Silent Sunday

Friday Flash Fiction

Amy C at Romance Book Wyrm and Dottie atTink's Place have come up with the idea for a Monday Morning Flash Fiction challenge. Each Monday a new picture prompt will be posted and if you choose to participate - you publish your Fiction Flash  on Friday - 350 words, give or take. Here is the picture posted this Monday:

And here is the continuation of my story:

Lilian was never as happy as when the library door opened with a creak and her father entered the room. She ran to him and hugged him tightly, almost crying with joy. Lord Dreane kissed her on the cheek and led out of the library.

"I am so sorry, dad, I know I shouldn't have done it but..."

"That's ok Lilian darling but say no more at the moment. As pleased as I am to see you unharmed  I must interrupt your apology. We are at war with one old nasty vampiress and we must prepare our defence."

Lilian gasped. She expected some reproach, more or less bitter, even some punishment, but never a war of any kind. Her actions didn't deserve a war, did they?

"Dad, what's happening?"

"Nothing unusual my dear, taking everything into consideration, nothing unusual. To put it bluntly you've just triggered a whole chain of quite unpredictable events, as always when the supernatural world is involved;  right now, though, we must bear the brunt of it and, I am sorry to say, you will have to participate, no matter whether you like it or not."

"Dad, could you speak a bit clearer, please? What chain of events? What exactly happened after my disappearance in that book?"

"All in good time, my dear, you will know everything and much more but you must wait a bit. We must let poor Mark sleep for some hours to recover from his encounter, we must find a willing donor for poor Henri and then..."

"What happened to Mark? Who is Henri?"

"Not now, Lilian dear, please. Go to your room, find yourself a nice, serviceable dress which you are not sorry to soil or destroy altogether and eat something, maybe even have a nap. You will need a clear head and all your wits about you when the worst comes to the worst. I must secure the house and deal with legal matters, send some messages and such - the sooner the better. Let's meet in my study as soon as you are ready."

"But dad..."

Lord Dreane didn't wait for his daughter's "buts" any longer - he ran to the stairs and disappeared, shouting "sorry darling, no time for that!".

Lilian was left perplexed and slightly reproachful. Her father has never treated her in such a way. However, keeping in mind her latest ordeal, she decided to follow his advice and be angry later. She went to her room, called a maid and started looking for a serviceable dress. Then she went to the kitchen, officially to order some cold meat but in fact to find out more about Mark's misadventures.

As usual, the kitchen was a communication hub and the cook - an elderly woman called Jenkins - the biggest gossip so the best informed person around. Of course Mark's story, a real scoop, was being told to all and sundry.

"...that horrible monster, a woman as ugly as a devil himself and as high as a mountain troll, dressed in black, stinky rags, knocked him unconscious, bit him and then dragged him inside by his neck. You see, he was too weak to defend himself, poor boy, although he did try to break  her jaw and her arm but she was too strong and he lost so much blood so he was no match for her..."

Lilian didn't say a word - she accepted silently polite nods of a butler and a stable boy and hurried curtsies of two scullery maids. She didn't want to disturb Jenkins and it was obvious she walked in right in the middle of the story.

"...then our Master fired his silver gun and she had to flee, blood and spit dripping from her nasty, big jaws, but, unfortunately, he didn't kill her because it was too dark to aim properly. Good morning to you, Miss Lilian my dear, I am retelling what happened to Mark when he went to look for our Master in order to help you."

Lilian coloured abruptly - the cook's version of events sent shivers down her spine but there was a new piece of information, quite unexpected and disturbing.

"Mark was attacked because he was trying to fetch my father and...help me?" she asked.

"Yes, Miss, he went on a mission nobody wanted to go because everybody knew there were these ungodly vampires involved and small wonder he returned barely alive with his throat mauled and his face scarred rather badly. He is lucky to be alive at all, I can tell you that much!"

Lilian didn't need to hear the rest anymore - she ran out of the kitchen, her meal ignored, and stopped only to close the door of her own room. She was very sorry. So far, because of her sheer stupidity, she has endangered Mark's life, health and reputation; she felt she owed something to him but she didn't know how to approach the matter. Totally confused, her face so red and hot as if it was on fire, she opened the window to cool down. She looked at the park and saw a translucent ghost flying past the family chapel. A skimpily clad ghost of a girl. Lilian froze. She has never seen any ghosts in her house before. She didn't believe they existed at all. What was happening? 

Review: Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan

Book info:


Form: e-book, Kindle format
Genre: historical romance
Target audience: adults

Synopsis:

Gareth Carhard, the Marquess of Blakely et cetera, a gifted scientist, an aristocrat and a sworn, stone-cold bachelor, has just returned from Brazil to take care of the estate and the title left to him by his grandfather. He is bored in London but he must perform his duties. For example he  must save his younger cousin, Ned, from the clutches of a skillful and fraudulent fortune-teller. Ned takes him to Madame Esmerelda (a.k.a Jenny Keeble) asap– poor boy thinks that woman is a god-sent psychic, never realizing she’s been bilking him for almost two years. In his view Madame saved him from a suicide during a bout of teenage depression and she has always acted like the combination of an indulgent, although a bit spooky parent and a best friend to him. It was enough he paid for her time. Gareth doesn’t understand Ned at all. He yearns for revealing the truth behind the obviously false persona of Madame Esmerelda. That’s how he gets entangled with a woman who, coming from a humble background, managed to find for herself an original and relatively profitable if not shady career. A dangerously intelligent woman. A voluptuous woman. In short an unusually interesting woman for a Marquess and a single man. Gareth’s unexpected attraction to Jenny defies his notion of logic. Will their relationship bring them more joys or more bitterness ? Who will win and who will profit from it?

What I liked:

It’s the second historical romance by this author which I read and, actually, Ms. Milan’s debut novel. I was slightly shocked it was so good. Once again it’s a bit different than the normal romantic fare. First of all I would like to mention psychologically complex and engaging set of characters. Ned, Gareth and Jenny are very close to fully-fledged people, well-rounded and believable from the psychological point of view. Their actions are always logical and justified by their particular psychological profile. I especially liked the descriptions of Gareth’s poor attempts at communication with the outside world– the guy is one of these painfully shy introverts who never know what is expected from them and what to say so they have learned to cover any shortcomings by haughtiness and disdain. It was described very well and, being a kind of introvert myself, I could relate to him.

Jenny is the linchpin of the novel – a person who makes things happen even though she doesn’t always mean it. I liked the fact that her romance made her see her shady profession in a different light. She also had the courage to ditch it. The awakening in both Jenny and Gareth was a poignant moment – definitely more serious than topics usually mentioned in pink romances. I don’t doubt that nowadays Jenny would have a great career as a psychologist as she was intelligent enough to learn pretty quickly what her clients expected from her and she understood why they visited her at all – not for predictions but for support. What’s more, she educated herself in different areas in order to sound plausible and she was pretty successful at it. I also liked the fact that she learned to value her own person and she really knew what she wanted to achieve before anybody suggested that to her.

Once again the book features a plot which didn’t disappoint me and the sense of humour which was able to disarm me successfully – Ned, a gawky, sweet young man, and his cold but socially inept cousin providing much needed comic relief time and again (Ned’s exchange of invectives with Lord Ware, the father of his prospective bride, was simply priceless). In general I found Ned a great addition to the leading pair - his actions pushed the narration forward, not letting us dwell too much on the turmoil and passion between Jenny and Gareth (no, they didn’t wait till the marriage because, firstly, marriage was never their plan and secondly, Jenny was already a kind of a fallen woman so why bother?).

What I didn’t like:

Of course I didn’t like the fact that, in the end, somebody like Lord Blakely married somebody like Jenny Keeble/Madame Esmerelda. How could I like it? It was totally improbable, downright scandalous etc. etc. but who will listen to my arguments? Cinderella rules…In other words, the book sticks to the classic pink formula – as soon as Gareth realizes he can't live without Jenny he jumps through a few last hoops and she agrees to marry him. No, I don’t think it is a spoiler as I saw the ending from a mile away, but I admit it was kind of sweet. However, I had to brush my teeth afterwards just in case there was too much sugar in it. J Cavities are no laughing matter.

Jenny is a heroine who pulled herself by her own bootstraps against all odds although she was sent to school at a tender age of four (way too young), never knowing her parents, and was never cared after in an appropriate way. Once again I might just say it was highly unbelievable that she became such an intelligent, sensitive woman but who will pay attention? Repetitive, aren’t I? Speaking about repetitiveness…I also noticed some of it in the book (comparing ‘Proof by Seduction’ to the first Milan book which I read and reviewed not so long ago – ‘Unclaimed’) but I suppose there is a limited number of variations how e.g. a love-making scene can be written so perhaps it is not so big a flaw…still when two very different characters repeat verbatim the same phrases it makes you think ‘huh?’.

Overall I must say that explicitly-described sex scenes, a traditional feature in romance novels as far as I know, are more often than not a complete passion-killer for me. The ones in this novel weren’t very bad but still... sometimes really less is more. 

My final remark: if you are looking for setting that can immerse you into the period of 1830s England or, more precisely, London, you would probably be left a bit disappointed – but, after all, this is more about the characters and their interactions within the given setting. And the romance, of course. 

Final verdict:

If you are looking for a light read with a well-balanced amount of humour, sensuality and strength throughout the story and with a great set of lifelike characters, Milan’s novels can give you that much. Don’t be too inquisitive or too choosy though, just immerse in the narration and enjoy your HEA. If you find it a tad too syrupy sweet, just brush your teeth and you'll be fine. J

Wishful Wednesday, 19 October

The meme is hosted by Brooke from Brooke Bluestocking Guide.

 Welcome to Wishful Wednesday! 

As one of my Internet friends is doing a course on Norse culture and laguage (waving to the Red Witch) my wish today is kind of inspired by some entries o her blog. 

In other words would like to read Wolfsangel by M.D. Lachlan.

Here you have the blurb (from Amazon.com.):

Sorcery and savagery fuel this rousing historical fantasy, the first volume in a planned multivolume epic. Acting on the witch Gullveig's prophecy, Viking raiders kidnap two infant brothers from a village. Wily and clever Vali is groomed to be Viking king Authun's heir, while Feileg is raised ferally as Gullveig's werewolf protector as she schemes against the god Odin. The boys enjoy adventures peculiar to their different upbringings until their mutual affection for farmer's daughter Adisla draws them together as comrades in arms as well as rivals in love. Lachlan (a pseudonym for Mark Barrowcliffe) keeps supernatural inflections to a minimum, opting instead for a colorful and credible evocation of the Norse world as one where the paths of gods and men frequently cross. Vivid in its rendering of the primitive historical past, this entertaining adventure will have readers eagerly anticipating the next book in the series.


 (Actually you don't have to anticipate anything as the next part is available as well ;))

What are your wishes this week? Have you read the book featured by me? Would you like to read it? I would like to know your thoughts!

Mini review - Overwinter: A Werewolf Tale by David Wellington

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; Original edition (September 14, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307460797
• ISBN-13: 978-0307460790

Genre: fantasy fiction, dystopia
Target audience: adults


Synopsis:

Powell and Cheyenne, a pair of werewolves from the first novel in this series, Frostbite, are trying to spend safely their first arctic winter still looking for a cure for their state. It happens somebody else is looking for them and that particular somebody means trouble big time. Her name is Lucie. She is a sadistic French werewolf girl who had bitten Powell some hundred years ago and now treats him as her husband. Having made a total mess of her latest Siberia hideout, she decided the ground under her dainty feet was too hot - she left for Cananda to find some backup. She joins her former lover and creation asking for Powell's protection. And killing a bar full of innocent people on her way just because she felt like it. As you can imagine Chey and Powell are less than thrilled – the attention of the local authorities and law enforcement is the last thing they want. Especially that Chey starts having some very worrying symptoms - apparently her wolf is becoming stronger than her human nature but if she allows the wolf prevail she will end up insane. The time for finding a cure is becoming short indeed.

Lucie is closely followed by Varkanin, an elderly but still hale and hearty Russian hunter who had shot her back in Siberia and whose family she destroyed -  in retalliation she murdered all of his three adult daughters. Varkanin is very motivated to find Lucie and make her pay for her sadism. He is also a formidable opponent, with his specnaz training and a lot of colloidal silver inside his body. Additionally he is given substantial support from the side of Preston Holness, a shadowy figure working for the Canadian government. Holness specializes in unsavoury deals the government needs but officially would abhor like using prohibited land mines, depleted uranium bullets or killing off a bunch of werewolves just because they operate in an area rich in oil a big oil company is interested in.

Will Powell find a cure? Will Lucie let him stay with Chey? Will Varkanin get his revenge and the oil company – its drilling towers? As usual there will be no easy solutions and no easy answers.

What I liked:

It was a gutsy story – as beautiful but also as cruel as the Arctic itself. There are a lot of deaths at the end, some of them very painful although still logical. I truly couldn’t have thought of a better end; I also couldn’t have written anything more depressing. If Powell and Chey were handed a HEA (happily ever after), so a little prairie house and one evening at the bowling alley a week as they planned at one point, I would threw this book away; on the other hand the way the book (and the series) ends, made me rather sad. Love does conquer all, even lycanthropy, but sometimes the price is high indeed, so high that you wonder whether it was worth it…ok, before I get maudlin let me progress with the rest of likes.

I liked the mythological spirit of muskrat (Dzo), accompanied by that of a polar bear and a dire wolf better this time. Their role in the book was more precisely outlined, more important and far more understandable than in the first installment. I also liked how the character of Varkanin was presented – a former specnaz soldier, a cruel hunter but also a deeply-wounded individual who lived just for his revenge. Creepy but so very true. Similar things can be said about Lucie - she is very pretty, very sweet sadist who also, once upon a time, was hurt and wasn't given any choice but to follow her fate. You feel sorry for her for 1/3 of the story and you hate her for the rest.

What I didn’t like:

It is not really a flaw because this book was very good; However, it made me very sad. I think you should be warned – don’t read it when you have a spell of autumn blues (or any other kind of blues). The ending will hardly put you in a better mood. Of course it was all good, logical and understandable but still...prepare a lot of chocolate and maybe even a highball.

Final verdict:


A very good, intelligent but definitely a very adult fantasy series with some violence and no easy issues. I recommend it but I am also aware that it might be not a pair of novels for everyone. If you crave for something to cheer you up and make you all warm and happy you might actually want to steer clear of it.

Monday Can Be Fun (but usually isn't) # 1

Hi everybody!

It's Monday, how are you? 

No matter whether you hate Mondays or love them, some fun is a great way to start a new week. Monday can be fun but usually isn't...unless you are prepared to make an effort. I will be prepared for you, doing this meme alternatively with Musical Mondays. So once in a while. ;p I hope it will improve your mood!

This week please, acquaint yourself with lesser known Murphy's Laws, Murphy's definitions and other appendixes!

Lesser Known Murphy's Laws

• Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
• He who laughs last, thinks slowest.
• Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
• Those who live by the sword, get shot by those who don't.
• Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.
• The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong.
• If you lined up all the cars in the world end to end, someone would be stupid enough to try to pass them, five or six at a time, on a hill, in the fog.
• The things that come to those who wait will be the things left by those who got there first.
• Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat, drinking beer all day, doing little else and neglecting his duties. He will also find some followers.
• Flashlight: A metal tube used to store dead batteries.
• The shin bone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room. Works like wonder. It even features some sound alarm.
• A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.

Other Factors When Studying Murphy's Law

Finagle's Rider
Anything that can go wrong, will- but only at the worst possible moment.

Forsyth's Corollary 
Just when you see the light at the end of the tunnel, the roof caves in right before you.

Gumperson's Law 
The probability of anything happening is in inverse ratio to its desirability.

Zymurgy's Law
Once you open a can of worms, the only way to re-can them is to sweep them into a larger can (but only if you manage to do it in the next five seconds).

Hanlon's Razor
Never assume malice when ordinary stupidity will suffice. Don't do idiots a favour.

Brook's Law
Adding manpower to a project that is behind schedule will delay it further.

And finally:

Inverse of Murphy's Law

If something does go right subsequent events will show that it would have really been better if it had gone wrong.

Have a great Monday!

Good night, see you next week!

Review: Sins of the Angels (The Grigori Legacy 01) by Linda Poitevin

Book form: Kndle format e-book
Genre :Dark Urban Fantasy, PNR.
Target audience: adults? I guess so.
Source: borrowed


Synopsis (from Goodreads): 

A detective with a secret lineage. An undercover Hunter with a bullet-proof soul. And a world made to pay for the sins of an angel…
Homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis answers to no one. Especially not to the new partner assigned to her in the middle of a gruesome serial killer case—a partner who is obstructive, irritatingly magnetic, and arrogant as hell. Aramael is a Power—a hunter of the Fallen Angels. A millennium ago, he sentenced his own brother to eternal exile for crimes against humanity. Now his brother is back and wreaking murderous havoc in the mortal realm. To find him, Aramael must play second to a human police officer who wants nothing to do with him and whose very bloodline threatens both his mission and his soul. Now, faced with a fallen angel hell-bent on triggering the apocalypse, Alex and Aramael/Jacob Trent have no choice but to join forces, because only together can they stop the end of days.

What I liked:

Well, it was a quick read, I grant you. Well paced, entertaining even. Most of the book consists of a hunt of a demonic killer who is simply too sadistic to live. It was also funny but I don’t think it was done deliberately by the author…rather my skewed sense of humour I suppose. The world build was a mix of angel mythology (or rather angelology) and murder suspense making this book another example of Dark Urban Fantasy. Overall not bad. The main heroine, Alex, was your usual kick-ass police officer with a huge chip on her lovely shoulder about knifes and such but somehow she seemed a bit bland to me. She actively lived in denial for most of the novel and then, when she discovered who and what she really is…well, nothing changed, not really. She remained a strong woman and a good cop…so basically a clone of her other DUF sisters. Ok, I am hopeless at good points, let’s move to the other section.

What I didn’t like:

My devil outfit fits here like a glove so I am donning it again with pleasure and satisfaction. In fact I think I’ve been missing it. Maybe that’s why I decided to read a book about angels out of my free will again…I hate angels and demons in fiction – ok, most of them. This book didn’t do anything to change my attitude.

Anyway, are you ready for a little tour around hell? Good. Let our sightseeing begin. Spoilers ahead so be sure to duck if you don’t like them!

First stop – an empty vodka glass signifying a complete lack of good ideas when it comes to angels, demons, heaven, hell, limbo and all that religious jazz. In other words and in my humble opinion angelology sucks here. Why? Heaven reminded me of a big corporation where employees are numerous, repressed and insecure, higher management consist of overly ambitious, bullying, shady types and the employer remains aloof and conspicuously absent, spending her time most probably in a villa on Majorka. Not that I have anything against Majorka villas per se ;)  but anyway, shouldn't Heaven be a bit more esoteric, sublime place?

A showcase – the problems of our sweet Power angel, Aramael (like “I’ve got the power!” song from Bruce Almighty, a mediocre comedy but suiting my mood right now). His biggest sin is falling in love with a mortal human woman. Mind you he was tricked to do so by the powers that be and he couldn't help himself. His second biggest sin is blasting into smithereens a serial demonic murderer who was endangering the life of his sweetheart and her family. Hello, hell to heaven, hell to heaven…what’s going on? After all he is still that creature hell-bent on doing good and punish the damned and wicked (excuse my Hellish), isn’t he? Heaven are you reading me well? It seems we have an authority problem…

Our second stop features a bull’s eye and should be called “being innocent always sucks”. Here you get your souvenir tee-shirt with the same black-red bull’s eye right in the middle of  your chest and on your back as well just in case somebody missed it the first time. Why? Alex, our main female lead, is a Naphil so the hated spawn of Fallen Angels, the Grigori, and mortal women. Many times removed. Why is she the lowest of low? Why doesn’t she deserve even an angelic guardian? Why Aramael hates her guts as soon as he hears about her? Is she duplicitous or immoral? Is she a politician? Does she peddle drugs to teenagers, lure people into a bar and then sell their organs on eBay? Does she profit from human trafficking? No? Has she at least kicked a puppy? No, never. Her only fault is that she was born. What a sin…no, don't cry over such a reasoning, not yet, let’s move on, ladies and gents because before us is the biggest attraction of our little tour.

Could I have your attention, please? Give a big cheer for a big pink pyramid sign in a purple circle which indicates: the One Almighty is a She. Female. Woman. Sacred Feminine. Does it improve things? It should have but with a truly devilish grin I am proud to inform you: it actually makes things WORSE (remember my outfit – I am coming from the other side of the fence). She is unpredictable, She takes wrong decisions, She keeps her underlings in the dark, She punishes innocents for crimes perpetrated by others, She cannot distinguish a real careerist from a loyal worker, She takes back from her creatures the most precious gift they had been given (and it had been given by Her in the first place, mind you…)...well,  if this is the good ONE She-Almighty show me a devil, please! Amusing like hell! I guess the Lady needs a strong male arm to guide her...actually Lucifer might be a perfect candidate for the job!

Finally something to make your trip unforgettable – a romantic rollercoaster! Yeeehaw! Here are our loops. First is quite geneel but surprisingly twisted - angels in this book happen to be gender-divided into males and females. Ugh. Small wonder the One made falling in love impossible and punishable. What would happen if Heaven was all of a sudden full of pregnant, overly sensitive she-angels? Or what if two testosterone-packed angelic alphas decided they fancy the same girl? Or even the same guy? Or if one angel cheated on the other...it would become hell in no time…ok, heading to a really steep drive, please stay in your seats and fasten what needs fastening asap.

Aramael shouldn’t fall in love with Alex because of her secret dirty lineage and him being an angel so a creature forbidden to engage in any relationship with humans. Alex shouldn’t fall in love with Aramael/ Jacob Trent because she has more than enough on her tray as a cop, she doesn’t wear either make-up or sexy underwear and she works ungodly hours. However, as soon as they touch each other sparks are flying, demons are laughing, angels are tearing out their feathers in disgust, church bells are ringing, lightning strikes in the same place twice and dogs are howling across the globe. In short Alex and Aramael are in love against all odds. Like that, in a second. Did you get a vertigo? Well, you shouldn’t. It’s not their fault. It was predicted. They can’t help it. They were tricked. They are soulmates or used to be soulmates and once in love always in love…what a stinky pile of fluffy rubbish.


Thank you very much, it was a pleasure to be your guide, see you next time soon and sorry for the stench, our cleaning lady is on strike and nobody else knows how to sweep in hell. You know, as soon as you start all brooms kind of catch fire...

Final verdict:

What could I say…I won’t pick up another angels-and-demons story any time soon. If you want to hear the other, more angelic side of the story head for Book Girl Blodeuedd’s blog and read her review. Pure heaven! After that hellish trip you might actually deserve it!