Book & Audio Review: The Black Wolves of Boston by Wen Spencer

The Black Wolves of Boston
Author: Wen Spencer
Narrators: Ian Alan Carlsen, Corey Gagne, J. Paul Guimont, Jennywren Walker
Publication: Baen Books; 1st edition (February 7, 2017); Audible Studios (February 21, 2017)
Length: 480 p.; 18 hours and 15 minutes

Description: REBUILD A LIFE, SAVE A CITY

Silas Decker had his world destroyed when he was attacked by vampires outside of New Amsterdam. He has rebuilt his life a dozen times in the last three hundred years—each time less and less successfully. Now he lives alone, buried under a hoarding habit, struggling to find some reason to wake up with the setting of the sun.

Eloise is a Virtue, pledged to hunting evil. What she doesn’t know is how to live alone in a city full of strangers who know nothing about monsters.

Seth is the sixteen-year old Prince of Boston, ward of the Wolf King. Now he is left in a city that desperately needs his protection with enemies gathering all around.

Joshua believes he is a normal, college-bound high school senior. His life is shattered when he wakes up in a field, covered with blood, and the prom committee scattered in pieces about him like broken dolls.

These four must now come together to unravel a plot by Wickers, witches who gain power from human sacrifices and have the power to turn any human into their puppet. Four people who lost everything struggle to save Boston by saving each other.

My Thoughts: This was a great story about love, friendship and accepting yourself for yourself. Of course, it was also urban fantasy so we had evil Wickers who wanted to take over the werewolf Prince of Boston and make him their puppet.

The story starts with brand new werewolf Joshua being rescued by Decker who is a depressed vampire who is hundreds of years old. Decker has been getting more and more isolated and has been hoarding things to combat his loneliness. He takes Joshua home and they two form a firm friendship.

The story is told from Decker's viewpoint and Joshua's. It is also told from the viewpoint of Seth who is the 16-year-old Prince of Boston who has been in the care of the Wolf King in New York City since his whole family was massacred when a Breach let evil into the world when Seth was thirteen. He wants very much to return to Boston along with his older cousin Jack who is one of the Wolf King's Thanes.

Elise is also a viewpoint character. She is a Virtue whose purpose in life is to live among humans and seek out evil and destroy it. Elise has known Decker all of her life but is so focused on being a Virtue that she only uses him as a tool. Elise, too, is alone and lonely.

The four characters come together to find and defeat the Wickers before they can succeed at their evil plan. Along the way there are a lot of funny moments in this story. Joshua has a tendency to turn into a small wolf pup when he's frightened or when he sneezes. It also has some touching moments as we learn that Seth has been longing for more family and really wants Joshua to be the older brother he thought was lost forever. 

This is a wonderful story filled with characters real enough to step off the page. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Favorite Quote:

"Hiding what you are is a slow painful death. It locks you in darkness with the one bully you can't silence--your own self-hate."

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

ARC Review: Guild Boss by Jayne Castle

Guild Boss
Author: Jayne Castle
Series: Harmony (Book 9)
Publication: Berkley (November 16, 2021)

Description: Welcome to Illusion Town on the colony world of Harmony—like Las Vegas on Earth, but way more weird.

Living in this new, alien world doesn’t stop the settlers from trying to re-create what they’ve left behind. Case in point—weddings are still the highlight of any social calendar. But it’s the after-party that turns disastrous for Lucy Bell. Kidnapped and drugged as she leaves the party, she manages to escape—only to find herself lost in the mysterious, alien underground maze of glowing green tunnels beneath Illusion Town. She’s been surviving on determination and cold pizza, scavenged for her by a special dust bunny, when help finally shows up.

Gabriel Jones is the Guild Hunter sent to rescue her, but escaping the underground ruins isn’t the end of her troubles—it’s only the beginning. With no rational reason for her abduction, and her sole witness gone on another assignment for the Guild, whispers start circulating that Lucy made it all up. Soon her life unravels until she has nothing left but her pride. The last thing she expects is for Gabriel Jones to come back to town for her.

The Lucy that Gabriel finds is not the same woman he rescued, the one who looked at him as if he were her hero. This Lucy is sharp, angry, and more than a little cynical—instead of awe, she treats him with extreme caution. But a killer is still hunting her, and there aren’t a lot of options when it comes to heroes. Despite her wariness, Gabriel is also the one person who believes Lucy—after all, he was there. He’s determined to help clear her reputation, no matter what it takes. And as the new Guild Boss, his word is law, even in the lawlessness of Illusion Town.

My Thoughts: Gabriel Jones rescues Lucy Bell after she was kidnapped, drugged, stripped of her amber, and left underground. Then he goes off to his next job leaving Lucy to deal with the fallout: rumors fly saying she was drunk and took drugs. She's lost her reputation and her career and is now driving a tour bus to make ends meet.

When Gabriel returns, Lucy is angry with him, but he needs her skills with managing psychic storms in the underground and also wants a chance to get to know her better. An arcane object brought from Earth has been stolen and he has the skills to track it down - with Lucy's help.

Meanwhile, other plots are unfolding and Lucy is needed for all of them. When a second kidnapping attempt is made and attempts are made on Gabriel's life since he's the new, and first, Guild Boss in Illusion Town, the two begin investigating to protect themselves and restore Lucy's reputation.

The dust bunny in this one is Otis. He finds Lucy when she is lost underground and brings her pizza to live on. Later he leads Gabriel to her. 

I liked the relationship between Lucy and Gabriel. The plot was twisty enough to keep me reading late into the night. There were also a number of Easter Eggs that brought reminders of earlier books in the Arcane series for readers who have read them. 

All in all, this was a fun addition to both the Arcane series and the Harmony series. 

Favorite Quote:

"Things were going well until you gallantly came to my rescue."

"Sorry about that."

"I was trying to make a joke."

"Fail."

Gabriel nodded. "I get that a lot."

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

Book & Audio Review: Home from the Sea by Mercedes Lackey

Home from the Sea
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Narrator: Kate Reading
Series: Elemental Masters (Book 7)
Publication: DAW; 1st edition (June 5, 2012); Audible Studios (June 5, 2012)
Length: 319 p.; 12 hours and 11 minutes

Description: They came from the sea…

For as long as she could remember, Mari Prothero had seen  things—tiny manlike creatures that were mischievous and wore only seaweed, and beings that seemed to be made of water. Mari had grown up in a tiny Welsh fishing village where she lived alone with her father, Daffyd, a master fisherman—her mother and brother having drowned when she was a child.

On the morning of her eighteenth birthday, her father finally told her the great secret of the Prothero family. Her family had an ancient covenant with magical shape-shifters, the Selch. Her lost mother and brother were not truly dead, but neither were they human. Now Mari must abide by her family’s magical compact or face dire consequences.

But Mari is not without protectors. The tiny creatures she had seen her whole life counseled her to bargain with the Selch. While in faraway London, the head of the Elemental Masters had dispatched some very unique champions to come to Mari’s aid....

My Thoughts: Mari Prothero is a fisherman's daughter living in a small town on the coast of Wales. She lost her mother and brother when she was an infant when they were swept away by a rogue wave. Mari is able to see Elementals and other creatures but has given up talking about it since it made her father uncomfortable. They live outside the town and are more prosperous than most of the others who fish for a living. Mari finds out why when she turns eighteen.

Mari learns that the Prothero's have a long-standing deal with the Selch. They get prosperity and safety on the seas in exchange for children and relationships with Selch. Her mother didn't die, but tather took herself and her son back to live under the sea with the Selch. Now, Mari finds out that it is her turn to take a Selch lover and have children with him - one child to stay on the land and one to go under the sea.. Mari is appalled! However, some of her non-human friends have told her that she does have a right to bargain to get the best deal she can rather than just follow those plans.

So Mari demands a teacher to teach her about her abilities as a Water Master and an assortment of young men to be her suitors. 

Meanwhile in London, Nan and Sarah have returned from Africa and and wondering what they should do with their lives. They aren't elemental masters but do have paranormal abilities of their own. After deciding that teaching isn't the career they've been looking for, they appeal to the head of the Elemental Masters to find them some investigative work and are promptly dispatched to Wales to follow up rumors of a new Water Master. 

I liked the setting of this story. I liked the characters and the way magical elements were woven into Edwardian life. The writing was wonderfully descriptive and the narration was engaging. 

Favorite Quote:

As if the little creatures had read the thoughts in her mine, the second answered her. "Magic is a power like any other, Mari. Master it, and it becomes a tool in your hand, and when you have tools, you also have weapons." The water-girl looked about furtively, as if making sure she was not going to be overheard, and lowered her voice further. "Listen and remember. this is important. Because you have this gift of magic, even though you are untaught, you are valuable to us of the Water. And that alone gives you power. Remember. It is power to bargain. There will come a time, soon, when you are presented with something that appears to be no choice. But you can bargain within that. So think well on that day, demand your choice, and make your bargain."

I bought the hardcover in 2013 and the audiobook recently. You can buy your copy here.

Book & Audio Review: Wood Sprites by Wen Spencer

Wood Sprites
Author: Wen Spencer
Narrator: Tanya Eby
Series: Elfhome (Book 4); Tinker (Book 4)
Publication: Baen Books; 1st edition (August 15, 2014); Audible Studios (December 12, 2014)
Length: 543 p.; 17 hours and 55 minutes

Description: Even though they attend a school of gifted students in New York City, child geniuses Louise Mayer and her twin sister Jillian have always felt alone in the world, isolated by their brilliance. Shortly before their ninth birthday, they make an amazing discovery. They’re not alone.

Their real mother was astronaut Esme Shenske and their father was the famous inventor, Leonardo Dufae. They have an older sister, Alexander, living on the planet of Elfhome, and four siblings still in cryogenic storage at the fertility center. There’s only one problem: the frozen embryos are scheduled to be destroyed within six months. The race is on to save their baby brother and sisters.

As a war breaks out on Elfhome and riots start in New York City, the twins use science and magic to plow over everything standing in their way. But when they come face to face with an ancient evil force, they’re soon in over their heads in danger.

My Thoughts: The fourth Elfhome book tells the story of nine-year-old fraternal twins Louise and Jillian Mayer. They are geniuses who attend a school for the gifted in New York City as scholarship students. Their parents are an event planner and a technician at a fertility bank. They are also film makers who have written and produced a series of films that are parodies of Elfhome.

Just before their ninth birthday, after an explosion that destroyed their playhouse/film studio, they discover that their parents are not genetically their parents. This immediately sends them on a quest to discover who their biological parents were. They learn that their parents were astronaut Esme Shenske and their father was Leonardo Dufae. They learn that they have an older sister named Alexander on Elfhome and four younger siblings still in the fertility bank.

When they learn that their four younger siblings are slated for disposal, they become determined to rescue them. 

Their plans to rescue their siblings lead to lots of computer hacking, learning that their ancestors were elves, a secret chest taken from Elfhome hundreds of years earlier by one of their ancestors, a museum break-in, learning more about their birth mother who left cryptic clues which are showing up in Louise's dreams, and an evil plot. 

They find that they have more allies and friends than they could have imagined. Because along with the quest to rescue their siblings, they are still sort of normal fifth graders who are working on their class play - Peter Pan - and making new friends from among their classmates. It is from those friends that they learn that they are famous because of their videos and even have a stash of money online that the videos have produced. But their greatest ally is a baby dragon that they name Joy whom they rescued from the secret elvish chest.

The story was long and filled with lots of different events. I liked the way Louise and Jillian interacted. I liked their different personalities and different ways of dealing with the many difficult situations they face in the story. I liked that Louise, who had always felt like the lesser twin in looks and personality, finds her strengths during the story and becomes the hero. 

This story happens concurrently with the previous Elfhome books and readers who know them will also know what is happening outside the scope of this story but which have great impact on it. There are a couple of overlapping characters but they have small roles here. 

Tanya Eby did an excellent job narrating the story and did a good job showing two brilliant young girls who were still only nine years old. Their brilliance made it something of a shock when they ran up against something they couldn't do because of their age - like traveling alone, renting hotel rooms, buying healthy food and regular clothing, signing contracts, opening bank accounts. Their genius did allow them to find their way around most of the problems though.

I recommend it to fans of urban fantasy and especially those who have read the other Elfhome books. 

Favorite Quote:

Louise Georgina Mayer learned many important life lessons the week before her ninth birthday. The first was that flour was indeed explosive. The second was not to experiment with explosives indoors -- or at least not in a small wooden playhouse that doubled as a film studio. The third was that adults -- firemen, EMTs, policemen, her parents -- liked to state the obvious when trying to make a point. Yes, she realized that they'd miscalculated while still airborne -- thank you very much. The fourth was that her twin sister rocked -- Jillian sat there with blood streaming down her face and managed a wide-eyed story of innocence that pinned the entire event on their Barbie dolls. Fifth was that people believed the stupidest things if you delivered the story while bleeding.

Sixth was that her parents were liars. 

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

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (November 8, 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...

The highlight of my week was watching the Atlanta Braves win their first World Series since 1995. I've been a fan since the 1980s despite only visiting Atlanta one time (we saw a game which included a rain delay!). When I got Cable TV back then, the games were broadcast on TBS - the Superstation - and I became a fan. Now I'm counting down the days until Spring Training 2022. 

I got my Covid booster shot on Thursday. My first two doses were Moderna. This one was Phizer. I had no difficult side effects. I had a headache the night of the vaccination but that could have been from too much screen time instead of the shot. 

After a cool, rainy start to the week, this weekend is seeing higher than normal temperatures and lots of sunshine. Of course, higher than normal for my part of Minnesota at this time of the year means the temperature gets to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. At noontime on Saturday as I am writing this, the temperature is 55 degrees. If I had any ambition, I'd go outside for what could be my last outdoor walk until Spring. 

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.)

• Cold Wind by Paige Shelton (Mine; Audiobook) -- Second in the Alaska Wild thriller series finds Beth adjusting to living in Alaska and solving a few murders. My review will be posted on January 1, 2022.
• Witchcraft by Jayne Ann Krentz (Mine; Chirp Audiobook) -- This was a reread/first listen of a romantic suspense title that I read in the 1980s. Great characters and interesting plot. My review will be posted on January 4, 2022.

• The Lonely Dead by April Henry (Mine; Audiobook) -- Seventeen-year-old Adele needs to solve the mystery of the murder of her former best friend while concealing the fact that the dead can talk to her. My review will be posted on December 14.
• Reserved for the Cat by Mercedes Lackey (Mine; Audiobook) -- Fifth in the Elemental Masters series stars a young Parisian ballet dancer who finds herself in Blackpool, England, under the guidance of a talking cat. My review will be posted on December 16.

• Last Redemption by Matt Coyle (Review; November 30) -- Eighth in the Rick Cahill Thriller series. I found it engaging and fast-paced if a little introspective. My review will be posted on November 27.
• How to Book a Murder by Cynthia Kuhn (Review; December 7) -- Start of a new cozy series. Emma Starr has come home to Colorado to help save the family bookstore from going under but has some murders to solve. My review will be posted on November 30.
• Cold Brew Corpse by Tara Lush (Review; December 7) -- Quirky characters fill this story of a crime reporter currently running a coffee shop who needs to solve the murder of a local yoga instructor. My review will be posted on December 1.

Currently

• Three Fates by Nora Roberts (Mine; Audiobook Reread)
• Renewed for Murder by Victoria Gilbert (Review; December 7)

Next Week

• Jane Austen's Lost Letters by Jane K. Cleland (Review; December 14)
• Dark Night by Paige Shelton (Review; December 7)
• Vanished by Karen Robards (Mine since February 2008; Amazon says I bought it July 18, 2007)

• McKettrick's Luck by Linda Lael Miller (Mine since February 2008)
• When Darkness Comes by Alexandra Ivy (Paperback mine since June 30, 2008 but I bought the Kindle and Audiobook this week)
• Skeletons in the Closet by Jennifer L. Hart (Mine; BookBub Free)

Reviews Posted

• The Kinsmen Universe by Ilona Andrews (Finished September 18)
• Unnatural Issue by Mercedes Lackey (Finished September 18)
• Death on the Shelf by Allison Brook (Finished September 22)

• The Return of the Pharaoh by Nicholas Meyer (Finished September 25)
• Down a Dark River by Karen Odden (Finished October 2)
• Vanishing Edge by Claire Kells (Finished October 6)

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

Review:

• In the Serpent's Wake by Rachel Hartman (February 1)
• Glass Slippers by Leah Cypess (April 5)
• A Fatal Booking by Victoria Gilbert (June 7)

• Peril at Pennington Manor by Tracy Gardner (June 7)
• What Lies Beneath by J. G. Hetherton (July 12)
• A Poisonous Page by Kitt Crowe (July 12)

Bought:

• Shift Work by Brock Bloodworth & H. Claire Taylor (Chirp Audiobook, $.99)
• Mrs. Hudson and the Spirits' Curse by Martin Davies (Kindle, $.99)
• Mrs. Hudson and the Malabar Rose by Martin Davies (Kindle, $.99)

• Last Girl Gone by J. G. Hetherton (Kindle and Audiobook)
• Pork Pie Pandemonium by Steve Higgs (Audiobook)
• When Darkness Comes by Alexandra Ivy (Kindle and Audiobook)

• True Colors by Jayne Ann Krentz (Chirp Audiobook, $3.99)
• The Ties That Bind by Jayne Ann Krentz (Chirp Audiobook, $3.99)

• The Family Way by Jayne Ann Krentz (Chirp Audiobook, $3.99)
• Witchcraft by Jayne Ann Krentz (Chirp Audiobook, $2.99)

• These Tangled Vines by Julianne MacLean (Kindle and Audiobook)
• The Seventh Sinner by Elizabeth Peters (Kindle and Audiobook)
• The Watermight Thief by Jordan Rivet (Chirp, Audiobook, $1.99)

What was your week like?

ARC Review: Vanishing Edge by Claire Kells

Vanishing Edge
Author: Claire Kells
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (November 9, 2021)

Description: For fans of Christine Carbo and Scott Graham, an ex-FBI agent is on a desperate hunt for a party of vanished campers while a killer is on the loose.

The rugged landscape of Sequoia National Park is a challenge on the best of days—but when a park ranger discovers an abandoned exclusive campsite with an empty tent and high-end technical gear scattered on the shores of an alpine lake, the wilderness takes on a sinister new hue.

Thirty-two-year-old Felicity Harland—a former FBI agent who left the service in the wake of a personal tragedy and has taken her skills off the grid—is brought in as chief investigator. As a federal agent with the Investigative Services Bureau, she tackles crimes that occur on National Parks lands: unexplained falls, domestic disputes, and now a possible murder case.

The private company that set up the exclusive camp won’t reveal their client list, leaving Felicity with zero clues. As she struggles to find a lead, she’s also haunted by a painful past that dogs her at every step. But when she meets Ferdinand Huxley, a Navy SEAL turned park ranger, she begins to see the value in not just working with a partner, but trusting one, too.

The investigation takes Felicity and Hux deep into a wilderness that tests their physical limits to the extreme—and to the mean streets of Los Angeles, where they begin to learn the grisly truth behind the campers’ disappearance.

Bad things happen in the wilderness—and sometimes they’re not accidents.

My Thoughts: Felicity Harland is a new investigator with the Investigative Services Bureau which investigates crimes in the United States' National Parks. She is former FBI who is still recovering from a broken back which happened while she and her husband were exploring an isolated part of Australia. Her husband left her to find help and was never seen again. So, besides her physical challenges, she's also grieving for her husband. 

Felicity is called to Sequoia National Park to look into the disappearance of two campers who were dropped off deep in the wilderness by an outfit called Glampist which specializes in luxury camping. Just getting to the campsite will be a major accomplishment for a woman recovering from her sort of injury. She is determined to overcome her injury and do her job. She is assigned help in the person of park ranger Ferdinand Huxley - know as Hux. Hux is a former Navy SEAL who is a noted tracker and almost as new at his job as Felicity is at hers.  

Arriving at the site raises more questions than it answers. The site is destroyed, the campers missing, and Glampist, a luxury camping company, very unwilling to even tell them who should have been at the site citing client privacy. When a body is discovered and is identified as a rather famous actress, Felicity and Hux have somewhere to start their investigation.

A grieving widower, shady camp outfitters, and questionable campers quickly become suspects which add to the mystery. The difficult terrain of the park becomes a character in itself as Felicity and Hux have to travel over and search many difficult areas. They also face difficulties with Hux's boss who is an old school park ranger who wants to declare the death an accident and get on with his job during the busy tourist season in the park. 

I liked gradually learning Felicity's story as the books went on. I thought the mystery was well done with lots of potential criminals. I liked the way Felicity and Hux get to know each other as they conduct the investigation. 

This was an engaging start to a new series.

Favorite Quote:

"Well, I've got a situation out here."

A situation -- probably the most dreading word in my vocabulary. It itched the corner of my brain that liked facts and logic and hard evidence. I could handle a dead body or an accident or even murder, but I didn't like the sound of "a situation."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked. 

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

Friday Memes: Vanishing Edge by Claire Kells

 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:

I was peering down at two broken ski poles on Yosemite's Line of Fire when the call came in to my satellite phone. With the gusting winds at my back, I debated even trying to wrestle the thing out of my pocket, but the park rangers flanking me were getting antsy. One of them grunted, "Do you need to take that, ma'am?"

Friday 56 (from 56%):

I gave him my card, which he put in his pocket before grabbing his coat on the way out the door. There was no promise to talk again, no reassurances from my side or his. From the window, I watched him make a beeline to his Mercedes, which was covered in a light dusting of snow. He never looked back at the ranger station, even as he pulled away.

This week I am spotlighting Vanishing Edge by Claire Kells from my Review stack. Here is the description from Amazon:

For fans of Christine Carbo and Scott Graham, an ex-FBI agent is on a desperate hunt for a party of vanished campers while a killer is on the loose.

The rugged landscape of Sequoia National Park is a challenge on the best of days—but when a park ranger discovers an abandoned exclusive campsite with an empty tent and high-end technical gear scattered on the shores of an alpine lake, the wilderness takes on a sinister new hue.

Thirty-two-year-old Felicity Harland—a former FBI agent who left the service in the wake of a personal tragedy and has taken her skills off the grid—is brought in as chief investigator. As a federal agent with the Investigative Services Bureau, she tackles crimes that occur on National Parks lands: unexplained falls, domestic disputes, and now a possible murder case.

The private company that set up the exclusive camp won’t reveal their client list, leaving Felicity with zero clues. As she struggles to find a lead, she’s also haunted by a painful past that dogs her at every step. But when she meets Ferdinand Huxley, a Navy SEAL turned park ranger, she begins to see the value in not just working with a partner, but trusting one, too.

The investigation takes Felicity and Hux deep into a wilderness that tests their physical limits to the extreme—and to the mean streets of Los Angeles, where they begin to learn the grisly truth behind the campers’ disappearance.

Bad things happen in the wilderness—and sometimes they’re not accidents.