16 December 2018

The Twilight Lord (World of Hetar, Book 3)

BERTRICE SMALL

Goodreads synopsis: Lara, Domina of Terah, has mysteriously disappeared while visiting the New Outlands. The Dominus is frantic to find his beloved wife, but when no trace of her can be discovered, Magnus Hauk turns to two strong allies—Prince Kaliq of the Shadows and his mother-in-law, Ilona, the most powerful of the faerie queens. Who has stolen Lara? And why?

In the Dark Lands, Kol, the Twilight Lord, revels in his victory. The faerie woman Lara is now his possession, and her powers will soon help him to conquer first Hetar and then Terah. But the Emperor of Hetar is hatching schemes of his own—having learned of Lara's disappearance he believes Terah is now vulnerable, and plans to go to war against Magnus Hauk. 

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, HQN, 2007.

How acquired: Borrowed from the library.

My thoughts: I gave the first book in this series two stars on Goodreads, and the second book got three stars. I liked this one even more. I found the story to be much more engaging than in the first two books. As in the previous books, lots of references to "man roots" and "seed sacs" and "love juices", the sex scenes were are not very sexy, the children talk and act like adults, and none of the characters had much depth to them. But the plot was interesting and I enjoyed seeing the women of Hetar rise up and rebel against the emperor. I'll admit I'm curious to see where Lara's destiny will take her next, and I will have to hunt down the next book. 

17 November 2018

Dominic (Benedetti Brothers, Book 2)




WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.



NATASHA KNIGHT

Goodreads synopsis: Dominic I was the boy who would never be king. The monster who could never be loved. Gia was just a job. Just another girl caught in a world of monsters. It didn’t matter that I liked the look of her. I didn’t care that she cringed when she saw my soul. I liked it. I liked her fear. And I wanted her. Monsters didn’t get to live happily ever after, though. I knew one day I’d have to go back. Because time neither forgave nor forgot. And neither did I. Old debts needed to be settled. Enemies punished. It was past time I returned to the family business. I’d been gone far too long.

Gia All my life, I believed in fairy tales. Not the Disney kind. Never those. I always knew life was darker than that. I was the daughter of a foot soldier. The sister of a snitch. A nobody. Monsters had been part of my life for as long as I could remember, but none as dark as Dominic Benedetti. None as cruel. None as broken. I had no illusions about what he was. I had no desire to save his soul. And I couldn’t care about his bleeding heart. But love isn’t always beautiful. It could be a twisted, ugly bitch. I’d always known this was the kind I’d find. The only kind that could touch me. Because some of us, we belonged in the dark. And Dominic and I belonged in the dark. 

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016.

How acquired: Bought.

First line: Fear has a distinct smell, something that belongs only to it.

My thoughts: Mafia romance in general does not appeal to me. But I read the first book in this series because I'm a fan of the author, and I really enjoying it, and bought this second book. In my review of SALVATORE, I noted that “the premise is a little horrifying”. Well, let me tell you, the premise of this follow up is a LOT horrifying. In fact, I really did not see how Dominic was going to be a romance book hero. But to be fair, Ms. Knight does warn readers in an author's note that “you won't think him a hero, not for a long time, maybe not ever...”. And the further I got into the book the more I did like Dominic, and I sure wanted him to have redemption and a happy ever after.

But here's the difference between Dominic and his brother. Salvatore wanted out of the life. Out of the family business. Dominic wanted to run the family business. Redemption? Where Gia is concerned, yes, he does redeem himself. And he vows that her hands will stay clean. He will shield her from the dark side of his life. But when the book ends and they get their HEA, he's still a mobster.

But again, the author gave us that warning, so despite my disappointment that he did not make the break to a normal family life as Salvatore did, I'm giving the book the same rating I gave the first book – four stars. And I intend to read SERGIO, which I bought with this book, and then I'll probably buy GIOVANNI as well.

And, oh yeah, as with everything I've read from Ms. Knight, gripping, captivating,and steamy!

     
 

10 November 2018

Why Did You Lie?


Translated from Icelandic by Victoria Cribb

Goodreads synopsis: A journalist on the track of an old case attempts suicide. An ordinary couple return from a house swap in the states to find their home in disarray and their guests seemingly missing. Four strangers struggle to find shelter on a windswept spike of rock in the middle of a raging sea. They have one thing in common: they all lied. And someone is determined to punish them...WHY DID YOU LIE is a terrifying tale of long-delayed retribution from Iceland's Queen of Suspense.

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Hodder Paperbacks, 2017.

How acquired: Via BookCrossing.

My thoughts: A new to me author, and I think this is the first time I've read an Icelandic author or a book set in Iceland. The short chapters alternate between three separate storylines. We have a photojournalist who tagged along on a helicopter trip to a remote lighthouse where his three traveling companions will be making repairs. Then we have a police officer whose husband is in a coma after a failed suicide attempt. And then a family who've just returned home after a house swap vacation with a Florida couple. The house swap storyline was the most interesting to me, as the family found items the American couple left behind, and some odd behavior on their security cameras,and began to worry that something happened to the Americans when they're unable to get ahold of them.

The narrative is slowly paced and there isn't much action. There were a few spots where the wording seemed a little unnatural or uneven, but otherwise the translation came across well. I was constantly wondering how the three storylines would eventually link together. And then when they did, boy howdy! The pace suddenly picked up, or maybe I was just reading faster. I was on my couch last night reading when my daughter called me and I jumped when my phone went off.


In the last quarter of the book there were some twists and turns, none of which I saw coming. And even after I'd turned the last page, I was left with a sense of foreboding, and I'm still not sure how I feel about the ending. But I'll definitely be on the lookout for more from this author. 

Also, here's a link to the lighthouse, or to a similar lighthouse, where part of the story is set: http://icelandmag.visir.is/article/watch-incredible-video-stunning-thridrangar-lighthouse-south-iceland
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07 October 2018

Laurentian Divide (Northern Trilogy, Book 2)


Goodreads synopsis: Bitter winters are nothing new in Hatchet Inlet, hard up against the ridge of the Laurentian Divide, but the advent of spring can’t thaw the community’s collective grief, lingering since a senseless tragedy the previous fall. What is different this year is what’s missing: Rauri Paar, the last private landowner in the Reserve, whose annual emergence from his remote iced-in islands marks the beginning of spring and the promise of a kinder season.

The town’s residents gather at the local diner and, amid talk of spring weather, the latest gossip, roadkill, and the daily special, take bets on when Rauri will appear—or imagine what happened to him during the long and brutal winter. Retired union miner and widower Alpo Lahti is about to wed the diner’s charming and lively waitress, Sissy Pavola, but, with Rauri still unaccounted for, celebration seems premature. Alpo’s son Pete struggles to find his straight and narrow, then struggles to stay on it, and even Sissy might be having second thoughts.

Weaving in and out of each other’s reach, trying hard to do their best (all the while wondering what that might be), the residents of this remote town in all their sweetness and sorrow remind us once more of the inescapable lurches of the heart and unexpected turns of our human comedy.

Stats for my copy: Hardback, University of Minnesota Press, 2018.

How acquired: Won from BookishFirst

My thoughts: When I entered the raffle for this book I didn't realize it was the second in a trilogy, but it definitely reads as a standalone and I didn't feel I'd missed anything by not reading the first book first.

I thought the book was going to more about Rauri Paar being missing and the townsfolk trying to find him or find out what happened to him. But the focus is actually on three other characters: Alpo, a widower about to marry a woman twenty years younger than him; Sissy, his bride to be; and his son, Pete, a divorced alcoholic in recovery. Rauri is mentioned pretty often, as the locals speculate about him, and Pete even borrows his dad's boat to make the treacherous journey to Rauri's island to look for him.

But this isn't Rauri's story. This is a wonderful character study of Alpo, Sissy, and Pete. The author completely immerses us into each of their lives. The writing is very evocative, especially the descriptions of the weather and geography. When Pete makes that journey to Rauri's island, I was completely mesmerized. I didn't want the book to end.


Some fiction books are novels, and some are literature, and in my mind the two terms are not always interchangeable. LAURENTIAN DIVIDE is what I consider literature. 

04 October 2018

Two Good Dogs

SUSAN WILSON

Goodreads synopsis: Single mom Skye Mitchell has sunk her last dime into a dream, owning the venerable, if run-down LakeView Hotel in the Berkshire Hills. It’s here where she believes she’ll give her fourteen-year-old daughter Cody a better life. But being an innkeeper is more challenging than she imagined, and Cody still manages to fall in with the wrong crowd. In addition, Cody is keeping an earth-shattering secret that she’s terrified to reveal. The once loving, open girl has now become completely withdrawn, and Skye is both desperate and helpless to reach her.
When Adam March and his pit bull Chance check into the hotel, it becomes the first of many visits. Here in these peaceful mountains he finds an unexpected relief from his recent bereavement. He and the beleaguered innkeeper form a tentative friendship. Adam knows the struggles of raising a difficult teenager and Skye understands loneliness.
And then there is Mingo, a street kid with a pit bull dog of his own. When Cody discovers an overdosed Mingo, Adam takes the boy’s dog not just for safekeeping, but to foster and then rehome. But the dog isn’t the only one who needs saving. A makeshift family begins to form as four lost people learn to trust and rely on each other, with the help of two good dogs.

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, St. Martin's Griffin, 2018.

How acquired: Bought.

First line: Human emotion is a deeply fascinating thing for me.

My thoughts: I'm going to preface this review to tell you that I started writing it, then set it aside, then went out of town, then came back for a few days, and then remembered I'd never finished the review. And now unfortunately so much time has passed that I don't remember what else I wanted to say. So, my review is gonna be short and end abruptly!

This book started out as a bit of a challenge for me, and I considered DNFing it pretty quickly. The prologue is in first person, italicized, from the point of view of Chance, one of the two good dogs. Chapter one introduces us to Cody, with the narrative in third person, present tense. Ugh, my least favorite tense, but it's fine, I can deal with it. Then a few pages later, we meet Cody's mother, Skye, and the narrative changes to first person, past tense. Ok, we're going to be alternating. Fine, I can deal with it. Then chapter two, Adam is introduced, and the narrative changes to third person, past tense. Um, ok, so each of the main characters gets their own distinctive voice. And then on the next page Adam meets Skye, and the narrative suddenly shifts back to present tense, and then on the next page back to past tense. At this point I was only on page 20 and the narrative had changed four times. Just pick a style already!

Despite the specific narration for each of the main characters, there were several times when I wasn't sure for a few seconds who the focus had shifted to. Fortunately,the story was compelling enough that I stuck with it, and I enjoyed it.


And then looking at the author's other books, I realized this is a sequel to ONE GOOD DOG, which I have in my TBR pile, so I'm gonna have to pull it out to read soon, but not too soon.

30 August 2018

Rancher Rescue

BARB HAN

Goodreads synopsis: When a little boy goes missing, rancher Caleb Snow steps in to help…and winds up falling for the child's beautiful–but mysterious–aunt in Barb Han's Rancher Rescue

Getting tangled up with another woman in crisis is the last thing rancher Caleb Snow needs. The handsome cowboy has been badly burned too many times. But this one feels different–Katherine Harper is injured and reeling after an ambush in which her nephew was kidnapped. Caleb wants nothing more than to protect the beautiful, headstrong woman and help her find the missing child. If only he could ignore the feelings she stirs in him. 

But as they search together, it's clear someone wants Katherine dead. Soon the two are running for their lives, dodging bullets, not knowing who to trust…or if they'll survive long enough to bring a little boy home.

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, Harlequin, 2014.

How acquired: Bought.

First line: Katherine Harper pushed up on all fours and spit dirt.

My thoughts: I'm glad I only paid 49 cents for this book at a thrift store. Struggled to stay interested. I just didn't connect with the hero or the heroine. There was just no depth to them. Especially the heroine. And after all the trouble the hero goes through to get her to a safe place, she just blithely walks into danger and lets the bad guy capture her. The hero rescues her, of course, a mere three and a half pages later, and it was completely anticlimactic.

The hero also kept talking "deadpan", as did his best friend on one occasion. He would say something deadpan, or in a deadpan tone. But they're just making a serious statement, in the middle of a serious situation, in a serious voice. Maybe I don't understand the meaning of deadpan? I mean, isn't that where someone says something absurd and not in keeping with the mood of the current situation, but in a super serious voice to comedic effect?

But before all the above happened, this passage just made me groan:

"My first big sale was a beautiful paint horse. The man who'd sold him to me when he was a pony said he tore up the ground like no other."
Ugh.

18 August 2018

Last Night at the Lobster

STEWART O'NAN

Goodreads synopsis: The Red Lobster perched in the far corner of a run-down New England mall hasn't been making its numbers and headquarters has pulled the plug. But manager Manny DeLeon still needs to navigate a tricky last shift with a near-mutinous staff. All the while, he's wondering how to handle the waitress he's still in love with, what to do about his pregnant girlfriend, and where to find the present that will make everything better.

Stats for my copy: Paperback, Penguin Books, 2008.

How acquired: Bought.

First line: Mall traffic on a gray winter's day, stalled.

My thoughts: This is a slim (146 pages) paperback that took me longer to read than it should have. Partly because I just didn't have a lot of time to read, but partly because I found it a bit of a struggle to get into. The narrative is in present tense, which is my least favorite tense, but once I picked up the flow I decided the author made a good choice there, as it fit the story. The entire book takes place over one day at a Red Lobster, which is being closed down effective the following day. The detail, the minutiae of running a restaurant – I worked in restaurants for several years but reading this I felt like I knew nothing about working in a restaurant. And it certainly didn't make me ever want to do so again! The narrative is from Manny's point of view, so we don't get any insight into any of the other characters. I would've liked to know more about Jacquie, the waitress Manny had an affair with and is still hung up on, and how they got together.


Overall the book was a bit depressing, but I did appreciate the author's talent for imagery, especially in the outdoor scenes with the snow storm. When I walked out of my house I was momentarily surprised that the air was hot and humid instead of freezing cold. 

16 August 2018

Temptation Ridge (Virgin River, Book Five)


Goodreads synopsis: At twenty-five, after five years as her mother's caregiver, it's time for Shelby to experience freedom and adventure. Time for travel, college and romance. But when she visits Virgin River, she runs into Luke Riordan, decidedly not whom she has in mind. 

A handsome Blackhawk pilot, Luke exited the army after twenty years, four wars and having been shot out of the sky three times. At thirty-eight he's tough and jaded. His major was in one-night stands, with a minor in commitment avoidance. 

Technically, these two are all wrong for one another. But sometimes what you want and what you need are two different things...two very good things.

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, Mira Books, 2009.

How acquired: Bought.

First line: Shelby was within ten miles of her Uncle Walt's ranch when she had to pull over to the side of highway 36, the busiest stretch between Virgin River and Fortuna, behind an old pickup truck that looked vaguely familiar.

My thoughts: After being a tad disappointed with the previous book in the Virgin River series I'm happy to report that this entry was another winner. (To be fair, I did give the previous book four stars on Goodreads, but only because of Joe and Nikki. Well, actually because of Joe. Secondary characters in that book, but whose story I absolutely loved,more than the main characters' story.) When Temptation Ridge opens, Shelby, Vanessa's cousin, has a meet cute with Luke Riordan, a newcomer, on the side of a stalled highway.

As with all the Virgin River heroes, Luke is former military, though not a Marine. He was deeply burned by a woman several years ago, and now he doesn't do relationships. He's appalled to find himself attracted to Shelby, who he initially thinks has to still be under the age of twenty. And learning that she's actually twenty-five doesn't make him feel much better about it. And as with most of the Virgin River heroes, I fell head over heels for him.

I love how Ms. Carr always incorporates characters from the previous books into each new book, sometimes meandering away from the main storyline to give another character some significant page time. And she slips from one plot point or story line to another seamlessly, so it's never confusing or hard to keep up with the narrative. She's also great at natural feeling conversations between characters, or at several paragraphs of narrative with no dialogue. I especially loved the scenes with Luke's younger brother coming along and charming everyone while Luke just gets angrier and angrier at him.

My only complaint about this entry in the series is that one of my favorite characters, the mysterious marijuana grower, never showed up. I miss him.

There is also the beginning of a possible romance between Cameron, who we met in the previous book when he dated Vanessa for a short time, and Abby, one of Vanessa's closest friends, as well as a continuation of the blossoming romance between Vanessa's father, Walt, and Muriel, the movie star who moved to Virgin River in the last book. And I loved this quote, from Muriel to Shelby:
"I'm not alone, Shelby,” she said patiently. I'm on my own – there's a difference...”
I so relate to that.

I say this after each book, and will probably continue to say it: I want to move to Virgin River!!

29 July 2018

River to Redemption

ANN H. GABHART

Goodreads synopsis: Orphaned in the cholera epidemic of 1833, Adria Starr was cared for by a slave named Louis, a man who stayed in Springfield, Kentucky, when anyone with means had fled. A man who passed up the opportunity to escape his bondage and instead tended to the sick and buried the dead. A man who, twelve years later, is being sold by his owners despite his heroic actions. Now nineteen, Adria has never forgotten what Louis did for her. She's determined to find a way to buy Louis's freedom. But in 1840s Kentucky, she'll face an uphill battle. 

Based partly on a true story, Ann H. Gabhart's latest historical novel is a tour de force. The vividly rendered town of Springfield and its citizens immerse readers in a story of courage, betrayal, and honor that will stick with them long after they turn the last page.

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Revell, 2018.


First line: Adria Starr didn't want her mother and little brother to stop breathing the way her father had.

My thoughts: The book opens when Adria is seven years old, and has just been orphaned by a cholera epidemic. The town has been devastated by the disease, with most of the townsfolk who are healthy enough to do so leaving. Louis is a slave, property of the owner of the local hotel, who also leaves town, giving Louis his keys and instructing him to take care of things. At this point Louis could have fled “across the river” to freedom, but instead he goes around town tending to the ill and respectfully burying the dead, becoming a local hero. When he finds young Adria, he takes her back to the hotel, where he and Matilda, another slave, take care of her. Ruth is the newly widowed wife of the local schoolteacher. With the loss of her beloved husband, her life has been completely shattered, but when Louis approaches her about taking in Adria, she agrees.

Cut to twelve years later. Ruth has taken over her husband's position as schoolteacher and never remarried. Adria is a secretly budding abolitionist. Everyone, herself included, assumes she will marry her childhood sweetheart, Carlton, but despite his pushing for an answer she keeps putting him off. She and Louis have remained close, and she hates that he is a slave, that he's not free.

When the town gets a new preacher, a romance slowly builds between him and Ruth, and I really enjoyed that storyline. Neither is looking for a relationship, neither has any desire to remarry, but they are drawn to each other almost against their wills. I probably would've been content with a book just about Ruth and her preacher. But much as I enjoyed her story, I found Ruth a little hard to relate to. She loves Adria, and Adria loves her. But they never seemed to develop a mother/daughter relationship until the very end. It is mentioned more than once that while Ruth agreed to raise Adria, and took care of her and provided for her and has always put her best interests first, she was unable to be what Adria really wanted – a family. We, the reader, don't see Adria grow up with Ruth, but I got the impression that there weren't lots of hugs and kisses and I love yous exchanged. I kept reminding myself throughout the book that Ruth was devastated to lose her husband, devastated that she and her husband did not have children, that Ruth was mentally in a bad place when she took on Adria, that she had her own struggles. But I still couldn't imagine raising a little girl and not showering her with affection, regardless of whether or not she were your own biological child. It basically kept me feeling at arms length from Ruth.

A character I enjoyed is Caleb, who arrives with the drovers who pass through, and then gets a job in town. He and Carlton are complete opposites, and while Adria tells herself to have nothing to do with him, she can't help but like him. He's a bit insufferable and stalkery, and I loved their interactions. I also loved the scenes between him and a jealous Carlton.

During the first few chapters the narration, the writing, felt a little simplistic, though fitting since the point of view was from a seven year old child. But then when Adria is grown up, it still felt that way, and it took me awhile to really get into the story and stop noticing that. And the further into the book I went the more and more invested I became. As Adria felt torn between Carlton and Logan, I was rooting for Logan, and then I wasn't, and then I sort of was again.

Slavery is talked about very matter of factly and is, of course, a big theme of the book, as Adria begins to rally the townspeople to raise money to buy Louis so he can then be freed. I don't want to describe it as “feel good”, because the subject of slavery can't possibly be feel good, but seeing the reactions as money is raised was heartwarming, and I did get teary eyed.


Overall, the book was enjoyable, with a lot of sweet moments, and a wonderful resolution.

14 July 2018

The Hope of Azure Springs


Goodreads synopsis: Seven years ago, orphaned and alone, Em finally arrived at a new home in Iowa after riding the orphan train. But secrets from her past haunt her, and her new life in the Western wilderness is a rough one. When her guardian is shot and killed, Em, now nineteen, finally has the chance to search for her long-lost sister, but she won't be able to do it alone.

For Azure Springs Sheriff Caleb Reynolds, securing justice for the waifish and injured Em is just part of his job. He's determined to solve every case put before him in order to impress his parents and make a name for himself. Caleb expects to succeed. What he doesn't expect is the hold this strange young woman will have on his heart.

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Revell, 2018.


First line: “She dead?”

My thoughts: The only downside to loving a book by a new to you author is realizing that it's a debut novel, and there is no back list to run out and hunt down!

Orphaned at age twelve, Em and her younger sister, Lucy, are put on an orphan train, where they end up being separated. The book opens seven years later, and Em has been found shot and unconscious and taken into Azure Springs. A local couple, Abraham and Abigail Howell, take her into their home to care for her while she recuperates.

Em is such a richly drawn character. We actually start getting to know Caleb, the sheriff, a little sooner than we do Em, since she is bedridden and sleeping a lot in the beginning. Caleb is determined to find the men who shot Em and killed her guardian, and thus he spends some time with Em, questioning her and slowly learning about her life before Azure Springs. He, too, is richly drawn. In fact, while the point of view changes back and forth between Em to Caleb, the supporting characters are still all well fleshed out.

It's not love at first sight, certainly not instalove, which I was very happy about. In fact, Caleb is quite smitten with Eliza, the Howells' oldest daughter, and she definitely has her sights set on him. He looks at Em and sees a waif, a thin, plain looking girl, who he initially mistakes for a child.

And that's a theme of the book. I don't ever get the impression that Em is ugly. But she's not a classic beauty or glamorous looking. Her own view of herself is skewed. Town after town with the orphan train, being overlooked by all the prospective families until most of the other children have been claimed, left her feeling unwanted and self-conscious about herself. As she and Caleb develop a strong friendship, she's grateful for that, but she assumes he won't ever want more than friendship with her. Especially compared to girls like Eliza.
While his pa talked, Caleb envisioned Em's freckled face. “Beauty is something we get to define. We may not see it right away, but when we do, we have trouble even remembering the other definition. We wonder how we were ever so misled. All we can see is the one person who defines it for us.”

That's just a tiny example of the beautiful writing. 

I loved watching Em grow and become more self-confident, falteringly but with self-determination. I loved Em's interactions with the Howells' younger daughters, seven-year old twins. I even enjoyed her interactions with Eliza, the only Howell not to welcome her with open arms, but who instead was snobbish and at times downright rude to Em. In fact, in the middle of one of those passages I wondered if there would be more Azure Springs books, as Eliza seemed like the perfect person to get her own story and have her character redeemed by love. Or even Margaret, a widow who owns a boarding house in town and gives Em her first paid job, and becomes a dear friend while imparting words of wisdom. And then I set the book down to see if the author was active on Goodreads, so I could ask her if there were going to be more Azure Springs books. She responded: “My second book is stand alone but the characters do pass through Azure Springs and we get to see lots of characters from The Hope of Azure Springs in it.” I'm already excited for that next book to come out!


When Em finally has the chance to travel to the town where she and her sister had been separated, I cried for several pages. A beautiful story, beautifully written, and emotionally satisfying. 

04 July 2018

Restoree

ANNE MCCAFFREY

Goodreads synopsis: SHE WAS A RESTOREE

KIDNAPPED  Torn from Earth by a bizarre and nameless black force, Sara had no idea where she was or why she was in a beautiful new body...

ENSLAVED  Controlled by brutal guards and tamed by terror, she could not comprehend her role as a nurse for a man who appeared to be an idiot...

AWAKENED  But once she discovered that the plane she had been brought to was Lothar and that the man she was caring for was its Regent, Sara knew they had to escape -- and fast.

And when they did, they became fugitives on a world of multiple evils -- bound together on a daring adventure that would either join them for all time...or separate them forever!

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, Del Rey Books, 1982.

How acquired: Book Mooch.

First line: The only warning of danger I had was a disgusting wave of dead sea-creature stench.

My thoughts: When I was young, late teens/early twenties I think, I devoured all of Anne McCaffrey's Pern books, but I never read any of her other books. About ten years ago I did read one of her non-science fiction/fantasy books, THE LADY, which I enjoyed. But after starting a reread of the Pern books, I decided I wanted to branch out and began collecting everything of hers I could find. RESTOREE was her first published novel, so it seemed like the perfect place to start.

The writing put me in mind of Mary Stewart, though I haven't read anything by Stewart in several years. Sara is walking in Central Park one minute, then the next minute she is nursemaid to a nearly catatonic man on a different planet, with her memories of the events in between hazy. For the first part of the book I was completely captivated as Sara becomes more aware of her surroundings and the man she is caring for, and then as she and Harlan escape from a sanitarium and travel to (relative) safety. After that, some of the fascination wore off as Sara found herself involved in the politics surrounding Harlan. But towards the end it picked up again, and overall I really enjoyed it.


I'm on a quest now to read all of Ms. McCaffrey's other books, preferably in publication order, which should probably take me about ten years or so! 

17 June 2018

Finding Our Forever (Silver Springs, Book 1)


WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS INFORMATION THAT SOME MAY CONSIDER SPOILERS.

BRENDA NOVAK

Goodreads synopsis: The search for her birth mother brought Cora Kelly to the New Horizons Boys' Ranch. Getting a job there was easy enough, but confiding in the ranch's owner that she's really her daughter? That task is daunting. Especially with Elijah Turner watching her every move.

Elijah can't deny his deep attraction to Cora. But there's something about the ranch's newest employee that has him questioning her motives. If she's there to hurt his family, there'll be hell to pay. Yet, if the feelings the lovely teacher awakes in his guarded heart are any indication, Cora's appearance might be just what they were all waiting for.

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, Harlequin Special Edition, 2017.


First line: Cora Kelly had never met her birth mother.

My thoughts: I work in the adoption field, and I'm always a little leery of reading a book that has an adoption storyline. I can't enjoy the book if adoption is sensationalized or portrayed negatively. But while I've never read this author before, I see her name and hear about her a lot (and a quick perusal of my book collection shows I have six more of her books waiting to be read), so in I went. And I'm really glad I did, because I really liked it.

Cora has applied for and acquired a job at New Horizons Boys Ranch specifically to meet her birth mother, who owns the ranch. It was a closed adoption, so Aiyana wouldn't recognize her name, and Cora doesn't tell her or anyone else who she really is. She's had a good life, she loves her adoptive parents, but there's always been something missing, not knowing her heritage and where she comes from. Throughout the book she struggles with it, with getting close to Aiyana, and Aiyana's adopted son, Eli. Struggles with hiding the truth from them, with whether or not to come clean, or to just leave when her year's contract is up. Constantly wondering and questioning why Aiyana has adopted eight kids, but didn't want her.

Eli is an unexpected complication. Unlike Cora, he was not placed for adoption at birth. He was taken from his abusive and neglectful mother at the age of ten (if I remember correctly). So he's come from a completely different place than Cora, and isn't quite as well adjusted as she is. He loves Aiyana and his adopted brothers, he loves helping run the ranch and making a difference in the lives of the boys there, but other than that he's emotionally closed off. Until he meets Cora, and she gets into his head and under his skin.

The building romance between Cora and Eli was sweet, and I especially loved how supportive and accepting he was when he finally learned Cora's, and Aiyana's, secret. There's a wonderful and touching scene when Cora's adoptive parents learn she has found her birth mother, and Cora drops everything to run home and reassure them that she loves them and that her search for Aiyana is no reflection on them. And when Cora finally learns why Aiyana placed her for adoption, it was a sad story, but an understandable, believable, and worthy story, just like the stories of the hundreds of birth mothers the agency I work for has encountered over the years.


Well done, and beautifully written. Plus a gorgeous cover! And now I'm off to hunt down the rest of the Silver Springs series. 

13 June 2018

Sport (Harriet the Spy, Book 3)


Goodreads synopsis: Eleven-year-old Sport Rocque is living a happy life, keeping his father's absent-mindedness under control, and managing the family budget. When Kate, Sport's new -- and nice -- stepmother enters the picture, things couldn't be better. Then comes the news: Sport's wealthy grandfather has just died and Sport is a multimillionaire.But millions of dollars equals millions of problems, as Sport soon discovers when his mother returns and kidnaps him to double her share of the inheritance! Life at the Plaza Hotel is no fun when you're a prisoner. Will Sport manage to escape and return his life to normal?

Stats for my copy: Paperback, Dell Yearling, 1979.

How acquired: Via Book Mooch.

First lines: “Don't you understand that I was once fifteen years old! That I looked at my mother the same way you're looking at me? That I see the hatred in your eyes and the despair and the love and all of it?”

I'm eleven,” said Sport.

My thoughts: Those opening lines set the tone of the relationship between Sport and his mother. And how many times will you see the word “goddamned” in a children's book? That took me by surprise, especially coming out of a mother's mouth to her little boy. Throughout the entire book, Sport's father very honestly talks to his son or around his son about what a horrible mother his ex-wife is, and how she lives out of the country so she doesn't have to exercise her parental rights. It was actually quite refreshing!

I think I may have liked this book the best of the three “Harriet the Spy” books. Although Harriet doesn't even make an appearance until page 110. But that was fine with me.

The book also matter of factly addresses racism, with a police officer calling Sport's friend, Harry, the N-word, and referring to Harry and another friend as “Ellis Island”.

There are lots of humorous scenes, especially some of the scenes with Sport's father's new girlfriend, which made me laugh out loud. But the best part about her was the way she quickly took to Sport and lavished him with the unconditional love he'd never gotten from his mother.


This is just a wonderful little gem of a book.  

07 June 2018

The Long Secret (Harriet the Spy, Book 2)


Goodreads synopsis: Who's been writing those strange notes popping up all over town? Notes like, "How sharper than a serpent's tooth is a rotten parent" or "You need more pull to get a rich man into Heaven than to get a camel through the eye of a needle"

Harriet the Spy is going to catch the mysterious note leaver if it takes her all summer! It sounds like someone religious, she reasons, like The Preacher, or his fanatical sidekick, Jessie Mae, who brings her Bible to the beach. Harriet's friend Beth Ellen is no help at all--her mother has just returned from seven years in Europe and is driving Beth Ellen crazy. But Harriet's doing fine on her own. And the secret she finally uncovers is going to surprise everyone

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, HarperTrophy, 1965.

How acquired: Via Book Mooch.

First line: The notes were appearing everywhere.

My thoughts: I read and loved HARRIET THE SPY when I was a kid, and upon reading it again as an adult not too long ago I still very much enjoyed it. But I don't remember reading this book, or the next book, SPORT, when I was younger.

In this book, it's summer and Harriet and her mother are staying at the beach, while her father comes out on the weekends. Janie was Harriet's best friend in the first book, but Harriet muses at one point about how during the summers at the beach Beth Ellen is her best friend. Beth Ellen is very quiet and demure, and she sometimes seems weary of Harriet's company, yet at other times she welcomes Harriet's brash enthusiasm.

The book starts out with Harriet still spying on people, while Beth Ellen follows along in her wake, and determined to figure out who is leaving mysterious notes all around town, notes that are vaguely insulting to the person who receives them. But somewhere along the way the focus shifts to Beth Ellen, and ultimately this was more her book than Harriet's. Beth Ellen lives with her grandmother. One day her grandmother excitedly informs her that her mother, Zeeney, is coming home. Beth Ellen doesn't know her flighty mother, and is very apprehensive about meeting her. And rightly so. Zeeney is a flat out bitch who cares about nothing other than having money, having expensive stuff, and running around partying and being seen.

I loved the friendship between Harriet and Beth Ellen, and watching as both girls learn a bit about themselves and each other. This was a quite enjoyable little story.
I was born in October,” said Harriet as though October were the only really satisfactory month to be born in.


Me too, Harriet, me too!