eyes.2c Reviews

The Physicians of Vilnoc (Penric & Desdemona #8) by Lois McMaster Bujold            ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Newly minted father Penric is not happy to be taken away from the wonder of his delightful baby daughter, Florina. When something unusual happens he’s resigned to the demand. A mystery illness spreading amongst the personnel at the army fort in Vilnoc has Temple sorcerer Penric with his demon Desdemona called to investigate at the request of his brother-in-law, General Arisaydia. Penric finds himself in the midst of a plague, working alongside the army doctor, needing all his medical skills to combat the deadly foe. His calls for help from the Temple for extra sorcerer physicians leads to an interesting result. The cause of the plague is hidden in mystery, although when revealed it’s no surprise. (The whole quickly transmitted disease, a story down through the ages, runs a bit close to the bone given the current situation !) Penric moves forward from the formidable and solid foundation t

Death's Kiss: Legend of the Five Rings (A Daidogi Shin Mystery #2)   by Joshua Reynolds         3/4/21      ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Delving once more into the feudal fantasy world of the Five Rings, the realm of Rokugan, it’s a pleasure to follow the exploits of one of my favorite sleuths, Daidogi Shin, nobleman from the House of Cranes, and amateur detective!  The one great rule this society adheres to, “Uphold your honor, lest you lose everything in pursuit of glory.”  I love the voice of Shin—languid, biting, self deprecating—he slays me with his many humorous lines. Like his opinion of horse riding, “While he could ride a horse as well as any bushi, he found them largely disagreeable beasts, prone to biting and bouts of flatulence. Much like some samurai he could name.” In many ways Shin reminds me of the universal trickster, although things do have a habit of backfiring on him. Or maybe it’s just that new possibilities open up to him? Without a doubt Shin does see more than others comprehe

John Eyre: A Tale of Darkness and Shadow by Mimi Matthews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Impressive Gothic novel combining aspects of Bram Stocker’s Dracula and Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, with an arresting twist. Mimi Matthews has nailed it. 1843, John Eyre, a tutor has lost his job and his traditional belief in God, through the unchristian attitudes of the community he’s lived in. He takes up the role of tutor to a pair of boys, wards to the mysterious and alluring Mrs Rochester (when she finally arrives). Things just don’t feel right. The boys are unusual, they appear to be mute, some might even say haunted—in what ways remains to be seen. Strange happening surround Thornfield Hall near Millport, off from the Yorkshire Coast. Things definitely go bump in the night. Evil is abroad, although recognising that is muted. I was riveted, caught up the drama. There are signs of unrest on the way to the Hall. Too many coincidencal happenings not to be alarmed. John might not have been giving them much creden

Incense and Sensibility (Rajes Series #3) by Sonali Dev         ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ What a tangled, complicated web Dev has woven here. And didn’t I just LOVE this addition to the Rajes series. It’s brilliant, a ruby contribution to this series, shining warmth and love across deflection, hate and lies. (I didn’t use a diamond analogy ‘cause that’s way to glittery and harsh.) This is the story of love sidelined by circumstances and choice. Although those reasons are not all bad, for Yash Raje they’ve become a stranglehold. Yash is running for the California Governorship and is shot at by a racially motivated individual at a rally. He’s fine but his friend and bodyguard is in hospital in a coma. This causes Yash to have panic attacks, and in turn to question many aspects of his life. His family (no pressure there!) ask a family friend and stress management coach India Dashwood to help. The thing no one knows but these two, is that they have a history. That’s complicated! There’s a host of strong

The Highlander’s Irish Bride (Clan Kendrick #4) by Vanessa Kelly            ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Fun continuation of the Clan Kendrick series. Grant Kendrick, the quiet twin meets his match and then some with the visit of Miss Kathleen Calvert (Sabrina Kendrick’s cousin—his twin Graeme’s wife) to Glasgow. Kathleen’s enroute to Lochnagar Manor in the highlands to keep company with Sabrina. Kathleen has been rusticated to Scotland by her rather rigid stepmother to wait out a scandal she’d perpetuated. Chariot racing at dawn on Hampstead Heath! Oops! Kathleen didn’t help herself with her stepmother, Lady Helen Gorey (the bane of Kathleen’s life), when she added fuel to the fire by retorting to the charge of “racketing about”, “Actually,  Mother,  it was   more than racketing about. It was neck and neck, cracking the whip, just like the charioteers of Ancient Rome. I’m sure we broke all sorts of speed records.” Only a couple of days into her journey Kathleen discovers her stepsister Jeannie, a stau

When a Duke Loves a Governess (Unlikely Duchesses #3) by Olivia Drake             ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Tessa James, a milliner apprentice with dreams and a driving ambition, finds herself unemployed when she unwisely challenges her boss and walks out. Urgently needing employment amongst the ton she ends up as a governess to the daughter of Guy Whitby, the Duke of Carlin. Tessa was brought up in a foundling and is determined to find out who her father is. Her only clue? A locket with a coat of arms. And then there’s the matter of what Guy’s aunt refers to as ,’The Carlin Curse.’ Interesting beginnings. I liked the Duke but Tessa just didn’t do it for me. A St. Martin's Press ARC via NetGalley

Tender Is the Bite Chet & Bernie Mystery #11) by Spencer Quinn             ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Another delightful, dangerous, and confusing mystery with the duo of dudes from the The Little Agency, Bernie Little (hard boiled detective with heart) and Chet the Jet (failed police dog—so it’s rumoured).  This time an almost client disappears. Bernie and Chet turn down a big payout and a sojourn in Hawaii because Bernie’s worried about the almost client and didn’t take to Olek the Rumanian hirer.  Although Chet does have a thought, “Was it possible that we were walking away from a stack of cold hard cash that Olek was paying us for a job that was all about surfing?” Somehow Chet’s been listening to their accountant. Wow! I get so much pleasure from Chet’s moments of enlightment, his running commentary on all things human, and our taken for granted actions and sayings from his doggie perspective. Like Chet on trains of thought. “Was there a whole world of thoughts out there, just waiting to be

An Extraordinary Lord (Lords of the Armory #3) by Anna Harrington             ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Anna Harrington, became “ hooked [on Regency romance] and longed to create...independent and spirited heroines and dashing heroes.” (Goodreads) Well, she’s done just that with this fabulous episode in the “Lords of the Armory” series. In my mind Lord Merritt Rivers ex-soldier, and now a solicitor and Veronica Chase, (think Regency Marvel heroine type) thief hunter, protector of the innocent and daughter of Count. A captivating couple of characters! Dynamic and fascinating. Their introduction is thunderous. Their continuing attraction and activities are fraught, dangerous and definitely steamy. Merritt and his fellow Armory members chase for Scepter continues with happenings taking on new perspectives. Not only does it seem that riots on the streets might be linked to and manipulated by Scepter, but there’s a strong indication that the poison leads right to the top powers in the land. As events com

Never Mix Sin with Pleasure (Infamous Lords #5) by Renee Ann Miller          ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I will admit to a couple of laughs when Olivia Michaels, mild companion extraordinaire during the day to a haughty Dowager, and rooftop thief “The Phantom” by night, plunges into the wrong carriage due to the mass of parcels she’s carrying, landing right on top of one of the towns most notorious rakes, Lord Anthony Trent. Mayhem ensues and Olivia ends up dismissed on the spot by her mean spirited, gossipy mistress. Having another goal in mind Olivia must continue to find employment in circles that will unlock the movements of the targets she means to rob. The reasons to Olivia’s pointed mission, those particular men is becomes obvious once we know her story. Olivia, in desperation confronts Lord Anthony, demanding he find her employment— which he supplies in the form of part time companion for his grandmother, the very decided Dowager, and as part time assistant to him.  And thereby comes the answer an

An Irish Hostage (Bess Crawford Mysteries #12) by Charles Todd         ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Bess becomes embroiled in the Irish Troubles—after the 1916 Easter Uprising, and some of those involved. Having said she’d be bridesmaid for an Irish friend and nurse, Eileen Flynn, whose leg she saved when the ship they were on sank, she flies to Ireland despite her father’s (Colonel Sahib) misgivings. Eileen’s cousin, a leader with the Defenders during the Dublin Post Office stand, wanted for his actions by the British, stands as surety for Bess’s safety. When the groom goes missing and then later the best man, Bess finds herself in house where the matriarch is rampantly anti British. Who could be trusted, who was at the bottom of the kidnapping. Then Bess has a run in with the Constable. Should she confess her identity or try to solve the problem? Bess has some close calls. My heart was in my mouth. Simon Brandon is on hand fortunately—in a very different guise. But just exactly what is their relationsh

Someone to Cherish (Westcott #8) by Mary Balogh             ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Major Harry Westcott was once the Earl of Riverdale until he and his family fell apart when they discovered their father had in fact married their mother bigamously. That left Harry and his sisters as illegitimate offspring. Imagine the shock and distress. Harry was no longer the Earl, no longer able to support his mother and sisters. Their place in society was gone. The life they knew was in tatters. Stripped of title, lands and funds this was the Great Disaster. Previous novels in the series give us the background to events up to now. Harry, anguished and lost, joined the army, off to the Peninsula to fight Bonaparte. Thanks to Avery Archer the Duke of Netherby—his guardian, and his half sister Anna’s husband, he didn’t end up taking the king’s shilling. Avery purchased a commission for him with the same regiment he’d signed up for. After fighting his way across the continent, Harry was badly wounded at Waterloo. H

Outrageous (Rebels of the Tom #2) by Minerva Spencer      ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ What a delightful termagant Eva de Courtneyis! Well meaning, courageous and most often misguided. But if you’re known as the disastrous daughter of the de Courtney’s then you surely live up to that reputation!  When Eva decides to kidnap Goodrich Fleming, Earl of Visel to prevent him from harming her sister-in-law Drusilla, well it made perfect sense in Eva’s (aka Evil to her siblings) way of thinking. 🤷‍♀️ So talking her long suffering friend and stable hand James into helping her was just the beginning. Kidnapping the dreaded Lord Visel was next. What was not so simple were the storms, the out of the way inns, the highwaymen, and Eva’s father—the Marquess of Exley.  A rollicking tale with adventure, romance (well a bit more than that, given the inns and Eva’s inclination to experimentation, and Godric’s inclination to ruthlessly ignore any better judgement that might have lurked in his damaged psyche.) Another bri

The Secret Keeper of Jaipur (Jaipur Trilogy #2) by Alka Joshi     ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Henna Artist grabbed my attention from the get-go. Diving back into that world with the Secret Keeper did exactly the same thing but in an entirely different way. The tone has shifted, but the drama is just as heightened. We are treated to the ongoing lives of people met in Lakshmi’s story, including her former ward Malik, who is now a man. Lakshmi Kumar now lives in Shimla in the State of Himachal Pradesh, a northern state in the Himalayas and is married to Dr. Jay Kumar, a physician at the Lady Reading Hospital and director of the Community Clinic. She is director of the Lady Reading Healing Garden, a herbal garden designed to collect and use indigenous healing plants the people of the region are able to identify with as a valid medicinal source and to serve as a bridge to further treatments the people might be suspicious of. The story opens with a heart stopping tragedy in Lakshmi’s former home of Jaip