Sunday, May 31, 2020

State of the Stack #96 (May 31, 2020)

This is my monthly State of the Stack post. It is my way to keep track of my review books and to hopefully reduce the stack that I have waiting for me. I take a look at my review commitments on or near the first of the month.

Here is my Review Books Spreadsheet I list them in publication order and sort them by month. I can quickly see how many books I have for each date. Ideally, this keeps me from over-committing to review books. Check my spreadsheet to find out where I got each book.

I also do this post because sometimes (frequently) review books sit on my stack for a while before I read and review them. I try to read and review books within two weeks of publication date. Sometimes I can't, though, if too many books are releasing on the same date or if the book arrives too near its publication date and my calendar is already full.

I am very grateful to the authors and publishers who support my reading habit.

I Read This Month

These are listed in the order I read them. Links go to my reviews for all that have been posted already. Otherwise, the date the review is scheduled for is listed.
  1. Murder at Rudhall Manor by Anya Wylde (May 16)
  2. Death of an Aristocrat by Anya Wylde (May 30)
  3. The Girls Weekend by Jody Gehrman (June 2)
  4. Spy, Spy Again by Mercedes Lackey (June 4)
  5. Catalyst by Sarah Beth Durst (June 3)
  6. Riviera Gold by Laurie R. King (June 6)
Read Previously, Reviews Posted This Month
  1. A Study in Murder by Callie Hutton (May 5)
  2. To Kill a Mocking Girl by Harper Kincaid (May 6)
  3. Lady Rights a Wrong by Eliza Casey (May 28)
I Added These Books

These are listed in the order I received them. Links go to Amazon. Date published is listed in parentheses.
  1. Monsters Among Us by Monica Rodden (Oct. 27)
  2. The Cousins by Karen M. McManus (Dec. 1)
  3. Bright Shining World by Josh Swiller (Nov. 24)
  4. Girl on the Run by Abigail Johnson (Oct. 6)
  5. Nightshade by M. L. Huie (Sept. 8)
  6. A Highlander Is Coming to Town by Laura Trentham (Sept. 29)
  7. Catalyst by Sarah Beth Durst (June 9)
My Review Pile

June




July






August







September




October



November


December

Saturday, May 30, 2020

Book Review: Death of an Aristocrat by Anya Wylde

Death of an Aristocrat
Author: Anya Wylde
Series: A Lucy Trotter Mystery
Publication: Self-Published (Feb. 28, 2020)

Description: The gossip columns can talk of nothing else, and even the Regent is intrigued. The murder of Lord Beazley at Gopshall Manor has caused a sensation, and the fact that two sweet governesses could have done it has further tickled the nations bloodthirsty soul. Lucy Anne Trotter, who stands accused, steals a horse and hurtles off to convince the only man in the country who can save her bacon— the national hero and the most handsome man in England, Lord William Hartell Adair. With him by her side, she sets out to discover the Gopshall family’s secrets and the murderer.In true Anya Wylde style, plenty of madness, kisses and burning breeches make an appearance. It’s a carriage ride not to be missed.

My Thoughts: Our favorite young governess is in trouble again. This time she is taking care of five young children as Gopshall Manor when a guest is found murdered. Naturally, suspicion falls on the two outsiders - governess for the children of the house. Lucy Trotter immediately goes to Lord Adair, who got her the job, for his help in solving the mystery and saving her from the hangman's noose.

There are many suspicious characters. There is Lord Willoughby who is an inveterate bad gambler with a temper and a penchant for bothering the maids. There is his wife who married him for his title and money but who really wanted the younger brother. There is the father of Lord Willoughby who has a habit of removing his clothing and belittling his son. There is the butler who is having an affair with Lady Willoughby and is blackmailing a number of young women.

This one also has a bit of romance when the second governess, who has been hiding a secret identity, falls in love with the younger and handsomer of the two brothers - the same one Lady Willoughby wants.

Lucy is sure that she will be able to solve the crime, if only Lord Adair will give her a hint. This story is a bit less silly than the first in the series but still has a number of humorous scenes and characters. I like that Lucy is one women who isn't one of the many ladies who are in love with Lord Adair and willing to do anything to attract his attention. I liked that she wanted Lord Adair to teach her how to investigate and how to protect herself and didn't want to be helpless.

I enjoyed this story and recommend it to fans of humorous historical mysteries.

Favorite Quote:
Claybrook frowned. "What was that?"

"I-I sneezed," Lucy responded red-faced.

Claybrook frowned, and then his eyes widened in understanding. "That, Miss Trotter, does not smell like a sneeze."

"I have stinky sneezes," Lucy mumbled under her breath.

"Good lord," Claybrook wheezed. "It's so bad, you made Johnny cry."

Master Willoughby wiped his tears and bowed to Lucy. "Madam, that was magnificent. May I know what you ate for dinner?"

Lucy closed her eyes and whispered in mortification. "Beans and cabbage. Ghastly beans and cabbage."
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from the author. You can buy your copy here.

Friday, May 29, 2020

Friday Memes: Death of an Aristocrat by Anya Wylde

Happy Friday everybody!
Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City ReaderThe 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 dark stone walls and the fat toad-like structure of Gopshall contrasted sharply with the stunning white country landscape.
Friday 56:
"Morning, night or noon.We have nothing to do."

"We have a killer to catch."
I am spotlighting a book sent to my by the author for review. Death of an Aristocrat by Anya Wylde is a humorous historical mystery. Here is the description from Amazon:
The gossip columns can talk of nothing else, and even the Regent is intrigued. The murder of Lord Beazley at Gopshall Manor has caused a sensation, and the fact that two sweet governesses could have done it has further tickled the nations bloodthirsty soul. Lucy Anne Trotter, who stands accused, steals a horse and hurtles off to convince the only man in the country who can save her bacon— the national hero and the most handsome man in England, Lord William Hartell Adair. With him by her side, she sets out to discover the Gopshall family’s secrets and the murderer.In true Anya Wylde style, plenty of madness, kisses and burning breeches make an appearance. It’s a carriage ride not to be missed.

Thursday, May 28, 2020

ARC Review: Lady Rights a Wrong by Eliza Casey

Lady Rights a Wrong
Author: Eliza Casey
Series: Manor Cat Mystery (Book 2)
Publication: Berkley (June 2, 2020)

Description: As the suffragette movement sweeps England in 1912, Lady Cecilia Bates wants to march but ends up trailing a killer instead in the latest entry to the Manor Cat Mysteries.

Lady Cecilia of Danby Hall feels adrift. She couldn’t be less interested in helping to plan the church's upcoming bazaar. Instead, what excites her most is the Woman’s Suffrage Union meeting she has just attended.

Inspired by the famous and charismatic leader of the group, Mrs. Amelia Price, Cecilia is eager to join the Union—if she can hide it from her parents, that is. But when Mrs. Price is found dead at the foot of the stairs of her home, her Votes for Women sash torn away, Cecilia knows she must attend to a more urgent matter: finding the killer. With the help of her lady’s maid Jane and intelligent cat Jack, she hopes to play her part in earning women’s equality by stopping the Union’s dangerous foe.

My Thoughts: Lady Cecelia Bates is feeling restless in her country home and wondering what her purpose is. She was engaged and active in an earlier murder investigation at her home but now things have settled down too much for her liking. While her mother tries her hand a matchmaking with the local vicar and her brother courts an American heiress, Cecelia just is.

Some excitement does come to the neighborhood in the person of Mrs. Amelia Price who is a noted spokeswoman for the suffrage movement. Cecelia is curious about the movement and soon attends some speeches and gets to know Mrs. Price and her entourage which includes her daughter who studied as a lawyer but can't practice, Mrs. Price's second in command, and her new young protegee.

Lady Cecelia notices all the tensions among the women and also notices that many men including her neighbor Lord Elphin are not at all happy about this new focus that takes women away from their rightful role as wives and mothers. Cecelia wonders why Mrs. Price is not living with Mr. Price anymore. She also wonders why Mrs. Price's daughter Mary who married lawyer Mr. Winter and is estranged has come with her husband to visit.

When Mrs. Price is found dead at the foot of the stairs in the cottage she was renting, Lady Cecelia feels that she has a new case to investigate and a purpose in life. She and a maid who was her helper on her first case busy themselves looking into all the suspicious characters until a wrong move puts Cecelia herself in danger.

This was an entertaining mystery with interesting characters. I liked the descriptions of life in the village and the hint of change in the air. I felt that there were some pacing issues in the story. It took until 32% before the murder happened and the reveal of the murderer seemed to come too fast and with too little buildup at 94% leaving the last 6% returning to quiet and the idyllic country setting with Cecelia back to being bored and restless.

Favorite Quote:
Yet Cecelia couldn't entirely shake the feeling of restlessness and anger that seemed to creep over her like an itch she couldn't brush away. It had actually been there for months, vaguely humming away in the background as she went about the motions of her everyday life. Changing clothes, sipping tea, looking in shops, dancing, but always as if she was someplace else entirely. Should be someplace else.
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from Edelweiss. You can buy your copy here.

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Audiobook: Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews

Sapphire Flames
Author: Ilona Andrews
Narrator: Emily Rankin
Publication: HarperAudio (Aug. 27, 2019)
Length: 12 hours and 32 minutes

Description: From number one New York Times best-selling author Ilona Andrew comes an enthralling new trilogy set in the Hidden Legacy world, where magic means power and family bloodlines are the new currency of society....

In a world where magic is the key to power and wealth, Catalina Baylor is a prime, the highest rank of magic user, and the head of her house. Catalina has always been afraid to use her unique powers, but when her friend’s mother and sister are murdered, Catalina risks her reputation and safety to unravel the mystery.

But behind the scenes, powerful forces are at work, and one of them is Alessandro Sagredo, the Italian prime who was once Catalina’s teenage crush. Dangerous and unpredictable, Alessandro’s true motives are unclear, but he’s drawn to Catalina like a moth to a flame.

To help her friend, Catalina must test the limits of her extraordinary powers, but doing so may cost her both her house - and her heart.

My Thoughts: Catalina Baylor is doing a good job as the head of House Baylor. She's a Prime with a unique and very strong talent. But House Baylor is small and just coming out of their three years of protected status. She really shouldn't get involved with Runa Etterson and the case she brings. She is first brought in when Runa's fifteen-year-old brother Ragnar is threatening to jump off a hospital roof. Catalina uses her power of beguilement to coax him off the edge and then has to bring him home with her to remove the magic she used.

Runa has a major problem. Her mother and sister died in a fire and she is sure they were murdered. She wants to hire Catalina's investigation agency to find out the truth. She's already been turned down by the Head of House Montgomery who runs a much larger investigative agency. Catalina feels that she owes Runa a debt because Runa prevented the whole wedding party at Catalina's sister Nevada's wedding from being poisoned. She also sympathizes with someone who has lost her family is such a tragic way.

But the investigation gets complicated fast as Catalina learns about Runa's mother's past and someone would very much like the Baylors dead before they uncover more secrets. Fortunately, Catalina has a dubious sort of guardian angel in the person of Alessandro Sagredo who happens to be Catalina's long-time crush. He's a Prime; he's beautiful; he's a playboy; and he's way out of her league. At least that is what she thinks. But Alessandro is a man with a bunch of secrets of his own and he isn't at all what Catalina expected.

I loved the banter between Catalina and Alessandro. I loved that way they are very tentatively building a romance. The story was filled with all sorts of magic and magical creatures. It was filled with the politics that governs the Houses. The story was fast-paced and filled with action.

I'm very eager for the next book in this series which comes out later this year. I really want to know Alessandro's secret and am hoping for the romance with Catalina to have a happy ending.

I liked the narration which was engaging and which made it impossible for me to stop listening.

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

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Audiobook: Crystal Dragon by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Crystal Dragon
Author: Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Narrator: Kevin T. Collins
Publication: Audible Studios (Sept.4, 2012)
Length: 15 hours and 35 minutes

Description: You can't go home again...

What do you do when home is a conspiracy that's been discovered and destroyed? When home is a planet in a star system that's gone missing? When home means working for the destroyers of galaxies? When home is a spaceship that's calling out to the enemy? Cantra 'yos Phelium isn't a quitter, but she has more than a little problem: the Enemy has accelerated its attacks and how do you fight an Enemy whose major form of attack is the de-crystallization of everything around itself? A smuggler with a rogue soldier for a co-pilot, and a tree with an attitude for crew, Cantra's the only one who can get close to the man who holds equations that might, that just might - thwart the Enemy. All she has to do is help a young pilot from a missing world, juggle a slippery promise she never quite made to a pair of wizards, and then forget who she is along with everything, and everyone, she's ever known.

My Thoughts: I enjoyed listening to CRYSTAL DRAGON. It is one of the Liaden books that I don't reread very often. I find the sections that have to do with the formation of the dramliz and their conspiracy to defeat the Iloheen hard to understand and hard to connect with. Once the story switches to Cantra and Jela and to Tor An yos'Galan, I enjoy the story much more.

This continues the story begun in CRYSTAL SOLDIER and concerns itself with trying to find the mathematician Liad dea'Syl who might have the math that will let some humans survive the war begun by the Iloheen - called the sheriekas by the humans.

Cantra and Jela have to infiltrate an assemblage of scholars which requires Cantra to forger herself and assume the personality of a traveling math scholar. they find a situation filled with treachery and self-interest.  It is also the location where they meet Tor An who has come to report that the Ring Stars have disappeared. Since that is where his whole family lives, Tor An is devastated and wants someone else to also care. He finds the military uninterested in one more loss of planets and concerned with withdrawing into the inner worlds in hopes of surviving.

Jela has long been associated with one part of the military that sees what is happening and is still trying to do something to stop the enemy's invasion.

This is also the story where the planned evacuation of Solcintra occurs and tells about the contract with the houses of Solcintra and the formation of Clan Korval. It introduces some family lines that still continue into the rest of the books including the dea'Gauss.

I liked the action in the story. I liked the characters especially Jela. I liked that he becomes the Founder of the Clan despite falling in rear guard action that lets Cantra, the tree, and his unborn child escape. I really liked Cantra who is both smart and honorable and who keeps her promise to Jela to guard his tree.

The narration was well done and really pulled me in and kept me listening even to the confusing parts.

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

Monday, May 25, 2020

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (May 25, 2020)

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.

Other Than Reading...

Happy Memorial Day weekend to those in the US! So many celebrations are going to be virtual this year since only small gatherings are allowed here in Minnesota. And, of course, rain is predicted for each day of the long weekend.

Even though things are opening up in my state, I'm still content to spend most of my time at home. It looks like June 1 will be another milestone date since that is when salons can open again. I think restaurants can open to some inside seating then. This week they were allowed to open for outside dining with limited numbers of people at one time. Of course, many don't have an outside area that they can use for patrons and our weather doesn't make outdoor dining possible every day. There are still a lot of things that have to happen before a complete reopening. For one thing, Minnesota is still waiting for cases to peak. Hopes are that reopening won't cause a major surge in cases.

I did get outside and walk a couple of days since the weather was warm and it was sunny. Rain is forecast for the whole Memorial Day weekend which will likely keep me inside. I can just see rain beginning to fall when I am at the farthest point of my walk!

After watching a Zoom from Penguin Books last night with Jim Butcher and Patrick Rothfuss, I realized that I had missed one of the Dresden Files books. I knew that a book in the series was coming out in July - a first since 2014, but didn't know there would also be a second Dresden book later in 2020 too. I bought a copy of the first Dresden book from Audible so that I can revisit the world before the new books come out.

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.)
  • Lady Rights a Wrong by Eliza Casey (Review; June 2) - England 1912. Lady Cecelia Bates investigates the death of a woman in charge of a suffrage group. Interesting story with lots to think about regarding the choices women had at that time in history. My review will be posted on May 28.
  • Mouse & Dragon by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook; reread) - Daav and Aelliana don't have smooth sailing after meeting and falling in love in this sequel to Scout's Progress. I recently reviewed this one.
  • Death of an Aristocrat by Anya Wylde (Review) - This second Lucy Trotter mystery was humorous but less silly than the first in the series. I liked Lucy with her determination to be able to take care of herself. My review will be posted on May 30.
  • Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs (Audiobook; reread) - This is the second book in the Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series and features all sorts of trouble for Mercy when vampire Stefan calls in his favor. My review will be posted on June 9.
  • Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs (Audiobook; reread) - The third Mercy Thompson story concerns the fae and some puzzling murders. My review will be posted on June 24.
  • The Girls Weekend by Jody Gehrman (Review; June 9) - Tense locked room thriller about five women who had been college best friends getting together for a reunion weekend where all sorts of formerly hidden issues are revealed and one of the women dies. My review will be posted on June 2.
  • The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes by Leonard Goldberg (Audiobook) - I picked this at Audible since I'm a huge fan of any story featuring Sherlock Holmes. It was okay but the characters seemed awfully one-dimensional to me. My review will be posted on June 17.
Currently
Next Week
Reviews Posted
Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Kindle
Audiobooks
Review
  • Catalyst by Sarah Beth Durst (June 9)
  • Riviera Gold by Laurie R. King (June 9) - print ARC from the publisher
What was your week like?

Saturday, May 23, 2020

ARC Review: Hideaway by Nora Roberts

Hideaway
Author: Nora Roberts
Publication: St. Martin's Press (May 26, 2020)

Description: A family ranch in Big Sur country and a legacy of Hollywood royalty set the stage for Nora Roberts’ emotional new suspense novel, Hideaway.

Caitlyn Sullivan had come from a long line of Hollywood royalty, stretching back to her Irish immigrant great-grandfather. At nine, she was already a star―yet still an innocent child who loved to play hide and seek with her cousins at the family home in Big Sur. It was during one of those games that she disappeared.

Some may have considered her a pampered princess, but Cate was in fact a smart, scrappy fighter, and she managed to escape her abductors. Dillon Cooper was shocked to find the bloodied, exhausted girl huddled in his house―but when the teenager and his family heard her story they provided refuge, reuniting her with her loved ones.

Cate’s ordeal, though, was far from over. First came the discovery of a shocking betrayal that would send someone she’d trusted to prison. Then there were years spent away in western Ireland, peaceful and protected but with restlessness growing in her soul.

Finally, she would return to Los Angeles, gathering the courage to act again and get past the trauma that had derailed her life. What she didn’t yet know was that two seeds had been planted that long-ago night―one of a great love, and one of a terrible vengeance…

My Thoughts: This was another excellent standalone novel by Nora Roberts. It takes place over a number of years and follows Cate Sullivan from age 10 to about age 30. Cate is the daughter of Hollywood royalty.

The first part of the story takes place when she is ten. She was kidnapped but through her own brains and courage escaped from her kidnappers and found her way to the Cooper's house. There she met Dillon who was a couple of years older along with his mother and grandmother.

After learning that her mother was a part of the conspiracy to kidnap her and extort a large amount of money from her family, Cate's family enclosed itself around her to help her get over the trauma. Her mother and co-conspirators went to prison and Cate's dad took her to live in Ireland with her great-grandmother.

The next part of the story takes place when she is seventeen and back from Ireland ready to begin her own acting career. Unfortunately, her mother has been released from prison and wants to use Cate again for her own selfish reasons. Her mother forces herself into her presence which sets off a major panic attack in Cate. Restraining orders ensue but that doesn't stop her mother from spawning all sorts of publicity to make herself look like a mother who was wronged and who only wants to reunite with her child.

The next part sees Cate in New York City where she has gone to get away from the scrutiny of the press and her mother's schemes to use her. Unfortunately, trouble follows in the form of frightening phone calls that mix her mother's voice and her own from their various acting roles into a very threatening combination. It is a time for Cate to begin exploring what she wants to do with her life and to grow up. That part ends after her first love is attacked and beaten. It looks like a hate crime but staying away from Cate is part of the message. They are both too young to get over the incident.

After some years, Cate comes back to California and to the estate on Big Sur where the kidnapping happened. She has some initial reservations but she is strong enough to persevere. She is eager to spend more time with her grandparents and her work as a voice actor lets her move her business there. She also reunites with Dillon and the two begin a romance or maybe, rekindle one since he is almost certain that he fell in love with her when he first met her as a ten-year-old.

But their romance is not trouble free. Adding to the stress the her mother's endless quest for publicity at Cate's expense is the fact that people close to the events of the kidnapping are being murdered and the murderer might be getting close to Cate.

The was an excellent story with all the elements Roberts is known for. Cate is surrounded by a loving family who both nurture her and provide a template of what loving others looks like. She is both protected and given opportunities to grow and become her own person. Dillon is a strong, confident man who is sure in his life and what he wants and is willing to wait for Cate to catch up to what he wants for them.

This was a very compelling story that I just couldn't put down. Fans of Nora Roberts won't want to miss this one.

Favorite Quote:
He moved, as he wandered her space, with the rangy kind of ease of a man who strode around fields and pastures.

She let out a half laugh. "It's central casting."

"What's that?"

He glanced back, and well, Jesus, the un slanted over him like a damn key light.

She pointed at him. "Rancher. You nail the look."

He grinned, and of course, it was lightning quick and just the right amount of crooked. "I am what I am. And you're a - Hugh calls it - voice actor."
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from Edelweiss. You can buy your copy here.

Friday, May 22, 2020

Friday Memes: Hideaway by Nora Roberts

Happy Friday everybody!
Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City ReaderThe 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:
When Liam Sullivan died, at the ageof ninety-two, in his sleep, in his own bed with his wife of sixty-five years beside him, the world mourned.

An icon had passed.
Friday 56:
He studied the work island. "You're messy."

"Yeah." She went to the sink to wash dough off her hands. "And if I don't clean it up to Consuela's standards, I'll hear her clucking her tongue when she come in to clean tomorrow."
This week I am spotlighting the latest standalone title by Nora Roberts. I got this review copy of Hideaway from Edelweiss. Here is the description from Amazon:
A family ranch in Big Sur country and a legacy of Hollywood royalty set the stage for Nora Roberts’ emotional new suspense novel, Hideaway.

Caitlyn Sullivan had come from a long line of Hollywood royalty, stretching back to her Irish immigrant great-grandfather. At nine, she was already a star―yet still an innocent child who loved to play hide and seek with her cousins at the family home in Big Sur. It was during one of those games that she disappeared.

Some may have considered her a pampered princess, but Cate was in fact a smart, scrappy fighter, and she managed to escape her abductors. Dillon Cooper was shocked to find the bloodied, exhausted girl huddled in his house―but when the teenager and his family heard her story they provided refuge, reuniting her with her loved ones.

Cate’s ordeal, though, was far from over. First came the discovery of a shocking betrayal that would send someone she’d trusted to prison. Then there were years spent away in western Ireland, peaceful and protected but with restlessness growing in her soul.

Finally, she would return to Los Angeles, gathering the courage to act again and get past the trauma that had derailed her life. What she didn’t yet know was that two seeds had been planted that long-ago night―one of a great love, and one of a terrible vengeance…

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Audiobook: Wildfire by Ilona Andrews

Wildfire
Author: Ilona Andrews
Narrator: Renee Raudman
Publication: HarperAudio (July 25, 2017)
Length: 12 hours and 44 minutes

Description: From Ilona Andrews, New York Times best-selling author, the thrilling conclusion to her Hidden Legacy series, as Nevada and Rogan grapple with a power beyond even their imagination.

Nevada Baylor can't decide which is more frustrating - harnessing her truthseeker abilities or dealing with Connor "Mad" Rogan and their evolving relationship. Yes, the billionaire Prime is helping her navigate the complex magical world in which she's become a crucial player - and sometimes a pawn - but she also has to deal with his ex-fiancée, whose husband has disappeared and whose damsel-in-distress act is wearing very, very thin.

Rogan faces his own challenges, too, as Nevada's magical rank has made her a desirable match for other Primes. Controlling his immense powers is child's play next to controlling his conflicting emotions. And now he and Nevada are confronted by a new threat within her own family. Can they face this together? Or is their world about to go up in smoke?

My Thoughts: In this third Hidden Legacy novel, the case Nevada is working on comes really close to home. Rynda Sherwood was once thought to be "Mad" Rogan's future wife but he joined the military instead and didn't want to marry her. Rynda married another man, the head of his House and a botanical mage whose specialty was mushrooms. She had two children with him and looked to be having a satisfying life until he was kidnapped. Rynda comes to Nevada for help in finding her husband.

Nevada wants to help her but many in her family feel that having Rynda so close to Rogan will reignite the relationship between them. Nevada feels that, if it does, it means that her relationship with Rogan wasn't strong enough to last. She also isn't willing to give up the man she has claimed no matter what any other woman thinks.

It soon becomes apparent that the kidnapping was related to the whole conspiracy that has been a central plot point through the first two books. Some mysterious and unknown agent has been trying to destabilize the magical community in Houston and recruiting dissatisfied and dangerous mages to work for the cause. This one has a mage who can call creatures from some other world and another mage who can control the weather and bring down devastating storms.

Meanwhile, Nevada has registered for testing of her ability as a Prime and petitioned to form a House. Her grandmother Tremayne isn't going to go away quietly and has made a couple of unsuccessful attempts to have her kidnapped. Her registration has also opened her up to offers of marriage from a number of Houses who want her talents for themselves. Suitors are guaranteed to infuriate Rogan who is torn between wanting Nevada for his own and wanting her to be able to form a strong House.

This was another great entry in a strong urban fantasy series. I liked the narration because of the number of distinct voices for the characters and the emotion portrayed.

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

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Audiobook: Crystal Soldier by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Crystal Soldier
Author: Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Narrator: Kevin T. Collins
Publication: Audible Studios (Sept. 4, 2012)
Length: 13 hours and 51 minutes

Description: Centuries in the past, mankind fought a seemingly unbeatable adversary from sector to sector across the Spiral Arm until the war ground to a standstill and the Enemy withdrew. Believing that they had won, the citizens of the galaxy rebuilt. The Inner Worlds, which had escaped the worst of the war's ravages, became even more insular, while the Rim worlds adopted a free and easy way with law and order. Now, hundreds of years after their withdrawal, the Enemy is back - and this time they'll be satisfied with nothing less than the extinction of the galaxy.

My Thoughts: This story is the beginning of the Liaden Universe. Characters who are legends in the new (in the timeline) Liaden books are the main characters in this one with all their strengths and flaws.

The story begins with an M series soldier named Jela on a planet that is dry and desiccated. His ship was damaged and he was forced to land and hope for retrieval by his own forces. M type soldiers are generalists and explorers which means that Jela decides to explore while waiting for pickup and begins following a trail of fallen trees. He follows and watches the trees become smaller and smaller on their way down from the hills to what was once a river and now is just a dry bed. There at the end of his trail, with him running out of food and water, Jela comes upon a living tree - the sole survivor of its species.

When Jela is finally rescued, he brings the tree with him. He made it promises as they waited for pickup by his crew. Jela feels that the tree is able to communicate with him. It also provides him with edible seedpods.

Jela and the army he is part of have been fighting the enemy for all of his life. They are losing the war. The enemy has weapons that eat planets and they are determined to remove all life from the universe and remake it to their specifications.

Jela is chosen to be part of a last-ditch effort to slow the enemy down. It is on this mission that he meet Cantra yos'Phelium.

Cantra is a smuggler and the last of a line that was eliminated by its creators. She is on the run from those creators and trying to keep a low profile. She stops on a planet and decides that she needs some company which leads her to having dinner with Jela who was expecting someone else to dine with him. Warned by one of the servers that they are under observation, they end up having to fight off various enemies before they are able to escape from the planet bringing the server - a batch created slave named Dulsey - and Jela's tree with them.

After visiting the planet where Cantra has a cargo to drop off and running afoul with her buyer, they decide to take Dulsey to the one place where she might be safe. Cantra knows where the Uncle makes his home since he helped her get away from the creators who wanted to repossess her. The Uncle is trying to find a way to make the enemy's tech into weapons that humans can use to defeat the enemy. Jela doesn't believe that is possible or desirable. Uncle doesn't want to let either Cantra or Jela go since they could be useful to his plans. This leads to still another fight and another narrow escape for our heroes.

The story was filled with danger and action and intriguing characters. I loved seeing Jela and Cantra as humans rather than as icons. The narration was well done. I also enjoyed the interview of Kevin T. Collins done by Steve Miller which gave a lot of interesting information about how narrators work and also about how authors work.

The cliffhanger ending mean that CRYSTAL DRAGON has just gone on my "read NOW" list.

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