For What It's Worth


Monday, July 23, 2018

monday minis



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A Gentleman Never keeps Score (Seducing the Sedgwick's #2)
by Cat Sebastian

Source: Purchased

Once beloved by London's fashionable elite, Hartley Sedgwick has become a recluse after a spate of salacious gossip exposed his most-private secrets. 

Rarely venturing from the house whose inheritance is a daily reminder of his downfall, he’s captivated by the exceedingly handsome man who seeks to rob him.

Since retiring from the boxing ring, Sam Fox has made his pub, The Bell, into a haven for those in his Free Black community. But when his best friend Kate implores him to find and destroy a scandalously revealing painting of her, he agrees. Sam would do anything to protect those he loves, even if it means stealing from a wealthy gentleman. But when he encounters Hartley, he soon finds himself wanting to steal more than just a painting from the lovely, lonely man—he wants to steal his heart.


Content Warning from Author: This book includes a main character who was sexually abused in the past; abuse happens off page but is alluded to. ~
Goodreads

My thoughts: This is my second Cat Sebastian novel (the first being Seducing the Sedgwicks #1 – It Takes Two to Tumble) & I adore her writing so much! This book was a little heavier in subject matter because both protagonists are dealing with issues ranging from racism, past abuse, class, rumors and homophobia. It makes it difficult to see how there could be a HEA but Sebastian gets us there in a way that allows both characters growth and agency. I also loved the supporting cast of friends and family.

 I enjoyed the It Takes Two to Tumble a little more still really enjoyed this one.


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Competence (The Custard Protocol #3)
by Gail Carriger

Source: e-arc provided by the author in exchange for an honest review

From New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger comes the delightful sequel to Imprudence.

Accidentally abandoned!


All alone in Singapore, proper Miss Primrose Tunstell must steal helium to save her airship, the Spotted Custard, in a scheme involving a lovesick werecat and a fake fish tail.


When she uncovers rumors of a new kind of vampire, Prim and the Custard crew embark on a mission to Peru. There, they encounter airship pirates and strange atmospheric phenomena, and are mistaken for representatives of the Spanish Inquisition. Forced into extreme subterfuge (and some rather ridiculous outfits) Prim must also answer three of life's most challenging questions:


Can the perfect book club give a man back his soul?


Will her brother ever stop wearing his idiotic velvet fez?


And can the amount of lard in Christmas pudding save an entire species? ~
Goodreads

My thoughts: Even though the summary pointing to this as a Miss Primrose Tunstell story – the pov’s are split between Prim and her brother Percy,

Despite Percy’s aloof nature (or because of it) I adored him even more than Prim. But really this is a fun steampunk adventure yarn that includes the whole Spotted Custard crew as they dodge disaster, investigate an endangered hive of vampires, try to redeem a souless and navigate human nature and romance.

It was a fun romp but I felt a little detached from Prim and couldn’t understand Tasherit’s obsession with her until I realized I had never read the first two books in this series. You don’t really need to have to understand the plot but I know I missed some character development because of it.

I loved the sense of family that the motley Spotted Custard crew has managed to patch together.

15 comments:

  1. It's great when an author can write about heavy topics but still make a happy story. And Competence sounds fun!

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    1. I honestly didn't know how Sebastian could get them to the HEA lol Luckily, she managed.

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  2. Competence sounds awesome- airship pirates and vampires? Sounds totally fun!

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    1. Her series are lighthearted fun with just a dash or romance. She' mostly writing novellas now too so they're easy to read.

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  3. Book 1 never worked for me, but, who knows maybe this one would

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    1. I would guess that if you didn't like book #1 then no? Unless you specifically liked Prim or Percy.

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  4. I loved Carriger's other two series, and need to get on this one. It sounds like her style is firmly intact, and I would most likely enjoy Prim.

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    1. She has several spin off series and they're almost all novellas loosely connected to the main series.

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  5. Oooh I need to grab Gail Carriger's books!!

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    1. She has a lot of spin-off series now. It's kind of hard to keep up lol

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  6. I always meant to read something by Carriger - one of these days perhaps. hah I haven't read anything by Cat Sebastian, but both in this series sounds wonderful.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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  7. I love catburglar and the thief romances, the secrets and intrigue are delicious. Why aren't there more of those around really. I'm glad it touches on quite a few social issues of the era as well, you can only imagine how scandalous life would have been for a young gay men.

    Ooh! Is the Custard Protocol series a little bit steam punk? Will definitely need to check that one out Karen, it sounds brilliant! Wonderful reviews and so glad you've enjoyed them! ♡♡♡

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  8. LOL oops on not having read the earlier books. I do enjoy Carriger. Hers are great on audio, too :)

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  9. Cat Sebastian has been on my radar for a little while. Sounds like this book was enjoyable even if you did prefer It Takes Two To Tumble a bit more. I will have to get around to reading.

    Happy to see a Carriger book on here as well. I am incapable of reading series out of order (it genuinely upsets me a little to do it) so it's good to know that even though you don't need to read in order it's better to read in order simply for character development purposes. I suppose in doing so you get to know the characters a little better. I've not read this series yet but it's one I want to.

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  10. It sounds like you really enjoyed the first book mentioned and that it was a solid sequel to book one. I like that it was still enjoyable even though it had a more deep subject matter with their issues. The second one sounds good but like there was some detachment which would have made the story better if it wasn't there...

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