The Sunday Post AKA What’s On My (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 2-23-14

Posted on February 23, 2014February 22, 2014 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Blog Hops> Giveaways> Leap into Books Giveaway Hop> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

This was a terrific week! So many of the books I reviewed weren’t merely good, they were even better than I hoped. I love it when that happens.

The only downside is that I have to wait for the next book in the series. The minute I finish something good, I want to dive into the next book to see what happens next. The Obsidian Heart and Two Serpents Rise were particularly good at giving me “book hangovers”. Their worlds were so fascinating, that I didn’t want to leave.

Current Giveaways:

$50 Amazon Gift Card and 10 copies of Sky’s End by Lesley Young from, of course, Lesley Young

Blog Recap:

B Review: Sky’s End by Lesley Young
Guest Post by Lesley Young on the First Person + Giveaway
A+ Review: Blade to the Keep by Lauren Dane
A Review: The Obsidian Heart by Mark T. Barnes
A Review: Two Serpents Rise by Max Gladstone
A Review: All for You by Jessica Scott
Stacking the Shelves (77)

Coming Next Week:

Lovely, Dark, and Deep by Susannah Sandlin (blog tour review)
Death Defying by Nina Croft (blog tour review)
Cider Brook by Carla Neggers (blog tour review)
Third Daughter by Susan Kaye Quinn (blog tour review)
Leap Into Books Giveaway Hop

Guest Post by Lesley Young on the First Person + Giveaway

Posted on February 17, 2014February 16, 2014 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | blog tours> Giveaways> Guest Posts

Today’s guest is Lesley Young, the author of the fascinating science fiction/space opera romance Sky’s End (see today’s review). In her guest post, she goes into the reasons why she wrote Sky’s End as first-person from her heroine’s point-of-view.

Since that first-person perspective was a big part of what made this story work for me, I enjoyed this glimpse into her writer’s process of what made it work.

The First-Person Perspective
by Lesley Young

Three reasons why first-person was the right— albeit selfish perspective—for Sky’s End;

Not for one moment did I even consider writing Sky’s End: Book One in the Cassiel Winters Series in third-person perspective. This story, which chronicles the journey of a young woman in earth’s fledging space military, demanded fast-paced, urgent and visceral telling. Wheedling a third-person narrator between Cassiel Winters and the reader would have dragged down the experience for readers. . . and for me!

As the author, I wanted to get in Cassiel’s head, react in each moment as she would, and yes, admittedly, live vicariously through her. Here are three more reasons why first-person worked so well for this story (which is also in written in present tense).

*Connection. Readers get “inside” Cassiel’s head from the moment they begin reading. They get to know her intimately, and she confides openly with them. You can’t beat this kind of connection. It’s why so many reviewers are in love with her and rooting for her, yet also want to smack once or twice (she’s stubborn!).

*Believability. The story is set in the future. By writing it in Cassiel’s voice, readers get the sense of a direct account. There’s an authority there that I felt was especially important to establish because she’s a female protagonist in space. I also wanted to engage readers who wouldn’t normally science fiction and felt that Cassiel’s first-person voice would help handhold them through the new world-building they’d experience.

*Character development. First-person voice allows for character development opportunities you just can’t get with third-person, like showcasing Cassiel’s unique sense of humor, or her philosophy toward the universe, or what she really thinks of the alien’s who are chasing after her. In first-person, readers spend the whole book listening to Cassiel’s voice, ‘hearing’ her diction, and thus remembering her like they might a close friend. And that was my end goal: I wanted to create a memorable character who impacted readers’ lives.

I’d love to hear who your favorite kick-ass female characters are! Thanks for the opportunity.

About Lesley:
Journalist Lesley Young never thought she would delve into the world of writing fiction, but when she sat down for the first time to put pen to paper, ideas for what would become her first novel just poured out naturally. Young’s first book, “Sky’s End,” is a multi-genre tale that showcases her unique style of weaving romance, action and wit into one page-burning story.Young was born in Edmonton, Alberta in Canada. She holds an arts degree from the University of Alberta and a journalism degree from the University of Victoria.Young now lives in Loretto, Ontario where she works as a journalist, freelance writer and editor for health, décor and business magazines. Since 2008, Young has written more than 300 articles for print and online media including Profit, Toronto Life, MSN Green, and Elle Canada among others. She is a regular contributor to Reader’s Digest, Best Health, Canadian Living and House and Home Magazine.Young has won three gold honors for feature stories from the National Business Magazine Awards and another top media award from the Canadian Dermatology Association.

Soul Mate Publishing released “Sky’s End” on July 15 in paperback and e-book and since its launch, it has remained an Amazon Best Seller. The novel is Young’s first installment in a series about Cassiel Winters, a futuristic heroine, and her outer space escapades.

LesleyYoungBooks.com
Facebook.com/CassielWintersSeries
@LesleyYoungBks
Sky’s End is available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Skys-Cassiel-Winters-Lesley-Young-ebook/dp/B00DXV8G9K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391376009&sr=8-1&keywords=sky%27s+end

TOURWIDE GIVEAWAY

Lesley will be awarding print copies of Sky’s End to ten randomly drawn winners, and a grand prize of one $50 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner during the tour.
To enter the giveaway, just fill out the Rafflecopter below. For more chances to win, be sure to visit other stops on her tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Sky’s End by Lesley Young

Posted on February 17, 2014February 16, 2014 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | B Reviews> blog tours> book reviews

Format read: ebook provided by the author
Formats available: paperback, ebook
Genre: science fiction romance
Series: Cassiel Winters #1
Length: 430 pages
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
Date Released: June 15, 2013
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

A secret she must never share. A secret that two warring species are determined to control. A universe’s future at stake. Twenty-year-old Cassiel Winters joins Earth’s new space academy in hopes of finding her brother, one of Command’s top pilots and her only family, who’s been reported MIA. But she quickly realizes she may not be cut out for life in space, where female cadets are outnumbered, competition’s fierce, and she’s already failed her hand-to-hand combat test once. Even the station’s most respected officer, Lt. Damian King, probably can’t help Cassiel pass the second time around-so why is he so interested in her progress? If only one of her freaky deja vu visions would offer an answer instead of mysterious messages like hide. When Cassiel’s manipulated into a perilous mission, she encounters a warrior species bred to protect the universe from an even greater threat. And she learns that her secret visions are at the heart of it all. Now Cassiel must fight to control her own destiny and race to save her brother-even if it means pretending to be the pawn of Prime Or’ic, the cold-as-steel Thell’eon leader. Even if it means risking her life, facing hard truths, and making the ultimate sacrifice.

My Review:

I have to say that Cassiel’s first person point-of-view really sold the story for me. First person is hard to do well, but in this case, being in her head and experiencing her confusion about the world and her naivete is what made the story work. Even when I knew that I should roll my eyes, seeing things through Cassiel’s eyes worked. Her lack of experience with the world and it’s betrayals made the otherwise incredible story make sense.

What am I talking about? Sky’s End is science fiction of the space opera school, and it’s also very definitely science fiction romance. And it’s the story of a very young woman who has an unfortunate tendency to leap before she looks, even though she can often see the results of the leap before she takes it.

Cassiel has a secret–sometimes she experiences the future just a few seconds or few hours before it happens. Then she changes it. She thinks of it as an extreme form of deja vu, but she’s also aware that most people will think she’s crazy.

In her future world, Earth, under the auspices of ESE (Earth Space Exploration) is engaged in a long-running interstellar war with the Thell’eons. Her brother Daz is missing in action, after leaving for a mission that no one is willing to admit he’s on. But then, he is in ESE’s equivalent of the spook squad.

So Cassie joins the ESE Academy to make sure that she can hunt her brother down personally, since the ESE doesn’t seem willing to admit he’s lost.

And that’s where the story really begins. Because after Cassie fails her end-of-year exams, she’s given an unprecedented second chance, which is also rigged for failure. And finally, the ESE has her where they really want her; willing to do anything to stay in the ESE. Including let herself be captured by the Thell’eons.

Who seem to have made it part of their ongoing mission to capture human females, supposedly because Thell’eon females don’t enjoy sex, and human women do.

Of course, their society is way more complicated than that. But then, the ESE is nothing like it seems, either.

Everyone wants to use Cassie for something. The Thell’eons, the ESE, and even the man who claims to want to protect her.

It’s only when Cassie finally discovers who and what she really is that she starts questioning whether she should be using them for her own ends.

If she can figure out which of the possible futures she sees is the best one–for everyone.

Escape Rating B: No one is exactly what they seem, and that’s a lesson that Cassie spends the whole book learning. By seeing things from inside her head, we’re able to understand why she doesn’t get how much she’s being used; she doesn’t have the experience yet to be as cynical as she should be. And she truly wants to believe the best of everyone.

Too many of the men who Cassie deals with tend to fall in love with her, or at least become very protective very quickly. It’s explained in the story by the reason why so few females remain cadets in the ESE, and by the way that the Thell’eon society is structured. It’s a bit of “handwavium” but it’s consistent in the story.

Also Cassie doesn’t know how valuable she is to both war efforts. At the beginning, she doesn’t even know the true nature of the war, and what her deja vu gift really is. Or how it makes her a target.

So the story is Cassie’s journey of discovery, and some of that discovery concerns her own sexuality. One man seems to love her, and one alien wants her for the war effort. She’s still in the process of figuring out whether either of them wants her for herself, but her experimentation is as emotional as it is physical.

Be prepared for an ending that leaves a lot of loose ends dangling. Cassie spends a lot of this book being a pawn for the various sides in the war, but by the end she finally realizes that she needs to decide where she belongs, and where she can do the most good.

A question which is much, much bigger at the end than she ever imagined.

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money or borrowed from a public library and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

Stacking the Shelves (76)

Posted on February 15, 2014February 15, 2014 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Stacking the Shelves

The great thing about participating in two blog hops two Saturdays in a row is the amount of traffic that they generate–I hope some of the people who tuned in for the hops are sticking around to see what else is going on!

The bad thing is that my Stacking the Shelves post really stacks up!

And of course there were some events that added to the stack! This is my first Stacking the Shelves since ALA Midwinter, and I wasn’t totally able to resist the ARCs in the Exhibit Hall.

Closer to home, representatives from Random Penguin came to my library for a Book Buzz. That’s an event where the publishers bring ARCs to the library and talk up their books. They brought some terrific books, and I also got some ARCs from NetGalley and Edelweiss based on what they said.

Last but definitely not least, there is a new book bundler on the Interwebs; Bookbale. Their current bundle (good until the end of February) is a science fiction bundle with 8 books for $10. I bought it for the Kristine Kathryn Rusch title, but several of the others look interesting as well. And the price is fantastic.

lovely dark and deep by susannah sandlin

falling for the wingman by crista mchugh

under the wide and starry sky by nancy horan

their majesties bucketeers by l neil smith

alien influences by kristine kathryn rusch

dancing with dragons by lorenda christensen

For Review:
As Hot as it Gets (Out of Uniform #10) by Elle Kennedy
Bittersweet Darkness (Order #3) by Nina Croft
Black Chalk by Christopher J. Yates
Cauldron of Ghosts (Honorverse: Wages of Sin #3) by David Weber and Eric Flint
The Clockwork Wolf (Disenchanted & Co. #2) by Lynn Viehl
Dancing with Dragons (DRACIM #2) by Lorenda Christensen
Dangerous Angel (Earth Angels #4) by Stacy Gail
Death Defying (Blood Hunter #3) by Nina Croft
Eagle’s Heart by Alyssa Cole
Falling for the Wingman (Kelly Brothers #3) by Crista McHugh
Ghost Seer (Ghost Seer #1) by Robin D. Owens
Hope Ignites (Hope #2) by Jaci Burton
Hot Rock by Annie Seaton
Lovely, Dark and Deep (Collectors #1) by Susannah Sandlin
The Martian by Andy Weir
Night Owls (Night Owls #1) by Lauren M. Roy
The Ophelia Prophecy by Sharon Lynn Fisher
Prince’s Fire (Hearts and Thrones #3) by Amy Raby
Raising Steam (Discworld #40) by Terry Pratchett
Sea of Shadows (Age of Legends #1) by Kelley Armstrong
The Time Tutor by Bee Ridgway
Waiting on You (Blue Heron #3) by Kristan Higgins
The Word Exchange by Alena Graedon

Picked up at ALA Midwinter Conference or Random/Penguin Book Buzz:
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler
An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris
Once in a Blue Moon (Hawk and Fisher #8) by Simon R. Green
The Quick by Lauren Owen
Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan
Waiting for Wednesday (Frieda Klein #3) by Nicci French
Why Kings Confess (Sebastian St. Cyr #9) by C.S. Harris
Year of the Demon (Fated Blades #2) by Steve Bein

Purchased from Bookbale:
Alien Influences by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Iterations by Robert J. Sawyer
Ivory (Birthright #14) by Mike Resnick
Lights in the Deep by Brad R. Torgersen
The Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett
Ocean by Brian Herbert and Jan Herbert
Their Majesties’ Bucketeers (North American Confederacy #3) by L. Neil Smith
Veiled Alliances (Saga of Seven Suns #0.5) by Kevin J. Anderson

Borrowed from the Library:
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Touched by an Alien (Katherine “Kitty” Kat #1) by Gini Koch

Series Shakedown: Terran Times by Viola Grace

Posted on February 13, 2014February 13, 2014 by Cass | Author : Cass | reading challenges> Series Shakedown

For thousands of years, aliens have been coming to Earth, waging war over our most precious resource: easily breed-able human women. They appear in our mythology as shapeshifters, vampires, dragons, demons, angels, fae, merfolk, and any manner of other supernatural creatures.

In the Not Too Distant Future, ~~Star Fleet~~ The Alliance will take steps to protect humanity from continued exploitation. Two thousand Terran Volunteers shall be selected to travel forth into the universe, as ambassadors for our planet, earning Earth a full-fledged induction into ~~Star Fleet~~ The Alliance. These are their stories.

Today, dear readers, we are in luck, because I just so happened to get my hands on a copy of the first draft of The Terran Volunteer Application. Do you want adventure? To travel the stars? To seek out new life and….dance? Well then look no further!

Congratulations! If you answered "yes" to most of the above, you have been selected as a Terran Volunteer! — Congratulations! If you answered “yes” to most of the above, you have been selected as a Terran Volunteer!

Viola Grace has written somewhere in the realm of 100 short stories detailing the sexcapades of the 2,000 women who completely voluntarily relinquished all their rights to an ineffective and inconsistently-written alien governing body. (Why? Because.)

These women go out into the universe fully aware that at any moment they will be ordered to reproduce, that they will have no say in their breeding partner, and no guaranteed rights to the product of the mandated union (unless it’s female, then they are shuffled off to some alien backwater to live in anonymity).

No form of reproductive choice exists. In the event an unintentional (as in, not ordered by the government) pregnancy occurs, the fetus can be transferred to the father and brought to term through other means without the mother’s knowledge or consent. Of course, such advanced technology cannot be utilized to just have the women make an egg donation and let the government match up compatible cross-breeds in the lab. What kind of crazy talk is this? The contract requires that you pass on your DNA in the most physically, psychologically, and emotionally traumatic way imaginable.

If that’s not repugnant enough for you, the volunteers are constantly subjected to genetic, surgical, psychic, and technological body modifications. These are not conducted for the benefit of the individual, but rather the convenience of their employer and/or breeding partner.

Consent? Hah! Informed consent? LOL! That’s a good one! You humans and your ridiculous conceptions of basic rights and liberties. Why would you want those when you can fly around in space ships, meet aliens, and then be raped in the spaceships by those aliens? (Character motivation? What’s that?)

Do you have a feel for the quivering spineless cookie-cutter series protagonists? The collection of women who have no fucking self-respect or brain power? (They sign the damn contract, and are stunned when it’s enforced. What the fuck did they think would happen?) These are first humans to galavant around the universe.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Viola Grace shares the Jack Harkness view of space exploration (so many species, so little time…). Which means she doesn’t bother with things like plot or world-building to compensate for her pathetic protagonists. Why plot when you can play Terran Times Sex Bingo?

To be fair, I have no proof she plays Bingo to to write her stories. It could be a dartboard. Or dice.

Notice the high probability of a story consisting of nothing but slavery, forced sex, and forced breeding? That’s because the only over-arching series-long plot is slavery and sex-trafficking. Each and every story will mention how humans are a protected species that can not be enslaved. The irony of making such statements to a person who has enslaved you, roofied you, bought sole rights to your reproductive system, is forcing you to marry him, trapped you on his planet where you have no rights, or plans to do any of this above, is apparently lost every character in the series. (It’s like poachers talking about how much trouble they’ll get into for hunting endangered species while they are selling the fur and meat.)

This is not a science fiction romance series. This is a goddamn rapeathon. A rapeathon where the women all ultimately enjoy and embrace the assault, coercion, force, or deceit.

The author appears to be doing well enough with these mini-monstrosities. She’s set herself up to write another 1,900 of them. That’s 1,900 more women (usually virgins) who have no agency, and yet will “decide” to overlook the sexual assault in favor of bright skin colors, pretty hair, and prehensile cocks.

Some of you may see the decent ratings on goodreads, short length, and think “hmm, this might be a good intro for my friend who loves romance/science fiction, but doesn’t really read science fiction/romance.” Do not make this mistake. I can assure you, there is neither science fiction, nor romance, to be found in The Terran Times/Chronicles of Terra. Just rape and mythological creatures and superheroes called aliens. For reasons.

Escape Rating: F for are you out of your fucking mind?!

*My apologies to Nalini Singh for being so harsh last year. I take it all back. I’ll upgrade you to a C, and read your next book to make it up to you.

A Look Forward: My Most Anticipated Reads for 2014

Posted on January 2, 2014December 31, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | book reviews> books> Draconismoi> ebooks

What a difference a year makes!

It was surprisingly easy to pick the books for this list. I know exactly which books I’m dying for this year. Well, the first ten, anyway. I wasn’t planning on fourteen, but Cass jumped in and rounded out the list. (Thanks, Cass!)

Then I took a look back at last year’s list, and my eyes crossed a bit. There are two repeaters. I don’t mean series where the next book in the series is on the list, although that happens too, but two books that were delayed in publication. So I’ve waited a whole year longer than originally planned. (Not that I didn’t find plenty to read instead)

And a couple of things I thought I would read as soon as they came out, I didn’t. (Best laid plans, etc., etc.)

So here’s this year’s set of newly laid plans. Let’s see how it goes. Why do I hear a “bwahahaha”, coming from somewhere in the shadows?

Skin Game by Jim Butcher is the 15th Harry Dresden book. I can’t believe the series has been going on that long. I fell in love with Harry because he started out as a hapless and frequently luckless wizard in my favorite former hometown, Chicago. But I still love his trademark snark, even as Harry has gone from being a two-bit wizard-for-hire to the Winter Knight to the Queen of Air and Darkness.

Damnation by Jean Johnson is the fourth book in her Theirs Not to Reason Why military science fiction series. I heard her read from Damnation at WorldCon in San Antonio, and I can’t believe I have to wait until August to finally get the next chapter in Ia’s story. There have been moments in this series that have sent chills down my spine. This entire series has been awesome.

The Guild, also by Jean Johnson, is the third book in her Guardians of Destiny fantasy romance series. Her military sf is kick ass, but I found her through her fantasy romance, and she’s utterly marvelous. The second book in this series, The Grove, was on my 2013 best list. She does fantasy romance where the fantasy worldbuilding is top notch and her heroines are always the absolute equals of her heroes. Her women have friends who talk to each other, and the plot of the fantasy is as important as the romantic happy ending. Her stories are always a treat!

Cast in Flame by Michelle Sagara is the tenth of the Chronicles of Elantra, and I can’t wait for Kaylin to get back to the city. She belongs there. Removing her from the city and the Courts for two books was interesting and told a lot about her friends among the Barrani, but took away from Kaylin as the center point. I want Kaylin back where she belongs!

Silver Mirrors by A.A. Aguirre is the second book in their (A.A. Aguirre is the joint pseudonym of Ann and Andres Aguirre) Apparatus Infernum series. The first book, Bronze Gods, was one of my best of 2013. The world is just such an awesome mixture of steampunk and “magic goes away”, with an urban fantasy/detective duo that is something special.

Death Defying by Nina Croft has been the biggest tease for the end of December. It’s also the third book in her Blood Hunter series. I loved the first two books (Break Out and Deadly Pursuit) in that science fiction romance series so damn much that I gave Break Out an SFR Galaxy Award. I’ve been waiting since then. Death Defying almost made it into 2013, but not quite. What is so cool about the Blood Hunter series is that Croft figured out a plausible way for vampires and werewolves to make it into space. So along with a science that has granted immortality to a privileged few, there are vampires, who are also immortal. And it makes sense.

Shield of Winter by Nalini Singh is lucky 13 in her Psy-Changeling series. I still love this series, but it’s pretty obvious that the overall arc of the worldbuilding is drawing to a conclusion. The Silence Protocol will fall, the questions revolve around what is going to take its place; order or anarchy. I think I’ve become as or more fascinated with the big story than the individual romances. And I simply can’t express how grateful I am that the cover design has improved with Heart of Obsidian and Shield. The previous US covers were simply abominable.

Lock In by John Scalzi. Honestly, I wouldn’t care what the summary said on Goodreads. It’s by Scalzi, and I’m going to get the eARC from Edelweiss as soon as it pops up. But seriously, it sounds cool, but not one of his funny ones. This looks like one of his big idea books mixing virtual-reality, epidemiology and the misuse of power. Wow!

And now for those books that I hoped to see last year, but were delayed in publication…

Written in My Own Heart’s Blood is the eighth doorstop in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. The Outlander series has been described, and it sounds about right to me, as “historical fiction with a Moebius twist”. The past and the future intertwine in a way that has to be read to be believed. Her 18th century is like you are there, and in a way you are, because you are experiencing it through the eyes of a 20th century woman who found the love of her life in 18th century Scotland. Outlander is the standard by which all other time travel historical fiction and romances are judged. I can’t wait to lose three days in the next one.

One-Eyed Jack by Elizabeth Bear is the continuation of her completely splendiferous Promethean Age series. They are portal fantasies, where Faerie exists next door to our world in a way that means events can, and do, affect both us and them, usually to the detriment of one or the other. And whoever scored last has a nasty tendency to strike back. The original cover sucked, and it went back for a better one. At least, that’s what the author said at WorldCon. (The first cover really, really does suck, we’ll have to see about the second one when it gets here. I just want the damn story)

Two books I should be anticipating but aren’t exactly…

Wicked After Midnight by Delilah S. Dawson and Rex Regis by L.E. Modesitt Jr. These two books have nothing to do with each other, except that they are both January books, and I would normally be chomping at the proverbial bit to get at them. However, I have ARCs. I’ve already read Rex Regis, and can’t recommend it, and the entire Imager Portfolio series, highly enough to anyone who loves epic fantasy.

I started Delilah S. Dawson’s Blud series after I met her at Dragon*Con in 2012. The series is steampunk with a slightly creepy twist to it, but they are darkly enchanting and I scoop up each book as soon as they are available. I know Wicked After Midnight is going to be a treat.

And now for a few words from the Alaskan delegate. Here’s Cass!

The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan! Clearly. I invented a new rating system for Book #1 Then I preordered Serpents 6 months before it’s release. I’ve NEVER preordered something so far in advance. I have no idea what edition it is (hardcover? paperback?), what the cover art looks like…nada. Doesn’t matter. Don’t care. WANT BOOK NOW.

Symbiont by Mira Grant. Argh! I have to see what is happening with the Tapeworm Uprising! And then find some anti-parasitcs to ingest, thus purging my body of our future Tapeworm Overlords.

The Discworld Collector’s Library. Holy shit these covers are gorgeous. (http://www.gollancz.co.uk/2013/10/announcing-the-discworld-collectors-library/). I’ve read the covers off several of my favorite Terry Pratchett books, and I upgrades. Particularly the Death, Cultures of Discworld, and Witches Collections. I am only interested in certain Unseen University and City Watch books.

Untitled by Connie Willis. Connie read the first chapter from an untitled (and as yet unfinished) book at WorldCon and I have no idea when it is coming or what it will be called by I am waiting. Credit card in hand. Just give me a sign Connie…..

And there you have it. A few of the books we are looking most forward to in 2014. Of course, there will be more. Lots, lots more.

Which books are you looking forward to the most in 2014?

Stacking the Shelves (71)

Posted on December 28, 2013December 28, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Stacking the Shelves

I hope that everyone had a very happy whatever they might celebrate, even if it’s just the idea that the days are getting longer again in the northern hemisphere. And OMG it’s cold, even here in Seattle.

There’s stuff in this stack that I really can’t wait to read. A new story by Mary Ann Rivers is always cause for celebration, all by itself!

Amazon has the first of the Phryne Fisher series for free this month. We’ve been watching Phryne’s mystery series in a binge (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries) and they are awesome. Independent woman sleuth in Roaring 20s Australia solving murders with her companion and the reluctant assistance of a handsome police detective. If you haven’t met Phryne, she’s a treat!

Of course, I picked up a few other things, just to have choices. I always like to have lots of books to choose from, all waiting for me on my trusty iPad.

queen of the dark things by c robert cargill

For Review:
City of Jasmine by Deanna Raybourn
The Countess Conspiracy (Brothers Sinister #3) by Courtney Milan
The Death of Lucy Kyte (Josephine Tey #5) by Nicole Upson
Gilded Hearts (Shadow Guild #1) by Christine d’Abo
Live (Burnside #1) by Mary Ann Rivers
Mistworld (Twilight of the Empire #1) by Simon R. Green
Queen of the Dark Things by C. Robert Cargill
Sky’s End (Cassiel Winters #1) by Lesley Young
A Taste Fur Murder (Whiskey, Tango & Foxtrot #1) by Dixie Lyle
Temptation by Fire by Tiffany Allee

Purchased:
Cocaine Blues (Phryne Fisher #1) by Kerry Greenwood

Borrowed from the Library:
Dirty Kiss (Cole McGinnis #1) by Rhys Ford
Sinner’s Gin (Sinners #1) by Rhys Ford

The Sunday Post AKA What’s On My (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 12-15-13

Posted on December 15, 2013December 15, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Blog Hops> Midwinter's Eve Giveaway Hop> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

The blog is my island of organization in a sea of moving chaos. This is all relative, you understand. The blog is controlled chaos, the impeding move is currently more like uncontrolled chaos.

The movers are coming to pack us on Friday. WE ARE NOT READY! <panic>

Meanwhile, this is what’s happening on the blog:

Current Giveaways:

$25 Amazon Gift Card from Nina Croft and Operation Saving Daniel
Paperback copy of Clean by Alex Hughes (US/Can only)
Paperback copy of The Seduction of Miriam Cross by W.A. Tyson (US/Can only)
Paperback copy of The Spirit Keeper by K.B. Laugheed (US/Can only)

Winner Announcements:

The winner of one title (winner’s choice from Jeanette Grey’s backlist (Take What You Want, Unacceptable Risk, A Gift Of Trust, or Letting Go) is Jo J.
The winner of The Blooding of Jack Absolute by C.C. Humphreys is Susan.

Blog Recap:

B+ Review: Operation Saving Daniel by Nina Croft
Guest Post by Author Nina Croft on the Lure of the Werewolf + Giveaway
B+ Review: Lace & Lead by M.A. Grant
A+ Review: Clean by Alex Hughes
Guest Post by Author Alex Hughes: A Discussion of the Tech Wars + Giveaway
B Review: The Seduction of Miriam Cross by W.A. Tyson + Giveaway
A- Review: The Spirit Keeper by K.B. Laugheed + Giveaway
Stacking the Shelves (70)

Coming Next Week:

Christmas in Dogtown by Suzanne Johnson (blog tour review)
Sail Away with Me by Kate Devaux (blog tour review + giveaway)
Chaos Bound by Rebekah Turner (blog tour review + guest post + giveaway)
Christmas at Copper Mountain (blog tour review + giveaway)
Cass promised a review of “something” by Meljean Brook
Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway Hop

Stacking the Shelves (70)

Posted on December 14, 2013December 14, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Stacking the Shelves

This is a very quick (and relatively short) shelf-stack this week. We’re in the middle of that whole packing and moving thing. It’s definitely a goodness that nearly all of these are ebooks!

For Review:
Ashes & Alchemy (Gaslight Chronicles #6) by Cindy Spencer Pape
Back to You (Coming Home #3) by Jessica Scott
Dirty Magic (Prospero’s War #1) by Jaye Wells
Fighting Kat (Triton Experiment #2) by PJ Schnyder
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
Happy Medium (Ramos Family #3) by Meg Benjamin

Borrowed from the Library:
After Dead (Sookie Stackhouse #13.5) by Charlaine Harris
The Naughty Corner by Jasmine Haynes

Review: Lace & Lead by M. A. Grant

Posted on December 10, 2013November 17, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | B Reviews> book reviews

Format read: ebook provided by the author
Formats available: ebook
Genre: Science Fiction Romance
Length: 102 pages
Publisher: Escape Publishing
Date Released: November 1, 2013
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo

Blue-blood Emmaline Gregson survived one of the most brutal mining accidents ever recorded in the Republic, but she’s never been in a firefight. So when unknown assailants circle the family estate, the only man she can rely on is Peirce Taggart. A former Lawman turned mercenary, Peirce has a simple job: protect Emmaline until her father can collect her and sell her to sex trafficker Richard Stone to pay off his debts. But when Arthur Gregson tries to cheat his way out of the contract, Emmaline seizes the opportunity to hire Peirce for herself, regardless of how crude, dangerous, or appealing he may be. Given the chance for redemption, he promises to help her escape both her father and Stone. But Peirce soon realises that hiding her in his apartment until the storm has passed may be more dangerous than looking down the barrel of a gun…

My Review:

My heart keeps wanting to say Firefly, although when I break the story down, it isn’t a logical reaction. Pierce Taggart sure as hell isn’t an avatar for Mal Reynolds, and Emmaline Gregson has nothing in common with Inara Serra, although it turns out she has quite an affinity for Kaylee.

But this has the feel that Firefly did, a futuristic western, even if that future is rather undefined in Lace & Lead. And Pierce Taggart is also an ex-military man, as Reynolds was. Except that Taggart’s cause wasn’t lost in the fight, only his sister.

In this future, the mostly good army is fighting against aliens who are not human and seem to think we might be dinner. I don’t know about you, but that feels like way more than a difference of opinion that can be smoothed over with a little negotiation. I like my parts attached.

I said “mostly good” because some of Taggart’s former comrades-in-arms are as susceptible to human forms of corruption as the criminally-minded in our world. Just because they fight the good fight some of the time, doesn’t mean some people are always good.

One of the reasons that Lace & Lead feels like a western is because the story starts on a very western-seeming ranch. Admittedly a ranch with some very high-tech security gadgets, but still a ranch. Also, our heroine is not just wearing a corset, but wearing gowns (gowns!) that require a corset to fit properly. Retro-fashion at its finest.

All of Emmaline Gregson’s references to her life before the story begins are to a life where women, or at least “blue-blooded women” are not supposed to have any agency. Her future was supposed to have involved a move from her father’s dubious care to her husband’s, with her being a sheltered child-woman never allowed to make any decisions for herself along the way.

The attack on the ranch that begins the story shoves her life off course and changes everything. Lucky for her, it also breaks her father’s contract with Pierce Taggart. Because Taggart is something unusual, an honorable soldier-of-fortune.

When Emmaline’s father sends a rival band of mercs to kill his crew in order to prevent them from collecting their pay, it does pretty much invalidate their contract, freeing him to take a much more honorable contract from Emmaline.

Because Emmaline wants Taggart to protect her from her disgusting father and the man he was planning to sell her to. Yes, I said sell. In order to pay off a very large debt, “dear old dad” is planning to sell his gently-reared, blue-blooded and virgin daughter to a known flesh peddler.

Attempting to stiff his hired guns by turning them into stiffs is by far the least of his sins, but it is where the story gets mighty interesting.

Taggart thinks Arthur Gregson is an arrogant prick. He thinks all blue-bloods are useless except as a source of jobs for his team. Until Emmaline.

Because while he’s busy rescuing her, she’s equally busy transforming herself from the worthless prissy bitch she never wanted to be into something else entirely.

It’s not just that she’s beautiful in dingy cargo pants as she crawls under old engines and learns to rebuild discarded military transport–it’s that she’s finally found a life that suits her right down to the ground.

If only the men chasing both of them will let her keep it. And Taggart.

Escape Rating B+: There’s a lot of story packed into a relatively short novella, and it packs a surprising amount of emotional punch.

Lace & Lead feels space western, and it hints at it effectively without a lot of detailed worldbuilding. Not that I wouldn’t have enjoyed a bit more worldbuilding. There’s a piece missing about how extremely different life is between the high and low classes. It always is different, but Emmaline’s total lack of agency to the point where she wasn’t permitted to pick her own clothing seemed beyond extreme, especially compared to Taggart’s sister’s life in the military.

The rich are always different from you and me, but on this world, how did they get this far that way?

Emmaline is an active participant in her own rescue. She may need Taggart and his men to break her out, but she was planning to find a way of escape from before the story starts. Also, the suspense subplot of why the chase continues to pursue her involves an earlier incident where Emma very much took matters into her own hands.

She’s not the shrinking violet her society expected her to be. It’s important in the story that Taggart doesn’t just fall for her, however reluctantly, but that he also provides her with a way to do meaningful work for the first time in her life. She needs that purpose as much as she turns out to need him.

Because she needs to become his equal or they don’t have a chance. Not to save their lives, and not to make a future.

*This review originally appeared in the Sci-Fi Romance Quarterly

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money or borrowed from a public library and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

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