Genre – Page 8 – The Spine View

The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal

I am in love with the Lady Astronaut series by Mary Robinette Kowal and have been waiting eagerly for the third installment, The Relentless Moon. It is scheduled to hit the shelves on July 14^th and I was very fortunate to get an advanced copy from the publisher. Be sure to get your copy ASAP because the author did not disappoint with this gripping tale of sabotage and intrigue in the first lunar colony.

The focus of this book is on Nicole Wargin, a very minor character in the previous books, instead of Elma York. Though the plot does run in parallel to book two of the series, The Fated Sky. Because Nicole is the wife of a powerful politician, this has enabled her to secure a space on the rocket that will take the first team of civilian colonists to the moon.

The trouble begins before they even land on the moon. It appears that the lunar landing craft has been sabotaged and it is only because of the intense training that no lives are lost. Of course, the trouble does not end there. Mysterious power outages plague the colony among other things. It has everyone on edge waiting for the next disaster to happen. The one that result in lives lost. Nicole puts the skills she learned in WWII as a spy to good use as she works on figuring out who is friend and who is foe before it is too late.

What I loved most about this book is that it is both plot and character driven. Let’s start with the plot. First it was believable. I can easily see how the extremists would stop at nothing to achieve their goals including murder. Secondly, the twists that the plot took are ingenious and the action keeps you on the edge of your seat through most of the book.

I also fell in love with Nicole. She, like Elma, is flawed yet strong in ways that are unforeseen. As in the other two books, the author presents these flaws and shows how the character struggles with them. Nicole is also an ambitious and tenacious person and those traits have served her well. Yet, despite a very successful career and a husband that loves her, she struggles with anorexia. She sometimes feels out of control and food is one thing she can control. The author examines this in depth along with the various relationships Nicole has with coworkers and her spouse. This made for a powerful story and one I know I will read again.

This book is in my top five of the year so far and I doubt that will change as the year progresses. I believe it will appeal to readers of Science Fiction in addition to other readers. For example, if you enjoy Nora Roberts works, this is one you should add to your reading list. It would also make a good book club pick because there is a lot to talk about. Gender, and race issues among other topics are highlighted in the book.

I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin

Well, Saint X, by Alexis Schaitkin, was not what I expected. I was thinking this would be a thriller with lots of action to pull the story along. I was very wrong. It read more like literary fiction and the plot was agonizing slow.

The story opens on the fictitious Caribbean island of Saint X. Where Claire, age 8, arrives with her older sister Alison, age 18, and their parents. The vacation precedes along uneventful and the family is enjoying the five star resort and all the amenities until Alison goes missing.

The small island is combed for clues to no avail. After numerous days of searching, two tourists take a short boat ride to the uninhabited island just off the coast of Saint X and discover Alison’s body. The key suspects in the case are two employees of the resort where the family is staying. After questioning them, they are released because at the time of the Alison’s death they were in jail. Therefore, Alison’s death just becomes another unsolved mystery.

Skip forward a number of years and Claire is now an adult and working for a publishing company in New York City. Life seems to have moved on for her. All that changes with a chance encounter with one of the suspects, Clive, or GoGo as he was known on the island. Claire is haunted with the past and becomes obsessed with finding out the truth. She stalks Clive and then inserts herself into his life. Will Clive be able to give her the answers she is seeking?

Can a story suffer from over development? Absolutely! This is what happened here. I understood Claire and her desperate need to have answers. The author gets the reader inside the characters’ heads. Yet, it became too much in the end.

The rich descriptive prose that I started out loving became burdensome in the end. I got to the point I just wanted the story to move on. I only finished this book because I wanted to know what happened to Alison. In short, too verbose for my tastes.

I have read some of the other reviews and know that a lot of people loved this book. I just was not one of those people. I think it was of case of the wrong book for me. I suggest you read some other reviews before you decide if this is a book for you or not.

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

The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs

I wanted to read The Lost and Found Bookshop, by Susan Wiggs, as soon as I saw the title. It was really a no-brainer since it has the word books in the title. I have this thing for stories about books and bookshops. Lucky for me this book turned out to be everything I enjoy in a good book.

Natalie Harper is working for a winery in California. The job pays well, but she finds the work unrewarding. She also feels stuck in an unfulfilling relationship and is planning to break things off just when tragedy strikes. Her Mother dies suddenly and she inherits a small bookshop in San Francisco. Her world is suddenly turned upside down and she is devastated.

In an act of rashness, she quits her job and moves into her Mother’s apartment above the bookshop. As Natalie sorts through the mess that was her Mother’s life and livelihood, she discovers that the bookshop is in dire financial straits. To make matters worse, she finds out, after meeting with her attorney, that her grandfather owns the building. This is were he was born and has lived all his life. She knows he will never agree to sell. Therefore, she decides to tackle the problem and see if she can revive the store.

Natalie has taken on a lot. The building is old and on the historic registry and old means issues. The roof leaks, there are some electric problems, along with a slew of other issues. She reaches out to a contractor and in steps Peach to the rescue. Natalie is immediately attracted to him but feels it is too soon to invest herself into another relationship.

However, her luck seems to be turning when Peach finds some historical items of value hidden in the walls of the store. Then she is able to secure an author signing with the top local children’s author. Maybe there is hope for the store yet.

I adored Natalie. She is strong and humble but also has some issues with opening up to be loved because of a Father that was absent all her life. It made me want to hug her and assure her that not everyone is like her father and encourage her to take a chance so she can be happy. In short, Natalie felt like a real person. The supporting characters had a lot of charm also and rounded out the story nicely.

The plot did not move very fast, but that was OK. It did not need to. The characters are the true driving force behind this story. The only thing I was not crazy about in the plot was how these unexpected lost items kept popping up in walls and in the basement. It just was not believable and it took away from the story a bit. I know this is a minor thing and the story was really good otherwise. I enjoyed it and everything does not have to perfect for me to love a story. After all, it is fiction.

This would make a great book to take on vacation, beach or to the pool. I recommend it to readers of all ages who enjoy a story about love, loss and hope.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsnar

You know summer is here when the beach reads start arriving enforce. Something to Talk About, by Meryl Wilsner, is a feel good romance that is a carefully prepared slow burn that will have your toes curling. Make sure you put this one in your beach bag before heading out. You don’t want to miss out on this little gem.

As the proverb says, “It is easier to dam a river than stop gossip” and the story showcases this. When Jo, a Hollywood starlet, takes her assistant Emma to an awards ceremony and the camera catches them in what appears to be an intimate moment, the rumor mill is off and running. Could Jo and Emma be seeing each other? Then the rumor mill turns to the question of age differences and, help us all, if there is not the faux pas of dating an employee. Lots of juicy gossip, just what sells papers.

Jo has a no comment policy that she has lived by her entire career. Since she never rises to the bait, Jo insists that any response will be seen as trying to hide the truth. There is nothing going on; therefore, nothing to hide, just business as usual and the reporters will eventually find something more exciting and move on. Jo’s advice to Emma is just ignore the gossip. Emma is just an employee who does her job well as that all. Move along now! Nothing here folks to see… or is there?

There might not be anything going on at the moment, but there is no denying the chemistry between Jo and Emma. A few missteps later and the rumor mill is still going strong. Yet, Emma does not want to jeopardize Jo’s career, and vice versa. It is hard enough in Hollywood to get a job and even harder to keep it without all this mess going on. Therefore, both Jo and Emma ignore the sparks that are flying and try to carry on. The ten dollar question is, just how long will they be able to ignore their feelings?

The story grabbed me in the first few pages. The tension was real between Jo and Emma, so much so that it became palpable. The author used it to good effect and I could not turn the pages fast enough. The plot moved along at a fast clip and there was no lull in the tension causing the slow build up I alluded to earlier. In addition, there was a lot of sexual tension, but it was not overly so. The author did an outstanding job in handling the subject matter (same sex relationship) in a respectful way.

The characters were my favorite part of the story. They were so well done, it is hard to believe this is a debut novel. The self-doubt of Emma, at the beginning, and how the author grew her into a strong young women worked well with story. I liked the support that Jo provided to Emma to help her achieve her goals and Emma’s family should win an award for their support.

In summary, this is a well written story. Sure to please any reader who loves a good, slow burn type of romance. I recommend this to all readers of romance and women’s fiction especially those readers who like a little diversity in the story. I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Shorefall by Robert Jackson Bennett

Shorefall, by Robert Jackson Bennett, is the follow up to Foundryside and the second installment of the Founders series. The author has once again shown us how outstanding world building, but together with great characters, can draw you into a world beyond your imagination. It is an epic fantasy tale that you are sure to enjoy.

It is three years later in Tevanne, Sancia, Orso, Berenice and Gregor are all back and they are trying to change the world. They want to make scriving available to everyone and Sancia in particular wants no more slaves. They have started their own foundry and though they are small, they are mighty. By changing the way society works they hope to break the hold that the large foundries (i.e. the Dandolos) have on the people.

They are just starting to put their plan in action when a wrench is thrown into the works. The wrench being a heirophant. The first heirophant no less and he is dead or should be. It seems that Gregor’s mother has found a way for him to live again. Now that he is here, he will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

I normally give a much longer synapsis; however, I hate spoilers and I don’t want to spoil anything for you, though I have to admit I am tempted to tell you more. This is a great plot and there are a lot of unexpected turn of events that you will not see coming and I just can’t bring myself to ruin it for you. The author used these twists creatively, and they keep you engaged. This made for an exciting read and I know you will think so too.

The characters in the book are well thought-out. I especially liked the interaction between the various characters. They felt authentic.

There is a lot to take in with this book. The rules for scriving and the way everything works will keep you on your toes. In fact, I found it a little too cumbersome at times. As such, it is the one negative for me.

You really need to read Foundryside first, if you have not already. It will get too confusing if you don’t have the first book as the background. However, if you are a lover of epic fantasy you will not mind as all reading or rereading book one before you tackle this one. The imagination it took to create this is mind blowing. Super inventive story sure to entertain. Don’t miss out on this one!

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

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. K. Klune

Pub. Date: 17-March-2020
Rating: 5 Stars

There is something extremely wonderful about this book that is hard to put into words because it is so many things all at once. The author has given the reader a great cast of characters to love and an outstanding plot to go along with it. It is just one of those stories that is sure to touch your heart.

Linus Baker has been a case worker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY) for a long time. In his job, he investigates orphanages for magical children and makes recommendations as to whether they should remain open or be closed. He is meticulous in his reports and always follows the rules to the letter.

Linus in his off time, does nothing of note. He lives an uneventful and rather dreary life by himself with just his cat for company. Until one day when he is called to the offices of Extreme Upper Management and is assigned a case of utmost important and secrecy. He is to spend four weeks at an orphanage and while there he is to observe and provide a full report every week.

He is given a dossier on each child and not much else. There are six children in all at this particular orphanage, each one dangerous, but one child in particular is of greatest concern and who just happens to be the Antichrist. To say Linus is scared is an understatement; but, he sets aside his fears determined to do his job to the best of his ability. He becomes immersed in the day-to-day activities of the orphanage and even participates in outings. What he discovers is a very special sort of magic that has nothing, and yet everything, to do with the children.

The central theme in this book is about differences and prejudices. It explores how these prejudices affect others and how just one person can start a change. The author uses the magical children’s characters to explore the differences between individuals and how prejudices can harm. The whole thing was handled so well and the quirky, magical children will make you smile. They are able to open Linus’s eyes and he starts to see things is a new and wonderful way.

The plot was imaginative and well-paced. The author uses this fantasy setting to teach life lessons in a subtle way and I appreciated that it was not an in your face story. I also liked how the children and Author give hope to Linus. In little subtle ways, the author is asking the reader to rethink their own prejudices.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I know it will not be my last. I highly recommend this one to everybody, though I think it is more geared toward young adults. I also recommend this book to older middle grade readers who have reached this reading level because the characters will undoubtedly speak to them.

The Lane Betrayal by John A. Heldt

Heldt always gives the reader a story to devour and The Lane Betrayal is no exception. Filled with lots of action, danger and a tad of romance, this fast paced tale is sure to satisfy that craving for adventure in every reader.

Mark Lane, a gifted physicist, has made the breakthrough of the century, maybe the millennia, with his device that allows time travel. He should be elated. Instead, he has discovered that his business partner, Robert Devereaux, in Janus Enterprises is planning to use the device for wicked ends. In an attempt to thwart Robert, Mark has planned to steal the two working devices and escape with his family into the past. This escape plan also includes alerting the authorities to what Robert is up to and sabotaging the project.

Mark has been planning his escape for months with the help of his colleague Randy who has decided to stay behind and assist where he can with the escape. On the day of the planned escape, Robert gets wind that something is a foot and is coming to confront Mark. With just a few minutes head start, courtesy of Randy, Mark manages to whisk his family to 1865 around the closing days of the Civil War. It looks like things are finally going as planned. Then a turn of bad luck occurs when one of the keys for the devices is forgotten in a cabin in Virginia and the second device is impounded by the government.

The government thinks the device might be something to aid the Rebel Army in the closing days of the war. Mark, now a prisoner of the Union Army, and suspected of being a rebel sympathizer, is taken to Washington, D.C. The family has no choice but to follow. To make matters worse, Robert has hired a hit man, Silas Bain, to travel back in time and finds the Lanes and kill them. Will anything go right for the Lane family?

I loved how the author allowed the tension to build slowly. By the end of the story you are sitting on the edge of your seat to see if the Lanes will stay a step ahead of Silas Bain. Therefore, it is no surprise that action is the key element of this book and it worked very well with the plot. Overall great pacing.

Sometimes stories with lots of action lack character development. Not so here! As with other books I have read by this author, the character development is critical to the story. Heldt knows how to get and keep the reader’s attention with the characters he builds. He delves deeply into the psyche of his characters to make them memorable and invest the reader.

I filed this book under science fiction, but fiction is the operative word here. There is really no science just a great story about, love, family and what binds us all together. Perfect book for fans of Nora Roberts and similar authors. Highly recommend!

Disclosure: While I used my Kindle Unlimited account to read this book, the author did request a review.

Daughter of the Reich by Louise Fein

Set in prewar Germany, this poignant story of a young girl just coming into adulthood will have you gritting your teeth at the injustices and cheering at her bravery. It is a fast paced and dramatic tale that portrays the lives of people swept up in the growing power of Hitler and his SS. A story that will leave you gasping in the end.

Hetty Heinrich is the daughter of a very powerful SS officer. As such, she is expected to be the perfect German girl. This is basically having good moral standards and marrying a “good” German man to produce as many children as possible for the Thousand Year Reich. She wants none of this. Instead, she wants to be a doctor. This is a frequent argument with her father, who views Hetty as a willful child that is spoiled and allowed to much freedom.

Hetty is left with no choice other than to be that good Germany girl her father wishes and assist the Reich in any way she can. The restraints chaff on her. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that when she runs into Walter, an old friend of her brother’s, that she starts secretly meeting him. The meetings must be secret because Walter is a Jew, even though Walter once saved Hetty from drowning when she was a child. If they are found out it will not go well for either of them.

Walter tells Hetty about the terrible things that are happening to Jews. At first, she is reluctant to believe him. She has been told over and over again how Jews lie, cheat and steal. How can she trust a Jew when they are so bad? Slowly, as they fall in love, she begins to see the truth of what is really happening. Then comes a day when Walter’s family is imprisoned and Hetty must make a choice that may cost her everything.

There is a lot to love in this story, from the elegantly written prose to the heart-breaking truths of one of the darkest times in recent memory. For me at least, the most notably thing is how power does corrupt and how easily people can be seduced by lies of government. Because of what we now know happened to the Jews and others that tried to resist Hitler it made the story more intense.

There was great character development with Hetty. I loved seeing how she went from a naïve teenage to a courageous and brave young woman. The author also did a lovely job with all the layering of emotions. She guides the reader deftly through a wide range and intensity of emotions. I felt rung out by the end of the story.

The only thing I wished for was more of an ending. It seemed a little rushed and I felt there was more to the story. Everything else was so good that in hindsight this is really such a minor thing.

This book is definitely a good choice for a historical book club. There are lots of topics that would be interesting to explore further. Also, a great choice for readers of period romance and WWII books. If you only read a few historical fiction books in the near future, I recommend that this should be one of them.

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

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

As suggested from the title, Stalking Jack the Ripper, is a YA horror/murder mystery book (very) loosely based on the real murders of young women in London during the 1880s. The author, Kerri Maniscalco, has presented the reader with a young protagonist who will capture your heart with her courage, defiance and tenacity as she works to solve the murders.

Audrey Rose Wadsworth is an educated young woman and daughter of a Lord. Ladies of her standing are expected to be prime and proper. Yet, she finds the society demands upon her restricting and she rebels against them. Even though her father has expressly forbidden it, she has been learning forensic science through her Uncle who is an expert in the field. So naturally she is thrilled to help her Uncle examine the first victim of Jack he Ripper.

Then when her Uncle of all people is arrested for the murders, she vows to find out the truth. For Audrey Rose this is the being of a very dangerous path. One that could lead even to her death.

I appreciated the fast pace of the book and it had plenty of twists to keep you guessing. The prose was also good and I liked the attention to detail given to the scenes. Pace will only take the reader so far and this book had a good mix of both.

I liked the characters in this book, especially Audrey Rose. In truth, I felt her character was a little bit of a stretch for the times but it worked so well in the story I can’t really find fault. Sometimes a little creative license is necessary for a good story. After all it is fiction meant to entertain. At the end the author does give you the facts of what happened in London during this time and shows how those facts were used to create the story.

This book has been on my TBR list for almost a year. I wish I had read it sooner because if was entertaining and just what I needed as a distraction amid this virus lockdown. The book definitely has a Holmes and Watson vibe to it, albeit a younger male/female version. I highly recommend for those readers that like this type of book. Being a historical book with a light touch of romance I think there will be a wider audience that will enjoy it and recommend you give it a read.

I received a free copy from the publisher, at BookExpo 2019, in exchange for my honest review.

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C. A. Fletcher

In this post-apocalyptic story, A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C. A. Fletcher, the reader is treated to a story in the vain of Station Eleven. Since I had recently read Station Eleven and loved it, I was very excited to finally have time to read this one. While I could draw a lot of similarities between the two stories, the themes of this book are loyalty, courage and family.

In this future post-apocalyptic story, most of the entire human race has died and of the few left most are not able to reproduce, further dwindling the numbers to the thousands. The main character, Griz, lives with his family on a small island off the coast of the UK totally cut off from what is left of humanity, except for a small family that lives on a nearby island. It has been years since they have had contact with other people.

Then one day a red sail appears on the horizon. The boat is maned by a lone trader. He is young, charming and enchants the family with his tales of travel. While he expounds upon his adventures, he also poisons them and in the dead of the night he sneaks off with Jess, Griz’s dog. Female dogs are rare and therefore she is valuable. Enraged, Griz takes off after him in his own boat. This leads him into an adventure he was not prepared for.

As with Station Eleven, this book it is not a hard-core Science Fiction tale but, as stated earlier, it is about loyalty and family and what binds us together. There is not a lot of action in the story though the plot moves nicely. In addition, the entire story is told from Griz’s POV through a journal he has kept. This allows the author to reflect on the themes of the book and present his idea of what humanity would be become after a mega disaster. The author pulls no punches in presenting the bad side of humanity. In fact, I think he was kind on humans. He could have made it so much worse.

The story is very compelling and the author spends a lot of time on character development, at least with the main character. So you really get to know Griz, which sets you up for the big plot twist at the end. I totally did not see that coming. Also, while the story was rather bleak in terms of the fate of humanity the author presents a case for hope and shows there will always be good in the world. By the end, I was full of conflicting emotions and had to noodle on it before writing this review.

This would be a great story for a book club because there is a lot of thought-provoking themes explored in this book. The prose was excellent and though the scope of the plot was ambitious it worked well within the confines of the story. I recommend this book to anyone who likes reflective stories regardless of what genre they fit into.