WWMB Best of 2019

Tags

Jenna Glass, Jody Wallace, Julia Vee, Juliet Marillier, Ken Bebelle, Kyndra Hatch, Lindsay Buroker, Maria Vale, Maxym M. Martineau, Meg Pechenik, Monica Enderle Pierce, Vicki Stiefel, W. M. Akers

For the last 4 years, I’ve been a part of the SFR Galaxy awards. Earlier this year, to my consternation, it was announced that those awards are ended.

I can’t just let that drop. I am a book blogger. I have opinions about books. I am compelled to let those opinions out.

Even though SciFi Romance figures heavily in my reading, I feature a variety of genres here on Whiskey With My Book. Without the constraints of the Galaxy awards, I can expand my choices of outstanding fiction published in 2019.

These are the books that I found to be unique, caused book hangovers, made me excited for the next book, made me laugh or cry or even made me angry.  They all evoked a level of emotion that persisted from the time I read them in 2019 to the day I made this list in 2020.  So, lacking any other formal title and in no particular order, here are my selections for the WWMB Best of 2019 (and maybe one or two from 2018).

(Note: Click on book covers for the Amazon link.  Link to Goodreads under each title.)

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Science Fiction Romance

Learn a New Language
The Mother Element (Glass and Iron, #2) by Monica Enderle Pierce
Goodreads

This book is not available in audiobook. If it ever is, I wonder if the narrator will be human or Ohnenrai. The author has created a big chunk of an alien language which is liberally dispersed throughout the book. Language, though, is not really why this book is on my list. The Mother Element is easily my favorite SFR of 2019. I don’t pick favorites often, but this year I will make the exception. Pierce is a new-to-me author who writes a complex story with a socio-politial problem that crosses species lines. Solving the problem involves trust, hope and the ultimate sacrifice. Along with the first book, Girl Under Glass, this was such an engrossing read! I have not yet finished my official review, because of the complexity of the story, but plan to – eventually.

Escape Old Age
Altered (The Made Ones Saga, #1) by Vicki Stiefel
Goodreads

Altered is a cross between Scifi and Fantasy that features transportation to a parallel world where the Earth-bound ravages of disease and age are miraculously wiped away. I have to say, I really like this idea. Of course, the miracle comes with a price.  One hopes the price will be worth it.  Bad guys with a dystopian-like control make things interesting.  Add the Wolf Clan heir apparent, romance, a coyote/wolf, a little humor, plus a couple of sisters for future stories and you have a series to be followed.

Hard to Forget this Story
After the Fall by Kyndra Hatch
Goodreads

I first read this novella in the Pets in Space 3 anthology in 2018. The story was released as a standalone in 2019. This was a standout in the anthology and was the one that I could not get out of my mind. The author followed up with the equally good Interrupting Starlight in the Pets in Space 4 anthology. Both stories feature characters of different races, and both have a crash landing to start the adventure. Plus, animals help bring the characters together and get them through the danger. I just don’t think you can beat the scifi/romance/pets combination!

All You Need is a Box
Catalyst (Cat Ship, #1) by Jody Wallace
Goodreads

In case you were not aware, this book has a cat as a major character. And he ends up at a box factory. I suppose if cats have a heaven, there must be boxes. In Catalyst, there are humans too, along with danger and romance. I love the author’s sense of humor.

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Science Fiction

Science Fiction

Glad I Did Not See This at the Movie Theater
Cold War: Alien Storm by Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle
Goodreads

I started with the prequel audiobook The Needle and then downloaded Cold War. This alien invasion series had me on the edge of my listening seat. In the theater, I would probably have closed my eyes. I’ll be frank, there is a lot of alien and human violence.  There is a war going on.  There is also a good deal of weird experimentation on humans by the aliens. But still, I am compelled to keep reading. The third book, Cold War: Alien Exile, is on my TBR list.

Washington Internship
Ascending (The Vardeshi Saga, #1) by Meg Pechenick
Goodreads

Ascending was actually released in 2018, but I read it last year. The heroine’s trip on the alien ship reminds me of my sophomore college year, when I went to Washington D.C. (From Lincoln, Nebraska.) By myself. Not knowing anyone. Everything felt alien. In Ascending, language, food, and pretty much every social custom is alien too. I felt the heroine’s isolation, loneliness and the fear of the unknown. Bright Shards, book 2, was release last August and is very high on my TBR.

Need More Time to Read
Shockwave (Star Kingdom, #1) by Lindsay Buroker
Goodreads

A heroine (Captain Bonita) well past her youth, a brainy hero (Casmir Dabrowski) and a cleaning-obsessed AI ship (Viggo). What more could I ask for in a science fiction novel? I thoroughly enjoyed Shockwave, especially the geeky hero.  But the adventure is just beginning in Shockwave.   Books 1-6 were released last year and I have only read the first one.  I need more reading time!

Tiny Mysteries
Westside by W.M. Akers
Goodreads

Gilda is the five-foot-tall, solver of tiny mysteries. “Those impossible puzzles that burrow into our brains like splinters and keep us awake at night.” This quirky heroine really caught my interest in the alternative New York setting.  Tiny mysteries quickly turn into something much bigger.  A most unusual book.

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Paranormal

Nailed the Wolf Shifter Genre
Forever Wolf (The Legend of All Wolves, #3) by Maria Vale
Goodreads

From the beginning of the series, I admired the unique take on the wolves that can wear skin. This is truly a unique world. Reading Forever Wolf, book three, put me into the head of one of the bravest wolves of the Great North Pack. This is what the author does. With the first person perspective, Ms. Vale told a story through a remarkable character that made me love the series even more.  Interested?  I highly recommend starting with book 1, The Last Wolf.

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Fantasy

The Author that Always Makes Me Cry
The Harp of Kings (Warrior Bards, #1) by Juliet Marillier
Goodreads

The fact that this author makes me cry is is good. Really! I became a fan of Ms. Marillier a couple years back and now I want to read all her new stuff. So last year, I read The Harp of Kings. Loosely tied to the Blackthorn and Grim series that I loved so much, The Harp of Kings is full of great adventures, beautiful songs sung by bards, and many heartbreaking moments. Even the happy scenes sometime bring a tear to my eye!

New Series With so Much Potential
Kingdom of Exiles (The Beast Charmer, #1) by Maxym M. Martineau
Goodreads

Great characters including a Brotherhood of Assassins, an array of unusual beasts, hopeless situations and an impossible romance made this a book to read into the wee hours of the morning.  These same aspects give the author so much potential for a few future stories.  I will be following The Beast Charmer series.

 

Brutal Cliffhanger
Women’s War by Jenna Glass
Goodreads

I really don’t like cliffhanger’s and if they are not announced (in the book blurb), I get a little pissy.  With The Women’s War, it was bad.  “Brutal” is the word that one of my review commenters used and she was spot on.  But the reason it was so brutal is that the book was so good!  I was not ready for such a hellish moment in the story to be the end of the book.  The Women’s War is one amazing story. Based on a society where women are considered second-class citizens, if they are lucky, this is the story of revolution led by two extraordinary women.  Book 2, Queen of the Unwanted, releases in May.

Knight Protector (Star Kingdom, #5.5) by Lindsay Buroker – Review

Tags

5 stars, Book Review, Lindsay Buroker, romance, scifi, scifi romance

About Knight Protector by Lindsay Buroker

An arranged marriage she can’t escape.
A sexy bodyguard who will protect her at all cost.
A forbidden love she can’t give in to…

As one of the sultan’s fourteen daughters, and a successful businesswoman who puts money in the family’s coffers, Princess Nalini thought she would escape an arranged marriage.

She thought wrong.

Her father insists that an alliance with the savage and ambitious Star Kingdom is the only way to avoid a war at home.  As if that weren’t bad enough, her father believes the betrothal may make her a target and is assigning her a bodyguard.

But her new protector—Tristan—is not the brute she expected. He has a quick wit, a sexy smile, and even sexier things under the smile.

Unfortunately, Nalini can’t let herself fall in love with Tristan, not when she’s soon to be betrothed to another man.

As Tristan grew up on the streets, his father a convict and his mother a drug addict, all he ever wanted was to become one of the Star Kingdom’s elite knights, something that very few commoners ever achieve. After Tristan labors for years as a squire, the king is ready to appoint him a knight… if he accomplishes one simple task. He must infiltrate the sultan’s palace, gain the trust of Princess Nalini, and make sure she doesn’t run away from her marriage with Prince Jorg.

There’s just one problem.

Nalini isn’t the spoiled rich brat he expected—she spends her days working as hard as he does—and he soon develops feelings for her.  Can he stand back while a man who doesn’t deserve her claims her for his wife?

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Review of Knight Protector

This story, set in the Star Kingdom universe, is a stand alone scifi romance from a favorite author, Lindsay Buroker.

If you have read any of the Star Kingdom books, you will recognize this corner of the galaxy.  But the rest of the story is totally on it’s own.  Princess Nalini, real estate developer, is the only daughter of the Sultan who isn’t sponging off of the family wealth.  Likewise, almost-Knight Tristan work his own way through life.

When Tristan ends up as Nalini’s bodyguard, Nalini is not happy.  She already has a bodyguard.  But after meeting Tristan, she decides he is not that bad.  He’s a good guy – handsome, brave, smart.  But she is supposed to be marrying Prince Jorg, so maybe it is best if they just remain Princess and bodyguard.

Naturally, it will not be that easy.  Kidnapping attempts, betrayals, weeks in a space ship, and the not-so-desirable Prince Jorg combine to thwart Nalini’s best intentions.  You see where this is going.  In truth, it was pretty predictable.  Neverthless, I truly enjoyed this book.  Ms. Buroker always tells such a fun story!

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Links

Add Knight Protector to your Goodreads shelf:

Purchase Knight Protector:

 

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2019 Audiobooks “Reading” List – Part 3

Tags

alien invasion, Amanda Carlson, Amy Finegan, audiobooks, colonization, eco-scifi, Emma Wilder, fantasy, FBI, historical fantasy, historical mystery, Joel Froomkin, Julia Vee, Julie McElwain, Ken Bebelle, Khristine Hvam, Lindsay Buroker, Lucy Raynor, Luke Daniels, magic, paranormal, post-apocalypse, romance, scifi, series, Tanya Anne Crosby, time travel, Vivienne Leheny, Wendy N. Wagner

Today I share part three of my audiobook highlights of 2019.  There are several audiobooks that I listened to in 2019 that I am featuring over a few posts.  Each has that one-two (sometimes one-two-three) combination of author and narrator(s) that makes them such great stories.  I’ve got a series of three (short) review posts planned:

1. Freebie’s – Audiobooks that I won from an author, or were given away for the asking. For some reason (a reason that I will not question), authors are happy to give away Audible codes for their books. I tend to snatch them up.  Click on “Freebies” to see those reviews from November 21.
2. Gotta Listen (I Love These Authors and Narrators) – Audiobooks from series I read in 2019 that must be experienced to be appreciated.
3. Everything Else – Other recommended audiobooks, whether they are parts of series or standalones.

You will note that I use the word “short” to describe these reviews. With audiobooks, I do not take notes, highlight text or underline passages that I want to be sure to include in a review. I just listen. So, these reviews will be short and to the point. The book blurb will be longer!

In “short”, I liked all of these audiobooks and would recommend every one of them!

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Today’s Reviews – Everything Else.  Don’t let that title fool you into thinking they are all in the same category.  (Except for the category of “Recommended”.)  There will be a variety of genres and narrators, so hopefully, you will find something that “sounds” good.  All of these audiobooks were either purchased by me, or checked out from my library’s audiobook consortium.

If any of these sound good, click on the cover to find the book or audiobook on Amazon.

Listed below are the Everything Else recommended audiobooks that I listened to in 2019.

 

The Kings Favorite ( Daughters of Avalon, #1)
by Tanya Anne Crosby
read by Joel Froomkin

Bartering a deal with their “witchy” mother, Stephen the Usurper intends to wed all five sisters to his “new men.” Fearing her “gifts” will be used to defeat her sister Matilda, Elspeth escapes the Black Mountain priory that has sheltered them since their father’s death, only to find herself indebted to, of all men, a Scotsman, whose loyalties are in question….

Left to face the wrath of a new sovereign, Malcom Scott is forced to swear fealty to Stephen of Blois in order to keep the demesne he won by slaying his own grandsire. But having done so, he’s pitted himself against Scotia, and even his own sire. Yet even as he realizes there is no turning back, the late King’s favorite illegitimate daughter may offer him more than he ever anticipated.

Review
Story 5 stars
Narration 4 stars

I discovered this series when I discovered Chirp – an audiobook e-tailer that has some super good deals, with some as low as $.99. The mixture of historical and mythical figures is fascinating and I can’t wait to see where this series goes. Part historical, with lots of good history, and part paranormal, the series has much potential, since there are 4 more sisters with stories to tell. The narration was okay, but I will likely go to the e-book for the next book in the series. In fact, I have next two installments on my Kindle: The Holly and the Ivy and A Winter’s Rose.  It occurs to me, these two are perfect for December reading.

 

A Murder in Time (Kendra Donovan, #1)
by Julie McElwain
read by Lucy Raynor

Beautiful and brilliant, Kendra Donovan is a rising star at the FBI. Yet her path to professional success hits a speed bump during a disastrous raid where half her team is murdered, a mole in the FBI is uncovered, and she herself is severely wounded. As soon as she recovers, she goes rogue and travels to England to assassinate the man responsible for the deaths of her teammates.

While fleeing from an unexpected assassin herself, Kendra escapes into a stairwell that promises sanctuary but when she stumbles out again, she is in the same place – Aldrich Castle – but in a different time: 1815, to be exact.

Mistaken for a lady’s maid hired to help with weekend guests, Kendra is forced to quickly adapt to the time period until she can figure out how she got there; and, more importantly, how to get back home. However, after the body of a young girl is found on the extensive grounds of the county estate, she starts to feel there’s some purpose to her bizarre circumstances. Stripped of her 21st century tools, Kendra must use her wits alone in order to unmask a cunning madman.

Review
Story 5 stars
Narration 5 stars

Since I started reading the Kendra Donovan series with book 2, I decided to go back and see how it all began. Overall, the series is historical mystery with a bit of romance. And the theme of time travel is ever present. Historical mystery readers will need to be patient reading through the first few chapters, but patience is rewarded. This is a story of a 21^st century FBI profiler trying to solve mysteries in 1815 using the advanced methods and concepts she knows. All the while trying to fit in 200 years in her past. This interesting concept makes Kendra a great character to follow through this series which is now 4 books strong.

 

Holly Danger series
by Amanda Carlson
read by Emma Wilder

Danger’s Race (#3)

Danger’s Cure (#4)

153 years in the future, Earth doesn’t look much like it use. The norm in this city is a scrape-by existence in a post-apocalyptic world, where the rain never stops, food is always scarce, and the elite have deserted the ranks in search of something better. Holly Danger and her friends do all they can to make the world as they know it a better place. Championing the underdogs while going after the power-hungry and the corrupt leaders, Holly and friends have their work cut out for them

Review
Stories 5 stars
Narration 5 stars

In this post-apocalyptic world, everyone is appreciated for the skills they have acquired. It is a world of great need, so all contributions are appreciated, man or woman. Holly sometimes seems a bit super-heroish, but that does not detract from her. Physically and mentally strong, Holly survives with her friends in a manner that they – and nobody else – have defined. The cast of supporting characters is strong and the continuing story line has me coming back for more.  I recommend starting the series at the beginning.

 

An Oath of Dogs
by Wendy N. Wagner
read by Amy Finegan

Kate Standish has been on the forest-world of Huginn less than a week, and she’s already pretty sure her new company murdered her boss. But the little town of mill workers and farmers is more worried about ecoterrorism and a series of attacks by the bizarre, sentient dogs of this planet than a death most people would like to believe is an accident. That is, until Kate’s investigation uncovers a conspiracy which threatens them all.

Review
Story 5 stars
Narration 5 stars

One of the most unusual scifi plots I read this year. I’d call it eco-scifi (is that a genre?)  It even takes on a bit of a horror aspect as both the planet and the sentient dogs are no friends of the human settlers. This one kept me awake a night or two. Considering I hardly ever pick up horror, I am surprised I am recommending it. But I am. The ending justifies my feelings, so read through the creep…..

 

Blood Ties (Agents of the Crown, #2)
by Lindsey Buroker
read by Vivienne Leheny

Recently appointed Crown Agents Jev and Zenia must prove they’re worthy of their new jobs and young King Targyon’s trust.

Their mission? To research the strange “disease of the blood” that killed Targyon’s three cousins and left him unexpectedly ruling an entire kingdom at barely 20 years of age.

There are just a few problems. If someone was responsible for creating that disease, that person could still be in the city, forcing Zenia and Jev to deal with someone very smart and very dangerous. Meanwhile, since Targyon has the same blood flowing through his veins that his cousins had, he’s at risk of becoming the next victim. And as it so happens, Jev shares some of that blood, too. Might he become a target before Targyon?

When Jev and Zenia signed on for this job, they didn’t realize how deadly it might become.

Review
Story 5 stars
Narration 5 stars

Both Jev and Zenia are interesting, complex characters who complement each other as they take on missions for the Crown. Use of magic spices things up and the anti-elf bigotry gives the reader something to ponder. I have the entire series on my Kindle, just haven’t gotten to 3-5 yet. I wish I had time to read more of this fantasy series!

 

Cold War series
by Ken Bebelle and Julia Vee
read by Luke Daniels and Khristine Hvam

The Needle: An Alien Invasion (Cold War, Prequel)

Cold War: Alien Storm

The Needle is an action-packed first contact story that shares the battle for Earth through two soldiers’ eyes.

The Ringhead aliens have arrived, and they are xenoforming the Earth, sending mankind towards a new Ice Age.

Cold War: Alien Storm takes place after the war is truly under way.  When Lieutenant Cam Alvarez is called to investigate a desert massacre in the US Green Zone, she prepares for the worst.  Alien invaders already dominate Earth’s expanding polar regions, but Cam had never seen Ringheads survive exposure to heat… until they storm her troops and abduct her.

On board the alien mothership, Cam knows she alone can warn the human resistance about the catastrophic new threat. Subjected to cruel experiments, she fights for control as the Ringheads slowly strip away her humanity. Against impossible odds, Cam must escape her captors and make an unthinkable sacrifice to give humanity one last shot at survival.

Review
Stories 5 stars
Narration 5 stars

Both The Needle and Alien Storm are intensely dramatic, constantly moving, and ever-evolving. The adventure never ends even when the characters are practically dead. Part sci-fi, part alien horror, this it the kind of story I would not go to the theatre to see (too much gore), but comes across just fine in audiobook form. Great heroic characters give the listener plenty to sympathize with and aliens, whose purpose seems to be to wipe out humanity, give us a reason to cheer for the good guys. Be warned, this is not a happily ever after story. The series continues with Alien Exile, which just released. Here’s hoping things start looking up for humanity.

High marks to both narrators. Luke Daniels is favorite narrator for me and many other listeners. The equally talented Khristine Hvam was new to me, but she has quite a repertoire, so is probably familiar to many listeners.