Prequel To The Laundry Hag Seres
923568
In Who Needs A Hero we see how Maggie (The Laundry Hag) and Neil got together.  This is more of a traditional romance than the Laundry Hag series but it does give some good background to their relationship.

I started reading Ms. Hart for the Laundry Hag series.  I don't really fit the target audience of this book as I am older and male.  I did however still enjoy the book and liked the insight it gave me into the characters that I enjoy in the series that followed this book.

I enjoy Ms. Hart's writing style and appreciate her sense of humor.  She seems to care about the characters that see creates.  A trait that is lacking in a lot of authors today.  I found it a good read and would recommend that anyone who has read the Laundry Hag series will enjoy this the prequel.
1624202
I very much enjoyed the 2 main story line books, if you like audio books, Will Weaton does an excellent job as the narrator.

This short story gives some good background to the importance  of the storys main character with history of how Hadens came about.
4520244
Turnbull's books are fantastic.  They are steampunk fiction, set in the 19th and early 20th centuries.  This one is a prequel to his Maliha Anderson series, which are some of my favorite scifi/mystery books ever.  The story here is a retelling of the siege of Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny in 1857.  It's great.  Strong female lead, great secondary characters.  Turnbull's stories are gold.
778887
The Wheel of Time prequel, New Spring, is a very good addition to the series written by Robert Jordan.  I read New Spring after Booke 5, The Fires of Heaven, based off the recommendation of several WoT fans instead of after Crossroads of Twilight (Book 10) when the prequel was published.  Considering that Moiraine and Lan are the main POV characters throught the book and that after the events of The Fires of Heaven, reading the prequel when I did made New Spring both enjoyable and bittersweet.

Obviously New Spring helps explain the motivations of both Moiraine and Lan when we first meet them in The Eye of the World, but it also gives us a view of the "normal" workings of Aes Sedai and the White Tower before the unusual happenings already seen in the series.  Politics of the world are fully in view with Lan finding himself in the midst of the "biggest" political storm.  If I were to find a bad thing about New Spring is that some of the material that Jordan wrote to expand New Spring from a short story to a full novel(la) seems to be just filler making the story bog down a tad.

Overall, New Spring is a good quality introduction to some of the "older" characters of the early Wheel of Time books and I fully recommend reading it, especially after Book 5, The Fires of Heaven.
1741393
This prequel to the Inspector Morse stands alone.  Really enjoy the period piece - the time frame is about the same as Mad Men.  This single episode is worth a look, as is the series on Masterpiece running now...
271375
Not quite what I expected, but it was a good read. This book seems less like a Laundry series entry and more like a refresher, setting up the next book in the series. I'm happy with it overall, as the series sort of painted itself into a corner.
130561
As a big fan of Rosalind James, It was fun to read how it all began. Reading Hemis story was a wonderful start. Now I am reading through the series again and loving them all over again. Next to try her other series.
4645024
Fair warning: I'm such a Laundry Files fan that I (a) always pre-order the hardback, (b) get it delivered to whatever hotel I'm staying in if it comes out while I'm traveling. Which I did with this book, and finished it on the plane home the next day. With that perspective...

A problem I've been having since early 2016 is that my favorite fictional series are having a hard time competing with reality. Actual political events are far stranger and scarier than the scary stories we've been telling each other for entertainment. So I was a little worried that the latest Laundry Files novel would seem tame compared to what's happened in the real world since the manuscript was turned into the publisher.

I shouldn't have worried. This is an entertaining, gripping, and scary installment in the Laundry Files which hits that sweet spot of just escapist enough to be entertaining while still feeling relevant and meaningful to people currently living in The Darkest Timeline. I am enjoying the way Stross continues to explore in more depth characters that were glossed over in previous Laundry novels. The direction he takes Bob and Mo's relationship in this book made me laugh out loud with recognition several times.

Overall, a really good installment in the series. You can bet I'll be pre-ordering the next Laundry book in hardback too.
504150
The Empress' New Clothes is the first in a series of books about a band of alpha male alien warriors who hail from the seventh dimension planet Tryston. Since the birth of female children is a rarity on Tryston, the Trystonni men often have to travel to other more primitive dimensions (like the first dimension where earth resides) to find their sacred mates. Such is the case with Zor Q'an Tal, High King of Tryston and Emperor. When Zor travels to earth, he finds a tax accountant named Kyra and brings her back to Tryston to make her his wife. Kyra soon learns that life on Tryston is nothing like life on earth. She is expected to remain naked at all times in her husband's presence, must endure his flirtations with Kefa slaves (enchanted women whose sole purpose is to bring pleasure), and is expected to hatch Zor's children while helping him run his kingdom.

The Empress' New Clothes was a new and interesting foray into sci fi for me and I wasn't sure if I would like it. I needn't have worried. Jaid Black has never steered me wrong. This story was playful, funny, and intimate while at the same time taking place in a interesting and creative world. I got the feeling Black hadn't yet ironed out all of the details of Trystonni culture when this book was written (nearly a decade ago), but what she did have worked for me. I like the idea of these warrior men who make their wives' pleasure one of their sole missions in life and who will protect their women and families at all costs. I found Zor enticing, if a bit arrogant, and I even liked Kyra. I will definitely check out the newer books in this series and would recommend this story to a friend.
4448709
Great prequel setting the stage for the later books
In depth analysis of Lain's background makes an excellent read
More effective than trying to include this in the other stories
3797488
Get naked by Lucia Jordan was really good for being like part one. I can't wait to get the full series
4262217
I am still enjoying the Laundry Files stories. There are elements I'm not keen on, but I like how the growth of the characters feels real and how the stories all connect. I can't put my finger on it, but something in this one feels...a bit off from the rest. I enjoyed it but not something I'd wanna reread.
1468229
The Laundry series is my favorite literary discovery since Discworld. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's what you would get if you crossed HP Lovecraft, James Bond, Terry Pratchett, and the actual British civil service. It's hilarious. This latest book in the series doesn't disappoint, although it was slightly unnerving to read it here in Denver ^_^ My only complaint is that the audiobook hasn't been released yet, and listening to it via the text-to-speech feature on the kindle loses a lot.
1447061
Once again, in this prequel to THE BOOKS.OF RACHEL,  I was brought to tears by the story of connection.  Moving backward and forward through time, Joel Gross connects the dots of the story of the Jewish people, their lives, cultures and dedications to the One God, all through the eyes and imagined lives of the many women named Rachel.  There may be too much history for some, but the author leaves just enough mystery at the end of the story of each Rachel for the reader to decide what may have happened next.  Great read!
4690272
I discovered this book is like a prequel to some others I have read and look forward to reading it for some background info.
3641264
I love a good prequel. I liked the way the stereotypical abducting "Grays" found there place as the saviors of a segment of humanity.
830533
Joseph Conrad's Freya of the Seven Isles reminds me a lot of "The Beach of Fales" 1892 by Robert Louis Stevenson.  It is about fights and islands and ships.  Lovely stuff.