Mysticalsister

Please tell me this is a trilogy. Deborah Harkness has written an absolutely beautiful sequel to Discovery of Witches. I read the first book when it came out, and in my review I said that I loved the book, but the ending felt rushed. Well, I have to eat those words because I just reread it in preparation for Shadow of Night, and I realized that I had been rushed, not the book. I took the time to really savor it this time and it was amazing.


So it was with real pleasure that I began Shadow of Night. If the first book was amazing, this follow-up is sublime. Diana's introduction into the past is surprising and frightening, and Harkness conveys the period without belaboring it. It's such a rich age, full of interesting characters, that she could have easily been bogged down in description, but the action moves along at a perfect pace. Yet there is plenty of description. The scent of a quince, the shimmer of candlelight on silver. The feel of fabric against the skin. I was captivated and enthralled.

i really dislike reviews that give too little information, but there is so much that is lovely and surprising about this story that it would be ruined by knowing too much in advance. I will say that I found certain passages so lovely that I became emotional, something that happens very infrequently for me when reading, and it kept me listening long, long past my bedtime.


Jennifer Ikeda was simply perfect as the reader. She does a beautiful job with Ms. Harkness' gorgeous book.

I had just finished my 2nd reading of "the Host," and was looking for another alien-type book, when I found this on Amazon. I read it and it was promising, but then I read the 2nd book in the series and that was great! In fact, book 2 makes book 1 even better! So when I saw the first one here on Audible, I bought it with the discount.

Unfortunately, the reader is awful - she sounds like she's reading to 3rd graders. And her voice is too old for the main character, so as a listen, it was a disappointment. (It was so much sexier in my mind, and kind of BDSM sinister, which didn't come across in the audio version at all.)

I recommend reading this series instead, especially since book 2 is available at Amazon now, and you can always buy the Audible version at a discount later.

I loved this book the first time I read it, and decided to pick it up again this past week. Once again, after the first few minutes, i couldn't put it down. All week, I found myself reaching for my ipod every chance I got. I really love Wanda and Melanie, Jared, Jamie, Ian, and Doc. Their story is so moving that they become real people that you care about. This is such a great book.



BTW: I didn't see the movie -- but as I'm on my second reading, I'm not sure how they could have possibly made it into a film. Most of the action takes place inside the mind of an alien occupied human, and the way in which the human and alien communicate and change one another, creates the story. It's what makes the story so emotional.

As a proud anglophile, I love PBS and BBC -- so when there isn't anything on TV that feeds this need of mine, I start to search the classics.

Not counting Silas Marner, (which I read in middle school), this was my first George Eliot novel. It is a fascinating glimpse into rural village life in Victorian England, and as performed by Kate Reading, it is a treasure. All the characters are so well written that I had no difficulty seeing them in my minds eye. It's become a once a year re-read.

BTW, the last time this book got the mini series treatment was 1994. Hey BBC, it's time for an update!

I know I'm bucking the consensus with my rating, but I just couldn't buy into this one. The narrator reads the character of Kimber as if she's a precocious 14 year old trying to lose her virginity in a menage with two grown men. Their constant repetition of "baby girl," "little girl" and kitten while encouraging her to give them blow jobs and anal sex just wasn't sexy to me. It was skeezy.

I enjoyed the first book in the series -- it was hot with a plot. It helped that the heroine was an adult, and sounded like one. When the dirty talk started it felt appropriate -- not like child abuse. (Yes, I know Kimber was described as a 23 year old -- too bad she didn't sound like one.) Aside from the voice issue though, this really wasn't a very good book. The guys came across as desperate predators looking to fulfill their fantasies at the expense of a naive young girl.

I appreciate that not everyone will agree with me, but I felt I had to review this especially for for those of you with young daughters -- you might want to take a pause with this particular book. It may not sound all that sexy to you, either.

I really enjoyed the mix of sex and magic in this historical romance that occurs during the Scotish witch burnings. Gregor, our hero, wants the lands stolen from his father, but the cad who did the stealing has a lot of clout. He figures the best way to get information from the brut is to send in a spy. He see's Jessie, the Harlot of Dundee, in a cat fight at the local pub, and gets a good look at what's on offer as the two women roll around on the floor. He likes what he sees and decides she's be the perfect bait to trap his enemy. Until she's caught using magic and ends up in the Toll Booth (Jail).

What happens next is good fun, but unfortunately, it's read in a way that would be more successful if it had been softened just a little in delivery. There are a lot of rolling "Rrrrrrrrs" as Helen Stern, who otherwise has a lovely voice, chews up the Scots accent and delivers dialogue that is a little too strong and menacing from the male lead. Even during the romantic scenes, Gregor, sounds like he's reprimanding Jesse (though she doesn't seem to mind it a bit).

While my ear never really got used to the hardness of the performance, it's a good listen anyway, and as I said, the sex and magic make it a lot of fun.

Be prepared for archaic sounding dirty talk -- it's odd at first, but ultimately adds to the atmosphere.

The story begins as a family of disgraced members of the Ton, a sister and two brothers are dealt a blow. The youngest brother ends up in prison for a notorious serial crime of murder -- crimes he did not commit. But how to prove it?

The older brother is a spendthrift and a drunkard, so he's no help, which leaves it to the sister to find a way to free her younger brother. She is given a name of someone who might be willing to help her, a mysterious Mr. Noble, but when she meets him she's told she can either pay 10,000 pounds for his services, or agree to do three favors in return, no questions asked, at a future date. Well, she has no money, so favors it is.

There is a very good (and sexy) romance in this book, as well as an equally good mystery to be solved. It's a detailed and well written plot with many twists and turns to keep you guessing. The way that Mr. Noble calls in his many favors from those in interesting positions in the government to solve the mystery was clever. He would be an interesting character in a series on PBS, so I was very disappointed to learn this was not a series. Too bad!

The narration was very good. Also, the resolution of the mystery was very well done. I can't remember the last time I had this much fun reading an historical romance, and actually, this one belongs in it's own category. P. B. Ryan writes some very good victorian mysteries with romance available on Kindle. "Still Life With Murder (Nell Sweeney Mystery Series, Book 1)," is the first of her series. Highly recommended if you like this sort of thing.

I looked for other books by this author but was disappointed to learn that this is considered her best book. I would have loved to read more by her in this vein.

While I enjoyed my visit to the Waverley House in Bascome, I usually read more emotionally intense books. In a way, this was a lovely change of pace. The sisters growing affection was believable, the love interest characters charming, and the happy ending was neatly done.

I also thought Susan Erickson's narration was perfect for the pace of this story.

Although I enjoyed the book for what it is, it isn't very deep and it's unlikely I would read it again. Pass it on to someone else? Definitely.

I was going to skip this one since I wasn't really that interested in a storyline about Rock Stars and the women who love them -- but the reviews were pretty awesome, so I let the reviewers pick this one for me. (Thanks!)

A group of randy rock stars meet a Human Sexuality Professor in a hotel lounge and the fun starts! This book is witty, sweet and even romantic, but the sex scenes are in a class all their own. This has to be the hottest erotica series out there right now -- with great characters, an well written plot and a perfect reader. And did I mention the mind-blowing sex scenes?

Justine O. Keef's performance was pitch perfect, and her male characters were believable and sexy. Again, Wow!

Lock the door, turn off the phone, close the curtains and pour a glass of wine. Once you start Backstage Pass, you won't want any distractions!

I love Hauk -- and Jolie, of course, but what I really love is the snappy dialogue and original idea for a romance in this well written and entertaining series. Book 2 is every bit as entrancing as the first book and I hope Ms. Garren writes on and on. I especially love that this author is not following the genre's tiresome standard of each book dealing with different set of main characters -- I prefer to be able to follow the characters I love through a series of books. I wish more authors would do this, but I know not everyone feels as I do.

Couple of thoughts: One reviewer for the first book wrote: ". . . I felt a little concerned that beauty is only 17 and working in a strip club." First of all, Jolie is 24 years old, so I'm not sure if that reviewer was reviewing a different book by mistake. Also, Jolie does not work in a strip club -- she is a burlesque dancer, not a stripper, so again -- different book?

Also, there is a great new PR series that is only available on Amazon (so far!) -- it is fantastic and not to be missed. Look up: J. T. Geissinger's "Night Prowler." You can thank me later! (and no, I have no monetary interest in the sales of this series -- just doing a good deed for fellow PR fans.)

The oldest Ellis sister, Poppy, and her husband of 15 years, Win, have been estranged as a result of the secrets each is keeping from the other, but also due to the guilt they feel as a result of the choices they each made in the past. One of them has sold their soul to a demon so they could be together, but now it's time to pay up. Ms. Callahan writes the interaction between these characters so well that it feels like a real marriage. These are two very strong and stubborn individuals who are deeply in love with each other, but who have no illusions about the obstacles they'll have to overcome in order to have a future together.

For me, this was an unusual book for the PR genre, mainly because we very rarely see the story of an established married couple struggling in their marriage within a supernatural context. I thought it was very well done. Moira Quirk was good, as usual, and this book is one I will listen to it again.

All three books in this series fit together beautifully, but if I have one complaint it's that the three sisters don't come together to help each other when one of them gets in trouble. The author stays within the industry standard that each book deals with different main characters, and the previously introduced characters, however related, are only peripheral to the story. I think this standard is getting a bit tired, and this book would have benefited by having all the sisters get together to battle the baddies. (Otherwise, what's the point of their special powers?) I kept waiting for Miranda to come in and burn the place down, but nope. No love.

I don't know if there will be another book or not, but if there is another I wish it would allow all the characters to work together. This is one of those books I'd love to join a discussion group to talk about.



NOTE to PR fans: There is a great new series (Night Prowler) by J. T. Geissinger, currently available on Amazon, but not yet on Audible. Give it a look. It's pretty amazing.