| <input ... > | <select ... ><option ... >Detect language</option><option ... >Afrikaans</option><option ... >Albanian</option><option ... >Amharic</option><option ... >Arabic</option><option ... >Armenian</option><option ... >Azerbaijani</option><option ... >Basque</option><option ... >Belarusian</option><option ... >Bengali</option><option ... >Bosnian</option><option ... >Bulgarian</option><option ... >Catalan</option><option ... >Cebuano</option><option ... >Chichewa</option><option ... >Chinese (Simplified)</option><option ... >Chinese (Traditional)</option><option ... >Corsican</option><option ... >Croatian</option><option ... >Czech</option><option ... >Danish</option><option ... >Dutch</option><option ... >English</option><option ... >Esperanto</option><option ... >Estonian</option><option ... >Filipino</option><option ... >Finnish</option><option ... >French</option><option ... >Frisian</option><option ... >Galician</option><option ... >Georgian</option><option ... >German</option><option ... >Greek</option><option ... >Gujarati</option><option ... >Haitian Creole</option><option ... >Hausa</option><option ... >Hawaiian</option><option ... >Hebrew</option><option ... >Hindi</option><option ... >Hmong</option><option ... >Hungarian</option><option ... >Icelandic</option><option ... >Igbo</option><option ... >Indonesian</option><option ... >Irish</option><option ... >Italian</option><option ... >Japanese</option><option ... >Javanese</option><option ... >Kannada</option><option ... >Kazakh</option><option ... >Khmer</option><option ... >Korean</option><option ... >Kurdish</option><option ... >Kyrgyz</option><option ... >Lao</option><option ... >Latin</option><option ... >Latvian</option><option ... >Lithuanian</option><option ... >Luxembourgish</option><option ... >Macedonian</option><option ... >Malagasy</option><option ... >Malay</option><option ... >Malayalam</option><option ... >Maltese</option><option ... >Maori</option><option ... >Marathi</option><option ... >Mongolian</option><option ... >Myanmar (Burmese)</option><option ... >Nepali</option><option ... >Norwegian</option><option ... >Pashto</option><option ... >Persian</option><option ... >Polish</option><option ... >Portuguese</option><option ... >Punjabi</option><option ... >Romanian</option><option ... >Russian</option><option ... >Samoan</option><option ... >Scots Gaelic</option><option ... >Serbian</option><option ... >Sesotho</option><option ... >Shona</option><option ... >Sindhi</option><option ... >Sinhala</option><option ... >Slovak</option><option ... >Slovenian</option><option ... >Somali</option><option ... >Spanish</option><option ... >Sundanese</option><option ... >Swahili</option><option ... >Swedish</option><option ... >Tajik</option><option ... >Tamil</option><option ... >Telugu</option><option ... >Thai</option><option ... >Turkish</option><option ... >Ukrainian</option><option ... >Urdu</option><option ... >Uzbek</option><option ... >Vietnamese</option><option ... >Welsh</option><option ... >Xhosa</option><option ... >Yiddish</option><option ... >Yoruba</option><option ... >Zulu</option></select> | | <select ... ><option ... >Afrikaans</option><option ... >Albanian</option><option ... >Amharic</option><option ... >Arabic</option><option ... >Armenian</option><option ... >Azerbaijani</option><option ... >Basque</option><option ... >Belarusian</option><option ... >Bengali</option><option ... >Bosnian</option><option ... >Bulgarian</option><option ... >Catalan</option><option ... >Cebuano</option><option ... >Chichewa</option><option ... >Chinese (Simplified)</option><option ... >Chinese (Traditional)</option><option ... >Corsican</option><option ... >Croatian</option><option ... >Czech</option><option ... >Danish</option><option ... >Dutch</option><option ... >English</option><option ... >Esperanto</option><option ... >Estonian</option><option ... >Filipino</option><option ... >Finnish</option><option ... >French</option><option ... >Frisian</option><option ... >Galician</option><option ... >Georgian</option><option ... >German</option><option ... >Greek</option><option ... >Gujarati</option><option ... >Haitian Creole</option><option ... >Hausa</option><option ... >Hawaiian</option><option ... >Hebrew</option><option ... >Hindi</option><option ... >Hmong</option><option ... >Hungarian</option><option ... >Icelandic</option><option ... >Igbo</option><option ... >Indonesian</option><option ... >Irish</option><option ... >Italian</option><option ... >Japanese</option><option ... >Javanese</option><option ... >Kannada</option><option ... >Kazakh</option><option ... >Khmer</option><option ... >Korean</option><option ... >Kurdish</option><option ... >Kyrgyz</option><option ... >Lao</option><option ... >Latin</option><option ... >Latvian</option><option ... >Lithuanian</option><option ... >Luxembourgish</option><option ... >Macedonian</option><option ... >Malagasy</option><option ... >Malay</option><option ... >Malayalam</option><option ... >Maltese</option><option ... >Maori</option><option ... >Marathi</option><option ... >Mongolian</option><option ... >Myanmar (Burmese)</option><option ... >Nepali</option><option ... >Norwegian</option><option ... >Pashto</option><option ... >Persian</option><option ... >Polish</option><option ... >Portuguese</option><option ... >Punjabi</option><option ... >Romanian</option><option ... >Russian</option><option ... >Samoan</option><option ... >Scots Gaelic</option><option ... >Serbian</option><option ... >Sesotho</option><option ... >Shona</option><option ... >Sindhi</option><option ... >Sinhala</option><option ... >Slovak</option><option ... >Slovenian</option><option ... >Somali</option><option ... >Spanish</option><option ... >Sundanese</option><option ... >Swahili</option><option ... >Swedish</option><option ... >Tajik</option><option ... >Tamil</option><option ... >Telugu</option><option ... >Thai</option><option ... >Turkish</option><option ... >Ukrainian</option><option ... >Urdu</option><option ... >Uzbek</option><option ... >Vietnamese</option><option ... >Welsh</option><option ... >Xhosa</option><option ... >Yiddish</option><option ... >Yoruba</option><option ... >Zulu</option></select> | | | | | |
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Henrietta (Henry) Barrett wears breeches instead of dresses and manages her elderly guardian's Cornish estate better than any male steward could, however when her uncle dies, the estate and title passes to a distant relative, William Dunford, London's most elusive bachelor. Dunford, it appears, has not inherited Stannage Park, but he's inherited Henry as his ward. Feeling obligated he takes her to London and launches her into the London season where she becomes the darling of the ton and – to Dunford's dismay – more attractive than he could have thought possible. This is one of Julia Quinn's early books, but definitely worth a read.
The sixth Charles and Anna Werewolf book didn't really grab me as much as the earlier ones, but it was still worth reading. I had this as a review copy from Netgalley and, like a previous Briggs review copy, the formatting made it a difficult read. I'm sure this will not be a problem in the final published copy, but the publisher should take note that it's distracting for reviewers. Anyhow, that aside, Charles and Anna are off into the wilds of California to solve a mystery of why a small off-grid settlement seems to be deserted. It's a Marie Celeste type of puzzle and seems to have its roots in the supernatural. Something old and dangerous has woken, and the Marrok's mate (not the most popular wolf in the pack despite her status) might know something about it.
A nun and a paladin walk into a bar… no not quite, but Istvahn is a paladin of the Saint of Steel, a recently deceased god whose dying drove most of his paladins beyond the edge of reason. Clara is a nun (lay sister, really) of the order of St Ursa, and she has a big secret. He is on a mission to track supernatural killers (the smooth men) who manifested in Paladin's Grace. She is following raiders who attacked her convent and kidnapped the sisters. We met Istvahn in the first Saint of Steel book (Paladin's Grace) as a supporting character. Here he gets his own book. Big and jovial, he's used to looming over everyone around him, until he meets Clara who is tall enough to look him in the eye, and powerfully built. He fancies her like mad, but she's a nun, so, y'know… he doesn't think he should take advantage when they are thrown together on the road. Both hold back secrets until they absolutely have to confess, but in the end their individual journeys are heading in the same direction… unfortunately it seems to be leading towards the gladiatorial pits in a totally corrupt city. I love T. Kingfisher (pen name of Ursula Vernon). I really enjoyed Paladin's Grace and this followed on very neatly. The characters are excellent the worldbuilding is complex and satisfying. The romance is funny and sweet with oodles of will-they-won't-they tension. I do hope that there are more in this sequence Galen should have his own book next. Expect gnoles, severed heads, bears, and pit fighting. You can read this as a standalone if you've never read any other books in the world of the Temple of the White Rat, though I highly recommend all of them: Clockwork Boys, The Wonder Engine, Swordheart and Paladin's Grace. In fact I would grab and read anything by T. Kingfisher.
Love at first sight, followed by a star-crossed lovers meme. Robert Kemble, an earl's son, meets and falls in love with Victoria, a vicar's daughter, not in his social class at all. They plan to elope, but their fathers mess it up for them and each believes the other is at fault. Seven years later, Victoria is a put-upon governess, but when Robert comes back into her life it isn't exactly plain sailing. He wants to make her his mistress; she refuses. Even so, she loses her job and ends up working as a seamstress. It's all right in the end, of course, but this is not Ms Quinn's finest book – written early in her career.
Charles Wycombe, Earl of Billington, needs a wife before his thirtieth birthday or he'll lose his fortune. Ellie Lyndon need a way out before her soon-to-be-new stepmother marries her off to the village idiot. It's a marriage-of-convenience plot in which the two of them find love after they are wed. Not as good as Quinn's later novels, but still worth reading.
I enjoyed The Expanse on Netflix and wasn't going to read the books, but a friend told me the books were even better, and I think he might be right. This is an excellent opener. Humanity has colonised the solar system with permanent bases on Luna and mars plus a number of other moons, and asteroids in the belt. Jim Holden, XO of an ice mining vessel en-route from Saturn's rings to the belt when they receive a mayday call from the Scopuli. He takes a small crew to see if they can effect a rescue but while aboard the Scopuli (finding nothing) someone or something destroys their main ship, killing all their friends. War is brewing between, Earth, Mars and the Belt. Jim's broadcast to the Belt lights the blue touch paper. Miller is a washed up detective, a gangly Belter with a fondness for drink. He's given a kidnap job – find Julie Mao and get her back to her wealthy industrialist father whether she wants to go or not. Even after he's taken off the case and fired, he can't let it go. Julie was on the Scopuli and there's a secret that mustn't get out…except the people who can do most damage know already. Julie Mao and the Scopuli are the key and Holden and Miller both want answers. Excellent space opera
A series of short stories, some focusing on Peter Grant, and others featuring supporting characters from the full length novels, novellas, and graphic novels that are collectively Rivers of London. I'm not a great lover of short stories, but I like Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London tales, so was willing to give this a go. The Peter Grant focused ones were the best for me, but all were well written and kept me reading. There were no momentous revelations that affected the timeline of the books.
A timely re-read. I first read this in 2010 and had forgotten most of the story. This is set on the turbulent Welsh borders in the time of William Rufus. Guyon of Ledworth and Judith of Ravenstow meet on their wedding day, a marriage of convenience between strangers in order to protect both their lands from Judith's ruthless and powerful uncle, de Belleme. Guy is in his late twenties with a mistress (Rhosyn) that he loves; Judith's a month short of sixteen and desperately afraid that her new husband will be as violent and cruel as her late father. Guyon sees her as a child and their marriage is (at first) unconsummated, even though he's (gently) set aside his mistress, mother of his daughter. But Judith, young as she is, knows how to run a keep and Guyon and Judith gradually grow into each other despite political intrigue and a secret that could prove deadly. It's worth noting that this was Chadwick's first book.