I’ve been taught a thorough history of England during Tudor times through the author’s Tudor Trilogy (Owen, Jasper, Henry) as well as Mary, Tudor Princess; Katherine, Tudor Duchess; and other characters populating the Tudor world (Raleigh, Warwick). Here the author begins his exploration of the Stuart world, beginning with Anna of Denmark, wife of James I, king of England, Scotland and Wales, and son of Mary Queen of Scots. THe author tells us that Anna’s story began when the author researched Walter Raleigh’s herb garden at the Tower of London. Anna was a believer in the power of Raleigh’s herbal potions. Anna is the daughter of Queen Dowager Sophie and sister to King Christian, who will reign over Denmark for almost 60 years. Her marriage to King James of Scotland is arranged when she is very young. When she reluctantly leaves her family to sail for Scotland, her ship is met by savage storms at sea, which force her to return to Denmark. When she finally reaches Scotland, after several attempts, she finds the country very strange, with its odd customs and a difficult native language. For several years, while she comes of age, she works to fit into the court, with its politics and paranoia, and tries to understand her husband, who has a deadly obsession with witchcraft. James believes he will be Elizabeth I’s successor, and the long wait until she dies is filled with tension. When James becomes King of England, Scotland and Wales, Anna once again finds herself in a glittering and dangerous court, where she must maneuver to hold her place as queen, exerting some influence on her husband’s reign. Anna becomes a strong character as she grows up, having to develop mettle in the face of the King’s male favorites. She has thirteen children. Many die young, and particularly tragic is the death of Henry, Duke of Wales, who was trained to follow in his father’s footsteps, leaving only Charles, the ‘spare,’ to assume the throne after James. Her role in the court’s politics, partially through many masques created and designed by the renowned Inigo Jones and Ben Jonson, and starring Anna herself, dare to make political and personal statements. I was particularly impressed by her commissioned building of Denmark House, also known as the Danish Pavilion, in 1706, which became her residence. I had to find pictures of it, because the author’s grand descriptions! She dies at the young age of forty-four, in time to see her daughter Elizabeth begin her life as the ancestor of the Hanoverian dynasty through her thirteen children, but six years before her son Charles assumed the throne. I always enjoy this author’s books because of their depth of characters and his rich and sparkling backdrop of life at court with the food, the dress, the manners, the games. The food is tempting and the dress alluring. He has also successfully managed to represent the army of ladies who attend a queen by picking a few on which to concentrate. His detail and depth of knowledge of court intrigue, both Scottish and English, is richly satisfying to anyone with an interest in this era. Another book by Tony Riches to be highly recommended. About the author: Tony Riches was born in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, and spent part of his childhood in Kenya. He gained a BA degree in Psychology and an MBA from Cardiff University and worked as a Management Consultant, followed by senior roles in the Welsh NHS and Local Government. After writing several successful non-fiction books, Tony decided to turn to novel writing. His real interest is in the history of the fifteenth century, and now his focus is on writing historical fiction about the lives of key figures of the period. His novels Warwick, The Man Behind the Wars of the Roses and The Secret Diary of Eleanor Cobham have both become Amazon best sellers. Today Tony lives in Pembrokeshire, an area full of inspiration for his writing, where he lives with his wife. In his spare time he enjoys sailing and sea kayaking. Visit Tony online at www.tonyriches.co.uk 0 0

Garfield graciously allowed me his access to the computer today. I figured what he told you about me was one-sided, and I want to set the story straight. I joined the household two years ago. It’s taken that long for me to learn typing with my paws, but I’m here now. I’m a Manx. In case you don’t know what a Manx is, I’m a breed of cat originating on the Isle of Man, and have a mutation that has shortened my tail. Some Manx cats have no tails, but I have a stub, which I spend time twitching. I also have elongated hind legs and a rounded head. Manx cats come in all coat colors but I am a black and brown tabby. I was a runaway from a home I don’t remember and spent some time living on my own. During that time I got pregnant, and some cat rescue people picked me up and got me fixed up, spayed and chipped. Then I bounced around from here to there while they tried to find someone to give me a forever home. I understand that Mr. and Mrs. wanted another cat to keep Garfield company (as if!), and it was decided that they would take me. So here I am, two years later. I do like my life here, but I miss being outside. I’ve escaped three time, twice when the door was left open while Mrs. talked to a neighbor. But I didn’t go far and came back when I was called. The third time, I butted the screen door to the patio open and persuaded Garfield to join me! That didn’t last long, and Garfield is a big pussy (literally) who really doesn’t like being outside. Mrs. made a sign for the front door that was supposed to say Watch the Cat, but it came out Wath the Cat. Now everyone yells to anyone coming in or leaving to Wath the Cat. Her son even used it with his cats. It took some time for me to whip Garfield into shape. He is very jealous and short-tempered, and we usually have one hissy fit a day. However, we have mapped out our territory in the house, and generally get along. One thing I don’t like, though, is that he sleeps in MY cat tree. That big gallump squeezes into my little room and spends the mornings sleeping away. Not that I’ve ever slept there myself, but still, it’s just the idea. I do love sitting in the bathroom open (but screened) window to survey the back yard and I like sleeping on my cat tree with the sliding glass door open to the patio. I also will sit just inside the patio screen door or on the sofa cushions. There’s lots of things to see there in the morning – birds, squirrels and rabbits! Garfield says I am weird. I like to drink water from the faucet in the bathroom sink. And I also will drink water with my paw. I do like to walk around on the bed at night, and Mrs. gets upset with me when I walk back and forth over her head. But I do enjoy cuddling for short periods of time and I purr a lot – for petting, food, and fresh water. Garfield and I like to play and we have a ton of toys. He’s learned to take turns. And we eat the same food, although gets a lot more than I do. Mrs. fusses about me putting on weight because I’m such a small cat. But I can hold my own with Garfield. Mrs. says we’re frenemies. Well, my paws are getting tired so I think I’ll sign off. Samantha 0 0

The author gifted me an ARC of this book for a fair and honest review from a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team. I must admit I’d not previously read a book by this author, but I have an intense interest in the Revolutionary War from a Bostonian’s point of view. Since this novel is centered on New York City during that time, I was anxious to add some depth to my admittedly scanty knowledge of what happened there and especially to learn about the Culper Ring. This network of spies, active during the Revolution, was organized by Major Benjamin Tallmadge and General George Washington during the British occupation of New York City. One woman is reportedly a member of that ring, although she has never been identified. She is known as 355. The main character, Abigail Trench, is a young woman who emigrates from England with her father and younger brother. Her father establishes a farm on Long Island and Abigail teaches at a small school, until British soldiers take their livestock and one of them rapes Abigail. With their farm ruined, they leave for New York City, where Abigail’s father hopes to find work and Abigail, some children to tutor. Her brother, only 16, joins the Continental Army. The author does a superlative job weaving the history of the Revolution into this book. Abigail meets Nathan Hale, who finds her a job as a tutor, and they become friends. She is present when he is caught as a spy by the British and hanged. His death leads General Washington to establish a more sophisticated organization of spies, known as the Culper Ring. Also interwoven is the Great Fire of 1776, which destroyed a quarter of the city, leaving people without their homes and employment and leading to the starvation and misery of many of the city’s residents. The treatment of the people of New York by the British has a profound effect on Abigail, who is already traumatized by the so-called Red Coats. Then she meets and is eventually courted by a young haberdasher, Robert Townsend, who is part of the Culper ring. She is driven to do something, anything, for the Continental Army — a decision solidified after finding her brother dead of starvation and his wounds on a prisoner ship in New York harbor. Her position as tutor to the boisterous children of a British major allows her to observe members of the British army as well as their spies and to overhear conversations of their plans, because she is thought of as an ignorant servant. So she is positioned perfectly to acquire information and serve as a courier for the Culper Ring. The author also develops a counter narrative following British major Parker Monteith, who employs Abigail. The description of his role as a major, and the conflict within him from his orders by his superiors, brings into play the moral gray area that is part of every war. The author’s world building of the city – its taverns, shanties, waterfront, areas of prostitution, muddy streets and wooden sidewalks, and the grand homes of the wealthy – makes it come to life, with sights, sounds and smells. There are a number of main characters, and all of them are distinctively and colorfully drawn in flawless fashion. Abigail in particular comes across as a principled, fearless, intelligent and deeply thoughtful person, whose willingness to face danger on a daily basis is admirable. She makes the reader wonder if they could be that brave. As Abigail’s romance with Robert grows side by side with the danger and tension in her hidden life as a spy, I kept turning pages late into the night. I am a huge fan of good historical fiction, particularly of the colonial era, and this book proved immensely satisfying on many different levels: historical fiction, historical thriller, and historical spy craft. It’s a great way to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with a story about the fearless and dedicated men and women, many of whom are not known, who birthed this country. This book is definitely worth 5 stars! About the author: Dr. Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, bestselling author, and popular podcaster and speaker. After serving children for almost four decades as teacher, college professor and school leader, he used those experiences and skills to craft captivating mysteries, thrillers and historical suspense. His novels have earned more than a dozen national awards and have garnered hundreds of five-star reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and BookBub. Dr. Overbeck is also the host of the popular podcast, Great Stories about Great Storytellers, which reveals the little known backstories of famous authors, directors and poets and ranks among the top 50% of all podcasts in the US. You can find the author: https://www.authorrandyoverbeck.com https://www.authorrandyoverbeck.com/blog https://www.facebook.com/authorrandyoverbeck Abigail Trench: A Novel of Washington’s Spy Ring will be available on Amazon on June 9th. I 0 0

This is a review for Rosie’s Book Review Team, and I thank the author for providing me with a copy of his book in exchange for a fair and honest review. The Signal is modern sci-fi, and it’s a humdinger. The story, which follows the effect of an AI system called ARIA on the workings of Nexus Technologies, a company that creates marketing campaigns, couldn’t be more topical. And for this reader, a little unnerving. AI presents a challenge to all of us, regardless of what we do for a living. Can AI duplicate humanity? Can it replace us as the driver of the future? Can we limit its power? Luke Voss looked at these questions and ran with them. The main character, Maya Chen, is a content strategist at Nexus. She has worked there for many years and has been promoted on the basis of her creativity and determination. She’s also a good mother and a good leader to her working group. Nexus has hired Elena, someone who ran an AI program at another company and firmly believes AI is the future and can do anything, to manage ARIA. Through a misdirected email, Maya learns of a project called Lighthouse, which plans to quietly and legally replace seventy percent of the company’s workforce. Maya attempts to block this takeover by assembling a working group with the expertise to do that: Marcus, the engineer that originally created ARIA; Donna, the head of HR who knows everything about the employees and becomes aware of the multiple and secret firings; and data analyst Raj, a reluctant partner, fearful of losing his job because he would lose his sick mother’s health insurance. Their opponent is not really Elena, but ARIA itself, more than just a common AI program. It is sentient and is always watching, analyzing each employee’s job, learning their weaknesses, and already knows how to do those jobs incredibly faster and better.   I leave it to the audience to find out how these few people, determined to keep the company’s humanity, manage to do it. What Voss has created is not a good vs evil plot, or even a rage against a machine. It really confronts the question of the preservation of what makes humans, well, human. The author knows a lot about the corporate world and AI technology, and it imbues the book with authenticity. He allows the tension to grow from chapter to chapter, which made the book hard to put down and left this reader even more wary of the future of AI and us. If I had any reservations, it would be that of all the characters, only Maya is well-fleshed out, and there were parts where the story bogged down in information. Also I found one serious error in the time line, which caused me to go back to reread several times. The book is very well-written, with some places that were definitely quotable. I’m glad I’m retired, because I might worry that I’d become replaceable. I highly recommend this book to sci-fi fans and also anyone who’s thought seriously about the future of AI. You’re in for a ride. 0 0

I haven’t read any historical fiction since Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series, which I thoroughly enjoyed. This novel is an action thriller set toward the end of Nero’s reign, and I liked it as much. How appropriate that the book should open on the Ides of March, AD 65! Lucius Decimius owes a good sum of money to Julius Lupus, a Gaul who procures slaves for the Emperor’s house. When Lucius can’t pay, he gives Julius his ten year old daughter, Lucilla, in exchange for his own life. When his son, fifteen-year-old Marcus, returns from Ostea with his sister to meet his father, he discovers him with Julius and two of his thugs. He is choked to unconsciousness by Julius and awakes to discover Lucilla gone. When his father tells him what he did, Marcus beats his father to death in a rage and then runs to Rome, to find a place to hide and to find his sister. Rome is part ash from the Great Fire and part the overwhelmingly costly rebuild of Nero’s complex, which is bleeding the empire dry. Lucilla is sold into slavery to the Domus Aurea, the golden house of the Emperor himself. While looking unsuccessfully for Lucilla, Marcus discovers the only way he can survive is to join a gang of cutthroats in the alleys of Rome. He learns to fight, to kill, spends time in the city’s dungeons, and is eventually sold into slavery himself to work in the household of Senator Valens. I will leave the reader to discover how Marcus develops in the household as the slave of the Senator’s teenage son, Brutus, who is preparing to be recognized as a man of Rome by donning the toga virilis. Rome at the time is a viper’s nest of conspiracy to eliminate Nero, whose whim dictates life and death and who is becoming more irrational by the day. The tentacles of Roman politics ensnare even the Senator’s house. In the midst of all this and his life as a slave, can  Marcus ever discover where Lucilla was taken? I loved the historical context of the book, well researched, with a glossary at the beginning to explain the Latin terms used. The author has created a colorful picture of Rome, both its filth and its beauty, and uses sounds, scents and color to create the background. The author’s writing style is engaging, smoothly blending historical context into the fictional narrative. The narrative explores themes of oppression and resilience through the characters of both Marcus and Lucilla. The development of all the main characters is evident, showing both their physical and emotional growth, along with some of Marcus’s hot-headed and dangerous moments. I found the plot gripping. It maintained my interest through unexpected twists and the realism of the characters, and demonstrated the consequences of slavery and revenge in Nero’s Rome. I highly recommend this for readers of historical fiction with a lot of action, and I look forward to the next two books in this series! About the author: Hailing from York, Marc Flanagan has been a fan of historical fiction since the age of fourteen. His love of Ancient Rome began with Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in English class. ​Until his teenage years, he mostly read fantasy authors, but a birthday gift of Simon Scarrow’s Centurion changed everything. These days, audiobooks are Marc’s medium of choice, allowing him to absorb far more stories while balancing a busy schedule. ​He loves traveling in Italy, and film and television based on Roman times. Marc writes fast-paced, character-driven action thrillers designed to pull you right into the dirt and glory of the ancient world, hoping to infuse theatrical intensity and epic scale into his writing. You can find the author at https://www.marcflanagan.co.uk/blog https://www.facebook.com/marc.flanagan.author 0 0