Discerning Grace | Book Review

 Review of Emma Lombard’s Discerning Grace, Audio Book Tour. Narrated by Siobhan Waring. Listening time – 10 hours 35 minutes.

At a Glance:  

• Title - Discerning Grace
• Author - Emma Lombart
• Listening time - 10 hours 35 minutes
• Format - Audio book
• Genre - Historical Fiction

Firstly, I was not sure if this book would hold my interest as I have been disappointed with quite a few audio books. I have left most of them half way! But the narration by Siobhan Waring did keep me hooked to the audiobook!

Blurb

As the first full-length novel in The White Sails Series, DISCERNING GRACE captures the spirit of an independent woman whose feminine lens blows the ordered patriarchal decks of a 19th century tall ship to smithereens.

Wilful Grace Baxter, will not marry old Lord Silverton with his salivary incontinence and dead-mouse stink. Discovering she is a pawn in an arrangement between slobbery Silverton and her calculating father, Grace is devastated when Silverton reveals his true callous nature.
Refusing this fate, Grace resolves to stow away. Heading to the docks, disguised as a lad to ease her escape, she encounters smooth-talking naval recruiter, Gilly, who lures her aboard HMS Discerning with promises of freedom and exploration in South America.

When Grace's big mouth lands her bare-bottomed over a cannon for insubordination, her identity is exposed. The captain wants her back in London but his orders, to chart the icy archipelago of Tierra del Fuego, forbid it. Lieutenant Seamus Fitzwilliam gallantly offers to take Grace off the fretting captain's hands by placing her under his protection.
Grace must now win over the crew she betrayed with her secret, while managing her feelings towards her taciturn protector, whose obstinate chivalry stifles her new-found independence. But when Grace disregards Lieutenant Fitzwilliam's warnings about the dangers of the unexplored archipelago, it costs a friend his life and she realises she is not as free as she believes.

DISCERNING GRACE is historical women's fiction that will appeal to fans of Claire Fraser from Outlander and Demelza Poldark from Poldark—in other words, fans of feisty historical female leads.

My take on the book.

Grace Baxter, a strong willed and out spoken woman is afraid to speak her mind when she over hears  her father’s plan to marry her off to Lord Silverton. Grace finds his approach repulsive and escapes off, dressed as a lad and lands as a ship’s boy in the HMS Discerning.

She works with the rest of the crew and bears all the teasing and taunting and even the punishments until one day her cover is revealed. Lieutenant Seamus Fitzwilliam, whom she had already met at the house party on the day she ran away from home, takes her under his wing. She is relived of her duties and is given a separate cabin which leads to boredom aboard the Royal Navy. Things go south when her stubbornness leads to the death of her favourite crewmate. Does Grace find the love that she deserved? Well, that’s for you to find out when you read the book!

Historical fiction is usually not my go-to genre , especially with a women as a protagonist but this one, I really enjoyed. The author had whisked me back in time and it was such a pleasure travelling and being a part of Graces’ journey.

I love the characterization of Grace and Lt. Fitzwilliam. Grace seems to be very ambitious and outspoken but is also quite soft and considerate in nature. She still had the guts to walk out of the life her father wanted her to have and with just a bit of reluctance joined the HMS crew. She is also seen to be naïve at times and bold and headstrong at other times! Lt. Fitzwilliam can be noticed as a stern and able officer and equally polite and soft man when he falls in love with Grace!

All the supporting characters are well formed and my favourite is the witty Gilly!I hated the nasty Lord Silverton and the tribes for doing what they did and my heart still aches for Gilly.

The author has done a good deal of research on the happenings aboard a ship and I actually learnt how the depth of the sea is charted!

Overall, a wonderful historical romantic fiction that is full of adventure, strong characters, twists and turns and one that will keep you listening to every chapter without a break! It pulls your heartstrings and also keeps you locked in suspense and that’s what kept me hooked to the storyline.

This is the first of the ‘White Sail ‘Series and I am looking forward to the next ones.

Thanks to @instabooktours and author @emmalombardauthor for this copy of the audio book.

Return of the Brahmin | Book Review

 This is the review of Ravi Shankar Etteth's Return of the Brahmin

At a Glance:  

• Title - Return of the Brahmin
• Author - Ravi Shankar Etteth
• Pages - 342
• Publishers - Westland [14 June 2021]
• Format - Paperback
• Genre - Historical Fiction

Blurb :

After thwarting the devious Lord Suma and becoming the emperor of Magadha, Ashoka now faces a new threat—a lethal foe whose only aim is to topple his empire. By slaughtering imperial officials, kidnapping royal prisoners and infiltrating the palace, the nemesis weaves a mesh of hatred, intrigue and menace. His identity is unknown, yet he breathes such terror that even dying men fear to utter his name. He calls himself the Khandapati. He provokes prison riots. He leads the Resistance. A poison witch and a murderous giant terrorise the people. What is the role of the vishkanya Daarya and the Pretnath? Who is the mysterious prisoner named Nirmukh?

Caught in a vortex of death and deceit, there is only one man Ashoka can turn to. The Brahmin. Years of friendship and fealty lead the spymaster back to Magadha, only to be caught in a violent conspiracy that extends beyond the empire’s boundaries. Will he be able to live up to his role as Magadha’s protector or will the Khandapati prove to be more than a match for the Brahmin?

My Review:

The return of the Brahmin is a historical thriller set in the times of Ashoka the Great! This is a sequel to the book The Brahmin. Even though this is a sequel [and I haven’t read the part 1] the storyline is easy to pick up from the part 2.

The Brahmin is the Emperor’s wily spymaster and he returns to Magadha only to find himself amidst a hell lot of conspiracies! Magadha is under turbulence. The Buddhist Emperor is caught in a web of lies and deceit and those around him are plotting against the throne.

 The spy master is under great resolve to calm the waters and this fast paced book takes us through various regions of the Kingdom and introduces to several characters.

The characters are aplenty and it takes a while to get used to them. The characterization is quite interesting, like the Visha Kanyas or the poison maidens who are fed with tiny doses of poison so that they become immune to it and they are sent to kill kings and imperial officials! The Nirmukh or the faceless man, Pretnath , the necromancer, Kandapathi, the enemy who is hell bent on killing Ashoka etc are some of the unique characters that you will come across. Each character has some really distinctive qualities and one can never imagine what havoc they can cause!

Ashoka who turns to Buddhism after the war and embraces non-violence still wants to go on a Holy war against the Ajivika sect who do not believe in reincarnation. With this war in mind and the threat to the life of both the King and the Brahmin, the spymaster tactfully manages each and every situation.

The relationship between the Brahmin and the King is brought out very well. It shows how much respect and trust they have on each other. They tactfully escape various assassination attempts and the spymaster proves his loyalty to the King by above and beyond the means of duty.

The narrative is very vivid. Be it the dresses, food, landscape, transportation, character description, all are descriptive and the author brings before our eyes everything from the ancient times!

On the whole, this is a fact paced and action packed historical thriller that takes you to Magadha and beyond. An enjoyable read filled with suspense that moves at an electrifying speed that you won’t put down the book until you reach the last page!

A Regal Man - The Life & Lessons of Vasu Shroff | Book Review

A Regal Man by Priya Kumar

At a Glance:  

• Title - A Regal Man , The Life and Lessons of Vasu Shroff 
• Author - Priya Kumar
• Pages - 270
• Publishers - Regal Group [22 Feb 2021]
• Format - Paperback
• Genre - Biography

Blurb :

Vasu Shroff is an icon. In 1961, at the age of 20, he stepped onto the sandy shores of Dubai. Starting from a single shop, his journey has led to an empire called the Regal Group, today a household name in the UAE. He now ranks amongst Forbes Middle East's Top 100 Indian Leaders.

Though an astute businessman, he is better known as a dedicated philanthropist. He has established scores of temples, schools, hospitals, and similar institutions across the UAE, India, and the world. He has helped countless individuals to overcome personal struggles. He has received India's highest overseas civilian honour for the good work he does.

Along the way, he has experienced many challenges, setbacks, failures, and heartbreaking losses. He has overcome all these, while building a legacy that spans generations.

And from it all, he has learned what it means to make a life worth living.

This book distills decades of experience, with Vasu Shroff sharing and guiding you through the core principles and practices that have contributed to his success - in business, service, love, and life.

Award-winning author Priya Kumar has deftly drawn out the best from a man many consider a living legend.

Learn to create an extraordinary life - one built on the art of giving.

My Review:

This is the biography of Vasu Shroff who has established a large business empire in the UAE. This book takes us through the life of Vasu Shroff right from his childhood spent in a small village in the now Pakistan and then moving on to Mumbai after partition and how he went on to build a successful business empire.

What I like about this book is that it is as told by Vasu Shroff in his own words. So we get a little closer to the narrative. He has given an insight of his life that has ups and downs and how he overcame all obstacles to become what he is now.

The book is not preachy but gives us the various aspects in life that one needs to pay heed to so that we do not stray away from our goals / missions in life.

Another thing is that he has not only shared his successes and triumphs but also the struggles ,challenges and problems he has encountered on the away and how he had strongly adhered to the right values all through. In spite of the heart breaking losses on the way ,he overcame all situations to attain the pinnacle of triumph.

The book gives us a lot of insights to take us towards our aim without wandering away or being misled by mundane things. This we realise is from his decades worth of experience and practices.

One of the highlights of this book is the ‘Wisdom in hindsight’ that is given at the end of each chapter. These tips and pointers give the reader something to work not only to have a better family environment but also for the overall development of the individual.

The ‘Let’s talk about you’ section is a sort of questionnaire that makes us ponder over the situations in life and how we should react to them or how to overcome those obstacles. And the empty lines at the end of the chapter are for us to write down our thoughts and responses.

The book also has some beautiful black and white photographs of Vasu Shroff taken during various events / occasions.

The language is simple and easy to follow.

Overall, this is a very good book to learn and understand the path to success and that life is not always a bed of roses and one should set aside the problems and face the challenges to achieve our target.