Princess Gwynna's sister, Queen Lise, has been drained of her youth, beauty, strength and spirit by the sorceress Ondrea.  Although still a student in the ways of magic, Gwynna is determined to make Ondrea reverse the process.  To do so, she needs the help of the only man to ever return alive from the Valley of Org.

A wonderfully romantic fantasy filled with magic and evil, a stubborn heroine, a guilt-ridden hero, and a little help on the way into the heart of evil.  I have only read one of Jill Gregory's stories in the past and loved it.  I cannot say why I've never tried one of her books in the past, but I must make a note to include her on my To Be Read list.  I'd be interested to see if she can sustain the delight and interest in a full size book.  4 out of 5

First, I apologize for the size of the fonts on the last couple of postings.  LJ doesn't appear to allow changes any longer with font or color or anything else.

Warning:  This is a m/m book review and contains adult language and situations.

Cambridge art professor Lawrence Morton was too drunk to realize that the huge man who helped him home was no threat, except perhaps to his heart.  Al Fletcher was really a gentle giant, a good man from the working class who might be a little slow, but knows he and Larry can never be more than fuck buddies.  Their worlds are just too much apart.  But as they spend more time together, Al even moving in with him, it gets harder to remember.

This is a sweet love story that I enjoyed despite the absolute unreality of these two men making a go of it past the first few years.  Maybe I'm getting old and cynical, but I don't believe love can conquer everything.  But I have to admit that I'd love to see it happen with these two men.  I particularly enjoyed learning about them from Al's point of view.  4 out of 5

Arcane Society 12              Looking Glass 3            Harmony 8

Charlotte Enright was just 15 when she first met 19 year old Slade Attridge, the night he rescued her from drunken tourists on Rainshadow Island.  He also took her into The Preserve, a mysterious wild area with a spooky reputation.  Slade left the next day to join the FBPI, but never forgot her.  Fifteen years later both have returned to the Island, Slade to temporarily take over as sheriff.  Sparks fly as they deal with their attraction to each other as well as Slade's damaged psi-powers and the psychic murder of Charlotte's former client.  Murder, mayhem and mysterious goings on at The Preserve make for an interesting backdrop to Slade's and Charlotte's growing love.

While an enjoyable story, it wasn't as good as the other Harmony books.  This should have been the finale for The Looking Glass trilogy, but instead it was more an introduction of a future series regarding the mystery of The Preserve.  I was disappointed because there was so much setup of that strange forest, but with no payoff.  Krentz appears to be setting up another Scargill Cove with Rainshadow Island as well.  These dual plans took some of the intensity away from the supposed main storyline.  But I am interested in visiting the town again, so I suppose it served its purpose.  3.5 out of 5.

Next up is THE AGENCY: THE TRAITOR IN THE TUNNEL by Y. S. Lee, the third in the new series.  And I apologize for the size of the print here, LiveJournal's fonts aren't working today at all.

I know that it has been a while since I posted one of my book reviews here and I'm sorry.  Honestly, I can read faster than this, but I've been overwhelmed with so much good fanfiction based on the second series of SHERLOCK that I've fallen behind in my regular book reading.  Not too mention dealing with lots of fun and not so fun things in Real Life.  Add into that the joys of Netflix and you can see that I'm a bit overwhelmed and forgetting to give time to the books I still have to read.

I ask your patience and indulgence.  I'm trying to balance the two reading addictions so that neither is neglected.  It might be easier if there weren't so many lovely books and fanfiction stories and television series that I want to experience out there waiting to be discovered.  So hang on, I promise I'll be back soon enough.

I've just heard that a man I admired, as an actor, a musician, a horseman, a person, has passed away just a county south of me.  David Jones is probably best known as a member of the Monkees, but he was so much more than that.  He had been acting since the age of 11, only stopping when his mother passed away when he was just 14.  He trained as a jockey, only to return as an actor in Oliver! as the Artful Dodger on stage, both in England and America.  After the end of the Monkees, Davy continued as a singer and returned to acting, even returning to Oliver!, only this time as Fagin. 

He suffered a massive heart attack in his home in Indiantown during his sleep last night.  Farewell to a favorite, farewell to my childhood.