REVIEW: The Soldier's Soundrel

The Soldier's Scoundrel, by Cat Sebastian
Publish Date: September 20, 2016
Publisher: Avon Impulse
Format: ARC, provided by the publisher
Genre: adult m/m historical romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4.5 STARS

(Synopsis) A scoundrel who lives in the shadows
Jack Turner grew up in the darkness of London's slums, born into a life of crime and willing to do anything to keep his belly full and his siblings safe. Now he uses the tricks and schemes of the underworld to help those who need the kind of assistance only a scoundrel can provide. His distrust of the nobility runs deep and his services do not extend to the gorgeous high-born soldier who personifies everything Jack will never be.

A soldier untarnished by vice

After the chaos of war, Oliver Rivington craves the safe predictability of a gentleman's life-one that doesn't include sparring with a ne'er-do-well who flouts the law at every turn. But Jack tempts Oliver like no other man has before. Soon his yearning for the unapologetic criminal is only matched by Jack's pleasure in watching his genteel polish crumble every time they're together.

Two men only meant for each other

I don't do too many historical romances, but this one was so much fun, and I'm so glad I read it. The characters were fun and interesting and the story even more so. 

Jack is a man who is on the very bottom rung of English society, having come from parents of ill repute. After having to stoop to drastic measures to make a living, he's trying to turn himself around, using his skills to help women in difficult situations. It is through a former client of his that he meets Oliver, a gentleman who's just returned home from war, not entirely whole anymore. 

Oliver is trying to find his place in life now that he's done with the military. But, he's unsettled with all the things that he found enjoyable before. He meets Jack, and although Oliver doesn't approve of his methods, the work that Jack's doing intrigues him. Even though he doesn't want to, Oliver finds himself thinking of Jack and his newest case often. And before Jack knows it, he has a partner. In more ways than one. 

To make matters even more interesting, Jack and Oliver are gay in a time when that was not acceptable. For a man of Oliver's status, he would receive a slap on the wrist and be the topic of all the good gossip for a long while. However, for Jack, if he were caught with a man like Oliver, he could be jailed. Despite knowing the consequences, despite Oliver's issues with Jack's methods, and despite the fact that neither man believes in love or forever, they just can't stay away from one another. Even though Jack knows it would be better for Oliver if they could stay apart.

"No matter what you do, I'll always be the sordid part of your life." Jack loved Oliver too much to be a blot on the man's perfection. "I'll be a dirty secret."

I loved how Cat Sebastian gave Jack and Oliver some big differences - not just socio-economically, but ideologically, too. Sometimes those disagreements on what's "right" and "wrong" can make or break a couple if one isn't willing to try and see the other's point of view. So, it was interesting to watch Oliver navigate through his thoughts on the matter, especially given his history. But, Oliver wasn't the only one who shifted and changed throughout the course of the book. Oliver had a big effect on Jack and his outlook for the future. So, it was fun to see these two men get thrown for loops. 

The mystery of Jack's clients missing letters was a really nice thread woven throughout the story of Oliver and Jack's romance (which, of course, is the REAL story - the main reason why I picked up the book). It was clever and surprising and gave me lots to enjoy in between the steamy encounters and crazy sexual-tension filled scenes. 

Even though historical romance isn't my go-to genre, I'm so glad I gave this one a go. It was a fun book, and I'm looking forward to checking out more from Cat Sebastian.

REVIEW: Mortal Heart (His Fair Assassins #3)

Mortal Heart (His Fair Assassins #3), by Robin LaFevers
To Be Published November 4, 2014
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Format: ARC, provided by the publisher
Genre: young adult historical romance/fantasy
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
 
Rating: 5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.

She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn't mean she has...

We've seen Ismae and Sybella go through their training at the convent of Mortain. We've seen them go out on assignments to assassinate those who've wronged their Duchess. We've seen them fall in love and come to the realization that their abbess doesn't always know best. All the while, Annith has been sitting by, waiting for her turn to prove herself. In Mortal Heart, Annith gets her chance, but it comes in very unexpected ways. 

When the abbess tells Annith that she is to be the convent's next Seeress, Annith knows it's not her true destiny. So, she sets out on a solo journey to find out what exactly her destiny is. While her journey starts out solo, it doesn't stay that way for long, as she is joined by Mortain's own hellequin, led by the enigmatic Balthazar. While Annith tries to get a handle on her feelings for him, she continues to puzzle out the abbess' true motives and how they relate to her past. After reuniting with Ismae and Sybella, Annith's skills as a trained killer are put to the test as Brittany is surrounded by the French in the final stand-off. 

Throughout the whole of Mortal Heart, we experience Annith's crisis of identity right along with her. She has so many doubts. I can't imagine being brought up to believe one thing, and then having those beliefs shaken to the core like they are for Annith. It's a testament to her strength that she presses on for answers. 

Speaking of answers, we get lots of them in Mortal Heart. Answers to questions we didn't even know we had. As it turns out, Annith's curious past is full of lies and deceit. She's the only one of Mortain's daughters that came to the convent as a tiny baby. She was raised on that island. She had the most years of training. And, yet, she was never sent out on an assignment. Why? What are the abbess' true motives regarding Annith? How did she come to the convent in the first place? All the answers are here, and some of them blew me away. 

Mortal Heart is a big book - 449 pages. A lot happens in those many pages. Annith discovers the secrets of her childhood. And, yes - like Ismae and Sybella, she falls in love with a dynamic and powerful man. Her romance with Balthazar was the absolute best part of this book. She denies her feelings for so long, but it's so obvious how both of them feel about each other. Their dance around each other was sweet. 

Like the other books in this series, there is a fair amount of action in Mortal Heart. Annith is good with her bow, and she has plenty of chances to use it. There's also a lot of political maneuvering and plotting as Anne and her council try and find a peaceful way out of the mess in which they're in. We see the continuation of Ismae's and Duval's story and Sybella's and Beast's story, which is satisfying. I love those two couples as much as I now love Annith and Balthazar. It's awesome to see all of them interacting with one another. In a different place and time, they would all be having picnics at one another's house. 

Mortal Heart was an incredible ending to an incredible series. Balthazar was my favorite hero of the three. I was captured in the pages of this book, and every time I had to put it down, I was thinking of when I could pick it back up again. Balthazar's character, Annith's bravery and the culmination of all the actions in the first two books made this book a forever favorite. 

REVIEW: Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2)

Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2), by Robin LaFevers
Published April 2, 2013
Publisher:  Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Format: ARC - on loan from Around the World ARC Tours
Genre:  YA, historical, romance
To Buy:  Amazon * Barnes & Noble

 Rating:  5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. Naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, the convent views Sybella as one of their most dangerous weapons.

But those assassin’s skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. Her father’s rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother’s love is equally monstrous. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?

This heart-pounding sequel to Grave Mercy serves betrayal, treachery, and danger in equal measure, bringing readers back to fifteenth century Brittany and will keep them on the edge of their seats.

What an incredible follow-up to Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1)! Dark Triumph does not suffer from the dreaded "middle book syndrome." Far from it, in fact. I thought it was BETTER than Grave Mercy.

We can now see that the trilogy is following three best friends and, in a sense, sisters who meet as novitiates at the Convent of St. Mortain - Ismae, Sybella and Annith. Ismae was the subject of Grave Mercy. Annith and Sybella were introduced, but not discussed at length. From what was mentioned of them, I have to say that I wasn't a big fan of Sybella. She was wild and uncontrollable and cranky. Quite unlovable. I admit to deciding to read Dark Triumph only as a means to an end. I hate not finishing series, and I wanted to see it through. 

I was most definitely not prepared, however, to develop such an affection for Sybella. She is wild and uncontrollable and cranky. But, she is also loyal, compassionate, and brave beyond measure. Dark Triumph lived up to its name, for it was most definitely darker than Grave Mercy, and that was due in large part to the horrors that Sybella had to endure in her past. It was difficult to read, but did much to explain why she was the way she was when she arrived at the convent. 

One definite plus about Dark Triumph is that it is not forced to bog us down with pesky details and paragraphs of world building - that was all taken care of in Grave Mercy. And, when a book takes place in the 1490s, in another country,  and centers around some fantastical mysticism, there's A LOT of explaining that needs to be done. I'd guess that roughly the first third of Grave Mercy was mostly taken up by background story. 

Dark Triumph, however, starts off with an event in Grave Mercy that happens toward the end, only this time, told through Sybella's eyes. I LOVED that. It gave me a good frame of reference as to where we were in the over-arching story. It also gave me a glimpse of Ismae right off the bat, because who doesn't want to know what's going on with their favorite book 1 characters, right? Starting in this way was brilliant. There was immediate action and intrigue and succeeded in sucking me in from page 1. 

One of my biggest gripes about Grave Mercy is that, for a story about an assassin, there weren't a whole lot of assassinations. Not so in Dark Triumph. Luckily, Sybella takes great pleasure in killing bad men, and she takes a ton of them out. Fighting by her side is the awesome Beast of Waroch who we met in Grave Mercy. I loved that guy then, and I loved him even more at the end of Dark Triumph. He's ugly, scary and fierce, yet he has such a big heart and he gives it to Sybella. This was a match made in Heaven. 

I was so ready to accept my fate - this time for the right reasons. Out of love, rather than vengence. And once again, this...man, this...mountain...has destroyed my hard-won resolve with a careless flick of his wrist. 

After reading Dark Triumph, I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the third and final book in the Fair Assassins Trilogy, Mortal Heart, when we will finally find out what is going on with Annith. In addition to that, I'm so excited to see these three women reunite to go medieval on the baddies' asses.  

Check out my review for Grave Mercy.

Book #114 - Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1)

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1), Robin LaFevers
historical romance
549 pages (audiobook)
Started 10/14/12
Finished 10/23/12
4 STARS

Ismae had a tough childhood. That will happen when you're born in medieval France and your mother thinks you're death incarnate. But then, when she's 14, she's taken in by the sisters at the convent of St. Mortain, the saint of death, and Ismae is trained as a handmaiden to death. A beautiful assassin. When she's 17, she's sent to help protect the Duchess of Brittany, along with handsome Gavriel Duval. She and Duval form first a partnership, then a friendship, then a romance as they race to try and find out who is trying to unseat the Duchess and kill Duval.

My thoughts are a bit muddled with this one. At times, when I thought about this review, I thought I'd write a really positive one, and other times, I thought it might err on the side of negativity. So, let's break it down.

I liked:
* The characters - Ismae was forged from a troubled youth, and while it would've been not only easy but understandable for her to just fall in line with her convent and Reverend Mother, she shows serious pluck and strength of character when she starts to question everything she's come to know. Bravo, girlfriend. And Duval was equal parts dashing and infuriating. He didn't seem to fall instantly for Ismae, which is a good thing. And, he was complex and cared fiercely about his friends and family, all of which are great book boyfriend characteristics.
* The setting - Historical romance isn't my favorite genre, but it's a nice change of pace from time to time. I love history, especially when the author has done her research, as, it seems, LaFevers has.

I disliked:
* The ending - Is it just me, or did the ending kinda ruin the whole thing? I didn't feel a sense of closure. There were loose ends. And, loose ends really bother me.
* The bad guy - SO obvious.
* The lack of killing - I wouldn't normally put this in the "dislike" category, except that when you write a story about an assassin, I expect there to be more, oh I don't know, ASSASSINATIONS. But, boy, Ismae sure can talk a good game.

I mostly feel unsettled at this point, and slightly disappointed. I don't like feeling that way at the end of a book. :(