Tag: injuries

The Calendar of New Beginnings – REVIEW

Valerie @ Valerie's MusingsLeave a comment

4 out of 5 stars.

Calendar

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black and silver film canister on the right with a line of 35mm film stretched out to the left

Synopsis

International photojournalist Lucy O’Brien returns to her hometown of Dare Valley after a devastating trauma that threatens her livelihood. When her mother asks her to do a photo shoot for a Calendar Girls-like calendar to raise money for breast cancer, she can’t take their…ahem…ribald photos fast enough. Too bad her involvement stirs up her childhood best friend, Boy-Next-Door and widower Andy Hale, in all the wrong ways.

black and silver film canister on the right with a line of 35mm film stretched out to the left

Review

The Calendar of New Beginnings by Ava Miles is the ninth in the Dare Valley series. This book finds us spending time with Andy Hale and Lucy O’Brien, who have been best friends since kindergarten. How many people in this world can say they’re lucky enough to have remained friends with someone from kindergarten, much less a best friend? I’m thankful that I can say I still have a friend from kindergarten. We’ve lost contact a couple of times but we always find each other again. It’s so wonderful!

I really enjoyed Andy & Lucy’s story about that scary transition between friendship and love. I thought Ms. Miles handled all the worries and fears that one faces in that situation quite well. It was shown and talked about, but it didn’t over-power the scenes or the book. I also thought how the characters took the needs and feelings of Danny, Andy’s son, was authentic.

I found all the things that Lucy is going through with being a photographer but having her vision damaged to be very fascinating as well. I’m a photographer, albeit an amateur one, and learning about the way Lucy has honed her skills and how she’s dealing with the adversity of having her vision damaged felt real, raw, and honest to me. My main job is in a library. I can only imagine how I’d feel if through some freak accident, I wasn’t able to work in a library anymore. It’s daunting to think about and that anguish shines through in Lucy without over-taking the story.

I’m thrilled that Ms. Miles has started including a map of the town in her Dare Valley series as well. I love maps in general. The use of them for fictitious places helps me get into the story better as I’m able to visualize where people are moving to and from around the town.

Yet, despite how well-written it is and how wonderful the story line is, there’s something about the book that just feels “off” to me. I’m not even sure what it is. There is more family conflict in this one which may be setting off my inner anxiety about such things. Also, Moira, Andy’s sister, who is also the main heroine in the next Dare Valley novel, was more active in this one, but she has a pretty substantial role in the story so it’s not like she’s showing up with no purpose. I don’t know what it is that I’m feeling; it’s just “off” somehow.  That’s why I only gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

I certainly recommend this book to anyone interested in a good romance novel. It is well-written, it is highly enjoyable, and it’s entirely probable that you won’t feel like it’s “off” at all.  All in all it’s another great addition to the Dare Valley series.

[** I received a free ebook copy of this book from the author in exchange for my fair and honest review. My review was not influenced by this, nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions and conclusions are my own. **]

black and silver film canister on the right with a line of 35mm film stretched out to the left

Sky Dragons – REVIEW

Valerie @ Valerie's MusingsLeave a comment

3 out of 5 stars.

Sky Dragons by Anne & Todd McCaffrey book cover - background of trees with flat tops and a blue dragon with rider in foreground

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Synopsis

Scores of dragons are dead after plague swept across the world of Pern, and now the Weyrs are struggling to rebuild before Threadfall destroys everything—and everyone—left alive. Their best hope lies with a group of new dragonriders who have volunteered to brave the dangers of an unexplored island populated by vicious wild felines and voracious tunnel-snakes to create a safe home for their young dragons, whose offspring will hopefully replenish Pern’s decimated population. But their leader, Xhinna, the first female rider of a blue dragon, faces an uphill battle to win the respect of her peers, especially after tragedy leaves the new colony reeling. The way forward seems to lie with the awesome ability of the dragons to travel through time. But that power comes with risks: By venturing into the past, Xhinna may jeopardize the very future she has sworn to save.

Review

Sky Dragons by Anne & Todd McCaffrey is the 24th book in the Dragonriders of Pern series and was the last book in the series to be published after Anne McCaffrey died in November 2011.

This unfortunately was not one of the better books in the series. I think all the “timing” it that has happened in the last few books that were published has made even the authors’ brains a bit addled. All of the back and forth, back and forth is becoming utterly confusing.

I still love the characters that Todd McCaffrey has created. Some of them really stretch themselves and grow during this book. We see them overcome some formidable obstacles, including dissension amongst themselves. In the end, they come up with a solution to help the planet which is still in peril from the dreaded dragon sickness. It remains to be seen whether or not this solution will actually be the solution needed, but it’s a start. We may never know if what they tried worked or not since there hasn’t been another Pern book published since Ms. McCaffrey died.

In the end, I would still recommend this book to Pern-lovers because I think it does advance the storyline, but it is certainly not one of the best books in this series.

Dragon’s Time – REVIEW

Valerie @ Valerie's MusingsLeave a comment

4 out of 5 stars.

Dragon's Time by Anne & Todd McCaffrey book cover - Dawn or dusk sky background with gold dragon flying upwards in the sky

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Synopsis

Even though Lorana cured the plague that was killing the dragons of Pern, sacrificing her queen dragon in the process, the effects of the disease were so devastating that there are no longer enough dragons available to fight the fall of deadly Thread. And as the situation grows more dire, a pregnant Lorana decides that she must take drastic steps in the quest for help.

Meanwhile, back at Telgar Weyr, Weyrwoman Fiona, herself pregnant, and the harper Kindan must somehow keep morale from fading altogether in the face of the steadily mounting losses of dragons and their riders. But time weighs heavily against them — until Lorana finds a way to use time itself in their favor.

It’s a plan fraught with risk, however. For attempting time travel means tampering with the natural laws of the universe, which could drastically alter history — and destiny — forever. Or so it has always been thought. But Lorana discovers that if the laws of time can’t be broken without consequences, it may still be possible to bend them. To ensure the future of Pern, she’s willing to take the fateful chance — even if it demands another, even greater, sacrifice.

Review

Dragon’s Time by Anne & Todd McCaffrey is the 23rd book in the Dragonriders of Pern series.

As I do with most Anne McCaffrey books (and by extension those by Todd McCaffrey as well), I devoured this book. I enjoyed every part of it except for the epilogue. I felt like someone told the authors to take the next 3 or 4 books and smoosh them all together in one short epilogue.

There are places in the book that can get a bit confusing, but the confusion comes from a chunk of the main plot, so I don’t want to give it away. All I can say is don’t give up on it! It does make sense if you keep reading!

I’ve been impressed by Todd McCaffrey’s ability to “play in his mother’s sandbox” (that’s how he puts it). When he first started writing Pern novels, I wasn’t sure I was going to like his writing style, but now that we’re several books into it, I find that I almost like his characters more! He has developed several well-rounded, complex characters and I enjoy reading the interplay between them and watching them grow and develop.

All in all, an excellent new installment to the Pern series!