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Dr Cliff and Lord North #1
Memory of Morning
For the fans of George R. R. Martin … From the pen of New York Times bestseller Susan Sizemore, an all-new full-length novel that sweeps you into a strange new world of fantasy, romance and adventure…
On the island world of three moons, after years of war, Naval Surgeon Megere Cliff returns home to find herself caught between her obligation to her family and her need to be free at last. But duty must always command her, and so she puts herself on the marriage mart, in the rites of the Seeker Season.
Beautiful, intelligent, and brave, Megere attracts suitors who view her as prime breeding stock, but beneath the frivolity of the parties and balls, trouble is brewing. Caught between conspiracies and fanatics, danger buffets Megere.
Should she trust the enigmatic, imperious Lord Adrew North? Or is he the very enemy she fears?
On the island world of three moons, after years of war, Naval Surgeon Megere Cliff returns home to find herself caught between her obligation to her family and her need to be free at last. But duty must always command her, and so she puts herself on the marriage mart, in the rites of the Seeker Season.
Beautiful, intelligent, and brave, Megere attracts suitors who view her as prime breeding stock, but beneath the frivolity of the parties and balls, trouble is brewing. Caught between conspiracies and fanatics, danger buffets Megere.
Should she trust the enigmatic, imperious Lord Adrew North? Or is he the very enemy she fears?
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2011
14 people are currently reading
413 people want to read
About the author
Susan Sizemore
116 books606 followersSusan Sizemore's life and interests include such varied activities as medieval costuming and embroidery, being a chef, and working in the defense industry.She is owned by her spoiled rotten, beloved mutt dog, rather than the other way around, and this is just fine with her.Current hobbies include hiking and studying t'ai chi. She travels whenever she can, loves history, loud music, movies, good coffee, and writes constantly.She hopes readers enjoy her stories as much as she enjoys writing them.She has won the Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart Award and has been nominated for two Romantic Times awards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
February 17, 2013
I want a sequel! like, now.
This was a grandly entertaining altern-universe story that reads like a cross between a regency romance and a Horatio Hornblower novel. It was equal parts fantasy, romance and alternate history.
Megere Cliff, a young daughter of a high-tiered gentry family, has just come back home from a two year stint as a ship's doctor in the empire's navy. She has a big, sprawling happy family who are rich and quite ambitious. They live in a version of England known as the Ang Empire where they have an Emperor instead of a king and the capital is a city called Loudon.
When Megere returns her only concern is to become a certified surgeon. However her family has other plans. Once in awhile the nobles of the empire will have something called an Open Season where all members of the empire, not just the nobility, can participate in balls and parties to seek spouses or mates of across class boundaries. The young men and women who participate are called Seekers and undergo a series of social rituals. Megere's family has decided to participate in the Open Season and Megere and her cousins are all to be seekers.
But the social whirl isn't the only thing going on in this story. War with Framin (a country that sounds suspiciously like France) is still simmering around them, pirates plague the shores and there is a lot of religious unrest at home. And Megere seems to be at the center of it all.
This was such a good and fun read. I especially enjoyed the alternate universe world the author built. It was similar enough the 19th century Europe and the events around the Napoleonic wars that it felt familiar and yet she created enough difference in cultural and societal mores that it felt completely different. Pre-marital sex was not frowned upon for gently bred women. It was very matter of fact and Megere as a doctor often dispensed birth control. Long term non-marriage relationships where the couple nonetheless recognized the union as a committed, monogamous one was just as legitimate as actual marriage as were the children who resulted from it. While this could seem like it was just a modern sensibility superimposed over a historical setting it did not feel that way at all. It felt like the author created a different kind of society that felt like it could have truly existed in that time. The world build felt really authentic and wholly realized.
Megere was an awesome main character. She was strong minded, grounded and funny. Part of her story is that She has to figure out which of her suitors she really, really wants. But the other part of her story is also navigating some fairly treacherous political waters. On the romance front, I am very happy with the one she ends up with. On the plot front, she leaves behind a bit of a political mess at the end. Hence my need for a sequel. Like, now.
Excellent story.
This was a grandly entertaining altern-universe story that reads like a cross between a regency romance and a Horatio Hornblower novel. It was equal parts fantasy, romance and alternate history.
Megere Cliff, a young daughter of a high-tiered gentry family, has just come back home from a two year stint as a ship's doctor in the empire's navy. She has a big, sprawling happy family who are rich and quite ambitious. They live in a version of England known as the Ang Empire where they have an Emperor instead of a king and the capital is a city called Loudon.
When Megere returns her only concern is to become a certified surgeon. However her family has other plans. Once in awhile the nobles of the empire will have something called an Open Season where all members of the empire, not just the nobility, can participate in balls and parties to seek spouses or mates of across class boundaries. The young men and women who participate are called Seekers and undergo a series of social rituals. Megere's family has decided to participate in the Open Season and Megere and her cousins are all to be seekers.
But the social whirl isn't the only thing going on in this story. War with Framin (a country that sounds suspiciously like France) is still simmering around them, pirates plague the shores and there is a lot of religious unrest at home. And Megere seems to be at the center of it all.
This was such a good and fun read. I especially enjoyed the alternate universe world the author built. It was similar enough the 19th century Europe and the events around the Napoleonic wars that it felt familiar and yet she created enough difference in cultural and societal mores that it felt completely different. Pre-marital sex was not frowned upon for gently bred women. It was very matter of fact and Megere as a doctor often dispensed birth control. Long term non-marriage relationships where the couple nonetheless recognized the union as a committed, monogamous one was just as legitimate as actual marriage as were the children who resulted from it. While this could seem like it was just a modern sensibility superimposed over a historical setting it did not feel that way at all. It felt like the author created a different kind of society that felt like it could have truly existed in that time. The world build felt really authentic and wholly realized.
Megere was an awesome main character. She was strong minded, grounded and funny. Part of her story is that She has to figure out which of her suitors she really, really wants. But the other part of her story is also navigating some fairly treacherous political waters. On the romance front, I am very happy with the one she ends up with. On the plot front, she leaves behind a bit of a political mess at the end. Hence my need for a sequel. Like, now.
Excellent story.
April 10, 2012
If you don't read this as a romance but as historically-based alternate world fantasy it works quite well - I give it four stars then.
But the conceit that Lord North wanted Megere Cliff from the very first kiss they shared and just expected her to interpret everything he did in that manner (well, the interaction at the Seeker's Ball really did make it clear she wasn't looking at him that way) - and then Megere at the end simply declaring her love for him when until then it had been "I desire you, but you make me so furious" (which I don't consider a valid basis for a HEA) - that was a bit too weak. I think another 100 pages and some more interaction between them than they had in this book would have made me believe this conclusion more.
Because I can really see where they match in their interests and in their way they look at life - that was well introduced. For that matter I was delightfully surprised at the way the worldbuilding, riffing off regency England (with some Victorian and some Renaissance bits thrown in), always skewed my expectations.
I especially enjoyed the idea of a corporate family, with a contract going back hundreds of years, which still functions first and foremost as a family (although at the end the burden switched to corporation - but then again Megere's parents hadn't heard her uncle's newest scheme yet). And the way this well-off gentry family also subscribed to helping others better themselves and do charity - I guess that is the Puritan ideal that US Americans had hoped would work for their society when they founded it.
For that matter the family interactions where the most fun bit of the book - or should I say Megere's personal developments in general. This reminded me much more of the first Horatio Hornblower novel (although Sizemore actually does homage to Patrick O'Brien with Captain Copper and Dr. Swan) - we get all this personal development and there's a subdued lovestory included which isn't half as dramatic as it was in the Gregory Peck movie.
So basically I follow one woman along in her quest to be the best she can be and be able to make her own decisions. And just by chance and because of her wide circle of acquaintances she manages to also make two other girls in her family happy in love ^^.
I hope that Sizemore writes more in this world, because while Megere may have averted becoming the broodmare for the Emperor, it isn't clear whether Lord North doesn't also calculate on more children with her precious blood resistance for himself. I thought that kiss to the mother of his contract heir, in front of all those other people at the exhibition, while pretty much aware that Megere was an onlooker, was pretty telling.
The author has managed to make me believe that Megere will be up to dealing with these problems (I especially liked that she had a love affair of her own in the book, even as the two people realised that their different view on life made them incompatible in the long run - and it WASN'T with any of the men she was looking at for possible marriage). This is a book about the heroine! And her family! - the love interests come second. I very much appreciate that because that kind of focus is so rare.
ETA: There is a 48 page short story with Megere and Adrew called My Dearest already available, which follows this novel in the timeline but is said to be stand-alone. I have bought it, but not read it yet. In a comment on her author's review post, Susan Sizemore said she was quite interested in writing more in this world, so I hope good sales may encourage her to do so ^^.
But the conceit that Lord North wanted Megere Cliff from the very first kiss they shared and just expected her to interpret everything he did in that manner (well, the interaction at the Seeker's Ball really did make it clear she wasn't looking at him that way) - and then Megere at the end simply declaring her love for him when until then it had been "I desire you, but you make me so furious" (which I don't consider a valid basis for a HEA) - that was a bit too weak. I think another 100 pages and some more interaction between them than they had in this book would have made me believe this conclusion more.
Because I can really see where they match in their interests and in their way they look at life - that was well introduced. For that matter I was delightfully surprised at the way the worldbuilding, riffing off regency England (with some Victorian and some Renaissance bits thrown in), always skewed my expectations.
I especially enjoyed the idea of a corporate family, with a contract going back hundreds of years, which still functions first and foremost as a family (although at the end the burden switched to corporation - but then again Megere's parents hadn't heard her uncle's newest scheme yet). And the way this well-off gentry family also subscribed to helping others better themselves and do charity - I guess that is the Puritan ideal that US Americans had hoped would work for their society when they founded it.
For that matter the family interactions where the most fun bit of the book - or should I say Megere's personal developments in general. This reminded me much more of the first Horatio Hornblower novel (although Sizemore actually does homage to Patrick O'Brien with Captain Copper and Dr. Swan) - we get all this personal development and there's a subdued lovestory included which isn't half as dramatic as it was in the Gregory Peck movie.
So basically I follow one woman along in her quest to be the best she can be and be able to make her own decisions. And just by chance and because of her wide circle of acquaintances she manages to also make two other girls in her family happy in love ^^.
I hope that Sizemore writes more in this world, because while Megere may have averted becoming the broodmare for the Emperor, it isn't clear whether Lord North doesn't also calculate on more children with her precious blood resistance for himself. I thought that kiss to the mother of his contract heir, in front of all those other people at the exhibition, while pretty much aware that Megere was an onlooker, was pretty telling.
The author has managed to make me believe that Megere will be up to dealing with these problems (I especially liked that she had a love affair of her own in the book, even as the two people realised that their different view on life made them incompatible in the long run - and it WASN'T with any of the men she was looking at for possible marriage). This is a book about the heroine! And her family! - the love interests come second. I very much appreciate that because that kind of focus is so rare.
ETA: There is a 48 page short story with Megere and Adrew called My Dearest already available, which follows this novel in the timeline but is said to be stand-alone. I have bought it, but not read it yet. In a comment on her author's review post, Susan Sizemore said she was quite interested in writing more in this world, so I hope good sales may encourage her to do so ^^.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 15, 2016
Reviewers found this book to categorize. Is it romance? It is historical? Is it fantasy? Is it (gulp) YA? Maybe yes to all of the above, but I would add one more category. What's that category of biographical fiction in which the female protagonist takes you through her day, much in the same vein as Lady Julia Grey or Lady Emily? Whichever that is, this runs in much the same way, but in a more captivating and interesting fashion.
The life of Dr. Megere Cliff is probably the most interesting of most of these fictional historical biographies, if one felt compelled to read these. And she makes for a most likable heroine. She's competent, mature, devoted to her family (who all possess a healthy dose of humor) and her medical craft. She's even feminine enough to love pretty clothes and not above noticing a handsome man or two -- strange how there's an influx of those around her all the time. There's even a conspiracy of sorts regarding her famed Cliff blood (which is the basis of the vaccination against the Red Fever) and why she's perhaps the reason her family is being elevated from being just one of the gentry to being one of the nobles. It's all interesting, and while you're reading it, it's amusing, but...as I've said, it's biographical. Therefore, at the end of it, the major characters didn't get as large a role as you'd want, and some not as important people who tried to take center stage limp away into the sunset. I guess that comprises the majority of my beef. I wish more historical fantasy fiction read like this, I do, but I also wish that the entire book had been more tightly told. That is, I think Jame Field was unnecessary to the book. He was to the book what a houseplant is to a farmer. Another handsome face that was ultimately paint on the wall. What I did wish for was more Osprey. Adrew Osprey, Lord of the North, to be more specific. The man leaped out from the first page he appeared and then disappeared until halfway into the book. He stood out in every scene he was in (probably because of the lack of those scenes) and he took center stage because of his unknowing role in Megere's dislike of him. And then, at 95% of the book, suddenly the readers are to believe in this HEA? It was...a bit too sudden. Girl needs a couple of drinks first, a few laughs, before she can be talked into marriage. Thusly 3 stars instead of 4. I still recommend it.
The life of Dr. Megere Cliff is probably the most interesting of most of these fictional historical biographies, if one felt compelled to read these. And she makes for a most likable heroine. She's competent, mature, devoted to her family (who all possess a healthy dose of humor) and her medical craft. She's even feminine enough to love pretty clothes and not above noticing a handsome man or two -- strange how there's an influx of those around her all the time. There's even a conspiracy of sorts regarding her famed Cliff blood (which is the basis of the vaccination against the Red Fever) and why she's perhaps the reason her family is being elevated from being just one of the gentry to being one of the nobles. It's all interesting, and while you're reading it, it's amusing, but...as I've said, it's biographical. Therefore, at the end of it, the major characters didn't get as large a role as you'd want, and some not as important people who tried to take center stage limp away into the sunset. I guess that comprises the majority of my beef. I wish more historical fantasy fiction read like this, I do, but I also wish that the entire book had been more tightly told. That is, I think Jame Field was unnecessary to the book. He was to the book what a houseplant is to a farmer. Another handsome face that was ultimately paint on the wall. What I did wish for was more Osprey. Adrew Osprey, Lord of the North, to be more specific. The man leaped out from the first page he appeared and then disappeared until halfway into the book. He stood out in every scene he was in (probably because of the lack of those scenes) and he took center stage because of his unknowing role in Megere's dislike of him. And then, at 95% of the book, suddenly the readers are to believe in this HEA? It was...a bit too sudden. Girl needs a couple of drinks first, a few laughs, before she can be talked into marriage. Thusly 3 stars instead of 4. I still recommend it.
April 2, 2012
This was surprisingly good for a free kindle read. I liked the world the author built. It's evocative, with enough detail to make it easy to picture. The heroine is interesting and I'm interested in learning where her story leads.
October 25, 2016
This was a re-read from 2013 for me and I ended up knocking it down a star, which was sad since I has such good memories of this book.
The Plot
Megere is a doctor. She comes off ship duty in the Navy and agrees to go along with her family's schemes to launch the younger generation of into society during the season to find spouses. She was just a part of some big sea battles and would enjoy the frivolity and seeing her family.
And then things get scattered; there are some many little story lines that nothing ends up standing out as actually important. There is a plague which her family is immune to and donates blood to create vaccines for. Mention of the plague comes and goes. So Megere's blood is valuable. There is the current truce with Fram, who they've been at war with for awhile. With the truce there are a lot of sailors coming home and "stealing" jobs? Megere's uncle is trying to be Knighted to raise the family's social status, so everyone has to be on their best behavior. There is a religious? fanatic group running around stirring up trouble. Megere get's questioned by them and they start riots. Megere wrote a fictional story while at sea and a family friend gets it printed and she gets in trouble for the book. Megere is currently a doctor and wants to become a surgeon, so we spend some time with her worrying about that. Megere's sister is engaged, her brother comes home with a pregnant wife, two cousins gets engaged and we have to read through those relationships. There is an asshole Admiral who shadows Megere. There is an asshole doctor who wants to marry Megere. There is a police officer who just wants to bang Megere. There is someone else who just wants to bang Megere for her special blood. Megere also has big crushes on two OTHER people than all those men I just mentioned. Oh, and there's something about octopus in the water and being able to talk to them?
It's just too much. This could have been broken down into a series, damn.
Some Opinions
Lazy world building, it's basically England during the Regency. Names and places are just normal names that Sizemore removed a letter from or swapped some letters out for example: Places: Loudon (London), Avan (Avon), Welis (Wales), Fram (France), Names: Adrew (Andrew), Alix (Alex), Eadum (Edmund), Gwin (Gwen), Dwie (Dewie), Lian (Liam), Charle (Charles), Jame (James), etc., etc.
Megere's (that name ugh) flippant inner dialogue gets grating and annoying. She has one of those I-can-do-anything-and-everything personalities, even when she gets nervous/worried for about 30 second she just brushes it off no big deal.
I enjoy hate-to-love romances, but our couple here interact maybe seven times, and the first four times are all bad. IDK but that doesn't really build a believable relationship for me.
The Plot
Megere is a doctor. She comes off ship duty in the Navy and agrees to go along with her family's schemes to launch the younger generation of into society during the season to find spouses. She was just a part of some big sea battles and would enjoy the frivolity and seeing her family.
And then things get scattered; there are some many little story lines that nothing ends up standing out as actually important. There is a plague which her family is immune to and donates blood to create vaccines for. Mention of the plague comes and goes. So Megere's blood is valuable. There is the current truce with Fram, who they've been at war with for awhile. With the truce there are a lot of sailors coming home and "stealing" jobs? Megere's uncle is trying to be Knighted to raise the family's social status, so everyone has to be on their best behavior. There is a religious? fanatic group running around stirring up trouble. Megere get's questioned by them and they start riots. Megere wrote a fictional story while at sea and a family friend gets it printed and she gets in trouble for the book. Megere is currently a doctor and wants to become a surgeon, so we spend some time with her worrying about that. Megere's sister is engaged, her brother comes home with a pregnant wife, two cousins gets engaged and we have to read through those relationships. There is an asshole Admiral who shadows Megere. There is an asshole doctor who wants to marry Megere. There is a police officer who just wants to bang Megere. There is someone else who just wants to bang Megere for her special blood. Megere also has big crushes on two OTHER people than all those men I just mentioned. Oh, and there's something about octopus in the water and being able to talk to them?
It's just too much. This could have been broken down into a series, damn.
Some Opinions
Lazy world building, it's basically England during the Regency. Names and places are just normal names that Sizemore removed a letter from or swapped some letters out for example: Places: Loudon (London), Avan (Avon), Welis (Wales), Fram (France), Names: Adrew (Andrew), Alix (Alex), Eadum (Edmund), Gwin (Gwen), Dwie (Dewie), Lian (Liam), Charle (Charles), Jame (James), etc., etc.
Megere's (that name ugh) flippant inner dialogue gets grating and annoying. She has one of those I-can-do-anything-and-everything personalities, even when she gets nervous/worried for about 30 second she just brushes it off no big deal.
I enjoy hate-to-love romances, but our couple here interact maybe seven times, and the first four times are all bad. IDK but that doesn't really build a believable relationship for me.
April 12, 2012
This came to my attention when Estara recommended it, and I bought it having liked the sample Kindle chapters. What I got was a rather unexpected but enjoyable alternate-world historical fantasy, with a subtle thread of romance.
A few things did bother me - some slightly jarring too-modern thoughts from the heroine, a few e-formatting issues, and the names. Ah, the names - I could deal with the place names (Loudon instead of London, Ang for England etc), but did not care for Adrew (instead of Andrew) or any of the other slightly-altered English names. I think this goes back somewhat to the world-building aspect - I never got a reason as to why the names were what they were, and because they were so similar but awkward to pronounce, they occasionally came across as typos.
But obviously these weren't enough to pull me out of the story, which is a sign of how much fun I was having. Megere was an engagingly independent protagonist, her close-knit family very likeable, and the concept of corporate family charters with clear objectives translated to Regency(?) London fascinating. And while the romance was clearly signalled from the first pages, the process of getting there was just slow and behind-the-scenes enough to keep me engrossed.
I want more in this world*.
****************
*Though I have purchased the related short story, My Dearest, and wouldn't really recommend as it's a rather short story for the price.
A few things did bother me - some slightly jarring too-modern thoughts from the heroine, a few e-formatting issues, and the names. Ah, the names - I could deal with the place names (Loudon instead of London, Ang for England etc), but did not care for Adrew (instead of Andrew) or any of the other slightly-altered English names. I think this goes back somewhat to the world-building aspect - I never got a reason as to why the names were what they were, and because they were so similar but awkward to pronounce, they occasionally came across as typos.
But obviously these weren't enough to pull me out of the story, which is a sign of how much fun I was having. Megere was an engagingly independent protagonist, her close-knit family very likeable, and the concept of corporate family charters with clear objectives translated to Regency(?) London fascinating. And while the romance was clearly signalled from the first pages, the process of getting there was just slow and behind-the-scenes enough to keep me engrossed.
I want more in this world*.
****************
*Though I have purchased the related short story, My Dearest, and wouldn't really recommend as it's a rather short story for the price.
May 22, 2012
I was skeptical of this book from the beginning. First person. Historical, but not really. It's not Earth (I don't think), but it's not some advanced planet/species of people. So. Was I going to like it? YES. This is a well-developed world with great characters. While I was cheering for the "hero" from nearly the first page, I truly didn't know how things would turn out at so many points. It's not a traditional romance in any sense. The heroine dates, even sleeps with, other men. You can't even be sure she's going to decide to like him the best, let alone love him. And the story wasn't even about her romance. It's about her breaking barriers, figuring out who she is as an adult woman as her formal education is ending, and sorting through complex emotions for a cast of men. If I have any complaints is that I wish there were more direct interactions with the hero/heroine. I felt rather lost as it ended. I wanted more interaction and more time to spend with them together. It's not the point of the novel though, and I'll accept it. I did promptly find and download the short story from the same world.
February 7, 2020
I do wonder whether Sizemore was inspired by Georgette Heyer because I find some resemblance of the plot structure to the Cotillon. The heroine is changing her partners as in a dance. In consequence, she gives an impression of hormonal teen instead of the responsible, accomplished woman she is supposed to be. I believe education hasn't increased her IQ. That's one problem.
Another is her crushing on two or three guys at the same time and everyone being in love with her. Basically, she is drooling over any attractive man she encounters. That's annoying! And suddenly, after sleeping with a man, her love dilemma gets resolved itself without any effort.
Now, the greatest issues are with her love interest. Most of their encounters end in entirely hostile verbal sparrings. Even then, they don't spend much time together. Their romance just doesn't seem plausible.
The world itself is okayish, just good ole faux Regency England.
All in all I'm disappointed because the premise promised me more than I got.
Another is her crushing on two or three guys at the same time and everyone being in love with her. Basically, she is drooling over any attractive man she encounters. That's annoying! And suddenly, after sleeping with a man, her love dilemma gets resolved itself without any effort.
Now, the greatest issues are with her love interest. Most of their encounters end in entirely hostile verbal sparrings. Even then, they don't spend much time together. Their romance just doesn't seem plausible.
The world itself is okayish, just good ole faux Regency England.
All in all I'm disappointed because the premise promised me more than I got.
March 15, 2012
*4.5 stars*
Sentient octopi and a heroine who's a young naval surgeon, now undertaking an alternate-universe London season with a plethora of potential suitors, political maneuverings, and witty banter...this book was just an awful lot of fun.
The only two (subjective) reasons it's getting 4.5 stars instead of 5 from me are that (a) I wasn't personally convinced by the military ploy in Chapter 1 (although who knows? my military experience/knowledge is certainly not vast, so I could be completely wrong when I find it implausible); and (b) I wished she'd left Lord North's first name as "Andrew" instead of making it "Adrew" - alternate universe or not, that just kept tripping me up.
But otherwise, I just gobbled the whole thing up, and I hope for her to set many more novels in that universe in the future!
Sentient octopi and a heroine who's a young naval surgeon, now undertaking an alternate-universe London season with a plethora of potential suitors, political maneuverings, and witty banter...this book was just an awful lot of fun.
The only two (subjective) reasons it's getting 4.5 stars instead of 5 from me are that (a) I wasn't personally convinced by the military ploy in Chapter 1 (although who knows? my military experience/knowledge is certainly not vast, so I could be completely wrong when I find it implausible); and (b) I wished she'd left Lord North's first name as "Andrew" instead of making it "Adrew" - alternate universe or not, that just kept tripping me up.
But otherwise, I just gobbled the whole thing up, and I hope for her to set many more novels in that universe in the future!
March 23, 2013
What fun! Couldn't put it down. Want the sequel now please. Enjoyed the world building, alt history, and texture of life. Loved the heroine. Could have used a bit more differentiation of the characters in the large family. Some aspects of this invented world overlapped uneasily, plague and bullying clerics and free love (still not sure how it is OK for women to be sexually active in such a patrilineal world) and sentient octopi, but just went with it, it was like zooming from ride to ride in a genre theme park! Now some Hornblower now some Austen....a bit of Dickens...here comes some Verne...but the sum is more than the flavors, looking forward to more of this world.
April 4, 2012
Brilliant! I love the story, how it has romance, but it is very minor compared to the world building and characterization.
December 12, 2016
Still love on rereading. Really want sequels!
March 9, 2018
The description really doesn’t do this book justice. Sizemore creates a whole alternate world here, and it is pretty detailed. The main character is a naval doctor, Megere Cliff, and at the beginning of the story she is wrapping up a tour of duty and reuniting with her large family. There’s a lot of interesting detail about being a doctor and surgeon and about the politics and social mores within Meg’s world.
Meg is interested in becoming a surgeon officially and going back to sea, but she is pulled into the machinations of her family to make the leap from being gentry to being noble—a goal they have worked toward for seven generations. Added to manuvering is the fact that her family is practically immune to a terrible plague that has been killing people for decades, which increases Meg’s value to members of the nobility whose hold on power is slipping as more and more meritocrats gain power and influence.
There was definitely romance in the book, but the main story is really about Meg and her struggle to carve out the life she wants. It reminded me a lot of the books Tamora Pierce writes. The book is really good, and I have reread it a number of time (along with its novella sequel, “My Dearest”). I wish Sizemore would write more about Meg and this world because I really enjoyed it.
Meg is interested in becoming a surgeon officially and going back to sea, but she is pulled into the machinations of her family to make the leap from being gentry to being noble—a goal they have worked toward for seven generations. Added to manuvering is the fact that her family is practically immune to a terrible plague that has been killing people for decades, which increases Meg’s value to members of the nobility whose hold on power is slipping as more and more meritocrats gain power and influence.
There was definitely romance in the book, but the main story is really about Meg and her struggle to carve out the life she wants. It reminded me a lot of the books Tamora Pierce writes. The book is really good, and I have reread it a number of time (along with its novella sequel, “My Dearest”). I wish Sizemore would write more about Meg and this world because I really enjoyed it.
November 27, 2016
Really enjoyed this book, Megere is a great imperfect heroin however, I would have liked to see a little more of Lord North throughout. Although I immediately liked him as a romantic lead, I didn't feel that the pair new each other well enough to have such strong feelings. But otherwise, good characters, great story and world (basically Georgian England) and compelling romance.
March 29, 2018
This was a fun steampunkish romance, with some genuinely unusual world-building. I don't know why I didn't write a review when I read it 5 years ago, but I own it on Nook so I might need to read it again just for fun.
Alas, I don't think Sizemore has written a lot more in this world, and I definitely remember wanting more when I was done.
Alas, I don't think Sizemore has written a lot more in this world, and I definitely remember wanting more when I was done.
April 12, 2020
So incredibly slow
I gave up at a quarter of the way through because I was so incredibly tired of how vacuous the main character is, despite being a supposed doctor, and how interminable the plot is. Don’t think I’ll read any more of this author’s works.
I gave up at a quarter of the way through because I was so incredibly tired of how vacuous the main character is, despite being a supposed doctor, and how interminable the plot is. Don’t think I’ll read any more of this author’s works.
December 26, 2017
I didn't care much about the romance but the world building was fascinating! I wish there was more stories about this world, and the octopus!
June 3, 2025
so, um...tell me more about these octopi...
December 29, 2020
This book is very confusing. I wouldn't categorize it as romance (or fantasy tbh).
March 20, 2013
3 1/2
This is a nice but weird (or a nicely weird) fantasy. It's set in an alien world that is reminiscent of past Earth. But it has a mix of Victorian society (women are not allowed to work, there's gentry and nobility and a strong cast system) and absolutely modern sexual mores. (There's no sexuality or steam in it though.)
It has a fascinating world-building that twists what we know in a interesting way.
It's a slow-paced read, but it does hook you in (even when your are wondering why).
The plot revolves around a female Navy surgeon. I can't really say it's exactly a romance, simply her story. (I do understand why it has been compared to a Jane Austen book.)
It starts during a battle, moves to a different kind of battle (the marriage mart), ends with the heroine ready for another one. In the middle there's politics, family dramas, other affairs.
All of this is written with wonderfully light touches.
As soon as I finished reading it I went to buy the novella My Dearest.
This is a nice but weird (or a nicely weird) fantasy. It's set in an alien world that is reminiscent of past Earth. But it has a mix of Victorian society (women are not allowed to work, there's gentry and nobility and a strong cast system) and absolutely modern sexual mores. (There's no sexuality or steam in it though.)
It has a fascinating world-building that twists what we know in a interesting way.
It's a slow-paced read, but it does hook you in (even when your are wondering why).
The plot revolves around a female Navy surgeon. I can't really say it's exactly a romance, simply her story. (I do understand why it has been compared to a Jane Austen book.)
It starts during a battle, moves to a different kind of battle (the marriage mart), ends with the heroine ready for another one. In the middle there's politics, family dramas, other affairs.
All of this is written with wonderfully light touches.
As soon as I finished reading it I went to buy the novella My Dearest.
October 24, 2013
This is a difficult book to categorize--there are romantic elements, though Memory is not a romance in the sense that the H/H relationship is at the center of the action. (Although the ending adheres to romance genre standards.) The setting is an alternate universe Regency London, and the heroine serves as a ship's doctor in the navy. Strong characterization throughout, with well-rounded secondary characters and good pacing.
I suspect that this book was intended to be the beginning of a series, but for whatever reason, the series didn't materialize--likely because of commercial publishing's fear of books that don't fit established categories.
If you enjoy Napoleonic-era naval fiction with a bit of romance, give Memory a try.
I suspect that this book was intended to be the beginning of a series, but for whatever reason, the series didn't materialize--likely because of commercial publishing's fear of books that don't fit established categories.
If you enjoy Napoleonic-era naval fiction with a bit of romance, give Memory a try.
November 2, 2014
It is so refreshing to read a novel that takes such a wonderfully empowering look at the female heroine. Dr. Cliff is an aspiring surgeon, fighting for a place in a male dominated profession. Not only did I relate to her struggles as a female fighting for respect, but I loved that she was allowed to be interested in multiple men, she was allowed to have female friends (not just catty competitors that feign friendship), she was allowed to be feminine while still being smart and strong, and she was allowed to "lose her virginity" without it being a big deal and without it being with her eventual culminating romantic partner. Thank you Susan Sizemore for this wonderful heroine. I would like to read more about this world too, and what ends up happening politically.
April 14, 2016
This was recommended to me by a friend, and I was wary at first because I have read before a novella by this author and it was, well, fluff. Fun fluff, but just that.
MoM turned out to be a very nicely told story about a woman and her right to choose, among a society struggling with this very issue.
I had a hard time with the setting (a kind of alternative history Napoleonic War on another planet), and there are loose threads that are a pity they are not explored or resolved (the octopi!) and end up muddling the plot (an editing error?).
All in all, interesting and well done: the narrative is fluid and appealing, and it's not easy to write in first person and successfully convey the free flow of the thought.
I really liked it.
MoM turned out to be a very nicely told story about a woman and her right to choose, among a society struggling with this very issue.
I had a hard time with the setting (a kind of alternative history Napoleonic War on another planet), and there are loose threads that are a pity they are not explored or resolved (the octopi!) and end up muddling the plot (an editing error?).
All in all, interesting and well done: the narrative is fluid and appealing, and it's not easy to write in first person and successfully convey the free flow of the thought.
I really liked it.
April 2, 2013
I was pleasantly surprised by this book and the main characters. The woman was a strong personality with a quiet dignity and the set of circumstances around her and her family were interesting.
I loved the fact this was set in an alternate universe, mainly somewhere with green moons, red moons and things not normal for us. Even with that being said, the human experience still thrived and moved on. I liked that the main characters were subject to discipline and had to deal with hidden agendas and politics. It was a good read and very enjoyable.
I loved the fact this was set in an alternate universe, mainly somewhere with green moons, red moons and things not normal for us. Even with that being said, the human experience still thrived and moved on. I liked that the main characters were subject to discipline and had to deal with hidden agendas and politics. It was a good read and very enjoyable.
January 11, 2013
Excellent blend of adventure and fantasy in a slightly Austen-esque world with a unique blend of rules, mores, religion and more. Just when I thought the plot would veer right it would delightfully juke left.
I adore, own, and often reread this author's Prime series, and it pales next to this book.
I adore, own, and often reread this author's Prime series, and it pales next to this book.
May 21, 2012
This novel takes place BEFORE My Dearest.
Dr. Cliff and Lord North meet. Sparks fly.
The romance is very nicely done as the two fall in love amid the Emperor's desire to have a baby; Fram pirates; and Dr. Cliff's work to save her uncle's leg.
Takes place in a future (or, past) on another planet. Very well done novel.
Dr. Cliff and Lord North meet. Sparks fly.
The romance is very nicely done as the two fall in love amid the Emperor's desire to have a baby; Fram pirates; and Dr. Cliff's work to save her uncle's leg.
Takes place in a future (or, past) on another planet. Very well done novel.
October 25, 2014
Lucky I have read her work before or I would have put this down in the first chapter.
Very slow at the beginning but it picked up and became a very enjoyable read. I don't normally
like the historical books but the story was good enough to over come the talk of dresses.
Very slow at the beginning but it picked up and became a very enjoyable read. I don't normally
like the historical books but the story was good enough to over come the talk of dresses.
July 3, 2012
I really liked this one. It was as if Jane Austen wrote fantasy with some steampunk elements mixed in. The characters and setting were well thought out. I got the impression that this may have been the start of a series and look forward to seeing what's next for these characters.
August 3, 2012
I enjoyed this. I've really liked some of Susan Sizemore's Vampire books, so I was happy to see this on Amazon. I assume it is an earlier work. Since it is an alternate reality (based on England in the 1800s, i think), the book didn't seem dated or out-of-touch.
March 19, 2012
I felt as if i was reading a regency book. It was slow reading.
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