Redeeming the Rogue by CJ Chase

Synopsis:
With a chip on her shoulder and a pistol in her pocket, Mattie Fraser comes to London determined to find answers. What fate befell her brother after he was forced to join the British navy? Military official Kit DeChambelle knows something, she's sure. But can she trust him—or anyone— as a conspiracy of silence surrounds her? Kit knows altogether too much—about the guilt that drives Mattie, and the peril she faces. The battle against Napoleon is over, but for Kit, peace is elusive. In helping this brave, stubborn woman, he may be endangering her further. Especially if she learns about the orders he's received, placing them on opposite sides…

Review:
I liked this one. I thought it was well written and had a pretty good plot. I liked Mattie and Kit; they both have pasts that they are trying to forget. There is a mystery that brings them together and they have to rely on one another to try and figure things out. There were a few twists that I didn’t see coming and I wanted to keep reading to see what would happen next. I thought the Christian elements were okay, not overdone, but also seemed a tad forced. I think I would have preferred if all the preaching had been left out.

The romance part felt a bit unbelievable. I could see them maybe being friends, but by the end I wasn’t sure where all their sudden feelings of love were coming from. It’s only been a few days and most of that time has been spent not trusting each other, so how do we get from total lack of trust to head over heels in love? They are obviously physically attracted to one another, but they have nothing in common. They come from totally different worlds and upbringings. I want a happily ever after and that’s what I got, so I guess I can’t complain too much.

I just have to say, the title and cover don’t really match the book. First, the title would imply that our hero was a rogue. Aside from his habit of drinking a lot, he is a really nice guy. He loves his family, friends and goes out of his way to help those he cares about. So, I’m still not sure where the whole rogue thing comes from, aside from being a catchy title. Second, the cover would imply, at least to me, that the story takes place on a ship. It doesn’t. Owell.

I look forward to reading more from Ms. Chase.

Content: Clean.

Reading Order:

Book One: Redeeming the Rogue

Book Two: The Reluctant Earl

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Synopsis:
Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee. Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.

Review:
I saw the first five chapters of this were free on Amazon, so I thought I’d give it a try. I was hooked pretty early on and went ahead and bought the book. I had to know what happened with our heroine Alina and Mal. While I love high fantasy books, I always get a little frustrated with all the crazy names and places. I guess it’s a personal pet-peeve of mine, but I did think it was a bit much in this book. There are a lot of crazy names, different levels of Grisha (magic people), places and slang to keep track of. Overlooking all of that though, I did like the story. It’s kind of your typical plot, but with enough original ideas to keep things interesting. I liked Alina, for the most part. I liked her history and relationship with Mal. I liked that they were good friends and depended on one another. I definitely felt potential for them at the start of the book, some things happen though that kind of dampened it for me. There were just a couple things that kept me from really loving the story, probably more of a personal preference than anything else. I think it will probably be a fun series and I can see why a lot of people like it.

Overall, I did enjoy it and it kept me reading. I liked how it all wrapped up, but may be curious enough to read the rest of the series. For full review, with spoilers, visit my Goodreads review.

Content: Pretty clean, mild innuendo. One makeout scene gets a little steamy, but nothing happens. Was pretty violent and dark. I think maybe a handful of swearwords.

The Seven Realms by Cinda Williams Chima

I first started this series three years ago. I loved the first book and was excited to read the rest of the series. Unfortunately, I didn’t get around to finishing them all until this week. I’ve decided I hate waiting a year between sequels. I end up forgetting characters, plot and other relevant items and usually don’t want to re-read each book when the newest one comes out. So, I decided with the Seven Realms series that I would just wait until all the books were out and then read them all together. When the newest book, The Crimson Crown, was released last month I went ahead and ordered all the books.

I thought this was a fun high fantasy series. I liked the plots, characters and writing. I thought they were easy to read, all 2217 pages worth. For the most part the books focus on our main characters Raisa and Han, we are lucky to hear from both POV. I liked both characters; they each had their own strengths and weaknesses.

While the books are marketed towards a YA audience, I actually thought they were more fitting for 18+. The characters are all around 16-18, but their behavior and circumstances are more mature. The books are clean, but there is quite a bit of innuendo (although not crude) throughout the series. I thought the attitudes towards sex were too blasé, I would have enjoyed the stories so much more if they had a better moral message. While I didn’t personally agree with all the characters choices, I did enjoy the romance aspect of the series.

Overall, I thought this was a fun series. I’d probably give the overall series a 3.5, but it would have been much higher if it had been cleaned up a bit.

Content: Overall, clean. There is innuendo throughout, for the most part it is subtle, but at times it’s a little more obvious. There are a couple minor characters that are gay.

Reading Order:

Book One: The Demon King
Book Two: The Exiled Queen
Book Three: The Gray Wolf Throne
Book Four: The Crimson Crown

(For reviews of each individual book, please visit my Goodreads profile.)

Surfacing by Shana Norris

Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Mara Westray has just lost her mother, and now, being shipped off to live with the father she doesn’t know is not how she imagined grieving. She’s already counting down the days until she turns eighteen and can leave the tiny island of Swans Landing. But from the moment she steps off the ferry, nothing is as ordinary as it looks. Whispers of a haunting song on the wind make her see impossible things, and she isn’t sure she can trust her judgment about what is real and what isn’t anymore. Maybe she can’t even trust her judgment about quiet Josh Canavan, whose way of speaking in riddles and half-truths only confuses her more, luring her deeper into the secrets hidden beneath the ocean’s surface. As she tries to unravel the events that led to her mom fleeing the island sixteen years ago, Mara finds that the biggest secret of all is only the beginning.

Review:

I’m not sure what to make of this one. I guess overall I did like it and enjoyed the story, but by the end it felt a little uneventful and a bit slow. The first half of the book is about how Mara has lost her mom and has had to move in with her dad on a mysterious island where half the people are keeping secrets from her and the other half hate her. I got a bit frustrated waiting for Mara to just find out all ready. I mean the cover of the book pretty much gives the secret away. The second half of the book was interesting. Mara now knows most of what’s going on, but makes some bad decisions. One big one was with her friend Dylan. I didn’t like that whole situation and how she handled things. Her relationship with Josh was also a bit frustrating. He was kind of a coward in public and had done a few questionable things, but when they were together she never called him on anything. At least not for a long time. I would have liked a bit more confrontation, she didn’t seem like the type to hold things in, so I didn’t get why she put up with some of his shenanigans. Despite the very short time they know each other; I did actually like their relationship and thought they had good chemistry. I don’t think this is too much of a spoiler, but I have to get it out there. I was frustrated with how Mara wanted to leave and runaway with Josh. First, you barely know him despite the “connection” you may feel. Two, it was so selfish of her to ask him to leave his mom. She of all people should know what it is like to take care of an ailing mother and it was just so dumb for her to ask him to abandon his mother for her. It made me like her a lot less. 

Anyway, I did like Mara. I liked Josh. I liked the side characters Dylan, Sailor, Miss Gale and Lake. I thought it was maybe a standalone novel, but there are some cliffhangers at the end so I’m sure there will be at least one more book. I enjoyed this one and will probably read the next. It was an interesting take on mermaids and if you like mermaid stories you’ll probably enjoy it.   

Content: Pretty clean. Some passionate kissing and making out. Mild language, maybe a dozen (or less) swear words.

An Unlikely Alliance by Rachel Van Dyken

Synopsis:

Spoiled New York rogue Royce Mc Arthur lives a charmed life. He sees no reason to settle down, until his mother issues her decree that he must grow up, find a wife and produce some grandchildren…preferably before she dies of old age. But his choices are quite limited considering the only women of his acquaintance are ones of ill repute. Meeting the beautiful Evelyn DeJarlias at a ball gives him hope he may have found the one. Her southern blue collar outspokenness and lack of refinement draws him like a moth to a flame. Unfortunately, she does not find him nearly as endearing -- consistently refusing his lavish gifts and his attentions, she poses a challenge he simply cannot ignore.

Review:

This was a cute regency-ish novella. It actually takes place in New York, I wasn’t quite sure of the exact time frame, some of the conversations or statements seemed too modern at times. Royce is your typical rake, when he meets Evelyn he regrets his past and wants to make a change. Since the story is so short things moved along quickly (almost too quickly at times) it was a bit hard to believe he had truly changed. He admits that he gets bored with women after a month, and I wonder will he get bored with Evelyn after their whirlwind courtship. Evelyn was likable; she at least tries to resist his charms and makes him work for her affection. The two team up to figure out what is going on between their parents (her father and his mother) and I suppose a friendship grows from their time together. Overall, it was an enjoyable short story.

Content: Clean. Talk of mistresses, no detailed love scenes



For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

Synopsis:
Generations ago, a genetic experiment gone wrong—the Reduction—decimated humanity, giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology. Elliot North has always known her place in this world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family’s estate over love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress, and Elliot’s estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth—an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she let him go. But Elliot soon discovers her old friend carries a secret—one that could change their society . . . or bring it to its knees. And again, she’s faced with a choice: cling to what she’s been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she’s ever loved, even if she’s lost him forever.

Review:
I was intrigued when I read that this book was a dystopian retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, which happens to be a favorite of mine. I’m a sucker for lost-love stories and was anxiously waiting for the time when our characters, Elliot and Kai, were reunited. Elliot North was a good leading lady. She has good morals, strong convictions, and a kind heart. When Kai returns she has to face some truths about her beliefs and way of life.  Malakai Wentforth was likable, but I felt like I didn’t really get to know him as well as I would have liked. We get to read letters between Elliot and Kai when they were kids, but other than that we only see the present Malakai a few times. I would have liked more page time with Elliot and Kai together. When they are together there are some good tension filled moments, they definitely have chemistry. I’m a sucker for romance and thought there would be more in this book (I don’t think there was even one kiss!), instead it seemed like the focus was more on the dystopian world. In some ways the story stuck to the original Persuasion, but it definitely was unique. Overall, I liked it, but wanted to like it more. Any fans of Persuasion should give it a try, it was a fun retelling.