e-Book Review: Capturing the Silken Thief

Kindle // eHarlequin // Jeannie Lin

Tang Dynasty China, 823 A.D.

Musician Jia needs a valuable book of poems by a famous courtesan to buy her freedom...and she believes Luo Cheng has taken it. Her attempt to steal the book from him fails, but the tall and powerful scholar unexpectedly offers to help her quest! But when they finally find the book—and the arousing poems and artwork inside—Jia's longing for freedom is replaced with a new kind of desire for Cheng....

Like Lin's other historical romances this is set during the Tang Dynasty, but unlike them this has nothing to do with the military or Imperial family. Luo Cheng is a farmer's son given a chance to become something more by taking the Civil Service exams while Jia (aka Rose) is musician reaching the end of her youth. Basically this is about two average people, with an ambition to carve a better life for themselves.

This is a languid story. It takes its time unraveling itself and once there doesn't feel a need to rush into conclusions. In Rose, Cheng finds inspiration, something worth feeling passionate about that has nothing to do with his wish to give his family back home a more comfortable existence. In Cheng, Rose meets someone who is as genuine as he seems. There's no deceit or conceit in Cheng--he is as he presents himself, a hard-working young man who spends most of his time studying.

This is one of those times that I wish this had been a full novel.  The central story--needing to retrieve a precious journal by a celebrated courtesan--would not have held a full novel length story I don't believe (unless Lin added way more action then the two characters warranted or needed in their lives) , but I would have liked to see more of Jia's life as a pipa musician, seen more of her and Cheng growing to know one and other.

For Jia's part I can see why her 'dream' (or wish really) would change from wanting freedom for herself from her Troupe (an abstract notion in which she never thought beyond what would happen once she had that freedom) to wanting to help Cheng.  For a jaded girl like her, Cheng was a breath of fresh air.  He defied every expectation she had of a civil servant student and continued to surprise her. 

Cheng I'm a little more vague on--initially I think it was attraction, but something about Jia clicked for him.  He's a decisive guy so going from zero to sixty didn't surprise me that much, but I would have liked to see more of how Jia inspired him.

I'm also wondering how this ties in with Lin's forthcoming book My Fair Concubine (already on pre-order, want it now).  Previously her Historical UNDONE! (yes I had to put the emphasis they always do) novellas have tied in with her novels.  Whether its a character mentioned, or shown briefly, something ties them together.  Reading the back of the cover for My Fair Concubine I can't see how they tie together (if they do, I could be making an assumption here that's baseless).  Either way I can't wait!

Sunday Sendup 10

So here's my week...

Books:

Started:
Shadow Bound by Rachel Vincent
A Night Like This by Julia Quinn

read and finished:
A Bride's Story volume 3


Bought:

Print:
A Bride's Story vol 3 by Kaoru Mori
The Earl and the Fairy vol 1 by Ayuko and Mizue Tani
A Mug-Up with Elisabeth by Melissa Hayes and Marilyn Westervelt
The Reluctant Mage by Karen Miller
The Kingdoms of Dust by Amanda Downum
Kings of Morning by Paul Kearney

E-books:
Hunting Kat by Kelly Armstrong
Osric's Wand: The Wand-Maker's Debate by Jack D. Albrecht Jr. and Ashley Delay
Enchantment by Charlotte Abel
A Dream of Stone and Shadow by Marjorie M. Liu
The Ghost Hunter Chronicles: Solomon's Seals  by Jordan Summers

CD's:
Most of korean band C.N. Blue's discography (which is something like a dozen CD's...all having to be imported :sob: but I fell in love with Jung Yong Hwa and he's worth it


Received:


Review:
The Thirteen by Susie Moloney
A Sliver of Shadows by Allison Pang

Lesson Learned This Week: roughly 700 graphic novels, divided by 50 volumes per container equals...my wallet going broke so I can protect my precious.  Extra Lesson: carrying 700 volumes back and forth is not good when you are sick.

Extra Special Lesson: Just because you love a band cough Jung Yong Hwa cough doesn't mean you can overcome the fact you+concerts=anxiety attacks.  Even if they play a performance only a couple thousand miles away, in your country. Even if your friend scored you a ticket and offered to house you.  Even if you could afford the plane ticket and the time off from work.  Sometimes life is unfair and you need to move on ::continues sobbing:: (for any that don't know, which is likely most of you, Jung Yong Hwa's group, C.N.Blue performed at the Nokia Center in Los Angeles on March 9th with fellow band F.T.Island.)

PR Special Edition: Karyn Henley!

Poisoned Rationality Special  Edition

Welcome to another Poisoned Rationality Special Edition! Today we have Karyn Henley, author of the Angeleon Circle books Breath of Angel, and Eye of the Sword.  She's talking about the heroic journey and how Melaia's quest differs from Trevin's.

Synopsis: Where angels walk the ground and the future is told in song, does a man of low rank have a chance at love with a princess?

In Camrithia, a land of shadows and mystical secrets, Trevin lives to serve King Laetham. But his heart belongs to the princess, Melaia. When the King sends Trevin on on a dangerous quest to find the missing comains—captains in the king’s army—he must leave Melaia to the advances of a swaggering Dregmoorian prince.

Challenged to prove his worth, Trevin throws himself into his quest. Striving to prove his love, Trevin undertakes a second mission—find the harps Melaia seeks in order to restore the stairway to heaven. Through fire caves, rogue winds, and murderous threats, Trevin remains steadfastly dedicated to his quest—even when he is falsely accused of a heinous crime. As Trevin’s time runs out, he realizes he must face the shame and horror of his own past and the nightmare that has come to life. Will he have the courage to finish what he has started?

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The Heroic Journey:
Trevin’s Quest to Prove His Love
vs.
Melaia’s Quest for Truth

Since ancient times, we humans have fascinated each other. We love to tell and hear our stories, whether imaginary or real, and we gravitate to stories that resonate within us and make us feel. Since life is a type of journey, most of us easily identify with the mythological hero’s journey, which passes through several stages. These stages come so naturally to storytelling that even though I didn’t consciously follow them as I wrote, my hero, Trevin, followed that ancient path.

The mythological journey usually starts with a Call. Trevin’s call came in Book One, Breath of Angel, when he found himself attracted to Melaia. He would not have labeled that a “call,” but from that point on, he began to follow a different path. A more formal call comes in Eye of the Sword when the king appoints him to be a “comain,” which is similar to a knight. The king then assigns Trevin a mission, to which Melaia adds a quest of her own.

Trevin then enters the Mythological Woods of the journey. His “woods” happen to be in horse country in the north. His Initiation occurs in a canyon, where he experiences events that will change him forever. Many other adventures confront Trevin on his quest, but his Supreme Test comes when he stands face to face with the Evil One. Though he survives the encounter and Heads Home, he must confront evil again before all is said and done – at least for Book Two.

Trevin’s quest to prove his love leads him to support Melaia’s quest for truth. There’s the rub: two main characters with different goals. It’s not that Trevin’s love is unrequited.  Melaia does love him, but she is steadfastly loyal to what she believes to be her duty: restoring the stairway to the heavens. The temptation to give it all up and run away with Trevin is strong, but she resists, refusing to abandon her pledge to the Angelaeon, her duty to the world, and her obligation to her mother.

So Trevin’s quest is fluid, changing as his destiny slowly unfolds and he gains clarity on his past and future. Melaia’s quest is focused and settled in her mind. Her destiny fell on her like lightning, and once she accepted it, there was no turning back. Ultimately their goal is the same: to spend the rest of their lives loving each other. The paths they travel to reach their goal sometimes converge – and sometimes split them far apart.

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Thank you Karyn, it was wonderful to have you on the blog again!  The Heroic Journey has always fascinated me.  Same basic outline, but depending on the emphasis (such as Melaia's quest or Trevin's quest) can unfold in such different and unique ways. 

Wanna know more?  Follow along on Karyn's blog tour, my interview with Melaia or find Karyn at her blog and website!

What I'm Playing: Hakuoki Demon of the Fleeting Blossom

That's right aren't I hot?

GAME:  Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom
System: Sony PSP
Release: March 2012 (North America)
Type: Historical Fantasy Romance Visual Novel
Rating: PG-13 (strong language, violent imagery, suggestive situations/dialogue)

Quick Review: A very addicting game if you enjoyed ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ books as a kid

Long Review: Hakuoki is a successful otome franchise in Japan about the ill-fated Shinsengumi during the fall of the Shogunate…with demons and romance.  I didn’t say this was completely historically accurate.

You play at Chizuru Yukimura (a name you can modify if you want), who goes to Kyoto in search of her father, Kodo, disguised as a boy.  Unfortunately her first night in the city almost ends in a violent manner until she is rescued (albeit as an afterthought) by the notorious Shinsengumi.

Her life goes downhill from there.

Hajime's version of flirting.

This is the first game of its type I’ve played, though I think Graduation (a PC game which came out from TokyoPop back when it was known as Mixx) is probably the closest game to its kind I’ve played before.  This really is a Choose Your Own Adventure game but with pretty graphics, voice cast (they kept the original Japanese voice cast, which is a real treat for me) and music.

As Chizuru you make frequent decisions in regards to who she should talk with, if she should be nosy and how to answer questions from other characters.  Dependent on how you answer it changes the game.  For Chapters 1-3 of the game your decisions will all lead you to the same conclusions, so those choices are mainly to influence whichever character you want to romance for chapters 4 and up.  Chapter 4 is the big turning point and relies heavily on if your ‘romance’ gauge.

There’s 4 possible ending types—“Normal” ending, “[insert character name]” ending, “Bad” Ending and “The End”.  Normal will occur if you don’t try to romance any of the characters, the Bad ending will occur if your corruption levels are really high and The End occurs if you die.  The Character endings are what you get if you are trying to romance a character—say Hijikata or Harada.

I’m…a little obsessive when I play games.  The worst thing ever introduced to me was the PS3’s “Trophies” section because from that point on I became obsessed with getting all of the trophies.  Each game I play I track and try to set a goal for the first play through.  In the case of Hakuouki, while there isn’t any ‘trophies’ to gain from gameplay there are CG’s and videos to gather to have the full experience.

The good news is that unlike in other games where you have to replay certain conversations or scenes before making a different decision, Hakuoki’s creators built in that you can tap a button and it will fast forward through any dialogue you’ve already done, coming to a stop when a decision that affects the game play occurs.  This means you can breeze through chapters 1-3 in a fairly short amount of time as you choose each different option to influence a different character.

Right before this a lot of blood and death....

The game covers about 5 years—1864 to 1869—and insofar as these things run stays as close to the true history of the Shinsengumi as possible.  Hijikata and Kondou are both real historical people (who look nothing like their character models in the game :sob: ) and the events the Shinsengumi find themselves embroiled in play out how they did in real life (minus demonic involvement obviously).  This does strain disbelief in the game because Chizuru, who has no ability with the sword, is a girl and tends to need to be rescued a lot, is constantly in the middle of these battles (if you choose her to be, and you have to in order to influence certain characters).

This is primarily a romance game—the unstated goal of Chizuru is to find herself a guy to love.  That said the endings, any of them good bad and otherwise, can be depressing as hell.  I don’t consider this a spoiler since the true end of the Shinsengumi is so well documented, but no matter what path you follow you either a) save only one of your friends (the rest all die),or  b) save none of them (they all die).  Even if you do manage to save one of them (which is only possible by making them your love interest) its highly likely all the others will go insane.

And the icing on the cake?  One romance allows you to learn more about your family and you even meet up with one of your surviving relatives!  Sounds swell right?  It’s really not.  This relative is so bitter, crazy and mistreated they actively try to make you just as miserable by poisoning your love interest, yourself and then trying to chop you to death.

Overall: I really enjoyed this game.  Its depressing as hell, and Chizuru is little better then Bella Swan*, but its engrossing.  Learn a bit about history, watch some cute guys (some of whom are complete jerks and really don’t deserve your love but whatever) and don’t worry about if you can’t remember that crazy button combo to win a fight (because you can’t fight!).

Hot men constantly saying they'll kill me if I'm not careful...my type of romance!

Recommended for: fans of Choose Your Own Adventure Novels

(*) It’s important to note that in the anime version of the games (Hakuoki: Shinsengumi Kitan, etc), Chizuru is a much more likeable, relatable and proactive as a character.  While she still sucks at swordplay, she does try to learn and grow so she can sometimes protect herself.  The guys are slightly less jerk-ish towards her though as a result.

(**) all pictures are from various other websites since I don't know how to take screengrabs :sigh:

Book Review: How to Dance with a Duke

Print // Kindle // Manda Collins Website

 What’s a wallflower to do when she’s suddenly in need of a husband? Use all the pluck and moxie she can muster to get what she wants…

Miss Cecily Hurston would much rather explore the antiquities of Egypt than the uncharted territory of marriage. But the rules of her father’s exclusive academic society forbid her entrance unless she weds one of its members. To clear her ailing father’s name of a scandalous rumor, Cecily needs to gain admission into the Egyptian Club—and is willing to marry any old dullard to do it.

Lucas Dalton, Duke of Winterson, is anything but dull. He’s a dashing and decorated war hero determined to help Cecily—even if that means looking the other way when she claims the dance card of Amelia Snow, this season’s most sought-after beauty. But Lucas has a reason for wanting Cecily to join the Egyptian Club: His brother went missing during one of Lord Hurston’s expeditions to Egypt. An alliance with the explorer’s bluestocking daughter could bring Lucas closer to the truth about what happened…or it could lead him to a more dangerous love than either he or Cecily could have imagined…

** spoiler alert ** 

 Originally when I read the synopsis for the book and read an excerpt I thought I had found an author who combined humor and romance as well as Sarah MacLean or Jill Shalvis. I was very very excited. However somewhere between the two leads :ahem: embracing their attraction and admitted their feelings I got really really annoyed.

I think this was a case of too soon--their first time having sex, their wedding, the first time Cecily decides that pushing Lucas away while still sleeping with him is a good idea--it all happens in what seems rapid succession. There's no real sense of 'time' in this book; the characters go from Ball to musicale to dinner back to a Ball with very little mentioned how much time has passed. Vague things like 'We haven't known each other that long' and 'we only just met' seem to fill the time management bracket.

The strength was in the conflict between the characters, not so much their denial or affirmation of their attraction to one and other, but moreso in their opposing motivations in their investigation. Until about the last quarter the evidence against Cecily's father was practically enough to have him found guilty on the spot (especially given his inability to speak). Which is fine and good, but as Cecily and Lucas uncover evidence finding him innocent so many holes emerge that I lost track.

Notably are these however:
- So Cecily's father and godmother appear to be having an affair while on their travels. Okay. Its mentioned ONCE, with Cecily thunderstruck...but its never brought up again. Cecily doesn't confront her godmother about this nor seems overly concerned after the initial feelings of betrayal. considering she believed her father to be at least moderately in love with her stepmama, Violet, I found that odd.

- Cecily's scapegrace ex-fiancee knew about the arrangement between her father and Lucas' brother William. He had evidence that supported Hurston NOT being guilty of William's murder. Yet he doesn't think to say anything? To anyone? Until Lucas all but browbeats him into it? If Hurston hadn't been invalid would he have let the man hang to keep his reputation?

- No one found it at all odd that one of their members, who supposedly was best friends with Hurston, was urging everyone to basically compromise Cecily to keep her mouth shut? Actually strike that, no one found it odd that this member basically wanted some guy to take her intelligence (which many of the members respected), curiosity and independence so she'd stop looking into the matter? (note: some members objected, but apparently not Cecily's godmother who didn't mention it at all and only one fellow who only spoke up because he's interested in Cecily's cousin).

There's other inconsistencies I couldn't wrap my brain around as well, but that's enough for me up there.

As for the characters I greatly liked Lucas--a bit of an ogre at times, but to give him credit he tried to reason with Cecily before resorting to things like seduction. And he was extremely reasonable. Cecily by contrast was the most obstinate, headstrong, blind fool to ever grace the page of a romance novel. That its actually the woman this time who basically thinks a marriage of convenience is necessary to stay 'aloof' amused me. Lucas is arguing that 'hey passion!' and she's like 'meh headache' even while thinking explicit thoughts.

I liked that Collins had both Cecily and Lucas point out (at various times) justifiable concerns such as how did Cecily know Lucas wouldn't just lock her away in the countryside? Or how did Lucas know she wouldn't turn into a cold fish and make him regret ever clapping eyes on her? Neither seemed without common sense, though Lucas definitely was the more rational of the two, but the plot didn't often support such interesting characters.

Instead of having Lucas and Cecily discuss his fears about her reckless endangerment policy in regards to her life, Cecily pleads a headache and refuses to so much as kiss him. Instead of Cecily listening and assuaging Lucas' fears about her reckless endangerment policy she does the EXACT OPPOSITE of reassurance and gets herself shot (superficially). His insistence that she can trust him not to abandon her verges on the ridiculous especially as she refuses to listen to reason and all but says to his face 'I don't believe you'.

In the end while I enjoyed a good part of this book, the inconsistencies and repetitive nature of Cecily's idiocy began to wear thin on me.

Commenting Update

Please Note: Due to the recent influx of spam comments, I have put all comments on moderation. I hate doing this, but honestly I'm sick of seeing the spam comments on my entries.

Sorry for the trouble and thanks for your support!

PR Special Edition: Deborah Coates!

Poisoned Rationality Special  Edition

Welcome to another Poisoned Rationality Special Edition! Today we have Deborah Coates author of the recently released ghost story Wide Open talking about...well ghosts and why they're hanging out in her newest novel.

Synopsis: When Sergeant Hallie Michaels comes back to South Dakota from Afghanistan on ten days' compassionate leave, her sister Dell's ghost is waiting at the airport to greet her.

The sheriff says that Dell's death was suicide, but Hallie doesn't believe it. Something happened or Dell's ghost wouldn't still be hanging around. Friends and family, mourning Dell's loss, think Hallie's letting her grief interfere with her judgment. 

The one person who seems willing to listen is the deputy sheriff, Boyd Davies, who shows up everywhere and helps when he doesn't have to. 

As Hallie asks more questions, she attracts new ghosts, women who disappeared without a trace.  Soon, someone's trying to beat her up, burn down her father's ranch, and stop her investigation.

Hallie's going to need Boyd, her friends, and all the ghosts she can find to defeat an enemy who has an unimaginable ancient power at his command

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Ghost Writing

Thanks so much for having me on your blog, Lexie! I thought today I'd talk a little bit about ghosts and ghost stories and why there are ghosts in Wide Open.

Ghosts stories have been around forever. Sometimes the ghosts are malevolent.  Sometimes they're kind. Sometimes they're practically the same as they were in life, except they float a lot and aren't very substantial. Sometimes they're little more than an evil force in a scary house or a cold spot in the hallway. I suspect there are lots of reasons for their popularity, but often ghosts and their stories exist because they have unfinished business in the world. It's unsettling to think that a ghost might remain for years, lurking, watching us, even when we don't know they're there. On the other hand, I think, it's a way to deal with the fear that we or someone we love might leave unfinished business behind.

There are ghosts in Wide Open for a couple of reasons. Among the tropes that I really like and that I like to explore are things that not everyone sees and the world turned a little bit askew. And so, Hallie Michaels sees ghosts. She nearly died in Afghanistan or, she did die and was brought back for some reason--Hallie's not really sure. But ever since she woke up, she's been able to see these ghosts. They
don’t talk to her. They don't seem to interact with anyone or anything, though sometimes they'll stare at a picture or a person, like they're significant, though Hallie's never quite able to figure out how.

One of the things I wanted to do with the ghosts in Wide Open was to make them enigmatic. I was tired of helpful and sometimes even witty ghosts. I wanted ghosts who were *there* and yet not really there at all. Hallie's ghosts are cold, silent, and altogether not-human.

And yet, for Hallie, there's a comfort in them too, because her sister's ghost, the ghost of her fellow soldier, Eddie Serano, and even the ghosts of others, strangers, who appear as the story progresses are at least present. If Hallie can see their ghosts, if she can feel them, there's still the chance that the people she loves aren't yet gone forever.

When Hallie gets off the plane in the Rapid City airport at the beginning of Wide Open, her sister's ghost is there to meet her:

She started forward again and walked into a cold so intense, she thought it would stop her heart. It felt like dying all over again, like breath froze in her lungs. She slapped her hand against the nearest wall and concentrated on breathing, on catching her breath, on taking a breath.

She looked up, expecting Eddie.

But it was her sister. Dell.

Shit.

Suddenly, Brett was there, a hand on her arm. “Are you all right?” she asked.

Hallie batted her hand away and leaned heavily against the wall, her breath sharp and quick. “I’m fine!” Her voice sounded rough, even in her own ears.

Dell looked exactly as she had the last time Hallie’d seen her, wearing a dark tailored shirt, jeans with a hole in one knee, and cowboy boots. She was a ghost now and pretty much transparent, but Hallie figured the boots were battered and scuffed because she’d always had a favorite pair that she wore everywhere. Even when she’d dressed up sometimes, like no one would notice the boots if she wore a short black dress and dangly silver earrings. And no one did—because it was Dell and she could carry something like that off, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Hallie scrubbed a hand across her face. Goddamnit, Dell. She wasn’t going to cry. She wasn’t.

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Thank you Deborah--I admit ghost stories used to be my thing as a kid.  I really couldn't get enough of them (especially living as close as I did to a centuries old graveyard!).  My stepsister's house was even haunted...though I was never certain if that was the truth or not (I certainly never saw the ghosts, but my sisters did).

Wanna know more?  Follow along on Deborah's blog tour (its pretty extensive AND awesome looking), check out her own blog or peruse her short stories!