Marie, thank you for the opportunity to share with your readers a little about my background and writing. The historical fiction blogging community has been so supportive and I really have found a cyber-home away from home with you ladies.

As a writer under several pseudonyms, which are your favorite types of stories to write?
I’ve written contemporary and historical novels as well as historical nonfiction, but they’ve all had something in common: relationships. They are all stories about men and women finding (or losing, or having to cope with not having) love. And many of the stories involve the interrelationships among family members as well; not just the relationships between spouses and lovers, but among a given subject’s grandparents and parents, children, and siblings.

Which were your most successful works so far?
It depends on your definition of “success.” I define success as the ability to do something I love—and get paid to do it, too! And every single book I have written has been an intensely enjoyable project for me.

What has been the greatest learning experience for you as a writer?
Hard truths about the business end of the business. For instance, a story that a writer may be bursting to tell might not be one that sells.

You have been an active member in the blogosphere by communicating with bloggers and book reviewers much more than other authors. What are the pros and cons of the online community of which you participate in?
Writing is such a solitary activity that I find it necessary to seek a balance so that I’m not really alone all day with just my own thoughts. And without the personal interaction and life experience, we’d have no stories to tell. Before I found this community I wondered if I was the only geek in the world (besides my agent) who was nuts about a certain subject; and then I found a whole community of like-minded people located all across the globe, who speak the same language (history and historical fiction) that I do, and can talk about the Tudors or the Georgians, for example, like they’re the neighbors down the block who we’ve known for years.

The historical fiction blogging community is so supportive of writers and so passionate about our books that it’s hard to stay away! The flip side of that is that when you’re on a deadline and must-must-must finish writing a certain number of pages or review back cover copy, or copyedits, or complete a research book before the library begins charging you overdue fines … and yet there’s a fascinating discussion taking place on someone’s blog—you just have to chime in, too!


As a resident of New York, (I used to be also!) what is your favorite New York landmark? Where is your favorite place to have lunch? Your favorite Broadway show? Do you prefer to walk, drive, or take the subway or train? If you were forced to move out of New York, where would you like to move to?
My favorite NYC landmark is the carousel in Central Park. My grandmother lived a block away (in an apartment I shared with her after graduating college and which I lived in for several years after she passed on and before I got married). She (or my first cousins, if they were in town) would take me there when I was little. I’ve done a lot of my best thinking there; mourned break-ups, gotten ideas for books or how to fix a scene, and made sure to take a ride every Kentucky Derby Day. And a man wasn’t the guy for me unless he’d ride the carousel with me. The calliope music still plays the same songs they did when I was growing up, so it’s incredibly nostalgic for me every time I visit.

My favorite place to have lunch—if it’s a special treat—would be Serendipity (or afternoon tea at the Four Seasons; they do the most amazing Christmas tea). If I don’t care about my arteries (well, there goes Serendipity again), the Second Avenue Deli (which is no longer on Second Avenue) has the best corned beef in the city.

My favorite Broadway show (I have a number of them) is probably “Kiss Me Kate” because every single song is a hit and the Kate and Petruchio story (told in KMK as a play within a play) is one of my favorites. It’s too often misdirected as a battle of the sexes. It’s really a coming together of equals.

I walk wherever I can (I do a lot of my best thinking while I’m walking down the street as well); ditto for public transportation. I also use the opportunity (when I get a seat) to get research done. I always have a book in my purse, and because the nonfiction in particular requires so much research, it’s a rare day that I can read purely for pleasure.

I always thought I’d be the last person out of NYC—the one to flip the light switch. But if I were “forced” to move out of NYC, it would be for a reason other than choice. Choice would see me living in Bath, England, or London, or Paris, or Venice—Italy, not California. However, I’ve fallen in love with some stateside locations over the past several years: Chicago, Santa Fe, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, Southern Vermont.


As an actress, what were your favorite gigs that you participated in, and do you still act?
I most certainly do still act—when the role, the play, the other people involved, and the time commitment (a salary would be nice as well!) all excite me. My favorite roles have always been sexy, misunderstood women (and wouldn’t you know, those types also happen to be the same women I like to write about in my historical fiction and nonfiction) Favorite roles include Amanda in Noel Coward’s Private Lives (that’s how I chose my former pen name, Amanda Elyot), Kate in The Taming of the Shrew, Milady de Winter in The Three Musketeers, and Guinevere in King Arthur (an 1895 verse version (with musical underscoring by Sir Arthur Sullivan) of the famous love triangle, which first starred the legendary acting duo of Henry Irving and Ellen Terry).


Growing up, you were taught to follow your bliss by your grandmothers. Just what exactly is your bliss these days? How has this changed since you have become an adult?
I’m an adult? Yikes! Now you tell me! I’m probably following my bliss more now than I did when I was younger. Life experience has shown me the importance of doing what you love every day of your life (as long as no one gets hurt, physically or emotionally), following the Golden Rule, and making sure that your loved ones know how much you love them. Even if you have the career you want, it’s important never to forget the people that are integral to your ability to have that lifestyle. The bliss is doubled when you have the home life you want as well, with the right partner.

What has been your biggest disappointment in your life?
I admit to struggling with this question, Marie. Not because I’ve never been disappointed (hah!) but because I’m not sure how to answer it. I will say this: I hate goodbyes, whether it’s because of someone’s death, the close of a show, a friend moving away. I just find them heartbreaking. And all of my grandparents are long gone … but I think about them and their profound effect on my life literally every day.

What has been one of the greatest gifts bestowed on you? (take that in any connotation!)
Meeting—and marrying—my husband, Scott.


Who have been your favorite inspiring authors and favorite books?
I’d prefer not to mention the living authors whose books have delighted me because (a) the list will be long; and (b) if I leave someone out I’ll never hear the end of it; and (c) because I would never want a colleague to think “hey, she didn’t mention me!” So I will keep it short and just mention Jane Austen—because it’s true. And because the experience I had playing Jane in The Novelist, a gorgeous romantic drama written by the prolific novelist himself Howard Fast, directly inspired me to become an author. I even got a novel out of that experience (well, Amanda Elyot did), titled BY A LADY: Being the Adventures of an Enlightened American in Jane Austen’s England. As it’s a time travel, the book is considered a “paranormal.” I consider it a paranormal romp with its tongue slightly inside its cheek. Jane is a supporting character in it as well. There are no zombies or sea monsters, but there is a tantric sex scene—and no, Jane is not in it.

What is your favorite genre to read for pleasure at this point in your life?
Historical fiction—hands down! I become so envious when I see the new releases mentioned on all the HF blogs, and I wish I had time to devour them all.

What book are you reading right now?
At the time I’m answering these questions, I’m reading three biographies of King John—research for my 3rd nonfiction book. By the time this interview runs, I’d better have finished them. Then it’s on to Caroline Weber’s Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution. And if my copy of Peter Mottley’s The Harlot’s Progress has arrived by then, I might be very tempted to set aside my research books and dig right in.


Do you watch TV regularly? What shows do you watch?
I don’t watch TV regularly, though I admit to being a Project Runway junkie. I have never missed an episode. And we don’t have TiVo so we can’t tape the episodes. I’ve been known to rearrange my schedule just to be home in time for the telecast.

In your recent non-fiction works of Royal Affairs and Notorious Royal Marriages, you spotlight some of history's most fascinating royals. Which Royal Couple that you have researched was the most surprising to you?
One couple I absolutely fell in love with was Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. I came into my nonfiction research with preconceived notions about each of them and about their marriage and what I came away with was the inspiration for a fictional trilogy! Biographers and historians lay out the facts of people’s lives, but I like to delve into their psyches (must be the actress in me!) to figure out the motivations and reasons behind certain actions. I think that Marie Antoinette and Louis were in way over their heads. It was hard for her because she was considered the outsider from the start; only a handful of people were in favor of her marriage. And Louis was a shy, nearsighted boy (he was the fat kid in class who everyone picks on, but who has hidden depths, if anyone cares to look). Their problem in the bedroom led to each of them needing an outlet for their sexual frustration. Marie Antoinette became a shopaholic. Louis hunted and stuffed his face. And yet events were so much bigger than both of them. Additionally, the fact that no one liked either of them and they were the butt of so much ridicule and bad press made me feel for them all the more. I love to see underdogs triumph. And in their case I found myself rooting for them all the way to the guillotine, always hoping, although knowing otherwise, that there would be no cool head, or deus ex machina to save them.


What were your favorite little known facts in history that you uncovered during your research?
Unlike her sister, Elizabeth II, the late Princess Margaret was not a Corgi lover. Instead, she had a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Rowley. I laughed so hard when I read that about her because it’s such an inside joke. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniels were named for Charles I and Charles II of England; it was the breed of dog they preferred. Charles II, who also loved his horses, had a stud stallion named Old Rowley. The Merry Monarch himself was quite the stud, siring numerous illegitimate children (though no legitimate ones; his queen, Catherine of Braganza, couldn’t bring a baby to term). Consequently, “Old Rowley” became one of the king’s nicknames as well.

And Edward VIII who abdicated for love of his girlfriend, the twice-divorced American Wallis Warfield Simpson, used to like to dress up in a diaper (according to a former girlfriend, Lady Thelma Furness) and be pushed about in a giant pram. He and Lady Thelma would do needlework side by side. Evidently, several of the Windsor men were quite the dab hand with a needle and embroidery silks!


What is one of the biggest misconceptions of history that has been repeated over and over that you would like to see corrected?
Here’s one: Richard I (Richard the Lionhearted) was most likely not gay. A popular misconception, and an interesting character twist on this manly warrior-king; however it’s not verifiable. In fact, Richard slept with women indiscriminately while he was off on Crusade and may have left illegitimate children all over the place. He didn’t have a child with his wife, Berengaria, because (apart from their wedding), they were scarcely in the same country. She remained in Italy for most of his reign, as the guest of Richard’s sister.


What historic royal figure is your personal favorite and why?
I have soft spots for Marie Antoinette, Josephine, and—believe it or not, Anne of Cleves and Caroline of Brunswick. These women were so maligned during their lifetimes, as well as by historians writing over the subsequent centuries; but too often we’re told only one side of the story—the side that casts them in a negative light. These women were bold and brave in their own ways, with the instincts of survivors. Three of the four women I mentioned were treated so poorly and openly insulted by their own spouses. I see their side of the story and my heart goes out to them, along with my admiration.

Have you visited Europe for your research? What is your favorite European country?
I have visited Europe for my research, though I can never travel there often enough! I don’t think I have a favorite European country, though there are certain cities and towns that resonate with me. I was in Paris (and its outskirts, visiting Malmaison and Versailles) in September, and was reminded how much I adore the city. As a fervent Anglophile (my paternal great-grandparents were English) I love just about every square inch of Britain that I have seen, with many more places yet to visit. Then again, Venice Italy just makes my heart soar.


What are your future writing goals?
To continue to write both historical fiction and nonfiction … there are so many wonderful stories to tell, I’m sure I won’t run out of fascinating people to write about.

You are working on your third non-fiction title, (ROYAL PAINS: A Rogues' Gallery of Brats, Bastards, and Bad Seeds) to be published in the spring of 2011) and you are going to write a historical fiction trilogy on the life of Marie Antoinette. With all this on your plate at this time, what do you do to wind down and relax? What do you do to get yourself in the mood for a productive day of writing?
It’s my job, so I wake up in the morning, and I do it—made all the easier by the fact that I’m having boatloads of fun. I spent years working survival jobs (sometimes three of them simultaneously), so I am grateful for every day that I can walk over to the computer, fire it up, and spend the day doing something I love. I’m my own boss and I make my own hours—how great is that?

I set myself goals every day as to how many pages I plan to write (or to read, if I’m in the research stage). To relax I like to bake, do needlepoint, and if my husband’s home I even find it relaxing to do my research sitting on the couch while he’s reading, on the computer, or watching TV. Old movies on TCM are another great way to relax.

Do you still have time for crafting hobbies? What are your favorite crafts to create?
I’m a big needlepointer. Also a knitter. And I’ve crocheted my share of granny-square afghans in my time, too. I find that working with my hands is a great way to focus my mind. When I was reading all about Jane Austen’s life as I was preparing to play her in The Novelist, I learned that she would embroider to focus her thoughts on a given scene she was writing and when an idea came to her, she would drop her embroidery hoop, pick up her quill and begin to scribble it out.

Who or what is your greatest inspiration at this time?
In all sincerity—pat yourselves on the back—it’s the historical fiction blogging community and their followers! It is incredibly exciting (as well as reassuring) to know that out there in cyberspace there are so many people, with such positive energy, who share the same passion for the subject matter and who are so supportive of authors.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?
With more bookshelves! Seriously, I’d like to split my time between NYC and a lovely pastoral place in the country, with plenty of time to travel for my research, and with Scott and a Cavalier King Charles spaniel of my own at my side. I certainly don’t see myself giving up writing, ever. I have writers on both sides of my family, and they got up every morning and hit the typewriter well into their eighties. Their work ethic and their longevity were admirable!

Leslie's Non-Fiction: Notorious Royal Marriages (2010)
Royal Affairs (2009)

Leslie's historical fiction books; written under Amanda Elyot:
The Memoirs of Helen of Troy (2006)
By a Lady (2006)
Too Great A Lady (2007)
All For Love (2008)

Leslie's Blogs: http://www.leslie-carroll.blogspot.com/ and http://royalaffairs.blogspot.com/

The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt
Hardcover 2008, Paperback March 2009 Mariner Books
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Mariner Books; Reprint edition (March 2, 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-0547085777
Review copy from the publisher
The Burton Review Rating:

This January 7, 2010 marks the 67th anniversary of Nikola Tesla's death. Tesla (July 10, 1856 – January 7, 1943) is the focus of this novel by Samantha Hunt, and I wanted to post this review close to that date in celebration of the life of Nikola Tesla.

This is one of those books that had a product description online and on the back cover that gives too much away and still doesn't do it justice, so I shortened it here:
"From the moment Louisa first catches sight of the strange man who occupies a forbidden room on the thirty-third floor, she is determined to befriend him. Unbeknownst to Louisa, he is Nikola Tesla—inventor of AC electricity and wireless communication—and he is living out his last days at the Hotel New Yorker. Winning his attention through a shared love of pigeons, she eventually uncovers the story of Tesla’s life as a Serbian immigrant and a visionary genius: as a boy he built engines powered by June bugs, as a man he dreamed of pulling electricity from the sky."
('The Invention of Everything Else was short listed for the Orange Prize 2009)

Shunned by the now modern society that Nikola Tesla helped to bring to fruition, author Samantha Hunt brings us her imagined story of Nikola's last days that he had lived out at the Hotel New Yorker. Through Nikola's thoughts, the novel flashes back to Nikola's childhood, his brother, and to the point that he immigrates to America in 1884. This is a story that encompasses many themes, from love, tragedy and loss, to the power of thought and unlimited creativity.

The novel opens up to Tesla at the age of 86, and we get a feel for how the story is going to play out. The author uses flashbacks and multiple viewpoints to embrace the reader fully into the world of 1943, where hotel chambermaid Louisa meets and befriends Tesla just at a time that her father and family friend have decided to embark on a time travel experiment. Louisa is a simple character, and could have been more developed, but perhaps the character of Nikola Tesla simply eclipsed hers in this telling. I certainly felt like I knew more about Tesla from this book, and I was enthralled with the vivid imagery of New York City as the characters lived in it, along with the scenes on Long Island where Tesla had one of his last greatest experiments which failed miserably due to lack of funds and Tesla's fall from social graces.

Nikola Tesla is a Serbian-born immigrant who came to the USA to test his inventions and work with Thomas Edison. Edison promptly fails him, cheating Tesla out of a promised $50,000 (worth much more in today's terms) in exchange for Tesla making Edison's laboratory more efficient. This was a sad sign of things to come for Tesla, where money issues seemed to plague Tesla forever after this incident. Although J.P. Morgan did back Tesla's experiments for a time, once Morgan learned that the invention that Tesla wanted to accomplish was free wireless electricity for all, Morgan pulled his support. Morgan had achieved a sort of monopoly by that time by reaping the benefits of the electricity revenues and he had no intention of giving it away for free.

The novel does not focus on Edison or Morgan but they needed to be mentioned so that the readers understood the reason for Tesla's unsuccessful ventures. Tesla was successful with Westinghouse when they harnessed electricity using the power of the Niagara Falls, but this is also not covered very much except to say that Tesla tore up the contract where at that time was worth $12,000,000 in royalties. But Tesla did it for the greater good, for the power of electricity to survive and to keep Morgan from owning the company that Westinghouse and Tesla co-partnered. There were quite a few things that Tesla created, from X-Rays to the Tesla coil and robotics. There were murmurings of Tesla's insanity as he tried to harness the unknown from outer space, and thus he was immediately discredited as talking to Mars. The "Teslascope" was the invention in progress of Tesla's that he wanted to be his greatest yet, but in the world's eyes at the time of 1901 he was effectively becoming a quack. It was a secret experiment, and to this day is still a mystery to the modern man for what Tesla was trying to accomplish by communicating with Mars. The novel also touches on the Death Ray, also known as the peace beam, which Tesla seemingly wanted to use to end warfare, and that the F.B.I. were spying on him for this and other information. The USSR had paid Tesla $25,000 in 1939 after testing the first stage of the Death Ray.

Once I started this novel, I seriously could not put it down and I read the last 3/4 of the book in one sitting. A minor drawback is that this is not a long book and it had room for much more. It does not drag at all within the plot, as we leaped from the present to past and back again, but this was done in such a cohesive way that it enthralled me. I enjoyed the mentions of other people such as J.P. Morgan, George Westinghouse, Mark Twain and the conspiratorial F.B.I. When it was the eccentric Tesla's turn in the story there were times when he confused me; his thoughts were indeed very meandering and perhaps a bit tedious. I think it helped to show Tesla how he really may have been, and how he saw the inner mechanics of everything he came across. This book is an absolute must-read for those slightly interested in Tesla, who is the reason for the electricity currents we utilize today, and the added romance and intrigue make this a fabulous fictional account of a man who was misunderstood and mistreated. There is so much more to learn about and from Tesla, that this will not be my last book concerning him.

The mention of the old laboratory in Shoreham, Long Island, then the Wardenclyffe World Wireless Telecommunications Station to Tesla, intrigued me very much because I grew up on Long Island and never heard of the site and Tesla's wireless ambition that enveloped him here. In fact, I don't even recall learning anything at all about Tesla in my studies. Why was that? Why was Edison the one who was so celebrated because of a light bulb? And I just found this article from 12/18/2009 that a plaque on this old Tesla laboratory was stolen from its brick building and has been missing for two months now. What a tragedy it is that still, after we supposedly realize the contributions that Tesla had made, that he is still being mistreated in America. The Wardenclyffe site with a huge tower had to be sold by Tesla to pay his debts to the Waldorf hotel, and now stands empty and vandalized, and sadly, for sale. The owners will level it for the buyers if need be.

Another book that I recently read which mentions Tesla is The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Flaming. Although completely different stories in nature, the mechanical age is the common thread between these two novels and I recommend both of them for fans of Tesla. My review of The Kingdom of Ohio is completed, and can be found here.

TEASER TUESDAYS is hosted by ShouldBeReading and asks you to:
♠Grab your current read.
♠Let the book fall open to a random page.
♠Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
♠You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
♠Please avoid spoilers!



"Elizabeth's reaction was even more curious as she turned to stare at her husband, her cheeks nearly scarlet. It seemed to take her a moment to find her voice then she said archly, "I was of the opinion that some gentlemen appreciate a lady's blushes." ~page 203

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World by Abigail Reynolds. (Released Jan. 1, 2010)

See my review, and the Guest Post with Giveaway starts today!! 2 winners!!

Happy New Year to everyone.. I hope everyone is getting settled in after the holiday hustle bustle. We aren't.. it's like a perpetual motion of insanity over here now that we now have the Wii and the Playstation and computers going.. with a toddler begging for attention. And then it's chaos at work, so I therefore lost myself in a book whenever possible!!

I completed a few Tesla related books and the reviews will each post this week and next. It was a refreshing change to learn about something and someone entirely new, Nikolas Tesla, as opposed to my constant dabbling in Tudor works. I loved the last book I read, The Invention of Everything Else that I think Tesla is my new hero, by the way.

I posted my Best Books of 2009, and I also posted a Blogiversary giveaway post. A double-book giveaway there, so check it out!

And the last newsletter I sent out had a Lute Player by Norah Lofts giveaway, and I am announcing right now that the winner is Priscilla! Thanks to everyone who entered, I appreciate your support of The Burton Review!!

I have many books to read for January and Febuary, as 2010 begins with a bang for some awesome historical reads for me, such as The Stolen Crown by Susan Higginbotham, The Secret of the Glass by Donna Russo Morin and Notorious Royal Marriages: A Juicy Journey Through Nine Centuries of Dynasty, Destiny, and Desire by Leslie Carroll, all which I hope to read this month. The Historical Fiction Bloggers Round Table ladies are kicking off 2010 with a Leslie Carroll event, and you will find an interview with the author right here on January 7th. My fellow bloggers will have creative posts or reviews, and you can see the schedule here. See you in the blogosphere!

I hope you get to enjoy a good book this week!

(*Newsletter subscribers get this in their mailbox every Saturday (an early version sometimes un-edited), with access to exclusive newsletter only giveaways. This is the only mail that you will receive from me if you sign up for my newsletter; it winds up in your spam folder. Sign up for my newsletter by looking below my Follower gadget in the left sidebar.)

Happy New Year to all my blogger buddies!!

I am looking forward to 2010 with the fabulous new historical fiction titles that are coming out. I would love to be able to JUST read for a living! Available for your reading pleasure are some fabulous new releases during this week in the historical genre.

Leslie Carroll has a follow up to Royal Affairs with her newest non-fiction work titled Notorious Royal Marriages: A Juicy Journey Through Nine Centuries of Dynasty, Destiny, and Desire. Visit some of my other bloggers sites this coming week to see what special events they have going on in honor of this highly anticipated new release. A kickoff special is also going to be happening at the brand new site of the Historical Fiction Bloggers Round Table, and I will also have a chat with the author on January 7, so please check in here next week!

A funny, raucous, and delightfully dirty 900-year history of the royal marriages of Europe's most famous-and infamous-monarchs.

Since time immemorial, royal marriages have had little to do with love- and almost everything to do with diplomacy and dynasty. Clashing personalities have joined in unholy matrimony to form such infamous couples as Russia's Peter II and Catherine the Great, and France's Henri II and Catherine de Medici-all with the purpose of begetting a male heir. But with tensions high and silverware flying, kings like England's Henry II have fled to the beds of their nubile mistresses, while queens such as Eleanor of Aquitaine have plotted their revenge...

Full of the juicy gossip and bad behavior that characterized Royal Affairs, this book chronicles the love-hate marriages of the crowned heads of Europe-from the Angevins to Charles and Di-and ponders how dynasties ever survived at all.

In historical fiction, we also have Kate Emerson's follow-up in the Secrets of The Tudor Court Series: Between Two Queens. I really enjoyed this novel very much, and I think those readers who feel that they have read too many Tudor era novels really ought to give this one a try. This was written in a refreshing style leaning towards historical accuracy, and you can find my review here.

Other newly released historical books to look for:
Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn (Now available in Paperback - Jan 1, 2010)

"Let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave."

These ominous words are the last threat that Sir Edward Grey receives from his killer. Before he can show them to Nicholas Brisbane, the private inquiry agent he has retained for his protection, he collapses and dies at his London home, in the presence of his wife, Julia, and a roomful of dinner guests.

Prepared to accept that Edward's death was due to a long-standing physical infirmity, Julia is outraged when Brisbane visits and suggests that her husband was murdered. It is a reaction she comes to regret when she discovers damning evidence for herself, and realizes the truth.
Determined to bring the murderer to justice, Julia engages the enigmatic Brisbane to help her investigate Edward's demise. Dismissing his warnings that the investigation will be difficult, if not impossible, Julia presses forward, following a trail of clues that lead her to even more unpleasant truths, and ever closer to a killer who waits expectantly for her arrival.

The Queen's Dollmaker by Christine Trent (Paperback - Dec 29, 2009)

On the brink of revolution, with a tide of hate turned against the decadent royal court, France is in turmoil - as is the life of one young woman forced to leave her beloved Paris. After a fire destroys her home and family, Claudette Laurent is struggling to survive in London. But one precious gift remains: her talent for creating exquisite dolls that Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France herself, cherishes. When the Queen requests a meeting, Claudette seizes the opportunity to promote her business, and to return home...Amid the violence and unrest, Claudette befriends the Queen, who bears no resemblance to the figurehead rapidly becoming the scapegoat of the Revolution. But when Claudette herself is lured into a web of deadly political intrigue, it becomes clear that friendship with France's most despised woman has grim consequences. Now, overshadowed by the spectre of Madame Guillotine, the Queen's dollmaker will face the ultimate test.

Beauvallet by Georgette Heyer (A reissue from Sourcebooks - Jan 1, 2010)

"A swashbuckling tale set in the second half of the 16th century, when Elizabeth was on the throne and the Spanish Armada ruled the waves. Sir Nicholas Beauvallet, pirate and nobleman, captures a Spanish galleon and discovers a lovely lady on board. Chivalrous to the core, he woos and wins her heart, then returns her and her father to their homeland, vowing to come after her—even though there's a price on his head and discovery of his identity will mean certain death. In the midst of much adventure, Beauvallet masquerades as a Frenchman, is betrayed, and must fight his way to freedom while stealing the lady willingly away…

In her signature style, Heyer has mastered the vernacular of the time, bringing to life an era of daring heroism and harrowing adventure, all intertwined with a breathtaking love story."

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the Last Man in the World by Abigail Rynolds (paperback - 01/1/2010)

"In this sexy Jane Austen sequel, Elizabeth Bennet accepts Mr. Darcy's first marriage proposal, answering the "What if...?" question fans everywhere have pondered
"I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry."
Famous last words indeed! Elizabeth Bennet's furious response to Mr. Darcy's marriage proposal has resonated for generations of readers. But what if she had never said it? Would she have learned to recognize Mr. Darcy's admirable qualities on her own? Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy follows Elizabeth and Darcy as they struggle to find their way through the maze of their prejudices after Elizabeth, against her better judgment, agrees to marry Darcy instead of refusing his proposal.
Two of the most beloved characters in English literature explore the meaning of true love in a tumultuous and passionate attempt to make a success of their marriage."

My review of this one by Reynolds is posting 1/4/2010, so stay tuned for that!

My Dearest Mr. Darcy: An amazing journey into love everlasting by Sharon Lathan (Paperback - Jan 1, 2010)

Married life is bringing out the best in the Darcys. Their mutual attentiveness brings readers into a magical world of love and wedded bliss.
Elizabeth is growing into her role as Mistress of Pemberley, and Darcy has mellowed under her gentle teasing and light-heartedness. Pemberley becomes a true home and a welcoming environment for loving family and friends. The Darcys travel to the seaside, welcome their firstborn, celebrate their anniversary and second Christmas, and at every moment embrace the love gifted to them.
"I love you, my Elizabeth. You are my soul, my blood and bone, my very life."

My Name was Five by Heinz Kohler (Paperback - Jan 1, 2010)

When a private plane crashes in Florida in 1991, the surviving pilot makes the strangest of remarks. "It was World War II," he says. The National Transportation Safety Board attributes the accident to a collision with birds, but one stubborn investigator insists on going further. Before long, his inquiry reveals how the pilot's past had trailed him on his last flight and vividly brings to life a terrifying slice of history - the story of a German boy who grows up in Berlin before, during, and after the Second World War; sadistic teachers just call him Five. The boy's father, an opponent of the Nazis, ends up in a concentration camp and later in a penal regiment that marches through mine fields to clear the way for regular troops. In contrast, one of the boy's uncles is a fervent Nazi in charge of cleansing Hitler's capital of every last Jew; another uncle revels in the governance of Paris.

A favorite aunt, a confidential secretary at the Gestapo, is horrified by all she knows about the "final solution." The boy's mother is the one who keeps him sane when Spitfire guns kill his best friend standing right next to him on a bridge. But worse is to come: bombings and firestorms, the senseless sacrifice of children and old men in the battle of Berlin, the Soviet occupation, along with rape, murder, hunger, and disease, and then the emergence of a new kind of tyranny yet. In the end, we come upon an unexpected twist that shows how the consequences of war can emerge decades later and in faraway places.

The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Flaming (Hardcover - December 31, 2009)

"An incredibly original, intelligent novel-a love story set against New York City at the dawn of the mechanical age, featuring Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, and J. P. Morgan.

After discovering an old photograph, an elderly antiques dealer living in present-day Los Angeles is forced to revisit the history he has struggled to deny. The photograph depicts a man and a woman. The man is Peter Force, a young frontier adventurer who comes to New York City in 1901 and quickly lands a job digging the first subway tunnels beneath the metropolis. The woman is Cheri-Anne Toledo, a beautiful mathematical prodigy whose memories appear to come from another world. They meet seemingly by chance, and initially Peter dismisses her as crazy. But as they are drawn into a tangle of overlapping intrigues, Peter must reexamine Cheri-Anne's fantastic story. Could it be that she is telling the truth and that she has stumbled onto the most dangerous secret imaginable: the key to traveling through time?

Set against the mazelike streets of New York at the dawn of the mechanical age, Peter and Cheri-Anne find themselves wrestling with the nature of history, technology, and the unfolding of time itself."
My review of this one will post around 1/11/2010. Quite intriguing it is, a fabulous debut for this author and it was like a breath of fresh air to read something not set in England!

And Allie at Hist-Fic Chick has another list of titles that encompasses the month, so head on over to that post to check out some more fabulous finds! 2010, here we come!!!