Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas

Review by Cyn F. (Cyn-Sama)

Cachu sanctaidd! Ei fod yn arwr Cymreig! Or, for those of us not lucky to be born speaking Welsh – Holy shoot! A Welsh hero! Normally, in historic romances, you have either a member of the British aristocracy, or if they want to go for something more exotic, an Irish or Scottish lord. Poor Wales gets ignored like a forgotten cousin.

Being of Welsh ancestry, (second generation American here!), I have longed to see a Welshman take center stage. I’m so happy that it was one of my favorite authors that did the research and created the character of Rhys Winterborne. (Pronounced Reece/Reese.) A self made man who earned his money through a successful department store in London.

In the book that started this series, Cold Hearted Rake, Winterborne became engaged to Lady Hellen Ravenel, until a series of misunderstandings broke them apart.

When we start the book, we have Lady Hellen breaking all the rules of polite society, by going to see Winterborne, alone, at his private office. For those of you not familiar with romance tropes, or the history of British social mores, a young woman, without an escort would have her reputation ripped to shreds. While it is a bit of an overused plot device, Kleypas handles it with her usual grace and charm.

Throwing subtle humor in with charming family relations has been successful in her past few series, namely the Wallflowers, and the Hathaways. I just eat them up. While there are certainly some erotic moments, reading her books is like taking a bubble bath. Warm and comforting. In fact I usually reread them at least once a year, it’s kind of like visiting an old friend. The book is peppered with a few Welsh phrases, and in case you couldn’t tell, that left me grinning ear to ear. She does provide the translations in the back of the book, but you can pretty much figure out what Winterborne is saying through the context.

If you are not familiar with Lisa Kleypas, and enjoy historic romances, I would really suggest starting with the Wallflowers series, which starts with Secrets of a Summer Night. The books take place in roughly in the same time period, and the characters pop up throughout the different series. Most of her other books take place in the same universe, and I love them all. I just think that the Wallflowers are a good introduction to her style of writing. I found the book to be delightful, and I’ll be going nuts waiting until next February for the sequel to come out.

The Lion’s Share by Karin Shah

Review by Cynthia F. (frazerc)

First off – I loved it. I hadn’t read the first two in the series but that is being quickly remedied. This is an action-based paranormal read that manages to grip the reader on an emotional level as well. Although the action is pretty non-stop you rapidly come to empathize with the hero and later the heroine. I’m not sure how to talk about the plot without leaving spoilers but there are plot twists that the reader doesn’t see coming and there is a very satisfying ending.

On a general note, I read a lot of paranormal and shifter stories but this is the first time I’ve found one using chimeras. I mean, three forms? Lion, dragon and [ultra-yummy] human? How cool is that??

I liked the hero – he and his brother thought shifters were some fantasy thing that belonged in the movies; at least until they became shifters themselves. Loyalty to their foster brother gets them into trouble; first in the army and then later. And by trouble I mean being blackmailed into committing a felony and meeting your mate in the process – your FBI agent mate…

The heroine is a tough agent with skills and determination and absolutely no intention of getting caught in a no-win situation with some gorgeous perp who just happens to look like a carbon copy of a childhood friend. Fate must have a real sense of humor…

A word of warning however – this is a real page-turner. Do not start late at night, or when your in-laws or coming for dinner, or when you have to get your kids to soccer…

The Chimera Chronicles series

In Like a Lion

Entity Mine

The Lion’s Share

[Coming in July – Ty’s story]

Lion’s Prey

Murder a la Mode by Patricia Moyes

Review by Matt B. (buffalosavage)

The smell of bitter almonds tells series hero Inspector Tibbett that it’s homicide. Who would want to murder an assistant editor at a fashion magazine?

Moyes usually takes readers into subcultures, realms of their own. In Death on the Agenda, the setting is an international convention of narcotics cops. In what some call her best mystery, Falling Star, it is a movie set.

In this one, Moyes returns to a chaotic but irresistible setting, the world of fashion peopled by beautiful if dim models, pressed career women, and the creative types that are irascible and short with anybody or anything that gets between them and Their Vision. The fashion world is as convincing as the movie set in Falling Star. Moyes had worked as a PA to actor and director Peter Ustinov, so she knew about the production and business pressures of movie making. She is knowledgeable about publishing a fashion magazine because she was an assistant editor at Vogue for a time. Moyes effectively evokes the pre-Twiggy swinging London of the early Sixties.

Moyes wrote 19 mysteries and many short stories starring the main characters of Scotland Yard Inspector Henry Tibbett and his wife and Emmy. The helpmeet Emmy does not appear as a major character in this one, however. This, I think, is the first appearance of Emmy’s sister Jane, brother-in-law Bill and niece Veronica, a model, all of whom show up in the other Tibbett novels.

I don’t like to think that I read cozy mysteries, but I guess I have to say this is a cozy because it is in the old whodunit tradition: amusing prose, persuasive witty characters, a little romance, a genial series hero, a well-plotted puzzle, all the suspects gathered in the same place, a surprise reveal and that smell of bitter almonds.

This novel won rave reviews when it was first published in 1963. Critic Anthony Boucher (said like “voucher”) compared it to the best of Marsh, Allingham, and Blake.

Murder in High Place by R. B. Dominic

Review by Matt B. (buffalosavage)

When combative Karen Jenks is recalled from a small South American country where she was conducting research for her master’s thesis, she demands that her congressman help clear her name. Her rep in D.C. is series hero Benton “Ben” Safford (D., OH). He starred in seven mysteries between 1968 and 1983. This novel is the second in the series.

Ben’s default setting is to do his best by his southern Ohio constituents. So, only reluctantly does he get involved in a matter that touches on foreign affairs. Just before a meeting at which he was going to discuss Jenks’ case, a foreign aid bureaucrat is bashed on the head and tossed out a window.

Ben and his staff are also put in the poor position by Karen Jenks, who is beautiful, bright, and noisily suspicious of everything and everyone. Her obnoxious character is strong and attractive in a novel of vividly drawn insufferable characters. Also, many sensitivities and interests complicate matters for Ben’s office, the country’s embassy, the State Department, and the Washington police.

The reader gets the feeling of being privy to a closed world of insiders. However, given the novel was published in 1970, it feels like an artifact of a bygone age. Political disagreement is not a barrier to personal respect and friendship, an idea that seems quaint in our era of the institutionalized partisan divide.

The light tone is urbane and droll, the dialog suave and amusing. This is only what we would anticipate from R. B. Dominic, which was the pen name of two American businesswomen, economist Mary Jane Latsis (1927 –1997) and lawyer Martha Henissart (1929 – ). They also wrote under the name of Emma Lathen, with the series hero John Putnam Thatcher, a Wall Street investment banker before that job title became synonymous with “scoundrel.”

The Legend of Drizzit Series by R. A. Salvatore

Review by Julie D. (ecomama)

I have been a lifelong fan of fantasy, reading Tolkien & Heinlein as a pre-teen, among whomever I could find at the libraries in California’s Silicon Valley megalopolis.  One character stands out among many & for a long time, I wished to read more about the dark elf, Drizzt, Do’Urden, who was introduced in 1988, in The Crystal Shard.  It is finally time to read the Legend of Drizzt series from beginning to end…and it begins with The Dark Elf Trilogy.  What struck me then, as now is how desperately I want to jump up & shout “I will be your friend!”  I am not alone; this lonely drow has won the hearts of millions across the world.

I have seen many requests in my time as a member here for recommendations in the fantasy genre, as people who have never read the classic masters of the 60s, 70s & 80s, have now become intrigued by a genre that has, in some ways become eclipsed by paranormal romances & YA fantasy.  So, I thought a review, as I read this prequel series, detailing the early life of Drizzt, would interest members looking for a classic & engrossing epic fantasy written by a master storyteller.

Sometimes the epic fantasies can become so bogged down in some overarching theme or quest, coupled with world building, that much of the flow & character connection stumbles along.  Not so with RA Salvatore!  The details of this fantastical, underground world inspire without bogging you down in pages upon pages of detail.  Enough that you can plop yourself into the story & observe the characters as it unfolds.  Readers who are inspired by delving deeper into the motivations of various characters will not be disappointed, as Salvatore did indeed explore his characters in depth…even to allowing some understanding of characters whose motivations are completely at cross-purpose & value of my own.  By understanding the drow (dark elf) culture & how it came to be, you then can understand more fully the conundrum of Drizzt’s life.

The first book, Homeland, details the circumstances of Drizzt’s birth & how that affects his childhood & most of his youth, through to his 30s.  Salvatore expertly separates his life into comprehensive experiences, beginning with 10 years of indoctrination as a male drow in a female-ruled, underground, chaotic spider-worshipping society.  His sister’s role is to teach him his place, and he spends all of his time cleaning the chapel, listening to lectures, and being punished quite violently in an attempt to mold him into the perfect drow prince.  I refer to the “kind” sister.  Next, he is a servant to the household, not allowed to look beyond his own feet.  And finally, when he is accepted as the “second-son,” his mother screams at him for not looking her in the eye.  He eagerly accepts his place in society as a noble & spends the next several years as the sole pupil of the Weapon’s Master of the house, where he is further taught, not only how to fight, but how to live.  But here is the twist.  The Weapon’s Master himself does not truly accept the ways of the drow, rejoicing in Drizzt’s innocence, joy & morality.  Around 20 years of age, Drizzt is sent to the Academy, where he will finish his warrior training over 10 more years.  A great deal happens during this portion of Drizzt’s life, both to his relationship with Weapon’s Master & within the Academy, where enemies from his birth lurk.  The culmination is a moment of decision regarding Drizzt’s future.  Dark elves have lifespans nearing a millennium…if someone doesn’t stab them in the back.  Who does he want to be?  How does he want to live?

If you are not thoroughly attached to Drizzt by the end of book 1, before the middle of book 2, Exile, you most certainly will be a fan.  Having left the city of his birth, his homeland, for the wilds of the Underdark, Drizzt learns that survival is simply not enough…not enough to keep him living for centuries.  His family is hunting him, and killing all that get in their way.  He is tired of being alone.  He fears he is becoming something contrary to everything he believes in.  So, he seeks out an enemy of the drow, the deep gnomes.  He resigns himself to the prospect of dying if they will not accept him; he does not even accept himself, so expects nothing from them.  Blingdenstone, the city of the deep gnomes, offers him a glimpse of a community working together…and Drizzt learns what “living” truly is.  When word of his family’s continued hunt threaten the people who have welcomed & accepted him, Drizzt realizes he must, once again, venture into the Underdark alone, with only his most trusted, occasional companion & long-time friend, a magical panther.  He is thwarted, of course, by Belwar, a deep gnome whose life he saved during his days in the Academy, who insists on accompanying him.  The camaraderie & pranks between the three companions had me laughing out loud.  Drizzt experiences many challenges to his personal beliefs, and, finally, he returns Belwar to Blingdenstone, while his honor carries him alone, in his exile, to the surface world.

In Sojourn, Book 3, Drizzt’s first battle is quite obvious, after four decades of near darkness his eyes must adjust to the light of the sun.  Drizzt was born with unique eyes for a dark elf, along with a wider range of light-sight, giving him an advantage during this transition…and I appreciate that this transition was not rushed or glossed over.  Salvatore’s style allows for the realities of everyday life, the trials, the joys in simple things & the humor.  I found it disconcerting to imagine Drizzt as a rogue, dealing with prejudice, rather than as a trusted companion; I suppose someone new to this character would not experience that off-balance sense.  Either way, my heart goes out to him and the many people around the world who simply search for a safe & peaceful place to belong.  “One day, I was determined, I would find acceptance and find my home…in the end, principles would be seen and accepted for what they were, the character of the person would outweigh the color of his skin and the reputation of his heritage.”  As with the other books, there is a lot of deep prompting & thinking; I love books that inspire readers to new perspectives!  I especially love the character of Montolio, the blind ranger, who teaches Drizzt about nature on the surface, as well as connecting him to a higher purpose & spirituality.

I dislike reading books full of harsh negative realities & ugliness…though some writers are simply too good to put down for all that; you will find book 1 especially has a darkness to it.  At times, I am frustrated, others saddened or disgusted & it reminds me too much of the present  tragedies on this planet. It is the mark of an exceptional writer to evoke your emotions & keep you thinking decades later!  Though it was more grim than I prefer to endure for my reading pleasure, be assured there is an HEA for our hero.  The occasional musings of our hero, written in a much older, experienced voice, give tantalizing glimpses of the future & of how his early years affected him throughout his life.  These books certainly left me wanting more of Drizzt, and ready to reread the Icewind Dale trilogy next. There are 28 books thus far in the series, released in subseries of 2-4 books, all of which can be read independently if you are not ready to tackle the whole.

* The Dark Elf Trilogy
* The Icewind DaleTtrilogy (written 1st)
* Legacy of the Drow
* Paths of Darkness
* The Sellswords (overlaps with Paths of Darkness #3)
* The Hunter’s Blades
* Transitions
* Neverwinter
* The Sundering (Book 1 only)
* Companions Codex
* Homecoming

PaperBackSwap currently has 3 copies of Book 2 & 3 listed.  However, I also noted that the Wish List lines for others are not long, and in some cases zero.

The Cornflake House by Deborah Gregory
Review by Cheryl G. (Poncer)

The Cornflake House is a quietly quirky quick read which sets up enough curiosity to keep the reader turning the pages.

The book is told in the form of a letter that, after reading and digesting it, could really be written by any woman.

It is a reflective book, about the hold relationships have on us, and the choices we make based on loyalty and love.

I don’t often read general fiction, but the cover of this one drew me in while I was wandering about my community library. At only 288 pages, I figured I would give it a try and I was not disappointed.

Eve, the protagonist, draws a picture for us of an unusual family, with enough characters to make it interesting. Describing each, she allows us glimpses of each of them from her own perspective, they all
are folks we have met, are related to, have known intimately. And yet each are different.

I give this book 5 solid stars and recommend it for a nice summer afternoon read.

The Painswick Line by Henry Cecil

Review by Matt B. (buffalosavage)

A bookmaker employs Lucy Meeson-Smith as a clerk taking bets in the London of the early Fifties. She not only sets up a false account to place bets, which is obviously against the rules, but she also always backs winners. The winning too often and too much arouses the suspicions of her employers who sue her for fraud.

At her trial her defense brings out that her papa, a vicar in a remote country town, has made a life’s study of breeding and form and has become a brilliant tipster though he eschews betting himself as not becoming for a parson. The judge in the case, Mr Justice Painswick, has a swindler and con-man for son who is deeply in debt. The judge feels forced to pump the vicar for tips that he can win on and get his son out of dutch with his creditors and possibly the authorities.

Cecil doesn’t spend time on the etiology of criminal behavior, though he does weave together the theme of the influence of breeding on behavior. It seems both good and bad, whether “good in the stretch” or “liable to defraud” is apt to skip generations, that is, grandchildren and grandparents sharing more traits than kids and parents.

Touching on the British court system, the track and sporting life, and the milieu of people who spend a third of their adult life in prison, this episodic novel is intelligent, witty, and high-spirited. Cecil provides interesting information on frauds such as check kiting and bogus claims for commissions. He also tweaks lawyerdom with an exchange of acrimonious letters, which is a hoot. Readers of According to the Evidence (1954) will be pleased to find probably the first appearance of recurring comic character, Col. Brain, dimwit and twit.

This was Cecil’s second book, written in 1951. One would never know it was written shortly after his wife’s death, taken up to take his mind off grieving. Cecil was a barrister and judge so this legal fiction bears the stamp of authenticity.