Lion's Blood

by Steven Barnes

This was a bookgroup book. The premise of this book is an alternate world in which Africa and Islam are dominant over Europe and Christianity. One criticism we all had was that there was very little to explain just what happened to bring this shift about -- one thought a member had was he could have moved the Plague up a thousand years and made it more devastating, but he doesn't explain much beyond ancient times. The story takes place in the mid-19th century, yet there is little of the technology which existed at that time.

In this alternate world, North America has been settled by Africans who enslave captured Europeans. We follow the stories of Kai, the young African master, Aidan, the Irish slave captured from his home and sent overseas, and Sophia, a beautiful young courtesan. While many of the side characters are drawn out, all of the women other than Sophia are rather flat characters.

My bookgroup also noted that this is really a "guy's book," with lots of drawn out battle scenes and one-dimensional sex scenes. We've had a pattern of only reading fiction by women, so this may affect our response to this. It's not great literature, but it was an enjoyable read, and it did offer some new things to think about.

The Other Woman

by Jane Green.

Chick lit galore. This time, the other woman is the overbearing mother-in-law. The ending is a little to trite and pat, but otherwise an enjoyable genre book. She's not my favorite chick lit author, though.

Siren Queen

By Fiona Buckley.

Latest in the Elizabethan mystery series. Ursula Stannard is (we discover a few books in) the illegitimate half-sister of Queen Elizabeth I. She acts as a spy finding out who is leading the latest dastardly plot against the throne. The series holds up still. Recommend starting with the first in the series.