A_TiffyFit's Reading Corner: sourcebooks

Accolades!
An absolute delight! Swashbuckling adventure, eighteenth-century wit, hugely entertaining plots, and one of the most appealing military gentlemen ever to wear a sword.” -Diana Gabaldon – Author of the Outlander and Lord John Grey series

“The author’s affectionate, theatrical tale sets up his dashing hero and faithful sidekick for a long series. Much derring-do, told with panache.” -Kirkus

"Humphreys combines historical detail, a larger-than-life hero, clever plotting and fast pacing to craft a thoroughly entertaining historical adventure."-Publishers Weekly

"Although full of intrigue and accurate historical detail, the novel is ultimately a straightforward adventure story that sends readers racing through the pages of Absolute's improbable but exciting captures, escapes, and fight scenes." - School Library Journal

“A great introduction to what will surely become a long-lasting series.” – Library Journal

What do you get when you take the roguish leading man in Richard Sheridan’s comedy The Rivals and throw in a stirring of Bond, a dash of Hawkeye, a pinch of Aubrey?

Jack Absolute: A Novel reimagined as the title character in C.C. Humphreys’ first novel in a three-book series set during the American Revolution.

Humphreys has long had a love affair with the character of Jack Absolute. The actor played the dashing leading man in a British tour of The Rivals early in his career, and decided to bring him from the stage to the page when he began writing novels.

A bit about the book…It’s 1777 when Captain Jack Absolute becomes a sensation throughout London. This news comes as a shock to the real Jack Absolute when he arrives in England after four months at sea. But there’s little time for outrage before he finds himself dueling for his life. Right when he thinks he’s finally won, he is forced to flee London by the quickest means possible, becoming a spy in the American Revolution.

From the streets of London, to the pivotal battle of Saratoga, to a hunt for a double agent in Philadelphia, Jack Absolute marks the exhilarating beginning of an epic historical series and a character you won’t soon forget.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C.C. Humphreys is a novelist, fight choreographer, and actor who played Jack Absolute in The Rivals for a six-month run in London in the mid-1980s. When he became a full-time writer a decade ago, he decided to transform his leading man into a title character. Humphreys has written seven historical fiction novels includingThe French Executioner, which was runner-up for the CWA Steel Dagger for Thrillers 2002. The Jack Absolute series will feature three books: Jack Absolute, The Blooding of Jack Absolute, and Absolute Honour.

A_TIFFYFIT'S REVIEW

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for a review. I have not been compensated for my opinion.

Things people are saying about this book are pretty huge: Diana Gabaldon called it "an absolute delight!". Well, you've read it above. I have to say...it lives up to all of those accolades and more! I enjoy historical fiction and I truly loved this book.

It starts off with Jack Absolute looking at his opponent of an illegal duel in London, sizing him up, musing over how he got to be in a duel anyway. We are introduced to his witty, steadfast Mohawk brother, Atè, who is standing in as Jack's second. After the duel turns dishonorable (by his opponent), Jack and Atè are making a run for it, saved by Jack's old commanding officer Burgoyne, but then neatly boxed in to re-enlist and go back to his spying ways.

Atè remarks to Jack in the very beginning that he is impressive in everything except for when it comes to women; in that area, Jack has proven time and time again that he is a fool. (And this comment turns out to be prophetic; or is it inevitable?) As Jack and Atè talk and banter, the reader can see that they are indeed brothers. It's respectful ribbing, unspoken words and understandings, a true bond.

This novel is one adventure after another. There are captures, betrayals, daring escapes, espionage, swordfights, romance, and loyalty. The action is incredibly cinematic, very visual. Even though I don't really know a thing about swordfighting, I was able to picture what each swing and parry looked like. I think historical fiction and historical military fiction buffs will enjoy this book immensely, but so, too, will anyone looking for an excellent story with a charming, quick-witted lead character who manages to get out of some pretty tough spots!

CLICK TO READ MORE - An EXTENDED excerpt plus the giveaway - 3 people will win a print copy of Jack Absolute!

Lace is a thing like hope.

It is beauty; it is grace.

It was never meant to destroy

so many lives.

I won this book from a Sourcebooks giveaway. It had been on my to-read list at goodreads and I was so happy to have won it.

Lace is forbidden and yet everyone wears it and wants to wear only the best: Flemish lace is at high demand. For Lisette, lace begins her downfall. For Katharina, it defines who she is.

This tale is told from several perspectives. You have Lisette, a nobleman's daughter whose life is in tatters after she smudges a piece of lace of a guest. You have that guest, the Count, and the misery that his is life and how he takes it out on others. Katharina's life is all about lace and has been since she was taken from her family to make it for the nuns. Heilwich, Katharina's sister, spends her life trying to rescue Katharina. You have Alexandre, son of a warrior who died of leprosy, in love with Lisette, who does his best to rescue her. You have Denis, the idealistic soldier on the lookout for lace smugglers. And you have the Dog, Mon Cher Argent, abused and traumatized and used to run lace across the border.

The chapters from the dog's perspective were the hardest for me. I cried at the scene in Crime and Punishment when the horse is beaten to death. I cried while reading The Yearling, Where the Red Fern Grows, Old Yeller, you get the idea. And to have the dog's thoughts as he's enduring his life was heartbreaking. Moreso than the chapters of the humans and how corruption and desires ruined their lives.

I liked switching perspectives along the same story line. The story was always moving forward, all interconnected, much like the lace that is so highly sought. I prefer this style narration over epistolary novels, hearing the inner vexations of the villain, the worries the good guy is keeping a lid on, etc.

I pitied Lisette and the extremes to which she berates herself for something she did as a child. No matter how hard he tries, the father just cannot prove to her that it was simply circumstance. Alexandre can't seem to get it through her head either. I pitied her and yet I wanted to smack some sense into her, too. You detest the Count, especially as you learn what he ruined that family for. You cheer when the bad guys get theirs. You want to weep when it seems all for naught.

Definitely recommended.