Second Daughter by Susan Kaye Quinn

Second Daughter by Susan Kaye Quinn(Cover picture courtesy of Susan Kaye Quinn’s site.)

The sequel to the steampunk fantasy romance Third Daughter (The Dharian Affairs #1) is here!

Assassins, skyships, and royal intrigue…

With plans for a second skyship exposed, Third Daughter Aniri fears her sister, Seledri, will be caught in a war between the three Queendoms. Seledri is the Second Daughter of Dharia, which means she had no choice in her arranged marriage to the First Son of Samir—a country with whom they may soon be at war. As Aniri fights to free her sister from a husband and a country she does not love, she questions her own rushed betrothal to Prince Malik, the noble barbarian who controls the skyship—and whether a love pledged in the heat of adventure can survive the looming threat of war.

Second Daughter is the second book in The Dharian Affairs trilogy (Third Daughter, Second Daughter, First Daughter). This steampunk-goes-to-Bollywood (Bollypunk!) romance takes place in an east-Indian-flavored alternate world filled with skyships, assassins, royal romance and intrigue.

[Full disclosure: After seeing my 5 star review of Third Daughter, Susan Kaye Quinn provided me with a free ebook of her second book in exchange for an honest review.]

As you guys know, I really don’t read much steampunk.  It’s never really appealed to me as a genre but I’ve picked up the odd one here and there.  I almost didn’t request Third Daughter on NetGalley several months ago, but I’m so glad I did.  I was even happier when Susan Kaye Quinn contacted me about reviewing the sequel.  I mean, after that doozy of a cliffhanger, how could I resist?

I definitely wasn’t disappointed with this second installment in the Dharian Affairs.  It has just the right amount of romance, intrigue and action to make it an enjoyable sequel.  What I really liked about Second Daughter was that not everything is as it seems: the people you think are villains are a little more ambiguous later on.  I don’t want to reveal too many spoilers, but I will tell you that all of the plot twists and turns will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I like how Aniri has matured a little bit after her adventures in Jungali.  She’s clearly in love with Ash but at the same time she’s getting cold feet about the impending wedding since she’s only known the guy for a couple of weeks.  These doubts make the whole thing a little more realistic and allow Aniri to decide what she really wants out of life.  Add to that the fact her sister is pregnant in a country that is on the verge of a civil war between the two princes and you’ve got the perfect recipe for some adventure.  She meets her old lover Devesh and things quickly turn complicated but I promise you that this is not your typical love triangle.  It’s pretty far from that, trust me.

As I mentioned earlier, the plot was insane.  It wasn’t action movie fast but it was so interesting I couldn’t put my ereader down.  After learning about the second skyship at the end of the first book, I knew things were going to be exciting.  What I didn’t know was just how exciting this book would be!  There’s so much intrigue George R. R. Martin would be proud.  When I say things aren’t always what they seem in this book, I really do mean it.

If you haven’t yet checked out Third Daughter, you really should.  Even if you’re not a huge steampunk fan, it’s worth giving it a try because the Dharian Affairs trilogy is just amazing.  And if you’ve read the first book, getting Second Daughter is a no-brainer.  It’s just that good.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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The Best and Worst of June 2014

I can’t believe it’s July 6th already, but then again when you have tech problems time seems to fly.  So yes, it’s a little late for my Best and Worst of article but I guess it’s better late than never.  Other than my ridiculous tech problems June was actually pretty good.  Work is picking up as the tourists flow into town and the weather is finally, finally starting to smarten up.  Luckily I’m not in the part of Saskatchewan that’s flooded or has experienced tornadoes.

Anyway, here are the best five articles of June 2014:

1.  Why Girls Hate Game of Thrones—A Rebuttal

2.  How to Read 100 Pages in an Hour

3.  The Hunger Games and Ancient Rome

4.  Your Open Book Promotion Thread

5.  I’ve Been Invaded by Gremlins!

For the fourth month in a row, I have broken my monthly stats record!  Instead of the 13,316 views of May, in June I received 14,198 views.  As with the previous months, I have the TV show Game of Thrones to thank for that as my rebuttal article received 8,581 views or about 60% of my total traffic for that month.  I have the hugely popular season 4 finale to thank for that, I think.

So what were the worst articles in this record-breaking month?

1.  Graphic Novel Review: Batgirl Volume II: Knightfall Descends by Gail Simone

2.  Discussion: Romance in YA Novels

3.  Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

4.  I am More Than Just a Chronic Pain Statistic

5.  The Best and Worst of April 2014

Meh, none of these are surprising or worrying.  The only real trend I’ve noticed among the five worst articles is that Scott Westerfeld’s books seem to pop up a lot.  It’s not because he’s not a popular author but maybe because I actually liked the books.  I seem to get a lot more traffic from reviews where I didn’t like the book.

So how was your June?

Murphy’s Law: Tech Edition

So in the past few weeks, almost everything that could possibly go wrong with the technology in my house has.  My modem crapped out, both my regular computer and my old backup wouldn’t turn on, my router had issues and to top it all off, my old computer screen died.  It’s not like I bought the cheapest pieces of crap on the market either, which makes this whole thing so baffling.

I finally think I’m done with tech problems for a little while.  I have a new modem, a new screen, a new router and both of my computers have been fixed.  Now hopefully the gremlins move on to some other poor victim and leave me the heck alone!

Book Blast: Grower’s Gift by Vanna Smythe

 
The Spring of 2102 only brought false hope…
 
Series: Progeny of Time #1

Publication Date: May 15, 2014

Genre: YA Dystopian
The future is bleak in the year 2102. The planet is in chaos and the weather patterns have completely shifted, turning most of the world into an uninhabited wasteland.
The rich and powerful of North America have pulled back into the six remaining megacities, erasing all trace of a central government and leaving millions displaced by the environmental crisis to fend for themselves in the dying world. Sixteen-year-old Maya has a gift, a power she thinks can heal the earth and make it habitable again. A gift that she must learn to harness. The school for the gifted in Neo York is the only place where she can learn to control her power and reach her potential.
Yet the school is not what it seems. Ran by the ruthless head of the city of Neo York, the school’s only objective is to extract the powers of the gifted and then discard them. Only Ty, heir to the city, can keep Maya from being destroyed there.
But Ty has a secret and his loyalty to his family has never wavered. Will his growing love for Maya be strong enough to save them both?Purchase today on Amazon!


Vanna Smythe is the author of the Anniversary of the Veil fantasy trilogy and The Grower’s Gift, the first book in a new YA dystopian series. She has been writing creatively since her early teens, though one could say her creative writing efforts started long before that. While still in kindergarten, she once tore up a library book to make alphabet soup, and has been fascinated with what words can do, the pictures and worlds they can create, ever since.
The Progeny of Time YA Dystopian series was inspired by the bleak future presented in The Hunger Games, the fight between good and evil played out in Harry Potter, and the TV show Heroes, but with a totally unique story and twist. The story is equally fun for teens as well as adults. The second book in the series will be released in Summer 2014.
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Book Blast: Love, Honor, & Hope by Various Authors

8 Authors. 8 Labors of Love. One Fantastic Cause.
Publication Date: June 24, 2014 
Genre: Romance Anthology

Find out more at:
E-BookBuilders

The Authors and their Stories

Jennifer Theriot, Out of the Box Awakening
Swept from her perfect paper-doll life in Houston, Olivia finds herself in Chicago, alone, betrayed, and far from home. Ash is the man who has everything—everything except healing from the losses of a lifetime. What happens when the married woman and the sexy handsome widower are thrown together by fate?
Aubree Lane, Early One Morning

Stuck in San Diego, dealing with unreasonable clients and babysitting Marissa’s kids, a jealous Annie Harper catches the red-eye out of LAX wanting to intercept Terence and foil her best friend’s plans. This envious act uncovers a scandalous affair, and in that one pivotal moment, none of their lives would ever be the same.
 
Jennifer Yarbrough, Lost and Found 
A tragic accident changes Olivia Porter’s life in ways no woman should experience. With the help of a friend she tries to pick up the pieces and suddenly Cash Kingston appears giving her one more chance at happiness…will she take the chance or keep hiding from pain?
Diane Rinella, Scary Modsters 
While under the influence of insomnia-impaired judgment, Rosalyn summons Rock ‘n Roll deity Peter Lane back from the dead. Not only does he spin her hormones into a frenzy, Peter is also the precarious puzzle piece that brings sense into her world. When Niles learns that he can overcome his life-long challenge by helping Peter avenge his death, how far will he go to secure Rosalyn’s heart?
Kelly Cozzone,  Tropical Dreams 
Tropical Dreams is a tale of love, murder and conspiracy. Can Tiana Alexander overcome her past to learn to love again? Can David Murphy let go of the demons who haunt him. Can they face the future together or will life finally take its toll and their lives?
 
 
Linda Lee Williams, Sisters of the Night
Can there be a happily ever after for Emaline Hoffbrau, Juliana Slater and Gretchen Eberhardt, three modern-day vampire women?
 
Cherime MacFarlane, Heart of the Hunter
Leda is a teacher just out of school, who has not had time for love. Jay takes her by surprise, a soft spoken slightly broken man who lives with only his dog, for company. Leda sees something in Jay she needs to pursue. She should stay away from Jay. But can she? Who is the hunter and who is the hunted?
Sammie J, Piece of Heaven

Aaron Calnan has seen enough of the horrors of war. Now, Aaron finds himself immersed in a world where humans work within the realms of the paranormal, where Werewolves and Vampires become friends and Fae like to kick your ass. One encounter changes everything and Aaron finds his life turned upside down. Will he finally find his own piece of heaven?

 
Find this amazing anthology on Amazon and Barnes&Noble!

*All proceeds will benefit The United States War Veteran’s PTSD Foundation*

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