The Prince Who Loved Me

Today's post is on The Prince Who Loved Me by Karen Hawkins. It is the first in her Oxenburg Princes series. It is 355 pages long and is published by Pocket Books. The cover has the main character on it running out her shoe. There is some mild language, sex and no violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who likes fairy tale retelling, historical romance, and just more romance. The story is told from the third person close perspective of the two main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- A handsome, rakish prince who doesn't believe in true love meets a stubborn lass who will settle for nothing less...
In a lighthearted retelling of a classic fairy tale, bestselling author Karen Hawkins gives Cinderella a Scottish twist!
Prince Alexsey Romanovin enjoys his carefree life, flirting—and more—with every lovely lady who crosses his path. But when the interfering Grand Duchess Natasha decides it's time for her grandson to wed, Alexsey finds himself in Scotland, determined to foil her plans. Brainy, bookish, and bespectacled, Bronwyn Murdoch seems the perfect answer—she isn't at all to the duchess' taste.
Living at the beck and call of her ambitious stepmother and social butterfly stepsisters, Bronwyn has little time for a handsome flirt—no matter how intoxicating his kisses are. After all, no spoiled, arrogant prince would be seriously interested in a firm-minded female like herself. So . . . wouldn't it be fun to turn his "game" upside down and prove that an ordinary woman can bring a prince to his knees?

Review- This is a fun love story. It is not really a retelling of Cinderella but it does borrow strongly from the fairy tale. I liked both the hero and the heroine. I believed that they fell in love and I was happy with the ending. But the best part of the at the beginning of each chapter there is an excerpt from the over-the-top romance that the heroine is reading. It was great. The sex was just two scenes and not overly graphic. The hero is not really as much of an ass as the blurb makes him out to be. It is not that he does not want to get married, it is that he does not want to have his life managed by someone else. So he is playing a joke on his aunt but he also does not think that the heroine is serious either. It helps that she sees through him very easily. The writing was fun and charming. If you are a fun of historical romance this one is great.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Hellsing volume 6

Today's post is on Hellsing volume 6 by Kohta Hirano. It is 186 pages long and is published by Dark Horse. As it is the sixth in the series you want to have read the first five to understand the story. The cover has Alucard and Sir Hellsing on it. The intended reader is someone who likes horror, lots of action, and funny plots. There is mild language, no sex, and lots of violence in this volume. The story is told from third person perspective following the characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- The war between three armies of vampires, humans, and those in between is in full swing. The Hellsing organization is embattled as London is falling to Nazi vampire forces, turning the city's citizens into rivers of blood and a population of ghouls. It looks like it might be the end of Sir Integral Wingates Hellsing and her henchman, Walter. But what's this? The Vatican? But that means the Vatican is unprotected. If you haven't figured it out yet, Earth is in chaos of a World War like no other. New forces will rise up, surprises of undead power will surge forth, guns will blaze, and blades will sing. There's no telling how this will end, as Hellsing clamors forward with a seething wit and a frantic pace, and style that passes beyond gothic grace.

Review- So much action in this volume. Alucard is only in a scene in this volume but everyone else makes up for that. Seras and the mercenaries are waiting for Sir Hellsing as they hold back the Nazi army. Sir Hellsing is with Father Anderson as they fight their way to Seras. And Alucard is heading somewhere and is quite happy. Add in lots of fighting and blood and you have have Hellsing volume 6. But plot is happening and so is character development. We get see into the head of the mercenary leader and why he does what he does. The leader of section 13 is crazy and it pays off with a promotion. I cannot wait to see what Alucard is going to do next. Only four more volumes in this series.

I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Rogue Rider

Today's post is on Rogue Rider by Larissa Ione.  It is the fourth in her Lords of Deliverance series. It is 391 pages long and is published by Grand Central. As it is the fourth in the series you need to have read the first three to understand the story. The cover has the two main characters on it about to kiss. The intended reader is someone who likes romance, decent writing, and happy endings. There is language, sex, and violence in this book. The story is told from third person close of the different character moving from one to another as the story goes. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- They're here.
They ride.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Born of a match between good and evil, four siblings stand between hell's minions and everything they want to destroy. They are the Lords of Deliverance, and they have the power to ward off Doomsday . . . or let it ride . . .
ROGUE RIDER
Jillian Cardiff came to this remote mountain town to forget the demon attack that almost killed her. Instead, she rescues-and falls for-a gorgeous stranger who has no memory of anything other than his name. Handsome, charming, and protective, Reseph seems like the kind of man whom Jillian can trust. But with hints of a troubling history of his own, he's also the kind of man who can be very dangerous . . .
Reseph may not know why he mysteriously appeared in Jillian's life, but he knows he wants to stay. Yet when Jillian's neighbors are killed, and demon hunters arrive on the scene, Reseph fears that he's putting Jillian in danger. And once it's revealed that Reseph is also Pestilence, the Horseman responsible for ravaging the world, he and Jillian must face the greatest challenge of all: Can they forget the horrors of a chilling past to save the future they both desire?

Review- A fun way to end a series. Reseph has been through some stuff so I really wanted to see his happy ending and I really enjoyed it. He had to deal with what has happened. He had to make peace and start over. I liked his heroine Jillian a lot. She just does not stop. When you meet her at the beginning you think that she is scared but she is not. She is just healing from trauma. When the chips are down, she comes through. I know that Ione is not done with this universe and I may pick up a later book but right now I am happy with where everything is. I did feel that the ending was a little rushed but I guess with three volumes of build up that cannot be helped. A fun series and a fun setting with fun character. Not much more I can ask for.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this book with my own money.

Germany: Memories of a Nation

Today's post is on Germany: Memories of a Nation by Neil MacGregor. It is 606 pages long and is published by Alfred A. Knopf. The cover is white with the German flag on it. There is no language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who is interested in history. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- For the past 140 years, Germany has been the central power in continental europe. Twenty-five years ago a new German state came into being. How much do we really understand this new Germany, and how do its people understand themselves?
Neil MacGregor argues that, uniquely for any European country, no coherent, overarching narrative of Germany's history can be constructed, for in Germany both geography and history have always been unstable. Its frontiers have constantly shifted. Königsberg, home to the greatest German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, is now Kaliningrad, Russia; Strasbourg, in whose cathedral Wolfgang von Geothe, Germany's greatest writer, discovered the distinctiveness of his country's art and history, now lies within the borders of France. For most of the five hundred years covered by this book Germany has been composed of many separate political units, each with a distinct history. And any comfortable national story Germans might have told themselves before 1914 was destroyed by the events of the following thirty years.
German history may be inherently fragmented, but it contains a large number of widely shared memories, awarenesses, and experiences; examining some of these is the purpose of this book. MacGregor chooses objects and ideas, people and places that still resonate in the new Germany—porcelain from Dresden and rubble from its ruins, Bauhaus design and the German sausage, the crown of Charlemagne and the gates of Buchenwald—to show us something of its collective imagination. There has never been a book about Germany quite like it.

Review- Another wonderful book from MacGregor. He goes from Germany's beginnings as many small princedoms to one great nation today.  Like all MacGregor's other books he traces the history in objects from paintings to statues and many flags. He looks at the history of such diverse people, as Germany has, with great care and compassion. He does not excuse any actions but he helps the reader to remember that the people of Germany are human too. He discusses what made Germany from Luther making one German language to the women who rebuilt it after the Second World War. MacGregor's prose, as always, is easy to read and the reader gets pulled into the narrative of a nation.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library. 

Hellsing volume 5

Today's post is on Hellsing volume 5 by Kohta Hirano. It is 200 pages long and is published by Dark Horse. As it is the fifth in the series you need to have read the first four to understand the series. The cover has Alucard on it. The intended reader is someone who likes dark humor, urban fantasy, and lots of action. There is strong language, no sex, and lots of violence in this volume and series. The story told third person close following the main characters including villains. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Intense and full of psychotic action, Hellsing continues its fevered pitch into a dark chaos that defies human logic. Human? Well, there are only a few left in this story line, as the emerging, Millennium Project, an army of Nazi undead, is unleashed upon the world. What will surely ensue is a war of blood and nostalgia, with a coolly gothic style and increasingly frenetic pace. Envision the Hindenburg, old sharpshooter rifles, and throwback uniforms, mixed with new jet technology and incredibly bold vampires. Hellsing is piled to the sky with radical mysticism and scary apocalypse... and it's fun as Hell!

Review- Lots of action in this volume with Walter getting in it too. It is mostly about getting things in place for the great Nazi invasion of London. Alucard has something happen to him to take him out of the fighting for now but everyone else is just waiting in the wings.With time spent with the villains in this one we get to how villainous they are. It's good to have a nice, crazy villain in an over-the-top series. When Alucard gets his little bit of action he goes all out by diving a plane into a ship at top speed. How the villains thought he would do that is beyond me but it was fun to read. Only five more volumes left.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Once

Today's post is on Once by Anna Carey. It is the second in her Eve trilogy. It is 354 pages long and is published by Harper. The cover has Eve standing with her back to the reader facing a long stone tunnel. The intended reader is someone who has read the first one, likes dystopian, and love stories. There is implied sex, some mild language, and voilence in this book. The story is told from Eve's perspective. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- When you're being hunted, who can you trust?
For the first time since she escaped from her school many months ago, Eve can sleep soundly. She's living in Califia, a haven for women, protected from the terrifying fate that awaits orphaned girls in The New America.
But her safety came at a price: She was forced to abandon Caleb, the boy she loves, wounded and alone at the city gates. When Eve gets word that Caleb is in trouble, she sets out into the wild again to rescue him, only to be captured and brought to the City of Sand, the capital of The New America.
Trapped inside the City walls, Eve uncovers a shocking secret about her past--and is forced to confront the harsh reality of her future. When she discovers Caleb is alive, Eve attempts to flee her prison so they can be together--but the consequences could be deadly. She must make a desperate choice to save the ones she loves . . . or risk losing Caleb forever.
In this breathless sequel to "Eve," Anna Carey returns to her tale of romance, adventure, and sacrifice in a world that is both wonderfully strange and chillingly familiar.

Review- A solid second novel. In general I liked this novel. The only thing I would have liked more in it, it that Eve and a young woman named Clara started working together far sooner. Their interactions, I felt, did add to the overall story. But we get a good look at how the country is being run and a really good look at the king. I think he maybe a bit of a wooden villain but he does the job. He believes that he making a stronger New America by forcing young women to have four babies at once for ten years. I will give him this, he does not even pretend to care that he is harming this women. He just believes in his vision and nothing else matters. The love story is still good and the cliffhanger is not bad.I am curious how Carey is going to wrap things up.

I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I was given this book as a gift. 

Hellsing volume 4

Today's post is on Hellsing volume 4 by Kohta Hirano. It is 200 pages long and is published by Dark Horse. The cover has Alucard on it looking at the reader. As it is the fourth in the series you need to have read the first three in order to understand the story. There is language, no sex, and lots of violence in this volume. The story is told from the third person perspective. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- What do you get when the Nazis, sequestered in South America for generations, have engineered an army of vampires, and are preparing for an all-out campaign of deathly dominance? Well, for one, you get a little unity. It seems the Protestant Hellsing Organization and the Catholic Iscariot agency might just have to think about teaming up. It's looking like the world's biggest battle of blood and fangs is soon to erupt. Read about the next, big arms build-up as the first World War of the undead is mounting. It just heating up in Hellsing.

Review- More plot and action in this one. We get to see the Nazi villains at last and they are crazy. Anderson and Alucard see each other and start going. Seras is still trying to be human. Things go fast in this one. Alucard gets to shine towards the end. The Nazis call up everyone and declare war. Everyone is shocked but Alucard is laughing. He thinks that this is going to be fun and cannot wait for them to get there. Sir Hellsing is annoyed but that is normal for her. I am very curious about where a war with Nazi vampires and werewolves is going to go. But I think that I will laugh too.


I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Dead Heat

Today's post is on Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs. It is the fourth in her Alpha and Omega series. It is 336 pages long and is published by Ace. The cover is dark purple with Anna and Charles on it looking at the reader. As it is the fourth in the series you need to have read the first three to understand the story. There is no sex, some language, and violence in this book. The story is told from different character moving as the story goes. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- For once, mated werewolves Charles and Anna are not traveling because of Charles’s role as his father’s enforcer. This time, their trip to Arizona is purely personal, as Charles plans to buy Anna a horse for her birthday. Or at least it starts out that way...
Charles and Anna soon discover that a dangerous Fae being is on the loose, replacing human children with simulacrums. The Fae’s cold war with humanity is about to heat up—and Charles and Anna are in the cross fire.

Review- I think that this is the best Alpha and Omega yet. Anna and Charles are pretty settled together. Anna is still learning things about Charles' past but they are happy and content together. The Fae are playing some long game that, we the readers, cannot understand. The plot stars slow but once it gets going there is no stopping it. I liked the return of the human FBI agent that they know. She is a good side character and gives good balance to very powerful spiritual forces around her. Anna is still healing from her abuse but I think that is very true. It would take years to overcome something as horrible as the things done to her.

I give this book a Five out Five stars. I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania

Today's post is on Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson. It is 430 pages long including notes and is published by Crown. The cover is black with the wake of a ship in white. The intended reader is someone who likes history and good nonfiction. There is no language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- On May 1, 1915, with WWI entering its tenth month, a luxury ocean liner as richly appointed as an English country house sailed out of New York, bound for Liverpool, carrying a record number of children and infants. The passengers were surprisingly at ease, even though Germany had declared the seas around Britain to be a war zone. For months, German U-boats had brought terror to the North Atlantic. But the Lusitania was one of the era’s great transatlantic “Greyhounds”—the fastest liner then in service—and her captain, William Thomas Turner, placed tremendous faith in the gentlemanly strictures of warfare that for a century had kept civilian ships safe from attack.
Germany, however, was determined to change the rules of the game, and Walther Schwieger, the captain of Unterseeboot-20, was happy to oblige. Meanwhile, an ultra-secret British intelligence unit tracked Schwieger’s U-boat, but told no one. As U-20 and the Lusitania made their way toward Liverpool, an array of forces both grand and achingly small—hubris, a chance fog, a closely guarded secret, and more—all converged to produce one of the great disasters of history.
It is a story that many of us think we know but don’t, and Erik Larson tells it thrillingly, switching between hunter and hunted while painting a larger portrait of America at the height of the Progressive Era. Full of glamour and suspense, Dead Wake brings to life a cast of evocative characters, from famed Boston bookseller Charles Lauriat to pioneering female architect Theodate Pope to President Woodrow Wilson, a man lost to grief, dreading the widening war but also captivated by the prospect of new love.
Gripping and important, Dead Wake captures the sheer drama and emotional power of a disaster whose intimate details and true meaning have long been obscured by history.

Review- Another great Larson book. Larson takes the reader from the beginning of The Lusitania's last crossing to what happened to those who survived it. From the U-boat captain who ordered the firing to the spiritualist who lost a friend but continued to see him. It was very  interesting and I had a really good time reading this book. Like normal Larson does a great job with his research. The notes are very intensive and could add so much for the reader wanted to learn more.  I liked how broad the scope of this book is. I liked reading about what the code-breakers for the British government were doing at the same time that President Wilson was courting his soon-to-be new wife. The writing is much smoother than in Devil in the White City but he has the same scope and import to the story.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Hellsing volume 3

Today's post is on Hellsing volume 3 by Kohta Hirano. It is 164 pages long and is published by Dark Horse. As it is the third in the series you need to have read the first two to understand the story. The cover has Alucard and Sir Hellsing on it. The intended reader likes vampire stories, over-the-top action, and very dry humor. There is language, no sex, and lots of violence this volume. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Vampire! Nazis! Bloodshed! Action! Add to that a healthy helping of sleek style and an exotic locale, and you have Hellsing volume 3. Our scant troop of vampire-killing vampires and mercenaries are planning a little trip overseas... to beautiful South America, in search of the elusive Millenium Project, an old Nazi organization wirh very secretive origins. It's the start of a war, and only time will show how nasty this war will become. But one thing's for sure, the vampire Alucard will make sure it gets off to a fitting start.

Review- This volume is not as funny as the last one but the action is very intense. And all the plot building. Still do not know much of anything about Millenium but we get to see how powerful they are. Alucard gets to play with them for most of the volume and he is having fun at the end. Millenium is prepared for him, so he having to work for the win. He could not be happier. No Father Anderson, just see him watching everything that is happening. Seras mostly stays out of the way too. It is really about Alucard having one long fight to restart the war between Millenium and Hellsing.

I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

The Golden Princess

Today's post is on The Golden Princess by S. M. Stirling. It is the eleventh in his Emberverse series. It is 420 pages long and is published by Roc. The cover has the two main characters on it in a desert landscape. The intended reader has read the previous volumes, likes odd dystopian, and very long exposition. There is some mild language, no sex, and violence in this book. The story is told from the main character moving from one to the next per chapter. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket-A new generation faces its own challenges in the world the Change has made.
Princess Órlaith, heir to Rudi Mackenzie, Artos the First, High King of Montival, now wields the Sword of the Lady—and faces a new enemy. Fortunately, she also has a new ally in Reiko, Empress of Japan, who has been pursued to America by a conquering army from Asia.
To combat their mutual foe, Órlaith and Reiko embark on a quest to find the fabled Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the Grass-Cutting Sword, one of the three great treasures of the Japanese Imperial House. But dreams have revealed that the road to Kusanagi lies through the meganecropolis of the City of Angels, the greatest and most perilous of the dead cities...and beyond it, to a castle in the fearful Valley of Death. And their relentless enemy will stop at nothing to prevent them from succeeding.
For across the Pacific, the great arc of land that stretches from the dark kingdom of Korea to the realm of Capricornia in Australia is threatened by war. Now all the survivors of the Change must choose sides....

Review-  I wanted to like this book but it was so boring. Now I will admit that I have not read any other books in this series and I have the next one sitting my TBR shelf given to me to review. But I am not going to go back and read the first series. This was just so boring that I am now dreading reading the next one. The characters, the setting, and the plot could have been interesting but the exposition that happened for page after page just killed it. So much of this book was just paragraph after paragraph explaining the same things over and over. I just wanted something to happen but nothing did. There are two fight scenes in this book but they both are ruined by the exposition. I was so glad when I finished this book but now I have to read the next one.

I give this book a Two out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.