Rutabaga's Reads 2021: Part 3

Just yesterday, I posted my first YA compilation of 2021. Here is my first inspirational fiction post for the year.

Acceptable Risk (Aug. 4, 2020) by Lynette Eason.

*This is the second novel in a series.*

Serving in Afghanistan, Sarah (given name Rochelle) Denning is a military journalist with the Army, and she’s been taken hostage with multiple teenage girls. While she fears for the girls she’s surrounded by and the impending plan of selling them as Taliban brides, she also doesn’t want their kidnappers to find out she’s an American and especially that she’s the daughter of Lieutenant General Lewis Denning. Not that she expects Lewis to care anything for her since he disinherited her for joining the military. However, her dad does care, and he enlists former Army Ranger Gavin Black to not only rescue the group, but keep Sarah safe back on home soil. Home soil isn’t where Sarah wants to be, and she’s livid when she discovers that she’s been discharged after a false psychiatric evaluation initiated by her own father. She’s charging forward like an angry rhinoceros, but is halted in her tracks when she learns that her younger brother (not FBI Special Agent Caden Denning, who’s her older brother) has committed suicide. Dustin had been improving by long strides, even Caden agrees. With the help of Caden and Gavin, Sarah’s in investigative journalist mode and is hungry to discover the truth surrounding Dustin’s death. The discovery would be career-ending for some and career-gaining for Sarah … if she can avoid death herself. Is the truth she strives to uncover an acceptable risk?

            Can you handle the truth? Investigative journalism is not an arena I have a knack for, and that is a truth I can handle. Sarah’s investigative skills display her perseverance, but she isn’t lofty in the knowledge of her abilities, which I appreciate. Confidence is respectable, but arrogance is not. I could go without the “romance” angle, but since the story is marketed as inspirational, romantic suspense, it is to be expected and doesn’t overall take away from the speedy narrative. Adding in Eason’s mixture of familial love, betrayal, greed and danger with a sprinkling of faith makes for a tight story from beginning to end. Eason is a force when it comes to inspirational suspense, and I don’t plan to quit reading her stories. Ever!

            Book One: Danger Never Sleeps: Collateral Damage

On Wings of Devotion (Jan. 7, 2020) by Roseanna M. White.

*This is the second novel in a trilogy.*

Black Heart isn’t the monster the media and a distraught widow have made Major Phillip Camden to be, and nurse Arabelle (Ara) Denler knows it as deeply as the roots of her faith. Phillip is a man hurting, a man in need of mercy, a man who doesn’t expect to live, which is why he does not seek out friends or close relationships in or outside of Room 40, where he is a codebreaker (he is stuck with Lieutenant Drake Elton and Margot De Wilde as friends, though). His path unexpectedly crosses Ara’s in an event that is devastating to Ara’s planned future, but it’s the start of Ara encouraging Phillip on a path to healing. It is hard to move forward positively with the ongoing threats from Mrs. Lewis and an old acquaintance (Diellza Mettler) intent on using him in a nefarious plot. Ara’s struggle is that she’s never felt like enough, for the men in her life seem to always leave her. She figures she’ll not marry for love (because she does not perceive herself as physically beautiful), but for the inheritance she has, which is a very lonely thought to have. Ara remains convinced, though, that Phillip Camden’s heart is far from black. Does that mean that his heart can love?

            Like all the other books by White that I’ve read, I highly enjoyed this second story in The Codebreakers. Arabelle is a woman that, while professionally trained as a nurse and working as one, has her heart set on marrying and having a family. She is confident in that conviction, and since it is her choice, I see nothing wrong with it. (I’d have a far different opinion if she felt coerced into future motherhood, which is what Margot (from this book’s predecessor) does not want, and fortunately, Drake understands that.) What makes my heart hurt is that she thinks she’ll only be valued based on her inheritance, as Ara has convinced herself that her outward appearance is lacking. It’s partially because I live in a world where body positivity is encouraged, but mostly, it’s because I have had this internal struggle in years past, and I know I’m not alone, that I understand this infernal type of inner war. Sometimes those doubts still surface, and it is a lot of work to not be down on one’s physical appearance. And to watch Phillip is powerful, too. He’s a man broken to a man leaning on fragile hope before he accepts the Lord. He goes through a lot of darkness to become the man he is on the other side. There are trials, there is darkness and there is heartbreak, but there is also devotion and hope and faith.

            Book 1: The Number of Love

The Stone Wall (Sept. 8, 2020) by Beverly Lewis.

*This is a standalone novel.*

A direct descendant of the founder of the Beachy Amish church, 20-year-old Anna Beachy feels she is at a crossroads. It’s been a year, but she’s still stinging since she lost her beau to the world, and it’s clear she feels unsettled in the small Beachy Amish settlement in Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania. When a letter arrives from her Mamm’s Old Order Amish cousins, Glen and Sadie Flaud, of Strasburg (in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County), with information about a job opening for a tour guide at the Mennonite Information Center, Anna jumps at the opportunity, though with humility and thoughtfulness. Despite Anna’s Beachy Amish upbringing (with allowances such as driving a car), she acclimates with ease into the Old Order ways, including the lack of electricity. And with a change in scenery and lifestyle come two potential beaus: one a Mennonite tour guide named Martin Nolt and the other a young widower named Gabe Allgyer. Gabe runs Peaceful Meadows Horse Retreat, where there are horseback riding therapy programs. Participants include Gabe’s adorable five-year-old daughter, Emmie, who became mute when her mom passed away two years prior. Anna is drawn to volunteer at the retreat and connect to little Emmie. But how will Anna balance the two relationships as each seems to grow in significance? Especially when one relationship would surely upset her Beachy Amish parents?

            No matter the conflict within a story by Beverly Lewis, she always manages to make the story, as a whole, calming and understated, which actually makes them all the more indomitable and timeless, no matter the decade the story takes place or the lifestyle differences between the Old Order Amish or me and my array of modern-day conveniences. The plotline for this story showcases an interesting divide – amongst Old Order and Beachy Amish – which many people may be unaware of, and Lewis weaves a potentially poignant connection with Anna and her Mammi Eliza (her grandmother), who’s lucid days and even moments have mostly been stolen by Alzheimer’s. Lewis doesn’t ignore that sadness and loss are involved in any life, but she naturally mingles in faith and love. She isn’t writing epic fiction, but her ability to continually produce captivating novels about the Amish is epic!

Rutabaga's Reads 2021: Part 2

Some stories spew darkness. Others rely on magical prowess. All contain ingenuity of characters that must be brought alive through words from creative authors. Welcome to the first YA compilation for 2021.

The Queen’s Assassin (Feb. 4, 2020) by Melissa de la Cruz.

*This is the first novel in a duology.*

In the world of Avantine, there is the Kingdom of Renovia. Once ruled by the Dellafiore dynasty, it’s been quelled since the Tyrant King. A jealous, murderous king, he also forbade magic amongst common folk and had his most loyal followers create the Deian Scrolls, “the fount of all magical history, information, practice, and use” of everything mystical in the kingdom. His descendant, King Esban (not a tyrant), declared war against the Aphrasians and attacked Baer Abbey, where the scrolls were said to reside. The war was won, but at the cost of King Esban’s life. The Deian Scrolls were not found. The king’s widow, Queen Lilianna, has made the search for the scrolls her life’s work for her country and her family, namely, her daughter, Princess Lilac.

            Shadow of the Honey Glade has been training seemingly all her life to become a member of the Hearthstone Guild. It originally brought brave witches together to save as much magic as able, but later it became “a society of assassins and spies.” Shadow wants to be an assassin as revered as Caledon (Cal) Holt. Because of a vow his father once made with the queen, Cal is likewise tied to her. Shadow goes to rescue him under the guise of being assigned as his apprentice, except it’s a real rescue. Shadow may not have expert training in being an assassin, but she is something of a mage and has the blue-black mage blood to prove it (blue blood is prized in the kingdom). And she wants no part in becoming a lady of the court as her mother and aunts expect. Shadow and Cal will endure a dangerous quest full of many things, including strong feelings for each other.

            I didn’t love this story and am currently unsure if I’ll read its successor. If I rated with stars, I’d give this book 3/5. Told from both Shadow’s and Cal’s points-of-view, their quest is just dangerous enough to keep the action moving forward and propel the story at a steady clip. I don’t consider this novel to be epic, but I do approve of the dynamic women and things like race and marriage equality are not an issue. The novel’s strengths are quiet in that regard and its ending definitely sets the story up for a sequel.

Spellhacker (Jan. 1, 2020) by M. K. England.

*This is a standalone novel.*

In Kyrkarta, magic (called maz) was once an abundant natural resource, but an earthquake released a magical spellplague. It killed thousands and made too many orphans at a young age. Maz suddenly became a rare commodity with outrageous prices to obtain, and it’s all parceled out by one supplier, Maz Management Corporation (MMC). Talk about a monopoly. So Dizmon (Diz) Hela and her three best friends run a very profitable (and very illegal) maz siphoning gig. Diz has no skill with maz, but she is the technical and hardware whiz of their quartet. The others include Ania, a techwitch, Remi, the spellweaving prodigy who has contracted spellplague, and Jaesin, who has most of the “mundie” skills like cooking and hitting people (“but only sometimes,” on the latter point). Their latest heist should be their final one, but they uncover something called maz-15 (aren’t there only 14 strains of maz?), which they shouldn’t know about. Running away takes them to Jattapore to try to locate Professor Aric Silva, who’s supposedly been dead for eight years. Is maz-15 the source material for all other maz? If so, how do they convince MMC to shut the drilling down? Does MMC have anything to do with the spellplague and the idea that the planet may be trying to rip itself apart?

            This is a story that should be right up my alley, but I struggled to connect with it. I enjoyed the plotline and this idea of a spellplague and a big, bad, evil corporation acting like it’s only working for the forward momentum of the people of Kyrkarta when it looks to be doing the population and world more harm than good. I do appreciate that the characters are a mix of multicultural diversity and are inclusive of non-s/he gender norms (Remi is nonbinary and uses they/them). It is a well-rounded cast of characters and an action-packed plot that weaves science fiction and fantasy nicely. Part of my struggle is that Diz has a lot of attitude. That perhaps seems unfair, because I, too, can have more attitude than should fit inside my 5’1” frame, and I realize that Diz’s struggles stem from the loss of her parents when she was young. But this is an opinion piece, and if I don’t find any sort of connection to the main character, I’m not going to love a story. That doesn’t mean this story won’t be for you. There is plenty of snarky banter and cuss words are present at times (the latter for those who may be concerned).

Spin the Dawn (June 2, 2020) by Elizabeth Lim.

*This is the first novel in a duology.*

Once upon a time, Maia Tamarin’s family was whole. Her Baba (Kalsang Tamarin) was the greatest tailor in A’landi, sought after by merchants from coast to coast, such was his skill at dressmaking. They lived well in Gangsun, a key city along the Great Spice Road. But that changed when Mama died. Baba drank until he couldn’t stomach spirits any longer and became less than a shadow of his former self. They had to move to Port Kamalan. Maia’s three older brothers were not skilled as tailors. The oldest, Finlei, was the brave one and despised being stuck working indoors. But then the Five Winters’ War took Finlei in battle. The middle brother, Sendo, had patience for storytelling but not for sewing. The war took him, too, only two days before Emperor Khanujin’s truce with the shansen, a warlord. The youngest brother, Keton, was full of song, jokes and merriment. He didn’t possess the discipline needed to be a tailor, but Baba loved him best. Keton did return from the war, but he returned broken.

            It’s Maia that possesses the skill to be a tailor as skilled as Baba, but she is a woman, and women are not allowed to become Master Tailors. When Baba is summoned, and with Keton’s knowledge, Maia goes to the emperor’s Summer Palace as a boy. To be found out would mean her death and likely her remaining family’s death. What Maia doesn’t initially expect is to be in competition with 11 other master tailors. She’s the youngest competitor by far, and she’s captured the attention of Edan, the emperor’s court enchanter, who seems to know that she is not, in fact, a boy. And it is with the Lord Enchanter that she goes on a quest to amass what is needed to sew Amana’s dresses. It will take more than Maia’s skill, as it is a quest Lady Sarnai expects Master Tamarin to fail. It will take Edan and the assistance of magical scissors.

            Magical scissors? Why not? This first in The Blood of Stars duology is like “Project Runway.” The drama is there, but with the added bonus of magic and danger. It is part beautiful clothing and part daring adventure. It’s like dancing with romance, artistic skill and magic while simultaneously dodging danger and Lady Sarnai’s judgment. “Spin the Dawn” is enchanting and is spun like the finest wool, has the feel of the smoothest velvet and is detailed in the finest embroidery. And, I won’t lie, I, too, would marvel at a dress “woven with the laughter of the sun,” a second “embroidered with the tears of the moon,” and a third “painted with the blood of the stars.” Beautiful!

"The Camelot Betrayal" by Kiersten White

The Camelot Betrayal (Nov. 10, 2020) by Kiersten White.

*This is the middle novel in a trilogy.*

Guinevere stands in two worlds: one where she isn’t a queen and the other the “not not-queen.” She’s the Guinevere that she’s claimed to be in whose life she’s claimed, and she’s Guinevere the Changeling. Her forced amnesia (by Merlin’s magic) means she has no past memories to draw from, which, instead of seeing herself as a blank slate that can be filled with all sorts of new knowledge, can leave her vulnerable. Like what occurs when her younger sister, Guinevach, arrives in Camelot unannounced. Guinevach is two years Guinevere’s junior, but she shines in ways Guinevere does not. She knows how to be a princess, she’s more charismatic, and everyone seems to love her with ease. What is Guinevach’s agenda?  Does she really recognize Guinevere as her true sister when that should be impossible?

            The Dark Queen is a threat weighing heavily on Guinevere’s mind like a fog that won’t disperse. She continues to trust Arthur, but her heart struggles with how she feels about Mordred (who turns up at odd moments). There is a quest that is also a twist on the “Tristan & Isolde” story, which brings Brangien happiness, and a little more is learnt about Lancelot.

            For those who enjoy a strong feminist read, these two books out in the Camelot Rising trilogy may be for you. You should also prefer that such a female-centric storyline finds itself in an Arthurian landscape of intrigue, adventure and, yes, betrayal. The most obvious betrayals are those steeped in lies, which Guinevere seems to be drowning in, and she really hates bodies of water. The dichotomy in the female-driven cast is Merlin. While never directly seen in this story, his magical involvement affects Guinevere daily and drives Arthur’s story. This entire trilogy may be epic, but it is so in a subtle way.

            P.S. I definitely should’ve adopted that dragon. (Pretty upset at Guinevere over this.)

            Book One: The Guinevere Deception

"Dreams Rekindled" by Amanda Cabot

Dreams Rekindled (Mar. 2, 2021) by Amanda Cabot.*

*This is the middle novel in a trilogy.*

The focus turns to Wyatt Clark’s younger sister, Dorothy. While she’s been helping at Polly’s Place while Evelyn is away, her dream is to write something that will challenge people to think like Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” But her hometown of Mesquite Springs, Texas, does not have a newspaperman … until the arrival of Brandon Holloway in the latter part of 1856. He knows the disastrous effects challenging others can have, as he experienced such while in Xavier and so does not plan to write anything to cause dissension. No controversy. He is weighed down by guilt that he’s designed for himself, but Dorothy is a bright spot. It isn’t only her pleasant personality greeting him at Polly’s Place or her obvious knack for writing, but that she has grown to mean so much that he’d “be nothing but an empty shell” without her. Brandon is a man in love. And Dorothy is a woman in love, but her aversion to marriage is based on a fear that runs deep. The two might be able to make it to a place where romance blooms as treasured and beautiful as rare white bluebonnets, but first they must investigate who’s working to divide the town. Someone is clearly trying to drive away their longtime Pastor Coleman and newly settled Brandon.

            While there aren’t any surprises with the plot, the story does move steadily forward in this story of guilt overcome, love accepted and faith found. There is more than one charlatan, though only the one is in Mesquite Springs for an extended time, and both are expectedly despicable. After reading the first story in this trilogy, I almost didn’t give this one a chance, because of all the lines like, “He couldn’t stop thinking about kissing her lips.” Although I vacillate between Brandon’s known interest in Dorothy being sweet and irksome, I was glad that there weren’t all of those similar lines as in the first story. And I’m glad that I gave this story a chance and will look toward the final installment. Whether this story jives with a reader or not, I did find it to be a pleasant story, subtly uplifting.

            Book One: Out of the Embers

 

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”