Book Log 7/2011 - Georgette Heyer: Friday's Child

7) 12/3/11
Georgette Heyer: Friday's Child

Much better than 'These Old Shades', the last Heyer book I read, although the premise is almost as fizzy.

In a fit of pique after being rejected by the lovely Miss Milborne, the young Lord Sheringham, in need of a wife to secure his fortune before one of his trustees spends it all, vows to marry the first woman he sees. Lucky for him, then, that on the way back to London he comes face to face with Hero Wantage, a childhood friend, eight years his junior and young, innocent and naive. He persuades her to elope with him instantly. Of course it ends happily ever after because (well, because this is Georgette Heyer and...) Hero has been in love with Sherry since she was eight, but the road is not smooth. Hero, now Lady Sheringham, but only in name, becomes absorbed into Sherry's rakish world of gaming and opera dancers and because of her innocence develops an entirely natural and easy friendship with Sherry's three bachelor friends. Between the four laddish lads she doesn't get much guidance on fitting in with the 'ton' and gets herself into all manner of social scrapes before careering to near disaster. This is a coming of age novel in which both Hero and Sherry grow up, almost in spite of themselves. Light and funny, it provided a welcome relief after reading 'The Gift.' Just what I needed.

Book Log 7/2011 - Georgette Heyer: Friday's Child

7) 12/3/11
Georgette Heyer: Friday's Child

Much better than 'These Old Shades', the last Heyer book I read, although the premise is almost as fizzy.

In a fit of pique after being rejected by the lovely Miss Milborne, the young Lord Sheringham, in need of a wife to secure his fortune before one of his trustees spends it all, vows to marry the first woman he sees. Lucky for him, then, that on the way back to London he comes face to face with Hero Wantage, a childhood friend, eight years his junior and young, innocent and naive. He persuades her to elope with him instantly. Of course it ends happily ever after because (well, because this is Georgette Heyer and...) Hero has been in love with Sherry since she was eight, but the road is not smooth. Hero, now Lady Sheringham, but only in name, becomes absorbed into Sherry's rakish world of gaming and opera dancers and because of her innocence develops an entirely natural and easy friendship with Sherry's three bachelor friends. Between the four laddish lads she doesn't get much guidance on fitting in with the 'ton' and gets herself into all manner of social scrapes before careering to near disaster. This is a coming of age novel in which both Hero and Sherry grow up, almost in spite of themselves. Light and funny, it provided a welcome relief after reading 'The Gift.' Just what I needed.

Book Log 8/2011 - Patricia Briggs: River Marked.

8) 14/3/11
Patricia Briggs: River Marked.

This arrived while I was reading Georgette Heyer and whenever a new Briggs arrives it's a struggle not to ditch the book I'm reading and grab it. I did manage to wait, but the Heyer was barely cooling down from me clutching it for the last chapter before I was racing through the latest Mercy Thompson adventure. You know all about Mercy. (VW mechanic and coyote shapechanger; raised by werewolves and now the mate of Adam, alpha werewolf of the local pack. If not start at 'Moon Called' and keep going. I order it immediately. You will not be sorry.)

So this time Mercy and Adam are on the point of getting married – at last – and instead of a posh honeymoon, Adam borrows a flashy trailer from a local fae and takes Mercy camping, in style. Trouble follows. This is Mercy we're talking about. This time it's a series of deaths on the Columbia River and something strange that even the fae are concerned about. Mercy has to confront a past more strange than she expected and a heritage she never suspected she had, while settling into her new marriage and relationship with not only Adam, but (as his mate) the whole pack.

A good read. Highly recommended.

Book Log 8/2011 - Patricia Briggs: River Marked.

8) 14/3/11
Patricia Briggs: River Marked.

This arrived while I was reading Georgette Heyer and whenever a new Briggs arrives it's a struggle not to ditch the book I'm reading and grab it. I did manage to wait, but the Heyer was barely cooling down from me clutching it for the last chapter before I was racing through the latest Mercy Thompson adventure. You know all about Mercy. (VW mechanic and coyote shapechanger; raised by werewolves and now the mate of Adam, alpha werewolf of the local pack. If not start at 'Moon Called' and keep going. I order it immediately. You will not be sorry.)

So this time Mercy and Adam are on the point of getting married – at last – and instead of a posh honeymoon, Adam borrows a flashy trailer from a local fae and takes Mercy camping, in style. Trouble follows. This is Mercy we're talking about. This time it's a series of deaths on the Columbia River and something strange that even the fae are concerned about. Mercy has to confront a past more strange than she expected and a heritage she never suspected she had, while settling into her new marriage and relationship with not only Adam, but (as his mate) the whole pack.

A good read. Highly recommended.

Book Log 9/2011 - Tanya Huff: Enchantment Emporium

9) 17/3/11
Tanya Huff: Enchantment Emporium

Tanya Huff is always good value whether writing straight fantasy, military SF or – like this one – urban fantasy. This is a fast paced book which introduces the Gales, a magical Ontario family ruled by The Aunties – as fearsome a bunch as ever sported a blue rinse. Don't go all fuzzy on me, here. The Aunties are controlling, ruthless and completely amoral who seem to employ an ends-justify-the-means approach to wielding their magical powers. Alysha Gale, (Allie) temporarily unemployed, receives notification that her grandmother – an 'Auntie'  who has slipped the leash – is dead and has left Allie a business in Calagary which must continue to serve the community. Allie leaves behind her squabbling pack of oversexed cousins, the overbearing Aunties and sets off to find out what's happened to Gran, and to see what she's inherited. On arrival she discovers that it's a junk shop and the community it serves is fae.

Allie's a Gale girl and possessiveness is built into her genes. In short order she adopts a stray leprechaun, starts up a relationship with a newspaper reporter (Graham) who is More Than He Seems, She wards off someone who is threatening her leprechaun, discovers a dragon infestation and has problems with a sorcerer. To be fair the Gale Girls always have problems with sorcerers, so much so that they usually kill on sight, but Calgary is now Allie's (in magical terms) and she's going to do it differently. Besides if she calls the Aunties in to do for the sorcerer it's likely that her reporter will be caught in the crossfire and she doesn't want that.

Members of Allie's family start to show up: Charlie, her unconventional (even for a Gale Girl) cousin who can walk between dimensions; Roland the accountant, her completely conventional Gale cousin (Gale boys are rare); Michael, her first love who broke her heart when he swung the other way and moved to Vancouver with his lover Brian; and David, her powerful brother whom the Aunties predict will go wild and end up a sorcerer needing to be dealt with in their customary way.

There's a threat to the city, hell it may even be a threat to the world. Something's coming through from the Under Realm. It's big and it's bad and only the sorcerer (he says) can stop it. Yeah right! Do we believe him, boys and girls? Allie has to deal with dragon lords, sort out truth from lies, protect her family and flock, and ward off the Aunties until the time is right to yell for the Seventh Cavalry.

A rollicking, fast-paced, sexy book with anguish, action, twists and turns. I do hope this isn’t the last we see of the Gales. Ms Huff says it's a standalone, but there's potential here.

Book Log 9/2011 - Tanya Huff: Enchantment Emporium

9) 17/3/11
Tanya Huff: Enchantment Emporium

Tanya Huff is always good value whether writing straight fantasy, military SF or – like this one – urban fantasy. This is a fast paced book which introduces the Gales, a magical Ontario family ruled by The Aunties – as fearsome a bunch as ever sported a blue rinse. Don't go all fuzzy on me, here. The Aunties are controlling, ruthless and completely amoral who seem to employ an ends-justify-the-means approach to wielding their magical powers. Alysha Gale, (Allie) temporarily unemployed, receives notification that her grandmother – an 'Auntie'  who has slipped the leash – is dead and has left Allie a business in Calagary which must continue to serve the community. Allie leaves behind her squabbling pack of oversexed cousins, the overbearing Aunties and sets off to find out what's happened to Gran, and to see what she's inherited. On arrival she discovers that it's a junk shop and the community it serves is fae.

Allie's a Gale girl and possessiveness is built into her genes. In short order she adopts a stray leprechaun, starts up a relationship with a newspaper reporter (Graham) who is More Than He Seems, She wards off someone who is threatening her leprechaun, discovers a dragon infestation and has problems with a sorcerer. To be fair the Gale Girls always have problems with sorcerers, so much so that they usually kill on sight, but Calgary is now Allie's (in magical terms) and she's going to do it differently. Besides if she calls the Aunties in to do for the sorcerer it's likely that her reporter will be caught in the crossfire and she doesn't want that.

Members of Allie's family start to show up: Charlie, her unconventional (even for a Gale Girl) cousin who can walk between dimensions; Roland the accountant, her completely conventional Gale cousin (Gale boys are rare); Michael, her first love who broke her heart when he swung the other way and moved to Vancouver with his lover Brian; and David, her powerful brother whom the Aunties predict will go wild and end up a sorcerer needing to be dealt with in their customary way.

There's a threat to the city, hell it may even be a threat to the world. Something's coming through from the Under Realm. It's big and it's bad and only the sorcerer (he says) can stop it. Yeah right! Do we believe him, boys and girls? Allie has to deal with dragon lords, sort out truth from lies, protect her family and flock, and ward off the Aunties until the time is right to yell for the Seventh Cavalry.

A rollicking, fast-paced, sexy book with anguish, action, twists and turns. I do hope this isn’t the last we see of the Gales. Ms Huff says it's a standalone, but there's potential here.