Small Wars - Promising start which wasn't sustained

Having previously read The Outcast, by the same author, I was looking forward to Small Wars by Sadie Jones. We are introduced to the two central characters, Hal Treherne and his wife, Clara, during they courtship. It is sweet and innocent, and we see a deep love for each other develop and grow into a solid relationship. However, most of the action in the book takes place a few years into the marriage. Now the parents of twin girls, Hal is posted to Cyprus, and his family join him shortly thereafter. The colony is not at peace, with guerrilla rebels fighting to rid themselves of the British and the Turks in a bid to be united with Greece. Now a Major, this is the first real action Hal has seen, and he is keen to "get stuck in", just like his father and grandfather had in  previous conflicts. However, things start to get messy, with innocents getting caught in the crossfire and no visible enemy prepared to do battle. Indiscipline in the ranks starts to become an issue, and Hal witnesses the worst that humanity has to offer. Clara notices a change in him, and when the gentle man she has loved turns into a harsh, ill tempered and absent husband, she is not sure what to do. As the situation becomes increasingly tense both outside and inside the marriage, Hal sends Clara and the children away for their own safety, but tragedy strikes. Can Hal's sense of honour and duty be reconciled with his conscience and will their marriage survive? This is a part of history that I know nothing about, so I found the snippets of information about Cyprus during this time (1950's) really interesting. The story was bowling along nicely and I was relating to the characters and enjoying their journey, but then, for me, it ran out of steam. I cannot quite put my finger on it. Things started to move very fast and I was somehow not convinced by the change in Hal and his subsequent actions. There were a good few characters who I thought were going to be fleshed out and be built on, but this did not happen. I felt that too many of them were there just to serve a particular plot point rather than them being completely integral to the story. By no means bad enough to make me never want to read another book by this author, however, I have to admit that I was a little disappointed by the ending after what was a really promising first half.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 376 print pages.
Price I paid: £0.50 from a second hand stall.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

The Flame Bearer - Uhtred is back, and this time it's personal

Age is starting to catch up with Uhtred of Bebbanberg in this, his tenth outing, but do not fear, there is plenty of fight left in the old dog yet! In The Flame Bearer, the country is mostly at peace following the truce between with Queen Aethelflaed of Mercia, and Sigtryggr, Northumbria's Viking ruler (who also happens to be Uhtred's son-in-law). It seems that the time has finally come for Uhtred to head back to Bebbanberg and claim the birthright that was stolen from him by his treacherous uncle and which his cousin is now in possession of. However, as usual, things conspire to get in his way and it seems that he is not the only one with eyes on Bebbanberg and he needs to use all his guile to find a way to the fortress by sea, without tipping his hand as to his intentions. Can Uhtred combat the threat from the formidable Constantin of Scotland, Einar the White and indeed, the Saxons, whose actions threaten the existence of England's Kingdoms? Well, in what many are assuming to be the final outing for Uhtred it is great to have some kind of a resolution. I have always enjoyed spending time in the company of this rough and tough hero whose soft centre cannot help surfacing every so often, and The Flame Bearer allows me to indulge one more time. Bernard Cornwell creates characters that stay with you long after you have closed the covers, and Uhtred has to be one of his finest. But the bevy of excellent supporting cast in Uhtred's world bring a satisfying depth to the stories ... Finnan being my own personal favourite. As you would expect, the action sequences are fast-paced and urgent, and the dialogue sparkles. This book was a little shorter than previous outings and maybe that is a sign that Uhtred's story has indeed come to an end. I have really enjoyed this series and even if there are no more books to come, I've still got the TV series to get my Dane/Saxon fix (season 2 is currently being shown in the UK). Thanks Mr Cornwell, can't wait to see what you do next!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 304 print pages.
Price I paid: FREE, borrowed from local library.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio; ebook.

Climbing With Abraham - a book to get you thinking

During the season of Lent, I endeavour to read a devotional book to help focus my mind. This year, I chose Climbing With Abraham, by David Ramos. This book leads you on a 30 day journey in the company of Abraham. Each day starts with a passage from Genesis featuring the life of Abraham, which is followed by a few paragraphs exploring what was going on and relating it to our own lives today. We follow the struggles and doubts and devotion and trust of the man who would go on to become the Father of Nations. This book helps the reader to look more closely at such an important figure and how it wasn't exactly all plain sailing for him. Each section provides an opportunity to sit quietly for a few minutes and gain some insight into how faith can start and how it can grow. If that is what you are looking for, then this might be a good book to start with. By no means intimidating or even assuming any great depth of knowledge, I found this book interesting and thought provoking. Not for everyone I know, but if you want to take a closer look at Abraham, then there are worse places to start.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length:106 print pages.
Price I paid: FREE.
Formats available: print; ebook.

Pride and Prejudice - sheer bliss!

From the very first line of this classic book, Jane Austen transports her readers to the society built on the manners and status of 200 years ago ... and yet, so much of it still resonates today. The Bennet family are living a comfortable life at present. Mr Bennet is a Gentleman of some standing in the neighbourhood. However, he has five daughters and no son, and when he dies, all of his property will go to a cousin, the ridiculous Mr Collins. Mrs Bennet is desperate to get her daughters married off to wealthy men of distinction, so when news reaches her that an eligible young bachelor (Mr Bingley) has taken over the "Big House", she goes into overdrive. At the very first opportunity, she makes the case for her daughters, much to the embarrassment of Mr Bennet and the two eldest girls - the beautiful Jane and the clever Lizzie. Despite this, Jane and Mr Bingley hit it off, and romance is in the air. Not everyone approves, including Bingley's friend, Mr Darcy, who is proud and haughty and very aware of how someone's station in life could be damaged by marrying beneath them. Lizzie takes an instant dislike to Darcy and verbal sparks fly, particularly when she is influenced by a disturbing story from his past, as told by the dashing Mr Wickham. When Bingley suddenly goes back to London without a word, it seems that Jane's hopes have been dashed. While staying with her best friend, who has married Mr Collins, Lizzie encounters Darcy once again, and is taken completely by surprise when he proposes marriage in a most unflattering way. She refuses point blank and hopes never to see him again. However, fate conspires and when their paths cross again, Darcy comes to her family's aid. Lizzie fears that her prejudice has clouded her judgement, and that maybe he is not so bad after all ...

I could go on and on and on about how fabulous Pride and Prejudice is, but I won't. I just urge you to read it and find out for yourself. Each character is fantastically observed and well drawn, and the situations they get themselves into are entertaining and heartfelt. It is a pure delight from start to finish and this is a book I will read again and again. This time, I read an audio edition, narrated by Lyndsey Duncan, which was an absolute treat!

Maybe one day the human race will put all prejudices aside, and not let pride blind them to reason ... one can but hope! If you want a book that feels like being hugged by a favourite Aunt, then this is the one for you.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 329 print pages.
Price I paid: £2.99
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

The Hard Way - rough, tough and highly entertaining!

Jack Reacher is an ex-military policeman who travels around the USA attempting to keep under the radar, but somehow always ends up slap bang in the middle of a situation that requires his special set of skills. In The Hard Way, his tenth outing, Reacher witnesses what is, apparently, the pick up of a ransom demand. He gets persuaded to help the victims and attempt to find the kidnappers of a woman and her daughter. As he spends more time with Edward Lane, the husband of the kidnap victim, he comes to realise that he is not a very nice man, and is the leader of a gang of mercenaries. He assumes that the kidnap is a piece of revenge for some nefarious action committed by Lane and his cohorts. However, when the sister of Edward Lane's first wife approaches Reacher and says that she is convinced that Lane had something to do with the kidnap and murder of her sister, he fears that history might be repeating itself ... Within the first page, I knew I was in the safe hands of an incredibly skillful author. Lee Child has the exceptionally useful knack of engaging the attention of his readers immediately. You are right there, totally immersed in Reacher's world after just a few lines, and you know you are in for a good time. The action is taut, the dialogue is snappy and the sense of place - whether it be New York, or an isolated farmhouse in the backwaters of Norfolk, England - feels authentic. I raced through this book at breakneck speed, and was always eager to return to its pages. If you are looking for an action-packed thriller with plenty of twists and turns, then I would heartily recommend this book to you. A winner.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 528 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from local library.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

The Very First Damned Thing - I've got a good feeling about this!

The Chronicles of St Mary's Series by Jodi Taylor is one that has been "suggested" to me by Amazon and Audible, based on stuff I've either purchased or just looked at (too clever by half!). I have looked but not touched ... until now. The Very First Damned Thing is a prequel to the series and was offered free from Audible last Christmas, so I thought ... why the heck not! And hip hip hooray, I think I'm on to a winner here. This short book is definitely a scene setter and tells the tale of how St Mary's was set up and provides plenty of hints as to what St Mary's will become ... a group of historians who study historical events by actually going to them. Within the first page, I knew I was in safe hands, with a story that just starts ... no fancy preamble, no set ups, it just gets going from the off. It is two years since "the final victory at the Battersea Barricades", which isn't fully explained in this book, but that doesn't present a problem for me. It's enough to know that this event has plummeted the country into a drab and dreary existence, with the population struggling to come to terms with the massive loss of life. Rebuilding is a slow process, and money is tight, so it takes a strong and determined man to persuade the powers that be to fork out for something new. That man is Dr Bairstow, and the something new is a miraculous device that allows people to travel to the past and study it up close to find out what really happened. Met with initial scepticism, his practical demonstration at the Battle Of Waterloo secures him the funding he needs. He bases himself at St Mary's and then, a little bit like Yul Bryner in the Magnificent Seven (yes, I'm that old!), he travels the country persuading a hand-picked team of unusual people to join him. Humorous, historical, and with so much back and front(?) story hinted at, that I can't wait to get to know these characters better. Even after such a short time, they already have a depth that was distinctly lacking in Allegiant (see previous blog). Whilst I suspect that I would have got more out of this short book if I had already delved into the series, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I am so looking forward to reading the first book in the series. I hope this is a great taste of things to come ... and that I have found a new series to fall in love with (well, I do need something to fill the void that will be left after I finish Bernard Cornwall's Sharpe books).

My STAR rating: FOUR (only because it was so short ... I wanted more!)

Length: 74 print pages.
Price I paid: FREE (special Christmas offer from Audible).
Formats available: unabridged audio download; ebook.

Allegiant - disappointingly tedious!

So, it's 18 months since I read the second instalment of the Divergent Series by Veronica Roth. I'd loved the first book, but was disappointed by the second, feeling it had spent most of the time setting the scene for the final showdown that would be Book 3. However, in Allegiant, I turned page after page after endless page, waiting for the action to get going, but was consistently disappointed ... there was no big showdown, in fact, nothing much seems to happen at all. I will attempt to relay some of the plot, such as it is ... So, after the disbanding of the "faction" system in Chicago, things do not turn out as rosy as they should ... with the leaders still fighting for control and, instead of allowing people to live how they want, trying to impose a new, and equally unfair and restrictive order as before. Our two young heroes, Tris and Tobias end up joining the Allegiant, and escaping from the city. They find themselves in the Bureau of Genetic Welfare, where they discover that the lives they had been living had been part of a massive experiment to see if a population of genetically damaged people could, eventually, become pure again. Discovering this, Tobias goes into a bit of a tailspin, and he takes yet another wrong turn and almost starts YET ANOTHER revolution. The BGW are keen to do a reset of Chicago using a memory serum that would, in effect, reboot the city and wipe everyone's memories. Tris, Tobias and their comrades set out to prevent this and try to give everyone true freedom once and for all.

This book could have been so much more, but it was flaccid and padded out with endless "moments" between Tris and Tobias that instead of being touching, just started to become irritating. It felt like a rerun of the previous two books, but without the real drive and vigour of the first. It's never a good sign when you can't wait to finish a book and unfortunately, that's how I felt from very early on. Not sure there was enough material for a trilogy here and this story completely ran out of steam. I stopped caring about the one-dimensional characters very early on in this one. Hey ho, at least it's over!

My STAR rating: TWO.

Length: 526 print pages.
Price I paid: Free, borrowed from local library.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.