Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the conThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
4.5 hearts
I read the Greatcoats series a few years back. It was a little the Three Musketeers with Gods, Saints and Magic. Play of Shadows is the first book in a new series set in the same world year later in the Court of Shadows series, following a new cast of characters saving Trista in a brand new way.
Damelas Shademantaigne, Grandson of two Greatcoats, offered to stand in for a duel meant for his Grandfather and then escaped to a theater to avoid it. Basically in hiding for a year, he has made some great friends in the theater and possibly found his place in the world, even if he isn't a great actor. That is until one night, overtaken by the spirit of a long dead actor, Demelas changes some lines in the play and it seems lights the city on fire as the man they came to be a hero in the histories might be false.
‘Fled a duel, did you?’ he asked me. ‘I prefer to think of it as engaging with the enemy honourably but from a safe distance.’
Damelas and troupe is ordered by the Duke to construct a new play from the perceived villains point of view in hopes of discovering the truth of the feud between two powerful men of the past and how the histories got it all wrong. This means Damelas is now the lead in the play since he is possible channeling a spirit from the dead. There is also a group of bully boys out in the city naming themselves the Iron Orchids who have made some rules against blasphemy, which this new play certainly will be seen as and everyone in the theater company will be at risk.
‘I can never quite tell if you’re a timid person who pretends at times to be brave, or a brave one who’s been trying to convince himself for far too long that he’s a coward.’
While I don't think that you would need to have read the Greatcoats series to enjoy this book it would help to have some of the history of Trista and the saints and gods of that land. I enjoy Sebastian de Castell's blend of storytelling and witty lines. In Play of Shadows, he gets to really play with the language and turns of phrase, as actors are allowed to be a bit over the top at times. This made the overall story even more enjoyable for me as I really enjoy stuff like that in my reading.
'My grandfather always said, ‘Love is an onion, my boy. Leave it too long and the heart of it will rot. So you’ve got to carefully peel back the layers until you find beneath something so beautiful it brings you to tears.’
The plot of the story was interesting as we are discovering how the events of the past are the seeds to the current issues in the city with the Iron Orchids and how they play into a bigger plot at hand against the people of Trista. Demelas is also an interesting character. Brought up to be brave by two of the greatest Greatcoats in history but living so timidly afraid to hurt anyone. He has some great friendships in the theater troupe and I especially enjoyed the brotherly bond between him and Beretto. Best friends, they will do anything to help the other. There is also a small love interest for Demelas and she is deadly, just as likely to kill him as kiss him to make the story all the more fun.
The story timing was laid out well and I enjoyed how the events of the past were reveled a little at a time until we are hit with all the truths near the end. This is a great beginning to a new series in the world of the Greatcoats and I can't wait to see what else is in store for our funny troupe of actors turned revolutionaries next.
‘Let’s teach these blackguards the first rule of the sword,’ Beretto cried, running into the fray, ignoring the wounds he’d already suffered. Corbier’s usually cold and calculating voice asked with interest, The first rule of the sword? An old Greatcoats saying, I informed him as I raced after Beretto. ‘Put the pointy end in the other guy first.’
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the conThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Your Blood, My Bones is by a new to me author. I was completely drawn in by the cover and the premise of the story. The story, while not perfect, is engaging and had me hooked from the beginning when Wyatt comes home after the death of her father, and wants to burn the entire place to the ground. But Peter is not only chained in her basement, he has tree roots growing around his bindings. Confused as to why he is there our journey begins as Wyatt discovers the secrets her father kept and discovers more about the boy who was her first love.
Wyatt, Peter and James roamed the property of Willow Heath thick as thieves every summer until Wyatt turned thirteen and was taken away, not to return for five years. Estranged from her father, living with her mother, she hasn't seen or heard from Peter or James in all that time, that is until she returns to the property to find Peter in chains and James on the end of a dead rotary phone saying he will be there soon to help. This was a story doomed from the beginning and even though you know that I couldn't help walking the journey with the characters, learning of their past together as Willow Heath's wards start to fail and the creatures from the darkness start to wander the grounds.
Inosculation, where the trunks of multiple trees grew so close together that they grafted into one. That was them, he'd thought , only half listening to the lecture.
He, Peter, and Wyatt, their roots so intricately knotted that none of them could tell where one of them ended and the other began.
Kelley Andrew wrote a character driven story about three people and Willow Heath, that is definitely its own character in the story. I was wrapped up in it as the walls come tumbling down and Wyatt discovers the magic of her bloodline and why her family has sacrificed, ritually sacrificed, Peter time and time again. This is the first time he has been allowed to grow past boyhood and now a young man with understanding of his plight he has one goal. He wants to make it home, to the place he fell through, where his mother is. To do that, he is supposed to sacrifice the thing he loves most, Wyatt. He wasn't able to do it when they were children, but can he do it now?
I would call this horror-lite. There are some creepy things in the woods, Wyatt is definitely trapped on the property with Peter and the beast is going to come to call soon. But even the horror aspect, this was so intriguing how the land and the creatures were used. The dark is a tricky place and while Peter understands what is out there in it, Wyatt is at a loss and is learning some lessons the hard way.
"You can't run from the things you fear. Instead, sit with them a while. Look them in the eye. You will find they are not as big as they seem, and you are not as small as you thing."
I knew that in the end we might not get the ending I was hoping for and I'm still a little torn on the ending. But we did get an ending that was unexpected and I really like when an author can surprise me. I enjoyed the past present story telling and how some of it seemed almost dreamlike. The relationship between Wyatt, Peter and James was as complicated as they probably come but I was never bored with it and in the end they were friends first and foremost and would never leave one of them behind voluntarily.
“He could have told her she was dead wrong -- that he'd studied her for so long, for so many years, that he knew her like a sailor knew the sea. That he felt the shifts in her moods the way a lightkeeper's knees ached before a storm.”
If you are looking for something with paranormal aspects, a slow burn type of romance, coming of age with magic and the bonds of friendships forged in childhood that last into early adulthood this could be exactly what your are looking for. Peter, Wyatt and James are not perfect people but they understand each other and accept all of the perfections and flaws people have in each other.
There are some cameos from a few of Kelly Andrew's book The Whispering Dark. I have not read that book and understood that there was probably some history to the characters I wasn't privy to but it wasn't necessary to read or enjoy this story. It did make me want to take a look at that book after reading Your Blood, My Bones as I am extremely interested in the world that has been created and more stories set in it. I'd also love to see Wyatt again in the future to check up on a new favorite character.
All those years wondering what a real kiss from Peter might taste like, and now she knew. He tasted like a tragedy. An end, before they'd even begun.
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the conThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Small Gods of Calamity has a really interesting premise. A detective, Kim Han-gil, works as a police officer. His unit has been investigating a string of suicides that haven't made a lot of sense. Han-gil knows they are not suicides but a parasitic spirit in the host that drives the host to suicide or killing so it can jump to a new host. Most in the police department think he is a bit crazy and he has struggled to keep a partner, there are even bets on how long this new partner will last.
Han-gil is looking for the other resident to the suicide they just left. He can tell by the psychic residue that this is not what it looks like but that the man jumped to his death because of a spiritual parasite. He has seen this before, his mother actually died due to a worm parasite just like this and he has spent his life tracking down the others that have split off from the original host trying to irradicate it. Looking at the apartment, it is clear that the other inhabitant is also affected and it is just a matter of time before they have another suicide or worth a string of murders on their hands. But his normal cop partner will just think he is crazy, his adopted sister is out of town so she is sending Yoonhae, someone extremely familiar with the worm parasite as one used to live in him before it was exorcised.
Han-gil and Yoonhae will work to find and contain the spirit worm until Azuna can make it to Seoul for the exorcism. This is a strained partnership because it is the exorcism of Yoonhea gone wrong that ended up killing Han-gil's mother over a decade ago. There are some very interesting concepts on how different people can perceive the psychic realm and the wards they could use for protection. I liked the dip into Asian culture but think this is going to be an easier read for someone who understands a little more about that culture than a reader like myself who hasn't spent much time in it.
I believe this is set up like a K-Drama, I'm not incredibly familiar with those so for me the story telling and some of the wording in the story was strange and unfamiliar to me. For example one character is names Yoonhae but every time he is referred to it is shin Yoonhae. I'm sure there is probably some cultural significance to that but I didn't know what it was and so it just seemed strange to keep inserting the shin before Yoonhae's name.
Also because of the length of the book it was hard to really dive into any of the character relationships. Azuna is Han-gil's adopted sister but that is about the most we get there. It is a statement and now they hunt spiritual parasites together, but we don't get much development on that front.
There is also Han-gil's relationship with his brand new partner that is very surface level as well. It seemed there were hints this new partner might have been more open than to the others of his past but it is really glossed over and there wasn't a lot of resolution at the end as to where Han-gil stood with his job as a police officer or his future. It was a bit rushed and open ended at the end.
Hard to have a really completely well rounded story in a novella but Small Gods of Calamity did have and an interesting premise and I think could have been fleshed out in world building and character development a little better. There were also a few small inconsistencies that may be fixed by final copy so I will not mention them here. Not really my typical kind of story so I had some learning curve issues with it that were distracting....more
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the conThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Aftermarket Afterlife is the thirteenth book in the Incryptid series and I'd like to say it was lucky number thirteen but I struggled to finish it. I will say I have read so many of Seanan McGuire's books and short stories (somewhere in the realm of 60ish stories) and usually they are a great read for me. They are normally full of cool creatures and concepts and imagination that I wrap myself up in them and don't come out until I'm to the other side. But Aftermarket Afterlife is a lot darker and gloomier than most of the books of this series and as such I felt weighed down and depressed most of the story and started looking for reasons not to get back to reading. I just wasn't in a good place in my life to enjoy the type of story this turned out to be. I seem to be very alone in my assessment of this story, almost every other review sings this books praises, so take this all with a grain of salt - it could just be me. This cannot be read as a stand-alone, the entire series should be read in order.
Mary Dunlavy has haunted the Price family for generations as a babysitter or caretaker ghost. She died on a crossroads and she made a deal. Mary would broker deals for the crossroads IF she could still be there for any of her family when they needed her and her family would always come first. It had originally just been her father that she meant to be there for but when they placed little toddler Alice in her arms, something happened and she became attached to the Price/Healy families as a babysitter ghost.
Now the crossroads are gone and Mary only has her duties as babysitter to the Price/Healy families. When they call she hears and she can pop into where ever her charge is. It doesn't matter it they are grown up now, they will always be her kids. She is just preparing to help them through a reunion that seems to have a lot of charged emotional baggage associated to it with Alice and her long, lost in another dimension, husband Thomas when everything changes and the Covenant of St. George brings the attack fully to the Americas to flush out the cryptozoologist family that has helped hide or protect the "monsters" living here.
Mary will be instrumental in helping the family as distance really doesn't matter to a ghost. If one of the family calls her she can be there. Sarah too will play a big role since spacetime are currently just playthings to her and she is one of the only members of the family who will be able to travel to where ever she is needed to assist. We will get to see almost every main member of the family who has had a place in the series as they fight off the Covenant and figure out a way to make the cost too high to focus on them.
My issues with this book is it was far more depressing than others I've read from Seanan McGuire. Maybe after the 'events' the racked the Price/Healy families when The Covenant attacked various friends and family members I was supposed to feel rage and just want revenge. But, there are causalities in this book that hit so close to home and some brutal fallout, that the story got lost in the grief I was feeling. There was so much fallout and grief that it was so hard to climb out of to even start to focus on the story and continue. I guess in one way it is great the McGuire made me feel so much for these characters and the mice after twelve other books and numerous short stories, but also bad that I couldn't let any of that feeling go throughout the rest of the story. After feeling like the last book was a kind of happy ending in this one we see how not all of our characters are doing okay and then we lose some of them making it even worse.
Let me state that I have loved almost every book in this series. The writing for Aftermarket Afterlife could have been edited a little better as Mary talks about her bond to her charges and how they will always be her kids so many times. I get it, she is tied to all of the family and sees the family tree branches in her mind. She discussed how some of the family is blood, some marries in and some is adopted in. Mary goes through so many times why Sarah who is adopted in shows up to her as family. Same with other members, it was really repetitive and could have been streamlined a bit better.
Mary is the a lynchpin to the family. She tried to protect them from the crossroads, themselves and the covenant of St. George. Now she will help to join the fight to make coming for her family cost too much to the Covenant and get revenge for what they have done.
Overall I have loved this series and this is one book that just didn't work for me. I still highly recommend the entire series though as it is completely interesting, unique and full of wonderful moments....more
Sale Alert 18Feb24 This is the amazon daily deal @2.99
V.E. Schwab has brought us back to the fantastic world she created in Shades of Magic. To reSale Alert 18Feb24 This is the amazon daily deal @2.99
V.E. Schwab has brought us back to the fantastic world she created in Shades of Magic. To really enjoy this new spin-off series I highly recommend immersing yourself in the original trilogy. It has been seven years since the events of the original trilogy and the main characters from that are still very present, with some new players to the game. [image] Kell and Lila have been sailing around the world having adventures and learning to live with the consequences Kell faced at the end of Shades of Magic. They have built a life together but Lila has not lost that stubborn streak to try and remain wholly independent and not need anyone.
“Why didn’t you stay on the ship?” he asked again, because now and then, it was not enough to dance around the truth. He wanted to hear her say it. Even if she did not wear the ring. He wanted to know that she chose to be here, with him. Lila held his gaze so long he could have counted the shards of light in her good eye. And then, at last, almost grudgingly, she said, “Because the bed would feel empty. Without you in it.”
Rys is stuck so to speak in London ruling with Alucard, who is known as the Kings Heart. He has a new Queen and daughter to bring into the mix. The structure of the relationships between all three are very interesting to say the least. Both Alucard and the Queen are determined to save Rys, not only from himself but from the new plot by a group called the Hand, who wants to remove him from power by any means necessary. [image] In White London there is a new Queen. In Holland's absence Kosika is taken over is in charge of that London. She is doing everything possible to revive the lands there. underestimated because she is a young child coming into her power at the age of 8, she is now 15 and proving to be a very adept ruler. However the walls might be thinning between here London and Black London. What are the risks and can they be held at bay. She has a strange advisor, but I haven't decided if he is helping or subtly subverting our little Kosika.
Tes, well she was one of the most interesting stories in the book. After running away from her family she has set up a shop to fix broken things. Her magic is really special, she can see the threads of magic. She can hold them in her hands and fix or change magical items to be even better. She has mostly tried to stay under the radar hiding from her family but when something appears in her shop to be fixed, she fixes it better than it was supposed to be creating something that can open a door between worlds. She is now embroiled in this magical war and the machinations of The Hand. She needs to find one of the Antari to help her. But as we know Lila isn't exactly warm and welcoming and there will be people in the palace that want to use her for their own gains.
“As far as she was concerned, family had nothing to do with proximity or blood. Family was a chosen thing. A label earned.”
I really enjoyed so much of this story. It was great to see all the characters that I loved in the original series and see what they were up to and how their lives were going. Lila is infuriating sometimes but she and Kell really fit together and I love their love story.
“To Lila, Kell had always been a pane of glass tilted toward her just so, so that where others saw only colors and streaks, she saw the truth of it. Of him.”
The new Queen was an interesting and morally ambiguous character. She chose to marry Rys for her own reasons, those of power and autonomy but sometimes she seems to be the most dangerous of all of the characters in the book. She is absolutely brilliant but also the creations she makes in the wrong hands could be beyond deadly.
This story had so many great facets. Told in both past and future we learn what the characters have been up to in the seven years since the events to drive out the black taint. We also get to see some glimpses for the bad guys PoV, even if not all of the names of those characters are revealed. There are multiple plots afoot to kill Rys, which as we know if impossible, well unless you kill Kell I suppose but that isn't common knowledge and I think Lila would have something to say to anyone who tried.
I'm really excited to see what happens when Kosika possible starts to interact with the characters in Kell's London and how the thinning of the doors will affect all of the magic in the worlds. Maybe Lila's home will finally get a little magic on that side as we see there is some hope for it when we visit there.
Overall, I couldn't put this book down I was so invested in the characters, the story, the political intrigue and character development. I found everything so interesting but if you weren't invested in the first series I think it could seem a little long and some of the concepts of the story might be a little confusing. Still if you read the first series this is like coming home after being away for a few years and catching up with all your old friends.
Narration:
I believe it was so smart to do multiple narrators on this. If you have read anything in the epic fantasy realm then you should already be familiar with Kate Reading and Michael Kramer. They are really fantastic at narrating and I always know they will deliver a solid performance. No matter how big the cast they have been able to accommodate large sets of characters into their Narrations. Marisa Calin isn't a novice narrator with over 100 titles under her belt, but I've only listened to one other book she has narrated. I think the biggest compliment I can give her is that I didn't notice differences between the caliber or her chapters or those of Kate Reading and Michael Cramer. She held her own with two powerhouses of narration and that is a huge compliment.
I listened to the story at my usual 1.5x speed....more
Book 14 and this series is still running strong for me. Mercy and Adam are one of my favorite couples in UF and I enjoy getting to spend time with theBook 14 and this series is still running strong for me. Mercy and Adam are one of my favorite couples in UF and I enjoy getting to spend time with them every book. It is like seeing some of your old friends and catching up on what they have done since the last time you met. You can't wait to see them and you are reluctant to leave them when the visit is over.
Mercy is struggling with some after effects of the last book. There are some lingering things happening and interacting with her mind and magic. Both Adam and Z are very worried but neither has a way to fix her but Z might know someone who can help, but who wants to owe a favor to a magical creature powerful enough to weave protections on the kind of magic Mercy has.
Mercy's brother shows up on her doorstep, cursed and acting a little crazy. He can't communicate so Mercy and Adam take off to the small town and magic springs he came from in an effort to find out who cursed him and why. Seems like they are just in time for a wedding, if the groom can get there through the magical winter storm that is brewing. If he doesn't make it something horrible will be released into this world and it will be the end times.
Mercy and Adam make a few new friends, you can never have enough of those, and possibly another enemy (but really that was bound to happen too). Stuck at the lodge they will delve into a decent sized mystery and search for a magic lute Mercy's brother might have stolen. Adam will also stretch his pack bonds and see what he can do with the growing pack of very alpha personalities.
Meanwhile in the Tri-cities the seconds in command also have to divide and concur a few of the other threats while Adam is away. It seems like Adam's pack might just be expanding enough to eventually have sup-pack that report to him. Kind of like the Murock I'm thinking but that will be interesting to see going forward.
The mystery was very interesting and I like the new Vampire and Ghost we got to meet along with a silvery spider with some magical weaving skills that Mercy desperately needed. Coyote seems to be all kinds of mixed up in this wedding as well so you know there is all kinds of mischief afoot.
Another pretty solid book in the series, with a few personal teasers from some of the side characters like Jesse, Warren and Sherwood. It feels like maybe one of them needs a little novella to flush a few things out. And I am not opposed to reading that.
This is a long running series and you must start at the beginning to really understand all the complexities of this world. ...more
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the conThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
4.5 hearts
The Witchwood Knot is the first book in the Victorian Faery Tales, a new spin off series set after the events in the Regency Faery Talesseries. I had not read the prior series and still enjoyed this book so much, in fact right after finishing it I went back and read the first series since I was so enchanted by the world and Olivia Atwater's writing. But, I saw there are a lot of nods to at least Half a Soul that I would have gotten a little more out of if I'd read it as well.
Winnifred has come to Witchwood Manor to help solve a mystery and a curse on the house. The lady of the keep is ill and wants desperately to keep her grandson safe. The Fae though, have infiltrated the manor and causing no end of trouble for family and the servants. There are actually only a few servants willing to work there, because those who sleep under the manor's roof have a tendency to be transported to a pocket faery realm and the fae in the realm are no end of trouble to the mortals transported there. Winnie is supposed to keep her charge safe and figure out how to thwart the curse. Just one problem, she has already lost her charge, replaced by a changeling boy and now she has to rescue him. [image] This was a little dark with so many great reveals along the way. The house and its history, what was released from the ground there and so many other questions posed I hope will be answered in the rest of the series, that I think will feature Winnie's sisters who are still in London. Winnifred finds an reluctant ally in the house to help her on her quest to save the young master snatched away to Faery and we get to see the Knot. Mr. Quincy has played the butler in the Manor and Winnie has found a way to bargain with him to find the missing boy in the heart of the Knot. There are many dangers in Faery and in the Manor that they will have to traverse if they are going to win.
There was no happy ending, here-- but she could choose the unhappy ending which most suited her. That had to be enough.
I enjoyed this story, the gothic romance, the mystery and the set up for the next two books in the series. I am pretty desperate to find out more of Winnie's sisters and why the pathways to Faery in London have vanished. This was a great set up for the overlaying arc it seems we will get in this series. Having now read the original series, I can say that The Witchwood Knot is a bit darker in a delicious kind of way, more like a true Faery story. Winnie and the way she sees the world is really fantastic and I loved seeing the Curse of the Manor through her eyes. Otherwise the story might have been more scary than interesting.
Great start to a new series blending Gothic Romance with Faery Stories....more
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the conThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
4.5 hearts
Inheritance, the first book of the Lost Bride's Trilogy is right up my ally. It is a mashup of romance, suspense, some paranormal activity and a mystery two centuries in the making. In a glorious gothic mansion that just oozes "I'm haunted vibes", the story starts to take shape on the curse that lives in this house and all the people it has affected. Our heroine is the last person in a family line who has a chance to break the curse and not end up dead herself.
Sonya was planning her wedding until she found her fiancé in bed with another woman. Her future plans may have been destroyed and everything she was working for thrown up in the air when a bombshell shows up in the form of an inheritance from an uncle she never knew she had. Her father's twin has passed away and left her a gorgeous historical house next to the sea. The catch? Well, there are a few. She must live in the house for three years to fully inherit, it might be a teensy bit haunted and Sonya is the last of her line with a chance to break the curse.
I enjoyed this story. It takes some time to develop as we are getting everything set up for the trilogy. Discovering the history of the house and some of the ghosts in it fascinated me. I also loved how Sonya finally came to accept the haunting; she is a practical person and in her normal world the idea was ridiculous. But there are just some things that cannot be denied and the entities in the house are one of them. The romance is cute as Sonya and the son of the lawyer handling her inheritance, Trey, spend some time together and feel those first inklings of something between them. Over the course of a few months, they have some time to settle into the beginnings of their relationship.
There are some other great characters in this sleepy little town. I love the small town feel of this gothic style romance. Cleo was so much fun; she has been Sonya's best friend for such a long time but unlike the straight laced Sonya, Cleo feels the haunting in the house immediately and is enchanted by it. She is ready to join her friend in this new experience as Sonya wanders through the discovery of details of the curse that has affected so many generations of this family.
The town, the burgeoning loves and of course, the ghost mystery, drew me in and as the story really started to pick up speed towards the end I was on the edge of my seat. The disappointment was only that this installment of the story was coming to an end and I would have to wait with the rest of the readers for what comes next as the entire trilogy looks devoted to solving this mystery. I think we may get a few more romances than just Sonya and Trey as things look promising for Cleo in the love department too. I for one am super excited with that ending to see what else Nora Roberts has in store for us. I will definitely be looking into some of her catalog for the other works she has in the fantasy romance vein.
Narration: Brittany Pressley is a prolific narrator with over 500 titles under her belt and it shows. She has cadence, volume, emotion and diction down pat. All of the characters are distinct and all of them feel so real. I know I enjoy when a narrator helps bring the characters to life. Brittany did a great job and I found myself drawn into every word of the story. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
The Sunlit Man is the last of the four books Brandon Sanderson wrote while not touring due to tThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
The Sunlit Man is the last of the four books Brandon Sanderson wrote while not touring due to the Covid travel restrictions that was part of the most successful Kickstarter of all time. The other books in the the four book Kickstarter were for his wife and son, but Sunlit Man is for the fans. It features one of the characters from the Stormlight Archives after the events of the yet to be completed book 5 of that series. Written as a standalone, this is much like the Hulk, Quantum Leap or the old Westerns where the wanderer shows up to save the day before moving along. It will definitely help your enjoyment of the book if you have at least read to book 2 or 3 of the Stormlight Archives or any of Sanderson's works set in the Cosmere or else you might not understand the magic system and some of the finer points of The Sunlit Man.
Nomad is one of the well known characters from the Stormlight Archives and some of the fun of this book is discovering who he is and why he might be on the run going by a different name and jumping planet to planet. With his friend Aux, who may or may not be a spren from Roshar, he has jumped onto a planet this time about to sacrifice a bunch of people to the sun. There are so many questions the reader will have in the first few chapters as we learn just bits and pieces along the way of this character on the run from the Night Brigade, why he isn't allowed to harm anyone, how he is tied to Wit, why did he hold the Dawnshard for awhile and why is his spren almost dead. There were a lot of questions from the very beginning and in true Sanderson fashion they are doled out a little at a time during the story to help us understand this characters and the life he is living today, without spoiling anything that might be happening in future books from the original series.
Nomad finds himself on a world with two different sets of people. One is the Cinder King, a man with a burning ember in his heart keeping him alive. He is cruel and looking to dominate the entire planet. The other set of people spend most of their time dodging the Cinder King and the Sun. On this planet the full force of the sun will annihilate anyone it's path and leave behind a soul stone. These are used as power sources by people on the planet to keep their flying cities running. For the Cinder King this means using the people he is trying to conquer to fuel his empire, for the resistance it means letting loved ones volunteer when it is their time. The investiture on this planet is so strange and Nomad needs to figure out how to use it if he is ever going to escape this planet and stay ahead of the Night Brigade.
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The things I loved about this story are really the things I love about most Sanderson stories. The worldbuilding is incredible, the people are complex and the heroes are always broken. Nomad has a past he is still trying to outrun and that brings up a slew of questions.
“He put his hands to his skull, digging his fingers into the skin. How could he run so hard and never get anywhere? The journey was supposed to be the important part, wasn’t it? Why, then, was he so miserable?”
How long should he run, is this a life worth living, he used to fight for people. He used to be a different man.
“But he could still hear. And somehow, in shutting out the light— there within the blackness of his own design— he felt something. Something of the person he’d once been. Words once spoken. In a moment of glorious radiance.”
The story is great, the plot, the villain, the discoveries made, and sacrifices given. It was a true heroes tale and journey. Maybe our Nomad will regain part of the man he used to be, maybe he won't. But I will hope to see him in future Cosmere tales. Whether as the main character or just someone who tags along for part of the adventure, I don't care as I enjoyed the journey our intrepid Knight seems to be on and hope that somehow and in someway he finds whatever redemption he is searching for. This was my favorite out of all four of the Kickstarter books and thought it was a great way to end the journey we started with Sanderson a year ago.
I want to say that one of the other great things about all of the Kickstarter books have been the art inside. Brandon Sanderson loves to show you some of the details of his worlds and I liked the art in this book so much. I listened to the audio but I went through the ebook to see all the artwork and will one day reread the words with my eyes to enjoy this story again with the art at the same time.
Narration: William Demerit narrated one other Sanderson book I have read. He was really perfect for this role as well. The narrators for The Stormlight Archives are great but it was nice to get a new voice for a new main characters and enjoy the performance from a PoV. William captured all of the characters so well. I really felt for Nomad and Aux as more of their tale was revealed slowly. He was a great new voice for a fantastic new lead. His pacing for the story was great and really added to my overall enjoyment.
Releasing today 10/31 A perfect Historical Romance filled with a ghost story to boot.
As with many Historical Romance type books you don't need to haveReleasing today 10/31 A perfect Historical Romance filled with a ghost story to boot.
As with many Historical Romance type books you don't need to have read the others to enjoy the story but it always helps. There is a stitch in time in the Thorn Manor that helps our characters travel between times. The Stitch has a bit of a mind of it's own and while sometimes it doesn't do what you want it does tend to do what you need.
Portia is the most levelheaded and timid of the sisters she was raised with. She is a healer by trade and would be a doctor if she could, but being a woman has limited her in this vein. Portia isn't the one who goes on adventures, she usually just listens to the adventures of her sisters, while she is the stable one. But Miranda went into the stitch days ago and has not returned. To save her sister she will risk it. [image] Traveling the same road her sister would have taken, Portia ends up in a family carriage on the road to her destination when it is set upon by highwaymen. One is injured in the exchange and Portia is taken with the highwaymen to help nurse him back to help. In the dilapidated castle, that only has a few rooms to live in Portia will have a meeting of the wits with the Earl of Ravensford, Benedict Sterling. Just so happens the castle is also haunted and while Portia can't talk to ghosts they certainly can lash out at her.
"I did not do this." "Of course you didn't" "Thank you. I would not want you to think me a killer." "Oh, I do not know you well enough to say that. I only know you well enough to say that. I only know that you are too clever to put the body of your victim in your own castle, and in the same place you once trapped your brother."
The Earl of Ravensford is destitute and needs a bride of means who will bolster the coffers to get his lands through this drought. He is on the marriage market and is at least honest enough to make sure any of the women coming to the ball for him to chose a wife know what he is offering. It all seemed like a great idea until he meets Portia. The woman who has captivated his mind and possibly his heart.
Portia doesn't have a way to save Benedict's lands but she is also intrigued by the man who is ever misunderstood but whose actions prove him a good steward of the people and the land. Maybe she can at least help with the making him more attractive to the women coming to the ball and with his ghost problems. There is also a missing golden clock, if found it could give Benedict enough money he wouldn't need to marry for it.
This was one of my favorite books of this series. Portia is so much fun in her matter of fact ways of speaking and Benedict was a man trying to do the right things but his land and his family even at the cost of his happiness. The two of them together have some witty banter that is always a good time and I enjoyed it all.
The ending was also very practical Portia, which made it all the more fitting....more
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the conThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
3.5 hearts
Spirit Gate is the first book in the Crossroads trilogy, an old school epic fantasy. The world has a very Middle Eastern type setting with sands, people with brown skin who eat yogurt etc. There are many different religions with gods, some seem the same some are different. There used to be guardians that distributed justice to the land although no one has seen one in 70 years. The world is quite large and in our journeys with the characters we get to see much of it. But being old school there seems to be a lot of rape and mentions of rape. This a slave society and slaves are to be used how slaves have always been used.
The story start out so cool, I was really into the first few chapters. The Reaves are an order of public servants. Giant Eagles choose a person to be bonded to and they travel the lands arbitrating disputes and helping with the law. The Reaves used to work with the Guardians who then distributed justice, but no one has seen a Guardian in generations, so long that we are to wonder if those are just stories or if they are real.
Joss, a Reave, attempts to go to one of the Guardian's sacred places to see if they can be found. He and his Reave lover, Marit, travel to one such place and make a few discoveries but none that will help them in their current predicament. When they split, Marit discovers the taint has come to the land and she may not get out of her situation alive. Then we skip 19 years later...that always throws me for a loop.
The book really slows down then and we follow two separate sets of characters. Joss, a broken man, 19 years later who lost the love of his life and never forgave himself. He is still a Reave but they've demoted him time and time again as he breaks the rules still looking for a purpose. The Reaves are stretched thin and something isn't quite right. Joss and a small team are headed on the road to see if they can figure out why they haven't heard from some of the other locations and try to find support for the upcoming troubles just on the horizon.
The other set of characters was jarring to jump to. Captain Anji and his new bride, Mai, travel from her home village to his new posting. But all is not what it seems and soon they are forced to go into The Hundred lands with his army looking for a new life. Along the way, they meet and team up with Joss to see if they can find a way to stop an army that is looking to destroy everything in their path.
‘If you are afraid, don’t do it. But if you do it, don’t be afraid.’
Pacing is going to be a big problem for some readers. The start is strong but then after the 19 year jump the pacing slows as there are new character introductions and an entire new group of people are introduced. Sometimes it was confusing because a chapter before would move in time but then we would move to a different character and it would go back to go over the same period of time for them. When I read a book I follow that a lot better than when I listen so there were a few times I had to go back a little to make sure I knew where we were in the story.
Kate Elliot is a really good story teller and the start of the book is great and the last 100 pages or so really worked too. There is just a lot of stuff in the middle that took awhile and might have meandered just a bit. If you have been reading fantasy for years like myself, there will be something in this story for you. However if you've never read any older fantasy books this will have some thing that may bother readers with sensitivity to slavery, rape and sacrifice. This could have done with a little slimming in the middle.
Fear is its own challenge, the first battle that must be won. And after that, the war on despair.
Narration: Zehra Jane Naqvi was a good fit for this story. I have listened to her before for some of the works by Debbie Cassidy Her voice lent well to the Middle-Eastern or South Asian feel of the characters and the story. The performance was really good, her voice was distinguishable between characters and lent well to the overall performance. I was able to listen to my usual 1.5x speed.
Review copy was received from . This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of mThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from . This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
3.5 hearts
The Weaver and the Witch Queen is a semi-Viking tale about three girls both bound together and torn apart by a prophecy. The three have their fates are intertwined when a wisewoman gives a reading at a village celebration. One girl leaves in an attempt to avoid the choices made for her by an abusive parent, the other two grow up together with a shadow cast over their futures. A decade after the foretelling they will be reunited, Gunnhild and Oddney will have to work together to save Signy the sister taken by raiders.
I enjoyed a lot of portions of this book. Three women tied together by magic with the determination to make the sacrifices needed to save their blood oath sister. Gunnhild, will make a bargain to ensure the help of the future king in order to say her friend from childhood. All three women are strong in different ways. Oddney has a tender soul and spirit but a fierce determination. She didn't know how strong she really was until she needed to save the sister stolen by raiders. Signy captured will eventually have to find a way to deal with the trauma she survived and all three women will have to find ways to live their own lives, but also find a way to save and forgive each other.
The magic in The Weaver and the Witch was one of my favorite parts as it wasn't overdone and seemed like it fit into the time. I also enjoyed the eventual love story between Gunnhild and the future king Eirik. A few of the side characters stole some of the best scenes and really were almost more interesting than the main characters. Arinbjorn was one those characters, half brother of the future king he is given the free reign to add a little levity to the very serious Eirik. I do have one small issue with the book. There is a character that ended up (view spoiler)[being trans (hide spoiler)]. It seemed very far fetched in a Viking tale and that character ended up as one of the romantic interests. I just had a hard time buying into so many people in a Norse tale being so accepting of this situation.
I enjoyed the resolution to the story even though parts of it were a bit sloggy. I would have liked an epilogue showing Gunnhild and Eirik later in life together since it was eluded that she would become a very bloodthirsty Queen, much worse and Eirik. It would have been fun to have that confirmed or dispelled to bring the story to a full conclusion. But other than those few minor issues this is a great follow-up to Genevieve Gornichec's first book The Witch's Heart.
“Your enemies are my enemies.” At once he recognized his own words from the day they’d bound themselves with blood nearly a moon ago, and a ghost of a grim, determined smile played at his lips. This wedding was for his family, the people, the gods. But these words were a reminder of the oath they’d already taken, a reminder for just the two of them. “And your fate is my fate,” he said.
The Secret of McKinley Mansion was a fun horror-lite story about a town with a ghost problem. One where on stormy nights something might appear in youThe Secret of McKinley Mansion was a fun horror-lite story about a town with a ghost problem. One where on stormy nights something might appear in your house and rattle doors or walk around in an attic. Or an old woman may wander the street trying to coax someone out of their house and up to the McKinley Mansion, to never be seen again.
Ella is slated to be the next victim of the old woman. She has held out for years and so kept the old lady at bay and the rest of the town safe. She has stayed away from that mansion for years until Braiden, a new guy, comes to town and heads up there with a group of kids. After that all bets are off as all the kids get stuck in a haunted mansion and will learn that not all the ghosts in the town are harmless.
This is really reminiscent of 90s horror flicks, with all the cliches you would expect in those. I had a good time with the story overall but the kids don’t talk like kids but mini adults and some of the scenes earlier on are kind of choppy and never get resolved, but it is a ghost story so I didn’t mind it too much.
Overall, it is a fun spooky tale as long as you aren’t putting too much deep thought into it and just something to have some fun with....more
I have been waiting for Clara and Henry’s story for awhile now. Since Clara is sure that he is the man for her and has been wor3.5 Sweet Endings Stars
I have been waiting for Clara and Henry’s story for awhile now. Since Clara is sure that he is the man for her and has been working on him for a few books now. She is a bit sneaky in all of her smally dropped hints, but now there is not more time for hinting, she is about to bash Henry over the head so he finally gets it as makes a move.
Step one. Get Henry to join the book club that Clara is so well known for hosting and blogging about. It is time to get Henry into the same room to discuss the romance books the group is reading.
"Once I had him in the book club, I’d seduce him the only way I knew how. Through books."
It isn’t that Henry doesn’t like Clara, she is one of the only people he can really stand to be around and she soothes every piece of his tortured broken soul. Henry just can’t seem to believe that she would want him, let alone pursue him.
I liked learning about Henry’s background and why he doesn’t like to be touched by people and has shut out his magic so long. The romance doesn’t carry a lot of tension because we have already done some of that in the other books leading up to this one. The tension comes more from Henry’s relationship with his father and his own Grim Magic.
Clara is absolutely adorable in this. She is perky, fun and effervescent. Henry is my brand of kryptonite; he is so broken and just like Clara I want to help him find a way back to being whole again.
This should be the last book of the series as all the siblings are coupled up and there was a decent time jump in the epilogue. My only disappointment is there wasn't a little more tension to the relationship since it had been building for so many books in Grim and Bear it. I really have enjoyed the story of these witch sisters and the different places they found love.
Narration
The duo of Johanna Fairview and Aiden Snow is again perfect for this series. Johanna captures Clara's voice perfectly and all of the innocence and joy of it. Aiden Snow is prolific in his catalog of performances and it is clear why. His voice is absolutely perfect for the broken Henry on his road to redemption. I loved them both and was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed....more
The Walking Stick is a well known staple of the Mercy Thompson world and readers are well aware of how a magical artifact can change over time. But whThe Walking Stick is a well known staple of the Mercy Thompson world and readers are well aware of how a magical artifact can change over time. But what if there was an artifact that's purpose was different and had been used to kill many already. What would that turn into after thousands of years?
Wulfe has always been a bit of an enigma and that is no different in Soul Taken. Wulfe seems to have an unhealthy obsession with Mercy and when Marcillia comes to Mercy and tasks her to find Wulfe or all will be lost she knew something was wrong and somehow the vampires are involved.
The Mercy Thompson world is rich with lore, characters and connections. I enjoy being in this world and even when we are looking for the wielder of a scythe that seems to be reaping the souls of slightly magical beings it is still a good time. Mercy and Adam are again adorable together and I like that every once and awhile we get a PoV from Adam now. The love he has for Mercy and the way he has convinced his wolf they are taking care of her by not over-protecting her is really well done.
The plot for the story is well done again and I always enjoy time with Zee and even the creepy Underhill. She does seem to have a little vendetta against our Zee and wants everyone to remember that the kind yet grumpy mechanic used to be force of nature to be reckoned with and served his enemies wine out of a goblet crafted from the skulls of their sons. I mean we all know Zee has not always been a good guy, to be fair they had kidnapped and imprisoner him.
Sherwood is character that we got a few more details of who he really is and why Bran might have sent him to be a part of Adam and Mercy's pack. But there are a few dynamics to figure out when some of those memories come tumbling back.
Another great story and honestly one that works well in the fall and Halloween time. Mercy and crew bring together another great story, with fun times to blend into the serious ones and a few deeper discoveries along the way....more
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the conThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I really enjoyed You've Got Mail when it came out and the idea, that if you talked to someone you knew and didn't like in person on paper or in emails would you feel differently. The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy was a play on this concept in a fantasy world where spirits who haven't crossed over sometime take over dead bodies and need to be dispatched.
Hart knows he is a Demigod; he just doesn't know who his real father is. When he met Mercy years ago, he was struck by her beauty but being the broken man/godling that he was, he totally screwed up their first meeting and managed to insult Mercy's life's work in just a few minutes and set them on a path of cold distain for years. Mercy, sometimes called Merciless by Hart runs an undertaking business. In this in-between place, called Tanria, where the demigods live in harmony with the humans and some interesting creatures, Mercy prepares people to cross over once they have left their mortal coil. People are kind enough to her, but it can be an icky job and let's face it death creeps out a lot of people. She took over helping the business at seventeen and in the last years she runs all the business after her father almost died. But when the plans for the business change, Mercy feels a bit lost and longing for someone to see her in all of this.
Hart is a marshal, out in Tanria, protecting it from the reanimated corpses that sometimes enter the area. Business has been busy lately too, where are all these Drudges coming from? He is lonely and has isolated himself from almost everyone who used to care about him. One night, he pens a letter to 'A Friend' hoping that someone out there might get him and how he is feeling. The postal service picks the letter up and delivers it to none other than Mercy, also in need of a desperate friend. This makes sense as the mail is delivered by former messengers to the gods who currently take to form of talking animals. As they both confide in each other their woes and such something beautiful starts to blossom between them.
I liked this story overall. The world is interesting, I liked Mercy and her crazy family who I wish just saw her a little better. Hart, when he wasn't being a broken mess of a man is so heartfelt and kind. I could see why the two of them belonged together. Mercy helps Hart understand why he has put so many at arms length and helps him begin to open up again to the possibilities of friendships and more. Hart sees Mercy and her hopes and dreams that sometimes her family just accidentally takes for granted. I liked how they bolstered each other.
There is a side story on why there are so many Drudges coming out of the woodworks and why Mercy's undertaking business is so attractive to the competition that they want to buy it out. I liked how all of those items played out on the side of the romance to keep the story going. Hart's eventual meeting with his dad was really well done and made perfect sense to who he was and the gifts he had.
Overall a good romance with a smidge of fantasy on the side. Based on this book, I'd check out some of the authors other works. Narration: I always appreciate having multiple narrators when there are different PoVs Michael Gallagher and Rachanee Lumayno felt perfect for their respective roles. Rachanee captured both Mercy's strength and loneliness even through she is surrounded by family and Michael Gallagher was able to perform Harts PoV so the reader empathized with the decisions he made and his longing and fear to belong to something or someone. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Paranormal Women's Fiction has been hit or miss for me right now. I love the concept of people in their 40s coming into some kind of gift or a even juParanormal Women's Fiction has been hit or miss for me right now. I love the concept of people in their 40s coming into some kind of gift or a even just a story revolving around people who are not in their 20s but I've only found a few gems in this genre so far. Luckily here is another one.
Robin an about to be an empty nester and is so unclear with what that will mean for her marriage, that feels like it is on life support. She and her husband have lost something they barely acknowledge each other anymore and haven't had sex in awhile.
“I hate my life, but I’m too scared to do anything to change it. That’s the saddest part of all.”
Robin's life changes forever though when she and a few friends have an accident throwing their car into glimmer lake. All of them nearly died or did die for a few minutes and came out a bit different. Robin can now see ghosts and her friends seem to have picked up powers too. Val gets flashes of people when she touches items they have touched and the Monica is having vision dreams of the future. To top it all off their was a dead body in the back of Robin's car when they pulled it out of the lake, it had been dead for decades and might have just been what helped them out of the car.
“I mean, if you think about it, we’re at the perfect age. All those shows where teenagers get magic powers are dumb. Remember how stupid we were when we were sixteen? I’m much more capable of being a superhero at this point in my life.”
All three want to know who the body belongs to and what it has to do with one of the people in their friend trio. Robin is on a quest to fix the marriage that has gone stale, solve the mystery of the body in the lake and how he was murdered and figure out how to deal with seeing spirits and figuring out what she can do for them.
I had a good time with this group. All of the women were dealing with real things like kids, family, trying not to turn into their mothers etc. Robin had a real world situation with her husband where she needed to figure out if she was okay with where things were or if she wanted to reconnect with him and be honest about what she wants. All the women were very likable and I enjoyed the murder mystery as well. I look forward to the other books in this series....more
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the conThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
3.5 hearts
Kaitlyn is a shifter who has never shifted. She was basically chained to her human form by her former alpha and has grown up with a wolf inside her that had never been let out. In Broken Moon, the first book of the Kait Silverseries, Kait works as an investigator of sorts, sometimes for the paranormal community, the police or just your everyday people who have a haunting. She is good at her job and built a life she can live with, but when the new Alpha of a different pack lets her know he can release her wolf if she helps him, it is an offer too good to pass up.
Jared is the son of the alpha that didn't take Kait or her mom in when they were cast out of their own pack. He needs help finding a creature killing off his pack members and Kait is his best bet. But there is also something about her when they met that told him he could bring her wolf back out and he is willing to do that and let her and her mother into his pack if she can help him. There are hinted at other reasons too as to why he can help her wolf but we will come back to that in other books probably.
Just to make things extra fun there is a demon running around looking to harm or influence Kait since she killed off his corporeal form and took his knife. And Kait has just made a new friend in Lucy, a psychic who is also a baker and her brand new roommate/sidekick. Nice to have an early warning system living in your apartment.
Broken Moon has some very interesting premises for a not really new genre, I mean shifter stories are not new and seem to be everywhere. Overall, I enjoyed the read as Kait is likeable and I wanted her to get her wolf back and save people. I also am a fan of 'mate' stories so the hinted at mate status of Kait for Jared is a big draw. There are a few first book issues here with scene transitions could have been a little bit better but overall I enjoyed the story and the potential I saw for the series. This one of those series I will continue to see if the next few books increase my interest in the series.
Narration: Sierra Kline is an accomplished narrator with over 800 titles under her belt. Amazingly I think this is the first time I've listened to a book narrated by her. She puts forth a solid performance and I really enjoyed her vocal performance. She had a clear voice for all the characters and did well with the material. I was able to listen to Broken Moon at my usual 1.5x speed.
The town of ordinary where the gods come to vacation always seems to have something interesting going on. Deleney and Ryder are trying to figure out tThe town of ordinary where the gods come to vacation always seems to have something interesting going on. Deleney and Ryder are trying to figure out their relationship and how that is going to work with the God he made a deal with. There is also a missing vampire, a potential werewolf war about to break out and random knitting showing up to decorate light poles, benches and fir hydrants in the town.
Delaney has her work cut out for her. She is going to need the help of a few gods, a master vampire and a fae lock breaking elf if she is going to be able to find and kill the old vampire trying to get a book of dark magic out of the town of Ordinary where it is protected. There might even be a demon to deal with and bad choices made all around.
I'm having a great time with this series. The town is great and anytime you can have a war counsel with Ares or ask Death for a favor since they are both on vacation it is a good day. The three sisters who watch over the town are a lot of fun to hang out with and I like how they are all so different and bring something important to the town.
The fight at the end and everything that happened was intense, having some interesting consequences. Deleney has put herself in a bit of a pickle though and it will be interesting to see what the fallout of the deal she made will be in future book. I hear we are going to start to get some books for the PoV of a different sister and I can't wait to be in their heads and learn more about their powers for the town of Ordinary....more
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the conThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The third book in the Stitch In Time series is A Turn of the Tide where we do not go forward in time to the 21st century but back in time to 50 years before the settings of the other books. In this time, Miranda will find a man, she has seen him before as a ghost in her time and knows how his death is to come. But how to convince him so she can save him.
Nicolas is a privateer and just lost his captain and crew when they were hanged for piracy. He escaped that death but is still a wanted man for smuggling goods to the people of hoods bay. A Robin Hood of sorts you could say. The nobleman of the area, Nottingham is looking for him and keeps showing up when least expected. Nicolas, with help of Miranda, hopefully will be able to find out which one of his trusted allies is selling him out to the enemy.
In their exploration of the ship holding the stolen cargo, Nico and Miranda run across the spirit of a boy who should be safe in York but was instead starved to death in a room on the ship. Nico and Miranda swear to find the boy's killer and help set him to rest. But who can they trust and who is actively working against Nico and his cause? He will need some proof if he is going to be pardoned and be able to live a safe life.
This series has been a lot of fun taking two people who have lived in different times and throwing them together. I really have enjoyed the interested things that brings up for the characters and how each story plays out. A Turn of the Tide, while good, was missing some of the angst of the other stories. I loved both Miranda and Nico but he honestly seemed too good to be true. Their flirting was fun and I liked how forward Miranda let herself be with him. There are some interesting theories floating around about that stitch in time and why Miranda isn't locked into just her time and the future one Bronwyn came from. But I'm sure that will be fleshed out in one of the future books as there are two more for this series planned. A holiday novella and then there is one sister left to go through time and find her true love.
Overall a satisfying conclusion to Miranda and Nico's tale. They seems perfect for each other and I did like the conclusion to who the person was that sold Nico out and why. I have had a great time with this series and look forward to the upcoming books in it....more
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