Breaking the Dance (A World of Spies Mystery, #2) by Clare O’Donohue – Review

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5 stars, Argentina, art forger, Book Review, Buenos Aires, Clare O'Donohue, humor, international spies, mystery, spy

About Breaking the Dance by Clare O’Donohue

Husband and wife college professors Hollis and Finn Larsson think their days as accidental spies are behind them. But just weeks into a new school year, a mysterious envelope arrives containing two passports. The photos are of Hollis and Finn but the names are Janet and Tim McCabe. Within hours, the couple is forced onto a private plane headed to Argentina with an Interpol mission to find Irish art thief Declan Murphy and a haphazard plan to get home with their lives―and marriage―intact. As clues take them from the mountainous north through the tango halls of Buenos Aires to the southernmost tip of Tierra del Fuego, they rush to find Declan and escape from the clutches of those who would do them harm.

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Review of Breaking the Dance

Hollis and Finn are quite entertaining as they step into their second round of playing international spies. How they got into this position, I can’t tell you because I have not read Beyond the Pale, book 1 in this series. But, after reading Breaking the Dance, I plan to. Already have it downloaded to my kindle.

I do know that Declan Murphy had something to do with it. Art forger and con man, enigmatic and charming, the reader does not really get to know Declan all that well. There must always be an air of mystery surrounding him. This is sure to make him a favorite character.

I also really like Blue agent Peter Moodley. He is all don’t ask questions, just do what I tell you one moment and the next he is there to save Hollis and Finn from certain harm. I’m pretty sure you don’t want to mess with him, but you do want him on your side. He and Declan have a hate-hate relationship that will evolve into something else in Breaking the Dance. It is quite enjoyable to watch.

But of course, the stars of the book are Hollis and Finn. As a couple, they are adorable and their banter is charming. As spies, they manage quite well, surprisingly. Hollis actually had CIA spy training, but ultimately went for the academic career. So her spy skills are there, just a bit rusty. Hollis is pure academic. For both of them, their intelligence is what allows them to become these accidental spies. They can think on their feet, improvise when needed and fake it when they don’t know what the heck they should know.

In Breaking the Dance, they are presented with a series of cryptic clues. While I thought the clues were a bit contrived to move Hollis and Finn from one scenic South American locale to another, I still enjoyed them. Taking place mostly in Buenos Aires Argentina, the narrative is full of admiration for the city’s architecture, people, food and for the culture in general. I’ve never been there, but I kind of want to visit now.

This contemporary spy story is full of intrigue, humor and romance. Breaking the Dance does stand alone, if you want to start the series here. I plan to catch up with book 1 and continue the series because I can’t resist the mysterious international criminal and the smart academic couple.

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

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And Now For Something Completely Different (The Chronicles of St. Mary’s, #9.7) by Jodi Taylor – Review

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5 stars, Book Review, humor, Jodi Taylor, moon landing, time travel, Zara Ramm

About And Now For Something Completely Different by Jodi Taylor

Here’s a question for you. What’s the most exciting thing ever found in a fire bucket? And don’t say ‘fire’ because you’ll be wrong.

Suppose – just suppose – it was the technology to take a pod to Mars? Yeah, now we’re talking!

Every Christmas, for reasons which seem good at the time – especially after an eggnog or two – Max and the others leap into the nearest pod and indulge in their illegal Christmas jump. It’s a tradition. This year, however, just to be different, they find themselves part of someone else’s illegal Christmas jump. It’s time to don a spacesuit and bring your own urine!

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Review of And Now For Something Completely Different

I once wrote a blog post comparing The Chronicles of St. Mary’s to Doctor Who. At the time, a major difference between to two was that the Doctor can travel anywhere in space, while the St. Mary’s crew are confined to Earth.

No longer.

When Director Pinkerton, from a future St. Mary’s, invites Max and Peterson to join the group to witness the first manned Mars landing, all kinds of alarms go off. Seriously, they don’t, or at least, no St. Mary’s historians hear them. Of course, they forge full steam ahead in a specially outfitted pod designed to travel in space. The Mars landing is a very significant historical event. Or will be. Or will have been. Depends on what era you hail from.

The Time Police are not happy.

I have to say, having Director Pinkerton as the main voice was lovely.  She is as smart and charming and brave as Max and will make one heck of a Director.  Or makes one heck of a Director.  Or was a really great Director.

So many possible disasters, so many actual disasters.  So much hilarity! I can’t recommend reading or listening in a public place. Unless you don’t mind the stares that fix on you when you laugh out loud.

And Now for Something Completely Different is short (73 pages) or 1 hour and 54 minutes as expertly read by Zara Ramm. You can’t go wrong this 2 hour distraction.

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Audiobooks – Three Reviews

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Adventure, audiobook, Book Review, E.J. Stevens, Eve Langlais, fairy tale, humor, Melanie Karsak, paranormal, psychic, retelling, romance, scifi romance, Steampunk

June was audiobook month. It’s a thing. During June, many authors will promote their audiobooks by offering free audiobooks through giveways or in exchange for a review. I was lucky enough to add three audiobooks to my library during June, so I thought I’d do some quick reviews. My reviews are all unbiased.

About Curiouser and Curiouser 

To save the Hatter, Alice must work with the one man she despises so much that she might still love him.

Alice thought she’d turned over a new leaf. No more working for Jabberwocky. No more making deals with the ruthless Queen of Hearts. No more hanging around The Mushroom with tinkers, tarts, scoundrels, and thieves in London’s criminal underbelly. But she’d been bonkers to dream.

Hatter’s reckless behavior leads Alice back to the one person she never wanted to see again, Caterpillar. Pulled into Caterpillar’s mad schemes, Alice must steal a very big diamond from a very royal lady. The heist is no problem for this Bandersnatch. But protecting her heart from the man she once loved? Impossible.

Sometimes love is mad.

See how New York Times bestselling author Melanie Karsak re-imagines Lewis Carroll’s classic fairy tale, Alice in Wonderland, with a steampunk twist! Join us at The Mushroom in gaslamp Victorian London.

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Review of Curiouser and Curiouser

5 stars

I loved this steampunk version of Alice in Wonderland, maybe even better than C.S. Lewis’ original story. I was introduced to Melanie Karsak’s writing with her steampunk novel Chasing the Star Garden, so I was quite certain I would enjoy more steampunk from the author. In fact, there is a very loose connection between the two stories, but if you blink, you might miss it.

The book blurb is a very good review of the plot, so I won’t bore you with any such details. What I will say is that Caterpillar, Hatter, Rabbit, the Knave and especially Alice are all more human than their knicknames would have you believe. Human with all sorts of history and flaws. And Alice is caught up with them all, but most especially with Caterpillar, also known as William. She left him once and now finds she must work with him again. Can she trust him? Should she? Especially since he stirs up all sorts of feelings.

It seems she has no choice so Alice will embrace her situation head on. I do like this character and if she reminds you of a certain other literary character, then I am certain that is purposeful. Even facing the Queen of Hearts.

Now, if you know the original story, you know the Queen of Hearts is heartless and savage. Double that, no triple that in Curiouser and Curiouser. She is definitely one evil @*&%#! Sorry, I don’t usually use language like that but sometimes it is warranted. This evil one has no genius to back her up. Instead, she uses the brains of the Countess, another quite interesting character.

Narrator Lesley Parkin had just the right accent(s). I especially like that she does not try to sound like a man for the male characters, but instead, uses light inflection nuances to differentiate between characters. As an audiobook, Curiouser and Curiouser was well done.

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About Frostbite

This spooky prequel short story is the perfect introduction to the award-winning Ivy Granger Psychic Detective urban fantasy series.

When a client claims that her house is being haunted, Ivy tries to keep her mind open and her weapons handy. If her psychic gifts and recent cases have taught her anything, it’s that you’re better off arming yourself for the unexpected.

Will our favorite psychic detective face down murderous ghosts? Anything is possible in Harborsmouth.

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Review of Frostbite

4 stars

I have read just one other book in the Ivy Granger series, but always wanted to read more. I find Ivy Granger, psychic detective, to be a fascinating character. At once wise about the paranormal, but also learning. I guess that is what a detective does – learns – in order to be smart enough to solve the mystery.

The prequel, is really just a short story and doesn’t really serve as an introduction to the series so much as a taste of it. It is pretty good tasty though. And if you really want an introduction, there is a very short creepy marketing spiel for Harborsmouth. If you like ghosts and things that go freaky in the night, then Frostbite is your thing. Along with the entire series I would think.

Melanie A. Mason does well as a narrator. Her voice is youngish but not so young that she sounds youthful. Thank heavens! Ivy Granger Psychic Dectective does well in the audiobook form and if I read more in the series, I might go that way.

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About The First Mate’s Accidental Wife

It was supposed to be a simple mission. Locate a kidnapper’s vessel. Rescue the woman. Return her home. Collect a reward.

Instead, the First Mate of the Gypsy Moth finds himself married to a galactic crime lord’s daughter and fighting off those that would make her a widow.

Busy watching his back, while keeping her safe, Damon misses the deadliest attack of all. The one on his heart. She’s taken it, and he’s got to decide whether giving up his freedom is worth the price of love.

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Review of The First Mate’s Accidental Wife

3 stars

I read Eve Langlais for the laughs. Not because I want a complex plot or an intense love story. Just the laughs. In The First Mate’s Accidental Wife, there are plenty of fish/squid/sushi jokes about the Kanishqui, the alien race the heroine Mishi is rescued from. Also, believe it or not, the universe is crazy for chocolate, which I find to be both silly and obvious. But the banter between Mishi and First Mate rescuer Damon, was the best. They start off antagonizing each other and end up merely irritating each other, but will all sorts of love and respect behind the words. And humor.

There is quite a bit of coarse language which I can do without. When reading, it is easy to overlook, and I often do. But is is not so easy when listening to the audiobook.

I did not care for Logan McAllister’s narration. His reading was very slow. I turned the playback speed to 1.25 and that helped, though it results in clipped words. However, it was good enough and the story was entertaining enough for me to finish listening.

The First Mate’s Accidental Wife is a short novel so if you are looking for some pure entertainment, it may be just the book for you.

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