The Cyberkink Sideshow by Ophidia Cox

Ciberpunk and kinky stuff? Count me in.

I went into this book expecting something very straightforward and, while it was, it took an unexpected turn which reminded me of the film Preaching to the Perverted.

Some things I loved:

- it was well written
- it brought up how sex between consenting adults should be free to please all participants, regardless of social mores
- it had a male romantic interest who is very much unlike most written and the female protagonist is attracted to him, because she likes everything about him

Some things I liked:

- Max, the dog!
- How this was more of an exploration of how fluid sexuality is and not so much a mystery/romance
- How the female protagonist debated with herself about complying with social expectations about removing pubic hair and how she, in particular, found it infantilizing

A few things I hated:

- I was expecting a tighter mystery
- There should have been more about the romantic/sexual relationship between the two main characters. Yes, it was all resolved, but it was too quick, I needed to see more development in the way they functioned as being in an official relationship.
- It was set in a circus. Yes I know I can't really complain because it's clear from the title, from the cover, and from the blurb. I didn't go into this book unwittingly. I just find circuses REALLY creepy.

All in all it's a good book, but certainly NOT for everyone.

Buy the Cyberking Sideshow

@ Amazon

 

Death's Mistress (Dorina Basarab #2) by Karen Chance

Just as her romance with Louis-Cesare seemed to be going somewhere, he disappears on a family emergency.

It just so happens that his whereabouts are also of interest to the head of their vampire family (and Dorina's father) Mircea Basarab.

Claire is back to being Dory's roommate, this time with her royal son in tow, which is fortunate since the fey mix Dorina had impulsively adopted for a pet turns out to be sentient, thus catapulting him into the territory of... "son"?

These adversities aside, Mircea has a mission for Dory: to apprehend a smuggler who turns out to be in possession of information on the whereabouts of a fey rune that Claire desperately needs to protect her son.

To complicate matters, Louis-Cesare is trying to save his... mistress?! Needless to say, this doesn't bode well for his relationship with Dorina.

It's a race against time with Dorina having to navigate the waters of vampire politics and get to the fey relic before Kit Marlowe (yes, that Kit Marlowe, who is now a vampire), Mircea (acting on behalf of the North-American vampire consul), Mark Anthony (yes, that Mark Anthony) who is the European Consul, enemy fey factions... and Louis-Cesare himself.

Karen Chance manages to avoid the dreadful 2nd book syndrome by raising the stakes (pun intended) and delivering non-stop action, bits of scorching-hot romance, a compelling mystery, well-researched historical backgrounds, and an extremely tight plot - all with a humorous tone.

If this sounds like the kind of book for you be sure not to miss Death's Mistress!!!

Karen Chance's official site

Buy Death's Mistress

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Midnight's Daughter (Dorina Basarab #1) by Karen Chance

I absolutely LOVE this series - at the moment, this and Downside Ghosts are the only Urban Fantasy series that haven't disappointed me *cough cough* Kate Daniels *cough cough*. And, as usual, when I love something, I keep postponing my reviews because distance helps me get out of the ~omg fangirl!!!~ mindset and see the series strengths more clearly.

Karen Chance introduces us to the peculiar life of Dorina Basarab, a Dhampir - daughter of the vampire Senator Mircea Basarab (of the Cassie Palmer series, which I haven't really read and, quite frankly, don't think they're my cup of tea).

Dorina's best friend and roommate, Claire, has a gift: her presence dampens others' magical abilities. Seeing as Dorina, as a dhampir, is prone to blackouts during which she experiences uncontrollable rages and awakes surrounded by carnage (reason as to why most dhampirs lead very short lives), Claire is a very handy friend to have, even if it weren't for the genuine friendship between her and Dory. 

...That is, until Claire goes missing and word on the street is that she was taken by a vampire - evidence leads to Dory's uncle Dracula.

Dorina's father, Mircea, wants Dorina to recapture Dracula, and for that mission she has to team up with the Master Vampire Louis-Cesare, the only vampire Dorina's eccentric uncle Radu Basarab "made". 

But the mission doesn't turn out to be as straightforward as they thought...

What has me absolutely obsessed with this series is Dorina's relationship with her father, Mircea. 

Dorina's memories are fractured. She longs for her father's love and approval, and he, in turn, seems to yearn to bestow upon her all the tenderness of a loving father... but, as with most well written relationships, things are extremely complicated between them.

If you're looking for a well researched series, featuring POC in positions of power, LGBT characters with vital roles in the plot, fast paced action, a complete lack of sappiness, a hot dash of romance, and hilarious situations, then this is the series for you!

Karen Chance's official site

Buy Midnight's Daughter

@ The Book Depository

 

The Jade Temptress by Jeannie Lin

 

I was really looking forward to this book as a light, romantic read - the other books I've read of this author, The Lady's Scandalous Night and The Dragon and the Pearl, while not particularly light, focused a lot on the romance.

The Jade Temptress, make no mistake, is a historical romance, but the emphasis (and, to me, the strongest point) was on the historical.

I was looking forward to this one for another reason: the heroine was a courtesan, not a blushing virgin. I don't mind that plot point, but it gets tiresome, so I wanted a character who took charge in the bedroom, one who wasn't blushing and cluelessly stumbling about. 

The thing is, (and what a lesson that was!), this notion of mine of weaponised femininity was, as many often are, poisonous in its inception.

Mingyu is, indeed, a skilled courtesan. Poems are written about her, men despair over her, powerful warlords vie for her attentions. She knows how to play the game. 

But there is another facet to it, it's not all glamour and female charms. Mingyu is an indentured woman. She belongs to the Madame of the Lotus Palace, sold along with her sister by their mother for a handful of coins. Her training in singing, playing, her clothes, her education, her jewels, all of it was added to the price needed for her freedom.

She had a powerful warlord seemingly enamoured with her, she could (and did) refuse to become his concubine, but she couldn't very well refuse to go to his bed. She needed to turn a profit so she'd be valuable to the Lotus Palace, she needed to court favour so she'd receive gifts to redeem her sister's price and, hopefully one day, her own.

When the book starts Mingyu is headed for a "meeting" with General Deng. What she finds is his headless body. 

She calls for Wu Kaifeng, the man who tried to torture a confession out of her in the previous book in the series. Now, I haven't read that one, but I didn't feel like I needed to have read it to follow this story - of course, now I want to read it!

There is obvious bad blood between Mingyu and Kaifeng. He's pragmatism incarnate. Not susceptible to her charms. Not even touched by enough sympathy for her to keep from torturing her. Because only one thing matters to him: the truth. As a Constable he makes it his life's mission to see justice take its place. Which is why Mingyu knows she can trust him to solve this case.

But, of course, the case is more intricate than it seems. 
I really, really loved this! Compared to the other books I've read, in this one, Lin crafts an exquisitely elaborate plot. I never really knew who to believe to be the killer until they were unmasked. And even then, there were further mysteries to unveil!

I cannot commend this enough, it was an exceptionally well achieved mystery. 

And, as always, it's a delight to read a book that doesn't feature the same settings, the same type of people, as virtually all HR. Bear in mind, I do like the other HRs. But it's so satisfying not to have everything be told through the westernised white gaze of the usual protagonist. All genres need diversity, and it's lovely to see it in HR, as well.

On that note, as always, I must praise Lin's research and knowledge of the time period. I always learn new things after finishing one of her books!

Mingyu was a very compelling character. I felt for her. I felt how trapped she was, how lonely, how few her options were. I felt how strong she was, in spite of all these things. How she used what power she could, how she did not shy away from doing what needed be done, and how she held her head high while doing so. 
We grow used to modern heroines having more of an agency, but Mingyu was no less strong because, as she said, she realised that, “Sometimes exploiting a man’s power is the only influence a woman can wield.”

Kaifeng was more closed off as a character. We didn't dwell much in his POV. I understood him as a character, I understood his choices, and his personality. I even liked him and wanted him and Mingyu to end up together. 

But the romance, for me, wasn't the most important part of this story. 

Anyway, if you want a good HR with a well-crafted mystery and sensible characters, then you certainly cannot miss this book!

Jeannie Lin's official site

Buy The Jade Tempress

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Why Kings Confess (Sebastian St. Cyr #9) by C.S. Harris

 

Confession! Though I love (and I really do mean LOVE) this series, I only read it from the 4th volume onward. Before that, there were too many soap-opera plot points for my tastes. But then, come the 4th, Hero really takes a role in the plot. I make no secret of the fact that Hero is the main reason I read this series. Oh, Sebastian is all very well, but Hero... now that is a lady worth reading.

I was really looking forward to this book - a 3 star rating is a good one coming from me but, I must admit, it's the lowest I've given to the Sebastian St. Cyr series, the other ones are all 4 stars and, of course, 5 stars to the amazing When Maidens Mourn. 

This is immaterial and does not reflect itself on the rating, but I do wish they'd obscured Sebastian's face on the cover...

But on to more serious considerations: I felt this story was slow to start and not as engaging as usual. 

It all seemed so very... formulaic. And I didn't particularly care for the mystery, it lacked the more personal involvement of the main characters in its outcome. 

One thing I outright disliked was how Marie-Thérèse of France was characterised. I guess that's the danger of inserting well-known non-fictional characters into a work of fiction, you can't please all your readers in the way you portray them. Oh, she may very well have been like that, but Sebastian would be one of the last people who could criticise her position. This is a man who spiralled into depression and alcohol abuse for matters far more trifling than those Marie-Thérèse went through. 

Yet, his plight is seen as tragic, and his battle to overcome it manly and valiant. 

Marie-Thérèse is seen as unbalanced, and absurd for clinging to her grief. This woman was imprisoned as a child, lost her siblings, her parents were murdered, and her whole way of life was destroyed... She wants to spend the rest of her life being distrustful? I find that sensible! She is rancorous and dreams of revenge over those who murdered her family? I find that acceptable. 

Both Sebastian, and even Hero (!), however, do not.

"She has hysterics. She’s been known to faint at the sight of a barred window, and she trembles violently at the beat of a drum or the peal of a church bell. She has never really recovered from what was done to her. And while no one could ever in any way hold that against her, I still—”
“Don’t trust her?”
“I wouldn’t trust either her sincerity or her sanity.”"

Hero, who are you to speak of trust?! I wouldn't trust you, you being the daughter of whom you are. I wouldn't trust your husband. I wouldn't trust anyone in these books, and I don't see why Marie-Thérèse should.

Then this is the one book that has Sebastian, who is always incredibly clever, having a tstl moment when he leaves the body of the man who attacked him (without checking his face to learn his identity!!!) to call the authorities. Convenient, plot-wise, but unforgivably stupid of the character.

There wasn't enough Hero in this book - there never is enough of the Dowager Duchess of Claiborne, either, but there is usually a bit more. And to be honest, the book suffered a bit for it.

Also, while I usually find nothing to fault in C.S. Harris' writing, there were some very odd turns of phrase - C.S. Harris is a very skilled writer, so what is something like this doing in one of her books?

“With the pain, or with his opium ad—” He started to say “addiction” and changed it to “—problem.”

There was also a "his accent was pure Oxbridge" - Oxbridge is a a portmanteau from the mid-19th century - this book is set in 1813...

But these quibbles aside, it's a Sebastian St. Cyr book and therefore well worth reading - perhaps not the best of the series, but still better than most historical fiction written at the moment.

Also, it was very cute to see Sebastian wanting a daughter and Hero insisting they were having a boy. And it was touching how worried they were with Hero's pregnancy and its risks to mother and child. There weren't many moments (or not as many as I'd wished) between them, but those that existed were excellent at showing the reader the progression in Hero and Sebastian's relationship.

Looking forward to the next book!! And, as always, I highly recommend this series to any who haven't read it yet!

C.S. Harris' official site

Buy Why Kings Confess

@ The Book Depository (with free worldwide delivery!)

The Secrets of Mia Danvers by Robyn DeHart

An interesting mystery and a dull romance.

Lady Mia Danvers lost her eyesight when she was young. Her family, having lost her father, the Earl, and having to leave the family's estates to the male next-of-kin, find themselves destitute. They make the reproachable decision to abandon Mia in a cottage bordering the estate of Alex, the Duke of Carrington, and move in with a wealthier cousin.

Years later, her mother dead, and her sisters comfortably married, Mia still lives forgotten in her cottage. 

One night, returning home, she witnesses Jack the Ripper committing a murder. Only Mia, being  blind, is a very peculiar witness.
As soon as it's safe, she runs to Alex's estate to report the crime.

The mystery is extremely compelling. The author did an amazing job giving us Mia's POV, considering she is blind. Mia experiences the world by touch, by sound, and most importantly, by smell. She could recognise the killer's scent anywhere, and now he is on the hunt for her.

I really couldn't feel the chemistry between Mia and Alex, though. For most of the book they frequently mention feeling lust for each other - to me it was told, not shown.

There was an awkward leap from lust to love, it felt unbalanced, somehow... There wasn't a natural progression. Alex feels a need to protect her, and Mia is attracted to him... and suddenly it's love?
Alex was too distant to be likable, and Mia was too absurdly defiant or meekly compliant, by turns.

Also, I don't know if it's just my copy, but I found the text to be littered with grammatical mistakes, odd syntax choices, and a few homophones instead of their correct counterparts.

Harder to ignore are the mistakes regarding form of address. Alex is often called Lord Carrington, when he should always be addressed as "Your Grace", and Mia is always addressed as Miss Danvers, when she should be addressed as "Lady Danvers". Both Alex and Mia start addressing each other by first name out of the blue, and in the company of others, which was also odd. This is inexcusable in a historical romance, it's basic research...

But the mystery is worthwhile, so give it a try!

Robyn DeHart's official site

Buy The Secrets of Mia Danvers

@ Amazon

Nomad (Swift #2) by R.J. Anderson

 

The Faerie Rebels and Swift series are pure YA gold, worthy of a spriggan hoard!

In Nomad, we pick up right where Swift left off: with Ivy banished from the Delve and in the company of "Richard" (now Martin). And though details were a bit hazy to me, seeing as I read Swift 2 years ago, thankfully, Susana was reading it now, so I could ask questions to my heart's content.

Ivy and Martin, while hiding in a cave, come upon a hoard of spriggan treasure which allows them to live in more comfort. But that's the only bit of luck they seem to have: Martin is still looking for his people and trying to find out who he was, and Ivy, plagued by dreams of a spriggan boy from 400 years past, still has to find a way to save her people from the poisoned Delve, and the rule of her aunt Betony. 

Apart from a brief exposure of the "Nice Guy" who is friendly just as long as there is a chance for "something" else, and a few attempts to overcome fantastical racism, there weren't many social issues represented in this book - at least compared to what usually shows up in this series; to date: disability, racism (albeit the fantastical type), cultural clash, feminism, spiritual doubt, infertility, toxic familial relationships, among many others. 

That's not to say it wasn't an excellent book from start to finish, but I was expecting more, that's how greedy R.J. Anderson's writing has made me...

Ivy, as in the previous book, is still an amazingly believable and well-written character. Her thought-processes and actions make sense, she's mature for her age, but not so mature as to be unbelievable, she's brave, and stubborn, and loyal, and a delight to read!

Martin is still his Shakespeare obsessed self, given to a bit of the over dramatic at times, but thoughtful and so heartbreakingly intent on hiding his true emotions! 

That's one of the (many) things I love about R.J. Anderson's writing: how she writes so much emotion, and has her characters attempt to hide it, and the readers suffering alongside them. 

This book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, which I usually despise, but in this case I just rejoiced, because it means there must be another book in the making, and I, for one, cannot wait to get my hands on it!

R.J. Anderson's official site

Buy Nomad (Swift #2)
@ The Book Depository (with free worlwide delivery!)

The Caged Graves by Dianne K. Salerni

 

 

"A love triangle and you gave it 4 stars?" But there is a reason for it, so for all of you who are weary of reading this book because of the dreaded love triangle, please don't be!

Verity was sent away from Catawissa to live with relatives when she was a little girl, after her mother passed away. Now that she's seventeen she's started corresponding with a young man from her old town. It would be an advantageous marriage - he helped keep her father's farm during the war, and she's her father's only child. But it's not all business! Verity is a romantic and Nate seems perfect in the letters he's sent her. Why, he even sent her a book of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poems, how much romantic could the whole thing be?

The thing is, once they meet, it's soon revealed that Nate let his sisters pick the gifts he was sending her. So who is this man? He's not the one with whom Verity has been trading love letters, that's for sure, he's so serious, and pragmatic, and all he cares about is farming...

Add to this the fact that her own father seems to care very little for her, and Beulah, the housekeeper, can't seem to even stand her presence, and Verity is starting to think her decision to come back to Catawissa was a big mistake.

But trouble is only starting, once she stumbles upon the graves of her mother and aunt she finds them in unhallowed ground and placed within iron cages. 

Wherever she turns Verity is faced with evasions, half truths, malicious rumours and outright lies as to what made the townsfolk inter her relatives like this.

Was it witchcraft? Was it a fabled treasure buried with one of the women? Or was it because, as they say, 

 “In Catawissa sometimes the dead don’t stay where you put them.”?

Whatever the truth, Verity is determined to find it, and in the midst of all this the only one who is kind to her from the beginning is the new doctor's apprentice, Hadley, who makes it very plain that he doesn't care for her arranged marriage and he has feelings for her.

Now, the love triangle is presented, I won't spoil it for you, but to reveal that it didn't bother me. One of the "angles" was never a serious contender and in a town where everyone is a suspect, and Verity's life seems, at times, threatened, the love triangle had reason to be. If not only to highlight how right the steady and true kind of love is by comparison. 

The book also gains points for the progression of the non-romantic relationships portrayed between Verity, her father, Beulah, and Nate's sisters.

So if you love a good gothic mystery, realistic characters, and a lovely romance, this is the book for you!

Dianne K. Salerni's official site

Buy The Caged Graves

@ The Book Depository (with free worlwide delivery!)

Damage by Anya Parrish

The only reason this book isn't getting 5 stars is because I find the explanation to what was going on to be scientifically weak. I'm not an endocrinologist but really, the book would have been better if the resolution had been a bit vaguer so we scientists wouldn't be able to nitpick.

Other than that I have absolutely nothing to point out, excellent pacing, characters, plot, everything was great.
I've read reviews complaining about the insta-love and they held me back from reading this book for a while. There was insta-love, yes, but it was more believable than that particular plot point tends to be, taking in consideration how the characters' pasts, their personalities, and the situation they were in contributed to it.

But honestly, it was so original and at times really creepy, I definitely recommend it! I suck at writing reviews of books I really like, I guess I'm a better hater :/
Anyway, go read this, it's great!

And I really, really, REALLY wish this would become a series! But since it's the only book the author has published - and way back in 2011 at that - and since then the author's official site has gone missing... Things don't look good :(

Buy Damaged
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Ravishing in Red (The Rarest Blooms #1) by Madeline Hunter

 

The thing with this book is that it starts exactly as it promises on its description, and it fills you with hope for some genuine love/hate romance filled with witty repartee, until the hero and heroine are overcome by their feelings and confess their mutual love - hopefully keeping up with the witty repartee.

What it delivers actually, is a very believable, historically accurate and, I must admit it, a bit boring story focused on a mystery that wasn't even that interesting because the main theme in this book is one I hate: Honour Before Reason (caution, this link leads to tv tropes where you may be willingly trapped for days).

A quick example of this trope:

See, someone has been selling adulterated gunpowder with disastrous consequences for the soldiers in the peninsular war - Sebastian, an MP who involved himself in this investigation because... HONOUR!, ended up tracking the mill responsible - one in which Audrianna's father was the official responsible for ensuring the quality in ordnance, so obviously when accusations of his negligence appear he fights to the bitter end to prove his innocence and clear his name. Haha, no. He commits suicide, leaving his wife and two daughters nearly destitute and social pariahs because HONOUR!

Thankfully this stupid HONOUR! gene seems to have skipped Audrianna - or maybe it's a man thing? 

In period films they do tend to show them all, from bright young things to wise elders, suffering from huge amounts of ~man pain~ over always doing the honourable thing and how that is always a stupid idea because in the real world no one pats you on the back and goes, "Wow so honourable, I admire you greatly and bow to your manliness." No, they just take advantage of your stupidity.

But I digress.

Audrianna finds a notice in the paper requesting a meeting with her dead father - one almost expects to see the old boy pop out of the grave not to dishonour himself by keeping someone waiting, but thankfully death is the definite cure for this sort of gentleman, so Audrianna decides to meet this mysterious man requesting a meeting herself - risking what is left of her reputation by going alone into an inn, and waiting for a strange man in a room. Because she realises that HONOUR! is not more important than clearing your name and regaining your status so you can go back to your life.

Sebastian, however, also saw the notice and decides to pretend to be Audrianna's father because he is not certain he was indeed guilty and wishes to get to the bottom of this investigation - I cannot vouch that he wouldn't have showed up in place of the dead man just because HONOUR! demands he do so - after all, it was his diligent investigation that drove the man to kill himself, best to HONOUR! his commitments.

In the room he finds Audrianna - he thinks she's the mysterious person who has placed the notice, she believes the same of him, and then suddenly they're making out because that's what you do when a lady is pointing a gun at you demanding answers/a complete stranger shows up in your room demanding answers.

That was the beginning of the romance. That was it. No slow build, agonizing over falling for the man who destroyed her father, no witty repartees, no hate, just arrows.

Yes, arrows, that's how the author describes sexual desire: 

"Wicked little arrows of stimulation shot around her body. She valiantly fought to thwart his effect, but those arrows just flashed along their exciting paths, ignoring her ladylike dismay."

So while they're busy... arrowing each other the actual guy who set up the meeting shows up, there's a huge mess, the gun goes off, Sebastian is wounded, the Justice of Peace is called, and now the whole thing turns into a sordid encounter - so obviously Sebastian has to marry Audrianna because HONOUR! demands it.

Don't expect lust/hate filled encounters in their wedding, or loathing slowly turning into love or whatever. They pretty much find themselves married and that's it, they live like a normal married couple with Sebastian's brother, the Marquess who was paralysed during the war, and their mother who is one of society's grand dames but you can't really tell because she only shows up to nag. 

I think this is a missed opportunity - there are strong believable women in this book: Audrianna and her friends. But they're all of the passive sort, that old chin up and bear it. Why not have Audrianna take a more active role in the investigation? Why not have the dowager marchioness be a truly strong opponent. Don't tell me ladies can't be ruthless, we'd be here forever if I had to name all the badass ladies ever.

But just an example, from a show filled with ~man pain~, even:

So, the mystery is resolved following a pattern, I'm sure you've managed to divine from this post. Let us hear it...

But when it's all said and done, it is a good book.
Just not what I was expecting...


Madeline Hunter's official site

Buy Ravishing in Red
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