I was working at a small hospital in the Arctic where there was a small collection of mostly uninspiring books. I pulled this one out at random. Wow! This is a gem. Too bad books like this aren't more in style today. I plan to buy the book for my own library and read it a second time.

When I went to the library last week, I was having one of those days were a felt like reading, but I wasn't in the mood for anything in particular. I set in one room in the library for an hour reading the backs of every book. Finally, I begrudgingly picked up The Edge of Time and checked it out. The book soon cheered me up with its beautiful telling of a women who, as Tammy Wynette would say, stood by her man. For better or worse, these struggling newly-weds face their life of endless obstacles with few recourses except a love for each other and a strong faith in God. It was a engrossing and encouraging read.

Loula Grace Erdman's novels (too bad most of them are out of print) have a depth to them that is not often seen today. This is one of her best. The story of Bethany and Wade is beautifully told; and she paints many layers of the characters in her books. They are not "cardboard characters" in any way! This is a wonderful book.

Alas, it seems that every legendary writer must have his low point. After an amazing streak of masterpieces Morgan Llwellyn has proved she is only human after all with the muddled, confusing, and boring "Grania". I skimmed over the past previous and I must say I am surprised by the amount of credit and praise this book received. It truly deserves neither. It was pointless and trivial, Ms. Llwellyn never made me care whether Grania lived or die, and frankly after about 100 pages of her stupidity I almost wish she had. A waste of paper and time. Save yourself the trouble and read "Lion of Ireland" again.

Llywelyn has out done herself again! Grania made me want to move to Ireland and become a pirate merchant. If you don't like reading boaring books, read this one.

Morgan Llywelyn has outdone herself this time. A wonderful novel about a woman's struggles and triumphs in a man's world. A woman, not remarked for her beauty, but for her skills and wits, overcomes all that stands in her way. Grania is truly a treat for anyone who reads it.

Paul C Doherty (writing here as CL Grace) is the Earl Stanley Gardner of historical mystery writers, turning out several books a year. Most are set in medieval England, a historical period in which Doherty earned a PhD at Oxford. SAINTLY MURDERS is set in 1472 at Canterbury and features as its sleuth Kathryn Swinbrooke, physician and apothecary. It is packed with murders, mysteries, and royal intrigues. Doherty even gives his readers a locked room mystery, a plot device that has languished since John Dickson Carr. The busy plot tends to distract a reader from the book's weaknesses: shallow characterization and pedestrian dialogue. The historical figures in the story, like Archbishop Borchier and Edward IV, are more fully realized than the fictional ones.

SAINTLY MURDERS bears a passing resemblance to the Brother Caedfal mysteries of Ellis Peters. The central murder victim is a friar of the Order of the Sack, who also happens to be the confessor of Cecily of York, mother of Edward IV. Much of the action takes place on the grounds of the prosperous Order's establishment. Within days of his death, Friar Atwood is being put forward for sainthood because of miracles and mysterious occurrences at his burial site. The Archbishop of Canterbury appoints Kathrn Swinbrooke Advocatus Diaboli (the Devil's Advocate) to argue the case against Atwood's beatification. In the process she uncovers and solves murders and spy plots galore.

Loath though I am to question historical details provided by an Oxford-educated medievalist, Grace/Doherty's having Kathryn appointed Advocatus Diaboli so that she has the power to delve into the mystery of Friar Atwood's death smells extremely fishy. The first recorded mention of an Advocatus Diaboli was in 1513, 40 years after this story takes place, and the office was not formally established until 1587. Those who held the title were generally high churchmen, not apothecaries and certainly not women. My biggest difficulty, though, with SAINTLY MURDERS is not this dubious plot device but rather the way Kathryn exercises her power as Devil's Advocate. In general she behaves just like a brash 21st century female PI. She orders male characters about and threatens them as if she has been doing it all her life. She tells a church prelate to "shut up" and jibes the King's brother about his manhood. In his afterword, Grace/Doherty makes the argument that women "...probably had more rights in 1300 than they had in 1900..." and cites Chaucer's Wife of Bath as a woman who could hold her own with men. Perhaps, perhaps, but that does not mean that a woman of Kathryn's station in life would be accustomed to bossing and questioning, with such panache, men and women of higher social standing.

I find it odd that the Black Death and its aftermath figures not at all in SAINTLY MURDERS' backdrop of English life during a lull in the War of the Roses. The battle of Tewkesbury may have decimated the Lancastrian nobility, but the plague reduced the population of the British Isles by a third, a loss that took three centuries to recoup. The effects of declining food production caused by the plague and climatic change is nowhere visible. The expulsion of the English from their continental possessions is mentioned, but we aren't shown the diastrous reduction in trade that resulted from that loss. Grace/Doherty gives his readers a merry old England going about its business as usual, but that is not the real Britain of 1472.

I enjoy this series, and I was sorry when it appeared that C.L. Grace had ended it. I don't think it's a GREAT series, but I always enjoy the books. This was no exception. I was completely caught up in the multiple plots and I hope there will be more volumes in the series.

I would recommend Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael series, beginning with A Morbid Taste for Bones; Margaret Frazer's Sister Frevisse series beginning (I think) with a Novice's Tale; and Kate Sedley's series beginning with Death and the Chapman.

The War of the Roses appears over with Edward IV firmly on the crown and only Henry Tudor, in exile in France, left to represent the Lancaster hopes. Yet the King of France continues to nibble away at England's strength. Rumor has it that he has a traitor high in the English royal party--but whom.

When a Canterbury monk and the Queen Mother's confessor dies and is found with the stigmata on his body, Kathryn Swinbrooke is asked to serve as Devil's Advocate in his proposed canonization. Was his death a miracle, or could it be something worse?

Certainly there are evil things abroad. Rats have invaded Canterbury and human rats swarm as well. A spy returned from France has learned the name of the traitor but is killed before he can divulge the truth. Kathryn is forced to deal with several intertwined mysteries--and finds herself in grave personal risk.

C. L. Grace writes a wonderfully involving novel set in the fascinating War of the Roses period of English history. Kathryn is an interesting and well developed character--increasing the reader's buy-in to the risk and danger that she finds herself in.

Both the medical technology and the accounts of monestary living add to the readers' interest.

A fine and compelling read.

BooksForABuck.

This is a beautiful book of photographs of cemetary sculptures. Though I have artistic opinions on whether photographing another person's art makes one an artist, this is certainly a lovely collection. However, there is very little written about the sculptures or cemeteries they came from. It is literally a picture book. If you are looking for scholarship on sculptures in cemeteries, this is a poor source. There isn't even enough information about each of the sculptures to research them, basically just a location identifying each. But it is a very nice book of photos nonetheless.

I take photographs of cemetery sculpture and many of the images in this book I have seen for myself and though I have my own pictures on my walls, I think this collection of photos is "breathtaking". I had not realized the depth of sculpture in Milan cemeteries. This book contains no text on any sculpture, except its whereabouts, and it is all I need. For people like myself who find peace when wandering through a graveyard this collection makes me wish to grab my camera and go.

This is not scholarly, it is as the title says "Images of Women in European Cemeteries" and you won't get very much information about who did the carving, what they were thinking draping a nude woman over their grave, or even who's grave she is indeed draped on. What you will get are many many lovely black and white photos, that are really finely taken. I should point out that I love cemeteryies and photography and this is really a little book I could get into.... if you do like photography ... check out Wee Gee as well.

This book would have been better with some serious editing. It was a 175 page story drawn out to fill 350 pages.

The book started out fairly well. Interesting style of writing even though the premise was a tad thin. But then it got to be just too contrived with too many coincidences and episodes that were just not real. I mean, how many times could the sisters just happen to "miss" bumping into each other, on both sides of the Atlantic?

The only reason I gave "Grace and Favor" as many as three stars was because I finished it. And I only finished it because I bought it. If it had been a library book, I would have stopped reading by page 100.

This book started out great, loved the short chapters, got into the characters, but as soon as the main characters meet it all falls flat! Very anticlimatic for sure. Skimmed the last 5 chapters just to get it overwith.

I liked this book. I thought that the characters of Grace and Favor/Pat were well written. They were two sides of the same coin and they illustrate how circumstance can affect your perception of the people around you.

Grace is an author of romance novels. When she was younger, her mother got pregnant for the second time and then died after the baby (Favor/Pat) was born. Grace does not have a relationship with her father, as she was abandoned when her mother died.

Pat is the daughter who grew up with her father. In my opinion, she is a wet blanket. She is married and has 2 kids, a son & daughter. She is over protective of her son, and doesn't know her daughter.

The story is as much about two long-lost sisters coming together as it is about Pat's marital problems. Both sisters know about the other, but Grace doesn't want to be found. Once Favor/Pat shows up on her doorstep, she is forced to confront the past and what she has always believed to be true.

This book is filled with many different characters who float in and out of Grace and Pat's lives. I would recommend this story to anyone.

I greatly enjoy Monfredo's books. Beside being historically accurate, the characters are very human. They are much like friends because they are so well drawn. I made myself slow down reading all her books so I could savor them and have something to anticipate. I've read all up to "Stalking Horse."

this is the first glynnis tryon mystery book i read and i liked it so much that i went out and bought the 3 books prior to it in the series. glynnis is a wonderful character, and i like how she has all of these male admireres. i have a crush on both cullen and jacques! and the parts about john brown, his family and his zeal to do away with slavery, were fascinating. it made me want to go visit harper's ferry again. i have to disagree with previous reviewers on the coin details, it was informative and crucial to the plot. i could go on, and on, but i would give away too much of the plot. kudos to miriam grace monfredo for a well developed historical mystery series. she obviously does her research well.

The poignant drama related by John Brown's daughter in this, the fourth book in the series, adds a heartwrenching touch to this period of national turmoil. It's another example of the interesting touches that Monfredo continues to her stories. Highly recommended.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! It reminded me of a Rosamunde Pilcher book. Thumbs up!

Enjoyable read. Hermione, Ellen's qirky neighbor was thehighlight of the novel and was the most developed character. However,James could have done so much more with the teenage mother and Mattthew character. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this novel tremendously!

I enjoyed James' style of writing although it could be plain sometimes. The plot is very interesting, something that could happen to anyone (divorce, teenage mother, snobbish neighbors). It is one of those books you smile after you're done w/ the book. Definetely a good read!

I was so disappointed in this book. Since it was the 1998 RITA award as best regency, and beat "Lord Heartless" for that win, I was expecting a terrific novel. Instead, the book drags and the characters act in such an unrealistic ways. As far as the Duke goes, our hero, he has no family or friends. The heroine, and I use that term lightly, plays at being a spinster and dressing as a drab. For some reason, delights in hiding her beauty. In the ballroom scene, she behaves in such a manner that loses me entirely - as well as any interest that she should end up with the Duke in the end. He deserved better! The dukes only friend betrays him. He is a miserable man who society now scornes when he did nothing wrong in the first place! He should have packed his bags and came to america. I usually like Emma Jensen's books. There was nothing romantic about the book. Only a creepy feeling at the way society ended up treating the Duke.

Without quite realizing it, I appear to have been picking up several RITA winners among traditional Regencies. One such book was Butler's The Rakes' Retreat. Another was this one (Jensen won another RITA for A Grand Design, before moving on to historicals).

This is a book hard to describe easily. It had an irresistible first chapter (from the publisher's website but a deeply buried section) where the widowed heroine Deirdre is coaxing and cajoling her spoiled young sister-in-law to get ready for the ball. When she arrives, she has to continue worry about Olivia who has expressed her determination to marry only an earl (or at least an earl). Deirdre is not comfortable with society, and we find out why in the last paragraph of the first chapter - she has jilted a highly eligible suitor at the altar and eloped to marry her late husband. And you can guess what is about to happen - the rejected suitor arrives at the ball in Edinburgh. He is a duke, no less, the man whom Deirdre jilted and humiliated so publicly, and the man who was responsible for her husband's death.

As the book progresses, some of our preconceptions from the first chapter are demolished in rapid succession. Deirdre misses her late husband, but she is *not* "Deirdre of the Sorrows" as she has been labelled by the ton. She was not a heartless jilt. She ran away from a marriage into which she had all but been sold by her social-climbing parents. Her fiance was not a duke then, but a second son of a duke. And the man she was to marry was the heir to a baron. Deirdre has a strong sense of her own self-worth, and she ran away from the church in part because she was not asked whether she wanted the marriage, and in part because the groom gave no sign of loving her.

So, the Duke is a heartless peer out to marry the prettiest face around, or is he? That is the idea society now has about him, thanks to rumors spread by a mysterious person or persons. Conover (the duke) believes that either Deirdre or her sister-in-law must be responsible but cannot blame them entirely. He failed to convince Deirdre of his real love for her then, and he fails to do so now. In fact, revelations about his actions past and present have a way of coming back to haunt him. Not to mention that a nasty spat he and Deirdre have in public backfires on him more than on her. So much for Deirdre's belief that the ton would take the Duke's side. Even his friend's mother Lady Hythe publicly chastises him - more than once.

All this explains the title "His Grace Endures" (one of the harder to find Jensen titles). For the rest of the book, Conover must confront the effect of his past actions or inactions, and he must also unmask the person who is slandering him. But there are no black villains here. Conover's enemy, for want of a better word, has his reasons.

The book was wonderful, with meditative dialogue by Conover and others, with surprise built upon surprise. There was Galahad, the incontinent monkey and the stiff Earl of Hythe and his prudish mother (who will appear to greater effect in another Jensen book BEST LAID SCHEMES). There is also a reference to the heroine of WHAT CHLOE WANTS.

However, the book was ever so slightly lacking in passion. While I could understand Conover's regrets over the past (and his constant thoughts of Deirdre helped here), I did not get the sense that Deirdre was in love with him, although I realized that she was not indifferent to him of course. What was the hardest was identifying when and how Deirdre had fallen for Conover. Did she love him even as she was eloping - and listening for his voice at every stop? Did she love him only when another elopement was prevented? The answer did not strike me.

The second problem was the ending. It seemed too abrupt, and not in keeping with either Conovar's or Deirdre's characters. This was a minor problem but one that spoiled the book slightly for me along with the other issue I mentioned.

Rating 4.2
Recommended: Highly

I'd never read any of Emma Jensen's books before this one, and I'll now be searching out more. This is a wonderful book; Ms Jensen demonstrates some great skills of storytelling, characterisation and emotion in this tale of a widow who has to confront and deal with the man she jilted seven years earlier and who she believes to have been ultimately responsible for her husband's death. And yet she discovers that the Duke of Conovar is nothing like she imagined. And very soon, because of the cruel gossip which starts to spread about him, she becomes his staunchest defender rather than his enemy.

There are some heartwrenching scenes in this book, as well as some dialogue which had me glued to the page. It's impossible not to be touched by Conovar's sincerity or Deirdre's anguish as each finds out that they were mistaken about each other and about other characters whose actions impinged on their lives and destroyed their relationship seven years earlier.

I thoroughly recommend this book, and I'm completely bemused by Susan Johnson's review, below. Ignore it, go with the other positive reviews on this page. This book deserved any and every award it won!

This book is a refreshing reminder that salvation/justification is by faith alone. Though I disagree with many of Eaton's exegeses and conclusions, I have to say that he has done a good job pointing out the dangers of a law-centred soteriology. With so many "evangelical distortions" hovering around in Christian academic circles, Eaton's book is a reminder to all that we must not let go of our evangelical Reformational heritage received from Martin Luther, John Calvin, and the Reformers. Many in today's "Protestant" academic circles are trying to bridge the gap between Protestantism and Romanism--or even worse: remake the Gospel so that Luther and Calvin are looked upon as incompetent exegetes. Eaton's soteriology is what you would call a "free grace" perspective along the lines of Zane Hodges, Joseph Dillow, Robert Wilkin, Earl Radmacher, Robert Lightner, Lewis Chafer, and Charles Ryrie. Though Eaton's exegesis is questionable at times, he makes a good case that not all warning passages deal with heaven or hell (some passages deal with temporal chastisement [cf. Rom 14:15; 1 Cor 8:11; 11:30] and loss of rewards [cf. 1 Cor 3:15; 9:27; 2 Peter 1:11; 2 John 8]). Though his liberal view of Scripture may not settle well with hardcore conservatives (like me), his book examines and analyzes the destructive consequences of any soteriological system that puts emphasis on the law (or "soteriological nomism") over or alongside faith. Though I consider myself thoroughly Reformed and Calvinistic (hence, I would consider myself a "developed" Calvinist according to Eaton's vocabulary), I understand the concerns brought up by Eaton and sympathize with him. With the rise of "covenantal nomistic" understandings of justification in the past few decades among professing evangelical scholars (e.g., Daniel Fuller, Scott Hafemann, Kent Yinger, Norman Shepherd, N. T. Wright, James Dunn, etc.) this book is a good reminder that our Reformational heritage stands on the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Apparently, many professing evangelical scholars aren't taking serious what Luther said in the 16th Century regarding the doctrine of justification by faith alone ("the article with and by which the church stands, without which it falls"). Though many will disagree with many of Eaton's conclusions regarding certain warning passages, I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand that salvation by faith alone CANNOT mix with salvation by obedience to the law (whether meritorious or non-meritorious).

This book gives an interesting view of the law as seen in the writings of Paul. I like how the author rejects both Calvinist and Arminian systems and plows a furrow down the middle of them both while remaining faithful to the Bible. His point about the necessity of a general atonement for assurance is very interesting, and convincing. I also appreciate his insights on introspection; it is indeed very destructive to the doctrine of assurance. I also recommend Zane Hodges' book "Absolutely Free! A Biblical Reply to Lordship Salvation".

This book was an answer to prayer for me! For many years I have been frustrated by apparent contradictions in the bible concerning security and perserverance. I've grown weary of reading quotes such as "Eternal life is a free gift for those who forsake everything and follow Christ." This has really threatened my faith in the integrity of the Bible.Michael Eaton does a wonderful job in shedding the light on many confusing interpretations. He is a brilliant theologian with a passion for the truth, even when it goes against the grain of traditional views. If you're one othe few seeking the truth' this book is a must! Other related authors include R.T.Kendall, Zane Hodges, & Bob Wiilkin.

Nora is a teenager who leaves an abusive home to end up as the housekeeper in a brothel in Lincoln, Nebraska in the 1800's. She really does not "fit" so townspeople help her find her niche as a milliner. Probably the most intriguing part of the book is the revelation of the identity of blond, handsome, actor Grayson Chandler, the heartthrob of Nora. It is interesting to renew old friends Mikal and Karyn Ritter and others from Karyn's Memory Box, but somehow, the story does not flow as well. However, Whitson is a talented writer and this book is worth the time.

I especially liked this book because of its continuing storyline concerning Reagan Bishop and Noah Ritter, I'm ashamed to say. Reading about poor Nora and all her hardships were just in the way of what was going on between Reagan and Noah. True, the story dragged a bit, particularly when Nora was in the brothel, but it made for wonderful reading. You won't be sorry for your purchase.

I liked this book, especially since I knew some of the characters from the other books. It seemed to drag at the beginning, but it was worth the wait. I'm amazed that Nora came out of a terrible situation and yet holds upstanding values. Of course, one of the points of the book is that good values alone are not enough. Read and Enjoy.