Not feeling well over the past couple of weeks, I have been doing a lot of reading.
Kasserine Pass by Martin Blumenson tells the story of the epic WW2 battle in North Africa. Unfortunately, it could have used some maps and a brief list of people appearing in the book with a brief synopsis of who they are and what they do. It was sort of confusing, and in some cases, the author does not even give the first names or nationalities of some of the important leaders of the battle. Perhaps because it was written many years ago, the author assumed the names and places would be familiar to his readers.
Dearly Beloved is an historical romance by Mary Jo Putney. Now then, I love some of her historical romances - River of Fire, Shattered Rainbows, and One Perfect Rose are among my all time favorites Regencies. But this book was a little too grim for my tastes. The fact that the hero rapes a very young virgin in the opening chapter was a big turn off. The fact that this isn't even the darkest thing in his life was an even bigger turn off. I kept hoping that the heroine would find a nicer guy...
Taming the Heiress by Susan King was a nice surprise. As far as I know, I have not read anything else by this author, so wasn't sure what to expect. As it turns out, I liked both the hero and the heroine, as well as the Scottish legends and setting that are a part of their story. The heroine is more than a little annoyingly stubborn about a lifesaving lighthouse being built, but she does eventually come to her senses.
Murder is a Girl's Best Friend by Amanda Metetsky is the second book in the Paige Turner Mystery Series. The book is set in New York City in the 1950's. Both the glamour and the horror (if you are female or African American and therefore subject to second class status) are shown. Paige Turner works for a True Crime sort of tabloid. While she is probably the brightest person in the office, as the only female she is subject to sexual discrimination and harassment. Because of her job, an army buddy of her deceased husband asks her to investigate the murder of his sister, and to find out how the sister got thousands of dollars worth of diamonds in her apartment. Paige is spunky and the book is a lot of fun. If I run into the other books in this series, I will gladly read them.
Holiday Are Hell is a collection of four novellas by four different authors.
Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel is by Kim Harrison, and part of her Hollows urban fantasy series. This is a well written back story of Rachel Morgan, a young witch, and one of the three main characters of the series. her dream is to become an officer of the supernatural police force like her deceased father. But she is a bit too young, and still recuperating from a near fatal disease. Her older brother promises to sign the permission papers if she can cast an advanced spell. What happens when Rachel tries the spell is unexpected, and leads to all sorts of problems.
Run, Run Rudolph by Lynsay Sands is a light hearted and funny novella about a woman who suddenly gains the ability to shape change, and the mad scientist who is determined to capture her for study. Helping her out is her big crush, a sexy local businessman.
Six by Marjorie M. Liu is the story of a Chinese government agent who must join forces with a necromancer to fight vampires. I wasn't too sure about his one - or its message that good sex with a near stranger is something worth holding onto life to get.
The Harvest by Vicki Petersson is part of her Zodiac urban fantasy series. This one did not do much for me, as I did not particularly like the main character or the world - an alternate Earth where super heroes fight on the part of good or evil. But I know that I probably would not like the series, so am spared a bit of time and/or money in reading the full length books.
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