The Cleric Chih accompanies a beautiful young bride to her wedding to the aging ruler of a crumbling estate situated at the crossroads of dead empires. The bride’s party is welcomed with elaborate courtesies and extravagant banquets, but between the frightened servants and the cryptic warnings of the lord’s mad son, they quickly realize that something is haunting the shadowed halls.

As Chih and the bride-to-be explore empty rooms and desolate courtyards, they are drawn into the mystery of what became of Lord Guo’s previous wives and the dark history of Do Cao itself. But as the wedding night draws to its close, Chih will learn at their peril that not all monsters are to be found in the shadows; some monsters hide in plain sight.

Though all the novellas are standalone, I would recommend reading at least one or two earlier ones to get a feel for the world and more information on the background of Chih and Almost Brilliant.

Dear Nghi Vo,

A new Singing Hills novella with Cleric Chih! This time it’s got some weird goings on, a strange family, a mystery. But where is Almost Brilliant?

Cleric Chih, a story gatherer from the Singing Hills Monastery, is on the road, traveling with a young bride and her parents on her way to meet a man her parents want her to marry. Pham Nhung is very young, sweetly charming, and acts and is treated as if she’s more fragile than fine porcelain. When the retinue reaches the compound, Nhung takes Chih with her ahead of the rest and surveys the strong walls that surround it, wondering aloud if she will find her future here.

The events get weirder after that when a bizarre young man warns Chih to have Nhung ask the lord what happened to his other brides. Wandering around the grounds that night, Chih and Nhung enter several buildings with Nhung coyly asking Chih to go in first and check for monsters. The mystery of the place deepens when the lord’s son, the young man from earlier, warns Chih and reveals something awful about his situation there and old family secrets. But the monsters Chih is expecting aren’t the ones they find.

“The world starts with a story. So do dynasties and eras and wars. So does love, and so does revenge. Everything starts with a story.”

Once again, a perfectly paced story unfolds in novella format. Some novellas end up too rushed or too thinly written with not enough to keep me interested. With the Singing Hills stories, I know that this won’t be the case. Words are carefully used to create and shade in the background worldbuilding which is filled with characters given nutshell sketches that tell us all we need to know about who they are without wasting pages on unneeded information.

The terrible situation is slowly built up, little by little with an aftertaste of unease, like a fire started and then allowed to heat up before bursting out in raging flames. There are subtle clues but they are softly dropped into the story and the reader is allowed to notice them and ponder what they mean before all the plot points are tied together and everything is let loose.

What didn’t work quite as well for me is

~Jayne

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle

The passion of red—the sweetness of white. Together they may create a love for the ages.

When Henry Bradley, sixth of that name, is suddenly elevated to Duke of Roseleigh, he finds the responsibilities almost outweigh the privileges. Beset by litigious neighbors, needy tenants, and nagging relatives, he also endures pressure from all sides to make sure Roseleigh’s brilliant red roses best the Earl of Edgecote’s white ones at the York Rose Show in the spring. When the Earl’s daughter Margaret pays an unexpected visit to offer her condolences on the death of the old duke, he finds an unexpected ally in the long-standing family feud—and a balm to his lonely heart.

Can the two of them come up with a proposition—or perhaps a rose—to ambush all comers in the Rose Society and turn the competition upside down?

Dear Ms. Warfield, 

I was looking around for what to read next and saw this novella. I’ve enjoyed several  of your other stories and I liked the blurb for “The Sixth Henry” so Rose Wars it was.

Henry had never expected to succeed to the family Dukedom given that he was the son of the second son but we all know how these inheritance things play out. Henry loved his grandfather who, bless him, was a conscientious man. One to look after his tenants, see to his duties, try to make things easy for Henry as Henry took up the responsibilities, and above all, make sure the gardener had all he needed to win the annual rose competition. The family name is Roseleigh, after all. 

The night of his grandfather’s funeral, Henry writes out a list of practical things he needs to accomplish with number six being “find a wife.” The next day he begins to tick off a number of them but when Lady Margaret appears a day later, things get in a bit of an uproar. Lady Margaret is the daughter of their chief rival for top rose honors but her reason for journeying to the estate of the Roseleighs is to offer her sincere condolences.

Okay so probably an unmarried woman of that day and age would never have done this journey but Margaret also wants to end this silly feud. Henry’s family might be suspicious of her but Henry is enchanted. The woman is lovely, intelligent, and knows her agriculture. If he had to make a list, Margaret would take the top 12 spots out of 10. She obviously feels the same but with a feud to bed down, these two are going to have to take their time before going courting. 

Despite this novella being right under the 100 page mark, it covers a lot of ground and does it nicely. Henry is a good guy but one who grows into his stature as a Duke while still managing to adroitly handle lots of people who are making demands on his time. I love that he places the welfare of his dependents/tenants first rather than being a puffed up popinjay who is all about “I’m a Duke.” 

Margaret is gobsmacked by the wonder of the Roseleigh library (gotta love a woman who loves books) and glasshouse. She does do something a little shady but her reasons are good and when Henry finds out, he’s totally on board. Also for a novella, and despite having the two MCs fall fairly quickly for each other, time is allowed before the “I do’s.” Henry adores Margaret’s superior qualities and he knows good things will come to those who give their heroines free rein. As he tells her once she’s explained her plan and how she got there, “Devious as well as clever. I’m a lucky man.” B

~Jayne      

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle

This is currently on sale at Amazon for 0.99

“The Arrangement” by BF Queen is the latest installment in the Ramadan Night series – a heartwarming sports romance that follows Yassine, a world-famous goalkeeper who requires a green card to continue playing in the US and represent Morocco in the World Cup. His solution: marriage to Nouha, a bookish personal assistant at the soccer club who has been scarred both physically and emotionally by a tragic accident. As their arrangement progresses, Nouha questions whether Yassine’s feelings are genuine, leading to a friends-to-lovers romance with a fresh twist on the Beauty and the Beast trope. A must read for anyone who would love to recapture the excitement of the Qatar World Cup last year.

Dear Ms. Queen,

I enjoyed reading The Serendipity” last year but missed this new novella in the Ramadan Nights series until now. Technically though, it doesn’t actually take place during Ramadan. Lovers of a “marriage of convenience” trope (like heroine Nouha) or sports romances will be in for a treat.

Yassine has worked hard to honor the efforts for better opportunities that his parents made when they moved the family from Morocco to Canada. But he runs into a roadblock when his application for a EB1 visa to the US is denied. He might be one of the best goalies in the US but, as he bitterly thinks, the US doesn’t value soccer players as much as US football players. With his work permit to play on an LA team about to run out and needing to play to possibly be on the Moroccan soccer team, Yassine is at first stunned by his coach’s suggestion of a MOC for a green card. He balks at doing that to any woman and for religious reasons, he wants his marriage to be a real one.

Nouha isn’t surprised when her latest marriage proposal meeting goes badly. She’s got facial scars from the car crash that killed her parents and no, she doesn’t want plastic surgery for them. Her aunt and uncle have loved and cared for them since she and her younger sister were orphaned and Nouha knows they would never push her into a marriage she doesn’t want. When she sees medical bills for her aunt, Nouha worries about how her uncle will afford to pay them. When Yassine, whom she’s known for years through work, comes to her with a proposal, she wonders if she could take him up on it. He’s so handsome, famous and mentioned on social media while she still doesn’t like being noticed – so how could this work?

What I really liked is that Nouha and Yassine are already friends who can laugh and joke together. Yassine knows that Nouha loves romance books which turns out to be one way that he eventually shows her how much he cares. A hero who buys his heroine books rocks, IMO. Yassine is also determined that his marriage won’t just be to get a green card. As he tells Nouha, he’d rather not get one and have to leave the country – even if this means risking what he and his parents worked for – than treat a woman badly by marrying her just for this.

They need to marry fairly quickly in order to start the paperwork for a green card which leads to the main conflict of Nouha having trouble believing that Yassine really loves her. This part is a bit rushed until Yassine – by his actions – proves that he loves his bride enough to sacrifice something dear to him in order to respect her honor.

So yes things are resolved fairly quickly but in ways that reassured me that these two are on the same page and committed to each other and their marriage. I love Nouha’s sister, aunt, and uncle, too. B

~Jayne

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle

Kinfolk by Sean Dietrich

Sometimes it’s the most unlikely meetings that give us life’s greatest gifts.

1970s, Southern Alabama. Sixty-two-year-old Jeremiah Lewis Taylor, or “Nub,” has spent his whole life listening to those he’s loved telling him he’s no good—first his ex-wife, now his always-disapproving daughter. Sure, his escapades have made him, along with his cousin and perennial sidekick, Benny, just a smidge too familiar with small town law enforcement, but he’s never harmed anyone—except perhaps himself.

Nub never meant to change his ways, but when he and fifteen-year-old Waffle House waitress Minnie form an unlikely friendship, he realizes for the first time that there may be some good in him after all. Six-foot-five Minnie has been dealt a full deck of bad luck—her father is a convicted murderer serving a life sentence, her mother is dead and buried, and she has a Grand Ole Opry–worthy singing voice with no place to perform. Oh, and there’s the small fact that she’s unexpectedly pregnant, courtesy of a no-good high-school boy.

Gradually, Nub realizes the gift he’s been given: a second chance to make a difference.

Beloved Southern writer Sean Dietrich, also known as Sean of the South, once again brings people and places to life in this lyrical song-turned-story about found family, second chances, country music, and the poignant power of love and forgiveness.

My Review

Somehow all of the plot threads come together in the end. It’s wild but what else should I have expected from this book? As I mentioned earlier, I laughed my ass off at times and blinked back a tear at others. Some things cut close while many, many others brought me good memories as I know the South and I lived through 1972. Boomers and Gen Xers will know a lot of these things first hand. The book has sass, heart, and people triumphing over the odds against them. It will not be for everyone but I inhaled the 400 pages in two days and loved it. It will break your heart and then put it back together. A-

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle

Mrs. Porter Calling by A. J. Pearce

London, April 1943. A little over a year since she married Captain Charles Mayhew and he went away to war, Emmy Lake is now in charge of “Yours Cheerfully,” the hugely popular advice column in Woman’s Friend magazine. Cheered on by her best friend Bunty, Emmy is dedicated to helping readers face the increasing challenges brought about by over three years of war. The postbags are full and Woman’s Friend is thriving.

But Emmy’s world is turned upside down when glamorous socialite, the Honorable Mrs. Cressida Porter, becomes the new publisher of the magazine, and wants to change everything the readers love. Aided by Mrs. Pye, a Paris-obsessed fashion editor with delusions of grandeur, and Small Winston, the grumpiest dog in London, Mrs. Porter fills the pages with expensive clothes and frivolous articles about her friends. Worst of all, she announces that she is cutting the “Yours Cheerfully” column and her vision for the publication’s future seems dire. With the stakes higher than ever, Emmy and her friends must find a way to save the magazine that they love.

My Review

We’ve been through ups and downs with Emmy, Bunty, and the staff at the newspaper Woman’s Friend. Emmy’s oft repeated thought, “You are safe and you are loved” got me through. I need the next book in my hands now. A

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle

Ghost 19 by Simone St. James

Is there something wrong with Ginette Cox? It’s what everyone seems to think. When a doctor suggests that what she might need is less excitement, she packs up and moves from New York City to a house in suburban NY: 19 Howard Ave.

The town offers Ginette little in the way of entertainment in 1959, but at least she has interesting neighbors. Whether it’s the little girl with her doll or the couple and their mother-in-law, Ginette watches them from her window and makes up names and stories for them.

But it’s not all peaceful in suburbia. Ginette finds it hard to sleep in her new house. There are strange and scary noises coming from the basement, and she is trapped, either by a ghost or her own madness.

But when Ginette starts to think a murder has taken place and a mysterious man starts making terrifying appearances outside her window, it’s clear she must deal with whatever isn’t allowing her to escape this house…

My Review

This one does take its time getting started – and doesn’t hesitate to make Gin a bit unlikeable and give her some affectations – but then I was literally holding my breath and my fingers were flying as I raced through the last part of the story. What had happened?! Who was wailing from the basement? What did sweetheart Andrew see when he scoped out the house across the lane that he and Ginette were watching? Where did Mother-in-Law go? Who was the man in black who stood in front of Ginette’s window? Was Detective Ian Challis married or not? And how was Ginette going to finally get away. That is if she got away. A-

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle

Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo

The wandering Cleric Chih returns home to the Singing Hills Abbey for the first time in almost three years, to be met with both joy and sorrow. Their mentor, Cleric Thien, has died, and rests among the archivists and storytellers of the storied abbey. But not everyone is prepared to leave them to their rest.

Because Cleric Thien was once the patriarch of Coh clan of Northern Bell Pass–and now their granddaughters have arrived on the backs of royal mammoths, demanding their grandfather’s body for burial. Chih must somehow balance honoring their mentor’s chosen life while keeping the sisters from the north from storming the gates and destroying the history the clerics have worked so hard to preserve.

But as Chih and their neixin Almost Brilliant navigate the looming crisis, Myriad Virtues, Cleric Thien’s own beloved hoopoe companion, grieves her loss as only a being with perfect memory can, and her sorrow may be more powerful than anyone could anticipate. . .

My Review

I started and finished this novella in one day. As soon as I ended it I thought, I’m not quite sure what that all was but it was brilliant. My book notes state “A story of Singing Hills, young novices, justice, and the way life changes.” Chih has returned thinking that everything will be the same. Many things are, which is comforting, but not everything. New realities must be navigated and accepted. Life is change, after all. In the end, a new normal is coming into being while a pathway to maintaining good relations with those who command massive mammoths is found. Justice will be done and a grieving neixin will find some peace. A

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

There’s a princess trapped in a tower. This isn’t her story.

Meet Toadling. On the day of her birth, she was stolen from her family by the fairies, but she grew up safe and loved in the warm waters of faerieland. Once an adult though, the fae ask a favor of Toadling: return to the human world and offer a blessing of protection to a newborn child. Simple, right?

But nothing with fairies is ever simple.

Centuries later, a knight approaches a towering wall of brambles, where the thorns are as thick as your arm and as sharp as swords. He’s heard there’s a curse here that needs breaking, but it’s a curse Toadling will do anything to uphold…

My Review

Oh, what a lovely story. I can easily see how this flowed (pun intended) into being. The heroine is delightful and just the kind of self-effacing person who I enjoy watching save the day. And Toadling saves so many, most of whom have/had no idea of what she did. I wasn’t quite sure how things would end up. I pondered this as I read to the end and realized that I would have been happy either way Toadling decided to do things. But I think she made the right choice. This is the sort of story I want to flip back to the beginning and start reading again the minute I finish it. And I agree. It is sweet, dammit. A 

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle

Everything’s Coming Up Beatrix by Georgia Dunn

Stop the presses: The news crew at BCN is back for more adventures and laughs!

Join Elvis, Puck, Lupin, Tommy, Beatrix, and the whole team for spooky tales around the space heater, daring hairstyles, not-so-hilarious sweaters, an Easter egg hunt disaster, new cat foods, “Heck on the Deck!”, something called a papasan, and the first ever celebration of St. Catty’s Day! Tune into a ghostly broadcast when Puck makes a harrowing journey to the attic and gets in over his head. . . . Can Elvis and Tabitha work together to save him?

Learn how to make your own bookmark, your own little book, and a reading fort!

My Review

I fell in love with the news crew of Breaking Cat News years ago, read it everyday online, and eagerly await my pre-ordered paperback copies of the books. Georgia Dunn perfectly captures so much of the behavior that cat servants know – both what we love and what we don’t (hairballs, anyone?). One of the delightful newer characters added over the years is young cub reporter Beatrix. With her polydactyl paws, she easily manages the station’s social media accounts while her outgoing, yet also thoughtful, personality charms all. A

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle

Madeline Finn and the Blessing of the Animals by Lisa Papp

When Madeline Finn attends the Blessing of the Animals with Bonnie and Star, she learns that everyone has a gift inside, which they can share with the world. And one way that Madeline Finn can share her blessing is with the animals at her local shelter.

It’s a special day! Madeline Finn is taking Bonnie and Star to the Blessing of the Animals. When they arrive, they see dogs and cats. There’s even a goat!

Madeline Finn watches closely as the Reverend Mary Alice spends time with every animal, giving each one their very own blessing.

“How do you know what to say?” Madeline Finn wants to know.

“Everyone has a blessing inside,” Miss Mary explains. “A special gift to share with the world.”

When Madeline Finn receives a blessing all her own, she has a new mission: finding the blessings in others. Surely, the furry and feathery residents at her local animal shelter have lots of special gifts to share. They just need someone to believe in them—someone to set those blessings free.

My Review

Yes, I had to stop numerous times to wipe my eyes. Yes, I was crying. But they’re happy tears and hopeful tears for the animals Madeline blesses with things that might help the animals find homes. The illustrations are lovely and the message is heartfelt. We’re all special and have something to offer. A

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle

The Lady from Burma by Allison Montclair

Murder once again stalks the proprietors of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau in the surprisingly dangerous landscape of post-WWII London.
In the immediate post-war days of London, two unlikely partners have undertaken an even more unlikely, if necessary, business venture – The Right Sort Marriage Bureau. The two partners are Miss Iris Sparks, a woman with a dangerous – and never discussed – past in British intelligence and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, a war widow with a young son entangled in a complicated aristocratic family. Mostly their clients are people trying to start (or restart) their lives in this much-changed world, but their new client is something different. A happily married woman has come to them to find a new wife for her husband. Dying of cancer, she wants the two to make sure her entomologist, academic husband finds someone new once she passes.

Shortly thereafter, she’s found dead in Epping Forest, in what appears to be a suicide. But that doesn’t make sense to either Sparks or Bainbridge. At the same time, Bainbridge is attempting to regain legal control of her life, opposed by the conservator who has been managing her assets – perhaps not always in her best interest. When that conservator is found dead, Bainbridge herself is one of the prime suspects. Attempting to make sense of two deaths at once, to protect themselves and their clients, the redoubtable owners of the Right Sort Marriage Bureau are once again on the case.

My Review

I finished the book reading flat out and punching the air at the way Gwen and Iris handle one suspected criminal confession and how Gwen’s knowledge of single malts helps her in another. The final scenes of dealing with grief almost had me tearing up – okay, okay yes I was tearing up – but one character has had this coming and desperately needed it while another has only just begun to confront his loss – the depth of which we realize from a conversation Iris has with a former Army commando. I was wrung out and satisfied at the same time and I can’t wait to see what happens next. A

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle

The Country Gentleman by Dinah Dean

When he’s mistaken for her husband-to-be, is that prophetic?

Miss Lucinda Calvert’s quiet life as a rector’s daughter is turned topsy-turvy by the arrival of a gentleman new to the area. Mr John Harris seems respectable, but sets the village gossips wagging with speculation about his past—on which topic he is very private indeed.

He pays her particular attention, and his mysterious papers and odd habits confuse her almost as much as his unexpected kiss! Then speculation of a French spy in their midst, taking advantage of the nearby military encampment, sets Lucinda worrying. Could the man she has grown so fond of—perhaps even loves—be a traitor?

My Review

Lucinda finds herself starting to fall for him, and Fred certainly approves of him – though Fred has never approved of Lucinda’s other male friend Monsieur Roland, the poor French emigree who fled France because of the Revolution – and Lucinda’s father has always said that Fred is an excellent judge of character though Lucinda’s mother sniffs at that saying “(Mr. Harris) must be a paragon if the cat likes him!” A-

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle

Worth More than Rubies by Grace Burrowes

All the Duke of Dunfallon wants this holiday season is a respite from the machinations of the matchmakers. When pursued by a particularly determined would-be duchess, he ducks into the West Bartholomew Street Lending Library. Librarian Emerald Armstrong sees a dapper gent in a bit of a hurry and mistakes Dunfallon for a curate overdue for his assignation with West Bart’s theological collection.

Dunfallon is intrigued by Emmie’s love of books, her disdain for society’s games, and her ferocious generosity of spirit toward all of the library’s patrons. She has no patience with posturing, and thus he takes the risk of admitting his true identity. To his surprise, Emmie doesn’t mind all that much that he’s a duke—some things cannot be helped—but she is far less willing to keep silent about Dunfallon’s other secret, the one he has been guarding from even his fellow peers.

If an honorable woman is worth more than rubies, what will a duke sacrifice to earn her love?

My Review

What a delight. Another book loving couple and more cats! And what a silly widgeon I’ve been to not have been reading your books up until now. I wondered when Emmie would learn the truth behind Dane’s identity, thinking this would probably lead to the proverbial Third Act breakup only to discover the story would unfold quite differently. Huzzah for something unusual and some quality intimacy that even includes heaving bosoms. This was lovely. A-

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle

All the Duke of Dunfallon wants this holiday season is a respite from the machinations of the matchmakers. When pursued by a particularly determined would-be duchess, he ducks into the West Bartholomew Street Lending Library. Librarian Emerald Armstrong sees a dapper gent in a bit of a hurry and mistakes Dunfallon for a curate overdue for his assignation with West Bart’s theological collection.

Dunfallon is intrigued by Emmie’s love of books, her disdain for society’s games, and her ferocious generosity of spirit toward all of the library’s patrons. She has no patience with posturing, and thus he takes the risk of admitting his true identity. To his surprise, Emmie doesn’t mind all that much that he’s a duke—some things cannot be helped—but she is far less willing to keep silent about Dunfallon’s other secret, the one he has been guarding from even his fellow peers.

If an honorable woman is worth more than rubies, what will a duke sacrifice to earn her love?

Note: This story was half of Yuletide Gems, a novella duet originally published as a web store/library exclusive in 2022.

Dear Ms. Burrowes,

What a delight. Another book loving couple and more cats! And what a silly widgeon I’ve been to not have been reading your books up until now. 

I hope that Miss Minerva Peasegill gets an invitation to the wedding of the Duke of Dunfallon and the Hon. Emerald Armstrong because Minerva is the cause of their romance. If he hadn’t ducked into the West Bart. Street Lending Library, to avoid her and her mama and been mistaken for the budding curate in need of Welsh language skills, would these two have found each other? 

Dunfallon’s best hope lay in the fact that Bellefonte, being as tall as a lighthouse, would hold the ladies’ attention. Dunfallon himself could steal away unseen if he moved with the purpose and stealth of a border reiver beneath a quarter moon.

Dane, or Mr. Dunn, or the Duke of Dunfallon and Emmie, or the Honorable Miss Armstrong have much in common. They both love to read, they can interact well with children, and they’re hiding. Dane, the second spare who ended up inheriting after his elder brother died of the cliched “tragic accident” and the spare died of consumption, has been husband-hunted by marriage minded misses and their mamas. Emmie was guilted into entering the London marriage mart, didn’t take for five years and then when a second son did offer for her, she allowed intimacies (common among even the upper classes?) before her betrothed threw her over for a woman with a larger dowry. Then her brother, along with Society, viewed her as being the problem. 

They both have had family issues. Dane’s father was a tyrannical martinet who belittled his son, forced him into the Army, and then ultimately did something Dane found unforgettable. Emmie’s father (very) quickly remarried after her mother’s death in order to get his heir and Ambrose was willing to believe his school chum rather than his sister about their broken betrothal. 

Not all the things they have in common are dire. They both enjoy discussing books, debating finer points, cats, and reading aloud – which the street children and pensioners who routinely inhabit the library also enjoy. Ah, yes. The story is full of street children but rather than find them cloying or overdone heartstring tuggers, I enjoyed them, too. They are not plot moppets either. Little bits of information here and there reveal the tough life they lead and though they’re canny about survival, they can gather to hear the beloved books written by one Mr. Christopher Dingle about four kittens who work together and think their way through problems on the mean streets of London. 

“You mustn’t blame them for trying,” Mr. Dunn said when Emmie reshelved the book. “You have a way with a tale.”
 “Mr. Dingle has the way with a tale,” she said. “The children love his kittens, and what they love, they can learn from. Do you enjoy fiction, Mr. Dunn?”
He paused in his dusting. “As a lad, I did.”

There are also some wonderful secondary characters who have had their own book which I want to read.  

As (initially) Emmie and Dane don’t know the particulars about each other, they can ignore the dictates of Society and sit together, enjoying lunch or tea in Emmie’s office. This also gives them time to get to know each other far more than if they had merely waltzed together at Almacks. 

Miss Armstrong set down her sandwich and bestowed on Dunfallon a smile of such delighted sweetness that had she shot him in the bum with an arrow, he could not have been more astonished. When she smiled like that, Miss Armstrong barreled right past beguiling and galloped into the nearer reaches of fascinating.
The slight detachment that she carried around like a banner when executing her librarian’s duties was exchanged for the pennant of the prettiest lady in the shire, the most warmhearted, intelligent, alluring, unexpected…
God have mercy, he wasn’t the only one dissembling. Miss Emerald Armstrong wasn’t what she appeared to be, not at all, and that pleased Dunfallon as spirited debate, hot soup, and bachelor freedoms never had.

They are widely read and take delight in a rousing debate (not mansplaining) – something Emmie tells her friend Leah with wonder. Her (boorish) betrothed had boasted about having never finished a book (so we know he’s a caddish clod from the get go). She and Dane also discuss the Dingle book felines and how those kittens teach the children valuable life lessons. There is also a delightful discussion about the differences between men and women and societal expectations. 

Miss Peasegill and her ilk could pursue only the Dunfallon tiara, because they had not bothered to acquaint themselves with the man who could offer it to them. They had not paid attention to the subtle effect of mood on his burr. They had not wondered if he liked animals or disdained to allow them into his domiciles. They had never inquired about his literary tastes.
To them, those aspects of the man were irrelevant beside the shining wealth and consequence of the duke.
To Emmie Armstrong, the ducal trappings probably wouldn’t matter all that much even if she knew of them.

I wondered when Emmie would learn the truth behind Dane’s identity, thinking this would probably lead to the proverbial Third Act breakup only to discover the story would unfold quite differently. Huzzah for something unusual and some quality intimacy that even includes heaving bosoms. No, the third section of the novella makes Dane and Emmie learn some hard truths about themselves. Listening, really listening is vital. Supporting someone’s truths and being willing to apologize when wrong make a relationship work better.   

“I never want you to feel the misery that I did when my only sibling turned a deaf ear on my misfortune. I will tell you when you are wrong, Dunfallon, but I will also listen to you. Truly listen, not simply hoard up ammunition for my next volley in the argument. We can both be right, and we can both be wrong, all at the same time. 

Dunfallon’s fingers stroked Emmie’s hair from her temple to her nape, a deliciously soothing touch. “You propose a sound bargain. I promise you both honesty and kindness, and that means listening to each other even when we are disappointed or dismayed, but it also means we don’t lie to ourselves.”

      
So all’s well that ends well. Each is now seen, loved, and cherished. I did note a few probably anachronistic decorations and “plaid” was used where “tartan” maybe ought to have been but darn it, I don’t care. This was lovely. A-
~Jayne 

“I found Mr. Dingle’s stories and his unrelenting faith that there is always a way home, if only we are resourceful and true to ourselves and to our loved ones.”

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle

It’s the perfect Solstice present, even if it’s slightly illegal.

Chief Engineer Shandi Leavenworth has been crushing on Major Tyra Sur ever since she joined station staff, though the laconic customs officer doesn’t give up personal information easily. A few scraps of information leads Shandi to the perfect Solstice present, until of course everything goes horribly wrong.

Major Sur took the job on Onwa Station for the stability, the quiet, and out of a need to be useful. It’s been all of those things up until the woman she’s been quietly flirting with at the bar puts in a desperate call for help. There’s no question they need to save the station, but Tyra’s not so sure about saving their budding relationship.

Dear Ms. Martinez,

Catching up with the Pudding Protocol Universe again for another Solstice book. Well, kinda as Solstice is the reason that Shandi wants to get a fellow space habitat worker a gift but the gift is what takes up the majority of the story rather than the holiday.

As with “Safety Protocols for Human Holidays,” we’re in a universe of multispecies space. This time the action takes place aboard a space habitat. Shandi has been trying to get to know Tyra but that woman is not a party animal. In fact, Tyra might be wonderfully competent in her job and had been awarded medals for saving a ship while she was a Marine but Tyra doesn’t easily do “social.” When in company she feels that “words run off where I can’t find them.” Shandi’s idea is to get Tyra a pet for Solstice but as Tyra is part of the department that clears all incoming life forms and Shandi wants this to be a surprise, she, um, goes a bit unauthorized and that leads to things going sideways. 

I happily dove into this world with lots of different species who cohabitate. Each is described a little and given some distinctive characteristics. Pronouns are inquired about and friendships abound. These beings really seem to care about each other. All is not perfect as Tyra has actual reasons beyond her innate reserve for screwing up the relationship that Shandi seems to be starting. The reason is because of what Tyra’s last committed partner did to save a ship of people. And eventually when Tyra and Shandi take a chance, the kisses don’t start perfectly and the sex is fumbled a bit but in the end, all is well.   

As I said, most of the action centers on the pet that Shandi (illegally) gets for Tyra. Described as an ussi the little blob of black fur with black eyes and three sets of legs sounds adorable. Ah-dorable. It nomnomnoms on kale chips and … doubles in size. Hmmm, the guy Shandi bought it from didn’t say anything about that. Then it doubles again and then things get out of control. But Shandi’s friend and Tyra’s colleagues spring into action and try to contain a ravenous beast with a taste for food and hats. 

There’s some protocol to getting the creature – which can ooze a bit in shape and thus is called a “pudding” – under control and when all is said and done, Tyra does get her pet and a second chance at a relationship. This is a bit quick and I would have liked to have seen more of a balance between the ussi wrangling and the romance though. But we do get to see Tyra being supremely competent while they capture the critter. B-

~Jayne      

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle

Searching for sunshine…

Lonely and depressed by far too much rain, Lord Randolph Lennox decides on impulse to take the first ship leaving London for the sunny Mediterranean. Chance brings him to Naples—where it’s also raining. But the rain clears and as he discovers the city, a pleasant young English governess rescues him from an altercation with a flirtatious girl and her protective family.

Miss Elizabeth Walker is between jobs and taking a holiday in Naples when she meets the quiet, handsome Englishman. When he proposes that she act as his guide for the next few days, she accepts because they enjoy each other’s company. Elizabeth matter-of-factly recognizes that of course she’ll fall quietly in love with him and nothing will come of it, but she’ll have some lovely memories to cherish in her old age.

…and finding a second chance at love…

As they come to know each other better, Randolph starts thinking thoughts of forever, but that seems impossible—until fate takes an alarming hand.

Dear Ms. Putney, 

After the success with “The Christmas Tart,” I decided to roll the dice again. I will be honest and say that Lord Randolph’s initial response to the Italian religious ceremony he sees and some talk about the differences between Italian girls and staid Englishwomen didn’t go down well with me. Then I thought, well, that’s probably how an Englishman of the time, who had not been to the country might actually respond. I liked the heroine enough that I kept reading. I wish his valet had had more of a role though. 

After he is saved from an angry Italian father and angry Italian fiancé, Randolph wisely puts himself in the hands of the intelligent Englishwoman who saved him. He quickly recognizes that Miss Elizabeth Walker is the best person to guide him around Naples and the surrounding countryside and show him more than the tourist Italy than his original guide did. Elizabeth is between jobs (Italian families view having an English governess as a matter of prestige) and happy to take this handsome, amiable, easy to be around gentleman about and show him the “real Italy.” Randolph might initially view working class trattoria pizza with skepticism but he’s soon a convert. 

Making up his mind about what he wants, Randolph bungles his next move. Can a night stranded in the countryside get these two to open up about their past losses and perhaps look to a future together?

Randolph and Elizabeth are nice characters who are nice. There, I’ve said it. They are nice together as well. Elizabeth’s reaction to discovering that Randolph is a Lord pleases him – she’s not that impressed nor is she overawed. She seems to like him for himself and he knows he likes her. He married once, has had a thwarted love relationship in his life, and inspiration hits him that perhaps marrying after (deep) insta-friendship is a better option. 

Elizabeth knows she’s a plain, tall, outspoken woman. She loved and lost before and fatalistically realizes that she will probably fall for this charming man. She will enjoy her time with him, tuck the experience away in a lavender scented hankie, and take out the memory to smile at when she’s older. Her shocked response to his offer is shrugged off by Randolph in one enormous Big Mis on both sides. Luckily they have time to talk things out and discover what he really meant and why she thinks they won’t do together. They also celebrate Christmas in a very unusual way but as Elizabeth is a Vicar’s daughter, she (like Linus) gets the “true meaning of Christmas” sermon just right. B

~Jayne    

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle

It’s Christmas 1946 and wounded doctor Laurence is struggling to find a way to live during peacetime. Lost in the Hampshire countryside on a snowy Christmas Eve, Laurence stumbles across lonely Mistletoe Cottage and its owner: Avery.
Avery is bright and beautiful, welcoming Laurence to his home with warmth and joy. But Laurence can’t stay forever, and Avery’s secrets mean he can never leave. When everything goes wrong, it’s up to Laurence to find a way to secure a happy-ever-after for their midwinter fairy tale.

Dear Ms. Durreson,

I’ve read several of your stories but not this one. I think others have mentioned it though so I went in, hoping for the best. Ah, what a charming story this is. 

I love how the awful British winter of 1946 is worked into it. How Laurence’s “broken brain” is not the PTSD I was expecting. His neurological issues also help him accept what Laurence considers at first to be Avery’s eccentricities. Avery is not quite historical but not quite contemporary (for Laurence’s time). Avery knows a bit about trains, has a range to cook on rather than cooking in the oven. Laurence’s upbringing has taught him that when he’s in a new environment, he needs to accept, be agreeable, and watch to see how to act so he doesn’t totally flip out when Avery uses some magic. The magic is also revealed at the start of their time together so the standard “what is happening, can’t be happening!” scenes can be eliminated.   

Both men know their preferences already but the realization has to dawn on them, through some subtle flirting, that they both feel this way. The relationship between Avery and Laurence does start fairly quickly but then they’ve only got twelve days to kickstart that. Or do they? The way that Laurence and Avery “connect” over the course of the year is clever and gets me ready for them to actually be in love When It Counts. Having Laurence discover something that helps him accept what is actually going on works for me, too. 

I wasn’t expecting the last half of the story but it’s lovely and filled with other people who are not quite what society expects or will tolerate. Lady Althea and her “secretary” Millie (who knows how to fly spitfires but was not allowed to fight during the war) are obviously a couple, while Elspeth, the village lass and daughter of the local vicar, longs to apply to Oxford while her sister did “something mysterious” during the war. Even these things would have been beyond the dreams of Avery’s sisters but the world is changing. And as the village gets used to the fact that Laurence’s head injury necessitates that he needs some form of long term help, there might be a way forward into a HEA for him and this lovely man to whom Laurence has given back spring flowers. A-

~Jayne

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle

Previously published in Virtues of Christmas. Henrietta Whitlow is leaving behind the life of a very successful courtesan in hopes of making peace with her family in the shires. Michael Brenner’s family all but ignore him, despite his shiny new baronial title, and his errand along the Oxford road isn’t half so benign as Henrietta’s. While trying to settle a debt of honor involving Henrietta, Michael instead loses his heart and comes to understand the true meaning of holiday spirit.

Dear Ms. Burrowes,

Of course I’d heard of your name but for some reason I’ve never read one of your books before despite other DA reviewers liking them. When I was searching for novellas to read for Christmas, my library had this one and I was intrigued about the courtesan aspect. Frankly, I wasn’t sure but thought what the heck, why not? Within a few pages I was hooked.

Henrietta Whitlow is on the road in December, trying to reach home. She’s been trying to get back home for ten years now and been rebuffed but this is her one last effort. First, she needs to somehow get an uppity inn keeper to let her rest for a while as her coachman seeks a blacksmith to see to a horse’s shoe. Michael Brenner hears the hubbub and intervenes, inviting Henrietta to share his parlor and a meal. Like the innkeeper, he knows who she is – one of the most celebrated and sought after courtesans in London. Michael also has another reason for being at the inn; he’s trying to get something from Henrietta and knows she’ll travel this way.

Eating with this beautiful woman is an experience for Michael. Henrietta is beautiful, poised, intelligent, and nobody’s fool. She lets drop the tidbit that she has retired and is traveling home. Michael can easily see why men of wealth and power sought a contract with this woman as she mesmerizes him while casually telling him she’d only had six protectors – a ghastly word, Michael comes to feel, as none of these men protected her, only made use of her.

The more they talk, the more they discover they have in common. Henrietta loves to read, something her father sought to withhold as later we learn he didn’t want her to turn into a bluestocking. Michael grew up poor, somehow (I was a bit hazy about this) ended up in a public school where he inhaled learning before eventually (also hazy) becoming a spy before ending up a newly minted baron. A (frankly delightful) discussion between their coachmen (both Scottish and they know each other) reveals that both Henrietta and Michael are well thought of by their servants who hatch some plot to bring them together. But Michael’s word of honor requires him to carry through with his plan which – of course – will come to light at the worst time. Is the budding attraction between these two doomed before it even gets going? Or can they help each other while helping themselves?

I think it’s important to note that Henrietta isn’t the only one looking for respect. Michael is Irish and has had his own battles to fight for respect from the English. Both have some degree of estrangement from family. Henrietta’s father has been unbending in refusing to talk to her and we learn that she did write and plead to return home after being seduced and ruined. Her brothers and their families accept her but not papa. Michael has been trying to get his sisters to visit him at his (fairly) newly purchased estate but so far, nothing. Now I don’t equate their different issues. Henrietta has, by far, been treated the worst by society so the most effort is expended on getting her the respect she deserves from her father who was the driving factor behind what put her at risk in the first place.

There is a lot of emotion in the book but it doesn’t get emotional if that makes sense. There are no scenes of fiery showdowns. Michael and Henrietta are slightly older (both mid to late 20s). Michael has been a spy and can control what he shows the world while Henrietta has been paid well to act a part and let men see only what they want to see. The scene where these two come together because they want to rather than because they have to is a revelation to both. Henrietta finally gets to demand what she wants and enjoys from sex and Michael is enthralled by this. So when she discovers what he’s done, well … Michael realizes fully what he’s done and lost. I did like that this scene didn’t go quite as I’d expected it would.

Then comes making amends. Bravo that Michael has listened to what Henrietta really wants and he sets about helping make that happen. Even more though, Henrietta has already begun the campaign and fired the first few salvoes rather than waiting on someone else to help her. I liked Henrietta. A lot. Henrietta has also done something to help Michael get what he wants and the fact that she did it before knowing what he did lets me know that he has become important to her. They act independently for the other, all without expecting that this will heal the break between them. The reconciliation is one that fits the two of them.

My complaints are for Henrietta’s father who seems a bit of an ass at times in the way he treated his daughter and the high handed manner in which he meant to marry her off. Also, the more serious nature of what happened to Henrietta – no matter how skillfully she eventually managed this – makes the insta-love harder to swallow for me. Now, do I believe that all the neighbors are going to forget Henrietta’s background? No, not really but I like that her background isn’t ignored either. Michael has a title but it’s not a high ranking one and Henrietta is from gentry rather than aristocracy so thinking that they will be able to live in the country and be happy is something I can believe. B

~Jayne

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle

Dr. Oliver Hay-Smythe seemed to have met a modern-day Cinderella! Ever since Bertha’s father had remarried, the kindhearted woman had been put upon by her family. She appeared to live in her stepsister’s shadow, stuck doing the housework and wearing hand-me-downs! The doctor was about to change all that. In fact, he was about to change Bertha’s entire world.

Review

In her post about reading Betty Neels, Sunita referred to a type of heroine Neels began writing later in her career – the little matchgirl heroine. The heroine here, dear Bertha, is such a heroine. I mean … Bertha as the name of a heroine for a story written in the mid 1990s? Oh and the title is a bit misleading as the only bit about Christmas is that some of the story takes place just before it.

Bertha Soames is that downtrodden heroine of Neelsdom. Her father (who is never a part of this story) remarried after her mother’s death and wow did he pick a harridan. Harridan comes complete with a daughter named Clare who is pretty while Bertha is … not pretty. Bertha is short, tiny, has a button nose, her hair pulled back in a horrid bun, and is wearing a shrimp pink ghastly dress (though her eyes are lovely) when Oliver first sees her – basically a navvy at her own birthday party. 

Dr. Hay-Smythe, [is a] hard-working in his profession and already respected by older colleagues, a man who would never pass a stray kitten or a lost dog and who went out of his way to make life easy for anyone in trouble …

Of course Oliver whisks her away, pops her in his dark grey Rolls Royce and takes her off for a lovely, comforting dinner of bangers and mash at a local pub. Neels did not resort to her frequent description of this meal as “perfectly cooked” (as she does later) but the atmosphere is wonderful and Bertha enjoys herself. Mrs. Soames’s shrewish (though tempered when she notices Oliver standing beside her step-daughter) reaction to Bertha not having been on hand to act as a servant tells the doctor all he needs to know of this woman. 

‘I met a girl this evening, Freddie (the black lab) —a plain girl with beautiful eyes and wearing a truly awful frock. An uninteresting creature at first glance, but somehow I feel that isn’t a true picture. She has a delightful voice—very quiet. She needs to get away from that ghastly stepmother too. I must think of something.’

Oliver, though, is a smart man and soon cooks up a scheme to get Bertha out of the house and away from her step-relations.  He even doesn’t bat an eye at the awful clothes Bertha wears – mostly cast offs from her step-sister who I’d swear buys hideous clothes only so she can give them to Bertha and make her look awful. An acid yellow two piece jersey outfit and a lime green one are mentioned to go along with the shrimp pink floofy dress. 

Soon it’s obvious that lovely Clare, who can charm and or lie her way through anything and come out looking great, has set her sights on Oliver as the perfect husband – not that she loves him, mind you. Oliver just has scads of money and a lovely country home in Oxfordshire. With a perfect London flat, Clare’s life will be set. Only Clare best not count her chickens quite yet. 

So Bertha has been groomed to be a self effacing little thing although her manners are perfect. This is noted by those whose opinions Oliver counts on. Bertha is fearless when faced with danger – as happens twice, and she adores the old pet donkey Oliver keeps in Oxfordshire. Clare is given every opportunity to prove she’s a better person than Oliver knows her to be yet Clare fails every test. She really is a piece of work to go along with her mother. Oliver is not a rude Dutch doctor. He’s quiet, well mannered, shrewd, and observant. He’s also kind to elderly cats. 

Look for Bertha to begin to come out of her shell a little and zing her family with pointed remarks. Watch how brilliantly Oliver manipulates Mrs. Soames and her daughter. It’s a thing of beauty. And I can see why Bertha’s Aunt Agatha (watch out for British women named Agatha) despises Mrs. Soames and Clare. But yeah, honestly expect that Oliver and Bertha to settle down into a lovely relationship where they will probably try and out-do each other in kindnesses to each other and the world. They’re both just that type of person. B

~Jayne      

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle

A Chance Christmas Connection

Tired of dealing with legalities relating to his father’s unexpected death, new baronet Sir Philip Selbourne is ready to leave London and head home for Christmas. But having spent a boyhood rescuing strays, he’s unable to resist helping a desperate young woman with speaking brown eyes and a kitten in her pocket.

Young French seamstress Nicole Chambord is in dire straits after being wrongly fired by her dreadful employer. Then chance brings her together with Philip Selbourne. His kindness leads her to accept when he offers to take her to his family estate so she can become a companion to his French-born mother.

But the roads are icy and an accident forces Philip, Nicole (and the kitten!) to seek refuge at the cottage of a lonely widow—and creates a Christmas miracle for them all.

Dear Ms. Putney,

As you yourself said, “The Christmas Tart” is fluff but what charming fluff. And it has actual fluff in the form of one ghastly scarlet cloak (with ostrich feathers) and a lucky cat named Merkle who is named after (and I agree with you here) a wonderful historical author Judith Merkle Riley – gone from us too soon.

So girl loses job, girl on the street finds kitten, girl gets propositioned by boy’s friends as a “Christmas present” for him, girl weighs her options and money in hand, girl makes practical choice, boy meets girl and then – ah, the magic happens.

No, no not that magic. Boy in the form of Philip is a very decent chap who quickly deduces that Nicole is not the lady of the evening his friends (they meant well and actually did pick The Right One for him) thought she is. I mean come on! She has a cat with her. Nicole, who is honest to a fault, spills everything and tries to give Philip the £10 advance she’d been given so he could return it. Philip wisely decides that Masterson could stand the money loss and this young woman truly needs it. But what is he going to do with her now?

No, no no. No hanky panky ensues. Instead Philip has a brainstorm! And manages to talk Nicole into going along with it although along the journey she decides that she will have to come clean about her true identity and circumstances. Merkle is along for the ride and happy to have an inside home again.

Is this a novella which must pack in backstories and the first introduction of our MCs? Yes, so things move quickly but what a delightful subplot gets included which also gives Philip and Nicole more of a chance to see the other’s true worth. Mrs. Turner is a love as well as a dispenser of shrewd advice. Luckily there is a reason that will delay any actual (though already decided) announcement between Nicole and Philip plus a distant family connection that makes it all right. Yay for those historical family connections. Hopefully Merkle is alright with her green ribbon. B+

~Jayne

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle

The Navigating Fox is a fantastical fable of “knowledgeable creatures”, in the vein of Brian Jacques’s Redwall series but for adults, by Hugo and Nebula Award finalist Christopher Rowe

Quintus Shu’al, the world’s only navigating fox, is in disgrace after guiding an expedition to its doom, leaving no survivors. One year later, Quintus is offered the chance to redeem himself: he will need to lead a motley, fractious team—both human and animal—all the way to the gates of Hell.

Dear Mr. Rowe, 

I was debating about reading this novella until after I finished the short story “Knowledgeable Creatures.” I had hoped that this story would be more in the style of the Tor short story but although it again features sentient animals with self awareness and the power of speech, it’s a very different creature. 

Quintus Shu’al is the world’s only navigating fox. His job, his calling if you will, is as a travel guide along the Silver Roads which only he can see and navigate. As the story opens, Quintus is heading for a meeting of his Explorers Sodality in Aquacolonia – an outpost of a quasi-Roman empire colony set in North America. He’s going in order to see if he will be drummed out because of a group he guided a year ago. The sister of a member of that first group – all of whom disappeared and are presumed dead – is speaking against him. A Holy of the God of the Hinge (think high priest) is there and sort of speaks for him while the meeting itself dissolves into an uproar. 

What Quintus never told anyone in the first group is that he was told by the Holy to guide them to a certain place. In exchange for doing that, the Holy (Scipio Aemilanus) will finally tell Quintus the truth about who “made” Quintus knowledgeable. Except of course that Scipio Aemilanus has all sorts of excuses why he doesn’t. But if Quintus will guide a second group, then finally the Holy will reveal what he knows.But will anyone survive this trip either – including Quintus?

There is a lot of world building here and yet also not a lot. There are some animals which are knowledgeable while others are “voiceless” and not self aware. Why? No one knows. How? There are rumors and lore passed down for centuries but again, no one knows.  Quintus appears to be the only fox with this power as well as the power to navigate the Silver Roads which seem to exist outside of time and by which long journeys can be shortened by months. Why is this a mix of “sorta Rome” x Native Americans? Again no information. Readers will just have to accept that this is the way things are and go with it. 

I enjoyed meeting most of these characters and watching many of them clash. Scipio is a bombastic blowhard who frequently gets taken down a peg or two by those he meets and interacts with including a knowledgeable bison who is a counselor and/or Ambassador (Walks Along Woman’s role shifts depending on what territory she’s in – something Scipio is confused by). 

As fun as it is to watch the casual insults tendered Scipio’s way (honestly, he just asks to have people do this) I felt for Quintus who is outside of either group – of any group frankly even that of a wild fox he meets along the way of the second journey. Quintus desperately wants answers enough to be willing to do Scipio’s bidding the first time but Quintus is a bit wiser this go round. I also liked that the knowledgeable animals are treated with respect and accepted by humans. 

But this is a story that ends with questions rather than readers getting a neat wrap-up. Will there be more stories with knowledgeable animals? I hope so. Will Quintus finally discover what he wants to know? I hope so. This novella isn’t quite what I was hoping for based on the short story but then I was never promised that either. B-           
            

~Jayne

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle

The wandering Cleric Chih returns home to the Singing Hills Abbey for the first time in almost three years, to be met with both joy and sorrow. Their mentor, Cleric Thien, has died, and rests among the archivists and storytellers of the storied abbey. But not everyone is prepared to leave them to their rest.

Because Cleric Thien was once the patriarch of Coh clan of Northern Bell Pass–and now their granddaughters have arrived on the backs of royal mammoths, demanding their grandfather’s body for burial. Chih must somehow balance honoring their mentor’s chosen life while keeping the sisters from the north from storming the gates and destroying the history the clerics have worked so hard to preserve.

But as Chih and their neixin Almost Brilliant navigate the looming crisis, Myriad Virtues, Cleric Thien’s own beloved hoopoe companion, grieves her loss as only a being with perfect memory can, and her sorrow may be more powerful than anyone could anticipate. . .

Dear Nghi Vo, 

I started and finished this novella in one day. As soon as I ended it I thought, I’m not quite sure what that all was but it was brilliant. My book notes state “A story of Singing Hills, young novices, justice, and the way life changes.” 

Cleric Chih is returning home to their abbey of Singing Hills after being gone for three years collecting stories and information to add to the immense archives stored there. As they near home, having made it past the candle ghosts and echo spirits that might or might not haunt the way, they realize things are not going to be what they were expecting. There are mammoths at the gates and not the smaller ones Cleric Chih has seen and been around before. No, these are the giant, royal mammoths that are capable of demolishing a fortress by the count of sixty.

Inside the Abbey are more changes. Most of the archivists and clerics are off doing on-site information gathering elsewhere and Chih’s old friend, who was a novice cleric with them, is the acting Divine. More startling is when Ru tells them that this is what Ru wants to keep doing as due to an injury, they can’t leave to collect stories. Also Cleric Thien, beloved to them both and to the abbey has died. Cleric Thien’s neixin, Myriad Virtues, is grieving, too, while Almost Brilliant is both proud to show off her daughter and hectoring Cleric Chih about what’s going on. There are lots of swirling emotions even before the need to keep the peace with Cleric Thien’s granddaughters who have come, along with their immense mammoths, to claim the body.

After hearing about the Singing Hills abbey through the earlier three novellas, it’s nice to finally “see” it. I would advise new readers to go back and inhale the first novellas before starting here as we are dropped into the action with bits and pieces of backstory about Cleric Chih, Almost Brilliant, and the mission of the abbey. 

There is so much story packed into the short number of pages here and yet, all that needs to be there is there. Names and places are casually dropped into the narrative without much more being said but what is told is all we need to know. I could see a thousand different novellas being spun off of what is mentioned but as this novella is not about those stories, I’m fine with how things are handled. 

As with the other novellas, storytelling is at the heart of what happens. At the remembrance ceremony for Cleric Thien, those left at the abbey and the granddaughters plus their attendants, gather to tell something about Cleric Thien with the neixin listening in to commit it all to memory. New facets of Thein are revealed before a story busts up the event – but only after giving a glimpse of why the granddaughters are really here. Myriad Virtues tells her own story after most everyone has left. 

Change is also a major part of the story. Chih has returned thinking that everything will be the same. Many things are, which is comforting, but not everything. New realities must be navigated and accepted. Life is change, after all. In the end, a new normal is coming into being while a pathway to maintaining good relations with those who command massive mammoths is found. Justice will be done and a grieving neixin will find some peace. A

~Jayne    

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle

There’s a princess trapped in a tower. This isn’t her story.

Meet Toadling. On the day of her birth, she was stolen from her family by the fairies, but she grew up safe and loved in the warm waters of faerieland. Once an adult though, the fae ask a favor of Toadling: return to the human world and offer a blessing of protection to a newborn child. Simple, right?

But nothing with fairies is ever simple.

Centuries later, a knight approaches a towering wall of brambles, where the thorns are as thick as your arm and as sharp as swords. He’s heard there’s a curse here that needs breaking, but it’s a curse Toadling will do anything to uphold…

CW – it is mentioned that one character in the story tortured others, including animals. Nothing specific is described. 

Dear Ms. Kingfisher, 

Oh, what a lovely story. I can easily see how this flowed (pun intended) into being. The heroine is delightful and just the kind of self-effacing person who I enjoy watching save the day. And Toadling saves so many, most of whom have/had no idea of what she did. 

What if a fairy tale has a different way of happening? What if everything gets flipped? Meet Toadling who the fairies stole from her cradle and exchanged for a changeling. Then Toadling was tossed away to the greenteeth, the slimey swamp dwelling spirits, who raised her because fairies don’t care, they just want to do mischief. Then after Toadling was older and happy, other fairies took her away to try to fix what was wrong. And Toadling tried. She really did but despite all the training, they forgot to train her for the one thing that tripped her up. 

Now Toadling stands guard. She was supposed to keep others from harm but she didn’t. So she sentences herself to stay and watch life go on and silently pray for the Keep to be left alone. For what she watches to be left alone. Then one day another knight appears, a different kind of knight. One who swears to her that he’ll help. But can they overcome something so evil? 

Yay for a plain heroine who stays that way! Yay for a hero who replies that he’s not much to look at either and far down the line of succession but he listens. And he tells Toadling “I believe you,” he said again, and the words filled up the hollow space under her breastbone the way that few other words ever had.

Toadling does her best. She does her best in the face of people who treat her with affectionate contempt. She does her best around people who should have loved her but who didn’t have the strength to do what needed to be done. She does her best although she’s been taken away from those who, however frightening they may appear to humans, do love her. She does her best and tries. She does her best in the face of a goddess who tells her “Did you expect a goddess to be kind?” She feels a little rage at that. She has the heart to ask the hero “Can you do this?” and worries about what she’s asking of him, the man whose mother has taught him manners and to apologize. Halim is a darling, too. 

I wasn’t quite sure how things would end up. I pondered this as I read to the end and realized that I would have been happy either way Toadling decided to do things. But I think she made the right choice. This is the sort of story I want to flip back to the beginning and start reading again the minute I finish it. And I agree. It is sweet, dammit. A 

~Jayne

AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle