Review: The Convenient Marriage

The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Not one of the stronger of Heyer's books, there are some highly amusing bits but it sort of gets a bit too absurd nearer the end.

I had high hopes that Horatia would continue through the whole books as a somewhat sensible, if rather young, individual, but found that the practical nature that she showed in the first few chapters quickly fell by the wayside thus landing her in scrapes that got to be a tad eye-rolling.

The whole bit at the end centering around her brother and his friends, although mildly amusing, started to drag the whole story down for me.

A perfectly serviceable book, but if you are looking for a really rollicking Heyer read go pick up a copy of The Grand Sophy.

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Review: Nice Dragons Finish Last

Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So I picked up this book not knowing anything about it outside of the fact that the main character was a dragon and that someone over on the Smart Bitches site said they enjoyed it, and perhaps most importantly, it was on sale.

All in all, I enjoyed it highly. Perhaps my almost complete ignorance of the book going in helped this enjoyment, had I known that it was going to take place in a post-magic induced dystopia I might have been less enthused to read it as I am about doomsday-ed out, but the world building is superb. Aaron has created a believable magic system that meshes well with the society and world at large which also adds interesting depth and motives to the characters.

I also liked that there appears to be different types of dragons outside of the usual European ones that one tends to run across. Multi-national magical creatures represent!

I did think that there was going to be more romance in the book, but...well, let's say that there is a slow burn. Like geological-like time slow burn, a whole forest of pinning that I am guessing Aaron will use to write all the follow-up books for this series, slow burn. So there's that.

The world and characters actually put me in mind of the Dresden Files books, although perhaps slightly sweeter? And much less pop-culture references. Although close to the same level on the kill count. There is still the aspect of the characters being small cogs in a larger plan which they might end up as being wrenches in as well, but maybe a bit more optimistic on Julius' part than Harry ever was. And that optimism is a really nice touch.

Also the cat! Ghost is awesome and I look forward to reading the following books to see what he gets up to.

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Cover Art

Could the computer find an answer to the ultimate question? #42 #scifi #coverart #pulptastic

Evening stroll

Review: Fast Connection

Fast Connection by Megan Erickson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While reading 'Strong Signal' it was apparent that Dominic 'Nicky' Costigan was going to get his own book. I was not thrilled about that as his character in 'Signal' was...let's go with 'irritating' rounded off with a pointed look that implies that I'm being charitable.
Thus I was ambivalent about this book, but read it anyway when one of my favorite authors stated that she loved it.

Now I'm not going to say 'Oh give me a pickle and call me a sandwich! she was right! This book is everything!' Because it isn't, but it is really quite good and I found my urge to smack Dominic in the mouth dissipating within the first chapter. Which was amazing because, again, so very, very 'irritating.'

Perhaps it was due to this great character development that I am not currently calling for pickle and a side of chips, once I got into the feels I wanted more of the feels. I wanted to wallow in Dominic and Luke's feels until my fingers pruned up and I looked like Bettie Davis circa the 1970s, dramatic, full of feels, and slightly wrinkled.
Once the landscaping material hit the deli counter I wanted to have the feels drawn out like a pointless side quest in a online fantasy role-playing game. The last 20% of the book was not enough for my angst and pinning while learning about yourself feels thirst.

However, what was there was very good, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich made with fancy preserves on the really good bread if you will good. The sexytimes were nicely done, and the children not so irritating as to become total plot moppits.

I also read the whole book in one sitting, so that's a pretty strong statement on it as a whole. I find myself looking forward to the next in the Cyberlove series and hope to be as pleasantly surprised as I was with this one.

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Review: An Unseen Attraction

An Unseen Attraction by K.J. Charles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

K.J. Charles is quickly becoming an auto buy for me. The characters that she writes are almost always out of the norm in one way or another and are thus bounds more interesting than most other historicals out there.

The amount of research and attention to detail really shine through the story making the characters and settings that much more believable.

An Unseen Attraction has a noticeably different feel than the books from her Society of Gentlemen series. Not only Victorian instead of Regency, it feels like the reader is getting a peek into a world we have only seen the polish surface of in the past. The fog and mud of London usually having only been commented on by characters in other Victorian romances, the reader actually gets feet on the ground in this story, the fog almost becoming its own being. Experiencing life outside of big houses and ballrooms making the reader even more interested in these 'normal' people than in the society toffs we usually end up reading about.

But there is nothing 'normal' about Clem Talleyfer and Rowley Green, and I couldn't have been happier about that. These two are possibly one of the most engaging and love-sick sigh-worthy people I have read about in some time. They say and do the most terribly heart-exploding things to each other that it is almost painful and you cheer for them the whole time.

There is a mystery, but really, it's not that challenging to figure out and you won't be reading for that anyway.

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Review: The Lodestar of Ys

The Lodestar of Ys by Amy Rae Durreson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Usually a free ebook is a bit of an iffy thing. You can get something that has a great first 30 pages and then just falls flat, or something that wait until the end of disappoint you.
I am glad to say that is not the problem with The Loadestar of Ys, if anything I found myself wanting more, disappointed that Durreson skipped over quite a bit of time, not to mention action, that I would have happily spent a Game of Thrones number of pages reading.
The other drawback being the descriptions of islands in the sky made me want to listen to a couple of albums of Yes.

I don't have time to listen to a bunch of Yes albums no matter how wondrous their stories.

The romance is nicely paced, not quite a 'enemies to lovers' thing, more of a 'two guys who find the other pretty irritating to lovers' which is even better as there is some snark which is enjoyable.

The main failing of the book is that it is too short, which causes some odd time leaps, and you feel like the ending is a bit rushed. I would really enjoy revisiting the world though, even if it does mean having to dust off some Prog rock.

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Review: The Undoing

The Undoing by Shelly Laurenston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars




A very good follow-up to the first Call of Crows book that gives more background on the whole clan system, delving more into the background of the Protectors who have the powers of Owls, and super library research learning skillz.

Part mystery as you spend half the book trying to figure out just what Jace's background is, but still building on the events of the first book, The Undoing has the same fast-paced feeling of The Unleashing. If you like that one you'll probably like this one. Although there are a bit of themes that get reused from the first book, eh, you liked them the first time around, right?

Jace being both a extreme introvert with the constant potential of becoming a rag monster was a really engaging character set-up. Although I have to say that the bit where she jumps out of a moving car to avoid small talk found me raising my cup of tea in a toast of solidarity. Laurenston's humor runs through the whole book like this, both tempering and sharpening emotions and moments of violence.

Oh, and there are lots of ridiculously good-looking people getting some sexy-times in if that's your thing, but, maybe more importantly there's Jace's puppy! And a library cat! Not to mention the reappearance of Brody Hawaii the world's most adorable flying pit-bull from the first book.

This book does end on a cliffhanger, but as this is a series that shouldn't be a surprise. You know what is a surprise? A flying pit-bull.


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A pleasant "What ho!" to you internets!
I have no idea how you have found me, but now that you are here I do hope that you find something of use or amusement within. Failing that, perhaps something for a good eye-roll or two.
Now, hopefully I can figure out how to work this thing...