All posts by skyebjenner

The Effluent Engine by N.K. Jemisin

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

The Mammoth Book of SteampunkTitle: The Effluent Engine
Author: N.K. Jemisin
In: The Mammoth Book of Steampunk (Sean Wallace) & The Mammoth Book of Gaslit Romance (Ekaterina Sedia)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, LGBTQI, Steampunk
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: Jessaline beheld the honest shock on her face and felt some guilt for having troubled her so.

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Synopsis

Jessaline is on a mission to save her people. But what she finds could end up saving herself.

Thoughts

Reading the title of this short story made me think it was going to be really funny. And a little quirky. And it really wasn’t. There was discussion of minorities, freedom and prejudice. All topics that I love to read about and sink my teeth into on a frequent basis.

Jessaline is on a mission to save her countrymen from the horrors of conquest and the taking of their freedom. Yet, on the way she ends up finding something much better – true love. Or at least, that’s how it seems throughout. And the fact that it’s a woman based in “olden times” just makes it all the more engaging. I kind of loved that the love story in this was about two women.

With a backdrop of a steampunk world with one of the leading females being a scientist, this story shows the power of others and how inner strength can shine through. Whether you are living in your brothers shadow, or hiding amongst the shadows as a spy…

 <- Prayers of Forges and Furnaces Review The Clockwork Goat and the Smokestack Magi Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Judgment Road by Christine Feehan

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

Judgment RoadTitle: Judgment Road
Author: Christine Feehan
Series: Torpedo Ink #1, Sea Haven #14
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Assassins, Bikers, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Jove
Year: 2018
5th sentence, 74th page: “I’m not the best interior designer,” she said, lying her ass off.

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Synopsis

A brutal education in a Russian training facility for assassins has taught this group of men one thing: It’s a long road to redemption.

As the enforcer of the Torpedo Ink morotcycle club, Reaper lives for riding and fighting. He’s a stone-cold killer who turns his wrath on those who deserve it. Feelings are a weakness he can’t afford – until a gorgeous bartender gets under his skin…

Near Sea Haven, the small town of Caspar has given Anya Rafferty a new lease on life. And she’s desperate to hold on to her job at the biker bar, even if the scariest member of the club seems to have it out for her. But Reaper’s imposing presence and smoldering looks just ratchet up the heat.

Anya’s touch is everything Reaper doesn’t want – and it brands him to the bone. But when her secrets catch up to her, Reaper will have to choose between Anya and his club – his heart and his soul.

Thoughts

This is a completely new tone of voice within the Sea Haven series. It isn’t about sisterhood and it doesn’t have that underlying, feminine sweetness to the tale that I’ve come used to in the stories in this world. There is something far more rugged and intense about the tales and the total violence throughout make it kind of hard to put down.

I’ve been reading a lot of Christine Feehan books lately and there is a certain sameness to the stories. They often feature a fairly damaged and useless man who falls in love with a woman and trouble ensues. I liked that Anya had quite a bit of spice to her though, and although there were moments when I thought I knew what was going to happen, there were a few tricks that I wasn’t quite expecting. I was actually screaming “No Reaper you fucking idiot” at one point at the book. I got that tied up in what was going on.

Where Drake Sisters and Sisters of the Heart heavily tie into one another in not only the storyline, themes and feeling, the first book in Torpedo Ink departs from that. Yes, there are still mentions of previous characters. And it is set in the town over, but the world in which Reaper and Anya find their feet and their love is completely different. And this is a fact that I kind of love… after thirteen beautiful, but similarly themed books, it’s nice to depart to something slightly different. That’s not to say any less engaging or intriguing though.

My biggest regret about this book is that it finishes off all of the Sea Haven books which have been published to date. I now have to wait until January for the next Sea Haven fix. And I’m quite frankly, not sure I can actually wait for that long…

 <- Bound Together Review Vengeance Road Review ->
Image source: Christine Feehan

The Houndmaster by Sandra Newgent

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

The Mammoth Book of Irish RomanceTitle: The Houndmaster

Author: Sandra Newgent

In: The Mammoth Book of Irish Romance (Trisha Telep)

Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)

My Bookshelves: Celtic, Easy reading, Family, Romance

Pace: Fast

Format: Short story

Publisher: Running Press

Year: 2010

5th sentence, 74th page: He held it high, admiring the graceful curves of thehammered gold cup.

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Synopsis

She wants to return her mother to life and fix the wrongs of the past. But when a man with a haunting secret interrupts her, everything changes in the blink of an eye.

Thoughts

This was a really fun and easy story to read. And it came up in my collection at exactly the right time… I had been having trouble sleeping / nightmares about my usual terrors, so I decided to read to try and get my mind off of things. And I read The Houndmaster which was incredibly beautiful and romantic.

Hellhounds is a relatively new concept to me, which makes any story that features them a new and exciting adventure. The idea that the male love interest in this story has an intricate connection to the hell beasties and the lady had witnessed their evil ferocity worked really nicely. The overarching connection between the two is both wonderfully fateful and a little overbearing.

Although I can remember the feelings that this story left me with, there are no incredibly potent moments. But that works for me… it’s sometimes nice to have a great feeling after reading a simple story. One that doesn’t necessarily linger, but still makes you feel happy and content inside.

 <- The Skrying Glass Review The Seventh Sister Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Bound Together by Christine Feehan

Book Review, , , , , ,

Overview

Bound TogetherTitle: Bound Together
Author: Christine Feehan
Series: Sisters of the Heart #6, Sea Haven #13
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: The Coast, Family, Magic, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Jove
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: The knots in her stomach told her she was a liar, but no one else – not even Viktor – ever had to know that.

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Synopsis

For five years, Viktor Prakenskii has put his life on hold in order to take down the world’s most feared motorcycle club from the inside. But carrying out the insane violence and seeing the club’s exploitation of the innocent has brought his traumatic past roaring back. And there’s only one cure: to see the wife he left behind…

Blythe Daniels thought she’d never see Viktor again after he murdered her stepfather and left without a word. She rebuilt her life without him, becoming a personal trainer and physical therapist… becoming strong enough for others to lean on. But when Viktor comes back to Sea Haven, he’ll make Blythe question everything she thought she know about good and evil – and the dark desires of the heart…

Thoughts

My first thought on finishing this book was “Yup. Everyone’s dead.” And then I smiled.

Which was a good thought. All of the bad guys that have haunted Sea Haven until this point (or at least, the really evil guy) are finally gone. Which is unbelievably relieving. And it gives this great idea that the next Sea Haven series, Torpedo Ink is at the very least, going to start with everyone trying to rebuild their lives. Which is exactly what I wanted for this incredibly rough and tumble group of characters. My main disappointment is that the only book currently published in this (I’m assuming 17-part sub-series) is Judgment Road.

Meeting Viktor in Fire Bound was kind of annoying, although you can tell that he and Blythe are obviously meant for each other, he was kind of a douche. And there is the idea that Blythe has no idea what he has done behind her back. So reading about their reconciliation and the reasons behind his choices (still made him a douche, but a more understandable one) was an absolute page-turner. Actually, I just stayed up until 2am just trying to find out how it was going to end for all of them. Not just Viktor and Blythe, but the rest of Torpedo Ink and even the Drake Sisters.

I love that this entire series ties in to every other book and the two series are seamlessly worked together. You could read each series independently of each other but reading all of them in order is even better. And the fact that each sub-series (so far) has tied up all of the loose ends at the conclusion meant that Bound Together, like Hidden Currents was completely impossible to put down. After all, I didn’t only want to see what was happening to the Sisters of the Heart, but also The Drake Sisters…

 <- Fire Bound Review Judgment Road Review ->
Image source: Christine Feehan

Coming Home by Lilith Saintcrow

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

The Mammoth Book of Vampire RomanceTitle: Coming Home
Author: Lilith Saintcrow
Series: Dante Valentine #5.5
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Demons, Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: I wonder if he’ll show up.

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Synopsis

A past love shows up at Liana’s doorstep asking for help. Will she have the strength to say no? Or will it continue to drag up memories from her past?

Thoughts

To be honest, I’m not 100% sure of what was going on in a lot of this story. It takes place at the end of a series and it makes it incredibly hard to truly understand the tensions that are occurring throughout the story. But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t go out and buy the first book in the series as soon as I was finished.

For me, this story opens up a whole new world in my mind’s eye. A world of vampires and demons and some kind of assassin. And I can’t wait to find out more about it. Even in this short story, there is this amazing world building, complex relationships and a past that is haunting the protagonist. All in all, a fantastic introduction into a new world that I now have to await to arrive at my doorstep.

 <- Brother’s Keeper Review Working for the Devil Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

No Problem by Don D’Amassa

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

Blood LiteTitle: No Problem
Author: Don D’Amassa
In: Blood Lite (Kevin J. Anderson)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Comedy, Dark fantasy, Easy reading
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Pocket Books
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: I didn’t invite him in.

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Synopsis

Frankenstein’s many greats- grandson has discovered his secret formula for life. And it’s no problem at all… until it becomes a problem.

Thoughts

This was a twisted, funny and kind of problematic story. One thing after another goes wrong. Again and again and again. Which is, quite frankly, hilarious. And also painful. The man makes one wrong decision after another.

I like the references to Frankenstein and that his many-greats-grandson follows much the same path of foolishness. Having only read Frankenstein earlier this year, it was fun to read such a humorous little tale loosely based on this. And now it just makes me want to pick up the original classic again…

 <- Elvis Presley and the Bloodsucker Blues Review Old School Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Prayers of Forges and Furnaces by Aliette de Bodard

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

The Mammoth Book of SteampunkTitle: Prayers of Forges and Furnaces
Author: Aliette de Bodard
In: The Mammoth Book of Steampunk (Sean Wallace)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Mythology, Steampunk
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 
5th sentence, 74th page: And he picked up his things, one by one, and left.

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Synopsis

She meets an old god who wants her help in destroying the world that she knows. In risking everything, she learns the true meaning of sacrifice.

Thoughts

I was quite surprised by this short story. Not because of the steampunk themes and threads running throughout, but because of the Mayan theme to it. Somehow I never really associated steampunk with Mayan. And, weirdly enough, it worked incredibly well.

Mayan mythology has a heavy influence of sacrifice and gods that aren’t actually “good” and this story is no different. It features a horrible god and sacrifice. The fact that the sacrifice actually got to live was kind of a surprise, and it worked so unbelievably well. It just didn’t really capture my attention like many of the other stories in this collection…

 <- The Mechanical Aviary of Emperor Jala-ud-din Muhammad Akbar Review The Effluent Engine Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Fire Bound by Christine Feehan

Book Review, , , , , ,

Overview

Fire BoundTitle: Fire Bound
Author: Christine Feehan
Series: Sisters of the Heart #5, Sea Haven #12
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: The Coast, Family, Magic, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Jove
Year: 2016
5th sentence, 74th page: An inch.

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

Synopsis

Flame-haired Lissa Piner is a skilled glassblwoer whose delicate gift conceals a burning inner strength that can destroy as exquisitely as it can create. Commissioned to design chandeliers for a string of luxury hotels, her remarkable skills have taken her to Italy. But Lissa’s real mission there is a secret. For her entire life has been a lie, leading to a chance to avenge a terrible wrong.

Enlisted as her bodyguard is Casimir Prakenskii, a trained assassin living off the grid. In Lissa, he sees a kindred spirit – something unexpected and wicked, mysterious and sensual. But something more than desire is about to bring them together, because both of their pasts cry out for revenge. And for two people with this many secrets, this much passion and this many enemies, someone is bound to get burned.

Thoughts

This was probably the least intense of the sexual attractions and romances in the Sea Haven series so far. At least for me. It was also the first one that I was able to put down for a little while. Something about it was just that slight bit slower and more easily paced. That isn’t to say that I didn’t love it just as much as the first eleven Sea Haven books.

Although Casimir and Lissa’s romance doesn’t feel quite as steamy as that of the other sisters (in both series), it feels far more romantic. There is something about Casimir and the (very controlling) way in which he plans out everything for Lissa that is so much sweeter and more thoughtful than any of the previous Prakenskii brothers. Which made me sigh a few times and clutch the book into my chest in that terrifyingly cliché way that women do in movies. Apparently some women do it in real life when they read something gloriously sweet. Or maybe it is just the wedding scene that tends to make me feel this way about Casimir.

Lissa’s character is insanely tough. Where the others are emotionally and mentally tough in their own way, this is the first Sisters of the Heart who is actually physically tough as well. She is an amazing assassin with my favourite back story of the series – nothing like what I was expecting from the previous books. But apparently everything that I was secretly yearning for.

Fire Bound also introduces Viktor and Blythe’s relationship which will be explored throughout Bound Together. It also gets rid of one of the villains and sets the scene for the even bigger bad guy who is (I’m sure) going to give me the absolute heebie jeebies in the final book in this series.

 <- Earth Bound Review Bound Together Review ->
Image source: Christine Feehan

The Skrying Glass by Penelope Neri

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

The Mammoth Book of Irish RomanceTitle: The Skrying Glass

Author: Penelope Neri

In: The Mammoth Book of Irish Romance (Trisha Telep)

Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)

My Bookshelves: Celtic, Fae, Romance, Shapeshifters

Pace: Medium

Format: Short story

Publisher: Running Press

Year: 2010

5th sentence, 74th page: Dagger in hand, he strode across the clearing.

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Synopsis

Siobhan saw something in the skrying mirror when she was twelve that made her want to never get married. Now that she’s eighteen, she might have met the man of her dreams. But does falling in love with him mean that he is about to die?

Thoughts

I loved this story. It mixes fate in with all of the romantic entanglements and scenery that I am used to from this collection. Siobhan and Colm have the whole love at first sight, push and shove kind of romance that’s fun to read about in a short story. But, because of what Siobhan sees in her own skrying mirror, she is terrified of losing him and finds it hard to make her commitment.

I love that, in a way, the prediction seen when Siobhan was twelve comes true. But, as always, romance finds it way in the end, and Siobhan and Colm are able to run off into the sunset together. It’s simple, it’s sweet and it has a woman with an attitude problem in the lead. Everything that you could want in a nice, short and sweet tale of Irish romance.

 <- Tara’s Find Review The Houndmaster Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Web of Death by Jennifer Estep

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Web of Death

Title: Web of Death
Author: Jennifer Estep
Series: Elemental Assassin #1.5
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Assassins, Dark fantasy, Elements
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Jennifer Estep
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: A spider rune.

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Synopsis

This short story takes place after the events of Spider’s Bite but before the begin­ning of Web of Lies. In “Web of Death,” Gin Blanco’s retire­ment is inter­rupted by some unwanted guests.

Thoughts

I can’t imagine Gin as being retired, even after only reading one of her novels. Everything in Spider’s Bite is incredibly high adrenalin and a fight to the death (literally), so although the idea of retirement is nice, it’s hard to imagine the actual decision / action.

Which, luckily, Estep also seemed to feel. Gin isn’t quite settling into her desired retirement, and still dealing with the aftermath of Fletcher’s death. All of which means that a vampire hooker in trouble is the perfect excuse to get a little exercise in.

Web of Death is a nice way to spend five minutes revisiting Gin without becoming completely intertwined in what I’m sure will be another intense battle to the death… or at least a battle for something in the next full length Element Assassin novel.

<- Spider’s BiteWeb of Lies ->

Image source: Lili Lost in a Book