[NC5]∎ Read Gratis The Flower Reader Elizabeth Loupas 9780451235817 Books

The Flower Reader Elizabeth Loupas 9780451235817 Books

Download As PDF : The Flower Reader Elizabeth Loupas 9780451235817 Books

The Flower Reader Elizabeth Loupas 9780451235817 Books

I can't believe I wasted $5.99 on this book! I expected to love it as the idea of flowers being able to tell what a person was like and what would happen in their future sounded so good. Unfortunately, the book did not live up to the idea. It wasn't a horrible a book, just not what I was expecting. First of all, why didn't Rinette give the casket to Mary, Queen of Scots as Mary's mother instructed? That was where the book began to fall apart. The second thing about this book I hated was how Mary QOS was written! I've read a lot of books about Mary and while I will admit that she was sometimes clueless and she didn't think things through all the way, I never perceived her as stupid and/or mean. In this book, she was written as MEAN and there is no evidence I've ever seen that she was this way. That turned me off even more. Third, the hero or love interest. There were several red herrings that suggested that he knew a LOT more than he was saying and that he might even be the villain of the book! Last but not least the heroine of the book was just plain stupid. She knew ruthless men and Queens wanted that casket and would kill her to get it! She knew not to go out alone but what does she do? Takes off alone with ruthless men only to wonder why she was attacked! The writing itself was good, the plot idea was good but the between the idea and putting words to paper, the book fell apart.


Tags : The Flower Reader [Elizabeth Loupas] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Rinette Leslie of Granmuir has the ancient gift of divining the future in flowers, but her gift cannot prepare her for the turmoil that comes when the dying queen regent entrusts her with a casket full of Scotland's darkest secrets. On the very day she means to deliver it to newly crowned Mary,Elizabeth Loupas,The Flower Reader,Berkley,0451235819,Historical,Courts and courtiers,Courts and courtiers;Fiction.,Historical fiction.,Love stories,Mary,Scotland - History - 1057-1603,Scotland;History;1057-1603;Fiction.,1057-1603,1542-1587,AMERICAN HISTORICAL FICTION,FICTION Historical General,FICTION Literary,FICTION Occult & Supernatural,Fiction,Fiction - Historical,Fiction-Historical,GENERAL,General Adult,Great BritainBritish Isles,Historical - General,Historical fiction,History,Mary,,Queen of Scots,,Scotland,United States,historical;historical fiction books;historical fiction novels;literary fiction;supernatural;paranormal;alternate history;demons;historical fiction;fiction;novels;fiction books;historical novels;literature;books fiction;paranormal books;realistic fiction books;books historical fiction;paranormal fiction;mystery;historical mystery;england;medieval;romance;historical romance;renaissance;royalty;art;fantasy;crime;tudor;venice;victorian;adventure;shakespeare;murder mystery;sisters;castle;middle ages,historical fiction; historical; historical romance; literary fiction; renaissance; 18th century; 19th century; historical mystery; historical fiction books; victorian; royalty; historical fiction novels; fiction; fiction books; literature; paranormal; paranormal books; paranormal fiction; supernatural suspense novels; england; mystery; medieval; tudor; tudors; art; adventure; drama; biography; plantagenets; shakespeare; english history; art history; supernatural; henry viii; love; elizabeth i; witches; butterflies; magic,FICTION Historical General,FICTION Literary,FICTION Occult & Supernatural,Historical - General,Fiction - Historical,1057-1603,1542-1587,History,Mary,,Queen of Scots,,Scotland,American Historical Fiction,Fiction,Historical fiction

The Flower Reader Elizabeth Loupas 9780451235817 Books Reviews

Despite the novel's title, flower reading, or floromancy, takes a backseat to the drama and suspense permeating the plot. The dying queen of Scotland gives Rinette Leslie, her ward, a silver casket. Rinette is instructed to do two simple things hide the casket in a secret vault under the castle and ensure that Mary Stuart, the future Queen of Scots, receive the casket on her first day back in Scotland. She is to show the casket to no one and certainly not to look inside. It takes little more than ten pages for the reader to see that Rinette's promise is shredded to bits. She does not hide the casket in the vault. Instead, she runs home to Granmuir as quickly as possible to wed her lover, casket in tow. Feeling guilty about her broken promise, Rinette returns to court the first day the young queen arrives, and this is where the story takes off. Soon, Rinette's husband is dead, she is using the casket as a bargaining chip, and she is falling for another man.

All things considered, this book is a pleasant read. I was often confused about who was related to whom and how Rinette knew certain people, but by the end of the novel, I sort of had the hang of it all. I am not well-read in this period of Scotland, though, so perhaps someone who knows more about the time period would not have trouble keeping up with the characters. Nico de Clarac was a different sort of hero from the ones writers usually describe. He is completely the flamboyant courtier, yet he was raised in a monastery by monks. He wears make-up and more jewelery than the heroine, yet he engages readily in sword fights. This slightly effeminate and yet hardened man was a nice departure from the usual alpha males read about in so many historicals.

The plot was well-paced, and it kept me reading. For some reason, though, I just can't give this book 4 stars. I can't pinpoint one thing that I didn't like about the book, but there are several small things that may have prevented me from falling in love with it. The writing style on occasion got on my nerves. The author would repeat entire pieces of dialogue from earlier in the book as if we hadn't read it at all or as if the reader wouldn't remember what was said. Also, I couldn't quite get on board with the characters. Something about them seemed 2D throughout the entire book as opposed to coming to life. While the suspense of the book kept me reading, I really didn't care what happened to anyone in the book. In fact, the best-written character in the novel was probably young Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots. Loupas portrayed her so wonderfully mercurial and impulsive. She, out of everyone, sprang to life on the pages.
This was an interesting take on Scotland before and during the first part of the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots. The author created a riveting fictional story using certain real artifacts (a silver letter casket that may have belonged to Mary Stuart) and real historical figures. The fictional heroine--a floromancer named Rinette Leslie--was given a silver casket containing letters and prophecies on the night Mary de Guise died. Rinette's task was to hide the casket and then pass it on to Mary Stuart. However, upon the death of Mary de Guise, Rinette became swept up in a stormy adventure involving assassination, intrigue, and pursuit by cruel men who would stop at nothing to gain the casket and the valuable secrets it held.

I have to admit, the first 30 pages or so almost failed to draw me in. The story and the quick action seemed very melodramatic, in the style of a romance novel. However, the intrigue and mystery surrounding the silver casket finally drew me in. I also liked the descriptions of Rinette's floromancy--how she used flowers to uncover someone's character traits, or to tell the future. Sometimes fantastical elements in a historical novel can feel rather "gimmicky" to me, but I thought the flower-reading was a fascinating element to include. I think I prefer The Red Lily Crown (Elizabeth Loupas's most recent book), but this was still a very good read.

(I also posted this review on Goodreads.)
I can't believe I wasted $5.99 on this book! I expected to love it as the idea of flowers being able to tell what a person was like and what would happen in their future sounded so good. Unfortunately, the book did not live up to the idea. It wasn't a horrible a book, just not what I was expecting. First of all, why didn't Rinette give the casket to Mary, Queen of Scots as Mary's mother instructed? That was where the book began to fall apart. The second thing about this book I hated was how Mary QOS was written! I've read a lot of books about Mary and while I will admit that she was sometimes clueless and she didn't think things through all the way, I never perceived her as stupid and/or mean. In this book, she was written as MEAN and there is no evidence I've ever seen that she was this way. That turned me off even more. Third, the hero or love interest. There were several red herrings that suggested that he knew a LOT more than he was saying and that he might even be the villain of the book! Last but not least the heroine of the book was just plain stupid. She knew ruthless men and Queens wanted that casket and would kill her to get it! She knew not to go out alone but what does she do? Takes off alone with ruthless men only to wonder why she was attacked! The writing itself was good, the plot idea was good but the between the idea and putting words to paper, the book fell apart.