eyes.2c Reviews

Dragon's Code: Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern (Pern: The dragon riders of Pern #25)  by Gigi McCaffrey                                   Seamless was the word that occurred to me. An avid reader of McCaffrey from when Dragonflight burst onto the scene I was so surprised and delighted by another Pern story told from the  perspective of the once singer Piemur. His readjustment to life with the changes to his voice, his disappointments and quest to find a different place within the dragon halls form the background from which the action springs. The time is in the now but the challenges face date back to the oldtimers living on the Southern continent. A situation is set in motion that could have dragon fighting dragon. Plots are hatched that arise from old situations. We meet old friends and come more into step with the most recent characters and their doings on Pern. Masterharpers, singers, dragon riders are all represented. Gigi McCaffrey has certainly echoes the

Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen  by Sarah Bird                             Cathy Williams' story is an inspiring example of rising beyond one's circumstances, of taking risks and making choices that take courage and determination without any guarantees. Her journey from slavery to serving with the Buffalo Soldiers disguised as a man is the stuff of legends. Unfortunately I found the telling of her story not as engaging as it deserves to be. I loved the cover! That took my 2.5 stars to 3! A NetGalley ARC ***

The Highlander Who Protected Me (Clan Kendrick #1) by Vanessa Kelly                                         Lady Ainsley Matthews flees her abusive fiancé to the wilds of Scotland. Pregnant and alone she turns to Royal Kendrick for assistance. Royal agrees to raise the baby as his own whilst Ainsley returns to her former life as a leader of the ton. Ainsley however finds herself unable to forget her child. She returns to Scotland despite the risk that her former fiancé might take her child from her. There is only one answer, marriage to Royal. I was absolutely charmed by this story. I smiled at the lively, often sardonic banter between Ainsley and Royal. The understated strength of both lead characters, the tenacity of Ainsley, a suitable despicable villainous member of the ton, some lively characters including the old rascally Angus, Royal's grandfather, made this novel an intriguing and unexpected enjoyable read. A NetGalley ARC *****

First Earl I See Tonight  (Debutante Diaries #1) by Anna Bennett          The jilted Earl of Ravenport, David Gray doesn't want a wife, he wants to renovate his deteriorating country home for his beloved grandmother. Heiress Miss Fiona Hartley doesn't want to marry but it's the only way she can think of to pay off a blackmailer who threatens to expose information about her sister Lily. When Fiona approaches Gray with a proposition to meet both their needs he's taken aback and decides a house party at his crumbling estate will send Fiona running in the opposite direction. Fiona's monetary conditions do rather make Gray blink. He didn't count on her desperation, nor her artist's eye to see his home differently. Neither did he count on the rising attraction between them to play a part. I loved the courage and tenacity of Fiona. Gray as the tragic disillusioned Earl was fine but his Grandmother was just gorgeous. The plot resolution was well done altho

Those Who Go By Night by Andrew  Gaddes Set in the times of Edward II, a village comes under the scrutiny of an Inquisitor, Dominican Friar Justus. An unholy murder has been committed and witchcraft is being touted as the cause. Hoping to keep the Inquisition away from his flock the Bishop of Lincoln sends Thomas Lester, son of a Templar Knight who had been tortured by the Inquisition during the iniquitous purge of that organization, to investigate . Thomas finds himself threading a precarious path through a maze of goings on, including more untimely deaths. His musings on the situation shows the complexities, "Far from having reached any useful conclusions, things only seemed to be getting more and more complicated: a brutal murderer on the loose; a mad Dominican friar set on finding and expunging heresy, whether it was there or not; a convicted witch hiding out in the woods ... Secrets were strung all over the manor and village like the gossamer strands of some great

In the Galway Silence (Jack Taylor #14)  by Ken Bruen    Even when things are looking up it seems like Jack Taylor's only way is down. When he rescues a suicide from drowning his life moves in a different direction, including a competitive killer who plays one-up-manship with Jack. A bleak Irish detective novel complete with whiskey and fatalism served in large doses. Staccato presentation leads from one scenario to another, with Jack giving the reader a sotto voice, often self deprecating commentary. Take his reflection on what to wear when meeting his previous wife's new person of interest. "Right. How do you dress to meet your ex-wife’s new man? Carefully. I put on the obligatory black jacket, white shirt, tie, loosely (to suggest mellow or couldn’t give [care less ... polite euphemism, you can guess] ), black jeans, Docs. ... Checked in the mirror, saw a battered undertaker’s assistant, the guy you keep in the background." Wonderful tone, and fatalistic n

A Holiday by Gaslight: A Victorian Christmas Novella   by Mimi Matthews     A disarming romantic novella set in Victorian times exploring the trials of a young woman, Miss Sophie Appersett, daughter of a baronet, who has the role of the family 'sacrificial lamb.' As Sophie and her mother practice economies, her father outfits their ancestral home, Appersett House, with the latest rage 'gaslights'' with untrammeled visions of plumbing throughout. There goes Sophie's dowry! Sophie is the one who has her clothes resown and turned whilst her beautiful (and selfish) younger sister Emily is given anything she wants. Emily is touted as the one who will save the family's fortune and allow her father to continue to develop Appersett House. When a successful, wealthy businessman, Edward Sharpe, sues for Sophie's hand, all her spendthrift  father can see is more house improvements. As Sophie comes to see it, Ned and she don't have much going for them if

Simply Bento: Delicious Box Lunch Ideas for Healthy Portions to Go   by Yuko Yagi, Noriko Yura                               I really liked the simple explanation of what Bento is and the historical back ground in the introduction. It struck a nerve! "What motivates us to make bento is that it enable us to make safe and healthy lunches for our families." There are other reasons of course but when my 'fussy eating' kids were in school we had the 'anglo' equivalent. The plastic sectioned container that they had to pack themselves (fussy comes with a price tag--and no they didn't have allergies, they had preferences), with the cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicum strips, fruits (blueberries, strawberries etc.) As they became older it was salads and other goodies that could sit in their lockers safely without becoming bacteria's playground. Now if we'd have had this fabulous book then, their culinary expertise could have expanded ... and mine

The Lady Travelers Guide to Deception with an Unlikely Earl (The Lady Travelers Guide #3)   by Victoria Alexander                                          With a throwaway hint to Sherlock Holmes, Miss Sidney Honeywell and Harry Armstrong (who unknown to Sidney is her protagonist, the Earl of Brenton) begin their challenge. “Then the game is afoot, Mrs. Gordon." What game is that? To prove that Sidney is author Mrs Gordon, a well travelled Egyptologist from her side of the fence, and from Harry's, to prove that Mrs Gordon has never at foot in Egypt, let alone done the amazing things her writings proclaim. When Sidney says yes to the gauntlet thrown down by the Earl (aka Harry) she little knows just what she's let herself in for. But she has the three elderly' delightfully wicked and savvy ladies, founders of the Lady Travelers group to help her. Any complications they surely would be able to handle. But handling Mr Armstrong turned out to be more than Sidney

Captivating the Earl (Lords and Ladies in Love #5)   by Callie Hutton                                    The daughter of a traitor has reinvented herself as a governess. Having fled from her place in high society to the country, away from from prying, critical eyes Lady Elixabeth thought she was safe. When her employer's friend the arresting Lord Hawkins comes to visit, Lady Elizabeth finds not only her secrets exposed but her heart. When Hawk realizes who Elizabeth is, he has orders from the Home Office to bring her in. He searches for a way to keep her safe. His answer is not necessarily what Elizabeth wants. Somehow the two must chart a course that keeps Elizabeth safe, but what of her heart that has been already taken by Hawk? ... and Hawk's feelings? An enjoyable continuation of tonnish matters of the heart with a twist! A NetGalley ARC ****

A Christmas Revelation:A Novel (Christmas Stories #16) by Anne Perry                                   A Christmas tale with Dicksonian overtones. Squeaky Robinson (the Monk series), the accountant for the Portpool Lane Clinic, a man with a chequered past, is cast not as the curmudgeon he often is, but rather as a man who strives to assist a young street boy without wounding his dreams. The spirit of Christmas is surely lingering! Worm sees a young woman (to him a vision of goodness), "... a lady who smiles, with the sun in her hair," being mishandled by two men and is determined to save her. Squeaky finds himself embroiled in not only looking at helping Worm's heroic stance come true but in facilitating a Christmas dinner for all at the refuge. The spirit of Christmas truly comes alive via this old reprobate and a young street urchin. Worm and Squeaky's discussion about Christmas is a thing of splendour, funny and heart warming. No one does Christmas storie

Cooking with Scraps: Turn Your Peels, Cores, Rinds, and Stems into Delicious Meals  by Lindsay-Jean Hard                        Ok so this is  a Who's Who (or rather a What's What) of leftover scraps alphabetically arranged. If you're like me there's always leftovers. Particularly as I'm now mainly cooking for two as all others have well and truly flown the nest (except for the grandies). I hate waste! Also my answer to everything is making soup. Hard gives some interesting alternatives. Unfortunately I'd have to add ingredients to my stores that I don't keep, and that is wasteful for me. I must say though that colors and layout for this cookbook are capital 'V'  Vibrant! This will make a very relevant and timely addition to any cookbook collection for those who really want to follow through to the nth degree of conserving all foodstuffs. A NetGalley ARC ***

Kiss Me at Christmas (Playful Brides #10)  by Valerie Bowman                                           I had a smile on my face all the way through Lady Regina and Daffin Oakleave's story. A fascinatingly intelligent romance with the added spice of murder and the plight of two seemingly star crossed lovers. Well at least two people mad for each other with one from the wrong side of the tracks and fighting the attraction every inch of the way. Bow Street Runner Daffin takes his mind off Christmas' a painful time for him, by agreeing to be the bodyguard for Lady Regina. Regina is definitely approaching "on-the-shelf" age and has decided that to go into spinsterhood without the experience of untrammelled passion would be a crime. Daffin has always interested her ... So what would be the harm? apart from finding someone who engages her just by his very being. Could she just walk away? I mean when your whole body zings when he's around, what's a determined

Seduced by a Scot by (Highland Grooms #6)  by Julia London        A well to do Scottish family has a problem. Their ward has attracted the eye of their daughter's fiancé. Of course Maura Darby is to blame! Not! I fairly burned at the treatment this young woman had handed out to her by the Garbett family who was supposed to protect her. As for the weak willed groom who threw himself at Maura and was not man enough to own that it was he who made advances! Words fail me! The family turns to Nichol Bain, a fixer of dilemmas the aristocracy finds themselves in. His answer is very neat.  He aims to kill two birds with one stone as it were by marrying Maura off to an older bachelor Nichol had been asked to find a wife for. Only Nichol had not counted on Maura and her will! I found this to be somewhat of a roller coaster read. I felt for Maura and her treatment by the family. I was appalled by their actions of taking her heirloom necklace, the only thing she had from her mother.

A Murdered Peace (Kate Clifford #3) by Candace Robb      Kate Clifford, a successful York merchant, is confused by the disappearance of her friend and cook Berend. It's 1400 and what with the disastrous Epiphany Uprising, an attempt to return King Richard to his rightful place, the times are challenging and dangerous. What could have prompted his abrupt departure? In a measure Kate feels betrayed that her confidante might not have been as open as she had thought. When a wounded Berend resurfaces, in hiding from the King's men, Kate is worried that he has been involved in the uprising. Then theres a further problem. A friend, Lady Margery, arrives distraught and alone except for one retainer, on Kate's doorstep. Kate has no choice but to take her in and hide her. An action that puts Kate's family in danger. Meanwhile a spice seller has been murdered and all fingers are pointing towards Berend. A further death invokes more questions. The Earl of Westmoreland'