way to fight the legions is through deceit, cunning, and plenty of well-placed brute force. In truth he is leery of Germanicus, knowing that he was trained to be a master of war by the Emperor himself. The entire Roman Empire held its collective breath as Germanicus and Arminius faced each other in what would become the most brutal and savage campaign the world had seen in a generation; a campaign that could only end in a holocaust of fire and blood.

BUY THE BOOK… Amazon Paperback | Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble Paperback

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse; 2 edition (December 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9781440100260
• ISBN-13: 978-1440100260

The Countess by Rebecca Johns (historical fiction) – In 1611, Countess Erzsébet Báthory, a powerful Hungarian noblewoman, stood helpless as masons walled her inside her castle tower, dooming her to spend her final years in solitary confinement. Her crime—the gruesome murders of dozens of female servants, mostly young girls tortured to death for displeasing their ruthless mistress. Her opponents painted her as a bloodthirsty škrata—a witch—a portrayal that would expand to grotesque proportions through the centuries.

In this riveting dramatization of Erzsébet Báthory’s life, the countess tells her story in her own words, writing to her only son—a final reckoning from his mother in an attempt to reveal the truth behind her downfall. Countess Báthory describes her upbringing in one of the most powerful noble houses in Hungary, recounting in loving detail her devotion to her parents and siblings as well as the heartbreak of losing her father at a young age. She soon discovers the price of being a woman in sixteenth-century Hungary as her mother arranges her marriage to Ferenc Nádasdy, a union made with the cold calculation of a financial transaction. Young Erzsébet knows she has no choice but to accept this marriage even as she laments its loveless nature and ultimately turns to the illicit affections of another man.

Seemingly resigned to a marriage of convenience and a life of surreptitious pleasure, the countess surprises even herself as she ignites a marital spark with Ferenc through the most unromantic of acts: the violent punishment of an insolent female servant. The event shows Ferenc that his wife is no trophy but a strong, determined woman more than capable of managing their vast estates during Ferenc’s extensive military campaigns against the Turks. Her naked assertion of power accomplishes what her famed beauty could not: capturing the love of her husband.

The countess embraces this new role of loving wife and mother, doing everything she can to expand her husband’s power and secure her family’s future. But a darker side surfaces as Countess Báthory’s demand for virtue, obedience, and, above all, respect from her servants takes a sinister turn. What emerges is not only a disturbing, unflinching portrait of the deeds that gave Báthory the moniker “Blood Countess,” but an intimate look at the woman who became a monster. – FROM B&N

Kendra Kandlestar and the Box of Whispers by Lee Edward Fodi (youth fantasy fiction) – For over a thousand years, the Box of Whispers has guarded the most precious treasure in the Land of Een. But when the Box is suddenly stolen, young Kendra Kandlestar finds herself swept away on a magical adventure where doors speak in riddles, plants spit poisonous venom, and strange creatures lurk in every shadow. With only a handful of enchanted carrot seeds to help her, will Kendra be able to face these dangers and find the fabled chest? There’s only one way to find out: peer inside The Box of Whispers, and enter a world of magic, monsters and mystery…Kendra Kandlestar and the Box of Whispers is a perfect book for lovers of fantasy, aged 8 and up. The book features over 100 black and white illustrations by the author. – FROM AMAZON

Beach Lane by Sheryl Woods (contemporary fiction) – In the close-knit community of Chesapeake Shores, Maryland, Susie O’Brien and Mack Franklin’s “not dating” claim befuddles everyone, especially since the two spend every spare minute together. Susie’s thrilled when their friendship finally heats up. Then, just when happily-ever-after seems within reach, Mack loses the job he loves and Susie faces a devastating diagnosis.

But O’Briens always unite in a crisis. Even her cousin Jess, Susie’s rival for most of their lives, becomes her staunchest supporter—especially when Mack’s former lover comes to town. The stakes are higher than ever before, but Susie’s definitely up to the challenge…as long as Mack’s right there by her side. – FROM AMAZON

On My Shelves is a weekly post at The Book Faery Reviews which shares THREE books from our personal collection. These books could be favorites, books to be read as soon as possible for our own enjoyment, as well as books to be read soon for scheduled reviews.

Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book.
~Author Unknown

Number ONE. Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom - Want to read.

In HAVE A LITTLE FAITH, Mitch Ablom offers a beautifully written story of a remarkable eight-year journey between two worlds – two men, two faiths, two communities – that will inspire readers everywhere. – FROM INSIDE BOOK JACKET

Number TWO. The Romanov Bride by Robert Alexander – Want to read.

As the Russia of Nicholas and Alexandra rushes toward catastrophe, the Grand Duchess Elisavyeta is ensconced in the lavish and magnificent Romanov court. In the same city, but worlds apart, Pavel is a simple village man in search of a better life. When his young wife, Shura, is shot and killed by tsarist soldiers during a political demonstration, Pavel dedicates his life to overthrowing the Romanovs. Pavel’s underground group assassinates Elisavyeta’s husband, the grand duke, changing her life forever.

Grief-stricken, the grand duchess gives up her wealth and becomes a nun dedicated to the poor people of Russia. When revolution finally sweeps in, Elisavyeta is the last Romanov captured, ripped from her abbey in the middle of the night and shuttled to Siberia. It is here, in a distant wood on a moonlit night, that Pavel is left to decide her fate. – FROM B&N

Number THREE. Remembered by Tamera Alexander - Want to read.

The threat of war—and a final request—send Véronique Girard from France to a distant and uninviting country. In the Colorado Territory, she searches for the man who has held her heart since childhood—her father. Pierre Girard left Paris for the Americas to seek his fortune in fur trading, vowing to send for his wife and daughter. But twenty-five years have passed and his vow remains unfulfilled. Sifting through shards of broken promises, Véronique embarks on a dangerous search for a man she scarcely remembers. His grief finally healed, Jack Brennan is moving on with life. After years of guiding families west, he is now working as a freighter to the mining towns surrounding Willow Springs. What he doesn’t count on is an unexpected traveling companion on his trips up into the mountains, and how one woman’s search will cause havoc with his plans . . . and his life. – FROM B&N