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text 2018-11-26 06:49
Star Trek: Invasion Series
First Strike - Diane Carey
The Soldiers of Fear (Star Trek: The Next Generation, #41) - Dean Wesley Smith,Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Time's Enemy - L.A. Graf
The Final Fury (Star Trek: Voyager, No 9: Invasion Book No 4) - Dafydd ab Hugh

I found this cross-series collection of novels all dealing with the same enemy but in different ways, in different times and sections of space to be an interesting concept.  The separate novels were entertaining and fairly well-written for this type of novel.

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review 2018-10-08 01:12
The Unholy Grail
Be Mine Tonight - Kathryn Smith

 

Just as they all knew the legend of the Holy Grail, so had they heard of the Unholy Grail.

 

Pru has cancer and is looking for any way to negate her grim diagnosis, when she starts up a friendship with Marcus, they begin in earnest a search for the Holy Grail. Our hero is a 600yr old vampire who was once a knight of King Phillips of France who was also on the search for the Holy Grail. What Chapel and his group of mercenaries found instead was the Unholy Grail.

 

"You do not frighten me."

"I think I do, but not in the way I should."

 

This started off darkly intriguing with the French band of mercenaries and grail that turned them all into vampires. I read this with the anticipation of a danger filled dark and stormy search and chase, filled with villains coming out of the woodwork. Instead this turned out to be a character driven story with a slow burning romance between Pru and Chapel; read this for the romance, not the adventure.

 

The Silver Palm. Chapel had heard of them before in whispers and old texts. They named themselves for the silver that crossed the palm of Judas Iscariot— coin imbued with the essence of Lilith, mother of all vampires. The same silver that had been melted down to make the chalice from which he and the others had drunk.

 

The first half was all about the romance while the second gave us a peek into, what I imagine is the set-up between the villains and future heroes of the series. I was vastly curious about the Silver Palm villains but they only make a very brief appearance and other than their name, not much else is learned about them.

 

The Brotherhood of Blood.

 

Even though I was a little disappointed in the balance of romance and action in this one, the set-up of Chapel's friends, The Brotherhood of the Blood, being pitted against the Silver Palms is darkly intriguing. Don't get me wrong, I thought the vast majority of the romance was done well here, Pru is a tough, daring woman willing to fight for what she wants, while Chapel was a more lost in his self-loathing for what he was, but they did have a connection that was felt. I thought the ending was needlessly dragged out angst as a sudden change of heart by Chapel gave us a quick perfect bow ending. I'm going to read the next in the series because, like I said, I'm intrigued by the set-up but I'm going to hope the continuing plot thread plays more heavily.

 

He smiled— just for her. Every woman should know the joy of having a man be joyful just for her presence.

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text 2018-10-07 00:46
Reading Update: 10%
Be Mine Tonight - Kathryn Smith

 

Templars. It was said that the knights had in their possession various holy relics, including items believed to have belonged to Christ Himself.

 

The heroine searching for the Holy Grail hoping it will cure her illness, the hero drank from the Unholy Grail and has been cursed for 600yrs. 

 

When I was looking for books in my tbr for this, I can't even describe how giddy I was when I read "Unholy Grail". 

 

So far has started off deliciously dark and stormy atmospheric. 

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review 2017-09-12 03:51
A TRIBUTE TO A REMARKABLE WOMAN WHOSE CONTRIBUTIONS TO U.S. HISTORY HAVE BEEN UNSUNG FOR FAR TOO LONG
The Gatekeeper: Missy LeHand, FDR, and the Untold Story of the Partnership That Defined a Presidency - Kathryn Smith

"THE GATEKEEPER" is a book that brings back to life a singularly remarkable woman whose vital contributions to the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) - both professional and private - deserve to be more widely known. 

Marguerite "Missy" LeHand came from humble origins in Massachusetts to work for FDR in August 1920 as his private secretary. At that time, he was the vice presidential running mate of Ohio Governor James Cox, who was running for the Presidency against the Republican candidate, Senator Warren G. Harding of Ohio. Though the Cox-Roosevelt ticket went down resoundingly to defeat in November 1920, "Missy" would go on to work faithfully for FDR for the next 20 years, helping him (along with those persons - e.g. Louis Howe, a highly skilled political strategist who had been a supporter of FDR from the time he won election to the NY State Senate in 1910, and FDR's wife Eleanor, who would later form FDR's inner circle in the White House) thru the personal crisis caused by the polio that left him unable to walk for the rest of his life, to the slow and steady upward path to a political resurrection that led to FDR being elected Governor of New York in 1928, and 4 years later, elected President of the United States. 

Though Missy LeHand's official position in the Roosevelt White House was personal secretary, she was much more than that. In many respects, she can be considered as the first woman presidential chief of staff. Indeed, Missy enjoyed FDR's complete trust and commanded his respect. She had a room in the White House near the President and played a vital role in the shaping of many of FDR's policies and initiatives. So much so that "if you wanted access to Franklin, you had to go through Missy." By virtue of their deeply close personal relationship (exactly how close is unclear to this day), "[a]s one of his most trusted advisors, Missy had a unique perspective on the president that no one else could claim, and she was deeply admired and respected by Eleanor and the Roosevelt children." 

Sadly, this unique working relationship between FDR and Missy LeHand was not to last. The reasons for that I leave for the reader of this review to discover by reading this fantastic, well-written and researched book.
 

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review 2016-08-12 17:45
The Girl with the Iron Touch (Steampunk Chronicles #3) by Kady Cross
The Girl with the Iron Touch - Kathryn Smith

It kind of feels as though this book is the same as The Girl in the Steel Corset. The Machinist comes after someone in the gang, and then the goose chase starts up. Only this time it’s Emily. And another added love interest for the Griffin-Finley-Jack-and now Mila love triangle/square.

Can’t wait to read how that goes… (P.S. this is sarcasm)

There was an odd sense of pacing in this book, and the sub-plots and the main plot felt kind of choppy.

Exhibit A:
Emily is in danger? Oh yeah, how about Finley and Griffin make out, and we’ll have Sam and Emily fight off automatons!

Exhibit B:
Mila runs away and finds Jack to tell him that Emily is in danger? Oh wait, how about Mila step inside and have tea with Jack to tell him her story!

Like, what are these people doing? Jasper wasn’t even in here for half of the book!

Finley is always concerned about Jack living with someone else or doing something with someone else, because even though in clear, concise words it’s stated that she’s “chosen” Griffin, she still wants Jack to want her. This is probably what I don’t like about these books the most: forced and unnecessary love triangles. There’s no legal requirement to put love triangles in books so stop forcing them in!

These books could honestly be a lot of fun if there was something beyond The Machinist. Maybe something like a new adventure every book (kind of like The Girl in the Clockwork Collar). Because after a while it starts to feel a tiny bit repetitive. But these books are light and quick to get through, so that’s fun!

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