eyes.2c Reviews

Dangerous (The Outcasts #1) by Minerva Spencer  Great start to a new serious with a seriously dangerous, uncanny hero and a wonderfully outrageous heroine. But what can you expect from a woman whose spent seventeen years in a harem just surviving. Euphemia Marlington's return to the bosom of her family was uncomfortable for all. Mia's father, the Duke of Carlisle  cannot wait to have her taken off his hands. Marriage to anyone, even a rumored wife murderer such as Adam de Courtney, the Marquess of Exley, was an option. Mia has her own objectives that the idea of marriage will fit into. What she didn't expect was to find her husband all that she could want. Likewise, Adam did not expect to become enamored with a fascinating wife, freed from the shackles of polite society by her experiences. Steamy moments ensue. There are faint echoes of Léonie and Justin Alastair, the Duke of Avon, from Heyer's 'These Old Shades' resonating in places. Particularly when ...

Nightblind:A Thriller (Dark Iceland #2) by Ragnar Jonasson.     Once again I enjoyed the atmosphere of Siglufjördur, a small fishing village in Northern Iceland, previously closed to the outside world in winter, now with a tunnel the outside has come in. Ari Thór Arason, a police officer still seems an awkward, tormented sort of soul. His relationships are always troubling, even more so now that he has a ten month old son with girlfriend Kristín.  When Tómas, his boss, was promoted down south to the capital city of Reykjavík, Ari was hopeful for Tómas' position. Ari was passed over for Herjólfur. Ari has flu and Herjólfur is working his shift. Herjólfur takes a call to a deserted old place on the edge of town, where he is shot. A shot that ricochets violently around the tiny town. This is a new happening. It seems the tunnel has brought the outside world in with a vengeance. As Ari was supposedly on duty, he can't help but wonder if the bullet was meant for him. ...

Goodbye, Paris  by Anstey Harris Call me a romantic! I loved this. I loved the struggle that Grace Atherton has to play, to live! I loved the atmosphe of instruments being shaped, the smell of glues, the aliveness of the instruments, and the music swelling throughout. I love Nadia and Mr. Williams. They shine! I walked the streets of Paris and Cremora with Grace and was pulled into the sights, the sounds, the smells. Troubled love leads to troubled times and beyond, and I was glued to every word. Fabulous! A Touchstone ARC via NetGalley *****

An Abiding Fire: Murder and Mystery in Restoration London (Thomazine and Major Russell #1)   by M. J. Logue         Fascinating mystery set during the Restoration times of 1663. Charles II is on the throne and expectations are somewhat murky for all parties. The two leading characters are unusual. The battle scarred Major Thankful Russell and his newly wedded younger wife, Thomazine Babbitt. Thankful is an ex-Roundhead and now a King's Intellegencer. The time has come for him to marry and he casts his hopes on the girl he knew as a young child. Many years his junior, Thomazine (Tibby) has loved Thankful since she was a child and sees only the Thankful she's grown up with, not his scars. "She’d considered him her especial property since she was two years old and he twenty-one." Thankful has decided they will make their home in the manor house of Four Ashes, Buckinghamshire, where he grew up with his sister, a nasty piece of work, rigorously Puritan, marr...

Through Fiery Trials (Safehold #10) by David Weber         Safehold continues to be a complex, multifaceted world that pits technological development against the righteousness of the Church of God's Awaiting. Think back to the Spanish Inquisition and you're coming close to the nub of heresy and beliefs that stymie cultures unable or unwilling to look to move forward. Of course cobble this together with the story of Safehold's beginnings and the age old story of treachery, of political shifts, of narrow focuses, and the current situation becomes at least understandable. Supposedly peace has come, at a huge price, to the Island of Charis, but holding this peace together in a world of shifting alliances is not easy. And then there are deeply hidden secrets that will metaphorically 'throw a spanner in the works.' Merlin, the 'cybernetic avatar' is in the thick of things and it seems little may have changed. Things for me moved rather slowly in this tenth...

Where Have All the Young Girls Gone (Maria Kallio #11)   by Leena Lehtolainen        Complex story involving Detective Maria Kallio fresh from Afghanistan where she's been helping with the training of Afghani police women. An exercise that ended in tragedy and unbeknownst to her will hold overtones for her forthcoming role as head of a new special crimes unit. Three immigrant Muslim girls are missing and converging thought has their fate hovering between the possibility of them being runaways, of honor killings, possible actions by white nationalists, the involvement of Afghani drug lords, or that their families have sent them away. The truth is layered somewhere between cultural differences and people's attitudes. Kallio gives an outstanding performance as an investigator with a conscience looking into sensitive issues. Although this is the 11th in the Kallio series it reads well as a stand alone. Having visited some of the places in Finland mentioned...

The Widows: A Novel (Kinship #1) by Jess Montgomery           "The hawk is a sign to be alert, to consider carefully one’s situation." Widows Lily Ross and Marvena Whitcom will need to be hawk like for all that they will endure. 1924 Kinship, Ohio. Two widows joined by their relationship to the town's sheriff Daniel Ross. One is Daniel's widow Lily Ross, the other is Marvena Whitcom, a coal miner's widow and long a friend of Daniel.  Shockingly for the small community, Daniel is killed whilst transporting a prisoner. Lily is asked to take on the role of sheriff. All expect her to toe the line, be a figurehead, but Lily is determined to find Daniel's killer. And that search leads her to Maverna, to a troubled coal mining town, to secrets Daniel has hidden from her, to organized crime interests during prohibition and into dangerous territories including the not so heroic side of the Pinkerton Detective employees. Beyond a powerful story of loss, of...

Unmarriageable: A Novel  by Soniah Kamal         I so enjoyed this! Pride and Prejuidice reimagined in Pakistan! Could that be pulled off? Yes, Yes and Yes, most definately! The Binats and the Bennets are unbeatable! To be brutally honest I quail before the plethora of Austen spin offs. I dislike them (and yet I have no problem with Holmsian off shoots Mmm!). I am so over them! But "Unmarriageable" is just so different. Rich in cultural interactions, in social mores, in sharp questions beneath the surface of the story, and of characters and their behaviors that throw the original Austen directly into our world of today. So many comparisons of characters can be made, of social customs, of how the author has made the Austen concept work fabulously in this richly flavored novel. These parallels between the Bennets and the Binats are brilliantly displayed, and to my mind given a new lease of life. "Mr. Barkat “Bark” Binat and Mrs. Khushboo “Pinkie” Binat an...

Last Duke Standing (The Lords of Eton #3) by Cheryl Bolen       Alex, the newly minted Duke of Fordham by unfortunate happenstance (death of his older brother) was never more shocked when his seemingly healthy brother died in his sleep. Not only did he lose a brother, (admittedly they weren't that close) but he now had to give up being a member of the House of Commons and walk in the halls of the House of Lords. More than that he had to notify his brother's fiancé, Lady Georgiana Fenton, of her betroth's demise. What Alex didn't plan for was Georgina arriving on the doorstep with a hastily flung together portmanteau. Who was this unusual, 'take charge' woman who insisted on viewing his brother's dead body, then decided that they'd need a doctor's opinion to determine if he'd been smothered. Now all Georgina and Alex need to do is find the killer. At the top of Georgina's list was Alex! What neither of them had counted on was the s...

The Hangman's Secret: A Victorian Mystery (Victorian Mysteries #3) by Laura Joh Rowland    Superb continuation of the trials and challenges of denizens of the former detective agency who now work for Sir Gerald Mariner, photographing crime scenes for his London newspaper the Daily World. Called to a pub to photograph a decapitated body that turns out to be a leading hangman, Harry Warbrick, events open up that will lead the trio through a maze of cover ups, hampered by the Official Secrets Act, along with a threatening visit to Newgate Prison. Something had happened during the execution of Amelia Carlisle, the “Baby-Butcher,” who'd killed hundreds of infants placed in her care. Something that seems to link the murder of Warbrick to Amelia's death. Warbrick had divulged cryptically, "‘Two minutes and fifty seconds.’ [Sarah was] becoming more certain that something of consequence happened during Amelia Carlisle’s last two minutes and fifty seconds alive." I...

Alliance Rising: The Hinder Stars #1 (Alliance-Union Universe)  by C. J. Cherryh, Jane S. Fancher       Starting off I found this a dense read. Having been a Cherryh reader for years I was scrambling to recall the earlier novels I'd read eons ago and to have those line up with the present happenings. Not that it's necessary to read these before Alliance Rising but as I am an avid fan I was busy sorting through what I already knew to meld this current offering of the Alliance-Union saga with what has gone before.  (As it happens I was sorting my hard copy Sci-fi collection and one of the first books I picked up was a 1988 copy of Cyteen. I feel a re-read coming on!) What a solid return Alliance Rising is to a cosmos I have freely rummaged through over the years, compliments of the masterful Cherryh! Alpha Station, part of the Hinder Stars, unusually receives recent visitations from a number of ships. It turns out to be a consortium led by James Robert Nei...

The Winter of the Witch (Winternight Trilogy #3) by Katherine Arden         I cant help but see this series as if looking into a fantastical snowglobe, that upon closer inspection takes you into the very heart of a Russian winter forest. Stepping inside opens you up to a magical, yet fearsome otherworld tale that inhabits your dreams and nightmares complete with a feisty heroine and a daemon king. Creatures out of folklore, some benign, others not so! A struggle for supremacy reigns on various levels all intrucibly linked. There is so much to think on at the conclusion of this series. The Winter of the Witch draws all together to a grand finale. The chyert called Medved, the Bear has slipped his bindings. An uneasy truce is in the offing, Lady Midnight pays a call and the world as Vasya knows it turns. Three thoughts leap into awareness for me: The illuminating creativity of Arden whose woven fact and fiction into a magical world that sparkles with life and...

Ring, The: A Victorian Mystery (A Grand & Batchelor Mystery #5) by M.J. Trow                                       I loved the setting of this novel! The dark and forbidding underside of London in Victorian times. The mists around the Thames, the hovels, and the disappearance of Emilia Byng, the wealthy wife of a timber merchant Selwyn Byng. Gruesomely female body parts are turning up in the waterways. Is there a link? There's a fair smattering of humor throughout the writing and some interesting secondary characters. So all the prerequisites are in place for a cracking read, but for me this just didn't quite get to a four star read. I must admit to having trouble identifying with the main protagonists, Private enquiry agents Matthew Grand and James Batchelor. A NetGalley ARC ***

Never Say Duke (12 Dukes of Christmas #4) by Erica Ridley                                      I was completely won over by the rather unusual Miss Virginia Theodore and her cat Duke. A satisfyingly lyrical story spread liberally with a crazy cat, a wounded warrior (Theodore O’Hanlon, Viscount Ormondton) hiding out from his perhaps betrothed, and a mysterious young woman who is totally unexpected in both thoughts and habits. Ice cream and kisses sprinkle the way and if the two lead characters have troubled pasts then so much the better. Healing is a wonderful journey. I smiled a lot and I loved that crazy cat with its so independent nature. Whimsical moments are prompted by the unusual actions of the Duke of Azureford redoubtable  butler Swinton. A NetGalley ARC *****

Hanging Psalm, The: A Regency Mystery set in Leeds (A Simon Westow Mystery #1) by Chris Nickson                                  I'm loving the lead character Simon Westow and in particular his assistant Jane. A damaged young woman who does what she has to survive on the dark streets of the underbelly of Regency 1820's Leeds. Simon, a thief-taker has been asked to find businessman John Milner's kidnapped daughter Hannah. The taking of Hannah leads Simon and Jane down some twisted paths and into the path of a wholly unexpected enemy. A gripping story of revenge and corruption. The character of Jane is fascinating. Can she become more or is she destined to a life lived within the confines of her traumatic past, allowing it to define her? Exciting read! A NetGalley ARC *****

Murder at the Queen's Old Castle: A Mystery Set in 1920's Ireland (A Reverend Mother Mystery #6) by Cora Harrison     "Murder [thought the Reverend Mother] was like a cancer. Its tentacles spread out and infected those who had been touched by it." And nothing is truer than for this murder. A man dead from gas inhalation in the Queen's Old Castle, a grand name for a local department store in Cork. A young boy accused of murder by the distracted widow. A fractured family kept under the thumb by their tyrannical father, Joseph Fitzwilliam, are all disinherited and thrown over for the favorite son. Detective Patrick Cashman has his hands full, Eileen MacSweeney is in the mix and the Reverend Mother has an eye on all the participants. There are some wonderful touches including the whizzing around of the money canisters. I remember them from my childhood in an antiquated favorite store. I was just as fascinated as Brian Moloney. As a side note the practice of ...

Wheel of Fire (David Vogel Mystery #2) by Hilary Bonner                                     David Vogel has a new case that's puzzling indeed. The previous David Vogel mystery I read I found disturbing because of the subject matter. Wheel of Fire is not that. In the last couple of chapters I thought I knew what was going on. I didn't know it all! Edgy murder mystery that kept me on my toes. Deserves a read! A NetGalley ARC ****

In a House of Lies (Inspector Rebus #22) by Ian Rankin                                    A slow start but really heated up as Rebus orchestrates in the background. A dead body missing for some years is found in a rusty burnt out car, the ACU: Police Scotland’s Anti-Corruption Unit is still on the tail of Siobhan Clarke, dirty cops are in full bloom and then there's Rebus lending a hand. A skeleton in situ and skeletons in the closet make for an interesting read. Catching the threads and pulling them together is a challenge and in the end our man Rebus stitches them all up. A NetGalley ARC ****

Uneasy Lies the Crown (Lady Emily #13) by Tasha Alexander                                    Once again intrigue and history go hand in hand. Colin Hargreaves receives a deathbed command and a mysterious letter from dying queen Victoria. A series of brutally staged murders begin to appear posed as dead kings. The puzzle seems to revolve around two stories separated by hundreds of years. The only commonality is that of the posed Kings. The fear is that this is all a threatening guidepost targeting the new king, Edward VII. A teaser indeed! The outcome is fittingly resolved with determined Lady Emily and the gorgeous Colin turning up trumps. I do so enjoy this couple and their crime solving abilities. A NetGalley ARC ****

More or Less a Temptress (The Somerset Sisters #3) by Anna Bradley                               When Scotland and England meet on the field of love there's always a bit of ruggedness, duplicity and in romance novels, sweet sweet endings. The surprising Miss Hyacinth Somerset meets Lachlan Ramsay and right from the beginning all goes dreadfully wrong. What with Hyacinth swooning and calling Lachlan a murderer the Ton's all a titter, and it seems the reclusive Hyacinth's debut is doomed from the start. And so are Lachlan's chances to bring his sister into society. So is Hyacinth more ... or less a temptress? And just why did Lachlan leave Scotland? Once again a delightful regency romance from Anna Bradley. A NetGalley ARC ****

Once Upon a Moonlit Path (Haunted Hearts #1) by Ava Stone                           Enjoyable Regency romance with a sinister castle, a ghost seeing young woman, a rake and a feisty little poodle. Lady Cassandra Priske has spent the season hiding from the notorious rake Jack Hazleton, Baron St. Giles. When Jack cadges an invite to Castle Keyvnor where Cassy will reluctantly be for the reading of her great uncle's, things don't go quite to plan for either Cassy or Jack. Avoidance becomes twice as hard and there is the small matter of the castle and it's haunted history! A NetGalley ARC ***

The Hollow of Fear (Lady Sherlock #3) by Sherry Thomas                                Brilliant Holmsian story in the tradition of that genre.  The action fairly races across the page to a quite unsuspected conclusion. Charlotte Holmes is a sleuth with a capacious ability for lying, an adept brain and a love of sweet things. She makes three appearances as three different people, and each is scintillating. Charlotte's half brother has disappeared and Charlotte's longtime friend Lord Ingram is being accused of murdering his wife. Charlotte must find the real murderer, and of course the specter of Moriaty looms in the background. It should be corny but it's not, it's  fascinating ! Move over Benedict, Thomas's Sherlock has come to play! A NetGalley ARC *****

Drawn to the Marquess  (Imperfect Lords #2) by Bronwen Evans                             A lovely widow and a lustful Marquess. Stephen Hornsby, the Marquess of Clevedon, is going blind. His answer? To seek extraordinary interludes with beautiful women, searing them into his memory. Lady Penelope Fisherton is the pinnacle he desires to conquer. Penelope has had enough of scoundrels and wants to enjoy her freedom without complications. But there's an overriding dilemma. Penelope has a brother-in-law who wants her fortune and is none to particular how he comes by it. The  situation is ripe for some interesting, nay even steamy happenstances, along with some downright threatening instances. An enjoyable read. A NetGalley ARC ***

Wilberforce: A Novel by H. S. Cross                                    Not the 1920s take on Tom Brown's Schooldays I'd been hoping for. Subsequently for me this was not as engaging as I'd anticipated. I found Morgan Wilberforce somewhat wooden and i just wasn't involved with his youthful angst. Very ho hum! A NetGalley ARC **

The Girl in the Tower (Winternight Trilogy #2) by Katherine Arden.   I was absolutely caught up in the continued harrowing, and poetically nuanced tale of Vasilisia Petrovna (Vasya). A girl who can see creatures straight from Russian folklore. A girl who just might have the will and wherewithal to change history. A girl herself straight out of the pages of Russian fairy tales--Vasilisa the Brave. Disguised as a boy, riding her beloved stallion Solovey, Vasya begins a harrowing flight from her homeland and the Forest of Lesnaya Zemlya to Moscow (Muscovy) to seek shelter with her sister Olga, the Princess of Serpukhov and her brother and monk, Alexsandr. As her journey unfolds I was caught up in her wildness, her unfeigned delights and her heartfelt sorrows. When Vasya takes up the mantle of a warrior and friend to her cousin and Grand Prince Dmitrii Ivanovitch her fate begins to unravel, or maybe change direction. Vasya comes up against the customs and prejudices of those in ...

Nightchaser (Endeavor #1) by Amanda Bouchet           Ok I'm totally sold on Nightchaser! The characters are feisty, heroic, damaged and easily identified with. A fast paced romantic space opera with Bouchet's particular brand of panache. I can well see why she claims Robin Hood and Star Wars as her muses, referring to "these characters and their epic struggle" as strong influences. I'm also seeing shades of Elizabeth Moon's Vatta series. Captain Tess Bailey and her crew, escapees from an horrendous prison are committed to righting wrongs against a harsh and intractable dictator, the conquering Overlord. With the opening sequence, Tess and crew find themselves in an unwinnable situation. And this is just the beginning! Tess' soliloquies on the place of novels in this totalitarian world are a window into Bouchet's soul. “Because novels stir feelings, wishes, and the heart,” [Tess] said. “Not all ideas and thoughts need to be proven, or even can...