eyes.2c Reviews

The Arnifour Affair (A Colin Pendragon Mystery) by Gregory Harris         A mystery set in the latter part of Victorian times à la Sherlock Holmes with Dicksonian overtones. Colin Pendragon is a talented detective channeling the shade of Sherlock Holmes' arrogance and abilities. His companion Ethan Pruitt plays Watson to Pendragon's Sherlock persona. It took me some time to realized that their relationship was discretely different to that of Holmes and Watson. And then there's the strange landlady, Mrs Behmoth who is both alarming and endearing. Certainly a far cry from Mrs Hudson. (A strange household indeed. In fact, I was quite enamoured of this quirky little group. Future novels I hope will divulge the story of how they came together. There are hints along the way.) Disgruntled by Scotland Yards enquiries, Lady Anifour comes demanding that Pendragon take her on as a client. Her husband has been murdered, her niece beaten and left in a coma. She demands that...

Can I Have Chips?: fill up, lose weight, feel great by  Louise Graham Is this book saying anything I didn't already know. No So what's valuable or interesting about it? 1. The information is packaged in manageable bites. It easily accessible . At the end of each chapter is a 3 or 4 bullet point key summary 2. You can see it as a refresher course if you will. To bring you back on track and focused 3. We become immune to the message reading the same book. Reading known information in a new package can be just the pick me up you need. 4. Several good reminders for me:                      Dieting can trigger appetite  Eating carbohydrates that are harder to digest you are less hungry. Included are interesting ratios to protein, fat and carbohydrates. (Chapter 8) Sugar does comes in as the villain in the piece. As Louise Graham says in the article, Sugar, Scapegoat or Villain? attached to her blog, [http://www....

Highlander Mine by Juliette Miller Wow! Highlander Mine certainly sustains an interesting and occasionally steamy storyline. Enough of both to more than satisfy those hooked on the highlander historical romance genre. Fleeing from Edinburgh to the Highlands pursued by a dissolute and dangerous villain ('a lawless and malevolent beast'), Amelia (Ami) and her nephew Hamish cozen their way into a powerful Highland Laird's keep. The Laird, Knox MacKenzie is a veritable Adonis, at once a paragon and yet decidedly human. Amelie is half angle, half devil and doing all she can to protect her family. She exhibits a fiery nature, coupled with an unknowing attractiveness that marks her as a challenging burden for  The MacKenzie. Witty humour runs through Ami's and MacKenzie's interchanges adding to the enjoyment of the moment. I laughed when MacKenzie said to Ami, "Your fiery spark and your lively beauty surpass anything I might ever have imagined." To whi...

Douglas: Lord of Heartache (The Lonely Lords) by Grace Burrowes I commented on Douglas in my review of Andrew (Lord of Despair) and am delighted by his story! If ever a Lord needed understanding, this is that one. Needing to check out a property of Lord Andrew Greymore's he might buy, Douglas Allen, now Viscount Amery, persuades Guinevere Hollister, cousin to Greymore and Gareth Heathgate, and current steward of another of Greymore's properties to accompany him to Sussex. He needs someone to give him advice as to the suitability of purchasing the place and Greymore recommended Guinevere. Lady Heathgate is supposedly to meet them there to act as chaperone. Unfortunately Lady Heathgate is delayed by illness. (I am also much struck by the role of women at this time in this society, and the lack of acceptance of their talents. Certainly Gwen is an expert in the field of husbandry and stewardship as is pointed out time and again.)       There is too, Gwen's illegitima...

To Tempt a Viking (Forbidden Vikings) by Michelle Willingham   Following on from To Sin with a Viking , author Michelle Willingham continues to explore the idea of arranged marriages that don't work despite the willingness of the couple to make it succeed, and what happens when they meet their soul mate.  We are also given richer insights into the Viking culture and history during this time period, into infertility, into customs including fostering and adoption, divorce proceedings, and thraldom. Ireland 875 AD. Having been captured by the Irish enroute to Dubh Lihn and taken away in Styr's ship by Caragh's brother, Elena Karlsdotter, Styr's wife, is again threatened when Danes attack the ship. Not wanting to be taken captive and sold into slavery or worse, Elena jumps overboard making for the shore. Ragnar Olafsson, Styr's best friend, follows. He has sworn to protect her.  This is their story, Elena's and Ragnar's, their past and now their present,...

Rebellion: A Thriller in Napoleon's France by James McGee       Captured by the French in Portugal, and taken before Marshall Marmont, an English Intelligence officer (in uniform) is ill treated despite have given his parole. Enroute from Salamanca, in the Pyrenees the officer escapes. Three years later, 1812, Bonaparte has decided to move on Russia leaving certain Parisian factors seeing this as an opportunity to end his regime.  Bow Street Runner Matthew Hawkwood is about to be thrust into the political turmoil of Paris. It seems tension seethes below the facade of acceptance of Bonaparte as Emperor. The British want to cash in on it. A storm at sea as Hawkwood is crossing the English Channel was a realistically terrifying picture. I was there with Hawkwood staring out into the night at the watery inferno, lit by lightening, holding on afraid at the unholy magnitude of the sea at storm. Disguised as an American in Paris, Hawkwood meets up with an old friend. ...

I am a huge science fiction and fantasy fan, and, oh yes, let's not forget historical romances, so I looked forward to this read, a futuristic romance.  Whilst the storyline is interesting in some ways, it is just too familiar for me to become enthusiastic about. It is typically post apocalyptic, in this case a post biohazard war dystopian event, where Talented persons (with psi abilities), changed by the bio chemical fallout are being pursued, routed out, culled or subverted by Normals.     The Dawning   I must say that the reading felt like I was watching a rerun of a familiar television series. The good guys have headed for the hills where they have caches of food and weaponry. They offer protection and training to the talented. Given the huge current controversy over drones and their usage their inclusion is timely.  And of course there is the twisted minded presence, a talented who has gone to the Dark side (that is the State Authority for Purity an...

A Child of the Cloth by James E. Probetts  I must admit the cover was what first attracted me to look further at this novel. I had just finished a NYC galleries refresher, and this painting by William Powell Frith (1819-1909), Lover's Seat: Shelly and Mary Goodwin in Old St. Pancras Churchyard (1877) is what drew me in. This referencing to portrait painters and poets of that period indeed sets the scene. It also juxtaposes interaction between the two young lovers in the story.   The soft gentle overtones, the adoring posture of the man, the shy downward glance of the woman. I swear Barchester Towers is around the corner, beyond that bench under the trees, just out of sight. What the trees do hide is the reality of what was to be our sweethearts' situation; one of unforgiveness, of loss and sorrow, of love and redemption.    Amelia, the daughter of a vicar has a secret love, an atheist! Class differences and attitudes of the day are exposed. Just watch Downto...

Tales From High Hallack, Volume 1: The Collected Short Stories of Andre Norton A treasure trove of Norton's short stories.  Stories of powers unleashed, of battles from within and without. Dark forces bent on persuasion, of stealing life force and so much more, of people turned towards matters beyond the normal ken. Of hero's of the light standing against the shadows, to the death if need be, for the benefit of those now and to come. Of gods made and unmade, of wise women in their element, of the not-so-wise, and of ordinary men and women touched by powers both big and little, light and dark. In the story, 'Sword of Unbelief,' Jevron has been taken by evil men. We follow his trail through the grey Waste with his lady and companion, Elys. She has some small Talent, but to bring it forth in the place she eventually finds herself, would be to entice her own destruction. Her very soul could be riven from her. She must find another way out of this confrontation with ...

The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant by Joanna Wiebe   meet...'that girl...the weird mortician's daughter,' aka, 'Death Chick'... ...'or [maybe it's ] Wednesday Addams!' ___________ 3 1/2 stars OK this is a seriously weird novel. It's taken the genre of the paranormal and high school students / YA Horror, to a whole new level. In fact it took me a couple of days to get into it. Once I did, I found it hard to put down, disquieting as it was. Anne Merchant has been sent to an elite school, Cania Christy Preparatory Academy to recover from her mother's death. Parents come from all around the world begging for their child to attend Cania Christy. They pay huge prices for the privilege.        Indeed, Anne cannot help but wonder how her father can afford to send her here. Students are totally dedicated to be winning the coveted goal of being Valedictorian, known as the Big V prize. To Anne it's all crazy! Capital C Crazy! The rou...

The Rogue Returns (Nottinghamshire Series) by Leigh LaValle An amusingly different remark about rogues muttered at one stage by Lady Helen Gladstone. Admittedly not the normal declaration rogues inspire. If I hadn't already suspected it, this comment alone alerted me to consider that this novel was shaping up to be way more than a 'common garden variety' regency romance. Helen finds herself literally digging for gold, making a mad rush across the mountains to secure a fortune, pursued by dangerous men, traveling with a devasting rogue, and being assuaged by feelings she had never before experienced.             Roane Grantham is a wonderful hero. Magnificent! is the word that frequently echoes across Helen's thoughts. Compassionate, damaged, hiding dark secrets, reflective, truly magnificent, and terrified by the treacherous desire he feels for this woman he refers to as 'buttercup.' As Roane comes to appreciate, Helen is 'a woman who has eve...

One Rogue Too Many (Rival Rogues) by Samantha Grace Gabby (Lady Gabrielle Forest) had loved Anthony Keaton, the Earl of Ellis, since before she was thirteen. Ah! That first scene where her love and trust is 'crushed and trampled' by an embarrassed, gauche young man she'd called friend. I ached right along with fourteen year old Gabby. Six years later Gabrielle's love isn't dead, yet! Wounded, yes! Trust however is another matter. After all what would you do if the man who finally said he wanted to marry you had hared off without a word and turned up four months with no explanation? Misunderstandings and misinterpreted actions litter the way. Another suitor and a maybe mistress blur the edges. Anthony and Gabrielle are equally responsible as they sabotage their relationship without any help from others. The course of true love is strewn not just with pebbles but with boulders. The road is not just rocky, they have to scale cliffs before matters can be resolved...

Whispers of Vivaldi: A Tito Amato Mystery by Beverle Graves Myers  This has it all really. A complex historical mystery set in magical Venice. Castrati, feuding opera houses, rumour and slander, intrigue, deception and murder, and of course, action via gondolas.       Teatro San Marco, Venice's premier opera house is failing. Singers and musicians have been poached by a rival company. Now that competitor is looking to steal away the official Venetian patronage that The Teatro enjoys. As a counter tactic and a last bold move Maestro Torani, Venice's most revered opera director, is persuaded by Tito Amato, himself a Castrato, to stage a new production by a Venetian, The False Duke. A production that fittingly echoes reminders of Venice's renowned son Vivaldi. Looking to bring something different to the performance Tito goes to Milan to entice a Castrato, Angeletto, to star in the performance. Rumours and gossip however are already proclaiming that the Castrat...

Between a Rake and a Hard Place (Regency Rakes)  by Mia Marlowe and Connie Mason In this third and final of the Regency Rakes series set in 1817, we meet the last officer,  Sir Jonah Sharp, being blackmailed by Fortescue Alcock over the crushing English defeat at the Battle of Maubeuge, just prior to Waterloo. Jonah's brother officers, Lord Nathaniel Colton and Lord Rhys Warrington, having staved off the threat of ruin by the despicable Alcock, are helping Jonah clear his name of the intrigue and treachery that has been whispered at, but unproven. Jonah must prove his innocence or tarnish a young woman's reputation to avoid his family's name being dishonoured by the scandal. This time we watch the road Jonah travels as he tries to avoid manipulation by the leech  Alcock. Fortescue's grand plan is to bring ruin to another of the contender's for the Royal Bride. For his services Alcock has promised evidence of treachery, or at least evidence of the truth about th...

Defy by Sara B. Larson The Kingdoms of Antion and Blevon have been at war for years as the result of the Queen of Antion having been assassinated by sorcerers from Blevon. All sorcery has and continues to be rooted out in the Kingdom of Antion. When her village, situated deep in the jungle, is attacked by a Blevon sorcerer and his soldiers and burnt to the ground by strange fire, a young girl, Alexa, is forced to disguise herself as a younger brother. Her parents have been killed and what's left of the village population is being led off into bondage by the armed forces of King Hector of Antion. King Hector is a hard and unforgiving man, ably assisted by his trusted advisor, Iker,  a man whom all are terrified by.     Having trained in sword fighting with her brother and father all her life she survives as a soldier. Both talented fighters, they rise through the ranks to become part of the Personal Bodyguard for the prince. Alexa is the superior fighter, Marcel do...

The Forever Engine by Frank Chadwick England in the future, the year 2018. It all started with a coin, sort of. Not just any old coin mind you but a Roman counterfeit coin. Maybe! Jack Fargo, an American History Professor, and an ex Afghanistan War combatant is called to the United Kingdom to help investigate what is happening. He is a man with a talent, 'an ability to connect the dots.' Unfortunately a gigantic explosion of some sort occurs, a temporal-effect wave, and Jack is is flung back to an alternate past of 1888, right into that 'Indiana Jones type' [exploit]. (Jack's word here was somewhat stronger). Flying machines are ironclads and dirigibles. Mars has been visited since the 18770's and is a source of the material liftwood that assists  with flight. Names like Baron Renfrew, Edison and Tesla pop up amongst others.       We have a mysterious attractive spy for the French Commune, Gabrielle Courbiere,  who is so focused on things that she doe...

Ashes & Alchemy (The Gaslight Chronicles)   by Cindy Spencer Pape  Nefarious doings! London, 1850.   Residents must wear masks to protect themselves from the coal smoke that hangs heavily in the air. A product of the devotion to all things steam. It is a cold and bitter night. Police Inspector Sebastian Brown is disturbed by a woman collapsing on his door step. Searching for a doctor who lives near to Sebastian, she has crossed London without a mask, 'tantamount to a death sentence,' braving the frost and fog, and the possibility of vampyres or cutthroats.' Her daughter is deathly ill. Sebastian accompanies the woman, Minerva (Minnie) Shaw, to fetch her daughter, Ivy. What they find is a murdered friend, a room indicating chaotic search, and a missing sick child. Murders and a mysterious illness that has the patient sweating a black soot are just the beginning. The black soot residue appears to be a bacteria capable of taking soot out of the bod...

The King's Hounds (The King's Hounds #1) by Martin Jensen  Ok, I'm addicted already to this series. Certainly I hope for more translations to follow. King Cnut is in Oxford to hold a Witenagemot (a National council assembly of the King, nobles and bishops) trying to bring the various English peoples now under his command (Angles, Jutes, Saxons, Danes, most recently, Vikings) together as one people. Kin Cnut wants this to move forward. But a well known South Saxon thane, Osfrid, has been murdered. A man who was known to be Cnut's enemy. King Cnut Cnut wants the murder solved so that his plans for unity, peace and kingship aren't thwarted. Winston the Illuminator has been commissioned by the King's consort, Lady Aelfgifu, to paint Cnut's  portrait. Halfdan an ex half Danish nobleman (his father chose the wrong side) is here to seek a living or more certainly, the main chance. The two met on the road and travelled to Oxford together having a couple of...

Venice in the Moonlight by Elizabeth McKenna This story had me with the first line! The image portrayed is wonderful! A surreal moment! That moment captures with a totally restrained focus the helplessness and seething anger of Marietta Gatti, set against the background of a dysfunctional marriage and family. So much is weighted by so few words. OK so I have just been to the Magritte exhibition at the MoMA, NYC and combining that with Dali, the picture of peas being not squashed but smashed by a silver spoon against the background of  imagined expensive plate is quite fascinating. A despicable husband and an even more terrible mother-in-law have been the bane of Marietta's life for the past 5 years. When released, or rather driven from that life, Marietta returns to Venice to track down her father, a renowned painter. He has never contacted her in all the years of her married isolation. There are many questions to be answered.    En route to Venice from Verona,...