The Hidden Branch by G. G. Vandagriff

The Hidden Branch by G. G. Vandagriff   
"Paul Mardian is a shining example of the American dream. The grandson of an Armenian immigrant who fled to the United States during the genocide of 1915, Paul is a self-made industrial tycoon and one of the most eligible bachelors in the country. But the dream is shattered when Paul turns up dead and his valuable collection of ancient Armenian artifacts goes missing. Hired to find the murdered man’s heirs, professional genealogist Alexandra Campbell and her sidekick, Briggie, are brought to the swanky beaches of Southern California and a community of Armenian relatives who all seem to be hiding a secret. When another family member is suddenly murdered, Alex discovers there is more at stake than an unclaimed fortune or missing antiques, but piecing together Paul’s complicated family tree may be more dangerous than she ever anticipated. Author G. G. Vandagriff combines mystery, suspense, and romance in this page-turning thriller!" (description from deseretbook.com) 

I liked the change in Alex’s character, much less mopey and more interesting to read about, now that she isn’t so angst ridden by her past. I felt the mystery in this story wasn’t as compelling as the others in the series. I think this in in part because the cast may be so huge or that the initial stages of the mystery were so chaotic. It seemed like there were many random clues and there were so many family members to keep track of and eventually three different crimes that had to be linked together. So while the mystery seemed frustrating to me at first I really did like how the author characterized the family members and I found them all pretty interesting. The setting made this book a perfect end of summer read, and I got caught up in the plot despite my earlier feelings that it got off the ground slowly.

Visit G. G. Vandagriff's website 

The Last Waltz by G. G. Vandagriff

The Last Waltz by G. G. Vandagriff

"In December 1913, the city of Vienna glitters with promises of the future for nineteen-year-old Amalia Faulhaber. Daughter of a prominent merchant, she is schooled in the fine art of flirtation by her aristocratic grandmother and in issues of conscience by her socialist uncle. Then, almost without warning, life takes a dramatic turn as simmering political unrest escalates into World War I, the most deadly war the world has yet known.

Amalia is devastated when the Prussian baron Eberhard von Waldburg breaks off their engagement to return to Germany and a commission in the army. But while Europe descends into darkness, Amalia is forced to confront even greater challenges. Disillusioned and heartbroken, she discovers a budding passion for democracy that sets her life on a new and unpredictable course.

Her family torn apart and impoverished by war, Amalia struggles to find her way in a changing world. Should she marry an idealistic young doctor who shares her political views or the wealthy Baron von Schoenenburg, who promises to provide safety and security in a violent, tumultuous time? Her growing political conscience sets her apart in the social circles of Vienna, but is it worth the personal cost to her and her family? And what can she do when her beloved Austria rushes headlong to embrace Hitler, threatening to destroy everything she loves?

In this gripping tale of love and war, a dazzling young socialite of the old world contends with deeply contradictory notions and personal crises to become a woman who would be extraordinary in any age."

So, this book was really depressing, but I enjoyed reading it anyway. The historical setting really is very well set up. The author manages to draw you into the story by making the time period feel real and relatable without resorting to unnatural info dumps, which I find annoying. I had a hard time at first keeping track of the large cast of characters, but after a few chapters I got used to all the names and nicknames of the characters.

I found Amalia’s character to be likable, though I sometimes disapproved of her decisions. I really liked her uncle and her grandmother too, and I found it interesting to read about how their family fit into Vienna society and felt the author did a good job of making them interesting and unique. I however did not like Andrzej, Amalia’s main love interest because I thought he was kind of flaky and impulsive. He was also a little bit selfish. So, I routed for the Baron the entire book. Then Amalia had to go and marry Eberhard, a man she didn’t even like very much, let alone love. That was probably the most depressing and slightly disturbing section of the book. I kind of had to take a break from the book after all that, but I returned because I still wanted to know how Amalia’s story ended. The last half of the book deals a great deal with the political struggles that went on in Austria before Hitler took over the country, and Amalia finds herself in a position where she has to make a dangerous escape into Switzerland with her family.

The book was a clean read, but dealt with fairly mature thematic material that would make me hesitate to hand it over to people without knowing their reading taste and preferences.

Vist Author G.G. Vandagriff's Website to find out about her other books.

Book Review: Arthurian Omen by G.G. Vandagriff

The Arthurian Omen by G. G. Vandagriff

Maren receives an excited call from her estranged sister Rachel, who claims that she had found the clue for the location of an ancient manuscript that reveals the true identity of King Arthur. She arranges for her daughter to be taken care of and heads off to England to join her Celtic obsessed sister on a treasure hunt. Maren is greeted at Oxford not by her charming sister, but by the scene of her murder. Maren is determined to find the manuscript and the man behind her sister’s death. She follows a trail of clues through the beautiful Welch countryside, scouting out castles, and monasteries, and potential murder suspects. Maren discovers that she is likely being stocked by a psychopath who thinks that he will lead a Welch Revolution, and wants the manuscript as evidence of King Arthur’s spirit backing him.

I was immediately enchanted by the concept of this book, and was really excited to pick it up. The book has a few flaws, but ultimately is worth reading. The main weakness of the book is the first beginning chapters. They are way too rushed, awkward and forced, really quite terrible. I was almost ready to put the book down and be very depressed that such a cool idea had such terrible execution. Then around chapter nine or so the story starts to gain correct rhythm and pace, and flows beautifully to the finish. I really don’t know how the first part of the book is so terrible when the rest of the manuscript works so well. Seriously, though, this is an awesome book. There are so many insane plot threads, that makes it fun and entertaining to read. There’s a delightful surprise ending, that the author was brilliant at executing. I thought I had guessed the entire plot only to discover I had been tricked. I guess sometimes the author does get moralistic in her telling of the story, though she hides it well through characters just discussing Arthurian themes, but I know that some readers dislike that type of writing. It wasn’t overwhelming, and it didn’t bother me personally, but you might want to be something you know about before you pick up the book. I recommend that you give this book a chance despite the weaknesses. I think ultimately you’ll enjoy it.

G.G. Vandagriff’s Website: http://www.ggvandagriff.com/ Visit the Wales tab to see pictures and information on the castles historical sites in the book.
Arthurian Omen Website: http://www.arthurianomen.com/

First Impressions: Tangled Roots

First Impressions
This is a little series that details my experiences reading books for an hour a day in the library. I read the book either until I became disinterested in it or until I finished it.

Tangled Roots by G.G. Vandergriff

I ended up finishing this book and picking it up day after day. The main plot involves a two woman Alex, and Bertie, who have started a genealogy company. This company doesn’t focus merely on charts and tables, but on how a family history creates reality for present day descendents. The main character Alex is called in by a psychologist friend who asks her to come help in the case of a girl, who is in her hospital institution for doing drugs. She refused to talk and so do her parents, so she wants Alex to find out about the history of these people so they can help the girl to open up. Alex doesn’t find the immediate family willing to speak to her, but the grandmother helps them. She tells them about the mysterious, unsolved death of her father, which was complicated by the fact that his inheritance was of no small amount. The farther Alex searches the more inconsistencies and unexpected things she starts to find. As, she is searching up this family’s secrets people start following her, and her mother is kidnapped.

I really loved this book! The story stayed with me long after I finished reading for the day, and the next day I would be so excited that I got to read it again. I initially picked it up because it had a nice cover, but the mystery and intricacies of the family history in this book fascinated me. It wasn’t a normal run of the mill mystery story and the ending actually surprised me! I never would have guessed what the ending would turn out to be and that was delightful. The book is the third in a series and so I didn’t understand the main character’s love triangle plot very well, but it was understandable enough. So I found this book to be an awesome read and would recommend it to genealogist and mystery lovers alike.

Link to Author’s Website: http://www.ggvandagriff.com/

Read about how this book is literally a miracle! (such an awesome story!)
Link:http://www.ggvandagriff.com/GG_Vandagriff_Author/Archives.html (scroll down to article called the case of the forgotten manuscript)