Alien Mate by Cara Bristol – Review

Tags

4 stars, Adventure, aliens, Cara Bristol, humor, scifi romance

Review by Riley

About Alien Mate

I’m Starr Elizabeth Conner. Earth’s government falsely convicted me of a crime, packed me on a ship with other female felons, and sent us to Dakon, a primitive, frozen wasteland of a planet. Why? Earth needs minerals, and Dakon is desperate for females.

But I’m no barbarian’s ‘mail order bride,’ even if he is super tall, muscular, and the chief of his tribe. He doesn’t want a BBW blonde, either–it’s written all over his chiseled face. He’ll be truly angry if he ever learns what my ‘crime’ was.

I am Torg. I have waited 34 rotations for a mate of my own. With this shipment, I was sure to get a fine, sturdy mate who’ll bear me many daughters. Instead, I receive a small, curvy, pale-haired female who looks at me with anger and fear.

It is only when we ‘kiss’ that I believe things may work out between us. But I’m hearing rumors that Starr and her shipmates are law-breakers. To survive, Dakonians must obey all laws … or be exiled into the frozen wasteland. Just when I have found her, will I have to send my mate to die?

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Review of Alien Mate

Alien Mate is fun, romantic, and sexy. It also has a bit of mystery and danger. It is the perfect light read, taking only a few hours to finish, while filling those hours with scifi adventure and romance.

Just as the British shipped their convicts to Australia in the 18th and 19th centuries, in the future, earth ships convicted criminals to a world far away, Dakon. But instead of being shipped to penal colonies, the future transported criminals will be traded for shiploads of a valuable mineral. What’s in it for the Dakonians, who don’t even realize they are getting criminals? They are getting women. Long story, but due to a natural disaster, the planet is 90% men. Ms. Bristol puts her own very entertaining spin on the ‘Mars needs women’ trope.

Torq was late to the choosing of the mates sent by earth and Starr was picked last. I could so identify with being the one chosen last. Being chosen last does not put one in a cheery frame of mind. Starr and Torq end up with each other by default, not by choice. This is a bit of a rocky start. Our heroine and hero need to have some personal issues to work through – to keep things interesting – and the rocky start is just a portion of those issues. The shortness of the novel means that they can’t take too much time to work through those issues. I can’t decide if that was a good thing or not. I often felt Starr caved to Torq too soon, considering her motivations.  But it is a romance, so I knew it would have to happen for a HEA.

Because of the natural disaster, the planet exists in winter and is frozen for most of the year.  For heat, there is only fire. While planet recovery is slow, the natives have adapted. The newcomers are in for a huge change. Interest is added to the story with Starr trying to adapt after of life of comfort on earth. She must also adapt to the clan social structure.

Starr handles the new world with a little fear, but also with an open mind and a healthy sense of humor. One of my favorite scenes is of Starr and Torq discussing men’s horns and penises. (Because it’s funny. That’s all.) The humorous part is when the conversation between Starr and Torq turns to penises and, well, quantity. Torq’s response: “I only have one. Would you like to see it?”

Interactions between Starr and Torq were sweet and hopeful. But there are still problems to overcome and not just cultural issues. These problems keep the story moving along and provide a few surprises to continually freshen the story.

There are four reasons why I decided to read Alien Mate. One – Cara Bristol. Having read this author’s work before, I knew what I was getting into and was happy to get into it again. Two – the author promised (and delivered) humor. It is hard to turn down humor in a scifi setting. Three – SciFi Romance  – of course! And four – 55k words. I often enjoy short novels between longer, more complicate stories. I combined all these reasons and came up with sure, I’d like to read Alien Mate!  I am happy I did!

So, for scifi romance readers looking for a light adventure with romance, danger, and humor, Alien Mate is what I would recommend.

The author provided a copy of her book so that I could bring you this honest review.

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Aether Rising by Cecilia Dominic – Review

Tags

5 stars, Adventure, aether, airship, Cecilia Dominic, mystery, romance, series, Steampunk

Review by Riley

About Aether Rising

The only place to hide could be behind the truth.

No one can lie to Louisa Cobb. It’s her gift. Her curse. Magic her stepfather has no compunction about using to gain the upper hand in business. But when Parnaby Cobb presents her with her latest mark, she realizes he’s testing her loyalty.

Her target is Patrick O’Connell, an Irish tinkerer and scoundrel who stole a kiss—and her heart—years ago. Should she betray her stepfather to set Patrick free, she’ll be cut off without a penny to her name.

Patrick knows exactly he’s been captured, why he’s struggling to lie into Louisa’s sky-blue eyes. He’s invented a device to stabilize and direct the mysterious Eros Element. If he fails to recreate it for Cobb, his closest friends’ happiness will be at risk.

Back in Boston, as Patrick stalls for time and Louisa uncovers secrets of her tragic past, the two of them engage in a treacherous dance on the edge of love and danger. Where one wrong step could condemn them both to everlasting heartache—and unleash an unimaginably powerful force that could destroy their world.

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Review of Aether Rising

Aether Rising is book 4 of the steampunk/romance/adventure series Aether Psychics.  If you are looking for the first three books, you may not be able to find the former Samhain titles.  But if you want to dive into Aether Rising, don’t worry. Ms. Dominic reveals all the relevant details through the telling of the tale.

Aether Rising is has a very interesting ensemble of characters that add to the color of the story and to the diverse paths the story takes between the first page and the last page:

Physicist/Aetherist Edward Bailey – his talent is his intelligence.
Archeologist Iris Bailey – Iris is brainy and has the ability to learn the history of any item by touching it
Actress Marie Bledsoe – has the ability to completely become someone else.
Musician Johann Bledsoe – he plays the violin and is a bit of a charmer.
Doctor Chadwick Radcliffe – Chadwick is black and the year is 1871.  Enough said.
Doctor Claire McPhee – Claire is a psychologist and seems to be able to talk to ghost.
Tinkerer Patrick O’Connell – Inventor Patrick is also a charmer and talks to ghosts.
Truthsayer Louisa Cobb – Tell a lie and Louisa’s hackles get up.
Spy Henry Davidson – or detective or secret agent whose employers are mysterious.
Airship Lieutenant Crow – she is a Pythagorean.  So, maybe the enemy.

Physicist, Archeologist, Actress, Musician, Doctor, Tinkerer, Psychiatrist, Truthsayer, Spy and Airship Crewperson.  What do these people have in common.  An uncommon adventure!

Within the ensemble, there are two couples we want to see get together. The first is Chadwick and Claire. Both are doctors, but Chadwick is a Negro and Claire is white. At the time the story takes place in the US, it was not legal for them to marry, though they intend to make it happen. Their main story took place in book 3, Aether Spirit, but they are still key characters in Aether Rising.

The second couple is Patrick and Louisa. Louisa is the stepdaughter of Parnaby Cobb. She is beginning to have many second thoughts about her relationship with her stepfather who only treats her well because of her talent. Patrick is the tinkerer.  He is man with the knowledge of aether.  Louisa and Patrick met at a party several years ago and shared one sweet kiss.  You know where this is going.  In Aether Rising, the romance is overshadowed by the mystery and intrigue, but it is still a sweet part of the story.

Parnaby Cobb wants to use the aether to provide power to light the streets.  So he says.  It’s pretty clear Cobb has some other horrible purpose in mind.  So Cobb nabs Patrick and holds him prisoner.  At the same time, Patrick’s friends Chadwick and Claire have been ‘captured’ and separated by Cobb and Aunt Eliza in an effort to control Patrick. Claire ended up in Aunt Eliza’s custody and Chadwick in a prison because of his skin color. At this point I am beginning to get outraged for both Chadwick and Claire.

Aunt Eliza.  What a controlling, mean, old biddy. And why does society let people like her take charge of people like her niece Claire? When I read historical novels and there are young heroine’s whose lives are controlled by others, I am outraged. Can’t help it. Even though I know the heroine is going to win in the end (why – because – heroine).

In the meantime, the rest of the crew (the Baileys and the Bledsoes) have been searching for and/or trying to rescue Patrick and Claire and Chadwick.  All while running into people like Henry Davidson and Lieutenant Crow.  Davison and Crow are unknowns and tend to get in the way.  The Baileys and Bledsoes have had their stories told in previous books, so their roles are smaller in Aether Rising.  But they are no less significant and all add to the unfolding story of the Eros element.  I am enjoying this very clever and interesting group of people that adds multiple layers to the plot while continually refreshing the story.

About aether.  The mysterious element whose properties are not totally known, has manifested itself in various ways through the series. In past books, the element has been known to heal, amplify emotions, power weapons and it seems to communicate with ghosts.  Its true nature is still in question and in Aether Rising, while we learn more, the mystery is still left unsolved.  Having said that, I should mention that this book is a complete story – no cliffhanger!

In Aether Rising, Parnaby Cobb’s true purpose is revealed. He has been an enigma in the past, and you never knew for sure what he was up to.  He is a manipulator and, I’m pretty sure he would have you believe that all the events leading up to Aether Rising were personally orchestrated by him.  I have my doubts and that is all I will say on that subject.

Aether Rising has some typical steampunk elements.  Steamcars and airships.  And there are always bugs, in the form of some mechanical flying creature.  Either the Clockwork Guild or the Pythagoreans may be responsible for the bugs, but I never really know who is.  The goals of both of these organizations are murky at best, evil at worst.  There is still more to learn about them.

I just want to talk a bit about the third person perspective.  When one of the main characters has the scene, there is that typical internal introspection to add to the actions of the characters. When the ensemble appears, the internal introspection disappears. Action and dialog make up the page. Although I found this a bit harder to follow, not knowing what the characters were thinking about made me feel more a part of the action.

As I mentioned earlier, because of the demise of the original publisher, Samhain, not all books in the series are currently available.  There are three reasons you should not be concerned about that:  1) Ms. Dominic now has the rights to the books and will soon be re-publishing the series 2) the series prequel novella, Noble Secrets is available and 3) throughout the story of Aether Rising, details from previous installments are added when necessary to make sure you know what is going on.  Each book in the series does stand alone.

As with each of the previous books in the Aether Psychics series, I was delighted with the romance, drawn into the intrigue and carried away by the adventure.  Aether Rising is steampunk adventure and romance worth 5 stars!

The author provided a copy of her book so that I could bring you my honest review.

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The Aether Psychics Series

Noble Secrets
Eros Element
Light Fantastique
Aether Spirit
Aether Rising

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About the Author

Cecilia Dominic became a clinical psychologist because she’s fascinated by people and their stories, but she couldn’t stop making stuff up. By day, she helps people cure their insomnia. By night, she writes fiction that keeps her readers turning pages past bedtime. Yes, she recognizes the conflict of interest between her two careers, but she prefers to be called versatile, not conflicted. This Amazon bestselling author has been published in short and novel-length fiction and currently writes urban fantasy and steampunk. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with one husband and two cats.

You can find her at:
Web page: http://www.ceciliadominic.com/
Wine blog: http://www.randomoenophile.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CeciliaDominicAuthor
Twitter: @CeciliaDominic
Newsletter list (sign up for a free short story): http://eepurl.com/bjz2yf

Destined for a King by Ashlyn Macnamara – Book Review

Tags

4 stars, Adventure, Ashlyn MacNamara, fantasy, magic, medieval, romance, series

Reviewed by Riley

About Destined for a King

Though she is intended for the king, Calista Thorne picks up a crossbow to defend her ancestral home, Blackbriar Keep, from a gang of landless knights. She even manages to sink a poison-tipped arrow into their commander, who survives long enough to conquer the Keep and claim Calista for his own. Now, with her father’s life at stake, Calista must nurse the brigand back to health, and the strangest thing happens: She finds herself fascinated by his tautly muscled body, and enthralled by his hotly whispered demands.

Ever since his father’s death, the fearsome warrior they call Torch has been consumed by his quest for revenge. Taking Blackbriar Keep is the first step in that plan, and—by the three gods—it won’t be the last. But after taking one look into Calista’s smoldering gray eyes, Torch discovers a passion nobler than retribution. He will fulfill his destiny and take her from the usurper king, even in his weakened state. For with Calista’s love, no man has ever felt more powerful.

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Review of Destined for a King

Destined for a King surprised me a bit. My own fault really. Based on a blurb, I was expecting historical romance. What I got was romantic fantasy. I my defense, it did take place in an historical setting. Swords. Bows and Arrows. Horses. But no real-life place or time period.

It was a pleasant surprise. Romantic fantasy is a favorite genre, though I don’t read it as much as I would like to.  I am so glad I picked up Destined for a King!

Destined for a King is the first book in what is a promising new series. Here is what I liked:

First, I liked the relationship between the heroine and the hero. They started out as enemies, with Torch and his Bastard Brotherhood attacking and capturing Calista’s father’s castle – Blackbriar Keep. He also imprisoned all of Calista’s family. And Calista shot Torch with an arrow during the battle. So, you can imagine that things are going be a bit tense for a while. But the attraction between Calista and Torch is intense and fiery, made even more so by the enmity and mistrust they must overcome.

I also liked the medieval, fantasy setting. Like I mentioned earlier – there are the typical medieval weapons. There are castles – with dungeons. And there is magic. The magic has an earth-based, almost Celtic feel to it. Also, that magic is pretty mysterious. The author did not give a lot of explanation for magic and the source of it, so there is plenty left to the imagination, as well as possible future tales of the Bastard Brotherhood. There are also hints of great magic yet to be done.

Finally, as far as series books go, Destined for a King is a great setup. The Bastard Brotherhood is made up of several potential key characters including Torch’s sister and brother. While these characters played minor but important roles in Destined for a King, a background has been set up that will allow them to take the main stage in future stories.

I really enjoyed this book. But the ending was too much of a cliff-hanger. The relationship between Torch and Calista was resolved, but there are still of lot of other plot pieces in limbo.

If you don’t mind cliff-hangers, and you like a well-written historical fantasy with steamy romance, Destined for a King is a good one to check out.

NetGalley provided an ARC.

For more information about The Bastard Brotherhood series, I recommend you visit Ashlyn Macnamara’s website: http://ashlynmacnamara.net/the-basics-on-the-bastard-brotherhood-series/

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