Hearts Akilter --by Catherine McLean

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Fiction / Fantasy / Romance 

75 pages / 235 KB

5 Stars

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I have read several of Ms. McLean's books, all of which are fantasy and romance. I do not read romance, and yet, I jumped at the opportunity to read Hearts Akilter. She does not write the usual romance (think Harlequin), hers are fun, light hearted, and just a little, well, off kilter.

This story takes place on Kifel Space Station, and the main characters are Henry, a medical robot having a heart attack (I know, robots don't have hearts, but still…), Marlee, his human friend and confidante who is a maintenance tech, and Deacon Black an expert bomb builder and defuser.

Henry can do things he shouldn't be able to do, like remove his chest plates. He does this so Marlee can see what's wrong since he doesn't have a heart, or nerves, so why is he sure he's having a heart attack? As Spock would say, "it isn't logical." Imagine her surprise when she discovers he's not having a heart attack but a bomb has been placed in him, where his heart would be if he had one, and one of the wires isn't properly connected, and it's shorting out now and then. She knows nothing about bombs, but puts in a temporary fix while trying to figure out who put the bomb there, and why, and how to get rid of it before Henry explodes.

Enter Deacon Black, on Kifel to teach a class to the bomb squad—and avoid an assassin. Marlee hijacks him to help with Henry, and they neutralize the bomb, and tell Henry to go about his business until they can figure out who put it there—and why. Both suspects are high ranking individuals with impeccable records.

Is it possible to have a romance with a man, a woman, and a robot? Well, yes. Yes it is, and Ms. McLean carries it off beautifully, with the right amount of suspense, and a lot of humor. A most enjoyable read.

No robots were damaged in the writing of this review.

To participate in the Release Day Celebration go here:  http://www.catherineemclean.com/giveaway.html 

Karma and Mayhem --by Catherine E. McLean

Fiction / Fantasy  

348 pages

5 Stars

The world-building of this story is marvelous. The title is spot-on! It is about Karma and it is about Mayhem, which seems to go on throughout the book.

This is an adult book, with full frontal nudity. Okay, it's a book, but the descriptions are pretty good.

Rowen and his veed, Tal, have been forcibly separated, and if not reunited within a specific period of time, and in a specific manner, they will die. (Don't worry about what a veed is, it is explained, and quite well. Just understand they are important to the lives of those who have them.)

Janay is a wounded warrior, and good friends with the Archangel, Adrada. He's a pretty interesting guy, but gives out no free lunches. To anyone. She stumbles upon Rowen practically in his death throes, and as a Peacekeeper, vows to save him. Even after she learns the terms from Adrada.

Tienan is Rowen's elder brother. He's not sure about Janay, but shucks, this is a "romance" so you know what's going to happen. It's all the fun stuff between the Prologue and The End that keeps you turning the pages to the unexpected twist.

I'm not much into the Romance genre, but I do enjoy a good SF/F book, and if there happens to be romance in it, that's alright, too. Archangels (yes, plural), samurai, veeds, warriors, sex, and mayhem. Lots of mayhem. For what more can a reader who loves a good escape ask??

The world, the characters, the story are all believable and great fun.

Adrada to Zool --by Catherine E. McLean

Fiction / Science Fiction / Fantasy / Romance  

178 pages

5 stars

I read fiction for one reason, and one reason only: to escape my current reality. I don't want someone else's problems to weigh me down, I want them solved, and I want to laugh. I also do most of my pleasure reading at night, in bed, so I don't want to turn the light off and wonder about the dragon under my bed.

I thoroughly enjoyed these short stories. All of them. Yes, some more than others, and yes, they were, in some cases, predictable. But they were fun. All of them. Some of them were laugh-out-loud fun, some provoked chuckles, and none brought tears.

Adrada is an Archangel, the Angel of Departing Souls, and he has problems—his wings are tinged with mournful purple. And Zool? Well, Zool, too has problems—he doesn't like human males, and has chosen a human female to show himself to. And that, in turn, gives her problems. Zool is not an Archangel.

But, my favorite story was Just Desserts, in which neither Adrada nor Zool appear, and is probably the shortest of the stories, but it tickled my funny bone mightily.

If you like old fashioned space opera, with a delightful dash of romance; if you like short stories; if you like to smile and laugh out loud, this is the book for you!

Jewels of the Sky --by Catherine E. McLean

Fiction / Science/Fantasy

342 pages

5 Stars

Jewels of the Sky is a great space opera. One of the best I've read in a long time. The author combined Mayan and Native American myths with her own imagination and spun a yarn of sparkling silk that wove through what we know, what we don't know, and what is yet to come.

Darq, also known as Raven, is a fighter pilot of renown. She comes from a people who are facing extinction, and will without a miracle, die out. Darq is a Wysoti, from a space-faring tribe who came to Earth in centuries past and committed heinous sins, and because of that, the whole tribe was cursed. She has no idea that she holds the key to dissolving that curse. She is a Skeptic, with a capital 'S' and does not believe in miracles or the gods who grant them.

All Darq knows is that the Doyon, a race of lizard people, are hell bent for leather on destroying the Wysoti, and she is equally set against them doing so.

Ms. McLean is a master world builder. Although she used a few too many abbreviations that I had no idea what them meant, I just kept reading, and the story was not lost. The worlds she built and populated were space stations and ships, and infinitely more interesting than the usual mundane planets.

She built worlds, and presented them full-blown, and accepted, populated by na ka ta (a sentient robot), humans, culture, religion (based on Maya beliefs and her imagination), Doyon, and others.

The battle sequences were well written and thought out, and interestingly presented. There were no transporters ala Star Trek, so one had to fly for hours to get where one needed to be. How they reacted after these hours on their butts was realistic. This is not a rework of Star Trek or Babylon 5, this is an original story and well worth the read. It has everything a space opera needs: heroes, villains, dog-fights among the stars, love, death, and a suitable and satisfying ending. Job well done, Ms. McLean, I look forward to reading more of your books.