ARC Review: Archangel's Sun by Nalini Singh

Archangel's Sun
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Guild Hunter Series (Book 13)
Publication: Berkley (November 24, 2020)

Description: A horrifying secret rises in the aftermath of an archangelic war in New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s deadly and beautiful Guild Hunter world. . . 

The Archangel of Death and the Archangel of Disease may be gone but their legacy of evil lives on—especially in Africa, where the shambling, rotting creatures called the reborn have gained a glimmer of vicious intelligence.

It is up to Titus, archangel of this vast continent, to stop the reborn from spreading across the world. Titus can’t do it alone, but of the surviving powerful angels and archangels, large numbers are wounded, while the rest are fighting a surge of murderous vampires.

There is no one left . . . but the Hummingbird. Old, powerful, her mind long a broken kaleidoscope. Now, she must stand at Titus’s side against a tide of death upon a discovery more chilling than any other. For the Archangel of Disease has left them one last terrible gift . . . .

My Thoughts: The devastating archangelic wars are over and the evil archangels defeated, but the aftermath might be almost worse especially in Africa. Many angels and archangels were gravely injured and forced into sleep to heal. Those that are left have many more tasks to complete in order to rebuild than there are hands to complete them.

Africa was especially hard hit since it was the home of Charisemnon who left armies of reborn behind when he was defeated. Archangel Titus and his people bear the brunt of the cleanup because Titus is now the Archangel of all of Africa. He and his people are spending all of their time trying to clean out nests of reborn before they can infect those who remain.

The Cadre decides to send Lady Sharine, who was once known as the Hummingbird, to Africa to help him. The Hummingbird is a treasure among the angels. She is their greatest artist. But she spent centuries shattered in her mind and heart. In this story we find out why her mind and heart were shattered and see how she healed. 

Titus is afraid that the Hummingbird will be more of a burden than a help. He doesn't have time to cater to a delicate angel who needs to be protected. Luckily, Lady Sharine isn't that angel anymore. But it takes time before Titus comes to see that.

This was a wonderful episode in the Guild Hunters series. I loved getting to know both Titus and Sharine and watching them fall in love. I also enjoyed the mystery aspects of the story as Titus and Sharine try to discover what Charisemnon's end game really was and how they can defeat his plans.

The story was emotionally intense and fast-paced. Fans of the series will enjoy this episode even though they don't get much of a chance to see other favorite characters from earlier books in the series. 

Favorite Quote:

It was tempting to admire him for his clear moral lines and refusal to bask in his power, but Sharine wasn't about to fall prey to the urge.

Especially when she'd already found herself susceptible to his devastating smiles. No, the last thing Sharine needed was to begin to admire the Archangel of Africa. Big, brash, beautiful Titus would use any such admiration to walk all over her. Not because he was cruel, but because he was Titus.

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

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Nov. 16, 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... 

This week was a return to winter. We have received 8 inches of snow so far with more predicted for today (Saturday) and tomorrow. The temperatures are decidedly below average too. I don't think we got to 30 degrees yesterday.

I've been spending my time as usual - staying home except for a quick trip to the grocery store, reading and listening to books, playing computer games. I did set up all my posts for January including deciding (tentatively) what to read around the review books that were already on the calendar. It was while I was doing that work on my blog that I started listening to Written in Red again.

I also baked banana bread from a recipe I won't be using again. It turned out too dense. I need to try a different recipe next time I bake it. I tried out a new recipe for Pasta e Fagiole soup this week that was much more successful. I'm making split pea soup tomorrow. For some reason, snow and cold just make me want to make soups!

Sunday Update: Our little bit of additional snow turned out to measure 8 inches at my house. That would have been bad enough but - to add the the misery - I woke up at 6:15 AM to discover the power was out. I woke my brother because I knew he had to go to work. The only problem was that without power, he couldn't raise the garage door or start the snow blower. He ended up calling in to work and huddling by the gas fireplace in my library until the power was restored which happened at about 11 AM.

Once it was light enough, I had enough power remaining on my Kindle to read. So I spent the bulk of the morning reading and napping - since I hadn't intended to get up at 6 in the morning. Once power was restored, I made my batch of split pea soup and watched football on TV. My brother got the garage door open, started the snowblower and cleaned out the driveway. 

We're still waiting at 8 PM for a snowplow to come by to clear out the streets though he could likely get through it with his Subaru and snow tires. He has to be at work tomorrow at 9 AM and might have to clear the driveway again before he goes. 

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.)

• Tie Die by Max Tomlinson (Review; June 16) - The second Colleen Hayes mystery brings the 1960s to life through the eyes of an unusual private investigator. My review will be posted on December 3.
• The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley (Mine; Audiobook) -- Another excellent story by Kearsley stars a writer of historical fiction and the women whose memories she is experiencing from 1708 and is the middle of efforts to return Charles Stewart to his throne in Scotland. My review will be posted on December 17.

• A Pretty Deceit by Anna Lee Huber (Mine) - The fourth Verity Kent mystery was an entertaining and engaging story. My review will be posted on December 10.
• Cast in Honor by Michelle Sagara (Mine; Audiobook) - This is the eleventh in the Chronicles of Elantra and is a reread. I won't be reviewing it on my blog but did review it on Goodreads and LibraryThing.

Currently

• Written in Red by Anne Bishop (Audiobook) - I needed something to listen to while doing computer work and chose this old favorite.
• Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T. A. Willberg (Review; Dec. 29) - I'm at 24% of this strange mystery which is my final 2020 review book.
• Deck the Hounds by David Rosenfelt (Mine) - I was looking for a Christmas story because the review will be posted on Dec. 26 and it seemed appropriate to find something Christmasy to read.

Next Week

• All the Colors of Night by Jayne Ann Krentz (Jan. 5)
• Portrait of Peril by Laura Joh Rowland (Jan. 12)

• A Curious Incident by Vicki Delany (Jan. 12)
• The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry by C. M. Waggoner (Jan. 12)

Reviews Posted

• Honor Among Enemies by David Weber
• Shadow of Victory by David Weber

• Vanishing in the Haight by Max Tomlinson
• The Bright and Breaking Sea by Chloe Neill

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

Bought:

• The Bone Jar by S W Kane (Kindle and audiobook)
• Star Runner by B. V. Larson (audiobook)
• Star Runner by B. V. Larson (Kindle)

• Run, Hide, Fight Back by April Henry (Kindle and Audiobook)
• Old Bones by Aaron Elkins (Kindle and Audiobook)
• Lies by Kylie Scott (Kindle and audiobook)

New Review:

• Deep Into the Dark by P. J. Tracy (Jan. 12)
• Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano (Feb. 2)
• The Lost Village by Camilla Sten (March 23)

What was your week like?

ARC Review: The Bright and Breaking Sea by Chloe Neill

The Bright and Breaking Sea
Author: Chloe Neill
Series: A Captain Kit Brightling Novel
Publication: Berkley (November 17, 2020)

Description: Chloe Neill brings her trademark wit and wild sense of adventure to a stunning seafaring fantasy starring a dauntless heroine in a world of magic and treachery.

Kit Brightling, rescued as a foundling and raised in a home for talented girls, has worked hard to rise through the ranks of the Isles’ Crown Command and become one of the few female captains in Queen Charlotte's fleet. Her ship is small, but she's fast—in part because of Kit’s magical affinity to the sea. But the waters become perilous when the queen sends Kit on a special mission with a partner she never asked for.

Rian Grant, Viscount Queenscliffe, may be a veteran of the Continental war, but Kit doesn’t know him or his motives—and she’s dealt with one too many members of the Beau Monde. But Kit has her orders, and the queen has commanded they journey to a dangerous pirate quay and rescue a spy who's been gathering intelligence on the exiled emperor of Gallia.

Kit can lead her ship and clever crew on her own, but with the fate of queen and country at stake, Kit and Rian must learn to trust each other, or else the Isles will fall....

My Thoughts: Neill's new fantasy was an entertaining adventure. Kit Brightling was a foundling raised by an independent woman who had high expectations for her adopted daughters. Kit has become a Captain in the Queen's Own ostensibly working as a courier but actually as an agent of the Queen. 

The Queen calls her in to rescue a captured spy from an impregnable prison. The only problem is that the Queen wants her to work with a member of the Beau Monde, a Viscount named Rian Grant. They do not immediately hit it off. 

Grant feels that he has done his service to the Queen in the battles on the Continent. Now he wants to spend time on his estate since it was run down during the war and needs his attention to get it out of debt. But rescuing the spy only begins the adventure because he gives them information leading to a traitor within the government of the Queen.

This story takes place in 1815 or so in a world similar to that of the Napoleonic era except that in this world there is magic. Kit is aligned to the sea which is an advantage for a sea captain. However, the former emperor Gerard has been exiled to an isolated island but his supporters have plans to free him which involves lots of magic.

I liked the relationship that grew between Kit and Grant and that it wasn't an "instant love" sort of relationship. I liked Kit's relationship with her crew. The whole setting was excellently done. I loved the details about sailing ships. I also loved that in this world there seemed to be a lot of equality between the sexes and a multi-ethnic society. Of course, there were also the old fuddy-duddies of the Beau Monde who didn't want women in positions of power and certainly not foundlings. There was also a prejudice among the Beau Monde regarding magic and its use. 

I can't wait for more of Kit Brightling's adventures.

Favorite Quote:

Thornberry and Smith walked away. Preston stayed where he was, and looked down his titled, narrow nose at Kit.

"Impudence is unbecoming in a young officer. Particularly a female."

"Arrogance is unbecoming in an old officer, regardless of gender. So I suppose we both have things to complain about."

With that, she walked away, and left him staring after her.

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

Friday Memes: The Bright and Breaking Sea by Chloe Neill

 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:

Prologue

1812

War was a god, arrogant and proud. War was a human, earnest and ambitious. War was a child, petulant and demanding.

Friday 56: 

"You jump every time the carriage does."

"The sea is smoother," Kit said.

"Hardly," Grant said, long legs spread across the carriage, and offered a wry smile. "It's not because you've a fear of horses?"

"I don't fear them." She absolutely feared them. "I know my place, and theirs. And my place is where they are not."

This week I am spotlighting The Bright and Breaking Sea by Chloe Neill. This is from my review stack and is the first book in a new series by one of my favorite authors. Here is the description from Amazon:

Chloe Neill brings her trademark wit and wild sense of adventure to a stunning seafaring fantasy starring a dauntless heroine in a world of magic and treachery.

Kit Brightling, rescued as a foundling and raised in a home for talented girls, has worked hard to rise through the ranks of the Isles’ Crown Command and become one of the few female captains in Queen Charlotte's fleet. Her ship is small, but she's fast—in part because of Kit’s magical affinity to the sea. But the waters become perilous when the queen sends Kit on a special mission with a partner she never asked for.

Rian Grant, Viscount Queenscliffe, may be a veteran of the Continental war, but Kit doesn’t know him or his motives—and she’s dealt with one too many members of the Beau Monde. But Kit has her orders, and the queen has commanded they journey to a dangerous pirate quay and rescue a spy who's been gathering intelligence on the exiled emperor of Gallia.

Kit can lead her ship and clever crew on her own, but with the fate of queen and country at stake, Kit and Rian must learn to trust each other, or else the Isles will fall....

Audiobook: Shadow of Victory by David Weber

Shadow of Victory
Author: David Weber
Series: Honor Harrington - Saganami Island Book 4
Narrator: Kevin T. Collins
Publication: Audible Studios (Dec. 6, 2016)
Length: 37 hours and 19 minutes

Description: The Mesan Alignment is revealed, and, for Honor Harrington and the Manticoran Star Kingdom, this means war!

Unintended Consequences

Sometimes things don’t work out exactly as planned.

The Mesan Alignment has a plan—one it’s been working on for centuries. A plan to remake the galaxy and genetically improve the human race—its way.

Until recently, things have gone pretty much as scheduled, but then the Alignment hit a minor bump in the road called the Star Empire of Manticore. So the Alignment engineered a war between the Solarian League, the biggest and most formidable interstellar power in human history. To help push things along, the Alignment launched a devastating sneak attack which destroyed the Royal Manticoran Navy’s industrial infrastructure.

And in order to undercut Manticore’s galaxy-wide reputation as a star nation of its word, it launched Operation Janus—a false-flag covert operation to encourage rebellions it knows will fail by promising Manticoran support. The twin purposes are to harden Solarian determination to destroy the Star Empire once and for all, and to devastate the Star Empire’s reputation with the rest of the galaxy.

But even the best laid plans can have unintended consequences, and one of those consequences in this case may just be a new dawn of freedom for oppressed star nations everywhere.

My Thoughts: I think this was the longest of the Honor Harrington books yet. It clocked in at 912 pages for the book and 37 hours and 19 minutes for the audiobook. 

The book goes back in time from the previous book and, among lots of other things, tells how Damien Harahap of the Solarian League Gendarmarie gets recruited to be a spy for the Mesan Alignment. It also talks about the beginnings of the revolutions he foments on a number of independent worlds which he says he is doing for Manticore. 

The book also spends a lot of time on Mesa as the plans go forward to remove the insiders of the Alignment to their new planet and disguise their disappearances in a number of nuclear explosions that can be conveniently blamed on Manticore and the Ballroom terrorists.

The book also spends time with the fleet in the Talbot center who find out about the revolutions they are supposed to be supporting and goes off to try to find the planets that are waiting for Manticoran support that Manticore doesn't know has been promised. I liked the way many of these revolutions were succeeding even before Manticore arrives. I also liked the way that Manticore and its new ally Haven are chasing Frontier Security off the planets they have conquered and also reducing the strength of the Solarian League Navy.

There were some sections that also took place on Terra. One group of them were about the Mandarins who still can't quite believe that little Manticore could ever successfully face down the Solarian League. Another group has to do with lower level people from a variety of the intelligence services who are putting the pieces together that paint a picture of Mesan interference. The problem is that their bosss don't want to hear about it. 

I have just two more stories to read before my revisit to David Weber's universe is finished - at least for now. I can't wait to get started with the remaining books. 

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

Audiobook: Honor Among Enemies by David Weber

Honor Among Enemies
Author: David Weber
Series: Honor Harrington Book 6
Narrator: Allyson Johnson
Publication: Audible Studios (April 15, 2009)
Length: 19 hours and 51 minutes

Description: KNOW THY ENEMY

For Captain Honor Harrington, it's sometimes hard to know who the enemy really is. Despite political foes, professional jealousies, and the scandal which drove her into exile, she's been offered a chance to reclaim her career as an officer of the Royal Manticoran Navy. But there's a catch. She must assume command of a ''squadron'' of jury-rigged armed merchantmen with crew drawn from the dregs of her service and somehow stop the pirates who have taken advantage of the Havenite War to plunder the Star Kingdom's commerce.

That would be hard enough, but some of the ''pirates'' aren't exactly what they seem . . . and neither are some of her ''friends,'' For Honor has been carefully chosen for her mission—by two implacable and powerful enemies.

The way they see it, either she stops the raiders or the raiders kill her . . . and either way, they win.

My Thoughts: This episode sees Honor rejoining the Manticoran Navy but with a nearly impossible assignment. Her job is to take some refitted merchantmen and head off to Silesia to stop the pirates that are harassing Maniticoran shipping. This assignment was dreamed up for her by Klaus Hauptman who has had it in for her since Basilisk. After all, his merchant ships are losing money and the Navy is supposed to protect them. If Honor fails, Hauptman wins in his subversive battle against Honor.

But all isn't as it seems in Silesia. Some of the pirates are actually Peeps in disguise whose goal is to prey on Maniticoran shipping both for the products they will get and in the hopes of drawing Manticoran forces away from more valuable targets.

The Manticorans also deal with a legitimate pirate who is running a group of ships and who has taken over a planet. His crews are busy raping and pillaging at his command and one of their victims is a ship owned by Hauptman and captained by someone close to him. That story weaves its way through the book and gives Hauptman his reason for being in the system for some of the major plot points of the story.

I enjoyed the variety of viewpoints in this one as we learn that not all Peeps are bad people. I also liked getting a look at some of the other people who are serving in the Manticoran Navy in the person of Aubrey Wanderman who is a new recruit in gravitics and who has some problems with a major bully on the ship.

I also liked meeting a new treecat named Samantha as her person is assigned to the crew on Honor's ship. I liked watching Nimitz and Samantha fall in love.

This was another excellent episode in a great series.

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

Book Review: Vanishing in the Haight by Max Tomlinson

Vanishing in the Haight
Author: Max Tomlinson
Series: A Colleen Hayes Mystery Book 1
Publication: Oceanview Publishing (August 20, 2019)

Description: An ex-con traces a victim’s clues to set a cold case ablaze

Between fending off a lecherous parole officer and trying to get by in 1978 San Francisco, private investigator Colleen Hayes struggles to put her life back together so she can reconnect with her runaway teenage daughter. Then her life changes dramatically. She accepts a case from wealthy, retired industrialist Edward Copeland. The old man is desperate to solve the brutal murder of his daughter, a murder that took place in Golden Gate Park eleven years earlier—during the Summer of Love. The case has since gone cold, her murderer never found. Now, in his final days, Copeland hires Colleen to find his daughter’s killer in hopes he might die in peace.

Colleen understands what it means to take a life—she spent a decade in prison for killing her ex. Battling her own demons, she immerses herself in San Francisco’s underbelly, where police corruption is rampant. Her investigation turns deadly as she pries for information, yet there is little to go on. However, a song on the radio makes her wonder—did the murdered girl leave any clues that others may have missed?

My Thoughts: Colleen Hayes is an ex-con. She spent ten years in prison for killing her ex-husband when she learned he was abusing their eight-year-old daughter. Now, she's out of prison and looking to rebuild her life. She's currently working as a security guard in an abandoned paint factory and trying to get her license as a private investigator.

A retired police officer steers her to Edward Copeland. The retired industrialist wants someone to look into the cold case death of his daughter Margaret before he dies of lung cancer. She sympathizes with him because she has lost contact with her daughter who has joined a religious cult and wants no contact with her. 

Once she begins looking into the case, she finds what looks like a coverup by the San Francisco police force. Reports go missing or she has to jump through time-consuming hoops for a chance to see them. She also finds that the people who were investigating the case when it occurred eleven years earlier are strangely unavailable to talk to her. The detective who was the lead investigator retired soon after the case. The coroner has retired and moved away. The newspaperman who wrote a number of articles about the case won't return her calls.

Colleen tracks down the lead detective but he's found dead before he can share any information with her. She also finds that she is being followed by someone who isn't reluctant to trying to burn her out at the paint factory. 

I liked Colleen who wasn't going to drop the case even if her client wants her to stop. I liked all the period details that show that this story is set in 1978. I remember the bell bottoms and jumpsuits. I remember when everyone smoked cool cigarettes like Virginia Slims or macho cigarettes like Marlboros. Colleen even drives a cool car and teases her retired police consultant for his Pinto.

This is the first book in a new mystery series. I look forward to reading more of Colleen's adventures.

Favorite Quote:

The results of revenge could last forever, but the relief they provided was fleeting.

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