eyes.2c Reviews

Flight of the Jabiru  by Elizabeth Haran Super briefly, this is the story of Lara Penrose sentenced to the far north of Australia  on a trumped up charge by the English courts in 1941. She is to  serve as a school teacher on a remote settlement near the mouth of the Mary River  I was a tad conflicted about this novel. Haran has certainly done her research about the Top End and Darwin during the Japanese raids in WW2. Her word paintings of the astounding scenery and areas around the billabongs are brilliant, the crocodile threat is all too scary, and the 'stolen generation' representations are well crafted. Everything that is Australian in the Top End gets a mentiokn. Even 'transportation to the colonies' raises its head--which was over by now, so the whole legal pressure brought to bear on Lara Penrose, a feisty English miss and elementary school teacher, was obviously a powerful whitewash by those in a position to do so. I know that derogatory ter...

Staircase to the Moon by  Elizabeth  Haran  Once again, reading Elizabeth Haran's works, I feel like I've entered an Australian travelogue mixed in with Mary Grant Bruce's 'Billabong' series for adults. The story is interesting, the Australian 'cinderella' seamstress being dictated to by the men of her family (successful tailors) out of a misguided love, organizing her life and her marriage to their advantage. All in an unknowing misogynistic way. Emily Scott rebels and runs off from Perth to the far north of Western Australia to a cattle station out from Broome. Of course there's the wonderful women of the family, the gorgeous son, World War 1, 'drought and flooding rains.' (referencing My Country by Dorothea MacKellar). You meet all the characters that one expects from the outback. The mysterious bad tempered chinaman on the voyage up to Broome is interesting, if unlikeable. I can't help it, I keep looking for Nicole Kidman...

Linda, As in the Linda Murder: A Backstrom Novel (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard Original)  by  Leif Gw Persson  (Author),  Neil Smith  (Translator) What's  Detective Superintendent Evert Bäckström to do when the call comes in about a murder of one of their own and he's the only one on duty--albeit in as 'an out of the way position' as his superiors in the National Murder Squad have devised? Work the system of course! Police cadet Linda Wallin is found dead, raped in brutal circumstances with no clear motive or suspect. Always able to play the bureaucratic game,  the completely egotistical, vain and avaricious Bäckström puts together a team and heads for the countryside, on the Violent Crime Unit's kronor. Along with his washing and a man sized thirst. His goldfish is another story. As he bumbles from one thought to another, circumstances and the shrewdness of some members of his team, intervene to a satisfying conclusion. Other agencies bump ...

How to Wed a Warrior (Broadswords and Ballrooms #2)   by  Christy English     Reasons to stay in London! 1. Sure it's not the Highlands      2. It's never likely to be the Highlands  3.  Amongst those bloody English-- is one Prudence Whittaker. Robert Waters and his brother Alexander were sent from the Highlands to London by their English mother to ensure that their wild, reckless sister Mary Elizabeth find a husband. All Robert wants to do is have her settled and hie back to his beloved highlands. His sister, Mary Elizabeth is an unstoppable force of nature, a whirlwind of lightness and impulsiveness amongst the young misses of the ton. With a big heart, she is unexpected and constantly being led astray by her rash inclinations. Drawing a Claymore in Hyde Park might seem unremarkable to Mary Elizabeth, but to the 'hoity footy' high steppers of the ton it's tantamount to social demise.  She needs lessons in expecte...

To Catch a Rake (The Rake's Handbook) by Sally Orr A difficult read because I didn't like the premise--a rake, George Drexel (who seems anything but) has written a field guide to women that's damning in it's rating of women and in the majority of women's fascination by it. Unfortunately, when Meta's sister's fiancé decided that Lily is mentioned in the book he jilts her. Lily decides she doesn't want him back. Sensible girl! Who knows what he's capable of if he's going to believe that drivel, and be so influenced by his mother. Lucky escape!  Widowed Meta,  the main female protagonists was doing all she could to turn things around. George Drexel however is another story, and Meta finds there's more to him than she first thought. The thing is that George is a talented engineer and the best parts of the novel are his enthusiasm for things mechanical and the descriptions of the Thames tunnel being drilled. That part, I really enjo...

The Unforgettable Hero: A Playful Brides Story (Playful Brides #4.5) by   Valerie Bo wman Returning from a disappointing meeting with a publisher  Cecelia Harcourt is knocked over by a carriage and falls unconscious. Lieutenant Adam Hunt, recently discharged from the army,  lends her his assistance. The problem is that Cecelia has lost her memory and she views Adam as the hero from her novel. (It's Adam's brother, the Duke of Claringdon who is the hero and who is pulling strings that Adam doesn't want him to.) Cecelia unwittingly takes on the identity of the lead woman in her novel, and gives herself a name that the Hunt's don't recognize as part of the ton. In the interests of Cecilia's healing, under the doctor's advice the family buy into her story, which leads to a whole new set of problems and mysteries. A fast paced, fun novella. S uspend reality  (like Cecelia does) and this is an endearing read. A NetGalley ARC ***

Highland spitfire (Highland Weddings) by Mary Wine When Ailis Robertson is forced into marriage to the son of the clan's bitter enemies, Bhaic MacPherson by the Kings's Regent her despair knows no bounds. Not that Bhiac is any happier. In fact his treatment of her, dumping her at his castle, ignoring her and in that non acknowledgement of Ailis's place as the Lady of the Castle, sowing the seeds for further hurt and unhappiness. I enjoyed reading Highland Spitfire, although the storyline was a tad predictable. All those feuding Scots and the hated English conquerors making them dance to their tunes. An indisputable historical fact that has been working so well for the historical romance genre. Plenty of scope for intrigue, unforgiving causes, enmity...and love! The reluctant wife who wins over the castles staff ...and eventually its Laird is a tried and true theme but here it works. I look forward to brother Marcus's story. A NetGalley ARC ***...

To Catch a Lady: A Hunt Club Novel by Pamela Labud     Ashton Blakely, the Duke of Summerton, decides to forestall his aunt's importuning, hold a ball and take to wife the young woman who meets his list of the 'ideal' wife. Gagh! Really, Ashton (Ash) Blakely is an idiot! Caroline Hawkins chaperones her young sister to the ball with the hopes that she will make an exceptional match. Caroline has her own life plotted out--marriage is not part of it. But then the two meet and it's fireworks in more ways than one. Caroline has a lot to put up with in terms of Ash's immaturity. I know, I know he was emotionally damaged as a child--and it shows! Really this read like a penny dreadful, and yet for some reason I had to see how it ended. So obviously something drew me in. For that reason alone I upped my star rating from 2 to 3. A NetGalley ARC ***

The Hunter  (Victorian Rebels #2)  by Kerrigan Bryne A five star beginning takes you to the depths of hell and depravity and leaves you wondering. Assassin Christopher Argent's childhood was hell...and he survives--emotionally scarred, with a code that makes sense, and with a cold logic that denies love. Millicent LeCour hides a secret that can be torn from her in seconds--if she lets it. Morley has put together the fact that women are being horrendously murdered, their bodies carved up and their children are missing. Christopher Argent takes on a job from a mysterious source--his target is Millie. Only something unforeseen occurs and Argent is left reeling from--well, he's not sure what! And the great assassin does something he's never done before--for the price of one night with Millie.  That price might be too high because Christopher is touched deeply in places he refuses to acknowledge until it's too late. The twists and turns are multipl...