vol3no6.html

Volume 3 #6

All books reviewed here are recommended. Please, always keep in mind that the only books that appear on this page are ones that I liked enough to write about. For every book reviewed here I have usually read two that I would not want to inflict on anyone.

As January approaches I'm on a reading binge trying to get all Quick Picks nominations read before the American Library Association midwinter conference which leaves me with little time to post to this web site. Expect lots of reviews in months to come.

Romance/Historical/Western
Enchanted Christmas
Emma Craig
Leisure Books 050552287X

This delightful tale of a wounded hero, a feisty widow, an adorable child, and a magical old man makes a terrific stocking stuffer for the romance fans on your Christmas list. Having lost everything after the Civil War as a result of standing up for his convictions, Noah is embittered and solitary. When he finds the one chunk of land that he wants to settle on in a desolate part of New Mexico he is stymied because Grace, the widowed owner, is unwilling to part with the dream she and her late husband had for their young daughter and their land. Sprinkle in a little magic and a romance that is perfect for those who like tales of wounded hero cowboys, cute kids, and second chances at love is born.

Romance/Historical/Medieval/Spicy
Queen of the May
Denée Cody
Kensington 0821756680

Alexander de Mandeville has returned from the Crusades to take up the reins of Wolfhurst, to bring the holding back from the precipice his steward had lead it to through disregard of the villein's welfare. Alone and wounded after dispatching a child killing wolf, Alex blunders into a poacher's poisoned arrow only to be rescued by Giselle, a beautiful red headed healer who lives in the woods with Robyn and his band of outlaws. When a plague strikes the village, Alexander sends for Giselle and together they discover a passion that transcends their different stations in life.

Exquisite foreshadowing reassures the reader that all will end happily ever after even as the lovers face what looks like insurmountable obstacles to their love.

Cody, who is my current favorite historical romance writer, spins a fine tale against a backdrop that breathes vivid life into the medieval setting. With Queen of the May she proves she is adept at writing hot love scenes and a convincing romance as well a bringing a bygone era to life. She is a superb storyteller and her works should be in every public library collection.

Fantasy/Parallel Worlds/Magic
The Arm of the Stone
Victoria Strauss
Avon Eos 0380797518

In the deepest recesses of his mind, beyond impenetrable barriers, lies the secret of Bron's family, the secret they have maintained for 1,000 years. In a brutal land where technology and invention are sins punished by death, the Guardians rule from a remote hidden fortress. After his entire family is dead because of the Guardians it seems unlikely that Bron, thought to be without mind talent would become a member of the elite Arm of the the Stone, the very branch of the Guardians that was responsible for the annihilation of his family.

This intricately wrought fantasy is built layer upon carefully crafted layer to create a well thought out and beautifully constructed world. Strauss is a writer to watch for and The Arm of the Stone is an outstanding fantasy novel.

Romance/Historical/Regency/Spicy
Illusion
Jean Ewing Ross
Berkley 0425164470

Ross, winner of last year's Rita Award for best Regency Romance deftly turns her hand to writing a hot historical in a Regency setting. Frances Woodward finds that she cannot assume life in England as an innocent miss after escaping from years of captivity in India being trained as a courtesan. Won in a card game by nobleman Nigel Arundham she is swept into a life of high level spying and international intrigue.

Young Adult / Contemporary / Coming of Age
Satellite Down
Rob Thomas
Simon & Schuster 0689809573

What can one say? Rob Thomas is the king! In his witty fast paced style we enter the life of Patrick Sheridan a virtuous 17-year-old Texan journalist who is plunged into instant Hollywood celebrity when he is chosen to be a student reporter on a television newscast that is beamed into high schools across the country. Leaving his rigidly Catholic parents and long-time girlfriend behind in Doggett, Texas he experiences sex, drugs, and show biz politics discovering that his journalistic skills aren't what landed him the job but rather his exotic good looks. He makes discoveries about secrets in his family and about himself eventually running away while in Belfast to find himself in his grandfather's Irish hometown.

Young Adult / Fantasy /Parallel Worlds
Sang Spell
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Atheneum 0689820070

Following the death of his mother Josh decides to hitchhike from Boston to Dallas where he will spend his senior year living with an aunt. Picked up in a rainstorm by a ride he knows he shouldn't take, Josh regains consciousness to find himself badly beaten and robbed. Knowing he won't survive the night he gratefully climbs into the back of a passing wagon and is taken into a mysterious hollow that seems to defy the natural laws of the world. In a village strangely out of time with the contemporary world landscape features move imperceptibly but all the same end up in different places. Every time he tries to leave he winds up back where he started.

Combining folk mythology with a contemporary teen who is suffering great loss makes a fascinating story set in the Appalachians and filled with adventure. Naylor who does not usually write fantasy has done a fine, thought provoking job, with this one.

Science Fiction / Galactic Empires / Political
Romance / Science Fiction
The Last Hawk
Catherine Asaro
Tor 0312860447

After running across mention of Asaro on romance lists I dug this out of my TBR room to find an un-put-downable read filled with passion and romance in an intricately detailed other world. I don't usually pay attention to cover blurbs but Donald M. Kingsbury who wrote one of my favorite SF books of all time (and is a master of world-building) has one on the cover that I considered an expert recommendation.

Kelric, heir to the Skolian empire crash lands on a planet marked as restricted. A woman ruler, fascinated by his unusual stature and strange golden skin does not kill him but takes him into her estate and has him nursed back to health. Descended from fierce warriors, this matriarchal society now uses an intricate game, Quis, played with variously shaped dice for political maneuvering. Men, considered the weaker sex, do not hold positions of responsibility but each estate has a Calanya, a seraglio or harem, where men who are sworn to the estate manager serve as advisors through their play of Quis. Only men in the Calanya can become mates of the estate managers. Kelric, renamed, becomes a calani but through misadventure ends up in a terrible prison run by a sadist. The Last Hawk follows Kelric's rise to become the most powerful Quis player ever seen and takes us to a land that erupts in war.

This was a fascinating story and one that was far too short at 447 pages. Now I have to find her other titles. Readers who like complex fully realized worlds will revel in this well told tale.

Crime/Amateur Detective/Caper
Bird Dog
Philip Reed
Pocket 0671001655

Harold Dodge goes to the assistance of a damsel in distress and winds up involved in an all out crime caper involving shady car deals and organized crime in this rollicking good read subtitled "A Car Noir Thriller." While Reed is no Carl Hiaasen (but then who else is?) he provides an entertaining diversion for those waiting for their next Hiaasen fix. A little romance, a few mistaken identities, a body in the trunk, what more can one ask for?

Crime/Romantic Suspense
Adventure/Survival/Terrorism
And Then You Die
Iris Johansen
Bantam 0553579983

Photojournalist Bess Grady is sent on an "easy" assignment, more of a paid vacation so she takes her sister with her, to a remote Mexican village. When they arrive they find almost everyone dead, not in a bloody massacre like the one she is trying to forget but dead all the same. A cordon of military vehicles arrive and Bess discovers that they aren't there to help but to cover up. As they flee with the sole survivor of the village, a baby girl, she is captured. One of her captors seems to have a hidden agenda and helps her escape with the baby starting a wild adventure through the back country. Even though it is more romantic than Johansen's Face of Deception, readers who shy away from romance will enjoy the adventure and the biological terrorism that reminded me of The Cobra Event.

Fantasy/Fairy Tales
Fair Peril
Nancy Springer
Avon 0380794306

Springer's fantasy is always satisfying. She always tells a good story with characters who become real people in a world where they find true meaning. In this romp Buffy, a frumpy dumpy middle-aged storyteller meets a frog who wants a kiss. In her line of work a talking frog would be a boon but a prince would undoubtedly be worthless to her like her ex-husband. At home the frog grows by leaps and bounds until her rebellious teenage daughter kisses him turning him into a prince with whom she runs away. As Buffy quests for her daughter at the local mall she is assisted by a librarian who seems to always be looking for love in all the wrong places. Venturing forth into the Faerie realm, Buffy makes quantum discoveries about her self and her relationships. The surreal quality when paired with the engrossing storytelling makes for a real "keeper."

Young Adult/Adventure
The Maze
Will Hobbs
Morrow 0688150926

Fourteen year old Rick Walker escapes from a juvenile correction facility and ends up in a remote part of Canyonlands National Park where he becomes friends with Lon Peregrino, a loner, who is studying condors released into the wild. A couple of evil villains put Rick and Lon in grave danger. A very nice combination of outdoor adventure and hang gliding mixed with the Icarus myth. As always Hobbs comes through with a pageturning adventure that vividly captures the western landscape.

Young Adult/Graphic Novel
The Amazing True Story of a Teenage Single Mom
Katherine Arnoldi
Hyperion 0786864206

It's amazing the depth of emotion that can be conveyed through a combination of cartoon drawings and text balloons. Arnoldi's story is real and touching, bringing the lives lived by too many teenagers to life. Skillfully crafted, the story sucks the reader in and then gradually builds up the back story so that by the end one is really pulling for this young mother and feeling what she has gone through. It has been nominated as a Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers.

Romance/Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Amber Beach
Elizabeth Lowell
Avon 0380775840

Honor Donovan has set up housekeeping in her brother's house as she tries to find him, knowing that he is innocent of stealing a fortune in amber. Jake Mallory applies for the job of teaching her how to run the fishing boat she will be using to try and find clues that may lead her to Kyle, but he believes that the Donovan family has tried to frame him for the disappearance of the fabulous Russian Czarist treasure. This is the first book in a projected trilogy (but I think there should be more). I reviewed the second title, Jade Island, for Booklist . Another fascinatingly suspenseful tale involving the Amber Room can be found in Maelstrom by Sam Llewellyn.

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