Give Way To Night

 

Give Way To Night (Aven Book 2)- Cass Morris

DAW Publishing

Release Date: December 29, 2020

Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Latona of the Vitelliae, mage of Spirit and Fire, is eager to wield her newfound empowerment on behalf of the citizens of Aven--but societal forces conspire to keep her from exercising her gifts, even when the resurgence of a banished cult plots the city's ruin. To combat this threat, Latona must ally with Fracture mage Vibia, the distrustful sister of Sempronius Tarren.

While Latona struggles to defend their home, Sempronius leads soldiers through wartorn provinces to lift the siege of Toletum, where Latona's brother Gaius is hemmed in by supernatural forces. Sempronius must contend not only with the war-king Ekialde and his sorcerers, but with the machinations of political rivals and the temptations of his own soul, ever-susceptible to the darker side of ambition.

Though separated by many miles soon after their love affair began, Latona and Sempronius are united by passion as they strive to protect Aven and build its glorious future.

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In Give Way To Night, book two of Cass Morris' fantastic Aven Cycle series, Morris weaves together the continuing trials of Latona, Sempronius, and their families. In Aven, Morris' fantasy version of ancient Rome, Latona is beginning to step out of the shadows and assert her identity, developing her magical abilities and confidence. On the other side of the continent her brother Gaius is trying to withstand a siege by the war-king Ekialde, who is using dark magics to destroy those who stand against him.  Attempting to rescue Gaius, Sempronius is leading three legions of troops to lift the siege and runs into the dark magic himself.  Coincidentally (or not), Latona is discovering similar dark magic in Aven, and she and her allies are the only ones willing to root it out.

Latona continues as the main character in Night, and she is in some ways more sure of herself while in other ways more conflicted than before.  Thanks to Sempronius' support she now believes in her talents, and is willing to not only continue experimenting with her abilities but using them.  She has a sense of duty that rivals any soldier, but sees her duty as standing for the citizens who need assistance through magic.  Interestingly, although we got rid of the Dictator Ocella in the beginning of the first book, his shadow continues to be felt throughout this book.  The reader gets more of an idea of what happened to individual citizens, like Latona, here. I appreciated how some characters like Vibia, who thought she knew Latona because of rumors, discover how wrong they were and who the person behind the rumors truly is. Night is full of strong female characters who are continuing to discover and use their strength here: Vibia, Aula, and Alhena all get more page time and are wonderful to get to know further.

If you haven't read Cass Morris' first book, From Unseen Fire, you are missing out on a fantastic new voice in the fantasy realm. Give Way To Night proves that she intends to continue writing intricate plots, with layers upon layers of political, personal, and magical threads woven together into a brilliant whole.  Her world building skills only develop further here, with detailed descriptions that make the reader feel as if they are marching with Sempronius' armies, or walking Aven's streets with Aula and Latona.  Morris has clearly done a lot of careful research to bring ancient Rome to life and clearly thought carefully about what she wants to change for her own world, and the end result is nothing short of spectacular.

While a reader could pick up Give Way To Night without having read From Unseen Fire, it would definitely be helpful to have read Fire first to get to know some of the characters and their conflicts from the beginning.  Readers should also be warned that Night ends on a cliff hanger, leaving us more desperate than usual to read the next book and discover how Morris will get her characters through the problems she's gotten them into. 

Unlike many sequels, Give Way to Night stands equal to From Unseen Fire and will charm fantasy lovers completely.

     

Dark Archive

Dark Archive (Invisible Library 7)- Genevieve Cogman

Penguin Random House/Ace 

Release Date: December 29, 2020

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis:  Irene is teaching her new assistant the fundamentals of a Librarian's job, and finding that training a young Fae is more difficult than she expected. But when they're the targets of kidnapping and assassination attempts, she decides that learning by doing is the only option they have left ... 

In order to protect themselves, Irene and her friends must do what they do best: search for information to defeat the overwhelming threat they face and identify their unseen enemy. To do that, Irene will have to delve deeper into her own history than she ever has before, face an ancient foe, and uncover secrets that will change her life and the course of the Library forever.

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Genevieve Cogman (The Secret Chapter) returns to the worlds of the Invisible Library with a bang.  Irene and Kai are trying to hold together the tenuous peace treaty between the Fae and the dragons while stealing books for the Library and training a new apprentice.  Catherine, Fae delegate Lord Silver's neice, is probably a lot like a very young Irene and desperately wants to be a librarian and read books all the time.  The on the job training of how to avoid assassins and archvillains might not be what she'd hoped for, but at least she's learning from an expert.  But is the archvillain is question London's new Napoleon of crime, or a vicious and familiar foe? And who is the person behind the Professor? 

Irene remains the Librarian we all admire her for being: practical, full of snarky wit and crazy ideas, and one of the only people capable of keeping her hysteria to herself when all others are screaming theirs aloud. Practice makes perfect after all. She is who I want to be when I grow up. But even Irene found herself in situations throughout The Dark Archive that tested that talent there.  From the first page on she and the others are in active danger and trying to figure out who they've most recently annoyed enough to try and kill them.  Is it personal or a way to sabotage the fragile new treaty? Or are they, for once, only collateral damage as friends of detective Peregrine Vale, who is searching for clues behind a new force in London's criminal underworld?  Just as readers (and Irene) got glimpses into the secrets of dragons in The Secret Chapter, we get glimpses into the Fae here.  Catherine is the first Fae we've met still young enough to be actively considering what her archetype is going to be, and through Vale we get glimpses into the possibilities higher chaos worlds can have on someone with Fae blood.  Without giving away spoilers (like who the villains are) I can promise danger, fire, and destroying stained glass windows along with shocking revelations and clues to even more secrets.  It's a busy few days even by Irene's standards!

Cogman has some serious "wow" moments in Dark Archive and is clearly setting up her readers (and her heroes) for some massive "whoa" moments in future books.  Not a cliffhanger ending (thank you Genevieve!) but one that will leave you desperate to see what happens next. While some of this book will be easier to follow for those who have already read the rest of the series, newcomers will not feel totally lost starting here. A great new chapter in the Invisible Library series!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

History of British Baking

 A History of British Baking: From Blood Bread to Bake-Off- Emma Kay

Pen & Sword

Release Date: December 7, 2020

Rating:

📚📚📚

Synopsis: The British have been baking for centuries. Here, for the first time, is a comprehensive account of how our relationship with this much-loved art has changed, evolved and progressed over time.

Renowned food historian and author, Emma Kay, skillfully combines the related histories of Britain's economy, innovation, technology, health, cultural and social trends with the personal stories of many of the individuals involved with the whole process: the early pioneers, the recipe writers, the cooks, the entrepreneurs. The result is a deliciously fascinating read, one that will prove to be juicer than the juiciest of juicy baked goods.

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In A History of British Baking: From Blood Bread to Bake-Off food historian Emma Kay gives readers a well-researched history of baking in England.  The general focus remains on bread- that staple no matter the social class- but pastries, tarts, and cakes are all included.  This is a history of the social, technological, and cultural changes in Britain from Roman occupancy to the present day as seen through baking.  Where did certain foods originate?  How did they come to Britain? How did baking change over the centuries? How did travel, trade, and conquest influence baking?  Kay traces it all back as far as possible, and does an excellent job of including the influence of immigrants on baking in Britain.  I particularly enjoyed the early chapters where she includes mentions of bread in early literature and describes the superstitions surrounding bread through medieval England.  She also includes some historical recipes ranging from medieval pies to Waldorf pudding to mooncakes.  This is not primarily a recipe book, but the included recipes add an extra element- especially the early recipes that are clearly written to feed a whole castle!

The copy I read was an advance copy and I have to hope that additional editing takes place before the book is finally released. While there was a general timeline to the book the writing was often disjointed, bouncing back and forth in time and making some of the historical progress hard to follow. Additionally, plenty of unfinished sentences made some of Kay's ideas hard to follow. She also tends to bounce from topic to topic and might have almost done better following, for example, the history of pies in one chapter and pastries in another.  You can see why she didn't though, the social and legal trends for baking we see apply to all aspects of British baking and make more sense in a chronological order. Still, more editing and tighter writing would have greatly improved the presentation of this fascinating food history.

Overall Kay's writing is accessible to all, a casual academic style that will appeal to casual readers as well as serious academic food historians.  She writes as if speaking to the reader, sharing stories and opinions with the same ease as she traces the historical origins of hardtack.  This well-researched and highly interesting book will appeal to bakers, food historians, and those just interested in learning a little more about British history as seen through its bakes.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Ten Things I Hate About the Duke

 

Ten Things I Hate About The Duke (Difficult Dukes #2)- Loretta Chase

Avon

Release Date: December 1, 2020

Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Cassandra Pomfret holds strong opinions she isn’t shy about voicing. But her extremely plain speaking has caused an uproar, and her exasperated father, hoping a husband will rein her in, has ruled that her beloved sister can’t marry until Cassandra does.

  

Now, thanks to a certain wild-living nobleman, the last shreds of Cassandra’s reputation are about to disintegrate, taking her sister’s future and her family’s good name along with them. 

  

The Duke of Ashmont’s looks make women swoon. His character flaws are beyond counting. He’s lost a perfectly good bride through his own carelessness. He nearly killed one of his two best friends. Still, troublemaker that he is, he knows that damaging a lady’s good name isn’t sporting.

  

The only way to right the wrong is to marry her…and hope she doesn’t smother him in his sleep on their wedding night.

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London's Society considers Cassandra Pomfret a shrew, a hoyden, a virago, and a gorgon.  In other words, she's intelligent and not willing to pretend otherwise for the sake of delicate male sensibilities. She stands up for others, is interested in political reforms that will help the poor, and doesn't suffer fools- at all.  This includes the man she once had a childhood crush on, the Duke of Ashmont.  She thought he would grow up to be a hero, a man who could accomplish great things to help others.  Instead, he doesn't seem to have grown up at all.  He and his friends are known for outrageous pranks, drinking, fighting, and doing nothing useful with their lives.  When these two meet as adults, will the stars align or things explode?

Cassandra is a great character- a woman who is unapologetically intelligent, fearless, and believes in helping others.  She doesn't play Society's games and so Society shuns her, and she's alright with that. She helps the poor, fights with umbrellas (as weapons, not opponents), and is loyal to those she loves. And while she has no use for useless degenerates, she's fair enough to see when someone has potential- like the Duke of Ashmont.  He unknowingly broke her heart as a young lady, now she isn't going to just hand it over because he says so. She's confident enough in herself and her worth to make him earn it.

I had trouble warming up to Ashmont, who definitely doesn't come across very well in the beginning.  A drunk, a fighter, a man who seems to drown any intellect he has.  He doesn't cause trouble maliciously, but he doesn't generally think of others as he goes through life.  At first glance, not much of a hero.  But he does what so few others are willing to do- he tries to become worthy of the woman he's decided to marry.  Leave off the drinking so he can actually think.  Try to behave around the Royal family no matter how boring that makes things.  And actually listen to the lady he's falling in love with, think about what she says and what is important to her, and discover that it is also important to him.  Ashmont doesn't change to become someone he isn't for the sake of a woman, he becomes who he was always meant to be. 

Full of humor, lively dialogue, and sparkling wit, Ten Things I Hate About the Duke is a satisfying and fulfilling story and a lovely romance.  I will definitely be reading Loretta Chase's other books while waiting for the next book in this series! 

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Archangel's Sun

 

Archangel's Sun (Guild Hunters #13)- Nalini Singh

Berkley Publishing

Release Date: November 24, 2020

Rating:📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis:The Archangel of Death and the Archangel of Disease may be gone but their legacy of evil lives on—especially in Africa, where the shambling, rotting creatures called the reborn have gained a glimmer of vicious intelligence.

It is up to Titus, archangel of this vast continent, to stop the reborn from spreading across the world. Titus can’t do it alone, but of the surviving powerful angels and archangels, large numbers are wounded, while the rest are fighting a surge of murderous vampires.

There is no one left . . . but the Hummingbird. Old, powerful, her mind long a broken kaleidoscope. Now, she must stand at Titus’s side against a tide of death upon a discovery more chilling than any other. For the Archangel of Disease has left them one last terrible gift . . . .

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In the aftermath of war, the survivors are left to pick up the pieces.  When archangels fight, that takes on a whole new meaning.  Archangels Lijuan and Charisemmnon may be dead but their legacy continues in the flesh-eating, zombie-like reborn creatures infesting the world- in particular, Africa.  Archangel Titus and his people have been fighting them nonstop since the war's end but need more help to turn the tide.  Help comes from an unlikely source: the Hummingbird.  An Ancient who lost millennia trapped in the broken kaleidoscope of her mind, she is known and revered as a great artist.  But now that she is fully awake, the Hummingbird proves equal to any task set to her.  Perhaps even gaining the love of an archangel.

 The world is rebuilding from war, but also the Hummingbird, Lady Sharine, is rebuilding her life after centuries spent in her own broken mind. Here we learn her past, and the traumas that caused her to retreat from life.  And here we (and she) learn who the Lady Sharine truly is. A woman of strength and humor, courage and tenderness, she turns out to be the perfect person to help Titus and his people.  It is wonderful to see her become herself, to discover her strengths and what she can do to help not only the world, but the people who she loves.

Just as Sharine is not who we necessarily expect her to be, Titus has layers and hidden depths that make him a brilliant general, a compassionate leader, and a good man.  He's more than the loud and gruff soldier we met in earlier books, but is far too used to his own way.  Watching him spar words with Sharine, and his reactions as she treats him just like anyone else instead of the Archangel of Africa, is entertaining every time.

  

As you would expect from a book by Nalini Singh, Archangel's Sun is beautifully written, intense, and thought-provoking. The relationship that develops between Titus and Sharine is wonderful, and the scenes between Sharine and her sons (adopted and born) are beautiful.  The reader sees the world through the eyes of an artist, and descriptions of the land and its people are rich in color and beauty.  Archangel's Sun picks up after the events of Archangel's War and it will definitely help the reader to have read that book, if not others, before starting this one.  But if this is the first Guild Hunter book someone is starting with, while a few of the people referenced won't mean anything to them already, Archangel's Sun is still a fascinating and intense story of rebuilding life. A must read!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Gentleman Jim

 

Gentleman Jim- Mimi Matthews

Perfectly Proper Press

Release Date: November 10, 2020

Caution: Spoilers! (sort of)

Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Wealthy squire's daughter Margaret Honeywell was always meant to marry her neighbor, Frederick Burton-Smythe, but it's bastard-born Nicholas Seaton who has her heart. Raised alongside her on her father's estate, Nicholas is the rumored son of notorious highwayman Gentleman Jim. When Fred frames him for theft, Nicholas escapes into the night, vowing to find his legendary sire. But Nicholas never returns. A decade later, he's long been presumed dead.

After years spent on the continent, John Beresford, Viscount St. Clare has finally come home to England. Tall, blond, and dangerous, he's on a mission to restore his family's honor. If he can mete out a bit of revenge along the way, so much the better. But he hasn't reckoned for Maggie Honeywell. She's bold and beautiful--and entirely convinced he's someone else. 

As danger closes in, St. Clare is torn between love and vengeance. Will he sacrifice one to gain other? Or, with a little daring, will he find a way to have them both?

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Wealthy Margaret Honeywell grew up alongside neighbor Frederick Burton-Smythe and stablehand Nicholas Seaton.  She's always disliked the one and loved the other.  When Fred frames Nicholas for theft, she helps Nicholas escape and he leaves promising to come back to her.  Ten years later she is in the difficult position of having to marry Fred -who has only grown worse with age- or see her fortune and estate pass into his hands and leave her nothing.  Then the appearance on the scene of the mysterious John Beresford, Viscount St. Clare, changes everything. Maggie is certain he is her long-lost love Nicholas. St. Clare denies it, but proceeds to court her and drive Fred to increasing levels of cruel antagonism.  St. Clare's right to inherit the title and estate of his grandfather is being questioned by distant relations and he should be keeping his focus on dealing with that.  But Maggie changes all of his plans and now he must decide who he is, and what he is willing to do- and to give up- to be that man.

Author Mimi Matthews (Work of Art) has once again written a book that enthralls and entertains from start to finish.  She's admitted that Gentleman Jim has some Count of Monte Cristo inspirations and I enjoyed every one of those moments.  That knowledge means that it won't surprise readers familiar with the story to know that St. Clare and Nicholas are the same person.  But there's much more to the story of Nicholas and his origins than that and one of the questions that keeps readers guessing is: how much of St. Clare/Nicholas is fiction and how much is truth?  He grows into an intelligent, cold, and calculating planner with an obvious path set out, but how much is his plan and how much his (supposed) grandfather's?  Trying to keep up with the secrets and machinations of the Beresford men kept me guessing all the way to the end, which I very much enjoyed. Maggie may be one of my favorite Matthews' heroines- a strong woman willing to overcome obstacles, believing unconditionally in her love even when she isn't always able to believe in herself or see her way out of a situation. She's willing to accept help from friends (unlike so many headstrong characters), take risks, and when in doubt, use a pistol to great effect.

 I also loved the relationship between Maggie and St. Clare. These are two people who are meant to be together, and who have a soul-deep understanding despite being separated by ten years, a continent, and endless secrets.  Their chemistry is perfect, and their connection perhaps shows readers that there are times when people are just meant to be together.

From shadowy taverns to glittering ballrooms, Gentleman Jim is a winner from start to finish. Wonderful characters with electrical chemistry, revenge, adventure, and fortunes hanging in the balance, this is a perfect book to read and re-read. This is Mimi Matthews at her finest! 

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Solitude of Wolverines

 

A Solitude of Wolverines- Alice Henderson

William Morrow

Release Date: October 27, 2020

Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: While studying wolverines on a wildlife sanctuary in Montana, biologist Alex Carter is run off the road and threatened by locals determined to force her off the land.

Undeterred in her mission to help save this threatened species, Alex tracks wolverines on foot and by cameras positioned in remote regions of the preserve. But when she reviews the photos, she discovers disturbing images of an animal of a different kind: a severely injured man seemingly lost and wandering in the wilds.

After searches for the unknown man come up empty, local law enforcement is strangely set on dismissing the case altogether, raising Alex’s suspicions. Then another invasive predator trespasses onto the preserve. The hunter turns out to be another human—and the prey is the wildlife biologist herself. Alex realizes too late that she has seen too much—she's stumbled onto a far-reaching illegal operation and now has become the biggest threat.

In this wild and dangerous landscape, Alex’s life depends on staying one step ahead—using all she knows about the animal world and what it takes to win the brutal battle for survival.

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Anyone who thinks protecting endangered species and their habitats is for the meek and mild will change their minds within the first few pages of Alice Henderson's thriller A Solitude of Wolverines.  Wildlife biologist Alex Carter needs a change of pace from her current life: the city of Boston, a spoiled and obnoxious boyfriend who's "taking a break" from their relationship, and the trauma of nearly being killed at a wildlife preserve press conference.  So when a land trust calls asking her to fill in for their biologist while he's dealing with a family emergency she jumps at a wonderful opportunity.  Months in relative solitude at an abandoned ski resort surveying the preserve and looking for wolverines sounds like just what she needs.  The small town locals are against the land trust and Alex quickly finds herself the town's least favorite person.  But is it more than a rich cattle rancher wanting the land for himself? Stories of poachers, hotel murderers, and Sasquatch quickly become the least of Alex's problems as she stumbles across an operation with some very sick plans for the preserve, and no problem removing Alex from their path by any means necessary.

A Solitude of Wolverines is an edge-of-your-seat thriller written in a fast-paced, descriptive style that plays like a movie inside your head.  Author Alice Henderson does a brilliant job taking her personal experiences doing wildlife surveys and her obvious passion for protecting endangered species and their habitats to create her heroine Alex Carter, filling her with a love of nature and the drive to try and save it that can't be faked. The environment around her, beautiful, lonely, often harsh and unforgiving, becomes as much of a character as any of the people and Henderson is brilliant at putting the reader right alongside Alex all the way. Alex is a problem-solver; a planner; and the sort of kick-ass, enterprising, resourceful person you would want on your side in any situation.  In short, she's rather like a wolverine's kindred spirit, although she doesn't see herself that way.  Her character development throughout the book is well done and I look forward to seeing where the author takes her next.

I freely admit that I picked up this book because of the title (I am an unapologetic lover of all members of the weasel family so when they show up on the cover of a book or in the title I'm going to read it) but I stayed with it for the story.  Fascinating, suspenseful, with moments of peace and beauty followed by explosive, nail-biting drama, this book had it all. Twists with characters you don't see coming, and a secondary plot twist (both unexpected and brilliant) that promises to stay with Alex many books into the future.  I'm not giving anything away to say that we do get to see wolverines and I cheered when we did.  People who don't know anything about this large member of the weasel family will get to learn about them without feeling preached to and Henderson puts a nice bibliography in the back to direct readers to excellent sources for learning more about wolverines and how to help them.

Fans of authors like Nevada Barr and C. J. Box will enjoy this new voice on the wilderness thriller scene.  A Solitude of Wolverines is non-stop action, suspense, and surprises and you won't be able to put it down once you start!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

World Beneath the Sands

A World Beneath the Sands: The Golden Age of Egyptology- Toby Wilkinson

W.W. Norton & Co.

Release Date: October 20, 2020

Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: From the decipherment of hieroglyphics in 1822 to the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon a hundred years later, the uncovering of Egypt’s ancient past took place in an atmosphere of grand adventure and international rivalry.

In A World Beneath the Sands, acclaimed Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson chronicles the ruthless race between the British, French, Germans, and Americans to lay claim to its mysteries and treasures. He tells riveting stories of the men and women whose obsession with Egypt’s ancient civilization helped to enrich and transform our understanding of the Nile Valley and its people, and left a lasting impression on Egypt, too. Travelers and treasure-hunters, ethnographers and archaeologists: whatever their motives, whatever their methods, a century of adventure and scholarship revealed a lost world, buried for centuries beneath the sands.

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In A World Beneath the Sands Toby Wilkinson explores the beginnings of Egyptology.  Starting with Napoleon's Egyptian campaign- which produced no successes for the French army, but widespread fascination with Egypt from the cultural point of view, and finding the famous Rosetta Stone- and stretching on for more than 100 years to Howard Carter's discovery of King Tut's tomb in the Valley of the Kings, Wilkinson offers readers a meticulously well-researched account of European fascination with Egypt's cultural past.  From Champollion to Carter, Mariette to Petrie, A World Beneath the Sands explores the methods, discoveries, and motives of the early European archaeologists.  Many came to make great discoveries and become famous, others for the thrill of knowledge, and a disturbing number came as little more than glorified treasure hunters.  A few, like Petrie, worked hard to establish methods that would record each discovery as it was found.  Many more, especially early on, were more than happy to chisel out the pieces they wanted from walls or tombs or literally dynamite out their 'prizes'. The dark history of European museum collections like those found in the Louvre and the British Museum is brought into the light here.  

It is easy to read A World Beneath the Sands as a series of adventures and dramas, ruthless battles between (primarily) the French and English for control of, and preeminence in, the cultural knowledge of ancient Egypt. From amateur adventurers to dedicated philologists seeking to unravel the mysteries of Egypt's hieroglyphics, scientific approaches to archaeology are late to the scene and there are plenty of cringe-worthy stories of removing artifacts, obelisks, and temple pieces. Culture clashes, imperialist agendas and debates on who can best care for a culture's history are all brought up, and I thought Wilkinson did a good job of presenting the facts without pressing his own opinion.  At the same time, the facts presented rather speak for themselves.  

A World Beneath the Sands does an excellent job of telling the story of Europe's discovery of and fascination with Egypt.  It is a readable, comprehensive, and accessible account of over 100 years of discovery that never shies away from the harsher results of Europe's imperialistic approach to Egypt's ancient past. 

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

The Domestic Revolution

 

The Domestic Revolution: How the Introduction of Coal into Victorian Homes Changed Everything- Ruth Goodman

W.W. Norton/Liveright

Release Date: October 20, 2020

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: No single invention epitomizes the Victorian era more than the black cast-iron range. Aware that the twenty-first-century has reduced it to a quaint relic, Ruth Goodman was determined to prove that the hot coal stove provided so much more than morning tea: it might even have kick-started the Industrial Revolution. Wielding the wit and passion seen in How to Be a Victorian, Goodman traces the tectonic shift from wood to coal in the mid-sixteenth century—from sooty trials and errors during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I to the totally smog-clouded reign of Queen Victoria. A pattern of innovation emerges as the women stoking these fires also stoked new global industries: from better soap to clean smudges to new ingredients for cooking. Laced with uproarious anecdotes of Goodman’s own experience managing a coal-fired household, this fascinating book shines a hot light on the power of domestic necessity.

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The lives of ordinary people can change the world. The domestic lives of those who history tends to ignore in favor of battles and grand conquests can, and does, influence far more than one might imagine.  This is Ruth Goodman's premise in The Domestic Revolution: How the Introduction of Coal into Victorian Homes Changed Everything.  And she makes a more than convincing argument that the switch from wood burning to coal burning in England, starting around 1600 (despite the subtitle crediting the Victorians) did in fact change everything in Britain.  Goodman specializes in living history and has decades of personal experience in wood burning and coal burning- how to burn, how to cook, and how to clean- that she shares to help flesh out the changes she describes.

Goodman introduces readers to the changing methods of heating homes and cooking by describing how peat, animal dung, wood, and coal all burn differently in a slightly tedious (yet still surprisingly interesting) beginning chapter.  Things pick up after that as she explains how homes and furniture changed due to changing heating methods, from rushes and pallets to high standing beds and chairs.  The unique British foods like puddings, boiled everything, and mushy peas are explained through a surprisingly simple answer: coal fires and wood fires cook foods differently. Cleaning homes and laundry are gone into in fascinating detail. This all might sound boring to some, but I found it fascinating. This detailed look into the lives of ordinary people- especially the women and servants who rarely left written accounts and whose lives must be guessed at through different approaches- gave me a great appreciation for what it would have been like to live in Britain in the past few centuries.

The Domestic Revolution is a fascinating, well-researched, and well-written book that will appeal to historians, students, casual readers, and anyone interested in how the lives of ordinary people changed with the popularizing of coal burning fires.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Dare to Play

Dare to Play (Dare Nation 3)- Carly Phillips

CP Publishing

Release Date: October 6, 2020

Rating:  📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Pitcher, Jaxon Prescott has a lot on his plate. Major League Baseball. Reputation as a player. And now? He’s on the verge of losing it all. He didn’t mean to sleep with his general manager’s daughter or get into a brawl that was captured on camera. But his notoriety is a problem and everything he's worked for is at risk. 

What’s a bad boy to do? Marry his sister's best friend to save his career, even if it’s the opposite of everything he wants and believes in.

Macy Walker is the sole guardian of her half-sister until the girl’s mother returns and wants her daughter back. In order to win custody, Macy needs to provide stability and marrying someone would do the trick. Luckily for her, her best friend’s brother needs a wife.

They're this close to getting exactly what they want - as long as they don't fall in love.

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Macy Walker has been her teenage half-sister's guardian for nearly a year. Now the girl's mother is back and claiming to want custody- and prepared to bribe and cheat to get it.  Jaxon Prescott is a Major League Baseball player with a reputation off the field for being wilder than his team's head office would like.  Both need the image of a stable family to help them move forward. A marriage of convenience seems like the perfect solution. Only one rule: no emotions involved.

Macy Walker has been taking care of her half-sister since Hannah's mother walked out on her, and been the sole guardian since their father died.  Between playing the parent and her work on web design, Macy doesn't get out much or have anyone to help back her up when Hannah's mother, Lilah, shows up again claiming she wants custody and bribing Hannah with expensive buying sprees.  She's a strong character who can handle a lot of stress, but is not too proud to lean on others when she needs help. Jaxon is a star baseball player with a reputation with women, and a few too many off-field antics for management.  But when you get to know him, he's more a wounded, unsure guy still trying to protect himself from an abusive father and the others who have let him down along the way.  Each of the Prescott siblings is dealing with their father's shadow in different ways, and this is Jaxon's. He thinks no one will choose him when the going gets tough. So why put yourself out there? He and Macy click beautifully together and I love how Macy shows through her actions that she will be there for Jaxon when he needs her. Their chemistry is perfect and the story is fast-paced and lovely, flowing with the wit and emotions readers expect from Carly Phillips at her best. 

As far as marriages of convenience go, how can you go wrong with two people who like each other, have excellent chemistry, and instantly have each other's back through incidents that might send others fleeing? Answer: you can't. Dare to Play may be Carly Phillips' first marriage of convenience trope book, but she hits all the right buttons and then some.  A stand alone in the Dare Nation series, characters from other books have cameos that will make series readers happy and won't confuse new readers. The ease and chemistry between Macy and Jaxon flows beautifully from each page, both in and out of the bedroom, and shows what a true partnership can be between the right people.  Even before they realize they are right for each other. A must read romance!

 

I received an ARC of this book from Booksprout in exchange for an honest review

The Tech

 

The Tech- Mark Ravine

Dawn Hill Publications 

Release Date: February 3, 2020

Rating:

📚

Synopsis: Special Agent Alexandra Cassidy has made a career of disobeying orders, challenging

bigwigs, and asking uncomfortable questions.

What offends her superiors most is that her intolerable antics have earned her one of the best track records in the FBI.
 

It’s too bad, some cases are better left unsolved.

When Cassidy is transferred to the backwaters of Arizona she finds herself leading a crew
with so many black marks on their records, it’s a miracle any of them remain employed.
Thankfully, their first case pretty much solves itself. But as Cassidy and her team continue
throwing bad guys behind bars, a creeping sense of suspicion grows. The cases are easy, a
little too easy, and troubling patterns become impossible to ignore.
Then things take a violent turn, and an elusive figure steps forward to help. But in a
conspiracy big enough to topple kings, every player has an agenda—and misplaced trust will
have devastating consequences.

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Special Agent Alexandra Cassidy starts a new job in Arizona as head of a group of agents considered 'misfits' by other offices.  They instantly start closing cases in 24 hours or less.  Eventually, they start noticing that there are links between each seemingly separate case, and that there may be something much more sinister beneath the surface.

I don't like writing negative reviews.  I like supporting new authors, believe in constructive criticism, and I know my tastes are not universal.  So I'll start by saying that I've seen many positive reviews for The Tech online.  When Dawn Hill Publications asked me to review this book I thought the plot sounded interesting, the positive reviews made me more interested, and I was fully ready to like this book. The basic premise is an interesting twist on traditional FBI/police dramas: what if the tech guy, usually a third layer character at best, was instead really the one solving the cases and pointing the agents/officers in the right direction?  A good idea that could have gone places, and definitely could make an interesting TV series.

But the book didn't deliver on that promise for me.  At a massive 463 pages, The Tech never got off the ground and dragged the way through. None of the characters was more than a flat, one dimensional version of the stock characters we see on any given TV show. The attempt at a romance between the two main characters was neither needed nor any good, bogging down at teenage levels of a crush.  Most of the individual cases came about so fast, and often in questionable ways, that I sometimes had trouble following what were supposed to be complex ideas and ended up being such a tangle that I didn't care about them. I kept hoping the mysterious Cabal of bad guys pulling the strings would turn into something really deep and sinister, but that all got a bit over the top as well by the end.  

I had big problems with Mike, the "tech guy" who is supposed to be our hero. He's created an A.I. program called Aisha (think Tony Stark's Jarvis) and can hack into anything. He doesn't worry about things like warrants or privacy, and clearly needs to have the definition of creepy-stalking a co-worker explained to him (also, lying). Apparently he can do everything, then leads his adopted FBI team to find what he wants them to find with less-than-subtle manipulation. He has no problem planting faked evidence to get bad guys, or destroying evidence. The Tech could have become a fascinating debate about privacy versus public safety in a world where technology is expanding by quantum leaps every day. Do you have the right to expect privacy in a public elevator? In your office? Your apartment? Can the average citizen trust that anyone smart enough to develop this kind of tech is moral enough to use it for the good of the many? Is it ok to set up people with fake evidence when real evidence shows how evil they are? Moral debates never happen though, and any time one might start, Mike waves it away, assuring us that everything is ok.  After all, he's on our side.  Isn't he?

I believe that editing is where The Tech fell apart.  Ravine had a good idea and a really long story that could have been polished into something captivating with help and feedback from an editor.  Stilted text and dialogue could have been relaxed, repetitions could have been removed. Plot could have been streamlined and sharpened and the language Americanized (there's nothing wrong with British English, but if the characters and location are entirely American, the language should be too). Perhaps an editor could have helped encourage character development and some of the moral debates the use of technology in law enforcement calls for today.

Overall, The Tech was a debut novel with a good plot skeleton that needed some guidance and feedback to make it what it could have been a very interesting suspense story. 

I received a copy of this book from Dawn Hill Publications in exchange for an honest review