This is a fun, clean, light contemporary romance that mixes both humor and some meaningful ideas about family in with the romantic feelz. Also:[image]
This is a fun, clean, light contemporary romance that mixes both humor and some meaningful ideas about family in with the romantic feelz. Also: Cancun setting! [image] ... and a really hot guy who's trying to keep our heroine away from his equally hot twin brother. If you're in the mood for a romantic escape, what's not to like?
Isabelle Lind had one of those crushes on her old college friend Marco Dawson ― the kind that lasts for years. The kind where the guy never sees you as more than a friend, because you're too shy and understated. And, most painfully, the kind where the guy dates and marries your roommate and best friend, Daisy.
It's about seven years later now. Belle has gained in confidence and style, and now has a successful career as a fashion designer, but she's never forgotten Marco. When a mysterious and helpful matchmaker (Pearl) happens to mention Marco is now divorced and will be at a week-long family reunion at a Cancun resort the next week, Belle decides it's time to take matters into her own hands and take a vacation (she needs one anyway, right?) and accidentally-on-purpose run into Marco.
It works like a charm, apparently, except the one she runs into first is Flynn, Marco's charming twin brother ... who Daisy has recently contacted, begging him to help her to get the chance to patch things up with Marco. What's a loyal brother to do? Especially when there's a sexy blond girl making eyes at him. Even if she thinks he's his brother. Duh: pretend to be your twin brother and keep her away from him! Of course!!
Flynn's impersonation scheme gets exploded a lot sooner than I expected, which actually made this book a lot of fun. He and Belle continue to maneuver, each trying to put their plans into play and block the other's, while fighting the attraction they have for each other. Flynn's surrounded by the rest of his family ― parents, sisters, nieces and nephews, and more, not to mention Marco ― and they're adorable. Meanwhile, Daisy is staring daggers at Belle.
A few things happened toward the end a lot more quickly than I thought made sense(view spoiler)[, especially when Belle suddenly realizes that Marco isn't as perfect as she remembered and then, in very quick succession, that Flynn is the one she really wants anyway (hide spoiler)]. I also could have lived without the Big Misunderstanding trope coming into play, but its role is very short-lived so I could deal. Generally, though, this is a great escape, with some satisfyingly hot kisses.
Now I need to go to Cancun, or Cabo, or somewhere ...
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for ... not a review, actually, but some copyediting. But she gets the review too. :)
Merged review:
[image]
This is a fun, clean, light contemporary romance that mixes both humor and some meaningful ideas about family in with the romantic feelz. Also: Cancun setting! [image] ... and a really hot guy who's trying to keep our heroine away from his equally hot twin brother. If you're in the mood for a romantic escape, what's not to like?
Isabelle Lind had one of those crushes on her old college friend Marco Dawson ― the kind that lasts for years. The kind where the guy never sees you as more than a friend, because you're too shy and understated. And, most painfully, the kind where the guy dates and marries your roommate and best friend, Daisy.
It's about seven years later now. Belle has gained in confidence and style, and now has a successful career as a fashion designer, but she's never forgotten Marco. When a mysterious and helpful matchmaker (Pearl) happens to mention Marco is now divorced and will be at a week-long family reunion at a Cancun resort the next week, Belle decides it's time to take matters into her own hands and take a vacation (she needs one anyway, right?) and accidentally-on-purpose run into Marco.
It works like a charm, apparently, except the one she runs into first is Flynn, Marco's charming twin brother ... who Daisy has recently contacted, begging him to help her to get the chance to patch things up with Marco. What's a loyal brother to do? Especially when there's a sexy blond girl making eyes at him. Even if she thinks he's his brother. Duh: pretend to be your twin brother and keep her away from him! Of course!!
Flynn's impersonation scheme gets exploded a lot sooner than I expected, which actually made this book a lot of fun. He and Belle continue to maneuver, each trying to put their plans into play and block the other's, while fighting the attraction they have for each other. Flynn's surrounded by the rest of his family ― parents, sisters, nieces and nephews, and more, not to mention Marco ― and they're adorable. Meanwhile, Daisy is staring daggers at Belle.
A few things happened toward the end a lot more quickly than I thought made sense(view spoiler)[, especially when Belle suddenly realizes that Marco isn't as perfect as she remembered and then, in very quick succession, that Flynn is the one she really wants anyway (hide spoiler)]. I also could have lived without the Big Misunderstanding trope coming into play, but its role is very short-lived so I could deal. Generally, though, this is a great escape, with some satisfyingly hot kisses.
Now I need to go to Cancun, or Cabo, or somewhere ...
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for ... not a review, actually, but some copyediting. But she gets the review too. :)...more
3.5 stars. I recently reread the first two books in this fun self-published series, a mix of crime heist and conspiracies with a little SF and fantasy3.5 stars. I recently reread the first two books in this fun self-published series, a mix of crime heist and conspiracies with a little SF and fantasy thrown into the mix, and found myself interested enough to buy this third book ... and hoping that we'd get some resolution on the cliffhangers at the end of the second book. That last hope wasn't satisfied - this book kind of goes off on a side trail and focuses on a separate story that's very tangential to the main plot arc. But it was an interesting romantic suspense novel that kept me engaged until the end. Theme- and style-wise it's kind of in a middle ground between the first book, Pimpernel, which I really liked, and the second book, Royal Ball, which was somewhat less appealing to me.
Jack, the Pimpernel of the series, is asked by Margot, a "Cupid" in their hidden society (which is a Venus-type of semi-magical character) to help two "soulmates" come together, Sebastian (Seba), a rich forger/semi-conman, and Victoria (Vic), a high fashion model with dreams of being something more, but who's been boxed in by her mega-wealthy and harsh adoptive father. The biggest problem is that an international assassin, the Starbreaker of the title, has been hired to kill Vic within the week.
Jack, with the help of the shady fighter Kali, takes on the task of saving Vic. Their plan: get Seba involved to take the lead on saving Vic from whoever is threatening her, with their secret assistance in the background. Bringing down a Starbreaker in the process is the icing on the cake.
When Seba gets an anonymous letter (from Jack & Co.) asking him to save Vic, who he shared a memorable kiss with a few years ago and then never saw again, it's an irresistable lure.
Fun times, though the ending was a bit anti-climactic; I think it needed another scene or two with the main characters. And, as I said, I was a bit disappointed that there was no progression here on the overall story arc with Jack and Claire. But this is still a fun read for those invested in the series. Don't start here; though; start with Pimpernel, which really is a roller-coaster of a ride.
Merged review:
3.5 stars. I recently reread the first two books in this fun self-published series, a mix of crime heist and conspiracies with a little SF and fantasy thrown into the mix, and found myself interested enough to buy this third book ... and hoping that we'd get some resolution on the cliffhangers at the end of the second book. That last hope wasn't satisfied - this book kind of goes off on a side trail and focuses on a separate story that's very tangential to the main plot arc. But it was an interesting romantic suspense novel that kept me engaged until the end. Theme- and style-wise it's kind of in a middle ground between the first book, Pimpernel, which I really liked, and the second book, Royal Ball, which was somewhat less appealing to me.
Jack, the Pimpernel of the series, is asked by Margot, a "Cupid" in their hidden society (which is a Venus-type of semi-magical character) to help two "soulmates" come together, Sebastian (Seba), a rich forger/semi-conman, and Victoria (Vic), a high fashion model with dreams of being something more, but who's been boxed in by her mega-wealthy and harsh adoptive father. The biggest problem is that an international assassin, the Starbreaker of the title, has been hired to kill Vic within the week.
Jack, with the help of the shady fighter Kali, takes on the task of saving Vic. Their plan: get Seba involved to take the lead on saving Vic from whoever is threatening her, with their secret assistance in the background. Bringing down a Starbreaker in the process is the icing on the cake.
When Seba gets an anonymous letter (from Jack & Co.) asking him to save Vic, who he shared a memorable kiss with a few years ago and then never saw again, it's an irresistable lure.
Fun times, though the ending was a bit anti-climactic; I think it needed another scene or two with the main characters. And, as I said, I was a bit disappointed that there was no progression here on the overall story arc with Jack and Claire. But this is still a fun read for those invested in the series. Don't start here; though; start with Pimpernel, which really is a roller-coaster of a ride....more
Wow. This started off reading like a fairly straightforward novelization of The Fall of the House of Usher and then veered off in a direction I TOTALLWow. This started off reading like a fairly straightforward novelization of The Fall of the House of Usher and then veered off in a direction I TOTALLY was not expecting. It's certainly more of an explanation than Poe gave in his original story, hah.
There are some other interesting differences here: more characters, including a non-binary narrator with an intriguing background and unusual personal pronouns (which pronouns actually comes into play in a surprising way much later in the story), a mushroom scholar and artist who appears to be Beatrix Potter's maiden aunt, and the narrator's horse who has personality to spare. Madeleine Usher is a more fully developed character, which is all to the good. And there's a tarn around the Usher mansion with odd lights in the water ...
Excellently creepy.
Full RTC! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Merged review:
Wow. This started off reading like a fairly straightforward novelization of The Fall of the House of Usher and then veered off in a direction I TOTALLY was not expecting. It's certainly more of an explanation than Poe gave in his original story, hah.
There are some other interesting differences here: more characters, including a non-binary narrator with an intriguing background and unusual personal pronouns (which pronouns actually comes into play in a surprising way much later in the story), a mushroom scholar and artist who appears to be Beatrix Potter's maiden aunt, and the narrator's horse who has personality to spare. Madeleine Usher is a more fully developed character, which is all to the good. And there's a tarn around the Usher mansion with odd lights in the water ...
Excellently creepy.
Full RTC! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC....more
This Greek mythology-inspired novelette alternates between the voices of two nameless narrators. The first, the guardian of the Orangery, lives a solitary life, caring for and protecting the trees that are in her keeping, who were once human women. The trees’ startled shrieking one day warns her of an intruder: Apollo has come, searching for Daphne, whom he still longs for, though he’s more than willing to have sex with the guardian (or any other woman). The second narrator is the guide, who shows visitors through the Orangery and tells the stories of the women who now live there as trees, and their fraught dealings with the men who wanted them, but too often were abusive in the process. Not coincidentally, Apollo plays a role in all of these tales she tells to the visitors.
Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam’s story focuses on the relationships and issues between men and women, with a strong feminist message, woven together with the guide’s stories, which are variations on ancient Greek myths. It’s a disturbing story, with the ruthless Apollo symbolizing the men who are unwilling to take no for an answer. On the other hand, one of the stories features Dryope, a married woman who engages in an affair with Apollo to her ultimate sorrow, giving the story an interesting element of complexity.
The guardian makes some questionable choices: instead of leading Apollo to Daphne, she sacrifices another nameless woman, telling him this woman’s tree is Daphne, to try to protect the real Daphne. And she ultimately breaks away from the isolated Orangery to explore the world and herself:
Time had not been as kind to me, for I’d lived the kind of life some would be ashamed of. I’d known a hundred men, women too. I’d embraced Dionysus and explored other states of reality. I’d exhausted many of the world’s possibilities. I wasn’t ashamed.
Yay? For me that message doesn’t resonate, but others may find it, and this story, more appealing.
This Greek mythology-inspired novelette alternates between the voices of two nameless narrators. The first, the guardian of the Orangery, lives a solitary life, caring for and protecting the trees that are in her keeping, who were once human women. The trees’ startled shrieking one day warns her of an intruder: Apollo has come, searching for Daphne, whom he still longs for, though he’s more than willing to have sex with the guardian (or any other woman). The second narrator is the guide, who shows visitors through the Orangery and tells the stories of the women who now live there as trees, and their fraught dealings with the men who wanted them, but too often were abusive in the process. Not coincidentally, Apollo plays a role in all of these tales she tells to the visitors.
Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam’s story focuses on the relationships and issues between men and women, with a strong feminist message, woven together with the guide’s stories, which are variations on ancient Greek myths. It’s a disturbing story, with the ruthless Apollo symbolizing the men who are unwilling to take no for an answer. On the other hand, one of the stories features Dryope, a married woman who engages in an affair with Apollo to her ultimate sorrow, giving the story an interesting element of complexity.
The guardian makes some questionable choices: instead of leading Apollo to Daphne, she sacrifices another nameless woman, telling him this woman’s tree is Daphne, to try to protect the real Daphne. And she ultimately breaks away from the isolated Orangery to explore the world and herself:
Time had not been as kind to me, for I’d lived the kind of life some would be ashamed of. I’d known a hundred men, women too. I’d embraced Dionysus and explored other states of reality. I’d exhausted many of the world’s possibilities. I wasn’t ashamed.
Yay? For me that message doesn’t resonate, but others may find it, and this story, more appealing....more
3.5 star average for the two stories I've read in this issue so far, which are both free online here at Clarkesworld magazine. Reviews first posted on3.5 star average for the two stories I've read in this issue so far, which are both free online here at Clarkesworld magazine. Reviews first posted on Fantasy Literature:
3 stars for "Fire in the Bone" by Ray Nayler, a humans-vs.-robots tale: While robots work in the field harvesting pakata for the great harvest ship that looms overhead, the unnamed narrator watches them. He somewhat impatiently listens to the philosophical musings of an acquaintance, Albert, who obliquely warns him of youthful desires that should be put away. But the narrator isn’t listening; he’s much more interested in his upcoming clandestine meeting with his forbidden lover … a robot. She meets him in the hallway, and they make arrangements to meet after the upcoming “ritual meal.”
The little church where they meet has stained glass windows that tell a story of his ancestors’ landing on this planet and their dealing with an uprising of the robots. (Some strange Christian symbolism here, BTW.) Despite his love for the robot, the narrator is uneasy about the future. But there are more reasons to be uneasy than he realizes.
It’s an interesting story, but relies too heavily on the surprise factor of an event toward the end, building up to that climactic point. It wasn’t a particularly successful build-up for me, because several events in the story seemed either highly improbable in light of the final reveal (view spoiler)[why would robots need a giant harvest ship? (hide spoiler)]or simply innately unlikely.
4 stars for "They Have All One Breath" by Karl Bunker. It's a reprint from the Dec. 2016 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction and I've posted my review there, but I'll copy it here for convenience:
James is walking down the street late one night when he meets an old friend, Ivan. They walk together toward their apartment building, talking about the huge changes that have occurred ever since the AIs started taking over. It began with weapons falling apart in soldiers’ hands and missiles and tanks fizzling out and dying, averting a war in the Middle East. At the same time, flying bots were dropping tons of food and other necessities on refugee camps to alleviate the suffering.
No one claimed ownership of these Good Samaritan cargo-bots, nor of the gremlinesque nanoes that were screwing up the mechanisms of war. It soon became known that these were machines built and run by other machines. It was becoming undeniably evident that something new was moving upon the face of the land. Indeed, that the world was being rebuilt around us, disassembled and reassembled under our feet. The AIs were taking over, and they were changing the rules.
Over the next months and years the AIs continue changing our world in ways that seem clearly benevolent, or at least intended to improve society. They create nano-bots that cure disease, they solve worldwide problems of hunger and needs, and resolve other problems … often in surprising ways. But not everyone is fully on board with the actions of “the Machine.”
“They Have All One Breath” is strongly reminiscent of Jack Williamson’s well-known classic 1947 novelette With Folded Hands..., but takes a somewhat more ambivalent, nuanced approach to the takeover of society by robots. Karl Bunker effectively uses flashbacks to relate the details of the takeover by the AIs, with the division of opinion about the benefits of the takeover being represented by James and his former partner Lisa. Though Bunker owes a major conceptual debt to Williamson, his story is a thought-provoking and well-written one that’s worth reading.
3 stars for "Fire in the Bone" by Ray Nayler, a humans-vs.-robots tale: While robots work in the field harvesting pakata for the great harvest ship that looms overhead, the unnamed narrator watches them. He somewhat impatiently listens to the philosophical musings of an acquaintance, Albert, who obliquely warns him of youthful desires that should be put away. But the narrator isn’t listening; he’s much more interested in his upcoming clandestine meeting with his forbidden lover … a robot. She meets him in the hallway, and they make arrangements to meet after the upcoming “ritual meal.”
The little church where they meet has stained glass windows that tell a story of his ancestors’ landing on this planet and their dealing with an uprising of the robots. (Some strange Christian symbolism here, BTW.) Despite his love for the robot, the narrator is uneasy about the future. But there are more reasons to be uneasy than he realizes.
It’s an interesting story, but relies too heavily on the surprise factor of an event toward the end, building up to that climactic point. It wasn’t a particularly successful build-up for me, because several events in the story seemed either highly improbable in light of the final reveal (view spoiler)[why would robots need a giant harvest ship? (hide spoiler)]or simply innately unlikely.
4 stars for "They Have All One Breath" by Karl Bunker. It's a reprint from the Dec. 2016 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction and I've posted my review there, but I'll copy it here for convenience:
James is walking down the street late one night when he meets an old friend, Ivan. They walk together toward their apartment building, talking about the huge changes that have occurred ever since the AIs started taking over. It began with weapons falling apart in soldiers’ hands and missiles and tanks fizzling out and dying, averting a war in the Middle East. At the same time, flying bots were dropping tons of food and other necessities on refugee camps to alleviate the suffering.
No one claimed ownership of these Good Samaritan cargo-bots, nor of the gremlinesque nanoes that were screwing up the mechanisms of war. It soon became known that these were machines built and run by other machines. It was becoming undeniably evident that something new was moving upon the face of the land. Indeed, that the world was being rebuilt around us, disassembled and reassembled under our feet. The AIs were taking over, and they were changing the rules.
Over the next months and years the AIs continue changing our world in ways that seem clearly benevolent, or at least intended to improve society. They create nano-bots that cure disease, they solve worldwide problems of hunger and needs, and resolve other problems … often in surprising ways. But not everyone is fully on board with the actions of “the Machine.”
“They Have All One Breath” is strongly reminiscent of Jack Williamson’s well-known classic 1947 novelette With Folded Hands..., but takes a somewhat more ambivalent, nuanced approach to the takeover of society by robots. Karl Bunker effectively uses flashbacks to relate the details of the takeover by the AIs, with the division of opinion about the benefits of the takeover being represented by James and his former partner Lisa. Though Bunker owes a major conceptual debt to Williamson, his story is a thought-provoking and well-written one that’s worth reading.
Emily St. John Mandel does it again! Station Eleven was one of my favorites a few years back and this one is pretty close to it. I love science fictioEmily St. John Mandel does it again! Station Eleven was one of my favorites a few years back and this one is pretty close to it. I love science fiction and I really love a good time travel plot, and Sea of Tranquility does the job nicely, with intricate plotting. It has a deeper plot and a more lyrical than usual style of writing than most books I read (at least in the SF genre). And just a dash of Matrix in the plot along with the bouncing back and forth in time.
It made my brain work a little harder than usual, had some thought-provoking insights into life and human nature, and it's only about 250 pages, which is something I've come to appreciate greatly in this era of overblown epics.
If you liked Red (the Bruce Willis movie where someone is trying to kill off the retired black-ops team and they decide to fight back), Killers of a CIf you liked Red (the Bruce Willis movie where someone is trying to kill off the retired black-ops team and they decide to fight back), Killers of a Certain Age might be up your alley.
Here we have an all-woman team of assassins who've been working for 40 years with a secret organization, called the Museum, to take out Nazis and other villains. Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie are now being retired by the Museum and are given an all-expenses paid vacation as a send-off. It turns out to be planned as more of a send-off than the four women signed up for! They go into hiding together to figure out who's planned their demise and how to get the order for their deaths revoked ... or assassinate the people who gave the order.
I noticed a couple of plot inconsistencies (they say at one point that the Museum doesn't want innocent bystanders being killed, but then what's up with (view spoiler)[the whole blow up the entire cruise ship part of the plot (hide spoiler)]?
It's kind of a beach book, not deep but a fun read ... at least if you like murder mysteries and don't mind a high death count. And I loved Helen Mirren in Red and this is kind of like her times four. Hard to go wrong with that!
4.5 stars! I think I read this twice (maybe three times) within a couple of days of getting it, just because it was so much fun.
I adore the Andrews te4.5 stars! I think I read this twice (maybe three times) within a couple of days of getting it, just because it was so much fun.
I adore the Andrews team's return to Kate Daniels, and the move to a new city opens up her world in some new and really intriguing ways. I'm REALLY hoping they keep up with more stories (and novels, please!) set in the coastal town of Wilmington, North Carolina. Curran, Kate and Conlan (now 8 or 9 years old) have moved there to get a little distance from the Pack and try to keep "a lower profile." (HAHAHAHA!)
It turns out that the nephew of the guy who's fixing up their new home/castle/fortress was kidnapped by a local gang that specializes in child-kidnapping. Kate is having none of that, and immediately volunteers to track him down and get him back. The father is dubious but willing to go along for the ride. And a ride it is!
The plot is kind of familiar, but the new scenery really adds some freshness to it. I enjoyed this novella thoroughly.
Full review to come! I was lucky enough to be offered an ARC by the publicist - many, many thanks! ...more
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