There Will Be Dragons - John Ringo

Set in a future will no war, disease nor ill timed death, the world is a paradise and lives under all possible protections.  The "Net" has a council of men and women who govern it through technology however as humans often do they have a falling out because some want more power than others.  When it happens the "Net" goes down and leaves the world without the life saving nano technology.  Across the world, communities have to fall back to old ways of natural life.  Herzer Herrick was born with a crippling disease which in a world with near perfection shouldn't have happened.  But he was a fighter and learned early on survival.  However he is naive and follows too easily at first. In the small village of Raven's Mill, Edmund Talbot, unassuming master smith and historian finds that his hobbies are life saving and people start looking to him for leadership.  He's lived a long, storied life and has the skills even if he is reluctant to do so, but his former lover and daughter are a driving force for his life and he will do anything to save them.

I saw this book on a random table in a thiftlike centre and loved the cover.  It is so much more than the cover and that caught me right away. This is not a book for people that are feminists.  There are STRONG male characters in this that at times are macho and manly men.  John Ringo is a excellent writer and weaves a futuristic tale of woe on the tales of technology gone wrong and how in one moment what happens if it all disappears.  Personally I LIKE Herzer and Edmund.  I appreciate the character growth and when they make mistakes how they learn from them.  I appreciate Herzers drive to make more of himself and ya he's mostly a meathead but not all characters are "heros".  I like Edmunds character just as much. Theres internal politics and shuffling for power and strategic placements.  This book has a little of everything centered around an interesting premise.

Baring the warning, I would recommend to the right reader.

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough: a few friends she can always count on, the financial stability she yearned for as a kid, and a successful career as a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science. Her world is stable, pleasant, and hard-fought. Until a hostile takeover and its offensively attractive front man threatens to bring it all crumbling down.

This one is a little bit different than other Ali Hazelwood books. It had less smarty/sciencey stuff and more internal emotional hurdles to overcome.  Rue is very emotionally detached from the world however she's still a woman with woman needs. Some might view Eli's obsessiveness with Rue as...well I'm not sure how to define it but it spoke to me on a level that I appreciated it and enjoyed reading it from his perspective.  It does boarder on well it's getting in 50 Shades of Grey area BUT not bondage.  Control is the name of this man's pleasure.  There is a trigger warning at the start of this book fyi.  

I appreciated this one for what it was and would still recommend.

The Takedown by Lily Chu

For Dee Kwan, every day is the perfect day. No, really. She has a house she loves, a job she adores, and a ridiculously attractive “nemesis” who never seems to mind when she wins their favorite online game. How can life possibly get better? (It can’t, obviously. It can only get much, much worse.)

Dee is a product of her mother's positivity upbringing.  Always look on the bright side, see the silver lining no matter what happens, positive thoughts manifest and all that.  But what happens when she is surrounded by things happening that aren't positive and her life's circumstances change and everything happens at once that it makes it tough to see the positive?  

I can kinda relate to Dee on some level - trying to find the positive in this world is tough sometimes and sometimes you question yourself whether you are a positive person or not.  I didn't connect with Lily Chu as a writer or Dee the character like I do with Ali Hazelwood but I did enjoy this book enough to finish it relatively quickly.  

I would recommend as a light, summer beach read if it peaks your interest.

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project - a literal dream come true - Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward.

I know I say this with every one of her books, but I think I like this one the best.  This one had me flipping pages and stayin up late to flip those pages.  LOVE the chemistry with Bee & Levi.  Love how Bee's brain works.  And love the working relationship and quirks.  

Of course I recommend this book...it's Ali Hazelwood.

Lightlark by Alex Aster

 

Every 100 years, the island of Lightlark appears to host the Centennial, a deadly game that only the rulers of six realms are invited to play. The invitation is a summons—a call to embrace victory and ruin, baubles and blood. The Centennial offers the six rulers one final chance to break the curses that have plagued their realms for centuries. Each ruler has something to hide. Each realm’s curse is uniquely wicked. To destroy the curses, one ruler must die.

I must admit that this was a book club read however I most likely would have eventually added this to my list.  The premise intrigued me immediately.  And it was good.  The character development wasn't all ecompassing but was enough to get a feel for the them and want more.  The twists and turns and the development was great.  I would recommend this one.

Check & Mate - Ali Hazelwood

Story from the perspective of Mallory Greenleaf who is a chess prodigy however quit before entering the competitive world as a child and 3 years before her father passed away after she found out he was cheating on her mother with a chess referee. Fast forward to  age 18 Mallory who is left with the responsibility of caring for her two younger teenage sisters and ailing mother. Mallory's best friend ropes her into a "fun" competition one weekend and she's pitted against the worlds number 1 chess player who she also had a crush on when she was younger and she wins.  Suddenly her world completely upends and sends her into the competitive chess world.

I may be alone with this opinion but I am a HUGE fan of Ali Hazelwood.  I find the way she writes the characters connections and slow burn, imperfect human emotions and doubts, appealing and draws me in.  I haven't been this deeply connected to books in a long time and it's just hitting something for me in this moment in time.  I appreciate that the incredibly book smart characters she writes about experience the same mind numbing doubts as a normal human being.  And I absolutely cannot get enough of the emotional connection the characters make with each other - even though the writing is thru the eyes of Mallory, you feel Nolan's thought process and can make out what his thinking.

This book has less graphic romance than others of hers that I have read but I still enjoyed it.  And I leaned things about chess I never knew...

I would recommend this book.   

The Maid - Nita Prose

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by. Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life's complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection. But Molly's orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what's happening, Molly's unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it's too late?

Molly Gray is a character who if I had to describe her according to today's standards I would say is on the spectrum in a LARGE way.  Her social skills at reading peoples sarcasm is non existent and her trust at taking people at face value is well it is criminal that someone would take advantage of it.  Poor Molly gets tied up in a scandal from trusting the wrong people - not for the first time.  The book weaves the story from Molly's perspective and I found it very heartwarming to read about her.  The author was very good at describing how Molly was taken advantage of in a way that you as the reader have no doubt that she was by you can separate Molly and your perspective.  

I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to anyone.