#BookReview — This Day is Ours by Gretchen Jeannette #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalRomance @GAJeannette

This Day is Ours

By Gretchen Jeannette

Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to end.

The American Colonies, 1776.

As the flames of revolution spread across a divided land, a shadowy figure prowls the city of Philadelphia. Known only as Jack Flash, rebel highwayman, he preys on wealthy aristocrats loyal to the British Crown. The unpredictable outlaw always manages to stay one step ahead of his foes. Until the night he targets a Loyalist lady whose fiery spirit could spell his doom.

Alexandra Pennington believes she has her future well planned when a chance encounter turns her world upside down. Betrothed to a dashing king's man suited to her in every way, the young widow becomes entangled with an unrefined rebel fiercely opposed to British rule. Against all reason, she finds common ground with an enemy of the Crown. The sensible course for her is clear, but her bond with the notorious rogue will test her loyalty not only to her king but also to the man she vowed to marry.

From the drawing rooms of Philadelphia to the battlefields of an emerging nation, one woman stands between two men fighting for love and honor in a war destined to change all their lives forever.

"He's committed eleven robberies in the past three months. Last night alone, he stole a necklace worth a small fortune… He preys on Loyalists. It's obvious he's one of those Independents."

Well, at least they had one thing right. Jack Flash was all for an America independent of British rule, and if the wealthy aristocrats of Philadelphia, who were loyal to the Crown, could be persuaded to part with a few of their glittering jewels to help the cause then so much the better. 

But last night, Flash had made a mistake. He had strayed where he should not. He had almost been beguiled by a woman's fragrance scent and a desperate desire to steal not only her jewellery but also a kiss. Fool that he was — every thief worth his salt knew that a man who could rob successfully while kissing a pretty girl was not giving the kiss the attention it deserved.

Mrs Alexandra Pennington missed her late husband dreadfully, but perhaps now she would be able to marry for love, and not out of necessity. Charles Villard was charming, handsome, and attentive. Alexandra thought she could be happy with a man like him. That was until she found herself pinned against her bedpost with a pistol caressing her cheek. Alexandra felt violated, but more than that she felt an incredible rage because the necklace Jack Flash had stolen was a cherished wedding gift from her late husband, John.

Chance would have it that the thief and the widow would meet again, and that chance meeting would change the course of their lives forever...

From a daring robbery to The Battle of Monmouth in 1778, This Day is Ours by Gretchen Jeannette is an enthralling Historical Romance that not only threatens to mesmerise, but does.

Written with a poetic verse and a romantic, yet tender, sensuality, This Day is Ours has a lot to recommend it. With an impressive sweep, Jeannette has not only penned an irresistible romance, but she has also composed a story that encompasses the American War of Independence in all its vivid detail.

Jeannette does not romanticise the American Revolution. With a keen sense of time and place, Jeannette has depicted the relentless misery of war — from the sheer terror of battle to the frustration of red-tape which stopped supplies from going to where they were needed. But Jeannette also explores the camaraderie between the men, the persistent courage of those who fought for the right to rule their country without interference. Their patriotic cause inflamed them. Even when it seemed that their cause was lost, they did not give up. They fought on until victory was theirs. The historical detail of this book has to be commended. I can only imagine how many hours Jeannette has spent researching this era for she has captured the very essence of America during this period of volatile history. Kudos, Jeannette. Kudos, indeed.

This book, of course, would be nothing without the fabulous characters that grace the pages. I fell totally in love with Jack Flash from the opening chapter. He is something of a contradiction. He is a thief, but he has more honour in his little finger than some of the other characters we meet in this book. Flash's gentle nature is at odds with his occupation, but at the same time, it is somehow fitting. Jeannette has given her readers a protagonist that they can really get behind. Flash is an endlessly fascinating character whom I enjoyed reading about very much.

I initially feared, as I do with all Historical Romances, that Alexandra Pennington was going to be one of those wilting heroines, whose wit and intelligence is somehow compromised by the era in which she lives, or, worse still, she was going to be one of those strong independent women who has very modern views that would be totally out of place to the century the book is set. Thankfully, Jeannette has given us a heroine that is neither wilting nor exceedingly modern. Alexandra sits very comfortably in 18th Century Philadelphia. Alexandra's story was endlessly fascinating. Alexandra risks everything by listening to her heart and falling for the roguish hero of this story. She risks not only the scandal, but during such a violent and uncertain time, Alexandra risks a great deal more. I thought Jeannette depicted Alexandra with a wonderful skill and diligence. I could not help but like Alexandra. She is a courageous woman who is faced with impossible choices which could have terrible consequences for herself and those she loves. I thought her depiction was brilliant and in keeping with this era and this story.

I am not going to talk about the antagonist of this tale for I do not want to give away any spoilers, but I would like to mention Alexandra's brother-in-law from her first marriage, George Pennington. George is such a lovable scoundrel, who is incredibly opinionated, which lands him and those around him in trouble more than once. Yet, he is utterly devoted to Alexandra. George is like a father to her. Alexandra is his beloved, and he just wants to see her happy and safe. I thought George's depiction was wonderful. He is superbly drawn — a real larger than life character.

As I approached the 2nd part of this book, I had a moment of fear that Jeannette would lose the momentum, lose the romance that had carried this story forward so beautifully and so compellingly. How would the lovers survive as war tore them apart? But I need not have feared, for the brilliance of this book is in the writing. It is in Jeannette's captivating narrative, her skill at depicting realistic and believable characters. Jeannette's ability as an author to grasp all aspects of the human condition — from love to hate and everything in between, makes this book an absolute triumph from start to finish. I fell in love with this book in the opening chapter, and I continued that love affair right up until the very last full stop. This Day is Ours is the kind of book that deserves the highest of accolades, for it is fresh, it is vivid, and it is absolutely enchanting. 

If you are a lover of quality Historical Romance with a realistic setting and a tautly gripping plot then you will love This Day is Ours by Gretchen Jeannette. This is the kind of book that demands to be read again and again and again until the spine breaks and the pages fall out. It is deserving of a place on your bookshelf.

I Highly Recommend.

Review by Mary Anne Yarde.

The Coffee Pot Book Club.

Pick up your copy of

The Day is Ours

Amazon UK • Amazon US

Gretchen Jeannette

Gretchen Jeannette was born in 1955 in Wilmington, Delaware. She lives and works in Chester County, Pennsylvania, an area rich in Revolutionary War and Colonial American history. Her enduring interest in 18th Century America began at a young age, inspired by the novels of Dale Van Every and Allan Eckert, whose timeless tales of adventure and romance capture the essence of early American lore. Eager to read more such stories, to her disappointment she had trouble finding them on bookshelves, so she decided to write one of her own. Thus began a journey fueled by her passion for breathing life into history through believable characters, authentic historical details, and plots woven with adventure, romance and suspense.

Connect with Gretchen: Website • Twitter • Goodreads.

Please join me in conversation with #HistoricalFiction author, Douglas A. Burton #mustread #Interview @douglasaburton

Please give a warm Coffee Pot Book Club 

welcome to Historical Fiction author, Douglas A. Burton.

Cover designed by George Free, Treehouse Machine Studios.

DB: Thanks Mary! My name is Douglas A. Burton and I’m very pleased to be featured at the Coffee Pot Book Club. I noticed that your site is one of the top historical fiction sites on the web. That’s no small thing!

MA: It is, indeed, no small thing! I had the pleasure of reading Far Away Bird last year, and I wanted to ask you what inspired you to write about Empress Theodora? 

 

I’ve dreamed of writing an epic Byzantine novel ever since I checked out my first library book about the Byzantine Empire. When I first discovered this eastern Roman empire, which was confined to the Middle-East, the Balkans, and North Africa, my imagination filled with such rich and exotic images. There, on the library book pages, my mind’s eye witnessed eastern Roman emperors who dressed in silken and bejeweled robes, but in the fashion of the Orient. They spoke Greek instead of Latin and ruled over an empire of domed Christian basilicas instead of Greco-Roman pagan temples. Their military appeared more as a patchwork of chainmail-clad Crusaders rather than icon Roman legionnaires. They had political factions that revolved around chariot races at the Great Hippodrome, rather than fanatical Romans who watched gladiator matches at the Coliseum. And I felt like I, alone, discovered an exotic ‘second’ Roman empire because pop culture was silent on the matter. In the 1990s, I couldn’t find a single serious film with the Byzantine Empire as it’s setting. No TV shows. Nothing! No one seemed to know about this mysterious time and place.

Driven to the point of creative madness, I tried to bring this world to life many, many times. And failed. In 2009, I made my first serious effort at writing a Byzantine novel. I wrote the novel in the first person with Justinian as the main character. I found myself 500 pages and roughly 160,000 words in when I realized that I had no structure or setup. I studied archetypes, story structure, and worked on my writing craft extensively.

In 2015, when I switched to a limited third-person novel centered around Empress Theodora, the story took off. I used my knowledge of feminine archetypes and the hero’s journey into the fray.

MA: The Byzantine Empire is really overlooked, especially when compared with the Western Roman Empire. I have been fascinated with the Byzantine Empire for quite a while, and that was why I was so excited to read your book. Which leads me on to my next question, how did you come up with your setting and your characters?

DB: The setting was the Byzantine Empire by default. From the beginning, there was no doubt that Constantinople of the Sixth Century was going to be my primary setting. I determined that the underlying ethic to be solved was carnality. So, I used every possible setting where that ethic played out—a bathhouse, a brothel, arcades, and schools for prostitution, a concubinary, aristocratic sex parties, etc. And I made sure Theodora provided a substantive perspective throughout it all. In the end, her opinions and attitudes toward carnality change and lead her to develop a vision of the world where women are treated differently, where women have options, and where women may be viewed as equals instead of objects. Her entire journey matches up to the historical accounts very precisely. I think the only major detail I changed was her age when her father dies.

Constantinople: Use by Permission.

As far as characters, I wanted as many historical characters as possible, but I didn’t want “historical figures” self-consciously acting out history on the pages. I wanted human beings. I wanted characters who felt real, relatable, and authentic. I also paid special attention to my portrayal of women in the novel. I studied heroic women…a topic that needs more attention by the way…and I included different heroic personality types and mythic archetypes for women. There’s actually a lot of heroic women in the novel. Lastly, I wanted a heroine who suffered. I did not want to sensationalize Theodora or give readers a Mary Sue. I wanted a heroine who took the full force history in a male-dominated world and found a believable way to overcome her role in society. Theodora loses and fails and suffers and self-destructs a lot before she makes a stand. But when she does turn and fight, I wanted it to be the convincing (and unforgettable) emergence of a future empress.

MA: Far Away Bird is a wonderful success, so I think it is a book that you should certainly feel very proud of. There are many books in the historical fiction genre. Can you tell us three things that set your novel apart?

DB: Sure! One distinction is the use of mythical tropes and archetypes for both the masculine and feminine in the story. I also applied the hero’s journey in this novel…but allowed myself to break from conventions any time the story called for it. I also felt that the hero’s journey lacked certain themes that related specifically to women. So, I found major elements in mythology that dealt with the feminine and wove them all into the narrative. The result had a powerful impact on me as a writer, so I hope it has a powerful effect on readers.

Second, I think my book is distinctive in its style of visual storytelling. I made sure each setting meant something and provided critical details. Characters constantly interact with the world of Byzantium. I wanted scenes to feel cinematic rather than merely descriptive.

And third, I think my story is distinctive as a novel about Empress Theodora. I make a serious effort to reconcile her historical personality from a psychological point of view. In an unrelated non-fiction book, I encountered bizarre psychological case studies about female exhibitionists, meaning, women who have an aggressive tendency toward nudity. The psychologist Leon Wurmer pointed out that in many of the extreme cases, female exhibitionists partook in something called “counterphobia,” which is engaging excessively in a behavior that the person genuinely fears. His conclusion was that women who exhibited their body so determinedly did so out of an attempt to remove a trauma regarding their body, such an abuse. I wondered if Theodora’s historical infamy may have been rooted in traumatic abuse and feelings of shame. I suddenly saw her in a different light. The novel spends a good deal of time addressing the human experience of shame. And researching this topic unwaveringly opened my eyes to the fact that this problem is widespread and persists to this very day.

MA: Last, but not least. Can you tell us what you are currently working on?

DB: I’m working on two things. One is the sequel to ‘Far Away Bird.’ Book 2 centers on Theodora as she becomes an empress and attempts to assert her power and will in the Byzantine government. I plan on exploring the feminine power archetypes and power dynamics for women in male-dominated settings. I want her transition from an unwanted guest of the palace to one of the world’s most incredible female autocrats to be believable and carry real-world wisdom.

The Heroine’s Labyrinth.

And finally, I’m working on an alternative to the hero’s journey. Writing about Theodora changed my entire world view about women and about fiction. I decided that the hero’s journey, while perfectly valid, is essentially a male-oriented hero arc. After studying so many heroic women, I realized that heroines consistently deviate from the hero’s journey and carry recurrent themes of their own. From Clarice Starling to Wonder Woman to Dorothy Gale, our heroines are modeling a different type of heroic behavior. Their enemies are rarely distant dragons who threaten the native culture from afar. Nope. Heroines tend to face masked minotaurs embedded from within the native culture. Heroines often model behaviors that break gender roles and traditions. They often physically interpose themselves in between a powerful enemy and a defenseless life. In fact, I’ve found a ton of recurrent themes in heroine-centric stories that I think form the basis of an entirely separate monomyth for narrative structure. I call it the heroine’s labyrinth. I’m very excited about it. If this sounds interesting to you, check it out on my website at douglasaburton.com. You’ll see a section devoted to the heroine’s labyrinth.

MA: I cannot wait to read the sequel to Far Away Bird! Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to chat with us today. If you would like to learn more about Far Away Bird and read a fabulous excerpt then you know what to do — scroll down!

Excerpt

Theodora gets an early lesson about power in Chapter 24.

Theodora and Macedonia stood side by side, sweeping through a series of dance stretches. “You must engage men directly,” Macedonia said. “This is not so easy for some women because it involves confrontation. But you must learn how to oppose a man and to let your opposition strengthen your position with him.”

“What does that mean?”

“There are three basic roles to any relationship,” said Macedonia. “A master, a servant, and a peer. These roles are very defined among men, but with you, he will always assume himself the master. The world has taught him this and now you must teach him otherwise. Put a man in conflict, and he’ll work his way out, one of their great strengths, but you’ll use it to your advantage. When you learn what drives each man, you must challenge him on his ground. You’re to become the impetus,” she said and pulled out of the dance stretch. She turned to Theodora and lifted her chin. “If he is arrogant, doubt him. If he is ignorant, correct him. If he worships you, command him. If he is timid, embolden him. If he is judgmental, discredit him. If he is broken, console him. If he is withdrawn, ignore him. If he is a dreamer, inspire him. If he is irritated, pester him. If he is demanding, deny him. If he is threatening, turn and face him,” she said. “Too many women challenge men as the servant, using anger without power, and a powerless woman will eventually falter. Men are prepared for confrontation, and so too must you be. And when he responds to your opposition, you will remain composed, unflinching, and assertive.”

Theodora sighed and asked the inevitable question. “But what if he becomes violent?”

“Then he seeks authority over you, Theodora. If he strikes you, stand tall and dare him to do it again.”

That wasn’t the answer Theodora was looking for.

“Remember, we’re speaking about a man with whom you’ve established some level of trust and rapport. He’ll be a friend, a relative, or lover. If that man should turn against you, if he should strike you, you must confront him immediately.” Macedonia repeated herself, but slowly. “Stand tall and dare him to do it again. The power of violence is not the violence itself, but whether you accept his sole authority afterward. And you will not accept it. With each blow you defy him. His authority is collapsing, even while he believes he’s enforcing it.”

“And if he kills you?”

Macedonia stepped in close again and grabbed Theodora’s robe. “Then let this be your burial shroud. Wear it proudly. If you desire power, Theodora, then you better know the price. You go all the way. The wellspring of all power in this world comes from a willingness to face death for your own autonomy in this life. That is the covenant. No person or nation has ever risen without facing this brutal and powerful truth.”

Theodora stared back at Macedonia, stunned, feeling the weight of her mentor’s lesson more heavily than normal.

Macedonia continued. “And why should women fear death? We stare death in the face to bring life into this world, and we do so willingly. So, tell me, which is the better burial shroud? The one you wear now, or the one you’ll wear as an old woman who feared death and died anyway? Because I say that a woman who dies on her feet never really dies.” Macedonia blinked and glanced above Theodora as if she saw something there. “She is swept up from the earth in a magnificent gale, and she’ll leave this world sovereign.” Macedonia reset her eyes on Theodora. “An unconquered woman.”

Unconquered.

The smaller of the two Theodoras heard the word. She circled her thoughts around it. But like a wolf drawn in by a bright and mesmerizing fire, she feared to go any closer.

Far Away Bird

By Douglas A. Burton

Inspired by true events, Far Away Bird delves into the complex mind of Byzantine Empress Theodora. This intimate account deftly follows her rise from actress-prostitute in Constantinople's red-light district to the throne of the Byzantine Empire.

Her salacious past has left historians blushing and uncomfortable. Tales of her shamelessness have survived for centuries, and yet her accomplishments as an empress are unparalleled. Theodora goes on to influence sweeping reforms that result in some of the first ever Western laws granting women freedom and protection. More than a millennium before the women's rights movement, Theodora, alone, took on the world's greatest superpower and succeeded. Far Away Bird goes where history classrooms fear to tread in hopes that Theodora can finally take her seat among the greatest women in history.

Theodora seems impossible--yet her transcendence teaches us that society can't tell us who we are deep down. Before there was a legendary empress, there was a conflicted young woman from the lower classes.

And her name was Theodora.

The Coffee Pot Book Club

★★★★★ 

Highly Recommended

Read the full review HERE!

The Historical Fiction Book of the Year

2019

The Early Medieval Period 

Gold Medal

Debut Novel Book of the Year 2019

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Bronze Medal

Pick up your copy of 

Far Away Bird

Amazon UK • Amazon US

Douglas A. Burton

Douglas Alan Burton is a speaker, author, and expert storyteller whose work depicts heroic figures and their deeper connection to the human experience. Doug blogs about heroes, heroines, and villains in pop culture with some unexpected and refreshing perspective. He grew up in what he describes as “the heroic boyhood culture of late Generation X” that has gone mainstream around the world. He also shares strategies with fellow writers for writing compelling heroic characters in fiction.

Douglas recently began outlining a breakthrough storytelling model that reveals a fascinating “heroine-centric” model for story structure he calls The Heroine’s Labyrinth. He believes a powerful new archetype is emerging for women in fiction. His forthcoming novel, Far Away Bird, which centers on the early life of Byzantine Empress Theodora, won the 2019 Manuscript Content for Historical Fiction from the Writers’ League of Texas.

Connect with Douglas: Website • Blog • Twitter.