Stacking the Shelves, August 23, 2014

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.

Only one review book this week and five used books from one of my local non-profit stores.

Used:

Kinsmans Oath by Susan Krinard
Shadowlight by Lynn Viehl
The Maverick's Christmas Baby by Victoria Pade
Kitty Goes to Washington by Carrie Vaughn
Demon's Kiss by Maggie Shayne

For Review:

The Fortress in Orion by Mike Resnick

Musing Monday, February 23, 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 decided to talk about The Clockwork Wolf (A Disenchanted & Co. Novel) by Lynn Viehl.  I really like the series but there are reasons why I might not have.  I have read other books by Viehl.  She writes under several names and I first read something by her several years ago.  She wrote a Science Fiction Romance series called Star Doc and I did not like it at all.  In fact I read the first two books and never picked up any after that.  Since SFR is one of my favorites and I did not like her books you would expect that to carry over to any other series she writes.  Not so with the Disenchanted & Co. Series.  I got the first book from Edelweiss and was hooked.  I had to purchase books two and as soon as I got it it went to the top of my TBR pile.  The Clockwork Wolf is an alternate history mixed with paranormal and steampunk. Looking that that combination you would think it would be a hard mix to pull off.  One thing that makes this series so great is the main character.  Kit Kittredge has her own company and makes her living solving magical crimes.  She is very well developed character.  Helping her (many times without her permission) are Deathmage Lucien Dredmore and Chief Inspector Tom Doyle.  They are very different but fascinating characters.  Then there is the world building.  It is complex and very well done.  The result is a interesting world that is filled with new ideas.  The story in The Clockwork Wolf kept me guessing.  It was full of magic and new characters that added to the world building that was done in the first book.  All of this kept me reading and hoping it would not be to long before the next book is published.

Stacking the Shelves - February 22, 2014

Some of the 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.

Purchased:

Blue Remembered Earth by Alastair Reynolds
The Clockwork Wolf by Lynn Viehl

From The Library:

Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris
These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Disenchanted & Co., Part 2: His Lordship Possessed by Lynn Viehl

Steampunk

What Goodreads says:

"The second half of Disenchanted & Co.—the thrilling conclusion. In a steampunk version of America that lost the Revolutionary War, Charmian (Kit) Kittredge makes her living investigating magic crimes and exposing the frauds behind them. While Kit tries to avoid the nobs of high society, as the proprietor of Disenchanted & Co. she follows mysteries wherever they lead.

Lady Diana Walsh calls on Kit to investigate and dispel the curse she believes responsible for carving hateful words into her own flesh as she sleeps. While Kit doesn’t believe in magic herself, she can’t refuse to help a woman subjected nightly to such vicious assaults. As Kit investigates the Walsh family, she becomes convinced that the attacks on Diana are part of a larger, more ominous plot—one that may involve the lady’s obnoxious husband.

Sleuthing in the city of Rumsen is difficult enough, but soon Kit must also skirt the unwanted attentions of nefarious deathmage Lucien Dredmore and the unwelcome scrutiny of police Chief Inspector Thomas Doyle. Unwilling to surrender to either man’s passion for her, Kit struggles to remain independent as she draws closer to the heart of the mystery. Yet as she learns the truth behind her ladyship’s curse, Kit also uncovers a massive conspiracy that promises to ruin her life—and turn Rumsen into a supernatural battleground from which no one will escape alive."

I loved Disenchanted & Co., Part 1, Her Ladyship’s Curse and when Edelweiss offered Part 2: His Lordship Possessed I asked for and received a copy.  Then it disappeared, at least that is what I thought happened.  I could not find it on my Kindle.  Of course it did not really disappear because I finally found it two months after it was released.

I was not disappointed in His Lordship Possessed.  Kit and Lucien work both together and against each other in Part 2.  There is a thrill a minute in Part 2 .  Nothing was working for Kit or Lucien and it looked like there would not be another book in the series.   It appeared that everything was lost and then there was a very surprising twist.  That twist really set up the next book in the series.

Most of the world and character building was done in Part 1.  The two parts are really one book so do not try to read this as a stand-alone.  Part 2 was action, action, action and it was very well written.  I look forward to The Clockwork Wolf, the next book in the series.

Simon and Schuster published His Lordship Possessed by Lynn Viehl in 2013.

Disenchanted & Company, Part 1: Her Ladyship’s Curse by Lynn Viehl

Alternate History/Paranormal/Steampunk

From Goodreads: 

"In a steampunk version of America that lost the Revolutionary War, Charmian (Kit) Kittredge makes her living investigating magic crimes and exposing the frauds behind them. While Kit tries to avoid the nobs of high society, as the proprietor of Disenchanted & Co. she follows mysteries wherever they lead.

Lady Diana Walsh calls on Kit to investigate and dispel the curse she believes responsible for carving hateful words into her own flesh as she sleeps. While Kit doesn’t believe in magic herself, she can’t refuse to help a woman subjected nightly to such vicious assaults. As Kit investigates the Walsh family, she becomes convinced that the attacks on Diana are part of a larger, more ominous plot—one that may involve the lady’s obnoxious husband.

Sleuthing in the city of Rumsen is difficult enough, but soon Kit must also skirt the unwanted attentions of nefarious deathmage Lucien Dredmore and the unwelcome scrutiny of police Chief Inspector Thomas Doyle. Unwilling to surrender to either man’s passion for her, Kit struggles to remain independent as she draws closer to the heart of the mystery. Yet as she learns the truth behind her ladyship’s curse, Kit also uncovers a massive conspiracy that promises to ruin her life—and turn Rumsen into a supernatural battleground from which no one will escape alive."

If I had to sum up Disenchanted & Company, Part 1: Her Ladyship’s Curse it would be interesting.  Here is why:

Worldbuilding:  The story has some very intense worldbuilding.  It is set in an alternate history where America lost the Revolutionary War and where magic works.   Her Ladyship’s Curse has to blend the alternate history, the location and the magic into the story.  I had to pay very close attention to all the details in order to absorb all of the information about those three elements.  That was a big part of the story.  The worldbuilding is so intense that there is a much-needed multi-page Torian Glossary at the end of the story. 

Characters:  This is the first book in a series and like the worldbuilding character introduction was a big part of the story.  There is Kit, the main character, who does not believe in magic and makes her living exposing people who use magic as a fraud.  There are the two male characters, Thomas Doyle a policeman, and Lucien Dredmore a deathmage, who look to be a set up for a romantic triangle while playing a major part in the story. There are also two female side characters, Rina and Bridget, who help and look out for Kit.  The mystery is provided by Lady Walsh and her husband, both of who should appear in books two.

Plot:  The plot starts out simple and grows more complex as the story progresses.  There are twist and turns as everything progresses.  While one mystery is solved the bigger problem is still there at the end of Her Ladyship’s Curse.  The book ended with a cliff-hanger.

I saw elements that would make it paranormal as well as steampunk so that is how I listed it.

This is a novella rather than full-length books.  It is also an e-book.  I received a free ARC of Her Ladyship’s Curse from Edelweiss. 

Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc. published Her Ladyship’s Curse by Lynn Viehl in 2013.