Monthly Archives: September 2016

bitterwood

Book Review of Bitterwood, by Rowan Speedwell

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BitterwoodI received a copy of Bitterwood, by Rowan Speedwell from Netgalley.

Description from Goodreads:
Outrunning a winter storm in the north, Captain Faran of the King’s Guard leads his men and a young mage named Meric to shelter at Bitterwood Manor, the ancestral home of the Daenes. Faran and his troops have been searching for weeks for a mysterious, lion-like beast that reportedly haunts the uncharted northern woods. For Meric, finding that prophesied cat is a matter of life and death.

Though Faran is deeply focused on their mission, the enigmatic Joss Daene, Lord of Bitterwood, fascinates him. Strong and proud, Joss is everything Faran wants in a lover. More, if he were honest. But Joss belongs to Bitterwood, and Faran to his duty.

Together they will need to brave the oldest, darkest part of the Bitterwood in the coldest, deepest snows of winter to find the legendary cat. But time is running out—for Meric, for the kingdom, and for Faran and Joss’s fledgling love.

Review:
This was a cute, sweet story of little depth but plenty of ‘aww’ moments. For flat out feel-goods this is worth picking up. If you’re looking for fleshed out characters or significant plotting, maybe not so much. I thought everyone was just a little too goody-goody to be taken seriously. Everyone was kind, considerate, generous, and instantly in love. Again, it was sweet and I enjoyed it, but it’s not to be taken seriously.

I was however thrilled to see that the mystery of the Daene cat didn’t work out the way I expected and a surprise is always a nice thing to find. Similarly, I liked that the mature, softer around the middle people got a love story too. That is a rare thing. So, for those who like prioritize heart and flowers over twisty plots, this will likely be a winner.

Book Review of The Glorious Heresies, by Lisa McInerney

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The Glorious Heresies

I received a copy of The Glorious Heresies, by Lisa McInerney from Blogging for Books.

Description from Goodreads:
One messy murder affects the lives of five misfits who exist on the fringes of Ireland’s post-crash society. Ryan is a fifteen-year-old drug dealer desperate not to turn out like his alcoholic father Tony, whose obsession with his unhinged next-door neighbour threatens to ruin him and his family. Georgie is a prostitute whose willingness to feign a religious conversion has dangerous repercussions, while Maureen, the accidental murderer, has returned to Cork after forty years in exile to discover that Jimmy, the son she was forced to give up years before, has grown into the most fearsome gangster in the city. In seeking atonement for the murder and a multitude of other perceived sins, Maureen threatens to destroy everything her son has worked so hard for, while her actions risk bringing the intertwined lives of the Irish underworld into the spotlight . . .

Biting, moving and darkly funny, The Glorious Heresies explores salvation, shame and the legacy of Ireland’s twentieth-century attitudes to sex and family.

Review:
Wow, that was a head trip and one hard read. I could generally only read a couple chapters at a time before needing breathing space. In fact, I read several other books in the time it took me to finish this, and I’m usually a literary monogamist; preferring to read one book at a time.

But despite being gritty and hard to face at times, it’s a stellar book. It kind of has a similar feel to J.K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy, except I think it pulls off spotlighting the humanity of the destitute and desperate better than Rowling did.

The characters are fleshed out and human, most of them screw-ups of one sort or another, all constantly cheating one another and themselves in the process, knowingly or not. The plot is twisty enough to keep you interested, but not so much as to feel contrived. And the writing is magnificent! Really, if you are a literary fiction reader, who likes their fiction a little on the dark side pick this up.

What I’m drinking: Loyd Rich India Orange Pekoe Black Tea

Dark Warrior Unleashed

Book Review of Dark Warrior Unleashed (Talions #1), by Alexis Morgan

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Dark Warrior Unleased

I posted about Dark Warrior Unleashed, by Alexis Morgan, a couple months ago, when I picked up four Morgan’s books at a second hand story and was shocked to see them autographed and dedicated to Mom & Dad. How did the end up in a charity shop? I, of course, don’t know. But it intrigued me. I gave the first a read.Alexis Morgan signature 2

Description from Goodreads:
The rough and rugged Talions, sexy warriors who stop at nothing to deliver justice, star in this steamy new paranormal series from Alexis Morgan.

He’s on a mission to annihilate the enemy. 

A Talion enforcer, Ranulf Thorsen has served his people for a thousand years, delivering the eye-for-an-eye justice by which his kinsmen live. Weary of the centuries-long fight, the fierce warrior with icy blue eyes has secluded himself on a mountain far from the chaos of the modern world below. Now he’s been summoned to face the most dangerous battle of his life — and the fate of his people is on the line. But when he meets the beautiful woman he has sworn to defend… 

Ranulf and his bitter rival, fellow Talion Sandor Kearn, must find the rogue Kyth who set a violent fire in a nightclub. The near-deadly blaze’s unlikely heroine, Kerry Logan, is also a Kyth, possessing the ancient Nordic people’s unique ability to manipulate human energy. She just doesn’t know it yet. …who will protect his heart? 

Kerry finds more than comfort in her warrior’s embrace, and Ranulf hungers to both defend and claim the petite powerhouse for his own. But with time ticking away and their lives on the line, will Kerry believe the wild tale he’s telling her, and master her powers…before it’s too late?

Review:
Pretty bog standard, unimpressive paranormal romance. Not bad, just not in any way special or impressive. I appreciated that the heroine stood up for herself frequently and often got her own way. She seemed smart and determined.

But honestly, the villain was evil for no reason except that he was evil and he was a pretty cliched baddie too. The attraction between the H and h was almost instant. The Talions are supposed to be a group but no other Talion is ever actually mentioned. In fact, it felt like there was a whole dearth of people in the world. Like Morgan couldn’t be bothered to flesh it out.

Worst of all, though ,was that there was very very little tension in the book. We’re told frequently that this was the hardest mission of Ranulf’s long life and that the villain had to be hunted, etc. etc. But the characters went dancing, ate, made love repeatedly and then the climax was brief and uninspiring. After all the villain’s grandstanding your never shown his realization that he’ll be defeated. Meh

What I’m drinking: Iced, cold-brew chicory. Chicory is a habit I picked up when I last gave up caffeine (cold turkey, even) and needed something more robust than herbal tea. Chicory tastes enough like coffee to sooth the beast and, hey, it happens to be good for you too.