Category: A reviews (Page 13 of 16)

Irregulars by Nicole Kimberling, Josh Lanyon, Astrid Amara & Ginn Hale

April 8, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: Brie has been telling me I need to read this book for ages. The DABWAHA tourney moved it up the TBR pile.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) It’s a secret international organization operating in cities on every continent. It polices relations between the earthly realm and those beyond this world, enforcing immigration laws, the transfers of magical artifacts, and crimes against humanity.The agents who work for the NATO Irregular Affairs Division can’t tell anyone what they do, or how hard they work to keep us safe. It brings a colorful collection of men together:Agent Henry Falk, the undead bum. Agent Keith Curry, former carnivore chef turned vegetarian; Agent Rake, Babylonian demon with a penchant for easy living; and Agent Silas August, uncompromising jerk.

Four cities, four mysteries, four times the romance. Is your security clearance high enough to read on?

Cherries Worth Getting by Nicole KimberlingI will admit I had not read even the blurb before starting this book. I knew it was set in an alternate world and there were four stories each in the same world and each featuring an m/m romance. That was it. So the cannibalism issue came as a bit of a shock. It’s kind of Men in Black without as much humour (that’s not a criticism). Agent Keith Curry is paired with former lover Agent Gunther Heartman to investigate the “Cannibal Killings”. The investigation was slick and there was a kind of vague noir feel to it as well – sort of Watchmen-ish IMO. As the first book in the anthology, this author had the responsibility to paint the first picture of the Irregulars world. I thought it was very well done – no info dump, snippets of information that make the world more “real” – like the way goblins eat cigarettes rather than smoke them. No doubt the world building will continue over the course of the book, but I thought the set up was very well done.

Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold, narrated by Kate Reading

March 28, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I listened to it: I loved The Curse of Chalion (scroll down for review) and other Bujold titles I have listened to. This book is universally recommended by people who have liked those same books – I was also told it was more romantic than Chalion so it was a no brainer really. I picked it up at Audible recently, initially disappointed that Lloyd James wasn’t reprising his narration. However, Kate Reading has become my new favourite narrator.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Three years have passed since the widowed Dowager Royina Ista found release from the curse of madness that kept her imprisoned in her family’s castle of Valenda. Her newfound freedom is costly, bittersweet with memories, regrets, and guilty secrets – for she knows the truth of what brought her land to the brink of destruction. And now the road – escape – beckons…. A simple pilgrimage, perhaps. Quite fitting for the Dowager Royina of all Chalion.

Yet something else is free, too – something beyond deadly. To the north lies the vital border fortress of Porifors. Memories linger there as well, of wars and invasions and the mighty Golden General of Jokona. And someone, something, watches from across that border – humans, demons, gods.

Ista thinks her little party of pilgrims wanders at will. But whose? When Ista’s retinue is unexpectedly set upon not long into its travels, a mysterious ally appears – a warrior nobleman who fights like a berserker. The temporary safety of her enigmatic champion’s castle cannot ease Ista’s mounting dread, however, when she finds his dark secrets are entangled with hers in a net of the gods’ own weaving.

In her dreams the threads are already drawing her to unforeseen chances, fateful meetings, fearsome choices. What the inscrutable gods commanded of her in the past brought her land to the brink of devastation. Now, once again, they have chosen Ista as their instrument. And again, for good or for ill, she must comply.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): This book blew me away. The combination of an exceptional narrator and most excellently plotted story and clever, engaging characters was a total win for me. There is very little I can say on the negative side, other than that when it ended I felt sad because I wanted it to keep going. But I can’t really criticise that – the story was told after all. It’s just that I wasn’t ready to let go.

Captive Prince Vol 1&2 by CS Pacat

March 18, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I read a post by the author on Anna Cowan’s blog a while back and that put the book on my radar. More recently, my tweetstream has been going wild for it so I had to read it.

ETA April 2015: I’ve updated the author’s name to her current penname: CS Pacat.

Note: Even though this is two books, I’m reviewing them together. Volume 1 isn’t a complete story and Volume 2 can’t be read as a stand alone. Volume 3 isn’t out yet (sadly) or I’d probably be reviewing that at the same time too.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) This was Vere, voluptuous and decadent, country of honeyed poison.”Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos, but when his half brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity, and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave.Beautiful, manipulative and deadly, his new master Prince Laurent epitomizes the worst of the court at Vere. But in the lethal political web of the Veretian court, nothing is at it seems, and when Damen finds himself caught up in a play for the throne, he must work together with Laurent to survive and save his country.For Damen, there is just one rule: never, ever reveal his true identity. Because the one man Damen needs is the one man who has more reasons to hate him than anyone else…

———-

“This was Vere’s most powerful lords unfurling their banners for war.”With their countries on the brink of war, Damen and his new master Prince Laurent must exchange the intrigues of the palace for the sweeping might of the battlefield as they travel to the border to avert a lethal plot.Forced to hide his identity, Damen finds himself drawn to the dangerous, charismatic Laurent. But as the fledgling trust between the two men deepens, the truth of secrets from both their pasts is poised to deal them the crowning death blow…

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I don’t suppose the basis of this story is terribly original. A stranger in a strange land learns to appreciate another society and experiences changes in himself from his exposure to difference. The concept is not new. But in romance, that is very common. There are only so many tropes after all. It is all in the delivery. And, here, we have a gem.

Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold, narrated by Grover Gardner

March 17, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I listened to it: I loved Shards of Honor so much I wanted to listen to the next one to see what happened next. Luckily it was on my TBL.

What it’s about: (from Audible) Political intrigue, culture clash and romance make a stirring mix in this award-winning follow-up novel to the acclaimed Shards of Honor.

In the wake of interplanetary war, former commander Cordelia Naismith has deserted her own planet to marry the leader of the defeated enemy, Aral Vorkosigan. On his home planet of Barrayar, two rival factions are eyeing the recently vacated throne, and Aral, recently appointed Regent of Barrayar by the Emperor on his deathbed, must stand between them.

Lord and Lady Vorkosigan, Aral and Cordelia struggle to establish stability in a fragile government thrown into confusion by the transition of power and the threat of civil war. When a palace coup endangers the government, their lives, and her unborn son, Cordelia takes action to secure the safety of her new family and new home.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I have been so fortunate in my reading and listening this year. Soon I shall worry I’m getting soft. Following on almost immediately from Shards of Honor, Barrayar is the story of what happens when Aral takes the post of Regent for the young emporer Gregor. Barrayar is politically unstable and there are a number of opportunists who would like to take advantage and grab power for themselves. Cordelia and Aral are expecting their first child and there is risk to the child, herself and her beloved husband.

Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

March 5, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher. I *may* have done a happy dance when I opened the package.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Shapeshifter Mercy Thompson’s life is calming down, at least enough that she can focus on mundane matters like Black Friday sales. But on her return, Mercy is unable to contact her mate, Alpha Adam Hauptman, or the other members of their pack. All she knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. With the werewolves fighting a political battle to gain acceptance from the public, Mercy fears Adam’s disappearance may be related – and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outclassed and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from the most unlikely of allies: the vampire seethe.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Patricia Briggs delivers again. How does she do it? With every book I get a bit scared that it’s not going to live up to expectations. And then she blows me away. Again.The intricate plot went unexpected places (why does this surprise me?) and challenged me just enough that I had to concentrate in places but not enough for me to get lost. Someone kidnaps the wolves (How you ask? Well, there is an explanation and Adam won’t let it happen again, you can be sure of that.) and Mercy is left scrambling to protect those of/associated with the Pack left behind (namely Kyle, Ben, Jesse, Gabriel and his family) and try and locate Adam and the other wolves without creating an interspecies incident which could lead to problems for the Pack.

“Tranq. Arse.” that one wasn’t as clear, but I could understand him and assumed the last word was a location and not and epithet. Though with Ben it was a risky call.

Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold, narrated by Grover Gardner

March 4, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I listened to it: I’ve had this on my TBL for a while and I was in the mood for a fantasy (although in this case, it’s really more sci-fi) romance from a reliably good author and I had it on good authority that the narrator was awesome too.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Cordelia Naismith, Betan Survey Captain, was expecting the unexpected: hexapods, floating creatures, odd parasites… She was not, however, expecting to find hostile humans on an uninhabited planet. And she wasn’t really expecting to fall in love with a 40-plus barbarian known to cosmopolitan galactics as the Butcher of Komarr. Will Mother ever understand? And can such an odd beast as love survive an interplanetary war?

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Quite a few of my reader friends have recommended the Vorkosigan saga books to me. This book had been sitting on my TBL for quite a while and I finally found the space to listen.The story is told in Cordelia’s third person POV and I was a little disappointed when at the beginning of the listen it became apparent that she was going to be stuck with a very deep male voice for the whole book. Grover Gardner has a low baritone and he doesn’t even attempt a female voice. While I appreciated there was no drag-y falsetto, it took some getting used to to “hear” Cordelia in that deep rumble. But, my friend Brenda told me that the narrator was awesome and the book was as good so I bore down and kept going. I’m so glad I did. After a while, the deep voice stopped bothering me because Gardner conveyed the character so well in other ways. Even though there was little difference between Vorkosigan’s voice and Cordelia’s, their characters were so different and distinct, that I had littel difficulty in identifying who was talking. I realised that my friend was right. Gardner is an awesome narrator. Continue reading