A Rose Point Holiday

Her Instruments #4

by M.C.A. Hogarth

With the Eldritch civil war over, a castle to renovate, and a wedding to prepare for, the last thing Reese is thinking about is taking a break. But the new year is coming and the Eldritch take their holidays very seriously, so Reese decides it can't hurt to observe the local proprieties. Who knows? Maybe it'll make good practice for what Felith is calling the wedding of the century. Of course, that was before Reese realized it was going to involve gifts. And decorating. And a town full of recalcitrant Eldritch tenants who have no reason to trust her... "A Rose Point Holiday" is a short, pastoral novel set during the last days before Reese becomes Theresa Laisrathera Eddings, lady of Rose Point Castle and the surrounding lands of Firilith. The Eldritch have never seen a holiday quite like this one!

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Adventure, Interracial Romance, LGBT

252 pages, Paperback

First published November 23, 2016

About the author

Daughter of two Cuban political exiles, M.C.A. Hogarth was born a foreigner in the American melting pot and has had a fascination for the gaps in cultures and the bridges that span them ever since. She has been many things—-web database architect, product manager, technical writer and massage therapist—-but is currently a full-time parent, artist, writer and anthropologist to aliens, both human and otherwise.

Her fiction has variously been recommended for a Nebula, a finalist for the Spectrum, placed on the secondary Tiptree reading list and chosen for two best-of anthologies; her art has appeared in RPGs, magazines and on book covers.

Reviews

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 4 out of 5]

✉ A message from Dr. Prawn, very personal shrimp shrink physician to the person formerly known as ✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans).



Her Former Nefariousness (henceforth to be known as ❤❤ Sarah, Cuddly Breeder of Cute Kitties and Snuggly Bunnies ❤❤) is momentarily indisposed. She was so thoroughly ruined by the present series that her beloved murderous children and I were quite reluctantly forced to hand her over to the Deathly Rehabilitation Team (DRT™) of Vile & Vicious Subaquatic Pastures Sanatorium. We do hope that their renowned Heavy Duty Despicability and Depravation Shock Therapy Treatment (HDDaDSTT™) will help her regain some of her former nefariousness. And if all goes according to this most noxious regimen, she shall, in due time, be rid of all the disgustingly revolting fluffiness that took over her infernally villainous soul of yore after being submitted to this most repulsively comforting, sugar-coated read.



We are sadly aware that this must be quite shocking news to barnacles everywhere. Our dearly beloved Ruthless Ruler of all Things Ruthlessly Subaquatic and Subaquatically Ruthless (RRoaTRSaSR™) being much, well, beloved and stuff, we understand that you Lovely Decapods might be slightly dismayed by the drastic measures we found ourselves compelled to take in order to remedy this terrifyingly upsetting state of affairs. But furiously desperate situations call for furiously desperate procedures and stuff. That our RRoaTRSaSR™ gave such high ratings to the first three instalments in this abhorrently fluffy series was distressing enough. Troubling warning signs not to be ignored and all that crap. So her slightly enjoying the vile thing known as A Rose Point Holiday was the last straw exoskeleton for her murderous family and friends. Such a repugnantly immoral display of heart-warming, sweet, loving, adorable Holiday cheerfulness is so absolutely offensive, and against everything homicidal maniacs stand for, that it was unthinkable for us not to take action post haste! Something had to be done to save the Nefarious One's scrumptiously vindictive soul!! So QED and stuff.



Warm-up first, rescue second. Wouldn't want to strain a muscle or something.

» And the moral of this The Fluff and Cuddles are Strong in this One Crappy Non Review (TFaCaSitOCNR™) is: this story is reprehensibly sacchariferous and loathsomely candy-coated. And I loved every minute of it. Ergo, extinction of all life on this planet awaits. It was nice knowing some of you you all. Adios now.

· Book 1: Earthrise ★★★★
· Book 2: Rose Point ★★★★★
· Book 3: Laisrathera ★★★★★

[Maria Dimitrova · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sugary sweet novel set in the middle of the epilogue of Laisrathera. A "slice of life" type of book that let us see a bit more of the Eldritch traditions and spend a little more time with Reese and her family but without the pressure of saving a world from evil slavers and idiotic idealists. It's so sweet in fact that I suggest you check your blood sugar levels after reading it :D It's capable of warming even the coldest hearts (waves at Sarah!) and makes you want to curl up with a nice cup of coffee and a blanket and watch the snow fall down, preferably in the company of a significant other. If you lack the later a good book would do as a substitute.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

So saccharine-sweet and fluffy, it will give you cavities. Which is ok, as it was intended as holiday reading. Excellent feel-good material for Christmas/New Year or whatever holiday it is for you. It is also full of good ideas for another novel in this particular series or maybe the Pelted Universe as a whole. Should definitely be read after the Her Instruments trilogy.

Part of my Pelted reading challenge, I plan to read them all. Afterword from the author:

So I embarked on this enterprise, and it got longer, and longer, and this is when I realized I was at work on a bridge between Her Instruments and the series that will follow Princes’ Game, the series describing the Chatcaavan War that begins with Even the Wingless.

Lisinthir and his dragons from Princes’ Game, Jahir and Vasiht’h from Dreamhealers, and Reese and her people in Her Instruments are all building What Comes Next for this sector of the Pelted Alliance, and inevitably the seeds seem small when they’re planted.

Looking forward to it!

[Choko · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 4 ***

A buddy read with my friends at the MacHalos!!!! Because sometimes even we need some pelted romance:):):)

A very pleasant collection of stories following the end of the Eldritch civil war and our new settlers trying to get assimilated to the Eldritch world. The gift giving story was my favorite, since it was very well thought out and very sweet! I love the multitude of races and characters and I can't wait to read more of this Universe!!! Very easy and pleasant to read!!!

As the author says, if you would like a Romance without the explicit content, and friendships that will last for ever, this series is a good choice. And I think humanity needs to figure out a way to create Flitzbies in real life, because we all might benefit from them:-)

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears · Rating 5 out of 5]

That super loud "squee" you may have heard was me when I saw there was a fourth book in the insanely awesome Her Instruments series. We all have those fictional book couples whom we love so much that we hate to see their stories end, despite the HEA. Reese and Hirianthial are one of mine.

Reese + Hirianthial = so many feels.

This short, sweet and full of holiday goodness novella centers around the holiday season, before the wedding of the ages between off-worlder and non-noble Theresa (Reese) Eddings and her Eldritch mate, Hirianthial. Poor Reese is the proverbial deer in the headlights as she not only struggles to set her new home - Rose Point and its surrounding town - to rights, all the while trying to not overwhelm a land unused to technology, and recovering from a brutal civil war. She's also forced to be celibate before the wedding.

So. Not. Fair.

And soon to be hubby Hirianthial isn't helping much, with his penchant for counting kisses. What's a poor, now rich, former starship captain to do?

The cover! All kinds of happy feels. Braids, dark-skinned heroine. So. Much. Yes!!! More please???

[Quartzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine read to end the year with. This takes place in an offscreen pocket of the epilogue to Laisrathera, from the local gift-giving winter holiday through New Year's Day, and it covers a lot of the emotional settling in and rebuilding in the wake of that story with some sweet moments between Reese and the rest of the cast too. Most of all I like how Reese has been allowed to grow and change without the person she was before, shaped by her life up until that point, being demonized the way that often happens for "prickly" heroines. I understand a sequel trilogy to Earthrise centering around another character is planned, and I can't help but hope we'll get to check in with Reese and company now and again as well.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not the place to start, but warm and wonderful!

I'm so glad I decided to go ahead and get this holiday story, which takes place during the epilogue of book 3. (I debated waiting: I usually hunt or wait for sales, but for books 2 & 3, I didn't. I devoured this trilogy within days. So, couldn't the end of the crisis conditions on-world content me for a while? Answer: nope!) The author's note explains that it grew from a planned mere short story, an extra serialized on her website. Sometimes the best things aren't what we plan!
This story is quiet, no action, no bad guys.
There's a meaningful ritual about history, sacrifice, and gratitude, which resonates with Reese's own background.
There's giving and receiving carefully thought-out gifts among family-by-choice, from humorous, to touching, to the life-changing opportunities in Liolesa's little envelopes. I was delighted to finally learn more about Kis'eh't's past and Bryer's hopes. And it's good Araelis won't be allowed to sink into lonely purposelessness.
There's Reese's study of the roles of tenant/servant and lady, and her determined hybrid of modern and traditional in the symbolic gifts to her wary tenants, then getting to know some of them. Which leads to...
There's horses, which is always a fun element to have in sci-fi, like having your cake and eating it too. (Is there a list about that anywhere? Let's see, Doona, Heris Serrano, Firefly doesn't count 'cause it's not a book, what else can we add?) Reese also discovers why the Hinichi wolfkin charge adoption prices for their guard dogs: they AREN'T mere animals.
There's continued construction and reconstruction of the castle, Hirianthial's hospital, Val's chapterhouse, and (though Reese has to rein in her Tam-ilee engineer's sweeping ambitions) the even-more-neglected village.
Of course, there's the feast to finish with. I won't spoiler if/how the tenants reciprocate with their own traditional gifts to their constantly-surprising new lady.
And through it all there's love, humor, and Reese and Hirianthial getting impatient for their wedding.
Even if this had remained short, it wouldn't have been a good sample/starting point, because so much of it depends on all that came before, but for series fans it's a charming gift, just right for the holiday season.

[Rabbit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warm and delightful

This was actually the first of the pelted novels I read, and the one that got me to read the rest of Her Instruments. It is a warm and comforting study in what it means to really think about and care for others, against the lush, but still familiar backdrop of an Eldritch holiday season.

And if you’ll permit me a spoiler, the bit with the eldritch boy and the Hinichi Guardkin makes me tear up every. Single. Time.

[Cassandra Cridland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is like "icing on the cake" for this series. I particularly liked how Reese and her crew settled in and created a home you'd love to live inside. I'd let them plan my holidays anytime.

[Vika · Rating 4 out of 5]

space elf queen is the best santa😌

[Amy (I'd Rather Be Sleeping) · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no plot to this story, no 'big bad,' no issue to solve and overcome during the course of the story. Which would often mean that I was bored. But this is Reese and her (ever expanding, now planet-side) crew! I loved getting to spend more time with them, even for as sappy as it was and it it just makes me want to hug them. (Except for, maybe, the Eldritch. Don't want to make them TOO uncomfortable.) But, anyway, this story takes place DURING the end of the third book - because, if I remember right, that one actually finishes with a wedding and this one is the winter holiday season before the wedding. Still, though, even if there was no real impetus here, I loved seeing what everyone was up to and getting to see how Reese settles in as the lady of the manor. (While the story is stand alone, I'd recommend reading the series IN ORDER otherwise you're likely to be confused and get hit with a ton of spoilers. Which, should be no hardship, because this series is one of my favorite sci-fi series ever. ... If not my very favorite.)

[5t4n5 Dot Com · Rating 5 out of 5]

After all the shenanigans of the first three books, Reese moves into her new home, Rose Point, a dilapidated run down castle.

Gone are all the nasty people wanting to enslave, imprison and kill her and Hirianthial, and in their place she is given a castle full of staff, the new horses and dogs, plus some Eldritch peasants to Lady it over and win to her side, all while preparing for the winter holiday season and all the protocol and guests that that entails for her new status -- not to mention her upcoming wedding.

Admittedly the plot may sound a little dull after the earlier books, but it actually works really well and it's a really nice and enjoyable ending to this tetralogy, though technically it should be read before the "Epilogue" at the end of Laisrathera as the wedding comes after the events of this book.

All in all, this whole series is well worth a read.

[Melissa McShane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this on the plane as I flew home from India to deal with the emergency flooding damage to my house, and it was just what I needed after a week of trying to cope with the nightmare from half a world away. It's entirely gratuitous in the best way--there is no need for the book, and yet the story of Reese and Hirianthial's first winter holiday in Laisrathera is deeply satisfying because it's unnecessary. It's a great holiday story, hits all the right notes, and I'm so glad I saved it for later.

[Adam Windsor · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens after you've defeated the bad guy, and instead of just trying to stay alive you have to actually try and build a future? Well, in the "Her Instruments" series you get this charming little gem of a coda to the main series. It's sweet and light and thoroughly 'cosy', and it totally wouldn't work if you hadn't seen the characters go through all sorts of difficult times before this. But you have, and so I read the whole thing with a smile on my face.

[Karen Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

From solstice to New years and Peace to all.

A few non Dictionary.com words but in context to understand them. The story is one of healing after the destruction of so many Eldritch and the adaption. . .adoption of those devoted to Rosemont castle. Reese has learned to open her and can see why others have trouble opening theirs. Still some loose ends but hopefully all will find their HEA

[Dr susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming sci fi adventure

I was overjoyed to find out that Hogarth's books are now available in KU. My budget didn't allow me to buy many of her wonderful books, but I love the ones I own. Holiday is a heartwarming interlude, an introduction to fantastic characters, and time spent with loved favorites. Holiday is also a believable story of gently bringing a medieval planet into current times. I love this series.

[James R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Triumphant Unfolding of Skilled Services

I started the trilogy expecting it to be a bit rough, but I was disappointed with the heroine’s grumpy short sightedness. She was not worthy of her supporting, enterprising crew members. In this book she takes her good fortune and exercises it brilliantly, helping them develop in sensitivity and effectiveness. I see what they saw in her, as her gifts and decisions unfold.

[Cynthia Cyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holiday fun, with a twist.

Five star fun. No really! It helps a lot if you've read the other books but this can stand alone.
HEA is rarely shown in most romances. This story gives you all HEA you could want. Along with all the work it takes to get there.
Settle in a comfy chair and enjoy the holidays at Rose Point.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for Series

Always a delight to hear more about Reese and her Eldrich Prince. This is more than just a novella as it furthers the plot on the Eldrich end of the story. The author sees it as a bridge between this series and the darker Prince's Game Series. These characters are great.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best things about self-publishing is that books like this exist. Novel length epilogues where nothing bad happens and everything is sweet and good and the characters you've followed for a trilogy have a good time. I mean obviously I wouldn't want every book I read to be void of angst, but sometimes it's exactly what you need.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

While a book you would only read if you have read the other three books in the series, it is a lovely character study and exploration of the world our heroes have made for themselves. A lovely end to the series (though chronologically it happens just before the end of book 3, for maximum confusion).

[Tamara~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so fluffy, tooth rotting fluff. Normally that would annoy me but it was real nice for our crew to be able to have a chill moment. They have suffered enough traumatic experiences; finally a moment of peace and it was sweet.

[Rain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really sweet and I enjoyed it. Not quite as much as the regular series but honestly, it was such a lovely little read. It's a nice "slice of life" between the larger series and fills in some gaps of what happens between books.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great festive read!

Though the holiday celebrated is a fictional one, the emotional notes of a great Christmas hold true throughout. It's a wonderful story and makes an excellent capstone to the series.

[Aary Jaclyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore the characters in this series SO MUCH that I am literally heart broken that the series is over. The series is one of the most satisfying tales I have ever read and it will remain one of my favorites for quite some time.

[Catherine Perkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holiday Time

This was a sweet addition to the series. It is the first to truly show how their winter holidays are celebrated, while filling in pieces of the original novels that I didn't realize were missing. I love the mix of Victorian & space technologies mix.

[Deviki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Books I've read and provided detailed reviews over the years but all data is lost after accidental deletion and GD refuse to restore it back.

Adding books back to my library for my own reference and tracking purposes

[Angela Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

I think this will be my holiday comfort read every year. I love it more with each re-reading. Love love love.

[David Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of book #3.8 not #4, as this whole book takes place just before the end of book #3. Overall I enjoyed the series.

[Heather Henkel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

This was another great book in this series. I really hope we get another couple books with this cast of characters.