Great Story

Boundless by Jack Campbell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had forgotten how quickly Jack Campbell could draw me into to a story. I was hooked from the first page and everything flowed in a way that kept me hooked. It was great to step into the world of John "Black Jack" Geary and see once again many of the characters from the previous books. Glad it is a trilogy sorry that I have to wait for the next book.

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Short and Sweet Book Reviews # 257 - Venom in the Veins by Jennifer Estep

Venom in the Veins by Jennifer Estep
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This takes Gin and friends into a difficult and dangerous situation. The past is coming back to haunt Gin and along the way her friends find themselves in great danger. There is unexpected help and a big surprise from Gin's past. I though this was one of the best Elemental Assassin books ever. It had a great conclusion and a set up for the next book in the series. Sometimes finding out about the past just leads to more trouble.


Destiny of Dragons by Jack Campbell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Kira and Jason are once again at the center of the action and danger. Some of that danger is from outside but some in from Kira as she tries to come to grips with having both mage and Mechanic. The action is non-stop and the tension builds as Kira tries to force Jason away to save him. This is a great ending to a fun series. While it seems that all major problems have been solved there is a opening for the two to have further adventures. I hope that I will join them in a new adventure and get to visit Dematr again. The voices in the audio book were very well done adding to the enjoyment of the series.

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Short and Sweet Audio Book Reviews # 249 - The Quantum Spy by David Ignatius, Blood of Dragons by Jack Campbell

The Quantum Spy by David Ignatius
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After listening to this I came away not liking most of the characters. There was a lot of action featuring different spy agencies and interlocking characters. I left liking the opposition better than the home team with one exception. It does beg the question what is right and what in wrong when you are working in national security.


Blood of Dragons by Jack Campbell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Kira, daughter of Master Mechanic Mari and Master of Mages Alain, meets someone who just does not understand no. Once again Kira and Jason must work to escape before they are captured or killed. As the story follows Kira and Jason it also gives insight into what Mari and Alain are feeling as they have to let someone else deal with the danger to Kira. There is a lot of excitement and tension in the story. There is also the budding romance between Kira and Jason. One set of danger is resolved. What is left unresolved is what happens to Kira when she uses her Mage Skills. That will be resolved in the next book. MacLeod Andrews does a good job on the different voices in the story and puts just the right amount of feeling and tension where needed.

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Short and Sweet Book Reviews # 230 - Planet Dragos by The Harrison, Ascendant by jack Campbell

Planet Dragos by Thea Harrison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A nice way to see Pia and Dragos off to a new life. There is a lot of danger at first and then a lot of thinking about change as the story progresses. Good story for fans of the Elder Races series.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.


Ascendant by Jack Campbell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rob Geary and Mele Darcy are called back to help. Once again Glenlyon is in danger after losing one of their two warships. This is military space opera as Geary and Darcy arrive in time to help defend their neighbor Kosatka from attack. While this victory is important all know that they are still in great danger. All of the important characters play a part in Ascendant. There is a very loose web being woven as the colonies realize that they need to work together of be defeated. Geary and Darcy get back home and the stage is set for the next round in the war. For fans of the Lost Fleet series look for the one sentence hint about how the war in that series came about.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

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Short and Sweet Book Reviews # 194 - The Hyperspace Trap by Christopher G. Nuttall, Daughter of Dragons by Jack Campbell

The Hyperspace Trap by Christopher G. Nuttall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The luxury liner Supreme is off on its maiden voyage when the unthinkable happens. They are trapped in hyperspace and are not the first ones. With a passenger list that includes the very rich and the not so wealthy some lines are drawn with who can socialize with whom. Crew is there to serve, not socialize with passengers. Everything changes when the ship is trapped in a graveyard of ships many not even human. There are a lot of firsts here. First voyage, first time to see aliens ships, and first time a child born in hyperspace returns. There are voices, people going mad and crew working around the clock to get them out and safe. An tension filled story with an interesting ending. This is a stand alone but is in the same universe as several of Nuttall's previous books.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.


Daughter of Dragons by Jack Campbell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a interesting coming of age story with two teenage main characters. There is a girl whose mother is very famous (She is the main character in a previous series). A mother she thinks she cannot live up to. The other is a boy whose parents have told him he is worthless and he has not self confidence. When they have to go on the run both have life changing experiences. A very nicely put together story with danger, tension and the beginning of romance.

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Short and Sweet Book Reviews # 170 - Vanguard by Jack Campbell, Aydarr by Veronica Scott

Vanguard by Jack Campbell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I didn't think I would like this series so it took me awhile to give it a try. Turns out I was wrong, I do like the series. I thought it would be close in time to the Lost Fleet series but it is not. It is set many years before that series and it gives it a fresh feeling. I love the three main characters. Robert Geary, a young former junior fleet officer, Ninja, a computer hacker and Mele Darcy, a onetime enlisted Marine are on a planet that has just recently been colonized. When danger comes the three rise to the occasion. The back story is very well developed, the plot is not new but is very well done and the character development fits the story line. Several other characters are important at first but play a small part in the whole. They seem to be in line to play a more important role in future stories. I listed to this as a audio book and the reader did a great job on timing and voices.

Aydarr by Veronica Scott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was disappointed when I started Aydarr. I though Oh No another alien abduction story. It is that but it had some interesting twists that kept it from being run of the mill. For one thing the main female character was a Sector solider at one time and she can take care of herself. Of course there is that alien she bonds with. She was abducted from the Sector and that is the tie in to the previous series set in the Sector. The abductors are another tie in as they are the same enemies from the sector series. There are some very interesting characters, a well developed plot and a very predictable romance.

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Short and Sweet Book Reviews #27 – Visitor by C.J. Cherryh, Shattered Spear by Jack Campbell, Class Zero by Y.A. Marks

Visitor (A Foreigner Novel) by C.J. Cherry

Science Fiction

So far there are 5 trilogies plus 2 more books in the Foreigner 

series.  Visitor looks like the second book in trilogy 6 but it reads like it could be the final volume.  All of the familiar characters are back as the kyo arrive for a visit at Alpha Station.  It is Bren’s job to learn why they came and what they want.  I admit that I had a suspicion about who the kyo were at war with and it turns out I was right.  Another interesting novel about how we are all alike and how we are all different. I do hope that there is another book to complete this trilogy.

Shattered Spear (The Lost Stars) by Jack Campbell

Science Fiction

This is the final book in the Lost Stars series.  It does end well but I will miss seeing how Iceni and Drakon.  I have enjoyed the push pull of their relationship and how it plays into the action in the books.  While many of the dangers that they have faced are removed in Shatters Spear not every thing is solved. Once again the story is full of fast packed action with a lot of tension thrown in.  A very good ending to a fun series.

Class Zero (Class Zero Series #1) by Y.A. Marks

YA Dystopian Science Fiction

I like to add in some YA books now and then.  Class Zero looked interesting so I requested and received it from Netgally.  Paeton Washington is a interesting main character and the story is told from her point of view.  All she wants to do is keep her head down and not have any trouble.  Doesn’t happen and the way it develops keeps the story moving.  There are some really great characters that along with Paeton drive the action.  There is also a very sweet love story that is developing as Paeton’s life changes.

Stacking the Shelves June 18, 2016

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. 

Purchased from Amazon

Draw One in the Dark (Shifter Book 1) by Sarah Hoyt

Honor’s Flight (Fallen Empire, Book 2) by Lindsay Buroker

Warrior Wench (The Asariai Wars Book 1) by Marie Andreas

Starseers  (Fallen Empire Book 3) by Lindsay Buroker

From the Library:

Clawback (An Ali Reynolds Novel) by J.A. Jance

Visitor (A Foreigner Novel) by C.J. Cherryh

Shattered Spear (The Lost Stars) by Jack Campbell

From Netgalley for Review:

Into Dust by B.J.Daniels

An Untimely Frost by Penny Richards

Once Upon a Moonlit Night by Elizabeth Hoyt

The Hidden Masters of Marandur ( The Pillars of Reality #2) by Jack Campbell

YA Fantasy

From Goodreads:

It’s Book 2 of The Pillars of Reality, the exciting epic fantasy series written exclusively for Audible by New York Times bestselling author Jack Campbell!

Someone wants to kill Mari, a young Steam Mechanic in the Guild that controls all technology. She has learned that her world of Dematr is headed for a catastrophe that will destroy civilization, and that Mages really can alter reality for short periods. Someone also wants to kill Alain, a young Mage who has learned that Mechanics are not frauds as his Guild teaches, and that Mechanic Mari is the only person who can prevent the oncoming disaster.

Narrowly escaping death, the Mechanic and the Mage stay alive thanks to their combined skills, an alliance never before seen. But it becomes clear that both of their Guilds, the most powerful forces in the world, are trying to destroy them. Other powers, like the great Empire and a mysterious secret Order, also seek to kill or capture them, using every weapon from Imperial Legions to Mage-created trolls, dragons, and rocs.

Trying to survive and learn the truth about their world so they will know how to save it, Mari and Alain realize that the answers they seek may lie in the dead city of Marandur. But Marandur is guarded by the legions that have sealed it off from the rest of the world for more than a century. Mari and Alain's only hope may rest with the unseen Masters of Marandur.

This book came about in an interesting way.  It was written for Audible as an audiobook.   After publication it is now available as a Kindle Edition and book one, The Dragons of Dorcastle, comes as both an Audible audiobook, a Kindle edition and a paperback edition.

I got a copy from Netgalley in return for an honest review.  I got it because Jack Campbell was the author.  I have followed his adult series and really liked them all so I wondered how he would do writing for the YA audience.

He did fine.  The Hidden Master of Marandur is book two in the series and I have not read book one.  I was worried I would feel lost but that was not the case.  The back story and world building is worked into the dialog in the story.  While it is apparent that some of the character building was done in book one I still had a very good handle on Mari and Alain.  The plot is still be developed in book two so that was also easy to pick up.

Since this is book two in what appears to be a trilogy don’t expect anything to be solved.  The Hidden Masters of Marandur expands the back story, character development, world building and the plot as it sets everything up for the next book.

The YA focus is provided by the ages of Mari and Alain.   Both are 18.  The story and the plot would work with any age so don’t let the fact that it is YA stop you from reading the book.   Campbell is telling a good tale with lots of danger, tension and some romance.  This is one any age can enjoy.

This is fantasy and Campbell usually writes SciFi.  I think there may be a small SciFi element in the future.

Audible published The Masters of Marandur by Jack Campbell in 2015.

Stacking the Shelves - July 25, 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. 

Purchased:

Project Genesis by Michelle Howard

Knight’s Fall by Angela Henry

Four by R. E. Carr

The Mandala Maneuver by Christine Pope

For Review:

Wish Bound by J. C. Nelson

Beauty and theWerewolf by Kristen Miller

Second Chance Summer by Jill Shalvis

An Ancient Peace by Tanya Huff

The Hidden Master of Marandu by Jack Campbell

Breaking Out Part II by Michelle Diener

Leviathan (The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier #5) by Jack Campbell

Science Fiction/Space Opera

What Goodreads Says:

“One of the best military science fiction series on the market,” (Monsters and Critics) The Lost Fleet delivers thrilling combat on a grand space opera scale. Now, Admiral John “Black Jack” Geary embarks on a brand new mission—to defend the Alliance from itself—in New York Times bestselling author Jack Campbell’s latest action-packed novel…

Two Syndicate World star systems have fallen prey to a mysterious fleet of warships—a fleet controlled entirely by artificial intelligence—that is now targeting Alliance space. The warships are no mystery to Geary. They were developed by his government to ensure security, but malfunctioned. If the Syndics learn the truth, the war with the Alliance will resume with a vengeance. 

As the government attempts to conceal the existence of the A.I. warships—and its role in their creation—Geary pursues them, treading a fine line between mutiny and obedience. But it soon becomes clear that his fleet is no match for the firepower of the machine-piloted armada.

With the help of the Dancer species of aliens, Geary has tracked the A.I. ships to their secret base in the supposedly mythical Unity Alternate star system where his fleet, the last hope of the Alliance’s future, will end the conflict at any cost.

I was disappointed in Steadfast, the last book of the series, but Campbell is back on track with Leviathan.  Once again Geary has to save the Alliance.  This time he has to save it from its own mistake.  He does not do it alone. The final save comes from a very unlikely source. 

If you like space battles, interesting characters, unusual aliens and impossible odds Leviathan is for you.  It can read as a stand-alone but read the entire series starting with The Lost Fleet for maximum enjoyment.

Ace published Leviathan by Jack Campbell in 2015.

I received an ARC of Leviathan from Netgalley in return for  an honest review.

Stacking The Shelves - March 7, 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. 

This week two of the books I had a hold on at my local library came in.  Jayne Ann Krentz's latest Trust No One and Tasha Alexander's latest Lady Emily Mystery The Counterfeit Heiress both arrived and were available for check out.  Now they are waiting for me to finish my current book and dive into both of these.

When I checked Netgalley this week I found a whole group that I wanted to read and review.  I had my review list down and now it has 8 new titles.  Most are Science Fiction or Paranormal, two of my favorite reading groups.

The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier Leviathan by Jack Campbell

Omega by SM Reine

Angles of Attack by Marko Kloos

Alien Separation by Gini Koch

Cold Burn of Magic by Jennifer Estep

King of Thieves by Evan Currie

The Alchemist’s Daughter by Mary Lawrence

Betrayed by Your Kiss by Laura Landon

Musing Monday's - November 10, 2014

TC is in the sun musing about the chipmunk she sees out the window.

Hopefully that is all she does.  So far this month she has presented me

 with two chipmunks - one alive and one dead but both in my bedroom.

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 talk.

I really love some series and order or pre-order the next book as

soon as it comes out.  One of my favorite SciFi series is written by Jack Campbell.  It started with the Lost Fleet which came to an end after after the fleet arrived home.  Then came The Lost Fleet:  Beyond the Frontier and after that The Lost Stars. The last two series are still on going.  I said when the first book in Beyond the Frontier came out that I wondered if it would hold up.  It did at first.  The Lost Stars were the same.  Really good Space Opera in both series.  That has been lost in the last books in both series.  I just finished The Lost Stars: Imperfect Sword.  It is good space opera but the story did not seem to move the series forward.  It does seem that Campbell is working to merge the story line in both.  Hopefully the next books in Beyond the Frontier and The Lost Stars will get back to the same level of excitement as the original series The Lost Fleet.

Steadfast (The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier) by Jack Campbell

Science Fiction

From Goodreads: 

 Geary and the crew of the Dauntless have managed to safely escort important alien representatives to Earth. But before they can make tracks for home, two of Geary’s key lieutenants vanish. The search for his missing men leads Geary on a far-flung chase, ultimately ending at the one spot in space from which all humans have been banned: the moon Europa. Any ship that lands there must stay or be destroyed—leaving Geary to face the most profound moral dilemma of his life.

To make matters worse, strains on the Alliance are growing as the Syndics continue to meddle. Geary is ordered to take a small force to the border of Syndic space. But what he finds there is a danger much greater than anyone expected: a mysterious threat that could finally force the Alliance to its knees.

As Geary spearheads a desperate battle to protect the Alliance against a shrewd and powerful enemy, he’s left with just one question: Who are they?

I said when Campbell started the second series featuring Jack Geary I did not see how he could keep the same level of tension that he had in the first set of books.  After reading the first Beyond the Frontier books I admitted he has succeeded.  I was expecting the same in Steadfast but it just was not there.  What was there was information needed for the story to continue but it just was not exciting.  I kept reading expecting the book to pick up but it did not until the very end.  That part was exciting and sets up the next book.  If you are a fan of the series as I am you will want to read Steadfast and like me you will be looking forward to the next book.  Just don’t expect the same level of tension that is present in previous books.  Instead Steadfast is like many middle books in a series it is just a filler to set up the next book.

Ace published Steadfast by Jack Campbell in 2014.