Review: I could get lost in the Library
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 8, 2014
The library, with its Daedalian labyrinth, mysterious hush, and faintly ominous aroma of knowledge . . . - P. J. O'RourkeI understood right from the start that every set of library doors were the sort of magic portals that lead to other lands. My God, right within reach there were dinosaurs and planets and presidents and girl detectives! - Deb CalettiWhen I first met Lizzy in Lost Library, the first in Kate Baray's wonderful Urban Fantasy Romance series, I was, in a word, charmed. As I said in my review, Lizzy is much like me - She works at home, rarely sees even her own clients, and has a terrific best friend, Kenna. She just never sees herself as anyone who is brave or anyone who could be spectacular in any way.Of course, in the manner of all things, Lizzy's comfortable little world blows up in her face when a seemingly ancient book shows up on her doorstep. Well, she supposes it could be a book. If it weren't blank, that is. And when a hotty McHotterson of a werewolf shows up on her front porch looking for the book, well, all thoughts of safe, calm comfortable Lizzy are blasted right out of the metaphorical water.Now, in Kate's second book, Spirited Legacy, both Lizzy and her Alpha werewolf (Boyfriend? Mate? Pack Member? Maybe?) John are back in Prague, ensconced in the Library, drawn there once again by Harrington, Director of the Inter-Pack Policing Cooperative, or IPPC. Just as friendly as ever, if you find controlling stuffed-shirts to be amenable, Harrington has called Lizzy back to the Library to continue her work on translations of the magical books found within. But to a much more serious purpose than simple research. For at the end of LL Sarah was injured, severely, saving Lizzy's life. And the only way to save Sarah's life may be to find a cure within the Library itself. And the fact that Harrington, a top caster, has offered to mentor Lizzy, is yet another encouragement.Come, come, time calls our close complots to action.Go, Proximus, with winged speed flie hence,Hye thee to Wales: salute great VortigerWith these our letters; bid the king to arms,tell him we have new friends, more forces landedIn Norfolk and Northumberland; bid himMake haste to meet us; if he keep his word,Wee'l part the realm between us. - Ostorius, The Birth of Merlin, or, the Childe Hath Found His Father, ACT III SCENE V - Ascribed to William Rowley, and occasionally (most likely spuriously) to William ShakespeareOf course, life isn't getting any easier for Lizzy than it has been since the happenings in LL. Even the resident ghost is throwing rocks at Lizzy's head - literally!I *do* believe in spooks, I *do* believe in spooks. I do, I do, I do, I *do* believe in spooks, I *do* believe in spooks, I do, I do, I do, I *do*! The Cowardly Lion, The Wizard of Oz, 1939After injuring the evil Zach Worth, soul sucker extraordinaire, at the end of the last book, Lizzy and her compatriots don't know if he is still even alive - but all bets are on that he is - and that he has something even more evil up his sleeve than anyone ever imagined. What is a poor Caster to do? Is it not bad enough that John slipped in a, "Oh, BTW, you are my mate now and Female Alpha of my Pack and also BTW, my Pack hates you, even though they have never met you?" smack upside her head? Oy.The previous cast of characters are all present-and-accounted-for, and we get to meet some awesome new characters, like Harry, Sarah's healer (Yes, yes, "Harry the Healer." Well, at least he thinks it is funny.) Oh, and did I mention the dragons?!Kate's writing remains crisp, her character development spot-on, and the intensity in this book keeps the reader enthralled from first page to last. There is a bit more relationship building between Lizzy and John, her Alpha boyfriend who is trying to pull his pack out of the Dark Ages in terms of their view of the world. John is one of the more interesting Alpha characters on the scene today. Much like Kate Daniels' Curran, John comes off at first as all macho-macho man, and yet, if you look closer, there is a great deal of compassion and understanding underneath all that drool-worthy body and drive to protect. Independent Lizzy is having a heck of a time managing the transition from Totally Independent Lizzy to part of a couple, and John is having a hard time learning that sometimes being the full-time protector isn't the right way to go. But they are getting there, and again, this is one of the more interesting couples that I have read in Urban Fantasy recently.I highly recommend both books in the series, and would suggest that you grab a copy of Lost Library and read it now. And don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway to win a copy of Spirited Legacy. If you can wait that long, that is. Once I ended LL, I couldn't wait to start SL!!I received an ARC of Spirited Legacy from the author, Kate Baray. This fact does not influence my reviews of either book.