Scandal of the Year by Laura Lee Guhrke

Romance

The year is 1903 and Lady Julia Yardley has just testified that “On the afternoon of August 21, 1903, I had intimate relations of a sexual nature with Aidan Carr, the Duke of Trathen”.    Julia is granted a divorce from Yardley and becomes The Scandal of the Year.

Fast-forward six months and Lady Julia is back out in society.  Adrian, the Duke of Trathen, is trying to put the scandal behind him and is looking for a wife.  He should forget Julia but finds that he cannot.  As they are thrown together sparks fly and both must come to terms with the past if they want a future.

It was interesting to read a story set in this time period.  Cars were just taking the place of the horse and buggy, electric lights were replacing gas and these and other changes are woven into the story.  It was a different setting from many romances and a reminder of how the world was changing in the early 1900’s.

Avon published Scandal of the Year by Laura Lee Guhrke in 2011.

I purchased Scandal of the Year at Borders.

Medicus, A Novel of the Roman Empire by Ruth Downie

Mystery

Ruth Downie has set Medicus in England during the time of the Roman’s.  As she says in the Author’s Note, “accounts of Roman Britain are tantalizingly patchy”.  Much that is written was not recorded until long after the Roman’s had left but “many of the gaps are still being filled by archaeology”.   Deva, the setting for Medicus is where modern Chester is today and there are remains from Roman times that can be seen today.  That being said she had to invent much of the daily life but not the medical treatments used in Medicus.

I loved how Medicus starts.  Before you read the first chapter you see a list that starts:

“Medicus, 

A Novel In Which our hero will be…

Baffled by

            Tilla, a slave

            Merula, a bar owner

            Quinus Antonious Vindex, a recruit

            A family of native Britons”

The list goes on to include alarmed by, assaulted by, amused by, followed by, surrounded by, tempted by, sworn at, avoided by, harangued by, annoyed by, ignored by, informed by, mothered by, moved to sympathy by, and ruled by.

Our hero is Gaius Petreius Ruso, a Roman physician who has just arrived in Deva.  As the story develops we find out money is a big issue with Ruso.  His Father died leaving no money and many debts.  Ruso and his brother are trying to save the family farm; Ruso by working in England and sending the money home and his bother by living on the farm and keeping everything going.   Ruso is also newly divorced and soured on marriage.  Ruso just wants to do his job and be left alone.  That does not happen.  He purchases a slave girl that he cannot afford to rescue her from further harm.  Then he is in danger when he finds himself involved in solving the murders of prostitutes who worked at a local tavern.  While all of this is going on he must also try to outwit the hospital administer who tries to keep costs to a minimum impacting the medical treating at the hospital.

Ruth Downie has put together a great setting for the first book in this mystery series.  Ruso and Tilla are wonderful main characters.  The secondary characters are well developed and add depth to the story. The pacing of the story moved in a way that kept me reading.    Other books in the series are already available and I am looking forward to continuing my reading about Ruso and Tilla.

Ruth Downie lives in England where the book was first published.  Every book in the series has one title here in the US and another title in England.  To make it even more confusing Medicus was not the original title here in the US.

Bloomsburg published Medicus, A Novel of the Roman Empire by Ruth Downie in 2006.

I checked Medicus out from the Rogers, AR Public Library.

The Babylonian Codex by C.S. Graham

Mystery

The Babylonian Codex by C.S. Graham is another book that is part of a series.  We first met Tobie Guinness in The Archangel Project and again in The Solomon Effect.  In The Babylonian Codex Tobie Guinness has been asked to do a remote viewing to find priceless artifacts that were looted from Baghdad when the United States invaded.  When she sees something unexpected a trail of murder starts and Tobie barely escapes with her life.  Once again she partners with CIA agent Jax Alexander.  They follow a path that exposes secrets that link a Biblical codex with a plot by religious fanatics to remake the world. 

Like the previous books in this series The Babylonian Codex is a conspiracy theory mystery.  The really frightening part is the list of what is real and what is not in the Author’s Notes in the back of the book.  Hopefully none of the groups listed as real manage to get enough power make any of the action in The Babylonian Codex  actually happen.

Harper published The Babylonian Codex by C.S. Graham in 2010.

I purchased The Babylonian Codex from Borders.

Clone Empire by Steven L. Kent

Science Fiction

The Clone Empire by Steven L. Kent is the latest book in the Clone series.  Once again we find Wayson Harris in the middle of more action than he wants.  Harris is asked to leave the planet he saved from the Unified Authority.  When he joins the rest of the Clone Fleet he finds that UA needs their help to defeat an old enemy that has reappeared, an enemy that threatens to destroy every planet humans have colonized. 

There is a lot of action and intrigue in Clone Empire but no resolution to the problems Wayson and the rest of the clones are facing.  Instead Clone Empire sets the stage for the next part of Wayson’s adventure.

I said in a previous post:

“I love series books.  When I pick them up and start reading it is like sitting down with an old friend, catching up with what has happened since I last saw them and then joining them on a new adventure.”

The Clone Empire does not give any time to sit down and catch up.  The action picks up where the last book left off and never lets up.  The Clone Empire is action and adventure filled military science fiction.  For the most enjoyment the series should be read in order.

Ace published The Clone Empire by Steven L. Kent in 2010.

I purchased The Clone Empire from Amazon.

Where Shadows Dance, A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery by C.S. Harris

Mystery

The Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries are some of my favorites and I have been waiting for almost a year for Where Shadows Dance to be released.  It was worth the wait.  C.S. Harris has used the history of the time to write an outstanding mystery and I think Where Shadows Dance is one the best books of the series.  England in 1812 is dealing with problems with France, Russia, Sweden, and the United States.  The events during this time are the backdrop for the story in Where Shadows Dance.

Sebastian St. Cry’s friend, physician Paul Gibson, has just received the body of Alexander Ross from the resurrection men.  Hiring someone to dig up the newly dead is the only way for a physician to get bodies to study.  Paul wanted Alexander Ross because he was a young man who died in his sleep from a heart attack.   However, when he examined the body he found that Ross had not died from a heart attact but had been stabbed in the neck by a stiletto.  That is when he called his friend Sebastian to investigate.  Then a second body is found with the same type of wound.   What follows are more deaths and more questions.

Sebastian is dealing with more than the mystery of these deaths.  His relationship with Hero Jarvis is continuing to develop.  Hero has agreed to become his wife and she joins in helping him gain information needed to solve the cases.   While they work well together both hide information from the other and trust is a big issue between the two.

Where Shadows Dance is filled with both internal and external conflict and is a perfect blend of mystery and romance.  The relationship between Sebastian and Hero is a subtle dance.  C.S. Harris shows that less is more in portraying the attraction between the two.  The last chapter is the book is perfect.  It answers one question while leaving much to the imagination and setting the stage for future books. 

You can read Where Shadows Dance as a stand-alone but don’t.  So much of the overall plot is woven in each of the books that there is much you would miss by only reading this book.  Start with the first book and watch as conflict results from secrets both know and unknown.   The books in order are:

What Angles Fear

When Gods Die           

Why Mermaids Sing           

Where Serpents Sleep           

What Remains of Heaven

The next book in the series, book 7 titled  When Maidens Mourn, went to the publisher on March 1^st and will be released in March 2012.  Book 8 is also under contract and is scheduled to come out 8 months after book 7.   I will be among the first to buy both.

I had a hard time getting this written.  Every time I started to write I ended up rereading parts of the book and this was after I had read it twice.  Now I need to buy the two books I do not own so I can re-read the entire series any time I want.   That will have to hold me until the next book comes out.

Obsidian Mystery published Where Shadows Dance by C.S. Harris in 2011.

I pre-ordered Where Shadows Dance from Amazon.

Dangerous to Know by Tasha Alexander

Mystery

In Dangerous to Know by Tasha Alexander I got to visit with another old friend.  Lady Emily is in Normandy at her mother-in law’s recovering from her near brush with death in Constantinople.  Her husband Colin Hargreaves hopes that the setting will help her recover from the loss of their unborn child.   While out riding and trying to find the calm she needs Lady Emily comes on the body of a young woman murdered in the same way that victims of Jack the Ripper were killed.  Emily is determined to find the killer and bring him to justice.  After almost losing Emily Colin just wants to keep her safe and her involvement in this mystery leads to conflict between the two.   There is added tension because Colin’s Mother does not hide the fact that she does not like Emily. 

Dangerous to Know has all of the elements needed for a good mystery story.  There are several suspects, a suspected ghost, and some repeat character that help move the story forward.  Dangerous to Know can be read as a stand-alone but I recommend reading the series in order.

Minotaur Books published Dangerous to Know by Tasha Alexander in 2010.

I checked Dangerous to Know out from the Rogers, AR Public Library.

Dark Road to Darjeeling, A Lady Julia Grey Novel by Deanna Raybourn

Mystery

I love series books.  When I pick them up and start reading it is like sitting down with an old friend, catching up with what has happened since I last saw them and then joining them on a new adventure.  Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn lets me catch up with two of my favorite characters, Lady Julia and her husband Nicholas Brisbane.

Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn joins Lady Julia and her husband of eight months, Nicholas Brisbane as they join Julia’s sister Portia and her brother Plum on a trip to India.  Portia’s friend Jane has written from India telling of the death of her husband and the impending birth of her child.  In the letter Jane hints that her husband was murdered and asked that Portia come to help discover the truth.  Portia and Plum stop off in Egypt to enlist the help of Brisbane and Julia.  Jane lives on the Cavendish tea plantation in India with her late husband’s family.  Once there Julia and Brisbane uncover dark secrets, old scandal, and a surprising murderer.

In addition to everything else going on, Julia and Brisbane are two very independent personalities.  They are still adjusting to marriage.   Julia’s desire to investigate and Brisbane need to protect causes problems and tension between the two.  The interaction between these two very strong characters gives an added spice to the story.  There are several unexpected twists in the story and further information about Brisbane’s past.

Dark Road to Darjeeling is the fourth book in the Lady Julia Grey series.  At the end of the book there is a Conservation With the Author and in the conservation Deanna Raybourn gives a few hints about the next book in the series.

Mira published Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn in 2010.

I checked Dark Road to Darjeeling out at the Rogers, AR public library.

Expendable by James Alan Gardner

Science Fiction

Expendable by James Alan Gardner was one of the few books I had not read on a list I found of best Science Fiction Novels.  The book is out of print but I found it at my public library.  Expendable is the first published novel by James Alan Gardner and introduces the Universe where only sentient races (those who do not kill other races) are allowed in the League of Peoples.  Humans in the Technocracy are part of the League and some of the action in Expendable is influenced by League rules.

Humans are still expanding and settling new planets.  They have a special group of people to make first contact on any new planet.  The Explorer Corp is made up of people who are different.  Born less than perfect physically but very sharp mentally they are perfect for the job.  If you are popular, well-liked and physically perfect and die on a mission the effect on the crew is devastating, but if you are flawed, not so well-liked and ugly your death has little lasting effect on the crew you serve with.   That is how the Explorers Corps came into being.  Every member has some physical disability so when they die on a mission (and they often do) there is not a devastating effect on the crews they serve with.

While the official name is Explorer Corps, the Explorers call themselves ECM or Expendable Crew Members and when a mission goes bad they say they go "Oh Shit", as that is usually the last words any one hears. 

Festina Ramos is an Explorer and she has just been assigned a mission to Melaquin, the planet of No Return.  She is ordered to escort Admiral Chee, a man suffering from mental decline, to explore Melaquin.  Melaquin looks like a perfect planet for humans but for forty years it has been used by the Technocracy as a dumping ground for people that they want to disappear and everyone sent there has vanishes without a trace.  This should be Festina’s last mission but she has other ideas.

Expendable is a very well written book.  Festina Ramos is a wonderful and unique character. The action flows smoothly.    The plot is well developed, the Universe is well thought out and the story is exciting.  Every character and action woven into the story is there for a purpose.  I agree that Expendable belongs on any list of great Science Fiction books.

When I went to James Alan Gardner's web site I found other books that feature Festina Ramos and the League of Peoples Universe.

Avon Books published Expendable by James Alan Gardner in1997.