Catalyst: Cat Ship (Obsidian Rim, #8) by Jody Wallace – Review

Tags

5 stars, Book Review, cats, dancing, humor, Jody Wallace, pets, romance, scifi romance, series, talking cats, trash

Furry Friends Week continues with another review of a book featuring a Furry Friend.  Jody Wallace is obviously a cat lover so Catalyst will appeal to all you cat lovers out there.

About Catalyst: Cat Ship by Jody Wallace

Dance teacher Wil Tango, adopted by a cat who needs to make use of his opposable thumbs, knows all too well the primary rule of their arrangement: never reveal the cat is a genius. Their clever scheme to win all the jackpots on Gizem Station works until a bigwig gets suspicious, and he finds himself stuffed in a stasis box and shipped to Garbage Planet. At least he’s got the cat for company.

Sulari Abfall, scrapyard picker extraordinaire, thinks she’s scored when she earns access to the latest offload from Gizem Station. Their trash is her treasure, and the profits from her recycling program should provide more than enough to upgrade her clunky garbage scow into a clunky tow ship, a huge step up in trash hierarchy. When she’s drawn to a hazardous waste container, she finds more than she ever bargained for. A naked man. And a sentient cat.

But unsealing the stasis pod sends an interspace signal back to Gizem Station—and the vengeful VIP who thought Wil was dead. It will take all the wits of a lovely garbage scow captain, a down on his luck dance instructor, and a brave orange feline to defeat a gang intent on mayhem, murder, and a galactic catnapping that could change the course of the future for the entire Obsidian Rim.

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Review of Catalyst

When I first saw this book, I knew I had to read it. A cat. Scifi. Romance. Jody Wallace. One click.

Sulari Abfall is a one-legged junk picker (with a bionic leg) and a business owner who turns junk into all sorts of containers in her box factory. Everybody needs containers, so Su has created a very successful niche market. To start the story, Su picks a container that happens to have cryosleeping man in it. As soon as she opens the box, a naked Will Tango tumbles out of the box and a talking cat name Pumpkin appears. And so, the adventure begins. The fateful meeting of Will and Su leads to a chase, a romance, a partnership and a family reunion. With a talking cat offering commentary and ‘assistance’ all along.

Pumpkin is really quite remarkable. He can pop in and out of a place at any time. Just when you think you may never see him again, he appears, seemingly out of nowhere. I believe his odd talent may be based on the habits of some non-fictional cats. If you have a cat you might understand. If you have a cat and you read this book, you might understand even better! I do wish the story would have had room to offer more about Pumpkin and his background, even though it was not needed to tell the tale. The story ending does hint that there may be more story to come. Or maybe it ends here. I hope for more Jody Wallace. 🙂

Will Tango is one of the most unusual main characters I have run across in scifi romance. A former dancer and dance instructor turned gambler. He also happens to have a following of dance loving garbage collectors. You think you know somebody and, all of a sudden, they want a dance lesson.

Will is being chased by casino goons (who really want Pumpkin) when he ends up on the Trash Planet. Goons become the bad guys. Garbage collectors, including Su, become the good guys. I’ve never seen that in a scifi romance either.

I like the setting very much. It is perfect for this story. Catalyst takes place on a garbage planet. Yes, trash, refuse, debris, rubbish, junk. If it has been tossed out, it can be found on Trash Planet. On this world, people collect trash from the dumps and find ways to repurpose them. They are organized into unions for policing, protection and regulation. It is a system that seems to work well on a planet with no formal law enforcement.

I also liked the dancer falling for the one-legged garbage collector, the cat learning a lesson, and the box factory. I know box factory sounds a bit humdrum, but read the book. You’ll get it.

Catalyst is a standalone novel in the Obsidian Rim series. This is the first book I have read in the series and did not feel I needed to have read any others, so feel free to jump in with Catalyst if you are a cat loving, scifi romance reader with a wacky sense of humor.

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If you are late in joining Furry Friends Week, you might want to check out:

My review of No Kitten Around by R.J. Blain.
The guest post from Laurie A. Green announcing the release of Pets in Space 4.
My review of Pets in Space 4.

Furry Friends Week continues tomorrow with a look at artist Tracy Lovett and her creation of a portrait of a very special Furry Friend.  I am excited to be able to feature her work.  See you tomorrow!

 

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No Kitten Around by R.J. Blain – Review

Tags

5 stars, angels, Book Review, cats, devils, dogs, elves, humor, pets, R. J. Blain, romance, series, urban fantasy

Welcome!  You have arrived at day 1 of Furry Friends Week. In honor of the release of Pets in Space 4 (come back tomorrow for a release announcement and guest post), there will be five days of posts relating to our Furry Friends.  And maybe a few not-so-furry friends.  Today, a review of a book with not one but two Furry Friends.

About No Kitten Around by R.J. Blain

The last thing Reed Matthews needs in his life is a kitten, but when an orphaned tabby suckers him into becoming her caretaker, he’s in for the ride of his life. Add in an angel determined to meddle in his affairs, a devil with an agenda, and a bucketful of bad omens, and he’ll count himself fortunate if he survives the clash between heaven, hell, and his ex.

In this anything goes romp, there’s no kitten around: if Reed wants to survive and regain control of his life, his only hope lies in the hands of an elf and his ex, a woman he’s sworn to never see again.

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Review of No Kitten Around

No Kitten Around is an urban fantasy chased by romance and rounded up with a scary amount of humor. With a kitten. And a puppy. Do I really need to continue with this review?

Okay, a bit more.

Reed, the narrator, starts out by describing his weekend activity: going to a bar, finding a shallow woman to take him home and then leaving her without even knowing her name. So, Reed is not trying to make an impression on the reader. But then he finds a kitten. This is when the story gets interesting and hilarious. Reed can’t decide if he is afraid of the kitten or is captivated by it. Maybe a bit of both.

When the kitten was immediately and auspiciously named Kitten, Destroyer of Worlds, I was confident this book could not get any better. But I was only on Chapter 1, so I thought I’d see if there was more. (There is!)

Reed has a past that is both disturbing and heartbreaking, but he is going forward. When his ex-girlfriend Kennedy shows up about the same time as Luna the angel, he knows his life is going to get unnecessarily complicated. Or maybe it is necessary. As the story grows, you learn that Reed’s genetic heritage is also complicated. I enjoyed Reed’s uncertainty about his heritage along with his efforts to keep it from controlling him. All while Reed is cracking jokes. Kennedy adds a Corgi puppy to the mix because, well, Kitten needs a furry friend. The puppy also gets an auspicious name.

Samantha the elf is a great character. She is the warrior that trains Reed and Kennedy on the use of swords. She is a ruthless taskmaster, but both Reed and Kennedy seem to know that hard work and discipline are needed if they are to succeed. The moral is nice teachers’ students finish last. Samantha is also somewhat of a matchmaker. If you can, imagine a ferocious controlling elf playing matchmaker.

There is a reason that Reed and Kennedy need to learn how to handle a sword. The whole story builds up to a climactic scene where Reed and Kennedy used their hard-won skills and save the world. Or at least a corner of the world. With angels and devils involved, it is hard to tell how widespread the potential disaster could spread. With kittens and puppies involved, one can only assume cuteness will counteract the disaster.

A couple of things I wasn’t really sure about. Who is Luna and really, what is her goal? It wasn’t entirely clear and Luna is kind of a major player, if not a major character. Also, why are angels headless?

No Kitten Around is all round hilarious and full of lessons and love. I really enjoyed this book and plan to check out more in Blain’s Magical Romantic Comedy series.

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Furry Friends Week continues tomorrow with special guest Laurie A. Green who will talk about the anthology Pets in Space 4, which releases tomorrow, and the charity the authors support.  Wednesday, look for my review of Pets in Space 4.  Thursday, another book review, this time scifi romance, that features a Furry Friend.  And Friday will be a special feature of art and Furry Friends.  I hope you will return to Whiskey With My Book each day this week!

See you tomorrow!

 

The Absinthe Earl (The Faery Rehistory, #1) by Sharon Lynn Fisher – Review

Tags

5 stars, Book Review, fairy, fantasy, historical, Ireland, magic, myth, romance, series, Sharon Lynn Fisher

About The Absinthe Earl by Sharon Lynn Fisher

Miss Ada Quicksilver, a student of London’s Lovelace Academy for Promising Young Women, is spending her holiday in Ireland to pursue her anthropological study of fairies. She visits Dublin’s absinthe bars to investigate a supposed association between the bittersweet spirit and fairy sightings.

One night a handsome Irishman approaches her, introducing himself as Edward Donoghue. Edward takes absinthe to relieve his sleepwalking, and she is eager to hear whether he has experience with fairies. Instead, she discovers that he’s the earl of Meath, and that he will soon visit a mysterious ruin at Newgrange on the orders of his cousin, the beautiful, half-mad Queen Isolde. On learning about Ada’s area of study, he invites her to accompany him.

Ada is torn between a sensible fear of becoming entangled with the clearly troubled gentleman and her compelling desire to ease his suffering. Finally she accepts his invitation, and they arrive in time for the winter solstice. That night, the secret of Edward’s affliction is revealed: he is, in fact, a lord in two worlds and can no longer suppress his shadow self.

Little does either of them realize that their blossoming friendship and slowly kindling passion will lead to discoveries that wrench open a door sealed for centuries, throwing them into a war that will change Ireland forever.

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Review of The Absinthe Earl

Edward’s internal conflict, brought on with bouts of sleeping walking threatens to ravage his life.  Before he understands what it is, he believes he is insane.  Hence the nightly absinthe nightcap to keep the monsters (insanity) away.  But Ada thinks there could be a fairy reason.  Ada’s scholarly interest in fairies has put her firmly in Edward’s path.  Or is there some other reason fate brought them together?

The age-old story of star-crossed lovers through the centuries is not a unique story.  This particular retelling of Irish folklore in the 19th century historical setting is compelling and elegant.

Reading The Absinthe Earl, I was fully immersed in 19th century Ireland due to the sights and culture and language written into the story.  You might think, all authors use language don’t they?  Well there is language and there is Language

Sharon Lynn Fisher’s story, told from the heroine’s point of view, is full of beautiful descriptions and phrases befitting a scholar from the Lovelace Academy for Promising Young Women.  Without overusing 19th century colloquialisms, Ms. Fisher sets the atmosphere.  Absorbed in the story, I rarely resorted to the dictionary on my Kindle, helping me feel like I was back in 1882 Ireland with Ada and Edward.  It is this lush use of Language that is the first recommendation of The Absinthe Earl for me.

There is an abundance of fiction that incorporates the myth of the Irish Tuatha De Danaan, especially the fairy aspect of the myths.  Rehistory, as told in The Absinthe Earl is a refreshing re-telling of the history of the fairy world as it interacts with the human world. This delicate interweaving of Irish history, folklore and fairy stories is the second recommendation of The Absinthe Earl for me.

Whenever I pick up a book from Sharon Lynn Fisher, I expect something unique.  I expect something that will keep me reading into the wee hours of the night.  I am delighted to report that The Absinthe Earl lives up to my expectations.  I am already anticipating the next chapter in Faery Rehistory.

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

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