The Ancestor: A Novel by Danielle Trussoni

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

From the New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author of the Angelology series comes a bewitching gothic novel of suspense that plunges readers into a world of dark family secrets, the mysteries of human genetics, and the burden of family inheritance.

It feels like a fairy tale when Alberta ”Bert” Monte receives a letter addressed to “Countess Alberta Montebianco” at her Hudson Valley, New York, home that claims she’s inherited a noble title, money, and a castle in Italy. While Bert is more than a little skeptical, the mystery of her aristocratic family’s past, and the chance to escape her stressful life for a luxury holiday in Italy, is too good to pass up.

At first, her inheritance seems like a dream come true: a champagne-drenched trip on a private jet to Turin, Italy; lawyers with lists of artwork and jewels bequeathed to Bert; a helicopter ride to an ancestral castle nestled in the Italian Alps below Mont Blanc; a portrait gallery of ancestors Bert never knew existed; and a cellar of expensive vintage wine for Bert to drink.

But her ancestry has a dark side, and Bert soon learns that her family history is particularly complicated. As Bert begins to unravel the Montebianco secrets, she begins to realize her true inheritance lies not in a legacy of ancestral treasures, but in her very genes.

my thoughts:

I just love books with a gothic feel to them - they are simply the best to get lost in on a rainy day. They have that creepy, fantastical feel to them that makes your spine tingle and makes you jump at any sound you hear. They are seriously so much fun to read. So, I was thrilled to find myself settling down with a copy of Trussoni's latest book, The Ancestor. I just knew I was in for a treat. I'd read her Angelology books and absolutely LOVED them. They were a bit dark, a bit historical, and a bit supernatural - they had all the elements for a terrific story. How could I not fall in love with The Ancestor? A story about a woman who finds out she just inherited a title, money, and a castle in Italy. How fun does that sound? Especially, when the woman finds out that her family history is a lot more complicated than she had originally thought and that her inheritance has more to do with her genes than anything else. Folklore, mythology, history, and Italy - what more could I want in a story?! I LOVED The Ancestor!! It was such an eerie and fascinating tale, I couldn't help but stay up late reading it. It was so gooood!!

I would happily recommend The Ancestor to fans of Trussoni and anyone looking for their next great read - you won't want to miss this one!

Here's the link to the TLC Book tour schedule for: The Ancestor

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!

Angelology: A Novel by Danielle Trussoni and GIVEAWAY

From the back of book:

Sister Evangeline was just a girl when her care was entrusted to the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration.  Now, at twenty-three, she discovers a 1943 correspondence between the convent's late mother superior and the famous philanthropist Abigail Rockefeller that plunges her into a secret history stretching back a millennium:  an ancient conflict between the Society of Angelologists and the monstrously beautiful descendants of angels and humans, the Nephilim.  Blending biblical lore, the Miltonic fall of the Rebel Angels, the apocryphal Book of Enoch, and the myth of Orpheus, Angelology is a luminous, riveting tale of ordinary people caught up in a battle that will determine the fate of the world.

My thoughts:

I read this book in two days - the first day I read about 3/4 of the book and then I realized that I didn't want it to end, so I tried to slow down a bit on the second day (only to find myself itching to get to the end to see what would happen).  And this is what I found: Trussoni has written a richly detailed story about good (humans = angelologists) versus evil (Nephilim = bad angels).  A book that is filled with mystery, suspense, action and OMG revelations.  Truth be told, I was reminded of Dan Brown's, The DaVinci Code.  Angelology has the same thrilling and quick-paced feel that Brown's book had.  Except with Angelology we get so much more.  Not only is it well written and obviously well researched, but it is also wildly imaginative and quite engaging.  You are captivated by this idea of angels and their wicked history of enslaving humans and this society of angelologists who are always at work trying to thwart the angels' agendas by any means.

I found the novel's tone and mood to be dark, but tinged with a smidgen of hopefulness.  The ease and flow of the story allowed for the readers to not only learn as much as the angelologists learned, but it also provided background information on the characters through old books, letters, and diaries.  I found myself immersed in a story that details covert operations, a treasure hunt for Orpheus' lyre, lost loves, death and destruction and vivid descriptions of monsters so beautiful and compelling that you want to reach out and touch them.  Honestly, I didn't want this book to end and luckily it doesn't have to.  Trussoni is hard at work on the second book and let me just say how excited I am to learn that we are going to find out what will happen next for these characters and the battle between good and evil. 

I know my review didn't provide much detail with regards to the plot, but that is because I don't want to give away what happens in the story.  Instead I urge you to pick up a copy and enjoy getting to know Evangeline, Gabriella, Verlaine and Percival all on your own - they are characters worth investing in.  I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for something different to read or someone who enjoys a good thriller.  I was pleasantly surprised by this book and hope that you are, too.

Giveaway:


Thanks to the TLC Book Tours, I'm allowed to give away two copies of this book.  All you have to do is leave me a comment with your email address and the name of your favorite book.  Two winners will be chosen at random. You have until March 25, 2011.  Open to the US and Canada.