All posts by skyebjenner

Violet in Bloom by Julia Quinn

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover the bridgertons

Title: Violet in Bloom
Author: Julia Quinn
Series: Bridgertons #8.75
In: The Bridgertons (Julia Quinn)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Historical romance, Regency romance
Dates read: 27th March 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Avon
Year: 20
5th sentence, 74th page: “Oh, it’s a surprise,” Edmund said, grinning wolfishly at her from across the carriage.

Synopsis

All of the Bridgertons have found their happily ever afters. But what about the matriarch? Violet? What about her story? Does she find her happily ever after too?

Thoughts

Through the whole series of The Bridgertons, one character continuously shows up and takes centre stage. So I was deliriously excited to read a novella that is all about her… the mother, the caretaker and, quite possibly, the most meddlesome character of all the Bridgertons. It certainly wasn’t the kind of story that I was expecting, but it really was a sweet way to completely round out the series. Now the books are all back on my shelves and I look forward to reading them all in the future!

I was expecting this novella to be about Violet and Edmund – their romance and their courtship. And whilst this did make up a decent portion of this story, it really wasn’t the centre of it. In fact, this story was about Violet’s life. The entirety of her life, both before and after Edmund. It wasn’t quite what I wanted. But it was definitely what I needed.

It makes a certain kind of sense that this story isn’t just about Edmund and Violet. After all, most of her life actually ends up centring around her children. Which means that most of this story still focuses on them, her grandchildren, her great-grandchildren and her happiness.  It kind of makes you want to have your own gaggle of unruly children…

<- On the Way to the Wedding – The Second EpilogueThe Bridgertons ->

Image source: HarperCollins Australia

Forever by Tim Lebbon

Book Review,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of dark magic book cover

Title: Forever
Author: Tim Lebbon
In: The Mammoth Book of Dark Magic (Mike Ashley)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy
Dates read: 25th March 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2004
5th sentence, 74th page: She swung him southward and jerked him back, blood from his fingers spattering a line across the glacier.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Nox just wants to escape. To find a freedom and a better life than the slavery in which he’s found himself. But that might not quite be possible… and it may take a miracle to get him out of forever.

Thoughts

There was something quite heartbreaking about this short story. At first it doesn’t seem so. But at the end? Wow. Talk about tearing someone down and systematically destroying them. Letting them hope, just so that when they find out there is nothing to hope for… it’s all the more bitter and devastating. This tale seriously punched me in the heart.

Normally I love stories that have this sense of hope in the darkest of moments. Especially when that hope is about breaking free of slavery and killing. But, sadly, there are hints throughout that his hope is seriously misplaced. Particularly when the little spies keep on finding their way out of the woodworks to report on his hopes and dreams.

I honestly don’t have enough words for how intense and intriguing this story is. How heartbreaking the ending is. There is something about this story that manages to not only draw you in, but also that helps to make you experience a whole slew of emotions. Just like good writing should.

<- In the Realm of DragonsThe Wizard of Ashes and Rain ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

Ogre by Michael Kandel

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for black thorn white rose book cover

Title: Ogre
Author: Michael Kandel
In: Black Thorn, White Rose (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Fae, Fantasy
Dates read: 25th March 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Prime Books
Year: 1994
5th sentence, 74th page: At least he had no problem carrying.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

All he wants is to put on an amazing play. But, with a series of blunders, an inept crew and a few others out to get him… things aren’t quite going as planned.

Thoughts

You know that a story is going to be kind of funny and really interesting when it starts out with someone telling another character to stop eating human flesh. Because it gives him bad breath. And that he can’t have that when acting. It’s a pretty interesting and funny start to a story. One that I was giggling about from the very beginning of this very short story.

I’ve never really had an inclination to do any form of acting. Just not my thing I suppose. But I do love the fodder that it provides for story telling. And the fact that this was shifted to include what I can only assume is a paranormal / fae cast (one of which I hope is an ogre) just made it all the more fun. And incredibly funny.

This is a seriously short story (only about 5 or 6 pages). But it’s just enough to make me enjoy Kandel’s writing and wonder at what else he has written. That, and just enjoy the journey that I got to go on with this writing in the first place. It is enjoyable, fun and totally unique. Definitely a short story that I won’t mind reading again.

<- Near-BeautyCan’t Catch Me ->

Image source: Goodreads

The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk edited by Sean Wallace

Book Review, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of dieselpunk book cover

Title: The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk
Author: Sean Wallace, Jay Lake, Shannon Page, Carrie Vaughn, Anatoly Belilovsky, E. Catherine Tobler, Jeremiah Tolbert, Brian Trent, Rachel Nussbaum, Trent Hergenrader, Gwynne Garfinkle, Genevieve Valentine, Joseph Ng, A.C. Wise, Kim Lakin-Smith, Nick Mamatas, Costi Gurgu, Tony Pi, Cirilo S. Lemos, Erin M. Hartshorn, Dan Rabarts, Mark Robert Philips, Catherine Schaff-Stump & Laurie Tom
Series: Mammoth Books
In: The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk (Sean Wallace)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dieselpunk, Science fiction, Short story collections
Dates read: 18th March 2019 – 25th March 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: The gremlins will be inside everything given long enough and they just want out.

Synopsis

21 tales of anarchic diesel mayhem. 88 From multiple Hugo Award-winning editor Sean Wallace, a new, cutting-edge anthology of twenty-one vibrant stories that explore the possibilities of history, while sweeping readers into high-powered, hydrocarbon-fuelled adventures that merge elements of noir, pulp, and the past with the technology of today… and sometimes a dash of the occult.

Journey into an era when engines were huge, fuel was plentiful and cheap, and steel and chrome overlaid the grit and grease of powerful machines!

Includes stories by Erin Hartshorn, Trent Hergenrader, Tony Pi, Catherine Schaff-Stump, E. Catherine Tobler, Jeremiah Tolbert, Laurie Tom, Genevieve Valentine, A. C. Wise and many more.

Thoughts

I’ve recently started to thoroughly enjoy steampunk. But this was my first excursion into Dieselpunk. And what an excellent introduction this proved to be! I was enthralled, mystified and totally sunk into some of the stories in this collection. And although it might not be my favourite collection of short stories… it certainly ranks up there.

I found this collection a lot darker than steampunk collections. There is just something about Dieselpunk that is a little more critical, and a little less optimistic than steampunk. Or at least, that’s how I’m finding it. Not that that was a bad thing, but this was certainly a darker collection than the steampunk collections and novels that have been filling my shelves lately.

As much as I loved these short stories, I did take a long time to read this collection. Mostly because I had to be in a pretty specific mindset to actually read them. There is something a little less approachable and more intense about this genre that I both loved and also found a little hard to factor into my daily reading schedules.

<- The Mammoth Book of Dickensian WhodunnitsRolling Steel: A Pre-Apocalyptic Love Story ->

Image source: Running Press

On the Way to the Wedding – The Second Epilogue By Julia Quinn

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover the bridgertons

Title: On the Way to the Wedding: The Second Epilogue
Author: Julia Quinn
Series: Bridgertons #8.5
In: The Bridgertons (Julia Quinn)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Historical romance, Regency romance
Dates read: 25th March 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Avon
Year: 2006
5th sentence, 74th page: “It’s a happy accident, I assure you,” Gregory said.

Synopsis

Gregory and Lucy found their happily ever after. But, with a gaggle of children, how do they figure out what to name each of the children? As always, things aren’t quite as simple as they seem.

Thoughts

I like that of all the Bridgerton siblings, it is the last one that seriously wants a whole slew of children. The last sibling who decides to do the same as his mother and have eight children. Which you find out at the end of On the Way to the Wedding. What I didn’t know I needed until this Second Epilogue was to find out what they named each of their children. Actually, just coming up with those names seems kind of ridiculous.

Gregory and Lucy weren’t necessarily my favourite couple in this series, their Second Epilogue was definitely the most potentially tragic. Where the other seven are filled with happiness, wit and humour, this story definitely didn’t have that. Actually, if it wasn’t for the fact that I’m getting so used to Quinn’s happily ever afters, I would have expected this to end so much worse than it did. I was genuinely scared. But, spoiler alert, it doesn’t all end badly.

As the final Second Epilogue of the series, I was kind of pleased that this didn’t necessarily have a happy note to it. My only real complaint about romances is that when you find your one and only, things don’t always go as planned. So finishing out a series in which all the lives are damn near perfect with the potential to tear everything apart… that kind of worked brilliantly.

<- On the Way to the WeddingViolet in Bloom ->

Image source: HarperCollins Australia

On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn

Book Review, , ,
Overview
On the Way to the Wedding | Julia Quinn

Title: On the Way to the Wedding
Author: Julia Quinn
Series: The Bridgertons #8
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Historical romance, Regency romance
Dates read: 24th – 25th March 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Avon
Year: 2006
5th sentence, 74th page: “Would you?” she whispered.

Synopsis

A funny thing happened…

Unlike most men of his acquaintance, Gregory Bridgerton believes in true love. And he is convinced that when he finds the woman of his dreams, he will know in an instant that she is the one. And that is exactly what happened. Except…

She wasn’t the one. In fact, the ravishing Miss Hermione Watson is in love with another. But her best friend, the ever-practical Lady Lucinda Abernathy, wants to save Hermione from a disastrous alliance, so she offers to help Gregory win her over. But in the process, Lucy falls in love. With Gregory! Except…

Lucy is engaged. And her uncle is not inclined to let her back out of the betrothal, even once Gregory comes to his senses and realizes that it is Lucy, with her sharp wit and sunny smile, who makes his heart sing. And now, on the way to the wedding, Gregory must risk everything to ensure that when it comes time to kiss the bride, he is the only man standing at the altar…

Thoughts

This is a nice ending to the stories of the Bridgertons. Gregory is the last of the eight siblings to get married and, because Quinn is a wonderful writer… it can’t be simple, it can’t be easy and it has to be something a little unexpected. But, still sweet and still with that great dose of humour that has you laughing out loud throughout. Maybe not my favourite Bridgertons story, but still one of my favourite series and a great book.

The idea of love at first sight is great, it’s sweet and it’s kind of endearing. But, one thing that I liked about this was that Gregory was so damn wrapped up in the idea of true love at first sight that he kind of acted like a moron. Yes, for some it hits you like a freight train, for others it’s a more gradual falling. Which, eventually he discovers. But I loved that this kind of acted as a reminder that sometimes it’s not all angels singing… but in that, love can be so much more.

One thing that I’ve never quite understood is why women aren’t supposed to love food. Throughout this story, it is Lucy that is mostly food driven and loves to talk about the meals which are laid out in front of her. It’s a great little side of comical relief to the more serious moments, but it also highlights that we women can also be ridiculously food driven. Or at least, I know that I can be. I would quite happily stand in a room and have a conversation about sandwiches for any length of time… Lucy therefore was a little more “real” to me than her best friend (and the original focus of Gregory’s affections). After all, she’s a little outspoken, kind of awkward and in love with her food. What wouldn’t I love about such a character?

Although there are a few appearances of the Bridgerton siblings throughout this story, my favourite reappearance has got to be Hyacinth. I wasn’t necessarily nuts about her in her own book, but when she’s badgering her siblings… yeah, she’s my favourite. Especially her actions later in the book as she tries to help her beloved older brother. All in all, this is a fantastic book that I just inhaled. It’s not one that I’m likely to forget anytime soon, much like the rest of the books in this fun and cute little series.

<- It’s In His Kiss – The Second EpilogueOn the Way to the Wedding – The Second Epilogue ->

Image source: Julia Quinn

Tastings by Neil Gaiman

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for sirens and other daemon lovers book cover

Title: Tastings
Author: Neil Gaiman
In: Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) & Smoke and Mirrors (Neil Gaiman)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Fantasy, Lust, Twisted romance
Dates read: 25th March 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: EOS
Year: 1998
5th sentence, 74th page: You’re very beautiful.

Synopsis

A male escort and a famous woman are spending one evening together. But what they want from each other is a little more than anticipated.

Thoughts

Any story that starts off talking about an escort and a famous woman is going to be a little interesting… especially when it’s in a collection such as Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers. Then you just know that there is going to be FAR more to this story that initially assumed… after all, it’s a collection about lust and romance in the shadier sides of the supernatural world.

As soon as I saw that this was a Neil Gaiman short story, I got quite excited. There is just something about his writing that I absolutely adore and it draws me in immediately. I didn’t expect the way that this story would go at all though. To start with a male escort who has the powers of mind reading and then switch that to the woman who then completely turns the tables on him… it was a very different approach. And one that I just completely lapped up. I was actually incredibly disappointed when it was all over. I wanted to keep reading about this incredibly weird sexual couple.

The use of a succubus was kind of expected for the collection that I read this in. But the double use of this power and the different ways in which it was manifested was something of a surprise. It was also intriguing when I’m fairly certain that one of the couple was killed at the end… it’s not outright stated. But that’s how I like to imagine the ending of this story.

<- A Wife of Acorn, Leaf, and RainThe Sweet of Bitter Bark and Burning Clove ->

Image source: Goodreads

The Totals by Adam-Troy Castro

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the monstrous ellen datlow book cover

Title: The Totals
Author: Adam-Troy Castro
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Horror
Dates read: 25th March 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: It seems strange but right for the door on the other side of the vestibule, leading to the diner interior, to be scaled to his dimensions: a novelty, he’s always possessed an awkward shape and monstrous bulk that makes breaking down doors somewhat more natural than opening them.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Clutch knows he has killed recently. But he can’t remember who. He can’t remember why. Walking by chance into an inn that feels like home might provide the answers… or just oblivion.

Thoughts

The start of this story is seriously creepy and horrific. It starts with Clutch knowing that he has killed someone recently. That he always knows this. He just doesn’t know who or why. He does know how… he literally “clutches” them to death. And then he walks into a dinner and you think that things are just going to get worse. It’s a spinetingling way to start a story. And the imagery of the blood still lingering on his clothes… just seems to make it all that much worse.

There are so many ideas about the things that go bump in the night. Although, there are always a few common, recognisable aspects among these. This story found unique ways to create new horrors, but also provided the reader with some of the classics that you immediately recognise. It’s a great mix of the traditional and the new. And spouting the things that go bump in the night as members of a corporation who just want to climb the ladder… well, it kind of mixes two things that are kind of scary.

Although this is a great little horror short story, it’s also a little amusing. In that satirical way. That way that makes you sit back afterwards and go “huh”. That was good, that made some great comments on the way that the world works. And yes, things aren’t ever equal. Regardless of how much we may want them to be.

<- The Last, Clean, Bright SummerThe Chill Clutch of the Unseen ->

Image source: Amazon

The Wings The Lungs, The Engine the Heart by Laurie Tom

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of dieselpunk book cover

Title: The Wings The Lungs, The Engine The Heart
Author: Laurie Tom
In: The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk (Sean Wallace)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dieselpunk, Science fiction
Dates read: 25th March 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: Instead Karl and a handful of others were dispatched like jackals along the Western Front, each with a godforsaken contraption to use when a suitable candidate was found.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

They’ve created a brand new way to keep people alive – a Heart in a Box. But when it’s attached to a pilot who was shot down, serious moral, social and ethical questions begin to come to light.

Thoughts

At the start of this story I was a bit “eh” about it. There didn’t seem to be much that seriously was going to draw me in. And I mostly cringed at the whole idea – a heart in a box that could bring the dead back to life. And they chose someone whose heart had been impacted by a bullet… it was a set up for something of a tragedy that I was waiting to find cringe-worthy. It didn’t end up going this way. But at the beginning I did have some reservations.

Yet, after that initial feeling of reservation, I actually found that I really, really enjoyed this short story. The pilot fought to keep his job, yet didn’t really understand the politics. Actually, the whole discussion surrounding politics, PR and the media was kind of fascinating. And probably the most realistic part of this whole collection.

This is a great short story, and a great way to round out The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk. I loved this ending. It was not quite what was expected. There was a bit of a feeling of a conspiracy and it all ended on a very open note. But it worked perfectly.

<- Mountains of GreenThe Mammoth Book of Dracula ->

Image source: Running Press

Mum’s the Word by Kate Collins

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Mum's the Word (A Flower Shop Mystery, #1) by Kate Collins

Title: Mum’s the Word
Author: Kate Collins
Series: A Flower Shop Mystery #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Cozy mystery, Mystery
Dates read: 1st – 24th March 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Signet Mystery
Year: 2004
5th sentence, 74th page: It’s not safe.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

I don’t meddle, honest! But can I help it if my nose for injustice is as keen as my green thumb? Now I, Abby Knight, law school dropout, am the proud new owner of Bloomers, my hometown flower shop. Im devoted to making my business grow, but I’m no shrinking violent if someone needs my help to right a wrong – even if that person is already dead…

A THORNY PREDICAMENT

So maybe Abby’s life isn’t the bed of roses she was hoping it would be. She adores her job, but a new low-cost competitor is killing her profits – and a black SUV just rammed her vintage Corvette in a hit-and-run. Determined to track down the driver, she accepts the help of unky ex-cop Marco Salvare. But their budding relationship is threatened when the trail turns deadly. Now Abby is caught in a tangle of menacing phone calls, police corruption, and murderous road rage. If she’s not careful, the next flower arrangement might be for her own funeral…

Thoughts

This is the second Cozy Mystery series I’ve had the pleasure of reading. And I only bought it because I needed a book with a florist in it for a reading challenge (and then I didn’t get to read it in time. But anyhow…). Having said that. This was fun. This was light. A little lighter than the Vintage Magic Mystery series that got me into the genre. But still a great venture into mystery without all of the scariness of the other crime novels on my shelves.

I read this at a time that the world was going nuts and I am getting close to finishing my degree, and just in general wondering what was going to happen in the future. So, reading about Abby Knight leaving her law degree to own her own florist shop was kind of nice. It was a great reminder that you should do what makes you happy, not what you believe others believe you should do. I actually greatly admired her throughout this whole story and found her plight something that I probably need to remind myself of in the coming years – it’s okay to find what makes you happy, not what makes you rich.

Abby is one of those characters that can seem to help but meddle. In some, I tend to find this a wee bit tiring. After all, if I had somebody in my life that meddled that much… they would be quickly out of my life. However, she does it in such an endearing, smack yourself in the head kind of way that I didn’t find it too horrifying. After all, she’s a character in a book, and when I was finding her meddling a little too intense… I could close the book and move onto another one. This isn’t a heart-stopping, fast-action, fast-paced book. But it is an enjoyable one. Actually, it was quite nice to have this in my reading pile for a little while – it meant that I had a book that I could pick up and put down. Without being impossibly hooked into what I was reading. It’s the kind of book that is thoroughly enjoyable, but you don’t constantly need to see what is going to happen next. Just enough of an adventure to what the rest of the books, and give me that warm, happy feeling when I turned the final page.

 <- Tulips Too Late ReviewSlay It With Flowers Review ->

Image source: Goodreads