The Qwillery

Greetings from the land recently pummeled by the 'beast from the east'. For those of you who aren't resident in the UK this basically means that we had cold temperatures and snow that came from Siberia. Having grown up in the snow belt of southwestern Ontario (Canada) these mere few flakes that turned into about a whopping 2 inches was nothing so dramatic to require things to grind to a halt. Alas the British aren't used to enough snow to make a half decent snow ball or pipe freezing temperatures, so it was a bit of a shock.


The weather did make me want to stay wrapped up near the radiator and read a good book. This week I decided to listen to a good book instead. I had some Audible vouchers so decided to buy the first 3 books of Ilona Andrews' Innkeeper Chronicles. I have included the cover of image for the hardcover book because You know I am a cover snob right? Well this one is perfect. This series has some awesome images throughout and this one is a 10/10 in my view. I was a little hesitant about the audio version of this book as I find it hard to like the narrator of a book I have already read. Paint me fickle! It took me a while and I have to say that it wasn't until book 2 - Sweep in Peace that I got used to Renee Raudman's version of Dina Demille. I love this series and I quite liked the audio version as well. I have reviewed these books before (some have been in my fave books of the year) so I am not going to review them again. What I can tell you is how much I am enjoying the spin off version starring two of secondary characters - Maud and Arland which is released late on a Friday (UK time). In this new serial - Sweep of the Blade Maud has decided to join Arland on his home planet while his family host the wedding of 2 previously warring houses. Only a few chapters in and it has made my Saturday mornings (I read it first thing with a cup of tea).

I did learn something new from reading Sweep of the Blade. Can you believe that Ilona Andrews has taught me (and all my friends that I tell) that I have named my cats the same name? I discovered that Maud, Dina's sister and the name of my oldest cat is a nickname for Matilda (the name of my other cat). I haven't told them yet. They don't like each other enough as it is! So there you go...your fun fact for this week. Enough of fun facts. What have I read?


It's all over! Yes, one of my fave series - The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences is finished with it's final instalment Operation: Endgame. With the Maestro gone you would easily assume that Wellington Books and his fellow agent Eliza Braun would be able to have a break from the madness that had befallen them in the form of the House of Usher. Now its Dr. Henry Jekyll that has left a trail of carefully staged victims for Books and Braun to follow. While the duo search for Jekyll their Australian and Canadian counterparts - Bruce Campbell and Brandon Hill - are hot on the trail of the House of Usher and their nefarious plan: Operation: Ragnorok. Time is not on their side. The Ministry could be the only thing between peace and utter and complete chaos. Who will prevail? Time will tell... and you reading Operation: Endgame for yourself!

Seven years ago I first met my fictional boyfriend and favourite archivist Wellington Books...oh yeah...and his derring do companion Eliza Braun. It has been a whirlwind journey with this pair and their adventures both mysterious and peculiar. On the whole I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. Apart from book 4 I have loved the characters, their adventures and the steampunky version of England that they live in. Operation: Endgame is a book in 2 parts - certain chapters star Wellington and Eliza while other chapters follow Bruce and Brandon. This does make for a slightly disjointed read but gives us two separate stories in one. I liked this final instalment rather than loved it. I thought the ending was a tiny bit of a let down and wasn't really clear what the glamorous assassin Sophie Del La Morte was up to. Well done to Ballantine and Morris for continuing the series funding through a Kickstarter when we could have easily been left hanging. As much as I love these characters I am happy to say good-bye. Rather go while the story is still fresh rather than dragging it out. Missing you already Welly!


That's it for me this week. I hope you haven't let February get you down and had a great book, or two, to read. Until next week Happy Reading.

Clean Sweep
Innkeeper Chronicles 1
NYLA, December 2, 2013
eBook, 175 pages

On the outside, Dina Demille is the epitome of normal. She runs a quaint Victorian Bed and Breakfast in a small Texas town, owns a Shih Tzu named Beast, and is a perfect neighbor, whose biggest problem should be what to serve her guests for breakfast. But Dina is...different: Her broom is a deadly weapon; her Inn is magic and thinks for itself. Meant to be a lodging for otherworldly visitors, the only permanent guest is a retired Galactic aristocrat who can’t leave the grounds because she’s responsible for the deaths of millions and someone might shoot her on sight. Under the circumstances, "normal" is a bit of a stretch for Dina.

And now, something with wicked claws and deepwater teeth has begun to hunt at night....Feeling responsible for her neighbors, Dina decides to get involved. Before long, she has to juggle dealing with the annoyingly attractive, ex-military, new neighbor, Sean Evans—an alpha-strain werewolf—and the equally arresting cosmic vampire soldier, Arland, while trying to keep her inn and its guests safe. But the enemy she’s facing is unlike anything she’s ever encountered before. It’s smart, vicious, and lethal, and putting herself between this creature and her neighbors might just cost her everything.

Sweep in Peace
Innkeeper Chronicles 2
NYLA, November 13, 2015
Trade Paperback and eBook, 237 pages

Dina DeMille doesn’t run your typical Bed and Breakfast. Her inn defies laws of physics, her fluffy dog is secretly a monster, and the only paying guest is a former Galactic tyrant with a price on her head. But the inn needs guests to thrive, and guests have been scarce, so when an Arbitrator shows up at Dina's door and asks her to host a peace summit between three warring species, she jumps on the chance.

Unfortunately, for Dina, keeping the peace between Space Vampires, the Hope-Crushing Horde, and the devious Merchants of Baha-char is much easier said than done. On top of keeping her guests from murdering each other, she must find a chef, remodel the inn...and risk everything, even her life, to save the man she might fall in love with. But then it's all in the day's work for an Innkeeper…

One Fell Sweep
Innkeeper Chronicles 3
NYLA, December 20, 2016
Trade Paperback and eBook, 257 pages

DeMille may run the nicest Bed and Breakfast in Red Deer, Texas, but she caters to very particular kind of guest… the kind that no one on Earth is supposed to know about. Guests like a former intergalactic tyrant with an impressive bounty on her head, the Lord Marshal of a powerful vampire clan, and a displaced-and-superhot werewolf; so don’t stand too close, or you may be collateral damage.

But what passes for Dina’s normal life is about to be thrown into chaos. First, she must rescue her long-distant older sister, Maud, who’s been exiled with her family to a planet that functions as the most lawless penal colony since Botany Bay. Then she agrees to help a guest whose last chance at saving his civilization could bring death and disaster to all Dina holds dear. Now Gertrude Hunt is under siege by a clan of assassins. To keep her guests safe and to find her missing parents, Dina will risk everything, even if she has and may have to pay the ultimate price. Though Sean may have something to say about that.

Note:  the Hardcover edition of the Innkeeper Chronicles is out of print.
           Read Sweep of the Blade at Ilona Andrew's blog - here

Operation: Endgame
Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences 6
December 26, 2017
Trade Paperback and eBook, 372 pages

One Final Mission.

There is no time to rest for Eliza D Braun and Wellington Thornhill Books. The man who has haunted and hounded them since the fall of the Maestro—Doctor Henry Jekyll—is now on a killing spree, using bizarre, theatrical murders as a way to taunt their inability to capture him.

Of course, Books and Braun know this is a trap, so it falls on the Ministry's Finest to turn the tables on Jekyll and bring him to justice.

As Wellington and Eliza pursue both man and monster, the House of Usher continue to push forward with Operation: Ragnarök. Agents Bruce Campbell and Brandon D Hill undertake the challenge of stopping the dark society in their tracks, unraveling a mystery that could plunge the world into chaos, despair, and a noticeable lack of Devon Cream Teas.

The Ministry will not let this stand.

Book One	Book Two
Book Three	Book Four

Book Five

Happy New Year! I hope you all had fabulous holidays and are not too busy making New Year's resolutions. My Week in Review fell conveniently on New Year's Day so I thought rather than just reviewing what I had read in the last week (which wasn't likely to be much) I would write a retrospective of my favourite books of 2016. This is no mean feat as a) I have a terrible memory for book names b) nothing jumped out as being especially memorable and c) I have a terrible memory for book names! Due to my commitment to jog my memory I trawled through all my WIRs and found a few reviews and voila I found 10 books/series. So in order of 'favouriteness' here are my fave reads of 2016:


1.  One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews

One of the main reasons for this being my favourite book of 2016 was that I have been reading it over the course of the whole year as it was released a a weekly serial. Looking back at my WIRs I started reading the first chapter early last year (maybe in January) and I mentioned in a number of posts that I was enjoying it. I had the opportunity to review the e-Arc (which I jumped at) and it was even better in it's entirety and after edits/additions. This has been my go-to book when I have been feeling blue and needed a pick me up. Check out my full review here.





2.  Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

I predicted back in April that Sleeping Giants was going to be one of my favourite books of the year and I wasn't wrong. This book is so well written, so innovative and has you gripped all the way through. Written in the form of transcripts I spent most of the novel wondering who the mystery interviewer was. The ending is an 100 volt shocker. This is fantastic sci-fi so get reading it. Read my review here.

UK Edition

3.  City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett

If Bennett has a book out and I have read it, then it's  a guarantee that it will be on my 'best of' list. City of Blades is no exception. City of Stairs (book 1) in the Divine Cities series was one of my favourites so it makes sense that book 2 would be as well. Bennett combines unsympathetic characters that you still feel sympathy for, with a brilliantly executed plot, in an evocatively rich environment. You could read this as a standalone but why miss book 1? Check out what I thought here.

UK Edition

4.  Stiletto by Daniel O'Malley

Four years after O'Malley's fantabulous debut The Rook he was back with Stiletto. Back with the Checquy but starring different characters we, the reader, get a front row seat to the merger of two sworn enemy organisations - The Checquy and the Grafters.  Hold on as it is a roller coaster ride of political maneuvers, deadly attacks and cocktail parties. Find out more by checking out my review.





5.  Dreaming Death by J. Kathleen Cheney

Dreaming Death was a bit of a surprise for me. I thought the plot sounded ok but I was blown away with the characterisation and mostly with the description of the environment. This book was practically a scratch and sniff it was soo descriptive, all without over egging it. The murder mystery played second fiddle to the relationship between the two main characters, who don't even meet in person until much later story. Check out my full review.





6.  Dreaming Cities series by Guy Haley

I couldn't pick just one. Both of the novellas of this series are excellent in their individual way. This is story telling at its very best with the tale of the Knight Quinn told by a third party. Story 1 - The Emperor's Railroad is told in the first person in the form of a young boy's diary whereas book 2 The Ghoul King is more of a confession (or results of coercion). There is a HUGE reveal in book 2 and I can hardly wait for the next instalment. Great books, great covers, get reading!

The Emperor's Railroad review is here
The Ghoul King review is here





7.  Amra Thetys by Michael McClung

I read over a dozen books in the first round of the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off and I nearly lost faith in self published books until I came across McClung's series. I had become disillusioned with the quality of some of the prose so decided to check out the winner from SPFBO 1 which was The Thief That Pulled on Trouble's Braids. It wasn't long before I was buying books 2 and 3. Amra is a great female lead and the mystery keeps you engrossed from page 1 through to the end. My first review is here.





8.  The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire series by Rod Duncan

I came across the final book of this series - The Custodian of Marvels through NetGalley but it was the final in the series so I had to go back an read the previous two books. Duncan has written an engaging steam-punky/fantasy world in which the intrepid Elizabeth Barnabas tries to right a wrong committed long ago while trying to steer clear of the dreaded Patent Office. Read what I thought about the final instalment here.





9.  Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews

It's been awhile since a Kate Daniel's book has hit my fave list. While I enjoy the series overall the last couple of books have been closer to OK than to WOWILOVEDIT. For me, Magic Binds had more to it than Kate getting trampled and left for dead which seemed to be a focal point of the last 2-3 books. There was a real sense that Andrews is ramping things up for the culmination of the over-arching plot which I am looking forward to. As I wrote in my review this book is non stop action which has a purpose other than to see how tough Kate is to kill. I won't be waiting around to buy book 10. Bring it Kate!





10.  The Ghost Rebellion by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris

While Wellington Books holds a secret place in my heart and while this further adventure in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences hits my top 10 I would be wrong to place it any higher than tenth place. I know, I know....how can I be so cruel to dear Books especially when I donated to the Kickstarter campaign that brought this instalment into fruition? I still don't think I have forgiven the authors for what I can only describe as a time travelling transgression in book 4. The Ghost Rebellion is much closer to this series' former glory and I enjoyed the time I spent with characters past and present. Check out what I thought in a bit more detail here.




Apologies to all those books I had to leave out. There were some great ones but I didn't want to stretch it past 10 favourites. Now that I look at my list and my short list (which ran to 13) I was a bit more spoiled for choice than I originally thought.

To everyone that has cast a glance at this post and especially those who follow my Week in Review I wish you the very best for 2017. Let's hope the sad departures from the arts and sciences in 2016 doesn't continue into the new year and that we can find a silver lining in this politically volatile landscape. Until my next WIR Happy Reading.

One Fell Sweep
Innkeeper Chronicles 3
NYLA, December 20, 2016
eBook, 257 pages

DeMille may run the nicest Bed and Breakfast in Red Deer, Texas, but she caters to very particular kind of guest… the kind that no one on Earth is supposed to know about. Guests like a former intergalactic tyrant with an impressive bounty on her head, the Lord Marshal of a powerful vampire clan, and a displaced-and-superhot werewolf; so don’t stand too close, or you may be collateral damage.

But what passes for Dina’s normal life is about to be thrown into chaos. First, she must rescue her long-distant older sister, Maud, who’s been exiled with her family to a planet that functions as the most lawless penal colony since Botany Bay. Then she agrees to help a guest whose last chance at saving his civilization could bring death and disaster to all Dina holds dear. Now Gertrude Hunt is under siege by a clan of assassins. To keep her guests safe and to find her missing parents, Dina will risk everything, even if she has and may have to pay the ultimate price. Though Sean may have something to say about that.

Sleeping Giants
The Themis Files 1
Del Rey, January 24, 2017
Trade Paperback, 336 pages
Hardcover and eBook, April 26, 2016

A page-turning debut in the tradition of Michael Crichton, World War Z, and The Martian, Sleeping Giants is a thriller fueled by an earthshaking mystery—and a fight to control a gargantuan power.

A girl named Rose is riding her new bike near her home in Deadwood, South Dakota, when she falls through the earth. She wakes up at the bottom of a square hole, its walls glowing with intricate carvings. But the firemen who come to save her peer down upon something even stranger: a little girl in the palm of a giant metal hand.

Seventeen years later, the mystery of the bizarre artifact remains unsolved—its origins, architects, and purpose unknown. Its carbon dating defies belief; military reports are redacted; theories are floated, then rejected.

But some can never stop searching for answers.

Rose Franklin is now a highly trained physicist leading a top secret team to crack the hand’s code. And along with her colleagues, she is being interviewed by a nameless interrogator whose power and purview are as enigmatic as the provenance of the relic. What’s clear is that Rose and her compatriots are on the edge of unraveling history’s most perplexing discovery—and figuring out what it portends for humanity. But once the pieces of the puzzle are in place, will the result prove to be an instrument of lasting peace or a weapon of mass destruction?

City of Blades
The Divine Cities 2
Broadway Books, January 26, 2016
Trade Paperback and eBook, 496 pages
(US Edition)

A triumphant return to the world of City of Stairs.

A generation ago, the city of Voortyashtan was the stronghold of the god of war and death, the birthplace of fearsome supernatural sentinels who killed and subjugated millions.

Now, the city’s god is dead. The city itself lies in ruins. And to its new military occupiers, the once-powerful capital is a wasteland of sectarian violence and bloody uprisings.

So it makes perfect sense that General Turyin Mulaghesh— foul-mouthed hero of the battle of Bulikov, rumored war criminal, ally of an embattled Prime Minister—has been exiled there to count down the days until she can draw her pension and be forgotten.

At least, it makes the perfect cover story.

The truth is that the general has been pressed into service one last time, dispatched to investigate a discovery with the potential to change the world–or destroy it.

The trouble is that this old soldier isn’t sure she’s still got what it takes to be the hero.

Stiletto
The Rook Files 2
Little Brown and Company, June 14, 2016
Hardcover and eBook, 592 pages

In this spirited sequel to the acclaimed The Rook, Myfanwy Thomas returns to clinch an alliance between deadly rivals and avert epic -- and slimy -- supernatural war.

When secret organizations are forced to merge after years of enmity and bloodshed, only one person has the fearsome powers---and the bureaucratic finesse---to get the job done. Facing her greatest challenge yet, Rook Myfanwy Thomas must broker a deal between two bitter adversaries:

The Checquy---the centuries-old covert British organization that protects society from supernatural threats, and...

The Grafters---a centuries-old supernatural threat.

But as bizarre attacks sweep London, threatening to sabotage negotiations, old hatreds flare. Surrounded by spies, only the Rook and two women who absolutely hate each other, can seek out the culprits before they trigger a devastating otherworldly war.

Stiletto is a novel of preternatural diplomacy, paranoia, and snide remarks, from an author who "adroitly straddles the thin line between fantasy, thriller, and spoof " (Booklist).

Dreaming Death
Palace of Dreams 1
Roc, February 2, 2016
Trade Paperback and eBook, 432 pages

In the Novels of the Golden City, J. Kathleen Cheney created a “mesmerizing” (Publishers Weekly) realm where magic, history, and intrigue combine. Now, she presents a new world ruled by psychic talents and fatal magic…

Shironne Anjir’s status as a sensitive is both a gift and a curse. Her augmented senses allow her to discover and feel things others can’t, but her talents come with a price: a constant assault of emotions and sensations has left her blind. Determined to use her abilities as best she can, Shironne works tirelessly as an investigator for the Larossan army.

A member of the royal family’s guard, Mikael Lee also possesses an overwhelming power—he dreams of the deaths of others, sometimes in vivid, shocking detail, and sometimes in cryptic fragments and half-remembered images.

But then a killer brings a reign of terror to the city, snuffing out his victims with an arcane and deadly blood magic. Only Shironne can sense and interpret Mikael’s dim, dark dreams of the murders. And what they find together will lead them into a nightmare…

The Emperor's Railroad
A Tale of the Dreaming Cities 1
Tor.com, April 19, 2016
Trade Paperback and eBook, 144 pages

Global war devastated the environment, a zombie-like plague wiped out much of humanity, and civilization as we once understood it came to a standstill. But that was a thousand years ago, and the world is now a very different place.

Conflict between city states is constant, superstition is rife, and machine relics, mutant creatures and resurrected prehistoric beasts trouble the land. Watching over all are the silent Dreaming Cities. Homes of the angels, bastion outposts of heaven on Earth. Or so the church claims. Very few go in, and nobody ever comes out.

Until now…

The Ghoul King
A Tale of the Dreaming Cities 2
Tor.com, July 12, 2016
Trade Paperback and eBook, 160 pages

Quinn returns in THE GHOUL KING, another story of the Dreaming Cities by Guy Haley.

The Knight, Quinn, is down on his luck, and he travels to the very edge of the civilized world – whatever that means, any more – to restock his small but essential inventory.

After fighting a series of gladiatorial bouts against the dead, he finds himself in the employ of a woman on a quest to find the secret to repairing her semi-functional robot.

But the technological secret it guards may be one truth too many…

The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble's Braids
Amra Thetys 1
Ragnarok Publications, September 1, 2016
Trade Paperback and eBook, 298 pages

"They butchered Corbin right out in the street. That’s how it really started. He was a rogue and a thief, of course. But then, so am I. So when he got himself hacked up in front of his house off Silk Street, I decided somebody had to be made to pay. They thought that they could just sweep him away like rubbish. They were wrong."

Amra Thetys is a thief with morals: she won't steal from anybody poorer than she is; of course, anybody that poor generally doesn't have much worth stealing.

When a fellow thief and good friend is killed in a deal gone wrong, Amra turns her back on burglary and goes after something far more precious: revenge. Revenge, however, might be hard to come by. A nightmare assortment of enemies, including an immortal assassin and a mad sorcerer, believe Amra is in possession of The Blade That Whispers Hate—the legendary, powerful artifact her friend was murdered for—and they'll do anything to take it from her.

Trouble is, Amra hasn't got the least clue where the Blade might be. She needs to find the Blade, and soon, or she'll be joining her unfortunate friend in a cold grave rather than avenging his death, and time is running short for the small, scarred thief.

The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble's Braids is the first volume in Michael McClung's Amra Thetys series.

The Custodian of Marvels
The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire 3
Angry Robot Books, February 2, 2016
     Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 368 pages
Angry Robot Books, February 11, 2016 (UK Print)

You’d have to be mad to steal from the feared International Patent Office. But that’s what Elizabeth Barnabus is about to try. A one-time enemy from the circus has persuaded her to attempt a heist that will be the ultimate conjuring trick.

Hidden in the vaults of the Patent Court in London lie secrets that could shake the very pillars of the Gas-Lit Empire. All that stands in Elizabeth’s way are the agents of the Patent Office, a Duke’s private army and the mysterious Custodian of Marvels.

Rod Duncan returns with the climactic volume of The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire, the breathtaking alternate history series that began with the Philip K. Dick Award-nominated The Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter.

File Under: Fantasy [ Time Runs Out | The Duke’s Enemy | Open the Vault | A Union ]

Magic Binds
A Kate Daniels Novel
Ace, September 20, 2016
Hardcover and eBook, 336 pages

Mercenary Kate Daniels knows all too well that magic in post-Shift Atlanta is a dangerous business. But nothing she’s faced could have prepared her for this…

Kate and the former Beast Lord Curran Lennart are finally making their relationship official. But there are some steep obstacles standing in the way of their walk to the altar…

Kate’s father, Roland, has kidnapped the demigod Saiman and is slowly bleeding him dry in his never-ending bid for power. A Witch Oracle has predicted that if Kate marries the man she loves, Atlanta will burn and she will lose him forever. And the only person Kate can ask for help is long dead.

The odds are impossible. The future is grim.  But Kate Daniels has never been one to play by the rules…

The Ghost Rebellion
The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences 5
ImagineThat! Studios, June 17, 2016
Trade Paperback and eBook, pages

From authors Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris, the award winning steampunk series continues...

The chase is on! After rescuing Queen Victoria from the clutches of the Maestro, Agents Eliza D Braun and Wellington Books are in hot pursuit of Dr Henry Jekyll. While he continues his experiments on the aristocracy of Europe, he leaves a trail of chaos and despair in his wake. However when Eliza and Wellington run him to ground in India, they are forced to come face to face with ghosts from the past, and the realities of empire.

Meanwhile Ministry agents Brandon Hill and Bruce Campbell travel deep into Russia hunting down a rare ingredient to save Queen Victoria's life. Amid the cold they uncover a threat from the revitalized House of Usher that comes directly from their new Chairman.

All in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences will find their allegiances in question, and their mettle tested as a new dastardly era of international intrigue dawns.

Happy Thanksgiving fellow Canadians. I hope you are having a great long weekend full of autumnal leaves and pumpkin pie. I love pumpkin pie and I'm so very jealous that I am missing out. Anyway, enough of pie, what did I read?


I started the week with The Curse of the Silver Pharaoh by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris which is the first in the Verity Fitzroy and The Ministry Seven series. This series focuses on the band of ragamuffin street children that have helped Agents Books and Braun in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series. This first book is set before my favourite Ministry agents, before the House of Usher wreak havoc on the world but danger is still afoot. With the help of Agent Thorne three of the Seven go undercover in Delancy Academy - a school for the gifted to uncover the mystery as to why an eminent Egyptologist was kidnapped from the British Museum. What they find however, is an ancient curse and a lot of dead bodies. It's up to these intrepid youngster to save the day.

As the title suggests the story is told from young Verity Fitzroy's point of you. Verity joined the Seven after her parents died in a fire that left her without anyone to care for her. She wants answer to their deaths and is determined that solving the mystery of the Silver Pharaoh will lead her to those answers. Gifted with mechanical gadgetry young Verity fits right into the Academy but her skills lead her directly into the path of danger. Will she survive to solve the mystery and protect her fellow miniature agents?  I will let you find that out for yourself.

As much as I enjoy the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences I have, to date, avoided reading any of the stories from the Archives as I generally don't enjoy prequels but I thought I would make an exception this time. I did feel a bit sad in a particular scene with Agent Thorne and my favourite colonial pepperpot. This would be an excellent book for younger readers as it has good mystery and great characters.


Book 2 was one I received from NetGalley - The Cogsmith's Daughter by Kate M. Colby. This is the first in the Desertera series. This story is set in a post-apocalyptic world where water is scarce and everyone struggles apart from the King and the aristocracy. Aya Cogsmith's father was executed for treason and she was forced to become a prostitute in order to survive. When the opportunity presents itself to avenge her father Aya jumps at the chance to bring down a king and her father's killer.

I thought that this sounded like a gritty tale of survival and revenge in a post apoc setting. I was however, left really disappointed. The plot and characters lacked depth and credibility. Desertera is set around a derelict cruise ship and governed by a King whose 9 wives were executed when they broke by the law by committing adultery. No one seemed to think it was odd that within months the new Queen is accused of having an affair (times 9!!!). Aya is to take part in a 'honey trap' to catch the King out but manages to find love along the way (after 1 meeting). Getting revenge for her father and the ruination of her life plays second fiddle to Aya's love life it seemed. In my opinion Colby should have set the romance to one side and focused on creating characters with depth and conviction. I appreciate that this is her first novel but I felt that The Cogsmith's Daughter was weak in characterisation and in the credibility of the plot.


That is it for me this week. I have a few more books on my TBR so fingers crossed I get through them. I am not reading as many as I had thought I would and I am still waiting for 'the' book to jump out at me. Until next Happy Reading!

The Curse of the Silver Pharaoh
Verity Fitzroy and the Ministry Seven 1
Imagine That! Studios, September 30, 2016
eBook, 217 pages

While Verity Fitzroy loses herself in magical mechanizations and fantastical science of London, she harbours secrets of the death of her parents, of a mystery she can't leave alone, and of her power over machinery that both excites and terrifies her. Verity is part of the Ministry Seven, street orphans that work for Agent Harrison Thorne of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. Under his guidance, a whole new adventure begins for them all, investigating the strange, the unusual, and the bizarre.

When an Egyptologist from the British Museum is kidnapped, the only clue leads to the Delancy Academy, an elite school for gifted, young scientists. Now the Seven are called upon to go where Ministry agents cannot, and within the school Verity uncovers an ancient evil that could herald the end of the world.

The Seven set down a dangerous path of intrigue, mystery, and murder; and find that ancient curses are especially difficult to contend with when you have Chemistry assignments due the next day.

From the creators of the award-winning steampunk series comes a new adventure set in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences universe.

The Cogsmith's Daughter
Desertera 1
Boxthorn Press, October 15, 2015
Trade Paperback and eBook, 302 pages

In a desert wasteland, one king rules with absolute power and unquenchable lust, until the cogsmith’s daughter risks everything for vengeance.

Two-hundred years ago, the steam-powered world experienced an apocalyptic flood. When the waters dried up, the survivors settled around their steamship in a wasteland they named Desertera. Believing the flood and drought were caused by a scorned goddess, the monarchs demanded execution for anyone who commits the unforgivable sin—adultery.

Today, King Archon entraps his wives in the crime of adultery, executing each boring bride to pursue his next infatuation. Most nobles overlook King Archon’s behavior, but when Lord Varick’s daughter falls victim to the king’s schemes, he vows revenge.

When Aya Cogsmith was a young girl, King Archon had her father executed for treason. Orphaned and forced to turn to prostitution for survival, Aya dreams of avenging her father’s death. When Lord Varick approaches Aya with plans for vengeance, she agrees to play the king’s seductress—even though it puts her at risk for execution.

Packed with high-society intrigue, dappled with seduction, and driven by revenge, The Cogsmith’s Daughter is a steampunk fantasy novel with the perfect mixture of conspiracy and romance.

Join Aya's quest for vengeance. Buy The Cogsmith's Daughter today.

The Ghost Rebellion
Authors:  Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris
Series:  The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences 5
Publisher:  ImagineThat! Studios, June 17, 2016
Format:  Trade Paperback and eBook, pages
List Price:   (print);  $4.99 (eBook)
ISBN:   (print); 2940153037912(eBook)

From authors Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris, the award winning steampunk series continues...

The chase is on! After rescuing Queen Victoria from the clutches of the Maestro, Agents Eliza D Braun and Wellington Books are in hot pursuit of Dr Henry Jekyll. While he continues his experiments on the aristocracy of Europe, he leaves a trail of chaos and despair in his wake. However when Eliza and Wellington run him to ground in India, they are forced to come face to face with ghosts from the past, and the realities of empire.

Meanwhile Ministry agents Brandon Hill and Bruce Campbell travel deep into Russia hunting down a rare ingredient to save Queen Victoria's life. Amid the cold they uncover a threat from the revitalized House of Usher that comes directly from their new Chairman.

All in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences will find their allegiances in question, and their mettle tested as a new dastardly era of international intrigue dawns.

Melanie's Thoughts

They're back!  My favourite archivist and colonial pepperpot are back for another great adventure. In the aftermath of the events of book 4 The Diamond Conspiracy and the Queen's Jubliee the Ministry agents find themselves in India trying to find the elusive villain Dr. Henry Jekyll. What they find is  much more than just the evil scientist. Books and Braun join the Ministry agents in the Indian office to thwart attempts of revolutionists from attacking the British. The story is set roughly at the same time when India starts taking action to kick the British out of the country and out of the Empire.  The authors use this as the perfect backdrop for this steampunk plot.

The final two instalments of this series are self-published and funded through a very successful Kickstarter campaign. I was rather surprised that the publisher had funded only the first four books and ended the series with The Diamond Conspiracy. While I adored books 1-3 I did not enjoy book 4 as in my opinion  the mix of another fictional character and use of time travel did not work for me and diminished the power of these characters. The Ghost Rebellion however, was a return to everything I love about the series - a lot of interaction between Books and Braun, a mystery I didn't guess before the end and the tantalisingly evil, Sophie del Morte. Jekyll and the House of Usher were very much in the background for me despite that they were pivotal to the plot. I just loved the good guys (well and the not so good gal) and all their cool steampunky gadgetry to give Jekyll much notice

Books and Braun aren't the only characters that are back as we are re-introduced to the Aussie alpha male Bruce Campbell and the (fellow) Canadian agent Brandon Hill. There are POV chapters with Bruce as this unlikely duo are sent on almost a perilous mission to Russia in search of the cure for a disease inflicting the Queen. They had an adventure that tested both of them and almost became their last ever. I hadn't really liked Bruce until this novel. I really enjoyed these two characters working together. They are the original odd couple with his love of women and Brandon with his love of good digestion. As much as I love Books and Braun and their interaction it was Sophie del Morte that stole the book for me. The authors gave us a bit of Sophie the person rather than just Sophie the assassin. Some of her inner dialogue is very amusing especially when she is around Eliza and I thought she really grew as a character.

There are a lot of snippets and events that I would love to share with you but I would end up re-counting nearly the whole book. I really enjoyed this novel and looking forward to the final instalment. I am really glad that Ballantine and Morris made the decision to self publish these final two books. This was well worth the pledge in Kickstarter campaign and I would gladly donate again. Another great book for this fantastic writing duo.

Happy May bank holiday!  I hope you are having a great holiday.  I am looking forward to watching the rain out the living room window. Unlike. At least it will give me some time to read which I haven't had a lot of lately. This is going to be short and sweet this week as I can only really tell you about 1 book this week. What did I read?


 I decided it was time to finish the Dragon Blood series by Lindsay Buroker with Soulblade. When we left the 'gang' Ridge's plane had crash landed and everyone thinks he is dead. Despite the fact that the evil dragon Morishtomaric is dead the Cofah still want revenge. King Angulus decides to send Tolemek, Cas and a few others to kidnap the Cofah king while Sardelle heads off with her very own dragon to search for Ridge. Will they find Ridge? Will Cofah succeed? Will everyone live happily ever after? I won't tell so you will have to read it to find out for yourself.

I started this series thinking it was OK but this turned to boredom and dissatisfaction at the syrupy dialogue and lack of real action. Soulblade was an improvement to the previous two instalments but it was still fairly tame as far as action or intrigue goes. There was lots of time for romance and characters pairing up along the way to saving the kingdom. While I am glad that the series is finished it wasn't a total waste of time. These were quick and easy reads and I did enjoy the first two books of the series. It's just unfortunate that Buroker couldn't keep the tension for the whole series.


I did read a second book this week - The Ghost Rebellion by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris. This is the 5th book of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series and its creation was funded through Kickstarter. I am writing a full review of this book in time for its release so you are going to have to wait to find out what I thought.


For those of you who aren't reading Ilona Andrew's Innkeeper Chronicles series get yourself to their Innkeeper website poste-haste. Their third instalment 'rocks'. Dina the innkeeper is soon to surpass my previous favourite Kate Daniels. I am loving every chapter and I can hardly wait for each new chapter to be released. Luckily with this series the chapters are released fairly regularly. A whole week however, does seem like a long time. I can hardly wait until the full story is released.


Well folks, that is it for me this week. Sorry it is so short but I hope to have more for you next week. Until then have a great week and Happy Reading.

Soulblade
Dragon Blood 7
December 2015
Trade Paperback and eBook, 381 pages

It’s been a week since the dragon Morishtomaric fell, and Sardelle is not convinced that Ridge is truly gone. With a companion who thinks he’s a god and a soldier who would happily kill her, she heads back to the mountains to look for signs that Ridge survived. What they uncover threatens to destroy their country and all they care about.

Meanwhile, the Cofah emperor is furious with Iskandia over the loss of its airships and still has a bounty on Tolemek’s head. King Angulus sends Tolemek, Cas, and Kaika on a daring mission that could solve both problems… or leave them all dead.

The Diamond Conspiracy
Author:  Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris
Series:  The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences 4
Publisher:  Ace, March 31, 2015
Format:  Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 368 pages
List Price:  $7.99  (print)
ISBN:  9780425267325 (print)
Review Copy:  Provided by the Publisher

For years, the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences has enjoyed the favor of Her Majesty the Queen. But even the oldest loyalties can turn in a moment…

Having narrowly escaped the electrifying machinations of Thomas Edison, Books and Braun are looking forward to a relaxing and possibly romantic voyage home. But when Braun’s emergency signal goes off, all thoughts of recreation vanish. Braun’s street-wise team of child informants, the Ministry Seven, is in grave peril, and Books and Braun must return to England immediately.

But when the intrepid agents finally arrive in London, the situation is even more dire than they imagined. The Ministry has been disavowed, and the Department of Imperial Inconveniences has been called in to decommission its agents in a most deadly fashion. The plan reeks of the Maestro’s dastardly scheming. Only, this time, he has a dangerous new ally—a duplicitous doctor whose pernicious poisons have infected the highest levels of society, reaching even the Queen herself…

Melanie's Thoughts

Book four of The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series The Diamond Conspiracy starts not long after my favourite heroes escape certain death in Dawns Early Light. For those of you who have been following the series will remember that the two agents had come to a 'romantic understanding' in book 3 and this instalment starts with Books and Braun getting to know each other a bit more intimately. However, it’s all bad news back in London. Braun's band of street urchins, The Ministry of Seven are about to come very close to their last ever mission. In the midst of a normal snatch 'n' grab one of the seven is captured by an evil doctor. It's not long before Books and Braun are summoned back to London, determined to find the missing child. They however, discover something far more fiendishly evil is in play with the Ministry in ruins, it’s agents on the run from the Department of Imperial Inconveniences and The Maestro about to take the entire empire on behalf the Queen. It’s all hands on deck to save the Ministry and themselves from whatever nefarious plans The Maestro has up his sleeve.

Everything was turned on its head in The Diamond Conspiracy with the Ministry agents being hunted down by the Department of Imperial Inconveniences. It made for a rather exciting twist in the story and introduces or re-introduces us to more of the Ministry's agents. The writing duo of Ballantine and Morris felt the need to emphasize the horror of what was happening to the agents by describing the horrific murder of one of my favourite Ministry agents from the Ministry Protocols short stories not once, but twice.  I enjoyed the return of awesome Aussie, agent Bruce Campbell even though I wasn't that fond of him in the previous books. I think I liked him so much more because he was almost handed his butt on more than one occasion by one of the Department's more dedicated female agents, Beatrice Muldoon. The chapters involving Ministry's female enemies were some of my favourites. Beatrice was an excellent adversary but she didn't hold a candle to Sophia Del Morte. Sophia found that the Maestro and Dr. Hyde had gone one step too far in their evil plans so in order to save her own very attractive but evil bacon she takes the most unpredictable course of action.  To tell more would be too spoilery!

The Diamond Conspiracy could have just as easily been called 'the big reveals'. Ballantine and Morris serve up a plethora of uncovered secrets. Books' learns more about his father when he returns to his childhood home. What he discovers is far worse than he ever imagined. I wasn't totally surprised but thought there were a few good twists in store for my favourite character.  One of the biggest reveals was the  mystery surrounding Dr. Sound and the 'the Restricted Area' that had me silently shouting 'nnnoooooooooooooooo'. I felt let down that Ballantine and Morris decided to use other people, both real and fictional, as plot points.

I absolutely love this series. I love the characters (especially Books), I love the setting, the steampunkiness and the secrets and intrigue are second to none. Why is it in book number 4 where everything is ripe for maximum enjoyment that I have to say....and I can barely type it ...that I was disappointed? I felt let down by the crossover of other characters. Ballantine and Morris are so imaginative, not just in this series but in all their others and I think this is why I was so disappointed. I will say that despite my disappointment this is still a good book, a fantastic series and check out the cracking cover. Love it! I wouldn't want anyone to miss out on any of the adventures of Books and Braun so if you haven't indulged I suggest you start at the beginning with Phoenix Rising.

Hello everyone! I hope you have all had good weeks. Mine was OK. It was the hubinator's birthday on Thursday and I am super worn out by having to agree with everything he said and did all day! That birthday rule is fairly tiring to follow. It is much more fun when it's my birthday and he has to think everything I do and say is wonderful :) I had a mildly successful week in reading but the big exciting news is that the lovely Qwill sent me an ARC of the newest Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences - The Diamond Conspiracy by Tee Morris and Philippa Ballantine. I am beyond SUPER DOUPER excited!!!!! Wellington Books here I come!

 I discovered that the latest in the Dragon Blood series by Lindsay Buroker had been released. This instalment starts immediately after Blood Charged where our band of misfits almost got blown up trying to defeat the Cofah scientists. Each of the novels has centred on one of the two couples - Ridge and Sardelle or Cas and Tolemek. This time it was ex-pirate/mad scientist Tolemek and teeny tiny gun toting soldier Cas. They are continuing the search for Tolemek's sister which they think will also lead them to the source of the dragon blood the Cofah were using to fuel weapons. Their search leads them on a trek through the jungle, attacks by a number of different baddies, a life threatening disease and of course, a dragon. I thought this instalment was just OK. It was a bit dull in parts but overall quite easy to read with characters that are neither that challenging or offensive.

I did it! I finished Ministry Protocol which is an anthology based in the world of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. I considered this as part of my training for The Diamond Conspiracy. Of course, I liked the stories that featured my fictional beau - Wellington Books. I think my favourite was The Trouble with Phoenixes by Jared Axelrod. In this short story Books mis-directs his frenemy from R&D - Agent Axelrod - when he asks for advice about where to take Agent Braun on a date. Very naughty of Books but very fun to read. I also really enjoyed Delilah Dawson's Our Lady of Monsters which takes us to Paris to a bakery owned by the agent in waiting  - Annie Marie. The agent-cum croissant crafter is excited to discover that the Agency has finally brought her into active service....but have they? Well I won't tell. I think the biggest surprise, mainly because it was quite sad was The Clockwork Samurai. This story involved the antipodean agent Bruce Campbell on the case to save a young boy from the House of Usher but the story is really told from the samurai Kuro's perspective. This story involves a number of elements from the samurai code of honour to a duel to the death. It was enjoyable but as I said quite a sad ending.

I am currently reading Year of the Dragon by Steve Bein. I am only about 30% of the way through this book so far it is just as enjoyable as Daughter of the Sword. I will have more to tell you about this book next week so until then Happy Reading.

First week back to work and back to big long commutes. While all memory of my nice long break is over I did manage to read a couple of excellent books. So what did I read?

I started the week with a present from my friend Richard - The Masked Empire by Patrick Weekes. This is one of a series of books based on the Dragon Age series (video game). This particular book is set in the Kingdom of Orlais in the court of Empress Celene. Orlais is a country of wealth where the nobles wear masks and play deadly political games. Celene has ruled the kingdom since she was a young girl and her constant companion (and lover) is the elf Briala. When an elven uprising threatens the peace  in Orlais Celene rides in with her guards to administer swift justice. What she doesn't realise is that the Grand Duke Gaspard has set a very careful trap for Celene so that he can gain the throne himself. The game is afoot!

While this story is set within the world of the Dragon Age series this book is self contained and would be suitable even for those who aren't familiar with either the characters or the environment. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and thought the plot was well crafted and didn't rely on previous knowledge of Orlais or its history/politics.

My second book this week was one I received from the lovely people at Solaris via NetGalley - Cannonbridge by Jonathan Barnes. Dr. Toby Judd's life is about the change whether he wants it to or not. Judd decides to make a stand and declare that the prodigious author Matthew Cannonbridge is a fake. This declaration, so close to the bicentenary celebration of Cannonbridge's most famous works sets off a deadly chain of events. The story moves quickly between Toby in present day and Cannonbridge's life as he meets almost every famous literary character from Byron and Shelley, to Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde. Cannonbridge is a mystery indeed as the saviour to some and the downfall of others, he never changes and never grows old. Can Toby discover the truth before its too late?

Cannonbridge is an excellent book. I have to warn you though that housework or homework won't get done the minute you start this book. It definitely falls into the 'can't put down' category. I was never quite sure what was going to happen and couldn't help but cheer Toby on even though he was rather pathetic. Cannonbridge was a complete mystery and darkness personified. This book will be released by Solaris on the February 10th and I can't urge you enough to pre-order it now.

I discovered via Facebook that there was a new of Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences anthology - Ministry Protocol.  Needless to say I quickly downloaded it.. I have only read a few short stories so far as you can only have so much fun at once! I particularly enjoyed the contribution by Karina Cooper. More to come over the next few weeks.


Continuing on the short story/novella theme I downloaded the The Curious Case of the Clockwork Menace by Bec McMaster. This is a mini mystery from the London Steampunk series. The Nighthawks Gareth and Perry are involved in the case of the missing actress. This story is set immediately before these two characters full length novel Forged by Desire and is a bit of a teaser for the romance to come. I thought the story was OK but McMaster made a big point about one of the plot items and then seemed to forget about it towards the end. I also thought the cover, including the model, was too similar to the latest books in Karina Cooper's Cherry St. Croix series but that is just me being a book cover snob.

That is it for me for this week. I have been buying books recently so I hope to have a few more updates to tell about next week. Until then Happy Reading.

Dawn's Early Light by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris

I absolutely love the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series and Dawn's Early Light was another fantastic instalment in this series. My favourite agents - Books and Braun - find themselves across the pond and joining fellow agents from the Office of the Supernatural and Metaphysical to stop the dastardly Thomas Edison and the evil House of Usher. This book (and series) has the perfect balance of action, character development and steampunky coolness. I also have a secret crush on Books so enjoy everything and anything to do with my favourite hero. (See Melanie's Review here.)



Gemsigns by Stephanie Saulter

Gemsigns was one of those big surprise books for me in 2014. I wasn't expecting to like it quite as much as I did. Saulter writes very convincing science fiction with likeable heroes and baddies who you aren't sure are going to get caught which makes it all the more gripping. This book is so well written and chapters that explain the 'science' are exceptional. It's hard to believe that this is Saulter's debut novel. (See Melanie's Review here.)




Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews

Magic Breaks is the 7th in the Kate Daniels series and Andrews made a very brave decision. The authors' change the format and make some very bold decisions for their characters. I have enjoyed this series and some books are stronger than others but this one stands out for me not just for how it is written but for what happens to the characters. Kate is one of my favourite heroines and can hardly wait to find out what happens next. (See Melanie's Review here.)