TB reviews Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

fingersmith-bookcover

After I read Tipping the Velvet, the debut novel by Sarah Waters, I was hooked on her writing. She published Fingersmith in 2002 and it was shortlisted for the Orange Prize and the Man Booker Prize. It won the CWA Ellis Peters Dagger award for Historical Crime Fiction.

The descriptions in Tipping the Velvet wowed me. What dazzled me in Fingersmith was her ability to keep me guessing. At times I started to get angry. Every time I thought I had it figured it out I realized I was completely wrong. I started to feel stupid. This sounds like a complaint, but it isn’t.

The novel chronicles Sue Trinder’s life. Sue is an orphan under the care of Mrs. Sucksby, a “baby farmer” living in Victorian England. Mrs. Sucksby raises Sue as if she were her own. The house is always full of babies doused with gin to keep them quiet. Also, they share a home in the slums with fingersmiths, petty thieves.

Sue’s life changes drastically when Gentleman, a con man, enlists her help to swindle a rich heiress, Maud Lilly. Maud will inherit a large sum of money when she marries. The plan involves placing Sue into Maud’s home as the heiress’s maid and Gentleman will seduce Maud and marry her. Once the money is safe and sound, they’ll ditch Maud in a lunatic asylum. What could go wrong with this plan? Trust me, you have to read it to believe it. Each twist caused me to gasp. This novel kept me on the edge of my seat and I stayed up past my bedtime several nights in a row.

Not only did the reversals shock the heck out of me, but the subject matter in this novel angered me. The treatment of women in the lunatic asylum hopefully will make you shudder. My friend who recommended this novel calls Waters a social historian. I readily agree. Not only does she know how to spin a fantastic yarn, but I learn so much from her stories.

TB reviews Broken Star by Joann Lee

BrokenStar

Joann Lee’s Broken Star is a fun novel that has romance and suspense. It would be a great beach read or a good book to curl up with on a rainy afternoon.  Lynn Feoras is a successful singer and writer. She has everything, or so it seems. Lynn, however, feels empty. Alexis Donatella is an SVU officer. She’s seen the horrible side of human nature. All she wants is to provide for her daughter and the last thing she is looking for is a relationship. When she meets Lynn sparks fly for Lynn, but not for Alexis. She thinks Lynn is the typical spoiled star … that is until she gets to know Lynn better. To complicate matters, Alexis is working on a case that involves a rapist and murderer. She won’t rest until the guy is caught and she’s staying in his kill zone to track him down.

The plot, while it contains several subplots, is pretty easy to follow. It’s not too taxing to read but entertaining. If you’re looking for reality I don’t suggest this book. But if you’re like me and enjoy crime stories without too much blood and gore and are a hopeless romantic you may find you can’t put this book down. I really enjoyed getting to know the main characters and Alexis’s little girl is adorable.

At times I wished the publisher spent more time polishing this story. It’s good but with a little more time and effort it could have been great. I’m really curious to see where the author goes from here and will be keeping an eye on her. The sequel to Broken Star will be released in November. I’m looking forward to it.

TB reviews Black-Hearted Bitch by Lynn Kear

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Black-Hearted Bitch is the first book in the Kell Digby Crime series by Lynn Kear. Here’s a brief synopsis:

Hit man Kell Digby has been killing for so long she’s become bored. Sent from Chicago to Atlanta for a routine hit, the assignment goes bad. Brutally betrayed, she’s content to nurse her wounds until she’s lured back to life with an irresistible con game involving a sister she never knew she had.

I won’t say anything more about the plot since I don’t want to ruin the story for anyone.  I will add that Kell Digby is a lesbian and I’m pretty sure this is the first book I’ve read about a lesbian hit man. This isn’t Kear’s first book, but it was my first time reading one of her books. The other day I decided to read the first page to see if I would like it. I had no intention of reading the book anytime soon. As it turned out she hooked me right away and I finished it in two days.

Kell Digby is a fascinating character. The plot is entertaining and it’s a quick read. This is the type of book that’s fun to read as long as you don’t take it seriously. If you think too much about the plot the story will unravel. Don’t do that.  Just sit back and enjoy the ride.  The focus of this book is the main character. There’s action but I was surprised by the character development. The reader really gets to know Kell and I think since this is the first book in the series that will really help in the long run. And in the short run the author includes just enough action to keep the story moving along. The ending was a surprise and I’m curious to see where Kear takes the story next.

If you are in the mood for a fast read that will keep you turning the pages give this a go.

TB reviews Morning Rising by Samantha Boyette

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When I opted to read Morning Rising (Guardian Of Morning Book 1) by Samantha Boyette I wasn’t sure what to expect. She’s a new author to me. But the premise of her fantasy novel intrigued me. So last night I sat down on my couch and started the book. At first I was baffled. Kara Hart, a teenager, doesn’t know what’s going on except she’s in a different world and she has three days to save a girl named Dylan. At first, I wondered if Boyette forgot that readers can’t read her mind. Then I started to enjoy her ploy. It forced me as a reader to become active in the story. Not only did Kara have to figure out what was going on, so did I. I became concerned about the main character, Kara, and started to cheer for her.

Slowly I learned that Dylan is no ordinary girl. She is in fact a princess and Kara is her Guardian. The Guardian has just a few days to rescue Dylan from Inbetween and to take her back to their world. Along the way, Kara finds helpers for her quest.

To add an interesting twist to the story, Kara and Dylan like each other. In fact, while this is a fantasy, it is also a love story between two teenage girls. And it demonstrates the power of love.

At times I felt a little uncomfortable about some of the mature subjects for this young adult book. I see why the author included the scenes but it did make for some difficult reading at times. On the whole, I enjoyed this novel. It was a quick and fun read. I read it in one sitting so it kept me interested until the very end. I should note that this book is the first part of a trilogy. If you hate books that end with a cliffhanger this isn’t the book for you. If you enjoy an entertaining young adult fantasy novel about two teenage girls in love, why not give it a try.