• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin’s Press; 1ST edition (October 30, 2007)

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…The Christmas Promise is definitely a tearjerker. Whether your tearing up from laughter, heartache, or happiness, you better be sure to grab a box of tissues while reading this one. Like her other Christmas novels, I recommend this one to all looking for a Christmas story. It’s a reminder that not all is lost in more ways than one and that there is always hope even after being at the bottom.

Please note that this is a re-post from the last Christmas Season. I enjoyed this book so much that it’s a keeper for my shelves and one that could be re-read with still the same emotions.

April 1951. It is twenty years since the death of Rebecca, the hauntingly beautiful first wife of Maxim de Winter. Twenty years since the inquest, which passed a verdict of suicide. Twenty years since Manderlay was razed to the ground…but Rebecca’s tale is just beginning. Family friend Colonel Julyan receives an anonymous parcel containing a black notebook with two handwritten words on the first page — Rebecca’s Tale. A young scholar by the name of Terrence Gray has also appeared in town, looking for clues to Rebecca’s life and death. His presence causes a stir in the quiet hamlet, and tongues begin to wag about the close ties Mr. Gray has formed to the Colonel and his single daughter, Ellie.Amid the intrigues of this small coastal town, Ellie, Gray, and the Colonel begin a search for the real Rebecca. Was her death really suicide, or was it murder? – FROM GOODREADS

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…Rebecca’s Tale was written from the point of view of 4 characters; Colonel Julyan, Terrance Gray, Rebecca, then Ellie. I found this mystery to be slow in the beginning and when it did pick up, I became disappointed. I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting but I had hopes of it being better than it was. I kept telling myself, “it will get better, just keep going”. I wanted to toss it into the fireplace and use the book to keep me warm from the coldness I felt. I know, harsh sounding, huh? I just expected more…But then I had just recently read The Thirteenth Tale (which was AWESOME!) so perhaps that’s why?

Just remember…even though I wasn’t thrilled about the book, doesn’t mean it’s not for you. You just might enjoy it!

TITLE: The Thirteenth Tale
AUTHOR: Diane Setterfield
PUBLISHER: Atria
PUBLICATION DATE: September 2006
PAGES: 416 pages
GENRE: Fiction

A compelling emotional mystery in the timeless vein of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, about family secrets and the magic of books and storytelling.

Margaret Lea works in her father’s antiquarian bookshop where her fascination for the biographies of the long-dead has led her to write them herself. She gets a letter from one of the most famous authors of the day, the mysterious Vida Winter, whose popularity as a writer has been in no way diminished by her reclusiveness. Until now, Vida has toyed with journalists who interview her, creating outlandish life histories for herself – all of them invention. Now she is old and ailing, and at last she wants to tell the truth about her extraordinary life. Her letter to Margaret is a summons.

Reading books and surfing the web are a great way to relax in the evenings, whether it’s scaring yourself reading a spooky mystery book, or playing a light hearted game of foxybingo.com. The Thirteenth Tale might even encourage you to fish out your childhood diary and reminisce a little. But don’t worry, the only scary thing in your diary is probably the hairstyles.

Somewhat anxiously, the equally reclusive Margaret travels to Yorkshire to meet her subject – and Vida starts to recount her tale. It is one of gothic strangeness featuring the March family; the fascinating, devious and wilful Isabelle and the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline.

Margaret is captivated by the power of Vida’s storytelling. But as a biographer she deals in fact not fiction, and she doesn’t entirely trust Vida’s account. She goes to check up on the family, visiting their old home and piecing together their story in her own way. What she discovers on her journey to the truth is for Margaret a chilling and transforming experience. – FROM BARNES & NOBLES

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…From page 1 right to the end, Diane Setterfield enraptured my mind with a story about a story intertwined with several stories. The secrets, the ghosts, the books, and the people transported me to various places and times. I was filled with an anxiety, a need, to solve the puzzle of The Thirteenth Tale by Vida Winters as the clues were laid before Margaret Leah and me, the reader. How can you really talk about this book other than it was a great book that I have to have for my bookshelf and one that I know I’ll want to read again another time and perhaps another?? My emotions were were twisted and twisted as I read this novel. Towards the end I THOUGHT I had it figured out only to realize I completely missed things earlier in the stories. THAT’S a good book. One that throws me off, one that grabs and twists my emotions, and one that touches my soul as a sister…FIVE STARS, if I gave 5s that is. So 4++++++!!

MY BOOK Rating: 4 out of 4 stars

Home for Christmas by Heather Graham

It broke Travis’s heart to see Isabelle go, but he was the Yankee captain who had commandeered her home and she was a daughter of the Confederacy. Yet even in the war-torn South, there was room for a Christmas miracle or two.

The Wise Virgin by Jo Beverley

Their families have feuded for generations. But will the love of Edmund de Grave and Joan Montelan overcome all this Christmas Eve—or will a family secret keep them apart forever?

Tumbleweed Christmas by Candace Camp

“Bah humbug” rancher Daniel MacKenzie met his match in his new housekeeper, Melinda Ballard. She was determined to bring the holiday spirit into his home—and the magic of love into his heart. – FROM THE BOOK BACK

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…This was a good Christmas historical romance anthology. I enjoyed the characters and how each story took me back to a different period of time. I found myself feeling for each other characters as they battled their feelings for the other. You usually know that most end in triumph but you you never know what struggle you’ll go through til you read their stories. Good Christmas read for those who love a good historical romance. Passionate yet not so erotic that it will have you hiding the book from other eyes.

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…This was one of my first Lisa Kleypas books and glad I picked it up at the local library this past Sunday. Read this book in just a couple of hours. A Wallflower Christmas was a fun read filled with laughter, love, and passion. I liked how just an ordinary girl could make a handsome passionate man get crazy in love with her just for being her. Kleypas will definitely be added to my romance list of books and the other Wallflower books will definitely now have to be picked up to read.

As much as I go to the library with the kids, I figured I might as well join a reading challenge that supports my local library. It’s a good thing my library will accept $10 if your late fines are over that because if you didn’t hear me on Twitter…my fine was $59!! Yeah you read that one right…FIFTY-NINE DOLLARS…but so you know, all of those books are safe and back on the shelves. Grabbed 2 more bags full between Ladybug and I Sunday.

Anyhoo…J.Kaye Book Blog is hosting the 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge. Below are the details…

1. Anyone can join. You don’t need a blog to participate.

–Non-Bloggers: Post your list of books in the comment section of the wrap-up post. To learn how to sign up without having a blog, click here.

2. There are four levels:

–The Mini – Check out and read 25 library books.

–Just My Size – Check out and read 50 library books.

–Stepping It Up – Check out and read 75 library books.

–Super Size Me – Check out and read 100 library books.

(Aim high. As long as you read 25 by the end of 2010, you are a winner.)

3. Audio, Re-reads, eBooks, YA, Young Reader – any book as long as it is checked out from the library count. Checked out like with a library card, not purchased at a library sale.

4. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.

5. Crossovers from other reading challenges count.

** As I read books from the library, I’ll update this post with links back to my reviews. **

1. The Lady of Question by Victoria Alexander
2. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
3. Rebecca’s Tale by Sally Beauman

I’m determined to knock out my personal stack of books I’ve collected and just haven’t gotten to yet. There are books on my shelves I have even started but didn’t finish because there was another book I had to get to and other times because it just wasn’t the time to read it. But I’m determined. Determined to finally get through the books so I can get to my other books.

For this challenge you should (taken DIRECTLY from the post)…

** Pick 12 books – one for each month of the year - that you’ve been wanting to read (that have been on your “To Be Read” list) for 6 months or longer, but haven’t gotten around to.

** OPTIONAL: Create a list of 12 “Alternates” (books you could substitute for your challenge books, given that a particular one doesn’t grab you at the time)

** Then, starting January 1, read one of these books from your list each month, ending December 31. )

(for more information, please read the challenge FAQs)

By the end of the year you should’ve knocked 12 books off of your TBR list! (of course, if you’re anything like me, you’ll have added *at LEAST* 12 more to the ever-growing pile by then! LOL).

The good news is, though, that you’ll be making some progress! ;o)

Additional rules/guidelines for this challenge:

* the challenge is to read 12 TBR books in 12 months — you can read those all in one month if you want, or one a month, or however you wanna do it.
* you should have a list posted somewhere for others to see
* you CANNOT change your list after January 1st, of the current year!!!
* you can create an Alternates list of MAXIMUM 12 books, if you want, in order to have options to choose from (you can read these in place of books on your original list).
* audiobooks and e-books ARE allowed
* re-reads are NOT allowed, as they aren’t TRUE “TBRs”
* you CAN overlap with other challenges
* OPTIONAL: you can join the Yahoo! Group created for participants of the TBR Challenge, if you want to have a place to keep your list, or just to share with others about how you’re doing!

Here are my 12 books I plan to finish by year end (I’ll update this post with links directing back to reviews)…

1. Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue
2. The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber
3. Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
4. The Breakdown Lane by Jacquelyn Mitchard
5. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
6. The Secret Sisters by Joni Rodgers
7. Eve: A Novel of the First Woman by Elissa Elliott
8. Candles Burning by Tabitha King
9. Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas by Tom Robbins
10. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
11. The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
12. The Duchess and the Dragon by Jamie Carie
    

Christmas Past by Iris Johansen…Killara, Arizona, 1893. Kevin Delaney doesn’t know what to make of the Gypsy beauty he finds rummaging in the attic of Killara, his family’s estate. The waif claims she’s there to recover an old mirror with extraordinary powers. While Kevin doesn’t believe her mystical talk, there’s no doubt that a kind of magic is at work on his heart – just in time for Christmas…

Christmas Present by Fayrene Preston…Bria Delaney is at Killara for the holidays when she discovers a mirror that reveals more than her reflection. Appearing in the glass is a startlingly handsome man who just as mysteriously disappears – until she meets him in person that very night. What they see in each other leads to a Christmas they’ll never forget…

Christmas Future by Kay Hooper…A breathtaking vision in the legendary Delaney mirror drove Brett Delaney to the other side of the world. Now his father’s death bequeath’s him the mirror, and the unbearable prophecy it offers sends him back to Killara for Christmas, determined to save the home – and the woman – he’s always loved. – FROM THE BOOK BACK

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…I was a little disappointed; it’s not that I thought it was bad, it’s just that only one of the three stories really caught my attention. I wanted more adventure and/or action to draw something emotional out of me. Of the three stories within the anthology, Christmas Past by Iris Johansen was probably the only one that affected me. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m more into historical romance than contemporary or if it’s because I found the main characters more powerful than the others.The magic mirror had me intrigued but slowly faded away as I read the next stories. While this won’t be a book I would personally reread again for future seasons, this still might be the book for someone else.

LOVE LOVE LOVE Laurell K Hamilton’s Meredith Gentry series so since I haven’t yet read the Anita Blake series, figured I should just join this challenge too.

Book Chick City is hosting this challenge and here are the details:

Timeline: 1st Jan 2010 – 31st Dec 2010
Rules: The goal is to read or re-read the entire Anita Blake series in 2010.

• At present there are 17 books in the series (if you include Micah), with a planned novella, flirt and novel in 2010. I will be including these when they have been released. If you don’t want to re-read the books you have already but would like to join in the challenge then start from where you left off. It’s that easy!
• If you decide to participate in this challenge please use the links I have set up below with the buttons to post on your sidebar, this way others can find their way back to this post and join in the fun. You can choose either button.
• If you decide to join this challenge be sure to create a post telling others, please make sure you add a link back to this post so others can join in.
• You can join anytime between now and the later part of next year.
• There will be a place for you to link your reviews, but this is optional.

I’ll update the list with links to my reviews as I read the series.

Anita Blake series in Order:
1. Guilty Pleasures
2. The Laughing Corpse
3. Circus of the Damned
4. The Lunatic Cafe
5. Bloody Bones
6. The Killing Dance
7. Burnt Offerings
8. Blue Moon
9. Obsidian Butterfly
10. Narcissus in Chains
11. Cerulean
12. Incubus Dreams
13. Micah
14. Danse Macabre
15. The Harlequinn
16. Blood Noir
17. Skin Trade
18. Flirt (Jan 2010)
19. Bullet (June 2010)

J.Kaye Book Blog is hosting the 2010 100+ Reading Challenge.Figured with the other challenges I was doing for 2010, why not?!

Below are the details:

1. The goal is to read 100 or more books. Anyone can join. You don’t need a blog to participate.

–Non-Bloggers: Post your list of books in the comment section of the wrap-up post. To learn how to sign up without having a blog, click here.

2. Audio, Re-reads, eBooks, YA, Young Reader, Nonfiction – as long as the book has an ISBN or equivalent or can be purchased as such, the book counts.

3. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.

4. Crossovers from other reading challenges count.

5. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010. Books started before the 1st do not count.

6. When you sign up under Mr. Linky, put the direct link to your post where your books will be listed. Include the URL to this post so that other viewers can find this fun challenge. If you’d prefer to put your list in the sidebar of your blog, please leave your viewers the link to the sign up page. Again, so viewers can join the challenge too.

BOOKS READ…
January
1. Breakfast in Bed by Robin Kaye (Fiction: Contemporary Romance)
2. Shangai Girls by Lisa See (Women’s Fiction)
3. Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale (Fiction: Historical Romance)
4. Catch of a Lifetime by Judi Fennell (Fiction: Fantasy Romance)
5. Angels by Dr. David Jeremiah (Non-Fiction: Christian Living)
6. The Cat Star Chronicles: Fugitive by Cheryl Brooks (Fiction: Erotic Paranormal Romance)
7. The Male Factor by Shaunti Feldhahn (Non-Fiction: Christian Business/Relationship Resource)
8. Maverick and Miss Murphy by Nucci Cento (Fiction: Children’s)
9. The Lady In Question by Victoria Alexander (Fiction: Historical Romance)
10. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (Fiction: Historical Suspense)

February
11. Rebecca’s Tale by Sally Beauman (Fiction: Suspense)