Voyager by Diana Gabaldon

Series: Outlander #3
870 p.
Publisher: Delta
Published: 12, 1, 1993
Source: TBR pile

From the author of the breathtaking bestsellers Outlander and Dragonfly in Amber, the extraordinary saga continues. 

Their passionate encounter happened long ago by whatever measurement Claire Randall took. Two decades before, she had traveled back in time and into the arms of a gallant eighteenth-century Scot named Jamie Fraser. Then she returned to her own century to bear his child, believing him dead in the tragic battle of Culloden. Yet his memory has never lessened its hold on her... and her body still cries out for him in her dreams. 

Then Claire discovers that Jamie survived. Torn between returning to him and staying with their daughter in her own era, Claire must choose her destiny. And as time and space come full circle, she must find the courage to face the passion and pain awaiting her...the deadly intrigues raging in a divided Scotland... and the daring voyage into the dark unknown that can reunite or forever doom her timeless love.

My thoughts:

I have absolutely loved the first book. I will recommend that book to everyone. I had a lukewarm feeling with the second book but still liked it despite the plot holes. Um... this one. Well, let me say it took me FOREVER to finish the book and even when I liked it more toward the end I was sort of tired of it but refused to not finish it. Now don't let me discourage you as I was in a bit of a reading slump and I also suspect that this played a part in how I felt. So, do take what I have to say with that in mind.

THIS WILL HAVE SPOILERS as I didn't know how else to talk about it. Knowing this, and you are okay with it proceed... otherwise skip to the last paragraph.

I was giddy trying to figure out how Claire and Jamie would get back together. You go from what they figured out happened to Jamie and then you get details of that in the past. Everything was a bit slow but all worked for me. Then they got back together and I thought it would really take off from there. The action didn't quite work for me, but I cannot say it was slow. Suddenly our Jaime who lives by his moral code has no problems becoming a smuggler which would be fine if there was no other choice to feed his family and tenants. However, even though this was suggested, it really didn't quite make it no other choice for me. It was still a minor niggle for me however.

Skipping to them going back to Lallybroch and this is where I have my biggest problem. In fact I almost stopped reading it. Here is the big spoiler: He married Laoghaire! Okay, I would actually have understood if he slept with her because he was lonely and grieving and she was still after him... but married? Um... no. This makes no sense to me even with the weak explanations given as to why. It would have made more sense that he was like a father to her girls because they needed someone rather than marrying Laoghaire. This does not make sense with the Jaimie we knew in the last 2 books. Besides he couldn't even stand the sight of her previous to Culloden. Even if he didn't know how she tried to have Claire killed, he knew she had a hand in making her life miserable (and I don't buy that he didn't have a clue that she tried to kill Claire since he acted otherwise). How he handles it is even worse and I was upset at how easily Claire forgives him. *sigh*

Things proceeded from there and started settling me down. However, the plot holes didn't end for me and when they were in Jamaica some of the characters they introduced were quite interesting but just didn't get as fleshed out as I would have liked. How they suddenly fit into the scheme of things became too convenient and the reintroduction of a character we thought was dead just didn't quite make sense either. This part wasn't horrible but it just felt like a plot twist that was just didn't quite work for me. Also things ended in a much too easy manner but I will say at least it felt complete despite the cliffie-like ending.

I give this book 2 stars. I will continue with the series as I didn't hate the ending and even though I didn't love how the characters were portrayed, it felt like it was trying to get back on track to what I previously enjoyed about the series.

A Darkly Beating Heart by Lindsay Smith

Standalone
272 p.
Publisher: Roaring Book Press
Published: 10/25/16
Source: NetGalley and publisher for review

A time-travel story that alternates between modern day and 19th century Japan as one girl confronts the darkness lurking in her soul. 

No one knows what to do with Reiko. She is full of hatred. All she can think about is how to best hurt herself and the people closest to her. After a failed suicide attempt, Reiko’s parents send her from their Seattle home to spend the summer with family in Japan to learn to control her emotions. But while visiting Kuramagi, a historic village preserved to reflect the nineteenth-century Edo period, Reiko finds herself slipping back in time into the life of Miyu, a young woman even more bent on revenge than Reiko herself. Reiko loves being Miyu, until she discovers the secret of Kuramagi village, and must face down Miyu’s demons as well as her own.

My thoughts:

This one sounded perfect for the season. And it is also from a prospective we rarely get in YA. This one travels from contemporary Japan and 19th c. Japan. This also has the bisexual aspect that factors in a big way here as it becomes Reiko, our main character, primary reason and justification in what she does in the story. I think the cultural aspects and also the bisexual aspect of the story were handled well and with some sensitivity.

As much as I loved the setting and background of our main character, I didn't really like her until the end. Granted you really weren't supposed to but instead of feeling her rage, she felt like a spoiled brat that railed against perceived wrongs done to her. I don't know if she was really justified in her feelings since I couldn't get beyond her idea of vengeance.

The story does involve a spirit trying to take over Reiko in the present trying to wreck havoc on all those surrounding her. She also travels back into this spirit's time period and finds someone not unlike her who ends up trying to relive her bloody vengeance. At one point neither Reiko or the reader knows where one ends and the other begins and this is where she is forced to either complete the spirit's mission or find it within herself to find herself and who she wants to be in life. What I found frustrating with this part is that she knew it was history, talked about going to find out what happened and then never followed through. I so wanted to shake her at times and couldn't wait for her to wise up and figure things out like you already knew she... well... knew!

The ending was a bit too easy and a bit quick for the buildup but it was complete. She even looked at her other relationships and figured out where she fit in the most important ones. We also finally find out what she really did in her relationship that started her on this path.

I give this book 3 stars. I like the worldbuilding and the aspects of the characters. While I had problems with Reiko's character, she did grow and I did like that aspect. Things were too easily wrapped up but were complete. I think this ends up evening out the book and is a good book for the October season.

Rendezvous with Yesterday by Dianne Duvall

Series: The Gifted Ones #2
Offshoot series from: Immortal Guardians
406 p.
Published: 10/17/16
Source: From author for review
On sale as of this writing: $4.99 ebook

Modern-day bounty hunter Bethany Bennett helps her brother track two fugitives to a forest outside of Houston, Texas. But what should have been a routine apprehension of two bail skippers spirals out of control and ends in violence. After Beth and her brother are both seriously injured, a mysterious figure suddenly looms over her. And, when the smoke clears, Beth finds herself not only in another place, but in another time. 

As Lord Robert, Earl of Fosterly, attempts to identify and track down the nameless enemy who has been plaguing his lands and people with violence, the most peculiar woman stumbles into his path. Small, vulnerable, yet possessed of a bold, fiery spirit and wicked sense of humor, she persists in dubbing Robert and his men members of something called a medieval reenactment group . . . until she sees his castle and labels herself mad. It seems bounty hunter Bethany Bennett has come to him from the future, bringing with her laughter and chaos, swiftly winning the hearts of his people and inspiring within him a love he thought he would never experience again. But when Robert discovers a way for her to return to her time, will the love they share be enough to keep them together?

My thoughts:

I don't know what it is about time travel, but I usually find those kind of stories enjoyable even if they aren't successful. However, this one is quite successful and had me smiling quite a bit while reading it.

Bethany finds herself thrust backward in time to meet the Earl of Fosterly, Robert who we met in the last book. I really liked Robert so I was happy to get his story. Plus, the man is quite swoony! He is a gentleman to Bethany in every way and also very honest and forthcoming. I really enjoyed his character even more in this book. He is a hero to his people and is also a good leader who cares deeply about everything he does. He strives to keep his lands safe and despite the medieval upbringing he is accommodating to the independent strange lass who comes across his path. Yea, you can safely say I really loved this character. :) Even those who love a bad boy will enjoy this character as he is fierce in protecting those he loves and his people.

Bethany is no shrinking violet, but she is quite innocent in much of life experiences. She has had to endure a few things in life that had made her grow up and she seems fearless. She does get scared quite often but she doesn't let it stop her and there is such strength in forging ahead despite being thrust into a world so foreign to her. Her strength feels real and also feels like someone learning about life in general. She is such a likable character and both feel right together in their romance.

The sexy scenes are quite balanced. In that I mean that they are quite hot but do not overwhelm the story. My favorite parts are actually shocking everyone by Beth hugging Robert and kissing him in public in a time where that wasn't allowed, even with married people. Robert's response to this unusual behavior was perfect and made me swoon a bit more. They were such a good couple together.

I give this book 4 1/2 stars. I really loved the romance within this one and it also held quite a bit of humor. You will smile, swoon and have a lot of fun with this addition to the series. The time travel was handled quite well and there is a scene that was cut added to the addendum at the end. I suggest you read that and if you didn't already want to read the Immortal Guardians, you will after that excerpt. I understand why it was cut, but it makes such a good case to read the other series. And speaking of which... you do not have to read that series to enjoy this one, but I do highly suggest you do for your own reading enjoyment. :D

Bloggy Note: I was a mention in the book! Whee! This is from my review of the first book, A Sorceress of His Own (review linked) which I did on audio and loved.

ALSO, currently there is a giveaway going on with the release of the book. You can access the blog post below to enter to win various prizes. Do check it out. Excerpts on the page as well. You can also access it from the left sidebar where I keep notices of all giveaways on this blog.

Click on above pic to go to post for excerpt and giveaway!
~~~~~~~~~~~
Go HERE to go to the release day blast of Rendezvous with Yesterday by Dianne Duvall w/giveaway!

Waylaid by Kim Harrison with Giveaway!

Series: Hollows/Peri Reed mash up
Publisher: Pocket Star
Published: 4/4/16
Source: NetGalley and publisher for review
Addendum: Will be $.99 in ebook

Worlds collide when Rachel Morgan of The Hollows meets Peri Reed of The Drafter in this exciting new short story from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison. 

The paranormal and the futuristic meet in this thrilling novella featuring your favorite badass heroines from two of “the amazingly gifted” (RT Book Reviews) Kim Harrison’s most beloved series: the Hollows and the Peri Reed Chronicles. The magic of the Hollows runs full force into the technological sophistication of The Drafter when a device capable of carrying a city’s data stream pulls Rachel, the bounty hunter witch of the Hollows, between realities, marooning her in a world where the supernatural holds no sway. To get Rachel and Jenks home, Peri, the dangerous renegade of 2030, must decide what will chart her future: her blind trust in those who grant her power, or her intuition telling her to believe.

My thoughts:

I had only read the first book in the Hollows series and the first book in the Peri Reed Chronicles series. That was enough to get into the enjoyment in this series. If you have only read one or the other, I think it is a good way to introduce you to the series you haven't read.

In this one it is set in Peri's world and Rachel is thrown into it by a mistake. It does seem to blend the worlds together as if one was set in an alternate universe and timeline from the other. This does make things make more sense and we do have some basic things in common including magic and science. We only have a small adventure with both characters told in Peri's POV. It is complete and not an absolute necessity in either series but just something to enjoy. It is like hoping unlikely characters would come together in a different series and wanting to see what happens. It's just all in fun.

I give this novella 3 stars. It is a great way to introduce yourself into the world and characters of the other. Now I know I need to start catching up in the Hollow's universe.

The paperback book of The Drafter (Peri Reed Chronicles #1) just came out and I have one to giveaway! It also includes the novella, Sideswiped which most people said helps introduce the world (my Review for both books). To enter, just fill out the rafflecopter form below. US only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

Series: Outlander #2
947 p.
Publisher: Bantam Dell
Published: 8/7/01
Source: TBR pile

With her now-classic novel Outlander, Diana Gabaldon introduced two unforgettable characters — Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser—delighting readers with a story of adventure and love that spanned two centuries. Now Gabaldon returns to that extraordinary time and place in this vivid, powerful follow-up to Outlander.... 

For twenty years Claire Randall has kept her secrets. But now she is returning with her grown daughter to Scotland’s majestic mist-shrouded hills. Here Claire plans to reveal a truth as stunning as the events that gave it birth: about the mystery of an ancient circle of standing stones ... about a love that transcends the boundaries of time ... and about James Fraser, a Scottish warrior whose gallantry once drew a young Claire from the security of her century to the dangers of his.... 

Now a legacy of blood and desire will test her beautiful copper-haired daughter, Brianna, as Claire’s spellbinding journey of self-discovery continues in the intrigue-ridden Paris court of Charles Stuart ... in a race to thwart a doomed Highlands uprising ... and in a desperate fight to save both the child and the man she loves...

My thoughts:
Okay, I've been enjoying the show Outlander on Stars network from the beginning. I had read the book and from what I remembered they stayed pretty close to the book as possible. I wanted to get a head start on the next book before they came back for the next season (I've seen pics of Jaimie... rawr!)

The story starts out not at all like I expect it and was quite upset. I don't want to say why, but fans who haven't read this one will be upset as well. We then get to where we left off from the last book and we find out what happened. This is a remembrance through Clair's eyes and we go back and forth from that memory to the present. I will say though... the upset part finally makes sense in the end and so I forgive the author. LOL

This book is much more political than the first book. I can see people loving or hating that aspect but it makes sense. I didn't enjoy it as much as the first. There are a few paranormal aspects to some of the areas of the book. While I did find this enjoyable and interesting it also didn't feel "natural" to the storyline. It just didn't quite flow with me no matter how interesting it was.

In the end I give this book 3 stars. While I loved the first book, I wasn't taken by the political intrigue of this one. I did like the development of the characters and I do look forward to the next book to see what else is in store for our favorite characters as well as a few new ones who were just introduced in this book.

Endless by Amanda Gray

1st in a series
384p.
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC
Available Now
Source: From NetGalley and Publisher for review

Jenny Kramer knows she isn't normal. After all, not everybody can see the past lives of people around them. 

When she befriends Ben Daulton, resident new boy, the pair stumble on an old music box with instructions for “mesmerization” and discover they may have more in common than they thought. Like a past life. 

Using the instructions in the music box, Ben and Jenny share a dream that transports them to Romanov Russia and leads them to believe they have been there together before. But they weren't alone. Nikolai, the mysterious young man Jenny has been seeing in her own dreams was there, too. When Nikolai appears next door, Jenny is forced to acknowledge that he has travelled through time and space to find her. Doing so means he has defied the laws of time, and the Order, an ominous organization tasked with keeping people in the correct time, is determined to send him back.

While Ben, Jenny and Nikolai race against the clock - and the Order - Jenny and Nikolai discover a link that joins them in life - and beyond death.

My thoughts:
I do enjoy a time travel novel. Most of the times I can ignore the parts where a lot of people have to shout, "It can't happen like that!" because I'm more invested in the characters and their story. It was like that here. I did become invested in Jenny and Ben mostly. I did like the other characters, but these two were my favorites. I really enjoyed their friendship and how they started to slowly open up to each other.

When Nikolai came onto the scene, I was intrigued. However, for some reason I cannot put my finger on, I just didn't fully buy Jenny and Nikolai's romance. It didn't feel false, and how it came about make some sense, but I don't think my ability to ignore the "but" worked here. For example: I can see why there are intense feelings present but Jenny has lived a different life and why would she so easily succumb to those feelings without some reflection or a bit more questioning.  Perhaps it is because she is so young? Still, it was a bit fast for me.

I did enjoy the novel, but it sort of seemed like something I've read before. Not that something like that is necessarily a negative (don't we all read the same stories over and over because we enjoy the trope?) but I was wanting a bit more variation on my time travel story. I will fully admit, this might have been just me and where I was when I read it. I would still pick up the next story to see where it goes. I give this novel 3 stars.

The Map of the Sky (Trilogía Victoriana #2) by Félix J Palma

New York, 1898. When millionaire Montgomery Gilmore proposes to beautiful socialite Emma Harlow, she accepts on one condition: he must reproduce the Martian invasion featured in H.G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds. 

In London, Wells himself learns of certain objects, apparently of extraterrestrial origin, that were discovered decades earlier on an ill-fated expedition to the Antarctic. On that same expedition was a crew member named Edgar Allan Poe, whose experiences in the frozen wasteland would inspire him to create one of his most enduring works of literature. 

When eerie, alien-looking cylinders begin appearing on the outskirts of London, Wells is certain it is all part of some elaborate hoax. To his great horror, however, he realises that a true invasion of the earth has begun. As brave bands of citizens converge on London to defend it against utter ruin, Emma and her suitor must confront the enigma that is their love — a spark of hope even in the gathering darkness of apocalypse. 

Told with Félix J. Palma’s trademark flair for invention, The Map of the Sky is an utterly exhilarating novel that links the earth and the heavens, the familiar and the bizarre, the impossible and the inevitable.

This is the second book in this series, and I do believe it is the last. Since the protagonist as H.G. Wells, it may not be, because Wells, had a lot more books he did write. As the last book was centered around The Time Machine, this one was centered around The War of the Worlds. I also think it's apt timing since the Mars Rover, Curiosity, has captured people's attention as of late.

As with the first book, I did find some problems with this one. It still branches off into other side stories, but in this case, it feels much more purposeful. It's a much tighter book. Still, it is a book you need to take your time with and savor. The writing is still wordy, but still has that quality to it that makes it very likable. It also has that same circular quality to it in which you are guessing what is a hoax and what is real in this world. However, it doesn't spin you around as much as the first. It is much more minimal within this story. Yes, this is a book still a lot of nuance as does the first.

This book also deals with dreams and how they influence a person to do better or just reach for things. How we need dreams to go forth in life. There is also a continuation of the time conundrum we had in the first, but deals not as much with fatalism but more so with dimensions. Do they exist? Are there an untold number of them depending on how many times we make a decision? If you affect one thing in time, does it change that time line or then do you exist in another dimension when it never happened? It's really not as heavy handed as it seems, but these are questions Wells poses to himself at one point.

I give this book 3 stars. I wonder how different these books would be if read in the original language, Spanish? In any case, this series should be read in order to understand who the characters are and who they become.

I received this book from Atria and no compensation for my review was given. 

The Map of Time (Trilogía Victoriana #1) by Félix J Palma

Set in Victorian London with characters real and imagined, The Map of Time boasts a triple play of intertwined plots in which a skeptical H.G. Wells is called upon to investigate purported incidents of time travel and to save lives and literary classics, including Dracula and The Time Machine, from being wiped from existence. 

What happens if we change history? The author explores this question in the novel, weaving an historical fantasy as imaginative as it is exciting—a story full of love and adventure that transports readers to a haunting setting in Victorian London for their own taste of time travel.

This book is an imagining where H.G. Wells and a handful of characters believe, disbelieve, investigate and live through real and imagined scenarios about time travel. And although you may think that this book is more about the question if time travel is possible, it is actually more a question of fatalism. Are we the ones who control the future through our actions or is everything predetermined? I think this is the real question that most of the book explores until the very end. The ending just intwines the stories and gives us a sort of HEA fictional ending.

I also think this brings me to a couple of criticisms. One was that the book takes on a meandering quality. You would start in a story in one place with certain characters and then take a turn and have another story in the middle. While this was not confusing nor was it without entertainment, it still felt like I was meandering. Like a storyteller who wants to explore everything instead of the main story. And while it was doing this, it was quite wordy. What could be said economically was said in the longest way possible. However, despite my criticisms of these two things, both also created a world in which was entertaining and interesting. In some ways this was an odd contradiction.

How to rate this one? Oh that is a hard question. This is a book you need to take time with and digest. Not that it is heavy handed but because it has a lot of smaller stories that fit into a larger vision. I think in the end I give it 3 stars. I think that some will be entranced by the smaller stories within and some will be frustrated. It may be a question of time itself. Having the time to spend with the story. In the end, I recommend it to those that like a storyteller type of narration in a book.

I received this ARC from the publisher and no compensation for my review was given.

Healing the Highlander by Melissa Mayhue

From Goodreads:

ANDREW MACALISTER longs for a cure to free him from the excruciating pain caused by an old wound, but when he rescues a drowning woman, he has no idea how much his life is about to change. All Drew knows is that this mysterious woman is hiding secrets—and that he’s never felt such a consuming desire before. Yet he cannot deny her request for help, even if it means bringing the detested English army to his Highland clan’s home. 

LEAH NOBLE MCQUARRIE still harbors a deep hatred of the Fae who tortured her eleven years ago, forcing her to escape back in time to the thirteenth century. A descendant of the Fae, Leah denies her heritage and her magical healing abilities. But the English army is holding her beloved adoptive grandfather captive, so Leah must seek help from the Fae—and the captivating man whose touch she craves.
Then Drew discovers Leah’s secrets, and he’s torn between old loyalties and trusting a woman who has the power to give him the future he’s sought—but could destroy his clan forever. . . .

This is actually the 7th book in the Daughters of the Glen series. I had not read the other 6, and although I had heard of Melissa Mayhue (great first name, btw) I had not read a book of hers. It was not necessary to have read the others in this series to enjoy this book. You could jump right in because it is a book that stands alone. You do get a hint that there were back stories to the other ladies of one of the keeps, but it still did not distract from the enjoyment of this story.

I'd have to say honestly that I didn't quite care for Leah at the beginning. I thought her to be a bit spoiled and selfish. Even though it was stated that she went through something horrific in her past to explain her hesitation, but I didn't connect to that until the story progressed. Then, I did find myself liking her especially at the end when she found her courage and finally stood up to people who where trying to control her destiny. In some ways I also felt the same about Andrew. I did like him from the start, but at other times his excuses for lying really ticked me off. However, when he realized what a jerk he had been, it was quite easy to forgive the rogue. Mainly considering he really wasn't a rouge at all.

I give this book 4 stars. It was a delightful PNR. If you just want something light with a good HEA, then I'd say this book is for you. It is predictable, but sometimes that is the charm of a light romance. I'm curious about Ellie (one of the sister's in law from the future) and I think I might seek out her book to read it. She talks to animals, so I'm curious (...although I'm not sure I'd want to know what my dogs want to tell me. I understand too much as it is!). :D

I was given this book from the publisher and no compensation was given for my review.

Aching for Always by Gwyn Cready Blog Tour

From Fantastic Fiction:

RITA Award-winning author Gwyn Cready continues the 'sexy fun' (BookPage) of her charming time-travel adventures with a high-spirited tale of a modern-day mapmaker and the eighteenth-century English navy captain she can't resist.

Ambitious and feisty Josephine 'Joss' O'Malley has spent years fighting to keep her mother's map-making company alive. Just when she finds herself considering taking a risky next step with bad-boy entrepreneur Rogan Reynolds - whose generosity has helped keep the business afloat - Joss meets dark and mysterious Hugh Hawksmoor. Hugh's deft touch and old-world seduction stir Joss's desires like a storm at sea, and she has no clue that he has sailed three hundred years into the future to avenge the death of his brother at the hands of her father. Or that she holds the key to a map that will help him undo the destructive changes her father wrought in the past. When Hugh lures Joss into a treacherous journey through time, there's not a twenty-first-century trick that can save her. But when she applies her own instincts to a course she thought was set, she discovers that the high seas hold some scandalous surprises.

Along with mapmaking, Joss's mother was also an apt storyteller. She wove the story that Joss decided that would guide her through life. "The Beautiful Mapmaker" was that story. And with it, we also follow Joss's story in this book. That part I thought was brilliant. It gave you a guide to what was going on within the story and more importantly how Joss judged things in her life as good or bad. I also enjoyed the eventual pairing of Hugh and Joss. They make a good couple even when I wanted to kick Hugh in the butt for insisting that Joss be honest and trustworthy, but did not think he needed to be just that in return. The parts of himself he kept secret I would have thought had made Joss more suspicious, but yet, she trusted him wholly. I had a bit of a problem with that.

I also had a problem with the "bad" guy. Without giving too much away, I will say that his motives were absent. I just wasn't convinced that the one they found themselves running from was that evil. I think more of the story needed to be placed on his motives for being obsessed with Joss as well as wanting things to stay the same at all costs. In fact the one I couldn't stand throughout the book was Fiona and was hopeful it was her who was truly evil. She wasn't. In fact you could have lifted this person from the story and it would have ran even smoother. I could have seen a twist coming with this character, but the story ended without my twist.

I really wanted to love this book. I loved the way Hugh came to terms with his brother's death and the way the story followed her mother's stories so well. However, I just couldn't get into the ending. Twists and turns that I thought might come never did. Yes, that would have made it predictable, but it was better than a let down and not being able to put evil with the bad guy. The HEA just wasn't as satisfying because of that.

I give this book 3 stars. Other than what I felt was it's failings, I did enjoy most of the story.

Win the Kate Spade Leopard bag from Gwyn Cready! For a promotion for her upcoming book, "Aching for Always". Just go HERE to get all the details. You can also go to www.cready.com to get to the contest page. Contest ends Oct. 4th. Good luck!