Sunday, June 13, 2010

The Dead Travel Fast by Deanna Raybourn (audio)



Book Description:
A husband, a family, a comfortable life: Theodora Lestrange lives in terror of it all. With a modest inheritance and the three gowns that comprise her entire wardrobe, Theodora leaves Edinburgh - and a disappointed suitor - far behind. She is bound for Roumania, where tales of vampires are still whispered, to visit an old friend and write the book that will bring her true independence. She arrives at a magnificent, decaying castle in the Carpathians replete with eccentric inhabitants: the ailing dowager; the troubled steward; her own fearful friend, Cosmina. But all are outstripped in dark glamour by the castle's master, Count Andrei Dragulescu. Bewildering and bewitching in equal measure, the brooding nobleman ignites Theodora's imagination and awakens passions in her that she can neither deny nor conceal. His allure is superlative, his dominion over the superstitious town, absolute - Theodora may simply be one more person under his sway. Before her sojourn is ended - or her novel completed - Theodora will have encountered things as strange and terrible as they are seductive. For obsession can prove fatal...and she is in danger of falling prey to more than desire.

Quickie review:

As a Deanna Raybourn fan, I've enjoyed her Lady Julia Gray historical mystery novels, but this novel, which is a departure from Lady Julia, was not my cup of tea. I just could not get into it. The Gothic overtones were much too obvious and forced, I don't need to be beaten over the head with it - I get it! It's a gothic novel! The darkly handsome and brooding Count Dragulescu - is he really a vampire, or is it his father, the late Count, who is killing innocent serving girls? Do werewolves roam the hills on full moons and does madness run in the Dragulescu family? What evil lurks in the dark and forbidding medieval castle with it's looming Devil's staircase that climbs up to it's castle doors?

Frankly, I just thought a lot of it was silly. On audio, the narrator, Charlotte Perry did a so-so job with the differing voices. Theodora wasn't bad, if only she had kept up the Scottish accent, it seemed to come and go. And for a Scot, if would have been nice if Theodora knew how to properly pronounce the city of Edinburgh (it should be pronounced eddinburra, not eddinburr) In fact, there were several instances of mispronounced words, I've heard worse in audiobooks, but it was distracting and sometimes jarring here and I kept wanting to correct her! Adding to my disatisfaction with the narrator, her voice and accent for the Count was unbearable - it ruined him for me as a leading man and I disliked him throughout the entire book. I kept trying to overlook it, but it was impossible to ignore. I'm sure if I had read it in print, I would have felt differently towards him, but there was too much about him not to like, aside from his accent.

Theodora, a young Scottish Victorian novelist visits her friend Cosmina who is getting married in her native Transylvania to the darkly handsome Count. As soon as she arrives, she finds out that there is to be no wedding, the Count is not going to marry her after all - he never intended to. Instead, he seems to set his sights on Theodora who is no match for his seductions. She gives in easily. All too often raising her lips to his in supplication. And what is his story anyway - is he good or evil? What is he really? Is his dead father a strigoi? An undead? There is a lurid scene in which all the inhabitants of the castle (or the ones we know about) go to the family crypt to finish off the late Count who was hated by all for he was evil and cruel to the peasants and the people around his castle. They go to cut out his heart and burn it with Count Andrei leading the way for we learn he is a dhampir, born to defeat and kill the strigoi. Yet, Andrei cannot do it, though he succeeds in impaling a stake into his father's chest instead - eww. We never do find out if the father was a vampire or not - one of a few loose ends in the book. How come no one seems to worry about this?

Eventually, Theodora's lacklustre publisher, Charles who wants to be her husband, shows up unexpectedly all the way from Scotland, and brings some energy to what had been a tedious and slow moving story. By the time he shows up, Theodora is ready to give herself up to the Andrei's seductions and I was almost glad Charles showed up as chaperon (though it doesn't do much good). Ironic, since he is supposed to be a stuffy and boring suitor in Theodora's eyes, yet he made the plotline more interesting and added a much needed diversion, though he was by no means, the life of the party (and for a Scot, the narrator didn't even give him a Scottish brogue - for shame!) I became so tired of all these lugubrious Transylvania-ites talking matter of factly about werewolves and hanging basil at their windows. At least Charles was normal! At one point, I felt Cosmina was attracted to the publisher, but nothing comes of it (she has her own set of problems) One of my major gripes about this book is the unsatisfactory outcome in much of the sideline stories. We get to know many of the side characters, yet there is no closure with them - Cosmina is up in the air, whatever happened to Florian? Is the Count really a vampire, has he been been killed for good? Whatever happened to Charles once they return to Scotland? This was so unlike her other novels in which all the loose ends are neatly accounted for.

I'm going to stick with Raybourn's Lady Julia novels - I think Ms. Raybourn gave this the old college try, but should steer clear from paranormals in the future - "Resist!" I say! "Resist the dark side!" If you want to write about dark and brooding heroes, make them human and more like Nicholas Brisbane if you please!

2.5/5

Sunday, June 6, 2010

The Last Highlander by Claire Cross



Book Description:
While celebrating the reclaiming of Edinburgh Castle, a Scottish warrior heads down a flight of stairs - and into another century...

Scotland, 1998. When a beautiful American traveler stumbles upon this handsome Highlander, she is intensely drawn to the mystery surrounding this man, a mystery that has the power to alter history - and her heart - forever...


I'm a sucker for Scottish time travel novels, obviously, since I'm such a fan of Outlander, and I enjoyed this time travel Scottish romance, though it was nothing more than a light piece of fluff. Not bad, but not great. Morgan Lafayette is an American illustrator of children's books who is still suffering the after-effects of her no-good womanizing ex-husband. Her confidence in men is at an ebb. While traveling in Scotland with her sister and brother-in-law she hopes to find inspiration for a new book of Scottish fairy tales while in the Highlands. To add to the mix, her sister, who means well, is always on the lookout for a new man for her sister as well - any man, it seems, will do.

Earlier, we meet Alasdair MacAuley, a Scottish Highlander who has been celebrating his victory and is now in his cups after taking Edinburgh Castle on hehalf of Robert the Bruce in the fourteenth century. He meets an old hag in the dark hallways of the castle, who dares him to follow her and recite a chant and turn three times on behalf of the legendary sorceress Morgaine le Fey. His friends egg him on to do it, and before he knows it, he literally winds up at the feet of our present day Morgan while she is touring the same Edinburgh Castle seven hundred years later. He is perplexed for one minute he's in the fourteenth century and the next, his bearings are off, everything looks different - yet the same. What has happened and what alternate world is this? He is convinced that the legendary Morgaine le Fey has put a spell on him and taken him to her domaine, the land of fairies. This answers our question of why he isn't more freaked out to be in modern day Edinburgh with electric lights and motor cars and restaurants - he thinks he's in fairy land!

Of course, he's not, but he doesn't know that until much later. Morgan is under the misunderstanding that he is some drunken actor who works at the castle as a reenactor for tourists. Despite his rugged blonde good looks she takes an instant dislike to him for she also thinks he's a thief and wants nothing to do with him. There is lots of confusion and miscommunication. From the time Alasdair lands in the twentieth century, history has suddenly changed, yet the only ones who seems to know this are Morgan and Alasdair, though neither of them knows why. Alasdair seems to think he must seduce Morgan to get back to his own world, so he sets out to do it, but she'll have none of him, despite her body's natural inclinations to do otherwise. It was fun to read about his attempts and the way she cleverly foiled each one. Her sister doesn't help matters for she instantly takes a liking to Alasdair and invites him to have dinner with them, which eventually leads to their sharing a drive across Scotland to his home which is far away on an island. Along the trip, Morgan and Alasdair share the back seat and become closer while her sister smiles approvingly encouraging them (and giving them no choice) to share a room at the roadside inns and B&B's they stop at.. Their feelings for each other are growing, yet they're both frustratingly under the wrong impressions about each other! Gradually, Morgan figures out he's a time traveler and she wants to help him return to his century, despite the fact she's falling for him.

How can Alasdair get back to his own time and seven year old son, and will Morgan be able to resist his kisses and kilted sexiness before he goes back - if he even can go back?

This was a cute story and the Scottish folk tales that are interspersed throughout the storyline added to it. The tales, recounted by Alasdair, add a poignancy and foreshadowing to what we suspect will ultimately happen at the end. It would have been a really good book, if only Morgan hadn't been so incredibly stupid and naive when it's staring her right in the face that Alasdair is a good man and he is not still in love with his dead wife! She was so dense! But, it's understandable since she's been hurt before and is not sure of herself and how men think of her. There were also some ramblings bits of description that I found unecessary - do I really need to know what it's like to watch the ferry guys direct cars and point to where they're supposed to park so as to fit every car in?

I really loved Alasdair, he was adorable at times and he really grew on me. I enjoyed the many faux pas he makes in modern times and the way he handles them (still thinking he's in the land of fairies). It was so funny and absurd that he thought Morgan was the great Morgan le Fey with her sister and brother-in-law as her loyal advisors. I did wonder that Morgan didn't think he was kind of nutty since he kept calling her milady and referring to her domaine and stuff. She's pretty clueless most of the time. Morgan is so ordinary and normal with no hint of grandeur or the makings of a sorceress, yet Alasdair is smitten with her on first sight and it was very cute how he tries to win her, for he thinks by wooing her she will send him back to his world. It was sad and touching when he finally finds out that Morgan is not a great fairy and she doesn't have the power to send him back. I felt sorry for him for he became so disheartened and realized the hopelessness of his situation. Despite that, the book has an overall lighthearted humerous feel to it with many funny moments, though they were offset by Morgan's density, bordering on TSTL. She was hard to like because of it, but overall it was a good story and not bad for a Scottish time travel novel, though I've read better.

3.5/5

Monday, May 31, 2010

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick (audio)



Book Description:
Rural Wisconsin, 1909. In the bitter cold, Ralph Truitt, a successful businessman, stands alone on a train platform waiting for the woman who answered his newspaper advertisement for "a reliable wife." But when Catherine Land steps off the train from Chicago, she's not the "simple, honest woman" that Ralph is expecting. She is both complex and devious, haunted by a terrible past and motivated by greed. Her plan is simple: she will win this man's devotion, and then, ever so slowly, she will poison him and leave Wisconsin a wealthy widow. What she has not counted on, though, is that Truitt — a passionate man with his own dark secrets —has plans of his own for his new wife. Isolated on a remote estate and imprisoned by relentless snow, the story of Ralph and Catherine unfolds in unimaginable ways.

A big disappointment. I didn't care for it at all. Reminiscent of the movie "Days of Heaven" which I liked, but this had none of the poignancy and wistfullness. I had to roll my eyes over much of this novel and the constant preoccupation with sex in all it's flowery glory by the main characters. And I mean constant. All they think of is sex ad nauseum - the longing, the flesh, the passion, the pleasure, blah, blah, blah. Enough already! The romance novels I read with their sensual descriptions of lovemaking are by far better than this sad excuse for literature with erotic overtones - it was laughable.

The gist of the story is a rich man from Wisconsin, Ralph Truitt, advertises for a reliable wife. He is lonely, a widower and would like the companionship (and the unlimited sex) of a wife. He's in his fifties and Catherine answers his ad, they write and she journeys to him from Chicago. Ralph thinks too much - particularly about sex. Catherine is a liar and a schemer and we soon realize she plans on marrying him and then poisoning him. What she doesn't anticipate is she begins to grow fond of him. We learn of his disastrous first marriage to an Italian contessa who used him and has a son by another man, the piano teacher. The son grows up and is beaten repeatedly (by this time his mother is long gone) by his "father." He runs away and assumes another identity of Tony Moretti. For some strange reason to assuage his guilt, Ralph wants his "son" to come home again to Wisconsin, even though he knows the son is not really his son and is a complete wastrel, lazy, good for nothing. Why?? I had no sympathy for Ralph, or anyone else for that matter.

For another unexplained reason, Ralph insists on having his new wife go to St. Louis to bring the son back. Lo and behold, we find out that the son and Catherine have been lovers and the whole plan was cooked up for her to marry his "father" and then poison him so the son, Tony, can inherit everything. Meanwhile, we have to hear all about their thoughts and anticipation of sex, sex, sex! They resume their affair, but Catherine realizes she can't go through with the murder of Ralph once she returns to Wisconsin. Tony, of course, threatens to tell Ralph everything about her wicked past (Ralph thinks she was a missionary) if she doesn't kill him. It was so obvious to me what the only solution was to this problem. And irony of irony, Catherine becomes pregnant - is it Ralph's or Tony's baby? We're led to believe it must be Ralph's, but who really knows?

A waste of my time, I can't understand the rave reviews, just a lot of sexual hooey and wishful thinking with a predictable outcome. The author needed a better editor who wasn't afraid to delete the excessive sexual narratives - it was embarrassing, as if the author was so enraptured with his own thoughts and desires he had to put them down in print for posterity - and frankly, I found it sounded like the fantasies of a sexually frustrated teenage boy.

The narrator, Mark Feuerstein, had a flat and often harsh tone throughout the entire story, which made it nearly impossible to distinguish one character from another, plus they all came across as incredibly unlikeable. I cannot recommend, don't waste your time and if you do decide to read this, don't get the audiobook, sorry I wasted one of my precious Audible points!

1.5/5

A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander



Book Description:
London's social season is in full swing, and the Victorian aristocracy can't stop whispering about a certain gentleman who claims to be the direct descendant of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. But he's not the only topic of wagging tongues. Drawing rooms, boudoirs, and ballrooms are abuzz with the latest news of an audacious cat burglar who has been making off with precious items that once belonged to the ill-fated queen.

Light gossip turns serious when the owner of one of the pilfered treasures is found murdered, and the mysterious thief develops a twisted obsession with Emily. But the strong-minded and fiercely independent Emily will not be shaken. It will take all of her considerable wit and perseverance to unmask her stalker and ferret out the murderer, even as a brewing scandal threatens both her reputation and her romance with her late husband's best friend, the dashing Colin Hargreaves.


Second in the Lady Emily Ashton Victorian lady turned sleuth series. This time Emily is perilously on the hunt of a killer as well as seeking the identity of the lost heir to the Bourbon throne. She's in the thick of it with plots, false identies, sneaking into hotel rooms and rooting out undesirable parlor maids who may or may not be spies. Not to mention, she needs to salvage her reputation which is diminishing day by day during London's whirlwind season amidst the Victorian age.

It wasn't bad, the novel was diverting and had enough romance in it to make it interesting, but there was something lacking, it did not have the same charm and elegance as the first in the series. I can't put my finger on it, but I think I preferred the earlier Lady Emily. I felt uncomfortable for her here, her disregard of the social niceties that are so important in her class are getting her in trouble. I still like her enormously, but I can't help thinking that the author is putting too many modern day ideas in Emily's head that would have been scandalously unrealistic and unheard of in Lady Emily's day. For all the first rate research and detail in these novels, there's a glaring hole in this respect. I think Lady Emily would have had better sense and decorum as a beautiful, single widow under the Victorian microscope. Though don't get me wrong, she's not really doing anything too outlandish, but heads are wagging and her mother and Queen Victoria have to actually step in and save her reputation! For shame!

Perhaps I'm being too harsh, but I wanted her to take better care and she seems to be awfully naive about how society can ostracize her in a second. Rumors are spread about her supposed affair with her friend, Jeremy (and whatever happened to his storyline, btw I kept thinking he was going to declare himself to her, afterall) which are not true, but she's not going out of her way to try and quash them, in fact Colin takes matters into his own hands to try and quell the rumors by escorting her to the opera. What I'd like to know is, why aren't the gossipmongers going on and on about her relationship with Colin, who makes no secret of his affection for her and her comings and goings to his bachelor townhouse. I also couldn't shake the impression that Lady Emily is becoming too much of a busybody, wreaking havoc wherever she goes! More than a few lives are adversely affected due to her inquiries and sometimes I nearly cringed at what her meddling could cause, particularly with her friend, Ivy. I sound like such a disapproving matron!

But, aside from my quibbles, it was a fluffy bit of fiction, I enjoyed the mysterious letters written in Greek from her thief/admirer, but found his identity as well as most of the revelations by the end - anticlimatic and highly improbable. Still, I'm definitely eager to read the rest of the series, especially now that things have stepped up between Emily and Colin (finally!)

4/5

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson (audio)


Book Description:
Lisbeth Salander, the troubled, wise-beyond-her-years genius hacker, is a wanted woman. Two Millennium journalists about to expose the truth about the sex trade in Sweden are brutally murdered, and Salander's prints are on the weapon. Her history of unpredictable and vengeful behaviour makes her an official danger to society - but no one can find her anywhere.

Meanwhile, Mikael Blomkvist, editor-in-chief of Millennium, will not believe what he hears on the news. Knowing Salander to be fierce when fearful, he is desperate to get to her before she is cornered and alone. As he fits the pieces of the puzzle together, he comes up against some hardened criminals, including the chainsaw-wielding 'blond giant' - a fearsomely huge thug who can feel no pain.

Digging deeper, Blomkvist also unearths some heart-wrenching facts about Salander's past life. Committed to psychiatric care at age 12, declared legally incompetent at 18, this is a messed-up young woman who is the product of an unjust and corrupt system. Yet Lisbeth is more avenging angel than helpless victim - descending on those that have hurt her with a righteous anger terrifying in its intensity and truly wonderful in its outcome.


Another great book continuing the story of Lizbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist. The book had a rambling beginning, we follow Lizbeth as she is living it up in the Caribbean, licking her wounds and avoiding Mikael Blomkvist. She does not want to have anything to do with him, much to his surprise and chagrin, of course she gives him no explanation, she just cuts him out of her life. While in the Caribbean, she faces down a hurricane and prevents a brutal husband from killing his rich socialite wife. Sort of an odd side story that has no bearing on the rest of the plot once Lizbeth returns to Sweden and buys herself a multi-million dollar apartment and virtually assumes a new identity.

Still, she finds it too irresistible not to hack into Blomkvist's computer at Millenium and see what they're up to at the magazine. She comes across the upcoming articles and issue they're working on to expose the sex trade and trafficking industry. This leads to all sorts of problems that ensue - mainly Lizbeth is placed at the scene of the crime of three brutal murders (I nearly clapped about one of them - you'll know why when you read it) and a major hunt is on for Lizbeth. Mikael, who discovers two of the dead bodies, is not convinced of her guilt and takes on another crusade to find her and prove her innocence. In so doing, much of her past is revealed and finally we, the readers, learn more of Lizbeth's childhood, who her parent's were, her twin sister and what "all the evil" is that began when she was twelve years old. The book has a cliffhanger ending which makes the recently released and last book in the trilogy a must read.

This novel was not as disturbing and brutally graphic as it's predecessor, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but it has it's moments. Whereas the last one dealt with incest and serial murders, this one centers on crime and the sex trade in Europe, involving the murder of young prostitutes and numerous other illegal activities by a syndicate of thugs and gangsters all working for the mysterious and all-knowing Zala. Who is this Zala, and how does Salander's corrupt and detestable guardian, Nils Bjurman know him?

On audio, I was riveted and mesmerized by the excellent narration by Simon Vance, who could read the phone book aloud and I would happily listen. I wholeheartedly recommend this series if you like crime thrillers. Lizbeth is an amazing heroine, so different from most women. Strong yet incredibly vulnerable, here we get a peek into her psyche (but not much). We're scared for her, but also confident she can take care of herself, but by the end, it's pretty dicey, and thankfully her friend, Mikael is on her side, whether she wants him there or not.

Now onto The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, which will be a bittersweet read. A pity that the author died before his books were published, he was a great talent and it's very sad and tragic that he died so unexpectedly and at such a young age. The world lost a master storyteller.

4/5

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Scandal by Carolyn Jewel



Book Description:The earl of Banallt is no stranger to scandal. But when he meets Sophie Evans, the young wife of a fellow libertine, even he is shocked by his reaction. This unconventional and intelligent woman proves to be far more than an amusing distraction - she threatens to drive him to distraction. Unlike the women who usually fall at Banallt's feet, and into his bed, Sophie refuses to be seduced. And soon Banallt desires her more than ever - and for more than an illicit affair.

Years later, the widowed Sophie is free, and Banallt is determined to win the woman he still loves. Unfortunately, she doesn't believe his declaration of love and chivalrous offer of marriage - her heart has already been broken by her scoundrel of a husband. And yet, Sophie is tempted to indulge in the torrid affair she's always fantasized about. Caught between her logical mind and her long-denied desire, Sophie must thwart Banallt's seduction - or risk being consumed by the one man she should avoid at all costs...


Another quickie review due my studying...

This was in interesting romance, I'm not surprised, I love Carolyn Jewel. She has interesting plotlines. This romance switches back and forth between the present day (Regency times) and three years earlier when Sophie and Banallt first meet. In the earlier sequences, he's a ne'er do well, rake about town, she is the neglected wife of her wastrel husband, left to fend for herself at his country estate. Her husband pals around with Banallt, cavorting with whores and playing cards - spending her entire dowry. Upon meeting, Banallt tries to seduce Sophie at first, but she is faithful to her husband even if he doesn't deserve it. He soon realizes she's not the type to stray, so instead, Banallt opts for friendship, for it's the only thing he'll get from her. Soon, Banallt and Sophie become closer, he can see for himself what a gem she is, even if she's not gorgeous, that doesn't matter to him. He can see what a cross she carries married to her lout of a husband. They become confidantes to each other, but one night when he is weakened emotionally, he does something to her that is a mystery while she is still married and we don't find out until the end of the book. What did he do to make her send him away? He goes abroad for a time never realizing while he's gone that her husband had died in an accident and she is finally free.

In the later sequences, Sophie is a widow and Banallt who loved her three years earlier seeks the opportunity to win her love. It's not easy, she vows she'll never marry another man like her husband, who cannot be faithful to his wife, plus she doesn't believe Banallt could possibly really love her - he just wants her because he can't have her - he likes the thrill of the chase. Banallt has an infamous reputation to live down and it's not an easy task for him to change her mind and make her believe he's serious about her. But, he manages to wear her down over time. Whatever it was that he did to her three years earlier has her on her guard and she avoids him at all costs and gets her brother to help her as well. She knows only to well how irresistible he is as well - the less time she spends in his company the easier it will be to resist his advances.

Eventually, love conquers all and it was great getting there, and I was strung along dying to find out what the big mystery was and the penultimate moment when she admits to him that she wants him - *sigh*

I loved this romance and the way Sophie comes around. The chemistry is wonderful between the two and I read this in a day or two - it's short for a romance, though it has plenty of passion and heat. The characterizations were well done, I knew where both were coming from. I felt Sophie was a bit harsh towards Banallt at first - but he kept at it! He's larger than life and I found it hard to believe she could resist him as long as she did. He's handsome, virile, an earl - and loves her books that she writes under a pseudonym! (to pay the bills). Although I felt the big secret was a bit anticlimatic, all in all I'll chalk this up as another winner from Jewel (though I really disliked this cover!) Lord Ruin is still my favorite, though.

4/5

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Highland Rebel by Judith James



Book Description:
Raised to rule her clan, che'll stop at nothing to protect her own. Daughter of a Highland laird, heiress to a title and vast fortunes, Catherine Drummond rebels against ladylike expectations and rides fearlessly into battle against the English forces sent to quell the Scots' rebellion...

His wit and intoxicating good looks have served him well...

Jaime Sinclair, abandoned and despised at an early age, learned quickly to fend for himself. Now he looks forward to finishing one last mission for his king and finally collecting his reward...

When Catherine falls into the hands of vicious mercenaries, Jamie impulsively marries her on the spot to save her from a grim fate. But in a world where princes cannot be trusted and faith fuels intolerance, hatred, and war, no good deed goes unpunished.


Just a quickie review, for I'm studying these days for my state insurance exams and don't have a lot of time for writing (though of course, I'm still reading!)

This was an entertaining romance set in post-Restoration England and Scotland. A willful and beautiful Scottish lass (who also happens to be the laird of her clan) and a handsome, rakish, devil may care English lord who may or may not be a spy, marry impulsively in order to save her life which sets in motion a series of events that makes this novel exciting, romantic, amusing and a pleasure to read. The story goes from the Scottish Highlands to London to Ireland. I liked this better than Broken Wing, the author's previous novel. One reason is because, having recently finished Forever Amber, I appreciated the time and setting when this one takes place, James II's English Court. I was familiar with the locales and people mentioned. Jaime is a noble anti-hero who is saddled with debt. Catherine, unbeknownst to him, is a Scottish heiress, she is a strong and resourceful heroine, I admired her greatly. They made a good pair and the chemistry and sexual tension made the book hard to put down. I think I read it in two days. He rescues her at first, and then she winds up resuing him. Good characterizations and an interesting plotline make it noteworthy, I'm looking forward to whatever Ms. James comes up with next.

4/5
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