Those Rosy Hours At Mazandaran by Marion Grace Woolley

Those Rosy Hours At Mazandaran by Marion Grace Woolley
Published February 2015 by Ghostwoods Books
Source: my copy courtesy of the publisher and TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review

Publisher's Summary:It begins with a rumour, an exciting whisper. Anything to break the tedium of the harem for the Shah’s eldest daughter. People speak of a man with a face so vile it would make a hangman faint, but a voice as sweet as an angel’s kiss. A master of illusion and stealth. A masked performer, known only as Vachon. For once, the truth will outshine the tales.

On her eleventh birthday, Afsar’s uncle tries to molest her, and her father, the Shah, gifts her a circus. With the circus comes a man who will change everything. Inspired by Gaston LeRoux’s The Phantom of the Opera, Marion Grace Woolley takes us on forbidden adventures through a time that has been written out of history books.

My Thoughts:
Historical Iran - right up my alley, right? That's what I thought. Unfortunately, I just could not connect with this book. As much as I hate to give up on any book, particularly a book I'm reading for review, after 100 pages, I had to call it quits with this one. Perhaps the "master of illusion" should have been a clue for me. You'll have noticed, if you're a regularly reader of this blog, that I'm not much for anything that smacks of magic in my reading. Perhaps its just a matter of wrong timing; I've overloaded this months with books I need to read and don't feel like I can push through until I get hooked. But I think what it came down to was that I just didn't like Afsar, the eldest daughter and I think it's key that readers be able to understand her in order to enjoy the book.

As always, the good news about being part of a tour, is that you can get a lot of other opinions about this book and don't have to take my word about it. If this sounds like something you'd enjoy, check out the full tour or learn more about it at the Ghostwoods Books site.

Marion Grace Woolley is the author of three previous novels and a collection of short stories. In 2009, she was shortlisted for the Luke Bitmead Bursary for New Writers. She balances her creative impulses with a career in International Development; she has worked and traveled across Africa, Australia, Armenia, and a few other places beginning with ‘A’. She is an associate member of the Society of Authors, and is currently at work on her fifth novel.