Fan Service

Okay, I am rarely interested in romance novels but this one was well-written and I was a bit tired of heavy reading. Rosie Danan is the author of several other steamy romance novels. I agree with Library Journal's recommendation, "This quirky, humorous romance is well-written and plotted, and readers will quickly fall in love with its interesting characters." Booklist concurs, concluding that the book is a "well-written twist on the appealing fish-out-of-water trope. Even readers who don't normally enjoy paranormal romance will find it hard to resist Alex and Devin." Kirkus also offers a positive review, "The paranormal elements in this story are fun, and Devin’s wolfishness makes the spicy scenes extra delicious. These are flawed characters and the ways they become better because of their relationship is endearing...Both playful and thoughtful, with extra appeal to readers involved in fandoms."

The book jacket provides this storyline summary: "The only place small-town outcast Alex Lawson fits in is the online fan forum she built for The Arcane Files, a long-running werewolf detective show. Her dedication to archiving fictional supernatural lore made her Internet-famous, even if she harbors a secret disdain for the show's star, Devin Ashwood. (Never meet your heroes-sometimes they turn out to be The Worst.) Ever since his show went off the air, Devin and his career have spiraled, but waking up naked in the woods outside his LA home with no memory of the night before is a new low. It must have been a coincidence that an ultrarare Wolf Blood Moon occurred last night. The claws, fangs, and howling are a little more difficult to explain away. Desperate for answers, Devin finds Alex-the closest thing to an expert that exists. If only he could convince her to stop hating his guts long enough to help . . . Once he makes her an offer she can't refuse, these reluctant allies lower their guards trying to wrangle his inner beast."

 

Nobody's Hero

C.W. Craven, an author with whom I had no previous experience has created a unique character and an engrossing plot. This  book is a sequel to Fearless, the first in his series featuring former U.S. Marshal Ben Koenig. Due to a brain anomaly, Ben is physiologically unable to feel fear, which means he is much more likely to walk into dangerous situations than even a courageous man would. He has been living under the radar ever since a peeved Russian oligarch put a $5 million bounty on his head. His CIA handler pulls him into investigating an apparent double murder and kidnapping near Hyde Park. It turns out that Ben helped the perpetrator "disappear" several years back by faking her death. Publishers Weekly goes on to say: 

"Though he still doesn't understand the full scope of that mission, he knows she's privy to ultrasensitive American intelligence. Ben and his brutally efficient CIA handler race to find the woman, unwittingly getting in the way of father-daughter assassin duo Stillwell Hobbs and Harper Nash, who have been tracking down and killing everyone involved ... Craven effectively mixes the unvarnished brutality and high body count of Lee Child with the black humor of Mick Herron (one character bludgeons another until "his skull was softer than warm ice cream"). With style, wit, and plot twists to spare, Craven cements this series as a must-read."

Booklist concurs: "Koenig is a compelling protagonist. He can kill without a second thought, yet is guided by a moral compass of his own, making this a good read for fans of Dennis Lehane's Darkness, Take My Hand (1996), Jeff Lindsey's Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2004), and Peter Swanson's Nine Lives (2023). Koenig's acerbic wit plays well off his reluctant partner Draper's brand of sarcasm, bringing lightness to a book riddled with graphic murders. Fans of complex thrillers with an intriguing antihero will enjoy Craven's latest Koenig adventure."

Starship Troopers

In spite of the movie based loosely on this book, it is considered one of Robert Heinlein's best and a classic of science fiction. It's basically the story of a young man who defies his father's wishes and joins the army. This is the future, of course, and war is fought very differently, technologically speaking, against a race of insects with a hive mind which is trying to destroy the human race. The focus is on Juan Rico's journey from a "boot" to eventually becoming an officer. It is, in a sense, a coming-of-age story as his experience in the military shapes his character and his views on life.  It is heavy on descriptions of the tech and on the way that battles are fought. Along the way, we are offered some significant chunks of Heinlein's opinions on morality and human nature. Fore example, "The human race is too individualistic, too self-centered, to worry that much about future generations." Or this, "Citizenship is an attitude, a state of mind, an emotional conviction that the whole is greater than the part...and that the part should be humbly rpoud to scrifice itself that the whole may live." This is in reference to having the ability to vote vs. staying in the military and protecting society even though it meant that he would never get to vote. And this, "Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination--devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues--which a man must develop himself; if he has them forced down him, he will vomit them out."