Hairballs and Homicide

Title: Hairballs and Homicide

Author: Ruth J. Hartman
Publisher: self
ISBN: n/a

Thoughts:  Just as fun as Hartman's Regency romances, but more episodic than I expect from a cozy mystery.

Rating: 3/5

Nine Ladies Dancing 2018

Title: Nine Ladies Dancing 2018

Author: Donna Hatch, Felicia Rogers, Jenna Jaxon, Kay Springsteen, Patricia Kiyono, Ruth J. Hartman, Sherry Gloag, Tabetha Waite, & Vivian Roycroft
Publisher: Dingbat
ISBN: n/s

Thoughts: Nine Regency stories of fun and clean romance with strong heroines.

Rating: 4/5

Purrfect Voyage

Purrfect Voyage

by Ruth J. Hartman

published by Turqouise Morning

2011

ISBN n/a

Why read? Review

Purrfect Voyage by Ruth J. Hartman is a fun, escapist read.  While Hartman is known for her historical romances, this is a contemporary one, but it still features a cat, and this time as the catalyst for the whole story.

Children's author Kitty Carter's cat Arthur has gotten away from her again.  While chasing him, she finds herself onboard a yacht where she slips and falls, knocking herself unconscious.  When she comes to, she finds she is on a two-week voyage with another Arthur - this one a ruggedly handsome man.  However, Arthur (the cat) is nowhere near done with his mischief.

The voyage part of this was exciting and super sweet.  Once they got off the boat, though, it dragged and the resolution left too much open.  But if you love cats and romances, Ruth J. Hartman is definitely the author for you!

Rating 3/5

Winter Warning

Winter Warning

by Jerome Charyn

published by Pegasus

October 2017

ISBN 978-1-68177-348-3

Like much of Jerome Charyn's work, Winter Warning is fraught with melancholy.  While this particular novel does not involved a historical character, it still feels like it could be true with its Cold War politics and realistic suspense.

This is the 12th book featuing Isaac Sidel, but it is unnecessary to read the previous ones, which date back to 1975.  This easily stands alone, and Charyn explains any of Sidel's backstory needed to jump right into Winter Warning.  Although you can jump right in, as with any of Charyn's stories, the current is slow, meandering along through the plot.  Since this is suspense, there are a few rapids, but nothing that will leave you breathless.

Fans who have read the previous Isaac Sidel novels will definitely enjoy this one.  Suspense fans who are not used to Jerome Charyn's writing, however, might not find what they are looking for in Winter Warning.

Rating: 3/5

Reluctant Reunion

Reluctant Reunion

by Ruth J. Hartman

published by esKape

August 2017

ISBN 9781370450572

Reluctant Reunion is a sweet chick lit novel about finding where you truly belong.  And surprisingly, there is no romance.  Also, somehow Ruth J. Hartman wrote a story with no cats (but there are baby alpacas).

Rating: 4/5

Nine Ladies Dancing

Nine Ladies Dancing

by Kim Bowman, Sherry Gloag, Elizabeth Hanbury, Ruth J. Hartman, Patricia Kiyono, Miranda D. Nelson, Felicia Rogers, Vivian Roycroft, Kay Springsteen, & Nicole Zoltack

published by Dingbat

2016

ISBN n/a

If you are looking for a sweet boxed set of Regency Christmas romances, Nine Ladies Dancing is a fun read.  Some of the standout stories were The Toymaker by Kay Springsteen, The Duke of Christmas Past by Kim Bowman, and Romancing the Dustman's Daughter by Ruth J. Hartman, but all ten stories are very enjoyable, especially for fans of the genre.

Rating: 3/5

Becoming Lin

Becoming Lin

by Tricia Dower

published by Caitlin

2016

ISBN 978-1-987915-07-5

Becoming Lin is Tricia Dower's follow-up to her earlier work, Stony River.  While Stony River was a coming-of-age story, Becoming Lin is a coming-into-her-own story.

After the trial for her attempted rape, Linda Wise wants a new life where she can make a difference.  After hearing a young preacher, Ron Brunson, talk about the Freedom Ride a few years before, she decides she wants to marry him.  Despite warnings from her mentor to finish her degree, she does marry Ron and is soon off to Minnesota to a be a pastor's wife.  Ron, though, is very liberal in his thinking, and encourages her to finish her degree while they both help drafter dodgers escape the Vietnam War.  Despite the excitement of protests and having a young son, Linda - now Lin - still wants more and sets off to find it.

Once again, Dower does an excellent job of capturing the feel of the time period.  However, having all of the focus on one character, even though Lin is a very well-fleshed-out character, takes away some of the intensity that existed in Stony River.

Becoming Lin is still a good read, even if it is missing some of the intensity of its predecessor.  Tricia Dower is definitely a woman's historical fiction writer to look out for.

Rating: 3/5

Jerzy

Jerzy

by Jerome Charyn

published by self

2016

ISBN 978-1540574176

Jerome Charyn has a distinct style that really brings out the humanity of the protagonists of his historical fiction novels.  Jerzy Kosinski is the perfect subject for Charyn.  Unlike his other novels, Kosinski is not the narrator of Jerzy; rather, his story is told by other figures from his life.  And his story is not for the faint of heart - it is raw, gritty, and, quite frankly, depraved.

An interesting technique that Charyn uses in Jerzy is to tell the story in reverse chronological order.  The first character who narrates Kosinski's life is one he did not meet until closer to his death; the very last section, concerns Kosinski's childhood.  Telling the story this way is like peeling back layers to show the real inner-workings of Kosinski and how he grew.

Jerzy is perhaps the most disturbing of all of the Jerome Charyn's novels I have read so far, and that unnerved me which made it hard for me to get into, or even just concentrate on, the story.  Charyn is a very talented writer, but, as Jerzy shows, his writing is not for everyone.

Rating: 2/5

The Legend of the Dwarf: The Beginning

The Legend of the Dwarf: The Beginning

by Kate Bloom

published by self

2016

ISBN 978-1540574176

The fantasy genre is so full of subgenres these days that it is hard to find a good old-fashioned epic fantasy.  That is exactly what Kate Bloom delivers in her first installment of The Legend of the Dwarf, The Beginning.

Not even born yet when her home was destroyed by the evil Terrisino, Ever Trollkiller is the youngest dwarf left in the Earth of Eald.  As what is left of her people try to survive and repopulate, Ever cannot help but wonder what her home was like.  When she meets an elf while hunting, Ever makes a rash decision - she will enlist his help in journeying to her homeland and then stopping Terrisino once and for all.  Along the way, their ragtag crew grows.  The more people they meet, the more Ever learns about herself and the secret that she is.

The Beginning is by no means perfect, with some stilted exposition popping up here and there and easy to spot twists, but by and large, Bloom's writing is highly engaging and wholly fun.  It is easy to fall right into the story and let the pages fly by, something that does not always happen with lengthier epic fantasies.

The Beginning is truly just the beginning of The Legend of the Dwarf.  While still stopping in what feels like an appropriate spot, Kate Bloom leaves many questions unanswered and a subplot open, making the reader eagerly anticipate the next installment, The Birth.

Rating: 4/5

The Penitent

The Penitent

by A. Keith Carreiro

published by Copper Beech Press

2016

ISBN 978-0-9973827-0-9

The Penitent, Part One of A. Keith Carreiro's The Immortality Wars, has the feel of a medieval morality tale but with more fantastical elements.  

Pall, who was born with a pall over his face (hence the spelling of his name) and has always had a rough life because of it, has been injured and finds he now has gaps in his memory.  The archer Savage finds him and saves him, but a band of depraved soldiers discover the injured Pall and start to torture him.  This starts to release some memories that do not seem feasible to Pall, such as turning into a fish.  Luckily, a gruesome monster, The Unger, is nearby to further save Pall.  However, Pall and his ragtag crew are never safe for long as there always seems to be a new enemy just around the bend.

I really wanted to like The Penitent, but I had the hardest time following what was happening.  I found myself rereading constantly and still coming away with only a foggy notion of what was happening.  I also felt like there were some leaps in the story, but that could have just been a result of my confusion.

I can see what A. Keith Carreiro was aiming for with The Penitent, but I, personally, just had trouble getting there.

Rating: 1/5

Twisted

Twisted: The Girl Who Uncovered Rumpelstiltskin's Name

by Bonnie M. Hennessy

published by self

2016

ISBN n/a

I also enjoy fairy tale retellings, and Bonnie M. Hennessy creates an interesting one in Twisted.  The original story of Rumpelstiltskin is not that long, but Hennessy does an admirable job giving flesh to the tale.

Aoife has spent her life running her family's land while her dad boasting while gambling and drinking their money away at the brothel in town.  One day, he gets in over his head when he claims to the new duke that his daughter can spin straw into gold.  Aoife tries to convince the duke that this was metophorical by showing him how he can improve the financial success of his estate, but he wants it done for real.  The magical little man that Aoife always feels watching her in the woods, and who saved her one day from drowning, saves her again by doing the impossible deed.  But when Aoife chooses to marry the duke to save her family from ruin rather than staying with her protector, the heart of the little man hardens and his wrath comes with a terrible price that will also unearth many secrets.

Hennessy takes the Rumpelstiltskin story and creates a plausible backstory to all of the elements.  There are a few instances, though, that seem to happen just because they have to without any real cause and these hinder the story just a little as they muddle the characters' characters.  The ending, however, is big and bold with many twists that make up for those few disjointed passages.

Twisted is a fun yet dramatic read that will appeal to older YA and adult fans of fairy tale fantasy.  I hope Bonnie M. Hennessy tries her hand at more stories in the future.

Rating: 3/5

Following Disasters

Following Disasters

by Nancy McCabe

published by Outpost19

2016

ISBN 9781944853037

Following Disasters by Nancy McCabe has the feel of the gothic novels its heroine reads.  There is an old house, a ghost, and lots of personal realization in this atmospheric novel.

At 21, Maggie-Kate Owen is living a nomadic life "following disasters" for an insurance company.  All that changes, though, when her Aunt Beth dies and leaves her the old Victorian.  Maggie-Kate moves in and begins to think back on the disasters that have befallen her own life so far.  She comes to realize that her life has parallels to her aunt's but, unlike her aunt, she has time to change her fate if she can learn from the relationship mistakes of her elders.

Following Disasters starts a little slow, but the atmosphere is there from the get-go.  McCabe starts with what feels like a simple coming-of-age story, but things become deeper and more complex as the story moves along.  The switching between Maggie-Kate's past and present is just as easy to follow as the switches to Beth's journal, which helps keep the pace moving as the plot picks up speed.

Following Disasters is a deep work that will appeal to those who like gothic-esque novels.  Nancy McCabe's first foray into fiction is a success that begs for more.

Rating: 4/5

Stony River

Stony River

by Tricia Dower

published by Leapfrog

2016

ISBN 978-1-935248-86-6

Tricia Dower's Stony River is labeled as a coming-of-age who-done-it.  While there is a mystery, a little bit of magical realism, Stony River is really all about coming of age in what is often thought of as a safer time.

Linda Wise and Tereza Dobra are more friends through circumstance than because they have anything in common.  Linda has always been made fun of by the rest of her classmates for her weight, and Tereza's family has moved around so much that she is considered a gypsy.  As outcasts, the girls fall in with each other, which is how they came to be playing around the Haggerty house when the police escort out a girl a little older than them and a young boy.  No one in Stony River, New Jersey knew anyone but crazy James Haggerty lived there, so this shocks the town.  So does the implication of who the boy's father is.  While Miranda Haggerty is learning about the outside world through the cloistered world of a convent orphanage, Tereza is fantasizing about the other girl's life as hers becomes more and more troublesome.  Eventually, Tereza runs away, leaving Linda even more alone than before.  Tereza first camps out in the abandoned Haggerty house, but decides to leave upon finding a stash of money.  Determined to be an actress, Tereza starts working her way towards New York, but ends up finding herself living with Buddy Jukes, the cousin of a friend, and his grandmother.  Buddy has demons of his own that Tereza does not understand, but is willing to look past.  Meanwhile, Miranda is learning to reconcile the Celtic religion she was raised on with Catholicism, and learning that she has a special gift that ends up bringing her closer to the wife of the policeman who found her.  Linda is just trying to fit in and make new friends, but finds herself lost and making not the best decisions.  Little do the three girls know that their lives are about to collide in a big way.

Dower does an amazing job capturing the feel of small town life in the mid-to-late 1950s (or so I imagine, not having ever experienced that myself).  All of the characters are expertly drawn.  It is a compelling read, but not for the mystery, which takes so much of a backseat, it does not feel like one at all.  What drives the intricate plot is the lessons the three girls learn about the world and themselves as their lives change drastically over the course of five years.

Stony River is an excellent coming-of-age story that has a the feel of a classic.  Tricia Dower is very talented.  The only thing that hinders Stony River is its classification as a who-done-it; it is a much tighter read if one is not constantly looking for a mystery.

Rating: 4/5

Welcome to the Show

Welcome to the Show

by Frank Nappi

published by Sky Pony

2016

ISBN 978-1-63450-834-6

Frank Nappi returns with the next installment of his Mickey Tussler series, Welcome to the Show.  The pitching prodigy has finally made it to the majors, but finds his autism is still an issue.  The rest of the Braves, aside from the other rookie, his friend Lester, do not understand Mickey, and some even resent his prowess.  Arthur Murphy, acting as the substitute manager for the season, tries his best to make a family of the team, but some of the star players have other ideas.  Further complications arise when Mickey falls in love for the first time.

As always, Nappi does a wonderful job capturing the feel of 1940s baseball while also creating realistic, diverse characters.  Sports-lovers will love the detailed play-by-play action in many of the chapters.  The only downfall is the amount of head-hopping that happens, especially during games, which makes it hard to keep everyone and everything straight.

Fans of historical sports fiction or of books with main characters on the autism spectrum will enjoy Welcome to the Show.  While it does help to have read Frank Nappi’s prior Mickey Tussler novels, this one does almost stand well on its own.

Rating 3/5

A Matter of Time

A Matter of Time

by Michael Bowler

published by Outskirts

2012

ISBN 9781432787110

Michael Bowler’s A Matter of Time is a combination adventure/sci-fi/horror/romance.  Even though the characters are in college, it definitely works best for a YA rather than NA audience.

Jamie Collins has always been a bit a dreamer, which is why he is totally content at Santa Clara University majoring in English where he takes many creative writing courses.  When not in class, he spends his time watching sci-fi movies with his best friend Jay, or hanging out with his roommate, Dan, and Dan’s sister, Maggie.  Everything changes, though, when he starts to dream about a vampire stalking a young man on a ship.  Soon, Jamie realizes that everything that is happening physically to the mysterious young man, is happening to him.  It takes Jamie a little longer to learn who the young man is – Jack Phillips, the chief wireless operator onboard the Titanic.  Jamie realizes that he must have been Phillips in a past life, but no one will believe his about that or the vampire.  To make matters worse, the one person who might believe him, Jay, is not talking to him after getting dumped by Maggie for Jamie, who did not even know she like him.  With his life spinning out of control and the anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking fast approaching, Jamie books a trip to Newfoundland to charter a boat to take him to meet up with the Titanic.  Dan, worried for his friend, tags along, but believes Jamie is completely crazy for thinking he can jump timelines in the middle of the Atlantic.  Jamie, however, does, and the Titanic exceeds his dreams.  Desperately trying to save Phillips and the rest of the passengers by stopping the vampire, Jamie does not have time for love, but it finds him anyway.  Will changing the past change the future?  Jamie does not know, but he knows he must try.

A Matter of Time was two unique story concepts – a vampire causing the sinking of the Titanic and a young man who can travel back in time because he is the reincarnation of someone onboard the Titanic – smooshed into one.  Either one could have been outstanding on their own, but together, they made for a muddy read.  Also, Jamie was not the most endearing character.  Many of his actions seemed too immature for a college junior of today, much less one from 1986 when the story takes place.  Plus, some of the exposition just did not make sense – mainly the rooming situation.  First, if Jamie and Jay are best friends and Jay does not get along with his roommate, why are he and Jamie not rooming together, but rather Jamie is rooming with a freshman.  On top of that, Maggie is storing her stuff in Jamie and Dan’s room because campus housing had no place for her, yet the school year is three-quarters of the way over, and she has obviously been living somewhere.  These points may seem trivial, but they easily through the reader out of the story, as does the head-hopping that happens all too frequently.

I have read a few novels from Michael Bowler, and I have to say, A Matter of Time is not his best.  On a positive note, though, I thoroughly enjoyed Aaron Landon’s narration of the audiobook.  He captured the highs and lows of the story perfectly.

Rating: 2/5

Color of Darkness

Color of Darkness

by Ruth J. Hartman

published by esKape

2016

ISBN 9781940695839

Why read? Review

Like the title suggest, the next installment of Ruth J. Hartman's The Sullyard Sisters trilogy, Color of Darkness, takes a very dark turn.  That is not to say that it does not have a likeable characters and sweet romance that Hartman is known for, but the setting is definitely a departure from her usual.

Lydia Sullyard has a crush on her sister's husband's rakish cousin, Stratford Bexley.  She thinks she has kept her feelings hidden, but her younger sister, Patience, has figured it out, as has the ruthless Miss Queensbury who is determined to marry a Bexley.  To remove what she perceives as an obstacle, Miss Queensbury has Lydia committed to Bedlam.  Little does Miss Queensbury know that she is actually pushing Lydia right into Stratford's arms.  However, can Stratford save Lydia without giving into Miss Queensbury's outrageous demands?

Color of Darkness is definitely darker than the rest of Ruth J. Hartman's works, but it is very compelling.  The one thing I wish, and was hoping for throughout the book, was that Stratford's problem that he confided only to Lydia would be the solution to the Miss Queensbury predicament.  Even though I was wrong in this, I still very much enjoyed this novel about the middle Sullyard sister and look forward to what is in store for Patience in the last installment of the trilogy.

Rating 3/5

Color of Deception

Color of Deception

by Ruth J. Hartman

published by esKape

2015

ISBN 9781940695882

Why read? Review

The start of Ruth J. Hartman's The Sullyard Sisters trilogy, Color of Deception, is full of romance with a touch of suspense.  It is also includes Hartman's trademark sweet characters with a soft spot for cats.

Kitty Sullyard is the oldest of three sisters, making a living by selling panoramas in the park.  The three sisters live with their cousin, Roger, a bitter man, who just wants to marry off his wards.  Both Kitty and Roger see a chance to something better when Stratford Bexley takes an interest in using Kitty's panoramas for his father's paper.  Suddenly, Kitty is being whisked around the sights of London by both Stratford and his cousin, Nathaniel.  Both appear rather rakish, but Kitty senses there is more to Nathaniel, and ends up needing to trust him with her life.

Color of Deception is a fun story with great characters, but I wish the suspense played a larger role.  The book started with Kitty's kidnapping before flashing back to the events leading up to it, but it was more than two-thirds through before any part of the story related to that incident came to light.  Other than that, though, this was a classic Ruth J. Hartman novel, quickly enfolding the reader in its cozy and sweet world.

Rating 3/5

Frosted Blood

Frosted Blood

by Larry Pelliteri

published by author

2015

ISBN 978-0-692-28181

Why read? Review/First Reads (received copy from author in exchange for an honest review)

Larry Pellitteri mixes a lot of speculative fiction genres in his debut novel, Frosted Blood, and sometimes it works, and sometimes it does not.  No matter the genre, Pellitteri delivers on the non-stop action.

High school senior Michael Saxon is used to being a loner ever since his parents mysteriously vanished into the side of the hill when he was seven.  Since then, he has spent his life learning about crystals, trying to identify the one his parents left with him.  His research draws the attention of Enbright, the environmental corporation for whom his parents worked for, who offers him a paid internship right out of high school.  He is not the only teenager hired on; there is also the beautiful Emma who moves into the same house he is renting, bring along her younger sister, Sophie.  Soon Michael, with the help of the sisters and his only friend, Christopher, are discovering that Enbright is not all it appears and is deep in the world of drugs, clones, and diabolical plots to take over the world.

Once the exposition of Michael’s early life is over, Pellitteri never lets up the pace.  So many twists and turns are packed into 300 pages that it is hard to keep track of everything, especially the whys behind many actions, although I feel some motivations are more on Pellitteri’s part to keep the story moving.  This, unfortunately, leaves the reader in a state of confusion, which makes it hard to really get into the story and suspend disbelief, which is greatly needed.  One thing that would have helped with much of this would be to make Michael and his friends a few years older.

If you are look for some non-stop sci-fi/fantasy action and are willing to totally suspend your disbelief, then Frost Blood can be a fun read.  I would be interested to see what Pellitteri turns out next as he continues to refine his writing style.

Rating 2/5

Spinner

Spinner

by Michael J. Bowler

published by YoungDudes

2015

ISBN 978-0-9946675-1-9

Why read? Review

Challenges: n/a

Even when writing immersed in a genre, Michael J. Bowler manages to deliver a strong message.  Spinner may be a YA horror about evil cats, a hypnotic music box, and other strange mysteries, but it is also a tale of acceptance and strength.

Alex has known he is different his whole life.  Not only is he confined to a wheelchair with a severe learning disorder, he also has a bizarre talent for taking away the pain of others.  His house mom makes sure he knows he is a freak, as do most of the kids at school.  The only people who truly accept him for who he is are the other boys in his small Special Ed class, especially his best friend, Roy.  In class is the one place that Alex truly feels accepted, but all of that changes when his teacher is mysteriously murdered, clawed to death by cats, just like Alex dreamed.  Alex starts having more dreams after that, also going into bizarre blackouts when he hears a haunting music box.  Now Alex and his friends must figure out where the cats have come from, what Alex’s dreams mean, and who is their new teacher, really.  With plenty of forces against them, both internal and external, the boys have plenty of obstacles to overcome if they are going to save Alex and themselves.

Bowler does an amazing job of creating characters who might seem like outcasts and making them real instead of generic stereotypes (except for some overuse of words that I, having worked with teenagers, have never heard a teen use).  The strength of his characters, in this case Alex and Roy, really endears them to the readers.  Both boys have a lot of things against them, but they know they are strong in their own way, and use that to their advantage.  And here is a big thing, especially for teenagers – neither is afraid to ask for help.  Mix these strong characters with an eerie mystery and you have a teen thriller with amazing depth.

Spinner is a refreshing addition to the YA horror genre.  Michael J. Bowler pulls influences from novels from the heyday of teen thrillers and mixes them with current issues to great one heck of a read.

Rating 4/5

Bitter Bronx

Bitter Bronx

by Jerome Charyn

published by Liveright

2015

No ISBN

Why read? Review

Challenges: n/a

I will admit that I have a love/hate relationship with Jerome Charyn’s writing.  I really enjoy his more contemporary stories, but I find his historical fiction tedious.  While the settings of a few stories in Bitter Bronx do technically fall into the historical fiction category, all thirteen stories were engaging and, as the title suggests, bitter.

Out of the thirteen stories in Bitter Bronx, my favorite was “Archy and Mehitabel”, quite possibly because the author inserted a version of himself into the story.  I also greatly enjoyed “Milo’s Last Chance” and “Major Leaguer”, but of which were not quite as bitter as the rest, or at least not in my interpretation.  A few of the stories even loosely tied together.  “Adonis” and “Archy and Mehitabel” were both about a teen model for a company with mob ties.  “Silk & Silk”, “Little Sister”, and “Marla” were all about a successful lawyer named Marla Silk, although a few aspects of her life changed from story to story.

Bitter Bronx is a wonderful collection that showcases the better parts of Jerome Charyn’s writing style.  While these stories are bitter, they are not utterly depressing, and make for great reads either individually or together.

Rating 4/5