Penny for Your Secrets (Verity Kent Mystery, #3) by Anna Lee Huber – Review

Tags

5 stars, Book Review, England, France, historical, historical mystery, London, post-war, romance, The Great War

About Penny for Your Secrets by Anna Lee Huber

The Great War may be over, but for many, there are still obstacles on the home front. Reconciling with her estranged husband makes Verity sympathetic to her friend Ada’s marital difficulties. Bourgeois-bred Ada, recently married to the Marquess of Rockham, is overwhelmed trying to navigate the ways of the aristocracy. And when Lord Rockham is discovered shot through the heart with a bullet from Ada’s revolver, Verity fears her friend has made a fatal blunder.

While striving to prove Ada’s innocence, Verity is called upon for another favor. The sister of a former Secret Service colleague has been killed in what authorities believe was a home invasion gone wrong. The victim’s war work—censoring letters sent by soldiers from the front—exposed her to sensitive, disturbing material. Verity begins to suspect these two unlikely cases may be linked. But as the connections deepen, the consequences—not just for Verity, but for Britain—grow more menacing than she could have imagined.

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Review of Penny for Your Secrets

Two deaths, a missing ship, British intelligence work, and possible rebellion close to home have Verity and Sidney Kent digging up clues, history and connections in order to find the truth. The constant flow of facts can be overwhelming, but the constant conjecture by Verity and Sidney have the reader following along with bated breath.

While mysteries are being investigated, Penny for Your Secrets shows us the developing relationship between the Verity and her husband Sidney, the returned war hero. They are, at times, very close and in sync and at other times, emotionally separated due to their own war experiences. This intriguing couple will continue to grow and make the series more than just a mystery series.

I dare you to read Penny for Your Secrets and not come away with a renewed understanding of that time in history. Like any of Ms. Huber’s historical mysteries, the details are meticulously researched and beautifully drawn in her depiction of post-World War I England. The post-war atmosphere is both carefree and tense. As a reader, it is easy to see how the Great War changed society forever.

You can read the books in this series as a standalones, but the experience is enhanced by starting at the beginning.  The Verity Kent Mystery series includes This Side of Murder, Treacherous is the Night and Penny for your Secrets. If you are a fan of historical mysteries, I recommend all three books!

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

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SFR Galaxy Awards 2018 – My Picks

Tags

airship, anniversary, dog, Donna S. Frelick, Mary Brock Jones, Nita Round, Pauline Baird Jones, post-war, sci fi romance, SFR Galaxy Awards, space opera, spider, Steampunk, Tabitha Lord

Today is the day!  It is my 21st wedding anniversary.

My anniversary just happens to fall on the same day as the announcement of the 2018 SFR Galaxy Awards.  The awards are announced hourly starting at 10am EST.  Head over there if you want to see what has been awarded so far.  In the meantime, since my picks have been announced, I am pleased to present them here.  If any sound like something you must read, clicking on the book cover will take you to Amazon.

My Favorite SFR in 2018 – no particular order….

 

Potent Post-War Setting Award

Aftermath (Hathe, #3) by Mary Brock Jones

In Aftermath, the post war setting of Hathe and its people is a fascinating background. Because of the huge subterfuge the Hathe people pulled over on the Terrans (See books 1 and 2: Resistance and Pay the Piper), the Hathe population has become split between the population that stayed on Hathe and the rest of the population that escaped to the moon, Mathe, and hid there for the duration of the war. Known as the dirtsiders and the moonies, they are not re-integrating into the post-war world very well. The struggles between the two sides of the same people are often heartbreaking. Aftermath has a complex plot, engaging heroes and heroines, and disagreeable villains. The slow burning romance between Jacquel (the understated antihero of the first two books) and Rheia is satisfying. But their roles as revolutionaries in the post war situation are what makes this book a great read.

 

Best Steampunk Transport

Raven, Fire and Ice (Touch of Truth, #1) by Nita Round

I do love steampunk and here is a new-to-me author that is serving up what I want. In Raven, Fire and Ice, Nita Round describes an airship that anyone would love to take a ride on. The airship is THE steampunk machine in this story that takes seems to take on a life of it’s own. Or maybe that life is due to the very able crew. The three main female characters, Lucinda Ravensburgh, who adds a bit of mysticism to the story, Magda Stoner, very capable airship captain, and Officer Ascara d’Jharaena ael Korphen (Officer Ascara for short), security officer, have a lovely flirtatious thing going. While their relationship does not reach the lovers stage they are clearly a very close group and I am anxiously awaiting the next book to see where they go.

 

Arcane History Award

Infinity (Horizon, #2) by Tabitha Lord

Infinity was released in 2017, but I discovered Tabitha Lord’s Horizon series in 2018. The series spans multiple worlds all caught up in both their own struggles and otherworldly problems. The main world, Almagest, has a spotty history. By that I mean, much of the history is unknown, lost during war. However, it appears to be very important. In Infinity, some of Almagest’s history is starting to be revealed through computer logs. But not all, so I can theorize all I want about what’s what. Will my theories prove true? I’m waiting on the next book to find out. In addition to all the hidden history, Infinity includes Derek and Caeli, the hero and heroine from two different worlds who may be the key to saving everything.

 

Arachnophobia Award for Creepiest Villain

Lost Valyr (Project Enterprise, #7) by Pauline Baird Jones

Villains get a bad rap. Yet, they can make or break a story. You know I’m right. So let’s talk about the malefactor in Lost Valyr. Have I given away anything about the villain yet? Specifically, lets talk about Xaddek. So, a giant spider as a bad guy. Personally, I like spiders in my garden. But up close, they are creeeeepy. No two ways about it, Zaddek is really bad! He has been known eat his own crew members. That has got to hamper his overall effectiveness as a captain. Lost Valyr also has one of the quirkiest romantic couples I had the pleasure to read about in 2018. Valyr rarely talks. Rachel makes up for it by filling in all the silent spaces. And did I mention they come from different planets?

 

Favorite Dog Hero

Not Fade Away (Interstellar Rescue, #4) by Donna S. Frelick

Not Fade Away’s heroine Charlie has a dog that I love. His name is Happy. This loving pup wriggles his way into everybody’s heart. Well, maybe not everybody, but at least the important people. Including me, the reader. Hero Rafe may not be too sure about a dog at first. He is not from Earth and has never seen a dog before, but Happy knows a good person when he sees one and eventually they warm to each other. With part of the action taking place on Earth and part off planet, Not Fade Way has constant action that overlays the understated, but crucial romance between Charlie and Rafe. A fantastic addition the the Interstellar Rescue series.

Warleader (Borderlands, #1) by Susan Grant – Review

Tags

4 stars, Book Review, post-war, scifi romance, series, space opera, Susan Grant

About Warleader by Susan Grant

The outlaw has taunted her in a galactic game of cat and mouse for years, but she never caught him. Now they’re supposed to make peace AND serve together on the same starship?

Not so easy to do when your sworn enemy turns out to be the hottest piece you’ve ever seen.

Warleader Finn Rorkken doesn’t care how many medals Admiral Brit Bandar has. He’s going to show her what it’s like to be pursued and caught by a master. Intergalactic peace is on the line, and if she wants his obedience, she’ll have to pay his price…

Challenge accepted, Admiral.

Welcome to the Borderlands, where rules are meant to be broken…

Based on the retired title Moonstruck, Warleader is an enemies-to-lovers sci-fi romance that sweeps readers into a galaxy-spanning adventure with action, laughter, and a few tears. Read this award-winning story today!

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Review of Warleader

Here is what you need to know. In the aftermath of war, the Coalition, the Drakkon and Earth have formed the Triad Alliance. The diplomatic ship, Unity, is run by Admiral Brit Bandar and her second command, Drakkon Finn Rorken, a former Warleader. The crew is a combination of all three groups who work together to complete their mission. Wait, that’s a little bit of a lie. They don’t really work together all that well. Yet.

Clearly the admiral hates all Drakkon. There are early hints at some major Drakkon-induced trauma, but it won’t get explained until later in the book. So, right off, the heroine and the hero are on shaky ground. With a crew that also does not voluntarily get along, there are sure to be lots of loud and flashy fireworks on board Unity.

But right off, despite the admiral’s conviction that the only good Drakkon is a dead Drakkon, there is clearly some attraction to Finn. It’s a two-way attraction. Chemistry. What starts as a friendly competition in the gym will escalate to… well, use your imagination.

In the meantime, not everyone is happy the war is over and problems quickly put crew of Unity to work. Settlements are attacked by what appeared to be Drakkon based on the method of execution. Finn doesn’t believe it, but lack of evidence doesn’t help anyone’s version of the story.  The conflicting opinions of the Coalition and Drakkon make for some good drama.

There was one aspect of the investigation of these troubles that really bothered me.  During the investigation, there was an obvious group of offenders. There are events that happened that led me to believe this.  But they weren’t treated any differently than the other survivors that were found along the way.

I’d have thrown that group in the brig. There is no reason they couldn’t find some way to escape and then go on to cause more havoc, because that is what bad guys do. But Brit and Finn really blew it. They made their name during wartime, and their first inclination is diplomacy? Not buying it.

A couple of things in Warleader are unexplained for me. 1) Why does Finn look so much like Brit’s late husband Seff that she has to do a double-take? 2) How did Earth hook up with this Triad Alliance? As near as I can tell, they were not part of the war.

Warleader takes place in the aftermath of war that was not confined to one world. Spread out as it was, on planets and in space, it will probably take a long time to convince everyone to embrace the peace. I see the possibility of several plots in the Borderlands series. I truly enjoyed Warleader and I look forward to seeing where this adventure leads.

The author provided a copy of her book in exchange for an honest review.

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