ARC Review: Changing the Rules by Catherine Bybee

Changing the Rules
Author: Catherine Bybee
Series: Richter Series (Book 1)
Publication: Montlake (March 23, 2021)

Description: From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee comes the steamy first novel in her new adrenaline-fueled Richter series.

Cooper and Claire used to work together before his feelings for her sent him packing to Europe for six long years. But now he’s back and determined to ignore the still-smoldering heat that lingers between them.

Their current mission: go undercover together at a California high school to root out the mastermind behind a prostitution ring targeting young girls. The closer they get to the truth and the closer they get to each other, however, the deadlier their task becomes. As Claire and Cooper risk their lives to bring down their target, will their hearts be the final casualties?

My Thoughts: This book is the first in a new series. Claire Kelly works for McBain Security and Solutions. She is twenty-four and eager for more action. I liked learning about her backstory as an orphan from a boarding school for assassins.

When the firm takes a case about sex trafficking in local public and private high schools, Claire and her best friend and fellow agent Jax are chosen to go undercover as high school students. Cooper is chosen to go undercover as a substitute auto mechanics teacher and track coach.

Cooper is just back from Europe. He left six years earlier because he felt he was too old to be romantically interested in Claire. Also, his boss Neil McBain who thinks of himself as a father figure for Claire encouraged the move. They both felt Claire needed some time to finish growing up. Claire didn't agree. She was disappointed that her friend Cooper was suddenly gone.

The case immediately got complicated since there were undercover cops on the scene too who were unknown to McBain and who might be dirty cops. Claire quickly found her way into the crowds she needed to infiltrate and befriended young girls who were potential victims of the scam. She also developed her persona as a smart-mouthed rebel with a talent for track. There are lots of suspicious characters in this one. There are a variety of teachers who might or might not have parts in the sex trafficking. There are students and former students who also behave is suspicious manners. 

Cooper and Claire get closer as they work to investigate this trafficking case and as they overcome their miscommunications. There was a lot of tension because they needed to keep their relationship secret or ruin their covers as student and teacher. 

I enjoyed the story even though it began by introducing quite a large number of characters who will presumably have larger roles in future books in this seriesbut who made me want to make a list of each one in order to keep track of them. I also had the feeling that some of the characters had fuller stories told in other books by the author which was confirmed by the author's afterward. I enjoyed the story more once the book began to focus on the characters who had large roles in this story.

Favorite Quote:

"I have a report due tomorrow on Macbeth."

"And?"

Claire cleared her throat. "Macbeth, by Claire Porter...They all die. The End."

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

Book Review: The Iron Wyrm Affair by Lilith Saintcrow

The Iron Wyrm Affair
Author: Lilith Saintcrow
Series: Bannon and Clare (Book 1)
Publication: Orbit; 1st edition (August 7, 2012)

Description: Emma Bannon, forensic sorceress in the service of the Empire, has a mission: to protect Archibald Clare, a failed, unregistered mentath. His skills of deduction are legendary, and her own sorcery is not inconsiderable. It doesn't help much that they barely tolerate each other, or that Bannon's Shield, Mikal, might just be a traitor himself. Or that the conspiracy killing registered mentaths and sorcerers alike will just as likely kill them as seduce them into treachery toward their Queen.

In an alternate London where illogical magic has turned the Industrial Revolution on its head, Bannon and Clare now face hostility, treason, cannon fire, black sorcery, and the problem of reliably finding hansom cabs.

My Thoughts: This was a very complex story set in an alternate historical London with both magic and steampunk elements. It also drops the reader right into this complex world which left me rather confused. Some paragraphs were filled with so much dialect that they were totally incomprehensible. However, others were filled with such lush description that I was drawn into the scene. 

Since this is the first in the Bannon and Clare novel, I was looking to find out more about these two characters. Emma Bannon is a Prime Sorcerer who works closely guarding Queen Victrix who is the current vessel for Britannia. We learn that she is on the track of some sort of conspiracy which is killing mentaths who are sort of super geniuses. Archibald Clare is one of those mentaths and one Bannon manages to rescue before he can be killed. Clare is recently unregistered and in danger of dying of boredom when he meets Bannon.

I loved all the wonderful descriptions of this steampunk version of London. I liked the variety of characters from indentured servants to Shields to dragons. I thought Bannon was an interesting character with lots of mysteries about her. I enjoyed the action as the two - separately and together - attempt to track down the conspirators and end the threat. The worldbuilding was complex with much more for the reader to discover. 

Favorite Quote:

"We are dealing with an unholy alliance of competing interests, none of whom are being exactly honest with each other. There is at least one party who wishes the destruction of Britannia Herself, one who possibly only wishes to damage Her current incarnation to make said incarnation amenable to coercion, and a third who wishes to sow as much confusion and chaos as possible in order to impair the Empire in any way they may."

I bought this one July 10, 2013. You can buy your copy here.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (March 22, 2021)

 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 was a nice sunny week which was good for solar production. On the other hand, our garage door wouldn't open when I was supposed to go to my doctor's appointment on Thursday. The opener lifted it about a foot before it froze. So, I called and cancelled my appointment and waited until my brother got home from work in case it was something he could fix. We ended up calling the repair people the next day because a spring had broken. The repairman fixed that but then told us that the door itself was cracked and ought to be replaced. So we're waiting for an estimate before scheduling that job. Always something when you own a home!

On the positive side, my government stimulus payment showed up in my bank account on Wednesday. Guess I know how I'll be spending it. 

This week is pretty empty of anything I have to do except for my semi-annual dentist appointment  My brother has an appointment for his Coronavirus shot on Friday. He doesn't know what vaccine he'll be receiving or if he'll be given a choice. I'm pretty sure that he'll take the one-and-done J&J vaccine if he has a choice. My second shot is scheduled for next Sunday. It will be nice to know that we are that much closer to being safer from this nasty virus. 

I've been enjoying The Voice and mostly listening to the Atlanta Braves Spring Training games. While the snow is melting away, it isn't quite warm enough for me to start walking outdoors. I'm waiting until the snow is gone from the sidewalks I use before I go walking outside. 

Read Last Week

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

• The Sign of Death by Callie Hutton (Review; April 13) -- Entertaining Historical Mystery. My review will be posted on April 6.
• Illusion Town by Jayne Castle (Kindle & Audiobook) -- Paranormal romantic suspense set on Harmony. Great story. My review will be posted on May 26.
• The Murder Game by Carrie Doyle (Review; April 6) -- This YA is a boarding school mystery. I enjoyed the main character. My review will be posted on April 1.

• Amaryllis by Jayne Castle (Kindle & Audiobook) -- This is the first paranormal romantic suspense title set on St. Helens. It was a fun story. My review will be posted on May 15.
• Wild Sign by Patricia Briggs (Kindle) -- This was the 6th in the Alpha and Omega series and was a great urban fantasy story. My review will be posted on April 3.
• Zinnia by Jayne Castle (Kindle & Audiobook) -- This is the second paranormal romantic suspense title set on St. Helens. It was a fun story. My review will be posted on May 22.

• Orchid by Jayne Castle (Kindle & Audiobook) - The final book in the St. Helens trilogy was another entertaining paranormal romantic suspense title. My review will be posted on May 29.
• Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price (Review; April 6) - This retelling of Pride and Prejudice changes the story to a murder mystery set in London with a feminist Lizzie Bennett. My review will be posted on April 7.

DNF

• All That Fall by Kris Calvin (Review; April 13) - I read 25% of this one but there were too many characters and plot threads for me to keep track of and none really compelled my attention.

Currently

• Lake Silence by Anne Bishop (Audiobook Reread)
• The Unkindness of Ravens by M. E. Hilliard (Review; April 13)

Next Week

• Drown Her Sorrows by Melinda Leigh
• Finding Perfect by Susan Mallery
• Purrfectly Dead by Dixie Lyle (Review; April 27)

• The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
• Bootlegger's Daughter by Margaret Maron
• Thief of Souls by Brian Klingborg (Review; May 4)

Reviews Posted

• Flying Too High by Kerry Greenwood
• Minimum Wage Magic by Rachel Aaron

• Almost Perfect by Susan Mallery
• The Duke & I by Julia Quinn

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

Review:

• Love Scenes by Bridget Morrissey (June 22)
• Murder by the Bookend by Laura Gail Black (Sept. 7)
• Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest (Oct. 26)

Bought:

• Drown Her Sorrows by Melinda Leigh
• Illusion Town by Jayne Castle (Kindle and Audiobook)
• Wild Sign by Patricia Briggs

What was your week like?

Book Review: The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

The Duke and I
Author: Julia Quinn
Series: Bridgertons (Book 1)
Publication: Avon (April 28, 2015)

Description: Can there be any greater challenge to London's Ambitious Mamas than an unmarried duke?—Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, April 1813

By all accounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend's sister—the lovely and almost-on-the-shelf—Daphne Bridgerton. But the two of them know the truth—it's all an elaborate ruse to keep Simon free from marriage-minded society mothers. And as for Daphne, surely she will attract some worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable.

But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, it's hard to remember that their courtship is a sham. Maybe it's his devilish smile, certainly it's the way his eyes seem to burn every time he looks at her . . . but somehow Daphne is falling for the dashing duke . . . for real! And now she must do the impossible and convince the handsome rogue that their clever little scheme deserves a slight alteration, and that nothing makes quite as much sense as falling in love.

My Thoughts: This is a smart historical romance and a reread for me. It is also the first book in the Bridgerton series which has regained popularity because of the new Netflix series.

This is Daphne's story. She is the fourth child of Lord and Lady Bridgerton. She has three older brothers, one younger brother, and three younger sisters. Daphne is also on the marriage market and has been for a couple of seasons. She wants to get married and have a family but, unfortunately, the men of the ton see her as a buddy or a pal and not as a desirable woman to be courted. 

Then Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, comes back to London after many years abroad. He is one of Daphne's older brother Anthony's best friends. Simon had a difficult childhood. His mother died at his birth and his father had unreasonable expectations for his heir. Simon didn't speak until he was four and then was plagued with a stutter. His father decided he was an idiot and abandoned him to be raised alone on one of the family estates. Through hard work and determination, he conquered his stammer but by then he was no longer interested in his father's approval. When his father tried to draw his now acceptable heir into his circle, Simon left the country.

But Simon coming back to London makes him a target of young ladies and ambitious mamas looking to marry off their daughters. Simon has vowed never to marry and certainly never to have a child because he is still rebelling against his father despite his father's death. However, when he meets Daphne, he is intrigued. He and Daphne come up with a plan to pretend to be courting which should protect him from matchmaking mamas and also change the way other men look at Daphne. Neither had any intention of making the pretense real...at first.

I really enjoyed getting to know both Simon and Daphne. I loved seeing the contrasts between them. Certainly Daphne's life experiences as one in a large, happy family were different from Simon's. Things don't always go smoothly in their relationship which makes the story, but a happy ending ensues. I especially liked that my new Kindle copy of this paperback from my Keeper shelves includes the Second Epilogue which brings the couple forward in time some twenty years. I also liked that each chapter began with a quotation from Lady Whistledown's Society Papers penned by the mysterious and unknown Lady Whistledown.

The only problem I had with this reread was that I can't stop with just one of the Bridgerton books and am now off to reread THE VISCOUNT WHO LOVED ME. 

Favorite Quote:

Men, she thought with disgust, were interested only in those women who terrified them. No one seemed inclined to court someone like her. They all adored her, or so they said, because she was so easy to talk to, and she always seemed to understand how a man felt. 

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

Friday Memes: The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

 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:

The birth of Simon Arthur Henry Fitzranulph Basset, Earl Clyvedon, was met with great celebration.

Friday 56:

Simon watched with fascinated interest as she took a deep breath and muttered something to herself. He couldn't hear her words, but he doubted any of them could be construed as complimentary.

This week I am spotlighting The Duke and I by Julia Quinn. I read the Bridgeron series years ago but was encouraged to take it off my Keeper shelves to see what all the fuss was about now that the series has shown up on Netflix (or somewhere).

Here is the description from Amazon:

Can there be any greater challenge to London's Ambitious Mamas than an unmarried duke?—Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, April 1813

By all accounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend's sister—the lovely and almost-on-the-shelf—Daphne Bridgerton. But the two of them know the truth—it's all an elaborate ruse to keep Simon free from marriage-minded society mothers. And as for Daphne, surely she will attract some worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable.

But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, it's hard to remember that their courtship is a sham. Maybe it's his devilish smile, certainly it's the way his eyes seem to burn every time he looks at her . . . but somehow Daphne is falling for the dashing duke . . . for real! And now she must do the impossible and convince the handsome rogue that their clever little scheme deserves a slight alteration, and that nothing makes quite as much sense as falling in love.

Book and Audio Review: Minimum Wage Magic by Rachel Aaron

Minimum Wage Magic
Author: Rachel Aaron
Narrator: Emily Woo Zettler
Series: DFZ (Book 1)
Publication: Audible Studios (January 8, 2019); Aaron/Bach (November 9, 2018)
Length: 9 hours and 45 minutes; 293 p.

Description: The DFZ, the metropolis formerly known as Detroit, is the world’s most magical city with a population of nine million and zero public safety laws. That’s a lot of mages, cybernetically enhanced chrome heads, and mythical beasties who die, get into debt, and otherwise fail to pay their rent. When they can’t pay their bills, their stuff gets sold to the highest bidder to cover the tab.

That’s when they call me. My name is Opal Yong-ae, and I’m a Cleaner: a freelance mage with an art history degree who’s employed by the DFZ to sort through the mountains of magical junk people leave behind. It’s not a pretty job, or a safe one - there’s a reason I wear bite-proof gloves - but when you’re deep in debt in a lawless city where gods are real, dragons are traffic hazards, and buildings move around on their own, you don’t get to be picky about where your money comes from. You just have to make it work, even when the only thing of value in your latest repossessed apartment is the dead body of the mage who used to live there.

My Thoughts: Opal Young-ae is a mage and a Cleaner who buys places at auction to clean them out so that they can be rented again. She always hopes to find enough that she can sell to recover her costs and make a hefty profit in the bargain. But she has had a long run of incredibly bad luck for the last five months and is nearly destitute and she has a loan payment coming due in just a couple of days.

Opal works in the DFZ, which used to be Detroit, but now is a magical, lawless city filled with mages, cybernetically enhanced humans, new gods, and dragons. She is assisted in her work by her AI Sibyl. However, problems start when she discovers a body in the latest apartment she Cleans. She also finds mysterious papers filled with details about a spell but nothing that she can quickly turn into the cash she needs. 

When an apartment that has been broken into and trashed comes up at auction, Opal bids the last of her money on it because she recognizes the magical signature as the same as in the apartment with the body. She hopes that she'll be able to find a clue to whatever the mage was doing and that it will lead to a quick profitable result. 

But someone else also wants what the mage has hidden and is willing to kill for it. Luckily, Opal is saved by Nik Kos who is her major rival in the Cleaning business. He convinces her that they need to team up with a 60/40 split in order to find whatever the mage is hiding. 

The two have quite a few adventures as they track down the treasure. Lots of secrets are revealed. 

I really liked the worldbuilding in this story. A city that is constantly being rearranged by its god is a great setting for the adventure. I also enjoyed and empathized with Opal's determination to be free and to finally get out of the control of her father. 

Favorite Quote:

"The cost of survival is doing things you don't like," he said coldly. "Suck it up or give up, but don't sit on the fence and complain. It does nothing but waste time."

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

Book Review: Almost Perfect by Susan Mallery

Almost Perfect
Author: Susan Mallery
Series: Fool's Gold
Publication: Harlequin Books (June 29, 2010)

Description: Back in high school, Liz Sutton was the girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Then she’d stolen the heart of the most popular boy in town, and their secret romance helped her through the worst of times. Until Ethan Hendrix betrayed her and everything they’d ever meant to each other. Devastated and pregnant, Liz left Fool’s Gold, California—forever, she thought….

Now Liz must return to town and face the man who doesn’t know of their son’s existence. And this time she won’t have the option of making a quick getaway. Ethan and Liz can’t deny their passionate attraction, even after all these years. But will their desire be enough to spark a second chance at love?

My Thoughts: This secret baby romance has been sitting on my TBR mountain for the past ten years. I was looking for a romance and grabbed this one. I'm generally happy that I did.

Liz Sutton left Fool's Gold shortly after high school graduation. Since she had a horrible home life with her alcoholic mother who dabbled in prostitution and since she was picked on by the mean girls and propositioned by the boys who thought she was life her mother, getting away should have been a relief. However, that departure was spurred when Ethan Hendrix, the boy she thought loved her, denied their relationship and didn't deny it when his friends called her a whore. She was heartbroken and fled only to learn three weeks later that she was pregnant. She went back to tell Ethan and found him in bed with another girl.

Liz did try again to tell Ethan about his son when Tyler was five. This time she was thwarted by his wife who never bothered to tell Ethan that she had come to see him. Also, she forged a letter in Ethan's name saying that he wanted nothing to do with her or her son and to stay away.

But Liz needs to go back to Fool's Gold when she gets an email from her fourteen-year-old niece telling her that she and her sister had been abandoned by their stepmother when her father - Liz's brother - went to prison. She didn't know she had nieces at all. She had had no contact with her brother since he'd left home when Liz was 12. 

Liz hopes to be able to solve her niece's problems and get out of Fool's Gold without ever running into Ethan. But of course, that isn't going to happen. Ethan isn't happy to see her and is even less happy when he learns that she has been keeping the fact of her son Tyler from him for eleven years.

Ethan is not a particularly appealing hero. He's too concerned with being right and too concerned with his reputation and that of his family. He deeply resents that Liz kept him from his son and doesn't believe her explanations until he sees the letter that he supposedly sent which only changed things a little for his attitude. It doesn't help either of them that the attraction between them is still so strong. Liz is shown over and over again that Ethan can't be trusted and she keeps trying to be fair despite his abuses.

Also, Fool's Gold doesn't warmly embrace her on her return. Ethan's powerful family takes Ethan's side at first. But gradually Liz finds out that Fool's Gold isn't so bad. There are people there who have the potential of being friends despite their mean girl pasts. 

I enjoyed this story despite Ethan's slow change of heart and mind. I thought the characters were interesting and complex. I especially liked that Liz has become a best selling mystery author since she left town and liked that she chose to kill Ethan over and over again in her books. 

Favorite Quote:

The words practical and marriage don't belong in the same conversation. Nothing about marriage is practical. It's wonderful and difficult and amazing and demanding. Besides, no one wants a proposal like that. We want to hear the man in question is madly in love with us. We want to be swept away. Not compared to a really good microfiber dust cloth. Attractive and practical. That's going to make your heart beat faster.

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