Book Review: Mortal Arts by Anna Lee Huber

Mortal Arts
Author: Anna Lee Huber
Series: Lady Darby Mystery (Book 2)
Publication: Berkley (September 3, 2013)

Description: Scotland, 1830. Lady Kiera Darby is no stranger to intrigue—in fact, it seems to follow wherever she goes. After her foray into murder investigation, Kiera must journey to Edinburgh with her family so that her pregnant sister can be close to proper medical care. But the city is full of many things Kiera isn’t quite ready to face: the society ladies keen on judging her, her fellow investigator—and romantic entanglement—Sebastian Gage, and ultimately, another deadly mystery.

Kiera’s old friend Michael Dalmay is about to be married, but the arrival of his older brother—and Kiera’s childhood art tutor—William, has thrown everything into chaos. For ten years Will has been missing, committed to an insane asylum by his own father. Kiera is sympathetic to her mentor’s plight, especially when rumors swirl about a local girl gone missing. Now Kiera must once again employ her knowledge of the macabre and join forces with Gage in order to prove the innocence of a beloved family friend—and save the marriage of another…

My Thoughts: Keira, her sister Alana, and her brother-in-law Philip are on their way from the Highlands of Scotland to Edinburgh where Alanna can be nearer to medical assistance for her latest pregnancy when they take a side trip to deal with a summons from Philip's aunt. Lady Hollingworth has some qualms about her daughter's engagement to Michael Dalmay, a childhood friend of Alana and Keira. Michael's older brother has been missing for some years and Lady Hollingsworth wants Michael to petition to have him declared dead so that he can become the new Baron.

This would be a tense enough situation for Keira, Philip and Alana to come in on,  but it gets worse. Gage is there after leaving Keira quite abruptly at the conclusion of their last adventure. Keira has a number of questions about their relationship or lack of one. Even more confusing is that Keira learns that Michael's older brother Will is not dead but had been committed to a lunatic asylum by his father ten years earlier. Upon his father's death, Michael had searched to locate his brother and bring him home. Will's problems began when he was fighting for England in the war against Napoleon. He suffered from melancholia and nightmares. His incarceration in the primitive and cruel environment of asylums at the time did not improve his sanity.

Keira remembers Will fondly. He was her art tutor for some months when she was fifteen. She refuses to believe that he would be violent and that he was responsible for the disappearance of a young local woman. Gage is not at all sure that Will is as harmless as Keira believes he is. However, they team up to investigate both the young woman's disappearance and Will's continuing mental problems.

This was an excellent historical mystery. I enjoy the growing relationship between Gage and Keira even though his secretiveness is almost enough to derail any hope of a relationship. I liked the historical accuracy of the story and the information about the early days of medical discoveries and almost total ignorance of mental illness which played a major role in the plot. I also liked learning about the state of law enforcement at the time in the person of Constable Paxton who uses his position as a way to boost his ego and importance.

I look forward to reading more of Keira and Gage's adventures.

Favorite Quote:

Instantly I began to wonder why Gage seemed to be exerting his charm upon me. He had rarely done so before, and then only when he wanted something from me. I scolded myself for being taken in, even if only for a second, by his charisma. I, more than anyone, knew I had to keep my wits about me when I was dealing with Gage. My attraction to him aside, he was a very clever and enigmatic man. And I was not about to become another member of his slavering horde of female followers. If Gage was suddenly determined to befuddle me, I was resolved to find out why.

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

First Paragraph/Teaser Tuesday: Wild Hunger by Chloe Neill

Every Tuesday Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posted the first paragraph of a book she is reading or planning to read. In 2018, Vicki from I'd Rather Be at the Beach is taking over this meme.

Here's mine:

"Noooooo!" A little girl's voice echoed through the hallway. The cry was followed by footsteps, more yelling, and a petulant squeal.

 

Link up here. It is very easy to play along:

• 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 & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.

Here's mine:

Theo pulled a packet from his bag, offered it to me. "Your badges, itineraries, maps, security information."

Seri and I took them. "The other delegates from France have arrived?"

This week I am spotlighting Wild Hunger by Chloe Neill. I got this review copy at NetGalley. Here is the description from Amazon:

In the first thrilling installment of Chloe Neill's spinoff to the New York Times bestselling Chicagoland Vampires series, a new vampire will find out just how deep blood ties run.

As the only vampire child ever born, some believed Elisa Sullivan had all the luck. But the magic that helped bring her into the world left her with a dark secret. Shifter Connor Keene, the only son of North American Central Pack Apex Gabriel Keene, is the only one she trusts with it. But she's a vampire and the daughter of a Master and a Sentinel, and he's prince of the Pack and its future king.

When the assassination of a diplomat brings old feuds to the fore again, Elisa and Connor must choose between love and family, between honor and obligation, before Chicago disappears forever.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (August 6, 2018)

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.

I will be combining my YA and adult reading and purchases on this one weekly roundup. YA and middle grade reviews will still be posted on  Ms. Martin Teaches Media - my other blog.

Other Than Reading...

This was another quiet week. My brother and I celebrated my birthday by going out to eat pasta at a restaurant in an old factory. He also did a stir fry on his day off. This means we'll be eating leftovers over the weekend when he gets home from work.

The weather has been variable. We had quite a cold snap mid-week. I think the overnight low temperature Thursday was in the 40s. The high that day got to 63. As I'm writing this on Saturday morning, we have fog and are expecting rain. The temperature isn't expected to get above 70. I don't have to go anywhere today having run my errands yesterday and can watch my baseball from the cozy comfort of my couch.

I need to concentrate on reading to rebuild the cushion that I lost in July. This week helped but only added one more day to my cushion. I have almost finished reading the books I chose from my TBR mountain to fill up my August calendar and will then turn my sights on review books as I finish the 7 remaining August releases and begin the 14 September releases.

I caught up on posting all of my July reviews on Amazon. I need to start thinking about setting up my posts for September but am not in a rush since I still have 10 books to read that already have their posts ready for my thoughts.

July Report

I read 25 books in July. Fourteen of them were mine including 6 re-reads. Two of the books I read lowered TBR mountain since I'd had them more than six months. I managed to complete a series when I finished Sirensong by Jenna Black yesterday. I should finish The Agency series today. I also caught up with the Lady Darby mystery series. I read and reviewed 11 books. My total pages for the month was 9051.

I added 30 books to my TBR mountain in July including 13 new review books. As of today 29 are still unread.

Read Last Week

If you can't wait until the review shows up on my blog, reviews are posted to LibraryThing and Goodreads as soon as I write them (usually right after I finish reading a book.)

• The Truth Lies Here by Lindsey Klingele - review book; YA mystery with paranormal elements. My review will by posted on August 15.
• The Traitor in the Tunnel by Y. S. Lee - TBR pile; YA historical mystery. My review will be posted on August 13.
• A Grave Matter by Anna Lee Huber - TBR pile; historical mystery. My review will be posted on August 15.

• A Pressing Engagement by Anna Lee Huber - TBR pile; novella in the Lady Darby historical mystery series. I don't plan to review this one.
• A Study in Death by Anna Lee Huber - TBR pile; historical mystery. My review will be posted on August 16.
• As Death Draws Near by Anna Lee Huber - TBR pile; historical mystery. My review will be posted on August 18.

• A Brush with Shadows by Anna Lee Huber - TBR pile; historical mystery which catches me up on the Lady Darby historical mystery series until the next book comes out in March 2019. My review will be posted on August 22.
• Sirensong by Jenna Black - TBR pile; YA urban fantasy that concludes the Faeriewalker trilogy. My review will be posted on August 17.

Currently

Rivals in the City by Y. S. Lee is the conclusion of The Agency - a YA historical mystery series. It is from my TBR mountain.

Next Week

These are the books I'll be reading to finish up my August calendar. All are books from my review stack.

Hidden Pieces by Paula Stokes (August 28)

Through the Fire by Katie Ruggle (August 28)

The Prodigy by John Feinstein (August 28)

Second Chance at Two Love Lane by Kieran Kramer (August 28)

D-Day: The World War II Invasion That Changed History by Deborah Hopkinson (August 28)

Ten After Closing by Jessica Bayliss (September 4)

Her Majesty's American by Steve White (Sept. 4)

Cowboy, Cross My Heart by Donna Grant (August 28)

Ignite the Stars by Maura Milan (Sept. 4)

Reviews Posted

On Inside of a Dog:

Set the Night on Fire by Laura Trentham

To Catch a Witch by Heather Blake

The Point by John Dixon

On Ms. Martin Teaches Media:

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch

Nine by Zach Hines

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

Bought:

These Ruthless Deeds by Tarun Shanker

These Vengeful Souls by Tarun Shanker

Origin by Dan Brown

Portents by Kelley Armstrong

Killer Ambition by Marcia Clark

The Competition by Marcia Clark

Review:

Intercepted by Alexa Martin (Sept. 11)

What was your week like?

ARC Review: The Point by John Dixon

The Point
Author: John Dixon
Publication: Del Rey (August 7, 2018)

Description: What if you had a power you had to hide from everyone—until now? In this bold sci-fi action thriller, a secret training program at West Point is turning misfits into a new generation of heroes.

Welcome to The Point, future leaders of the Posthuman Age.

New Cadets, society is not ready for you. The oldest, fiercest fear is ignorance. The general population would burn you at the metaphorical stake.
Here, you will train alongside other posthumans. You will learn to control and maximize your powers and to use them for the greater good. You will discover camaraderie and purpose.
You will become a part of something bigger than yourselves: the Long Gray Line. 

Scarlett Winter has always been an outsider, and not only because she’s a hardcore daredevil and born troublemaker—she has been hiding superhuman powers she doesn’t yet understand. Now she’s been recruited by a secret West Point unit for cadets with extraordinary abilities. Scarlett and her fellow students are learning to hone their skills, from telekinetic combat to running recon missions through strangers’ dreamscapes. At The Point, Scarlett discovers that she may be the most powerful cadet of all. With the power to control pure energy, she’s a human nuclear bomb—and she’s not sure she can control her powers much longer.

Even in this army of outsiders, Scarlett feels like a misfit all over again, but when a threat that endangers her fellow students arises from the school’s dark past, duty calls and Scarlett must make a choice between being herself and becoming something even greater: a hero.

My Thoughts: This is the story of Scarlett Winter who goes from hardcore troublemaker to a powerful posthuman. Scarlett was raised in a military family with a father who routinely beat her older brother Daniel who passed the beatings on to her. Despite that, she loves Dan and her mother. After blowing off her high school graduation and refusing to join the Army as her father wants, she finds herself having to choose between West Point and prison after it looks like she bombed a friend's graduation party. Colonel Oscar Rhoads, her father's former commander, is in charge of a new program that he feels she is just right for.

Scarlett chooses West Point but her heart isn't into becoming a successful cadet. Maybe fortunately, she becomes a member of The Point which is West Point for posthumans. There she trains with telekinetics and kids with other superpowers. Her own power is unique. She takes in energy and can expel it. Hit her and she gathers the power to hit back even harder.

Because her power is not the usual, she is set to train with another student with an unusual power. Dalia can walk in people's dreams and can give people dreams. She is supposed to be training Scarlett in yoga and meditation but sessions with her are all about her and her ego. She is secretly driving a former boyfriend insane as a form of revenge for wrongs he did to her. She is also manipulating Scarlett's dreams.

Meanwhile, other posthumans are committing terroristic acts which are terrifying the country. It turns out the Jagger who leads these posthuman terrorists is also acquainted with Colonel Rhoads and a dropout from Rhoad's training program for posthumans.

This was an entertaining science fiction story with an interesting main character who goes from a slacker to a hero - perhaps a little too quickly. I found her character change to be somewhat abrupt. I enjoyed the idea of these posthumans and thought the setup for why they existed and how someone became posthuman was plausible.

Favorite Quote:

Sometimes that was all you had. Sometimes happy for today was all you could hope for and all that mattered.

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

Friday Memes: The Point by John Dixon

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:

"You came here as children," keynote speaker Senator Wesley Ditko said, "but you leave here as men and women."

Friday 56:

Scarlet laughed. Playing dumb was a thing with the meatheads. Not a bad plan, she thought. Do your job, play stupid, and keep expectations low. Not a bad plan at all.

This week I am reading The Point by John Dixon. I was invited to read this review title. I couldn't pass up a science fiction/mystery. Here is the description from Amazon:

What if you had a power you had to hide from everyone—until now? In this bold sci-fi action thriller, a secret training program at West Point is turning misfits into a new generation of heroes.

Welcome to The Point, future leaders of the Posthuman Age.

New Cadets, society is not ready for you. The oldest, fiercest fear is ignorance. The general population would burn you at the metaphorical stake.
Here, you will train alongside other posthumans. You will learn to control and maximize your powers and to use them for the greater good. You will discover camaraderie and purpose.
You will become a part of something bigger than yourselves: the Long Gray Line. 

Scarlett Winter has always been an outsider, and not only because she’s a hardcore daredevil and born troublemaker—she has been hiding superhuman powers she doesn’t yet understand. Now she’s been recruited by a secret West Point unit for cadets with extraordinary abilities. Scarlett and her fellow students are learning to hone their skills, from telekinetic combat to running recon missions through strangers’ dreamscapes. At The Point, Scarlett discovers that she may be the most powerful cadet of all. With the power to control pure energy, she’s a human nuclear bomb—and she’s not sure she can control her powers much longer.

Even in this army of outsiders, Scarlett feels like a misfit all over again, but when a threat that endangers her fellow students arises from the school’s dark past, duty calls and Scarlett must make a choice between being herself and becoming something even greater: a hero.

ARC Review: Set the Night on Fire by Laura Trentham

Set the Night on Fire
Author: Laura Trentham
Series: A Cottonbloom novel (Book 6)
Publication: St. Martin's Paperbacks (July 31, 2018)

Description: Cottonbloom is the perfect place for starting over, finding your way back home―and falling head over heels. . .

Ella Boudreaux has a lot to prove to her family, friends, and foes―and to herself. So when her marriage ends she decides to invest her energy and money into a place that brings back some of Ella’s happiest memories: the Abbott brothers’ garage. Maybe, if she puts her mind to it, she can teach skeptical, stubborn Mack Abbott how to make the business a true success. Which would be a lot easier if the hunky mechanic didn’t make her motor run quite so fast…and hot.

Mack was furious when his brother, Ford, sold his share of the business. He’s in no rush to team up with a wealthy divorcée who shows up to the garage in stilettos―and the longest, sexiest legs he’s seen in forever. But Ella’s grit and determination won’t quit…and soon Mack can see that she’s been down a few rough roads herself. Neither Mack nor Ella can deny the fierce attraction that’s revving up between them. Could it be that true love has been in the backseat all along…and they’ve finally found the key?

My Thoughts: Ella Boudreaux and Mack Abbott start off on the wrong foot. Ella buys out Mack's brother Ford's interest in the family garage because it brings back good memories of her older brother who died in the service. Mack hates that idea that the Abbott garage would be owned by someone who isn't an Abbott. He is so determined to honor his father's memory by making the garage a successful business.

Ella is just stubborn enough to want to be a success with her share of the garage. She doesn't need the money. After her divorce, she turned her settlement into a successful business investing in businesses and properties. Despite the opinion of many of her ex's friends, she was the business brain that made him a success and not a gold digging bimbo.

Ella finds herself in Cottonbloom wanting to build a new life for herself. It isn't exactly easy when her ex's current wife Megan comes to stay with her as she is planning her own divorce. Ella would be willing to never see her emotionally abusive ex again but she wants to help Megan.

Mack has some family issues to deal with too. He and his brother Ford are still on the outs regarding his decision to sell out his share of the family business. And, while Mack's twin younger brothers have begun a relationship with the mother who abandoned them when they were children, Mack isn't sure that he will ever be able to forgive her.

I enjoyed this small town romance. It is the sixth book in the series but worked quite well for me even though I've read none of the rest of the series. The characters were well-developed people with both strengths and weaknesses. I liked the romance between Mack and Ella.

Favorite Quote:

"Why do I want you?" It was impossible to keep the incredulity out of his voice. He spun and pace the short length of the room.

She was smart. She didn't take his crap. Her backbone was steel to survive a marriage with the biggest dillhole in Mississippi. Her sentimental love of cars, if not the expertise to fix them, was sweet. She had a heart that recognized the need of someone she'd just met, and even more amazin, the drive to do something to help. The fact she had a killer body made it a no-brainer.

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

ARC Review: To Catch a Witch by Heather Blake

To Catch a Witch
Author: Heather Blake
Series: Wishcraft Mystery, Book 8
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (August 7, 2018)

Description: Wishcrafter Darcy Merriweather might be a witch with the ability to grant wishes for others, but wishing isn’t going to help her catch a killer…

When wishcrafter Darcy Merriweather’s personal concierge company is hired by elite runner Abby Stillwell to organize the Wicked Mad Dash, a competition that takes place in the Enchanted Village, Darcy is more than willing to help her friend. As blizzard conditions rage on the morning of the race, Darcy’s main concern is the terrible weather―until Abby goes missing…and is later found dead, buried in the snow.

As Darcy investigates her friend’s untimely death, she learns that she didn’t really know Abby well at all. And those closest to the woman―her secret fiancé, her roommate, her ex-boyfriend, and her co-workers at Balefire Sports―seem to have plenty to hide too. As Darcy digs deeper, she uncovers complicated relationships, a possible embezzlement scheme, and allegations of cheating against a top athlete.

Just when Darcy is convinced she’s hit a dead end in the case, a startling burglary and the hunt for Abby’s elusive ex send Darcy down a dark, dangerous trail. It will take the help from friends, family, and a little bit of magic for Darcy to stop a stone-cold killer from striking again.

My Thoughts: Darcy Merriweather is helping her friend, elite runner Abby Stillwell, organize the Wicked Mad Dash which is an annual race in their Enchanted Village. Things are going pretty well until Abby asks Darcy to look at the account books because she thinks she's doing something wrong with the accounts for the race.

Before she can start, a blizzard-filled race day arrives and Abby goes missing. Shortly after, Abby's body is found and Darcy and her boyfriend Nick are on the case to find out who murdered her. Darcy is working the magical side of the case since Abby was a witch and Nick is working the human side of the case since he's the village police chief.

The murder investigation is just one of the plot threads in this eighth book in the series. Another major one has to do with Darcy's sister Harper who is grieving the breakup of her relationship with lawyer Marcus Debrowski because of events that happened in an earlier book of the series. Harper is losing weight and filling her time by joining every club in town. Darcy is worried about her and her worry escalates when she finds her unconscious on her bathroom floor. It turns out the she is suffering from pernicious anemia and is also pregnant. Luckily, Darcy knows a doctor who can magically speed up the healing process.

Harper's pregnancy leads to the third major plot thread. There is a power struggle going on among the witches in town. It is coming up on the time when the Elder needs to pass on her office to her youngest female relative. The Elder is Darcy and Harper's mother who died when Darcy was seven. Harper hasn't embraced her heritage as a witch and may or may not accept the idea that she will be the next elder which seems to be giving this other witch the opening she's been looking for. However, if Harper's baby is a girl, all bets are off and the current Elder will stay in place until the baby is 25.

I liked the story and, despite coming into the series very late, didn't have a problem following the action. It would have been nice to know some of the characters' backstories but it wasn't necessary for my enjoyment of this book. I liked the magical system that was developed in the book. I liked the characters.

Favorite Quote:

If there was ever a wicked witch, it was Dorothy Hansel Dewitt. Sh'e despised me from almost the moment I'd arrived in the village, and she'd like nothing better to get me - and my family - out of town for good.  

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