eyes.2c Reviews

Knight in Highland Armor: Scottish Historical Romance (Highland Dynasty Book 1) by Amy Jarecki  1455 Scottish highlands. Not quite the time of mail order brides but writing and asking for a bride via a letter maybe more the norm for these medieval times. Lord Colin Campbell's beloved wife Jonet has died in childbirth. Colin has been commanded back to Crusades for the third time by the grand Master of the Order of St. John. Colin is a Knight of the Order. Colin applies to the King for a wife to be a step mother to his new bairn. The older plain woman he envisages, whom will fall in with his marriage for necessity plans, is not what Colin gets. Rather he is married to Margaret Robinson. Young, attractive, determined and talented. Margaret is hoping for someone younger and more loving. Someone who will recognize her abilities and stand by her side. Their's is not a marriage made in heaven, but it could well end that way. Though the trials and misunderstandings of unsolved g...

Stella Mia by Rosanna Chiofalo      A story of lives that meet and part and meet again, like the ebb and flow of waters kissing the sands. Of daughters lost and found, of mothers and sisters, lovers and husbands. Abandoned at 3 years old, Julia Parlatone comes to know her mother Sarina's story through a battered diary and others belongings she finds locked away in a trunk in the basement of her childhood home in Queens. Stella Mia, the song her mother sang to her, the part of her mother Julia remembers. As Julia journeys to discover the lost part of herself and the truth about her mother we are carried willy nilly with her. And what a story Sarina's is. A story of an abusive childhood, of change and family, of sacrifice and love. I ached for them all. For Sarina and her siblings, for Julia and her father, for Julia and her mother, for Carlo and Sarina. Poetic in its description of  Sicily and the Aeolian Islands, I truly felt the warmth of the sun and the da...

The Duke In My Bed (The Heirs' Club) by Amelia Grey  The notorious Heir's Club, a byword for those indolent young men cooling their heels in the waiting room of life. Heedless of life and limb, the next wager is the thing. But a wager's gone wrong, a friend is deceased, and a reluctant vow was given. Two years later and Bray Drakestone, Marquis of Lockington is still running from his vow, to marry one of his challenger's five sisters. Throughout the London clubs the bets have been placed. Even the Prince Regent is becoming anxious, urgent in his desire to see the matter brought to a close. Bray Drakestone carries the pain of his friend's senseless death. That does not mean that he wants to honour his vow! Yet in the face of the eldest Miss Prim's reluctance to even see him he once again recklessly wagers. This time that the non compliant Miss Louisa Prim will not only agree to marry him but will propose to him. So we have the conundrum of neither wishing ...

Hunter of Sherwood: The Red Hand #2 by Toby Venables  (A Guy of Gisburne novel) This medieval story based around a legend of the past combined with riveting action captivates and ensnares. Guy of Gisburne and Galfrid have returned to England. Pleased to be back after his horrific time in Jerusalem Guy finds himself once more fighting a pitched battle against nameless foes with little more than his intellect,his experience and trusty squire to rely on. Prince John's stronghold at Nottingham has been breached and it's up to Guy to find out who is threatening England. Who has sent John a macabre message written on the skin of one of John's men, signed with a bloodied handprint with the sinister message that 'the circle is closing?' It seems two of John's knights have been murdered and their hands removed. ' A red hand is coming...' a remembered utterance from one of Tancered the renegade Templar's knights in the sewers of Jerusalem. And a new fe...

Taste of Treason (The Tudor Enigma #2) by April Taylor Sunderers, strife and division. The Intrigue continues! Having just finished #1 Court of Conspiracy in the Tudor Enigma series I  just had to purchase this second alternate Tudor period mystery where religion and magic intertwine. The cleverly developed plot uses the religious upheavals of the time to deepen the mystery and intrigue, whilst injecting the very real superstitions and fears then present with magic, constructing a new reality. The attack upon the English throne by the Sunderers continues. Luke Ballard is now a Dominus.  He has moved beyond the journeyman stage of his calling as an elemancer to that of an Elemagus. Luke is in danger on more than one front, as are Bertila and her father. The local priest Gerard Frayner, a convert from Catholicism is determined to have Luke and Bertila denounced as a sorcerer and a witch. The sunderers continue their deep and darstardly game with the future of England at ...

Court of Conspiracy (The Tudor Enigma #1) by April Taylor An alternate Tudor universe where Anne Boleyn is very much alive and the Queen Mother. Henry VIII has died and their son Henry IX is King. Anne holds at bay those who would attempt to rule via the young monarch. Now though the very life of the young king has been threatened three times. Anne must 'plot her strategy and make England, and the King, safe.' Luke Ballard is chosen to ensure that. Although a lowly apothecary, Luke is so much more. An elemancer, a user of magic he channels the power of one of the four elements (water, fire, wind or earth). Luke's element that he uses to perform his magic is fire,   Elemancers work their magic 'through the Grace of God for the good of all.' They are helped by their faithful  familiars, a breed of dogs called Greysprings. It seems dark magic is at work, a sunderer, the opposite of elemancers, is at large and the net they have cast endangers those dear to Luke. S...

Bonfire Night (A Lady Julia Mystery #5.7) by Deanna Raybourn  1890 near to All Hallows' Eve. Nicholas Brisbane of the 'witch black eyes' and Lady Julia with a heart of gold, an enquiring mind and a gleefully abandoned love for her husband are in the middle of house renovations which are creating havoc. Nicholas and Julia are now parents to the lively Jack. Julia is questioning her mothering skills as she keeps forgetting about Jack and leaving Him behind. Fortunately Julia's maid Morag has taken charge of Jack. The chaos is added to by Plum and Perdita. Not to forget Perdita's baby Jane, just learning to talk. So when Nicholas is mysteriously left a house in the country conditional on being there to collect the rents on All Hallows' Eve, Julia is more than ready to pack up the family and flee to a place that offers intrigue, a challenge, a refuge from the renovations and something other than bananas to eat.  The village of Narrow Wibberley and the crazily...

Snow Woman (The Maria Kallio Series #4 ) by Leena Lehtolainen, Owen Witesman (Translator).      Detective Maria Kallio is called to investigate the disappearance of Elina Roseberg, the director of a woman's retreat center, near Espoo. Maria had some previous contact with the center in an advisory capacity. Concurrently, a deranged killer, Malmberg,  is on the loose and it becomes clear that those who put him away, Maria and her partner Palo are his main targets. As events transpire a subtle thread connects the missing woman's life with the escaped killer. Who though is responsible for Elina going missing? Each of the retreat member is a suspect.  The storyline is tight, the translation flows nicely and events unfold at a good pace. The psychological buildup of events draws you in. Maria works in a charged, tough environment. There is little room for feelings. Sometimes her very femaleness renders her an isolated island amongst all the testosterone. An en...

To Wed The Widow (The Reluctant Bride Collection #3) by Megan Bryce   Reluctantly, the Honourable George Sinclair returns from India at his brother's command to marry.  His brother the earl, Sebastian fears for his wife's life should they have more children. After four daughters and no heir in sight and Sebastian will not put the wife he loves in danger. It is up to George to produce the heir to the title. George, when he's not missing India, is smitten by the entirely unsuitable Lady Haywood and refuses to come to heel. He wants an affair with the languishing widow. The widow who has already buried five husbands. George's friends warn him off.  They don't want him to joining the ranks of the regretful or possibly rewarded dead. Both leads are determined and charismatic. George loves his brother and wants to do right by him. The thing is, the debutantes he might marry all have little appeal, the widow however does! Lady Elinor Haywood doesn't want an aff...

The Oblate's Confession by William Peak  Set during 7th Century England when Christianity is finding a foothold in England. When different groups of monks hold differing attitudes. A world where Christianity and ancient beliefs clash. A small boy, Winwaed, is given to a Monastery straddling two Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. A world where the power of spirits and prayer is primal, unfettered by the rationalism of today.  We begin with the oblate as an old man retelling his story, giving his confession. We never know to whom. We don't know the oblates name until sometime into the story. That's all part of the mystery. We see the world through his eyes as a small child. This is fascinating and powerful stuff. We see first hand life in the Monastery; we see the confusion of learning to live and work in silence, Winwaed's growing relationship with the hermit , his meeting a young girl. All heady interactions.  Later we see Winwaed's understanding of the world influenced b...

The Earl's Defiant Wallflower (Dukes of War #1) by Erica Ridley   Oliver York, the now Earl of Carlisle, inherits a title that has nothing more to recommend it than that it is. His dissolute father has driven the estate into the ground. The only way to keep a roof over his and his dependant's heads is to marry an heiress. He and his friends have returned from Napoleonic war. For some the damage is obvious, for others not. Oliver and his gallant friends, more battle scarred than any thing else are quite a menagerie. There is Captain Xavier Grey who has retreated into a listless amnesia or possibly we would say post traumatic stress disorder. He appears unable or doesn't want to communicate, but his friends take him around to the various ton happenings, invariably ensconcing him in the library. This of course feeds into the plot.  Then there's the Yankee, Miss Grace Halton who desperately needs to marry, preferably someone wealthy, so that she can collect her sm...

Secret of a Thousand Beauties by Mingmei Yip  China in the 1930's. Spring Swallow, fated to be a 'bad luck' woman, is clear sighted and determined. Promised in marriage whilst in the womb she is later married to the ghost of her groom, or a chicken depending on your point of view.  As a young girl Spring Swallow escapes her life of predetermined drudgery on her ghostly wedding day and flees to the city of Soochow. She finds herself by chance rather than plan being trained in embroidery by Aunt Peony, a woman with dark secrets and passionate jealousies. As Spring Swallow's talent for embroidery grows more of the secrets of Aunt Peony are revealed, as are the personalities of the other 'sister' embroiderers. (I was fascinated by the treatise on the art and technique of embroidering that Mingmei Yip exposes us to throughout the book. The book deserves further reading to dip more solidly into the artistic way of this medium.) I really liked Spring Swallow...

Tall, Dark and Royal (Renegade Royal ) by Vanessa Kelly The story of Domonic Hunter and Chloe Steele gives more background into the lives of those royals born to others. Griffin Steel features heavily along with Justine. We find out the story behind Chloe's disappearance, and are treated to the torturous sight of Domonic and Chloe circling around each other as their love, one that has survived more than 14 years, is tentatively declared and at last consummated. The force of these three vibrant personalities; of the determined Chloe, the powerful Domonic in full protection mode and the compelling Griifin are brought into relief and fully displayed as their stories rub against each other. The support they offer each other is not to be sold short. Chloe, lost in the guilt she feels denies Domonic and is determined to return to her life of rescuing young pregnant women lost and alone, much as she was. Domonic, in love with Chloe from childhood, has to learn to let her be her o...

The Hero and the Crown (Damar #1) by Robin McKinley   A timely re-release of a classic fantasy and winner of the 1985 Newbery Medal. I must confess though that The Blue Sword holds a dearer place in my reading heart.  And don't even get me started on Deerskin!     About the same time Tamora Pierce's Allana was being told for the first time, so was McKinley's story about Aerin, the princess who was different. Aerin carries the burden of negative public opinion, being seen as less than adequate. What do these two have in common? Both are strong female leads who fights the odds and win through. Both move forward at great personal cost against seemingly hopeless situations, armed only with sheer grit and determination, and a lot of tears shed in quiet places. In this tale of discovering one's abilities, Aerin is the princess who didn't inherit the family magical gifts. So to many there's obviously some fault within her. In fact magic done anywhere near Aerin...

Secrets in Scarlet (The Rookery Rogues Book 2) by Erica Monroe  Sergeant Thaddeus Knight is not your normal 'Peeler.' For him being part of the Met is a calling, a duty, a responsibility to do his best for the inhabitants of the rookeries, and he's thorough. A Shakespeare quoting, Eton raised grandson of the second son of an Earl, as his father keeps declaring. Thaddeus has 'bloodline.'          When a young girl dies in his arms Thaddeus driving intent is to find her murderer...and that leads him to Poppy O'Reilly. He is drawn to her from the first. For Poppy however, Thaddeus has 'danger' tattooed across his forehead. I enjoyed this novel far more than the first in the Rookery series, A Dangerous Invitation. The writing is crisp. The storyline is tighter. The introduction of Poppy and Thaddeus folds seamlessly around the young murdered factory girl. Despicable crooks are a threat to all. Once more the rookeries, the dark underbelly of London in t...

A Spy Unmasked (Entangled Scandalous) by Tina Gabrielle  A singular reflection by Lady Sophia Merrill about Ware as they are chased through Viscount Delmont's estate grounds. London 1820. Robert Ware, the new Earl of Kirkland, tortured soul, decent man and Home Office spy collides with Lady Sophia Merrill, gorgeous, intelligent young woman, with enticing or fiery green eyes (depending on how you interact with her) and the determination of a terrier. Their meeting is one to remember. It's not everyday your interrupted whilst trying to break into your host's safe. It's not at every masquerade that you end up fleeing for your life accompanied by the most interfering, gorgeous bundle of womanhood, or depending on your point of view, the most impertinent, frustrating, demanding, Adonis of a man. Sophia is searching for clues as to who murdered her father, the Marquess of Haverton, an eccentric inventor, dubbed the 'mad' Marquess. Robert is searching for clue...

Night of Pan (The Oracle of Delphi Trilogy Book 1) by Gail Strickland  Evocative, poetic and moving. The story of the 300 takes new wings after King Xerxes and his Persian army defeat King Leonidas at Thermopylae, Greece 480 BC. What of Greece now? Thaleia as the oracle come in to being, surrounded by treachery and greed, on the cusp of womanhood and great events is a striking female lead easily identified with. An epic character brought to life by Strickland's startling descriptors. I look forward to the rest of the trilogy. I loved the cover. It reflects the moment when the satyr Pan tucks poppies into Thaleia's hair. 'The poppies burst into life and multiply until [Thaleia's] hair is a storm of green stems, a filigree of leaves and blooms...' Thaleia moves beyond herself, beyond the girl, to become the divine messenger, the oracle Pythia, with 'poppies dancing like Medusa's snake-hair.,' Strickland has combined a pantheon of Greek gods and ...

A New York Christmas: A Novel by Anne Perry  Anne Perry's  superb writing skill continues to delight me. What goes on beneath the surface of her stories is always a pleasure to ponder. In A New York Christmas sacrifice and love shine through. Questions follow questions, seemingly dark and despairing, and yet a light shines through and truth is revealed.       It's 1904 and Thomas and Charlotte Pitts daughter 23 year old daughter Jemima journeys across the Atlantic as a companion to a wealthy young woman Delphinia Cardew,who is to marry into a wealthy New York family--the Albrights. This was to be Jemima's 'first real adventure of her life.' There are strange undercurrents amongst the Albrights. Jemima is unsure about Phinnie's brother-in-law to be, Harley. Phinnie moves between spoilt heiress aware of her alleviated societal place and insecure young woman. A mystery surrounding Phinnie's mother Maria comes to a head and Jemima finds herself in jail ch...

Waistcoats & Weaponry (Finishing School #3) by Gail Carriger Sophronia's training at Miss Geraldine's continues. Now she's into lessons on seduction, fans and flirting. As the plots develops we are left in no doubt that there's something very special and unique about Sophronia. (I couldn't help it. I started to play with her name. Fascinating and fun, especially when reflecting on the strengths that Sophronia displays, those qualities that make her such a fabulous character. Sophistry is "a specious argument for displaying ingenuity in reasoning or for deceiving someone." ( Dictionary.com) And if Miss Geraldine's School is not taking Sophronia's natural talent and training her to develop her ingenuity to deceive, then I'll eat my hat! But Aha! you say, what about the  'ronia' part of her name? A Ronin is a Japanese samurai warrior.  According to the Urban dictionary,  a 'roni' is mentioned in a song by by Bobby Brow...

A Rake by Any Other Name (Somerfield Park) by Mia Marlowe A father in a wheelchair with his mind wandering, an estate on the edge of ruin and now an heiress with deep pockets courtesy of the Indian trade being dangled in front of him are not what Richard  Barrett, Lord Hartley wants to face when he's recalled home by the family to set things to right. After all, he's in love with another and all but ready to declare himself. Marriage to another is no part of his plans. The heiress, one Miss Sophie Goodnight wants none of Richard, nor for that matter any man. A true original, forthright in speech and action, who daring quite takes Hartley's breath away. Certainly when these two meet the sparks fly, and the they need to tread carefully to avoid conflagration. Sophie is touchingly innocent in that forthrightness, in her desire to set the world to rights and to be accepted for herself. Her confidence or rather difference comes of course of being brought up in the more exot...

Pretender at the Gate (Markinch #2) by S. J. Garland  An exciting tale of intrigue, loyalty and betrayal set against the Old Pretender, James Francis Stuart's initial invasion near Edinburgh in 1708. Captain Esmond Clyde-Dalton is the excise officer at the village of Markinch. In reality he works for England's master spy, Colonel Manners . Fresh from the new world, Esmond's choice of tomahawks as hidden weapons hints at a darker past. His relationship with Manners hints at even more tangled depths. Philomena Clunes and her father Magnus Clunes have been arrested as jacobite sympathizers. Esmond is in love with Phil and follows her to Edinburgh to see to her safety and her innocence. En route to Edinburgh Castle dungeons Phil is seized by masked rebels and spirited away. The back alleys below Edinburgh Castle come vividly to life as Esmond and his new allies search for Phil--always just one step behind. An engrossing read, seething with the emotion felt on both the...

The Viscount's Christmas Temptation (Dukes of War Book 0) by Erica Ridley  How can one resist a blurb that has a confirmed rake 'up to his cravat with tinsel'? That was enough to intrigue me. And intriguing this novella definitely is! What a challenge Lord Benedict Sheffield sets himself? There's twelve days before Christmas...'and twelve nights to teach lady Amelia to enjoy life.' Lady Amelia Pembroke is certainly a take charge young woman who works at a task with a Machiavellian eye for detail and is always six moves ahead of the game. When she determines to take up or over the Sheffield family's annual Christmas ball it's full steam ahead. A NetGalley ARC

The Accidental Countess (Playful Brides #2 ) by Valerie Bowman  Second in the Playful Brides series. Once again Lucy Hunt, the newly minted Duchess of Claringdon hatches a hare brained scheme and all fall into line. Really, I am struck by the fact that these friends and acquaintances lead themselves to the charade so readily. Such is the power that Lucy wields that others follow her mad capped, pied piper's tune. This time it is Cassandra, Lady Munroe and Lucy's best friend who is swept deeper and deeper into a tangled web of tortured love as her cousin Pen's betrothed, Captain Julian Swift, returns from the Napoleonic wars. Cass and Swift have kept up an amazing correspondence throughout this time. Swift, determined to break off his arranged marriage and seek Cassandra searches for his fiancé, Cassandra's cousin Penelope. Pen is supposed to be away with her friend, the very non existent Miss Patience Bunbury.  Cass, at Lucy's insistence, takes on the mantle ...

Madeleine's Christmas Wish (The Marriage Game) by Ella Quinn An enjoyable love story where the action is confounded by the past and confused by the future. Madeline, Comtesse du Beaune has been running the family vineyard. The lands are far enough away from Paris that that the family has escaped the fate normally held for the aristocracy. Fortunately her father had declared for the revolution. Now Madeleine's father is dead and her brother is missing. Napoleons's star has waned and Louis is on the throne. Madeleine is abducted and forced into agreeing to work in an English brothel as a spy. This is the price she must pay in order to leave her sister and mother unharmed. But with the black hearted Citizen Coupe having devised her downfall nothing is guaranteed. French spy, George's, Marquis Cruzy-le-Châte, a companion from Madeline's childhood fortuitously has business on the beach the night Madeline disembarked on the Dover coastline. Fate lends a hand and ...

Once Upon a Christmas Kiss by Manda Collins  Miss Winifred Nightingale, a gentlewoman turned governess, has along with her sister Cordelia, been invited to a Christmas house party.        Sir Lucien Blakemore has come to the same house party. He and Winnie know each other from Yorkshire and have a friendly acquaintance. Things of course change and Lucien and Winnie find themselves thrown together in an unsuspected manner.  Both Sir Lucien and Winnie are well developed characters that demonstrate both human frailties and strengths. We have a bad man in the form of an uncaring womanizer from Winnie's past, a dreadful local lady who is a major force, well a bully really in the social circle of the local village, her daughters, and various other house guests.  Nasty and strange things keep happening to Winnie. Both she and Lucien are perturbed. What is happening and why? A NetGalley ARC

Beguiling the Earl (Landing a Lord #2) by Suzanna Medeiros   Catherine Evans has been besotted with the Earl of Kerrick, her brother-in-law's best friend, since she first met him. She had hoped for the feeling to be returned during her coming out season. She certainly didn't expect him to become engaged to one Rose Hardwick, but then, to be fair, neither did Kerrick.             Kerrick's interest in Lord and Lady Thornton's daughter, Rose Hardwick, was instigated by forces at a higher command. Catherine interest in Kerrick is instigated from the heart. Kerrick's interest in Catherine? Hmm? And Rose's interest? Well, that's another story entirely. But who is behind Lord and Lady Thornton's interest in attaching Kerrick for their daughter Rose? And why? A tad predictable, but an enjoyable read with likeable characters as political machinations, matchmaking fathers and unknown traitors interrupt the course of true love. A NetGalley ARC

The Sharp Hook of Love  by Sherry Jones   A tragic love story that transcends the mists of time to re vitalize and reaffirm the strength of love itself. Heloise d’Argenteuil and Pierre Abelard fought the constraints of life and beliefs in twelfth century Paris. They made mistakes, they suffered, yet they experienced incomprehensible joy. Their love burned brightly, of such magnitude it spawned a legend that ensured their love would never be extinguished. This retelling makes us see Abelard and Heloise's humanness, their lives, and the struggles that encompassed their love. They were bound by the changing religious opinions of the day, by Heloise's uncle's plans for her, and by political manoeuvrings that reached into high places. Jones has used snippets of Heloise's lost love letters to effect as chapter introductions. The philosophical discourse between them, the scholarly aptitude of Heloise is well presented. The day to day agonies of Heloise as she seeks to ...

A Highland Wolf Christmas (Heart of the Wolf #15) by Terry Spear A light and readable Highlander werewolf love story.    Guthrie MacNeill is in cupid's path and the arrow's flying from Calla Stewart. With his clan's finances to protect and a luscious wolf maiden needing the same, Guthrie is conflicted. Could Calla be his mate? Is he acting on the rebound? Calla meanwhile is asking the same questions. After all this is the man whose boxer shorts  she'd hoisted up the flagpole before her friend Julie's marriage to clan leader Ian. And having walked out on her fiancé Baird McKinley virtually at the altar, she needs some time and space to come to grips with her near disastrous marriage, and to continue to develop her business as an events planner. Julia wants her to help plan the McNeill's Christmas celebrations. Neither Guthrie or Calla count on Baird's continued obsession with her. McNeill clan favourites are ever present in the background. A NetG...

Season For Desire (Holiday Pleasure #3) by Theresa Romain Japanese puzzle boxes, a treasure hunt, an abducted lady, a darstardly villain, an American in a search of his heritage and all at Christmas time. Brimming with unforgettable people, Lady Audrina Bradleigh is thrown into the maelstrom when her abduction goes wrong, she's rescued, and then forbidden by her harsh father to return to London for her dearest sister's wedding, in case the scandal threatening to surround her puts an end to the upcoming nuptials and her father's chance for a Duke in the family.    Audrina is a rather marvellous character, searching for understanding and acceptance, in a male dominated world where woman are expected to know their place. Audrina wants none of that. She wants to forge her own way. Giles Rutherford, is an American helping his father follow his dream, his 'adventure.' A totally unexpected read with a cast of very amusing and diverse characters. Indeed, Romaine p...

If He's Daring (Wherlocke #6) by Hannah Howell This is a lively, different and satisfying read, with a touch of the supernatural. Definitely not your normal Stuart period historical romance. Fate kindly takes a hand when Lady Catryn Gryffin de Warrene, displaying the termagite tendencies only a mother fearing for her child's safety employs, takes unusual steps to pursue her son's kidnapper Sir Orion Wherlocke was kind enough to leave his carriage ready for the purpose of pursuit. Though to be fair, he was inside his mansion at the time contemplating another sort of pursuit, of the charming widow variety. Unfortunately Catryn did not know that Orion's son Giles was inside the carriage when she hijacked it. So a long list of people all pursing each other begins this rather startling adventure. There is something otherworldly about Catryn and her son Alwyn. Catryn has strong premonitions. Alwyn sees dead spirits. Howell's well placed humour blends gratifyin...

A Matter of Grave Concern by Brenda Novak    Body snatchers, resurrections and missing persons illuminated against the backdrop of the dark side of London, is the setting for this historical, 'black noir', romantic thriller. It's 1830, and only eighteen months since Burke and Hare, resurrectionists who took the short cut, murdered people and sold their victims for dissection, are still front and centre in Londoner's consciousness, particularly those who are burying their loved ones. Schools of medicine are looking for bodies to dissect. Surgeons-in-training need more than animals to work on to increase their knowledge and abilities. When Abigail Hale, a surgeon's daughter, desperately attempts to procure bodies for her father's college, the Aldersgate School of Medicine, she runs into obstacles that most of us would flee from in terror. Instead Abigail walks headlong into a dangerous situation with nary a hesitation. Abigail finds herself at odds with ...

The Silver Pear (The Dark Forest # 2) by Michelle Diener The Silver Pear leads on from The Golden Apple, taking us down new paths and experiences of the Great Forest and Wild Magic. Here we become more intimately involved with Rane's brother Soren and a delightful new sorcerer Mirabelle. Like the golden apple, the silver pear is a magical talisman given to Mirabelle by her sorcerer father. It is stolen after a battle with a sorcerer her lord, William of Nesta. had illegally employed after Mirabelle had refused to 'question' men who kept suddenly appearing in the courtyard of his keep. Mirabelle and Soren join forces to search for the silver pear and Rane. Meanwhile Kayla and Rane traverse the Great Forest. Kayla to search for training in the use of her witchly gift with wild magic, Rane searching for Soren.     The Middleland sorcerers are vying for supremacy, focused on taking over the various kingdoms. All four, Rane and Kayla, Soren and Mirabelle are caught up in...

A Call to Duty (Manticore Ascendant #1) by David Weber and Timothy Zahn A brand new series in Weber's Star Nations saga that spawned Honor Harrington, set before Manticore's ascendancy when the Star Kingdom was one of many the Diaspora nations and when Haven was still fairly young. Travis Uriah Long is an exciting new character with that sense of honour, truth and gutsy characteristics that those gallant icons we loved in the Honor novels displayed. On the converse side there are those money grabbing politically adapt morally bankrupt characters and downright evil plotters as well. As I see, it the character that could go either way is Travis' half brother Gavin, the young Baron Winterfell, who's tied up with the 'let's get rid of the RMN' group. Will he go the way of the corrupt or will he become a bulwark for the navy group. Only time will tell. So when it seems politically expedient to cut up the Royal Manticorian battleships and send that budget s...

The House of the Four Winds: One Dozen Daughters #1   by Mercedes Lackey James Mallory The Duchy of Swansgaarde has been blessed with twelve beautiful princesses and one prince. Twelve royal dowries would impoverish the small Duchy so it was determined by the princesses at a family council that the only way forward was for them to leave the Duchy on their eighteenth birthday and seek their fortune. Each daughter is allowed to pick a trade on her tenth birthday. Duke Rupert advises them to expect the best and plan for the worst. Wise words indeed.   It is Princess Clarice of Swansgaarde's eighteen birthday. She goes forth to make her way in the world. Princess Clarice had chosen the way of the sword. Her search for her fortune, her life's journey, is an eventful story full of merit. The New World is her destination. Disguised as a young man, Mr. Clarence Swann takes ship. Pirates, entrapment and ensorcellment are encountered. The major characters are interesting bu...