Book Review: Dragon's Time by Todd McCaffrey

Dragon's Time
Author: Todd McCaffrey
Series: Pern: The Dragonriders of Pern
Publication: Del Rey; 1 edition (June 28, 2011)

Description: Even though Lorana cured the plague that was killing the dragons of Pern, sacrificing her queen dragon in the process, the devastating disease has left too few dragons alive to fight the fall of deadly Thread. As morale at Telgar Weyr plunges in the wake of the widespread loss, and Weyrwoman Fiona and the harper Kindan struggle to keep hope from vanishing, a pregnant Lorana decides she must take drastic steps. Nothing short of manipulating time itself will undo the damage done by the plague. But attempting time travel could have devastating consequences—altering history, and destiny, forever. Now, somehow, Lorana must find a way to accomplish what seems impossible: bending the natural laws of the universe without wreaking havoc on existence itself. To ensure the future of Pern, she’s willing to take the fateful chance—even if it demands yet another, far greater, sacrifice.

My Thoughts: This wasn't my favorite of the Pern books - too much time travel for me. It is closely linked to the others that I have been reading lately in my quest to finally finish reading this whole series which I began reading in 1968.

The plague killing the dragons has been cured but it has left too few dragons to fight Thread which will be falling for many years. Our main characters are all busy trying to find solutions to the problem which is requiring that they have their dragons travel back into time. One character - Lorana - travels to multiple times. I got confused about where she had been and when.

I do like the characters in the story. It was nice to reconnect with Fiona, Lorana, Kindan, and other favorites. There were a number of new characters introduced too. Tenniz was an especially interesting one because of his gift of visions. I couldn't imagine seeing my own death and was enthralled by his reaction to the vision. I also liked F'jian who promised his love that he would never leave her and kept his promise in a very interesting way.

Given that this group of books takes place in an earlier time period than other novels in the series, I shouldn't have felt the tension I did wondering if they were going to survive. It is a credit to the author that I was still worried.

Fans of stories with lots of time travel will enjoy this one more than I did but I am glad I read the story.

Favorite Quote:

"It is strange," Tenniz began again, in a softer, less emotional tone, "how those who expect to see tomorrow have so little appreciation for it."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Dragon's Time by Todd McCaffrey

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

Cold. Black. Silent.

Deadly.

Friday 56:

She woke to the feeling of hot tears on her cheek. She turned over to see F'jian leaning over her, his eyes full of tears.

"What?" she cried. "F'jian, what is it?"

"Nothing," the dragonrider told her huskily. "It's just that you are so beautiful." He paused and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "I love you so much. Don't ever forget that."

This week I'm reading Dragon's Time by Todd McCaffrey. This one is from my TBR stack and is another book that brings me closer to reading all of the Dragonriders of Pern series. Here is the description from Amazon:

Even though Lorana cured the plague that was killing the dragons of Pern, sacrificing her queen dragon in the process, the devastating disease has left too few dragons alive to fight the fall of deadly Thread. As morale at Telgar Weyr plunges in the wake of the widespread loss, and Weyrwoman Fiona and the harper Kindan struggle to keep hope from vanishing, a pregnant Lorana decides she must take drastic steps. Nothing short of manipulating time itself will undo the damage done by the plague. But attempting time travel could have devastating consequences—altering history, and destiny, forever. Now, somehow, Lorana must find a way to accomplish what seems impossible: bending the natural laws of the universe without wreaking havoc on existence itself. To ensure the future of Pern, she’s willing to take the fateful chance—even if it demands yet another, far greater, sacrifice.

ARC Review: The Gathering Edge by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

The Gathering Edge
Author: Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Series: Liaden Universe® (Book 20)
Publication: Liaden Universe® (Book 20)

Description: The luck runs rough around Theo Waitley. Not only are people trying to kill her and capture the self-aware intelligent ship Bechimo to whom Theo is bonded, they’re also trying to arrest her crew members, and throw the dignity of an important passenger, the duly-constituted norbear ambassador Hevelin, into question.

No wonder Theo and her crew felt the need of a break, and retired to what Bechimo refers to as "safe space." Unfortunately, safe space may not be so safe, anymore.  It seems that things are leaking through from another universe, and another time. In fact, whole spaceships are coming through.  One of those ships is a blasted battleship seemingly fleeing a long-lost war. What’s more, its crew may be members of Theo’s ancient ancestral line—her relatives. It’s certain that they are in dire need of help. Theo has a choice to make. It seems that Bechimo’s “safe space” is about to become deadly perilous.

My Thoughts: The 20th Liaden Universe book focuses on Theo Waitley and her sentient ship Bechimo. They are in a far distant part of the galaxy in what Bechimo says is a safe place. However, they are in a location where flotsam from the destruction of the Old World keeps appearing. It isn't so bad when it is a teacup, but when Cantra yos'Phelium's empty ship appears that is something else. Especially when the only living thing on the ship is a tree much like Korval's tree strapped into the pilot's sear. Theo is determined to bring it to the Delm of Korval who is also her brother and his lifemate.

They are just making plans to safely attach the ship when another large mass of wreckage appears. This one holds survivors including two Yxtrang on a secret mission and a ship's cat. Stost and Chernak are both surprised and dismayed to find that they have appeared in the new world hundreds of years after their expected arrival. Theo and her crew are also in a bit of a dilemma about what they should do with these two. Win Ton is all in favor of dumping them on the nearest Scout base for the Scouts to deal with. Theo wants the give them better options. It was interesting to learn what the Yxtrang were like in the old world which is very different than what the scattered remnants that came to the new world became.

This is a quieter story than many in this series. It deals more with Theo and Bechimo coming to terms with their bonding which has changed each of them greatly than it does epic battles. The closest thing to an epic battle is an incipient riot on a space station when Theo and crew try to get her old mentor out of a jam. Their encounter with Scouts who want to confiscate Bechimo for being an artifact of Old Tech could have developed more but quick thinking threw the problem onto Val Con yos'Phelium's shoulders and will probably be resolved in the next book.

It was nice catching up with Theo who we first met in Fledgling (2009), but I'll admit I miss knowing what is happening on Surebleak with those nearer to Korval. Theo thinks of herself as a Terran and a child of Delgado. In fact, I found it amusing that she thought that she might have to take care of her brother Val Con, a very competent person, but is content to leave him in the hands of his very competent mate Miri. She is having some trouble finding her place in regards to Korval. Korval has claimed her but she is finding the fit a little tight.

I enjoyed this story. It makes me want to go back and read all of Theo's story again.

Favorite Quote:

"I think," she said slowly, "that being alive isn't safe. We have to take risks; we have to make choices or we stop being alive, even if we haven't died. Once a choice is made, it's irrevocable. The only thing left is to make another choice."

I got this one in exchange for an honest review from Baen Books. You can buy your copy here.

WoW: The Girl on the Bridge by James Hayman

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. She has a linky widget at her site each week for your post and to make it easy to find posts by other people.

The purpose of the meme is to spotlight books that we are eagerly anticipating. It is fun to take a look at what others are waiting for. I have noticed that it has expanded my wishlist though. Be warned!

The Girl on the Bridge

A McCabe and Savage Thriller

James Hayman

May 9

From New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed McCabe and Savage series comes an electrifying new thriller of taut and twisted suspense.


On a freezing December night, Hannah Reindel leaps to her death from an old railway bridge into the rushing waters of the river below. Yet the real cause of death was trauma suffered twelve years earlier when Hannah was plucked from a crowd of freshman girls at a college fraternity party, drugged, and then viciously assaulted by six members of the college football team.

Those responsible have never faced or feared justice. Until now. A month after Hannah’s death, Joshua Thorne—former Holden College quarterback and now a Wall Street millionaire—is found murdered, his body bound to a bed and brutally mutilated.

When a second attacker dies in mysterious circumstances, detectives Mike McCabe and Maggie Savage know they must find the killer before more of Hannah’s attackers are executed. But they soon realize, these murders may not be simple acts of revenge, but something far more sinister.

The Girl on the Bridge is a compelling and harrowing tale of suspense that once read will not easily be forgotten. 

Teaser Tuesday: The Gathering Edge by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker. 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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

She grinned. When she had first come aboard, she'd had words -- strong words -- to say about privacy and where she expected to be unmonitored by Bechimo himself.

This week I'm reading The Gathering Edge by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. This is the 20th Liaden Universe novel by the pair. Here is the description from Amazon:

The luck runs rough around Theo Waitley. Not only are people trying to kill her and capture the self-aware intelligent ship Bechimo to whom Theo is bonded, they’re also trying to arrest her crew members, and throw the dignity of an important passenger, the duly-constituted norbear ambassador Hevelin, into question.

No wonder Theo and her crew felt the need of a break, and retired to what Bechimo refers to as "safe space." Unfortunately, safe space may not be so safe, anymore.  It seems that things are leaking through from another universe, and another time. In fact, whole spaceships are coming through.  One of those ships is a blasted battleship seemingly fleeing a long-lost war. What’s more, its crew may be members of Theo’s ancient ancestral line—her relatives. It’s certain that they are in dire need of help. Theo has a choice to make. It seems that Bechimo’s “safe space” is about to become deadly perilous.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (April 24, 2017)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Other Than Reading...

I had another busy week packing and organizing at my house. I am not a big fan of clutter and it is already starting to bother me that I have piles and piles of stuff laying around that will be part of my rummage sale. The sale is still a month away. I'll be living with this clutter for a lot longer.

I'll be cleaning my garage later today. I want to wait until the day warms up a little more before I start. It's time to get rid of odds and ends that can be thrown away and also to get rid of the road sand that accumulates each winter. If I was willing to keep my car outside, I could start transferring rummage sale stuff to the garage. But spring in Minnesota often brings hail storms and I want my car protected.

The friend who is helping me with my packing is hoping to come today to take the bookshelves I'm giving her. She needed to arrange a time when she could borrow her dad's truck and bring her boyfriend to help do the heavy lifting. That will remove one large piece and give me room to stack more boxes. We've packed my books from A - McCaffrey and have only one room of books to pack. I don't have to have those shelves empty for the painter since they are built in and have backs. Also, a lot of rummage sale stuff is in front of them right now. We're thinking that we can be packing them after the sale and maybe even after the painter is finished. 

I signed the contract for a mover this week with the scheduled loading date of June 8 and delivery date of June 9. Now the move seems even more real. At last count, I had 27 more work days and only 35 more days that I will be here at my house before the moving van arrives. I'm also planning four more trips to my new home. I'll be there eleven days before June 8.

Read Last Week

A Gleam of Light by T.J. & M.L. Wolf was a contemporary science fiction/paranormal story that I received for review from the authors. I thought the inclusion of Hopi mythology made the story interesting. My review will be posted on May 6.

Death in the Abstract by Emily Barnes was a nice cozy mystery. I liked the Edina, Minnesota, setting and the fact that the main characters were retirement age. It had a nicely twisty plot and some really quirky characters. My review will be posted on May 11.

Currently

Edited Out by E. J. Copperman is a cozy that I got for review from Crooked Lane books. It is next on my stack.

Next Week

• Big City Heat by David Burnsworth (Partners in Crime Blog Tour)
• Say You're Sorry by Melinda Leigh (Review)

Reviews Posted

• Grave Visions by Kalayna Price
• Echo of Danger by Marta Perry

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

• Triple Crown by Felix Francis
• Run to Ground by Katie Ruggle (Review)
• Shallow Grave by Brian Thiem (Review)

To see what Young Adult books I have been reading and plan to read, check out Ms. Martin Teaches Media - my other blog.

Book Review: Grave Visions by Kalayna Price

Grave Visions
Author: Kalayna Price
Series: An Alex Craft Novel (Book 4)
Publication: Roc (February 2, 2016)

Description: The USA Today bestselling author of Grave Memory and Grave Dance returns with her bewitching heroine Alex Craft in a new novel of twisting urban fantasy where the secrets of the dead can wreak havoc on the living.

If you want to hear voices from the dead in Nekros City, you call Alex Craft. She’s a grave witch with reasonable rates and extraordinary powers who specializes in revealing the secrets of the dead. But she has her own secrets. She’s not human—and her newly discovered heritage is causing havoc for her both in the human realm and in Faerie.

Fae can’t survive without a tie to Faerie, and now that Alex’s true nature has awoken, she’s no exception. She must align herself to a court and soon. To retain as much freedom as possible, she makes a deal to track the source of a new glamour-infused street drug which causes hallucinations that kill—and not just the user. Her investigation entangles Alex in a conflict brewing in Faerie, and she must find answers before she’s dragged so deep that she loses not only her freedom, but her life.

My Thoughts: Alex Craft is back. Her fae heritage is causing problems. If she doesn't swear to a court or gain independent status, she will fade away taking those sworn to her with her. She makes a deal with the Winter Queen to track down the being making a new drug called Glitter which is killing humans and which is being supplied by someone in her court.

Alex's investigation uncovers something not right in the Winter court which she needs to fix or the queen who promised her independence won't be alive to grant it. She is being assisted by the Queen's Knight Falin when he isn't being called away to fight off challenges to the Queen. Alex and Falin have a difficult relationship because she can't trust him. His first loyalty will always be to the Queen.

Alex has a number of other complicated relationships too. Her boyfriend is Death, a soul collector, who has been forbidden to be with her. She has known him since childhood but still knows almost nothing about him. Then there is the almost fiance that her father wants her to marry enough that he betrothed her to him when she was a child. The Winter Queen wants Alex to swear allegiance to her court and marry her nephew to try to get her and her unique ability under the Queen's control.

This story was entertaining and engaging. I like Alex and sympathized with her as she was being pulled in so many directions. I can't wait for the next episode in this great series.

Favorite Quote:

Please let us find something. I needed a break in this case. A map with a big red X on it was unlikely, but hopefully the BIB database would have something.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Grave Visions by Kalayna Price

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

The first time I raised a shade for profit, my client fainted. Since then, I've tried to better prepare clients for their encounter with the dead.

It doesn't always work.

Friday 56:

A sharp sob cut across the phone. Shit. I hadn't meant it as such, but I'd just broached the fact that the baby might not make it to the point of being a consideration. Foot meet mouth. Geez, I was bad at this.

This week I am finally getting a chance to read Grave Visions by Kalayna Price. I began this series years ago but there has been quite a gap since the previous book. Here is the description from Amazon:

The USA Today bestselling author of Grave Memory and Grave Dance returns with her bewitching heroine Alex Craft in a new novel of twisting urban fantasy where the secrets of the dead can wreak havoc on the living.

If you want to hear voices from the dead in Nekros City, you call Alex Craft. She’s a grave witch with reasonable rates and extraordinary powers who specializes in revealing the secrets of the dead. But she has her own secrets. She’s not human—and her newly discovered heritage is causing havoc for her both in the human realm and in Faerie.

Fae can’t survive without a tie to Faerie, and now that Alex’s true nature has awoken, she’s no exception. She must align herself to a court and soon. To retain as much freedom as possible, she makes a deal to track the source of a new glamour-infused street drug which causes hallucinations that kill—and not just the user. Her investigation entangles Alex in a conflict brewing in Faerie, and she must find answers before she’s dragged so deep that she loses not only her freedom, but her life.

ARC Review: Echo of Danger by Marta Perry

Echo of Danger
Author: Marta Perry
Publication: HQN Books (April 25, 2017)

Description: In peaceful Pennsylvania Dutch country, a young mother discovers a shocking danger—and an unexpected ally 

A whisper of a threat looms over widow Deidre Morris. She and her young son have unwittingly become prisoners of her intimidating father-in-law's power. One wrong step could find her son torn from her and in the hands of the influential judge. But when Deidre collides with an intriguing stranger, the prospect of a new friendship gives her renewed hope…until a devastating murder rocks the quiet community of Echo Falls and Deidre learns first impressions can't be trusted.

Attorney Jase Glassman's assignment is straightforward: befriend Deidre, gather incriminating evidence…and allow her dogged father-in-law to take custody of her child. Anything else, including losing himself in her honest charm, will compromise the job he was hired to do. Yet when a murderer ushers danger into the town, Jase's only instinct is to protect Deidre and her son—no matter the sacrifice.

My Thoughts: Jason Glassman has taken a job as an attorney in Echo Falls after he was betrayed by his fiance and almost disbarred because of what she did. When his new boss - Judge Morris - asks him to get close to his daughter-in-law and try to find out if she is a fit mother to his grandson, Jason agrees. But getting to know Deidre Morris shows him a woman far different than the picture the judge painted of her.

At their first encounter, he sees her home and they discover the body of her friend who was babysitting for five-year-old Kevin who has also been badly injured. Kevin doesn't remember anything about what happened. His last memory is of earlier that day. But someone is afraid that Kevin will remember.

Deidre wants to know what happened to her friend Dixie and she wants her small son to be safe. Jason spends time with Deidre and Kevin during this difficult time and begins to care for her. He becomes more and more convinced that the judge's suspicions are baseless.

Meanwhile the judge is keeping the pressure on Deidre to move Kevin and her to his cold, formal home. Deidre is reluctant because she knows what pressure he put on his son and doesn't want to subject her son to it. But the judge is a powerful man in the small town and it is hard for Deidre to go against him.

I enjoyed the setting of this story and the strong relationships. Deidre has a good support system among her Amish cousins. I also liked the way the relationship between Jason and Deidre grew slowly. This was a very nice romantic suspense story.

Favorite Quote:

Jason didn't know where that need to reassure Deidre had come from, but he'd better get back to a more professional stance with her in a hurry. It was not part of his assignment to get that involved with her. All he wanted was evidence, one way or the other, to either prove or disprove the judge's opinion of her. 

I got this one in exchange for an honest review from  You can buy your copy here.

WoW: Dating the Undead by Juliet Lyons

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. She has a linky widget at her site each week for your post and to make it easy to find posts by other people.

The purpose of the meme is to spotlight books that we are eagerly anticipating. It is fun to take a look at what others are waiting for. I have noticed that it has expanded my wishlist though. Be warned!

Dating the Undead

Juliet Lyons

May 2

For mortals wanting to get up close and personal with the beautiful undead, there's...

V-DATE, THE UNDEAD DATING SERVICE

Silver Harris is over clingy men―maybe men altogether. But when she shares a toe-curling kiss with a sexy Irish vampire on New Year's Eve, she wonders if maybe it's human men she's done with. Silver turns to the popular vampire dating site, V-Date, but soon she's in over her head and her mysterious hottie is nowhere to be found...

Logan Byrne can't get that sassy redhead out of his head―or that kiss! When his boss assigns him to spy on V-Date members, he meets Silver again. Turns out, the police are recruiting humans to snitch on vampires through the dating site. As the snark and sparks fly, feelings between Silver and Logan grow deep and suddenly Logan isn't so sure he can betray her, no matter how dangerous the consequences might be.

Teaser Tuesday: Echo of Danger by Marta Perry

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker. 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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser (from 10% in the eARC):

Kevin's injury had been bad enough, but at least it had looked like an accident. But the woman -- that had been deliberate. He was no expert, but he'd be surprised if anyone could have survived that blow to the head. What on earth was going on in this supposedly peaceful small town?

This week I am reading Echo of Danger by Marta Perry from my review stack. Here is a description from Amazon for this Romantic Suspense title:

In peaceful Pennsylvania Dutch country, a young mother discovers a shocking danger—and an unexpected ally 

A whisper of a threat looms over widow Deidre Morris. She and her young son have unwittingly become prisoners of her intimidating father-in-law's power. One wrong step could find her son torn from her and in the hands of the influential judge. But when Deidre collides with an intriguing stranger, the prospect of a new friendship gives her renewed hope…until a devastating murder rocks the quiet community of Echo Falls and Deidre learns first impressions can't be trusted.

Attorney Jase Glassman's assignment is straightforward: befriend Deidre, gather incriminating evidence…and allow her dogged father-in-law to take custody of her child. Anything else, including losing himself in her honest charm, will compromise the job he was hired to do. Yet when a murderer ushers danger into the town, Jase's only instinct is to protect Deidre and her son—no matter the sacrifice.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (April 17, 2017)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Other Than Reading... 

A couple of meeting helped fill up a short work week. Our Spring Break started on Friday and we have Monday off too. I packed a car load and headed up to my new house on Friday morning. Now I'm just relaxing with my brother. There have been lots of fix ups and spruce up at the house we are selling. However, we are waiting for bids on the basement repair before we can go on. One bid arrived for much more than we were expecting. We're hoping the second bid is better.

When I get back this week, I'll be entertaining moving estimates from two different companies. Meanwhile the packing and sorting go on as I'm getting ready for my rummage sale. 

Read Last Week

Grave Visions by Kalayna Price is the fourth book in the Alex Craft urban fantasy series with book five coming in July. I enjoyed catching up with this character. It has been five years since I read the first three books in the series. My review will be posted on April 21.

Currently

A Gleam of Light by T.J. and M.L.Wolf is next on my adult stack. I still have a couple of YAs to read first though.

Next Week

I will be reading books from my review stack that are coming out in May next.

• Death in the Abstract by Emily Barnes 
• Edited Out by E. J. Copperman

Both are second books in series. I've read the first books.

Reviews Posted

• Change Agent by Daniel Suarez
• Kale to the Queen by Nell Hampton
• One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay

Roses by Rose Mannering

 Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

Cold Welcome by Elizabeth Moon

Legal Ease by Lori Ryan

Penalty Clause by Lori Ryan

To see what Young Adult books I have been reading and plan to read, check out Ms. Martin Teaches Media - my other blog.

Book Review: One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews

One Fell Sweep
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Innkeeper Chronicles (Book 3)
Publication: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (December 21, 2016)

Description: Dina DeMille may run the nicest Bed and Breakfast in Red Deer, Texas, but she caters to a very particular kind of guest… the kind that no one on Earth is supposed to know about. Guests like a former intergalactic tyrant with an impressive bounty on her head, the Lord Marshal of a powerful vampire clan, and a displaced-and-superhot werewolf; so don’t stand too close, or you may be collateral damage. But what passes for Dina’s normal life is about to be thrown into chaos. First, she must rescue her long-distant older sister, Maud, who’s been exiled with her family to a planet that functions as the most lawless penal colony since Botany Bay. Then she agrees to help a guest whose last chance at saving his civilization could bring death and disaster to all Dina holds dear. Now Gertrude Hunt is under siege by a clan of assassins. To keep her guests safe and to find her missing parents, Dina will risk everything, even if she has to pay the ultimate price. Though Sean may have something to say about that!

My Thoughts: In this episode, Dina rescues her sister Maud and Maud's five-year-old daughter Helen from exile on a very dangerous planet. Dina also accepts a Hiru as a guest. The Hiru are a race that has almost completely been massacred by the Draziri who look at exterminating Hiru as a religious requirement.

Dina calls on Arland to help rescue her sister and Sean goes along too. Both Sean and Arland remain at the inn to help Dina defend it from the Draziri. Sean and Dina are falling in love but Dina is worried that Sean won't want to stay with her. She is tied to her inn and will be for life. Sean has only recently come back from difficult galactic adventures and she fears he will want more adventures in the future. There is also a growing relationship between Maud and Arland complicated by the fact the he is a vampire and Maud's former husband the the reason for her exile was also a vampire.

The story had lots of action on a variety of different worlds. There was plenty of action on Earth too. Dina is having difficulty keeping the actions of the Draziri secret from the human police since the Draziri don't care if they expose the inn and its secrets.

I like the characters in this series. Maud and Helen are new to the series but are both interesting and entertaining. We find out more about the relationship between inns and innkeepers in this story and also about the governing authority that manages them.

This was a great story that kept me reading late into the night. I had to know how things were going to work out for Sean and Dina and what was going to happen to the Hiru.

Favorite Quote:

He grinned at me, turning into the old Sean Evans. The transformation was so sudden, I blinked to make sure I didn't imagine it.

"You're a carebear."

"What?"

"You're the type to get out of a perfectly dry car in the middle of a storm in your best dress so you can scoop a wet dog off the road. You help people, Dina. That's what you do. And the Hiru need help."

"I'm sensible," I told him.

"I'll give you till tonight," he said. "You won't even last twenty-four hours. I bet my right arm on it."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

A faint chime tugged me out of sleep. I opened my eyes and blinked. 

Friday 56:

Maud's bedroom in our parents' inn was a dark place, filled with books, weapons, and oddities we all collected either from excursions to Baha-char or from regulars who occasionally brought us gifts. Dad used to joke that Maud never grew out of the cave phase.

This week I am reading One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews. Here is the description from Amazon:

Dina DeMille may run the nicest Bed and Breakfast in Red Deer, Texas, but she caters to a very particular kind of guest… the kind that no one on Earth is supposed to know about. Guests like a former intergalactic tyrant with an impressive bounty on her head, the Lord Marshal of a powerful vampire clan, and a displaced-and-superhot werewolf; so don’t stand too close, or you may be collateral damage. But what passes for Dina’s normal life is about to be thrown into chaos. First, she must rescue her long-distant older sister, Maud, who’s been exiled with her family to a planet that functions as the most lawless penal colony since Botany Bay. Then she agrees to help a guest whose last chance at saving his civilization could bring death and disaster to all Dina holds dear. Now Gertrude Hunt is under siege by a clan of assassins. To keep her guests safe and to find her missing parents, Dina will risk everything, even if she has to pay the ultimate price. Though Sean may have something to say about that! 

ARC Review: Kale to the Queen by Nell Hampton

Kale to the Queen
Author: Nell Hampton
Series: A Kensington Palace Chef Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (April 11, 2017)

Description: Chef Carrie Ann Cole is about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime--an assignment as the new Personal Chef to the Royal Family at Kensington Palace. But no sooner has Carrie Ann touched down across the pond and donned her apron than a dead body crops up beneath the royal kale beds.

With one assistant dead and the other soon under suspicion for his murder, Carrie Ann is scrambling to keep her kitchen up and running. Not to mention she gets off to an immediate bad start with the tempestuous Royal Chef Butterbottom, who has a bitter taste in his mouth since the prestigious position in the Royal Family's kitchen was given to an "over-privileged, under-educated American chef."

But the Royal Family's appetites wait for no one, and Carrie Ann must solve the murder and still get supper on the table on time--even with the annoyingly handsome Head of Security Ian Gordon tracking her every move like an MI6 agent. Suspects abound as an American chef adds a bit of spice to the traditional royal household in the first in Nell Hampton's charming and tasty Kensington Palace Chef Mystery series, Kale to the Queen.

My Thoughts: Carrie Ann Cole is following her dream of being a personal chef when she takes a job working for the duke and duchess of Cambridge in Kensington Palace. But to reach her goals, she has to leave behind her boyfriend of six years who is pursuing his goal of becoming a Michelin chef. They have agreed to take a break in their relationship.

Everything is new to this Chicago girl when she gets to the palace. She certainly wasn't expecting to find one of her assistants murdered under the kale in the greenhouse attached to her kitchen on her second day in London. And, when her other assistant is arrested for the crime, Carrie Ann launches her own investigation to try to clear him of blame.

Between her rivalry with another chef at the palace and her run-ins with the security chief, Carrie Ann learns a lot about the people who work at the palace. Of course, we get tantalizing glimpses of the meals that she is preparing for the Royal family too.

This was a fun mystery of the cozy variety.

Favorite Quote:

"John..." I glanced up to see Ian leaning against my bedroom doorjamb, his gun holstered and his arms crossed. "I have to go. We'll talk about this later. Okay? I've had a bad day."

"Sure, baby," he said. "Sure. I'll see you soon." A good review could make a restaurant. A great review could make a chef. John's attention was not focused on me.

I got this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Change Agent by Daniel Suarez

Change Agent
Author: Daniel Suarez
Publication: Dutton (April 18, 2017)

Description: On a crowded train platform, Interpol agent Kenneth Durand feels the sting of a needle—and his transformation begins...

In 2045 Kenneth Durand leads Interpol’s most effective team against genetic crime, hunting down black market labs that perform "vanity edits" on human embryos for a price. These illegal procedures augment embryos in ways that are rapidly accelerating human evolution—preying on human-trafficking victims to experiment and advance their technology.

With the worlds of genetic crime and human trafficking converging, Durand and his fellow Interpol agents discover that one figure looms behind it all: Marcus Demang Wyckes, leader of a powerful and sophisticated cartel known as the Huli jing.

But the Huli jing have identified Durand, too. After being forcibly dosed with a radical new change agent, Durand wakes from a coma weeks later to find he’s been genetically transformed into someone else—his most wanted suspect: Wyckes.

Now a fugitive, pursued through the genetic underworld by his former colleagues and the police, Durand is determined to restore his original DNA by locating the source of the mysterious—and highly valuable—change agent. But Durand hasn’t anticipated just how difficult locating his enemy will be. With the technology to genetically edit the living, Wyckes and his Huli jing could be anyone and everyone—and they have plans to undermine identity itself.

My Thoughts: This near future science fiction story talks about a future world that has changed immensely because of developments in biology and genetic engineering. In this world genes can be edited to create the baby you want. Kenneth Durand works with Interpol to shut down illegal labs that are custom-designing babies. He has been too successful. He has drawn the attention of the cartel who controls this illegal genetic engineering.

Ken is injected with a "change agent" which rewrites his DNA and makes him genetically and physically the identical double of Marcus Demang Wyckes, the head of the Huli jing who is wanted all over the world for his many crimes. Ken survives the transition which wasn't what the Huli jing actually wanted. Only, now he needs to convince his colleagues in Interpol that he is not Wyckes. Since the technique used on him was supposed to be impossible, this isn't easy. He is also on the run from Wyckes' right hand man who wants him dead to get the heat off the real Wyckes.

Meanwhile, Ken wants to stop Wyckes and his society-changing plans and get his own body and DNA back. He wants to get back to his beloved wife and daughter and will do what is necessary to make it happen.

The story takes place in Southeast Asia which has become the center of the new science and society. On his journey to find Wyckes, Ken finds colleagues and assistance from a variety of sources including rebel ethnic groups who are fighting corrupt governments and scientists who might just be on the shady side.

The story was fast paced but a little to scientifically detailed for this non-scientist reader. I have no idea how much of the science is possible but I found it all disturbingly plausible. Fans of hard science fiction will enjoy this story.

Favorite Quote:

There needed to be a brief exception in his life -- an ethics time-out. A moment of selfishness. Just one, and he would get back to who he'd been. He felt the quicksand swallowing him as he realized he was going to do this. That, in fact, people had already died so that he could reach the seat he was in right now, in this macabre showroom.

I got this one in exchange for an honest review from the publisher. You can buy your copy here.