Read Recently -- September (07)
Princess at Sea by Dawn Cook
Sequel to The Decoy Princess (grouped in with a bunch of others here, this has Tess chaperoning the newlywed Princess and Prince on their honeymoon. Piracy, kidnapping, and the resolution of a romantic triangle ensue.
I was really disappointed with this one; everything that made the first one work was just thrown away. Tess spends more of the book whining and being used than being strong, and Cook chose to resolve the triangle in the worst possible way: by having one of her suitors turn out to have been just using her all along.
Not recommended.
Queen of the Orcs book I: King's Property by Morgan Howell
I didn't expect much from this book (get used to that phrase; I think I'll be using it a lot in the next little wile). Orcs, as far as I'm concerned, belong only in Tolkien. I was annoyed by them being ripped off for D&D and all its successors; and it seemed likely that this book borrowed from the RPGs and not from the original. So I didn't expect much. Consequently, I was pleasantly surprised.
At the beginning of the book, Dar is a young woman living in the Highlands of King Kregant's realm, with her Father and Stepmother. Almost immediately upon our meeting her, she is sold off to soldiers of the King's Army, where she is to be a servant to the Orcs, who serve with the King's Army but not as part of it. The women cook for the Orcs and also deliver the food to them. The Orcs are large and have noticable fangs; naturally the women find them terrifying. The women are able to improve their lot by becoming sexually involved with the soldiers, but Dar wants nothing to do with that. Instead, she does her best to understand the Orcs, and learns their language and habits. But a sadistic officer has his eye on her, wanting to possess her. And when the next woman brought in to serve the Orcs is nothing but a child, Dar takes charge of her and tries to keep her safe. But is anyone safe as the Army invades the neighbouring kingdom? And what does the King's new Wizard have planned?
Howell creates Orcs that are more than stereotypical "bad ugly smelly goblins". These Orcs have strong noses and insist on regular bathing, both for themselves and for those who serve them. They have a matriarchal culture, which is why they have to be served by women. They don't even really understand war; until they met humans they had never fought. Howell had even made a language for them, though not as thorough as, say, Klingon, or Tolkien's Elvish. Dar is an intelligent young woman and her struggle for survival is gripping.
Recommended.