The 5 Moons of Tiiana by PT Harry

Rez Cantor is a soldier and the captain of the guard. He has been assigned the task of protecting the princess and heir to the throne. When this story begins, the war between their worlds has been lost and in the morning they are expected to surrender to an invading empire. What the general population of this world doesn't know is that the surrender will mean the death of everyone by the invading aliens, including the princess he is sworn to protect. Rez and a select few are charged with helping the princess to escape and live somewhere in hiding off-world. However, as their ship flees the planet, the invading force attempts to stop them, firing on them and damaging the ship. While Rez survives crash landing on a distant world somewhere, he wakes completely alone, not knowing what happened to the rest of those on his ship, including the princess that he was charged with protecting, where he is, and whether or not any of the others had also survived.

This was an unusual science fiction story. I will admit that early on I felt a little confused since I wasn’t sure if this was going to wind up being solely his story of survival or whether it would find a way to tie back to the rest of those he had been travelling with. All I can say about that is that it does tie back to the stories of the others and more, but that this is overwhelmingly Rez Cantor’s story, while the others are secondary characters. Yes, they are an important part of his tale, but their stories are not the main focus of this book. While we do learn a little of what happened to each of them when their ship was attacked and they crashed, their stories are very clearly secondary plotlines in this book. (It is possible that the author may write others books focusing on these secondary characters stories, but we will have to wait and see if he chooses to at some future date or to leave the fullness of their tales of survival left to our imaginations.)

I read a review copy of this book and I enjoyed it. This was a classic science fiction story that involved other worlds and cultures as well as multiple alien species. And for those who enjoy classic science fiction, I feel that you will definitely enjoy this book. We learn a lot about the characters, as they learn much about themselves, survival, and other worlds/peoples. If you are able to read this book on a color device or tablet, I would recommend doing so as this book does contain color illustrations throughout the story that do enhance the tale by allowing you to see what the author was describing when various alien species or people were encountered along the way. If you are reading this book on a black and white kindle, the pictures are still quite helpful and very nice, but they truly shine when viewed in color.

Overall, I think that anyone who enjoys science fiction, alien worlds, alien beings, and multiple cultures or languages, will enjoy this complex and interwoven tale. I don’t know if this is intended to be a stand-alone novel or if the author intends to continue the story with another book. It does work well enough on its own, but I could easily see another book written about what happens to the main characters after the end of this tale. (And yes, I would willingly read that book as well should I get the chance.) It was an interesting and entertaining story.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

The Cost of Lies by Samantha Price

Wilma had lied about her first husband not leaving a will. And for years Florence has mourned the fact that the apple orchard she so loved was not hers, especially when Wilma married Levi and the orchard suffered due to his lack of knowledge in how to effectively manage an orchard. But now it has come out that there was a will and that all these years it had been meant to belong to Florence. Levi was furious at Wilma and told her that she needed to make it right. And then he suffered a heart attack.

As with the previous books in this series, I enjoyed reading this one. Despite any family troubles, it comes through clearly how much family means to everyone in the Baker family. No matter how angry they may get with each other, they are always there for each other no matter what.

This series makes me smile when reading it. I get drawn into each book and want to know what will happen next for everyone involved. I think that anyone who enjoys Amish romance books, any of the other books in this series, or any of Ms. Price's other books would also enjoy this story as well.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

TimelessWritten by Gail CarrigerNarrated by Emily Gray

A member of the Kingair werewolf pack has gone missing after being sent to investigate the advancing plague of humanness that is happening in Egypt, where werewolves and vampires in an increasing area are rendered completely mortal/human while within its borders. Alexia, her husband Connell, and their daughter Prudence have been summoned by the oldest of the vampire queens to visit the Alexandria Hive. And such a summons cannot be ignored. At the same time, it gives them the perfect opportunity to investigate what is happening in Egypt.

I listened to the audiobook version of the story and greatly enjoyed it. There is a lot going on in multiple plotlines within this book, with the narrator doing an excellent job of differentiating the character voices so that there is no confusion as to who is supposed to be speaking. The story was entertaining and held my interest throughout. The twists and turns taken, along with the outcomes of those decisions will keep you wanting to know what happens next.

I believe that anyone who enjoyed the previous books in the series, whether reading or listening to them, will enjoy this story. It was a great ending for this series and left me looking forward to reading the series about Alexia and Connell's daughter Prudence. This is a fun series that is easily enjoyed as either an audiobook or a physical book. And either way, this series always keeps me coming back to enjoy other books by this author, whether in this same series or in another. I do, however, recommend either reading or listening to the previous books in this series before beginning this one if you don't wish to feel a bit lost when reading this one.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

Amish Mayhem by Samantha Price

When Cherish went searching through her mothers personal things in order to determine if Wilma had given her husband Levi ownership of the apple orchard, she never expected to find her father's will. So far as the Baker children knew, her father had not left one. Now it seems that he did, but that Wilma had chosen to ignore his wishes by keeping the orchard rather than it becoming Florence's as he had intended.

Not knowing what to do about it, Cherish takes the will to show it to Florence and Carter. But what will Florence decide to do now that she knows that her father had intended for the orchard to be hers? Will she seek to own it or let it go to Levi & Wilma?

I enjoyed reading this book. As with the previous books in this series, it is a very quick read and can be easily finished within about a day or two. It did contain more family drama than many of the previous books in the series, but that also makes it even more interesting than if it hadn't had the emotional turmoil that accompanies any family drama. It definitely has me wanting to keep reading this series to see what happens next, especially after the very large shock at the end of this book.

I believe that anyone who has read the previous books in the series or who enjoys Amish romance books as well as of the other books by Samantha Price will enjoy this book.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

A Vampire Named Allison by Nick Savage

Allison has been having a rough time. Many of her friends and family have been murdered, and her boyfriend Connor is being framed for the most recent murder. Connor has gone into hiding while he seeks to find a way to prove that he wasn’t guilty. It doesn’t help that Allison’s best friend Scarlet was among those killed, though in her case, it’s a bit more complicated than just her having been murdered And that is only some of what is happening in this book.

I read a review copy of this book and really enjoyed it. This is a complex fantasy series with what I feel is a rather unique approach to paranormal entities such as werewolves, vampires, and fairies. This book does deal with quite a few serious subjects, such as murder, loneliness, feelings of abandonment, depression, alcohol abuse, and suicide. So please be aware of them should such subjects be triggering for you.

There is a lot going on in this book, and while many of these themes are on the dark side, there are happy moments as well. Overall, I found the story to be entertaining, happy at some times, depressing at others, but there were good reasons behind everything that happens in this story, and I am very much looking forward to reading the next book in this series to see what will happen next.

This book did end on a rather upsetting cliffhanger, and we’ll unfortunately have to wait on the release of the next book before we learn the aftereffects and fallout from that character’s actions. Looking back, the signs for what takes place were there but it was so unexpected that I didn’t truly see the signs until the event took place. Unfortunately, I can’t go into any further detail about it without including some major spoilers. And as much as I want to talk about it, I do not want to give away anything important. I will say that if you are at all invested in these characters, the ending of this book is going to hit you where it hurts.

If you like complex fantasy novels that are loosely based on real world issues, stories about supernatural creatures, and books that are highly emotionally charged then you will want to read this book, especially if you have read the previous books in this series. If you have not yet read the previous books, I would strongly suggest that you read the previous books in this series first as you are likely to feel a bit lost and confused on a number of things if you haven't. Recommended.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

An Indian Mail Order Bride by Florence Livington

Wicapawakan’s father promised her as a wife to another indian on their reservation. Unfortunately, her father doesn’t believe the stories told about the man’s violent nature and believes he would never harm his daughter. But he’s wrong. Wicapawakan chooses to escape this arranged marriage and runs away in the middle of the night, keeping moving from one place to another, never staying anywhere for too long. She places an advertisement in the Matrimonial Times hoping to find a safe haven where even if her would-be husband finds her, she will already be married to someone else and will be safe.

Harve, the man who responds to her letter and offers to marry her, doesn’t realize that he was writing to an Indian woman, and while he wants to help protect her, he knows that his extended family are unlikely to accept a marriage to a native american woman. They were expecting him to choose a woman of high social standing to be his wife. And a native american woman does not, in his mother’s eyes, meet that standard.

I read a review copy of this interesting mail order bride novel. I enjoyed the story, as I have all of Ms. Linnington’s other books. This one had some interesting twists and turns, most of them I expected, though there were some surprises. One of the themes in this book seems to be how if someone looks different than you, then you shouldn’t be with that person. And though this seems to be how the two main characters were raised to believe, as they get to know each other, they come to realize that while there are differences between them, as there are between any two people, those differences did not make either of them better or worse than the other. And of course, another theme seems to be that in the end, love conquers all.

And as always, you can expect that no matter the difficulties the characters face, there will be a happy ending for the characters. If you enjoy sweet romances with some inherent difficulties, mail order bride stories, any of Ms. Linnington’s other books, then you will likely enjoy this book as well.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

Midnight in Istanbul by Kathryn Gauci

During WWII, resistance operatives were working in Turkey, Greece, and in other locations in the world in an effort to defeat the Nazis and end the horrific deaths happening in the concentration camps. In Turkey, an OSS agent, Caldwell Bey, receives a message to meet a man in secret. The identity of the other party isn’t known, but clearly the man knows that Caldwell is working with the resistance. But when he arrives, no one is there to meet him, and a man has been murdered. But the question remains, who was murdered and which side was the murderer on. Was Caldwell the intended victim? Has the resistance been compromised?

I received a review copy of this book, and while I did enjoy the story, I do have to admit that it was not one of my favorites by this author. To me, it felt too disconnected from the rest of the war, and I kept wondering who had committed the murder and why. And while we do learn the identity of the dead man, I’m not entirely certain how it all tied in together.

There is a great deal of the local culture and the wartime atmosphere shown in this book. We see the relationship of Caldwell and another member of the resistance while he is on assignment. A fair amount of the story does involve the relationship between the two of them and their differing assignments while in Turkey.

I kept waiting for something that tied the whole thing together in my mind, and while I did truly enjoy the story, when it ended I felt like I must have missed something important. Perhaps the point of this one was to focus on the daily lives of those in the resistance, but the fact that I’m still not certain if I missed something important or not has left me confused. I normally truly enjoy the books by this author, but honestly, this one left me wanting something more. I’m just not entirely certain what.

But as always, one of the most interesting parts of Ms. Gauci’s books for me involves what we learn after the end of the story. It is the part of the book where she fills us in on the historical research that she completed in order to write this story. We get to learn about what life was like in Turkey during the war. It was a country that claimed neutrality during the war, but in which members of both sides of the war played a part. So when you read this book, be sure to read the information at the end of the story. As always, I think it is one of the best parts of Ms. Gauci’s stories.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.