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The Mysterious Lady Law is a quick, easy read. It is short and I don’t think it quite novel length. Maybe a novella. It’s steampunk; there are airships and steam powered cars.
It begins with an award ceremony and an attempted assassination on Lady La...moreThe Mysterious Lady Law is a quick, easy read. It is short and I don’t think it quite novel length. Maybe a novella. It’s steampunk; there are airships and steam powered cars.
It begins with an award ceremony and an attempted assassination on Lady Law. It ends in Africa. In between, there are chases, murders and lots of odd gadgets. Also, there is a room with all the planets that go rolling around and hitting each other. That scene was really funny.
The book surprised me. In the beginning, I wasn’t expecting time travel. I thought there would be a different explanation for Lady Law. In some ways, she is the villain (she was imprisoned at the end). I expected she would be the heroine. Lady Law undoubtedly did catch the real criminals, but she did so by committing crimes herself. I didn’t like that.
But the real irony here is that while she is imprisoned, she will be teaching other cops her methods of investigation.(less)
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Pack of Lies is the second book in the Paranormal Scene Investigations by Laura Anne-Gilman. It is just as good as the first one. Maybe a little better because the very first paragraph grabs you.
There are a lot of reasons I really liked this book. ...morePack of Lies is the second book in the Paranormal Scene Investigations by Laura Anne-Gilman. It is just as good as the first one. Maybe a little better because the very first paragraph grabs you.
There are a lot of reasons I really liked this book. It moves fast, there is plenty of drama and the potential for a soul mate. Not sure; it reads like that, but no one is accepting it as such.
There is also a unicorn. I like unicorns (almost as much as I like dragons and there are dragons in this too!) and you don’t see unicorns too often in urban fantasy. They appear more frequently in traditional fantasy, but I don’t think they are terribly common there, either.
The sister is another reason. She is expertly manipulated and maybe she sees it, maybe she doesn’t. In any case, she created a situation that caused trouble for a lot of people, and is still convinced she is right. I am not sure why. Her reasons aren’t really explained all that well.
The bad guys though – they have no magic and they are ruthless. They have a lot of potential and I think they will appear in future books.
The ending was very sad. It fit, but it was just so sad. I kinda feel sorry for them.(less)
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" Jacqueline wrote: "I've read the Heart series and enjoyed it all but the talking cats. So I have to ask, any talking critters in this one?"
No, don't ...moreJacqueline wrote: "I've read the Heart series and enjoyed it all but the talking cats. So I have to ask, any talking critters in this one?"
No, don't think so. There are references to mermaids and dragons and whatnot, but nothing's showed up so far.(less)"
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His for the Holidays is a holiday MM romance anthology. It has stories by LB Gregg, Harper Fox, ZA Maxfield and Josh Lanyon. LB Gregg and Harper Fox are both new writers to me.
Mistletoe at Midnight by LB Gregg
Owen is positively stunned when he finds...moreHis for the Holidays is a holiday MM romance anthology. It has stories by LB Gregg, Harper Fox, ZA Maxfield and Josh Lanyon. LB Gregg and Harper Fox are both new writers to me.
Mistletoe at Midnight by LB Gregg
Owen is positively stunned when he finds his high school sweetheart with his family at Christmas. His ex shows up, too, but leaves on Christmas, which I thought was really sad. But necessary to give the lovers a clear field. The back story was pretty good and it explains Owen’s issues (as back stories should!). He never really got over Caleb. ;) I loved loved loved the ending. It could not be more perfect. Obviously, since this is a romance, they end up together, but they way it happened! Sweet.
Nine Lights Over Edinburgh by Harper Fox
What’s so amazing about this story is how much action and drama the author packed into a shorter story. There is kidnapping, human trafficking, a failed marriage, a budding romance – enough stuff to fill a novel and overwhelm anything shorter. But it doesn’t. Doesn’t overwhelm the story, that is. The romance is the forefront and all the other stuff just adds a touch of magic. Everything is just right. I am in awe of the writer’s skill.
I Heard Him Exclaim by ZA Maxfield
This is the sweetest story in the whole anthology. Chandler has just become guardian of his five-year old niece. Than his car breaks down and Steve comes to his rescue. The girl is convinced Steve is a thin Santa Claus and Steve is more than happy to act the part. The whole cast of characters – Chandler, Steve, Poppy (the niece), Steve’s family – are all wonderful. Chandler’s worry over how he was going to raise Poppy was very sweet and well-balanced against the romance.
Icecapade by Josh Lanyon
This is my favorite story in the whole anthology. Why? It has romance and mystery, and is just so much fun. Icecapade begins after a drunken night spent with the FBI pursuing him. He wants to stay with Robert, but doesn’t want to go to jail and has to leave. Robert likes him, too, that’s why he doesn’t return or report his New Year phone calls. Robert shows up after the statute of limitations has run out on Noel’s crimes, but lets Noel believe he came because he thinks Noel is still a thief. Such deliciousness! LOL I had so much fun reading this. The only thing is that if the FBI knew where he was and what he had one, why didn’t they arrest him before statute of limitations ran out? I can only assume that they didn’t have enough evidence, but that is a pretty minor issue.(less)
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I am pretty familiar with Robin D. Owen’s work. I have read almost all of her Heart series. So I was expecting a romance like those. That’s not what I got. Oh, there is romance aplenty. But the romance isn’t the whole like in the Heart series. There ...moreI am pretty familiar with Robin D. Owen’s work. I have read almost all of her Heart series. So I was expecting a romance like those. That’s not what I got. Oh, there is romance aplenty. But the romance isn’t the whole like in the Heart series. There is more and I think I like it better. It is pretty good and well up to her usual standards.
I liked the beginning, how the dwarf promised to make her a princess and she threw him out. I thought, who doesn’t want to be a princess?
Then there is a trapped brother, shadleeches, someone trying to kill her and an ex lover she isn’t really lover. Not to mention a set of people she has to work for, but can’t really trust.
Also, there are all sorts of fascinating creatures. Dijnn and treemen and dryads and naids. I will admit to a bit of confusion – I am still not completely sure what are the difference between treemen and tree dryads.
At times, this book felt rushed. After pages and pages of angst and blame, Jenni forgives and it feels like that happened too fast. No question that Jenni needed to forgive and move on with her life, especially if she was going to be with her ex again. But it felt like that happened in a matter of paragraphs and should have happened over the course of a few chapters.
All in all, this was an excellent book. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.(less)
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From the Ashes combines two of my favorite genres – romance and science fiction. So I knew when I got it, I would probably like it. I was not disappointed. There is plenty of action for me (and, no, not just the sexual kind!!!) and a nice mix of roma...moreFrom the Ashes combines two of my favorite genres – romance and science fiction. So I knew when I got it, I would probably like it. I was not disappointed. There is plenty of action for me (and, no, not just the sexual kind!!!) and a nice mix of romance and science fictional things.
I was hooked when her ex shows up and demands Calista’s cargo. Incidentally, her cargo is our hero, Asher (he was hatched!). His extras are particularly interesting. I liked the revelations – how her ex had sold her into her slavery and she destroyed his face in payment. I liked how Asher died and came back to life afterward. It goes with the title – From the Ashes – as he is a Phoenixae and death doesn’t manage to kill him permanently. Another scene I really liked was when her ex caught her, was planning to give her to someone and she convinced him to kill her ex. Very nice.
Asher is very nice, too. He is disturbing when he first hatches as a baby and turns into a child, than a teenager, than a man. The part where he turned into a man was a relief. I didn’t want a child hero.
He escapes from his own captors and goes in search of her. Calista has a problem with that Asher is from a slave race and he has to please his owner. Well, I would be disturbed by that, too. Who wants a lover who pleases only because he is slave and has no choices? Who wants a slave at all? Not Calista – she disapproves of slavery. But he convinces her they can be together and it all works out.(less)
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" A lot of both urban fantasy and PNR are like that. I guess you might like Eileen Wilks Lupi books. It is not PNR, but the In Death books by JD Robb fi...moreA lot of both urban fantasy and PNR are like that. I guess you might like Eileen Wilks Lupi books. It is not PNR, but the In Death books by JD Robb fit some of that criteria, too.(less)"
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