Books We Love (Or Not)

This action-adventure urban fantasy is set in the jungles of India. Archeologist and TV celebrity Annja Creed is working on a dig in India when a freak tsunami floods the site and nearly kills her. As the waters recede, Annja finds several unique relics that hint at the existence of a hidden city whose denizens worship the naga, a race of fierce and beautiful women whose bodies merge human with serpent. The quest to find this lost city drives Annja deep into the unexplored heart of India. But another seeks the hidden city, a descendent of the cult’s lethal ancestors, and this ruthless Indian pirate will stop at nothing to prevent Annja from reaching the ruins alive.

I found this an extremely unusual and entertaining story, a sort of urban fantasy without the urban—which makes it a jungle fantasy, I suppose. The heroine is strong, smart, sexy, resourceful, and the master of Joan of Arc’s magical sword, which Annja can pull from the otherwhere at will. The setting and storyline are both fascinating, while the action crackles on the page and never lets up. Although the book stands alone, both the story of the sword and Annja’s love-hate relationship with two mysterious men hint at the broader storylines that drive the series. A thoroughly entertaining and fully accessible read!

This literary historical/time-travel novel is set in medieval and modern-day France. Amateur archeologist Alice Tanner is working on a dig in the Pyrenees when she unearths a hidden cave containing an altar, human remains, and a mysterious ring that may hide the key to the Holy Grail. The quest draws her back to the bloody Crusades of twelfth-century France and another young scholar, an herbalist named Alais, whose pursuit of the truth oddly mirrors her successor’s. But Alice is not the only historian who seeks the Grail, and her rivals will kill to obtain it.

I’ve been eyeing this one on the bookstore shelves for a while, and now I wish I’d read it sooner! As a general rule, I sometimes don’t enjoy parallel narratives with chronological breaks that skip backward and forward in time. In addition, I’m often not a huge fan of first person point of view, nor—gasp!—the occasional present tense narration. But, despite all these factors, I lost myself in this book. The relatively unknown historical setting, featuring the horrific Crusade against the Albigensian heresy in France, is bloody but fascinating, and the contemporary villains pursuing the Grail are brilliant and complex. The narrative thread is strong and easy to follow despite the breaks in chronology, while Alice/Alais is a highly likable and resourceful heroine. A powerful romantic subplot gave me another reason to love the story. For you romance readers out there, never fear—a happily-ever-after ending is guaranteed.

I recommend this beautiful, complicated, and unconventional story to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, religious mysteries like those featured in Dan Brown’s THE DA VINCI CODE, and a certain literary lyricism in their prose. Let me know what you think about this one.

In this elegant historical novel, clever Eloise Rousell is a noblewoman’s illegitimate daughter–a gifted seamstress to Protestant princess Elizabeth Tudor. When Elizabeth’s strict Catholic sister, Bloody Queen Mary, takes the throne, the queen’s ruthless persecution of heresy threatens highborn and common alike. When Elizabeth is arrested, Eloise too is imprisoned in the Tower of London and risks a heretic’s death. Now Eloise must step carefully, trusting only the alluring but mysterious Lord James Colby, if both women are to survive the queen’s malice.

I found this a fascinating read for several reasons. Ashley is a well-known romance author who holds an M.A. in English literature, and has only recently ventured into historical fiction. Her expertise and love of the Tudor period shine through in the writing. Unlike some historical novels, the pacing in this one remains brisk throughout, the heroine strongly likable, and the conflict lively. The satisfying romance between Eloise and Colby adds warmth and sensuality to the tale. Somewhat unusual in historical fiction, the romance-sized page count (an easy 323 pages) contributes to a very fast read. And I was impressed with this author’s appealing and authentic yet accessible historical voice—something I need to work on in my own writing.

Ashley has also written Anne Boleyn’s story A LADY RAISED HIGH, another story I deeply enjoyed and recommend to readers interested in the Tudor period, under the pseudonym Laurien Gardner.

This futuristic romance is set in the year 2176 in a penal colony that’s a cross between a toxic-waste dump and a Regency London ballroom. Escaped convict Jenny Red swore nothing would ever take her back inside the notorious prison colony of Newgate, Australia, until prince-turned-rebel Deck Han Valoren makes her an offer she literally can’t refuse. Deck will pay any price to bring revolution to the corrupt aristocracy that rules Newgate—until his choices put Jenny’s life on the line. Now Jenny the confirmed loner must learn to look beyond her own needs to see the big picture, and Deck the idealist must look beyond the collective good to recognize the value in one very special individual—Jenny—or neither will leave Newgate alive.

This book is a great example of the futuristic “action romance” that has become part of the Dorchester brand and Liz Maverick’s calling card: fast-paced, smart, sexy, imaginative romance starring a tough-as-nails yet still vulnerable heroine. Both the publisher and the author tackle a sub-genre that’s a relatively recent arrival on the romance stage—futuristic romance—and pull it off very nicely. This book would make a great introduction for any curious newcomer to both the genre and prolific author Maverick’s work.

I’m curious to know how other readers feel about the relatively new science fiction and futuristic romance hybrid. I like the opportunity for world-building and creativity the genre provides, and I find that the quite manageable page count (usually around 300-350 pages) means a fast pace and lots of action, while some fat sci-fi sagas demand hundreds of pages of patience until the real action commences. In futuristic romance, there’s a nice splash of science but not too much, and the degree of focus on the romance itself may vary. Usually the romance is still the spine of the story, but it tends to be presented in a franker, less frilly style than in some historical romances, which I also adore for different reasons. Really curious to know how readers who classify themselves as soft sci-fi fans would react to a futuristic romance like this one, or others discussed on the blog.

In this sci-fi novel set on near-future Mars, American biologist Julia Barth and her Russian astronaut husband Viktor are among the lucky few sent on a risky first-ever expedition to Mars. In the profit-fuelled race to explore the red planet and return before their German/Chinese competitors to win the $30 billion prize, corners are cut, and suddenly the planet turns deadly. Only by working together can the remnants of both teams hope to survive, and make it back to Earth before their food and water run out.

As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, I enjoy sci-fi, but I have to be in exactly the right mood to read it, and it has to be exactly the right book. Enough action and a pretty brisk pace, some science but definitely not too much (I don’t want Mitchener when I’m in this mood), but also complex and sympathetic characterization, some depth to the plot, and a good love story with a happy ending certainly doesn’t hurt.

This one turned out to be such a story. This is the second Benford book I’ve read, after HEART OF THE COMET (the Halley’s Comet story I recently reviewed), which was one hell of a good read. One aspect I loved about both books, speaking as someone who lived in Russia for years, is that both stories have strong Russian characters who are absolutely on the mark. I’ve read so many books (written by non-Russians) where the Russian characters are just not right—even basic goofs like male-gendered last names on female characters are frequent errors, and often the Russian characters just don’t “sound right” when they speak. Benford gets it SO right, and it makes me believe in his authorial credibility throughout.

I’m still in that sci-fi mood though, still looking for another good Mars book. For some reason, I seem to have a craving…perhaps because I’m writing a dark medieval at the moment. Does anyone have a good suggestion?