Time for some mini-reviews! What are mini-reviews, you ask? As the title suggests, these are short reviews, consisting of one paragraph tops, about a book. It’s a way to catch up on the books I’ve read a while ago, but never got around to reviewing.
Boots for the Gentleman
Title: Boots for the Gentleman
Author: Augusta Li and Eon de Beaumont
Genre: M/M Romance, Steampunk, Fantasy
Rating: 3 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Hired by a mysterious faerie gentleman to steal seemingly worthless artifacts, Querrilous Knotte is seen as a traitor by the humans of Halcyon. But as long as he’s getting paid, Querry doesn’t mind. When his client makes a cryptic comment about a certain house, Querry contacts his old flame Reg—a former street rat who now works in the Royal Archives—to learn if the property contains anything of value.
Though Reg has no answers for him, Querry learns there is indeed something precious in the house, something Reg is convinced will bring nothing but trouble. The armed guards that attack the thief prove Reg’s prediction true, and he can’t leave Querry to face it all alone. Not when Reg’s feelings for the man may not be as extinct as he’d thought.
The trouble is, Querry’s heart doesn’t just belong to Reg anymore, and surprisingly, Reg’s heart no longer belongs only to Querry. In the end, it may not even matter, because if Querry, Reg, and their hearts’ desire can’t stop Lord Thimbleroy from draining Halcyon’s magic, they won’t live long enough to regret their unresolved romance.
Review: The writing is…chaotic, to say the least. The editing is non-existent, and the book is riddled with errors and typos. The plot’s originality and creativity makes up for a lot of that, but ultimately I felt the book could’ve been better had there been more attention to detail.
The Traitor’s Daughter
Title: The Traitor’s Daughter (The Veiled Islezs Trilogy #1)
Author: Paula Brandon
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction
Rating: 2 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Here’s the beginning of a lush, epic, wholly original new trilogy that shines with magic, mystery, and captivating drama.
On the Veiled Isles, ominous signs are apparent to those with the talent to read them. The polarity of magic is wavering at its source, heralding a vast upheaval poised to alter the very balance of nature. Blissfully unaware of the cataclysmic events to come, Jianna Belandor, the beautiful, privileged daughter of a powerful Faerlonnish overlord, has only one concern: the journey to meet her prospective husband. But revolution is stirring as her own conquered people rise up against their oppressors, and Jianna is kidnapped and held captive at a rebel stronghold, insurance against what are perceived as her father’s crimes.The resistance movement opens Jianna’s eyes―and her heart. Despite her belief in her father’s innocence, she is fascinated by the bold and charming nomadic physician and rebel sympathizer, Falaste Rione—who offers Jianna her only sanctuary in a cold and calculating web of intrigue. As plague and chaos grip the land, Jianna is pushed to the limits of her courage and resourcefulness, while virulent enemies discover that alliance is their only hope to save the human race.
Review: Bland protagonist, who I couldn’t connect with, even though I tried. The blurb is misleading – things like the zombies are only mentioned briefly. All the characters were unlikeable, and some of them showed only little personality.
Wayfinder
Title: Wayfinder
Author: C.E. Murphy
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE—IF IT DOESN’T KILL YOU FIRST
Lara Jansen is a truthseeker, gifted—or cursed—with the magical ability to tell honesty from lies. Once she was a tailor in Boston, but now she has crossed from Earth to the Barrow-lands, a Faerie world embroiled in a bloody civil war between Seelie and Unseelie. Armed with an enchanted and malevolent staff which seeks to bend her to its dark will, and thrust into a deadly realm where it’s hard to distinguish friend from foe, Lara is sure of one thing: her love for Dafydd ap Caerwyn, the Faerie prince who sought her help in solving a royal murder and dousing the flames of war before they consumed the Barrow-lands.
But now Dafydd is missing, perhaps dead, and the Barrow-lands are closer than ever to a final conflagration. Lara has no other choice: she must harness the potent but perilous magic of the staff and her own truthseeking talents, blazing a path to a long-forgotten truth—a truth with the power to save the Barrow-lands or destroy them.
Review: The cover persuaded me to give this one a shot. This is the second book in a series – which I didn’t know, but I could follow easily enough. Lara is an intriguing protagonist, and the whole ocncept of her gifts, and of truthseekers, is original and creative. The book was a blast from start to finish.
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