Tempest

Tempest (Old West #3) by Beverly Jenkins (2018), narrated by Kim Staunton

In this third and final book in the Old West series, Regan Carmichael leaves Arizona Territory for Wyoming to be a mail-order bride. During her first encounter with her husband-to-be she shoots him, so they're off to a pretty rocky start. (It was a misunderstanding, but still.) Dr. Colton Lee has been clear from the start that he's not looking for a love match, but only a mother for his daughter Anna. When he meets Regan he starts to have second thoughts, but remembers how difficult it was to find a woman willing to move to this wild land for him. So they carry on with their plan to get married and, of course, their marriage of convenience becomes something more.

Like in the last book, Breathless, there was very little angst between our hero and heroine, just a slow realization that they meant more to each other than they expected. When they first met, Colton was taken aback by Regan's outspokenness, her ability to use a gun, and the fact that she sometimes put on jeans and got dirty. His first wife, Adele, was traditional and ladylike, and it took him a while to get used to Regan. Oh, and Regan wasn't a virgin either, and she was honest about that. She and Colton had a great conversation in which it became clear that he thought sex is basically something that men desire but that women just provide. Regan schooled him on this topic pretty quickly.

But most of the tension in the story came from others in their town who made it difficult for Regan to settle in and feel at home. First and foremost was Colton's aunt Minnie who, up until now, had been a very big part of Anna's life. She was a strict, unkind woman who ruled by fear and discouraged Anna from having any sort of fun. Consequently, Anna was rather meek and afraid. Now that Regan was there, encouraging Anna to come out of her shell and be more confident (and get dirty!) Colton didn't want her around Minnie as much, especially when they learned that Minnie told Anna it was her fault that her mother died. Meanwhile, someone was threatening Regan's life, although it was unclear who or why. This family had some major hurdles to get over before they could really settle down.

As I know I've mentioned before, one of my favorite setups is a woman moving to a new place and setting up a life there. This had all of the elements that make that kind of story work for me. Regan is getting to know people in the town and trying to figure out who will be her friends. One of the first people she met and liked was Spring, Colton's sister, who was somewhat of an outcast in the town. But she was friendly and down-to-earth and the two became fast friends. Regan was also invited to a gathering of ladies in the town where the reception was a bit cooler. Some of the women were nice, and some were more stand-offish. It was a mixed-race group and it was clear that some of the white ladies weren't especially pleased with that. And of course there was a woman in town who had hoped that she would be the new Mrs. Lee.

I loved watching Regan settle into this town, develop a relationship with her new husband, and with his daughter. Colton was a country doctor who would treat anyone who needed it whether they could pay or not, so he was a bit financially strapped. Regan, however, came with her own financial independence which caused some heads to turn in the town when she began upgrading their kitchen so she could do some decent cooking and baking. The owner of the general store doubted her ability to pay for the items, and I loved watching her stand up for herself and buying the things she needed - and wanted - despite the judgement cast upon her from the townspeople. I also loved her relationship with Anna, who needed a mother like Regan and thrived in her company.

As with the other books in this series, I listened to the audiobook version which I pre-ordered so I could begin listening as soon as it was released. This one had the same narrator, Kim Staunton, who always has a pleasant easy voice that is enjoyable to listen to. I wish she hadn't tried to do the Chinese accents (and I think I had the same complaint about the last book) but those were just a few short parts and didn't really detract from the overall experience.

I've really enjoyed this series and I'm a little sad that it's over, but I know that Beverly Jenkins is a prolific author so there's lots more out there from her to read. One of her older books, Indigo, seems to be recommended everywhere, and I'm also interested in her Destiny series, one of which I think is about a lady pirate which, yes please. She also has a popular multi-book contemporary Christian series called Blessings, which isn't my jam but might be yours. I do encourage any romance reader who hasn't yet tried Beverly Jenkins to check her out.

Hag-Seed

Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood (2016)

The director of the Makeshiweg Theatre Festival has been delegating more and more to his assistant until his position is pulled out from under him entirely and his production of The Tempest cancelled. Lost and adrift, Felix flees to a small hovel where he lives alone, accompanied only by the memories of his dead daughter. Eventually he takes a job producing plays at a local prison and it is here that he finally has the opportunity to stage The Tempest. It is years since he was ousted, but he has been planning his revenge ever since, and it's through this play that he'll finally have it.

I read The Tempest pretty recently and then attended a performance, so it was pretty fresh in my mind as I began this retelling. This novel is about a man producing The Tempest, sure, but it's also the story itself. It's like two Tempests in one. And it works, brilliantly.

Just as Prospero was exiled with his daughter after being usurped by Antonio (or is it Alonso? I always confuse the two), Felix goes off by himself after losing his job and his memories of his daughter Miranda (of course) become so strong it's as though he imagines she's actually with him. He knows she's not really there, but he still talks to her and pretends she's real. He's been working at the prison for a while now, spending a few months of every year organizing inmates to perform a Shakespeare play. Circumstances come about that bring a group, including his former assistant Tony, to the prison to see the production and Felix knows this is his opportunity to exact revenge.

One of the things I loved is that the prisoners aren't allowed to swear, except for Shakespearean swear words from the play. So before they even start rehearsals they go through the text and compile a list of swear words. Then characters such as Leggs and 8Handz and VaMoose can be heard saying such things as "Right on, dude. Beetles light on them! Blister them all o'er!" and "Moon-calfs won't know what hit them!" and "Shove it, freckled whelp."

If you're not familiar with the original, there's a summary at the end which should help. It's definitely better if you can see how this story mirrors the original, but it could be enjoyed on its own especially since you get the whole story through reading about the performance staged by the characters. I found it a pretty quick read, clever and thorough enjoyable.

The Tempest

The Tempest by William Shakespeare (1610)

Although I'm technically finished reading plays for my Bardathon Challenge, I'll be seeing a performance of The Tempest in December so I decided to read it ahead of time. In this play, the magician Prospero has been living in exile on a remote island with his daughter Miranda. He conjures a storm which brings to the island several people who had conspired together to oust Prospero. His complicated manipulations result in the marriage of Miranda to the son of the King of Naples, and Prospero's own restoration as the Duke of Milan.

My experience reading this was pretty meh. I enjoyed some of the wordplay and humor, such as when a ship was described as being "as leaky as an unstanched wench." When Trinculo notices the monster caliban he remarks: "What have we here, a man or a fish? Dead or alive? A fish, he smells like a fish - a very ancient and fishlike smell, a kind of not-of-the-newest poor-John. A strange fish." Later, that same character says, again to Caliban, "Monster, I do smell all horse piss, at which my nose is in great indignation." So that was all amusing.

Again I read the Folger edition, as I've been reading with the other plays. This time I noticed that some unfamiliar words and phrases weren't explained, though "maze" was defined, which seemed a bit odd. I also had a hard time keeping track of the characters since so many of them seemed interchangeable. And I had a tough time understanding what was happening near the middle, but when all was said and done I think I get the idea.

At this point I sort of think if you've read one Shakespeare play, you've read them all so I probably won't be making a point to read any more. I'm looking forward to this play though - the island setting, storm, shipwreck, monster, and various spirits should lend themselves to a more visual experience.