Category: Fiction Page 261 of 348

by Paul Cornell
Series: Witches of Lychford, #2

Kindle Edition, 144 pg.
Tor.com, 2016

Read: November 2 – 3, 2016

It’s been a few months since Reverend Lizzie Blackmore, Judith (the elderly witch), and Autumn (now her apprentice and her employer) fought off the supernaturally corrupt megastore (and probably mundanely corrupt, too, come to think of it) and life has moved on in a relatively normal way. The three have forged some sort of alliance — easy for Autumn and Lizzie, already close, but learning new things about each other; not so easy for Judith to be accepted and to accept them, I don’t think. Autumn’s learning from Judith, while getting some help in her shop (which seems like a small town version of Atticus O’Sullivan’s and Alex Verus’ shops combined). Judith’s got something to do, a way to pass on her knowledge, and Lizzie is super-busy with pre-Christmas activities in the church.

But given everything we learned about Lychford, it’s not terribly surprising that things won’t stay that way, it’s just a question of what kind of other-worldly strangeness will come calling first.

In this case, it’s a ghost — or ghost-like apparition — that came to Lizzie at church. A small child looking frightened and worse for wear, with a simple request of: “No hurting.” Now, our trio can’t all agree on what the apparition is, but they can all get behind the idea of “No hurting.” They just have to figure out if that’s something they can stop — and then they’ll worry about the how. Neither piece of that plan works the way that it’s supposed to, but it seems these three are pretty good at improvising. Autumn, in particular, seems particularly adept at that.

I appreciated the fact that each of these women make one significant mistake (and probably some smaller ones) — two that come from inexperience, one that proves that experience doesn’t equal infallibility. They’re all believable, they do more than just advance the plot, they are honest with the characters and situation. Too often in novels you’re left wondering why a protagonist would be so stupid as to do X — when really it comes down to they have to do X or the really cool Y thing can’t happen at the end. That doesn’t happen here — sure, the attentive reader might be able to see the blunder coming around the corner, but there’s no reason to think that our protagonists should until it’s too late. Because while these three are fictional characters, Cornell imbues them with a genuineness, a substantial-ness that’s fitting for a real person (sadly, not always present with them, however).

Man, I had to use DuckDuckGo a lot to get all the cultural details in these pages — I know next to nothing about Anglican Christmas festivities, and less about British Christmas Pop Music. I’m not sure how much I’ll benefit long-term from this research, but it was interesting. I might have been better off not knowing anything about Greg Lake and his song, though.

If there was such a thing as magic, it wouldn’t look like anything from Harry Potter, Harry Dresden or some other fantasy series starring a Harry. It’d look like this, I wager. Quiet; shadowy; right out in the open, yet somehow unseen. All substance, no flash. Oh, yeah, and creepy — can’t forget creepy and inexplicable. Which is pretty much everything that happened in this book — up to and including most of the things the trio does to prevent things from getting really out of hand. It’s hard to talk about realism in a fantasy novel, but Cornell’s one of those that make you do that.

The Witches of Lychford was thoroughly entertaining and did a great job of establishing this world. This novella took full advantage of that to tell a more compelling story. I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary to read Witches first, but it’d help a lot. “I Believe in Father Christmas,” notwithstanding, I thought The Lost Child of Lychford lived up to its predecessor and left me eager to return to this little village.

—–

4 Stars

Deceiving Bella by Cate Beauman Book Tour

By HCNewton

On November 4, 2016

In Book Tour, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

I’d like to welcome Cate Beauman to our lil’ patch of cyberspace for this tour stop. Her stuff looks good — check it out.

Ethan Cooke Security and their bodyguard team return to action in Deceiving Bella – book eleven in Cate Beauman’s Bodyguards of L.A. County series.

With over 7700 reviews and a 4.4 rating for the entire series, see why the Bodyguards of L.A. County is a multi-award winning series.

Buy It Now!

Amazon | Kobo | Nook | iBooks

New to the series? No problem! Each book in the “Bodyguards” series is a stand-alone title. Although reading the books in order is preferred, it is not necessary. Each title features brand new primary characters and limited overlapping secondary characters. Don’t hesitate to jump right in!

Isabella Colby has always yearned for normalcy. Now that she’s settled in LA, she finally has it. Good friends, a pretty home, and her thriving career as the Palisades’ top skincare specialist are a dream come true. Bella is content until she meets her hunky new neighbor, but her attraction to the blue-eyed cutie is the least of her worries when contacting her long-lost father threatens to destroy her happy life.

Reed McKinley is more than ready to forget the past. His seven-year stint as an NYPD detective nearly got him killed. His wounds have healed and he’s starting over as Ethan Cooke Security’s latest recruit. With sixty-hour workweeks and little time to himself, the last thing on his mind is a relationship. Then he bumps into the gorgeous woman next door.

Reed and Bella become fast friends. Before long, Reed discovers that Bella is keeping dangerous secrets. Bella may have the answers to decades-old questions he’s been searching for. Reed will risk it all to uncover the truth, but he soon realizes that the deeper he digs, the direr the consequences.

One Of Cate’s Favorite Fall Desserts:

I don’t know about you but I love the fall. The air turns crisp and the scenery beautiful, but I think what I love most is the new variety of foods we often eat. We put away the grill for the year (or use it less frequently) and utilize our stoves and ovens more. Typically, I try to share healthier recipes but this is one of my favorite sinful treats. Chocolate raspberry bars are pretty easy to make and they’re great to bring to a potluck or tailgating. Whenever we share these, I go home with an empty plate.

Chocolate Raspberry Bars

1 cup of butter, softened (2 sticks)
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
Seedless raspberry preserves

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350-degrees and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
Combine softened butter, brown sugar, and flour to make coarse crumbs. Measure approximately 2 cups of the crumbs and press evenly into the greased pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
While the pressed crumbs are in the oven, combine condensed milk and 1 cup of the chocolate chips in a saucepan and stir together over low heat until chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is combined.
Pour chocolate/condensed milk mixture over hot crust and spread with a spatula until all of the crust is covered.
Sprinkle remaining crumbs over chocolate. Drop jam by ½ teaspoons randomly over crumbs (less is more). Scatter remaining 1-cup of chocolate chips over the entire dish and bake for 25 minutes.
Cool and cut into bars.

Read an excerpt from Deceiving Bella:

They kept a slow pace, strolling in silence as the breeze plastered their clothes to their bodies and the constant sound of waves hypnotized, lulling Reed into relaxing by degrees.

“Thanks for coming with me tonight. It’s nice having company.”

He looked at Bella, staring at the fading light playing off her eyes. “The water smells better than a bunch of sweaty guys.”

“Your gym.” Her brow creased ever so slightly as she held his gaze. “What do you do for fun?”

“Work and box.”

“Sounds…like a good time.”

“I like it.”

“Do you smile?”

He frowned. “Huh?”

“I was wondering if you ever smile—or laugh. I haven’t seen you do either since we met.”

He sent her an exaggerated grin.

She laughed.

He smiled for real this time, finding her laughter infectious.

“You do smile. I wasn’t sure if you had some sort of facial paralysis we hadn’t discussed yet.”

He grinned.

“You should do that more often.” She hooked her arm through his.

He almost missed a step as the warmth of her skin met his, surprised by her casual gesture. He wasn’t used to people being so touchy-feely. “I do it plenty.”

“I’ll have to take your word for it.”

How was it possible she smelled even better now that they stood so close? It had to be her hair. “I don’t know what to say to that.”

She stopped abruptly. “Are you seeing anyone?”

He studied her, not sure that he liked where this was going. “No. You interested?”

She shook her head. “You’re not really my type.”

He tried to ignore the direct hit to his ego. “You’re not mine either.”

Another smile warmed her face. “I think we could be great friends, and I like projects—love them, actually.”

His frown returned. “And that means…”

“It means I like you. And I love that you don’t seem to have any interest in getting into my pants.”

Years of concealing any and all facial expressions kept his eyes from popping wide. “Wow.” He ran his hand through his hair, speechless once again. “Okay.”

She laughed. “I’m a big fan of honesty—putting it right out there.”

He chuckled as he settled his sunglasses on top of his head. “Clearly.”

They started walking again.

“There’s something about you that feels…safe.”

He raised his brow, taken aback. He’d been called many things, but this was a first. “Safe?”

She nodded. “Safe. It’s a good thing, but you’re pretty serious. We need to lighten you up. You need to play more.”

“I play plenty. I box.”

She scoffed, “Beating someone’s face in can’t lead you down the road to happiness.”

Her side brushed his with every step. He imagined he should ease away, break their connection, but he liked the way she felt, that she trusted him. “There’s more to boxing than beating someone’s face in.”

She looked at him as if she wasn’t so sure.

“I’ll have to show you—” He glanced over his shoulder when he realized they hadn’t seen Lucy for a while and laughed as the dog lay on her back in the sand with her front paws in the air. “What is she doing?”

“Sunbathing.”

He laughed again, shaking his head. “I’ve never seen anything like that.” His eyes met Bella’s as she stared at him. “What?”

“You have a great laugh.”

To his surprise, he was having a great time. It shocked him further that he liked Bella as much as she seemed to like him. Being here with her was exactly what he’d needed. “How long do you want to stay?”

“The sun sets soon. It’s the best part.”

The sand wasn’t bothering him much, and he couldn’t remember the last time his shoulders felt so loose. “I don’t have a blanket.”

“We can sit on our shoes.” She tossed hers down. “We can plunk ourselves right here.”

Lucy rolled to her side, stood, and ran their way.

He shrugged, dropping his flip-flops to the ground. “I guess this is as good a place as any.”

“It’ll be spectacular.” She took his hand, pulling him down next to her. “You won’t regret it.”

“We’ll have to remember a blanket next time.”

She smiled. “You want to come back?”

He stared ahead, petting Lucy when she curled up next to him, breathing in Bella with each inhalation. “I could see myself doing this again.”

She gave his shoulder a bump. “Good. You can be my beach buddy.”

He nodded, liking the idea. “Yeah, sure.”

“Great.”

“Great.” He crossed his ankles in the sand, his foot brushing Bella’s as they settled in to enjoy the show. It had been too damn long since he watched a sunset.

Did you enjoy the excerpt? You can read the first chapter on my website, www.catebeauman.com, or you can finish the whole book with the links below!

Amazon | Kobo | Nook | iBooks

About the author:
International bestselling author Cate Beauman is known for her full-length, action-packed romantic suspense series, The Bodyguards of L.A. County. Her novels have been nominated for the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, National Indie Excellence Award, Golden Quill Award, Writers Touch Award, and have been named Readers Favorite Five Star books. In 2015, JUSTICE FOR ABBY was selected as the Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Gold Medalist, while SAVING SOPHIE took the Silver Medal. SAVING SOPHIE was also selected as the 2015 Readers Crown Award winner for Romantic Suspense and FALLING FOR SARAH received the silver medal for the 2014 Readers’ Favorite Awards.

Cate makes her home in North Carolina with her husband, two boys, and their St. Bernards, Bear and Jack. Currently Cate is working on her twelfth full length romantic suspense novel.

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For a limited time: new subscribers will receive a free copy of Morgan’s Hunter and Falling For Sarah, books one and two in the Bodyguards of L.A. County Series!

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The Operator by Kim Harrison

By HCNewton

On November 3, 2016

In F-J, Fiction, Kim Harrison, Science Fiction, The Peri Reed Chronicles

The Operator

by Kim Harrison
Series: The Peri Reed Chronicles, #2

ARC, 468 pg.
Pocket Book, 2016

Read: October 17 – 20, 2016

I loved Peri Reed’s debut in The Drafter last year — it was one of my 10 favorites of 2015, so to say I was eager to read this is somewhat of an understatement. Sure, I was a little apprehensive, too — could Harrison pull it off again? Thankfully, yes she could. You may be able to jump in to the series with this point, but I really wouldn’t recommend it at all. Go read The Drafter.

The Operator picks up with Peri in a much better place (mentally, at least) than we left her in — she’s living out of the business, she runs a coffee shop that’s marketed towards the elite of Detroit — the moneyed, those wanting the most secure networks while sipping their morning caffeine fix, and those willing to spend an exorbitant amount on coffee.

She’s working really hard to convince herself that this is the life she wants when her past catches up with her. And before she knows it, she’s got the remnants of Opti trying to bring her back in — and the government’s version of a “clean” Opti doing their best to recruit her (and honestly, they’re taking more of a “stick” approach than a “carrot” approach).

Faces from her past — those she trusts, but not enough; those she trusts, but doesn’t want to; and those she’ll never trust — compete (on both sides) with people she doesn’t know and doesn’t trust. And, as always, Peri doesn’t even know if she can trust herself — but she’s very clear on what she wants: out. Out of the life, out of the spy business, out of everything that defines her. To get there, she’s going to have to rely on everything that she’s trying to get away from, but that’s a price she’s willing to pay. It may be Quixotic, but it’s all she’s got (other than her cat).

It is difficult to talk about the plot without giving too much away, so that’s as specific as I can get.

If there was a problem with The Drafter was that it was sometimes as confusing for the reader as it was for Peri to know what was going on (I’m not saying, it was poorly written — but as things were filtered through Peri’s perception, which were pretty in flux . . .). In The Operator, we don’t have that problem — Peri’s sometimes not sure what she’s doing, or that she’s doing it for the reasons she thinks that she is — but she’s very clear about what’s going on. Actually, sometimes, I think she’s the only one who sees the whole board and understands what’s going on. Which makes everything much easier for the reader to follow.

She had a clear objective, clear obstacles to overcome, and the gumption and skills to get the jobs done. The only question is: can she accomplish all she’s set out to accomplish before she’s killed or has her mind wiped?

Characters — again, this is tough. I’d like to say X at first seemed like a good antagonist — if not enemy — but then Y happens and X does Z and reveals that they can be a trusted ally and possible friend. But if I’m going to do that, I might as well reveal half the plot. There are some great new character, I’ll say instead, and every one that Peri ends the book trusting/befriending, I’d like to spend a lot more time with. A couple of decent new enemies/antagonists — I think we get enough of them. The people who survived The Drafter and made it to these pages, we learn more about them and pretty much cement our appraisals of from last time out. As always, Harrison gets almost every character note right, I think I’d have an easier time noting where she fumbles on that front.

If for whatever (very wrong) reason you ignore the story, this book is worth reading just for on a tiny little details that Harrison has filled this with to make a slightly futuristic future in this world. You can recognize it as our world, but it’s future-enough to be a totally new world so you don’t recognize everything. I’m not sure those sentences make sense, but you probably get my gist. I could do a post just on the future tech, culture, economics, etc. I’m not going to do that — just not enough time on my hands — but I could, because the world Harrison has surrounded Peri with is just that developed and detailed. And almost none of the details like that have any bearing on the plot beyond grounding the characters. I love that.

This may not be as well executed as its predecessor, but Harrison spent so much of The Drafter setting up the world while telling the story — where this time, she just gets to play in the world and tell the story. I think I enjoyed this one more, while I didn’t admire it as much. I have a few ideas what Peri and the rest will be up to in The Agent, but I’m more than prepared for Harrison to do something better than those. All I know for sure is that it’s too long before it’s released. The Operator is a slick, sleek, SF adventure novel that’s sure to satisfy on several levels.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from Pocket Books, and I thank them very much.

—–

4 1/2 Stars

Pub Day Repost: Curse on the Land by Faith Hunter

By HCNewton

On November 1, 2016

In Ben Aaronovitch, F-J, Faith Hunter, Fiction, Jane Yellowrock/Soulwood, Rivers of London (Peter Grant), Urban Fantasy

Curse on the Land

by Faith Hunter
Series: Soulwood, #2eARC, 352 pg.
Roc, 2016
Read: October 13 – 15, 2016

Weeks after the events of Blood of the Earth, newly-minted PsyLED agent Nell Ingram comes back from the training center, “Spook School,” ready to dive into her new role. It seems she comes back just in time for a case that’s right up her alley — strange and magical things are up, and seem to be tied to land. Something big, something powerful and something no one’s really seen before — which sounds a lot like Nell. So instead of doing the grunt work, the Probie work, she’s in the front of this investigation.

The presence of Brother Ephriam in the Soulwood she lives is also still around and doing something that also seems to be involving the tree on her former Church’s compound. She needs to address this, she knows, but the threats to the general public and local wildlife take priority. She also seems reticent to deal with this problem and confront the actions that led to his presence in the wood, so she’s glad for the distraction posed by her job.

For all the regulations and devices that PsyLED brings to the investigation of magical goings-on, I appreciate how often those things fail to do anything to solve the problem. They’re helpful in guiding the agents, in informing their actions, decisions and conclusions — but it’s not the be all and end all. Throughout the novel, there’s this interesting intermingling of magic and technology that’s done in a way I’ve not really seen before (although, I think it’s what Ben Aaronovitch’s Peter Grant wants, but he’s a long way from getting it).

Nell’s continued obsession with foods that cannot be found at a Farmer’s Market and her growing familiarity with pop culture (particularly movies) continue to be fun — they ground the character as well as provide much-needed comic relief.

I think Nell could be the best new character I’ve read this year. She’s not your typical kick-ass heroine, nor is she the (possibly more) typical damaged-yet-kick-ass heroine. She’s a strong woman, determined, and stubborn. Her strength doesn’t come from her magic powers, her job, or anything else. She’s always been strong, but the circumstances of her life have slowly revealed to both herself and those around her, just how strong she is (from what I gather, the stubbornness and determination have been evident all her life). Which is not to say she’s all strength — she’s a nurturer (not just of her plants), she’s caring, and she’s nowhere near invulnerable (physically or emotionally). She’s also pretty clever and as her education moves beyond the solely autodidactic, we’ll see that demonstrated more and more.

While this series (at least so far) is ultimately about Nell, the characters she’s surrounded by shouldn’t be ignored. In Blood of the Earth, Nell’s embraced by her PsyLED team as part of a family, an intact and nurturing alternative to her blood-relatives. It almost seemed like an idealized replacement, but the events of this novel make it clear that it’s nowhere near ideal. Several members of the team are effected by the events here in ways that will not be able to be glossed over — both as a result of their work on the case and from arcs that carry over from the Jane Yellowrock series. The latter, I found particularly satisfying, while the former intrigue me and I’m eager to see how they play out.

We can’t forget Nell’s literal dysfunctional family, either. However strange and foreign they may seem to us (odd that these humans seem less familiar than the nonhumans in the books), the efforts on their part to restore and repair their relationships with Nell — while she does the same — are encouraging and heartwarming. Her brother, in particular, is fast becoming a favorite. Their new openness to the culture around them and the . . . lack of overt hostility and aggression to the magic and magical beings in Nell’s life is great to see, while they retain much of their religious/cultic faith. I hope there are a few bumps along the path, just to make it more realistic, however.

I almost forgot to talk about Hunter’s writing — it’s as great as ever. I think her use of magic — particularly large-scale workings — in these two books works better than it does in the Yellowrock books. Her characters, settings, dialogue, and other writerly demonstrations make this world rich and real. She’s among the best and most consistent in the UF field these days and I’m eager to get my hands on whatever she’s got coming out next.

I left Blood of the Earth wondering how Hunter could make this into a series –and I’m still wondering how this works long-term, there are only so many things you can do to the earth/plants/trees in an area, right? Can Nell function hundreds of miles (or more) from Soulwood? Is she much use in a skirmish between rival Vampire clans or the like? Sure, she was able to do some damage to the creatures in the first book, but at what cost? While I don’t see how it’d work for a full novel (this is where Hunter proves me wrong), it’d good to see Nell acting in a more supportive role on the team — getting coffee, filing reports, etc. — while the weres take down some monsters, or something. I do see how these books function as a series when it comes to the characters, however — it’s just how to keep the stories/cases interesting that I don’t see long-term, but I’m looking forward to Hunter educating me.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Roc via NetGalley in exchange for this post — thanks to both for this. And would’ve received it from Let’s Talk! Promotions, too, if I hadn’t already downloaded it. So I guess I should thank them, too.

—–

4 1/2 Stars

Mutation by Nerys Wheatley

By HCNewton

On October 31, 2016

In Fiction

Mutation

by Nerys Wheatley
Series: Twenty-Five Percent, #1

Kindle Edition, 399 pg.
Nerys Wheatley, 2015

Read: October 28, 2016

Last week, one hour after scheduling a post where I complained about Zombie stories, I loaded the next novel on my list onto my Kindle, and, of course, it’s a Zombie novel. How I agreed to read two of them in a month, I’ll never understand. I did say that there are exceptions to my “no Zombie” taste, thankfully, this turned out to be one of them.

So, in this particular version of the Zombie plague — humanity comes up with a cure before the pandemic becomes so widespread that there’s no hope for the human race. It’s not perfect, it works about 25% of the time (see the name of the series), but that’s better than nothing, right? Survivors deal with a few after-effects — enhanced strength, enhanced sense of smell, immunity to the plague, and opaque eye-coloring. Oh, and a prejudice from a significant amount of the non-infected population.

Honestly, part of that prejudice makes sense — a mysterious disease leaves some standing — after eating human flesh — who are stronger than everyone else. I can understand why it’d take a few years to get comfortable with the idea. I’m not saying I’d endorse the treatment Survivors get, but I understand the root of it.

Our protagonist is Alex — he’s a Survivor, and a police detective. Mostly he deals with paperwork and zombies, because the general populace isn’t so crazy about him doing much else. But it’s a start — he’s slowly building some credibility inside the department, too — who knows where that might lead? He lives in a part of town that’s predominantly Survivors and their families, and I enjoyed seeing the camaraderie/community there.

So, a new strain of the Zombie plague hits their town — it’s faster acting and soon the police force is overwhelmed. Before long, Alex is the only one standing (although some have just run off to be with their families), and it’s just an anti-Survivor activist and him left in the police station. Micah and Alex aren’t off to the best start — they’d been in a fist fight the night before, during a protest/riot near Alex’s home, and Alex had arrested him. Still, Alex felt compelled to rescue him from the new Zombies and the two make their way to safer parts of town, to their homes and friends — battling Zombies and saving each other’s lives.

At some point, the two become determined to see fi they can find out what caused this new versions of the plague to hit their city and to see if they can stop it.

The duo display this great mis-matched buddy-cop feel, if not for the near-apocalyptic nature of what’s going on in their city, they’d be a lot of fun to hang out with. Neither are all that interesting on their own (they might be, in the right circumstance), but together, they’re a whole lot of fun. They have to learn to trust on each other and depend on each other, just to have a fighting chance – they also have to protect each other from their friends/comrades. Neither Alex’s fellow Survivors, or Micah’s fellow anti-Survivors are all that crazy about the presence of the Other in their midst.

I really enjoyed watching that dynamic, in all its facets, work together. I wasn’t terribly interested in the story — there are only so many things that can be done in that genre, story-wise, it’s all about the characters — that’s the only way you can get someone like me to care about this. Wheatley pulls it off well.

Plenty of action, not that much gore (but what’s there is pretty well-written), some humor, some nice character interactions, and an interesting twist at the end. All in all, a pretty fun and satisfying read. I didn’t love it, but I liked it plenty. Given my own prejudices, that’s pretty good.

Disclaimer: I received this novel from the author in exchange for this post and my honest opinion — my thanks to her.

—–

3 Stars

United States of Books – Spartina by John Casey

By HCNewton

On October 31, 2016

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, United States of Books

Spartina

by John Casey

Author: Laura at 125Pages

This week takes us to Rhode Island with Spartina by John Casey.

Entertainment Weekly says – Dick Pierce works in Narragansett Bay, but his true passion is is the unfinished boat in his backyard. The tale may be standard, but Casey’s lyrical descriptions of the Rhode Island sea are anything but.

“If Rhode Island were a country, it would be part of the Third World. The largest employer is the military. Tourism is the major moneymaker, although most Rhode Islanders benefit from it only in service positions. The bulk of choice real estate is in the form of second homes or resorts run by absentee corporations. “There is a seafaring tradition, and there is—still—a fishing fleet. By comparison to the high-tech factory ships of Russia, East or West Germany, Japan, or the tuna clippers of our own West Coast, the boats and methods are quaint. But it is still possible—barely possible—to wrest a living from the sea.”

Spartina is one of those books that should be a total winner. Poetic writing, vivid descriptions, a real world to sink into.

A blue heron wading in the marsh on her stilts, apparently out for a stroll—suddenly freezing. An imperceptible tilt of her head—her long neck cocking without moving. No, nothing this time. Wade, pose. Abruptly, a new picture—a fish bisected by her bisected beak. Widening ripples, but the heron, the pool, the marsh, the sky serene. The clouds slid across the light, the fish into the dark.

Unfortunately, the main character Dick Pierce was just an ass. He was at first a crusty older man and I was fine with that. He had very much of a him versus the world attitude and believed that anyone from money was to be looked down at. He ran some cons and did a few shady deals, but he did it to support his wife and children. Nothing wrong with that, he was doing his best to survive. Then the story took an turn and I lost all respect for good ol’ Dick. He began to match his name and started a torrid affair with a woman in the neighborhood. First, I hate when adultery is used as a plot point. I have no patience with it and hate reading about it. Second, he had absolutely no remorse about his actions. He did not care if he was going to hurt the woman he promised to cherish or his children. Other stuff happened that was interesting, but I could not move past my hatred of Dick to enjoy the story. In the end he sadly did not get the comeuppance he should have and Dick continued to be just that as he sailed off into the sunset.

3 Stars
See all of the United States of Books here.

The Farthest City by Daniel P. Swenson

By HCNewton

On October 28, 2016

In Fiction

The Farthest City

by Daniel P. Swenson

Kindle Edition, 432 pg.
Daniel P Swenson, 2015

Read: October 21 – 22, 2016

So this takes place in some distant future Earth — the history (how accurate or not) as humanity understands it is parceled out to us in tiny bits, I could fill you in, but Swenson had some sort of plan in the way he throws crumbs. Some sort of Insectoid alien race is waging war with humans while taking over the planet. The war has been going for years and humans are slowly losing. This book traces two last-ditch efforts to get help from a Robotic race with ties to humanity in the days following World War 3 (or one of the wars after that).

Kellen is an artist (because even when the world is ending, we want graphic designers?), which turns out to be part of a Mythological Quartet to bring the robots (“Chines”) to Earth’s aid. With a Digger, Singer and Lighter, they can bring the Chines back to help. Exactly how, I don’t know — I’m not sure they do either, but they seem to have a better idea. They do meet with some sort of success — but it’s not at all how they expected, and at great cost.

Sergeant Sheemi Tanamal, is grieving her brother (killed in battle) and gets volunteered for an interstellar gamble by her father, a general. The military has a few ships capable (they hope) of interstellar flight, and they’ve got a kooky idea or two about how to find the Chines and ask for help. To say that Sheemi is unfit for this kind of mission is an understatement, but somehow she not only survives (when many others don’t), she somehow flourishes.

The main problems with this book are in execution: the way Swenson reveals information is so scattered, so like Scrooge giving to the poor, he withholds when he should explain. Mostly, I think he opts for complicated when he should aim for complex — it may seem like a fine distinction, but it’s a vital one. Yes, his dialogue is wanting, his characters are flat and unrelatable (but don’t have to be) — but it’s the writing that fails here, not his imagination.

Swenson tried, clearly tried to do something here — and he almost succeeded. But the way he failed just tarnished the good he did. This ends up being a dissatisfying mess.
Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for this post — probably not his favorite move this year.

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2 Stars

Scattered Screams by C. A. Huggins

By HCNewton

On October 28, 2016

In Fiction

Scattered Screams

by C.A. Huggins
Series: The Disruption: Book One

Kindle Edition, 141 pg.
Captain of My Ship Publishing, 2016

Read: October 26, 2016

Zombies. Why’d it have to be zombies?

I just don’t do zombies — with very few exceptions. This came close to being one of them, but just couldn’t overcome the genre.

Marcus, Ali (his son), and Vic (Ali’s friend) are in California visiting colleges when there’s a Zombie outbreak. Now, they’ve got to cross the country with only their wits, strength, and unlikely allies to return home and rejoin their family. Many of the characters they encounter on their journey are pretty interesting, and you can see why the trio would trust and work with them. By the end, some of the characters are almost well-rounded — given another 30+ pages, they might have reached it. But on the whole, they’re flat, but with potential.

The monsters are (basically) the easiest kills I’ve seen — teenagers are taking them out with a swing of a makeshift weapon? I do like that there’s variety in the monster — it’s not one Zombie race, but at least three strange variations of monster.

It was on the last 2 pages (screens, I guess) that something happened that really interested me. Not enough to get me to grab book two, but there’s some real promise there.

Honestly, if you like Horror/Zombie books with a touch of Urban Fantasy, this might be your thing. I can’t recommend this, but I can see why many could really get into it.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for this post — sorry.

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2 Stars

Coming Attractions: The Operator by Kim Harrison

By HCNewton

On October 28, 2016

In Fiction, Kim Harrison, Science Fiction, The Peri Reed Chronicles

The Operator

by Kim Harrison
Series: The Peri Reed Chronicles, #2

All this week, I’ve been planning on posting my thoughts about Kim Harrison’s The Operator, the sequel to The Drafter, right now. But as I sat down to write it, I realized I was just too tired. Sure, I could get something finished, but it wouldn’t be good enough. This is a book that deserves something good.

I loved The Drafter — I’ve been saying for a year now that it’s the best thing she’s written. In many ways, I enjoyed this book more — but I’m not sure it’s as well-executed (still thinking about it). Anyway, I wanted to say a little something about it — The Operator comes out just before Thanksgiving, order it now so you have something to do while your family watches football.

Good Behavior by Blake Crouch

By HCNewton

On October 27, 2016

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Good Behavior: Letty Dobesh Chronicles

by Blake Crouch
Series: Letty Dobesh Chronicles, #1-3

eARC, 288 pg.
Thomas & Mercer, 2016

Read: October 25, 2016

She’d been out of prison now almost ten months, had been clean for half a year, but she hardly felt free.

She was thirty-six years old and she had just worked herself into a sweat cleaning a toilet in a diner.

Bad as prison had been, the walls that had kept her in her cell and in the yard had never screamed hopelessness as loud as the barred window in this tiny bathroom.

Letty Dobesh is an ex-con (repeatedly), a (sometimes) recovering addict, a thief, and (biologically) a mom — she wants to reunite with her son, she wants to be a mother — but she doesn’t know how. She does know how to make a mess of her life, ruin her health, get high and steal anything she wants to.

The three novellas collected here give us glimpses in to some of her professional highs — and we see bits of her lows, too.

Her life seemed to be defined by moments like these.

Moments of pure self-hatred.

And this was just one more in a long, long line.

These are fast reads — you get sucked in to Letty’s world, her way of looking at things and you root for her to get away whatever she’s trying to get away with. There’s a story about her trying to save a life, another with her first attempt at becoming an art thief, and then a story about her getting in over her head by working with some criminals who are far more willing to use brawn and guns than Letty’s ever been. Each of these feel different — Letty’s the same, but the settings and the way that Crouch tells the stories vary enough to keep things very fresh.

The other characters that fill these pages (or those that flit across a line or two) are interesting enough to fulfill whatever narrative duty they have to, but these are all about Letty. If you like reading about her, you’ll like this book. If you aren’t interested by her at all after 10 pages or so, you’d better skip the rest.

It wasn’t the first or the second or even the third time she’d had a firearm pointed at her. But she never got used to that gaping black hole. Couldn’t take her eyes off of it. If [spoiler] chose to pull the trigger in this moment, it was the last thing she’d ever see.

This book is being released to coincide with the debut of TNT Network’s series based on these novellas, starring Michelle Dockery, in her attempt to avoid being typecast. I tried not to, but I kept seeing Dockery saying some of these lines. It was easier to avoid thinking of her in the first novella; but in the second it was almost impossible not to — especially when not-Lady-Mary is talking with Johnny. I must say, my mental-Dockery did a great job — those lines are perfect for her (it’s a shame, really, the second novella is the only one not being mined for season 1 of the show). There are supplemental materials included with these novellas discussing the novellas and how elements of them will be used in the show. Those were interesting enough, but I really couldn’t care that much.

I don’t care how the TV show does (easier to say before I watch a second of it), but I’ll gladly read more novellas/novels about Letty. Actually, maybe novella length is best for her kind of story, something about the compressed timeline works well for the high-stakes energy that these are filled with.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley in exchange for this post — thanks to both for this.
N.B.: As this was an ARC, any quotations above may be changed in the published work — I will endeavor to verify them as soon as possible.

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3.5 Stars