A Matter of Class

A Matter of Class by Mary Balogh


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This slim little novel is not what it seems. Usually, thinner means less depth, more fluff, and a pretty generic plot. I don't want to ruin it for anyone, so all I'll say is that as soon as I finished, I turned around and started re-reading all the "present-day" parts. (The chapters alternate between the past and present, both of which take place in England's Regency period.)

The story begins with Reggie Mason enduring a lecture from his father who is furious about Reggie's extravagant lifestyle and gambling debts. Meanwhile, on the adjoining estate, Lady Annabelle Ashton awaits her irate father's decision regarding her fate now that she has been caught running off with the new coachman. The snobby earl is in dire need of funds. Wealthy Mr. Mason dreams of elevating his family into the "hallowed ranks" of the beau monde. A match made in...?

Definitely story is the primary doorway, but character is a strong second.

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A River in the Sky

A River in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This latest installment of the Amelia Peabody mystery series actually falls chronologically between Guardian of the Horizon and The Falcon at the Portal. It's set in 1910, mostly in the Holy Land--Jerusalem and thereabouts (Nablus, Jaffa, etc.). Ramses is about 18 years old.

It's a light, fun mystery to read, full of pre-war intrigues and German spies. Like most mysteries, it's story-driven, but since it's part of the Amelia Peabody series, it's also a character-doorway novel.

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Rick & Bubba's Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage

Rick and Bubba's Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage by Rick Burgess


My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I cannot believe I actually read the whole thing. What a waste of time.

Rick & Bubba are apparently local radio celebrities somewhere in Alabama, and they consider themselves funny. I found their book more irritating than funny most of the time. A few moments were amusing, I suppose. But mostly I wished they'd decide whether they were writing a marriage advice book (with fairly decent advice) or an obnoxious comedy routine about how to be a lousy, lazy husband who doesn't respect his wife all that much. They ricocheted back and forth--often within the same page or chapter--between giving good advice (ex. continue to date your spouse to keep the relationship strong) and ranting about their wives (ex. how they nag or how they get lost because they can't follow directions). It wasn't funny, and I kept wondering why on earth their wives a) had married them in the first place, and b) hadn't yet divorced them.

It only got worse toward the end when they started getting a little preachy, and I realized Rick & Bubba are actually conservative evangelicals. Really, I should have guessed that from the start. I'm a big fan of "God first, spouse second, children third." I'm NOT a big fan of "believe in Jesus or you'll burn in Hell for all eternity." God's not that small or petty.

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Fired Up

Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is both the start of a new spin-off series (Dreamlight Trilogy) as well as a continuation of the Arcane Society series. The hero & heroine are not Arcane Society members this time, but they are still dealing with the nefarious Nightshade organization, and we get to peek a bit more into Fallon Jones' life, which I found interesting. Otherwise, it's pretty much the same formula as the other books in this series: strong paranormal talents meet and must work together to survive and stop the bad guys...while simultaneously falling in love and having mind-blowing, psi-energy-enhanced sex. Not original, but still fun.

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Thirteenth Child

Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series (as soon as Patricia C. Wrede writes & publishes it, that is). It is a delightful story of a young girl growing up in an alternative U.S. in the late 19th century, where magic is ubiquitous and woolly mammoths share the wilderness with dragons. Eff is the thirteenth child--the seventh daughter and the older twin of the seventh son. Until her family moves to the frontier when she is five years old, Eff is tormented by some of her many relatives about being the unlucky #13, destined to turn bad. The psychological scars prove difficult to eradicate and cause Eff to be afraid of her own magical abilities, despite the encouragement of her teachers, parents, and friends.

Once I free up some bookshelf space, I will go buy myself a copy. I already want to reread it!

For reader's advisory purposes: character & story doorways, with setting an important factor, too.

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Never After

Never After by Laurell K. Hamilton


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

OK--I have to get this book off my desk and turned back in, so here is my shorter-than-usual review:

These are upside-down romance novellas, with the heroine of each trying to get OUT of marrying someone.

The first two novellas in the book were OK. Laurell K. Hamilton tells a story about a young girl whose father basically sells her to a known pervert/dirty old man/rapist, and she chooses to escape by publicly announcing she's going to rescue an almost-mythical prince, believing it's better to die that way than be tortured by her vile husband-to-be.

Yasmine Galenorn writes about a selkie hiding from the selkie prince who raped her a century ago as a way to force her into marrying him. He finally catches up to her in the Puget Sound area and nearly kills her fiance, her supernatural friends, and her.

I enjoyed the last two novellas the best. Marjorie M. Liu tells of an unconventional princess whose father sells her in marriage to a fearsome warlord in exchange for border protection. She goes on a journey to the magical Tanglewood forest in search of guidance and discovers both some new friends and the dangerous ice queen imprisoned by a crown of thorns. (This story was hard to put down.)

Sharon Shinn's novella, "The Wrong Bridegroom," is the story of a spoiled brat of a princess whose awful father holds a bloody tournament, with the champion getting to marry the princess. The post-tournament journey to meet the future mother-in-law is eye-opening and character-building. (Shinn is a master with character development.)

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General Winston's Daughter

General Winston's Daughter by Sharon Shinn


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm not quite sure how to categorize this book. It's YA because the eponymous character, Averie, General Winston's daughter, is 18 years old. It's fantasy in that Shinn set her story in a made-up world, although no one has magical abilities or rides dragons or has any other trait typical to the genre. Other than that...it has elements of romance, although that's not the focus. It's almost a commentary on war--the complexities of aggression, suppression, and rebellion--but not entirely.

What it is, is excellent, especially if you love character development. The story begins with Averie and her chaperone, Lady Selkirk, sailing to Chiarrin, a hot, dry country recently invaded by the Aebrian army, of which Averie's father is the commanding general. Averie is joining her father and fiance (also an officer in the army) with little understanding of the military and political maneuvering shaping her world. But as she befriends both a lieutenant from the long-since conquered country of Xan'tai and a young Chiarrizi woman, she begins to reevaluate her country's actions, both current and historical.

The climax of the book took me by surprise--it was far bigger in scope than I had anticipated. Which is pretty much all I can say about it without revealing too much.

For reader's advisors: character and story doorways. No sex or bad language, although there are some kisses by moonlight.

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