2014 has been a great book year for me! I exceeded my goal of 100 books, finishing out the year with either 106 or 107 books read (I'm still reading one so I may or may not finish it before midnight tonight). I fully expect my rate to be higher next year, as I have to read 60+ books for school by April alone. I'm really happy because the quality of books that I've read this year has been great, too! I've encountered my share of duds, but overall, this has been a really great book year for me. 

 

"If you can't break the rules you might as well seduce the man who makes them."

This is a historical fiction about Peggy Shippen Arnold, the wife of Benedict Arnold. Americans all know Benedict Arnold as a traitor but this book covers Peggy's possible roll in what happened. As I haven't read much historical fiction set during the Revolutionary War this was a bit of a new experience for me and after having read this book I am looking forward to reading more historical fiction set in this time period.

 

Reading this caused me to be the closest I have ever been to smashing my Kindle to pieces, but not because it was boring or badly written but because Peggy Shippen Arnold was such a bitch. Oh man I can usually take bitchiness up to a certain point but Peggy was just so frustratingly bitchy. Every time she was mentioned as or called Miss Peggy I read it as "Miss Piggy." She definitely reminded me of Scarlett O'Hara from Gone With the Wind.

 

I just loved reading this book from Clara's (Peggy's maid) point-of-view. I really connected with Clara and felt horrible for her that she had to always deal with Peggy. I feared that she would always let Peggy push her around and I really enjoyed seeing how Clara deals with everything at the end.

 

Allison Pataki includes a historical note at the end explaining more about the facts of the events and showing how she stayed true to those facts and where she sometimes differed from the facts a bit. As a historical fiction book this managed to be based off of history and stay mostly true to the facts while still being an interesting read.

I can't remember ever having read a historical fiction book set during the Revolutionary War so this might possibly be my first (I tend to read a lot of historical fiction about WWII so other time periods could really use my attention.). I have enjoyed this so far but wow Peggy is a bitch. She kind of reminds me of Scarlett O'Hara from Gone With the Wind except for Scarlett really loved her mother and Peggy doesn't seem to even like her mother. Clara seems so awestruck by Peggy and I think she will end up doing anything and everything Peggy tells her to do. Benedict Arnold has not shown up yet but he was just mentioned in a conversation.

For this week only (starting Sunday May 19th) you can get The Traitor's Wife by Allison Pataki in ebook for only $1.99 (you can find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, etc.). This is a historical fiction book about Peggy Shippen Arnold, the wife of Benedict Arnold.

 

Someone that I follow on Booklikes (I can't remember who) had read this and really enjoyed it so I think that I am going to pick this one up. I love historical fiction but haven't really read much of it about the Revolutionary War so this will be a nice new experience for me.

 

So I just wanted to let all you historical fiction fans know about this sale. If you are interested make sure to get it soon.

Ah, the 1770s of the American colonies was a lively time. Well, for the well to do. There were balls at least every month, and small dance parties with card gambling nearly every night. Peggy revels in being chased after by most of the men. She also enjoys making snide remarks about the other ladies’ dresses. Truly, she is a pretty shallow thing. As the tide shifts for the city of Philadelphia, Benedict woos Peggy, and eventually gets to marry her. She is half his age and it shows. He promises her the moon, and when he can’t deliver, she pouts. Pouting turns to sulking, which turns to frigidness, and eventually to scheming.

Allison Pataki does a great job of showing the very logical route from dancing to traitor activities. Peggy wants all the fun, the fancy clothes, the attention, and none of the mess. Benedict has already been serving his country for decades, having taken crippling wounds and depleted his own funds keeping his men fed. The American government has yet to repay Benedict and that ways heavy on him.

The book is told through the eyes of Peggy’s maid, Clara Bell. This was a great way to see all the main characters, both their good and bad sides. Peggy is obviously a selfish brat, but she does have a few moments where she treats Clara with true affection. We see that Benedict had true reservations about betraying his country. It made for a fascinating read. The revolutionary war affected everyone, from the poor to the rich. The servants of those rich would go to great lengths to stay employed; after all, if they lost their position, they also lost their home, being kicked to the street.

In the end, I found myself hoping that Benedict would be able to extricate himself not only from his traitorous dilemma but also from Peggy. Clara was the true hero of this tale and by twist and turn, I cheered her on. This was an excellent read and I truly had a hard time putting it down.

The Narration: Madeleine Maby was an excellent fit for this book. She was the perfect voice for Clara Bell. And I loved her high-bred snotty voice for Peggy. She also did British accents and male voices quite well.