Lady of Light and Shadows by C.L. Wilson

Review by Jennifer (mywolfalways) 

Elysetta, the daughter of a woodcarver, always dreamed of being whisked away in a Fae tale like those she read in her youth.  Unfortunately, being in a real life Fae tale is more complicated than the ones she read.

In the previous novel, Lord of the Fading Lands, our heroine was saved from a marriage to a nasty neighbor when Rain, the Fae king and legendary Tairen Soul, made claim to her as his true mate.  This novel continues to show her courtship with Rain, her preparation for marriage through exhausting ceremonies in the church, the challenges she faces in learning high social graces, and the prejudices she encounters as she comes to terms with her newfound magical abilities.

When I read the first book, I thought I might be reading another peasant to princess story, but it’s much more than that.  The second book gets more in depth with the characters, the world, and the plot.  Elysetta is an intelligent and generous young woman, who quickly has to mature in this novel due to enemies in court, most of which seem to want to do nothing more harmful than embarrass her.  Rain, a loving and protective man, insists that she be guarded by a quartet of Fae.  Her guards protect her but are also loyal to her through friendship.  As she opens up to them, they teach her how to protect herself in a physical manner.  Once Rain and the others learn of her magic, they encourage her to learn to control it; however, she is somewhat reluctant to do so, having been told all of her life that it is evil.

Having been so long away from the mortal world, Rain is often surprised and frustrated by how easily mortals seem to forget history.  While he has thousands of years to remember personally, humans have at most a hundred.  He has to fight in the court against dangers in a formal manner that he would rather confront directly.  These dangers, of course, soon reveal themselves to be much more dire than anticipated.

Most people in the city are suspicious of Rain and the Fae.  This makes Elysetta’s life difficult enough, but it’s made even worse by her concerned mother, who spares no chance to let her daughter know that she disapproves of the match.  Her father, while concerned, decides he will respect whatever decision Elysetta makes when it comes to her marriage arrangements.

At the climax of the novel I was stunned and felt the sting of Elysetta’s loss.  And when I reached the last page, I knew I couldn’t let my heroine’s story end this way.  I’m anxiously awaiting the arrival of the next book.

You Know When the Men are Gone by Siobhan Fallon

Review by McGuffyAnn M. (nightprose)

This debut novel gives an honest glimpse into the possible lives and situations of military families. Author Siobhan Fallon knows, as she is a military wife. Her book, You Know When the Men Are Gone is based on her experiences living in Fort Hood, Texas, while her husband, an Army Major served two tours of duty in Iraq.

This book is a collection of stories involving the lives of those left behind, here at home, while their loved ones are gone off to war. We see what their spouses, families, do in their absence, including how, and with whom, they spend their time. We experience the seeming holding pattern they feel they are in.

Loneliness is the obvious common thread in these stories. We see how the women come together to keep each other busy, to pick up the slack left in time’s void. They help each other in keeping memories of spouses active with meetings, making group care packages, supporting the spouses gone to war, and each other left at home.

While this is a novel, it is based on the reality of the lives of our own military families. We see how those gone to war are affected and need our support, our care. Siobhan Fallon makes us think of those left here, among us. They are in need of our support and care.

A Cold Day In Paradise by Steve Hamilton

Review by Susan R. (Sue-in-AZ)

Story Synopsis

Alex McKnight is an ex-cop from Detroit.  During his final days on the police force, he was shot and nearly killed in an incident that killed his partner.  The attacker is convicted and sentenced to life in prison, but Alex’s career is over due to his injury and resulting nightmares. He’s retreated to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to start over in a simple cabin in the woods.

In the U.P., a local attorney recruits Alex to act as a part-time private investigator. Expecting some routine easy work, Alex agrees.  He’s still recovering from his physical and mental wounds, but things seem to be looking up.

Very shortly though, Alex acquires an enemy – the attorney’s previous P.I. who is now out of a job.  On the very same day, Alex is drawn by a friend into an unsolved murder. And it appears that the murder is just the first in a string of murders, and Alex is being framed for the crimes – and the local police seem willing to believe Alex is guilty.  And if that’s not enough, it appears that his assailant from Detroit has somehow escaped from prison and is now stalking Alex.

Alex is unwillingly drawn into the role of solving the murders just to clear his own name, but at the same time he has to dodge local enemies, the police and a madman from his past.

My Review

This is an older book (1998), but I picked it up because it is an Edgar Award winner (annual award for the best mystery of the year).

I greatly enjoyed this book. I was kept guessing about who was responsible for the murders, why would anyone want to set Alex up, and just how did his attacker from Detroit get out of prison?  I found the book to be a real page-turner!

The character development for the main character (Alex McKnight) was pretty good.  By the end of the story, I felt a little bit like I knew Alex personally.  Since this is the first book in a series about the same character, it makes sense that some effort would be put into defining that character.  Other characters in the book were a little less well defined, but still believable and realistic.  The book also gave an accurate picture of the setting – the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the winter is very well described. I almost felt cold just reading the book.

I enjoyed the twists and suspense in the story.  While I always try to figure out what’s going on and who the culprit is, I’m always disappointed if I can predict the ending.  In this book, I was able to see some of the “reveal” coming, but not all of it.  I was very satisfied with the ending – all the loose ends tied up.

Rounding the Mark by Andrea Camilleri

Review by Matt B. ( BuffaloSavage)

Sicilian police inspector Salvo Montalbano and his band of dedicated detectives return in this seventh book of the celebrated series.

Because of the interesting setting and asides about food and his fractured relationships with other characters, these are definitely worth reading for those into mysteries that take place in other countries.

After reading about six of these in the last couple of years, however, I felt  a cynical sense of Camilleri’s going through the motions – vast criminal conspiracy in business and government, vicious crimes against the innocent and vulnerable, and globalization ushering in the promised land for very few.

As usual, Salvo is a sparrow that sprinkles drops of water on a burning forest.

Camilleri’s thesis seems to be that Italian society is so profoundly corrupt that the normal response of an intelligent person is to choose the fights that could be won, enjoy eating and drinking, hang out with friends, and get pleasure in the spectrum of relationships one can have with women. That’s what Salvo does.

And it’s fun to read.

Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire

Review by Susan R. (Sue-in-AZ) 

Synopsis

This is the fourth book in the October Daye series.

Toby Daye is a P.I. – and also a Changling. She has a Fae mother and a human father, and she attempts to live her life in both worlds.  As a half-Fae P.I., she tries to bring human crime-solving techniques to cases involving magic.  The two don’t always blend and she’s often caught in the middle.

In this book, several of her closest friends and allies have been attacked.  And the evidence points to Toby as the attacker.  She’s being framed for crimes she didn’t commit. The local Fae queen – The Queen of the Mists – is willing to accept Toby’s guilt and has sentenced her to be executed.

Toby believes that she knows who’s behind the attacks, but she has a hard time proving anything. On top of that, she’s getting confused about events and started to second-guess her own actions. She has to rely on her friends in the Fae community for help in escaping the Queen’s dungeons and to solve the crimes being committed.

The twists and turns in this story force Toby to face up to her own Fae background – and learn things she didn’t want to know about her mother.  We get a deeper look into Fae politics, and we see their truly ruthless side.

My Review

This series seems to get better with each book.  The characters continue to be very rich and the stories full of action and intrigue.

I’m enjoying following the developing love triangle of Toby with Connor and Tybalt.  Personally, I want to see her end up with Tybalt (King of the Cats) and I have to wonder where the series will take this story line.

It was also interesting to learn more about Toby’s heritage – and more about her mysterious mother.  It turns out that Toby isn’t quite what she thought she was. I can’t wait to see where this story line goes as well!

I love the use of Toby’s “fetch”. May was supposed to be the personification of Toby’s impending death. However she’s now taken on a life of her own and has moved in as Toby’s roommate.  I love the interaction between Toby and May. They remind me of sisters who are so alike that sometimes they can hardly stand each other, but then they surprise you with their differences.