A Broken Vessel by Kate Ross

Book Description:
No detection team was ever more mismatched: Julian Kestrel, the debonair and elegant Regency dandy, and Sally Stokes, a bold and bewitching Cockney prostitute and thief. But one night Fate throws them together, giving them the only clue that can unmask a diabolical killer. It all starts in London's notorious Haymarket district, where Sally picks up three men one after the other and nicknames them Bristles, Blue Eyes, and Blinkers. From each of them Sally steals a handkerchief - and from one she mistakenly steals a letter that contains an urgent appeal for help as well. But which man did she get the letter from? Who is the distraught young woman who wrote it? And where is she being held against her will? These questions take on a new urgency when Sally finds the writer of the letter - dead. Luckily, Sally's brother is none other than Dipper, reformed pickpocket and now valet to gifted amateur sleuth Julian Kestrel. The authorities dismiss the girl's death as suicide, but to Kestrel it looks more like murder. To prove it, he must track down Bristles, Blue Eyes, and Blinkers, and find out which of them had the dead girl's letter. Sally uses all her ingenuity and daring to help Kestrel solve this case. But she is out to solve another mystery as well: Is there a man of flesh and blood under Kestrel's impeccable clothes?

I loved the first book in this Regency mystery series, Cut to the Quick, which introduced us to the dapper Julian Kestrel, a gentleman in London famous for the cut of his clothes and good taste.   Having solved a murder mystery in Cut to the Quick, he is now somewhat famous as an amateur sleuth.  In A Broken Vessel we pick up with Julian again, as well as with his valet, Dipper, a former pickpocket whose proud to have left his old career for a new and respectable one.  Julian and Dipper make a good pair, but I had a tough time getting into this mystery.   Instead of a pair, there was a threesome that developed - and it made me uneasy. 

Sally Stokes is a prostitute who is also Dipper's sister.  From the detailed book description above you get the gist of what takes place.  Sally gets around and picked up three different men in one night. She likes to steal a little something from them - a handkerchief usually, as she did with each of these three men on this one particular evening.  But, she fingers a letter too, written by an unknown lady which sets in motion the mystery.  Who is the writer of the letter, which is a plea to come rescue her from some place - where?  That same evening, one of Sally's customers beats her up and Dipper brings her back to Julian's to patch her up.  She winds up staying there until she's better and discovers the letter among her things.  She brings it to Julian and Dippers attention and they all take an interest in it.  In a short amount of time they investigate the possibilities and are able to determine the location of the young lady.  It is a house where fallen women can go to turn their backs on their former lives and become good Christians again through hard work and prayer.

The mystery thickens as Sally volunteers to pretend she wants to be "saved" and goes to the house to see if she can find out who wrote the letter.  Whoever it was seems to have been a lady, which makes it all the more odd and mysterious.  Julian feels honor bound to try and discover how he may be able to help this poor young lady who obviously is ashamed and afraid to go to her family.  Something terrible must have happened that made her take such a drastic step which led to this house of redemption.  

Meanwhile, Julian is developing an unseemly attraction to Sally, which he is resisting, being the gentleman he is.  But, Sally is hot and heavy for him as well!  Still, Julian tells her no, he must not and Sally understands and stops throwing herself at him.  But, once Julian seemed to have made up his mind to resist her, it made him think of her all the more!  This made me a bit uneasy for 1) I didn't like the idea of Julian actually having any kind of lasting attachment to a prostitute, no matter how charming she can be and 2) She's Dipper's sister, and I felt it was a bit creepy for Julian to contemplate something with Sally when Dipper is his friend and valet!  The whole thing just didn't bode well for me.  It was off.

Back to the mystery side of the story... When Sally first goes to the house for fallen women, she finds out the person who wrote the letter has just died the night before - by poisoning herself.  No one knew who she really was, for she would not divulge her real name.  The house is in an uproar over it and after much discussion with Dipper and Julian Sally returns a week or so later and is admitted in as an "inmate."  Sally learns all sorts of things while there, picking up loads of clues.   It soon becomes apparent that the young lady who killed herself was probably murdered to make it look like a suicide.  The plot becomes more and more complex and it was clever, but I grew weary of Sally, Sally, Sally for a great part of the book centers on her while in the house - with no Julian or Dipper in sight.  This Julian Kestrel mystery was turning into a Sally Stokes mystery instead - and I didn't like it!

As much as Sally was a game girl and a daring rookie sleuth, I expected there to be more of Julian and Dapper's end of the story.  Still, the mystery was a good one, well thought out and complex, though it seemed to be bunched up in the end with lengthy explanations of why and who did what. A recap of motives and background that grew a little tiresome.  To add to my chagrin - Julian proves he can only take so much.  He is a man after all - a man who cannot resist temptation - Sally finally gets her way.

Overall, I would have preferred that a relationship between Julian and Sally had not developed into a sexual one.  I'm all for sexual tension building which I think would have been better between them. I really thought it was unbelievable that Julian succumbed and took her to his bed, and even a little skeevy when her own brother, Dipper liked the idea his sister was sleeping with his employer (though Sally and Julian tried to hide it from him.)  I don't know, I guess I prefer my Regency English gentlemen to do the honorable thing and pay for their prostitutes rather than become their boyfriends!

Still, I won't let this minor indiscretion stop me from continuing on in the series - as long as Sally is not going to be front and center in the future.  Her mysterious departure at the end of this book gives me hope!

3.5/5

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A Murderous Procession by Ariana Franklin

Book Description:
In 1176, King Henry II sends his daughter Joanna to Palermo to marry his cousin, the king of Sicily. Henry chooses Adelia Aguilar, his Mistress of the Art of Death, to travel with the princess and safeguard her health. But when people in the wedding procession are murdered, Adelia and Rowley must discover the killer's identity . . . and whether he is stalking the princess or Adelia herself. 

I've really enjoyed this medieval mystery series by the late Ariana Franklin.  I consider A Murderous Procession to be the best - and unfortunately - it is the last of the series. I found it hard to put down, reading until all hours of the night.  Clever and evocative the story begins in England and ends up in Salerno on an agonizing cliffhanger of which we'll never know the conclusion, since the author died before she could write more.

Adelia Aguilar, a singular female doctor during the reign of King Henry II, is set up comfortably raising her precocious daughter in England.  Finally having agreed to become Rowley, the Bishop of St. Alban's mistress, she is content with her life.  But, she is unaware of the madman, Scary, who is stalking her.  Two years earlier she had killed his lover in self defense.  Scary has now returned to avenge his beloved's death.  The gist of the mystery in A Murderous Procession is - who is Scary and how does he plan on killing Adelia?

King Henry II wields his authority far and wide.  His favorite doctor is Adelia Aguilar and he insists - no, commands she escort his daughter, the young Princess Joanna to Sicily for her marriage to King William II. Of course, all sorts of problems occur en route.  First of all, Adelia does not want to leave England in the first place, especially since she will have to leave her daughter behind.  Rowley Picot, a former knight and her lover who Henry II made a bishop, wants her to leave for he has gotten wind of the threat on her life, brought to light by a series of near mishaps and fatal accidents to Adelia.  He believes she will be safer away from England and the threat on her life.  Ally, her daughter is left in the safe care of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry's estranged wife.  With no other choice, Adelia begrudgingly escorts the young Joanna to Sicily, unaware that Scary, blending in and disguised as someone traveling with the large entourage, is accompanying her on the journey.  Right under her nose, she has no idea - nor does anyone else - of the danger she is in.

The journey is long and soon it becomes apparent all is not as it should be.  More accidents befall Adelia and eventually she and Rowley, as well as some new and old friends realize Scary is with them.  But who is he?  She's never seen Scary before so she can't identify him.  The mystery was very well done and I guessed at one point who Scary was, but I changed my mind a few times and wound up being surprised.  This is typical of the Mistress of the Art of Death mysteries.  The culprit is always someone in plain sight - but who?  They're devious and highly clever in the way they set their traps.

I'm deliberately being coy and leaving a lot out so as not to spoil the mystery, but much happens to Adelia and her traveling companions on the journey.  She and her friends, Mansur and Ulf are nearly hanged at one point, narrowly avoiding death, though they are rescued in the nick of time.  I found the storyline riveting - a real page turner all the way up to the climatic ending in the city of Salerno at the wedding of the princess.  The author pares down the cast of suspects who are gradually removed one by one, narrowing them down to only a few possibilities.  Often I thought I knew just who it was - only to have that character absolved - paralleling how Adelia conducts her murder investigations through autopsies.  At one point during her stay for a few weeks while in hiding at a castle, she manages to solve the case of what killed an errant goat found dead.  An autopsy gave her the answer thus preventing a great kerfuffle between two neighbors!  A slight diversion from the rest of the storyline.

I highly recommend this series, the research is first rate, the plot lines are clever and not a little macabre due to the nature of the murders and motives.   Adelia is a strong and independent heroine, reminiscent of Claire Fraser in the Outlander series with her talent and knowledge of medicine.  One scene here has Adelia remove a ruptured appendix which I couldn't help but compare to when Claire in Drums of Autumn performs surgery on a grown man's testicle.  

Her love interest with Rowley Picot is the constant throughout the entire series which also delivers a bit of angst since he becomes the Bishop of St. Albans, thus preventing them from ever marrying.  They must keep their love secret for it is unseemly for a bishop to have a mistress. If only Adelia had said yes when he first asked her... but alas, they lost their chance due to her fierce independent streak and stubborn pride.  If only... if only.

I loved this book and am so sorry this is the last to be seen of Adelia, Mistress of the Art of Death. The cliffhanger ending and introduction to the Irishman, Captain O'Donnell, a possible rival to Rowley, brings up all sort of possibilities for future books in the series. It makes me wonder what the author, otherwise known as Diana Norman, would have done in her future books.  I am so, so sorry about her untimely death. Such a great loss to the literary world.

Overall - a memorable and well done historical mystery series that I've enjoyed immensely! I will miss it!

4.5/5

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A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James (audio)

Book Description:
Miss Kate Daltry doesn't believe in fairy tales . . . or happily ever after. 

Forced by her stepmother to attend a ball, Kate meets a prince . . . and decides he's anything but charming. A clash of wits and wills ensues, but they both know their irresistible attraction will lead nowhere. For Gabriel is promised to another woman—a princess whose hand in marriage will fulfill his ruthless ambitions. 

Gabriel likes his fiancée, which is a welcome turn of events, but he doesn't love her. Obviously, he should be wooing his bride-to-be, not the witty, impoverished beauty who refuses to fawn over him. 

Godmothers and glass slippers notwithstanding, this is one fairy tale in which destiny conspires to destroy any chance that Kate and Gabriel might have a happily ever after. 

Unless a prince throws away everything that makes him noble . . .
Unless a dowry of an unruly heart trumps a fortune . . .
Unless one kiss at the stroke of midnight changes everything. 

Eloisa James is a hit or miss author for me.  This was a miss, so I'll limit this to a short review.

On audio this romance was almost excruciatingly painful to listen to. The narrator, Susan Duerden was all right from a technical standpoint, but her choice of accent on the hero to the breathy helplessness of the heroine in the throes of passion had me rolling my eyes.  I came near to chucking the whole thing, yet I persevered and finished it.  If I had been reading it instead of listening, I never would have finished it.  The plot itself did nothing to make the book more endurable either.

Beautiful cover, though.

This Cinderalla romance starts off with a convoluted plot - typical of what I've previously read by this author.  It takes a while to get used to who is who and there are always too many side characters to keep track of.  Kate Daltry, our heroine, is the daughter of a deceased wealthy gentleman who remarried shortly after the death of Kate's chronically ill mother.  We find out he never loved her, and his second wife turned out to have been his mistress for many years.  It turns out that Kate's stepsister (who is a nice girl - she isn't evil) is really her half-sister.  Their father left all his money to his wife, who in turn gave it to her daughter as a dowry.  The evil and vain stepmother winds up treating Kate like a servant, but Kate bears up well and is good and kind and all the usual stuff like in a fairy tale.

Kate's half-sister, Victoria, is engaged to be married to a very young man, Algernon - Algie, who has gotten her pregnant.  She isn't the brightest, but she is nice - though she cries a lot.  She is considered very beautiful though a bit eccentric.  She wears wigs all the time (this takes place during Regency times, I believe) in all sorts of odd colors.  She also brings her three little yappy dogs with her wherever she goes.  Due to an unfortunate infection on her lip (ew gross), Victoria cannot join Algie to be presented at a ball to meet his cousin, Prince Gabriel Albrecht Fredrick William von Aschenberg - who is a prince from some small country in Europe that is now living in a castle in Lancashire.   It's still a bit unclear to me about why he is living in England in the first place.  Gabriel is short on money and engaged to a Russian princess with a huge dowry.  By marrying her he can take care of all his many relatives who live with him in the castle - as well as a menagerie of animals, including a lion that eats dogs.  There was no end to this bizarre tale.

Marianna, Kate's evil step-mother decides to send Kate instead, posing as Victoria.  This is the first of many implausible plot points.  No one is going to realize they are two different people?  Algie is in on the ruse, but once they arrive at the castle, there are going to be plenty of people there at the ball who have previously met Victoria, won't they notice a difference?  Kate is reed thin - as we are told over and over in the book, to the point where I imagine she must look starved.  Victoria, on the other hand, is on the rounded plump side.  These people may be snobby aristocrats but they're not blind or dumb!  Sure enough, there is one person there who sees through her disguise...her fairy godmother - of course!

At the castle Kate meets the Prince who takes an instant fascination to her.  Why?  She's nothing much to look at, none of her clothes fit because they're all borrowed from Victoria, she wears false wax boobs (because she is flat chested and Victoria isn't) and she's always wearing these ridiculous wigs!  Why in the world would Gabriel drop everything and risk scandal and an advantageous marriage for this ... this... nobody?  He finds out soon enough she's not really Victoria Daltry, and he assumes she's some illegitimate child to a nobleman.  He keeps trying to seduce her, even though he knows she's a virgin.  Does Kate ever tell him who she really is?  No.  She keeps hemming and hawing and wringing her hands about what to do! He promises he'll take her to paradise - do everything to her except deflower her.  *rolls eyes*  After much protestations and shocked sensibilities she eventually decides to let him - all on the night of this big ball in which his fiancee is being introduced to Society (having just arrived from Russia.)  Kate waits upstairs in his room, taking a bath, reading magazines, doing her nails, blah, blah, blah (okay, I'm exaggerating) while he runs upstairs during breaks to ravish her!  What a joke!

The next night she attends another ball at the castle and this time she goes as herself.   She's finally wearing something that fits and her own hair!  She is the most beautiful girl there.  The Prince can't take his eyes off her, it's obvious they love one another when they dance, yet... he's engaged to the Russian Princess.  At midnight Kate flees after a kiss...

Deflowered and no longer a virgin, she leaves the castle and the Prince forever since she knows he can't marry her because he needs the money for his family and castle.   It's a hopeless situation, except her godmother, who just so happens to be at the castle and recognizes who she is immediately, (even though she hasn't seen her since she was an infant,) takes Kate into her care and lo and behold - it turns out Kate's really an heiress!  How convenient!  

Some weeks later Gabriel shows up, unmarried (he couldn't go through with it with the Russian princess) and asks Kate to marry him - and she has money too!  Now they don't have to worry and be poor!  But, he planned anyway to support them with his bestselling book on ancient archeology and the legend of Dido and Aeneus. *cough*

And so you have it, I'm leaving loads of this outlandish plot line out, but I found it hard to like any of the main characters in this book (I did actually like the godmother).  Gabriel was selfish for most of the story until the very end, Kate was an idiot to go along with this dumb plan to begin with and then give into the Prince, Victoria was TSTL, same with Algie.  Two of Gabriel's friends weren't bad, I liked them, one being his illegitimate half brother and the other someone named Toulouse.  A side plot with a girl who was accused of molesting a nobleman was diverting, but basically this was one unbelievable story!

2.5/5

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The Black Hawk by Joanna Bourne

Book Description:
When veteran spy, Justine DeCabrillac, is attacked on a rainy London street, she knows only one man can save her: Adrian Hawkhurst, her oldest friend . . . her oldest enemy.

London's crawling with hidden assassins and someone is out to frame Hawker for her murder. The two spies must work together to find out who wants to destroy them.

This was a terrific addition to the Spymaster's Lady series. Fourth in the series, this is Adrian's story - 'Awker.  The young guttersnipe we meet in Bourne's earlier books is now a grown gentleman and the Spymaster in London.  Rich and worldly, it is 1818, over 20 years since he first met Justine in France.  He looks back on his life with her as he struggles to keep her alive after an assassination attempt.  Adrian and Justine's story is a twist on the classic spy vs. spy story. The poignancy of the flashbacks help us see how much they both meant to each other, of how they grew up - together and apart - in the spy business, on opposite sides of the playing field.  These windows in time fill in the blanks of the events leading up to the present day when Justine fights for her life. I loved this book and was up half the night reading it.

Adrian (Hawker) and Justine's relationship is complex.  They first meet as young teenagers, both trying to outdo the other.  Justine, working as a spy for the French, carries the burden of her bitter childhood memories. Born a French aristocrat whose parents were killed in the revolution, she was forced to become a child whore in a brothel.  Rescued from that life and recruited as a spy for the French, she threw herself into the spy business, trying to forget her former life and the self loathing that went with it.  

It helps to have read Bourne's previous, The Forbidden Rose, for we first meet Justine there.  I went back and skimmed it and I must admit, I have a greater appreciation for the book now, after reading The Black Hawk.  I wasn't bowled over by The Forbidden Rose at the time I read it.  Now, in retrospect I like it more for it really sets the stage for Justine's story here in The Black Hawk.  I wonder if it would have been better to have read The Black Hawk first, for I would have appreciated some of the scenes in The Forbidden Rose more if I had.  It's ironic The Black Hawk's title suggests Adrian's story, but I really think of it more as Justine's, though much of it is seen through Adrian's eyes.  Justine's story is bittersweet, the life of a spy is not easy.  Although Justine finds a career that helps her overcome her past and regain her dignity - she pays a price.  She gives up her younger sister (to Doyle and Maggie, as seen in The Forbidden Rose) and she must give up the man she loves - Hawker.  Her life goes from one mission to another, sometimes she runs into Hawker, sometimes she manages to get away to see her sister in England, but often, she's on the run or in hiding and disguise in some other country.

I loved seeing how they both grew up throughout this book as the story unfolds.  Each flashback gives us another indication of how they grew and matured.   We see how they first become lovers and the way Hawker helps Justine overcome her tragic background.  He's such a smart and clever young man.  I applaud the way Bourne crafts her poignant tale as Adrian looks back over his memories with Justine and their complicated life together.  We glimpse what their life must have been like.  Stolen moments, climbing through windows, trysting - guarding their secret life as lovers - for their careers as opposing spies to one another could get them both killed if found out.  Their affair was also a friendship, a mutual admiration and respect for each others craft. We learn many things, including what ultimately happened that caused their separation and the permanent rift that ended their love affair.  Some parts were so exciting and riveting, I had a hard time putting this book down.  Very, very cleverly done, the author knows the ways of a good undercover operative.  I dreamed of Justine and Hawker.  In addition to the espionage portions of the book and their assignments, the events described were memorable and meaningful, especially when compared to the same events in The Forbidden Rose, all leading up to present day 1818 when Justine is close to dying.

Of course, there is also the additional story line of who tried to kill Justine and why are they trying to make it look like it was Hawker.  Who's behind all of it?  Lots of scheming and intrigue, but I found the ultimate show down a bit anti-climatic.  I really thought the villain was going to be someone else.   Oh well... kept me guessing.   Anyway, the best part of this book is the relationship between Justine and Hawker.  It's an understatement to say I was thrilled with their happy ending.

I highly recommend you give this series a try if you haven't already.  My favorite book to date is the first in the series, The Spymaster's Lady, but The Black Hawk is a close second!

4.5/5

P.S. I love the cover! It's just how I imagine Adrian to look!  Perfection!

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Notorious Pleasures by Elizabeth Hoyt

Book Description:
Their lives were perfect . . .
Lady Hero Batten, the beautiful sister of the Duke of Wakefield, has everything a woman could want, including the perfect fiancé. True, the Marquis of Mandeville is a trifle dull and has no sense of humor, but that doesn't bother Hero. Until she meets his notorious brother . . .

Until they met each other.
Griffin Remmington, Lord Reading, is far from perfect - and he likes it that way. How he spends his days is a mystery, but all of London knows he engages in the worst sorts of drunken revelry at night. Hero takes an instant dislike to him, and Griffin thinks that Hero, with her charities and faultless manners, is much too impeccable for society, let alone his brother. Yet their near-constant battle of wits soon sparks desire - desire that causes their carefully constructed worlds to come tumbling down. As Hero's wedding nears, and Griffin's enemies lay plans to end their dreams forever, can two imperfect people find perfect true love?

I loved this romance, second in the Maiden Lane series.  I even thought it was better than it's predecessor.   The series continues with Lady Hero Batten, daughter and sister to a duke, who is the perfect, respectable young lady.  Set during early Georgian times, which is one of my favorite romance time periods, Hero is engaged to be married to the oh so respectable Marquis of Mandeville.   She doesn't love him, but it's a good match that her brother has arranged for her.  Everything seems to be coming along smoothly until she meets his disreputable brother, Griff.  

I admit, I was a bit taken about by how they meet.  Our first impression of Griff is that he is just as his reputation says, a womanizer, a philanderer, reckless and dissolute.  Basically, he's a dog.  When he and Hero first meet it is at a ball.  Griff is busy getting it on with with a married lady as Hero walks in on them.  Ever cool under pressure and a lady in any circumstance, Hero then proceeds to help cover it up to the lady's husband who is about to enter the room!   What a first impression!  Memorable, to say the least!

Despite the fact he's a known rake, can the respectable Lady Hero throw caution to the wind and give in to the passion she develops for her future brother-in-law?  They are thrown together over and over again and before long they can't deny they are crazy about one another.  Not only is it a sticky situation, but he's the owner of a gin still in London's East End!  Will she go ahead and marry his staid brother, the Marquis (who has his own secrets and issues)?  Or will she run off with Griff?  What will her brother do when he finds out about her affair?  It will not exactly keep her in his good graces, plus he can ruin Griff, especially when he finds out that he runs a gin still!

I know this is off the wall, but in regard to her brother, I couldn't help comparing the way that Hero's parents were murdered to that of Bruce Wayne's parents in Batman. While attending the theatre in the East End, they were set upon and murdered.  Very similar.  Bruce Wayne becomes the crime fighting Batman and Hero's brother, the Duke of Wakefield rabidly hunts down all the gin stills in London in order to clear them out.  Is he the mysterious sword wielding minstrel that pops up from time to time in this series?  It would really be similar to Batman if that were the case - but I don't think so.  I have my suspicions of who it is but I won't reveal them just yet.

As much as I loved this book, I did have trouble believing that Hero could fall for such an obvious womanizer and commit the unthinkable! She must be crazy to fall for him but as she gets to know him better, the two seem to go together well, like (as he says) "bread and butter."  But, they're also like oil and vinegar.  What will she do?  If she breaks her engagement and goes with Griff, she'll be ostracized by society.  Plus, there's an old rumor that the reason Griff and his brother, the Marquis, don't get along with one another is because Griff slept with the Marquis' first wife who died in childbirth - supposedly with Griff's baby!  Was it true?  Can we trust Griff or not?  I had a lot of issues with him - primarily his connections with the gin still.  Turns out he's the financial brains behind the family and keeps it so that he can support his family and their expensive lifestyle.  If he married Hero, she is an heiress and that would solve his money problems.  Of course, that makes Hero wonder - does he want to marry her for her money or because he loves her?

I'll keep this brief, but the whole thing winds up with an exciting conclusion and we get a glimpse of what's coming in the next book in the series... more of the seamy side of London's East End and it's Hogarth-like descriptions.

Overall, I liked this hot and steamy follow up to the first in Hoyt's Maiden Lane series.  Elizabeth Hoyt is one of my favorite romance authors, so I'm eager to get to the next.  Her writing is first rate, the clothing, settings and characterizations are all very, very well done.  The chemistry and snappy dialogue between Hero and Griffin really makes the book, despite their implausible relationship.  I would have rated this higher except for the fact Griff was a little "too much" of a bad boy for me.  Still, he does manage to redeem himself, but the relationship between them was a bit far fetched - enjoyable and sizzling - but far fetched.

4/5

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Sweet Magik by Penny Watson

Book Description:
Oskar Klaus' job is killing him. Not even his favorite hobbies (extreme snowboarding and browsing old bookstores) are enough to snap him out of his funk. It's not easy living in the shadow of four successful older brothers and a father named Santa. Little does he know that a kiss on New Year's Eve is about to turn his life upside-down.

Kiana Grant's Manhattan life is a world away from her childhood in Oahu. She traded sunsets and surfing for a respectable career in library science, but Oskar Klaus is a temptation that's hard to resist. Before she knows it, she's in the midst of an outrageous adventure in the North Pole, dealing with mischievous elves, wicked demons, and a devastating attraction to Santa's youngest son.

There's just one problem...a bitter elf hell-bent on revenge threatens the future of everyone in the North Pole, even Santa himself...

Book Two of the Klaus Brother's Series that takes place in Glasdorf aka The North Pole.  This is a heartwarming holiday romance that pairs charming bad boy, green haired, snow boarding Oskar Klaus, the youngest of the Klaus boys, with the unlikely Kiana Grant, a staid librarian he meets at his brother's New Year's Eve party in Manhattan.

Oskar's having some job issues these days.  He feels like he's gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to his occupation.  His older brothers all seem to have really cool jobs supporting the family industry known as Santa Klaus - their father.  Oskar's job?  He's in charge of keeping Santa's elves in line.  Elves. They're an irascible lot, prone to overindulging in alcohol and magical pranks (winters are long at the North Pole). Somebody's got to make sure they get all their orders completed in time for Christmas Eve and Oskar has the honor of being in charge of all elves related matters in Glasdorf.  It's been an exhausting month getting the Christmas orders in and by the time Oskar makes it to his brother's party on New Year's Eve, he's ready for a break.  Sick and tired of his lacklustre job, he's going through a quasi mid-life crisis - even though he's way too young for one.   Vapid supermodels just don't seem to appeal to him any longer.  His yearning for something - but doesn't know what.  He's ready for something different, something... gray and wearing glasses.  Something that looks like a librarian?

As we soon learn appearances aren't always what they seem.  Oskar spies Kiana Grant, who is dressed to "repel" at his brother's party.  She's disguised as a frumpy wallflower - and likes it that way - or so she thinks.  Denial, baby.  Coming off a hard break up with a two timing boyfriend in her native Hawaii, Kiana  has relocated to New York City to live with her best friend Trish.  They just happen to live in the same building as Oskar's brother.  Oskar's instant curiosity with Kiana leads to a magikal kiss at the stroke of midnight that catches them both off guard.  Could this be that elusive thing called love - or is it all from a magikal spell cast by a disgruntled (and drunken) elf in Glasdorf?

Watson brings the world of Glasdorf to life as the story shifts to the North Pole where Oskar must find out who is wreaking havoc amidst the elven world.   A dark and evil magical force has been unleashed and, with Oskar in the lead, he and his brothers - as well as some helpful and (repentent) elves set out to capture the bad guy.  Little does Oskar know there's a stowaway on his high speed sleigh back to the North Pole.   Kiana has hitched a ride and Oskar has a lot of explaining to do!  As much as he's glad to have Kiana nearby, he also worries she may be in danger.  Although that doesn't stop them from getting to know each other better, involving a pretty steamy shower scene.  Hot. Kiana takes the whole Santa, North Pole phenomenon pretty well, considering how off the wall it is. I would too if I had an Oskar Klaus on my arm.   Having had almost no family to speak of in her childhood, she takes to the Klaus clan wholeheartedly - and the feeling is mutual.   All seems to be going great between them, until they find out their love for one another might be nothing more than a love spell - that will soon wear off!  Huh? Uh-oh.

I won't go over the entire plot line, but this is a fun story with plenty of action, adventure and a cute little waif in need of a mother and father.  Did I mention there are some wicked love scenes too? The characterizations are right on target with depth and background, giving weight to the tender and bittersweet moments that crop up in the storyline.  It was a pleasure to read about how both Kiana and Oskar surprisingly evolve to find they are truly made for one another, reinforcing the "don't judge a book by its cover" theme*. This romance has everything!  If you enjoy contemporary holiday themed romances with bits of whimsical fantasy and magical elements thrown in - this is the book for you! I recommend it!

4/5

*Speaking of covers - this one is great! I simply love it and it fits with the story perfectly!

**This book was given to me by the author for review - thanks Penny!

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A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin (audio)

Book Description:
A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. Two great leaders—Lord Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon—who hold sway over an age of enforced peace are dead, victims of royal treachery. Now, from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns. Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war. It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel...and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles.

I don't have a whole lot to say about Book 2 in Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire Series that hasn't already been said, so I'll be brief.  A Clash of Kings continues the story that centers on the civil war and battle for the make believe world of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.  The title is apt, for the book is based on the power struggle of several kings who all believe they are entitled to the rightful title and to rule over the Seven Kingdoms.  I can't say I totally loved this book, but it was engrossing.  I'm not a Game of Thrones nut, but the series has merit and the characters are memorable.

This was a long, long audiobook, 37 hours!  Roy Dotrice continues the narration of the unabridged epic and he's wonderful at all the voices and accents needed to bring the story to life.  The main point of view characters in A Clash... are Bran, crippled and living at Winterfell, Theon Greyjoy who I cannot stand, I hope he dies - soon.  Tyrion Lannister (my favorite) who is aces at dealing with his sister's diabolical schemes, Arya Stark is still trying to make her way back to Winterfell disguised as a boy.  Sansa Stark remains captive and under the thumb of the Lannisters at King's Landing, betrothed to the detestable Joffrey.  We don't see much of Robb Stark who's declared himself king of the North.  There's some of Jon Snow, but for the most part his part at The Wall was limited and confusing while fighting wildings and witnessing strange goings on north of the Wall.  What will happen to him next? An alarming turn of events takes place that will drastically change Jon's storyline. Tyrion, Arya, Sansa and Theon are front and center and most of what happens revolves around them.  Daenrrys' plotline dragged.  With her baby dragons, she is traveling in the East, hoping to find a way to regain her lost kingdom, but not a whole lot on her, disappointing since her storyline was so good in Book 1!  For such a large and long book, I didn't get the impression that the story moved forward a lot in all respects.  So many of the characters seemed to be in a holding pattern waiting for something big to happen.

By the end, the big climax is the battle at King's Landing between Stannis Baratheon and the Lannisters.  There is somewhat of a cliffhanger after the battle.  What will happen to Bran now that Winterfell has been torched?  No longer the Hand of the King after the big battle, Tyrion is wounded - what will happen to him now that his father is in charge?  Sansa Stark's future looks bleak, will she become the mistress to Joffrey, now that he's betrothed to Margaery Tyrell?  Or will she somehow wind up with the scarred Sandor Clegane!?

Another question, who is Jaquen H'ghar?  A mysterious criminal that winds up helping Arya.  She had a list of people she hated and he killed a few for her - nice of him.  He gives her a coin and a special phrase to say aloud.  I'm very curious about him and who he really is.  He must be somebody special and key to the whole series.

Overall, I liked the book, but I think of it as more of a transitional book, gearing up for what happens next in Book 3.  It will be a while before I get to it, I need a break, though I'm eager to see the next season of the HBO series.  It should be interesting to see how they sex up this war and battle driven second installment in the TV series, but I'm sure they'll find a way! ;)

3.5/5

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