Philippa Ballantine > Quotes

“She groaned as her face turned to press against the rosewood floor. "Welly, remind me to order a better mattress for my bed. This one is far too firm."

"Oh, Eliza," Wellington gasped, now remembering why he was in these lush surroundings. "No broken nose, I hope."

"S'all right," Braun slurred. Her voiced dropped to a whisper. "My ample bosom broke my fall.”
― Philippa Ballantine, Phoenix Rising

“Mortals were such fickle creatures. They called into the dark, demanded answers and attention from forces they could not comprehend, and yet when they had that attention and those answers, they complained about them.”
― Philippa Ballantine, Spectyr

“I always think better when I am being shot at.”
― Philippa Ballantine, Phoenix Rising

“Be that as it may, we were--and no doubt, still are--held under scrutiny, with that whole Phoenix Society brouhaha. It is imperative we remain on our best behaviour, a feat that you did not exactly manage effortlessly with your shenanigans in Edinburgh.”
― Philippa Ballantine, The Janus Affair

“I think you will agree the sign of a civilised society is a regular dining schedule.”
― Philippa Ballantine, Phoenix Rising

“She sighed heavily before whispering, “I’m still a bit confused as to what we are waiting for.” “We are waiting for one of the constants in our world, Miss Braun,” Wellington assured her. “At the end of every opera, there is the grand finale, where the music continues its gradual crescendo, the tenor and tempo rising ever so gradually for that pinnacle of dramatic tension, that moment of anticipation—” “Welly, are you talking about opera or about sex?” His next words caught in his throat. For a woman of higher tastes and seeming refinement, this woman could be utterly crass.”
― Philippa Ballantine, Phoenix Rising

“Nay, you attract mayhem, chaos, and anarchy wherever your delicate feet tread. Around you there is no such thing as a coincidence."

"Why do you think it is always me, Director?" Eliza protested. "It could be Books. My father always told me to beware the quiet ones!”
― Philippa Ballantine, The Janus Affair

“Oh dear Lord." Switching his glare from the street urchin to his partner, Wellington whispered tersely, "You failed to mention this part of the plan!"

"Which part, Welly?"
"The part where the toddler is in charge!”
― Philippa Ballantine, The Janus Affair

“You know, if I didn't know better, I would swear we were actually married."

"I can't think of anything more off-putting," Wellington placed his hand in the small of her back as he continued, "than being married to a walking armoury. You, my dear Miss Braun, are a living, breathing advocate for bachelorism.”
― Philippa Ballantine, Phoenix Rising

“Chaotic Of Echoes The Lands Darkest Hours Of Lions
Architect the Garlots of War The Precognitions”
― Philippa Ballantine, Harbinger

“Sir Francis Bacon once said, ‘A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.”
― Philippa Ballantine, The Janus Affair

“Then there are the Fairbankses, Harold and Dahlia. Delilah’s family owned a distillery.”
― Philippa Ballantine, Phoenix Rising

“As Shakespeare attested, there are more things on heaven and earth than are dreamt of. In these days of modern marvels that is even more so.”
― Philippa Ballantine, The Janus Affair

“Humans don’t like correction,” Father’s sub-routine reminded her. “Especially by our kind.”
― Philippa Ballantine, Alien - Inferno's Fall: An Original Novel Based on the Films from 20th Century Studios

“Wellington’s morning tea tickled his nose. He took it into his hands and gave a few soft blows before enjoying its mid-morning bite.”
― Philippa Ballantine, The Janus Affair

“Down my spine were a sharp line fins.”
― Philippa Ballantine, Siren's Tide

“Progress has a price. Civilisation must move forward.”
― Philippa Ballantine, Phoenix Rising

“As for the repelling equipment she had used to gain entry, it disappeared in a flash once she pressed the detonator’s trigger.”
― Philippa Ballantine, The Janus Affair

“there is a fine line between insanity and stupidity.”
― Philippa Ballantine, The Janus Affair

“The crown was a bobble, a piece of jewellery, like a queen was merely a physical representation”
― Philippa Ballantine, The Janus Affair

“Wellington Books was looking less than dapper. His coif was rumpled,”
― Philippa Ballantine, The Janus Affair

“E liza adjusted her Ministry-issue bullet-resistant corset, and her hands absently came to rest on where her weapons were concealed. Glancing out the window, she ascertained that they were nearly at the site of the foundry—the place she had never wanted to return to.”
― Philippa Ballantine, Phoenix Rising

“Once more unto the breach," Wellington grumbled in the stillness of the carriage.

Eliza looked up from the address Douglas had given her. "Sorry, Welly, what was that?"

"Shakespeare. I always recite it just before placing my career in harm's way, or have you not noticed that when we began casually stepping out of Ministry protocol?"

"And here I thought you were whispering sweet nothings in my ear when you were spontaneously breaking out into passages from Romeo and Juliet yesterday."

"You failed to notice I was reciting the scene at Juliet's tomb.”
― Philippa Ballantine, The Janus Affair