Kagama -The Literaturevixen

Its been quite a while since I have been on here but I just wanted to share that this book is free as a Kindle ebook today :)

 My Review of it. (I really liked it XD)

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1306800006

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M15QUC4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_dzXjzb9XKDSZY

Wild Horses-Birdy

MERMAID MAGIC

Nebula

In a forest ,a little girl encounters something mysterious.

Looking to make space at home I have decided to re home these historical romances.

If any of my BL or GR friends are interested send me a message☺

Lady Anne and the Howling 

Mariob Chesney Glitter and Gold X

Mary Ann Gibbs The Tempestuous Petticoat X

Ten Guineas on Love 

Sheila Walsh Bath Intrigue 

Agatha 

Entwined by Emma Jenson

The Ardent Suitor X

X=taken

Taylor Swift Out of the Woods

Yoshiko is not one of the prettiest girls in school and feels everyone knows this. What happens when a handsome young man quickly falls in love with her? Nothing good, if Deimos is around. The skull-shaped birthmark of a deceased friend begins showing up on othersis Deimos behind it?

Deimos and Venus were a pair of siblings living happily at Mount Olympus when they fell in love and was punished for their sin. Deimos was turned into a demon and Venus was trapped in an abyss and left to rot. Hoping to acquire a human body for his beloved (ick) sister ,Deimos went to the human world to find it.

He found Minako a young girl who was the spitting image of Venus and told her would take her away as his "bride" and that she would one day come willingly. (from what I can remember)

So now Minakos peaceful days as are over as she continually is exposed to the sinister antics of Deimos and other supernatural events.

Not to mention the hidden evil that dwells in the heart of humans.

During my convalescence (a cold) in bed I took the time to catch up on this horror manga and write a small review.

The first thing about this manga is the character of Deimos true he might be demonic and imoral.
But he sure makes it look good while hes being evil ;)

Its a pity Minako is hardly a worthy opponent as our bigeyed heroine is pretty useless...she does admittedly sometimes makes an halfhearted effort to save the victim of Deimos/other supernatural horror but most of the time she is oblivious or doesnt really seem all that bothered.

At least Deimos has an excuse for being horrible-he is a demon after all.

The chapters doesnt form a contiuous arch in fact if not for the presence of Deimos and Minako they could just as well have been one-shots.

What usually starts off a story is that Minako makes a new friend of love interest and they usually die in horrific murders accidents or by their own hand.You would think people would take a hint but..meh

So why keep on reading?

Well it is undemanding and the art apart from the blood and horror bits is pretty to look at. The art is very 70s with long flowing hair and legs that go on for forever...and thats just the male characters

Tom Gauld on sexism in history writing – cartoon http://gu.com/p/4gjc4/stw

This is true no matter how much I do like the fancy petticoat parts. Its true

The Adventures of Lou Merriwether, Psychopomp

Gunslinging, chain smoking, Stetson-wearing Taoist psychopomp, Elouise “Lou” Merriwether might not be a normal 19-year-old, but she’s too busy keeping San Francisco safe from ghosts, shades, and geung si to care much about that. It’s an important job, though most folks consider it downright spooky. Some have even accused Lou of being more comfortable with the dead than the living, and, well… they’re not wrong.

When Lou hears that a bunch of Chinatown boys have gone missing somewhere deep in the Colorado Rockies she decides to saddle up and head into the wilderness to investigate. Lou fears her particular talents make her better suited to help placate their spirits than ensure they get home alive, but it’s the right thing to do, and she’s the only one willing to do it.

On the road to a mysterious sanatorium known as Fountain of Youth, Lou will encounter bears, desperate men, a very undead villain, and even stranger challenges. Lou will need every one of her talents and a whole lot of luck to make it home alive…

Lou Merriwether is a psychopomp ,someone who helps put ghosts to rest before they turn into wrathful spirits.Since her mother is a chinese woman and her father was an englisman she is part of both worlds and yet stuck between them.

When she is told her estranged mother Ailien has requested her help she has no choice but to go and visit her.

Her mother tells her that several young chinese men has vanished after being offered work in Wyoming. After a gruesome package is delivered to one of the missing mens mother. There is a lead - a bottle of Dr Panaceas Elixir of life.

Lou decides that since the authorities doesnt particularly care to investigate what happened to some stupid useless "chinks" she will have to go to Dr Panaceas sanatorium herself to find out the truth.

Posing as a chinese man looking for work she takes the train to Cheyenne where she meets a strange young man named Shai who is to take her on to the sanatorium.At times spooked by his at times violent and at other times sad nature,Lou comes to think of him as maybe not precisely a good person but someone who understands and doesnt judge her.

But things are never that easy as she comes to realize when she finally arrives at the Sanatorium...

Up to halfway through the book I was finding this book pretty darn great but the exact moment when this stopped being the case was not the whole character dedicated to exposition but that was when it all started to go downhill for me.

It just revealed a bit too much of what Lou was there to find out and the rest of the book was just her running around and trying to convince other people of the truth. Lou is reduced from a plucky heroine to someone who is mooning over an unrequited love interest and let down by friends.

I have to admit I was a bit confused about the ethnicity about Shai as I thought he was also chinese and wondered more than once at peoples reaction to Lou being a "chink" but not until it was explained did I get that he was darkhaired and darkeyed but not chinese.

I kept waiting for Shai to redeem himself after his horrible behavior towards Lou but he never did.He might have been way older than her but instead he turned out to be rather immature and weak.

 

“So, what’s your story, Lou? Why the disguise I mean, the trousers, and everything else?”

 

Lou shrugged; winced. “It’s not a disguise. I don’t keep a spare sock rolled up in my drawers or anything. I mean, I grew up wearing pants, you know— Chinese women often wear them, if not this style. They’re a sight more comfortable when you walk around all the—”

 

“No,” interrupted Shai. “I understand well enough the many virtues of pants, Chinese or American. I was asking why you wore them— American pants. I wouldn’t be asking if you were dressed like a traditional Chinese woman.”

 

“Oh,” said Lou, feeling more than a little self-conscious. What business was it of his? “It’s just how I am, I guess. Who I am. I mean, why are you such a dude even out here in the wilderness? It’s just how you are, right?”

 

“Fair enough,” said Shai, settling his derby over his face to shade his eyes from the sun.

The setting is what I would like to call the weird west and for the most part it was an interesting setting even if I am still am not on the clear with the whole sealions and bears being able to talk and run buisnesses,but I didnt mind that as much as the other things in this book.

The gender bending main character was an interesting touch but the books increasing focus on it started to get annoying when every other character is characterized by their sexual preference. I dont believe that building a character on what gender they like can exchange actual character.

Furthermore description of the hmmm lets just call it unusual hotel Lou and Shai stays at during their journey to the sanatorium had me vaguely uncomfortable. Unless you are specifically into that sort of sexual roleplay it doesnt really progress the plot its just a weird thing.

This book started out reminiscent of another steampunk book I like Shanghai Sparrow but after that specific chapter It all started to remind me of Glassbooks of the Dreameaters.

How can a book at the same time have such great writing and at the same time have the worst writing. I just dont understand.

Rest in Peace Alan Rickman. You did always play the most interesting persons.

Two sisters has shut themselves off from the world.

David Bowie is dead.Long live the Goblin King.

When Marcus, the Earl of Roxbury learns from his sister that his nephew Julien is s set on marrying a certain Diana Mayhew. Not only is as good as penniless but is also the niece of a retired notorious actress .This clearly can't be permitted so he sets out to free Julien from their grasp.Initially mistaking miss Philippa Mathew for her younger sister and declaring he won't allow it.

Roxbury and Philippa are firmly set against each other. 

Philippa has been responsible for her three younger siblings ever since the passing of their father and only an invitation by her aunt-in-law Bella to come live at her home kept them from being separated. Maybe Bella is not all the thing but she has a good heart and they have become a family.

The plot was similar to True Lady by Joan Smith.but read like a slightly more serious version. Thats not to say "Notorious Lady" hard reading by any means.But the reasons behind the two characters motivations just felt weightier,

Now there is something I have to adress. There was a scene in this book that had me mentally go "thats seriously not cool Roxbury" (he grabs her wrist and bruises her )I dont want to make light of it but on the other hand its not completely unusual in this genre that is no stranger to "punishing kisses" I have read much worse and does lead up to a scene that was very emotional and showed him to be genuinely sorry.

I just have to say that I have no idea who the blondes on the cover are as its expressely stated that both the hero and heroine have dark hair.

A good new author in the traditional regency genre and I will certainly read more of Dawn Lindseys books :) (less)

The Devil appears as a French gentleman. 18th century print

This would make such an awesome title for an 18th Century era set romance featuring a devilish hero. Just saying...

Margo Crestley is an alchemist mixing elixirs in the Dreamless City without a license. When the district crime lord threatens blackmail, Margo pins her hopes on someone she has not seen in four years -- her twin brother Leonard.

Sold to the traveling Gaslight Carnival by the twins' father, Leonard is treated like property. Margo scrimps and saves to buy his freedom, but the Ringmaster is unwilling to let him go. The young alchemist can only win her brother back if she participates in the capricious Ringmaster's cruel games.

Time is running out. The crime lord's threats are turning violent, and the Gaslight Carnival will soon be gone. The giant glowing balloons and striped carnival tents are set up for three days only before disappearing for another year along with the daredevil stunts, the freak show, and the rigged games of chance. Can Margo save her twin brother in time, or will she be left alone to face the crime lord herself

Years ago their father sold Margos Twin brother Leonard to the traveling Gaslight Carnival .Now her father is gone and she is left by herself to run the alchemists and trying to save up enough Money to buy her Brothers freedom.

Not to mention that thugs from the criminal underworld are threatening her with bad things if she doesnt comply with their demands.

Going to the Carnival to meet the ringmaster she is scared by Rook one of the carnies,but who turns out to be a nice person despite his scary hands.

He takes her to the ringmaster who is reluctant to let Leonard go but if Margo can complete a number of challenges then she can have him back.But even if Margo suceeds ...once you have been part of the carnival you are changed in so many ways...

This is not a long story and as a result there are some things that could have been elaborated on and explained more than they are.There are some bits that doesnt flow well but again thats probably because its a novella.

When it comes to the characters Margo is someone I had no problem understanding. I like that in my female characters even so it came as a bit of a surprise for me when something is revealed about her past that change how I viewed her into grey shades.

I really liked Rook,and it was apparent that he had soft spot for Margo and even its not a fullblown romance but the ending had me sigh a bit thinking they would be fine together.

A complaint I do have is on the cover,its not bad exactly but if you have read the character description for Margo it will immediately become apparent that she is missing something.

Was loading up my more money on my amazon account especially to buy this book when I noticed it was FREE on Kindle to day ☺http://www.amazon.com/The-Redwood-Reb... 1 Dec 2015