Short and Sweet Book Reviews # 201 - Poison or Protect by Gail Carrier, Familiarity by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Poison or Protect by Gail Carriger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Set between Carriger's two series Poison or Protect has new main characters and at least one familiar side character. I loved Lady Preshea Villentia name, the Mourning Star. She has buried four husbands and it is suspected that she killed each one. Now she is off to protect the host at a house party. Unknown to either Captain Gavin Ruthven has the same task . Can they work together and will they get together. Does Ruthven really want to be husband #5? Read and find out.

This was part of a Story Bundle of Steampunk stories. This is one of the first two I read and both made it worth the price.  The other story is the next review.


Familiarity: A Winston & Ruby Collection by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This contains five Winston and Ruby stories and each is a small gem. I loved Winston who can only do small magic but accomplishes very big things with it. Ruby is a small black cat and those of us who love and have cats will recognize the personality traits that are such a big part of Ruby. The story starts with Winston loosing his long time familiar and Ruby arriving on the scene as the replacement. From there the two bond, meet new people and share interesting events. There is a cat napping, a mystery woman, a hurricane, and a rescue. A very fun series of short stories.



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Short and Sweet Book Reviews #77 - Imprudence by Gail Carrier, A Terrible Beauty by Tasha Alexander, Elementary, She Read by Vicki Delany

Imprudence by Gail Carriger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I like Imprudence better than Prudence the first book in the Custard Protocols. Once again Prudence and her crew are off in the Spotted Custard, her airship. Part of the book finishes out the Parasol Protectorate; something I had wondered about. As it turns out everything happens as planned in the last book Timeless. From there Pru and friends are off in another interesting adventure. This could be the last book in the series as things ended on a high note for Rue and Quesnel. We will see if there is more to come. This would stand alone but is much better if you have read Prudence and the Parasol Protectorate series.


A Terrible Beauty by Tasha Alexander
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It seems that we are going back to book one in the Lady Emily series. Once again it seems like Philip, Lady Emily's first husband is alive. This time it is not a hint but a person who shows up looking and sounding like Philip. It throws both Emily and Colin a big curve. It was interesting to see how both reacted. Neither Emily or Colin want to end their marriage. They are still very much in love and plan to stay together. Philip does not seem to pose too much of a threat to the two but he does come with a mystery and brings danger with him. Is this really Philip or is it someone else? That is not resolved until the end of the book. An interesting addition to the series even though it seems like a re-tread of book one.

Elementary, She Read by Vicki Delany
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had not read a cozy mystery in quite awhile and had forgotten how much I enjoyed them. Elementary She Read had a book store devoted to Sherlock Holmes as the setting for this new series. Sherlock Holmes is part of the story line but the characters are unique unlike many that are following the Holmes theme. The setting is New London, New England and Baker Street. The main character is very good at noticing details but she is also sometimes to clever for her own good. She makes mistakes but does finally realize committed the murders and why. A engaging book. The cat named Moriety was one of my favorite characters. Relives in the books story and likes everyone but the book store owner. A very different cat who does nothing to help solve crime.

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What Else I Read in April 2015

Books:

Prudence by Gail Carrier - I love the Parasol and Finishing School books and was really excited when I saw that Prudence had been released. Carriger had promised that we would return to the world she created with a series that featured Alexia and Lord Maccon's daughter Prudence. Now Prudence is off on her on in a story that promises adventure and danger. There was some adventure and some danger but it did not manage to carry the book. Everything moved very slowly with so many descriptions of clothing, tea and the territory they were in that the danger and adventure took a back seat. Part of the problem may be that the book is aimed at the YA crowd and I am way past that age. However there are other YA books that I have read and really enjoyed.

Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear - This is a different take on a Jack the Ripper type killer.  The killings lead to a much bigger plot.  I loved that most of the main characters were female and not you usual type of female either.  Karen Memery (her spelling is different from the book title) tells the story from her point of view.  The story is a steampunk set in the late 1800's and she uses the language that was common during the time period.  This is a stand-alone book with a great plot and a satisfying ending.

My Steadfast Heart by Jo Goodman - This is book one in the Thorne brothers trilogy and was free on Amazon this month.  I like Goodman's writing so decided to give this on a try.  Colin Thorn and Mercedes Leydon are thrown together when Colin wins a bet from her uncle.  It is a familiar plot line but works very well in the context of the story.  My Steadfast Heart is a book for early in Goodman's career.  It does ramble more that later books (the plot is not as tightly woven) but still tells a good story.

One True Heart by Jodi Thomas - This is the latest Harmony Novel and once again Thomas delivers a feel good story.  There are three couples and three romances this time.  Milline McAllen finds where she can call home, Johnny Wheeler meets his faire who believes in him when no one else does, and Beau Yates comes back and once again finds Trouble.  Not everything is solved but things are looking good for all three couples.

Audio Books:

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson - If you have read or listened to The Way of Kings you know why there is only one audio book this month.  This is a very long books with a lot of description, characters, world building, back-story and action.  I listened on a 2000 mile trip and still had to finish after I got home.  This is a very complex story line that is very slow moving.  At the end there were no answers but there many questions left for the next book.  I think I will read that one as I am not planning another long trip anytime soon.

Stacking the Shelves - April 4, 2015

Books Stacked on My Shelves

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. 

I got four books I had on reserve at the library this week.  They are Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear, Prudence by Gail Carriger, by J.D. Robb and Who Buries the Dead by C. S. Harris.  

I also checked out three books by Patricia Briggs.  Two are Mercy Thompson novels;  Blood Bound and Bone Crossed.  On the Prowl which has the first Charles and Anna Story and one Science Fiction Short story collection - Magic City, Recent Spells edited by Paula Guran.  I started out reading the Charles and Anna books by Briggs.  I then read the latest Mercy Thompson books.  Now I am going back to read the early books.

I won The Calling (Laws of Segregation Book 2 from Nina Croft, purchased Reining in Justice by Delores Fossen and got two free ebooks –Melis’s Gambit by Ann Gimple and Hunter by Cynthia Lucas.

What Else I Read in November 2014

Books:

Bonfire Night by Deanna Raybourn - A nice addition to the

Lady Julia series Bonfire Night gives both Lady Julia Grey and her detective husband, Nicholas Brisbane, a small vacation and a interesting mystery to solve. Look for a lot of misdirection when all the ghost appear. Julia and Brisbane catch on really fast about the ghosts but take a while to realize the real reason for what is happening. In the end Nicholas gets a very nice and unexpected Christmas present.

‘Til Dragons Do Us Part (Never Deal With Dragons

#3)  by Lorenda Christensen – This is a novella.  Savannah Cavenaugh has several secrets; all of which are revealed in the first few pages of ‘Til Dragons Do Us Part.  She is a thief and a dragon morph.  It is easy to see why being a thief is a secret.  The dragon part has kept her isolated from most people.  All of that changes and that is the heart of the story.  I loved how Savannah changed when she realized what some of her actions were doing to other people.  The possibility of a romance with Cameron Shaw also played a big part in that change.  This is a nice addition to the Never Deal With Dragons series.  It will stand-alone but the series is such fun don’t skip the first two novellas.

The Christmas Ranch RaeAnne Thane - If you like good clean

romance and romance set at Christmas this one if for you.  The Christmas Ranch is set in Pine Gulch on the ranch owned by Hope Nichols and her family.  There is a Christmas tradition at the ranch. It is decorated and open to the public and has been for many years but this year Hope's family has decided to skip that tradition.  Enter Hope who has just come back to the ranch and Rafe Santiago who needs something to occupy both his and his nephew time and magic happens. 

Waistcoats & Weaponry (Finishing School, #3) by Gail Carrier - 

This is a between book.  It provides a more detailed back-story to some of the characters in The Alexia Trabotti novels and it sets the stage for more action and adventure.  All of the gang are here and once again on an interesting adventure.  While both Sidheag and Soap find a solution to their problems the big problem is still out there on the horizon for Sophronia to solve in future books.  I found this to be mostly a place holder in the series.  A nice story that adds to the world building, character development and plot direction.  Not the best place to start the series as it assumes the reader is familiar with this steampunk world Carriger has created but fun for the fans of this world.

A Last Chance Christmas by Vicki Lewis Thompson - Ben

Radcliffe never expects to find a family when he agrees to make a saddle for the owner of Last Chance Ranch but that is what he finds; a family and even more.  Molly Gallagher is just visiting.  She is part of the Arizona branch of the family.  In this the last book in the Sons of Chance  series Thompson sets the stage for a new series featuring the Gallagher's of Arizona.  A nice story with two wonderful main characters and a chance to visit with the characters from previous books. 

Musing Mondays, February 10, 2014

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…Musing Mondays is sponsored by Should Be Reading.
• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it! 
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

I just read MizB's Musing Mondays post on buying too many books.  I do think that all book bloggers are probably guilty that.  I know I try to keep my book buying down.  Add to that there is the problem of books I accept to review and I always have more than I can read.  That leads me to the my post.  

I loved Gail Carriger's Alexia Tarabotti series.  When her new YA series set in the same world came out I wanted to read it but I wanted to get it at my public library.  However, I kept forgetting to see if they had the book.  Saturday I was visiting the library  and remembered to check.  By then there were two books out in the series and my library had book two, Curtsies and Conspiracies, and it was on the shelf.  They do not have book one, Etiquette & Espionage, at all.  I checked out book two and now I have to decide.   Do I start with book two?  Do I buy book one?  Or and this just occurred to me, I could ask them to get it on inter-library loan.  Yes, that is what I will do.  Thanks for listening and helping me make the decision.  Some times you just have to work through something before you can make a decision.

Heartless, A Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger

Paranormal Romance/Steampunk

Heartless?  I really wondered about the title.  It did not look like a fit for Alexia or Conall but there it is on the second page.  Alexia says, “For goodness sake, I may be soulless and I am, admittedly, not precisely maternal, but I am by no means heartless.”  And the term heartless is used by and about other characters throughout the book.  So the title does fit.  I was looking at heartless in the wrong context.

Like the previous books in the series Heartless is full of fun dialog, wonderful characters and an interesting mystery.  Many of the characters from the previous books are back in Heartless.  We learn more about some of the side characters and more of the back-story is filled in.  Look for answers from the past and new problems for the future.  Alexia also accepts her friend Ivy as the first member of the Parasol Protectorate, a new top-secret organization, created on the spur of the moment.  And of course there is the infant-inconvenience who makes an in person appearance at the end of the book.  

One of my favorite characters is Lord Akeldama.   He is an over the top vampire with a wardrobe to match.  I really enjoyed all of the pet names he comes up with for Alexia.  On just the first few pages Alexia is “ my dearest petal, my little pomegranate seed, my little lilac bush, my dearest marigold, my little cream puff, sugar drop, butterball, and my little dewdrop”.   I wonder how long and hard Gail Carriger had to think to come up with all of the unusual pet names?

The Alexia Tarabotti Novels are a fun mixture of paranormal and steampunk.  Any could be read as a stand-alone but I recommend starting with the first, Soulless, and proceeding in order with Changeless, Blameless, and Heartless.  The next novel Timeless is due out in March of 2012.  

Orbit published Heartless by Gail Carriger in 2011.

I purchased Heartless.  (I own the entire series.)

Blameless Book Cover Design

I just finished Changeless by Gail Carriger and am anxiously awaiting the release of Blameless on September 1st, 2010. One of my sons saw me reading Changeless and sent me the following link to the You Tube video showing how the cover design for Blameless came into being. Follow the link below to see for yourself. Hope you enjoy the video as much as I did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoDCiTsS7dU

Soulless, an Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger

Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy

Gail Carriger calls Soulless an urban fantasy alternate history with a sprinkling of steampunk. I just call it fun. Soulless is set in the late 1800’s and combines the paranormal with historical romance. There are all the rules that you read in other historical romances with the addition of werewolves, vampires, ghosts and the preternaturals. All of these elements lead to a story with interesting twists in the behavior of the characters. Filled with great world building, an interesting plot and great characters Soulless is a good start to a new series.

Alexia Tarabotti is a strong female who has no soul. Lord Maccon is a werewolf who clashes constantly with Alexia. A new vampire tries to feed on Alexia she and Lord Maccon are thrown together to solve the mystery. The result is an entertaining page-turner filled with adventure and romance.

Orbit published Soulless by Gail Carriger in 2009.

I purchased Soulless at Borders.
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