Innkeeper Chronicles - Sweep of the Heart (December 2022/January 2023)

[Narilka]

Ch 12 (view spoiler)["Sean Evans?" I asked. "How did Oficer Marais get his hands on a subatomic vaporizer?"

Sean smiled.

heheheh this book has so many great moments :) (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Soooo, I may or may not have just splurged my way to the end of the book. :)

End thoughts (view spoiler)[I like how this book really progressed a some overarching storylines--the parents, a dark innkeeper force, and kitty! I liked the new aliens, and the whole religious fallacy thing was a nice twist.

Intimate scenes are still awkward on audio. Though I'm glad the waiting is over.

I love Caldenia. There's just something appealing about having a completely amoral character who is powerful and intelligent (and classy) on your side. And she just takes such joy in it all.

Hah! The cat WAS important! Yay kitty! (hide spoiler)]

[Narilka]

I finished too :) This was sooo good! I hope they finish up Sweep of the Heart soon.

@Nirkatze At least the sex scene is short lol

[Choko]

I feel exactly the same about the sex scenes! I like that the characters get it on, but I rather them be vague and short:))) This is my biggest gripe with the In Death series. There seems to be a rule that every book has to have one, and I just skim through them, but you have to catch the moment after, because it usually has something important for the investigation... Usually in a dream...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Right, Choko?… I said those exact words about the In Death series, like 5-7 years ago…

[Nyssa]

Choko wrote: "I feel exactly the same about the sex scenes! I like that the characters get it on, but I rather them be vague and short:))) This is my biggest gripe with the In Death series. ."

Wait!?! Does this mean Dina and Sean FINALLY sleep together!?!
I'm only on page nine - Mr. Ramirez just caught Sean "jogging."

[Narilka]

@Nyssa - hehehe :)

[Choko]

OMG!!!! Nyasa!!!! I am so sorry!!! Did I spoil things? I didn't even think.... *hangs head in shame*

[Choko]

Iain! Exactly! It is as if it is in her contract or something... I am so glad I am not the only one feeling that way:)))

[Nyssa]

Choko wrote: "OMG!!!! Nyasa!!!! I am so sorry!!! Did I spoil things? I didn't even think.... *hangs head in shame*"

No, you didn't. I actually came to the thread to ask because of the whole jogging thing. So you answered my question before I could ask it. LOL!

[Choko]

Haha! Good! Phiuooo! But the jogging was a good start to the foreplay:)

[Nyssa]

Narilka wrote: "CH 2 (view spoiler)"

^THIS!

Nirkatze wrote: "Chapter Two (view spoiler)."

I learned it as a kid too.

Nirkatze wrote: "Chapter Three (view spoiler)."

Is it the insistence otherwise that makes you see that pairing in the future? That would be interesting. I like him too.

I am reading Chapter 4 now.

Edited to Add:

1. I love Helen
2. I love that Sean automatically followed Dina to greet the visitor.

[Nirkatze]

Totally missed Narilka's note there on Ch 2. Dittoing Nyssa's THIS!!!

re: pairing ch.3 (view spoiler)[Why anticipate Maude + Arland? Pretty much just that we have two badass single characters in a romance novel. No way they're escaping unscathed. That and we know that Maude has a thing for Vampires (she married one) and Arland has a thing for Earth ladies (he's been hinting at one). Dina's off the table, but that's okay, she has a sister! (hide spoiler)]

And Helen is super cute. What she could learn with Caldenia and Arland as mentors.... *shudder*

[Nyssa]

Nirkatze wrote: "And Helen is super cute. What she could learn with Caldenia and Arland as mentors.... *shudder*"

Right!?! LOL

[Tonari no Emily]

Finished this a couple days ago as well

Definitely enjoyed this one the most so far! (view spoiler)[
Loved that Marais got the inside scoop of the aliens, and that he confronted some of them! And that Sean gave him that weapon xD That scene was hilarious to me

The romance between Dina and Sean isn't doing much for me, and putting the sex scene at almost the very end of the book seemed like an interesting choice.. but at least it was relatively short?

I'm kinda liking the Maud and Arland pairing a bit though!

All the Caldenia love :D

Also I love that in the first Dina kept telling herself to not get involved/some things just aren't her problem and she keeps proceeding to get completely involved in everything xD That's just who she is.

Interested to see what we'll find out regarding their parents! (hide spoiler)]

[Nyssa]

I'm reading the chapter between 7 & 8 (Magnificent).

The whole (view spoiler)[fart gun (hide spoiler)] thing is cracking me up!

I really like (view spoiler)[Arland & Maud (hide spoiler)]; did I see mention of a spin-off?

[Choko]

Emily, same here. I think at this point we are more invested in the characters and familiar with the world, so we can sit back and enjoy the shenanigans... And even the darker moments still feel hopeful, so you never feel that bone deep despair as you do with dark and grim Fantasies...

[Choko]

Arland is so full of life, you can't help but like him:)))

[Nyssa]

I love the idea of (view spoiler)[Maud & Arland as a couple (hide spoiler)] more and more with every page! That casual conversation upon Lord Soren's arrival - skilled!

[Nirkatze]

Emily wrote: "Finished this a couple days ago as well

Definitely enjoyed this one the most so far! ..."

OMG Marais! (view spoiler)[I love when he went up to the bird people and started citing intergalactic law at them! He had how long with that treaty? And he frickin' memorized it!!! (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

re: Maud--I think folks've said that the next book is a Maud & Helen book--hoping to see more of Arland too!

[Narilka]

Nirkatze wrote: "OMG Marais! [spoilers removed]"

Yeah, that was hilarious :D

[Nyssa]

**Squee** I loved it!!

Something about Sean in the last chapter gave me Princess Bride vibes (one of my favorite movies)!

[Choko]

I loved it too!!! And we were totally right about (view spoiler)[ Maud and Arland:) They are perfect for each other! I think he will be a better influence for the little one too, compared to her biological father...

Tony, ah?! I didn't see that coming... I am glad he was there for that last battle... That was intense! I was so afraid that Dina's connection with Gertrude is going to be damaged, but all is well when it ends well;)

Caldenia was awesome! And I will never forget Ku creating this beautiful statue, just so he could destroy it and pee on it:))) And "Eat, little human, Eat!!!"... I want to adopt both of them!!!! (hide spoiler)]

[Nyssa]

(view spoiler)[
I agree wholeheartedly about Arland raising Helen! Have I mentioned how much I adore that kid! LOL

Tony was definitely a surprise; I had wondered why he and his dad had more "air time" than usual.

I am so happy Officer M is finally in the loop; I think it will be better for everyone! Plus, he and Dina can now be friends.

I was also worried that Dina's relationship with Gertrude would be damaged - that G might feel hurt and even jealous.

I really want to know who was whispering in Mrak's ear about connections between Innkeepers and their inns! I especially want to know who is contaminating the Innkeepers.

Caldenia is hilarious!

And there there"s Olasard!
(hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Who can forget Olasard?!!! Of course:))))

[Narilka]

I'm starting Sweep of the Blade tonight.

[Choko]

Awesome! I will be here soon too:)

[Nyssa]

I'm currently reading two books, so I will start SotB as soon as I finish one of the two.

[Narilka]

Ch 1 & 2 (view spoiler)[Normally I get annoyed when sequel books repeat the same story as the previous book just from a different POV. Yet in this case I didn't mind at all. I think the writers played it smart by picking only key moments and then moving straight to the story instead of belaboring it like I've experienced in the past. I'm looking at you Peter V Brett.

Arland's mom's response to his messages about bringing home a bride who said no was priceless LOL (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Maud's book has a lot of similarities to a Kate Daniels book... for good or ill... specifically (view spoiler)[the 6th book, and some elements of a few other books... (hide spoiler)]... I don't mind, tho... and generally like how they poke fun at some of the biggest problems in those KD books, like (view spoiler)[when Curran lets the European shifters assume Kate is weak / consort, instead of a full mate, etc (hide spoiler)]

I also forgot how, at the end (view spoiler)[Klaus shows up (hide spoiler)]... I need a 2nd Maud book...

[Narilka]

Through Ch 8 (view spoiler)[Ripper cushions!!! OMG that had me rolling. So perfect :) Little Helen absolutely is a scene stealer. (hide spoiler)]

General comment about Maud's ex (view spoiler)[Do you guys think they were poking fun with his name? Melizard. Me Lizard. heh I can't unsee it. (hide spoiler)]

[Narilka]

Finished! That was highly enjoyable. (view spoiler)[I forgot about that bombshell ending! haha It's going to be interesting to see how that is tied back to the main series. And how will it work for Dina to travel away from inn for a few days for Maud's wedding? (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Will probably pick up Sweep today! Just about 3 hours left on current listen... Looking forward to joining in!

[Nirkatze]

Narilka wrote: "Through Ch 8 [spoilers removed]

General comment about Maud's ex [spoilers removed]"

So, I went over to my mom's house today to help with some spring cleaning. I brought my headphones and audiobook to make it go faster. So she asks me "What are you listening to?"

"An audiobook."
"Oh. What's it about?"
"Space Vampires."
^_^

Up through chapter 8 (view spoiler)[I'm liking Arland better as an interest for Maud than I was for Dina.

Lots of LOL moments so far, though they didn't stick around in my memory for me to note them.

And Helen is still adorable! @Narilka I love the way she says that! Wouldn't it be funny if the repercussions actually involved ripping cushions? Though cutting cookies is almost as good.

I like Karat, though I'm looking forward to her not underestimating Maud. (hide spoiler)]

re: Maud's ex--LOL

[Nirkatze]

Finished! It was indeed quite fun.

(view spoiler)[I like that Maud & Arland were fairly forthright about their attraction for each other, and I feel Maud had very good reasons for not wanting to marry into Arland's family despite the attraction. I'm not a fan of instalurve, and their "I love you"s did pop up pretty darn quick. They've known each other for less than a month, yeah? But that's the genre, so.

Helen was adorable. I especially liked the ending scene:
Otubar reached over and plucked Helen from the bed. “Come with me, child. It’s time we tested you with other weapons.”
“If you do well, I will give you cake,” Ilemina said.
Helen’s eyes lit up. “What kind of cake?”
“The delicious kind,” Otubar told her.
That would get me to practice my weapons too, probably!

And Klaus showing up at the very end...will it tie in to news of Dina's parents? Excited! (hide spoiler)]

See y'all again on the 5th!

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Maud's book is a type of story I like, but didn't have much to say about...

It's also a type of book I struggle to find more of... (I'm not talking about the romance angle, altho that isn't uncommon in the few other examples I can think of)

Daughter of the Empire
Servant of the Empire
Mistress of the Empire

The Shadow Queen
Shalador's Lady

Those are my main comparison for politicky books with female leads that also have possible romance and slice-of-life stuff...

[Nyssa]

I know it's been on my CR shelf for a few days, but I am just starting Sweep the Blade.

Eight pages in, and I am wishing Renouard a prolonged, excruciating death!

[Nyssa]

Okay, so I was sneaking pages in at work when I posted that last message. The workday is now done, so I hope to get some serious reading in tonight.

I'm so glad we get to see the reunion from Maud's perspective.

[Nirkatze]

Yeah, I thought it was a nice little recap. And interesting seeing Maud's perspective. Retells like that can get tedious, but I enjoyed it. :)

[Tonari no Emily]

Finished this a couple days ago.. I gotta say I enjoyed this one more than Dina's books. I think part of the reason was the narrator? The narrator for Dina's doesn't fit well with the character imo..

I thought the retelling at the beginning was quick and painless and was different enough I didn't mind :)

(view spoiler)[I'm also not a huge fan of instalove, but I at least liked the pairing better than Dina and Sean...

But Maud is badass and I'm always here for that :D

I'm liking the interactions between different species, and how Maud's background as an Innkeeper has her being a good diplomat haha

Also I love how it built up her knowing ancient vampiric around those two petty vampires, and she was able to respond to them at the end in that language.. I forget exactly what she said but that was great :)

Helen is adorable (and kinda scary when you think about a young child being able to kill so efficiently 😳 lol) (hide spoiler)]

[Tonari no Emily]

Nyssa wrote: "I know it's been on my CR shelf for a few days, but I am just starting Sweep the Blade.

Eight pages in, and I am wishing Renouard a prolonged, excruciating death!"

Ditto on that! :D

[Nirkatze]

Emily wrote: "Finished this a couple days ago.. I gotta say I enjoyed this one more than Dina's books. I think part of the reason was the narrator? The narrator for Dina's doesn't fit well with the character imo..."

I honestly felt opposite about the previous narrator--but that's probably that I just got used to her. I liked the soft Southern twang for Dina, and the squeaky voice for Nuan Cee--very different from this narrator's take. But I did like all the vampires.

I also totally forgot about the language bits! (view spoiler)[I loved that too--how she was FINALLY able to break out her ancient Vampiric as a big middle finger to the two arrogant asshats.

Honestly, the vampires come across as arrogant and clueless in a lot of the book. Good thing they have Maud, daughter of Innkeepers, along! (hide spoiler)]

[Tonari no Emily]

Maybe I just don't like her voice? haha not sure why.

(view spoiler)[ For sure! Like if she wasn't there, would they have just had a huge diplomatic incident? Would they have caught the plot against their house? (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Emily wrote: "Maybe I just don't like her voice? haha not sure why.

[spoilers removed]"

Everyone has their own tastes, right? Also I'm only just getting into audiobooks, so I don't have much of a baseline--in fact, Dina's narrator is part of my baseline!

And I think you're totally right--(view spoiler)[they wouldn't have caught the plot, but might have been able to bully through with pure manpower.

The were awfully incompetent during the first book too--arrogant and blundering after the assassin. And in the second book--the front door is not the back door y'all! How do these people maintain their dominance?? (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I don't mind Renee Raudman... but Ilona Andrews' (Ilona & Andrew Gordon) were too attached to her as their narrator... it makes sense in things like the Cosmere, where everything is connected, or things like Scalzi, where his friend Wil Wheaton does all his random standalones... but for multiple unconnected series, it just makes all the characters sound similar... especially paired with the authors' having a type of male/female pair they tend to write...

Maud's stories, the 2nd Hidden Legacy trilogy, and the Hugh D'Ambray book(s) are the first 3 times that they tried new narrators, and I'm glad for it...

[Choko]

Just finished the recap from Maud's point of view. I am enjoying it and don't really mind the narrator at all:)))

[Choko]

I have been so busy, I haven't had the chance to update... 60% in. Love the insectoid folks. Hope they don't side with the bad guys. I absolutely loved the "sparring" duel:) Those women can sure fight:) And Lady Helen is still absolutely adorable!!!

[Nyssa]

I'm about 40% in (give or take); the duel just happened a few pages before. I love Helen!

[Nirkatze]

I loved the different aliens that keep getting introduced in these series! And getting the extra cultural background information was really fun too.