Saturday, March 16, 2024

F. K. Salwood - The Oystercatcher's Cry

The Fernlees have been farming oysters on the River Roche for decades and Edward Fernlee has moved on from selling to his neighbours and now supplies Billingsgate and the gentry holidaying in the South End of Prittlewell.
Late one afternoon Kate Fernlee returns home to find the Water Sergeant at her father's door: a catch of Fernlee oysters has been found responsible for a typhoid outbreak. The Fernlees's licence has been rescinded.
Her home and livelihood gone for good, Kate is forced to take up cockling - a thankless and sometimes fatal task, but one whose territories are strictly marked out, any interloper resented and warned off. Kate Fernlee is made of sterner stuff and, despite the hatred and scorn of her fellow cocklers, will not give up her only chance of an independent living.
Nor will she ever forget that her beloved Simon, away at sea with Her Majesty Navy and knowing nothing of Kate's troubles, is coming back to her.

Comment: As seen on the previous blog entry, I have recently DNF'd a book, and that was a book I chose on purpose to suit one topic in a challenge I'm doing, it had to be a book with 500 pages or more. Since I didn't actually read its 500 pages, I've decided to not cheat and start a different one. I've also managed to choose a long standing one in the shelf, thus a positive choice all around. 

In this book set in the 1800s, we meet heroine Kate Fernlee, she helps her father farming and catching oysters to sell, but one day the business is ruined when evidence of poisoning is found in their oysters. At the same time, Kate's boyfriend Simon decides to take his chance at sea, and they separate, hopefully for only a while and then they will start their lives together. However, Kate needs to survive and in order to do so she begins cockling which is considered  an inferior way of making a living. But as her life and of those around her are affected by so many things, Kate still hopes for Simon's return. Will they ever find a way to be together at last?

I have had some issues trying to find information about the author, so I cannot say much but this 1993 book clearly is dated. Despite that, I was surprised by it and while it didn't end up being an amazing read, it was still rather easy to turn the pages. I should say that I got it at a book sale and at the time price was enough reason to buy certain books, so between that and the promise of romance I felt convinced enough to buy it.

The story is described as a saga, for it follows Kate (as main character) through many years, as she faces difficulties and problems, but also finds friends and strength in herself. I think this is a style of story that certainly feels dated, because apart from the obvious, there isn't a lot of content pertaining to the character's personalities and evolution. Everyone has a role, we see them going on in their lives being a certain and character development doesn't go beyond what is expected. We are supposed to infer things by their behavior. I cannot say this is a good or bad style, but it's not possible to ignore nowadays most books in the genre are written differently.

Kate is definitely a good heroine, though. She is given many bad news but she always comes up winning over whatever challenge, with more or less difficulty. I think the author intentionally added way more drama than the story required, but since the writing style is quite direct and dated, I admit I never felt overwhelmed by what was being described. In fact, when Kate even stands up for her right to assert her role in a specific situation where others were challenging her, I even laughed at the scene, which I don't think might have been the author's aim.

I won't go into plot points  -there were many things happening - but once Kate accomplishes something, another issue pops up. As expected, along with this, she also has to make choices, some were misleading because the villain kind of manipulated events to gain Kate's favor. The fact the characters were all a little superficially developed, not much more than a role being portrayed, I could maintain my distance and emotions. I actually would not say this was a bad thing, for I didn't feel the story required a lot of emotion from me, but a few situations were really lacking.

After many things, some which were really unfair somehow, Kate is close to triumph in her life and she reconnects with Simon. However, their lives had been tampered with by the villain, they had to deal with obstacles and now a rekindling of their relationship felt a little... naive. I will admit I thought perhaps the goal would be to take Kate into a different path, but... the end was hopeful, there are some elements I think could have been exploited differently, but all things considered, this wasn't too bad. I will likely not read it again, though, but it's nice to keep an agreeable vibe from this book.
Grade: 6/10

Friday, March 15, 2024

Mini - Comments

Here is another set of mini-comments. This time it's books that didn't impress me enough to make me feel like writing a lot about them, to be honest. Still, I want to leave at least a few notes about each book I have in my lists, including the ones I liked less.


Inda by Sherwood Smith had been in the pile for years and I probably got it because it was mentioned by readers who also recommended fantasy books with possible LGBT characters. There was a time I was quite interested in these books, but as it happened with another similar book I had had in the pile for long, so did this one disappoint. 
I only read 100 pages (out of 600 more or less in my edition) when I decided to DNF. The story was set in a sort of military/coming of age society which, sadly, didn't appeal to me at all. There was so much talk about battles or preparing for them, and bullying and keeping secrets and political agendas between different characters that I got terribly annoyed and decided to stop. I suppose the elements that make this a rich and compelling read might come after, but I was not interested to endure things I might not like to reach the good parts.
Inda, the main character, is a kid when the story begins and it seems most characters get older as the story develops, but I just didn't care. I might have been unfair in why I decided to stop, but the truth is that what I did read did not stay with me, so... one less book to worry about. I did read a few reviews after, and that is enough to satisfy my curiosity about the "what ifs".
Grade: DNF

-//-


The Unexpected Guest by Charles Osborne, based on a play by Agatha Christie was a rather short story about a man who suddenly shows up at a house after his car broke down and when no one answers the door, he manages to find another entry and stumbles on a couple, but the man is dead and his wife claims she did it. He, then, helps her to cover up things before the rest of the household and the police shows up...
As always, when it comes to a story planned by Agatha Christie, there's a crime to investigate and a clever solution, but I will say that this one felt a little weak to me. Or, perhaps, it was the way mr Osborne thought on how to construct the narrative. I mean, there's nothing wrong with it, but if the inspiration was the play, perhaps there wasn't enough to start from, or perhaps mr Osborne didn't want to "invent" on someone else's work, but what I felt like reading was that this was too short and under developed.
The crime's motif and its execution were, as assumed if Agatha Christie has her mark on it, cleverly done and planned, but the explanations and the sequence of events a little ineffective, in my opinion. However, it was an easy story to read and does satisfy those who like these types of crime stories.
Grade: 6/10

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Elisabeth Naughton - Stolen Fury

To unearth a centuries-old secret, an archaeologist must team up with the rakish thief who’s stolen both an ancient relic and her heart…
Oh, is he handsome. And charming. And sexy as all get out. Dr. Lisa Maxwell isn’t the type to go home with a guy she barely knows. But, hey, this is Italy and the red-blooded Rafe Sullivan seems much more enticing than cataloging a bunch of dusty artifacts.
After being fully seduced, Lisa wakes to an empty bed and, worse yet, an empty safe. She’s staked her career as an archaeologist on collecting the three Furies, a priceless set of ancient Greek reliefs. Now the one she had is gone. But Lisa won’t just get mad. She’ll get even.
She tracks Rafe to Florida, and finds the sparks between them blaze hotter than the Miami sun. He may still have her relic, but he’ll never find all three without her. And they’re not the only ones on the hunt. To beat the other treasure seekers, they’ll have to partner up—because suddenly Lisa and Rafe are in a race just to stay alive.

Comment: I had this book in the pile for years. I've tried to add books to my monthly lists these past years, so that books I had for longer would finally get their chance...

In this book we meet archaeologist and professor Lisa Maxwell in the exact moment she is investigating a cave in Jamaica during her holidays. She happens to find one of the Furies, part of a set of three Greek statues, which have been searched for a long time by experts. However, after a presentation, she meets Rafe Garcia, a very attractive man with whom she hopes to spend the night but falls asleep and realizes he deceived her and stole her statue. Later, she is able to track him and while the attraction between them is as strong as before, she will not give this time... or will she? Will them? The problem is that more people are after the statue, for if someone manages to have them all, it will be quite a feat, and that means Rafe and Lisa and those around them need to run against time to find the other statues...

This did remind me of those adventure books and movies of the 90s mostly. I've actually seen references in some reviews to some movie titles which are similar to this book in plot or style and it does seem a correct comparison. I think this was a great adventure, with lots of fast paced scenes and jumps, but I will have to say that while the characters' relationships weren't any novelty, I still felt a little sad over the fact they were so predictable and lacking (to me).

The story itself isn't bad, and I was interested in reading what would happen next, even though sometimes we had scenes supposedly shady from the villain's POV which I could do without, but I was curious about what the main characters would do and how. There is a lot of travel from place to place, then some secondary characters get involved and that broadened the range of action, which made me think the action was non stop. The idea of finding the statues and what it meant was always a fascinating enough element and when a certain information closer to the end is shared, I was surprised because it wasn't such a big surprise and still I found it great.

Perhaps I wasn't paying enough attention to some elements, I should confess, thus my surprise at the end, because another big part of the plot is centered on the romance between Rafe and Liza and this was the element I felt a little disappointing. When they meet Rafe deceives Liza and no matter his thoughts about it and the fact they are strangers, it was still a bit of a betrayal. I also felt slightly put off by how they think about one another at that time, I would have liked it more if their relationship had started in a different way.

I kept imagining that if they had been reluctant partners from the start and the physical and emotional attraction had developed more slowly, i'd have liked the progression of the romance more. I know this is only an impression but the constant reminders and inner thoughts about how good looking, how attractive, how whatever they felt about one another took some of the fun out of this for me. I think it would have been a better strategy if we could see their interactions and more, I don't know, subtle ways of their behavior letting us know about what they were feeling. More showing and less lustful thoughts lol, because there was a time it felt they only had superficial emotions between them.

Of course, as expected, they end up together, and there are even supposedly love declaration exchanges, but I cannot say I was fully on board being convinced about their feelings. I would have liked the author could have done things differently, if these were the characters partnered.
The secondary characters, apart from the bad guys, had their interest and I've seen some will be protagonists in future installments. I'm still thinking if I'll read them, perhaps if it suits any of the challenges I usually do.

I think there are enough reasons why the characters are captivating, there are indeed plenty of scenes where it was fun to follow their steps, and the writing style is mostly fluid and easy, which are positive details. I just think the romance disappointed...
Grade: 6/10

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Anna Martin - The Impossible Boy

This is not your average love story.
Ben Easton is not your average romantic hero. He’s a tattooed, badass, wannabe rock star, working in a perfectly horrible dive bar in Camden Town. His life is good, and he’s totally unprepared for how one man will turn it upside down.
Stan isn’t your average heroine. As a gender-fluid man, he proudly wears his blond hair long, his heels sky-high, and his makeup perfectly executed. A fashion industry prodigy, Stan is in London after stints working in Italy and New York City, and he quickly falls for Ben’s devil-may-care attitude and the warm, soft heart Ben hides behind it.
Beneath the perfect, elegant exterior, Stan has plenty of scars from teenage battles with anorexia. And it only takes the slightest slip for his demons to rush back in while Ben is away touring with his band. With the band on the brink of a breakthrough, Ben is forced to find a way to balance the opportunity of a lifetime with caring for his beautiful boyfriend.

Comment: Last year I've read another book by this author and I wasn't as amazed by it as I thought I would. Despite that, having another one in the pile, I dived in hoping I would like this one better and while it wasn't bad, it didn't thrill me either...

In this story we meet Ben, a man with many jobs, including aspiring rock band member. He and some friends sometimes play here and there but it seems that recently things have switched and everyone is inclined to improve and aspire for more. His live also takes a turn for the better when he meets Stan, a gorgeous androgynous man and they hit it off pretty quickly.
Stan is a former model, now creative director for a fashion magazine and he knows exactly how his looks impact others. He is easily confused with a woman but Ben doesn't seem to mind that he actually wears a dress sometimes. 
Their romance seems to go well until personal issues affect their perspective, but will there be any hope for them as a couple?

I ended up having a similar opinion about this book as I did to the other one by the author I had tried: great premise, great ideas, but the execution didn't convince me. There is something about the way the story is told that failed to captivate me completely and part of it is certainly due to the jumps in time and situations without us following the process gradually enough.

For instance, regarding this specific detail, the book is divided into two parts, and at the end of the first everything is fine, the two guys are practically established, they have expressed and shared their feelings with one another and then, suddenly, at the beginning of part two, Stan is at the hospital and Ben knows nothing about it! I was surprised, where did this situation come from? We are simply told about it and the rest of the plot went from there.... perhaps I'm not seeing the art in this style, but it felt rather jarring to me.

The set up for this story was appealing enough for me: Stan works in fashion, has the looks, has the experience despite his young age (22) and the facts that a) he comes from Russia and has a specific way of identifying himself, being gender fluid, this affecting how freely he could live in that country and b) he has battled anorexia, which isn't as common in men as is in women, were details that made me curious about him. He is also described as very beautiful and all that, and I could easily imagine him in my head. I wondered if his past issues would be part of the novel and they were, but not exactly as I thought.

Ben, on the other hand, is described as a hot tattooed guy, with a messier lifestyle, with many jobs including bar tending but also tutoring (which I found an amazing extra) and we also understand his family background made him doubt his place as a younger man and so on. I mean, it was clear the two protagonists had vulnerabilities and perhaps those would be common points to bring them together, besides the physical attraction. I imagined the story would be quite focused on how easy or not their relationship would progress.

In fact, the romance starts slowly and until the end of the first part it felt as if things would go smoothly. Then, I will admit to you, I've made a mistake. At that point, I was curious enough about some secondary characters - mainly some of Ben's friends/co members of the band, and I wondered if the sequel to this book (there is a second book, yes) would be about one of them. I checked the blurb and, what! The blurb of the second book caught me unaware and I was a little annoyed to have read it, because it ruined the rest of the book. That blurb is based on the expectation the reader had read the first book and certain details told me something would happen until the end.

Well, that was what I thought. In fact, I kept reading, dreading what would happen to lead to what was described on the blurb of the sequel and that wasn't what happened after all. The story line kept focused on the main situations already in progress and when the book ends, the two guys and the band were doing mostly fine, etc. That tells me that probably there will be more time jumps where one situation might not be seen on the page. Added to the fact I wasn't always as engaged with the story as I wanted, I'm now convinced that I will not read that sequel.

There are other little things here and there that made me loose interest in the novel as a whole, and even accepting the positive aspects, I've finished without feeling I had read something truly amazing. It's only my perception, perhaps already colored by the other book and by possible things that might or might not be in the sequel, but yes, this book didn't amaze me.
Grade: 5/10

Saturday, March 9, 2024

Mini - Comments

The following two books were chosen for the same reason: I'm doing two challenges with one of my GR groups and one of the themes for this month is to pick books set in an African country. I went to the library and picked up these two, both by authors I was not familiar with, but between the short page count of one (189) and the larger font size of the other, my decisions were pretty easy.  The editions I picked are in Portuguese and those are the covers I'm including here. 


Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith is set in Botswana. I confess I know nothing about this country but I was aware the author was quite famous for this series of a lady detective. This is the second installment of the series but I have not read the first one.
The story is simple - and short - and focuses on the investigation of a missing person some years ago. The individual is presumed dead but no one really knows how. At the same time, the characters are dealing with changes in their domestic lives.
I liked the apparent simplicity of this story. The characters aren't complex people hiding terrible secrets, in fact the main ones are quite relatable. I also liked the constant tidbits added to pretty much all descriptions and conversations regarding the way of life in Botswana. I think the author managed to convey how things are meant to be in that country, I think I got a small idea about the way of life, and how people see themselves and others. Obviously, generalizing, since the author doesn't go deeply into these subjects, but it is enough to make me realize most people probably take guesses and actually know nothing about Botswana.
However, this is a book about a lady detective and I admit I expected a bit more out of this element. The protagonist finds information in an almost too easy way, and the resolution of the case is also easily accomplished. I suppose this might be on purpose, but I will say I had higher expectations. Anyway, this was likable enough that if I find the next installment at the library, I'll likely read it.
Grade: 7/10

-//-

To Where the Turtles Fly by Joaquim Arena is set in Cape Verde. I've loosely translated the title, which is linked to one of the book's main subjects, the investigation of the turtles at a specific part of the Boavista island, which is part of a unique environment. Cape Verde is a country which was formerly a Portuguese colony and although I don't know much about the country's history beyond this, there is more information about it that I know, if comparing with what I know of Botswana.
The author isn't very famous here, from what I can understand. If this title had not caught my attention, I might not even know it existed, but I liked the story enough. I especially liked the theme of the turtles, and how part of the plot is set on the marine biologist who investigates the turtles for a season, trying to determine if their prospects of survival.
At the same time, there are other characters doing, what was to me, secondary stuff, and I will not shy from saying a lot was a bit confusing to me, for it included some shady business deals and characters who never seemed to be fully explained. There is also someone running from something, well two people running from two different problems and everything got a bit confusing.
Therefore, I've focused my attention on the turtles' information and that was the main reason why I consider this to be a positive reading. I don't think I'll read more by the author unless there's a good reason again, like another challenge or something.
Grade: 6/10

Friday, March 8, 2024

Steven Harper - Dreamer

It is through first contact with an alien species that humanity learns of the Dream. It is a plane of mental existence where people are able to communicate by their thoughts alone--over distances of thousands of light-years. To ensure that future generations will have this ability, human genetic engineering produces newborns capable of finding and navigating the Dream.
They become known as the Silent.
Rust is just one planet among many in the Empire of Human Unity. It's nothing special, nothing unusual...except for the fact that it is home to an unknown boy who may be the most powerful Silent telepath ever born--a Silent with the ability to possess the bodies of others against their will. This mysterious child may be causing tremors within the Dream itself.
For now, only the Children of Irfan know about him. A monastic-like order of the Silent, the Children protect their members even as they barter their services with the governments and corporations that control known space. But power like that cannot be hidden, and soon every Silent in the universe will know about the boy--and every government will be willing to go to war to control him.
And if the Children of Irfan cannot find him first, the Dream itself may be shattered...


Comment: Last year I've read and liked Nightmare by this author. At that time, I read that book because it was part of a series (The Silent Empire) and many readers kept suggesting that book should be read before Dreamer, because chronologically the events in Nightmare occurred before those in Dreamer
I've decided to follow that advice and what a good one, for I've found this one to be slightly convoluted and having the base of what was going on from the other book helped a lot.

Kendi, the hero from the first book, is now older and has studied enough to become a Brother, which means he can do his own investigations in the attempt to help other Silent people. On planet Rust, he and the others are looking for someone who seems to have a powerful ability in the Dream, the place where all of those who are Silent can communicate. But this person's abilities don't seem to be controlled and fearing a war, the Empress to which the Children of Irfan answer to, demands that this individual has to be captured. While Kendi and his friends know they will help as much as they can, someone else is after this person and who knows what will happen if the enemy can manipulate them at will...

As I've said, I did like Nightmare a lot. It wasn't a perfect read but there were plenty elements to win me over and, of course, I was hoping to have the same experience with this one. I will say it was as adventurous and creative to me as the first, but some plot choices definitely disappointed. I think a few things happened for shock factor and while I was able to maintain a certain emotional distance, it still annoyed me terribly that some characters had determined fate.

I will repeat that it was a good option to not read the series in order of publication. This book has a lot of information which makes so much more sense after reading the other. In fact, now I cannot imagine starting with this, I would likely not carry on. There are moments that yes, I feel that it was as if the author assumed the readers would easily follow the ideas described, and some don't always make a lot of sense. Having read Nightmare not only make me more interested in what was happening but also invested in some of the characters (thus my disappointment, I suppose one cannot have it all).

To summarize, in this world there are people/beings who are Silent, meaning they can kind of access a dream world and what they do there does affect "real life". As expected a lot in society is dependent on these people and, as well, there are those who would benefit from the opposite. Basically, the plot of this book is precisely that: someone with an uncontrolled power needs be caught before it's impossible to reverse a terrible situation in the Dream world, but someone wants the Dream to disappear.

Kendi and his friends are still key characters and Kendi is happy he became a Brother because this allows him to travel and he desperately wants to find his family who, like himself, were sold into slavery. I still liked Kendi a lot despite discovering one little thing about him I disliked. Nothing can only suit the preferences of one, isn't it, but even then I was glad he was still the same curious and likable boy I had met in the other book. I think the end of the book, despite the negative situations faced by everyone, also make me confident I will keep on rooting for him.

The plot was captivating, fast paced and included many amazing descriptions, some things more than others of course, and the reason behind the major problems ongoing was quite ingenious but I will say that while I understand the need to develop things in a way that would make some sense, my personal taste is one for positivism and I was annoyed at the amount of scenes where characters managed to accomplish wrong decisions instead! I kept thinking why some characters couldn't be smarter... such as Sejal, the individual everyone is looking for. I can understand he didn't have all the knowledge and he was rather immature, but... how frustrating.

Since this Sejal was "conveniently" easy to manipulate, despite some promising scenes at a certain point, the villain still got to him. I'd say the villain was pretty basic in how villains are, in terms of motivation and characterization, but considering what happens and how some characters were deeply affected by the villain's actions, it's obvious I ended up despising him. Surely, this is the whole point, but it still gets on my nerves how some characters had to suffer and not even the possibility something will be redeemed in the next books will change things for me.

I think this fantasy world is engaging and I liked the overall notion of it. I now some readers thought it to be a little pretentious but to me, most of the construction worked out well, because it offered the necessary for things to have meaning. I'm not particularly interested if the idea "x" is better than the idea "y", what I want is a world to make sense and to want to see what happens next. In this regard, I think the author accomplished it, and I will read the third book next month.
Grade: 7/10

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Julia Bryan Thomas - The Radcliff Ladies' Reading Club

Massachusetts, 1954. With bags packed alongside her heavy heart, Alice Campbell escaped halfway across the country and found herself in front of a derelict building tucked among the cobblestone streets of Cambridge. She turns it into the enchanting bookshop of her dreams, knowing firsthand the power of books to comfort the brokenhearted.
The Cambridge Bookshop soon becomes a haven for Tess, Caroline, Evie, and Merritt, who are all navigating the struggles of being newly independent college women in a world that seems to want to keep them in the kitchen. But when a member of the group finds herself shattered, everything they know about themselves will be called into question.
From the author of For Those Who Are Lost comes an extraordinary love letter to books and friendship, a story that is at once heart-wrenching, strengthening, and inspiring.

Comment: This book caught my attention because of the title, then I checked the blurb and it seemed it would be something I'd enjoy. I told the friend I usually buddy read things with and we decided to try it. Well... it wasn't what I expected.

In this story we meet Alice Campbell, who is the owner of a bookstore in Cambridge, near the university and its several campus, including the Radcliff, which is a ladies' university. Alice has escaped some bad memories in her past and is eager to be independent and everything seems to fit into place when Tess, a Radcliff student enters the bookshop one day and while chatting, Alice convinces her to come back with friends for a book club.
As the months go by and the books chosen provide food for thought, Alice gets to know the girls and their personalities, and it becomes clear they aren't all the same, nor are their hopes for the future...

At first I was really motivated to read this story, and the fact it was set in the 50s added extra flavor for it would certainly include things like woman's rights and education, probably liberal vs conservative characters and, I hoped, book discussions. From the historical POV, I knew it might not be cute and cozy, but I still had hopes this would present us what I imagined would mostly be likable characters to root for.

Well, my impression of this book wasn't as positive as I hoped for, but I did like the book discussions. They read and talk about classics, some of which I have read, and it was interesting to have those scenes. Of course, a lot of the discussion of the books is heavily linked to the characters' personalities and their recent experiences, so the discussion isn't as impartial as it could, and it's very cliched. Nevertheless, I did like this part of the novel, and that is probably what makes me place this book on the positive side of the scale.

Like my buddy read friend, I assumed the story would be centered on Alice, her experiences, perhaps a romance or the hint of it, but no. Alice is like the common element that is able to link every other detail into a comprehensive structure, but we don't really learn that much about her. We are aware she isn't married anymore, that she had felt oppressed in her marriage and that she is somehow able to open her own bookstore, but she is like this supposed experienced woman, obviously older than the college students, but she remains rather mysterious. I suppose this was intentional, but I must say it made her too distanced for me to really sympathize and like her beyond the basics.

I'd say that this was only a reflection of the writing, which I felt was too superficial. We are given scenes and situations and reactions to things but I never felt emotionally invested in what was happening, especially when it came to the negative or the shocking events (trigger warnings apply). I think the author could have done better but assuming this is her writing style, I did not become a fan.

Following each book choice and later discussion, most of the plot is centered on the four college girls: rich but perceptive Caroline, studious but intransigent Tess, friendly but cunning Evie and loyal but average Merritt. The fun part is that the first impression I got of them made me see each one a certain way and then, as they go through social and college life, their personal experiences do affect their development as characters. Adding their backgrounds, and the painted picture is rather predictable, but still interesting for the most part. 

However, since nothing about the writing style was that special, it was the events chosen by the author that were meant to give life to this story and I feel what she aimed for was not really achieved. The lack of connection to the characters, the lack of true depth to their motivations and behavior made them rather cartoonish at times or too boring in others. I also think the 50s setting was a convenient way to limit certain choices, and not because it was a genuine need for the plot to be set in this time. There were also a few situations that didn't seem to make much sense.

I think this book was written to present a point, to set up an idea. I think if this had been aimed to be a romance, perhaps a few elements would have worked better. Or not. I also would have preferred the book club to have had more attention, or that this would be a little more uplifting. I've finished the novel but not with that impression and I can safely say I don't feel the need to re-read nor to find other things by the author.
Grade: 5/10

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Angel Martinez - Gravitational Attraction

A mysterious distress call draws the crew of the Hermes to what appears to be an empty, drifting ship. Empty that is, except for the blood and gore-spattered corridors and one lone survivor locked in a holding cell. Drawn to the handsome, traumatized man, the crew's comm officer, Isaac Ozawa, makes Turk his personal responsibility, offering him the kindness and warmth he needs after the horror he experienced. 
Turk longs for Isaac, a desperate, hopeless ache he knows he'll always carry with him. But Turk harbors dangerous secrets, his brain a military experiment gone wrong. 
When an amoral, power-hungry admiral kidnaps Isaac and uses him to convince Turk to become the cataclysmic weapon he's hungered for, it will take Turk's strength, the ingenuity of the Hermes crew, the help of the enigmatic Drak'tar, and Isaac's own stubborn will to save them.

Comment: I had this title in the pile for ten years. It's one of those things, time goes by, others things get in the way... but I've finally added it to my monthly lists. After all this time, I liked it but it wasn't as amazing as I imagined.

In this sci-fi story we meet Isaac Ozawa, a communications officer on a space ship, who had dreamed of flying in the military fleet but something went wrong with the implant all pilots needed. Now he is happy enough with his job and when his ship checks out the distress call from another ship, there is only one survivor, whom Isaac is drawn to, since he helped in the rescue.
Turk is the man rescued but he hides some secrets, including one related to his current abilities, after an experiment he volunteered for didn't go as everyone imagined. He also likes Isaac and he believes they could be soul mates, but would Isaac want to stay with him in his planet? And how will he cope after an admiral kidnaps and tortures Isaac, will he still want to be near Turk afterwards?

I decided to add this title to the pile after seeing some positive recommendations by readers with similar tastes. I was curious to see what the author would do with world building and, of course, how the romance would be developed. In terms of imagination, I think the author did a great job creating and developing things, but I cannot say I was completely immersed in this world.

The story is compelling enough because we basically have two people who bond after an impactful situation. After this, they are able to talk to one another and we can see how they slowly start to like each other. I thought the story would be focused on the romance, which happened to be set on a space ship, and that led me to believe the sci fi aspects would be concentrated to this. It turns out, it wasn't so and after the rescue, Turk needs to inform the people he had an agreement with about his rescue. This is why they went to meet the person who ends up being a villain.

I think that, deep down, the plot isn't too complicated and the events happen more quickly after this. I will say that I felt some detachment from what was happening, not because it was too out there, but because it seemed as if the tell, not show was an obvious tool just to move things forward but in a way that would allow the reader to understand why things were going from one situation to another. It's not that I think this is a bad tactic, but it made things rushed and I kept thinking that perhaps instead of having these scenes if we had skipped immediately to the important parts, only knowing about the facts would be enough. I know, I know, practically the opposite of what usually works, but that was my impression.

Once they escape from the bad guys happens, Isaac needs medical help and Turk believes his people can help. Then the plot moves to Turk's planet and this is where the author's imagination shined, for there is a lot to accept in how things work for Turk's people. I think this element was interesting and made me want to see what would be next for them and what would happen after they try to help Isaac. This was my favorite part of the novel, not only for the world building but because it helped the guys establish their relationship, as well as letting us see them interacting with others. I always like this because often the dynamics with others is a huge help to grasp characters' personalities.

The romance, I have to say, was not that great. I mean, I liked they found each other and all that, but the supposed chemistry they felt wasn't that obvious to me. I think they were too cutesy cute to one another, certainly understanding and after they decide to be a couple, everything is cozy between them, but I think I missed the "thrill" of the rush of emotions when two people meet and fall in love. I just don't think their relationship was as "predestined" as we are supposed to believe.

Obviously, there is more conflict to go through before the happy ending, we learn more about how Turk's people came to live there and how society works, and all this is fine, but by this point I was no longer as fascinated. Again, I didn't dislike the story, but I don't think it was always able to captivate my interest. I think the author could have found a way to explain a few things better too, so that when characters mentioned this or that or when they had to decide something, part of what happens wouldn't feel as dissociated as it was.

All in all, good elements, good ideas, but the execution wasn't as addictive to read as I hoped for. I liked reading it enough but I don't think this will be as memorable as I also wanted.
Grade: 6/10

Friday, March 1, 2024

Juliana Gray - How to School Your Scoundrel

Princess Luisa has devoted her life to duty, quietly preparing to succeed her father as ruler. Nothing, however, primed her to live on the run, disguised as a personal secretary to a notorious English scoundrel. The earl is just the man to help her reclaim her throne, but Luisa is drawn to her powerful employer in ways she never imagined…
Philip, Earl of Somerton, has spent six years married to a woman in love with another man—he refuses to become a fool due to imprudent emotions ever again. Only, as his carefully laid plans for vengeance falter, fate hands him hope for redemption in the form of a beautiful and determined young princess who draws him into a risky game of secrets, seduction, and betrayal. And while his cunning may be enough to save her life, nothing can save him from losing his heart…

Comment: This is the third installment in the Princess in Hiding series by Juliana Gray. I have liked the previous two and would definitely read this one as well, but as a whole, I wasn't as marveled by it as I hoped for.

In this third story we switch focus to Luisa, the heir princess who is not only mourning her father, but also her late husband, even though they were better friends than a couple. Like her sisters, she is placed under disguise in the house of an aristocrat for her protection but, also like her sisters, she can't truly hide her personality and struggles to maintain a humble persona. 
The earl of Somerton has the reputation of being a scoundrel and not even marrying changed it, but Luisa's uncle knew this would be the man to protect Luisa. The longer she is there, though, the more she realizes how everyone misunderstands the earl and she even tries to help him save his marriage, which is quite altruist since she seems to be falling in love with him... what future could there be for them, especially when the enemies come closer and the princesses are in danger once more?

One of the elements I loved the most in the previous books was the balance between funny scenes - mostly related to the princesses' disguises - and the serious situations and the larger than life romances. Even when something wasn't as appealing to me personally, I still found a lot of be entertained with and cherished the books. This one starts off in a good enough way, then has developments I wasn't too happy with and the end again seems to be strong. I feel a bit conflicted because I can understand the author's intentions with presenting the hero as he is, but I didn't like him that much for a while.

It is true the title does indicate the earl as being a scoundrel but how often the premises are based on vague or unimportant things and the true beauty is to see the development anyway? I can accept the ear was a scoundrel and there are enough scenes in the book for the reader to see it and believe in that impression, but of course that paints him as not being such a great guy. Any romance reader would guess, of course, that the relationship between the protagonists would change this and, deep down, he isn't such a bad person, he was clearly a product of his experiences, but then I'll say this: why spend so much time establishing his scoundrel personality instead of developing a more balanced romance?

I do feel the amount of pages/plot moves weren't divided as best as they could. I think we spend too long with the setting up of the plot, with the reasons why this is this way, why this person has this personality and when things finally seem to advance, it's not as progressive. For me, it felt as if the jumps in time were too many and without proper development. Perhaps less "introduction" might have helped but then my opinion was already influenced by the elements I wasn't too fond of.

Closer to the end there are many things that happen quickly and the romance also moves along. I still think Luisa and the earl didn't have the same amazing love story as the other couples, even though the author does try to present it as wonderful and special, in a way that both of them could not have with their previous spouses. I did like that they got their HEA and that we are told their personalities and interests match and complement each other, which means their relationship will be successful. 

The resolution of the issues related to why the princesses were hiding isn't any kind of surprise, a few things are easy to guess from a certain point on, in pretty much all the books. Since part of the overall plot can be seen through different POVs in all books, there are things here which are easy to guess. I was only curious on how the situation would be presented and it is true some of it was a bit too fanciful, but the enemy was defeated and the princesses, mostly Luisa as heir, managed to take their places and find happiness.

I still think of this trilogy as a captivating one, there are many elements among the three books that I liked but this third one was definitely the weakest for me. I upgraded my rating one point because of the end of the book, where things seemed to follow better the pattern in the other books, but yes, it wasn't as magical to me.
Grade: 7/10

Thursday, February 29, 2024

Miranda Dickinson - All My Love

Sometimes love can be staring you in the face . . . and you don’t even know it
By day, Archie works tirelessly as assistant to the editor of a local newspaper.
By night, Esther works after hours cleaning the rows of office desks with the help of her trusty sidekick, Fred the trolley.
Their paths never would have crossed, until one discarded Post-it note unexpectedly brings them together.
Because they share one thing in common . . . they’re both secretly in love with someone else.
And they might just be the two people who can help each other find the courage to confess their feelings and write the perfect love letter.
But what if they’re falling for the wrong person?

Comment: When I got interested in this book, I wasn't certain if I really wanted to read it or not, but a topic in one of the challenges I'm doing convinced me. I have also had some busy times at work and at home, thus why a longer silence than usual, and I'm afraid this book wasn't always as addictive as I wanted, which made reading it longer than my usual.

In this story we meet Esther, she is now working nights at a business building, cleaning the offices. She was laid off and is very glad to be working, even if it's considered less by some. She is also feeling down because the man she is in love with married someone else. One day she finds the beginning of a love letter while cleaning a desk and boldly added a reply to it, so the owner could feel hopeful in trying to conquer the woman of his dreams, since she could not.
Archie is a supposed reporter but actually isn't doing as much as he thought. Finding the reply to a letter he believed to be in the dust bin makes him feel like trying and he replies too. Things quickly change for the better then Archie and Esther unexpectedly meet and their friendship blossoms. Both say they are in love with someone else, but could it be their friendship is only the start of something better?

The premise for this book caught my eye and I admit I have not paid enough attention, for I thought this would be a story mostly about the exchange of notes until the main characters met, and it didn't end up being so. There is, indeed, exchange of notes at first but the main characters meet rather soon after the start of the novel and my expectation of a more epistolary-like novel wasn't to be. 

The story is quite basic, actually. Esther is down on her luck and loves a man who married someone else. Archie is a man without the confidence to go after what he wants, and he secretly loves a co worker who doesn't seem to feel the same way. He thinks that by writing a letter she might start seeing differently and this is how, randomly, he and Esther exchange notes. I liked the idea of Esther, a night cleaner, being able to both be in the sphere of the office world and at the same time seeing it from the outside. But these moments weren't to continue and I confess I missed it when Esther and Archie met.

I expected the dynamics between them to go one way, for them to slowly but surely fall in love, and while this isn't anything a reader would not foresee, it did take a lot longer than what I imagined. If the plot in between had been more engaging, perhaps I might have liked the book more, but the truth is that, to me, the plot choices weren't interesting. I did like that Esther met Archie's family and friends and she started learning to play banjo (if I got that right), but since they were both still so determined to love someone else, the story lost some focus and romance possibilities.

As one can imagine, with this setting, part of the conflict is that Esther and Archie must deal with their dreams and failed expectations by being with the person they wanted at first. This happens due to some plot situations that, honestly, felt a little contrived and not that realistic, and by this point I already knew I would not consider this a great read, but was still curious to see how the author would develop things so that they could be together in the end.

Any romance reader would guess, of course, that the person they both idealized wasn't as perfect as the idea in the pedestal and I found the tactic of placing them in relationships with others to be annoying, actually. I would have preferred that the author would use a different method so that Esther and Archie could discover they liked one another. I also think that this element, along with the little things we learned about their personalities and lives would have made for a strong story and even better character development. Since this wasn't so, I'll have to say that there were moments in which I felt the characters were a bit juvenile, a bit inconsistent, too focused on secondary things and not on what they were doing.

It also seemed as if the story took too long to go from how things were set up at first to how it ended. In between, despite so many pages, I will say that I didn't end the book convinced Esther and Archie were the best couple they could, considering the obstacles they faced. I didn't feel their chemistry and longing as, I assume, the author might have intended. I mean, I liked it that there was an HEA, but I wasn't incredibly amazed by it. 

I will also say something else. to me this would have been a stronger story if, for instance, the focus had been more on Esther because she was the character I was more interested in, mainly because of her work as a cleaner (not as explored as it could) and the circumstances of her life (she lives with her sister until she has money for her own house) and I believe if this had been more oriented towards woman's fiction, with Esther as main character and, perhaps, Archie on the horizon as potential boyfriend, this might have worked better. 

All in all, this wasn't totally bad, but there were many dull moments, many weak situations badly developed, and the HEA was not fully convincing. There are positive elements, but I don't think those would be the ones I'll remember the most when thinking of this novel.
Grade: 6/10

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Julia Spencer-Fleming - Out of the Deep I Cry

On April 1, 1930, Jonathan Ketchem's wife Jane walked from her house to the police department to ask for help in finding her husband. The men, worn out from a night of chasing bootleggers, did what they could. But no one ever saw Jonathan Ketchem again...
Now decades later, someone else is missing in Miller's Kill, NY. This time it's the physician of the clinic that bears the Ketchem name. Suspicion falls on a volatile single mother with a grudge against the doctor, but Reverend Clare Fergusson isn't convinced. As Clare and Russ investigate, they discover that the doctor's disappearance is linked to a bloody trail going all the way back to the hardscrabble Prohibition era. As they draw ever closer to the truth, their attraction for each other grows increasingly more difficult to resist. And their search threatens to uncover secrets that snake from one generation to the next--and to someone who's ready to kill.

Comment: This is the third installment in the Clare Fergusson and Russ van Alstyne series by author Julia Spencer-Fleming. I have enjoyed the previous books, liked this one too and also convinced a friend to buddy read the rest of the series throughout the year. I hope the books remain consistently good.

In this installment the issues begin when the board decides how to go on with the improvement of the church, mainly the roof that leaks. One way to get money more quickly would be by reaching to the fund that also maintained the social clinic for many years, but soon after the person in charge informs the doctor of this, problems start to pile up, including also the disappearance of the doctor after a discussion with a woman who doesn't want to vaccinate her children. While reverend Clare finds herself in the middle of everything once more, chief Russ breaks his leg and no one seems to be able to find the missing doctor. When suspicious activities remount to events in the 20s and 30s and another missing person case, can it be there's some sort of connection between the two situations somehow?

These books are a mix of crime investigation and domestic developments on the lives of the main characters. For readers who love one but not the other, I suppose the story might feel like dragging or might seem boring in parts, but I do like the way the author mixes up the two and how it makes me think of the overall book as an almost cozy one. To me, it works as something solid, but I can understand how frustratingly slow certain situations develop.

I'd say that my enjoyment of this book wasn't higher because I had to interrupt reading many times,for one thing or another. I think if my head space had been focused on this for longer, I'd have appreciated even more. That aside, the story features a crime investigation and the links to another investigation in the 30s, when a man disappeared and his wife wanted him declared dead after the legal time. What connection the two things have besides the location and the fact the child of that couple is now in charge of the fund paying for the clinic feels too vague to matter. Of course, as the story advances, we realize, with the help of a few flashback chapters, why it mattered indeed.

Some links between the situations seem to be a little too convenient but the author does try to make things seem logical. I think the fact part of the mystery might had begun in the 1930s also helps to give the idea some information is more circumstantial than actual proof, considering the difference in method in what was not possible to use back then by the police. The case was actually interesting and there were still doubts on how things happened or why, but when the final piece of the puzzle is revealed, even after the notion a hint had been left here and there with unassuming importance, of course more about it makes sense than not. Secondary issues aside, the old mystery was actually well planned by the author.

The contemporary mystery was a bit far fetched, in my opinion. Not impossible, but the explanation for why the doctor's disappearance was too opportune for what was necessary to happen. I think it was handy the author could make things work the way they did, and I do appreciate the complex setup before the real issues took place, but a few details felt over the top. Despite this, I was happy enough with how things went, perhaps this segment was not the most intriguing, but it got the job done.

Regarding the personal connections and dynamics between the characters. Fans or readers of the previous two books, like me, probably are eager to see what happens for Russ and Clare. He is married, she is the reverend and while they can be friends, it's obvious the feelings between them are stronger than that. Ethics, morals, society all contribute for a lot of tension, a lot of longing and I think this parts is subtle enough for the reader to feel the poignancy of what's between them.

There is some development about this in this book. We finally met Russ' wife Linda, briefly, and I have to confess I thought it too weird she had not be on page before... what does this mean now, though? I won't give spoilers, but Russ and Clare talk and I don't know what will happen in the next book. I have my preference, I have my guesses, but will the author go this road? I'm doing a big effort here to not read blurbs of the following blurbs, but I do want the full experience of discovering what will happen as the characters do too, so... longing ahead for certain!
Grade: 8/10