Category Archives: Reviews

Lady Avely’s Guide to Truth and Magic

Lady Avely’s Guide to Truth and MagicLady Avely's Guide to Truth and Magic by Rosalie Oaks
Series: Matronly Misadventures #1
on 16 February 2024
Genres: Not An Alternate History Review
Format: eBook
Source: Author
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five-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

A gothic cozy mystery series, starring a midlife protagonist, and set in a magical version of Regency England.

A Regency widow shouldn’t be hunting spectres all night.

Lady Judith Avely’s magical gift for divining the truth makes her prodigiously good at lying. To absolve a guilty secret, she travels to the exiled Duke of Sargen’s estate, but the last thing she expects is to run into the duke himself, who is lamentably now even more attractive than in his volatile youth.

The duke has his own concerns: he has returned home to a haunted house, with skulls floating about and a footman apparently bashed by a book. Such vulgar circumstances are best avoided, but the duke needs Judith’s unique talents to help uncover the culprit – even if it might put her in the sights of a killer.

With the help of a tiny vampiric acquaintance and a continuous supply of drinking chocolate, Judith should be able to solve the uncanny mystery…if only the duke will stop making improper remarks about her mobcaps.

A lady who can discern lies, the duke who lied to her, and a gothic cosy mystery full of bats, skulls, and cocoa.

Lady Avely’s Guide to Truth and Magic features a mid-life heroine, a slow-burn second-chance romance, and a magical version of Regency England.

THE REVIEW

I fell in love with Ms Oak’s miniature vampires, barely 2″ tall in the old measure, when I binged on her ‘Lady Diviner’ series, and had been hounding the author for the release date for her new spin-off series for over a year. ‘Lady Avely’s Guide to Truth and Magic’ did not disappoint.

There is a subtle difference in the tone between the two series. In the Lady Diviner books the reader is invited to join Miss Elinor Avely, is a a jewel diviner, who befriends a tiny spinster vampire (a necessity if one is practicing magic as without such a companion a practitioner is likely to become bemused). Together they solve mysteries, find romance, and practice good manners in adverse circumstances, with a focus on good manners. A particularly difficult task when there is a certain amount of nakedness involved, as must occur when vampires transform to and from their bat body.

With ‘Matronly Misadventures’ Lady Judith Avely, who is Elinor’s mother, is considerably more relaxed about the need for manners (unless it applies to the necessity for mobcaps), a fortunate trait when it comes to dealing with her own tiny companion, to quote:

[Lady Avely] crossed to the bedside drawer and slid it open and blinked, for Miss Cultor [the vampire] was lying quite at her ease, completely naked, on her stomach on the orange-gold cloth. Her chin rested on her hands and she looked quizzically up at Judith.

There remains a search for a murderer, any number of suspects, while maintaining at least some continuing need for good manners:

Lord John looked glum. “A fine library if it will stop raining blood.”

“John!” snapped Lady Agatha. “Do not refer to such vulgar subjects at the dining table.”

And now I have to wait until December (9 months 10 days) before I can read the sequel.

five-stars

‘The Darkest Cargo’ by Amanda Bridgeman

I received this book for free from the Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

‘The Darkest Cargo’ by Amanda BridgemanThe Darkest Cargo by Amanda Bridgeman
Series: Spud Compton #1
Published by Centralis Entertainment on 10 May 2023
Genres: Not An Alternate History Review
Format: eBook
Source: the Author
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five-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

Spud Compton is an ex-soldier running cargo across space, while also running from his past – most notably his well-known Senator father and his war-hero older brother. When Spud’s ex-girlfriend suddenly turns up in his life with an urgent job, he knows he should walk away. Money is tight, though, and he can’t afford to turn it down. Spud takes on the cargo run, but soon finds himself with both the mob and navy on his tail, all the while the biggest threat to his life sits inside the cargo hold of his ship, just waiting to be released.

What starts as a simple job, turns into a fight for his life and that of his crew, as a black-ops bio-engineered creature is released – and it won’t stop until it has eliminated all threats.

WARNING: Do not read this book for at least an hour before bed.

‘The Darkest Cargo’ is an adrenalin pumping, stomach clenching ride of sheer fear by a master spinner of nightmares. Neither the predator, nor the aliens would stand much of a chance of facing down Amanda’s navy black-ops genetically modified killing machine. And yet this is precisely what Amanda team of ex-navy misfits has to do.

The only quibble I have is that it takes the first four chapters to get going, but they are short chapters and then the action starts, and builds, and keeps builds. I can’t honestly say that the book was un-put-downable, as I did have to take a break after chapter 7 to recover my breath, and my equilibrium, but after that it was dash for the finishing line only to find that … I’m going to have to read the next book in the series.

A five-star rating from me means that I am planning to re-read the story, in this case I am intend to read it again to find out just how Ms Bridgeman manages to create and maintain the excitement she so successfully deals up.

five-stars

Pass of Fire

Pass of FirePass of Fire by Taylor Anderson
Series: Destroyermen #14
Published by ROC on 2019
Genres: Type II - Hard/Soft
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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four-half-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

After being transported to a strange alternate Earth, Matt Reddy and the crew of the USS Walker have learned desperate times call for desperate measures, in the return to the New York Times bestselling Destroyermen series.

Time is running out for the Grand Human and Lemurian Alliance. The longer they take to prepare for their confrontations with the reptilian Grik, the Holy Dominion, and the League of Tripoli, the stronger their enemies become. Ready or not, they have to move--or the price in blood will break them.

Matt Reddy and his battered old destroyer USS Walker lead the greatest army the humans and their Lemurian allies have ever assembled up the Zambezi toward the ancient Grik capital city. Standing against them is the largest, most dangerous force of Grik yet gathered.

On the far side of the world, General Shinya and his Army of the Sisters are finally prepared for their long-expected assault on the mysterious El Paso del Fuego. Not only is the dreaded Dominion ready and waiting for them; they've formed closer, more sinister ties with the fascist League of Tripoli.

Everything is on the line in both complex, grueling campaigns, and the Grand Alliance is stretched to its breaking point. Victory is the only option, whatever the cost, because there can be no second chances.

Series Review

While sometimes patchy the quality of each individual book never falls below 4 stars. Unfortunately I have become less inclined to pursue the series as Taylor progressively layers villain onto villain in a never ending series, and I gave up on the series after  Deadly Shores (#9). I have returned to finishing the series in Pass of Fire (#14) and Winds of Wrath (#15) after reading Michael Cnuddle’s review a couple of weeks ago (see http://www.somersethousepress.com/2020/10/)

Taylor writes particularly strong battle scenes, and he is not adverse to killing off significant characters to maintain interest/realism to what has developed over the series into a truly world war.

Specific Comments About This Specific Book

While this book is the penultimate in the series, and as a result serves as a curtain raiser for the final book (Winds of Wrath) I found that it quite successfully held my interest while setting up for the final battle(s) in the World War that has engulfed this alternate Earth. 

A warning, for those of you concerned at the destruction of the our Earth’s environment and wildlife you may need to leave your concerns at the door to fully enjoy this one.

four-half-stars

Storm Front (Twilight of the Gods Book 1)

Storm Front (Twilight of the Gods Book 1)Storm Front Published by Author Self Published on 11 December 2015
Genres: Type II - Hard/Soft
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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four-half-stars

Premise - Point of Divergence (POD)

In 1941, Adolf Hitler didn't declare war on the United States.

The Story

Now, in 1985, the Third Reich stretching from the coast of France to the icy wastes of Eastern Russia, appears supremely powerful. With a powerful force of nuclear warheads and the finest military machine on Earth, there is no hope for freedom for the billions who groan under its rule. Adolf Hitler’s mad dreams have come to pass.

And yet, all is not well in the Reich. The cold war with the United States and the North Atlantic Alliance is destroying the Reich’s economy, while a savage insurgency in South Africa - a war the Reich cannot win and dares not lose - is sapping its military strength. And, while the Reich Council struggles to find a way to save the Reich from its own weaknesses, a young German girl makes a discovery that will shake the Reich to its core.

But the Reich Council will not go quietly into the night ...

The Review

I read this at a time (not that long ago) when I was seeking reassurance that evil would not triumph, and that in general the vast mass of humanity was intrinsically good, or at least not necessarily evil. Christopher makes a succinct, and in my opinion, successful argument that evil cannot continue indefinitely (although for those who had to live through the 52 years of Nuttall’s Third Reich it may very well have felt like it).

Photo of model of Hitler's Germania

Model of Germania

Nuttall’s alternate history posits that the Third Reich was successful in beating the Soviets, and winning the war. As a result Hitler’s dream of Germania, a new capital to challenge that of Ancient Egypt, Babylon, and Rome is built, and the Nazi Empire has spread itself across most of the former Russian lands.  Despite that the Reich has never admitted to the evils it committed during the war.

It is now 1985 and the Reich is locked in a cold war with the USA and the rest of the free world (including the UK). The war is expensive, and in conjunction with the Reich’s enormous unfunded state based welfare system is threatening the collapse of its economy. A collapse which is speeding up as a result of the Reich’s involvement in actively supporting the apartheid regime in South Africa.

It is in this world that a university student, Gudrun, the daughter of a policeman, and betrothed to a soldier fighting in South Africa discovers that the government is lying about the state of the war in South Africa. Full of righteous indignation Gudrun persuades some of her fellow students to protest. Despite their naivety the protests quickly snowball (think the 2019 example in Hong Kong). One of the aspects I particularly liked about the story was how Gudrun’s father eventually came round to supporting his daughter.

four-half-stars

Marked in Flesh

Marked in FleshMarked in Flesh by Anne Bishop
Series: The Others #4
Published by ROC on 8 Mar 2016
Genres: Type X - Alien Space Bats
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
three-stars
Series Rating: three-stars

Premise – Point of Divergence (POD)

NOT APPLICABLE

The Story

For centuries, the Others and humans have lived side by side in uneasy peace. But when humankind oversteps its bounds, the Others will have to decide how much humanity they're willing to tolerate—both within themselves and within their community...

Since the Others allied themselves with the cassandra sangue, the fragile yet powerful human blood prophets who were being exploited by their own kind, the delicate dynamic between humans and Others changed. Some, like Simon Wolfgard, wolf shifter and leader of the Lakeside Courtyard, and blood prophet Meg Corbyn, see the new, closer companionship as beneficial—both personally and practically.

But not everyone is convinced. A group of radical humans is seeking to usurp land through a series of violent attacks on the Others. What they don't realize is that there are older and more dangerous forces than shifters and vampires protecting the land that belongs to the Others—and those forces are willing to do whatever is necessary to protect what is theirs...

The Review

Well first off, let me wish the marketing genius who decided that this work of fantasy is alternate history to a shared cell with one of Ms Bishop’s ‘others’, because it isn’t. Not at all, no way. The central premise for the series being that the ‘gods’ are real, and that shapeshifters share the world with humanity – explain to me how that is Alternate History.

Obviously ROCS marketing department decided that Ms Bishop had a better chance of getting a number one rating in Alternate History rather than in the much larger field of Fantasy. Can’t argue with that – EXCEPT ITS WRONG PEOPLE!

Having said that, although I really enjoyed Books 1-3 I found ‘Marked in the Flesh’ quite frustrating, for the simple reason that the Human Supremacists are stupid. Mindbogglingly stupid. I mean how could any organisation without nuclear weapons (or even with nuclear weapons for that matter) believe they had any chance of beating the Mediterranean, let alone the Atlantic.

three-stars