Short and Sweet Book Reviews # 276 - Duchess of Terra by Glynn Stewart, 1636: The Vatican Sanction by Eric Flint

Duchess of Terra by Glynn Stewart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a fun series to read. It has great characters, both human and alien, interesting science and a plot that started in book one and continues in book two. The backstory continues to develop and the world building supports the story and is presented as part of the plot. There is danger developing as the book starts and it is taken care of before the book ends. That does not mean there is nothing left for another book. This is a developing story just as the world building continues to develop. There is more to come.


1636: The Vatican Sanction by Eric Flint
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This picks up where a previous book left off. Pope Urban is trying to get the different Christian religions together to talk and perhaps stop fighting. There are those who support and those who oppose. That makes the undertaking dangerous. There are several main characters from the first book and many from history. This is a complete story and the reader is the same for all the Ring of Fire books. He does a very good job of the different voices helpings keep the story moving.

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Short and Sweet Book Reviews # 267 - The Volga Rules by Eric Flint, Duel to the Death by J.A. Jance

1637: The Volga Rules by Eric Flint
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is another Ring of Fire story that just quit without any conclusion. That is enough to make my unhappy but there was more that was a disappointment. This series was character driven but that was not true in this book. There was more about how to change uptime to downtime with the story jumping between scenes that could have been left out and not damaged the book. I also felt that the authors missed the opportunity to add scenes that would have added more emotion to the story. A disappoint. Hope better for other stories by other authors.

Duel to the Death by J.A. Jance
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Stuart Ramey has a problem and it can and will cause many more. He shut down Frigg and now he has to bring her back on line. Who is Frigg? A very complex computer program and there is someone who wants Frigg and will do anything to get her. This is a really interesting plot. We get to follow not only Stu, Ali, and B we also get to follow the characters who want the program. I loved following each character and seeing how everything would work out. It was also fun to watch the interaction between Frigg and the various characters. One of the best yet in this series.

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Short and Sweet Book Reviews # 93 - Behind the Throne by K.B. Wagers, The Alexander Inheritance by Eric Flint, Gorg Huff, Paula Goddlett

Behind the Throne by K.B. Wagers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is great space opera. Hailimi Bristol is anything but the heir to the throne but when her sisters are killed she is forced to come back and be just that. Notice something different. It seems that the women rule the planet and gender roles are reversed. Not everyone is happy to see Hailimi back and her life is in constant danger. She has a great group of characters who are helping her stay alive. A fun and hard to put down story. I really liked this book and am off to get book two, After the Crown, which is already out.

The Alexander Inheritance by Eric Flint
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a new world created by those aliens who's art keep moving parts of earth between different time periods. This time it is a cruise ship that goes from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean. But they don't just change locations they change time periods and this time it is just after the death of Alexander the Great. I did find this one a little harder to swallow. This was a ship with 5000 people on board and having been on a cruise ship for 4 months at a time the lack of information about most of those was not very realistic. It was however fun. There are the historical characters and the fictional ones all interacting as they try to get a different result from the one that is written in the cruise ships history. I do recommend it just take it with a grain of salt. I found it the least believable book of the series.

Teaser Tuesday - September 22, 2015

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

"Calm down, everyone," Laura said, not without a smile.  "Sakura it does look interesting, but I would bet that it's natural." p.85

From Castaway Planet by Eric Flint and Ryk E. Spoor

Stacking the Shelves September 19 2015

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books I added to my shelves this week. They may it be physical or virtual. I include books I buy in a physical store or online, books I borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!  Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews.  Follow the link to see what others have on their shelves. 

From the Library:

Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson

Castaway Planet by Eric Flint and Ryk E. Spoor

The End of All Things by John Scalzi

A Call to Duty by David Weber and Timothy Zhan







Purchased:


Archangel's Enigma by Nalini Singh

When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare

What Else I Read in July 2015

Books: 

The Perfect Bargain by Julie London - This is a quick cute story.  The two main characters should not be just right for each other but it turns out they are.  Sloane Chatfield is an American who is trying to get away from her friends good intentions.  Galen Buchanan is a pub owner in a tiny village in Scotland.  The two strike a bargain that leads to much more than either expected.  Nothing that new in the story line but very well written and fun to read.

Only a Promise by Mary Balogh – This is the next novel in The Survivor’s Club and found it a little stale.  Both Ralph and Chloe were the weakest characters in the series so far.  As I read the story it was been there done that and every action was just a replay of several previous books with new character names.  For those of us who are long term fans it was fun to see the names of characters from previous series.  At least one even had a small part to play.

A Lawman’s Justice by Delores Fossen – The final book in the Sweetwater Ranch series and we finally solve the mystery that has been at the heart of the series.  I admit I suspected all was not as it seemed and I was right.  Of course there is a romance between two more of the characters.  It starts out as just tension between two people who seem to be on different sides but changes as they face increasing danger.  It is a satisfying end to the series.

Lone Rider by B.J. Daniels – This is book two the Montana Hamiltons series.  Another of Hamilton’s daughters is in danger and an old flame goes to find her.  Bo Hamilton and Jace Calder are at the heart of the story. But Bo and Jace are not the only focus in the book.  Like previous series there is another mystery that is playing out a little at a time in each book.  Someone has returned 22 years after everyone thought she was dead. There is also danger for Jace’s sister and there are hints about the return of Bo’s mother.  This is shaping up to be another nail biter with a great cast of characters.

Rolling Like Thunder by Vicki Lewis Thompson - Book Three in the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood.  This is Finn’s and Chelsea’s story.  Chelsea helped Finn with a Kickstarter campaign allowing him to open his brewery.  There has always been attraction but Finn has ignored it.  Now they have traveled to Wyoming for the conclusion of the Kickstarter campaign for the Thunder Mountain Academy.  They find a HEA and the Academy does get funded but not without some drama.  There is a nice visit to the Chance ranch that adds to the book.  A nice addition to the series and a good end for the third Thunder Mountain Brother.

1636: The Cardinal Virtues (Ring of Fire, #19) by Eric Flint and Walter H. Hunt – Do not look for main line characters in The Cardinal Virtues.  We do have brief looks at some but they are very brief.  Do look of a side story that looks like it will set up main line events in future books.  There is a lot of action and mystery in the book and we are left with what may be a clue or may be an Elvis type of event.  I enjoyed reading the book.  While it is a standalone story it would be much better if you were familiar with previous books.  Now that I have finished I want to know how the events will be used in future novels.

Thrill Me by Susan Mallery – The latest in the Fool’s Gold series Thrill Me introduces 5 brothers who are ripe for romance.  Thrill Me brings the oldest, Del Mitchell back for the summer.  Maya Farlow is also back in Fool’s Gold.  The two have a history and when they have to work together that history repeats itself.  Both hope for a better ending this time.  As always a fun story filled with great characters. 

Audio Books:

Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews - A spin-off from the Kate Daniels series Gunmetal Magic features Andrea Nash and Raphael Medrano.  Kate plays a small part in the story.  There is a murder to be solved and Andrea is the one doing the investigation.   There is more than murder in the wind.  Andrea and Raphael have personal issues.  Andrea is trying to overcome issues from her past.  This is very much a character and action driven story filled with danger, tension and romance.  It does stand-alone.

1636: The Devil’s Opera by Eric Flint and David Carrico

Alternate History

What Goodreads says:

"A new addition to the multiple New York Times best-selling Ring of Fire series. After carving a place for itself in
war-torn 17th century Europe, citizens of the modern town of Grantville, West Virginia take on a murderous conspiracy of operatic proportions in Magdeburg, the capital of the United States of Europe.
New York Times Best Selling Series

Eric Flint and David Carrico serve up the latest entry in the best-selling alternate history saga of them all, the Ring of Fire!
It is the year 1636. The United States of Europe, the new nation formed by an alliance between the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus and the West Virginians hurled back in time by a cosmic accident, is on the verge of civil war.  His brain injured in the war with Poland, the USE's emperor Gustavus Adolphus is no longer in command. Enter Swedish chancellor Oxenstierna, a leader of aristocratic reaction against democracy. His goal: to assemble the forces of the hidebound ruling class in Berlin and drown the revolution in a bloodbath.
In Magdeburg, the capital of the USE, Mike Stearns' wife Rebecca Abrabanel is organizing popular resistance to Oxenstierna's plot. As part of the resistance, the American musician Marla Linder and her company of down-time musical partners are staging an opera that will celebrate the struggle against oppression. Princess Kristina, the heir to the USE's throne, is now residing in Magdeburg and is giving them her support and encouragement.
But another plot is underway--this one right in the heart of the capital itself, and with murder as its method. The only people standing in the way are a crippled boy and the boxing champion who befriended him, and an unlikely pair of policemen. Can the American detective Byron Chieske and his down-timer partner Gotthilf Hoch thwart the killers before they succeed in their goal?

The Devil’s Opera is a side story in the series.  It features characters that are secondary in the main line of the series while the original main line characters are side characters here.  Events in The Devil’s Opera are running parallel to the events in The Saxon Uprising. 

There are several mysteries in the story and some new characters.  Music is featured as a way to make a political statement.  The book is extremely well written and held my attention throughout the story. Everything does intersect at the end.  It was a pleasant story and fulfilled my need for more of the series.  However, it is more of a filler and did not seem to move the story line along. 

Pick it up if you are a fan of the series.  It can stand-alone but is better if you have read the previous books.

Baen published 1636: The Devil’s Opera by Eric Flint and David Carrico in 2013.

1635: The Papal Stakes by Eric Flint and Charles E. Gannon

Alternate History/Science Fiction

I have been reading the Ring of Fire series and just finished the next one to come out.  Next one!  Yes, it has not come out yet.  It was not a free ARC but and ARC no less.  Baen often releases books that are popular months ahead of time as an eARC for $15.00.  I had just finished the 1635:  The Cannon Law.  It ended with a cliff-hanger and I wanted to know what happened.  When I went to Baen I found that the sequel to The Cannon Law, The Papal Papers, had just been released as a eARC. 

Here is the description from Baen: 

#15 in the multiple best-selling Ring of Fire Series.

It's springtime in the Eternal City, 1635. But it's no Roman holiday for uptimer Frank Stone and his pregnant downtime wife, Giovanna. They're in the clutches of would be Pope Cardinal Borgia, with the real Pope—Urban VII—on the run with the renegade embassy of uptime Ambassador Sharon Nichols and her swashbuckling downtime husband, Ruy Sanchez de Casador y Ortiz. Up to their necks in papal assassins, power politics, murder, and mayhem, the uptimers and their spouses need help and they need it quickly.

Special rescue teams—including Harry Lefferts and his infamous Wrecking Crew—converge on Rome to extract Frank and Gia. And an uptime airplane is on its way to spirit the Pope to safety before Borgia's assassins can find him. It seems that everything is going to work out just fine in sunny Italy.

Until, that is, everything goes wrong. Now, whether they are prisoners in Rome or renegades protecting a pope on the run, it's up to the rough and ready can do attitude of Grantville natives to once again escape the clutches of aristocratic skullduggery and ring in freedom for a war torn land.

The Papal Stakes does not follow what is know as the main line characters.  Instead it follows Sharon Nichols and Ruy Sanchez de Casador y Ortiz . Frank Stone, Gia Stone and several others from the previous book.  Harry Lefferts and his Wrecking Crew show up in this book along with some new characters.  This is a action packed book and as a result it does not have a lot of character development.   However some of the action does make major changes in Leffert and his Wrecking Crew.

That said the action is great and keeps the story arc moving along.  The action is running parallel but with little interaction to previous books. There are surprises in the book.  The two goals, freeing Frank and Gia and saving the Pope, flow smoothly but with unexpected results.  All of the action helps set up the next books in the series.  While The Papal Stakes runs parallel to the action in other books it sets the scene for blending the results of all the books some time in the future.

I loved the writing in The Papal Stakes.  This is a story that flows smoothly and is focused on the problems the characters face. Some of the books in this series spend so much time world building that the story slows down.  That was not true here.  Any world building was done is small doses and blended into the story line.  I think some of the difference is the different authors in the series.  Eric Flint keeps control of the series but allows other authors to write in his series.  This one is co-authored by Flint and Charles Gannon.  They are a good writing team.

The Papal Stakes is a great addition to the Ring of Fire series.  If you can’t wait to read the book go to Baen and get the eARC.  If you can wait buy the book when it comes out in October.

Baen published the ARC of 1635: The Papal Stakes by Eric Flint and Charles E. Gannon in 2012.

Musing Mondays July 16, 2012

This week’s musing asks…

What are you currently reading? Is it any good? Would you recommend it?

I am reading 1636:  The Kremlin Games by Eric Flint, Gorg Huff, and Paula Goodlett.  This is the newest book in the Science Fiction/Alternate History Ring of Fire series.  It is not a main line story.  It looks at what changes the Ring of Fire would make in Russia.  It does a good job at what it is attempting.  It also has a whole new cast of character not found elsewhere in the series.   It is not a stand alone book and I would only recommend it to fans of the series.  I am a fan of the series so I like it.  I just have a few pages to go and will finish it this morning.

Teaser Tuesday July 3, 2012

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: 

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

I am still reading the Assiti Shards series or the Ring of Fire series or the 1632 series by Eric Flint.  Baen keeps renaming the series so who knows what it will be called next. Today's teaser is from 1635:  The Eastern Front.


"For all practical purposes, their new home was an urban fortress.  That was hardly surprising, since it had been planned and built with that purpose in mind."  page 16

What Else I Read in June of 2012

 What Else I Read In is a monthly post featuring books I read during the month but did not write a full review on.  If you have a similar post leave a comment and a link and I will visit to see what else you read.  Also on your post leave a link back to my post so others can also share.  

Last month I listened to 1632 by Eric Flint.  I had read the book when it first came out and had started the series but two book in I quit always meaning to pick it back up.  This month I did just that.  So far I finished the following books:

1634 - The Baltic War
1634 - The Bavarian Crisis
1634 - The Galileo Affair  
1634 - The Ram Rebellion
1635 - The Cannon Law
Ring of Fire I
Ring of Fire II

There are a few other book that I have read and not review.

Romance:  

The Duke's Perfect Wife by Jennifer Ashley - This on has been on my TBR shelf for quite a while.  It is the last book in the series.  It was not as good as my favorite in the series (The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie) but it was a good end to the series.

Questionably Human by Miss Kitty Roads - This is a SFR and was free on Amazon.  A lot of it was very predictable but fun to read. 
Beneath the Starry Sky  by Jessica E. Subject - Another free book from the author and Amazon.  This was a novella in the "One Night Stand" series.  Like the previous book it was predictable but fun to read. 

Teaser Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: 

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

 

My Teaser Today is from Ring of Fire I edited by Eric Flint.  This is a series of short stories and novellas set in the 1632 universe and my teaser is from To Dye For by Mercedes Lackey.

 

"They arrived with a horse and cart, and one of the German boys driving; Tom had heard them coming for quite a while, but in his current state of flat-lined depression, it hadn't seemed important enough to get up just to greet them on his feet."

 

"Hey Stoner!" Stearns called, when the hoofbeats and the creaking of the cart were getting pretty close.  "Are you dead?" 

Stacking the Shelves, June 10, 2012

Welcome to my Stacking The Shelves post!  Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews so follow the link and check out what other stacked on their shelves this week.  

Stacking The Shelves is all about the books we are adding to our shelves each week, sharing with you our excitement for our newest books.  I loaded up on free books this week and also purchased several others. 


Free from Baen:  


Ring of Fire I Edited by Eric Flint


Purchased from Barnes and Noble:  


A Gentleman Undone by Cecilia Grant (paper copy)
Flawless by Carrie Lofty (eBook)

Free from Barnes and Noble:

A Time to Love by Barbara Cameronby

Free from NetGalley:

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness


Free from Amazon:

Almost a Bride (Wyoming Wildflowers Book 1)  by Patricia McLinn
Loose Screw (Dusty Deals Mystery) by Rae Davies
Still Life with Murder (Nell Sweeney Mystery) by B.P Ryan
Almost Perfect (Perfect Trilogy) by Julie Ortolon

Authors that Begin with F and G

Found On My Hardcover Bookshelf

Authors that begin with F and G are very thin on my hardcover bookshelf. There is one author for each letter.

I have Eric Flint's 1824 The Arkansas War the second book in the series. Only two books in the series have been published. The first is 1812, The Rivers of War. When I was at Reconstruction Con Eric said that he had a contract to continue the series, that he would probably write the next books in 2011 and expected the series to have a total of six books.

I have Terry Goodkind's Phantom, I have yet to read the book so I can't comment on it.

Boundary by Ryk E. Spoor and Eric Flint

Science Fiction

What do you do when you find what looks like an alien fossil on the K-T Boundary? That was the problem that confronted Helen Sutter on a dig that also had the strange fossil surrounded by several dinosaur fossils. As the story unfolds that fossil leads to even stranger events and Helen winds up on Mars!!!

A lot happens between these two events. Boundary has science, action, adventure, great characters and relationships all in an exciting format. I re-read Boundary because Threshold, a sequel, is coming out in June. The stage is set of more action and adventure and I am looking forward to Threshold.

Baen published Boundary by Ryk E. Spoor and Eric Flint in 2006.

The Witches of Karres by James H. Schmitz

Science Fiction

Captain Pauser of Nikkeldepain is set to return home and marry Illya, his fiancé, after successfully making money on her Father’s unpopular cargo. However everything changes when he makes a stop on Porlumma. There he rescues three young girls who had been sold as slaves. It turns out they are all Witches of Karres and that event turns his life around. Captain Pauser is thrown into a battle between good and evil and finds he must develop and use powers he never knew existed.

James H. Schmitz (1911-1981) has written a rousing Science Fiction adventure filled with wonderful characters, non-stop action and a well-drawn universe. Although the Witches of Karres ended with the promise of a sequel Schmitz never wrote one. Now other authors have taken up the challenge and there are two more books in the series. Check the Baen website for further information.

The copyright for Witches of Karres by James H. Schmitz is 1966 and the Baen edition I read is edited by Eric Flint has a July 2004 printing date.

Slow Train to Arcturus by Eric Flint and Dave Freer

Science Fiction/Space Opera are in my Mixed Book Bag today.

In Slow Train to Arcturus Eric Flint and Dave Freer have written science fiction at its best. Man has decided to live in space not on planets. The space around Earth is filling up and man wants to move out to the stars. The journey to new stars is made on a slow train that accelerates and does not slow down. The slow train is a series of habitats strung together like beads on a necklace. As the train approaches a system a habitat is disconnected and slows down to reach its new home in a new solar system.

That takes care of the science to get from Earth (point A) to the new system (point B) but who goes and what happens in each habitat? Like the frontier of old it is the misfits that want to leave and each habitat has a different group with a reason to leave and never return. There is no communication between the habitats and as time passes strange changes take place. As the story opens the slow train is approaching a solar system where another intelligent species has developed. They decide to visit what they expect to be a dead artifact. Action and adventure, romance and drama, comedy and tragedy all result. This is a cliffhanger that keeps you reading. Pick up Slow Train to Arcturus and enjoy.

Baen published Slow Train to Arcturus in 2008. If you like to read e-Books go to the Baen web site and purchase the book there. For hardcover go to any bookstore.