It's Monday! What Are You Reading?
Since I am going to be having less Mailbox Monday posts, I wanted to start a different Monday meme.. This will be perfect =) This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. This is where we keep track of what we are currently reading and plan to read.
Today I am going to finish The Shadow Queen: A Novel of Wallis Simpson by Rebecca Dean.
This is an intriguing story, and if you saw the movie like I have (Wallis & Edward), this is still going to be new material for you. I am enjoying it very much, even though there is not a lot of royalty-related events yet. So far it is Wallis' life in a no-holds barred type of view, and it's not too bad.
Blurb:
Two lovers. Two very different lives. One future together that will change history.
When debutante Wallis Simpson is growing up, she devotes her teenage daydreams to one man, the future King of England, Prince Edward. But it's Pamela Holtby, Wallis's aristocratic best friend, who mixes within the palace circle. Wallis's first marriage to a dashing young naval pilot is not what she dreamt of; he turns out to be a dominating bully of a man, who punishes her relentlessly. But her fated marriage does open a suprising door, to the world of Navy couriers – where navy wives are being used to transport messages around the world. This interesting turn of fate takes Wallis from the exuberant social scene in Washington to a China that is just emerging from civil war. Edward in the meantime is busy fulfilling his royal duties – and some extra-curricular ones involving married women. Until the day, just before he ascends the throne as Edward VIII, he is introduced to a very special married woman, Wallis Simpson.
Was Wallis Simpson really the monster the royal family perported her to be? Or was she an extraordinary woman who led an unimaginable life? A dramatic novel, that crosses continents and provides a unique insight into one of history’s most charismatic and multi-faceted women.
When debutante Wallis Simpson is growing up, she devotes her teenage daydreams to one man, the future King of England, Prince Edward. But it's Pamela Holtby, Wallis's aristocratic best friend, who mixes within the palace circle. Wallis's first marriage to a dashing young naval pilot is not what she dreamt of; he turns out to be a dominating bully of a man, who punishes her relentlessly. But her fated marriage does open a suprising door, to the world of Navy couriers – where navy wives are being used to transport messages around the world. This interesting turn of fate takes Wallis from the exuberant social scene in Washington to a China that is just emerging from civil war. Edward in the meantime is busy fulfilling his royal duties – and some extra-curricular ones involving married women. Until the day, just before he ascends the throne as Edward VIII, he is introduced to a very special married woman, Wallis Simpson.
Was Wallis Simpson really the monster the royal family perported her to be? Or was she an extraordinary woman who led an unimaginable life? A dramatic novel, that crosses continents and provides a unique insight into one of history’s most charismatic and multi-faceted women.
Way back when, I had read the author's previous release, The Palace Circle, and now I am wondering if it deserves a re-read. Rebecca Dean has several writing names and has written around 37 novels according to her website. She has a great writing style and after this one I'll be looking for more of her work.
Up next, Hemingway's Girl by Erika Robuck. Cannot WAIT!!! Loved her last book, Receive Me Falling!
Don't forget to check out my swap list.. this will be an ongoing thing I'll have available.
.JPG)