Teatime Reading: Aether Spirit by Cecilia Dominic

Tags

5 stars, Aether Psychics, Cecilia Dominic, Civil War, favorite, historical, romance, series, Steampunk

Teatime Reading is the title I used for my reviews of steampunk fiction at Smart Girls Love SciFi Romance.  Sadly, that blog is ending and I will surely miss it.  So I’m taking a part of it and adopting it for Whiskey With My Book.  This review of Aether Spirit was originally posted on Smart Girls.

Aether Spirit is another brilliant story in Cecilia Dominic’s Aether Psychics series. I’ve been with this steampunk series since the beginning. Like its predecessors, Aether Spirit is a standalone story that is completely and delightfully unique within the series. The setting has moved from Europe to the Union States (United States) where a civil war still rages in 1871. Chadwick Radcliffe and Patrick O’Connell are both stationed at Fort Daniels, Chadwick as the medical chief and Patrick as an engineer. The third player in this saga is Claire McPhee, neuroticist, who has come to Fort Daniels to attempt to help battle-scarred soldiers get back on their feet by using new therapy methods.

By the way, Claire just happens to be the woman that Chadwick was engaged to before a terrible steamcart accident separated them.  Claire’s memories were taken from her and Chadwick was warned to stay away or risk hurting her. Claire has been discussed in both of the first two novels in the series, so I was pleased to finally meet her and get more of her and Chadwick’s story.

As if missing memories were not enough to keep them apart, Chadwick is black (or Negro in 1871 terms). As much as the northern part of the country may have acknowledged emancipation, true equality was a long way off. That included acceptance of a Negro man with a white woman.

While Claire and Chadwick are both consciously and unconsciously working to overcome these obstacles, Patrick is working on a weapon that could end the war. The weapon is to be powered by aether. Chadwick is Patrick’s sometime assistant in his effort to harness the energy source in a weapon and has some hope that the aether might also be an effective treatment to help Claire regain her memories.

While he is tinkering with aether, Patrick has another important role. Between Claire and Chadwick there are very few light-hearted moments, at least in the first half of the story. Claire struggles with missing memories and Chadwick struggles with not being able to be with the woman he loves. These two personalities need Patrick’s cheery, charming temperament to relieve the tension. All three main characters are well developed and critical to the overall story. Additionally, Claire and Chadwick have individual stories that are intricately and flawlessly woven into the plot.

Chadwick and Patrick are the only two characters that were also in books 1 and 2 of the series, with a brief exception. I did miss that ensemble of characters, especially my favorite, Edward Bailey. Personally, I am hoping Edward, Iris, Marie and Johann make their ways back into the story. Inspector Davidson and Parnaby Cobb will show up in Aether Spirit, in small but provocative roles.

The other recurring ‘character’ is the Eros element – or aether. The use of aether, including as an energy source, is the theme that ties the books in the Aether Psychics series together. With each book you learn just a little more about it and I am certain there will be more to learn. As the title of the book might imply, in Aether Spirit the Eros element takes on a personality. This is as much interesting as it is terrifying and opens the series to go pretty much anywhere with future plots.

The background of an extended civil war had me comparing the creation of an aether-powered weapon to the use of atomic bombs in 1945. The debate over whether the end justifies the means was as much a part of the story as it is in life.

On a lighter note, when you read Aether Spirit, look for what I like to call a steam-powered superhero costume. Loved it!

Each book in the series stands alone. Aether Spirit is no exception as Ms. Dominic does a good job of subtly filling the back-story where needed. I can recommend it as a standalone, but I would be remiss if I did not also recommend reading the entire series. It is definitely a favorite series for me!

A review copy was provided by the author.

Cecilia Dominic’s website

Aether Spirit on Goodreads

Amazon link:

 

The Great Balance (Beyond the Balance #1) by T.A. Davenport

Tags

4 stars, Adventure, fantasy, paranormal romance, romance, series, supernatural ability, T. A. Davenport

Brielle’s business needs a boost and she is wary of her current candidates. But when she meets Eric Windsor, he makes her an offer she can’t refuse with only one condition: she venture on a journey with him to help find something for him. As details of the mission are revealed to her after she’s already agreed, she begins to wonder if she did it for the right reasons by following her heart or just because of a handsome face. Her emotions conflict with her mind and sense of reality while her faith is put to the ultimate test when she realizes things about herself that she never knew was possible.

It starts as a simple business need for capital to expand CEO Briellyn Donado’s business. Two candidates step forward, both more than willing to fund her. Brie’s partnership with Eric Windsor is more than just business though. He needs her for a greater mission.

Brie was very willing go help Eric out with his other mission. After quickly signing investor #2’s contract without studying it, Brie immediately hires an interim CEO based on a very brief interview of a candidate recommend by Eric who she barely knew. At this point I really questioned Brie’s business acumen and common sense, leaving a newly cash-infused business to a complete stranger. However, this appears to play no part in the larger story, so I soon forgot about it and let myself be entertained by the adventure.

Adventure is a good word for what happens during the remainder of the book. Eric’s mission will have them traveling all over the world before it is done. Along the way Brie will discover who she is. Both Eric and Brie have supernatural abilities, which will have you wondering what they really are. They are joined by several others who provide all the support the mission will need and each brings their own talents to the mission.

There are a lot of characters in the mission group. I really liked the ensemble feel. I would like to get to know some of them better and that may happen in a future book in the series.

In The Great Balance, the future of humanity is at risk. Exactly why is stated but kind of glossed over. A little more detail would be great. Only one woman can save humanity. And Brie just happens to be that woman. There is quite a bit about prophecy and the fulfillment of that which has been foretold. But the actual prophesies are teasingly doled out bit by bit which allows for a surprise here and there.

Everything the heroine needs to know to do her job is also doled out bit by bit. I found a CEO heroine that just let that happen to be a bit annoying. I really wanted her to have it out with Eric and make him tell her EVERYTHING. She was way too easy going about the situation if you ask me. On the other hand, she was falling in love with Eric. Judgement clouded?

Eric, rich, powerful, and confident, and just maybe a little unsure where Brie was concerned. Should he or shouldn’t he. Yes, he was very attracted to her, but no, it would never work between them (for reasons I can’t disclose without a spoiler). It took Eric a while to make up his mind how he was going to handle the Brie relationship. Call it a slow moving, but intense relationship that was nicely interwoven into the rest of the adventure.

Barbanon is the bad guy. I am not going to say too much about him to avoid spoilers. But I’m not exactly sure what his motivation is other than basic survival. Did I need to know more to enjoy this first book. Probably not. Would I like to know more. Absolutely. I do like a really good bad guy!

This books is written in first person, present tense, occasionally switching from Brie’s point of view to someone else’s. The shifts are labeled. It is an usual style and took some getting used to. In many cases though, the first person perspective became omniscient, narrating about things that happened out of Brie’s line of sight even as she continued to narrate. This bugged me, probably more than it needed to.

The Great Balance tells a complete story, but also leaves the reader with many questions. There were characters whose intentions were not entirely clear (Brie’s friend Eryn and investor #2 Fiorello), so they may have a future role. By the end of the story, one of Eric’s crew will be possessed without the others realizing it. That does not sound good does it? There is plenty of dramatic and romantic fuel for the next book in the series. I would really like to see some of the other characters, get a bigger role in a future book. Especially Kalil (hint, hint).

T. A. Davenport’s The Great Balance is an ambitious debut novel.  It is multi-faceted story with fascinating complex characters. I would call it paranormal romance with a touch of fantasy.  This first book in a new series is a truly enjoyable read!

Review copy provided by the author.

Terrene A. Davenport’s website.

Purchase Links:

 

What Are You Reading This Weekend?

Tags

Anna Lee Huber, Art, books, dragons, historical mystery, library, mystery, reading, series

The Dragon Library by Rachel George

ABOUT THE ART

The Dragon Library
When books are gathered together, an interesting thing happens, the magic inside each book sort of.. latches together in a bright sparkled mess, and it grows. If left to their own devices, books would ultimately grow so much magic that all sorts of mad and fantastic things would happen, like knightly duels down the history isle, or long dead composers “letting loose” in the music section, and goodness knows what when cookery books are involved.
That’s why Library Dragons are needed, they keep everything in check.

Rachel George

 

I wonder if Library Dragon is code for Library Director……..

Art available at Society 6.

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This weekend I am reading As Death Draws Near by Anna Lee Huber.  It is the newest book in the Lady Darby Mystery series, which I heartily recommended to anyone who enjoy historical mysteries!

What are you reading this weekend?