Book Review: The Silver Bullets of Annie Oakley by Mercedes Lackey

The Silver Bullets of Annie Oakley
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Series: Elemental Masters (Book 16)
Publication: DAW (January 11, 2022)

Description: The sixteenth novel in the magical alternate history Elemental Masters series follows sharpshooter Annie Oakley as she tours Europe and discovers untapped powers.

Annie Oakley has always suspected there is something "uncanny" about herself, but has never been able to put a name to it. But when Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show goes on tour through Germany, Bill temporarily hires a new sharpshooter to be part of his "World Wide Congress of Rough Riders": a woman named Frida, who also happens to be an Elemental Master of Air. Alongside this new performer, Annie discovers that she and her husband, Frank, are not simply master marksman, but also magicians of rare ability.

As they travel and perform, Annie must use her newfound knowledge and rare skill to combat creatures of the night scattered across the countryside, who threaten both the performers and the locals. Annie's got her gun, and it's filled with silver bullets.

My Thoughts: This Elemental Masters story takes place in Europe - mostly Germany - and follows the adventures of Annie Oakley. Annie is the star of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. She and her husband Frank are hard-working performers. 

A new performer comes to the troupe with her husband especially to meet with Annie.  Frida and her husband are elemental masters who have recognized Annie's talents as being more than just a very skilled shootist. Frida is an Air Master who is convinced that Annie is one too. She convinces Annie to take training to use her gifts. Annie is skeptical, not because she doesn't believe she has gifts but, because she doesn't want to spend her life hunting and killing monsters.

However, the monsters don't feel the same way. Annie had an encounter with a werewolf when she was a child who cursed her and who has never forgotten about her. Now, he has followed her to Europe and is trying to claim her for his pack. Annie, Frank, Frida and her husband also confront other monsters during the winter season in Germany. Sometimes they have to kill them. Other times, Annie is able to use persuasion to make them stop their evil ways.

This was an entertaining episode in the Elemental Masters series. I liked the setting. I liked the mythology. I liked the worldbuilding. 

I bought this one November 18, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Miss Amelia's List by Mercedes Lackey

Miss Amelia's List
Author: Mercedes Lackey

Narrator: Zura Johnson
Series: Elemental Masters (Book 17)
Publication: DAW (December 24, 2024), Tantor Media (February 18, 2025)

Length: 13 hours and 7 minutes

Description: The seventeenth novel in the magical alternate history Elemental Masters series follows Amelia Stonehold and Serena Meleva as they navigate property acquisition, marriage proposals, and other ancient horrors in Regency England, but with the help of elemental magic

The year is 1815, and an American, Miss Amelia Stonehold, has arrived in the Devon town of Axminster, accompanied by her "cousin" Serena Meleva. She’s brought with her a list to tick off: find a property, investigate the neighbors, bargain for and purchase the property, staff the property and...possibly...find a husband. But Amelia soon finds herself contending with some decidedly off-list trouble, including the Honorable Captain Harold Roughtower, whose eyes are fixed on her fortune. Little does Amelia know that his plans for her wealth extend far beyond refurbishing his own crumbing estate — they include the hidden Roman temple of Glykon, where something very old, very angry, and very dangerous still lurks.

But Roughtower isn’t prepared to reckon with the fact that neither Amelia nor Serena are pushovers. And he certainly isn’t ready for the revelation that he has an Earth Master and a Fire Mage on his hands — or that one of them is a shapeshifter.

My Thoughts: This seventeenth Elemental Masters fantasy takes place in 1815 and stars Amelia Stoneheld and Serena Meleva. They are young Americans from South Carolina who have come to England with a list. They are eager to connect with other elemental masters, find a property for their brother to extend the family business of textiles and dies, and maybe find spouses. 

Amelia is an Earth Master and a channel while Serena is a fire mage and a shapeshifter whose second form is a leopard. They are welcomed by the same family already hosting Amelia's brother James. The are also elemental mages and eager to introduce the two young women into society. 

The girls are rather between classes. While Amelia's father owns substantial land in South Carolina, he is also in trade. This means that they aren't acceptable to the haut ton but there is a large society of tradesmen and another of elemental mages for the girls to enjoy. There are typical young women who enjoy parties and fashion.

They have arrived in England at a very difficult time. Napoleon has escaped and is causing panic in England while running roughshod over Europe. But, even worse, a huge volcanic exposition in the south seas has caused dangerous weather changes. It is the year without a summer and with a very hard winter in the future. A lot of the story has to do with preparing for the upcoming weather changes by gathering supplies and stockpiling winter clothing. 

The girls have been befriended by Lord Alderscroft who is the head of the hunt in England. His patronage should make fulfilling their goals, and checking things off Amelia's list, easier. He's found them a rental property in Axminster to be their base as they try to check off the rest of things on their list. The only bad thing about the move to Axminster is that they will be in close proximity to fortune hunter the Honorable Captain Harold Roughtower and his friend Mr. Phillip Nightsmith whom Amelia overheard making very rude comments about her.

This was an engaging story, but the pacing was odd. All the danger and action seemed to have been packed into the last chapter. After a story that had almost no action, things ramped up very quickly. I like the worldbuilding in this series. I like the way Regency manners combine with hidden magicians and magical creatures. 

I bought this one on Kindle June 16, 2025, and audio on May 12, 2026. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Jolene by Mercedes Lackey

Jolene
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Series: Elemental Masters (Book 15)
Publication: DAW (December 1, 2020)

Description: The beloved Elemental Masters series moves to America for the first time in a rich retelling of The Queen of the Copper Mountain, set against the backdrop of Tennessee coal country.

Anna May Jones is the daughter of a coal miner, but a sickly constitution has kept her confined to the house for most of her life. Hoping to improve her daughter’s health—and lessen the burden on their family—Anna's mother sends her to live with her Aunt Jinny, a witchy-woman and an Elemental Master, in a holler outside of Ducktown.

As she settles into her new life, Anna learns new skills at Aunt Jinny’s side and discovers that she, too, has a gift for Elemental magic that Jinny calls “the Glory”. She also receives lessons from a mysterious and bewitching woman named Jolene, who assures her that, with time, Anna could become even more powerful than her aunt.

But with Anna’s increasing power comes increasing notice. Billie McDaran, the foreman of the Ducktown mine, begins to take an interest in Anna and her abilities—even though Anna has already fallen in love with a young man with a talent for stonecarving.

If she wants to preserve the life she has come to love, Anna must use her newfound powers to oppose the foreman and protect those around her.

My Thoughts: The fifteenth Elemental Masters fantasy retells The Queen of Copper Mountain and uses Dolly Parton's Jolene to do it. 

Anna May Jones is the daughter of a coal miner in the coal mining town of Soddy. She's sickly. Her mother sends her to live with her Aunt Jinny who lives in a holler by Ducktown. Jinny is an earth elemental master. She soon discovers that Anna could also be an earth elemental master with some training. 

Just getting away from the mines has made Anna healthier. Her health improves still more as she learns to use earth magic with her aunt. Anna falls in love with Josh who is the eldest son of the family down the road. He's a gifted stone carver with a little bit of earth magic of his own. 

This was a lush fantasy set in the hollers of Tennessee. It was filled with local culture and magic. I liked that Anna had the opportunity to learn from Jolene who is a very powerful elemental and that she was able to learn from some Cherokees who managed to hide out when the Removal happened. I liked the romance between Anna and Josh.

There were some things I didn't care for. While I enjoy colorful idioms and regional speech, I don't like dialect. I mean I really don't like dialect. Sometimes the text was almost impenetrable unless I read it out loud. Second, I'm not sure that the climactic scene when Anna needs to rescue her Josh from Jolene should have been humorous. But I couldn't help hearing the tune for Jolene as I was reading about Anna begging her not to take her man. 

Third, the pacing of the story seemed off. There was an incredibly long buildup of Anna learning from her aunt and falling in love with Josh and then with just a few pages left there was a climax and a resolution. There was some foreshadowing of what the climax would be, but it still felt rushed to me. 

I bought this one November 18, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Cyprian by Mercedes Lackey

The Cyprian
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Series: Elemental Masters (Book 18)
Publication: DAW (December 30, 2025)

Description: A cozy, cottage-core Regency fantasy perfect for fans of Bridgerton

Elena Whitstone and her seven brothers, abandoned by her mother, find themselves with a new stepmother. At first she seems more neglectful than evil, until just after Christmas she proves herself to be worse than evil; she is an actual magician, a Master of Water, who attempts to murder Elena's seven brothers when they are skating. When they survive that attempt by transforming into swans, she drives them away.

But the shock of having all of his heirs perish in a frozen pond is too much for Elena's father. He dies, and his widow is abruptly confronted with the inconvenient truth that the estate is entailed, and she not only must leave, she is lawfully in charge of Elena.

Furious, and possessing "only" what was gifted to her during her marriage, the stepmother retreats to Bath, to take up residence in the luxurious townhouse that was bought for her, and resume her former profession as a "Cyprian," a very exclusive courtesan, with Elena reluctantly posing as a page-boy and her servant. Nothing lasts forever, of course, and three years later, Elena is rapidly maturing too much to continue that ruse--and the stepmother is facing the ravages of time. The stepmother concocts a plan to establish an exclusive brothel and regain her wealth by selling Elena to the highest bidder.

Alone, Elena must not only find a way to save herself, but to reverse the spell that has transformed her brothers.

The latest in Mercedes Lackey's Elemental Masters series is a stand-alone romantasy based on Hans Christian Anderson’s The Wild Swans.  

My Thoughts: This eighteenth book in the Elemental Masters series is a retelling of Hans Christian Anderson's The Wild Swans. It is set during England's Regency period.

Elena Whitstone is the youngest of Lord Whitstone's children. She has seven older brothers. Their mother disappears when she is quite young leaving them in the neglectful care of their father. When he comes home from Bath with a new bride, things change for the children. 

Lord Whitstone seems besotted by his new bride who immediately banishes the children to the nursery and attempts to starve them. Luckily, the children have allies in the form of the old servants. They make many plans to escape their father and new stepmother's control. However, before they can implement any of them, their new stepmother is revealed to them as an evil mage who changes the brothers into swans and chases them from their home. 

Elena is left to her stepmother's care when her father dies of grief at the loss of his sons. The stepmother is angry to learn that the estate is entailed and that she needs to leave with only the gifts she was given during the marriage and Elena.

The stepmother travels to Bath, changes her name, and resumes her previous career as a Cyprian - an exclusive prostitute. This career is aided by her magic which lets her enthrall men. She makes Elena her tiger - a carriage boy. 

But plans change when her stepmother's latest protector - also a water mage - encourages her to open a bordello and conduct a virgin's auction with Elena as the virgin. This causes Elena to run from home where she finds herself on the estate of air mages who shelter her and help her find a way to free her brothers from their spell.

I enjoyed this story. I love the Regency setting. I liked the character of Elena who is resilient and determined. I liked the magical creatures - the sylphs - who try to help the children when the stepmother is not around. 

My only complaint is the pacing of the story. Everything gets resolved in the last two percent of the book after a long, leisurely build-up. The long, leisurely build up seemed to hit a wall where the author realized that she was at some sort of page limit and had to wrap everything up immediately. 

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

Book Review: Secrets of the Lost Ledgers by C. J. Archer

Secrets of the Lost Ledgers
Author: C. J. Archer
Series: The Glass Library (Book 5)
Publication: C. J. Archer (September 3, 2024)

Description: An invisible message from a dead man resurrects a decades-old mystery.

With her sharpened magical senses, Sylvia recognizes invisible writing while cataloging an obscure book for the library. She’s shocked to discover the message, written many years earlier, pleaded for help. She’s even more shocked to discover the author of the message was married to a paper magician. Could there be a connection to Sylvia’s father?

With a magical mystery on her hands, Sylvia engages the help of Gabe Glass, and together they follow the clues to the location of two hidden ledgers that implicate a very dangerous individual in an illegal bookmaking scheme. Although not named, Gabe is convinced he knows who the bookmaker is, and sets out to prove it.

The investigation draws them into the shady underbelly of the horseracing industry and uncovers a link to Gabe’s parents that takes everyone by surprise. As they unravel the mystery’s tangled threads, unexpected twists and turns lead them to the truth.

But the greatest twist of all is the danger no one saw coming.

My Thoughts: The fifth book in the Glass Library series finds Sylvia discovering a message in invisible ink on the flyleaf of one of the old books she is cataloging. She calls on her friend Huon to read and copy the message which leads to an old mystery and perhaps to the secret of who Syvia's father is.

The message leads to some secret ledgers - also written in invisible ink - which lead to an old bookmaking scheme designed to defraud horseracing bettors. Gabe feels sure that this old enemy Thurston is involved in the scheme dispite being quite young when it was active. 

Gabe is also still dealing with kidnapping attempts and murder attempts since he has made some very dangerous people curious about his own hidden magical talent. He's always trailed by his friends Alex and Willie. Willie is especially concerned with keeping Sylvia away from Gabe.

As the team digs deeper and deeper, they find themselves in more and more danger. These secret holders aren't at all eager to share. 

I bought this one January 25, 2026. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Secrets of the Lost Ledgers by C. J. Archer

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

Beginning:

I'd spent a lifetime studying the faces of men I passed in the street, looking for any resemblance to my own. Although I had my mother's gray eyes and small stature, my fair coloring must have come from my father. 

Friday 56:

"I didn't keep my late husband's records or papers after he died. I am sorry."

This week I am spotlighting the fifth book in The Glass Library series. Secrets of the Lost Ledgers by C. J. Archer is historical fantasy. I've been enjoying this series from the beginning and am eager to read this episode. 

Here's the description from Amazon:

An invisible message from a dead man resurrects a decades-old mystery.

With her sharpened magical senses, Sylvia recognizes invisible writing while cataloging an obscure book for the library. She’s shocked to discover the message, written many years earlier, pleaded for help. She’s even more shocked to discover the author of the message was married to a paper magician. Could there be a connection to Sylvia’s father?

With a magical mystery on her hands, Sylvia engages the help of Gabe Glass, and together they follow the clues to the location of two hidden ledgers that implicate a very dangerous individual in an illegal bookmaking scheme. Although not named, Gabe is convinced he knows who the bookmaker is, and sets out to prove it.

The investigation draws them into the shady underbelly of the horseracing industry and uncovers a link to Gabe’s parents that takes everyone by surprise. As they unravel the mystery’s tangled threads, unexpected twists and turns lead them to the truth.

But the greatest twist of all is the danger no one saw coming.

Audiobook Review: Steadfast by Mercedes Lackey

Steadfast
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Narrator: Carmela Corbett
Series: Elemental Masters (Book 8)
Publication: Audible Studios (June 4, 2013)
Length: 11 hours and 37 minutes

Description: The new novel in Mercedes Lackey’s best-selling series of an alternative Edwardian Britain, where magic is real - and Elemental Masters are in control.

Lionel Hawkins is a magician whose act is only partially sleight of hand. The rest is real magic. He’s an Elemental Magician with the power to persuade the Elementals of Air to help him create amazing illusions. It doesn’t take long before his assistant, acrobat Katie Langford, notices that he’s no ordinary magician - and for Lionel to discover that she’s no ordinary acrobat, but rather an untrained and unawakened Fire Magician. She’s also on the run from her murderous and vengeful brute of a husband. But can she harness her magic in time to stop her husband from achieving his deadly goal?

My Thoughts: STEADFAST is the eighth book in the Elementary Masters series. Katie Langford is on the run from her abusive husband, circus strongman Dick Langford. She finds her way to Brighton and a job as a magician's assistant in a music hall. 

Lionel Hawkins is her boss and an Elemental Magician with some control over air. The air elementals help make his act very magical. He realizes that Katie is an unawakened fire magician and along with Jack, the hall's doorman and army veteran and fire magician, they manage to convince Katie that her magic is real.

Katie's main focus is earning the money to divorce her abusive husband. Getting a chance to be a star act because the ballerina scheduled to start a turn defaulted for a better opportunity, she thinks she will soon be able to divorce and marry Jack who has become more than a friend. 

But Dick manages to track her down and begins as he had before with stealing the money she earned and beating her. Lionel and Jack don't know how to help Katie. But Katie is trying to help herself. She isn't going to put up with more abuse for any longer than it takes to think up a scheme to get rid of Dick.

This was an engaging historical fantasy based on the fairy tale of the tin soldier. Jack lost a leg in the Boer War and still suffers from guilt about the treatment of the Boers that he hated but could do nothing about. 

The characters were all interesting and well-developed. Carmela Corbett did an excellent job with the narration. 

I bought this one September 28, 2021. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Last Wizard's Ball by Charlaine Harris

The Last Wizard's Ball
Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Gunnie Rose (Book 6)
Publication: S&S/Saga Press (July 22, 2025)

Description: #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Charlaine Harris returns with the sixth and final installment in the critically acclaimed Gunnie Rose series as sisters Lizbeth Rose and Felicia must face their fates at the last Wizards’ Ball.

Lizbeth Rose’s sister Felicia attends the Grand Wizards’ Ball, and as one of the most powerful—and beautiful—death wizards in a generation, she is highly sought after as one of the belles of the ball.

However, war and violence are on the rise in Europe as German and Japanese wizards are also courting Felicia…and some are refusing to take no for an answer.

As the façade of genteel wizard society turns deadly, Lizbeth must learn to not only protect her sister, but also navigate the arcane world that is pulling her sister and husband into a dangerous dance with death that could change the world as they know it.

My Thoughts: The final book in the Gunnie Rose series has Lizbeth in San Diego with her husband and sister so that her sister Felicia can attend the Wizard's Ball. Held every three years, the ball gives magic users a change to get to know one another and make marriage alliances. 

Lizbeth is not enjoying herself. She doesn't like San Diego or dressing up or attending social events. She is there out of a sense of duty to her sister and to keep her sister alive. As one of the most desired attendees, Felicia is a lovely death wizard with a great amount of power. She's also carrying a reputation since it is well known that she murdered her family. Nonetheless, Felicia is being courted by wizards from all over the world. 

Tensions are high at the gathering since Hitler is making plans for Germany which include killing all the Jews and invading everywhere. The German wizards and the Japanese who are allied with Germany are there in force trying to recruit Felicia to their cause. And if she can't be recruited, her death would work as well. 

The story is filled with attempted murders from arrows shot at a tea garden, to a bomb under a table at a tearoom, to an assassin trying to get to Felicia during a welcoming party. Besides the stress of keeping Felicia alive, Lizbeth and her husband Eli are facing stresses in their marriage. He's keeping secrets that could impact their future.

With everyone choosing sides in the upcoming war, Lizbeth and Eli find themselves at odds with each other. Despite their love for each other, their futures look to be taking different paths. And Felicia has chosen her own difficult path for her future. 

Although I'm told that this is the final book in the series, there are definitely a number of loose hanging threads in the story. I enjoyed it for its worldbuilding and its characters. 

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

Book Review: The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovich

The Masquerades of Spring
Author: Ben Aaronovich
Series: Rivers of London
Publication: Subterranean Pr; Deluxe edition (September 30, 2024)

Description: Meet Augustus Berrycloth-Young—fop, flaneur, and Englishman abroad—as he chronicles the Jazz Age from his perch atop the city that never sleeps.

That is, until his old friend Thomas Nightingale arrives, pursuing a rather mysterious affair concerning an old saxophone—which will take Gussie from his warm bed, to the cold shores of Long Island, and down to the jazz clubs where music, magic, and madness haunt the shadows…

My Thoughts: This was a fun novella. Related to the Rivers of London series by protagonist Thomas Nightingale, it takes place in New York in the 1920s.

The narrator of the story is Augustus Berrycloth-Young. He's a graduate of the Folly. He used magic mainly for practical jokes which caused him to live England and relocate to New York City. He's a homosexual having a relationship with a Black reporter. He's a jazz fan. He's a sharp dresser. 

His comfortable lifestyle is interrupted by the arrival of Thomas Nightingale who has come to do a favor for a friend. A cursed saxophone leads to an imprisoned member of the fae and her daughter who are in need of rescue. 

Gussie, his beau Lucy, and Thomas tour lots of jazz age sites and events in their quest to rescue the imprisoned. 

I enjoyed the setting and I really liked Gussie as the story was told from his point of view. 

I bought this one January 17. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovich

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

Beginning:

As I've have often opined, what good does it do a fellow to be a master of the mystic arts if he's not allowed to do a bally thing with said mastery?

Friday 56:

I glanced over to where the well-dressed bruiser stood to one side of the stage, no doubt surveying his domain. He caught my eye and frowned. 

This week I am spotlighting The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovich. This is the latest in the Rivers of London series and was added to my TBR pile January 17. Here's the description from Amazon:

Meet Augustus Berrycloth-Young—fop, flaneur, and Englishman abroad—as he chronicles the Jazz Age from his perch atop the city that never sleeps.

That is, until his old friend Thomas Nightingale arrives, pursuing a rather mysterious affair concerning an old saxophone—which will take Gussie from his warm bed, to the cold shores of Long Island, and down to the jazz clubs where music, magic, and madness haunt the shadows…

Book Review: The Journal of a Thousand Years by C. J. Archer

The Journal of a Thousand Years
Author: C. J. Archer
Series: The Glass Library (Book 6)
Publication: Self-Published (March 4, 2025)

Description: An ancient family diary. A timely prophecy. An epic conclusion.

As Sylvia prepares to meet Gabe’s parents for the first time, the last thing she needs is for her long-lost father to cause trouble. While his answers to her questions finally bring clarity, they also usher in danger.

But that's not all her elusive father brings into Sylvia's life. His treasured gift of an ancient journal passed down through the generations, connects her to the past with its mystical spells and captivating stories. Yet it’s the cryptic prophecy written on magical pages that capture Sylvia’s attention, hinting at a destiny entwined with Gabe’s. Does it relate to the threat of abduction that has dogged him for months?

The world’s fascination with his miraculous survival has drawn unwanted attention, leading to desperate attempts to unravel the secrets behind his extraordinary abilities. When these efforts fail, his enemies resort to drastic measures, targeting Sylvia to lure Gabe into their clutches.

Despite her caution, Sylvia realizes she may have inadvertently placed Gabe in danger. Has his luck finally run out?

Only time will reveal the truth.

My Thoughts: This is the sixth and final (?) book in the Glass Library fantasy series. Through it all Sylvia has been looking for her past and her heritage. Raised by a mother who moved frequently and didn't tell her son or daughter anything about her past, Sylvia was left alone with many secrets to unravel.

She found friends in the Glass Library and had many adventures along the way when she fell in love with Gabriel who has many secrets of his own. In fact, quite a few factions from bookies to military intelligence are very eager to experiment on him to try to understand the magical talent that he denies having. 

In this episode, Sylvia is kidnapped but escapes with the aid of her newly discovered paper magic and Gabe is kidnapped too. He was rescued by Sylvia and his friends Alex and Willie. Sylvia also finally meets and loses her father in this adventure.

This was an engaging story set in an intriguing fantasy world. The very real aftermath of World War I combines with magic to make an excellent setting. The characters are well-developed and interestingly quirky. The romances are varied but are all believable.

I bought this one March 17, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: The Dead Letter Delivery by C. J. Archer

The Dead Letter Delivery
Author: C. J. Archer
Series: The Glass Library (Book 4)
Publication: Self Published (March 5, 2024)

Description: The discovery of long-lost mail delivers a marriage proposal, a missing person, and a magical mystery.

A road trip with Gabe and her friends leads Sylvia to discover more about her mother’s veiled past yet throws up several questions, too. The stack of unopened letters addressed to her family will hopefully provide answers. As she delves into the contents, a startling revelation emerges: the letters allude to a clandestine union between two magician families, hinting at the elusive identity of Sylvia’s father.

Full of hope, she embarks on a quest to find the author of the letters, only to discover an artless youth who vanished decades ago, a dead man with the wrong name, and a hospital for former soldiers that connects them. The further Sylvia and Gabe delve into these mysteries, the more lies they expose, including long-buried secrets that certain individuals will stop at nothing to protect.

When danger strikes, Sylvia wonders if finding answers is worth the risk.

My Thoughts: The fourth book in the Glass Library continues threads begun in earlier books. Sylvia is still on a quest to find out more about her mysterious mother and the magical gift for paper that she has discovered in herself. 

A road trip with Gabe and her friends leads her to discover who her mother was but not what she did in the years before she died. A cache of dead letters reveals a possible suitor for her mother who could have potentially been her father. 

Most of the story is spent trying to track down this mysterious suitor which leads to stolen identities and a shady doctor running a hospital which is now trying to cure shell-shocked World War I victimes but which had earlier been a site for the artless of magical families who wanted to see if their magic could be activated by medical treatment. 

Sylvia learns to use a paper spell which strengthens paper and proves (mostly to herself) that she is an actual paper magician. However, questions about who her father was are still left unresolved.

Also unresolved is her growing relationship with Gabe. 

This was an engaging episode in the series even with the slowest of slow-burn romances. I like the worldbuilding and the setting of an England in an alternate 1920 which is mostly like our own but with the addition of magic. 

I bought this one March 8, 2024. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: The Untitled Books by C. J. Archer

The Untitled Books
Author: C. J. Archer

Narrator: Marian Hussey
Series: The Glass Library (Book 3)
Publication: C.J. Archer (September 5, 2023)

Length: 7 hours and 59 minutes

Description: A curated collection of magic…and murder.

When a set of bound manuscripts written on magician-made paper is brought to the Glass Library, Sylvia and the professor send the owner away. After all, the library collects books about magic, not containing it.

But the murder of the bookbinder who bound them sees the books returned to the library, along with Gabe in his role as consultant for Scotland Yard. When his investigation uncovers a link to Sylvia’s past, they’re even more determined to find the murderer. But they’re not the only ones searching for answers. Someone has gone to great lengths to find the truth behind the binding of the books.

The hunt for the killer leads them to dark corners of London and unscrupulous players with much to gain by owning the collection. It also leads to the discovery of long-buried secrets, and staggering revelations that shed light on Sylvia’s past.

My Thoughts: The third book in the Glass Library series sees Lady Stanhope bringing some unpublished manuscripts to the library for evaluation. She has recently purchased them and wants to know if the claim that they are magical is true. She's come to the wrong place since the Glass Library collects books about magic not books that are magic. 

However, when the bookbinder who sold the books is found dead, Gabe is called in as a consultant to Scotland Yard to look into the crime. There are also some leads that may let Sylvia find out more about her heritage as some magical silver corners may have a connection to her family.

Between trying to solve the murder and learn more about Sylvia's ancestry, Gabe and Sylvia are growing closer together despite Cousin Willie's interference. 

This was another excellent adventure which takes place in an alternative England in 1921. I liked the magical details and the mystery.

I bought this one January 28, 2024. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: The Untitled Books by C. J. Archer

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

The Friday 56 was hosted by Freda at Freda's Voice. This meme is currently on hiatus but many of us are still including a sentence from page 56 or from 56% of the ebook. Anne @ Head Full of Books is picking up the slack until Freda is ready to return. I think this link will get you to the correct place. 

Beginning:

There can be no doubt that the most enchanting way to spend a wet day is indoors with a cup of tea in one hand and a book in the other. 

Friday 56:

"Everyone is a suspect until they can be ruled out," Gabe said.

Huon rolled his eyes. "You are a walking cliche, Glass."

This week I am spotlighting The Untitled Books by C. J. Archer. This is the third book in The Glass Library series. Here's the description from Amazon:

A curated collection of magic…and murder.

When a set of bound manuscripts written on magician-made paper is brought to the Glass Library, Sylvia and the professor send the owner away. After all, the library collects books about magic, not containing it.

But the murder of the bookbinder who bound them sees the books returned to the library, along with Gabe in his role as consultant for Scotland Yard. When his investigation uncovers a link to Sylvia’s past, they’re even more determined to find the murderer. But they’re not the only ones searching for answers. Someone has gone to great lengths to find the truth behind the binding of the books.

The hunt for the killer leads them to dark corners of London and unscrupulous players with much to gain by owning the collection. It also leads to the discovery of long-buried secrets, and staggering revelations that shed light on Sylvia’s past.

Audiobook Review: Arrow's Flight by Mercedes Lackey

Arrow's Flight
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Narrator: Christa Lewis
Series: Heralds of Valdemar (Book 2)
Publication: Tantor Audio (May 8, 2018)
Length: 9 hours and 52 minutes

Description: Talia could scarcely believe that she had finally earned the rank of full Herald. Though this seemed like the fulfillment of all her dreams, it also meant she would face trials far greater than those she had previously survived.

For now, Talia must ride forth to patrol the kingdom of Valdemar, dispensing Herald's justice throughout the land.

But in this realm beset by dangerous unrest, enforcing her rulings will require all the courage and skill Talia could command - for if she misuses her own special powers, both she and Valdemar will pay the price.

My Thoughts: Talia has one more step to conquer on her way to being a full Herald. She has to complete her internship while riding a circuit. Her mentor for this journey is Kris. Talia has an unusual psychic gift: she's a mind healer and a very powerful one. Because this is an unusual gift which appears most often in healers, her mentors among the Heralds don't know how to help her get control of her gift. And it doesn't help that rumors are circulating through Court that she is prone to misuse her gift.

Kris has been briefed by his uncle Lord Orthalan about the rumors which make it difficult for him to trust her. Talia senses his distrust which makes her own doubts even more powerful. When her shields fail, she becomes a danger to herself and to Kris too. 

It is while the pair are snowed in at a Herald's shelter that Kris realizes that Talia lacks the basics of controlling any gift and determines to bring her back to the beginning and teach her the correct way to use her gift. During their period of isolation, Kris and Talia become lovers which makes Talia fear that she's used her gift to influence his behavior and Kris to feat that his noted attraction to women has caused Talia's reaction to him. Both know that Talia really is falling in love with Kris's partner Dirk.

There are a number of opportunities for Talia to practice the skills needed by Haralds from border disputes, to deranged servant girls, to murders, and to plague. Kris tells her that her practice on the circuit will stand her in good stead as she deals with the politics of the Court in her role as Queen's Own. 

This was an excellent middle book in the Heralds of Valdemar trilogy.

I bought this one from Chirp April 23, 2022. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey

Arrows of the Queen
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Narrator: Christa Lewis
Series: Heralds of Valdemar (Book 1)
Publication: Tantor Audio (March 30, 2018)
Length: 9 hours and 19 minutes

Description: Chosen by the Companion Rolan, a mystical horse-like being with powers beyond imagining, Talia, once a runaway, has now become a trainee Herald, destined to become one of the Queen's own elite guard. For Talia has certain awakening talents of the mind that only a Companion like Rolan can truly sense.

But as Talia struggles to master her unique abilities, time is running out. For conspiracy is brewing in Valdemar, a deadly treason that could destroy Queen and kingdom. Opposed by unknown enemies capable of both diabolical magic and treacherous assassination, the Queen must turn to Talia and the Heralds for aid in protecting the realm and insuring the future of the Queen's heir, a child already in danger of becoming bespelled by the Queen's own foes.

My Thoughts: This coming-of-age fantasy introduces readers to the kingdom of Valdemar. Talia is a young girl from the edge of Valdemar. Her people are holderkin - poor and patriarchal. When she turns thirteen, Talia is given the choice of marrying or becoming a servant of the goddess. She decides to run away.

Having secretly read stories of Heralds and Companions, she has dreamed of being a Herald herself. But her total ignorance of the world outside her family's gates makes this a very difficult goal. However, Rolan who was the Companion to the Queen's Own has gone off on a quest after the death of the Queen's Own to find another. He chooses Talia.

This excellent story introduces a world to us as readers and to Talia as she discovers her new life. From learning what it means to really be a Herald of Valdemar and what it is to be a target for the same conspiracy that murdered the previous Queen's Own, Talia has a lot to learn. She makes friends, discovers her talents, and finds her life's purpose as the story goes on. 

This story, published in 1987, is the first in a trilogy and the first of the multitude of Valdemar books which followed it including new titles to be published in 2024 and 2025.

I bought this one at Chirp April 23, 2023. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Dragonshadow by Elle Katharine White

Dragonshadow
Author: Elle Katharine White
Series: Heartstone (Book 2)
Publication: Harper Voyager (November 20, 2018)

Description: The author of Heartstone once again infuses elements of Jane Austen’s beloved novel with her own brand of magic in this addictive fantasy that brings back sparring lovers Aliza and Alastair: fierce warriors who match wits, charm, and swords as they fight an epic war to save their world.

The Battle of North Fields is over—or so Aliza Bentaine, now a Daired, fervently wants to believe. But rumors are spreading of an unseen monster ravaging the isolated Castle Selwyn on the northern border of the kingdom. When she and Alastair are summoned from their honeymoon by the mysterious Lord Selwyn, they must travel with their dragon Akarra through the Tekari-infested Old Wilds of Arle to answer his call.

And they are not alone on this treacherous journey. Shadowing the dragonriders is an ancient evil, a harbinger of a dark danger of which the Worm was only a foretaste. And soon Aliza realizes the terrible truth: the real war is only beginning.

My Thoughts: This middle book in the Heartstone trilogy sees Aliza and her husband Alastair traveling to the far north on a contract to find and kill monsters plaguing the area. 

They find a strange situation with Lord Selwyn who hired them reluctant to share the needed information with them and the castle housekeeper encouraging them to leave as soon as possible. The find that they are facing two enemies. One is an ancient evil intent on vengeance and the other is an old enemy long thought to be defeated. 

It takes both Alastair and Aliza's different skills to work their way through the secrets and lies. And they are facing a personal problem too when Aliza suffers a miscarriage.

This book was filled with lots of strange creatures, most of whom are enemies of humans, and lots of secrets. While some plot points are resolved, a number are left dangling for book three. 

Favorite Quote:

"Meddlesome old bastard."

"Conscientious civil servant," I said.

"You'd be surprised how often those lines cross, my lady."

I bought this one September 7, 2022. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Heartstone by Elle Katharine White

Heartstone
Author: Elle Katharine White
Series: Heartstone (Book 1)
Publication: HarperAudio (September 20, 2022)

Description: A debut historical fantasy that recasts Jane Austen’s beloved Pride & Prejudice in an imaginative world of wyverns, dragons, and the warriors who fight alongside them against the monsters that threaten the kingdom: gryphons, direwolves, lamias, banshees, and lindworms.

They say a Rider in possession of a good blade must be in want of a monster to slay—and Merybourne Manor has plenty of monsters.

Passionate, headstrong Aliza Bentaine knows this all too well; she’s already lost one sister to the invading gryphons. So when Lord Merybourne hires a band of Riders to hunt down the horde, Aliza is relieved her home will soon be safe again.

Her relief is short-lived. With the arrival of the haughty and handsome dragonrider, Alastair Daired, Aliza expects a battle; what she doesn’t expect is a romantic clash of wills, pitting words and wit against the pride of an ancient house. Nor does she anticipate the mystery that follows them from Merybourne Manor, its roots running deep as the foundations of the kingdom itself, where something old and dreadful slumbers . . . something far more sinister than gryphons.

It’s a war Aliza is ill-prepared to wage, on a battlefield she’s never known before: one spanning kingdoms, class lines, and the curious nature of her own heart.

Elle Katharine White infuses elements of Austen’s beloved novel with her own brand of magic, crafting a modern epic fantasy that conjures a familiar yet wondrously unique new world.

My Thoughts: This was an excellent fantasy with lots of romance. When Merybourne manor is invaded by gryphons, the local lord gathers together enough money to hire a group of Riders to clear them out. While Aliza Bentaine is grateful to the riders, one of them, Alistair Daired, just rubs her the wrong way. She first meets him when he kicks her hobgoblin friend Tobble and calls him vermin. Daired is rude, arrogant and haughty. A romance does bloom between one of the other Riders and Aliza's sister Anjey though which delights Aliza and Anjey's social climbing mother who wants nothing more than to marry her daughters off to Riders.

After the gryphons have been defeated, most of the Riders leave and when the king calls, the rest leave too. Anjey and her Rider promise to write to each other every day, but no letters arrive. Aliza is angry and sad for her sister. Time passes and Aliza travels to visit her best friend who has married and is living near a Daired family home. There she meets Alistair again whom she blames for sabotaging her sister's relationship by intercepting the letters. He denies it and confesses his love for her in a somewhat tactless manner. She rebuffs him but can't seem to get him out of her thoughts.

When a terrible lindworm surfaces endangering Aliza's home and all the Riders, she learns what her true feelings are for Alistair Daired. I loved the slow building romance. I loved all the various creatures especially Tobble and Alistair's dragon partner Akarra. I liked the world building. I liked Aliza's adventure to save her love.

Fantasy fans who like some romance in their stories will enjoy this first book in a trilogy. 

Favorite Quote:

If there is such a thing as magic in the world, I was convinced it existed in the simplest comforts: hot bathwater and clean clothes. 

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

Friday Memes: Heartstone by Elle Katharine White

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda at Freda's Voice. This meme is currently on hiatus but many of us are still including a sentence from page 56 or from 56% of the ebook. Anne @ Head Full of Books is picking up the slack until Freda is ready to return. I think this link will get you to the correct place. 

Beginning:

I'd never seen an angry hobgoblin before. 

If this one wasn't my friend, it might've been funny. Tobble was red in the face before I noticed him in the grass by the garden wall, and since hobgoblins have green skin, that in itself was quite a feat.

Friday 56:

The horse's neck was not the only thing the gryphon's talons had raked. Anjey's sleeve was torn open and four lacerations ran lengthwise across her forearm. They were bleeding heavily, soaking the front of her shirt.

This week I am spotlighting Heartstone by Elle Katherine White. I read this one years ago but a recent sale at Chirp made me want to reread the story. Note: I hadn't read Pride & Prejudice before I read this the first time and I've still not read Pride & Prejudice. Here is the description from Amazon:

A debut historical fantasy that recasts Jane Austen’s beloved Pride & Prejudice in an imaginative world of wyverns, dragons, and the warriors who fight alongside them against the monsters that threaten the kingdom: gryphons, direwolves, lamias, banshees, and lindworms.

They say a Rider in possession of a good blade must be in want of a monster to slay—and Merybourne Manor has plenty of monsters

Passionate, headstrong Aliza Bentaine knows this all too well; she’s already lost one sister to the invading gryphons. So when Lord Merybourne hires a band of Riders to hunt down the horde, Aliza is relieved her home will soon be safe again.

Her relief is short-lived. With the arrival of the haughty and handsome dragonrider, Alastair Daired, Aliza expects a battle; what she doesn’t expect is a romantic clash of wills, pitting words and wit against the pride of an ancient house. Nor does she anticipate the mystery that follows them from Merybourne Manor, its roots running deep as the foundations of the kingdom itself, where something old and dreadful slumbers . . . something far more sinister than gryphons.

It’s a war Aliza is ill-prepared to wage, on a battlefield she’s never known before: one spanning kingdoms, class lines, and the curious nature of her own heart.

Elle Katharine White infuses elements of Austen’s beloved novel with her own brand of magic, crafting a modern epic fantasy that conjures a familiar yet wondrously unique new world.

Book Review: The Medici Manuscript by C. J. Archer

The Medici Manuscript
Author: C. J. Archer
Series: The Glass Library (Book 2)
Publication: Self-Published (March 7, 2023)

Description: One book can change your life.

Finding an old manuscript in the attic has always been a fantasy of Sylvia’s. She just never expected the fantasy to come true, or for it to lead her to answers about her mysterious family.

The silver clasps binding the pages contain rare magic – the same magic that might run through Sylvia’s veins. To discover a link to her ancestors means understanding the book itself, but it’s written in a code that proves difficult to crack. The only thing she knows for certain is that it was once owned by the Medicis, the powerful family that controlled Renaissance Florence.

With the help of Gabe and his friends, Sylvia investigates the book’s origins. But following the clues throws up more questions – questions they need help answering. Trusting others is not Sylvia’s strong suit, but with Gabe at her side, she becomes capable and confident. Until their trust is shattered when the book is stolen.

Uncovering the thief proves dangerous, particularly when someone is also trying to kidnap Gabe. With his own mysteries to unravel, Gabe’s private life becomes more complicated. Sylvia tries to keep her distance but staying away from someone as magnetic as Gabe is impossible.

With so many distractions, can they find the thief before the book is lost forever? Or will the secrets contained within its pages remain unsolved and will Sylvia’s past continue to be a mystery?

My Thoughts: The second book in The Glass Library fantasy series centers around the discovery of a book in code that might unlock some secrets about Sylvia's past. Sylvia came to London after the deaths of her brother and mother to try to find out about her heritage. Her mother kept the three of them moving from place to place all through her life and didn't share any information with her children about her own past. Her brother began to believe that they were the descendants of a silver magician. Sylvia wants to find out if this is true.

As a result of the influence of new friend Gabriel Glass, Sylvia is now working at a job she loves in the Glass Library which is a repository of books about magic. When a new book is discovered in the library's attic, Sylvia and her new friends try to find out the book's history and try to decipher its contents which are written in an unknown code. 

This story is set in 1920 and does deal with a lot of the issues returning soldiers had. Shell shock and a sense of hedonism were just some of things soldiers brought home with them. And for women who had entered the workplace while the men were away, there is a sense of displacement as they lose their jobs and purposes when the men return. One of the characters mentions that he hadn't been sober since his demobilization, for example. Add in magic which has recently been rediscovered and which only a small percent of the population has, and this story becomes historical fantasy. 

Gabriel is also in the process of ending his three-year engagement to the daughter of a magical family. He knows he made a mistake and isn't the man he was when he became engaged. However, his fiance Ivy isn't going to go quietly. Gabriel, the only son of a noble magical house, is quite a catch even though he believes that he has no magic himself. 

When the book is stolen, Gabriel and Sylvia and their friends follow all sorts of clues and explore various parts of London before they manage to recover it. And an assortment of bright friends of Gabriel do manage a translation of what turns out to be medieval/early Renaissance gossip. Translating the book is sort of anticlimax since the key seems to be Sylvia discovering that she does have some sort of magic if not the silver magic her brother thought the family had. 

This is the second book of a five-book series. It really doesn't stand alone well and needs to be read along with the other books in the series. I am eager to continue the series to find out what sort of magic Sylvia has and whether her budding relationship with Gabriel grows.

Favorite Quote:

He laughed softly. "Is it just me, or are there more eccentric people now than before the war?"

"I've noticed it too. It's as if people were hiding their true selves, but can no longer keep up the pretense. Or they simply don't want to. I like it this way. I like seeing people as they truly are."

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