In compliance with FTC guidelines, be aware that I bought this book.

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Atlantis Unmasked, by Alyssa Day

The latest entry in Ms Day’s Warriors of Poseidon series, Atlantis Unmasked follows Atlantean warrior Alexios and rebel fighter Grace—who just happens to be a descendant of Diana the Greek goddess. If that seems a bit confusing, it’s because this is one of those series where reading previous installments is pretty much required—between recurring characters and on going story arcs, a newcomer to this universe would scratch her head a number of times while reading this one.

In other words: beware for series spoilage, ye Warriors of Poseidon virgins out there!

(For those readers out there who don’t mind jumping in the middle, you crazy people you, I’ll add a brief primer to the universe after the blurb, as well as linking to my reviews of the previous titles at the end of this one.)

Humdrum back cover blurb ahoy: (more…)

Reader beware: In compliance with the FTC guidelines, be aware that I bought this book.

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Parallel Attraction, by Deirdre Knight

The first in the Midnight Warriors series, Parallel Attraction is also Ms Knight’s debut novel. And boy oh, boy, talk about starting out with a bang! This is very much a romance novel (and there is some sexxoring in it, if you are wondering), but it is also a science fiction story, in which the author takes a well-known twist and… well, twists it some more.

The world Ms Knight creates seems quite simple at first, but pretty soon into the story the reader realizes that there are layers of complexity there, many of which are hinted at almost carelessly—one phrase, one short passage—until their time to shine comes. Here’s the back cover blurb:

It has been years since exiled alien king Jared Bennett thought of anything other than his people’s fight for freedom. Now his rebel force has the one weapon that can turn the tide against their enemy: the key to the secrets of time. Victory has never been closer, but one woman has the power to change everything.

Kelsey Wells can’t deny that there is something unearthly about her fierce attraction to Jared Bennett. His revelations about alien wars and time travel can’t possibly be fact. Yet with every seductive touch, every searing kiss, Kelsey circles closer to the truth: Although Jared is exactly what he says, he hasn’t told her everything. And when the future crashes into the present, Kelsey must decide if Jared’s deception will cost them the love that should have been their destiny.

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Reader beware: In compliance with FTC guidelines, please be aware that I was given a digital ARC of this novel by Ms Singh for the purpose of writing a review. In the end, I bought my own, dead-tree copy of the novel anyway.

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Blaze of Memory, by Nalini Singh

Part of Ms Singh’s very successful Psy/Changeling romance series, Blaze of Memory picks up the trail of two characters introduced in the fourth and fifth novels in the series (Mine to Possess and Hostage to Pleasure, respectively): Devraj Santos, apparently human and director of the Shine Foundation, and Ekaterina Haas, psy and erstwhile assistant of Ashaya Aleine in her research for the Council.

While this novel could be read as a stand alone title, I definitely would recommend reading at least the two mentioned. Not only are there a number of secondary characters whose presence in this story will make more sense to a reader familiar with the series, but the relationships between the different human groups are also rather complex at this point in the main story arc. Beyond those two reasons, the intricacies of the psy vs changeling and/or human physiologies will probably be easier to digest to people who already know Ms Singh’s psy/changeling universe.

Here’s the back cover blurb: (more…)

Reader beware: In compliance with FTC guidelines, readers should be aware that my copy of this novel was obtained directly from Ms Milan in a multiple-title drawing she held at her blog in early December. Thank you.

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Proof by Seduction, by Courtney Milan

Published by Harlequin Historical Romance, this novel is Ms Milan’s full length debut. Set in London during the late 1830s, Proof by Seduction follows the story of one Jenny Keeble—aka Mme Esmerelda, soothsayer and future diviner—and a marquess.

Here is the (much hated) back cover blurb: (more…)

Busman’s Honeymoon, by Dorothy L. Sayers

The last of the Lord Peter Wimsey novels, Busman’s Honeymoon is as much a detective story as a romance. It is also the fourth and last story in the Harriet Vane story arc***. What with one thing and another, it also happens to be Lord Peter’s readers’ last opportunity for years to see these beloved characters.

Here is the brief blurb from the back cover of my copy:

Murder is hardly the best way for Lord Peter and his bride, the famous mystery writer Harriet Vane, to start their honeymoon. It all begins when the former owner of their newly acquired estate is found quite nastily dead in the cellar. And what Lord Peter had hoped would be a very private and romantic stay in the country soon turns into a most baffling case, what with the misspelled “notise” to the milkman and the intriguing condition of the dead man—not a spot of blood on his smashed skull and not a pence less than six hundred pounds in his pocket.

As a first class nitpicker, I’ll say that the mystery plot in this novel is one of the best out of the eleven Wimsey books—up there with Whose Body? and Unnatural Death. What sets this book apart is that, indeed, some of the most intense exchanges between the main characters occur after the how and the who have been revealed.

But let me start at the beginning… (more…)

Contrary to my habit, there will be some spoilers within this review—reader, beware. Oh, and I got the book as a gift from my beloved, if anyone cares.

The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett

This mammoth work of fiction is my very first exposure to Mr Follett’s writing—late as ever, aren’t I? Anyway, considering the length of this novel—close to a thousand pages, nacht!—the back cover blurb is woefully inadequate, in my opinion:

As a new age dawns in England’s twelfth century, the building of a mighty Gothic cathedral sets the stage for a story of intrigue and power, revenge and betrayal. It is in this rich tapestry, where kings and queens are corrupt, that the common man shows eternal promise—and one majestic creation will bond them forever.

The first thing I need to get off of my chest is that I am a bit sorry I made the re-read a relatively negative experience for my beloved Issek. Perhaps it was the fact that reading out loud made it easier to catch all the annoying aspects of the writing, or perhaps it is my annoying—if lovable, ahem—ability to retain odd bits of the narrative for hundreds of pages. Either way, I spent more time that it’s probably seemly pointing out my issues to him.

Sorry, love!

No, really, I’m sorry. See?

*ahem*

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Dark Country, by Bronwyn Parry

The second title in a planned trilogy set in the Australian Outback, Dark Country takes the reader back to the small town of Dungirri. Kris Matthews, the heroine, was first introduced in the course of the previous novel, As Darkness Falls (review here). The hero is bad boy Morgan “Gil” Gillespie, son of the area’s drunk.

Here’s the pretty accurate back cover blurb (from the author’s website):

Most people in the small town of Dungirri have considered Morgan ‘Gil’ Gillespie a murderer for eighteen years, so he expects no welcome on his return. What he doesn’t expect is the discovery of a woman’s tortured body in the boot of his car, and new accusations of murder.

Wearied by too many deaths and doubting her own skills, local police sergeant Kris Matthews isn’t sure whether Gil is a decent man wronged by life, or a brutal criminal she should be locking up. But she does know that he is not guilty of this murder – because she is his alibi . . .

Between organised crime, police corruption, and the hatred of a town, Gil has nowhere to hide. He needs to work out who’s behind the murder before his enemies realise that the one thing more punishing than putting him back in prison would be to harm the few people he cares about.

Kris is determined to help him, but will their search for the truth make her the next target?

My beloved Issek and I had the opportunity of reading this book together recently… (he received a copy, gratis, from the author, and I received an ARC, idem) so, after much cajoling and begging (and perhaps just a wee bit of pouting) he agreed to do another joint review with me.

warning: long conversational review ahead!

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A Hearing Heart, by Bonnie Dee

Just shy of two hundred pages, set in a small town in Nebraska at the turn of the twentieth century, A Hearing Heart is a very moving story. From the setting to the issues it touches on, A Hearing Heart is definitely worth reading.

Here is the blurb:

The heart conveys messages beyond what ears can hear.

After the death of her fiancé, Catherine Johnson, a New York schoolteacher in 1901, travels to Nebraska to teach a one-room school and escape her sad memories. One afternoon, violence erupts in the sleepy town. Catherine saves deaf stable hand, Jim Kinney, from torture by drunken thugs.

As she takes charge of his education, teaching him to read and sign, attraction grows between them. The warmth and humor in this silent man transcends the need for speech and his eyes tell her all she needs to know about his feelings for her. But the obstacles of class difference and the stigma of his handicap are almost insurmountable barriers to their growing attachment.

Will Catherine flout society’s rules and allow herself to love again? Can Jim make his way out of poverty as a deaf man in a hearing world? And together will they beat the corrupt robber baron who has a stranglehold on the town?

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Black Hills, by Nora Roberts

I believe it is no secret that I enjoy most of what Ms Roberts writes to one degree or another. Like so many things in life, this is a two-edged sword. While this is good because it means that I can look forward to a number of books each year that, odds are, I’ll enjoy, it also raises my expectations as to the quality of each new novel. Ninny that I am, this may mean that I avoid reading the next book for a bit…

Yeah, I’m an idiot, go ahead and laugh.

After avoiding anything remotely resembling spoilers for more than six weeks, I finally cracked open my signed copy* of Black Hills last week—and stayed up all night reading it, all four hundred and seventy two pages of it. After reading the last line, I closed the book, sighed happily, went about my daily business with all the energy of a half dead mouse and, come evening, cracked the book open on the first page again.

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Heart Mate, by Robin D. Owens

The first in the Heart series set on the planet Celta, Heart Mate was also Ms Owens debut novel. Seven more books in the series have been written since its publication in 2001 (Heart Change, the eighth title, will be released in November). A wonderful blend of fantasy and science fiction serve as background to this romance.

The back cover blurb (from the 2006 reissue)
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