Tagged: masq1
A Stolen Season by Tamara Gill
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
One small mistake in the past will change everything about her future…
Archaeologist Sarah Baxter just broke one of the biggest rules of time travel: leaving a piece of 21st century equipment in 19th century Regency England. Unfortunately, when she goes back to retrieve it, she makes an even bigger mess of things—resulting in the death of an English Earl. Now his brother is not only out for revenge, but he also has Sarah’s device. Which means an entirely different approach is needed. It doesn’t occur to the new Earl of Earnston that his charming acquaintance is responsible for his brother’s death. He is merely swept away by a passion that threatens his very reputation. Yet he gets the distinct impression that Miss Baxter is hiding something from him. Now Sarah must find a way to steal back her device, hide the truth about the earl’s brother and—most importantly— not fall in love…
[Full disclosure: I requested and received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
A Stolen Season is one of those books that you can probably guess the ending right off the bat. It’s really just the journey to get to that ending that makes or breaks your enjoyment of the book. At least that was the case with me.
First off, let me say that Tamara Gill really is an amazing author. Her writing style is concise and yet flows in a manner consistent with the time period the majority of the novel is set in. She’s able to create not only Sarah’s unique modern voice but Eric, our Earl of Earnston’s 19th century voice and sensibilities. The two main points of view in this novel (with a couple of others thrown in on occasion) really contrast the modern era with the 19th century and Tamara Gill never switches viewpoints for no good reason. Every switch is designed to carry the plot forward and it does this rather effectively. Even though like I said, you probably know the ending of the novel before you’ve even begun, the journey to get there really is nerve-wracking. You won’t be able to put down A Stolen Season because Tamara Gill not only has beautiful writing but a real flair for pacing as well.
The characters really do resonate with me. Sarah is trying to deal with a major screw-up that led not only to the death of a man in that time but also to the loss of a key piece of time traveling equipment. She has disappointed her father, the CEO of TimeArch and is tasked to go back in time to a year after the death of the first Earl of Earnston to get the piece back. There’s only one thing standing in her way: Eric, the new Earl of Earnston and brother to the man Sarah accidentally got killed. When he meets her he’s put off by her rudeness at coming to a ball that she wasn’t invited to but is convinced to invite her to a different ball and get to know her. Even though he pretends to protest because of her rudeness, he’s intrigued by the beautiful stranger who doesn’t seem to conform very well to English society’s rules. Soon they begin an attraction that could be the undoing of them both.
I really know very little about Regency England but Tamara Gill seems to have done her research quite well. She actually has characters react when Sarah accidentally uses modern phrases and addresses things like the moral standards of the day, i.e. if a man and a woman are alone together without a chaperone they had better get married. I particularly loved the descriptions of the fashions of the day for both men and women, high and low class. Gill has such a way of describing things that every single description is captivating and lends an aura of authenticity to the story. She really transports you back to the time both through the eyes of an outsider like Sarah and the eyes of Eric, a man who grew up extremely privileged in that era. It really is a magical sort of experience.
Really, what more can you ask for if you’re looking for a time travel romance? You’ve got beautiful writing that brings you back in time to Regency England, a cast of wonderful and three dimensional characters and a plot that even though you probably know the ending will keep you on your seat. It doesn’t get better than this.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Blood Oath by Felicity Pulman
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Love, revenge, secrets – and murder – in a medieval kingdom at war.
A young woman, left alone and destitute after the mysterious death of her mother, plants a sprig of rosemary on her grave and vows, somehow, to bring the murderer to justice. But who can Janna trust with the truth? Even the villein Godric, who wants to marry her, and Hugh, the dashing nobleman, have secrets that threaten her heart and her safety.
In a country torn apart by the vicious civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda, Janna needs all her wits and courage to stay alive as she comes closer to those who are determined to silence her forever.
[Full disclosure: I requested and received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
I’d previously read I, Morgana by Felicity Pulman so although I normally wouldn’t pick up what amounts to a medieval murder mystery, I decided to request Blood Oath on NetGalley anyway. She did such a good job with the Arthurian legends I stepped out of my comfort zone to give this one a try. In the end, I’m glad I did.
Janna is a young woman living with her healer mother, a bit of an outcast in the community because of her rather progressive views on religion but someone who was generally respected enough to come to when people were in trouble. But when a lady calls Janna’s mother to help her with her birth and then again when the infant won’t suckle, Janna’s life turns upside down when she is called to the manor to discover her mother dead. It doesn’t take long for her to realize that her mother was of course poisoned, but who did it? How can one teenager girl, completely alone in the world and an outcast in her own community, solve a mysterious murder that no one thinks was a murder?
Clearly, we have an interesting plot in the beginning but it does get even more interesting. As Janna roots out suspects and tries to establish a timeline of events leading up to her mother’s death, religious tensions within the community flare and Janna’s position becomes even more precarious than before, particularly since she’s a woman living on her own. I can’t really go into much more detail about the plot because it would give away some of the pretty cool plot twists, but needless to say Janna does find her mother’s killer and it’s not who you would expect or for the reasons you would think.
The murder mystery itself is pretty fascinating, but it was the characters that really caught my attention. Janna herself is pretty progressive for a woman at the time because of her mother’s independence but she still is a woman of her time. She knows that speaking out too much on certain topics can endanger her very life so she has to tread a fine line between standing up for what she believes in and not rocking the boat too much. But when she discovers who really murdered her mother, she decides to act rather than carry on without carrying out a little bit of justice/revenge. Janna is obsessed with finding her mother’s murderer, particularly because they argued so much in the few days leading up to her death. So there’s an element of guilt driving her but also a sense of duty and justice. She wants things to be right and balanced but knows that it’s not always possible in medieval England, particularly with the vicious civil war being waged close to her community.
In Blood Oath, Felicity Pulman has clearly done her research about the time. I’m no expert on medieval England but she lends a very authentic feeling to the novel by using the old spellings and old names for where the action takes place in the novel. Instead of using Oxford, she uses Oxeneford, just little stuff like that. I was also fascinated by the detail she went into for describing medieval remedies for various ailments. Clearly, she has done her research and she says in her Author’s Note that all of the background events in the novel are very true: there really was a civil war between King Stephen and Empress Matilda (sometimes known as Maude) being waged in England at the time and it really did split loyalties as is described in the novel. It will be interesting to see just how much of an impact the civil war has on Janna since she decides to leave her village at the end of the novel.
To sum things up: Blood Oath isn’t the most fascinating book I’ve ever read because the plot is a little slow in the beginning but it is a good book. The characters are good but I didn’t think they were anything special and Felicity Pulman’s research was excellent. So if the blurb has interested you, I would recommend giving Blood Oath a try.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Spoils of Olympus: By the Sword by Christian Kachel
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
322 B.C. The Macedonian Empire is on the verge of civil war following the sudden death of Alexander the Great.
As a boy, Andrikos watched as Alexander’s army marched through his homeland of Greek Ionia after defeating the Persians at the Granicus River on their way to the total conquest of the Persian Empire. Soon he will be embroiled in their world, forced to flee his old life due to an unintentional crime.
Thrust into the army, Andrikos struggles to cope with the brutal yet necessary training which his superiors put him through to prepare for the coming wars of succession as Alexander’s surviving generals seek to divide and conquer the spoils of Olympus.
But Andrikos is not destined to be a nameless soldier; by chance he is chosen for a clandestine mission – and is immersed in a world of intrigue, violence and brotherhood.
The path that lies ahead of Andrikos requires him to shed his immaturity and take on the responsibilities and emotions of a man beyond his years as he struggles to save Alexander’s legacy from those who wish to usurp it.
The Spoils of Olympus: By the Sword is a historical epic which follows the advancements of one soldier from boy to man set during a time of global conflict.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook in conjunction with the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.]
Much has been written about Alexander the Great but the aftermath of his death isn’t nearly so popular a topic simply because it was a really complex politic situation. Kings were rising and falling with alarming rate and the diadochi were tearing each other to pieces over the least little thing. Enter into this world Andrikos, who lives in Illandra with the other Ionian Greeks Alexander liberated. He’s had a rough time what with his father dying and his uncle seeming to constantly disapprove of him and he falls in with the wrong sort of crowd pretty quickly. It’s that wrong crowd that really causes him to leave and become a soldier.
Andrikos and the other characters were pretty good. I particularly enjoyed Vettias, the old spymaster of first Philip, then Alexander and now Eumenes who is under command of Perdiccas. He’s a clever man and if there’s one thing he knows, it’s people. Seeing him try to train Andrikos to become the same sort of suave, sophisticated man-of-the-world that he is was funny but touching at times because you really start to see Andrikos grow up. Throughout the novel Andrikos goes through so much and the brutal training he receives to become a proper soldier in the beginning really is just the beginning. But because of all the things that he goes through, he finally starts to become a man. There’s very little left in the mischief-making boy that we met in the beginning of the novel, particularly by the end. So he at least has a believable character arc and it is very satisfying.
Christian Kachel clearly knows his stuff about the Wars of Alexandrian Succession. It’s a complicated period filled with secret alliances, backstabbing and war and he conveys the feeling of the time quite well. This atmosphere of both hope and despair plays out with the characters, particularly with Andrikos. He leaves Illandra hopeful to join the military, is despairing when he goes through the brutal training and then again becomes hopeful as Eumenes moves against some of the other diadochi for his first battle. Of course there are more examples of that but I really don’t want to spoil a large part of the plot, particularly some of the interesting twists near the end. As for his historical accuracy, I’m no expert on the period but after a little bit more research to remind me of names and such it actually is quite accurate. He doesn’t feel the need to add in battles and people that really didn’t exist other than the main character because the history itself is exciting enough.
My only problem with Spoils of Olympus: By the Sword is that the dialogue lacks both realism and subtlety. I get that this is historical fiction and of course the language is different from ours in different time periods, but I just found the dialogue unbelievable. Everyone from soldiers to spies gives great big long speeches about the problem at hand when just a few words would really suffice. Sometimes the speeches make sense, like when Leandros is recounting his campaigns with Alexander. Sometimes they don’t, like when the different commanders are giving their soldiers encouragement during the battle. In a battle as bloody and vicious as a phalanx battle, you’re not going to stop and give your subordinates almost a full paragraph of encouragement.
And that really leads into the other problem: the total lack of subtlety. Christian Kachel knows his stuff but really assumes that readers don’t, which would be fine if he introduced the history in subtler ways. But he doesn’t. No, characters saying things like this: “The Hypaspists are now known as the Silver Shields since the India Campaign under the commands of Generals Nicanor and Seleucus.” That’s just not realistic because by the time Alexander was dead and Andrikos’ brother Leandros comes back to Illandra, everyone would have known that. The readers wouldn’t have but the characters most certainly would and it could have been introduced in a much more subtle way through dialogue, i.e. “How many Silver Shields got back from India?” “I don’t know, but Seleucus and Nicanor sure tried their best to get all of them back after that huge win.” That’s not the best example but it is better than characters constantly stating the obvious.
So while By the Sword is a good book and I believe that Christian Kachel is a good writer, I did have a hard time coping with the dialogue. At the same time, I loved both the characters and the moderate pacing of the story that just kept increasing. If my review has at all intrigued you, I would definitely encourage you to pick this book up and give it a try.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.
The Prophecy of Arcadia by M. H. Soars
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Would you sacrifice friendship and love in order to save your planet?
Being a teenager is tough, especially when you have to pretend to be something you’re not, and you’re in love with someone you shouldn’t. 115 years ago, a small planet called Arcadia was invaded by a vicious alien race and nearly destroyed. Cut off from their resources, the Arcadians turned to Earth for help. A group of Arcadian explorers discovered a Prophecy that claimed their salvation lay in the hands of two children from Earth. To ensure their safety, the Arcadian Council sent their most gifted youngsters to Earth to act as protectors. Samantha is one of them.
To succeed in her mission she must learn to control her Arcadian powers and keep her true identity from her best friend, and the girl she swore to protect, Alexia. But Samantha will soon realize that nothing is as it seems. Someone is trying to prevent the Prophecy from taking place and the prophecy boy hasn’t been found yet. There is also a new drug circulating at school that is turning students into freakishly strong menaces.
To make matters worse, distractions keep getting in her way. Such as her love/hate relationship with her “cousin” Matthew. Or her confused feelings toward popular and mysterious Julian. She wants nothing more than to be free to live her life. But the survival of Arcadia depends on her and her friends. Free will is not an option.
[Full disclosure: I was contacted by the author and received a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.]
The only real problem that I found throughout the whole of this book is that the points of view change just a little too much. Of course Alexia is the main character but a few of the other characters get page time as well. Sometimes it can get just a bit confusing, particularly in the beginning and you’re struggling to name them, let alone identify their voices. It gets better as the story goes on but it did take me quite a bit of time to keep everyone’s names, voices and backstories straight. If you don’t have the patience for that then The Prophecy of Arcadia is definitely not for you.
But if you have the patience to let a good story unfold, you’ll be amply rewarded. Although we readers are kept in the dark about Arcadia and the mysterious prophecy for a bit because Alexia is kept in the dark, we get to see hints of it and the prophecy throughout the story. They’re tantalizing and combined with the massive cliffhanger ending they certainly want to make you read more to find out more about M. H. Soar’s world. From what I can tell in this first book, her world-building is fantastic and when she goes into even more depth in the second book I think it will reveal just how much time and effort she put into creating Arcadia. We get hints of this depth in the first book but it’s just enough to whet your appetite and make you want to read the second one even more.
Once you do get a handle on the characters and the unique world M. H. Soars has created for them, you realize that they’re actually very distinct and three dimensional. Alexia is pretty much your typical high school girl who comes from an upper class background and has been neglected by her widower father. She finds refuge in the summers when she gets to visit her cousins (who are actually her alien bodyguards but she doesn’t know that) but this time she’s here for her last year in high school. And when she gets there all of her cousins are suddenly acting weird. One cousin is off at cheer camp which is completely contrary to her personality, Matthew and Samantha are acting really weirdly toward each other and it seems like bad things keep happening whenever she’s around. Although her cousins seem to know what’s going on, they cannot divulge the truth to poor Alexia, no matter the personal cost to themselves.
The characters are all three dimensional and that’s in part why they drive the action of the entire plot. This is a character-driven book so there’s more drama and a little less action than you might expect but it really does work. I was never really bored by the plot and although I could predict some of the major twists, there were some that completely blindsided me. The ending in particular was surprising and pretty terrifying for poor Alexia and her cousins/bodyguards. I can’t really talk much about the plot without spoiling some of the twists but suffice it to say that while you’ll see some coming, some will completely broadside you. They make sense when you look back at the plot but they’ll certainly surprise you at the time.
If you’re looking for some YA that’s a little different from what’s generally out there, I’d recommend The Prophecy of Arcadia. Although it deals with the whole prophecy vs. free will it does it in a very unique way, particularly when the actions of one character seem to throw a wrench into the whole works. And also: aliens! That’s not something as common and overdone as vampires, werewolves and fairies. If you can orient yourself in the beginning and pick out the voices of the different characters and how they feel about each other, you’re in for a good read.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
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Nightmares of the Queen by Jacqueline Patricks
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Deceived…Betrayed…Trapped…
Dr. Cass Baros discovered the truth of her dreams when she opened the wormhole. Though it cost her more than she imagined, it also gave her the love she’d been searching for with the Brajj, Jeamon. Meanwhile, as Jeamon continues to fight for his people’s survival, he remains unaware of who she has become.
Their love will be tested by betrayal and deceit.
The mysteries of the Brajj revealed, Captain Lewis and his remaining soldiers returned home with heavy hearts only to find more treachery.
Lewis’ strength will be tested.
And Ta‘mat–who wields the greatest power in the multiverse–needs their help.
Cass, Jeamon, Lewis, and Ta’mat are all trapped by circumstances beyond their control, created by their choices. Each want more than they have. Each have their part to play in the game of…
Ultimate Power or True Love?
[Full disclosure: I requested and received a free ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review.]
Many books deal with revolutions, the overthrow of evil regimes and such but very few deal with what happens after. Nightmares of the Queen most certainly does and it shows in excruciating detail that sometimes people are not ready for change, no matter how bad the previous regime was. And the thing is, when you fight for freedom that includes the freedom to refuse to follow the ideals of the revolution and forge a new path for yourself. Jacqueline Patricks really doesn’t shy away from tackling heavy topics as we saw in the first book, Dreams of the Queen but I was still astounded with how she decided to tackle the aftermath of Cass ending the soul-draining practice of the Brajj. It makes sense, of course, but she really does it in a way that’s unflinching, that shows both the ups and downs of a post-revolutionary society.
As you can probably guess, that means Jacqueline Patricks had some pretty incredible world-building going on here. Of course the world of the Brajj just blew me away in the first book but here in the second book we get an even better look at it and the events surrounding its creation and survival. And now that Ta’mat has taken over Cass’ body, unbeknownst to poor Jeamon, the man Cass actually loves, we get to see things from the eyes of a founder of the Brajj world and way of life. Through flashbacks and conversations we slowly learn about the process and how Ta’mat created a world that was supposed to save humanity but ended up destroying it over and over again. I can’t really go into much detail about the world-building because it would spoil some of the major plot twists but needless to say, Patricks has created a fascinating world that is believable and realistic.
The characters in Jacqueline Patricks’ books are not always the most sympathetic but they certainly are interesting, which is far more important. Cass herself fights a battle throughout the book, struggling to regain control over the body that Ta’mat stole from her. Jeamon is being bossed around by Ta’mat thinking she’s Cass and wondering whether he really was in love with her to begin with. Lewis is having a heck of a time adjusting back in his post-Brajj life on Earth, especially considering that although he spent only a couple of weeks in their world Ta’mat accidentally sent him ten years into the future. So now the military is on his case in a major way and when Ta’mat decides to come to his version of Earth things get very interesting very quickly. Even the most unsympathetic characters like Ta’mat have realistic motivations and make you really want to learn what happens to them, even if you think they’re horrible. Each character has struggles and triumphs all their own and they are what drive the plot.
While the characters certainly drive the plot, Nightmares of the Queen is every bit as action-packed as you would expect. There are plot twists all over the place once more but this time the stakes are even higher for everyone. Whether they’re fighting for their existence, the person they love or for their own selfish reasons, the four main characters drive the plot in new and unexpected directions. Although you may be able to predict some of the plot twists, you definitely won’t see some of the major ones coming and that makes the book all the more exciting. All of this is helped by the fact Jacqueline Patricks is a master of suspense, starting out slowly in the beginning and just ratcheting everything up to an unbearable level by the end. Of course the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger but enough of the questions from the beginning of the book were resolved that although you’ll definitely want the next book, you won’t feel like you’ve learned nothing. The cliffhanger will make you all the more eager for the next book, Destiny of the Queen, which is scheduled to be published sometime this year.
If you haven’t read the first book I can’t recommend it enough. It really will just blow you away with its unique world-building, amazing characters and masterful pacing. If you loved the first book, you’ll definitely love this second book. Sometimes second books drag on and on and accomplish nothing but Nightmares of the Queen is the furthest possible thing from that stereotype. Really, just pick up this series. You won’t regret it.
I give this book 5/5 stars.