A Hard Day for a Hangover ends the great Sunshine Vicram trilogy—and all too soon. The mystery series of a small-town
serif and her family, friends, and ever-growing staff of uniquely talented deputies
has just found its legs and should really continue.
The last
book picks up a couple of days after the previous ended, with the
characters still recovering from the injuries they’d sustained. A lot is going
on from the start, but the main story revolves around a young woman who’s found
badly injured, which leads to the trace of similar cases.
It’s a dual
point of view investigation, as Sunshine’s daughter Auri adds her skills and
enthusiasm in the game. The two POVs were better balanced than in the previous
book, with neither dominating, and the mother-daughter duo worked well together.
The ongoing
issue with Levi and his uncle was concluded, though rather easily, considering
it’s been the main issue throughout the trilogy. The storyline likely fell
victim of the abrupt ending of the series and had to be given any kind of
closure.
The when-will-they
romance between Sun and Levi progressed in lightspeed too. Not that the readers
haven’t waited for it, but with a couple of more books, it could’ve progressed
more naturally. Also, Auri wasn’t given much time to digest the news of who her
father really is. In the end, there wasn’t enough room for romance. Levi
remained a distant character, more talked about by Sun than seen. He would’ve
needed his own point of view chapters to really make his story work.
There were many
great storylines left hanging too, like Quincy’s romance and the Dangerous
Daughters, both of which were just getting started. The series still has a lot going
for it and I hope the author will continue it after all. As things stand,
I enjoyed the book greatly. It was fun and the mystery was intriguing. And in
the end, it gave me the satisfying and emotional closure that I needed.
Moonlight and Magic is the fourth book in Jones’ Betwixt and Between series that follows
two forty-something women who suddenly find out that they are powerful witches, charmlings.
The first three books were about Defiance. This one is about Annette.
Having
powers came as a huge surprise to Annette, because unlike Deph, she knows who
her parents are and they’re not magical at all. So, it must mean her father isn’t
who she thought. Determined to find out the truth, she travels back home to ask
her mother about it.
Before she’s
even taken off her coat, things get out of hands. A warlock appears, but one
only she can see; a ghost of a little girl needs help, and her mother’s new man
turns out to be even more evil than the warlock—who doesn’t seem all that evil after
all.
It takes
most of the book to set things straight, before Nette can return home to Salem,
where she discovers that the warlock wasn’t who she thought—and turns out to be something better.
But the troubles follow her home. Luckily her new family—and the house—are there to help her.
This was a
good book. Fairly short, but with a good mystery and a complete plot. It’s
still difficult to imagine Nette is a grownup woman in her mid-forties, but she
was a fun character now that we get her point of view. She didn’t get to use
her new powers much, but when she did, she made a difference, in more ways than
one. And if a few things were left unsolved, like the statue, they’ll likely
continue in the next one.
The
familiar cast didn’t have a large role, but they seemed fresh through Nette’s
eyes. Nette’s mom was a good and surprising addition, and the warlock was
excellent. Ghosts and other incorporeal heroes aren’t my thing, but considering
Nette’s infatuation with Percy, the spirit controlling the house, this was an
improvement—in more ways than one. And the little cliffhanger at the end ensures I’ll
continue with the series.
It’s been three weeks since I updated this blog the last
time, so this is going to be a long post of everything I’ve read since.
I’m not sure why I bother reviewing Nalini Singh’s books
anymore. They’re all great. Five stars. Even if the plot in some is slightly
thinner than in others, she has the amazing ability to write unabashedly
emotional characters who manage to convey their emotions straight to reader’s
heart. Alpha Night is no exception.
It’s the fourth book in the Psy-Changeling spin-off series
called Psy-Changeling Trinity. It’s again set in Russia, this time with a wolf
pack there. Selenka is the alpha of the pack and Ethan is a damaged Arrow (as
if there were any other kind). The book starts with a mating bond forming
between the two at the first sight, and takes the romance from there. Obstacles
on their path rise from Ethan’s mental damage that can only lead to death, on
top of which the enemies of Selenka’s pack move in on them. And then there’s
the larger plot of the psy-net unravelling, which may lead to the death of the
entire psy-race. There are high emotions and a great reward at the end. All in
all, a perfect romance novel.
The Graveyard Shift by Darynda Jones
It’s not the only book I’ve read since my last blog post. Darynda
Jones published a short romance set in her Charley Davidson world. The Graveyard Shift takes place a few years after the final book in the series and
features Garrett Swopes, a PI friend of Charley’s who has one task: keep
Charley and Rey’s daughter safe. And then she disappears. Out of options, he
seeks help from the mother of his son, whom he resents for various reasons.
It’s an opportunity for a second chance romance for them. However, the book is
curiously thin on romance—though there’s of
course a happily ever after ending. The main focus is on Beep, the daughter,
and what happens to her during her absence. Basically, the book sets up the
next phase in the series. So, even if the romance is a bit dull, the book is
essential reading for anyone who wants to keep reading the series.
The A.I. Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole
The A.I. Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole is a delightful love story between two people who are both recovering from an
accident that has affected their memories, but with a twist—revealed in the title—that
one of them is a biomechanical human, basically a replicant from Blade Runner.
It’s set in somewhat dark future, after WW3. America is run by an organisation
called Hive that controls people, or at least its employees with AIs, robots
and fear. The focus is on the love story though, emphasised by the fact that
the two never leave the apartment complex where they live. There’s a mystery
unfolding on the background that upends both their lives when its revealed,
done well-enough that I never even suspected it. Quite a lot was left
unexplained in the end though, so I assume there will be a series focusing on
other characters mentioned in this book. I’d read them.
Firelight by Kristen Callihan
Firelight by Kristen Callihan was a
disappointing historical fantasy romance that I gave only three stars
to. Two people with curses they want to keep hidden from the world and each
other fall in love and then have to save the world from the Big Bad. There was
a bit too much artificially forced secrecy between the two, and the falling in
love seemed to happen outside the narrative and was simply given to the reader,
but the plot was interesting and the solution to the curse was unique. I liked
Archer and Miranda, didn’t instantly guess who the baddy was—or why—and approved the way the day
was saved in the end, but the narrative dragged and the outside threat to the
couple never felt immediate. The main character of the next book was introduced
in this one, but I didn’t like him and I probably won’t read his story.
Changeling by Molly Harper
Another historical fantasy I read is
Changeling by Molly Harper. It’s a delightful middle grade story of a servant
girl who learns she can do magic in a society sharply divided to haves and have
nots based on their ability with magic. It has everything such a book needs: a
rags to riches story, adventure, making new friends in a boarding school for
witches, and even a little romance. Sarah/Cassandra is a good-hearted girl who
learns to survive in her new reality with the help of a magical book and her
two new friends. I’ll definitely read the next book too.
Elven Doom by Lindsay Buroker
On top of these romances I read Elven Doom by Lindsay Buroker, a fourth book in the Death Before Dragons urban
fantasy series. It’s yet another solid four star book from her: action packed,
funny and romantic. Val and Zav’s romance should’ve moved to a new level, but
things are ruined by Zav’s sister. Also the dark elves are ready to destroy the
world. The book has a slight wrapping-things-up feel to it despite leaving
much unsolved, but I hope this isn’t the last we hear from these characters.
Things are just getting interesting. I also read a collection of short
stories and scenes written from Zav’s point of view called The Forbidden Ground,
which was a nice addition to the series. I’m not sure if it’s on sale yet, as
it was a newsletter gift from the author to her readers.
These books were joined by three I
received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. And, honestly, two of
them weren’t anywhere near being published yet. Calypso’s Heart by M.C. Solaris
resulted in my first ever one star review on Goodreads (I usually never write a
review if it’s going to be that bad) based on the eight chapters I managed to
read before giving up in rage. Paradise Rising by P.G. Shriver got two stars,
but only because I actually finished it. Into the Black was a fairly
interesting sci-fi mystery/romance I gave three stars to. Nothing terribly
wrong with that one, but it failed to properly engage my interest. You can read
my Goodreads reviews by clicking the name of the book.
All in all, a busy and interesting
month of reading. NetGalley has definitely broadened my reading habits with
books that I might not otherwise choose to read. If I’m not always happy with
them, I at least learn a lot from them for my own writing. And that can only be
a good thing.
It’s always a source of unease when a favourite author
starts a new series. Darynda Jones is the author of the great and brilliantly funny
Charley Davidson urban fantasy series of a grim reaper turned private
investigator. It ended last year, and now Jones has returned with Sunshine
Vicram, a series that has no fantasy elements, but has mystery and comedy aplenty.
A Bad Day for Sunshine is different enough from Charley
Davidson books to feel fresh and similar enough to feel like coming home.
Biggest change on the outset is the use of third person narrative, with
alternating points of view between Sunshine and her teenage daughter Aurora. It
worked fairly well, but at times it was impossible to tell who the ‘she’ referred
to was. There were also a few annoying dream sequences that started in the
middle of ‘normal’ scenes, only to pull the rug under the reader later on.
The book follows Sunshine Vicaram, the new serif of a small
town in New Mexico. It's her home town, but she’s been away for years and has
only been tricked to returning by her parents who somehow managed to get her
elected as the new serif. While she knows the people and places, she needs to reacquaint
herself with everything. Her first day at work starts with a bang, or a crash,
and goes downhill from there when a young girl goes missing. It brings back
memories of her own abduction when she was seventeen, the reason she has left
the town in the first place.
The other story-line follows Auri at school. She has her own
troubles in the form of bullies and a new crush, and she is eager to help her
mother to find the missing girl, which puts her in peril. Sun is a good cop and
a quirky mom, Auri is a brilliant but troubled daughter. Together they are a
great team and I loved them both.
The main case of the missing girl seems odd on the surface,
but turns out to be straightforward enough that I guessed the bad guy
surprisingly early on. But that’s not all the book is about. There are all
sorts of shenanigans going on around Sun, with weird and quirky characters
brightening the day, and amazingly sexy men pouring in from every direction.
And none of them is as sexy as Sun’s biggest crush since she was a girl, Levi,
who may be the hero or the baddie of Sun’s life. With clues from Sun’s past
surfacing towards the end and the mystery of how she was elected a serif when
she didn't run still unsolved, the following books should prove to be as
interesting as the first.
Love Hard by Nalini Singh is the third
book in Hard Play contemporary romance series featuring four rugby playing New
Zealand brothers. Jake is the second youngest, a single dad of a six-year-old
after his teenage sweetheart suddenly died right after giving birth. His counterpart
is Juliet, a wild-hearted best friend of his former love. They didn’t like each
other at school, but years later, they are different people and sparks fly.
I love romance novels with lots of happy tears, and this one
made me cry an ocean. Jake and Juliet were a great, balanced and grownup couple
despite their young age. Both came with package, on top of which they had the
shared past they needed to work through too. All problems got solved fairly
easily, but in a satisfying way. And the entire Bishop-Esera family made me
want to be adopted by them. This was perhaps my favourite in the series so far,
but there’s one more book to come and I have high hopes for it.
4/5 stars on Goodreads
A Lovely Drop by Darynda Jones
A Lovely Drop by Darynda Jones is a novella or a short story
of about eighty pages. Despite the length, the story is fully developed, and I
didn’t feel like anything was missing. The premise is interesting: Andrea has
the ability to ‘drop’ twenty-four hours into past and observe everything that
has happened. She has operated under radar, helping anonymously to solve
difficult crimes. But now she has been caught by the Homeland Security who demand
she help them. She’s not entirely willing, a memory of her mother’s downfall in
the hands of law enforcement clear in her mind. The agent assigned to her case
is compelling, however, and so she complies.
The crime(s) are fairly easily solved. After all, all Andrea
has to do is go to the past to see what happened. But there are some twists and
turns that stem from her ability, which keep matters interesting to the end.
And there’s a romance developing between her and the agent, which spiced things
up too. Andrea is an interesting character, as is Agent Strand. The book ends
at a good place that makes me wish that there are more stories or even a
complete series featuring the two in the works. I’d definitely read them.
I’m over a month behind posting book reviews here on my
reading blog. I spent a better part of February without finishing a single
book I began to read. Partly it was because the books were disappointing and I had
to give them up. Partly it was because I had other commitments that ate into my
reading time. Because of that, the previous post here is from January 21st, and
the first book I finished since that was on February 19th. The gap in posting
is just laziness. I’ve managed to read five books, so here’s a recap.
This is book ten in Chance’s Cassandra Palmer series.
Despite the length of the series, apparently only three months have passed,
which is difficult to believe, considering everything that’s happened. In the
past couple of books there has been a major war brewing, and this one ended
with a big battle, though not the war-ending one. All the books do. Other than
that, it was slightly mismatched. It began with one plot that was made out to
be a big deal, but ended up as something completely different, with the
original plot brought up as an afterthought in the epilogue. Still, it was
better than some of the books in the series—which I love, by the way. It
was evenly paced with slower chapters here and there where the reader can catch
their breath, and there was an exciting development considering the main trio, Cassie, Pritkin and Mircea. And now that Chance is publishing the books herself, we don’t have to wait years until the next one.
Becky Chambers’ books are always
lovely. Nothing dramatic ever happens, there’s no drama between characters and
everyone is always nice. Small frowns are dealt with hugs. There’s very little
plot in them too, but since I know to except that, it doesn’t usually
matter. But this book is basically a report of what four people sent on a
scientific mission to exoplanets did and saw. Nothing else. There’s a small build-up
for drama when the earth stops communicating with them, but it’s soon brushed
over. What disappointed me with this one, however, was the ending. It tries to
be ambivalent, to leave the fate of the characters to the reader’s imagination,
but it comes across as a copout, as if the author hasn’t bothered to take
responsibility for her creation. Other than that, it’s an imaginative,
well-written book like all her books, and kept me entertained up until the
disappointing end.
This was the first book in Jones’s new series toted as women’s
paranormal romance, a crossover between women’s fiction and paranormal romance
where the heroines are over forty. It was a fast-paced and easy to read. The
main characters, Defiance and Annette feel familiar from Jones’s excellent Charlie
Davidson series, with a similar friendship dynamics than Charlie and Cookie and
a habit of drinking all the coffee, so I loved them instantly. And if Defiance
isn’t an ADD personality like Charlie, she isn’t exactly fully focused either.
This isn’t a laugh-out-loud kind of book like the other series, but it has its
funny moments.
However, the book feels incomplete. It’s like I was reading
the first third of a longer book, with the characters being introduced and the
basis of the plot set. And then it ended. There are two more books coming and
I’m guessing the main action happens in those, but I can’t judge this book
based on what I don’t have.
I also have a small issue with Defiance’s age. She's
supposed to be forty-four, which is fine (I like reading characters my age). But
she has no past and she behaved like a twenty-something, with no wisdom or
experience gained. If the point of this series is to have middle-aged heroines,
I’d like them to show the life they have lived. They should
feel and act differently from the twenty-year-olds. But I liked Defiance and if
I imagine her to be twenty-something, I can forget all the rest. And since the
book ended with a whopper of a cliff-hanger, I’m definitely going to read the
next book.
This was invigorating like dragon’s
blood. I really like a tough heroine who
goes through a book kicking arse, and getting hers kicked in return. Val is as
tough as they come, but she pays for it too: her stress-levels are so high she
has developed asthma and needs therapy, both of which are well integrated into
the story. She has some other issues as well, mainly that she has had to
abandon everyone she loves, a daughter included, so that they won’t be killed
because of her job as a monster slayer.
The story itself is fairly straightforward. Val needs to
find a cure for her boss who has been poisoned with magic, and clear both of
their names in the process. Her path to it is littered with creatures from other
realms who are bent on killing her. Making matters worse is a dragon who wants
to use her as bait to lure in more creatures who want to kill her. It is action
from the beginning to the end.
As this is the first book in the series, there is some world-building
and character introductions, but everything is done organically along the
story. No backstory is given for why the world is populated with creatures from
other realms; it’s a fact of life for the characters. As a first person
narrative, we get only Val’s thoughts on things, and other characters remain
slightly distant. But they are all interesting. My favourite is Zav, the
arrogant dragon law-enforcer. The book hints that some sort of romantic bond
will form between him and Val, but there was no romance yet. All in all, a
great start for a series and I’ll definitely read the next book too.
Books 4-8 of 60 (I’ve had to lower my reading challenge target from the original 65.)
It’s been five years since I’ve posted on this blog, and I
think it’s time to revive it. I haven’t stopped reading, or reviewing books; I just
published the reviews on my other blog, Susanna Writes. I’m not entirely sure
writing two blogs is sensible, but I’m about to give it a go—again—anyway. It’s one of those things that make sense at the beginning of a new
year. So here goes.
It’s been my habit for the past couple of years to write a
list of books that I hope to read at the beginning of the year. There are so
many books being published, that it’s hard to keep track of them all. With a
list, I’ll at least remember the most interesting ones. So far, I haven’t once
read everything on the list, as I keep reading outside it, but it’s worked well
otherwise. If you want to know what I read last year, here’s a post I wrote on
my other blog (although, in hindsight, I should probably have published it on
this one).
This year, I pledged to read sixty books in Goodreads Reading Challenge, meaning that I should read five books a month. For the past
two years, I’ve read fifty-five books a year, so I’m not entirely hopeful that
I’ll be able to do it, but it won’t be for the lack of reading if I don’t.
The list for 2019 has sixty-nine books. Fifteen are
transfers from the previous list, eight of which were already on the list
before that one. Only the books that I really think I want to read, even if I
didn’t find time for them before, made it to this year’s list too. Thirteen books
are published this year, and they mostly belong to ongoing series by my
favourite authors. The rest are mostly books that I already own, but haven’t
got around reading, or belong to series that I haven’t managed to catch up with
yet. I even went through my Kindle to see what gems I had hidden there, and
added them on the list.
My list is heavy on urban fantasy and fantasy: thirty UF
books and nineteen fantasy books. That pretty much reflects my reading habits
in general. Everything else is genre fiction too; it’s seldom that I read
literary fiction these days. There are ten sci-fi books that I want to read,
but only one contemporary romance, which is odd, considering that I write them
myself, but those tend to be the books that I add on my list as I come across
them. Here are some of the books that I’m especially eager to read this year, in
no particular order.
Summoned to the Thirteenth Grave by Darynda Jones. This is
the last book in her Charley Davidson UF series of a grim reaper that I absolutely love, so it’s with part
eagerness and part dread that I wait for it to come out. The publication date
is January 15, so not long to wait anymore. And then it will be over. Forever.
Vicious and Vengeful by V.E. Schwab. I love everything she
writes, and I expect to find these two books exciting too. I got the first as a
birthday present last year, but then waited to read it until I had the second
book too, which I got for a Christmas present. So those go to the top of my
reading pile.
Wolf Rain by Nalini Singh is the latest in her long Psy-Changeling
paranormal romance series. There hasn’t been a weak book yet, so when it comes
out in June, I’ll be reading it instantly. And she’ll probably publish other
books this year too that aren’t on my list, and I’ll be reading all of them
too. This one doesn’t have a cover yet.
The Savior by J.R. Ward is another auto-buy. It’s the book
seventeen in her Black Dagger Brotherhood UF series of vampire warriors, and each book has been excellent.
She’s publishing other books this year too, and all will go on my list. The
first of those is Prisoner of Night, which is set in the same BDB world,
and is published next week.
The Wicked King by Holly Black is the second book in her
Folk of the Air series of fairies and humans living among them, and it’s
published January 8. The first book was exciting, and I expect the follow up to
live up to its predecessor.
Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone is a space opera
published in June. I’d hoped there would be a new Craft Sequence book, because
the next one can’t come fast enough, but I’m sure this will be great too.
Another book by him that I’m waiting for, written with Amal El-Mohtar, is This is How You Lose the Time War that comes out in July. I’m
not exactly sure what genre that one belongs to, but it has everything, spies, time-travel,
and love.
Brave the Tempest by Karen Chance is
the latest in Cassandra Palmer UF series. It’s been too long since the previous
book and this one can’t come fast enough. Until then, I can return to her UF
world with Siren’s Song, a shorter story, which doesn’t have a publication date
yet, but should come out soon.
That’s just a small sample of what’s
to come. I also look forward to reading Atlas Alone by Emma Newman, fourth book
in her Planetfall series, Exit Strategy and Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells, which
belong to her Murderbot Diaries series, and Raven Tower, the new Ann Leckie
book. And, truly, all books on my list are those that I want to read. It’s just
that occasionally I have to prioritise.
The first book of the year has been
selected already too. That’s The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman. It’s the
fifth book in her Invisible Library series, and so far it’s very good. I’ll write
a review once I’m finished. Until then, let me know what you’ll be reading this
year.
