Some characters in FOR THE KING, including the would-be assassin Pierre de Saint-Régent, wear cadenettes. What were they?

They consisted in two side braids worn in front of the ears, while the rest of the hair was gathered in two more braids behind the ears. Those were tied on the nape to form a queue. Odd male fashions? In fact there was far more to them that mere looks.

The cadenettes , often reinforced with small wooden rods at the center of the braids, protected the cheeks and back of the neck in close combat. They were sturdy enough to ward off the blade of a saber, and could mean the difference between life and death, or at least avoid a disfiguring injury.

Thus they were quite popular with soldiers, or those who wished to give themselves a martial allure. Saint-Régent, described by certain witnesses as wearing cadenettes in the weeks that led to the assassination attempt on Napoléon, may have been used to wearing them during his years as a Chouan insurgent. He later cut them off, probably to change his appearance, because at the time of his trial, he is shown as wearing his hair cropped short, in the fashion popular with civilians at the time (and to this day.)

Cadenettes have remained associated with the soldiers of Napoléon’s armies. If you visit the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, you will notice that the frieze that goes around the monument depicts many of them wearing their hair in this manner. All fashions, regardless of time and place, are in some way odd and arbitrary, but this particular one happens to make more sense than most…

Now for the giveaway! I have one copy of FOR THE KING to give away.  To enter, please fill out the form below.  You must fill out the form to be entered; comments will not count as entries. Contest open to US/Canadian residents only, please. Contest will end Friday, August 13th.

Guest Post & Giveaway: Catherine Delors, Author of For the King is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

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Unless you live under a rock (which might actually be a great way to keep cool during this scorching hot summer!), you already know that Mockingjay, the highly-anticipated third book in the Hunger Game series by Suzanne Collins, is scheduled for release on August 24.  Fans of this series have been anxiously awaiting the release of this book since last fall when Catching Fire was released.

I’m excited to announce that I am participating in the Official Mockingjay 13 District Blog Tour! I have been chosen as a tribute from District 8!  My official tour stop is on Wednesday, August 18th.  That day, I will be discussing some aspect of the Hunger Games series.  But the best part!!!!  I will be hosting an exclusive special secret giveaway!

So be sure to come back on August 18th to learn more.  In the meantime, check out the official Hunger Games Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/TheHungerGames.

Edit: Due to the pretty lively debate on Twitter, I have decided to announce my allegiance to:

Countdown to Mockingjay: Official Mockingjay 13 District Blog Tour is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

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To enter this contest, please fill out the form below. Open to US and Canadian residents only, please. You must complete this form to be entered; comments do not count toward entry. To be fair to all, I do not give extra “points” for tweeting or blogging about this contest.  Contest ends Friday, August 6th.  Good luck!

Giveaway: Running Dark by Jamie Freveletti is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

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Emma Caldridge is running in an ultramarathon in South America.  A bomb explodes on the race route, and as Emma recovers from the shock of the blast a stranger injects something into her arm.  Amazingly, Emma is able to complete the 55 mile race and does so in record time.

Emma’s not the only one under attack. Back in Washington D.C., Emma’s good friend Edward Banner is defending Darkview (a security agency) from the FBI, Congress, & the IRS, due actions that took place in Colombia (Running from the Devil).  Cameron Sumner, the man responsible for saving Emma’s life in Colombia, is on board a luxury cruise ship off the coast of Somalia.  When the ship is attacked by pirates, Sumner is the only one onboard with a weapon powerful enough to defend the ship, albeit temporarily.

The three characters are brought together when Sumner learns that a chemical weapon is onboard the ship.  Emma, a chemist, must risk her life to get onboard the ship and determine how how dangerous this weapon is.

Once again, Freveletti doesn’t fail to impress me.  As in Running from the Devil, there is no lack of action and suspense in Running Dark.  From beginning to end, my heart was pounding. Fans of Running from the Devil will be happy to read more about it’s characters, but the author provides enough back story to get a new reader up to speed. My only complaint would be the resolution…it all seemed to end a bit too quickly for me.  Granted, it was very intense and exciting, I just wanted a little more. It is obvious that Freveletti plans on continuing the series; I’m definitely interested in reading more from this author!

Be sure to check back later today and win an ARC of Running Dark!

Review: Running Dark by Jamie Freveletti is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

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Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser this week comes from Last Writes: A Forensic Handwriting Mystery by Sheila Lowe:

“She had come to realize that James Miller and the rest of them were all true believers, willing to blindly follow the governing board.  That was the one thing she could fault them for: their willingness to reject independent thinking as they had been so thoroughly conditioned to do.” (p. 209)

What’s your teaser this week?

Teaser Tuesday: Last Writes by Sheila Lowe is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

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Readers of this blog know the challenges my husband and I have faced with with our oldest son, John.  John has ADD and in the past this condition has hindered him quite a bit.  He was a reluctant reader and viewed reading as punishment or a chore.  However, within the past year, his attitude has improved dramatically. He enjoys reading now, loves taking trips to the bookstore, etc.  His overall attitude has improved drastically!

However, it wasn’t until recently that I really saw this improvement in action.  Recently, John was tasked with coming up with a talent to present at a family reunion. John and his father decided that his talent would be to recite Obama’s “Yes We Can Speech.”  John’s grandmother has frequently mentioned that he resembles Obama, so this talent seemed perfect.  Now I admit, I didn’t think he’d be able to do it. I didn’t think he would be dedicated enough to be able to do what it takes to learn this speech and to perform it well.  Boy, was I wrong.

John presented this speech with so much emotion, enthusiasm, that it gave me goosebumps.  Listening to him recite this powerful speech left me feeling so much pride I thought I would literally explode.  So, without further ado, John’s recitation of Obama’s Yes We Can!

Gives you goosebumps, doesn’t it!?  However, this has reminded me to be proud of the small achievements as well as the monumental ones, for the little steps are a pathway to the big steps.

Adventures in Parenting: Pride is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

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On December 24, 1800, an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Napoleon brutally massacres several innocent bystanders. Chief Inspector Roch Miquel must rush to find the guilty party before another attack is attempted.  His efforts are thwarted by internal politics and  corruption within the police force.  His work is also hindered by his superior, Minister of Police Fouche, who arrests his father when Miquel’s investigation leads him in a direction Fouche finds undesirable. His father’s fate and life are held in the balance. Can Miquel reveal the identies of the guilty parties and preserve the life of his dear father?

Delors paints a very vivid setting. For the King combines two of my favorite genres: history & thrillers. Although the reader knows of the identities of the bombers early on in the book, their motives and incentives for the bombing are carefully and intricately revealed throughout.  What I really enjoyed about this book is the amount of historical detail.  It’s not only an investigation to find and put to justice three individuals, but a history lesson as well.  The reader also learns a great deal about the politics and turmoil of France at this time.

Initially, not very much about Miquel is known, but Delors provides a bit of history about this character through flash-backs to his childhood. Miquel is an extremely likeable and compelling character.  Unlike others in his station, he did not come from a wealthy family. His promotion to such a high level within the police force shows his dedication to this cause.

 I highly recommend For the King to readers of historical/political thrillers.

Mini-Review: For the King by Caterine Delors is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being reading, and the books to be finish this week. It was created by J.Kaye’s Book Blog, but is now being hosted by Sheila from One Person’s Journey Through a World of  Books so stop by and join in!

Books Completed Last Week

Running Dark by Jamie Freveletti
Labor Day by Joyce Maynard
For the King by Catherine Delors

Currently Reading

Nothing to Lose (Jack Reacher, No. 12) by Lee Child
Last Writes: A Forensic Handwriting Mystery by Sheila Lowe

Books to Complete This Week

Think of a Number by John Verdon
The Stuff That Never Happened by Maddie Dawson

What are you reading this week?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

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 I’ve mentioned my Halloween Fright Fest a few times here on the blog.  Although it’s not taking place until October, it never hurts to start planning early! I’ve put together quite a list of horror/thriller/Halloween themed books & movies that I’ll feature during this month of thrills and chills, but wanted my followers and friends to have the opportunity to do the same.  Therefore, I’ve officially opened up sign-ups for guest posts, interviews, etc. for those of you who would like to participate.  If you are interested in participating, please fill out the form below.  Submissions won’t be due til the first of September so you still have over a month to plan. 

As a special incentive for those who participate, posts will be judged by my readers based on several criteria, including: most unique post, scariest post, favorite scary book and movie, etc.  The prize has yet to be determined but I promise you it will be a good one!

Participation is open to everyone: bloggers, authors, publicists, followers, random people I meet on the street.  I will continue to accept sign-ups through the end of August.  So…get your thinking caps on and sign up early! Spaces are limited!

Sign Up Now! Halloween Fright Fest! is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

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• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (August 3, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 0061843415
• Source: Publisher

Summertime is nearing an end.  Thirteen-year-old Henry hasn’t done much but watch television.  He lives with his mother Adele who, since the divorce from his father, very rarely wants to leave the house.  Her heart has been broken for some time, nearly everything she once lived for is now gone.

They live off of Campbells soup and TV dinners. However, one day they forced to leave the house and trek to the local discount store.  Henry is approached by an injured man who asks for help.  Henry & Adele’s lives are forever changed.  For the next several days, Henry learns things he’d never learned before:  how to play catch, how to play baseball, and most importantly, he learns a lesson about love.  He also learns that it’s important not to judge someone based on their past, but instead an individual should be judged by who they are now, and what they can provide in the future.

Labor Day is told from the viewpoint of Henry, a young boy on the cusp of young adulthood.  He’s still young, a bit naive about girls, and very sensitive emotionally.  The six days he spends with this stranger play a key role in his emotional and mental development.  It is not until he’s an adult that he really begins to comprehend just how important this weekend was. He gains an insight on life that many don’t discover in an entire lifetime.

Maynard does a stunning job portraying Henry’s character; she’s able to so accurately describe the attitudes and emotions of a teenage boy.  One couldn’t help but sympathize with Henry’s character.  We were all teens once; we experienced similar “growing pains.”

The secondary characters Adele and Frank are just as aptly detailed.  Initially, Adele’s character annoyed the heck out of me.  She seemed to have given up on life, completely forgetting that she had a son, a reason to live.  It wasn’t until I read a bit more about her that I realized the cause of her pain. Frank is an interesting character.  He has a pretty rough history and realistically one should have disdain for a man of his character.  But I couldn’t help but love him for what he gave to Adele and Henry.

The relationship this trio shares is initially perplexing, but ultimately rewarding. The storyline is captivating and unpredictable.  While reading this book my initial thought was “What!?” but by the end it was replaced with a “Wow!”  I was caught off guard by how much I enjoyed this book; I fell in love with this odd little “family” and Maynard’s descriptive, flowing prose. I highly recommend this one; it would make the perfect beach or lazy summer day read.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for giving me the opportunity to participate in this tour.  Please be sure to check out the other upcoming stops:

Monday, July 26th: Café of Dreams

Wednesday, July 28th: Rundpinne

Monday, August 2nd: Book Chatter

Tuesday, August 3rd: Jo-Jo Loves to Read!

Wednesday, August 4th: excess baggage

Thursday, August 5th: Peetswea

Friday, August 6th: Stiletto Storytime

Monday, August 9th: Alison’s Book Marks

Tuesday, August 10th: Lisa’s Yarns

Wednesday, August 11th: Bookstack

Thursday, August 12th: The 3 R’s: Reading, ‘Riting, and Randomness

Review: Labor Day by Joyce Maynard is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

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