Sunday, May 22, 2011

Stirring Questions -- A Review of Stirring Wishes by Tara Manderino




Elise has only one goal in mind: to make this the best possible Christmas for her younger brother, Harry. Lord Richard Stilton likes having his home to himself. The last thing he appreciates is his brother bringing in a frozen waif. Her appearance at his home hasn't changed him—or has it?


Stirring Wishes is a sweet novella set in Regency England just before Christmas.  Elise is on her way home from making a deposit on her Christmas pudding account at the grocer’s and is wondering if she’ll have money to buy enough currants and raisins to make the pudding really special for her family, when she awakens in the home of Lord Richard Stilton unable to remember who she is or where she belongs.  Lord Richard values his privacy, but the chit who has invaded it seems to show surprising glimpses of gentility. Just who is this young lady and why does she seem so… familiar?

This book was warm and engaging and kept my attention from the beginning to end.  The pacing was tight and the ending had a nice surprise twist that was Kleenex-worthy. 

I enjoyed this book for the most part, and would recommend it to friends, but I had one major question—how did Elise end up half frozen lying on the side of the road?  I wish the author had shown the accident as it happened.  She picked up a coin in the snow, debated whether to go back to the shop to deposit or to go home, decided to go home so she wouldn’t be late, there was a scene break, and then Lord Richard’s brother found her half-dead lying by the side of the road.  Since Elise awakens with amnesia, keeping us guessing about how she ended up on the side of the road may well be the author’s way of adding to her mystery.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Flying Kite, Crashing Ship by Krista D. Ball



 
Blurb:

Crashing Time Ship.
The Space Commission hot on her trail.
French spies and flying kites.
For Dr. Sally Pescan, this can’t be good.

Dr. Sally Pescan was on a routine trip studying geology in pre-historic North America. She regretted not taking piloting lessons when the time-ship she was aboard crashed.  To make matters worse, it crashed at a time when people didn’t fly, women weren’t doctors, and they certainly did not wear trousers!

Miss Amanda Grey was having tea with Colonel Lindsey, a potential suitor whose boring manners did not bode well for a match.  Nor did his cowardice when an over-large flying kite crashed in a corner of the garden.  Miss Grey was the curious one who walked over to investigate, the Colonel, a “hero of India,” trailing in her wake.

This little sci-fi story is only twenty-four pages long, but it’s delightful.  It’s a wonderful contrast between the restraints women lived under during the Regency era and modern women. Proper young ladies during the Regency era had to hide their intelligence and obey strict rules of etiquette. Miss Amanda grabbed cookies when the Colonel wasn’t looking.  Modern/futuristic Dr. Sally the professor wore slacks and travelled alone with her pilot, calling him by his first name.  Why, I’ll bet she could even eat cookies in front of him and gulp her tea if she desired!

Flying Kite Crashing Ship is another wonderful waiting-room read from MuseItUp Publications, Inc. 

Excerpt:

Amanda did not notice the lady until she touched the smooth metal of the flying kite’s hull. It was obvious the female occupant had noticed her presence, as she began shouting at a gentleman who arrived from the floor hatch. The thick metal skewed their language, but Amanda recognized it as an ancient dialect of French.
“Hello?” Amanda tapped on the window. The occupants stared at her wide-eyed for several seconds before they resumed yelling at each other. They stepped away from the windows and their words became unintelligible.
“Colonel, you must come see,” she urged. “There is a French lady inside, with a man. I assume it’s either her husband or brother, by the liberties she was taking with her speech. And look, she is wearing trousers. How scandalous!” She had never seen a woman in trousers before.
“French!” Colonel Lindsay paled. He pointed at the maidservant standing off to one-side. “Girl, fetch the militia at once! The French have invaded Devonshire!”