Book Review: Osiris by Eric C. Anderson

Osiris
Author: Eric C. Anderson
Publication: Dunn Books (September 12, 2017)

Description: It’s a dilemma no Washington politician wants to confront—rescuing 5,000 Americans trapped in Baghdad.

Enter a crusty Marine, embattled Army officer, two Turkish spies and the ultimate cyber-warrior tasked with countering an ISIS regime carving out a new caliphate. Can they rescue an American embassy under siege by a weapon that even Washington’s military might can’t defeat? This is indeed a test of sheer will and technical expertise pitted against national pride and suicidal zealotry.

OSIRIS takes readers on a twisted path from the glittering palaces of Qatar to the dusty hell of central Iraq, replete with drunken Russian pilots, conniving American politicians, and unlikely heroes.

This is the first book in a trilogy ripped from today’s headlines that could leave tomorrow’s Europe on the brink of a new Dark Age.

My Thoughts: In this near-future military thriller things in the always boiling Middle East boil over into warfare. The story is told from a number of viewpoints in a number of Middle Eastern countries. One thread has the American Embassy in Baghdad under attack including a car bombing with a vehicle filled with radioactive materials. Rescuing the 5000 Americans trapped and dying of radiation sickness becomes a priority for the Americans.

This story had bunches of political maneuvering in the United States with everyone trying to find a way to cover their behinds. We see Turkey and Qatar adding to the chaos. In Turkey, the characters we follow are intelligence agents trying to find out what is going on and advising their bosses. In Qatar, agents are hired including an agent named ODIN to magnify the chaos by conducting cyberattacks.We see the Israelis taking advantage of the chaos to advance their own agenda.

This all-too-plausible thriller reminded me a lot of Tom Clancy's work but with even less character development than Clancy. The story is told from multiple viewpoints and is filled with techno-babble. This one doesn't have as much techno-babble about weapons but substitutes acronyms for various intelligence and military organizations. I wish I would have known about the glossary in the back before I started reading. Keeping the various alphabet agencies and organizations straight was quite a challenge.

This one is for fans of dense, political thrillers. I found it a compelling read but am not at all sure I know what really happened in the story.

Favorite Quote:

Roman bureaucrats decreed al-Baghdadi was nothing more than a terrorist. The jihadi knew better - this was a revolution. A revolution that ended in Baghdad, then Tehran, and on to Europe and Istanbul, where president-for-life Erdogan was busily undoing all the modern Turkish state's founder had fought to accomplish, thus becoming a direct threat.

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

ARC Review: A Twist of the Knife by Becky Masterman

A Twist of the Knife
Author: Becky Masterman
Series: Brigid Quinn Series (Book 3)
Publication: Minotaur Books (March 21, 2017)

Description: Ex-FBI agent Brigid Quinn, now happily settled in Tucson, doesn’t visit her family in Florida much. But her former partner on the force, Laura Coleman―a woman whose life she has saved and who has saved her life in turn―is living there now. So when Laura calls about a case that is not going well, Brigid doesn’t hesitate to get on a plane.

On leave from the Bureau, Laura has been volunteering for a legal group trying to prove the innocence of a man who is on death row for killing his family. Laura is firmly convinced that he didn’t do it, while Brigid isn’t so sure―but the date for his execution is coming up so quickly that they’ll have to act fast to find any evidence that may absolve him before it’s too late…

A Twist of the Knife, Edgar Award and CWA Gold Dagger finalist Becky Masterman’s third Brigid Quinn novel, is the masterful follow-up to Fear the Darkness and Rage Against the Dying.

My Thoughts: Brigid Quinn in back in Florida for two reasons in this episode. First, her father is in the hospital with pneumonia and Brigid is back to see him. Second, a former partner and someone who saved her life has asked for her help.

Brigid has an interesting family dynamic going on. She was very glad to leave home since her parents had and have a dysfunctional marriage. Her father was in law enforcement and encouraged his children to follow his path. However, he was also a very angry man whose violent temper caused him to throw things frequently. Her mother came off as something of a doormat. She left the kids to her husband and just kept a low profile in the family. It takes this hospital stay for Brigid to finally get to know her mother.

The second reason provides most of the mystery in this story. Her colleague Laura is on leave from the FBI and working with a lawyer who is trying to save people on death row that he feels were wrongly convicted. Their current case deals with Marcus Creighton who was convicted of killing his wife and children in 1999. The wife was found electrocuted in her bath and the children were missing. Brigid isn't convinced that Creighton is innocent but agrees to help her friend who seems to be in love with Creighton.

The investigation gives Brigid a chance to connect with people she knew and worked with in her early days in the FBI in Florida. We see that Brigid has a long history of taking the law into her own hands as she recalls events in her early career.

I thought this mystery was nicely twisty and had a number of surprises. Following the twists and turns of the investigation kept me reading this one late into the night. Fans of detectives who live firmly in the gray areas of law enforcement will enjoy this third Brigid Quinn story.

Favorite Quote:

But whether or not it was a just conviction, you can't take on the world. Guilty or not, Creighton wasn't one of the battles I was called to fight. Like the saying goes, Not my circus, not my monkeys. It's a Momism--she was full of platitudes like that that sometimes flapped through my head. 

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

Teaser Tuesday: A Twist of the Knife by Becky Masterman

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

Pale as sandstone, either from lack of sunlight or his asthma attack, he reminded me of a splendid ruin, its surface crumbled by time and the winds of fortune, but showing all of its former glory through the wreckage.

This week I am reading A Twist of the Knife by Becky Masterman. Here is the description of this third Brigid Quinn mystery from Amazon:

Ex-FBI agent Brigid Quinn, now happily settled in Tucson, doesn’t visit her family in Florida much. But her former partner on the force, Laura Coleman―a woman whose life she has saved and who has saved her life in turn―is living there now. So when Laura calls about a case that is not going well, Brigid doesn’t hesitate to get on a plane.

On leave from the Bureau, Laura has been volunteering for a legal group trying to prove the innocence of a man who is on death row for killing his family. Laura is firmly convinced that he didn’t do it, while Brigid isn’t so sure―but the date for his execution is coming up so quickly that they’ll have to act fast to find any evidence that may absolve him before it’s too late…

A Twist of the Knife, Edgar Award and CWA Gold Dagger finalist Becky Masterman’s third Brigid Quinn novel, is the masterful follow-up to Fear the Darkness and Rage Against the Dying.

Teaser Tuesday: Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

It...made no sense. Except that sometime in the past three years, she had switched from counting her years not up from birth, but back from death—a grab-bag of time not growing, but shrinking, use it or lose it.

This week my teaser comes from Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold. This is the latest in her Vorkosigan saga and stars Cordelia. Here is the description from Amazon:

Three years after her famous husband’s death, Cordelia Vorkosigan, widowed Vicereine of Sergyar, stands ready to spin her life in a new direction. Oliver Jole, Admiral, Sergyar Fleet, finds himself caught up in her web of plans in ways he’d never imagined, bringing him to an unexpected crossroads in his career.

Meanwhile, Miles Vorkosigan, one of Emperor Gregor’s key investigators, this time dispatches himself on a mission of inquiry, into a mystery he never anticipated – his own mother.

Plans, wills, and expectations collide in this sparkling science-fiction social comedy, as the impact of galactic technology on the range of the possible changes all the old rules, and Miles learns that not only is the future not what he expects, neither is the past.

ARC Review: Secret Sisters by Jayne Ann Krentz

Secret Sisters
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Publication: Berkley (December 8, 2015)

Description: Madeline and Daphne were once as close as sisters—until a secret tore them apart. Now it might take them to their graves.

They knew his name, the man who tried to brutally attack twelve-year-old Madeline in her grandmother's hotel. They thought they knew his fate. He wouldn't be bothering them anymore...ever. Still their lives would never be the same.

Madeline has returned to Washington after her grandmother's mysterious death. And at the old, abandoned hotel—a place she never wanted to see again—a dying man’s last words convey a warning: the secrets she and Daphne believed buried forever have been discovered.

Now, after almost two decades, Madeline and Daphne will be reunited in friendship and in fear. Unable to trust the local police, Madeline summons Jack Rayner, the hotel chain’s new security expert. Despite the secrets and mysteries that surround him, Jack is the only one she trusts...and wants.

Jack is no good at relationships but he does possess a specific skill set that includes a profoundly intimate understanding of warped and dangerous minds. With the assistance of Jack's brother, Abe, a high-tech magician, the four of them will form an uneasy alliance against a killer who will stop at nothing to hide the truth....

My Thoughts: This was another excellent romantic suspense title by Jayne Ann Krentz. Madeline has recently inherited her grandmother's boutique hotel chain after her death in a fire in her penthouse suite. Now she is called back to to Cooper Island in Washington by the caretaker of the hotel she and her grandmother had fled eighteen years earlier. She arrives just in time to hear the dying caretaker's last words and escape from whoever killed him. Her immediate response to call her head of security Jack Reyner.

Jack has started his own security company and was hired by Madeline's grandmother. Madeline tried to ease him out of the contract when she took over. But Jack wasn't willing to go. Jack is quick to head from Arizona to Washington to help Madeline. And together with Abe's brother and Madeline's childhood friend, they find themselves deep in a conspiracy with assorted murders that has its roots in the past.

The story is filled with secrets that are now coming to light and people who will do anything to keep the secrets buried. The trauma that sent Madeline and her grandmother away from the island has impacted all of Madeline's relationships. She is used to relationships not lasting because of her trust issues. Jack is also relationship-shy. However, they are both stubborn people who are attracted to each other. The way they courted wouldn't be universally approved but certainly worked for them.

I also liked the relationship between Jack's brother Abe and Madeline's friend Daphne. This is the first time I recall a Krentz book with a secondary romance going on. The strengths of this book include the relationships between the characters both the romances and the friendships.

The story also has an abundance of villains with a variety of motives. Xavier Webster was one creepy sociopath but the rest of his family was also scary. Throw in hedge fund hijinks and political ambitions and you have a story ripe with tension.

Fans of romantic suspense won't want to miss this exciting story.

Favorite Quote:

Perspective was everything. And yet nothing. The predators were out there, regardless of the size of your world, Madeline thought. But so was friendship. You just had to reach out and make it happen.

Maybe, just maybe, it was the same with love.

I was chosen on Facebook to be part of the review team. The publisher provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: In the Company of Wolves by Paige Tyler

In the Company of Wolves
Author: Paige Tyler
Series: SWAT (Book 3)
Publication: Sourcebooks Casablanca (December 1, 2015)

Description: He opened his mouth to order her to drop the MP5 she had aimed at him, but nothing would come out. It was like she'd robbed him of the ability to speak. Shooting her wasn't an option, though. And the idea of arresting her didn't make him feel any better.

There's a new gang of criminals in town who are organized and ruthless in the extreme. When Eric Becker, along with the rest of the Dallas SWAT team, ends up in the middle of a shootout, he immediately senses werewolves-a lot of them. Turns out, the new bad guys are a pack of wolf shifters.

In a spray of gunfire, Becker comes face-to-face with the most gorgeous woman he's ever seen. Becker does the logical thing. He hides her and leaves the scene with the rest of his team.

Jayna Winston has no idea why that SWAT guy helped her, but she's glad he did. Ever since she and her pack mates got mixed up with those Eastern European mobsters, everything had pretty much fallen apart.

So what's a street-savvy thief like Jayna going to do with a hot alpha-male wolf who's a police officer?

My Thoughts: Jayna became a werewolf when she was seventeen and assaulted and almost raped by her mother's latest boyfriend. She was taken in by Liam who became her alpha. Liam gathered a few other strays too and they became like family. But now Liam has thrown in with some Albanian mobsters and he is leading the rest of the pack into a life of crime. Jayna is trying to keep the rest of her pack safe.

Eric Becker is a new member of the Dallas SWAT and new to being a werewolf too. When he meets Jayna during a warehouse robbery, he believes that she is The One for him. He secretly goes undercover to join the gang and to protect Jayna. He does this without his alpha and his boss knowing anything about it.

Eric is determined to keep Jayna and her pack safe and also determined to convince her that she is the one for him. Jayna isn't sure she believes in this whole "The One" thing but she is willing to have a relationship with Eric.

There is lots of danger as Eric tries to find a way to get Jayna and the others in her pack away from their corrupt alpha. There is also danger that the Albanian mobsters will realize that he is a cop. Offsetting the danger is the love that grows between Eric and Jayna. The love scenes are nicely spicy.

This was another great addition to the SWAT series.

Favorite Quote:

Megan set down the last plate, then came around the table to take Jayna's hand in hers. "Sleeping with a guy isn't the same thing as opening your heart to him. It's about being willing to open yourself up and risk getting hurt for a chance at finding something real. That's not you, Jayna. You're really good at keeping people at a distance, you always have been. But I'm guessing Eric makes you feel things you've never felt for a guy, and it's freaking you out. And when you get freaked, you run."

I got this book from the publisher via NetGalley for review. You can buy your copy here.

Teaser Tuesday: Secret Sisters by Jayne Ann Krentz

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

She rushed to meet the emergency vehicles pulling into the drive. Mentally she made a list of what she could—and could not—tell the cops.

She had spent eighteen years keeping secrets. She was good at it.

This week my teaser comes from Secret Sisters by Jayne Ann Krentz. I was chosen on Facebook to be part of the review team. Here is the description from Amazon:

Madeline and Daphne were once as close as sisters—until a secret tore them apart. Now it might take them to their graves.

They knew his name, the man who tried to brutally attack twelve-year-old Madeline in her grandmother's hotel. They thought they knew his fate. He wouldn't be bothering them anymore...ever. Still their lives would never be the same.

Madeline has returned to Washington after her grandmother's mysterious death. And at the old, abandoned hotel—a place she never wanted to see again—a dying man’s last words convey a warning: the secrets she and Daphne believed buried forever have been discovered.

Now, after almost two decades, Madeline and Daphne will be reunited in friendship and in fear. Unable to trust the local police, Madeline summons Jack Rayner, the hotel chain’s new security expert. Despite the secrets and mysteries that surround him, Jack is the only one she trusts...and wants.

Jack is no good at relationships but he does possess a specific skill set that includes a profoundly intimate understanding of warped and dangerous minds. With the assistance of Jack's brother, Abe, a high-tech magician, the four of them will form an uneasy alliance against a killer who will stop at nothing to hide the truth....

Book Review: Tenacity by J. S. Law

Tenacity
Author: J. S. Law
Publication: Henry Holt and Co. (November 3, 2015)

Description: Two hundred meters below the ocean's surface, you can't run, you can't hide, and the truth won't set you free.

An officer hangs himself in the engine room of naval submarine HMS Tenacity. A woman's murder bears disturbing similarities to an old case. Lieutenant Danielle "Dan" Lewis grasps for the truth before it submerges in the gray waters of the English Channel.

Cramped, claustrophobic, and under strict command, the confines of HMS Tenacity are unwelcoming in the best of circumstances. For Dan, the only female aboard, who must methodically interrogate a tight knit and hostile crew, it's her own special place in hell.

Recently reassigned to the Special Investigation Branch's Kill Team, Dan's hardheaded reputation precedes her. But facing an obstinate ship's company, a commanding officer too eager to close the case, and a constant threat of unfriendly male interest, she learns that under enough pressure everyone has their breaking point.

My Thoughts: Lieutenant Danielle Lewis is just coming off a year's leave and is assigned a case on a submarine wherein a sailor she knew from training committed suicide. His suicide comes quickly after his wife was killed after being raped and beaten. Her death was very like another attack that is haunting Dan and was a large factor in the reason she took her leave.

Dan finds herself investigating on a submarine where she is the only woman on board and the only outsider. She is subjected to sexual harassment and other techniques designed to thwart her investigation. Most of the sailors are obstructive at best. The Captain is a major despot who is beloved by his crew but who cycles between rages and being avuncular.

Dan has problems of her own having blown her reputation and credibility on an earlier investigation when she didn't keep her partner in the loop and went off to do her own "lone wolf" thing. Since a small woman facing a large enrage murderer doesn't usually come out well for the woman, Danny was badly hurt. However, the murderer was apprehended and tried. The problem came when some papers Danny wrote were leaked to the press making her a target. She called into question Navy procedures and floated the idea that the murderer wasn't working alone.

On the one year anniversary of the murderer's conviction, Danny is ambushed and beaten. For some reason that I still don't understand, she decided to keep it a secret, took her leave to try to get over it, and didn't seek any professional help. She is still a psychological mess when she is handed this new case which bring back all sorts of flashbacks for her.

The story was tense. I could feel the claustrophobic and hostile atmosphere of the submarine when Dan was trying to investigate. I will admit that the final exposure of the identity of the criminals and the reason for their activities took me by surprise. Like Danny, I am not happy with the resolution of the case provided in the story and wonder just how high up in Navy ranks the conspiracy actually reaches.

Fans of military thrillers will enjoy this suspenseful story.

Favorite Quote:

"Really?" said Dan, mouth dropping open in mock shock. "How rude and yet startlingly accurate."

"I know," he agreed. "We submariners are known for our vulgarity; we've been putting the naughty in nautical since 1901. Com on, I'll introduce you."

I got this ARC for review from the publisher. You can buy your copy here.

Teaser Tuesday: Tenacity by J. S. Law

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

The phone began to ring.

She waited, frozen again, as if the caller might be able to slip fingers through the handset and see her hiding.

This week my teaser comes from Tenacity by J.S. Law. This is a thriller that I received for review from the publisher. Here is the description from Amazon:

Two hundred meters below the ocean's surface, you can't run, you can't hide, and the truth won't set you free.

An officer hangs himself in the engine room of naval submarine HMS Tenacity. A woman's murder bears disturbing similarities to an old case. Lieutenant Danielle "Dan" Lewis grasps for the truth before it submerges in the gray waters of the English Channel.

Cramped, claustrophobic, and under strict command, the confines of HMS Tenacity are unwelcoming in the best of circumstances. For Dan, the only female aboard, who must methodically interrogate a tightknit and hostile crew, it's her own special place in hell.

Recently reassigned to the Special Investigation Branch's Kill Team, Dan's hardheaded reputation precedes her. But facing an obstinate ship's company, a commanding officer too eager to close the case, and a constant threat of unfriendly male interest, she learns that under enough pressure everyone has their breaking point.

ARC Review: Silent City by Carrie Smith

Silent City
Author: Carrie Smith
Series: A Claire Codella Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (October 13, 2015)

Description: NYPD Detective Claire Codella has just won a tough battle with cancer. Now she has to regain her rightful place on the force. she hasn't even been back a day when Hector Sanchez, a maverick public school principal, is found murdered. The school is on high alert. The media is howling for answers. And Codella catches the high-profile case at the worst possible time.

As she races to track down the killer, she uncovers dirty politics, questionable contracts, and dark secrets. Each discovery she makes brings her closer to the truth, but the truth may cost Codella her life. Silent City, Carrie Smith's explosive debut, will introduce readers to a brilliant new voice in crime fiction that will grab them and not let go until the very last page and a fearless heroine who they will enjoy for years to come.

My Thoughts: SILENT CITY was an excellent mystery story. I really enjoyed the main character who is coming back from cancer treatment. She had an aggressive form of lymphoma and it was treated aggressively. She still has nerve damage in her extremities and other side effects of her treatment. The first day back on the job she is called to a murder scene. A popular elementary school principal is found dead in his apartment with a broken neck. His body has been posed like Christ on the cross.

As Codella investigates she finds a plethora of suspects. Beloved by the families of his school, Hector Sanchez was not beloved by his staff or central administration. Many of his legacy teachers resented his approach; his assistant principal was bullied by him. He was opposed to his Superintendent's plan to buy a huge technology program.

Codella has to get back up to speed quickly to solve this one. She is in a new precinct which she transferred to just before she began her battle with cancer and the precinct commander resents her ability and is constantly trying to undermine her activities. She is paired up with a new partner who has just transferred from Vice and who is a gay man getting his own harassment from bigoted colleagues. She also has to deal with her relationship with her old partner. They had a fight just before she transferred because he wanted a more personal relationship with her. She was caught off guard by this and, before they could resolve this, she was in the hospital fighting her cancer. She was also angry that he never came to visit her when she was undergoing her treatments.

So Codella investigates. Is it one of the legacy teachers that Sanchez was trying to get fired? Is it the Superintendent who has her own secrets to conceal? Is it the salesman who is having an affair with the Superintendent and who wants his commission on this huge software scale? Is it the actress or her lesbian partner who has been pouring money into the school and who might have an inappropriate relationship with Sanchez? Is it the assistant principal who had been bullied by Sanchez?

This was an engaging story. I educational infighting and politics rang true to this long-time teacher which was unsurprising since the author works in the education field. I liked Codella because of her desire to prove that she is back to form but who is forever changed by the battle she won.

Fans of mysteries and police procedurals will enjoy this fast-paced, engaging story.

Favorite Quote:

She stood and grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair. There was something else going on here, and she couldn't put her finger on it yet. Lies were flying in all directions, and she wasn't even sure she'd heard them all yet. 

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

ARC Review: Dragon in Exile by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Dragon in Exile
Authors: Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Series: Liaden Universe (Book 18)
Publication: Baen (June 2, 2015)

Description: Star-trading Clan Korval—known to Terrans as the Tree-and-Dragon Family and to the locals simply as "the Dragon"—has been convicted of crimes against the homeworld. No matter that one of the "crimes" consisted of saving the elitist planet of Liad from very real internal threats, the Council of Clans wanted Korval heads to roll. Unfortunately for the Council, the Dragon's allies conspired to impose a milder punishment for saving the world: banishment, rather than execution.

 Now relocated to the free-for-all world of Surebleak, the Dragon is under contract to keep the Port Road open to all traffic, and to back the New Bosses in imposing law and order on a society originally based on larceny and assassination. This modest rustication is going surprisingly well, until Korval discovers that the enemy they'd sought to destroy. . .wasn't quite destroyed, and is more determined than ever to eradicate Korval.

While the banishment killed no one initially, many of Korval’s trading allies are spooked, and some are reneging on ancient agreements, leaving the Dragon to make its own way. The clan’s efforts to stealthily recruit new allies is going haywire, and a secret death toll is rising even as the clan’s adherents endure increasing exposure to danger and deceit off-world.

To make matters worse, an active portion of Surebleak's native population liked the Old Ways just fine, and are conspiring to take the New Bosses—and the Dragon—down, and are sure they have the firepower and people to do it.

The exiled Dragon has to make an urgent choice—accept an alliance with criminals or face down each and every enemy in person, one by one.

My Thoughts: This eighteenth Liaden Universe novel focuses on change both personal and galactic. I don't think that it is a book for someone new to the Liaden novels though the author's do try to assist a new reader in the Prologue. But for long-standing fans of this series (one that I have been reading since about 1985), this story was a marvel and a wonder.

Korval is now situated on Surebleak and trying to find a place for itself. They are also trying to find their place in the larger galactic community. While they did their best - including leveling parts of Liad - to defeat the Department of the Interior, they were not able to completely eradicate it. The remaining much-diminished Department has set the elimination of Korval as its only focus. And the Department doesn't care about collateral damage.


Besides this large outside enemy, they are also dealing with citizens of Surebleak who would like to return things to the way it was before Pat Rin arrived and changed Surebleak to meet his needs. It is easy to see that changing the culture on Surebleak won't be an easy process.



This story is told from multiple viewpoints which all weave together to form the whole. Miri and Val Con are key voices but we also hear from Rys, the only Agent of Change besides Val Con who managed to overcome the Department's programming, Quin who represents one of the next generation of Korval, Hazenthull Explorer, one of the Xtrang who are now members of Korval, Kamele Waitley and a few others. Through their eyes, we see what is happening on Surebleak which is going through a major change in society and culture.


We catch up with a number of the characters who have been introduced in the earlier books in this series. I loved seeing them again but wish that I could have seen more about Theo, Daav and Aelliana. Those tiny glimpses in the Interludes just whet my appetite for more. I really enjoyed seeing Korval and Surebleak from Kamele Waitley's point of view since we usually don't see that view. I also enjoyed learning more about Kareen and seeing her become a less one-sided character.

Fans of the series won't want to miss this addition. New readers will want to read some of the earlier books to find out more about the intriguing characters who have roles in this story.

Favorite Quote:

"None of us ought to be diminished by our changed circumstances. It is true that adventures sometimes drive one into simplicity." She felt, rather than saw his smile.

"Life is wonderfully simplified when all that is required is that one survive."

"That is the door that opened into this..." she hesitated, feeling over the possible descriptors in her head.

"Opportunity?" he suggested.

She laughed.

I bought and read this eARC the first day it was available on Baen. You can buy your copy here.

Teaser Tuesday: Dragon in Exile by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

His brother's lifemate was found in the so-called "ruckus room,"  with the heir. Mother and child were on the floor; the child crawling in energetic circles; the mother observing progress, and offering the occasional dry comment on form.

This week my teaser comes from Dragon in Exile by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. This is the eighteenth book in the Liaden Universe series which just keeps getting better and better. Here is the description from Amazon for this June 2 release:

Star-trading Clan Korval—known to Terrans as the Tree-and-Dragon Family and to the locals simply as "the Dragon"—has been convicted of crimes against the homeworld. No matter that one of the "crimes" consisted of saving the elitist planet of Liad from very real internal threats, the Council of Clans wanted Korval heads to roll. Unfortunately for the Council, the Dragon's allies conspired to impose a milder punishment for saving the world: banishment, rather than execution.

Now relocated to the free-for-all world of Surebleak, the Dragon is under contract to keep the Port Road open to all traffic, and to back the New Bosses in imposing law and order on a society originally based on larceny and assassination. This modest rustication is going surprisingly well, until Korval discovers that the enemy they'd sought to destroy. . .wasn't quite destroyed, and is more determined than ever to eradicate Korval.

While the banishment killed no one initially, many of Korval’s trading allies are spooked, and some are reneging on ancient agreements, leaving the Dragon to make its own way. The clan’s efforts to stealthily recruit new allies is going haywire, and a secret death toll is rising even as the clan’s adherents endure increasing exposure to danger and deceit off-world.

To make matters worse, an active portion of Surebleak's native population liked the Old Ways just fine, and are conspiring to take the New Bosses—and the Dragon—down, and are sure they have the firepower and people to do it.

The exiled Dragon has to make an urgent choice—accept an alliance with criminals or face down each and every enemy in person, one by one.

ARC Review: Shadow of Doubt by P. A. DePaul

Shadow of Doubt
Author: P. A. DePaul
Series: An SBG Novel, Book 2
Publication: InterMix (April 21, 2015)

Description: When her secretly filmed tryst shows up on the internet, Michelle Alger goes on the run. She has no choice. Not only was her one-night stand the son of a US senator, but he’s been murdered—and she’s the number one suspect. With both the senator and an avenging drug lord on her trail, her life is in danger. There’s only man she can trust. He saved her once, but will he still be her hero six years later?

Captain Jeremy Malone and the rest of Delta Squad have the senator’s order: find the mystery woman who killed my son. But to Jeremy, she’s no mystery. Six years ago his team of Green Berets rescued her from the torturous clutches of a Colombian cartel, and he’s never forgotten her. His personal and covert mission: find Michelle before anyone else. When he and Michelle do meet again, the sparks are explosive and consuming. They’re also dangerous as hell.

Because with each new bit of evidence, Jeremy suspects that Michelle’s innocence may be a ruse—a beautiful trap set by a woman who has even more secrets yet to bare.

My Thoughts: Captain Jeremy Malone rescued Michelle Alger from a drug cartel in Colombia and promised to be there if she ever called. But then things went horribly wrong and his team got in the way of a car bomb. Jeremy was the only survivor but ended up working undercover as part of a black ops team.

Michelle has been dealing with the aftereffects of her torture and abuse as a person in the witness protection program. She has never forgotten the man she called "Cappy." When she finds herself in trouble again, accused of the death of a senator's son, she pulls out a six-year-old scrap of paper and gives Cappy a call.

Since Cappy's team works for the Senator, she is close at hand. The Senator believes that Michelle is the one who murdered his son; Cappy refuses to believe it. Michelle is just one piece in a complicated plot for revenge. It takes the whole team to unravel all the plot threads in this one.

There was a lot of romantic tension when Cappy and Michelle meet again. Michelle has had bad experiences with men over the years who reject her because of her very scarred body. She also still have PTSD regarding her captivity. Cappy has never forgotten the connection they made either but he is convinced that Michelle can never be part of the deep undercover life he leads and the danger he faces on a regular basis. Michelle is eager for a relationship but Cappy needs a lot of convincing.

This was a nice romance and was filled with lots of suspense too. It is the second book in a series and, while I wish I knew more about the events of the first book, this one stands alone quite well.

Favorite Quote:

Cappy opened his mouth but Magician spoke first. "You should be asking yourself a larger question. If she stayed in your life, would she push you to be a better person or feel like an anchor pulling you under and holding you back?"

I got this eARC from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Bridged by Kendra Elliott

Bridged
Author: Kendra Elliott
Series: Callahan & McLane (Book 2)
Publication: Montlake Romance (February 10, 2015)

Description: After a congressman’s tortured body is found dangling from a Portland bridge, the FBI joins the Oregon State Police to investigate the case—and FBI Special Agent Ava McLane, still recovering from a bullet wound, hunts the twisted killer alongside the man who captured her heart, police detective Mason Callahan.

But once a third body appears and all evidence points to a serial killer, the public furiously clamors for answers—and the couple’s relationship grows fractured under the pressure. Ava and Mason search in the past for clues that predict the future. And when Ava’s mentally ill twin spins out of control, the FBI agent who battles monsters every day wonders if she shares her sister’s self-destructive streak…

In the latest thrilling romantic suspense novel from award-winning author Kendra Elliot, the past and the present violently collide…and the fallout can be deadly.

My Thoughts: In this second book in a series, FBI Agent Ava McLane and Oregon State Police detective Mason Callahan are living together, more or less. Ava hasn't sold her home but she's leaning that way. Both of them fit together like they were made for each other. Mason is a little concerned about their age difference and Ava is still plagued by her irresponsible drug addict of a sister. But both are happier than they can ever remember being.

This time they both get called in on the death of a congressman. He was found hanging from a bridge. Ava and Mason are busy investigating when two more men are found hanging from bridges. With thoughts of a serial killer, the press is clamoring for details. Ava, Mason and the Task Force are trying to find something that connects these seemingly very different men. And, somehow, Ava's sister Jayne is caught up in the case since her current, shady boyfriend seems to be on the killer's radar.

The story is very suspenseful. I also liked the relationship that Ava and Mason are building. Sections from the killer's point of view add an extra creepiness to the story too. Fans of romantic suspense will enjoy this story.

Favorite Quote:

He watched her all the time, whether she was cooking, playing with Bingo, or frowning at her laptop. Her exhilaration made him happy. He'd been living a dull, dry life, and she was a burst of color in his black-and-white world. When he was around her, the air felt cleaner, more energized, and he sucked it in like a drowning man.

I got this eARC from Montlake Romance. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Owl and the Japanese Circus by Kristi Charish

Owl and the Japanese Circus
Author: Kristi Charish
Publication: Gallery Books; Canadian Origin edition (January 13, 2015)

Description: Fans of Kim Harrison, Jim Butcher, and Linda Hamilton will flock to the kick-ass world of Owl, a modern-day “Indiana Jane” who reluctantly navigates the hidden supernatural world.

Ex-archaeology grad student turned international antiquities thief, Alix—better known now as Owl—has one rule. No supernatural jobs. Ever. Until she crosses paths with Mr. Kurosawa, a red dragon who owns and runs the Japanese Circus Casino in Las Vegas. He insists Owl retrieve an artifact stolen three thousand years ago, and makes her an offer she can’t refuse: he’ll get rid of a pack of vampires that want her dead. A dragon is about the only entity on the planet that can deliver on Owl’s vampire problem – and let’s face it, dragons are known to eat the odd thief.

Owl retraces the steps of Mr. Kurosawa’s ancient thief from Japan to Bali with the help of her best friend, Nadya, and an attractive mercenary. As it turns out though, finding the scroll is the least of her worries. When she figures out one of Mr. Kurosawa’s trusted advisors is orchestrating a plan to use a weapon powerful enough to wipe out a city, things go to hell in a hand basket fast…and Owl has to pick sides.

My Thoughts: I have been trying to figure out what I thought about this story for a while. I really enjoyed the world building. I liked the idea of supernaturals living among us but unknown to most of us. I especially liked the idea of dragons. I liked that the main character was a student archaeologist who turned into an antiquities thief after she was done wrong to by her university.

However, I had some problems with the main character's character. To say Owl was impulsive would be an understatement. She also seemed to me to be careless of the people around her and careless of the consequences of her actions. She admits that she isn't good with people and she has an almost complete inability to see the supernaturals surrounding her. Luckily, she has one good friend Nadya though she does her best to ruin that friendship by her failure to trust and share what she knows.

Her love interest is a man named Rynn she meets in a Japanese bar. The relationship starts as a business deal; she buys drinks and he listens to her story. It is one of her few human interactions. But, when Rynn indicates that he likes her, she is very suspicious and untrusting. She gets even more suspicious when Rynn is hired to protect her and she learns something he has neglected to mention.

The plot was interesting. Owl has done something that has made a group of vampires want to kill her. She's been on the run for a year in her Winnebago with her Mau cat when a dragon makes a deal. In exchange for Owl locating a missing scroll for him, he will get the vampires off her trail. Owl doesn't want to agree but a smart person doesn't say no to a dragon and those vampires keep getting closer.

This sets Owl, her cat Captain, and Rynn off on a tour of ancients monuments in Bali where she runs into old enemies, new enemies and the assorted nagu. The story was action-packed as Owl careens from one disaster to the next.

This was a fun story. I look forward to Owl's next adventures.

Favorite Quote:

Nadya swore in Russian. "You don't attract trouble, Owl, you dive into it like the shallow end of a swimming pool."

No arguing there.

I got this eARC from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Teaser Tuesday: Owl and the Japanese Circus by Kristi Charish

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

I couldn't have missed the exit yet, could I? Served me right for trusting directions from a waitress wearing fishnets and a pair of bunny ears.

This week my teaser comes from Owl and the Japanese Circus by Kristi Charish. I am always up for a new urban fantasy and this one sounds great. Here is the description from Amazon:

Fans of Kim Harrison, Jim Butcher, and Linda Hamilton will flock to the kick-ass world of Owl, a modern-day “Indiana Jane” who reluctantly navigates the hidden supernatural world.

Ex-archaeology grad student turned international antiquities thief, Alix—better known now as Owl—has one rule. No supernatural jobs. Ever. Until she crosses paths with Mr. Kurosawa, a red dragon who owns and runs the Japanese Circus Casino in Las Vegas. He insists Owl retrieve an artifact stolen three thousand years ago, and makes her an offer she can’t refuse: he’ll get rid of a pack of vampires that want her dead. A dragon is about the only entity on the planet that can deliver on Owl’s vampire problem – and let’s face it, dragons are known to eat the odd thief.

Owl retraces the steps of Mr. Kurosawa’s ancient thief from Japan to Bali with the help of her best friend, Nadya, and an attractive mercenary. As it turns out though, finding the scroll is the least of her worries. When she figures out one of Mr. Kurosawa’s trusted advisors is orchestrating a plan to use a weapon powerful enough to wipe out a city, things go to hell in a hand basket fast…and Owl has to pick sides.

ARC Review: Private Affair by Rebecca York

Private Affair
Author: Rebecca York
Series: Rockfort Security (Book 3)
Publication: Sourcebooks Casablanca (January 6, 2015)

Description: Does everyone have something to hide?

Olivia Winters and Max Lyon knew each other way back when, but she was one of the cool kids, and he was a bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Olivia's a successful model now, and Max a PI much in demand.

When Olivia's old high school friend is murdered-and a raft of "accidental" deaths may be murders, too-Max is the only man Olivia can trust to help her investigate.

As they team up, Max is blown away by Olivia's courage under fire, and Olivia finds that the bad boy she remembers from the fringes of her social circle might just be the best man she's ever met...

My Thoughts: PRIVATE AFFAIR was an action-packed thriller with a wonderful romance too. Olivia Winters is back in the small town she grew up in because a friend was murdered. She has become suspicious because other members of her class have been dying too. She comes home with Max Lyon posing as her fiance so that he can investigate. He's also from town but was a couple of years ahead of Olivia and was the bad boy from the poor part of town. Olivia was part of the in-crowd because of her beauty - a beauty she has parlayed into a successful modeling career.

Olivia is keeping secrets about what went on her senior year of high school and will have to share them with Max if they have any hope of solving the crimes. Olivia is also in danger because of what she knows and what she might tell. There was a lot of tension in this story. I liked the way Max and Olivia got to know each other and open up to each other.

Fans of romantic suspense will enjoy this story and, like me, be eager to find out the stories of Max's partners in Rockfort Security.

Favorite Quote:

Her life there was no longer as satisfying as it had been. Now she was back here. Because she actually wanted to face the past?  Or because she was fleeing again?

That was an interesting thought. And the man in the other room had offered her a way to deal with that past. To put it to rest once and for all.

I got this eARC from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Private Affair by Rebecca York

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.

This week I am spotlighting Private Affair by Rebecca York. I got this eARC from Sourcebooks for review. Here is the description of this January 6 release:

Does everyone have something to hide?

Olivia Winters and Max Lyon knew each other way back when, but she was one of the cool kids, and he was a bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Olivia's a successful model now, and Max a PI much in demand.

When Olivia's old high school friend is murdered-and a raft of "accidental" deaths may be murders, too-Max is the only man Olivia can trust to help her investigate.

As they team up, Max is blown away by Olivia's courage under fire, and Olivia finds that the bad boy she remembers from the fringes of her social circle might just be the best man she's ever met...

Beginning:

A sudden jolt of unease made the hairs on the back of Angela's nick prickle.

Friday 56:

"Do you always travel with first-aid equipment?" she asked.

ARC Review: Hungry Like the Wolf by Paige Tyler

Hungry Like the Wolf
Author: Paige Tyler
Series: SWAT (Book 1)
Publication: Sourcebooks Casablanca (January 6, 2015)

Description: The Dallas SWAT team is hiding one helluva secret...they're a pack of wolf shifters.

The team of elite sharpshooters is ultra-secretive-and also the darlings of Dallas. This doesn't sit well with investigative journalist Mackenzie Stone. They must be hiding something...and she's determined to find out what.

Keeping Mac at a distance proves impossible for SWAT team commander Gage Dixon. She's smart, sexy, and makes him feel alive for the first time in years. But she's getting dangerously close to the truth-and perilously close to his heart...

My Thoughts: Mackenzie Stone is an award-winning journalist and she has the Dallas SWAT team in her sites. She is sure that something is wrong; no group can be so squeaky clean. She's right but she would never have guessed that they are all werewolves.

Gage Dixon is in charge of the team and the leader of the pack. He is determined that Mac will never find out the team's secret. However, despite his previous beliefs, it seems that Mac is The One - the woman who is the perfect match for his werewolf. He never even thought The One existed; he sure never thought that he would find her in the person of a nosy reporter who could blow his pack's cover.

A local mobster has decided that the SWAT team needs to be taught a lesson. They killed his son. Of course, the son was robbing a bank and had taken quite a number of hostages. But still it was the SWAT team's fault that his son was killed. When threats and attempts to ambush Gage and Mac don't work, the mobster resorts to kidnapping. Mac learns Gage's secret and then has to decide which is stronger - her love to journalism and telling the truth at all times or her love for Gage.

This was an engaging story with charismatic characters. I hope their are more stories in the works that show the other members of the pack finding The One for each of them.

Favorite Quote:

"I was just looking at your collage. What's the Mickey Mouse thing about?"

"It's just something I put together to remind me to never take myself too seriously. No matter how big the stories are that I write, every kid on the planet would rather meet Micky Mouse than me."

He chuckled. "You know, that's not a bad way to look at the world."

I got this eARC for review at NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Teaser Tuesday: Hungry Like the Wolf by Paige Tyler

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

As far as everyone in Dallas was concerned, the SWAT team was better than sliced bread, PB&J with the crusts cut off, and sex in an air-conditioned room—combined.

This week I am reading Hungry Like the Wolf by Paige Tyler. I got this eARC for review from Sourcebooks. Here is the description of this January 6 release:

The Dallas SWAT team is hiding one helluva secret...they're a pack of wolf shifters.

The team of elite sharpshooters is ultra-secretive-and also the darlings of Dallas. This doesn't sit well with investigative journalist Mackenzie Stone. They must be hiding something...and she's determined to find out what.

Keeping Mac at a distance proves impossible for SWAT team commander Gage Dixon. She's smart, sexy, and makes him feel alive for the first time in years. But she's getting dangerously close to the truth-and perilously close to his heart...

This book combines two of my favorite things - werewolves and romantic suspense.