The ever delightful avid reader, Keishon, has had some tres interesting posts up lately. I am sure you already do but if you don’t… go check her out! I started to respond to her post on the Amazon Vine Program and in my normal fashion wrote a rambly book.

So I decided to bring it on home…

This will make lil to no sense – less than I normally do – if you haven’t read her post:

Amazon Vine Program and Customer Reviews

So go read it. Go on…. I will wait. or not

my ramble:
So you are only wanting to read the reviews after you decide to buy or not? Or after you read? I didn’t know you avoided blogs and review sites.

I don’t know much about the vine program but have to say I don’t like it cuz it is an amazon thing and they have shown what they want out of reviews and honestly or reader concern isn’t it.

But I don’t think it has anything to do with this book. Having not seen the reviews I am guessing they are all happy, happy, joy, joy from your tone… but I ‘think’ (will do more follow up tomorrow) the push is from the publisher. I know personally I have gotten 2 copies. I know another blogger who just emailed cuz she lusted after it and gushed got a copy. I know a few others who have gotten copies that aren’t on the ‘SM ARC LIST’.

My bitch would be with the people reviewing if they are lying to get more books, become ‘popular amazon reviewers’ or just looking for validation. Publishers have a job to get their titles out there. Hell even Amazon is a company and has a right to promote. Having the programs doesn’t seem wrong – taking advantage of them for their gain… isn’t wrong in my eyes. Knowing dishonest things are going on (like amazon’s deleting of ‘bad’ reviews) and allowing it, closing your eyes or going nah nah nah I can’t hear you – makes you a bad bad company.

So what is the answer?

• Don’t review there? Well it seems that allows the fangrrls and cheats to win.
• Don’t buy from them? Amazon sells a hellalot of books, they loss money and or go out of biz (something I don’t see happening) who gets fucked – the reader.
• Don’t buy from the publisher? I just can’t see them doing something that is ‘wrong’ by trying to promote the book.

None of those sound like good answers. So what do we do? Personally I have always paid no attention to Amazon reviews. I have told myself repeatedly we, as in TGTBTU, would start to post our reviews on Amazon as well because I like the idea of mixing in some honest opinions. NOT to say every review, not even every five star review is a lie. I do believe people honestly believe a LARGE majority of what they write in their reviews there.

And then there are the Harriet’s…. and uh… haven’t wrapped my arms around THAT one yet.
So any thoughts from you guys? Anyone give a flip? You got a fix? rant? or whatevs…

Note as of right now Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain has 57 reviews.

14 are 5 stars

24 are 4 stars

12 are 3 stars

4 are 2 stars

3 have 1 star

It releases on Sept 2, 2008 from St. Martin’s Minotaur in Hardcover.

Product Description (as shown on amazon)

With Heartsick, Chelsea Cain took the crime world by storm, introducing two of the most compelling characters in decades: serial killer Gretchen Lowell and her obsessed pursuer Portland Detective Archie Sheridan. The book spent four weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and garnered rave reviews around the world. But the riveting story of Archie and Gretchen was left unfinished, and now Chelsea Cain picks up the tale again.

When the body of a young woman is discovered in Portland’s Forest Park, Archie is reminded of the last time they found a body there, more than a decade ago: it turned out to be the Beauty Killer’s first victim, and Archie’s first case. This body can’t be one of Gretchen’s—she’s in prison—but after help from reporter Susan Ward uncovers the dead woman’s identity, it turns into another big case. Trouble is, Archie can’t focus on the new investigation because the Beauty Killer case has exploded: Gretchen Lowell has escaped from prison.

Archie hadn’t seen her in two months; he’d moved back in with his family and sworn off visiting her. Though it should feel like progress, he actually feels worse. The news of her escape spreads like wildfire, but secretly, he’s relieved. He knows he’s the only one who can catch her, and in fact, he has a plan to get out from under her thumb once and for all.

Chelsea Cain has topped her own bestselling debut thriller with this unputdownable, unpredictable, edge-of-your-seat read.

NOTE FROM THE REVIEWER:

Sybil has been kind enough to let me post on the status of my blog: it’s down for the forseeable future, unfortunately. I will be posting the occasional review here at TGTBTU, if Sybil will have me. [Ed.: uh duh.. only been trying to get you here for a year.] Yes, I do plan to blog again and am working on that as we speak.

Thanks!
Keishon, Avid Book Reader

Now, on to the review…

Keishon’s review of The Serpent’s Tale by Ariana Franklin
Historical suspense fiction released 31 Jan 08 by Putnam Adult

This is the book following Mistress of the Art of Death. Ms. Franklin has a unique style of writing historical fiction because it’s about as close to time travel as you’ll ever get to medieval England. This second entry isn’t quite as dark as the first book in the series that features Salerno trained doctor of the dead, Adelia Aguilar.

Since the events of the last book, some 18 months have passed, Adelia is now a single mother, having gave birth to a daughter. Her companion, Gyltha and her manservant Mansur have all been enjoying life in the fenlands since being run out of Cambridge for being “interlopers.” The baby’s father, Rowley Picot, was absent at his daughter’s birth because he is now a bishop in King Henry II’s diocese. Arriving in Cambridge, Rowley comes looking for Adelia because someone was fool enough to poison’s King Henry’s favorite mistress, Rosamund Clifford. Rumor has it that it was King Henry’s wife, Queen Eleanor and if that is the case then Rowley must do whatever it takes to prevent civil war.

This story moves at a pretty good pace. Intrigue is in the air as to whether or not Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine took out her rival. If she did then Henry will be coming after her and everybody remembers the war between Stephen and Matilda; suffice it to say that no one wants to see that event repeated. Rowley and Adelia are reunited and together they try to investigate the facts surrounding Rosamund’s death; Queen Eleanor makes an appearance albeit her scenes are not quite as memorable as her husband’s. However, she doesn’t disappoint in doling out the insults to a dead courtesan who captured her husband’s fancy far longer than she would have liked.

Adelia is a woman well ahead of her time, stepping up even when faced with death in this rather harsh time period. There are other such forward thinking women in this medieval tale, women who contributed in their own way to a society where men viewed women as being less than their intellectual equal. Ironically, common women read as poor women, had more freedom than women who were rich or came from a well to do family. Marriages were made more for political gain than for love. Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine is the most powerful woman in England yet we see her power trumped by a Baron of the realm.

The villains in here are much more plentiful, colorful and dynamically added their weight to their scenes; one villain was even cloaked in mystery and even surprised me a bit when the character was revealed later on in the story. The author has made King Henry II a larger than life hero. Henry’s scenes are few and far between but they are memorable. He’s charismatic and cunning; his physical appearance is often described as being understated yet when he walks into a room he commands respect and exudes power. The Church scorns him for his role in Becket’s murder and this has given him many powerful enemies. However, he has a secret weapon and her name is Adelia Aguilar.

Here are a few scene highlights: a multicursal maze that Adelia, Rowley and party get lost in that circles Wormhold Tower (Rosamund’s home). Another good one was when Queen Eleanor shows up at the tower with her henchmen and takes them captive. Of course, any scenes with Rowley and Adelia together as they often banter back and forth. I awaited King Henry’s scene with much anticipation as he so far has had some great walk on scenes. The meeting between the assassin and his employer in the opening of the story was intriguing since it offers up the first missing puzzle piece of the story. There are more but I’ll stop here.

Great pacing, great writing, great dialogue, great plot, memorable characters – great read. I read this book non-stop all during my days off and then slowed it down to savor the last few pages. I hope Ms. Franklin continues to write this series because I have enjoyed it very much. Historical fans won’t be disappointed because this author brings the medieval period to life . For romance fans, there is a subtle romance between Rowley and Adelia however in the first book she rebuffs his proposal of marriage instead choosing to keep her independence. However they still lust after each other despite the fact that Rowley now dons the miter’s robe. This was an excellent medieval mystery that no reader should miss.

Grade: A

From the back cover:

Ariana Franklin combines the best of modern forensic thrillers with the drama of historical fiction in the enthralling second novel in the Mistress of the Art of Death series, featuring medieval heroine Adelia Aguilar.


Rosamund Clifford, the mistress of King Henry II, has died an agonizing death by poison-and the king’s estranged queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, is the prime suspect. Henry suspects that Rosamund’s murder is probably the first move in Eleanor’s long-simmering plot to overthrow him. If Eleanor is guilty, the result could be civil war. The king must once again summon Adelia Aguilar, mistress of the art of death, to uncover the truth.


Adelia is not happy to be called out of retirement. She has been living contentedly in the countryside, caring for her infant daughter, Allie. But Henry’s summons cannot be ignored, and Adelia must again join forces with the king’s trusted fixer, Rowley Picot, the Bishop of St. Albans, who is also her baby’s father.


Adelia and Rowley travel to the murdered courtesan’s home, in a tower within a walled labyrinth-a strange and sinister place from the outside, but far more so on the inside, where a bizarre and gruesome discovery awaits them. But Adelia’s investigation is cut short by the appearance of Rosamund’s rival: Queen Eleanor. Adelia, Rowley, and the other members of her small party are taken captive by Eleanor’s henchmen and held in the nunnery of Godstow, where Eleanor is holed up for the winter with her band of mercenaries, awaiting the right moment to launch their rebellion.


Isolated and trapped inside the nunnery by the snow and cold, Adelia and Rowley watch as dead bodies begin piling up. Adelia knows that there may be more than one killer at work, and she must unveil their true identities before England is once again plunged into civil war . . .


Read an excerpt.

This book in available in ebook (1/2 off the cover price at Fictionwise!) and hardcover. The first book, Mistress of the Art of Death is available in ebook from Fictionwise and paperback.