Dark Aemelia: A Tale of Shakespeare's Dark Lady by Sally O'Reilly

Historical fiction and magical realism are kind of my jam. So, a few months ago when I stumbled across Dark Aemelia: A Tale of Shakespeare's Dark Lady by Sally O'Reilly, with it's mix of magic and history I knew I had to add it my reading list immediately.

The story follows Aemilia Bassano, one of the first woman poets, who and grew up in Queen Elizabeth I's court surrounded by the Queen and her ladies. After becoming the mistress to the Queen's Cousin, Aemeilia has a life of comfort and ease. That is until she meets a dashing and passionate playwrite by the name of William Shakespeare. Aemilia's life is turned upside down when she finds herself pregnant and is married off to a foolish man, who although loves her is a gambler and spends most of their money before paying their rent. When the plague strikes London, Aemilia will do whatever it takes to stop her precious son succoming to the disease, including conjuring the darkest of spirits for help.

What I loved about this book is that Aemilia is as sassy as they come. She may not have the same rights as men but she sure as hell has a tongue as sharp as any, which was half the fun of reading this novel. The other half? It's dark and a little bit sexy too (not quite erotic as one of the descriptions on the back gave it, it sure ain't 50 Shades...) which makes this book sinfully good.

Sally O'Reilly has captured the essence of the time well, through her descriptions of London and Aemilia's narration the fear of death and disease during the second half of the book was brought to life vividly. O'Reilly sets a nice pace taking us through Aemilia's early years as mistress, to lover of the Bard and then mother and frustrated wife, it was satisfying to watch her Aemilia progress and yet stay true to character.

For anyone looking to dabble in the dark side of historical fiction I thoroughly recommend picking up a copy of Dark Aemilia.

Two Authors I'm Adding To My Reading List

Ben Elton and Kate Mosse are two authors whose names I've seen on bookshelves many times before but I've never actually made the effort to read anything from. With both these authors releasing books recently that have my interest piqued I thought it was time to take a look at their past works.

Ben Elton. The book that has me intrigued is Time and Time Again, a historically set book about time travel which I'm totally loving the sound of. Elton is better know for his books that take on popular culture and satirically analysing it in a humourous and thought provoking way. Elton is also well known for his contributions to television and theatre as he has written scripts for some of the best comedy and musical theater that has been performed which often comes through in his writing. I'm looking forward to adding Dead Famous, Popcorn and High Society to my reading list.

Kate Mosse. Author of The Taxidermists Daughter a historical fiction novel which mixes murder and mystery Kate Mosse is an author I have never thought to explore before. Mosse's books The Winter Ghosts and Labyrinth are both set in the Pyranese mountains and have a past and present setting within their plot lines as well as an air of adventure about them.

Havve you read anything from Kate Mosse or Ben Elton before?

Awesome Reads In March's New Release Books

There are so many good new release books set to be pubished in March that it was actually hard to whittle my list down to readable proportions. Here are seven titles that have me intrigued, from historical fiction set in India to gripping dramas and fashions favourite heroine.

At the Waters Edge by Sara Gruen. Ellis Hyde is cut off financially by his father but the last thing his wife Maddie expects is for him to try and regain his favour in such an unexpected manner. Ellis plans to travel to Scotland to hunt the famous Loch Ness monster, something his father had attempted but failed at years earlier. As her husband goes off to fight a monster, and Europe is raged by war, Maddie, alone in a foreign country will come through her own life awakening.

Little Peach by Peggy Kearne. Michelle runs away from her drug addict mother and plans on travelling to New York and staying with a friend. But when her plans fall through she is alone and out of options. Then she meets Devon, a saviour to her situation. But Devon isn't the nice guy she thinks he is and Michelle soon gets embroiled in a world of child prostitution, a scary and dangerous world which will take all of her strength and determination to leave.

The Tragic Age by Stephen Metcalfe. Billy Kinsey, genuis, philosopher, social critic and insomnic has decided not to deal with life anymore, to not join in or volunteer. Which would be a great philosophy if his family were not in the midst of a crisis over his sisters death and parents warring words. When Billy meets Twom and Gretchen his life will be pulled in one of two directions - towards happiness or disaster. 

Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran. When the British Empire sets its sights on India in the 1850s, it expects a quick and easy conquest but when they arrive in the Kingdom of Jhansi, Queen Lakshmi raises two armies—one male, one female—to fight. Her most trusted warrior, Sita, a guard in Lakshmi's all-female army narrates this tale of a fearless female leader against the British empire.

Madmoiselle Chanel by C W Gortner. An enthralling novel following Gabriell Chanel's rise from rural poverty into one of the most ambitious fashion designers of the twentieth century. As Coco Chanel, she lived a life of passion, drama, creation and heartache and this novel encapsulates it all.

Wreckage by Emily Bleeker. Lillian and Dave are survivors of a plane crash, missing for almost two years in the South Pacific. The media is enthralled with their story but journalist Genevieve Randall doesn't buy it and she's determined to get the real story about the crash, and the two survivors no matter how many people are destroyed by it. 

The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson. Set in 1962, Kitty Miller runs a bookshop with her best friend Frieda and enjoys her unconventional single life. Then the dreams begin. Kitty dreams she is Katharyn Anderson, happily marries to Lars with a beautiful family, home and friends. It's everything Kitty had thought she once wanted but as the dreams start to become powerfully real, Kitty finds the line between imagination and reality is starting to blur.