A reader review blog { of genre fiction }
Grade B Reviews
B Reviews are books that are good and quick, but missing that “umph” to make them really stand out
The Sleeping Beauty, Mercedes Lackey
Jul 12th
The Sleeping Beauty is the latest in Lackey’s Five Hundred Kingdoms series. The Five Hundred Kingdoms are bound by The Tradition, a force that can and does manipulate people into various fairy tale roles, good and bad. In this instance, Princess Rosa’s mother, Queen Celeste died, leaving a grieving king who has spent years fighting
Adam’s Fall, Sandra Brown [1988 Romance]
Jun 16th
Adam’s Fall, Sandra Brown [Fanfare 1994 Reprint, 208 pages] is an early romance that actually reads well today outside of the datedness that is inherent in contemporary romance novels. It’s a real shame that this book isn’t available in ebook as I think it would do well. Sandra Brown is a favorite author of mine. I tend to
Good Girl or Gold Digger?, Kate Hardy
May 29th
The title, Good Girl or Gold Digger?, caught my eye, and since it’s by Kate Hardy, into the cart it went. It’s not the standard HP descriptive title, à la The Billionaire’s Virgin Mistress Secretary, so I noticed it even more. How can you not want to know if she’s a good girl or a gold digger? Maybe
The Three Evangelists, Fred Vargas
May 29th
The Three Evangelists (Vintage 2007) written by Fred Vargas and translated by Sian Reynolds. The Three Evangelists takes place in Paris, during the mid-1990’s. The story introduces three historians turned amateur sleuths. The author’s background in history and archeology are evidenced in the story.
This was a good read that started off well enough. The first mystery that’s
Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit [vol.4], Motoro Mase
May 23rd
Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit (2010), vol.4 is written and illustrated by Motoro Mase. It is rated M: Mature readers. List price is $12.99USA. Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit was originally serialized in Young Sunday manga magazine. After reading four volumes, this series is still captivating to me for several reasons 1)character driven stories and 2)
A Certain Wolfish Charm, Lydia Dare
Apr 29th
Lily Rutledge has been the caretaker of her orphaned nephew, for since the deaths of his parents when he was six, and he is now 12. Within the past few weeks, Oliver, the young Earl of Maberly, has become moody, grown larger, and developed an enormous appetite. She doesn’t know what to do with him,
Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, Book 1), Tamara Pierce
Apr 27th
Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, Book 1) is the first book in the series written by Tamara Pierce, published by Simon Pulse. The targeted age group is 9 to 12 and the date of first publication: 1983 (240 pages). Publisher set digital price at $5.99 (print: $6.99).
This series and this author seems to be
Arrows of the Queen, Mercedes Lackey [Guest Review]
Apr 21st
Arrows of the Queen (Heralds of Valdemar) by Mercedes Lackey is the first book in the series. This guest review was written by Janet Webb aka @JanetNorCal for April’s TBR Challenge. No ebook could be found (cries)
*****
Thank you so much to my Canadian farmwife friend who very kindly gave me this book. Here’s the backcover description:
“Chosen
Inside Out, Maria V. Snyder
Apr 21st
Having read and loved Poison Study, I was glad to try Maria Snyder’s new book, Inside Out, a YA novel. The protagonist is Trella, a teenaged girl who toils as a “scrub”, a person designated as a cleaner of Inside, what appears to be a square-shaped biosphere made of sheet metal.
Scrubs are responsible for all cleaning, from laundry to the animal
Comics: Irredeemable written by Mark Waid and Peter Krause (Illustrator)
Apr 17th
IRREDEEMABLE (BOOM! Studios 2009) written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Peter Krause with the afterword provided by Grant Morrison. I am posting about the digital edition of this comic book. If you have an iPhone or better yet, an iPad, you can download the first 9 issues via Comixology app (link is to iTunes). The cost
Silver Borne (Mercy Thompson Series), Patricia Briggs
Apr 12th
SILVER BORNE (Ace 2010) written by Patricia Briggs, hardcover list price of $24.99 and is apart of the Agency 5 (links to Diesel ebooks article). SILVER BORNE is the fifth book in an ongoing series featuring coyote shape-shifter and mechanic Mercy Thompson.
The series is told from Mercy’s perspective and is set in the Tri-Cities.
The Darkest Room: A Novel, Johan Theorin
Apr 1st
THE DARKEST ROOM: A NOVEL (Delta 2009) written by Johan Theorin and translated by Marlaine Delargy is the second crime fiction novel that is apart of a loosely connected quartet of books set on the island of Öland. The Swedish title is Nattfåk which translates to “night blizzard.”
Theorin’s first novel, ECHOES FROM THE DEAD (Delta 2008), Swedish
Scandalizing the Ton, Diane Gaston {Guest Review}
Mar 17th
This month, I chose Scandalizing the Ton by Diana Gaston, an author I have read and enjoyed before. Events from a previous book, The Vanishing Viscountess set up the plot, but it’s not necessary to have read it as an early explanation is made.
Lydia, Lady Wexin is very recently widowed and due to the scandalous circumstances surrounding her
The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games Trilogy)
Mar 17th
THE HUNGER GAMES (2008 Scholastic) by Suzanne Collins is a YA novel, available in hardcover for list price of $17.99. There are two digital copies available from B&N (Nook) and Amazon (Kindle) for $9.00 at the time of this writing.
THE HUNGER GAMES is the first book in the Hunger Games Trilogy. The story centers around a futuristic
Shift, Rachel Vincent {Guest Review}
Mar 11th
Shift is the penultimate book in the Shifter series by Rachel Vincent. The action picks up shortly after the events of the previous book; the Sanders Pride is still banged up from and in mourning from the attack and its aftermath.
Pride council member Paul Blackwell has arrived to ask that the Pride
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