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Whiskey With My Book

Monthly Archives: March 2019

No Rest for the Wicked (Mistress of None, #1) by Phoebe Darqueling – Review

28 Thursday Mar 2019

Posted by WWMB in Book Review

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Tags

4 stars, Book Review, Chicago, clairvoyant, ghosts, historical, New Orleans, old west, Omaha, paranormal, Phoebe Darqueling, Sacramento, train ride


About No Rest for the Wicked by Phoebe Darqueling

Other people just think they’re “haunted by the past.” In Vi’s case, it’s true.

Clairvoyant Viola Thorne wants to forget about her days of grifting and running errands for ghosts. The problem? Playing it safe is dull. So when a dead stranger begs for her help, Vi jumps at the chance to dust off her hustling skills. The unlikely companions are soon tangling with bandits, cheating at cards, and loving every minute.

Then she finds out who referred him, and Vi has to face both a past and ex-partner that refuse to stay buried. Though she betrayed Peter, his spirit warns her of the plot that cost him his life. Vi’s guilty conscience won’t let her rest until she solves his murder. Though she’s spent her whole life fighting the pull of the paranormal, it holds the key to atoning for the only deception she’s ever regretted—breaking Peter’s heart.

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Review of No Rest for the Wicked

A page or two into chapter 1 and I knew this would be a very entertaining book. Clairvoyance aside, heroine Viola Thorne is a larger-than-life character. As one would need to be to survive as an unattached woman in 1871 Sacremento. Vi is the owner of a bar and takes no crap from any of her customers. She is smart and brave, brazen and impulsive, and she has a heart of gold.

This does not mean she is completely in charge of her life. Her clairvoyant abilities tend to overtake her, as happens in the very first chapter when a ghost shows up asking for help. Vi really does not want to help. Really, all she wants to do is live a normal ghostless life. That is not to be.

No Rest for the Wicked has some truly great characters. In addition to Vi, there is Bonnie, the widow, who has the same adventurous streak as Vi, but has a bit more common sense. Peter is a ghost with issues. And George, the young boy that Vi has sort of adopted, is sweet and maybe a bit ornery.

The story line, although it took a while to get to it, revolves around Vi, Peter, George and Bonnie going back to New Orleans to help Peter resolve his ghostly issues so he can move on. They got sidetracked a few times, dealing with a rich, snooty, bigoted woman, a ghost on the train, and also explaining the great Chicago fire of 1871. While the fire was tied to more closely to the story, I thought it unnecessary.

The bad guys remained named throughout the story. There is a ghost who wants to haunt in a really big, bad way and manages to bring a trainload full of trouble to Vi and her friends. The ghost is under the control (sort of) of someone who seems to be even more wicked than the ghost.

Vi has the help of her Aunt Prudence, the wise relative whose advice will likely save Vi’s life. And Vi will have to grudgingly admit it. The dynamic between Aunt Pru and Viola was delightful, shedding some light on Vi’s past, present and probably her future.

After No Rest For the Wicked, there is a lot more of the paranormal coming. The story ends on a cliffhanger. In fact, they never even get close to the bad guys. The unnamed evil one does his “MwaHaHa” at the end. Which a great portent of things to come, but also irritating. Cliffhangers – don’t need them! Of course, not everyone has the same opinion of cliffhangers. And, with any luck, the next installment will not be too many months down the line.

This old west adenture/ghost story is PG rated. So no excessive violence and no sex. No Rest for the Wicked will entertain and delight readers who enjoy paranormal and historical fiction.

Thanks to the publisher who provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries, #2) by Martha Wells – Review

27 Wednesday Mar 2019

Posted by WWMB in Book Review

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Tags

5 stars, artificial intelligence, Book Review, Martha Wells, mystery, robot, scifi, series, space opera


About Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

It has a dark past – one in which a number of humans were killed. A past that caused it to christen itself “Murderbot”. But it has only vague memories of the massacre that spawned that title, and it wants to know more.

Teaming up with a Research Transport vessel named ART (you don’t want to know what the “A” stands for), Murderbot heads to the mining facility where it went rogue.

What it discovers will forever change the way it thinks…

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Review of Artificial Condition

In All Systems Red, the robot that called itself Murderbot overrode it’s protocols and became self-aware. In Artificial Condition, the ongoing evolution of the robot into increased sentience is a fascinating story. Only the robot’s viewpoint is presented, so what others think about it is what is reflected back by Murderbot’s very limited lifetime references.

We know from Murderbot that, in general, people of Murderbot’s culture are afraid of robots gone rogue, due to the way they are presented in popular entertainment. But this rogue robot does not seem at all dangerous. We also know that Murderbot gave itself that name because it murdered many people in the past. So maybe it is dangerous. It is addicted to entertainment media which could be unduly influencing it. It could go crazy at any moment!

In Artificial Condition, the robot investigates the events that led to Murderbot’s name, teaming up with the AI of a research ship name ART. ART seems to be as self-aware as Murderbot. Do the ship owners know how much ART thinks for itself?

I can’t quit thinking of Murderbot as a she. I am not sure why. I think it goes back to book one when she appeared to mother the people she was supposed to protect. Am I the only one that thinks this way?

The continuation of Murderbot’s story in Artificial Condition has me evermore involved in the well-being of this alluring robot. I must keep reading this series. Hoping I don’t get as addicted to the series as Murderbot is to Sanctuary Moon.

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Polaris Rising (Consortium Rebellion, #1) by Jessie Mihalik – Review

26 Tuesday Mar 2019

Posted by WWMB in Book Review

≈ 2 Comments

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4 stars, Book Review, Jessie Mihalik, scifi, scifi romance, series, space opera


About Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik

A space princess on the run and a notorious outlaw soldier become unlikely allies in this imaginative, sexy space opera adventure—the first in an exciting science fiction trilogy.

In the far distant future, the universe is officially ruled by the Royal Consortium, but the High Councillors, the heads of the three High Houses, wield the true power. As the fifth of six children, Ada von Hasenberg has no authority; her only value to her High House is as a pawn in a political marriage. When her father arranges for her to wed a noble from House Rockhurst, a man she neither wants nor loves, Ada seizes control of her own destiny. The spirited princess flees before the betrothal ceremony and disappears among the stars.

Ada eluded her father’s forces for two years, but now her luck has run out. To ensure she cannot escape again, the fiery princess is thrown into a prison cell with Marcus Loch. Known as the Devil of Fornax Zero, Loch is rumored to have killed his entire chain of command during the Fornax Rebellion, and the Consortium wants his head.

When the ship returning them to Earth is attacked by a battle cruiser from rival House Rockhurst, Ada realizes that if her jilted fiancé captures her, she’ll become a political prisoner and a liability to her House. Her only hope is to strike a deal with the dangerous fugitive: a fortune if he helps her escape.

But when you make a deal with an irresistibly attractive Devil, you may lose more than you bargained for . . .

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Review of Polaris Rising

As a big fan of scifi romance, I am always please to find a new talented writer in this genre. Jessie Mihalik has nailed it! The combination of scific culture and geography, plenty of otherworldly action and a they-should-not-be-together-but-they-are romance had me racing through the pages of Polaris Rising.

There is great chemistry between Ada and Marcus (the princess and the soldier), both romantically and as partners in the adventure. Like I said, they should not be together. They come from two very different backgrounds. But they have similar attitudes about what is right and what is wrong and also about the Rockhurst (the antagonist).

Secondary characters, friends Veronica and Rhys as well as sister Bianca add to the depth of the story and the back-story for both Ada and Marcus.

Ada is high-tech. Conveniently so. Maybe too conveniently so. I found it a little hard to believe that all her communications to her sister were never intercepted or deciphered. But that may be the paranoid former IT worker talking. Ada and her multiple identities, codes and encryptions never got caught. Also, I often felt that complications were written just to make it easy for Ada to get out of. Rather than creating complications and then making it hard for the heroine to get around. In other words, Ada was too darn lucky to suit me.

The escalation of the political crisis seems to be what this series will be about. That, and the people that are affected by it. The futuristic political consortium of three ruling families laying claim to a vast area of space was written fairly simplistically. I will continue to read this series hoping to see more depth in the socio-political environment.

I wanted to read this because a) I read Mihalik’s The Queen’s Gambit and loved it and b) a fellow-reviewer said the romance was downplayed to make room for the main story, which also reminded me of The Queen’s Gambit. Polaris Rising has far more romance than The Queen’s Gambit, and while the main story line never suffered for it, I would not described it as downplayed. Maybe it was that constant attraction without doing much about it that got in the way of other things. Ada did a lot of over-thinking about her hot partner, when I thought she should have been thinking about a) the bad guy(s), b) the current political situation, and c) the significance of tech on board her stolen ship, The Polaris.

Despite my slight criticisms, all-in-all Polaris Rising is a great scifi story with a smoldering romance, making this book a truly fun read!

Through Edelweiss, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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