Collision Course is Book 6 of Diener’s Class 5 series, and features the protagonists from Book 1, Dark Horse. Can this be read as a stand-alone? Yes, Collision Course is Book 6 of Diener’s Class 5 series, and features the protagonists from Book 1, Dark Horse. Can this be read as a stand-alone? Yes, but I suggest reading at least Dark Horse and Book 5, Dark Class.
If you are familiar with Diener’s Class 5 series, you’ve probably read the previous five (and 4.5) books, and have your favorite Earth-stolen heroine. For me, Rose from book 1, Dark Horse, has always been my favorite, so I was delighted to discover the sixth installment, Collision Course, features Rose, Dav, and Sazo.
In Book 6, Rose and her boys are off to meet the previously unknown alien race whose sentient AI spaceship, Irini, was stolen by the Tecran (as detailed in book 5, Dark Class). However, before Dav and his explorer crew can even make first contact, the Fisone snatch away a 9-months pregnant Rose, wanting to use her as ransom for restitution of the loss of Irini. This turns out to be a very bad choice for the Fisone as they’ve not just pissed off Dav and his Grih crew, but also Sazo, Rose’s sentient Death Star Class 5 BFF.
A classic Diener action and adventure then unfolds, with Rose being her usual badass damsel as she thwarts her foes and makes new friends along the way. Though I love Diener’s powerhouse leading lady formula, in past books, the FMC has often overshadowed the MMC love interest. However, in Collision Course, both Dav and Sazo get screen time being awesome.
This book is awesome. If you’ve enjoyed the Class 5 series, book 6 is the perfect exclamation point to all the fun and adventure you’ve come to love and enjoy. Cheers, cheers, cheers and bravo.
Note: I had the privilege to review an ARC of Collision Course as part of Michelle’s reader group, and scan out a few typos. Look for me in the acknowledgements! #nothumblebragging...more
I’ve really enjoyed The Rising Wave series, so this book almost feels like a full-length bonus scene to an already splendid trilogy, though it can be I’ve really enjoyed The Rising Wave series, so this book almost feels like a full-length bonus scene to an already splendid trilogy, though it can be read as a standalone. In Truth’s Blade, Diener employs the ‘next generation’ plot device by focusing on a minor child character from Book 2 (The Threadbare Queen). Plus, the daughter of the original trilogy’s MCs also appears as a supporting POV character. That means an older, happily married Ava and Luc make an appearance.
This is a Diener book through and through with a strong FMC and a love interest happy to help. I love the ‘stronger together’ theme of all Diener’s couples and that is on display but Melodie does most of the heavy magical lifting with Theo along for the ride. (That's okay because it wouldn’t be a Diener novel if the damsel doesn’t save the leading man at least once or twice.)
If this is the final chapter of The Rising Wave series, it was a satisfying ending, but Diener seems to have left room to return to the world.
I received an ARC for this book as a member of Diener’s reader group....more
Enthraller is the seventh book in Diener’s Verdant String series. Like the others, you could enjoy this book as a standalone, but as it references ploEnthraller is the seventh book in Diener’s Verdant String series. Like the others, you could enjoy this book as a standalone, but as it references plot points from the previous six books, I think you’ll enjoy it more if you’ve read the previous books in the series.
Let me just get this out of the way: I’m ready for the crossovers, Michelle! Enthraller does a great job of tying together the events in previous books, going all the way back to the 0.5 novellas Interference / Insurgency. There is even a character in Enthraller that showed up on the isolated, yet-to-be-discovered by the other VS planets, Fjern (Peace Maker).
As is Diener’s formula, Enthraller introduces us to a new set of love interest protagonists. And as in previous books, the FMC has stumbled upon those ‘silver beads’ that grants her special powers. However, in Wren’s case, the nanotech has granted her almost comic book hero-like superpowers, assumingly because she ingested five silver balls rather than one? It made for some cool action sequences, but Wren overshadowed the MMC a bit, I think.
In terms of the romance, this was the first time I felt it was slightly shoehorned into the story, rather than growing organically along with the plot. I think it was because of the way Wren’s powers initially enthralled Ed. I know that is the hook of the plot, but the nanotech has never manipulated others rather than just assisting its host. Again, more superpower than benevolent internal boosting power, but I still recommend this book and it is a great addition to a fantastic space opera romance series.
Disclosure: I am a member of Michelle Diener’s reader group and was given an ARC of this book by the author. (Look for me in the Acknowledgements! #shamelessbrag)...more
[August 2024] After the third time through this book, I'd have to rank the three in the series: Part of Your World 1st, Just for the Summer 2nd, and Y[August 2024] After the third time through this book, I'd have to rank the three in the series: Part of Your World 1st, Just for the Summer 2nd, and Yours Truly a distant 3rd.
[April 2024] Just for the Summer, is the third book in Jimenez’s 'Part of your World' series. It can certainly be read as a stand-alone, but my recommendation is to read the first two books first. If you are familiar with the characters from those books, there will be a couple of plot points in this book that will land stronger. Again, my suggestion, not a necessity.
If I had to choose as my forever book boyfriend between Daniel (Part of Your World), Jacob (Yours Truly), or Justin (this book); I would pick all three. What? There’s no rule that says you can’t have more than one fictional book boyfriend, right?
And herein lies Jimenez’s magic. She can write an MMC like nobody’s business. Handsome, sexy, swoony, and absolutely no possibility they could exist in real life. This is not a complaint. Jimenez’s main men are far from perfect, but often seem too good to be true. Again, not a complaint because I think that it’s hard for an author to write and get right. Jimenez nails it.
Her leading ladies on the other hand… They come with issues and the FMC in this book, Emma, is no exception. Not to give too much away, but I offer Jimenez full credit on how deftly she writes about traumatic mental illness. I’ll only add that therapists and counselors are GD rockstars.
Jimenez’s other super power that makes here one of the best in the business is her ability to write a third act breakup that will rip you apart but then put you back together just in time for an amazing, (tear-jerking in my case) HEA ending. I’ve had issues with Jimenez’s previous books, but her turn-around endings have all been brilliant, and that is true with this book.
[I was fortunate to win an opportunity to review an ARC through Abby's Facebook readers page.]...more
This series is a delight in the way it flPath of the Paladin is the fourth book in Melissa McShane's Dark Goddess series, and should be read in order.
This series is a delight in the way it flips the standard Fantasy Romance trope on its head. In this world, the primary religion is dominated by women. The ‘Dark Goddess’ is the patron of the Blessed, and the ‘Bright One’ is her evil sister. Werewolves, who are often painted as the good guys in other fantasy tales are the baddies here.
Except Eoden—the protagonist’s werewolf lover and companion, who has turned his back on his evil creator, the Bright One. Eoden is now fighting alongside Ginnevra, battling the Bright Ones’ many monsters including his fellow werewolves. But prejudices run deep, especially among Ginnevra’s fellow Paladins and other religious leaders. Can they look past those prejudices and see the good in Eoden, or will he always be a monster in their eyes?
The romance between Ginnevra and Eoden is clearly established at this point and has matured into one of my favorite sub-tropes: the love interests are stronger together than separate. And again, this is wonderfully flipped on its head as the heroine is the protector of the hero.
I was given an advanced copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. Having disclosed that, I most definitely recommend this book and series. Cheers....more
This is the third book in Diener’s Susanna Horenbout & John Parker series. I recommend reading in order, starting with In a Treacherous Court—especialThis is the third book in Diener’s Susanna Horenbout & John Parker series. I recommend reading in order, starting with In a Treacherous Court—especially for character development—however each book does have a separate dilemma or mystery to solve.
It certainly was an exciting conclusion to the trilogy, with this book being the most “action-packed” of the three books. The romance is very well established at this point, so falls to the background, but it features Diener’s trademark “stronger together” theme of the main love interests working together to overcome whatever obstacles are thrown in their path. I love that.
I still think there are too many moving pieces and throw-away characters but then I remember that these characters were real historical figures and therefore need to be in the story (though I really wish Diener could have killed off a couple of them). I guess that’s the downside of writing historical fiction around actual history.
Overall, I enjoyed the series, but I add my standard disclaimer that if this is your first introduction to Michelle Diener, you owe it to yourself to check out her more recent series, such as Class 5, Verdant String, and The Rising Wave.
Book 2 in this series was better for me than book 1, In a Treacherous Court, simply because I knew the characters better. And it was great seeing the Book 2 in this series was better for me than book 1, In a Treacherous Court, simply because I knew the characters better. And it was great seeing the damsel rescue the “prince” for a change, especially because Susanna was able to do so only because of the skills she had learned from Parker. Well done.
I also enjoyed the whodunit mystery more than In a Treacherous Court, probably because the sequencing was a little more streamlined. There were still too many throw-away characters in this book, but I managed to not get confused as I did in Book 1, so that’s a win. However, I’m still amazed how every major player in the story all have their own spies or henchmen that follow each other around yet never notice each other. Maybe Tudor-era London really did have that many shadowed corners for lurking and so forth?
Final thought, the “shoot the rapids” sequences were awesome. (Yes, that’s an intentional interest peaker.)
Wait, final, final thought: if this series is your first introduction to Michelle Diener, you owe it to yourself to check out her more recent stuff, especially if you enjoy sci-fi or fantasy romance. ...more
It takes a fair amount of skill to fictionalize a story around a real historical person. It helps if the person has an interesting or exciting real-liIt takes a fair amount of skill to fictionalize a story around a real historical person. It helps if the person has an interesting or exciting real-life story. Susanna Hornbout is a very interesting historical figure; and for the most part, Diener does a good job building a creative mystery/romance with Horenbout as the protagonist.
Be aware that the true-life facts about Hornbout are left for the Author’s Notes at the end of the book; so if you want to know more about the historical points of the characters’ lives before you begin the story, a simple Google search should provide a good primer.
As far as In a Treacherous Court, I did have a hard time following the mystery plotline. There was a lot of moving pieces and throw-away characters that I was confused at times. I was also struck again how Diener’s historic London has an endless supply of skulking ruffians and following informants who never bump into each other.
The romance between Susanna and Parker was the better part of the story, but was also awkward finding its footing.
I was given an ARC of this book in preparation of the older trilogy’s upcoming rerelease. I’ve read (and admittedly love) all Diener’s more recent works like the Class 5 and Verdant String series, so it stood out to me how much Diener’s writing has improved over a decade. I mean that as a compliment because I believe an author’s craft should improve over time. I also mention it because if this book is your first introduction to Michelle Diener, it is worth your time to check out her more recent books....more
This is the sixth in a sci-fi romance series that are connected by a single plot thread but can be read as a standalone. Peacemaker, however, builds oThis is the sixth in a sci-fi romance series that are connected by a single plot thread but can be read as a standalone. Peacemaker, however, builds on the thread established in books 3-5, so I would recommend reading those first, though it is not required to enjoy the story.
Well, that wraps up that mystery. After being introduced to the mysterious silver balls in books 3-5 of the Verdant String series, book 6 gives answers in spades to what those are, and where they come from. Now we have a name for the silver balls—gyra--and a name for the enhanced warriors that are gifted with the nanotech, Gyr.
Peace Maker centers around Fliss, a Gyr who doesn’t understand the larger ramifications of all that she is, until her mentor tries to kill her which brings the attention of the political and military machinations of the Gyr society on her planet. Fortunately, she has an ally in Han, a leader in the Gyr forces who comes to investigate the attempted murder. With Han’s help, Fliss will discover that she is unique in many ways and that makes her dangerous to the Gyr Command. As the book jacket says, “Han is determined to make sure she never ends up in their clutches, even if he has to upend the very structure of their planet.”
It’s been over a year since book 5, Wave Rider, was published and Diener has fit in a couple of books from other series in the intervening time, so I was excited to discover what direction she would take Peace Maker in relation to the earlier books in the series. For better or worse, Verdant String has been very formulaic, and I was hoping she might shake things up a bit in this new story, and I was delighted to discover she did.
Also, for better or worse depending on your opinion, the romance really takes a backseat to the action/adventure storyline. I’m okay with that, because that non-romance plotline was excellent, and a departure from the “heroine and hero against the world” plot thread that has become a bit of a trademark of Diener’s. However, when the one sex scene did come around, it almost felt a little placed out of necessity. As if, fans were expecting to see it, so it better be there.
Overall, I really enjoyed Peacemaker, and it was a bit of a reset on the series, I think. If Diener wanted, I can see further books in the series that stem from the plot of this book. Or rather, I can see the planet Fjern connecting to the other Verdant String planets in future books, as it was barely even mentioned in this book....more
Full disclosure: I was rather ambivalent about this being a Hades and Persephone retelling. In fact, I just receExtremely well-crafted fantasy romance
Full disclosure: I was rather ambivalent about this being a Hades and Persephone retelling. In fact, I just recently learned how to correctly pronounce “Persephone.” Apparently, it’s not pronounced per-say-PHONE. Who knew? And when you add that fourth syllable the name is actually quite pretty. Anyway, I digress…
This was such a well-crafted Fantasy Romance story. It hit all the right notes: fully developed and enjoyable characters, exciting action/adventure sequences, and a perfectly-paced slow-burn romance. Plus, plenty of well-written steamy scenes. Enjoyed. Recommend. Bravo.
Thank you to BookSirens for providing me with an ARC...more
Middle book of Michelle Diener’s Regency London trilogy explores Upstairs/Downstairs dynamics
I sort of love the “hiding in plain sight,” plotline in tMiddle book of Michelle Diener’s Regency London trilogy explores Upstairs/Downstairs dynamics
I sort of love the “hiding in plain sight,” plotline in this book. Our main heroine is really a member of the prestigious high society of the regency era, but in this story, Giselle’s status among the London elite just might get her killed. So, undercover she must go to figure out who and why someone killed her father.
Using her talents as a cook, Giselle poses as the head chef to the dashing Lord Aldridge. The problem is, Aldridge really sees through Giselle’s deception from the start, or at least he has big time suspicion that she isn’t all that she claims to be. Partly, because she’s way more attractive than your average (fake) French Chef, but also because Giselle doesn’t do a particularly good job acting the part of servant to her new employer.
As I mentioned in my review of Book 1 of Diener’s Regency London trilogy, The Emperor's Conspiracy, the author wraps her fiction around real historical events which is fun and superbly well done. You’ll have to check the Author’s Notes at the end of the book to learn what was history and what was embellishment. However, please be aware that the non-romantic elements of the plot are really straight-up political intrigue, in case that’s not your bag of wax.
I really liked the romance between our two MCs. It was interesting to see it explored via the dynamics of servant-master relations of the Regency era. Like I said, Giselle wasn’t really fooling Aldridge that she was just a lowly servant; but, suspicions aside, he still struggled with the appearance of propriety at the time. As an employee, Giselle was strictly off limits to Aldridge. It didn’t help Giselle that her aristocratic upbringing almost outed her a couple of times as she starts to recognize her attraction to the supposedly off-limits master of the house.
My only complaint is, like Book 1 of the series, there was way too much skulking in dark alleys and spying on each other. Fortunately, I didn’t find it as distracting in this second book of the trilogy.
Keep in mind that as with other Diener novels, they can be read as a standalone in the series but there are some subtle but fun crossover of characters from the other books.
Note: I was given an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ...more
Lots to Like, a bit to not like in Book 1 of Historical Fiction Romance trilogy by Michelle Diener
Let me start out by explaining that I did not read tLots to Like, a bit to not like in Book 1 of Historical Fiction Romance trilogy by Michelle Diener
Let me start out by explaining that I did not read the author’s Regency London trilogy in order. Though The Emperor’s Conspiracy was my least favorite of three, the other two are excellent and I wouldn’t want anyone shying away from continuing the series. I think it’s fair to say, the series gets much better. As is often the case in a Michelle Diener series, for the most part each book can be read as a stand-alone but there is always the delightful, subtle crossover from character from the other books.
Also important to note about the series is that Diener wraps her fiction around real historical events which was extremely well done and had me diving into my encyclopedia Google Machine to learn more about the actual historical events.
The story begins with a classic Oliver Twist twist. A girl chimney sweep literally gets stuck in a high society chimney and the Lady of the house decides to keeper her. However, our damsel has a bit more of checkered past than a typical gentlewoman of the Regency era. Charlotte’s loyalty to a childhood protector and later lover becomes extremely complicated when said protector slash lover grows up into a notorious crime boss.
There was a lot to like about this book, starting with the unique exposure to the darker side of London during the time period that is normally reserved for so many Jane Austen-esque Regency Romance novels. (I just kept thinking, whatever you do main characters, do not get a haircut from anyone named Sweeney Todd.) As usual, Diener’s romantic subplot is delightfully written. I loved both the main characters and really enjoyed the development of the part enemies-to-lovers, part friends-to-lovers, part it’s complicated-to-lovers storyline.
There were also a couple of things I did not like about the story. The first being, I could never get a bead on the rogue former protector crime boss. I was never sure if I was supposed to like him, not like, be ambiguous to him. Also, Charlotte’s loyalties to Luke are very questionable. Charlotte believes she owes a debt to the guy who protected her as a child, but I believe that the dirty deeds Luke has committed since their parting means all bets are off on owed favors.
The other thing that was a stick in my growl was all the watching of houses and people that was going on. I think at one point there was a watcher watching a watcher watching a watcher. Um, yeah. I know that London of that time was pretty dense, but I have a hard time imagining that so many people could watch the same house and not bump into each other, or at least ask, “why are you here, buddy.”
Note: I was given an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. (And, I got to help spiff up some typos which was a lot of fun.) ...more
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