Title: Rats Author:Marlee Jane Ward In: Kindred (Michael Earp) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Contemporary, LGBTQI, Romance Dates read: 7th April 2020 Pace: Fast Format: Short story Publisher: Walker Books Year: 2019 5th sentence, 74th page: She pings her card against the reader and the doors open for us with a burst of warm air.
She’s one of the Rats, those who live by their wits. But, on one of her adventures Up Above, she runs into a beautiful girl. One that she could just enjoy spending time with. Then all hell breaks loose as the Feds capture her friends and family…
This is the first short story in the Kindred collection. It is beautiful, simple and completely sweet. It is also a little different to what I expected with a whole new world created in the few pages of story. The fact that it’s also an LGBTQI+ lead who happens to be homeless… well, this short story deals with many minorities in a fantastic and entertaining manner.
There were so many things that I just loved about this short story. Smany of which I can’t quite figure out the words to describe… and many of which I just thoroughly enjoyed in and of themselves. This is a fast-paced, high action story in which falling for another girl isn’t that big a deal. It is about the first instances of attraction, rather than insta-love and I thought that that was fantastic. That instant attraction and need to know more about a person, without actually being in love with them is something that I really don’t think gets enough attention in many romances.
I can’t wait to read onwards in this collection. If this is the start of a collection of short stories… I can’t wait to see what the rest are like!
Title: The Ill-Made Mute Author: Cecilia Dart-Thornton Series: Bitterbynde #1 Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Australian authors, Fae, High fantasy, Romance Dates read: 8th – 22nd March 2020 Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Pan Books Year: 2001 5th sentence, 74th page: This warmed their spirits somewhat, although not toward him.
While the lordly Stormriders land their splendid winged stallions on the airy battlements of Isse Tower, far below them, in the fortress’s depths, their superstitious servants sit by the hearth to tell each other ghastly tales of evil creatures inhabiting the world outside – a world most of them have only glimpsed. Yet it is the least of these servants – a mute, lowly, utterly despised foundling – who dares to scale the Twoer, sneak aboard a Windship, and then dive from the sky.
The terrified fiugitive is rescued by a kindhearted adventurer, who finally gives the poor creature a name – as well as the gift of communicating by handspeak, and an amazing truth never guessed at previously. Now the newly named ‘Imrhien’ begins a journey to distant Caermelor, in search of a wise woman whose skills may change everything.
Along the way, Imrhien struggles in a wilderness of endless danger – for those hearthside tales are all true. Unhuman wights haunt every pool, every turn in the road, and they perpetually threaten and torment all travellers. Lost, and pursued by these monsters, Imrhien is finally saved by a mysterious Dainnan ranger whose gallantry and courage are matched only by his martial skills. Unknown to them both, however, a deadly plot is unfolding… as a dark force summons the malignant hordes of Unseelie, and foul things amass in the night.
As the journey grows longer, the challenges more deadly, Imrhien discovers something more terriyfing than all of the evil eldritch wights combined. For this spurned outsider, with an angel’s soul and a gargoyle’s face, is suddnely falling in love…
In a thrilling debut combining masterful storytelling with a treasure trove of folklore, Cecilia Dart-Thornton creates a lushly romantic epic adventure of stunning scope and magical proportions, set in a world brimming with wonders and terrors.
I’ve been putting off reading this because it just looked seriously intense. And a little bit scary. Which are the kinds of books that I’ve been avoiding lately. And now I kind of regret that. I wasn’t wrong. This was intense, and full on and so multi-layered that my head felt like it could explode. But it was also amazing, unforgettable and kind of impossible to not think about. Whilst there were moments when I could put it down. There weren’t many moments in the two-week period of my reading that I actually stopped thinking about it…
One of my favourite things about this book was the world building. It was done in an incredibly unique way. Rather than the typical world building were facts are provided as the character travels through the world, the history, facts and shape of the world is provided as a series of stories and anecdotes told by the characters. To the amnesic lead. I loved flicking between what was currently happening and all of the tales being told by the supporting characters, there was something fun and unique about the way in which this was done. Although, it did mean that I had to pay attention – that way I knew who was talking about what.
Although Imrhien does have a romantic interest in this story (eventually), it’s not a heavy-handed romance. I can see where this story can go with that feeling of interest, and I can’t wait. But it’s not like the many other romances that I’ve been reading lately. Which was nice. This actually was a great book to read – it reminded me of all the reasons why I love fantasy so much. I’ve been on a fair bit of a romance kick lately…
The use of another language, the fae and the more traditional outlooks on them was absolutely brilliant. I get a bit fed up with the Peter Pan version of fae… so I love any book that sticks to the more Celtic, pagan views. And I can’t wait to find out more about this world and the past of Imrhien – I can only imagine that it is going to continue getting better and better as the next two books unfold!
Title: Dragonfire is Brighter than the Ten Thousand Stars Author: Mark Robert Philips In: The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk (Sean Wallace) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Dieselpunk, Romance Dates read: 21st March 2020 Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 2015 5th sentence, 74th page: Song had made me go over border procedure again and again, memorizing each typescript that had been inside the hemp folder.
The love of his life betrayed him years ago. But, when she need him the most, he’s more than willing to risk his life to save her. And finally uncover the truth behind her betrayal.
This was a ridiculously sweet and surprisingly cute short story. It’s towards the end of the The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk collection. Most of the stories in this collection are a little more rough around the edges. And whilst this story is about betrayal and revolution and riots and spies… it’s also about love and I found that aspect to be incredibly sweet.
This is a slightly longer short story and one that I found incredibly hard to put down. It’s also quite hard to forget. Something about the storyline, the writing and the emotions throughout completely enthralled me and made it very difficult to forget and stop thinking about. There is just something so sweet, yet tragic about a man getting caught and forced to find his ex. The woman who he was betrayed by. Yet, there is still a sense of hope and care all throughout, even when conspiracies and suspicions are running rampant.
The ending of this short story seriously left me in my happy place. It has that riding off into the sunset feeling. But it also has a lot more closure than many of the short stories that I’ve been reading lately. The combination worked well for me and left me feeling like there was a sense of completion to the story.
Title: Attachments Author: Pat Murphy In: Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Romance, Twisted romance Dates read: 5th March 2020 Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: EOS Year: 1998 5th sentence, 74th page: She laughed as she tossed a corner of the blanket over his face to hide his staring eyes.
They’ve always been attached to one another. But that’s not truly how they want to be. Especially when one brother loves the others’ wife… things tend to get a bit awkward there…
I’ve always wanted a twin. Never wanted a conjoined twin though. That’s just WAY too much closeness. I really wasn’t expecting to find a story about conjoined twins in a collection about daemon lovers though. And, it does kind of make sense – it’s a collection of romances between those who are different. But it was still far less mystical than I was expecting.
There’s kind of a bit of an incestual feel to this story… two conjoined brothers marry two sisters. One falls in love with the other brother’s wife (who is also HIS wife’s sister). It’s kind of sweet in that whole forbidden love way… but also just incredibly complex and… yeah, incestual.
I did absolutely love the ending of this story though. There was just something about it that kind of worked… in a weird and unexpected way. It wasn’t the happily ever after that I was expecting, but it was a great ending nonetheless.
Title: Empire of Storms Author: Sarah J. Maas Series: Throne of Glass #5 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Fantasy, Romance, Strong women Dates read: 11th January – 4th March 2020 Pace: Fast Format: Novel Publisher: Bloomsbury Year: 2016 5th sentence, 74th page: His mother and younger brother were still ensconced in their mountain residence in Ararat.
BLOOD WILL RUN. DREAMS WILL SHATTER. AN ARMY MUST RISE.
The assassin-queen has sworn not to turn her back on her kingdom again. Especially when she might be the only one who can raise an army to keep the Dark King from unleashing his beasts upon them all. But Erawan will wield Aelin’s past, her allies, and her enemies against her.
With a poewrful court trusting Aelin to lead them, and her heart devoted to the arrior-prince at her side, what – or who – is she willing to sacrifice to spare her world from being torn apart?
This is an “oh my heart” book. And it’s like that from the very beginning. I’ve been putting off reading it for a while since I always get ridiculously hooked on Maas’ writing. Normally that’s not such an issue because I can read the whole book cover to cover in just a day… this book is a little longer, and I had to be an adult. But I finally put aside a day to read it. And… oh my heart.
There is just something about Aelin’s story that is both tragic and intriguing. From the very beginning of the story nothing seems to work out for her… her triumphant return to Terrassen? Not so triumphant. Her court? A little bit frayed. And the end battle? I had tears streaming down my face. It was just… hurtful and tragic. And just… wow.
As soon as I finished this book I rang my sister. She’s read this… I had to have somebody who understood the many, many feelings that this book inspires. I also had to clean the house because I needed happy, non-tragic thoughts. Don’t get me wrong, this book is amazing. But it will punch you in the heart. Be prepared to have your jaw drop. Continuously. As Maasmanages to systematically rip your heart to shreds. Every time you think that something is going to go right… it doesn’t. Hopes are dashed again and again and again. Yet, it is done in such a way that you still walk away from this book feeling somewhat… happy. Which makes absolutely zero sense. Because, as I keep saying, this whole thing is a tragedy from beginning to end. But there is still this sense of hope at the very conclusion.
I really wanted to pick up Tower of Dawn as soon as I turned the final page. Yet, I also felt like I needed to take a step back and be a little more productive. I know that once I open the second to last book, I’m going to get sucked right back into this amazing, impossible to forget world. One that is impossible to walk away from and forget.
Title: Into the Sky Author: Joseph Ng In: The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk (Sean Wallace) Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this) My Bookshelves:Dieselpunk, Romance Dates read: 10th January 2020 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 2015 5th sentence, 74th page: I stole a glance at Hou.
He’s found the woman of his dreams. And he’ll give up everything to have a life with her. One that is away from the past and promises a bright, new future.
This was an interesting Dieselpunk story… it featured the Terracotta warriors and the Great Wall of China. I liked this approach and found the journey quite enjoyable and intriguing. It was a nice spin on a tale of war which seems to be a fairly strong standing in the Dieselpunk series / collection thus far.
I love that this was kind of familiar in that there were some historical realities there. Yet, it was also something entirely new and unique. The weaving together of reality and science fiction is something I kind of love. Although I think I would have enjoyed this more if I could have gotten into the world building a little bit more.
The main thing I liked about this story is that, ultimately, it is all about giving up everything for love. It’s sweet, easy and kind of innocent. Something that I think I would do myself… give up everything for the love of someone.
She lost the love of her life. But there’s a way to keep him with her… if she wants to do it.
I can’t imagine what I’d do if I lost the love of my life. Doing this though seems… well, uncomfortably wrong. Like seriously, uncomfortably wrong. But also impossible to stop reading. Kind of like a really horrific accident, you don’t want to see it, but you just can’t stop watching, or in this case, thinking about this.
This story really focuses on the dark side of the tragedy of loss. And gives a dark, twisted way to deal with it. Which is to use the ashes of a dead man… but I won’t explain how, because you just need to read the short story to discover this all for yourself. And be disturbed by the fact.
There is something both creepy and sweet about this story. I’m not entirely sure why I felt that this was so romantic. Normally tales like this would just completely freak me out. But we won’t think on this too deeply. Definitely worth a read this story.
Title: This Evening’s Performance Author: Genevieve Valentine In: The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk (Sean Wallace) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Dieselpunk, Romance Dates read: 6th January 2020 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 2015 5th sentence, 74th page: Two minutes of pre-recorded audio from the play.
He’s loved her from afar for decades. Now, they’re the last three actors left in a world of automaton shows. How will they find their happily ever after at the end of an era?
There was something so tragic and bittersweet about this story. Yet, by the end of it… kind of hopeful too. I don’t normally consider short stories and, in particular, Dieselpunk stories to be romantic. But there is something about this one that felt incredibly… well… romantic. There is no kissing, no sexuality and just the hint of something throughout. But it was quite possibly one of the sweetest books I’ve read in a long time.
There is a constant fear in society of our roles being replaced by robots. And what happens to those that are replaced? In this short story, it’s actors that are replaced. Something which I, personally can’t imagine, but does work brilliantly well into the themes of Dieselpunk. It set against a marriage breaking up, and the promising hints of a new love (which is actually super old) beginning. This whole end of an era feel helps to lead to that bittersweet, intense feeling.
This story is somehow sad and hopeful. It left me feeling melancholy, yet quite happy as I turned the final page. Feelings that I don’t always feel at the conclusion to a story and definitely don’t feel for the exact same tale.
Twenty tales of swachbuckling adventure and passionate romance from some of the most exciting names in romantic fiction, including Margo Maguire, Autumn Dawn, Sandy Blair, Michelle Maddox, Patti O’Shea, Holly Lisle, Kimberly Raye and Madeline Baker.
Join the heroines in this delightful anthology as they step backwards – or forwards – in time, transported to the Scottish Highlands of yesteryear, the Wild West or the distant future. Propelled through time into situations rich with possibility and fraught with danger, these sexy, sassy heroines each seek their dreamed of happy ending.
Will souls separated by time be reunited – or separated, forever?
This is an absolutely brilliant collection. I haven’t read any time travel romances before. So it was kind of nice to read a whole collection of them. I do have a few full length novels in this genre sitting on my shelves ready to go though. Now that I’ve read this collection, I kind of can’t wait!
Even though all of these stories featured time travel and romance in some way, shape or form, the themes and messages throughout were vastly different. The stories weren’t overly lustful like many of the romances that I’ve read. Actually, there tended to be more of a focus on the romances and the finding true love message. Or just on the ways in which time travel actually works.
The stories were generally a mix of present and past; or present and future. Only one or two stories feature the past and the future, but most had a great blending of realities. Sometimes characters ended up back in their own time, sometimes in a different time that fulfilled their greatest desires. There really was something for everyone in this.
Whilst I absolutely adored this collection, it isn’t one that I will probably read again and again. As much as I loved everything, there was nothing that stood out as a story that I wanted to reread.
<- The Mammoth Book of Thrillers, Ghosts and Mysteries
Title: Future Date Author: A.J. Menden In: The Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance (Trisha Telep) Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this) My Bookshelves:Romance, Time travel Dates read: 30th December 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 2009 5th sentence, 74th page: But the siren song of the computer, and whether or not the good-looking man with the nice smile had replied to her yet, made her finally dig out her laptop and fire it up.
All she wants is to find a man to spend her life with. But after a series of increasingly frustrating dates… she is about to give up. Until her friend finds her the future dating service… and, with a little time travel. Everything could change.
I absolutely loved the premise of this story. But didn’t actually get into it that much… there was just something about it that didn’t draw me in. Probably the lack of connection I felt with the lead character. She wasn’t a bad character, there was just nothing that made me feel connected to her. It could also have just been the fact that it was the final short story of the year, and I was getting all kinds of excited about the books I could read in 2020…
I’ve also never online dated. Which means that any story about online dating is a bit… foreign to my mind. Sometimes I love that, but, since I have never even been on a first date, I just couldn’t relate to all of the bad dates that had been embarked on. It’s a bit hard to feel like you can relate to such a thing when you’ve never actually had the experience, and it’s only briefly touched upon.
In theory, I absolutely love this story. But in practice, I just found it a little… eh. Maybe I’ll read it again in the future and change my mind. But, at this moment, I feel like it’s worth reading, but not memorable.
Earth and Skye 