Innovative Online Book Tours Book Review: The Shadow Princess

BLURB: THE SHADOW PRINCESS, by Mary Hart Perry

To catch one of history’s most notorious killers, a princess risks losing her family, her life—and her heart… London, 1888: A year after Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee terror mounts in the city's slums. A killer has butchered two prostitutes, the crimes brutal even by London’s hardened standards. Rumors of the murders reach Princess Vicky, daughter of Queen Victoria and grieving widow of the German Emperor Frederick III. When her niece Princess Maud visits, she brings with her even worse news--the Metropolitan Police have a suspect. It’s Vicky’s nephew, Crown Prince Eddy. Desperate to clear her family's name, Vicky rushes back to England. Detective Inspector Thomas Edmondson believes there is a royal cover-up behind the killings. He will stop at nothing to expose the truth and bring a murderer to justice before he can kill again. But when Vicky joins him in searching for the man who will become known as Jack the Ripper, neither of them foresee the overpowering attraction that will draw together the royal and the commoner—or the danger their love puts them in.

Review:  Having read the first two books in this series, I had to read The Shadow Princess as well. This story revolves around an older Princess Royal, Vicky. It takes place after her husband has died and also involves Jack The Ripper.

Though all of Mary's novels are rooted in the history of Queen Victoria's daughters, this one is a bit more heavy of the fiction, while keeping the facts there. Don't call this historical fiction but rather alternate history.

For some that might be a little hard to deal with, but I simply remember that it is fiction and it is wonderfully written. Plus I like the thought of the Jack The Ripper case actually being solved.

Like her previous novels from this series Vicky gets a romance with the detective in charge of the Ripper case, though in this story the sparks between Empress Vicky and Thomas Edmondson isn't as hot as with her previous two novels.

I really enjoy The Shadow Princess, because it focused on Vicky after her husband had passed away. It isn't often that a book that is even a little bit romance oriented has the heroine in her middle years.

Once again, Mary has created a novel that is full of fact and fiction that will keep the pages turning until the very end.

Rating: 5 flowers

Bio: Mary Hart Perry (aka Kathryn Johnson)

Mary Hart Perry grew up in New England and now lives in the Washington DC area with her husband and two feline writing partners, Tempest and Miranda. She's the author of over 40 novels published by major U.S. and foreign publishers. She writes historical fiction as Mary Hart Perry and contemporary romantic thrillers under her own name, Kathryn Johnson. She also teaches fiction-writing workshops for The Writer's Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Her popular 8-week course, The Extreme Novelist, supports and encourages class members through a full first draft of their novels. In 2008, she founded Write by You, a writer's mentoring service, to aid individual authors in reaching their publication goals. She has been nominated for the prestigious Agatha Christy Award, and won the Heart of Excellence and Bookseller's Best Awards (sponsored by the Romance Writers of America). Her works in progress include Victorian thrillers inspired by the lives of Queen Victoria's daughters, and a new contemporary romantic-suspense series scheduled for release in 2014-15. Kathryn is a member of the Author's Guild, Romance Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Novelists Inc, and the Historical Novel Society.

ONLINE LINKS: Website: www.MaryHartPerry.com
Contact: Mary@MaryHart Perry.com, or Kathryn@WriteByYou.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/Kathryn.K.Johnson.3 or for MHP: on.fb.me/Kj7hzU Twitter: @Mary_Hart_Perry or @KathrynKJohnson
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kathryn-johnson/21/8b3/350
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/Mary_Hart_Perry or www.goodreads.com/KathrynJohnson

BUY NOW LINK: • Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Princess-Mary-Hart-Perry-ebook/dp/B00I36D8UW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391999082&sr=8-1&keywords=Mary+Hart+Perry

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Innovative Online Book Tours Book Review: Seducing The Princess

BLURB:

Seducing the Princess by Mary Hart Perry

            Mary Hart Perry’s acclaimed series of romantic Victorian thrillers continues with Seducing the Princess, inspired by the life of Queen Victoria’s youngest daughter Beatrice. Painfully shy and lonely, convinced she is unattractive and unloved, the dutiful Princess Beatrice finally accepts that she will never marry and vows to devote herself to the queen in Victoria's waning years. In fact, her mother has secretly discouraged suitors for Beatrice’s hand. Just when Beatrice has all but given up on love and happiness, she meets Henry Battenberg, a dashing nobleman from the Continent who matches wits with the aging Victoria and risks his life and liberty to woo Bea.

            But Henry isn't the only man interested in being welcomed into Beatrice's bed. The timid princess has become the target of a cruel plot hatched by her nephew, the madman destined to become the last Emperor of Germany. Wilhelm II sends a ruthless agent, a charming Scot, to seduce the naive princess and spy on the queen. How can the sheltered princess hope to fend off a man capable of murder, and perhaps worse, to get what he wants? But Beatrice is not without her own allies--her older sister Louise and Louise's American soldier-of-fortune and lover, Stephen Byrne. Will Beatrice discover which of the two men pursuing her she can trust, before it's too late? Drama, romance and peril chase the royal family from Buckingham Palace to a storm besieged castle on the Isle of Wight.

Review: I read The Wild Princess last year and loved it.  I felt pretty much the same for Seducing The Princess. It is easy to love Queen Victoria's dysfunctional family. It is also easy to dislike the Queen, not because she's such a terrible women, but because she really feels that her way is the only way, and she wants to protect her children.

Beatrice aka Baby is her youngest and she's the daughter that seems to be most like to stay unwed at her mother's side.

You couldn't help but feel sorry for her, as all of her other siblings have grown to have lives of their own and relationships be they good or bad. And when she does find love her mother forbids her from seeing him.

Geeze!

Poor Beatrice!

What I love about these books are how well researched they are. When I read any historical novel, I find myself googling things and in the case of these books, I find a lot of accuracy when it comes to the lives of Victoria and her royal children. I'm surprised there isn't more historical fiction about Victoria and her children are really intriguing people and Mary Hart Perry really brings them to life for her readers. I loved Louise in the first book, and I still loved her in this one. She's spunky and full of life which seems like a total contrast to Beatrice.

It was nice to see how the author imagined Beatrice falling in love with Henry and when you realize what this princess must have dealt with to be able to finally walk down the aisle, you're so happy for her, even if she must stay in England with her mother.

I love how she weaved the fictional part of the story in, and how well it fit with the times. Go on, google her Grandchild Wilheim.

The added villainy of Victoria's grandchild and the plot he hatches really make this a great read. I can't wait to read Crown Princess Vicky's story

Rating: 5 flowers

BIO:

  Kathryn Johnson lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband and two feline writing partners, Tempest and Miranda. The author of over 40 novels, she's written under her own name and a variety of pen names, including Mary Hart Perry, Kathryn Jensen, KM Kimball and Nicole Davidson. She also teaches fiction-writing workshops for the renowned Writer's Center in Bethesda, Maryland. And, in 2008, she founded Write by You (www.WriteByYou.com), to coach other writers interested in reaching publication. She has been nominated for the prestigious Agatha Christy Award, and won the Heart of Excellence and Bookseller's Best Awards (sponsored by the Romance Writers of America) in 2011.

            Her works in progress include a series of Victorian thrillers inspired by the lives of Queen Victoria's five daughters. The first novel, The Wild Princess, focuses on Princess Louise, who desperately wanted an education as a professional artist, at a time when women were not admitted into art schools. Her personal life becomes complicated when she uncovers a secret about her husband and must help protect her mother from an assassination attempt. The second book of the series,Seducing the Princess, launches April 2, 2013, and features Victoria’s youngest daughter Beatrice. Painfully shy and lonely, the dutiful Princess has promised never to marry and to devote herself to the queen in Victoria's waning years. Just when she has all but given up on love and happiness, she meets Henry Battenberg, a dashing nobleman from the Continent who risks his life and liberty to woo Bea and save both his beloved and the queen from a cruel plot. A third novel, to be published later in 2013, will star Crown Princess Vicky.

ONLINE LINKS:

                Facebook:    

                Please "like" Mary Hart Perry (Here's the bit.ly short link):  on.fb.me/Kj7hzU

                Also find me on FB:  http://facebook.com/Kathryn.K.Johnson.3

                Twitter:   @Mary_Hart_Perry      and    @KathrynKJohnson

                Goodreads:  Come find me as Mary Hart Perry  

                Linkedin:  http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kathryn-johnson/21/8b3/350

                Website:  www.WriteByYou.com

                Contact me: Kathryn@writebyyou.com or Mary@MaryHartPerry.com

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