Movie Discussion: World War Z

Ram and I discussed the book here, and back then we decided that we at a later date would discuss the movie too.

Ram: What did you think of the film?

Blod: The movie was actually better than I thought it would be. Cos yes the book bored me, and yes the movie was nothing like it. But still it was...tolerable.

Ram: It was just like any other summer blockbuster, mindnumbing action flick. But you’re right, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

Blod: I do like mindnumbing action so it was in that aspect I really liked it.

I like action too, I just wish it to be entertaining. The fact that the zombies were fast kind of ruined it for me, because there was no explanation to their evolution and if you’re going to change the a myth you better explain it. It felt like a deus ex machina to get the action rolling.

I love fast zombies! They scare the shit out of me, but yes why were they fast?

What about the other changes to the book, what did you think about those?

The whole oh a cure! We can make everyone immune was a cop out. I did not like that.

Invisible, not immune. No, I didn’t like that either. It felt like an obvious set up for a sequel, which I don’t want to see.

I would see it, I hate and love zombies ;)

If I have to pick between zombies and vampires I’ll take vampires and I’m burned out on those as well. I did like the wife, Brad Pitt’s character’s. I liked that she seemed capable of taking care of herself and her family even without any of his training. And then they ruined it by having her make that call, which she as a seasoned distance spouce should have known better than to make.

Eh, I barely saw the wife, I did not register the wife. This was Brad’s movie, it was all Brad Brad Brad...Israeli girl...Brad Brad Brad.

Which is why my Mum said she didn’t want to see the film. I don’t think he’s a bad actor but I don’t think he alone is worth a film ticket either.

Yes I can’t say I am a Brad fan either. But then who would have been better? It was just his character all the time anyway. And he was the bringer of dooooom.

I blame the script. The interviewer and the bringer of doom (to the reader) was invisible in the book. There’s no way of making that format work on the screen but this version didn’t work either, not for me.

I did miss things, it was all too easy. And they had taken away some good things from the book. For example Israel falling into civil war...yes let’s forget the politic and just show Brad instead and zombies running over a wall cos of sound.

I hated that it had to be him who figured out the danger. It should’ve been the Israeli soldiers.

That would have been better, but I guess ...oh I do not know. Brad’s movie, he saves them all. Everyone else is blind. Oh and why did NO ONE, almost, think zombies?

His phone, I don’t think it should’ve worked after that EMP but miraculously it did and no one even fixed it.

Oh I did not even think about that!

I saw it coming the second that mushroom cloud appeared. At least they didn’t have him pull that thing that went through him and miraculously NOT bleed to death right away.

Lol, oh that, yes he lived...sure. Let’s see, what else annoyed me….why was sound such a trigger, but no sight or smell? How did they go zombie so damn fast?

There really isn’t much to say about the film, is there?

No. Zombies were FAST. Brad Pitt saved the world. The end. Zombies were really fast. There I said it all.

Book or film? Which do you prefer? You’ve not said that.

Movie. The book was too boring at times with the military talk.

Book. The film was throwaway entertainment but I might pick up the book again.

So 1 for the movie and 1 for the book ;)

And that’s all.

PS. To the movie lovers out there, if you like zombies then yes see the movie. If you expect anything more, then do not. It’s like Ram said mindnumbing action after all.

Blod and Ram discuss World War Z

We lost a Lady Scoundrel in a mountain of books so from today it's just me and Ram discussing braaaaaaaaaaains!

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War - Max Brooks

Ram: Are you sorry that I talked you into reading this?

Blod: Well....honestly I can’t make my mind up. Some parts were really good, other parts were boring and I skimmed. But still totally worth it.

Ram: That’s probably why it took me several days to read this book. Instead of skimming through the boring parts I pushed and read them too. And then the next oral account was brilliant and I’d read until I realised there was something else I had to do. 

Blod: Good for you. Alas, I am lazy and some military parts were just sooooo snoozeworthy. I had to skim those

Ram: The endless lists of ammunition and weapons capabilities weren’t my idea of fun but I managed because of what those parts represented. The wastefulness of existing hierarchies and the lack of common sense. 

Blod: First, yes, god, the weapons stuff. I can’t stand that stuff, so I fear I did not think as much as you did in those parts. Though there were some military stories that were really good. I guess it was the heavy tech ones that was not for me. And I am not big on the whole military=heroes thing.

Ram: That’s because you’re a Finn and not an American and this book definitely is an American novel written for Americans. Even the parts set in other countries felt like criticism towards some American values and fears to me. Like it would have been too much if everything had happened in continental USA only. And it wouldn’t have been believable considering the modern world and how easy it is to travel around the globe.

Blod: Totally. This was truly the American we will win over those freaking zombies too! And how in the end it was those who rallied and first cleaned their own country and then went forward. Not a fan of that. Why did everyone else suck except for the US...oh and Cuba, ha. 

Ram: And why was the Finnish story not about Finns?

Blod: Sad sad day. I am sorry but why did we perish. Do we not know how to survive when it gets cold and it snows...

Ram: And practically every house has a firearm or ten because people hunt and then there are the crazy gun collectors but that’s a story for another day. I’m pretty sure I’d just gone home and we’d have managed just fine without escaping North. I don’t have any castles near by where I live like you do ;)

Blod: Lol, I forgot that Finland and Yemen has most guns per people ;) And the whole go North...eh, I already live in the North. The whole of Finland is in the north, we can deal. It gets cold, it gets dark. And my castle is sadly far south, the one up here we tore apart and build other things. Stupid us.

Ram: Anyhow, what did you think about the post Zombie War world? 

Blod: Maybe...MAYBE the learned that people should stick together and also learned to treat our planet better. Hopefully, andI like to think so

Ram: I thought that it showed how fixing one thing doesn’t magically fix all the other problems and that there’ll always be new challenges for humanity. And as for the Russians, that felt like the author’s true fear for what could happen to Americans. The religious extremism and assassin priests. 

Blod: Still a cool part, the whole making babies for Russia...scary!

Ram: You almost typed Stalin, didn’t you? Making babies for Stalin. Another fear that’s dangerously close to becoming reality seeing how the abortion issue is being handled in the US right now.

Blod: Now you are scaring me, I do not like to think about the dark hole US could fall into. Religion, crazy people and guns...

Ram: I’ve yet to start speculating the hot mess Europe is turning to so...

Blod: Crazy racism? We do have that. I read something in the paper about the sound of boots echoing through Europe, nice. We are such a sweet people.

Ram: I don’t know about that. We do try but sometimes we make idiotic mistakes and because people are inured to being told what to do after centuries and millenia of authority figures, kings and queens and such, we’re slow to take action sometimes. The French have their riots occasionally though.

Blod: I think we need to get back to the zombies ;)..ok any favorite story you remember?

Ram: I didn’t have a favourite story, I thought the different accounts blended in together nicely and I just liked the whole thing.

Blod: Some stories stand out more for me. Like the Chinese sub and the blind guy in Japan. And I still wonder what happened to Israel after the wall and civil war.

Ram: That’s true, we never got back to those but we had the Canadian girl saying she tries not be bitter. What was that? 

Blod: We always did get back to the US stories....

Ram: Because this is an AMERICAN book.

Blod: Oh I forgot ;)

Ram: Would you recommend it?

Blod: Yes, sure some parts dragged but hey zombies! And I still think about where I would run. I am deadly scared of zombies.

Ram: I feel like I need to get a shovel now and ask Dad to sharpen the blade for it. So, yes, read it. For the society critique if not for the zombies.

Blod: I did like the society critique. And then I think about the movie I have not seen...yeah, we have to see it and discuss it in the fall.

Ram: Let’s do that. 

Review: He's Gone - Deb Caletti

I’ve read a couple of Caletti’s young adult novels and I’ve loved them. Her work is like literary catmint to me, which is weird because Caletti writes about emotions and slow paced moments of change rather than adventurous plots. Her books are pure character studies of people trying to move, and usually I like the introspection that’s characteristic to Caletti, but here it doesn’t quite work. Here, it’s taken a step too far. The balance is gone.

”But he’s gone. He’s gone, and I don’t know what’s happened, but I know I wanted him gone.”

Dani wakes up in an empty house and takes her old dog out. She enjoys the morning and makes her own coffee for a change. She plunges into her personal history for a moment, comes back, and realises her husband, Ian, is gone. Just like her YA books are about rejecting a bad relationship for a better self-worth—in the ones I’ve read at least—this book is about an adult, a middle-aged mother, learning new things about herself when her crutch, her husband, is gone. The book is told from Dani’s point of view with first person voice. She goes through the motions of realising someone close to her has disappeared and beginning the search process. She talks to the neighbours, calls family and friends, and all the while she’s slowly working through her two failed marriages in her mind. She thinks about her own choices, she thinks about Ian’s choices, and she reflects on how those choices affected their children, and everyone else around them. The problem is, that’s all she does. Dani takes a trip up the river Denial, climbs ashore, and sets up camp in Memory land.

”You learn, she says. You go from there. And then you change.“

Maybe it’s because of the set up—the agony of having to wait, to go slowly mad with worry and without having anything concrete to do—that Caletti relies so heavily on the introspection and itemising all the wrongs of Dani’s life. Unfortunately when the flashbacks are paired with inactive present, the book becomes impenetrable and boring. Caletti doesn’t even properly show the discussions Dani has with the police rather than tells about them in passing after the fact. So, she’s a suspect in her husbands disappearance that wouldn’t be interesting to the reader. Why would it be? The underlying story and the epiphany it leads to are good. Caletti even dabbles with an unreliable narrator, but when the balance is off everything slides to the side, just out of reach, off the pier and into the waters of the Pacific. The book is set in Seattle if you couldn’t tell. Fans of Caletti’s work might enjoy reading this book, as long as they don’t mind switching the teenaged protagonist to her mother, but I hesitate to recommend this to anyone who doesn’t relish reading about thorough navel-gazing. 

  I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. 

 Series: N/A Pages: 352 (paperback) 

Publisher: Random House Imprint: Bantam 

Published: Expected May 21st 2013

 Source: NetGalley

Lady Scoundrels' review Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovich

Lady Scoundrels are back, and on Friday :) Today we review:

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovich

If you have to sum this novel up in no more than three words what would you say?

Ram: And don’t you dare to use “Harry” and “Potter.” (<- My contribution) i.e. Not Harry Potter.

Blod: Lol, I would never think it. This was nothing like that weird little kid

Ana: It was exactly like that weird little kid but slightly older and in a uniform ;p.

Blod: Behave ;)

Ana: Let me rephrase it: Little Adult Wizard. Satisfied?

Do you think it is a good idea to mix magic and contemporary technology/science?

Ram: Of course it is. I want to see authors trying to work out where the limits go. What was magic to people from a few centuries ago is technology for us, what’s magic to us...

Blod: Yes I do.

Ana: Magic is indeed like a more advanced technology. Just smarter ;p.

There are some Latin quotes in this novel and magicians’ spells are also spoken in that language. Did it disturb you? Why, in your opinion, literary magicians love Latin so much?

Blod: Nope, why would it?  But yes why use Latin. I mean come one, was there no magic before that?

Ana: It seems like Latin was magical per se whereas it is just another dead language. Why not Greek or Hebrew? It bothers me a bit and it makes me laugh sometimes too.

Ram: It didn’t bother me, but I sort of wish they didn’t use it either. I generally dislike all spells that are not spoken in the language that the characters use. I dislike all spells spoken out loud.

Rivers of London (the UK) vs Midnight Riot (the US)- why do you think  the US editor felt the need to change the original title?

Blod: Oh this bothered me, the US title is just so much more US. And the cover does not fit the feel at all.

Ana: Midnight Riot left me with one big ‘WTF’ in my head. It is rather condescending to think that the American readers can’t deal with the original title i.e. understand it properly.

Ram: I just think that when Americans start changing things they never change them for the better. 

Ana: Different not always means better, unfortunately.

Blod: Just think about when they tried to make a British show American, does not work

Who is your favourite character? What do you think of the dynamics between Peter, Lesley and Beverly?

Ram: I didn’t like the triangle set-up but I liked the characters individually. 

Blod: Yes what was up with the triangle that wasn’t a triangle. That felt a bit male. But anyway, I liked them all, but if I have to choose...Nightingale, I wanna know more

Ram: I fear the triangle will be picked up later again in the series, but I haven’t had time to find out. I’ve only read the first chapter of book two. Nightingale, I want to know more but not too much.

Ana: I skipped book two (bad Ana, I know, very very bad) and progressed to the third part but I don’t want to spoil anybody. I didn’t like Beverly, I tolerate Peter and I am fond of Lesley, especially after her little accident which made her...more interesting. The fact that the author didn’t jettison her after that appearance-changing accident is a huge advantage in my view.

Ram: I know...

Would you like to continue the series (there are two more books available and the third is being written)? Why/why not?

Blod: Oh ..must  I answer? Ok then, the answer is no. Sure it was good, just not good enough.

Ram: Yes I would and I am.

Ana: I understand ‘not good enough’ but I am curious and you know what curiosity makes me do...different strange things. So yes, I will read on. However I might skip the second part - I’ve already started the third :p

Which scenes unsettled you the most and why? 

Blod: Nothing unsettled me. Horrible really. But I have been watching the tv show Utopia, ‘nuff said.

Ram: Personally, I wasn’t disturbed but I noticed a couple of things I’d warn my friends about, things I’d put in my review for those who want to know to avoid. Like <spoiler>the baby incident and mutilated corpses.</spoiler>

Ana: I suppose the possession was the ugliest moment but no, it wasn’t ugly enough to make me uncomfortable. I’ve seen and read much worse. Babies...well, I am not a fan of them and the one in the book was just a prop, like that child from the Punch and Judy show. That’s why there are no specific warnings in my review.

Who would you recommend this book to and why?

Blod: I would recommend it, because it felt different, it was well written and there is just something about the Brits. To all UF fans who want more.

Ana: I would recommend it to Harry Dresden fans and people who like London because there’s plenty of London in this series.

Ram: To anyone who asks, really.

Ana: Look, she will be proposing soon ;p.

Note to discussioners: Don’t try to impose word limits. It won’t work.

Note to readers: Until we meet again.

Rameau Friday: Unrivaled - Siri Mitchell

This is a sweet story.

Yes, it tells about two rivalling families making candy to the point where you start to drool reading the descriptions—or was that just me?—but it also tells about overcoming past mistakes and accepting second chances. Forgiveness. Things Christian fiction revolves around.

I know, it’s shocking, but sometimes I try to read out of my comfort zone and anything to do with religious fiction is way, way out of my comfort zone. Sometimes it pays off, other times it doesn’t, but look at that blurb:

Lucy Kendall always assumed she'd help her father in his candy-making business, creating recipes and aiding him in their shared passion.

A young woman wanting to go into business with her father and to make little bites of heaven? Yes, please.

But after a year traveling in Europe, Lucy returns to 1910 St. Louis to find her father unwell and her mother planning to sell the struggling candy company. Determined to help, Lucy vows to create a candy that will reverse their fortunes.

So here’s the conflict. Not only is her father unwell, Lucy lives at a time when when women in business were frowned upon. At least if you were of a certain social class it was a no no. There are also other more personal obstacles than figuring out the recipe for the next best candy or how to sell it. She has the spirit but is it enough to succeed?

St. Louis newcomer Charlie Clarke is determined to help his father dominate the nation's candy industry.

I was surprised to see that Unrivaled was told from two alternating point of views and that of the two, I liked Charlie’s voice better. In a way it was indistinguishable from Lucy’s voice, but his actions didn’t make me sympathise with the “bad parent” or want to pull my hair out like Lucy’s did.

Compromise is not an option when the prize is a father's approval, and falling in love with a business rival is a recipe for disaster when only one company can win.

I don’t think this is quite true. For someone who isn’t willing to compromise Charlie goes along with his parents’ plans and lets his life be turned upside down without a word of protest. Nor is his father’s approval the top most thing on his mind. Charlie’s more interested in learning why he left in the first place.

The rivalry itself was quite fun. Lucy especially did a few callous things to sabotage her competitor.

Will these two star-crossed lovers let a competition that turns less than friendly sour their dreams?

If you can’t guess the answer to that, let me introduce you to Agatha Christie, an author who’ll blow your mind. But in all seriousness, as long as we’re talking about the future in candy making their dreams look to be quite safe even if not in a way they imagined. As for the romance riddled with insta-love, the outlook isn’t as bright. I wasn’t exactly moved by the sweetness of that side of the novel, but that’s better for my teeth anyway.

It is a sweet story and I’m glad I read it but I’m ready to go back to darker themes.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

3 stars

Series: N/A

Pages: 400 (ebook)

Publisher: Bethany House Publishers

ISBN: 9780764207976 (paperback)

Published: March 1st 2013

Source: NetGalley

Lady Scoundrels' Saturday: Song of Scarabaeus - Sara Creasy

March is well under way and Lady Scoundrel Saturday is back and this time with a review of a sci-fi book., and a new concept of presenting it. Let me present:

Song of Scarabaeus (Scarabaeus #1) by Sara Creasy

Blod: I did not finish, I am horrible, but I have reached the point where I just can’t read everything, I have to say no once and again. And for me this was a DNF. I was bored by page 1. They told me to go for 30, still bored, so I read (and skimmed) to 100 and said NO! 

Ram: And you chose the book! Thank you for that by the way. 

Ana: Yes, the choice was very nice, but not exactly fortunate for the chooser. I personally liked this novel and I was surprised Blodeuedd had so many problems with it. Life of a reader is never easy.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about this book?

B. Boooooooooooring! I did not give a rat’s ass about it.

Ram: Which I still can’t understand. For me, it’s the musical analogies. How what Edie does is like composing or playing music to her, which kind of makes sense if I start to think about coding and the mathematics of it. 

Ana: I immediately thought about the human race and the fact that too often we act as a major parasite - whenever we go we want to colonize, change and adapt and everything should submit. If it doesn’t work of if we are attacked by not-so defenceless locals we scream blue murder. 

Not what comes first to mind to me, but it’s true. We’re a horrible race.

Well, I liked the music references as well but after a moment they were kind of drowned by the purpose of Edie’s work.

B, why didn’t you like the book?

B: I got kind of confused at once, and the feeling never left me. I was bored, it felt heavy, I was lost and I just never felt a connection.

Ram: Did you just immediately lose interest and give up on it? The book never really had a chance to win you over after that bad start? Because I did think the beginning was difficult to get through but once I got on the other side it more than redeemed itself for me.

Ana: In my humble opinion there was too much nerdspeak at the very beginning. It was indeed difficult to swallow in one big gulp.

B. To answer Ram’s question, yes. Sometimes I feel at once that it will not work. Sometimes I can struggle, but at other times I need to give up. And the nerdspeak, I have read heavy nerdy books but at least they did not make me wanna tear my eyes out ;)

Ana: Ouch!

Ram: Ouch indeed.  I didn’t mind the nerdspeak, I minded the undefined abbreviations. But then again, I’d just finished reading another Scifi novel so it wasn’t a huge jump. 

What do you think of the main heroine, Edie? Could you relate to her easily?

B: Nope, I did not care really. I need to care when I read and she, well I felt nothing this time around. Yes I had issues with everything.

Ram: I liked that although she was the best of the best in one thing, she was basically innocent and ignorant in all others. Basic human interactions seemed like a difficult concept to her and her antisocial tendencies made it almost impossible for her to understand the larger implications of her actions. That’s why I felt like she and Finn made a good team. They balanced each other.

Ana: I found Edie difficult to like at first but learning more and more about her background made me more understanding. I appreciated her compassion and care, especially towards an alien planet she simply didn’t want to despoil. It was brave.

Ram: Brave and thoughtless. It turned out okay for her to a certain extent, but it could have gone horribly wrong for everyone. And it did.

There are certainly different kinds of bravery...

Ram: What do you mean? 

What did you think about the world building?

B: I am not the person to ask, but it seemed promising...some parts

Ana: I loved the descriptions of Scarabeus, the planet. The rest was so-so, especially the ship Hoi Polloi made me shrug more than one time. Less interesting than your average car ;p.

Ram: The ship and the space-bandits were quite a simplistic concept, but when I think to the beginning of the book and how Creasy mentioned something in passing only to expand on it later, and how it eventually became a pillar of a larger story, a guiding light to Edie’s purpose, I can’t but be awed. The relationship between Crib and the Fringers, the politics and the history that was only hinted at. I want to know more about it, and there is the second book, which hopefully will continue exploring concepts introduced here. A book I need to hunt down and read, soon.

What about Finn? A clever manipulator or a victim of politicians? 

B: Sadly I never got to know him cos you make him sound interesting

Ram: Can’t he be all those things? I think, in this book, he started out as a victim of his situation and a manipulator of the people directly around him..

Ana: Which is kind of awesome, taking into account the fact that he was a slave.

Ram: It is. He goes through a change, just like Edie, but different. He’s been enslaved and his voice had been taken from him. But his first word is a choice that costs a man his life and earns Finn his freedom. All his actions after that balance on a similar line. He’s protecting himself first and he’s willing to do anything including manipulating Edie to stay alive. I also think that towards the end, I saw the possibility of him becoming a skilled politician, but that’s Edie’s compassion having an influence on him.  

Did you like the title? Song of Scarabaeus? 

B: Sure, the title sounds cool.

Ana: Horrible and misleading ;p

Ram: It was the Scarabaeus I had trouble with. Made me think of a bad (wannabe) Egyptian erotica.

Ana: *dies laughing*

B: I have to put in a LOL here ;) It shows I did not read it

Ram: What can I say? Previous bad experiences are bad.

Would you recommend the book and to whom? B, we’re not trying to exclude you or anything...

B: Ha, guess my answer. It’s a no. No one should read this book.

Ana: I would recommend this one to people who liked Wall-e and Star Wars :)

Ram: I fail to see how you connect Wall-e to this. I’d recommend this to people who like rogue alien worlds and don’t mind giving a book fifty pages to win them over. Yes, I upped it from thirty because obviously it didn’t work on B. I’ve not read enough Scifi to say more.

Ana: My connections with Wall-e? What about music? Space ships? A planet which needs saving? Eh, ok, Sirantha Jax fans then or those who like Scott Orson Card. 

Until next month then. I hope you enjoyed our programme.

:D

Rameau Reviews: Between two worlds - Emma Newman

There’s a difference between theory and practice. In science, theories are meaningless without the empirical evidence to support them. In fiction—no matter how brilliant the idea—the execution of a story is everything. Here, it fails. 

In theory, reading about two worlds co-existing in modern Britain and reading about the adventures of the fae in the mundane worlds sounds intriguing. The possibilities of seeing different cultures clash and compete are endless. In practice, every author has to choose a line to walk on. I don’t think Emma Newman has any idea which line she’s straddling let alone how to tread on it. 

The problem lies with the characters. It’s not that they’re particularly horrid—I actually liked that they were described either as ugly or dull—and unlikeable. It’s not even the fact that Cathy is the most frustrating, spineless, insipid heroine I’ve stumbled on recently. It’s that their characterisations aren’t properly supported by their actions. Both the fae and the mundane talk and think alike. Even Max, the most interesting character of the bunch, doesn’t quite act like someone whose soul has been disconnected is apparently supposed to act. 

It’s like Newman created these rules for herself and then forgot to follow them. That is, if there were any rules to begin with. Never did I get the sense that the author had fully internalised and adopted this alternative world she had created, let alone that she’d fully applied it to the characters she was writing about. 

And with that, whatever there may have been unique about the story—about the idea of a few young, rebellious fae touched challenging Nether’s customs and traditions—unravels into an uninteresting mess. 

I’m not a fan of fairies, but I never open a book wanting to hate it. Between Two Thorns had its chance to win me over and it failed. I started skimming and speed-reading around 20% mark and only stopped a few times to read scenes with Will in them. 

P.S. Every time I wrote the word mundane, I wanted to substitute it with the word muggle.

2 stars

I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Series: The Split Worlds #1
Pages: 384 (paperback)
Publisher: Angry Robot ISBN: 9780857663207
Published: February 26th (expected)
Source: NetGalley

Review: Kaylea Cross - Tactical Strike

This is going to be a “let’s dissect the blurb”-review.

Gunship pilot Captain Candace Bradford has worked long and hard to earn her rank and position within the male-dominated world of Air Force Special Operations.

This is the set up and since I’ve not read the first book in the series I’m going to take this at face value. She does crash a plane but technically that’s not her fault, so I’m guessing she’s worked hard to earn her wings but there’s very little in the book to show she’s worked particularly hard to earn her rank or that her gender made it especially difficult for her. 

She's not about to let anything or anyone jeopardize that, let alone one sinfully tempting man who seems determined to cause her nothing but trouble. Even if she's starting to fall for him.

This too is part of the set up but I didn’t find it particularly well done. For being such a stickler for rules, she’s having difficulties articulating a denial. Even if she’s starting to fall for someone she works with, if the rules mean that much to her she should be saying no at every turn. She’s not. She’s offering vague denials, mixed signals, and avoidance. None of these actually work. There are other ways to show her inner struggle, but this author doesn’t spend any time on developing those feelings for Candace’s character. 

As an elite Combat Controller, Staff Sergeant Ryan Wentworth is used to overcoming adversity in order to complete a mission.

Now that I think about it, this actually has some basis within the story. Ryan keeps remarkably calm during the action sequence as long as we ignore the utter unprofessionalism prompted by Candace’s presence. 

Breaking through Candace's prickly exterior and into her heart is a challenge he can't let go.

This is the main problem with his character. He’s like a dog with a bone; he can’t let things go not even for a second. He pushes, he stalks, he doesn’t take no for an answer, and I’m baffled why would Candace think Ryan has anything remotely resembling a softer side in him. There are a couple of instances when the author glimpses into his psyche that could constitute as his more humane and understanding feelings, but they were sparse and easily missed. 

But just when he's begun to gain her trust, they're thrown together in the field facing an overwhelming enemy force.

When exactly did that happen? I know when they faced the “overwhelming enemy force” but I’m at a loss to understand when she started trusting him and why. 

Candace and Ryan find themselves on the run, searching the skies for an emergency extraction. But one dangerous enemy has an agenda in mind and he'll use whatever means necessary to achieve it, including using American forces to do his dirty work….

I’m guessing this is part of the longer plot that may have started in book one of Bagram Special Ops and continue if not conclude in book three. 

Instead of character growth, this novel focuses on action and sex—the first being entertaining and the second being rushed. The romantic relationship is woefully underdeveloped. As I’m not an expert on military matters I can hardly comment on the accuracy of their portrayal within the book other than to say that the abbreviation jungle was in sore need of the glossary found at the end of the pdf I read. I actually hope the epubs have footnotes inserted in them for those who need them. 

I received a copy of this book through Lit Connect in exchange for an honest review.

Series: Bagram Special Ops #2

Pages: 214 (ebook)

Publisher: Harlequin

Imprint: Carina Press

Published: March 11th 2013

Source: Lit Connect

Rameau Friday: An Officer's Duty - Jean Johnson

I’m rounding up the rating because while it wasn’t as good as the first in the series I really enjoyed reading the book.

As Ia advances through the ranks of the Terran Space Force she continues to walk that very thin line between lie and deceit in the best interest of all humanity. It takes her to the Navy Academy and pilot school… and I lost count on how many things I’m misrepresenting in my review. Military isn’t my forte.

The world of future is still there, only expanded and further explored. The ever changing character gallery introduces new faces and names all the time while rotating a couple of familiar names to focus for a while. There were some I’d missed but didn’t see, and there were some I hadn’t missed but glad to see all the same. 

What’s different to the first book is the shifting focus onto Ia’s character growth. Johnson doesn’t switch genres in the middle of a series but she does spend some time on illuminating through the interactions with her family who Ia was before she became hell bent on saving the galaxy, and who she could be if she wasn’t so stubborn to not allow anything for herself. 

And that’s where this book’s greatest weakness lies. 

Ia does find her Achille’s heel, which was something I’d been waiting to see from the very start. Just as Johnson, Ia doesn’t quite know what to do with it, but she tries. And it would have worked—adequately—hadn’t that revelation discussion been botched. In my opinion Johnson fails to hit that precious balance between avoiding repetition and doing justice to the character—Ia’s blind spot in this case. What I read was rushed and unsatisfactory instead of a poignant scene between two people facing and accepting a personal tragedy. I am glad, though, that the heel wasn’t completely forgotten and I’m hoping that as the series progresses the character gets a chance to pervade Ia’s life just as Bennie has. 

I like Bennie and hope to see much of her in the future. August can’t come soon enough.

4 stars
Series: Theirs Not to Reason Why #2
Pages: 439 (paperback)
Publisher: Ace
ISBN: 9781937997690
Published: July 31th 2012
Source: Bought

Lady Scoundrels' Saturday: Dirty - Megan Hart

Lady Scoundrels are back and this time we review Dirty by Megan Hart. First up is Scorn.


Synopsis 
What I liked: 

What comes to your mind when you see erotica novels? Of course plenty of graphic sex scenes, a skeleton plot, a very superficial psychological make-up if any at all, characters often limited only to a description of an appearance. Small wonder plenty of readers shun these books considering them a waste of time and money. I am usually one of such readers. However Megan Hart managed to break that mould. 

I would compare ‘Dirty’ to ‘Bitter Moon’, an old movie by Roman Polanski which told a story of a romance in a very intelligent, funny and moving way. With the emphasis on ‘intelligent’ which always, entices me more than anything and makes me cave in even if, officially I am hardly a romance fan, let alone erotica reader. I found Elle a surprisingly complex heroine, taking into account what genre we are talking about. Her actions were fully justified by her sad experiences and reading about her I felt as if she was really alive, not one more sex-crazed cardboard character you can find galore in such novels. After a while you understand why she has acted they way she did but the full story is revealed at the end and the more you read the more you want to find out. You sympathize with her and with Dan who tries to lure her out of her shell and engage in a mature relationship. 

What I didn’t like: 

Although, up to a point, I could relate to Elle, I doubt such generous, understanding and patient men as Dan exist at all. He was like that fairy tale prince – a well-rounded lover, ready to be taken, without major commitments or vices. I can’t help thinking that in real life he would have a wife and at least several part-time bimbos hidden somewhere in the closet; that and a nasty habit or two ;p. 

Final verdict: 

If you feel like reading erotica go for something intelligent and read this one. The love scenes are really steamy hot and when you finish you won’t despise yourself for spending so much time with a ‘pink’ novel. 

Warning: 

It is an erotica romance novel - it contains a lot of graphic sex scenes which are highly inappropriate for underage public. Such issues as incest, suicide and sexual abuse of a minor are mentioned as well. Keep it in mind while deciding whether you want to read it or not.

 Sense says:

You don’t need to know who she is or who he is. All you need to know is that they meet by chance, they start fucking each other everywhere, he bosses her around, and she turns frigid after each fuck. And that it’s all boring.

As refreshing at it is to read about a successful—and surprisingly a total pushover—woman who fully embraces her sexuality, reading about said woman fucking a stranger in public places without preamble is not. When connecting with the characters is a problem, even the hottest sex scenes fall flat.

After all that it’s a bit too late to start fixing things. Although. If you’d take Dan and all the sex out I’d probably give this book four stars, because the only thing interesting in this book is Elle’s relationship with Gavin, the boy next door. Her secret might hit red on your squick scale but it’s quite obvious from the start. It was actually my first theory after reading couple of hints in the book. 

The end reveal was rushed and disappointing in all its telling—as opposed to showing. 

And last Sensitivity

I will give you that, it was dirty and hot...really dirty and hot. But as I am a known sex scene skimmer I do want more than that. And here it just did not work.

Elle was, well yes I know the whole point was that she was cold and needed to find the way to love and be loved again. But I never connected to her. As for Dan, him I never knew at all. I did not understand why he was with her, I did not feel a thing.

So I am stuck with 2 people I do not care about. Which leaves me with dirty sex scene (that I end up skimmin anyway cos I get bored by too much sex). I did like the whole plot though. Why she was so fucked up.

But I was bored, a lot. And while reading I actually fell sleep. There was still something good over the book, the emotional drama, the hot scene, the writing. But in the end not the book for me. No connection, no deal.

Rameau Friday: The Cat's Meow - Stacey Kennedy

In Charleston there have been several magical cat murders and it’s time for the Pet Detective local Enchantress to step in and put a stop to it.

In the “About the Author” section it says:

Stacey Kennedy’s novels are lighthearted fantasy with heart-squeezing, thigh-clenching romance, and even give a good chuckle every now and again. But within the stories you’ll also find fast-paced action, life-threatening moments, and a big bad villain who needs to be destroyed.

Having read The Cat’s Meow I can vouch for the lighthearted fantasy part with a good chuckle or three. The heart-squeezing element relied heavily on my overactive imagination as Kale Griffin was kept as a mystery for far too long and his personality was mostly built on a handful of action descriptions and guesswork. This would apply to the thigh-clenching part too, because once Kale was allowed a moment of honesty and openness the book rushed to its inescapable conclusion. 

The fast-action and life-threatening moments make this book a compulsively readable and fun as long as the reader has firmly switched off their brain and any sign of logical thought. The big bad villain was unfortunately of the cardboard sort—easily sketched and depthless—and burned down just as easily as any paper doll would. It’s fun and entertaining as long as you’re not expecting the story to be anything more than a simple romp.

Libby as a character has her good moments. She’s a witch responsible for tracking down and stopping anyone who practices dark magic or threatens to expose the magical community to humans. She mostly stands up for herself against the Alchemy, her mother, and the occasional free-range warlock. She has clear motives for protecting herself and her friends from harm, she’s smart enough to figure out Kale’s secret mostly on her own, and she doesn’t let her sex-addled brain dictate her actions. Until she does. This again is my complaint about the ending—the speed. I’d have much preferred had Libby’s and Kale’s relationship taken several books to develop to the point it reached here.

So all in all, it’s a quick and fun read for the fans of paranormal romance.

Unless you’re one of those people who actually care about accurate portrayal of Wicca and respect for other religions. I admit Kennedy never uses the word Wicca or its equivalents and that I’m not an expert on the subject, but I know enough to be miffed. Very much so. I would have gladly let Kennedy get away with murder in her portrayal of modern magic, had she not dragged in the Goddess and made the deity an integral part of Libby’s characterisation. None of the witches or warlocks show appropriate respect towards their Goddess while practicing magic. Would this be a Christian praying, I have no doubt the handling would be very different.

I also didn’t particularly care about the patriarchy bleed into this system of magic or the general attitude shown by men—even the hero—towards women. Men are the strong ones in power and women, no matter how special, are weak and to be protected. 

If you want to read a light witch version of The Southern Vampire Mysteries, this might be the book for you. If you expect anything thought provoking or progressively feminist, you’d be better off skipping The Cat’s Meow.

3 stars

I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Series: Witch's Brew #1

Pages: 256 (ebook)

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

ISBN: 9781622668

Published: December 13th 2012

Source: NetGalley

Rameau Friday: Yesterday's Sun - Amanda Brooke

This is a difficult review for me to write. While I liked the book, I had several issues with it.

This is a gentle novel. It’s a slow moving story about a young couple who move into their new home and are on the cusp of new phase in their lives: They are about to start a family. Only, real life demands like work and economy conspire to keep them apart. Tom’s new job demands he travel far away and for long periods of time. And there’s trouble closer to home too. Namely Holly’s own insecurities about becoming a mother. That’s a good set up for a character centric story where a character faces her own fears and learns to overcome them. Unfortunately, the story shifts into something completely different. 

Holly finds a forgotten moondial that gives her a chance to see eighteen months into the future. She sees her unborn child, falls in love, and suddenly loses all her doubts about becoming a mother. What bothers her from thereon isn’t her fears about being a bad mother, it’s her perfectly natural self-protective instinct—her will to live. Holly never doubts her love for Tom or for the unborn, un-conceived, child. She doubts her choice to put her own life first.

What’s worse, Holly confides in a total stranger without ever considering asking her husband’s opinion. Admittedly confiding in him about the supernatural time machine—sort of—would make her sound like a crazy person, but she could at least talk with him in hypotheticals. When writing out their five year plan, neither Holly nor Tom stop to ask the other a single what if question. What if Tom quits the job he hates and do something he likes? What if Holly can’t get pregnant? What if there’s a problem with the pregnancy? What if Tom was asked to choose between Holly and the baby? Who would he choose.

Brooke does a huge disservice to Tom’s character keeping him so far away from the story and all of the decision, and doing so Brooke also undermines her main character, Holly. She comes across like a selfish, manipulative shrew instead of the loving wife and would-be mother Brooke would have us believe in. Holly selfishly manoeuvres Tom’s career in the direction she wants it to go, she selfishly decides not to conceive and then changes her mind about it. And all this happens because of visions that could as easily be hallucinations of a sick mind as flashes from the future. She risks everything because she thinks she knows best.

The epilogue and the “about the author” part convinced me that above all else this book was written to be wish fulfilment. Nothing more, nothing less. A wish.

Despite all this, I liked novel. I liked the writing, the charm and the magic of it.

3 stars

<i>I received an Edelweiss ARC of this book from the publisher.</i>

Series: N/A

Pages: 336 (paperback)

Publisher: HarperCollins

Imprint: Harper

Published: February 12th 2013

Source: Edelweiss

Rameau Friday: Counterpunch - Aleksandr Voinov

Imagine a modern Britain where at least two or three decades ago the politicians gave up on trying to keep up with the ever-growing prison population, chucked the fourth article of the Universal Declaration of Human rights, and started to commute life sentences into slavery. Now people are both born and condemned to it. And it’s not just in Britain, it’s all around the world. 

Brooklyn Marshall was born free and worked hard to build a good life for himself. Then a simple mistake, an accident, at the job took all that away from him. He was made into an example and his life was no longer his own. Now he boxes because it’s better than getting shot at in a war zone, and he fucks and is fucked because he is told to. He is used. He’s chattel that can talk.

”You haven’t resigned yourself to slavery yet, have you?”
“No. And I never will.”

It’s cruel to give hope to a such man, but that’s exactly what Nathaniel Bishop does. 

I’m not a fan of romanticising slavery, and I’m not a fan of any relationship that’s based on a severe imbalance of power, but I’m always curious to see if the author can make it work. If those obstacles of differing wealth, social status, and culture can be overcome believably. Realistically. Even in urban fantasy.

It works here because Brooklyn has never accepted his status as anything less than a human being. It works because both Brooklyn and Nathaniel recognise how wrong their situation is, and because both are fighters in their own way. 

Much of the story focuses on the boxing—again, something I know nothing about—and how it reflects Brooklyn’s growth as a character. He’ll never see any of the winnings, but the fighting he does is for himself. He’s broken and beaten both in the ring and out, and he is affected by it, but he’s also a survivor. What doesn’t kill him makes him stronger, and the final fights show this vividly.

If I hadn’t struggled with the beginning of the story—it was good but not amazing—the ending would have earned Counterpunch its fifth star. Voinov opted out of the fanciful and kept it realistic.

P.S. The story includes triggers for <spoiler>rape.</spoiler>

4 stars

Series: Belonging #2

Pages: 173 (ebook)

Publisher: Storm Moon Press LLC

ISBN: 1937058182

Published: November 4th 2011

Source: Bought

Rameau Reviews: Dark Space - Lisa Henry

Are you interested in reading an M/M, scifi, military, mind connection, mostly character study book with creepy angels aliens? 

That’s how I recommended this book in a tweet the day after I finished reading it. I threw after a warning about sibilant hisses galore but forgot to mention the rape triggers. I also might have persuaded someone by saying “you’ll like the ending” vaguely implying I was less than satisfied. And I was, but it didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying everything else.

Dark Space is set in an unknown future where humans fight a terrifying alien race called the Faceless. There are space stations that orbit the Sun (presumably) at the edges of our solar system and keep watch. These stations are manned—quite literally—only by human men because women are too precious to be put in danger like that. This was the world building detail that most annoyed me, but if the alternative was reading about poorly constructed female characters I’d suspend my disbelief for a short book any day.

Some of the world building details I liked were every single thing that made Brady Garrett the nineteen-year-old conscripted recruit three years into his ten year military service—fifteen should he choose to become an officer—trying to keep his head down, and out of trouble while helping out at the medical bay. I loved the idea of stark class differences, refugee camps, factories, and all the problems that were only implied instead of infodumped on the reader. That includes the alien race, which—as creepy as they were—was nothing compared to the Weeping Angels.

Cameron Rushton is an officer—three or seven years older than Brady depending on how you look at it—and a prisoner of war who has just been returned to home. Or as close to it as Defender Three, Brady’s space station, is. The doctors make a mistake and Brady becomes a temporary human pacemaker to the man who no one trusts. They’re locked together in a room and have to spend prolonged periods of time together adapting to this new situation. Their connection forces them to learn much about themselves and about each other. 

Because it’s an M/M novel, sex is a big part of that learning process. And because I liked it, you can expect to read about dark themes, and horrible things being done to the characters. 

The pacing is pretty much perfect. Whenever I started to think “that’s a bit much” the author would make shift that not only made sense within the story but also advanced the overall storyline. There weren’t any unnecessary scenes or exposition for the sake of exposition. The repetition that was there—like Brady thinking of his home and family—felt natural to the cycle of human psyche and the way humans think. We get stuck on something, move on, and come back to it when the time is right again. Brady also didn’t accept the mind melt connection unreservedly. He had doubts and he fought it, but he also learned to trust his own judgement about the connection. 

And the heartrending goodbye… Well, I’ll let you read about that on your own.

4 stars

Series: N/A

Pages: 216 (ebook)

Publisher: Loose ID LLC

ISBN: 9781623001124

Published: December 4th 2012

Source: Bought