Kiss of the Spindle by Nancy Campbell Allen – Review

Tags

5 stars, Adventure, Nancy Campbell Allen, romance, series, Steampunk

About Kiss of the Spindle

Doctor Isla Cooper is cursed. Literally. Each night, at the stroke of midnight she falls into a death-like sleep from which she cannot be awakened for six hours. To make it worse, the curse has an expiration date–after a year, it becomes permanent. And the year is almost up.

In a desperate attempt to find Malette–the witch who cursed her–Isla blackmails her way onto Daniel Pickett’s private airship bound for the Caribbean, only to discover she’s traveling with three illegal shapeshifters and the despicable Nigel Crowe, a government official determined to hunt down and exterminate every shapeshifter in England. Isla and Daniel must work together to keep the identities of the shapeshifters hidden while coming to terms with their own hidden secrets, and their blossoming attraction to each other.

Filled with suspense, intrigue, and plenty of romance, Kiss of the Spindle is steampunk Sleeping Beauty story. It is a race against the clock as Isla and Daniel try to hunt down the elusive Malette before Isla’s death-like sleep becomes permanent.

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Review of Kiss of the Spindle

Doctor Isla Cooper is brilliant and determined. It is that determined bit that gets her onto a last minute flight to the Caribbean. Her methods are less than polite and Daniel Pickett’s initial impression is not favorable. However, after he divests her of all her weapons, he begins to feel a little respect/attraction to the good Doctor. And when he learns more about who she is and what she does, the esteem level raises even more. The initial meeting between Isla and Daniel does a tremendous job of setting the stage not only for the forthcoming romance, but also for the adventure and intrigue to follow.

Daniel is aiding three shifter passengers to help them to a better life. Unfortunately, another last minute passenger, the extremely disagreeble Nigel Crowe of the Predatory Shifter Regulations Committee, is going to test Daniel’s patience and his skill as an airship polite. Crowe’s presence on the ship was both annoying and entertaining. Unfortunately, as the journey progressed, Crowe avoided the other passengers, so there were fewer provocative conversations.

Bits of Isla’s background are related in the beginning, but you learn the most about her through her conversations, journal/list entries and her actions. There is much to this very interesting character to get to know. For example, Isla’s experience and skill with shifters will come in handy during the voyage as they face the coming full moon. Yes, there will be a full moon.

The publisher, Shadow Mountain, has a number of ‘Proper Romance’ novels. They are very PG, with some violence, but no horribly graphic violence. There is no intimate sex on the page and anything more is only hinted at. However, romance in Kiss of the Spindle was not lacking into intensity. I would describe it as ‘Proper’-ly complicated and captivating. The initial antagonistic relationship slowly warms to attraction and more, once Isla and Daniel work through all the other intrigue in their lives.

And there is intrigue. Plenty of it. Everybody seems to be hiding something, some more obvious (shifters) than others (Daniel, Isla, even Crowe). And the curse that has Isla dead to the world for 6 hours every night … Well, ending it will challenge everybody.

The fairy tale theme of Sleeping Beauty is secondary to the characters and the story. As I read, I really did not think of the fairy tale at all until near the end. Kiss of the Spindle is the second in Nancy Campbell Allen’s Steampunk Proper Romance series based on fairy tales. The first, Beauty and the Clockwork Beast, is tied to Kiss of the Spindle by mention of characters and background history. But they are also completely standalone stories. I would recommend both of these books to anyone who enjoys steampunk romance.

Though Edelweiss, the publisher provided a copy of this book so that I could bring you this honest review.

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Entreat Me and Lover of Thorns and Holy Gods – two books by Grace Drave – Review

Tags

5 stars, curse, fantasy, favorites, Grace Draven, magic, romance

About Entreat Me

Afflicted by a centuries-old curse, a warlord slowly surrenders his humanity and descends toward madness. Ballard of Ketach Tor holds no hope of escaping his fate until his son returns home one day, accompanied by a woman of incomparable beauty. His family believes her arrival may herald Ballard’s salvation.

…until they confront her elder sister.

Determined to rescue her sibling from ruin, Louvaen Duenda pursues her to a decrepit castle and discovers a household imprisoned in time. Dark magic, threatening sorcerers, and a malevolent climbing rose with a thirst for blood won’t deter her, but a proud man disfigured by an undying hatred might. Louvaen must decide if loving him will ultimately save him or destroy him.

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Review of Entreat Me

Loved, loved, loved this story!!!

There are so many reasons. The scarred, cursed, really old hero Ballard. The not-so-old-yet-not-young, outspoken, widow heroine Louven. The devoted, contentious sorcerer Ambrose. The matter-of-fact cook/housekeeper Magda Even the nasty, morally bankrupt villain Jimenin. Every story needs a villain!

The setting is also such a great part of the story. Ballard’s castle, ensorceled to dissuade outsiders and allow time to pass more quickly outside the castle than within. There are roses that grow in winter and attach the cursed.

The castle had a strangeness about it— places where torchlight flickered one way while the shadows it cast scampered another; stairs ended in opposite directions without ever turning.   The walls echoed in tight places instead of cavernous ones, and she’d once clearly heard a tapestry in Cinnia’s bower whisper a poem she knew from childhood.

Like every Grace Draven book I have read, the book stayed with me for days after I had finished. The story is ages old, yet fresh. It is complex and direct. The romance is simple and challenging. But mostly, it is the characters that hold a place in my heart. Ballard and Louven are deep, thoughtful and honest characters that I would invite into my home anytime.

About Lover of Thorns and Holy Gods

A trilogy of short stories from the worlds of Master of Crows, Entreat Me, and Radiance.

STRONG BLOOD (3,504 words) – Ballard de Sauveterre from ENTREAT ME crosses time to share a drink with Silhara of Neith from MASTER OF CROWS and discovers a connection that spans generations.

CROW AWAKENED (2,975 words) – A short follow-up to THE BRUSH OF BLACK WINGS in which a terrified Silhara finally learns why his beloved wife Martise is fading before his eyes.

A MATTER OF TRUST (5,336 words) – A cultural divide is resolved in the most delightful way between Brishen and Ildiko Khaskem. Takes place after RADIANCE and before EIDOLON.

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Review of Lover of Thorns and Holy Gods

This will be a quick review about three very short stories by one of my favorite authors. This is for those of you that have read Entreat Me, Master of Crows, The Brush of Black Wings and Radiance. You will be familiar with the characters and, I trust, happy to get a glimpse of their lives after the epic goings on in the novels. I was especially pleased with Crow Awakened as it confirmed what I determined was going on at the very end of The Brush of Black Wings.  I loved these stories!

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Horizon and Infinity by Tabitha Lord – 2 Reviews

Tags

5 stars, Book Review, psychic abilities, romance, scifi, series, spaceships, Tabitha Lord

Reviews by Riley

Recently, I read two great scifi books in Tabitha Lord’s Horizon series.  So far these are the only two books in the series, but I am hoping for more soon!  (As I write this post, both of these books are just $.99.  A great deal!)

Thank you to Tabitha Lord, who provided copies of her books so that I could bring you my honest reviews.

About Horizon

Caeli Crys isn’t living—she’s surviving. On the run after the genocide of her empathic people, she witnesses a spaceship crash near her hidden camp. When she feels the injured pilot suffering from miles away, she can’t help but risk discovery to save his life.

Commander Derek Markham awakens stranded on an uncharted planet. His co-pilot is dead, his ship is in ruins, and he’s only alive because a beautiful young woman is healing him with her mind.

As Derek recovers, Caeli shares the horror of her past and her fear for the future. When Derek’s command ship, Horizon, sends rescue, Derek convinces Caeli to leave with him. But his world is as treacherous as hers—full of spies, interplanetary terrorist plots, and political intrigue. Soon the Horizon team is racing to defend an outlying planet from a deadly enemy, and Caeli’s unique skills may just give them the edge they need to save it.

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Review of Horizon

Horizon is a two-part story. The first story takes place on Almagest, Caeli’s home world. The second story takes place off world. The stories are intertwined by the characters and, if you continue to read the series, you will find they are connected by even more.

In the story, the Almagest society is divided into Novali and Amathi. The Novali are the people with special gifts such as empathy, telepathy and the ability to heal with the mind – like Caeli. Noone knows for sure how they acquired these abilities. Eventually, the Amathi, split from the Novali and for years, both peoples lived apart, yet in peace. The Novali also believe that contact with those off-world is too risky and have worked to maintain a psychic cover for their world.

The differences between the two peoples and the psychic cover become points of contention for the Amathi and eventually, the peace is shattered in a terrible way, eventually leading to Caeli being on the run, rescuing Derek and eventually leaving her home planet to be safe on the Horizon. The life-changing decision to leave home is depicted with angst and emotion for Caeli – as it should.

Caeli is the most fascinating character in Horizon. She has been through so much. She struggles, she perseveres. She succeeds. She struggles again. Off of her home world, she finds her healing talents are unique but appreciated. And she can appreciate and learn from the healing skills and technology of the Horizon. Eventually, Caeli will fill a vital role with the Horizon’s own crew, despite the fact that she is not really part of their world. Caeli is a multi-faceted character that rises to every occasion, but not without difficulty and second thoughts.

The romance between Derek and Caeli is a key motivator for both characters, not just in their relationship, but also in everything else that goes on. It did not get in the way of the rest of the story, but held an equally important role in the overall tale.

Derek is a strong, take-charge leader, once he is back on Horizon. He invites challenge and meets it head on. I did think the big take-down of the bad guys at the end went a little too smoothly, but in the end, it will turn out to have other consequences.

One of my favorite parts of the story is Almagest. It is an interesting world that was, at one time, more advanced and probably had contact with other worlds. You never really get the whole story of what happened. It has been lost over war and time. I like how much of the Almagest history is unknown. This makes for much theorizing. And it likely, fodder for future stories.

5 stars for Horizon. I recommend this one for scifi romance readers who appreciate an intricate plot that is a open to many possible endings, both for this book and for the series.

About Infinity

In the second installment of the award-winning Horizon series, Dr. Caeli Crys returns to her war-torn world to fight for those she left behind.

Almagest, Caeli’s home, stands on the brink of revolution. Long hidden from the rest of the galaxy, the once-peaceful planet suffers under a regime that grows more violent and oppressive by the day.

Marcus, Almagest’s dictator, is building an arsenal of alien weaponry by selling empathic children into slavery. A resistance has risen, but they are outmanned, outgunned, and in hiding.  Joined by Commander Derek Markham and his elite squadron of operatives, Caeli embarks on a dangerous mission to find the Resistance, rescue her captive people, and save her civilization from destruction.

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Review of Infinity

In book 1, Horizon, the story ended with Caeli safely away from her home planet of Almagest. It could have ended there, but Caeli was not really the kind of person who would have wanted to leave her friends in a bad situation. So Infinity is the story of Caeli going home.

The situation has become quite bad. Marcus, the Amathi leader/dictator, has imprisoned the Novali and is going after the resistance. He has sold one of the Novali children to a slaver and intends to sell more. You can imagine what an unscruplous person would want to do with someone who could read minds or heal/hurt with their mind. Marcus is the kind of villian everyone loves to hate. Truth be told, he seems to be setting up his world for revolution while blindly following his own agenda.

Caeli’s journey home and the ensuing revolution is one of the most emotion-filled sci fi stories I’ve read lately. Ms. Lord has really focused on the characters and their relationships and their feelings, without sacrificing any of the needed plotting and action. Action like spying and rescuing and getting captured and a battle for the cause. Derek and his team join the cause even though it is not their world. There are political reasons for this, but it is also the right thing to do. Derek and Caeli have become a team, both romantically and in saving the world. They also have some really great people on their team, both from the world of Almagest and from the Horizon.

I said this when I reviewed Horizon and it still holds true for Infinity. I like how much of the Almagest history is unknown, lost in a war. In Infinity, some of Almagest’s history and the beginnings of the Novali is revealed through computer logs. But not all. I can still theorize all I want. Will my theories prove true or not? I am going to have to read the next book in the series!

The ending of Infinity is both satisfying and full of questions. Plus there is a teaser for the next book. 5 stars for Infinity and…..next book please!

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