eyes.2c Reviews

The Black Elfstone (The Fall of Shannara#1)   by Terry Brooks                                  Once more Terry Brooks focuses our eyes towards the Four Lands. There's a strange new brand of magical warriors stalking the lands. Former High Druid Drisker Arc has been targeted by assassins.   A young woman with the magic gift of wishsong, Tarsha Kaynin, seeks out Drisker Arc to learn more about her abilities. At  Paranor, the Druids are blithely ignoring threats. Dar Leah is sent to investigate but politics and jealousies get in the way. We are witnessing the return of past artifacts and magic gifts and the names of people we've long loved, including the appearance of a young rascal  Shea Ohmsford! (stay tuned I'm sure). And yes I was glued to the pages and was left bereft and eagerly a waiting  the next instalment! A NetGalley ARC *****

The Reluctant Highlander: A Highland Romance (The Highland Series #1 )  by  Amanda Scott                                 1420's Scotland. Lady Fiona Ormiston is a winsome stubborn lass and Sir Àdham MacFinlagh a thoughtful highlands  warrior. The opening scenes are amusing. Fiona has a penchant for swimming where she shouldn't at a time that's definitely suspect. As a knight, Àdham sees it as his duty to rescue a damsel whom it seems doesn't think she needs rescuing. King James is bent on encouraging 'tactical marriages'  where former enemies might be brought together, strengthening the kingdom.  Fiona and Àdham fit into that category. But will taking Fiona back into the highland wilds be a blessing or a curse? Of course there are plots within plots and Fiona and Àdham Rae going to have their hands full in dealing with each other and the dangers that lurk beyond the...

Ruining Miss Wrotham (Baleful Godmother #5)   by  Emily Larkin                                  Mordecai Black and Nell Wrotham.  What a tale and what a pair! He is a large man with a large heart and dark secrets. A perfect foil for Nell. Nell is one in a line of daughters going back in time who is given a wish by a faerie godmother--not the sweet old lady short, rather the eyes flashing and lightning crashing sort! And a faerie godmother gift was something to be thought about. But then life gets in the way and suddenly the gift Nell thought long and hard to ask for just didn't meet the circumstances. All else became moot. But how is Mordecai going to take the apparition of Nell's gift. After all what a godmother gives cannot be taken away! I loved the dance between Mordecai and Nell. A scintillating read from go to woe! A NetGalley ARC *****

Say yes to the Scot:  A Highland Wedding Box Set by May McGoldrick, Sabrina York, Lecia Cornwall and Anna Harrington   A great collection of historical highlander novellas that combine to make an arresting and oftentimes humorous read. HOW A LASS WED A HIGHLANDER by Lecia Cornwall Opening story is an enchanted love story complete with a heroine who is always becoming lost and a hero who has hard choices to make. A cleverly enticing story somewhere between A Midsummer's Night Dream and Outlander without the time travel. A MATCH MADE IN HEATHER by Anna Harrington Ok clever title! 1809-1819 Ten years pass. A lot can happen in that time ... And it does! Spurned by 'The only woman he’d ever loved and wanted to marry,' Garrick Townsend found himself face to face with Arabel Rowland, with years of loss and vengeance between them. If only the Heather could talk. A MIDSUMMER WEDDING by May McGoldrick 1484 Elizabeth Hay had been contracted to mar...

The Darkest Corner (Gravediggers #1) by  Liliana Hart                                Smart and funny in a gothic, out-of-body sort of way. We have US funded anti terrorists working for a faceless black op organization that operates outside of legal parameters. Putin gets a mention. That keeps things topical! Rifting off those various SEAL type stories that have gorgeous, high adrenaline types who save the day, the gravediggers are somewhat different because they go to death and back to be reborn (not in a paranormal way, good old experimental drugs not found in the FDA list). These men are taken from organizations  from the CIA to Mossard. Their contact and boss is Eve Winter, a cold hearted queen of 'b's' who cannot be trusted!  In charge of this team is the hunky Deacon Tucker. Then there's Tess Sherman, a third generation Russian Mafiosi brat who is apparently drop dead g...

The Lady Travelers Guide to Scoundrels and Other Gentlemen: A Historical Romance Novel   (The Lady Travelers Guide #1)   by  Victoria Alexander                              What's not to like! There's a likeable, faux rogue and a staid spinster who's hidden from herself and the world her real inner person. Delightful farce with a charming male lead character and a woman who's sold herself short. When India Prendergast's aunt disappears its up to India to investigate, beginning with the Lady Travelers Society her aunt joined. Ahh! But matters are not simple and India's hawk like gaze falls on Derek Saunders as the instigator of the irresponsible  circumstances surrounding her aunt's disappearance. It could never be his elderly aunt and her companions. They obviously are a front for Mr Saunders! India accompanies Mr. Saunders to Paris. That's when it all starts to unrave...

Her Favorite Duke (The 1797 Club #2)     by Jess Michaels                             The beginning of this episode of The 1797 Club has promise, although it raised questions. Engaged to the wrong Duke at a young age by her brother James to one of his best friends, Meg had to endure seven years of an engagement that had not one jot of romance. Her heart has always been Simon's. Simon returned the feelings silently. They are however the best of friends. When they are caught out overnight in a storm their life changes. Now is the time to seize the moment. After all Meg is compromised and Simon must step up to the plate. Which he does but instead of being relieved Simon mopes around feeling guilty for have betrayed a brother Duke. The beginning had promise, the last part dragged out a bit. The resolution was predictable. The puzzle? Why wait seven years, why punish yourself when you've gained th...

Eloping With The Princess (Brotherhood of the Sword #3) by  Robyn DeHart                                   The characters of Viscount Jason Ellis and Isabel Crisp have strong promise. Ellis we had met in  'Undercover with the Earl.' I found the potential for an excellent story with the added twist of powers vying for Victoria's throne was somewhat undeveloped. But I must recognize that this novel only runs to fifteen chapters.  If you haven't seen the series built around the young Victoria then you maybe won't realize the tensions around her becoming queen. To use the back room struggles when Victoria ascends to the throne is clever. Whilst acknowledging this with the limited plot development, DeHart could have built so much more on that historical fact, and given us more substance and fulfilled the inherent promise. Rather we were caught up in the laboured push and pul...