All posts by skyebjenner

Catch Me When You Can… by M. Christian

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of jack the ripper stories book cover

Title: Catch Me When You Can…
Author: M. Christian
In: The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories (Maxim Jakubowski)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Crime, Horror
Dates read: 11th April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: Nah, not that daft piece o’ shite.

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Synopsis

Flashes of life fill out this short story as you take a journey with the victims of Jack the Ripper.

Thoughts

This was a bit of a harder tale to follow than some others. It was kind of jumpy and a little hard to follow. I’m not even 100% sure I understood what was actually going on… I think this was a tale about the five different known victims of Jack the Ripper. Their experiences and the huge gaps in our knowledge of their lives beforehand. The reasons for their murders… and if I’m right, this was actually kind of well done. Leaving me feeling quite confused and as though there is so much more information out there… which is exactly what people who are fascinated by Jack the Ripper feel (I would imagine).

The part that I liked the most about this short story was the very last line. It highlights that there are five known victims, but kind of hints that there is a high possibility of many more…

 <- A Mote of Black Memory ReviewRipper Familias Review ->
Image source: Amazon

The Snow Queen by Patricia A. McKillip

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for snow white, blood red book cover

Title: The Snow Queen
Author: Patricia A. McKillip
In: Snow White, Blood Red (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary romance, Retellings
Dates read: 7th April 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Signet
Year: 1993
5th sentence, 74th page: Fool.

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Synopsis

Gerda and Kay have been together for years. Yet, somehow their marriage and love doesn’t quite seem to be the way it was. Then, one night, Kay runs across Neva, a startling woman of cold beauty and everything changes.

Thoughts

Hans Christian Andersen’s snow queen has long been one of my favourite fairy tales. There is something that is incredibly sweet, and incredibly dark about it. Something that I just find lingers with me long after I have turned the last page. Maybe it’s Gerda’s ability to love without expectations, fight against what everyone is saying and doing in an attempt to save the boy that she loves. Which meant that when I found out there was a retelling of this story in a more adult manner, I knew I was going to either love it or hate it…

Luckily for me, I actually really enjoyed this retelling. Gerda and Kay are older, their relationship that of a married couple (rather than two innocent children). Yet, the same moments and distances play out. This time, it is through a much more conscious decision made by Kay, but it still has that same horrible feeling. And I liked Gerda in this tale a lot more. In the original I never quite understood just why she goes to such lengths for a boy who never really seemed to give her much attention. I still admire her for it, but I didn’t quite get it…

In this short story, instead of fighting to get Kay back and spending all of her time and energy regaining his love, Gerda spends this time taking care of herself. Although her love for Kay never quire diminishes, she finds a way to take her own place in life. To find her own joy that doesn’t rely on a man… now that, I can really understand.

 <- Knives ReviewBreadcrumbs and Stones Review ->
Image source: Amazon

The Cord by Alison Case

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: The Cord
Author: Alison Case
In: I Am Heathcliff (Kate Mosse)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Retellings
Dates read: 10th April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Borough Press
Year: 2018
5th sentence, 74th page: You are me and I am you, she would say.

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Synopsis

Heathcliff can feel the cord tying him to Cathy, but when she decides that she wants to marry another man, he realises that it might just be time to cut the cord for good.

Thoughts

I still don’t like Wuthering Heights, but this short story did help me feel a little sympathy for Heathcliff. Or at least, sympathy for him when he was first hurt. There is no excuse for the actions of later… but I digress, this is about The Cord, not the entirety of Wuthering Heights.

I like the idea of being tied to another being by an invisible cord. To be honest, it’s kind of how I feel about my own partner, that there is something extra that ties us together. To be fair, my cord is one of romance, and this one is kind of sick and twisted. But it is a great piece of symbolism. The cord that ties two people together, but what happens when one person is tied more tightly than the other? What happens when one person decides to ignore it and move on to other things in their life? How can you break such a tie to a living being? Well, in this tale Heathcliff is just determined to find out.

 <- My Eye Is a Button On Your Dress ReviewHeathcliffs I Have Known Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins Publishers

MacDuff’s Secret by Sandy Blair

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of time travel romance book cover

Title: MacDuff’s Secret
Author: Sandy Blair
Series: MacKinnon #0.5
In: The Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary romance, Scottish romance, Time travel
Dates read: 26th April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: And sad that only I get to enjoy this place.

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Synopsis

Sarah is the teacher of a group of spoilt, rambunctious boys. When a bomb goes off, they finds themselves thrust back in time to the home of MacDuff. Love, understanding and a new future might be about to open up to them.

Thoughts

I really loved the little adventure that this story took you on. It’s a cute, easy read that takes you from modern times to a more ancient way of life. The fact that it’s a teacher who travels back in time with her students just makes it a little more fun. Especially since the inclusion of young children stopped this from being a clear cut and opaque story line.

This story follows a pretty typical trope – man meets woman, they fall in love, they want to live happily ever after. The fact that it’s the woman who travels back in time also kind of works – we don’t want to read about submissive women after all. So is the fact that they become attached to an orphan and decide to take him home with them. It still works beautifully. And the fact that it is entirely see through doesn’t mean that it isn’t an incredibly sweet and enjoyable storyline.

 <- The Key to Happiness ReviewLost and Found Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

The Fortune-Teller by Patricia A. McKillip

Book Review, ,
Overview
Image result for coyote road book cover

Title: The Fortune-Teller
Author: Patricia A. McKillip
In: The Coyote Road (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Tricksters
Dates read: 12th April 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Firebird Fantasy
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: Then I can afford to be honest.

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Synopsis

She’s made her life under the sign of the trickster, but is she capable of change? Will a visit from an old flame remind her of who and what she truly could be?

Thoughts

This isn’t like a lot of the trickster stories I’ve been reading recently. Instead of featuring a supernatural being of balance, this is a mortal woman who follows the sign of the trickster. But, unlike the supernatural beings that I’m so used to, she’s actually capable of change. The question of whether or not she’s willing to become something more than herself, something better, is what fills this story.

Fortune-tellers are a great vessel for chaos and a realignment of the world. I like that this is a woman on the cusp of a decision. She can continue on her wily way by cheating and scamming people out of their money, or she can make the decision to become a better person. To gain her life and money in a way that she won’t feel ashamed of. And it is the mirror of her past lover that makes her really consider this…

 <- Friday Night at St. Cecilia’s ReviewHow Raven Made His Bride Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Quid Pro Quo by Tanya Huff

Book Review, ,
Overview
Evolve

Title: Quid Pro Quo
Author: Tanya Huff
Series: Henry Fitzroy #8.7
In: Evolve (Nancy Kilpatrick)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Vampires
Dates read: 1st April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Edge
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Scent would have allowed her to pick them out of a crowd regardless of how good a look she’d got at them.

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Synopsis

Vicki is disturbed from her day-time rest one day by goons breaking into her house to find her. Later, she finds out that her cop lover and partner has been taken to blackmail her… is all hell about to break loose?

Thoughts

I struggled a little to get into many of the short stories in the Evolve collection. But, this, as a final ending to the anthology was just amazing. This was exactly the kind of short story that I love, and my biggest complaint is that it ended too soon. I want to find out more about Vicki and Mike and the ways in which they have each other’s backs. I also want to find out why Vicki seems to be different from other vampires…

This was a little bit sweet and romantic, but more so in the fact that the relationship described in Quid Pro Quo was far more realistic. Mike and Vicki sacrifice a lot for each other, and although the realisation at the end is that their relationship puts each other in jeopardy, it also highlights that they will do anything for each other. And that although the relationship could endanger them, it also makes them more human and in touch with the world around them. Something that we all need, vampire or not.

 <- The Sun Also Shines on the Wicked ReviewEvolve II Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Blood and Thyme by Camille Bacon-Smith

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of vampire romance 2 book cover

Title: Blood and Thyme
Author: Camille Bacon-Smith
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2 (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Food, Paranormal romance, Vampires
Dates read: 10th April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: It turned out she liked working here.

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Synopsis

She’s the chef that could help him save his business. But, when he realises just how much she means to him, he’s not sure if he should risk his life or his livelihood first.

Thoughts

This was kind of cute. It’s not the first time that I’ve come across a story about a genetic vampire (rather than one that has been unwillingly changed), but it is probably the first one that featured entertainment and food so strongly. Actually, weirdly enough, it made me want to do a bit of cooking when I finished this story. After all, the lead female is a chef and the lead male almost gives up his life to make sure that he does have a great chef in his damn kitchen…

The sexuality in this short story was seriously damped down in comparison to some of the other paranormal romance stories that I’ve been reading lately. Which was kind of nice. It still had that component to it, but it was the first moments of courtship that really took centre stage. Those moments when there is almost no touching, but a lot of glances and curiosity about one another. Considering this is found in a whole collection of vampire romances, it was nice to have one romance that was a lot more cute, and a lot less sexual to balance out the intensity of some of the other tales.

 <- Deliver Us From Evil ReviewInto the Mist For Ever Review ->
Image source: Bookdepository

The Infestation by Tom Holt

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

Title: The Infestation
Author: Tom Holt
In: The Mammoth Book of Dark Magic (Mike Ashley)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Wizards
Dates read: 11th April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2004
5th sentence, 74th page: Like I said, we understand one another, just as we’re both misunderstood by all the rest of them.

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Synopsis

He’s a mediocre wizard at best. But he’s about to be challenged more than he ever anticipated. Will he overcome the infestation? Or be overcome?

Thoughts

I wasn’t expecting to like this short story so much. At the beginning of the story I was a bit ‘eh about the character and the storyline. Although it did make me feel a little like I was reading a Terry Pratchett story… it wasn’t until about the halfway point that it started getting really, really good.

This isn’t one of those stories where the little man rises up, finds a power he didn’t know he has and change his life forever. Of which I am glad. Because that is a little overdone sometimes. This is a story in which the bumbling fool manages to scrape together enough gumption and power to do the right thing. And then at the end of the day, he turns around and returns to his menial, frustrating job and life goes on.

<- The Game of Magical DeathThe Witch’s Bicycle ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

Burning Up by Angela Knight, Nalini Singh, Virginia Kantra & Meljean Brook

Book Review, , , , , , ,
Overview
burning-up

Title: Burning Up
Author: Angela Knight, Nalini Singh, Virginia Kantra & Meljean Brook
In: Burning Up (Angela Knight, Nalini Singh, Virginia Kantra & Meljean Brook)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Short story collections, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 30th January – 4th April 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Ria opened her mouth to reply but something made her turn to the doorway.

Synopsis

Passion runs as hot as a fever dream in these all-new stories by four New York Times bestselling provocateurs of the paranormal…

In Angela Knight’s Blood and Roses, a vampire warrior and his seductive captor join forces to stop a traitor from unleashing an army of demonic predators on their kingdom.

New in Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series is Whisper of Sin, in which a woman in lethal danger finds an unlikely protector – and lover – in a volatile member of the DarkRiver pack.

Virginia Kantra continues the haunting tales of the Children of the Sea in Shifting Sea, the story of a wounded soldier rescued by a strange and enigmatic young woman.

Meljean Brook launches a bold new steampunk series with Here There Be Monsters, as a desperate woman strikes a provocative – and terrifying – bargain to gain overseas passage.

Thoughts

I’ve had this collection sitting on my shelf for ages. I just haven’t gotten around to reading it… until now. And now I’m wondering why I took so long to sink my literary teeth in… I already had the Psy-Changeling series, but now I have another three paranormal romance series to obsess over… when they eventually arrive on my doorstep.

The themes and paranormal characters in this collection of four novellas run the gambit. There’s a steampunk tale with pirates, a romance with a leopard shapeshifter and one with vampires and their battles. The romances are instantaneous and involve a lot of running away… the only thing that these four novellas really have in common is the fact that they are all intense, fun and have a good ending. Although, maybe not good stories to read when you have to sleep alone….

 <- Here There Be MonstersWhisper of Sin ->

Image source: Nalini Singh

Isobel Avens Returns to Stepney in the Spring by M. John Harrison

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for black feathers ellen datlow book cover

Title: Isobel Avens Returns to Stepney in the Spring
Author: M. John Harrison
In: Black Feathers (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Horror, Mental health
Dates read: 12th April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Pegasus Books Ltd.
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: London was as quiet as a nursing home corridor.

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

China loves Isobel. But Isobel is aiming for something higher. Something that might end their lives together and create a new world view.

Thoughts

This story made me think of anorexia and other eating disorders. Although the storyline features Isobel Avens trying to turn into a bird, her constant weight loss and wish to be something else has serious echoes of an eating disorder. It made me incredibly uncomfortable reading this too, especially since I know a lot of women who have suffered with such horrible body issues…

Unrequited love is a bitch. And honesty, I think it’s what shifts this story into the horror realm for me. It feels like one of the more terrifying things that anyone can experience… China gives his everything to Isobel. And yet, at the end of the tale, that is not enough and he must find a way to either move on in life or be miserable forever…

 <- The Secret of Flight ReviewA Little Bird Told Me Review ->
Image source: Amazon