Early Review: Death by Petticoat by Mary Miley Theobald

Death by Petticoat: American History Myths Debunked
Mary Miley Theobald, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Every day stories from American history that are not true are repeated in museums and classrooms across the country. Some are outright fabrications; others contain a kernel of truth that has been embellished over the years. Collaborating with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Mary Miley Theobald has uncovered the truth behind many widely repeated myth-understandings in our history including:

• Hat makers really were driven mad. They were poisoned by the mercury used in making hats from furs. Their symptoms included hallucinations, tremors, and twitching, which looked like insanity to people of the 17th and 18th centuries—and the phrase “mad as a hatter” came about.

• The idea that portrait painters gave discounts if their subjects posed with one hand inside the vest (so they didn’t have to paint fingers and leading to the saying that something “costs an arm and a leg”) is strictly myth. It isn’t likely that Napoleon, King George III, or George Washington were concerned about getting a discount from their portrait painters.

• Pregnant women secluded themselves indoors, uneven stairs were made to trip up burglars, people bathed once a year, women had tiny waists, apprenticeships lasted seven years—Death by Petticoat reveals the truth about these hysterical historical myth-understandings.

Genre: Nonfiction

Publication Date: June 5th 2012

Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing

Format: eARC, 160 pages 

Series: no

Source: Netgalley

___________________________________

My Review

First line: Burning to death sounds gruesomw, and there were some instances in which women died of burns when theur long skirts, or petticoats, came too close to hearth fires.

Last line: In the back room, women could socialize, buy takeout, or eat the popular free lunch - free, that is, with the purchase of a drink.

Favorite quote: Armchairs were an indication of status and were reserved for the head of the household or other important people.This is a very short, very funny book filled with myths and curiosities of American History. It was very interesting to read more about how people lived at that time and how many of the unfounded myths came about.

The author is highly amusing in her way to expose silly and absurd myths and the truth behind them, but it's too bad there were so little of them and such short explanations. The book made them clearer and easier to comprehend, but in the end they came out sounding a bit trivial, without very much depth into actual history. But I'm not a historian, so I had fun and learned quite a few things.

It's a great book for when you need to kill some time or just before going to bed. A very light, funny and informative read.

So, if you are wondering if men were shorter back then, if people didn't bathe, if potatoes and tomatoes were considered poisonous by early colonists, if women ate arsenic to lighten their complexions and were not allowed to use the front door of taverns or if cooks used spices to mask the flavor and odors of rotting food, this is your book to read and find out. ;)

It will make for some great conversation topics and ice-breakers.

*I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.* 

Review: Waltz of Seduction by Natasha Blackthorne

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you're all having fun!

Here's a great, romantic read that could very well be read by two... it's an excellent choice for today. :P

__________________________________________

Waltz of Seduction
Natasha Blackthorne


A painful personal experience makes Lord Lockhart believe that a gentleman doesn't inflict his passionate desires on a wife. The marriage bed is for begetting heirs, not animal lust. No matter how much he desires his wife. But under Lady Lockhart's shyness is a determination to tempt her handsome husband, to satisfy them both and spend every night together in her bed.


Innocent waltzing lessons in their chambers soon become indecent, and may lead the newlyweds to overcome their preconceptions and learn to be lovers, as well as man and wife.

Genre: Adult,  Historical

Publication Date: 2011

Publisher: Ellora's Cave Legend

Format: e-book, 42 pages 

Series: no

Source: review copy from publisher

___________________________________

My Review

Lady Sarah Lockheart wants nothing more than to tempt her husband. But nothing she tries seems to do the trick. Lord Colin Lockheart remains distant. He actually pays more attention to his clocks and star-gazing than he does her. 


Sarah thinks herself very plain and comes from a commoner's family. She wonders if the only reason her husband married her was because of the money she brought from her family. Why is it that hardly ever visits her chamber, and why are his visits so brief? It seems as if he's always avoiding her or when they're together he's often eager to leave her presence. Sarah is afraid he regrets marrying her, and that he might find himself a mistress.

Colin  finds his wife very beautiful in her own way. And almost too tempting. So much that he wants to bother her with his 'marital rights' more often than he thinks is acceptable. As a gentlemen, he believes he shouldn't treat his wife as a whore to sate his needs. He is convinced it might even affect her fragile female nerves. LOL.


He loves her and wants to show the world just how lovely she is, how much he cares and respects her, and that she means much more to him than just a trust fund.


He wants to waltz with her, in front of everybody. He just needs to convince her.


This was one of the most beautifully written short stories I have ever read!


The love between the characters was almost palpable! The sex scenes were so romantic, so cute, so right! (most books have some very vulgar, exaggerated scenes, but not this one.). Everthing was very tasteful and fit perfectly in the story.


I was really surprised with the quality of the writing! The author has such a great way with words! I really liked the alternating POVs, too! It's always nice to see how each character really feels, not just how the others see them.


I just wish it was a bit longer... I wanted to keep on reading about them!!! :) The story was short, but it was so well done it was able to show us perfectly just how sweet and complex the characters were within those few pages. 


Really, I can't stress how great and entertaining the writing was. I'll certainly look for Natasha Blackthorne's other titles.


If you like erotica with some actual backgroung story and meaning, then you'll love Waltz of Seduction!


I'd like to thank the author and the publisher for the chance of reviewing this jewel. 

Review: Chubby Girl Hot! by Michelle Fawkes

Chubby Girl Hot!
Michelle Fawkes

Katie is smart, attractive, and has a good job. She's a computer geek and graphic designer for a major corporation. People tell her she's pretty. And they always tell her she has a "great personality."

But Katie is chubby. And society has decreed that being chubby equals second class citizen. That's okay with Katie. She has dreams like everyone, but she's accepted her lot in life and makes the best of it. She knows she'll never get married or even have a real boyfriend, other than as a friend with sometimes benefits. Her life moves along in a quiet, predictable rut.

Until one day...

Genre: Adult, Erotica

Publication Date: Dec. 27, 2011

Publisher: Smashwords

Format: e-book, 22 pages 

Series: yes

Source: review copy from author

___________________________________

My Review

Katie is a talented graphic designer. She's funny, she's smart and she's pretty... but her extra pounds make her feel very self-conscious.

When her recurrent "friend with benefits", Freddie, tells her he's moving to another state, she finds herself in need of a new 'fuck buddy'... and she wants Brad, the new IT manager at her company.

And Brad wants her, too. He asks her out for lunch. They talk, have lots of fun together, discover many things in common and decide to go out again, this time for dinner. After a lovely dinner out, things start to get really hot. For one night, Katie forgets about her restraints about her weight and has fun. And really great sex... but with the next morning comes the light of the sun and the reality sinks in. He's incredibly handsome and she's overweight.

Katie starts to push him away, no matter how much it hurts her. She goes out dancing to try and have some fun, but comes upon him kissing Regina, the evil marketing manager that always treats her like a zero and bothers her about her weight. She's devastated and leaves, but her best friend, Bibi, goes to deal with Brad, telling him about how much of an idot he is, about Katie seeing him with Regina, and that she loves him. Brad goes after Katie to explain that the other woman came on to him out of nowhere and to tell her he loves her.

It was nice to read about a real woman with a real body for once. It's a very short story, but it was interesting and certainly hot. There were a few editorial mistakes but nothing that got in the way of the story, but what did bother me was how fast the characters were to say 'I love you'... but that's usually how it goes with most romance novels, I guess.

Chubby Girl Hot! makes for a nice, light and quick read for before bed or to just pass the time. The story continues in  Chubby Girl's Vacation and Chubby Girl's Wedding.


*I would like to thank the author for providing me with a copy for review.*