Review: A Seaside Christmas by Sherryl Woods

An ARC given to me by NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Jenny Collins returns home to take a break from her busy life as a songwriter, but of course going home comes with all the trials and tribulations of family drama, so of course she’s not really getting a break from anything at all. The (ex) love of her life follows her there, and he gets to deal with her incredibly over protective family (even the extended ones) while she works on mending fences with her mother who recently got married and had a kid (so now only child Jenny is also a reluctant sister).

This book was alright but nothing really special to me because it lacked the oomph of descriptions to pull me into the world that Jenny lived in. The author is fantastic at conversation, and many (many) chapters are nothing but.

I also found it incredibly difficult to relate to any of the characters. Jenny behaves like a spoiled child, Bree is into things for her own gain (or at least that is how she constantly comes across) and Caleb (who is trying to redeem himself) just keeps sinking deeper into a hole. While I am not against books that have no true ‘good guy’ or ‘hero’ it does make things easier if I can at least relate to someone on a very basic level and understand them. I just didn’t have that here.

Still, what I was looking for when I picked this book was a nice simple read with a pleasant story, and on that note, A Seaside Christmas does deliver.

3/5

Review: Dragonwriter: A Tribute to Anne McCaffrey and Pern by Todd J. McCaffrey

This book was an ARC provided to me by NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I’ve read a lot of books by Anne McCaffrey over the years, and although she wasn’t my favorite fantasy author, she did manage to draw me into the world of Pern with ease. After all, who doesn’t love stories of magical dragons and incredibly memorable characters.

The book is a collection of essays about her and remembering her life. They include writings by her friends, family, and other authors. The ones that stood out to me most were by Todd McCaffrey himself, you could really feel the emotion behind his words and I’m guessing that is the point. To remind us all why we fell in love with this fantastic author.

My one small issue is that a lot of the essays provided did not actually seem to be about Anne McCaffrey, but about the specific author who was providing the essay. I know sometimes that is hard to avoid as you’re trying to give backstory, but it distracted from the point of the book in my opinion and was not always necessary.

The essays (while well written) had a tendency to blend into one and it was difficult at times to distinguish one person from another, so I broke the book up into sections to get more of a ‘fresh’ feel while I read it. Still, it was amazing to gain so much more information into her life, and to learn about aspects that I had no idea about. If you were a fan of her books at all I would recommend giving the book a read just for that. It’s a nice reminder that authors are regular people, and that we all have our stories to tell.

3/5 stars

Review: The Republic of Thieves, by Scott Lynch

A thank you first to NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

After reading both The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentleman Bastards 1 and 2) I could not wait for the third book to come out. I was so excited. This book certainly did not disappoint, either. If you haven’t read the first two books I highly suggest it.

The third book introduces us to a character that until now we have only heard about in snippets of conversation (usually from Locke) – his lady love, Sabetha. The book focuses on two aspects of her, the past when Locke becomes smitten and how their “relationship” progresses, and the present day where they are thrown together in a contest of sorts by the bondsmagi. If you’re not fond of books that flip between the past and present every other chapter you may find this one no better, but I personally enjoyed the suspense of having to wait between stories to find out what happens next.

In the past you’re sent off to learn about Locke, Sabetha, Jean, and the twins Calo and Galdo who are all training as… actors. That’s right, Chains has sent them off for a little while to learn how to work together in the real world. There the romance between Locke and Sabetha really comes to a head – although of course as we already know it’s been smoldering in some form ever since the two first met. I mean really FIRST met, when Locke was 6 years old. I loved this portion of the book more so than the present day trials and tribulations, but that was really no surprise as I simply adore the whole concept of their little gang of friends.

In the present Locke and Jean are pitted against Sabetha in a political contest and during the contest the old flame rekindles and things start to heat up until the bondsmagi lay down some very drastic news that once again pushes the two apart. I found this incredibly frustrating because I really want the two to be together and happy! Of course what sort of book would that make.. probably a boring one. I enjoyed the tricks and details of the contest, and I really like how the two teams “fought” against one another – but I did find the details behind the whole political contest a bit drab. While the bondmagi story should be one of the ‘main’ storylines I was far more interested in pretty much everything else.

Still, the book was amazing, and I devoured every bit of it. Now I just have to wait for the next one..

4 / 5 stars