The Daring Exploits of a Runaway Heiress

The Daring Exploits of a Runaway Heiress by Victoria Alexander

352 pages. Published 2015

Amazon: 4 stars

Me: 4 stars 

I just finished another one of my guilty pleasures: the mass market paperback romance. I feel like many historical fiction romances have the same story line: guy and girl fall in love in London, but due to their places in society the match will never be (or so they think), and one runs away from the other without revealing their true feelings, they find each other and marry. I really liked this novel because it was different. 

In 1885, on her 21st birthday, Lucy Merryweather received an unexpected inheritance from her aunt. Along with the money (that was only to be hers and any future husband could not take this money) she was given her aunt's dairy, which read more like a list of regrets. A few years later Lucy traveled to England from America and broke off things with her childhood fiance. She decided to accomplish everything on her aunt's list. Lucy made her aunt's dairy of regrets her own bucket list.

Lucy needed to be unaccompanied by anyone in order to complete the list. Women were not left alone in the late 1800s. So when Jackson, her ex-fiance left on a trip with his parents, he employed a female companion to keep her company. She wrote her parents back in America, and didn't fully explain the situation in hopes she could complete the list before they traveled to England to bring her home.

Lucy's companion, Clara, was young, and very excited to help Lucy work on her bucket list. Clara's acquaintance, Cameron was in need of a story for his book to prove to his father that he could write. Cameron got wind of the ladies' adventures and followed them. Lucy assumed he was hired by Jackson as a private investigator to protect her. The trio work together to take care of Lucy's list.

This unique story line kept me wanting to find out what was going to happen next. And, although this book is number 5 in the Millworth Manor series I didn't feel like I was missing any crucial information to the story.

You can find this book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local bookstore or library.
Happy Reading!

Pirate Hunters

Pirate Hunters by Robert Kurson

275 Pages. Published 2015

Amazon: 4.5 stars

Me: 5 stars

From the time I heard the song Pirate Looks at Forty by Jimmy Buffett, and learned what a pirate was I was hooked. How could these guys live their lives at sea? Fighting, drinking, and whoring? I didn't find appeal in the latter aspects, as a woman, but it still fascinated me. The idea of living at sea for months at a time sounds thrilling. I'm too much of a wimp to take any long sailing trips where I can't see land, but that doesn't dampen my love of the water. 

My Dad and I both love the water, boats, pirates, and stories about them. We've traded books over the years detailing famous pirates' lives, how to live and survive as a pirate, and captivating fictional pirate stories. I will make sure my Dad reads this book. Pirate Hunters catalogs John Mattera and John Chatterton's journey in their search for the famous pirate, Joseph Bannister. 

Many books I've read give a general story of a several different pirates. Here, I received information on just one pirate, as well as, the lives of the divers searching for Bannister's ship, The Golden Fleece. 

Joseph Bannister was different than other pirates. He wasn't always a pirate. He started out as a loyal and trusted merchant captain. He routngland to Jamaicinely sailed from Ea on his ship. Port Royal, Jamaica was the pirate haven during the golden age of piracy from the 1650s to the 1730s; right during Bannister's time.

On one of his voyages he picked up extra crew, robbed a Spanish ship, and turned pirate. Bannister became a very wanted man. He was captured, tried and acquitted. The British finally captured him again after an historic battle. Bannister was careening (cleaning the bottom of his ship ashore) and two English Navy boats found and trapped him and, pretty much, went to war with him. He escaped that night, but was found and hanged soon after.

The night Bannister fought with the English Navy his ship, The Golden Fleece, was sunk in Samana Bay, Dominican Republic. John Mattera and John Chatterton work for Tracy Bowden searching for the shipwreck. Pirate Hunters retraces the men's journey as they search for the wreck. The reader learns about the three mens' lives, as well as, learning about Bannister's. During their journey, Chatterton and Mattera face as many obstacles as a modern day pirate would. This gipping novel keeps you on the edge of your seat.

You can find this book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local library.

Happy reading!

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
402 pages. Published 2010
Amazon: 4.5 stars
Me: 4 stars

In 1951 a poor, black woman named Henrietta Lacks went in to Johns Hopkins Hospital to have her cervical cancer surgically removed. When the doctors took her cancer, one researcher also took her cells, put them in a petri dish, and labeled them HeLa. He had been trying to grow human cells outside the body for a long time. And, for the first time, researchers could grow human cells. The HeLa cells helped to come up with a cure for polio, they were instrumental in gene mapping, have been in space, billions have been sold, and have been instrumental in research.

The issue in this book is not the medical advances, but the fact that Henrietta Lacks had these cells taken, and then sold without her knowledge or permission. On her deathbed, the doctor who took her cells did tell her they were going to do good things with her cells and she smiled. But, research was conducted and published without many people even knowing her name.  Her own family didn't know for years.

Back in the 50s doctors didn't have to get patients permission. They didn't have to tell individuals about the risks of procedures and surgeries. Doctors were seen as all-knowing and not to be questioned. They didn't have HIPPA or release forms. The Hippocratic Oath doctors take (do no harm to patients, etc) had only been written about ten years prior and was only a nice suggestion.

Medicine was different back then. But, when Henrietta's family found out about their mother's cells they were highly offended. Most black people were already suspicious of Johns Hopkins Hospital. The rumors were that the hospital took poor black people off the streets to performs tests on them. The Lacks family felt the hospital took advantage of them. No one asked them or their mother about the cells. No one told them about the research. And, mainly, they felt as though many people profited from their mother without them seeing a dime.

This book not only told about much of the medical breakthroughs that came from Henrietta's cells, but, and most importantly, it told the reader what kind of person Henrietta was, and who her children and grandchildren have become.

This book was fascinating and very information dense. It took me longer than it typically does to read a 400 page book. At times I felt, "how could they do this?" and "what were they thinking?" But, laws weren't in place to govern doctors and they were just doing the best they could. I do wish that some of the money companies, hospitals, and researchers made from the HeLa cells had been given to the family. Henrietta's children were poorly educated, and couldn't afford to go to the doctor. It was really sad. Their feelings were hurt. They didn't understand the science. All they had were rumors and skepticism.

You can purchase this book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, your local bookstore or library.