Review: Home: Interstellar: Merchant Princess

Home: Interstellar: Merchant Princess by Ray Strong
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It took me awhile to realize why I wasn't getting into the story. The premise is really exciting, and the obstacles are intriguing. There is a conspiracy going on that is extremely far-reaching.

The technology is very light. I like real science in my sci-fi, so this was a tiny stretch for me.

So what was the deal? Why couldn't I care deeply for these misplaced children who were facing enormous psychological and physical problems?

The story was told in a style that had no passion. I read a newspaper and get more passion. I didn't feel like I was right there with the characters because it seemed the author didn't care all that much for the characters. The reader can't smell or taste or feel much of what's going on because the story is told from an atmosphere as antiseptic as space is a vacuum.

When the inciting incident of a story happens in the backstory, it is very difficult to get into the story.

All that said, I liked it but it didn't make me hungry for more.

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Review: Meow Matrimony

Meow Matrimony by Lisa Lickel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this story. I love cats, so the cat aspect was really fun. But something was sort of missing and then I realized this is book 2 of a series and I had missed book 1. That must be where the character development happened, right? Because there isn't much character development here.

There is a lot happening in this story, which makes it feel like real life. But sometimes it felt like clutter clouding the issue of the mystery, and the mystery every so slowly was solved. Nothing fast paced here, and a lot of distractions. Distractions are not all bad, either. However, the main thing was character without much development so they seemed more cardboard rather than alive and lively. That is why it gets 3 stars instead of 4 or 5 stars.



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Review: A Perfect Silhouette

A Perfect Silhouette by Judith McCoy Miller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Good story premise. Excellent historical read. Characters are fairly well developed and the romance is good. Trust issues, Faith issues, and Class Status issues are themed.

I really enjoyed this story and the historical depiction of the workings of a textile mill. After I read this book, I ran across a couple of seasons of The Mill, a BBC production inspired by true stories of an 1840-50s textile mill in England. The depiction was so similar to what I read in this book. I was further impressed.

The major thing that kept this from being a 4 or 5 star read is there are quite a few unresolved problems -- widowed sister and family-what happened to them? The hero gave up his pampered son place to find out from a worker's POV what working a textile mill was like and what needed changing - nothing was resolved here about the changes.

People are complex and, of course, meet Jesus in many different ways. One character gets tied up with Jesus in buttons and bows without any real reason why. We all have motivations and this woman's motivation of selfishness and snobbery was not addressed. Just too much fairy tale resolutions that kept this book from being a really good satisfying read.

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Review: The Noble Guardian

The Noble Guardian by Michelle Griep
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As a stand-alone, this story is top notch. While it may be a trilogy, it does not depend upon the previous books, very straight forward and quite an excellent read.

As a historical read, it left a lot to be desired.

There were far too many modernisms in dialogue ("save your drama," "suit yourself,") and narration that would jerk me back to the present. There were no rubber pants back in those days, so the sheer work of hygiene would be almost insurmountable on a road trip because diapers were rarely changed and the waste was not washed out. The smell would have been unbearable in a closed in coach. Historical readers care about this kind of thing.

This is the problem with today's historical romance. No one seems to care about historical accuracy and authenticity--such as an upper class lady going cross country without a lady's maid or companion. For Regency times, this would be enough to completely ruin a woman's reputation to the point of equating her with harlotry. Griep did a good job of making the reader believe going back was impossible and the only way was to go forward not matter what awaited. But--servants and the lower class innkeepers and merchants were just as snotty as the upper class. No innkeeper would allow a woman traveling by herself to have a room. That would ruin his reputation as a good place to stay.

Pardon my little rant here but no gentleman of those times would consider taking a gentlewoman on a trip like this without a maid or companion. Samuel is written as a gentleman and sharply compared to a born gentleman who doesn't act as such. This puts it in the realm of a fairy tale, but wait! Even fairy tales keep princes in their correct social status.

However, the storyline and the romance was pretty good. So if you don't care about authenticity, you'll enjoy the read.

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Review: A Silken Thread

A Silken Thread by Kim Vogel Sawyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As a historical read, this one is top notch. Sawyer does excellent research. Each character has just enough backstory to broaden the culture aspect of the different classes and motivations of the characters. Very well done.

The settings and descriptions are also woven intricately into the narration adding to the overall interest aspect of the book.

However, there are so many characters with motivations to explore that it feels just a bit jumbled. Although, the main characters are very believable and act/react according to their traits. That part is satisfying. So all in all, it is a worthy read.



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Review: Synapse

Synapse by Steven James
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book.

I adore Sci-Fi. I grew up reading sci-fi and all the techy things that go with it. Almost no tech stuff to bite into in this story, but lots of stuff to think about. However, I couldn't get over the fact that an AI has no soul, therefore an AI doesn't need Jesus to save something he doesn't have. The question of who can and who can't believe is a non-sequitur. So when the premise of the book became a non-factor, I lost all interest because I just didn't care about the characters.

What irritated me the most was all the different points of view. That came off to me as a trick Just-To-See-If-I-Can-Do-It kind of trick. To me it spoiled the whole flow of the storyline and was the main reason I quit reading the book, not the content nor the lack of character development.

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