A marriage of friends

When her fiancé jilted her, Serena gave up all hope of ever getting married. She was determined to be sensible about the whole thing; that was, until Gijs suggested that she marry him.

She liked Gijs very much, and she knew he was fond of her. Companionship seemed as good a basis as any for a marriage who needed romance anyway? But it turned out Gijs was in love, and Serena couldn’t work out who the lucky woman was.

CW/TW – child abuse, child injury

Review

By this point, I’ve read quite a few Neels books and can spot the tropes and usual plots. In this one, pretty English nurse Serena is a wiz in Casualty in her London hospital. Her nurse’s cap might be a frilly concoction but Serena is all business in the face of trauma. The trauma du jour is very handsome Dutch doctor Laurens who’s just wrecked his Jag – and it’s not the first one. His older cousin Gijs is – not for the first time – called over to help deal with Laurens’ mess.

Serena tries to withstand Laurens’ uber charisma but ends up easily falling. When Laurens hints at them getting married after such a short time, despite all the exchanged glances of her friends and parents, Serena tosses over her resignation, sure of having at last found her man. But things aren’t quite what she expects. Will Gijs come to her rescue just as he’s always done for Laurens?

It’s fairly clear who is in love with Serena and who is just having fun. Serena’s parents are both alive and well in the enormous Victorian rectory and the Potts family are delightful. I knew how Gijs’s parents would feel about Serena and what sort of people they are. Just remember, if a Neels character doesn’t have/like pets, steer clear of them. Luckily Gijs has the requisite dog, devoted retainers, charming older house and comfortable Bentley.

Serena must discover the truth of some people around her as well as her own heart. Then, sigh, she falls into a misunderstanding which must be cleared up. Thankfully Sarah and Hugo Van Elven from “Fate is Remarkable” are on hand to help, along with Gijs’s lovely parents (dog owners).

Fair warning – the medical emergencies all involve children including (first one) child abuse and later, two injured children. All will be fine.

This book is another early Neels effort and she seemed determined to make it an ‘extended scenes’ version. Each bit of the standard tropes are lovingly written and padded a bit and – I’ll be honest, at times – drawn out. The Misunderstandings aren’t as deliberate as in “Fate is Remarkable” but I could watch them approach from the rear view mirror before they overtook the plot. The Evil Other Woman is more petty than anything else. But there is a lot of description here to go with the soul searching, heart opening, and ultimate confessions of true love. B

~Jayne

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One joke. One dog. One crazy midlife reinvention.

It begins as a joke at a glamorous LA party – where dogs wear Gucci collars and menopausal Brit Christine feels invisible. When asked what she does for a living, Christine jokes that she reads literature to dogs. What could possibly go wrong with one white lie in Hollywood?

Jay, who manages Byron, a famous producer, believes her and offers her serious money to tame Byron’s uncontrollable dog, Obie. In a moment of madness, Christine agrees. There’s just one problem – Christine doesn’t like dogs.

So, why did she say yes? Since living in LA, she’s been desperate to glimpse life behind celebrity gates and needs the cash.

What follows is a masterclass in chaos. Christine enlists fellow culture-shocked expat Lucy to assist with some dog training that goes spectacularly wrong. Think dead pelican floating in a Malibu infinity pool and Christine explaining canine literary therapy to baffled Santa Monica cops.

What happens when Christine finally comes face to face with the ferocious Obie?

CW/TW – dog abuse – the dog is okay by the end

Dear Ms. Ryder, 

I can actually see this being a business in LA. And if it isn’t now, as soon as someone reads this book, I bet it will be. A bored expat slings out a lie about what she does and before she knows it, someone with more money than sense is throwing money at her to make it real. But this is LA where nothing is real. 

Chrissy and her husband have been British expats in LA due to Dave’s business. Chrissy has also made friends with Lucy, the killer divorce lawyer back in the UK, who is now desperately trying to “find herself” (as one does in LA) with some (expensive) help from all kinds of gurus. I actually had the most fun reading about these two lapping up the California sunshine, talking about trying all the yoga studios, and finding their bliss poolside. The excesses of what kind of life is available to those with household staff, entourages, and more money than they know what to do with had me shaking my head. Got to keep up with the latest ridiculous trends, after all. 

Then Chrissy utters a little lie and in an attempt to avoid being caught out keeps piling on statements that only make her look more exclusive and thus desirable. Act slightly mysterious and coy and the richie richs just have to have your services. But what if you’re claiming skills you don’t have to do a job you don’t do? No worries as it will get you in for at least one peek at a Bel Air mansion. 

To be honest, after a while, I got a bit numb at the endless tomfoolery that these celebrities are up to but then I was also never a fan of the old TV show Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous either. Another thing that I quickly noticed is that some major scene would be built up to – such as how terrible Chrissy’s first experience with Oberon would be?, only for the moment to pass quickly and easily. Oh, I thought. That was a let down. After this happened a few times and the story dragged on, I got bored. Villains are too easy to spot and anticipate and honestly Chrissy, blabbing plans around a nemesis? 

At first the silliness is fun, watching Chrissy and Lucy revel in the CA sunshine makes me smile but after a while, even playing this for laughs wore thin. The above warning is something that I was saddened that the perpetrator never seemed to have to pay for doing and given his track record, I wouldn’t want a friend of mine to marry Oberon’s dog dad no matter how devoted he is to Obie. C     

~Jayne

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The story of the making, loss, and recovery of some of the greatest treasures of antiquity, raising questions about ancient mosaic art and its creation, the work of archaeology, and museum practice.

In 1932, after years of fundraising and flurries of letters back and forth, an archaeological team from Princeton University gathered in Antioch, Syria. They expected to find sculptures, frescos, palace walls, and busts. Instead, all across this ancient Roman metropolis, they stumbled upon one site after another of extraordinary mosaic treasure, incomparable in number, quality, and historical significance.

There were some three hundred of them in all, glories of color and design, stones and pieces of glass heaped up into spectacular images. Though dated to early in the Christian era, they are unabashedly pagan; the animals and plants they depict are so life-like scholars can often identify them by species.

The eight-year dig at Antioch was an astonishing human enterprise, one that survived Depression-era financial downturns, interpersonal conflict, and the looming threat of World War II. Gained were mosaics that ultimately ended up in museums around the world. But while an archaeological triumph, shedding new light on the ancient world, it also raised profound questions about the nature and progress of art. Who has a right to a work of art—the country of origin or the archaeologists who dig it up? Is art more interesting for its beauty, its history, or the craft and intelligence that goes into its making? What elevates a craftsperson into an artist?

Review

This looked interesting and unique. In the 1930s, a multi-year’s long dig brought to light hundreds of mostly floor mosaics with which buildings in ancient Antioch had been decorated. Not exactly what the team had been searching for (they wanted to find the remains of ancient Antioch which had almost completely disappeared over the centuries), after a while these mosaics became almost an embarrassment of riches. They also brought pesky tourists who sometimes disrupted the work.

Taking place during the Depression, this was a product of a multinational effort between the French who had a post WWI mandate in Syria, the Americans who had the cash to fund it, and the Egyptians, Syrians, Turks and Arabs who handled a lot of the grunt work. Call me surprised at the division of the “spoils.” Twenty five percent went to the French, twenty five percent went to various museums and universities in the US who fronted the cash, and fifty percent (!) yes half, stayed in (eventually) Turkey. Lest readers think this is paltry, compare it to almost nothing staying in other countries during the nineteenth centuries when foreign nations found and “took” Greek, ME, Asian and African art back home.

There were personality clashes and there was some seething over who got first pick of the discoveries. Removing and preparing these massive – and in some cases we are literally talking large room sized floor mosaics – finds for transport was a job and a half. One lone Frenchman tried to stick to the original plan to find Antioch only to see during a massive flood one year, exactly why most of the town that had once been lavished upon by Roman Emperors and was the third most important city of its day, could get buried and lost so easily.

It wasn’t just the tensions leading to WWII barreling towards them that ended the dig but also the regional clashes between the nations and ethnicities of the area. In the years after the war, various mosaics in the US were resold as space and need for money dictated so now these works of fine craftsmanship can be seen across the nation. The splitting up of grouped mosaics and various efforts at repair have come in for recent criticism.

But what was found was amazing. I have to say I wish the book had more photographs but perhaps this is due to rights issues. Anyway, go to your favorite search engine and type in Antioch mosaics then settle down to take your time looking at them. Mosaics often get denigrated as “not being real art” despite the obvious skill it takes to make them. The consensus at the time of the dig was that compared to Greco-Roman sculpture and paintings, mosaics were job work at worst and crafts work at best. Figural mosaics were most prized but the geometric work that often surrounded these are more than worth examining. Thankfully in the modern age, they are getting re-examined and taking their rightful place in the art world. B

~Jayne

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Four short stories and one novella with a regency flavor. A lazy prince and his stiff secretary have long despised each other, but the annual Masque changes everything. Gideon has always led a quiet life, free of scandal, until a carriage accident on his way home one night. Pierce has everything a young man could want – except the secret admirer he knows only through ardent letters. Jude is a notorious rake, but desperately bored…until during a chance encounter he impulsively offers lessons in seduction to an innocent young man. Bartholomew sees a chance to prove himself when his home is terrorized by a Highwayman – but the robber he encounters is nothing like what he imagined.

Dear readers,

For a while now it has become quite difficult for me to find m/m books that I want to read. I mean occasionally it still happens thank goodness, but those of you who read my reviews probably have noticed that in the last couple of years I started to review more non m/m books. I always read across different genres but I have not tired of reading m/m at all, so while I am always open to trying new m/m books, I decided that I have a significant collection of m/m paperbacks most of which I liked/loved when I first bought them but have never reviewed a lot of those books here. I am going to try and review more of my paperbacks here because I liked those books before and the chances that most of these will be positive reviews are high, but who knows, maybe some of my likes won’t hold up. I promise I am only writing this introduction one time :-).

The first review is actually going to be quite short. I have been a big fan of this author for many years now. I started buying her books in paperback (Amazon tells me that I bought this one in the year 2009 :)), then moved on to kindle books. Beware that the four short stories from this collection are published on Kindle under the title “Deceived” and the longer novella “Highwayman” is published separately under its own name.

The paperback is out of print.

The blurb states correctly that the world of the book has a Regency flavor. This is by no means a true historical, but the book does not pretend to be one. I would characterize it as a historical m/m fantasy, but I bet other readers may place this book in a different sub genre of m/m. Basically in the first four stories the men who move in a different classes of society find love together. Some of these men are connected to each other by friendship or being of the same class, but this is not the same for each couple. The most obvious example of why this book is not a true historical is because gay relationships are not just tolerated, it is just accepted for your son to settle down with another boy (and I believe for a girl to settle down with another girl as well, but I think the confirmation of that will come in the other stories from this world published later on.

Please note that the first four stories are indeed short stories so do not expect full blown romances, but I think in each of those shorts we have some kind of moment of truth coming to light. I believe that I do understand why the author chose to name this collection “Deceived” when it was published on kindle – the antagonistic chemistry between the main characters in these stories mostly comes down to them not knowing the other man in their true light if that makes sense. It is not a misunderstanding big or small, it is being deceived as to who the character was. I guess in one story there is a misunderstanding of the sorts but it is not the main couple’s misunderstanding, it is a little brother of one of the guys who misunderstands a certain thing and it did not feel stupid to me.

The reason why this collection (in places unpolished and not very well edited) stood up to the test of time to me was because the chemistry between the characters was just right for me. It struck all the right notes and it still does after I reread it couple of days ago.(as I said I bought in 2009).

The “Highwayman” – an actual novella in this collection has the similar element in the romance department, but because the story was 100-115 pages it gets a longer development and some adventure.

Grade: B

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Learned Edmund, a disillusioned scholar, is transporting yet another precious relic from one stuffy temple to a different stuffy temple. Another great adventure for the ages…

But when Edmund is set upon by bandits, in desperation, he breaks the cardinal rule and grabs for the relic, an ancient sword. To his surprise, instead of unsheathing a rusty, ancient weapon, an alarmingly handsome man appears, wielding daggers of blue steel and cutting the thieves down.

This man is the Dervish, an immortal warrior who’s been trapped for centuries in a sword of enchanted steel, and is angry as hell about it. He hates the curse that put him there, and he wants to hate Edmund, just as he has hated every wielder before him.

But the damned scholar is just so sweet and clever and kind. And while the Dervish may be able to protect Edmund from bandits, cultists, dragons, and strange inhuman diplomats, he may find it much harder to protect his own heart.

Review

I don’t think I’ve ever DNF’d a book by Kingfisher but there’s always a first time for everything. I haven’t read “Swordheart” but I thought I’d just jump into the sequel. I’m not sure if reading that book first might have changed my mind on this one but at the 15% mark I came to the conclusion that life is too short to force yourself to slog through a book which is not working for you from almost the beginning. 

The pace is glacially slow. The humor sometimes hits but mostly misses for me. Much of the opening section of the story covers Edmund who is leaving the priesthood where he’s actually a dedicate – more a lay brother? Edmund is frustrated that the priests of the God he serves seem more interested in holding onto their perks and knowledge rather than spreading it for the good of the people. Then Edmund is attacked on the road by bandits and accidentally draws the sword he is also transporting along with some books.

Suddenly an “angel” appears and fights off the bandits. Edmund is injured and we discover a bit about who and what the Dervish is. Should he let Edmund die, the Dervish will be free. But he reluctantly puts that thought aside and tries his best to help.There are pages of the Dervish cursing his fate, wondering if he’s steeping the tea correctly, and trying to take care of Princess, the ornery mule accompanying Edmund. The Dervish spends the evening talking to Edmund and “answering” as he thinks Edmund might. This gets old within a few paragraphs. There are parts here, such as when the Dervish is checking Edmund’s injuries, that also seemed a little pervy to me.    

Edmund and the Dervish will be opposites attract. Edmund is almost painfully shy while the Dervish is initially more bold, devil-may-care, and teasing which fits the fact that the Dervish is much older. Edmund gets excited at the knowledge that the man who bound the Dervish to the sword worked a language translation app into the magic and enthuses about being able to translate books from unknown languages. I guess this might come in later in the plot but the Dervish initially looks at Edmund as if he has grown another head. Many of their sentences that aren’t questions also end with question marks as a sign of … hesitancy? I dunno but also, annoying.   

So Edmund is sweet and shy and the Dervish is a bit hard bitten by his painful life in the power of men who have physically tortured and abused him. But he also enjoys making Edmund blush. But along with the “nothing’s happening” pace, I’m not enthused enough with their even miniscule relationship to be enjoying it. If you like a slower pace, more cozy but with possible hints of darkness to come, this might work for you better than it did for me. DNF

~Jayne     

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This is the diary of an English girl who falls in love with an eligible young Portuguese, Afonso. The bride recounts, vividly and hilariously, her and her Mother’s plans for an English country wedding, how they dealt with Uncle George (The Head Of The Family), and their success in making sure that on her wedding day the church was filled with music and flowers (both officially banned due to the “mixed” marriage of a Catholic bridegroom and a Church of England bride).

She subsequently finds herself living on a horse-rearing estate in a rural part of Portugal, coping with a truculent cook, a primitive kitchen (no electricity, no gas, no fly screens, no taps — unlike the stables, which were far more up-to-date) and watching a husband gradually turning into a horse before her eyes….

In Lisbon, a four-hour drive away, lived her husband’s parents, his nine brothers and sisters, an unending procession of aunts, uncles and cousins, and a large number of family servants. She recounts the ups and downs of the early months of her married life at Reinaldo, the family property which she struggles to make her own.

Friends and neighbours are also keenly observed in this light-hearted, observant and humorous account of a girl’s path from an English country cottage and a London flat, to love, marriage and motherhood on a traditional country estate in Portugal.

Review

I had read the except for this before buying it and once I’d finished it, I bought it post-haste. This is absolutely hilarious. In fact, I think it’s my favorite Cadell book so far. There is no murder or mystery at all – just romance. Well, romance and family. There’s a lot of family. First we see the English relations as the countdown to the wedding begins. The Bride’s practical Mother and the somewhat officious Uncle George who as Head of the Family feels duty bound and determined to Do His Duty – aka interfere like mad and throw his weight around. The Bride’s flatmate’s boyfriend (with no job) almost drives them both mad trying to win Philippa away from the cad with the yellow sports car (who has a job) while the Bride’s Mother subtly schemes to make sure that There Will be music at the wedding. Meanwhile the Bride dissolves into tears as the tension mounts and is frequently comforted by her intended Afonso who loves her to pieces.

But that’s just the start. Soon she reaches Lisbon where a “small family gathering” is considered by Mama and Papa to be a mere sixteen people to dinner. Then comes the send off to the estate which is likened by the Bride to be something out of the scene from “War and Peace” when the French were almost at the gates of Moscow. The greatest shock arrives when they arrive and the Bride realizes she didn’t truly listen to Afonso when he told her about her new home.

Told entirely as journal entries from the Bride’s POV, I laughed almost non-stop at Cadell’s subtle humor and zinging one liners. I imagine that she must have seen families like Afonso’s and estates like this one. Initially the Bride sometimes comes off a little distracted and at times slightly smug in English superiority but Afonso does a great job going to bat for Portugal. By the end we can really see how much she’s come to love the place and the family as well as the husband. Though, of course, there are growing pains and learning curves as the marriage steams full ahead. Their battle over the Bride’s longed for gas cylinder stove (see the cover image) is the perfect example.

Got out of Land Rover, went into shop. No bother buying stove, slight check about gas cylinders as necessary to sign papers. Signed them, wrote cheque, remembered suddenly that horse money probably not paid into Afonso’s account but estate account, too late to worry, not worried anyway, signed cheque and had gas stove and gas cylinders loaded on to Land Rover, went back to shop to find out name of future supplier of cylinders. Got into Land Rover, saw Afonso coming, lost nerve and said earnest prayer for preservation of happy married relations. Saw with surprise Afonso walked past Land Rover, realised hadn’t recognised it with unfamiliar load. Saw him stop and turn. Renewed prayers with increased fervour. Opened eyes to see Afonso standing beside Land Rover trying to speak. No words. Saw him get into Land Rover and sit at wheel staring straight ahead, still no words. I said in desperate voice, did he love me? He turned to stare at me and after long consideration, said yes.

Cadell does a marvelous job of showing not only what the other characters are thinking and feeling but also their reactions and movements. I can easily “see” the scenes. She also paints the Bride as being much more liberal and cosmopolitan than her English family and quite ready to defend Afonso, Portugal, and her choices to her family – even Uncle George. Of course once she actually gets to the estate that has no electricity, running water or fly screens over the windows – the game changes just a little. Still when the Bride tells Afonso their happy news, everything is joyous.

Thought, when in own room after dinner, of how to break news, came out of reverie to hear Afonso, brushing teeth in bathroom, say he supposed Mama and I had spent last few days in shops. Said yes, and I had got something for his birthday. He said rather early for birthday present, but what was it? I said little colt or perhaps little filly, too early to say. Afonso went on brushing teeth. Brushing slowed, stopped, toothbrush fell into basin, Afonso swallowed large quantity of toothpaste, turned and stared at me through open doorway, mouth agape. Asked me what I had said? Asked him if he could teach me how to whinny, and would he please wipe foam off lips, news stupendous, but not as stupendous as all that. Handed him towel, found self enfolded in embrace, Afonso murmuring incoherently My wife My wife. I said in present circumstances, this very reassuring.

A-

~Jayne

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Your humour really works for me and I enjoy the effortless diversity and acceptance of queerness in this rich world you’ve created. I gather there are earlier books set within the same universe – and certainly the later Saint of Steel books are too (I recognised Brindle the gnole here) but I have the sense that the world has much yet to explore and is as big as the real one I live in.

Halla is a widow who lives in Rutger’s Howe with her deceased husband’s relatives. For the past few years she has been keeping house for Great Uncle Silas who has recently passed away. Silas, very unexpectedly, left all his property to her and his remaining relatives, including Aunt Malva and Cousin Alver, are incensed. As a result, she has been locked in her room, pending her agreement to marry Alver of the clammy hands. Halla, who dislikes clammy hands (among other things) is not good with this plan and in any event, thinks it unlikely she’d survive very long once the vows are exchanged.

After a few days and out of acceptable options, she decides to take matters into her own hands and end her life. Silas was a great collector of artefacts and in Halla’s room there is a great sword on the wall. She decides to run herself through. Only, when she draws the sword, there’s a sparkling blue light and a man appears in armour and holding his own weapon.

Sarkis, the man in the sword, was enchanted into the weapon hundreds of years earlier in circumstances which become known as the book progresses. He is sworn to the wielder of the sword and as that person is now Halla, he helps her escape her horrid relatives in order to fulfill his oath and protect her.

There follows a delightful road trip to Archon’s Glory and the Temple of the Rat to seek assistance in gaining control of her inheritance and thence back (with additional support) to Rutger’s Howe with many adventures in between.

Halla is an absolute delight. She’s funny and practical and well aware of her skills and shortcomings. She uses the former to disguise the latter to great effect. Sarkis is at first dumbfounded and then bemused and somewhat exasperated with Halla and her infernal questions.

“…Do women travel alone in your country?”

“Often enough,” Halla said, wrapping the cloak tight around her shoulders. “It won’t draw a great deal of comment. If I were younger or better looking, someone might care. As it is, they might think I’m being foolhardy, if anybody notices me at all.”

He scowled at her. “You are a fine looking woman. If your countrymen cannot see that, it is the fault of the decadent south, not you.”

Halla blinked at him, then felt a smile spread helplessly across her face. “That’s…that’s very sweet. Thank you.”

“I am not sweet. Did I mention that I’ve fought dragons?”

“Yes, but you also mentioned that it was mostly unsuccessfully.”

Sarkis grunted. “At any rate,” he said, “if anyone asks, I trust you’ll simply do that thing you do.”

“What thing?”

“You know.” He waved his hand irritably. “Begin asking unexpected questions until everyone in the conversation starts doubting their senses. It’s a talent. Like some strange form of diplomacy that goes so far in the wrong direction that it comes out the other side.”

At the same time he’s also attracted and impressed with her and he tumbles helplessly into love.

Woman’s built like an hourglass. The sort that measures twelve hours at a stretch.

Had he been younger and not trapped in a peculiar living death inside a hunk of enchanted metal, Sarkis would not have minded checking the time more closely.

Halla, for her part, doesn’t take very long to develop feelings for this handsome warrior sworn to protect her at all costs (I mean, who wouldn’t??) but worries that she’s not his type. Her experience in life is not to have high expectations. She’s not the kind of woman who men chase after and her scant experience with being caught didn’t necessarily endear her to the concept.

She is always kind and thoughtful and she treats Sarkis like a person and not an enchanted sword. She cares for his comfort and wellbeing and his agency – all of which are fairly novel things for Sarkis.

I laughed out loud so many times during the read. Sarkis’s dry wit and Halla’s combination of “stupid questions and extraordinary stories to drive people to giving up and leaving her alone”  (the one about the cauliflower was hilarious) and her tripping over her own feet to not be too obvious about her attraction kept a smile on my face most of the time.

“Lady, I have slept on stone floors with snow coming in through the windows. This is not a hardship.”

“Yes, but you don’t have to,” she argued. “There’s no snow. And we’ve got blankets! And a cloak! You could even share the bed if you want—I mean, not share it, obviously, not share-share it, I’m a respectable widow, or I was before I met you and all this happened, but of course I’m still respectable like that, so I would never actually—not that I’m saying you’d want to, of course, even if I wasn’t respectable, or that I’d want to—not that you’re not—I mean, it’s nothing against you, you’re a fine man who’s actually a sword and I don’t know if swords even—I mean, it would be ironic if they didn’t, given the symbolism, don’t you think?—but—”

At that point, her embarrassment reached out from somewhere in the center of her chest and mercifully throttled her tongue.

Sarkis had begun staring at her at some point in that recitation, his head tilting farther and farther to one side, like a dog that could not believe what it was seeing.

I particularly enjoyed the section of the book where Halla and their accompanying Rat Priest, Zale, devise a series of experiments to understand the magic of sword. Poor Sarkis!

“No one,” said Sarkis wearily, “in my entire life, has ever said, ‘yay,’ when I handed them a jar of piss.”

In terms of the romance, the underlying attraction is always there but Sarkis is worried that Halla will not feel free to reject his advances because she needs his help to regain her inheritance and so resolves not to make a move until she is safe and her awful relatives have been ousted and dealt with. Halla’s own thinking is not entirely dissimilar – she worries he does not have romantic feelings for her and she could possibly be taking advantage given that he’s bound her to her service. I liked that the power differential (both ways) was explicitly discussed in the narrative and consent was very much a live issue. When the time came for them to act on their feelings I was in no doubt that the consent was freely given, mutual and (very) enthusiastic.

There are two other contemporaries of Sarkis who are also in swords and I dare to hope that we will one day get their stories. Certainly there’s a kind of “Chekov’s detour” which occurs in this book but which doesn’t really go anywhere and on its own it’s kind of pointless. I’m thinking however that it will probably become very significant indeed in future books.

Sarkis is keeping something of a secret (but he has a good reason for hiding it) which throws a spanner in the romantic works near the end and then there are shenanigans and it’s Halla’s turn to do the rescuing, using her unique blend of skills to do so. Go Halla!

While the story has a definite HEA, I would not be at all surprised if there are further adventures in store for this pair which will tweak things further in their favour particularly given Sarkis’s long-held wish. I’ll definitely be along for the ride.

Grade: A-

Regards,
Kaetrin

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Pat Spain is used to doing things that he acknowledges are not normal — such as lying in a pit of 200,000 snakes or having a pygmy village take excessive interest in his bathroom habits. /Sea Serpents: On the Hunt in British Columbia/ chronicles the coolest thing this host of multiple wildlife-adventure TV series has done yet — traveling 1,000 feet underwater in a three-man sub. Follow Spain, and the National Geographic film crew that went with him, as he sets sail on a commercial fishing boat with a dozen angry men; plays a dangerous, absolutely bonkers sport; almost falls off a mountain while drunkenly hiking; and then some. Spain puts his marine biology degree to good use by getting drunk off the fumes of a pickled specimen of the largest bony fish on Earth, all in an effort to track down the truth behind stories of a giant Canadian sea serpent. The answer to the mystery probably isn’t what you’re thinking.

Dear Mr. Spain,

Sigh. The last book in the “Beast Hunter” series in which you travel the world looking for realistic explanations for legendary cryptids. Here the beast in question is the possible Canadian sea serpent Cadborosaurous, aka “Caddy.”

The book starts with the standard (to anyone who has read any of the other books) discussion of how you got into studying marine biology after a childhood spent hunting through the forests, ponds, or whatever looking for animals. There is also a rundown on the other people working with you on the program who all sound like a fun bunch. But watch your pillows if these folks are around you and take the sea sickness medicine when on a fishing boat.

I completely agree that the chance to go down into the deep ocean off the coast of BC in a submersible would be a once-in-a-lifetime thrill. The people of BC do seem like fine individuals. Yay for the shoutout to the First Nations and their stories about Caddy. Getting a tour of the NYC Main library – what a thrill. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute- ditto. But remind me not to check into a hotel with your crew. I will have to say that some of the background information on a few of the people who worked on this episode might have gone on just a tad long.

Then the last section arrives and it’s a lovely extensive discussion of the various creatures and types of animals (reptile, amphibian, shark, bony fish, cetacean, pinniped, cephalopod, etc.) who could, maybe, perhaps have been what led to Caddy sightings. Given how little we know about deep sea animals and how many new species are being discovered, I totally believe that Caddy could exist. Or a version of the various reported sightings of Caddy.

Once again, the events are told with enthusiasm and joy. Getting to look for Caddy involves lots of (also agree) cool sounding shots and set ups. I would have agreed to haul equipment and eat protein bars in order for the trip in the submersible to be approved, too. So, sadly this is the end of the series but I’ve had immense fun reading them. B

~Jayne

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Two boys. One deadly secret. A love worth risking everything for.

Rescued from a raging inferno as a young child, Jack is homeschooled in more than English and maths. His saviour is training him to be an assassin. But when Jack is compelled to attend an ordinary school, in an ordinary English town, his carefully controlled life unravels.

Zeph, brilliant, passionate and determined, has his eyes set on Cambridge and a future in intelligence. He has no time for distractions, at least, not until Jack turns up at his school. He’s everything Zeph has secretly longed for but he has no idea his life will never be the same again.

As boys turn into men, the cost of their connection becomes clear. Jack’s secrets are dangerous, and each time he sees Zeph, the more the two of them are at risk. Jack knows he should walk away and not look back. Is a happy-ever-after possible when his life is full of secrets and lies, disappearances and deception?

But some things are meant to be.

Warning (from the book blurb)
Violence – this is about an assassin after all!
None of the following are major themes but occur in the cruelty to a child, bullying, homophobic and transphobic remarks, cancer, brief mention of eating disorder, brief mention of suicide, gambling, death of parents.

I GOT THE BOOK ON KU.

Dear Barbara Elsborg,

This story was a monthly read for our book discussion group. I thought it was technically well written and I liked seeing the main characters interacting on pages, but I had issues with story execution and character development.

SPOILERS – THERE WERE MANY, BEWARE.

The blurb gives us a decent set up, but as I said I am going to discuss more spoilers than what were in the blurb.

So the man saves Jack from abusive parents and decides that there can be no other profession for a six year old than assassin? Sort of teach the young generation to carry on our legacy? Okay, then. To be clear at the end we learn that man was a relation of Jack, so him giving Jack the only profession he knew sorta made a little bit more sense to me than in the beginning, but really truly not much more.

The funniest part to me about the whole assassin business as described in this book was that as Jack follows Thomas (the man who saved him) in his footsteps and starts killing people at sixteen, we learn that Thomas only accepts jobs to kill bad guys. As much as the whole world of assassin business is hidden from me, I am having trouble believing that this is ever a possibility. Of course, of course I can easily imagine why the author chose to portray both Thomas and Jack that way – we are in the world of romance and in the eyes of at least some readers the romantic lead may be tarnished if he is engaged in the indiscriminate killing by hire.

But then two possibilities come to mind – to write a romance for real grey characters (not with imaginary grey morality) or to not use an assassin as a romantic lead at all? To be clear – this is not me telling author what to write or what not to write, it is me saying that an assassin only killing bad guys is an eye roll storyline for this reader.

As I said before I liked Jack and Zeph together, I thought they had tons of chemistry, but did I buy their actions, especially Zeph’s? Not really.

Do you know for example what you do when one of your relatives pushes you to the train rail and you could die but just got hurt really badly?

Nothing! You do absolutely nothing except telling them to get help and promise not to tell anyone in exchange. This would have made a little more sense if Zeph had no where to go from his house, but he does! That’s the whole thing that he goes to live with people who love him and support him right after the unfortunate “almost died” event took place. And you just tell your unstable step-sister to get help instead of reporting her? She needed help all right, not just talking to a shrink, but a couple of years in the locked up facility in my opinion.

So many issues were dropped on these boys’/ young men’s heads and in my opinion a lot of them were not dealt with in any depth. Zeph had bone cancer (I think it was a bone cancer based on the description), then it comes back when he is a college student. I did not have time to blink and it was all done and gone (treatment, etc). I usually hate manufactured angst in stories, but one would think that if the young person has to fight another round of a potentially deadly disease, him thinking and worrying about it a little bit at least would make sense?

Jack’s parents were horrible as we learn in the beginning and we learn a little more about his mom at the end, but if this was an attempt to humanize her for me it did not really work. I know Jack was six when Thomas saves him, but he seemed to be strangely unaffected by his early childhood. In my experience at least kids form the core of their personalities by the time they are five or six.

Zeph’s father is terrible, Zeph’s stepmother seemed to be less terrible, but also confusing to me as a character.

I sort of understand Jack wanting to protect Zeph from being involved with an assassin, but a) he never leaves completely and b) Zeph’s willingness to jump into bed with him pronto was ridiculous. No, I do not mean that there is any issue with young men wanting to jump into bed quickly with the subject of their attraction, not at all. What I mean is that Zeph is hurt every single time when Jack leaves and when he is coming back – everything is forgiven and forgotten. Sigh.

Zeph is presumably dreaming about a career with MI5 since he was very young, he is very smart and all that. Do you know what you do when you finally work for MI5 and got what you dreamed about and your love interest and Thomas are in your view? You do all kind of stupid things at work and divulge all the secrets to them and make sure MI5 does not know who they are while they are on another assassin mission. Why? Because true love.

And they all lived happily ever after.

Grade: C- (because hot and only because of that otherwise I would happily give the last quarter of this book an F because Zeph and his shenanigans at work, made me so mad)

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What’s a family vacation without a little murder?

Liv and Mandy Chisholm’s yearly sister trip is a sacred tradition, an attempt to bond as their lives increasingly diverge. Liv, the ever-practical older sister, packs the color-coded itineraries. Mandy, a bedazzled human tumbleweed, brings the spontaneity.

This year, the sisters take off for a rafting adventure through the breathtaking depths of the Grand Canyon with a group of strangers. But beyond the terrors of whitewater rapids, sibling squabbles, and rogue reptiles, the ferocious beauty of the river carries a darker undercurrent, and an unexpected guest: a murderer in their midst.

When a fellow traveler is found dead and another corpse hits the water, the rafting trip flips from idyllic sister vacation to high-stakes murder investigation. Every suspect has a secret, every clue is drenched in mystery, and Liv and Mandy can hardly trust each other, let alone their own instincts. With the river raging and danger around every bend, the Chisholm sisters must work together to catch a killer—and keep their relationship from capsizing—before it’s too late.

Dear Ms. Simon, 

Two sisters with opposite temperaments solve two murders while on a Grand Canyon rafting trip. There, that plus the blurb are all I’m going to describe about the plot. Two years ago I enjoyed “Mother-Daughter Murder Night” and this book has several similarities, namely sometimes antagonistic family relationships and women working together to discover whodunnit.

This is a fairly lengthy story that takes readers on a rafting trip down the Colorado River. There are two murders and an abundance (too many?) of possible suspects and characters. The mystery is one that I didn’t solve until right near the end. It relies on careful attention but there are so many details given in the book that it’s hard to know which ones are actual clues and which are red herrings so brava for that. And even until the very end, I wondered if perhaps my “aha!” moment was just about another red herring. Still I have to confess that so much detail sometimes overwhelmed me, I had to pause every so often to refresh my memory about what went with whom and why, and one or two things about how people acted sometimes stretched credulity. 

The main draw for me actually turns out to be the sister relationship between Liv and Mandy. The two are polar opposites and are described with verve that brings them alive. Their thoughts about the other are often not positive despite their obvious affection. These are kind of a “She’s my sister and I’ll defend her through thick and thin but sometimes I want to kill her.” 

Their different temperaments and skills at times seem to clash but then one will contribute just what is needed in a situation. A contribution that the other sister can only marvel at as she doesn’t possess the talent to unearth or deliver it. Each is aware of their differences, sometimes annoyed by them but truly sees the value in them – eventually. I loved reading the moment when the sisters began to see through the other’s POV. This is how I’ve come across to her all these years. This is why she sometimes rolls her eyes, huffs in annoyance or sighs at what I do. The revelatory scenes were great. 

I also like that in the epilogue, it’s mentioned that the overall investigation is still ongoing. There are lots of moving parts so this makes actual sense when held up against the real world and how long things can drag out. Mandy and Liv have changed some, but not totally. Fair warning to those who like to play along at home, it really will take until near the end of the book for all the subtle clues to get put together. Would I ever do a rafting trip like this with my sister? Nah, probably not but reading about the beauty of the area as well as solving a tricky murder mystery was fun. B

~Jayne 

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