Sorcerous Stabber Orphen Vol. 2

Today’s post is on Sorcerous Stabber Orphen Vol. 2: Heed My Call, Beast! Part 2 by Yoshinobu Akita and Muraji.  It is 180 pages long and is published by Seven Seas. The cover has Orphen, Azalie and Childman on it. As it is the second volume of the series you need to have read the first volume to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who has read the first volume, likes high fantasy and action manga. There is no foul language, no sex, and fantasy violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of Orphen. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- BLOODY REUNION
It’s been five years since Orphen last saw his dear friend Azalie–and now he finds her, twisted into a deadly monster. The sorcerous Tower of Fangs is sending out an extermination squad to claim her head, and its leader wields the very sword that transformed Azalie in the first place. No matter the risks, Orphen’s not about to give up on the woman he loves. He joins the monster hunters, secretly waiting for his chance to break the curse! 

Review- An excellent conclusion to this short series. Orphen gets his answers about what happened and he saves Azalie but it does not look like what he expected it to. There is not much else in this volume other than plot wrapping up and more magic in this world. There are so many different kinds of magic that I would have liked to get more into it but as it is only two volumes long something had to be sacrificed. But all plot threads are tied off and Orphen and friends ride off into the sunset to have more adventures that I would love to see. If you are looking for a fun short series then you should give Sorcerous Stabber Orphen a try.

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

Scott Under the Covers

Today's review is on Scott Under the Covers by Suzanne Enoch. It is 347 pages long and is published by St. Martin's paperbacks. This is the second of Enochs' Wild Wicked Highlanders series but you do not have to have read the first novel to understand the story. The cover is blue with the two main characters locked in an Embrace on it in the middle. The intended reader is someone who enjoys historical romance with a strong villain and two main characters that you're pulling to succeed through all the odds for. There is mild foul language, sexuality, and no violence in this novel. The story is told from third-person close of the two main characters moving over the course of the story. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

 

From the back of the book-  When a resourceful English lady and a hot-blooded Highlander join forces to trick a scoundrel every rule will be broken!

Miranda Harris is known for her charm wit and ability to solve any problem she encounters. But when her brother lands neck-deep in gambling debt to a crafty villain and Miranda is subsequently blackmailed into marrying him she must enlist the help of the devil himself to save the family honor and herself.

Devilishly handsome Highlander Aden MacTaggert knows next to nothing about the ways of the Ton but he certainly knows his way around gambling halls and women's hearts. Still, not sure how he managed to find a Sassenach bride in time to save his family's inheritance. But when his almost sister-in-law Miranda comes to him for assistance, he proposes a partnership: she will help him navigate London society and he'll teach her everything about wagering... and winning back her freedom. The beautiful, clever lass intrigues Aiden but is she playing her own game, or are the sparks between them real?  He's accustomed to risking his pocket. But betting on Miranda's love is a game he can't afford to lose …

 

Review-  this is a fast-paced, at times very intense, historical romance. Miranda's brother has gotten into quite a bit of trouble with the villain who knew he was an inexperienced gambler and took him for everything he had and more. Aden Has been forced to come to London to find a English bride by his mother or the family will lose all of the money. The two characters start off at odds but they still like each other when the villain comes in he really submits that attraction into something more. The villain is really quite bad in this one, I was very nervous at times for the heroine, I was afraid that if he got her alone he would really do a harm to her so every scene he was in was very tense. The writing style is good with some Scottish phrases thrown in but in context so the reader can understand if you've never read anything with Highlanders before. The sexuality is fairly mild and can easily be glazed over if you're not interested in reading it. This is an excellent historical novel with two great main characters and a villain who really does make you very nervous. I highly recommend this if you enjoy historical novels. 

 

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

 

Murder by the Book: The Crime That Shocked Dickens's London

Today’s Nonfiction post is on Murder by the Book: The Crime That Shocked Dickens's London by Claire Harman. It is 252 pages long and is published by Alfred A. Knopf. The cover is white with a red book in the center. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and violence in this book. The intended reader is someone interested in true crime, literary history, and where the true cross. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- From the acclaimed biographer--the fascinating, little-known story of a Victorian-era murder that rocked literary London, leading Charles Dickens, William Thackeray, and Queen Victoria herself to wonder: Can a novel kill?

In May 1840, Lord William Russell, well known in London's highest social circles, was found with his throat cut. The brutal murder had the whole city talking. The police suspected Russell's valet, Courvoisier, but the evidence was weak. The missing clue, it turned out, lay in the unlikeliest place: what Courvoisier had been reading. In the years just before the murder, new printing methods had made books cheap and abundant, the novel form was on the rise, and suddenly everyone was reading. The best-selling titles were the most sensational true-crime stories. Even Dickens and Thackeray, both at the beginning of their careers, fell under the spell of these tales--Dickens publicly admiring them, Thackeray rejecting them. One such phenomenon was William Harrison Ainsworth's Jack Sheppard, the story of an unrepentant criminal who escaped the gallows time and again. When Lord William's murderer finally confessed his guilt, he would cite this novel in his defense. Murder By the Book combines this thrilling true-crime story with an illuminating account of the rise of the novel form and the battle for its early soul among the most famous writers of the time. It is superbly researched, vividly written, and captivating from first to last. 

Review- A fascinating and well written account of a true crime that may have started the whole blame the media/movie/tv series/book thing that we still have today. Lord William Russell was found murdered in his bed and the whole of London was shocked and the nobles were terrified by the thought that their servants could or would kill them for no reason. Harman does excellent research, the notes are good, and the way she tells the narrative is engaging. The mystery of who did it, why they did, and were they really so strongly influenced by a book, are questions not only posed in the narrative but for the reader themselves to think about. Harmon does handle those questions well but she does the best with ‘Can media make people do things?’ and she covers more than just the supposed book that the man read. She encourages the reader to think about their own actions and how would they engage with this material themselves. She gives basic biographies of the lesser known author and artists that were pulled into this mess. If you like true crime or historical crime, you should give this one a try.

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. 

Fiancée of the Wizard Manga, Vol. 1

Today’s post is on Fiancée of the Wizard Manga, Vol. 1 by Masaki Kazuka (Illustrator), Syuri Nakamura (Original Creator), Keiko Sakano (Character Design). It is 196 pages long and is published by Yen Press. The cover has the two main characters on it looking cute. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo romance, transmigration stories, and nice art. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence's in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the two main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Went looking for magic but found love instead...

Filimena via Adina, daughter of nobility, awakens one day with the realization that she had actually been reborn into a world of sorcery and given a second chance at life. In her new country full of heroes, she expects this means she's a chosen one, yet her lot is not as she dreamed-instead, her path crosses with the improbably powerful stepson of a wizard, and as a young noble lady, her place is at his side...as his fiancée! But perhaps a quest for love is exactly the adventure she was looking for... 

Review- A cute isekai romance story with some fun magic in it. The main character has been reborn with the knowledge of her past live but she just moves on with her new life. But because she has the mind of a thirty-five year old, she handles life better then others around her. So she makes an impression on the male lead, Egiedeyrus, Eddy, and he falls in love with her from a young age. But now the trouble is starting as Eddy is a very powerful wizard and other people want to control him including who he marries. Filimena is in between a rock and a hard place but I am sure that she will figure it out and I look forward to going with her on her journey.

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

Perfect Little Children

Today's post is on Perfect Little Children by Sophie Hannah. It is 329 pages long and is published by William Morrow. The cover is dark green with a house tag on a ribbon. The intended reader is someone who is interested in intense, twisty mysteries that have a strong thriller/horror vibe. There is some foul language, no sex and mild violence in this novel. The story is told from first person close of the main character Beth. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- All Beth has to do is drive her son to his football game, watch him play, and then return home. Just because she knows her ex-best friend lives near the field doesn't mean she has to drive past her house and try to catch a glimpse of her.
Why would Bath do that and risk dredging up painful memories? She hasn't seen Flora  for twelve years. She doesn't want to see her today- or ever again. But she can't resist. She parks outside the open gates of Newnham House and watches from across the road as Flora arrives and calls to her children, Thomas and Emily, to get out of the car.
Except...there's something terribly wrong. Flora looks the same, only older. Twelve years ago, Thomas and Emily were five ans three. Today, they look precisely as the then. They are no taller, no different from when Beth last saw them. They are Thomas and Emily without a doubt- Beth heard Flora call them by their names- but why haven't they grown? How is it possible that they are still the same two perfect children Beth know more than a decade ago?

Review- This is a very surprising and twisty mystery that had me guessing what the heck was really going on the whole time. Beth sees her friend and her two children and they are still the same ages that they were twelve years ago. And what is going is on is really messed up. I haven't read Hannah before so I was not sure what to expect from her and I was pleasantly surprised. She had me guessing and wondering what Beth was going to do next and the real villain is very chilling. Their reasons were extremely evil and cruel and I was impressed with their cold-heartedness. If you looking for something very twisty and with a bad villain, then I would recommend this novel.

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

Semicolon: The Past, Present, and Future of a Misunderstood Mark

 

Today’s Nonfiction post is on Semicolon: The Past, Present, and Future of a Misunderstood Mark by Cecelia Watson. It is 213 pages long and is published by Harper Collins Publishing. The cover is blue with three semicolons on it in red, yellow, and blue. The intended reader is someone who is interested in the history of the semicolon and how it has been viewed over history. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- In Semicolon, Cecelia Watson charts the rise and fall of this infamous punctuation mark, which for years was the trendiest one in the world of letters. But in the nineteenth century, as grammar books became all the rage, the rules of how we use language became both stricter and more confusing, with the semicolon a prime victim. Taking us on a breezy journey through a range of examples—from Milton’s manuscripts to Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letters from Birmingham Jail” to Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep—Watson reveals how traditional grammar rules make us less successful at communicating with each other than we’d think. Even the most die-hard grammar fanatics would be better served by tossing the rule books and learning a better way to engage with language.

Review- As fun little read about one my favorite punctuation marks.  Watson loves her topic and all that love in the text and I understand how she feels. She covers the semicolons from when it was created, why it was created, and now how people feel about it. Watson is a good writer, she knows her material, and she makes it very engaging. She never over loads the reader with information, just enough to understand and appreciate what she is telling us. There are fun little pictures in the beginning of each chapter where you can play where is the semicolon?, it's a fun little game. One benefit to this book is the short length, Watson understands that getting to the point is a good thing with dealing with an odd bit of history and it works in her favor. I recommend this book as a wonderful, fun read about an interesting and at times difficult punctuation mark.

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. 

Accomplishments of the Duke's Daughter Vol. 4

Today’s post is on Accomplishments of the Duke's Daughter Vol. 4 by Reia, art by Suki Umemiya and character design by Haduki Futaba. It is 162 pages long and is published by Seven Seas Publishing. As it is the fourth volume in the series you need to have read the first three to understand the story. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the main character Iris with some scenes from different characters for plot development. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- After being banished from high society, Iris has managed to invigorate her father’s domain as acting fief lord. But when an invite comes from the Queens Dowager, Iris finds herself called to court once more… just as the struggle for the crown begins to heat up. Can Iris find a way to manipulate the outcome to her own advantage, or will she become caught in the crossfire?

Review- The plot is starting to move into a more political direction with Isis being noticed for the way that she has reformed her home. She has been pulled back into the royal court and within moments, the second prince and the woman he left her for, start berating her for showing her face. Iris handles it well but she sees that something is going on with the ‘heroine’ Yuri, that Yuri is manipulating the men around her for some reason. The plot is getting more political and will be interesting to see how Iris is going to deal with this. War is on the horizon and the Dowager Queen can see it coming and I am not sure what her end game is but I am really enjoying this series. 

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.