eyes.2c Reviews

Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School #1) by Gail Carriger Mechanicals and mayhem! Faceless Mechanicals, valves that help travel the aether, dubious finishing schools, vampires and werewolves are all part of this Victorian steam punk spy-in-training romp. Sophronia has been sent to finishing school to try to cure her bad habits including climbing and taking things apart to see how they work. Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality is somewhat more than she expected and certainly her "to be" decorous education takes unexpected twists and turns. A sometimes farcical caper that introduces some excellent characters and exciting possibilities. There is of course the 'mean girl' and a host of others. The sense of mystery is heightened by the fact that the school is a dirigible or several dirigibles, always moving. Entrancing! "What Ho and away!" A NetGalley ARC Curtsies & Conspiracies (Finishing School #2...

The Prince Who Loved Me (The Oxenburg Princes #1) by Karen Hawkins  The Cinderella archetype takes a slightly different twist in this regency romp. All the players  are turned about. The father is not dead, although somewhat lax in his attention to his eldest daughter, except where she can help him with his business pursuits. Bronwyn Murdoch looks after much of her father's business. She wants to do that. Her father is a muddle headed inventor. The description of Bronwyn seen through Prince Alexsey Vitaly Grigory Romanovin eyes is quite adorable. One is drawn to her immediately. Step mama might be careless of Bronwyn's desire to play a backseat to her sisters, but she does embrace her stepdaughter. The two stepsisters are likeable and there is love and camaraderie amongst the three. Sure, Prince Alexsey is charming, more of a careless cad rather than a ravishing rake, out for a tumble with what he assumes is a intriguing local maid. (How come those lower down the societal ch...

Bones Never Lie: A Novel (Temperance Brennan #17) by Kathy Reichs In the early days I like others could hardly wait to get my hands on each new Temperance Brennan novel. Then, I just stopped bothering. This is my first Kathy Reichs in ages. It was ok but not so gripping that my page turning barely kept up with my reading. Brennan is confronted with her nemesis, the one that got away. I sussed on the killer's identity well before the end, with a few 'how could that be's.' All was pointing that way. Still, the pace of the novel never let up. Brennan's introspection is telling and overall the story was interesting if slightly predictable in places. I loved the inclusion of her mother's help.  p.s. I'm glad I don't live in Brennan's head. A NetGalley ARC

The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry  Ok, by the end of the first chapter I was ready to toss it in. It wasn't that there were too many lead characters, their adjectival names or the situation they found themselves in, it just wasn't the level of 'farcical' I expected. Now, The "Importance of Being Ernest," that is farcical. I felt like I was reading a version of a "Lemony Snicket" novel for slightly older persons without quite the same witty repartee. I enjoyed "The Amaranth Enchantment" (not a farce) but the a Scandalous Sisterhood just wasn't doing it for me. Not to be put off, I read a few of the rave reviews on other sites and decided to persevere. Still not my cup of tea and really, I suspect the YA reading audience for this is fairly narrow. However, it's obvious that many did enjoy it, so read some more reviews and go from there. A NetGalley ARC

Being Audrey Hepburn: A Novel by Mitchell Kriegman  Dreams and truth are all mixed up and threaded throughout with magic Audrey Hepburn moments, shaded over with Givenchy, Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci, and others. As our fab lead Lisbeth Anne Wachowicz from New Jersey says, 'Here's the big secret, Audrey Hepburn is the cure for everything.' How many times have I hummed 'moon river' and then flashed back to that hair, those glasses and that little black dress. (Hands up those of us who have a little 'go to' black dress in their wardrobe!)      Lisbeth always adored, indeed lived, Audrey Hepburn. She works at a diner with her lifelong friend Jess, a budding fashion designer who also works for the MET. That's how come Lisbeth gets to see that little black dress that Audrey H. wore in Breakfast at Tiffany's. And that's the beginning, where it all unfolds. Lisbeth's journey takes us into the world of the badly behaved rich and famous, into dar...

The Kidnapped Bride (Redcakes #4) by Heather Hiestand  A Victorian romance with a difference! Scotsman Dougal Alexander, younger son to the Baron  of Alix, spends his time as a private detective, occasionally assisting the police with their enquiries. 'He was not interested in the church, law or soldiering ... He was good at solving problems and finding things.' Dougal puts me in mind of another investigator of these times I love, Barnaby Adair from Stephanie Lauren's Cynster series. Dougal has been hired by Lord Judah Shield to find his sister the Lady Elizabeth Shield. She  disappeared without a trace over a year ago. Dougal has tracked Lady Elizabeth to the stews of Edinburg and the flat of one Manfred Cross, a jewel thief. The problem is that Cross has been apprehended and is now in Newgate. There is no sign of Lady Elizabeth, or was there? The Marquiss of Hatbrook, Elizabeth's older brother reminds Dougal of someone he's recently met. It's the blue ey...

Blood on the Water: A William Monk Novel #20 by Anne Perry       Wow! I was spellbound to the very end, and swimming in the dark along with most of the cast until then too!     When our story opens Monk and Orme are one minute enjoying skimming along the Thames, the next they are thrust into disaster as a pleasure boat explodes, leaving in its wake the dead and drowning. An horrific scene that I could barely take in, along with Monk and Orme and others on the river that night. 200 people are dead. The whys and wherefores are mired in political bungling and intrigue alongside heightened public tensions and rage.  The River police inquiry is taken over by the Metropolitan police. Political or convenience? A scapegoat has been found! Guilty or innocent? Someone has to pay. The posturing in the courtroom reaches new heights. Hester, Scruff and Rathbone? All are players, and a delightful new urchin Worm makes a brief appearance. I do hope he stays! ...

The Lady's Disgrace (Marriage Mart Mayhem #3) ) by Callie Hutton          A reasonably strait forward story with a couple of twists adding some interest. The title is an annoyingly accurate reflection of the insular minds of the time.   A beautiful young woman Lady Abigail Lacey is jilted. Well, actually her fiancé elopes with someone else. Scandalous indeed! Said woman is thoroughly besieged and besmirched by the gossip mill and any hopes of making a good marriage are reduced to zilch, zero, nil. Only the cads, bounders and fortune hunters are showing any interest. Locking oneself away for a indeterminable time has more appeal. Fortuitously a long time childhood friend, the now Rector Joseph Fox is in London and calls on the family.  The Duke of Manchester sees a way through his sister's dilemma and proposes that as a solution to her problem Joseph marry her. Eons ago he had been Abigail's childhood crush. Certainly there's still a strong at...

Talk Sweetly to Me (The Brothers Sinister #5) by Courtney Milan     A lovely novel with a whimsically clever title that manages to discus women's rights, racism, inter-racial relations and the recognition of love. Rose is a charming, clever and strong woman. Stephen Shaunassey is a man with a reputation who finds himself pierced by Rose's intellect and comeliness. A pleasing novella! A NetGalley ARC

A Winter Wedding (Marriage Mart #3) by  Amanda Forester  International plots abound! Traitors are sought! Perilous times are nigh! Napoleon's spy master is lurking. Yet the marriage game continues and Penelope Rose is in the thick of both games. Her 'nom de plume', Madame X is called into more matchmaking for the ton, including the Duke of Marchford.  Until now no task has been too difficult. As companion to Antonia Lockton the Dowager Duchess of Marchford, Pen also assists the duchess's grandson the Duke of Marchford in his work as a spy for crown and country. This time Marchford wants her help in both capacities, to become his bride and avoid the avid interest of the flocking debutantes and to assist him with a plot that sets the crown and London itself in peril. Pen wants more than Marchford is prepared to offer on the personal level, yet she thrills to the chase with both. And then there's Marchford's attitude towards Christmas! But a wooing he will...