Genre – Page 4 – The Spine View

Come Back to Me by Jody Hedlund

The troupe of time travel is by no means new. However, Come Back to Me, by Jody Hedlund, is a fresh take on the tried and true. A mix of medieval history, romance, fantasy, and mystery. The story at points reminded me of Outlander and The Time Traveler’s Wife mixed together with a bit of pixie dust thrown in for good measure.

Marian Creighton is a research scientist looking for a cure to a rear disease that her mother died from and her sister has inherited. Her work is interrupted when her father falls into a coma after drinking a vial of holy water thought to contain traces of the Tree of Life. After reviewing clues her father left behind, she determines that he has gone back in time looking for more of this holy water that is reported to have cured all ailments. This is just what Marian needs to save her sister’s life.

She decides to follow her father back in time. All the way back to Medieval times she goes searching for the holy water and its cure. Upon arrival she discovers the harsh reality of the times. Women where property and treated as such. Fortunately, she has a savior in the form of a knight by the name of Lord William Durham. William has just returned from the ongoing war with France, known later as the 100 years’ war. He has business to attend to at his estate and just happens to chance upon Marian at the convent his sister is a member of.

The nuns have not treated her very nicely, and in order to rescue her, William offers to marry her. Thinking this is a simple and very temporary solution to her problem, she accepts his offer. However, nothing is as simple as it seems. The peasant uprising and her growing affection for William are vastly complicating things and she is running out of time.

I wish I had the space in this short review to compare and contrast this book with Outlander. I saw a lot of similarities and a lot of differences and it would be an interesting discussion. Just suffice it to say that while the time periods are different the main characters face very similar trials. As with Outlander, the drama is what makes the book such an interesting read. Given the fact that the events of the time period are real this added an extra layer of suspense and believability to the story.

The first thirty to forty pages were a bit slow because the real action does not start until Marian goes back in time. Once in the past, all kinds of trouble ensues and the action picks up and I had a hard time putting the book down. I also enjoyed the blend of real history with fiction. The plot worked very nicely with the time period.

I loved the characters of William and Marian. William is the essence of a valiant, gentlemanly knight. The fact that the tragedies in his life so far had shaped him into the man is was made for a relatable character. Marian’s character worked well in the story also. She had just the right amount of bravery, mixed with femininity, to draw William in. Too strong of a character would not have worked in this book. The author did a good job of fashioning someone who fit both time periods.

There was a little bit of everything in the tale and a lot to love about it. I recommend this one for lovers of romance with a twist. I received a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Test Gods: Virgin Galactic and the Making of a Modern Astronaut by Nicholas Schmidle

Test Gods by Nicholas Schmidle is not only about Virgin Galactic and their race to become the first private company to offer space tourism. It is also a story about the test pilots, mainly Mark Stucky, who are working towards making this a reality. Well researched and rich with detail about Virgin, its people and its mission. It made me long to have the financial resources to one day be a space tourist.

The author was embedded with Virgin Galactic for four years and was given unprecedented access to engineers, test pilots and others who were, and continue to be, instrumental in making Richard Branson’s dream of space tourism come true. Therefore, the reader gets an unusually in-depth look at the day-to-day operations of the company. He is frank in reporting both the failures and the triumphs and I appreciate that he did not paint everything in a rosy light.

There is a lot of technical details in this story and as a non-technical person I appreciate that the author did not bore me with too much of it. For me, it was just the right amount of information that I understand (mostly) what the author was trying to explain. However, I get that there are some technical people out there who may feel the explanations were lacking. Let me point out that the intended audience is the general reading populous who is undoubtedly as ignorant about the tech side of space as I am. I just happen to be a reader who is fascinated with all things space and I got just the right amount of story to tech for my tastes. Kudos to the author for that one!

If you enjoyed Michener’s novel Space, then this is a book for you. Filled with lots of first-hand accounts and tidbits that only someone close to the operations would know. I found it fascinating. I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Song of Gabrielle by John Anthony Miller

Song of Gabrielle is a historical fiction novel, set in medieval times. It is full of romance, sorcery and wonderful prose. I found it to be well researched and highly imaginative. I was totally absorbed from start to finish.

Gabrielle’s story is told by a traveling Troubadour years later and begins in Normandy, France in 1216 where she has just arrived at a convent that sits along the coast. The English are raging a war upon France and the French forces are scattered and retreating. Montague of Rouen, a solider of the king, asks the Reverend Mother to shelter Lady Gabrielle a lady of the king’s court and his love. The convent is well known to Lady Gabrielle and her to the convent. Therefore, the request is easily granted and Montague leaves, to reassemble the scattered forces of the king, knowing she will be sheltered and safety away from the English.

Unfortunately, the English army come upon the convent and ask that the nuns help treat the injured soldiers. Gabrielle is a skilled healer and helps the nuns in administering treatment to injured and dying men. Despite the nuns disguise the Reverend Mother insists Gabrielle wear to hide her identity, she is recognized by Captain Carney the leader of the English army of Sir Michael Marston. By a stroke of bad luck, she is now a prisoner of war and becomes a pawn in the power struggle between two great forces.

Captain Carney knows what the value of Lady Gabrielle will be to the English. They can hold her as a political pawn to their advantage. Unhappily, Gabrielle is shipped off to Marston as a political prisoner of war. Once she reaches England she is treated kindly and with respect by Marston even though she is truly a prisoner. However, there is much a foot in England and several forces are converging on Marston’s castle with goals that will have a far reaching affect if they are achieved. Marston may not be able to protect Gabrielle, a women he is attracted to and maybe even beginning to love.

This is just the type of story that I crave and love to lose myself in. There is political intrigue, wizards, magic and all sorts of nefarious people that had me cringing hoping that they would be the ones on the short end of the stick. The plot was fast paced and there were enough surprises that I was never bored.

In addition, I felt a connection with Gabrielle because the author did an amazing job with the character development. I loved that she was a strong character and though she pined to be in France, in the arms of Montague, she did not let it cloud her judgement. She was able to recognize the goodness in Marston despite her circumstances.

I would not do this book justice if I did not mention how much I enjoyed the prose. It was descriptive but not overly so that it over shadowed the action and characters. It is such a fine line to do enough to help the reader understand the setting without bogging the story down in overly flowery and totally unnecessary language.

There is something to love in this book for most every reader. However, I think readers of Historical Fiction and Romance will find this book especially enjoyable. Highly recommend!

I received a free advanced copy from the author in exchange for me honest review.

The Year Before the End by Vidar Hokstad

What a great start to an action packed Sci-Fi adventure series! The Year Before the End, by Vidar Hokstad, is just the kind of book I love to read. A bit of fiction and a bit of science equals total reading pleasure!

Zara (aka Zo) Ortega captains the Black Rain, a transport ship that usually smuggles weapons to rebel groups on Earth. Zo and her crew are no strangers to questionable jobs and this latest gig is most definitely questionable. They are tasked with breaking into the Vanguard Station, in the asteroid belt, one of the most secure space stations in the system.

They are to retrieve a capsule that contains information regarding a plot by the Mars separatists and the Centauri, an alien race which made first contact with Earth forty years ago, to rule the system. Of course their well made plans go awry when some Mars ships attack the station while they are attempting to retrieve the capsule.

Once they manage to get free of Vanguard Station they head for the rendezvous point only to discover along the way that things are not all as they seem. The person who hired them is none other than the head of Sovereign Earth and he plans to use the information in the capsule to start a war. It will be up to the crew to stop him.

There are a lot of good things going for this book. First off, I loved all the science behind this story. It was just the right amount to satisfy my inner nerd but not enough that I felt overwhelmed. I truly love when good science and good fiction come together to give you a fascinating and entertaining read.

The story is well written and thought out. It has a cast of likable characters that work well with the plot. Though I would have liked to have had a bit more character development. That being said, this is the first book of a series, I suspect there will be more development of the characters over time.

Lastly, I liked that the plot is fast paced once you get beyond the first couple of chapters. There are no huge plot twists but the book is centered on the action and because of this I felt it was not necessary.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of Science Fiction were the emphasis is on science. If you enjoyed The Martian you will enjoy this book too. I am already looking forward to what the next book has in store for the crew of The Black Rain. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Garden In a Seed by Nazanin Mirsadeghi

This is a marvelous collection of modern style poems geared toward women. The theme of this collection is centered on emotions. It includes poems of love, loss and happiness and is a great addition to any poetry collection.

I love modern poetry and was surprised at how concise the poems in this book are. The author does not use a lot of unnecessary words or ambiguous language. Since I am not a fan of overly flowery verse or trying to figure out the hidden meaning of a poem I appreciated the author’s brevity. I like when poems get straight to the point and speak directly to the heart. These poems did both for me.

Most of the poems are short, six to eight lines. Though there are a few longer poems, they are the exception and even these are still concise. An example of this is found in one of the shortest poems, almost a haiku, or a modern take on haiku. Though it is short it expresses great sorrow and yearning.

“I would cry the ocean

If it could wash you

back to me”

This poem in particular reminded me of e.e. cummings’s poetry and that is why I chose it. If this type of poetry is appealing to you, you will want to read this collection. In addition, I absolutely loved the beautiful illustrations scattered throughout the book. Loved everything about this collection of poems. Highly recommend it to all poetry lovers, especially women.

I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Green Valley by Mark T. Sullivan

The Last Green Valley is an amazing story of courage, family, hope and survival. Just as with Sullivan’s earlier novel Beneath a Scarlet Sky, this book is based on the true story of the Martel family and how they escaped the advancing Russian army with nothing but the few possessions they could pack into a single wagon.

The war is in full force in Europe. The Germany army is retreating on both fronts and the Martel family must decide if they want to stay in the Ukraine and again be under Stalin’s rule or as “pure” Germans be relocated to Germany. For Emil, the decision is easy. He knows what it is to live under Russian rule and he wants to be free and dreams of a better life in the West. He even dares to dream about immigrating to the United States.

However, to make his dream come true he will have to move his wife and two young sons through the war ridden countryside. The family, along with other refugees, follow the Germany army as they retreat before the oncoming Russians. While the Germans have offered to resettle them, their help will come at a price. The Martels will face many trials in their journey to freedom in the West.

This is such a moving story. I can’t begin to imagine how hard it was to survive during WWII. The tenacity of Emil and Adeline was incredible. Most would have given up their dreams and just lived under Stalin’s rule when faced with the hardships and unknown.

The story is well researched and told with beauty and compassion. The prose was descriptive and I felt he did justice to the characters. In short, it was outstanding and it is books like this that fuel my passion for historical fiction.

A must read for all lovers of history and historical fiction. In addition, this is a great book club pick because the topics this book covers a vast array of topics of the time that are still relevant today.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

Prior to reading To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, I had not read any of the books by Paolini. Though I had been meaning to for a long time. As a lover of Sci-Fi, when this book came out I felt it was the perfect opportunity to finally read one of his books. Glad I did because it is a great story.

Kira Navarez is a xenobiologist working with a group of scientists to survey an uninhabited planet. By chance she discovers an ancient alien artifact. When the artifact bonds with her everything changes. Humans make first contact with an alien species, a war erupts, and the fate of all humanity seems to rest with her.

That is a lot for any person to take in and I loved that the author gave us this strong and tenacious main character who happens to be female. Kira for sure endured a lot and most people would have given up and thrown the towel in. Despite her personal doubts and blaming herself for the events that happened, she worked through them.

Her internal dialogue with herself hit home for me. It felt real and made her character not only believable but gave her a lot of depth. For me, character development is critical to a successful story and especially one that is a sweeping drama. Paolini really delivered here.

As much as I loved the character development and world building, there were places that the book dragged a bit. However, I was so invested in the story that I soldiered on because I wanted to know what fate had in store for Kira. If the story had been just a little tighter I would have given it five stars instead of four.

Despite my one complaint, this is a fabulous story and I highly recommend it to all lovers of Sci-Fi. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer

A Vow So Bold and Deadly is the third book in The Cruse Breaker Series. While I adored the first two books, I was disappointed with this one. It is still a good story, and series, just not on the same level as the previous two books.

Book three brings together the prior two books and this book is about the fate of not only the kingdom of Emberfall but of Syhl Shallow too. There are several big questions the book will answer. First, will the two kingdoms really wage war on each other now that we know Grey is the true heir of Emberfall? Will Lia Mara be able to hold her throne? Finally, Will Rhen ever defeat Lilith?

The book is not badly written nor did it have big plot holes. No, nothing as damaging as that. I just lost interest in the story and the plot was very slow in the beginning. Then to top it off, there were unresolved issued. It left me wondering if there will be another book. I thought it was a three book series. Maybe I am wrong.

I enjoyed that we finally got to read about all four characters in one book and from their own POVs no less. However, I came to detest Lia Mara. I wanted to tell her to grow a pair. All the self-doubt and whining got old. I would have preferred to have seen more growth for her character. She was strong enough to kill her mother; therefore, at this point in the game, she should not be second guessing herself at every turn. We all wonder at times if we are doing the right thing or not; however, her fears left me with mammoth doubts about her capacity to rule. Ugh!

Lastly, the interaction between characters did not feel genuine. I never got this feeling in the previous two books. I think this is partly due to the pacing in the first half of the book. There was not much going on and all the talk and preparing for war got a bit tiresome. A good subplot would have made things more interesting and would have given the characters a chance to interact meaningfully.

The thing I liked most about the story was the ending. Even though I wish it had been a little meatier after spending so much time on the lead up to it. In truth, the ending felt almost anticlimactic. Yet it suited the story. Not everybody gets everything they want in life and the characters had to accept compromises and come to terms with them. That is the way life works and so was very appropriate.

As I stated at the beginning, this book is not terrible. However, it is not on par with the previous two. I still loved the series and well gladly read other books by the author. If you like fantasy and retellings this is a good series to read. I encourage you to give it a try and sincerely hope you enjoy.

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

The Plot is most definitely one of those books you just can’t put down. Such a lovely slow burn and the ending, well it just smacks you in the face. Highly inventive and truly addictive!

Jacob “Jake” Finch Bonner is a ‘has been’ writer. He wrote one novel that was received well by the critics and had lukewarm commercial success followed by a couple more that should never have been published. He is now drowning in self-pity and unable to write another book worthy of print. Instead of writing, he is now teaching writing at a MFA program at Ripley. One of his students is an arrogant asshole but he does have a killer idea for a novel that is sure to be an instant success.

Years go by and the book is never published. Jake stars wondering what happened. By doing a little research on his computer, he discovers that his former student is dead. Such a shame to let a fabulous idea go to waste and he rationalizes that a plot can’t be copywrited. He will not use any of his student’s words, not that he can remember much after all this time has passed, everything will be his own except for the basic plot. No will ever know, until they do.

The day he has been dreading has finally arrived. While on the road to promote the book, aptly named “Crib”, he receives a message through his author website that simply says, “You are a thief.” Other messages follow, then a Facebook post, even a message at his home. The cat is out of the bag and there is no way to put it back. Jake is now obsessed with finding out more about his former student. What he uncovers is shocking and leads to a chilling conclusion.

This is not one of those thriller that you are totally engrossed in from page one. It was more like a speeding train, it took time to build up energy but once it got going there was no stopping it. I appreciated that the author took her time with this story because it allowed the reader to get an in-depth look into the life and mind of Jake. Something I miss in some thrillers and just the kind of pacing I adore.

I felt the character of Jake was perfect for the story. It needed a character that was self-doubting and so insecure as to be cringe worthy in order to make the story really sing. While the whining would have normally driven me crazy, in this case it gave me feelings of empathy for Jake and I found him very relatable.

Fabulous story, great characters and the pacing is just the way I like it. I was starting to get bored with thriller type novels; however, this book has reawaken my love for the genre. Highly recommend to all readers.

I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

People We Meet On Vacation is a lively rom-com from author Emily Henry. The familiar troupe of opposites attract drives this heartfelt story of two people who just can’t seem to get it right. So glad I made this my Book of the Month pick.

Poppy and Alex meet during freshman orientation and there is no connection. Poppy is everything Alex is not, loud, fun loving and a total extrovert with a passion for travel. Then she hitches a ride home with him and everything changes. They become best friends and stay in contact despite Alex still living in the same small town in Ohio and Poppy living in NYC. Every year they take a vacation together and it is always a grand adventure, until it isn’t.

They screwed up the friendship and have not spoken for two years. Now Poppy wants to give it a try again. She reaches out to Alex and to her surprise he answers. She convinces him to take another vacation with her. This time she wants to not only patch up their friendship but finally tell Alex how she really feels about him. Will it work, so much could go wrong.

The opposites attract troupe worked so well in the story because the characters were perfect. Yes they are opposites and yet they complement each other so well. They just go together like PB&J and the author did a fabulous job of showing this to the reader. The character development was perfect.

Though the story is character driven, there is plenty of tension to make the reader want to keep turning the pages. In fact, there were some places that the tension was almost unbearable. Sometimes I felt like shouting at the characters in order to get them to speak honestly and from the heart. It would have saved them so much heartache if they had.

The plot was all about this slow buildup of tension. Of course, there was the sexual tension between Poppy and Alex. However, that tension is overshadowed by the buildup to the crest when the reader finally finds out what caused the rife in their relationship. I kept wondering if they slept together on that last trip and something awkward happened that they could not reconcile the event. So many possibilities went through my mind as I read and I had to know what happened.

This is the rom-com you have been waiting for if you liked When Harry Met Sally. It has all the elements of wonderfully slow burn of a story. This is most definitely one of those books that you want to rush through to see what happens and yet dread to finish because you are not ready to say goodbye to the characters. Highly recommend.