All posts by skyebjenner

Daddy Longlegs of the Evening by Jeffrey Ford

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
naked-city

Title: Daddy Longlegs of the Evening
Author: Jeffrey Ford
In: Naked City (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Horror, Insects, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 11th December 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: He’d traded a pair of official police handcuffs, with key, for the pack it came from.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

A daddy long legs found its way into their son’s ear and made a little nest for itself in his brain… what comes next is definitely the things that nightmares are made of.

Thoughts

I should start this review by saying that I actually really, really love spiders. I keep trying to convince my partner to let me have a pet one… and I specifically love Daddy Long Legs because they are super safe and really cool looking. One of the least creepy spiders in the kingdom. Having said all of that, I wasn’t so keen on this story. It was actually quite creepy and I sat there looking around my room for spiders when I was finished… I didn’t want to turn into Daddy!

I do love that this story works on peoples’ sometimes irrational fears of spiders and them crawling into your brain. I’m not even sure if that’s something that tends to happen… but it’s still something that a lot of people tend to fear. I love stories that take these fears and make them into something that is a little comic, but still quite creepy. Which seems to be a bit of a theme within Ford’s short stories.

Even though I found Daddy in this seriously creepy… I was still seriously happy that he got away in the end. It means that he was probably out killing a whole other town. But I was still really happy that he did… if I don’t think about it too hard. My brain is a really weird place.

 <- Noble Rot ReviewThe Skinny Girl Review ->
Image source: Patricia Briggs

The Hunt by Susan Sizemore

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover the hunt susan sizemore

Title: The Hunt
Author: Susan Sizemore
Series: Laws of the Blood #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Urban fantasy, Vampires
Dates read: 1st – 9th December 2019
Pace: Slo
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ace
Year: 1999
5th sentence, 74th page: Siri lived and worked in a stately old house in Pasadena.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

They are Enforcers. An elite group of vampires who must serve and protect their secret community – and uphold the…
LAWS OF THE BLOOD

In Los Angeles, the Enforcer Selim has been called upon to approve a hunt. Much time has passed since the vampires of the city have last tasted fresh blood, and they are clamouring for the kill. It’s Selim’s job to keep them under control – and there are those who resent his authority.

He must not waver or show weakness when he gives the Law – his life and the life of his mortal love, Siri, depend on his strength. But a whispered rumour is distracting him, a rumour of betrayal, of a violation of the most sacred of the Laws: II Never reveal the truth about your own kind…

Thoughts

It took me a lot longer to get into this “romance” than most of the others on my list. Normally I get completely drawn into a paranormal romance and only take a while to read it because I’ve been busy. This, I kept picking up and then dropping back down again. It just took a little longer to really understand what was going on. And the romance was much lighter than most of the other books I have on the same shelf. Having said that, once I hit the halfway point and understood a little more of how things were interrelated… then I just absorbed it like no tomorrow.

This novel felt more like a setup to a greater battle. It was a great story by itself, but something about it felt like there was a conspiracy, battle and eventual future that was going to be far more enthralling as the series develops. Kind of like a beginning novel that helps to create the world and the future challenges that are going to come up for this vampire race.

Have most definitely decided that Selim might be one of the stupidest men ever in a romance novel. Like, epically stupid. He’s married to the damn woman! Yet, he constantly pushes her away because she’ll eventually turn and become untouchable… like seriously dude? Time is short, no matter what the end point is. So stop being a freaking moron and find a way to enjoy the time you have with your love! I actually yelled at him, out loud, a few times as I was reading this.

I’m still a little hazy on the “laws” which are touted throughout this book. Yet, there is enough of an introduction that I’m intrigued and can’t wait to find out more. Especially since the winds of change seem to be on the go.

 <- Blood 2 Blood ReviewPartners Review ->

Image source: Goodreads

Bluebeard’s Wife by Catherine Lundoff

Book Review, ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of jack the ripper stories book cover

Title: Bluebeard’s Wife
Author: Catherine Lundoff
In: The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories (Maxim Jakubowski)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Crime, Gender
Dates read: 9th December 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: He would have to brew another tonic for her and try again.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

He’s just trying to teach his wife and maids a lesson… luckily they find a way to teach him one too.

Thoughts

This short story seriously highlights the archaic and incredibly disturbed ideas that some people have about women. Or at least, the leading theory of the day in which Jack the Ripper was stalking the streets of Whitechapel. And somehow, reading a voice that found a way to completely justify his actions… far more terrifying than a mad man. A mad man is sick. The Ripper in this version just thought he was doing his husbandly duties… so many levels of not okay.

I actually really struggled to get through this short story. it focused on the idea that female flesh is corrupted and serves to corrupt. It’s not the first time I’ve come across this theory and attitude. But it doesn’t get any more palatable no matter how many times I read it… there is just something extra disturbed about such an idea.

Having said all of that, I would still recommend that people read this. Because the ending to this story is brilliant. And it made me feel so much better about all the horrible thoughts and feelings I was going through as the story unfolded.

 <- The Monster’s Leather ReviewSigned Confession Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Fresh Meat by Alan Gordon

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for wolfsbane and mistletoe book cover

Title: Fresh Meat
Author: Alan Gordon
In: Wolfsbane and Mistletoe (Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Urban fantasy, Werewolves
Dates read: 9th December 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘Sam Lehrmann,’ he said, shaking it.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

Sam is the breeder of guard dogs. But he has a secret, and it takes a surprise visit on Christmas Eve for him to finally tell the woman he loves what it is…

Thoughts

The title of this short story was implying a much more, seriously disturbed short story. I knew it had something to do with werewolves and Christmas (because that’s what every book in this collection is about)… but that was the extent of my knowledge. And, the title seemed kind of sinister.

I do love that this story is about a werewolf who is a guard dog trainer. A completely novel idea, but one that I’m surprised I didn’t get a chance to read before… after all, werewolves and dogs would be the perfect companions around each other. Actually, dogs are just the perfect companions in general… or at least my two faithful hounds (one is currently sitting on either side of me) are.

Although this story is about Christmas, family, being around loved ones and just generally being a werewolf and surviving… I feel like the dogs actually took centre stage. Which is exactly what I wanted. There is nothing like a dog taking centre stage to make me love a story with a little bit too  much passion.

 <- The Werewolf Before Christmas ReviewIl Est Ne Review ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

Red Phoenix by Kylie Chan

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover red phoenix

Title: Red Phoenix
Author: Kylie Chan
Series: Dark Heavens Trilogy #2, Dark Heavens #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Chinese mythology, Demons, Gods
Dates read: 3rd – 9th December 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Voyager
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: We moved the Wudang Academy from the Mountain to here in Hong Kong.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

IMMORTALS, MARTIAL ARTS, GODS AND DEMONS

The intrigue deepens as the demon threat closes around mortals and gods alike…

When Emma Donahoe took the position of nanny to John Chen’s daughter Simone, she never expected to be caring for the child of a Chinese god, and she didn’t expect that demons would want him dead. Nor has moving from nanny to partner in his heavenly realm made Emma’s life any easier.

Now a powerful race of demons has been created to hunt her and her family from Hong Kong to Europe. And she and Simone have become targets – pawns to be used in a deadly celestial power play.

Thoughts

It’s been a long time since I read this. And now I’m remembering why Dark Heavens is one of my all time favourite series. I think that come the new year (since my TBR starts again at the turn of the year) this will be the first series I sink my teeth into. There is just an amazing style, writing and storyline to this story. It is intense, fast-paced and filled with a great sense of humour. Which, since Chan is an Australian author, it’s the kind of humour that I love and recognise.

I picked this up in the week that I was not only feeling a little sad, but I was also feeling really, really sick. Normally I read a booka  day, plus get all of my work and housework sorted. Yet, I’ve barely been able to pick up a book. So sinking myself into the world of Emma, John, Simone and their incredibly off-centre family was the perfect anecdote for my horrible week. There’s nothing like a well-loved story to help pick you up.

I knew it from White Tiger, but Red Phoenix highlights how truly insane Emma is. I’m all for doing anything in the name of love… but what she does and gives up in the name of her love… I actually can’t fathom that. Which of course, makes this a brilliant book because it takes me to places that I would never willingly go myself (even though it’s actually not possible… but you get my drift). I also love that she is so loyal. Everything she does is in honour of the people she treasures. That part I can actually completely understand.

This is the book in which Michael first joins the family. He’s such a great addition to the storyline, and, if memory serves me (it’s been a long time since I’ve read the books), he becomes a really powerful character within the storyline. The web of family, relations and loyalties is getting more and more complex, and this is exactly why I love this series so much. The connections between the modern world and the mythical. And the relationships between father and son, father and daughter, so on and so forth.

 <- White Tiger ReviewBlue Dragon Review ->

Image source: HarperCollins Australia

Blood Magic by Eileen Wilks

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover blood magic eileen wilks

Title: Blood Magic
Author: Eileen Wilks
Series: World of the Lupi #6
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Paranormal romance
Dates read: 25th November – 8th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Cullen makes people mad all the time, but mad enough to stick a knife in him at his baby party…

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

As they plan their wedding, Lily Yu and Rule Turner, a prince of the lup, are facing a great deal of tension from both their families. Not everyone can accept their mixed marriage: she’s Chinese; he’s a werewolf. Even Lily’s grandmother is acting strangely distant, though Lily and Rule are about to discover that her behavior has nothing to do with thier upcoming nuptials.

A powerful, undying nemesis has come to San Diego to exact vengeance on Lily’s family – and turn the city into a feeding ground. it’s up to Lily and Rule to stop her, in spite of ancient treaties and an inheritance passed down through the blood. Otherwise San Diego could go up in flames, and they won’t live to make it to the altar…

Thoughts

It’s been a while since I’ve visited the World of the Lupi. And, after reading this, I’m kind of wondering why it’s actually taken me this long. Now I can’t wait to get into Blood Challenge. Especially since we finally find out a little bit more about Lily’s heritage… after battling all of the demons in Rule’s world, it’s nice to battle those in Lily’s world.

I absolutely adore Lily’s grandmother. She is hilariously in control of her family, and a total enigma. Definitely the kind of character that I seriously enjoy. Finding out more about not only her past, but where she got some of her insane powers from was really fun. it gave her so much more depth. But then again, it’s always fun to find out a little bit more about the history of a favourite character. It was like reading two stories at once!

The sixth book in this series finally helps to answer a few questions. It ties up some loose ends in, in particularly Lily and her family’s history. But it also raises so many more mysteries! Which of course, makes me want to start Blood Challenge all that much more. However, I want to finish the currently reading books before the end of the year… not continue to add to the list.

As with all of the World of the Lupi books, this was a seriously awesome and intense story. The kind that I will love reading again and again. There is a reason that this is one of my top series… there is a bit of romance, a lot of action and a really strong, independent woman at the helm. All the ingredients for my favourite kind of story.

<- Human NatureBlood Challenge ->

Image source: Amazon

We’re Never Inviting Amber Again by S. P. Miskowski

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover haunted nights ellen datlow

Title: We’re Never Inviting Amber Again
Author: S. P. Miskowski
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Family, Thriller, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 8th December 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: Meredith forced a polite grin.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

We’ve all got awkward family members. But, Amber is even more different. And mixing her special brand of crazy with Halloween might not have been the brightest idea…

Thoughts

The narrator of this story is kind of Captain DoucheNugget. Like seriously. If my partner treated my sister like that… I would punch him in the face. Repeatedly. There is something seriously not okay about this storyline. Something that made me incredibly ragey – just because he was a serious DoucheNugget.

Having said that there is a DoucheNugget of epic proportions in this story… it was actually the most scary so far in this collection. And there have been some seriously creepy tales. But this one just hit on a whole new level. There was just something about it that made me not want to walk past the windows late at night…

This story was incredibly awkward. Not awkward because of the writing. The writing was brilliant. The storytelling was brilliant. The story itself was brilliant. But the actual occurrences in this story – the treatment of the aforementioned sister in law. It felt entirely cringe-worthy.

 <- Nos Galan Gaeaf ReviewSisters Review ->

Image source: Amazon

The Gloaming Hour by Cindy Miles

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of time travel romance book cover

Title: The Gloaming Hour
Author: Cindy Miles
In: The Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Romance, Scottish romance, Time travel
Dates read: 8th December 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: She held him tight, as though doing so would prevent him from fading away.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

He’s the spirit of an ancient scotsman who can only appear in the Gloaming Hour. She’s a woman who has the scars of a tragic past. Yet, somehow, in their stolen moments of time, they manage to find a miracle worth living for.

Thoughts

I don’t really get the ins and outs of the time travel in this story. Which is alright, because I loved it anyway. Most of the time I like to understand exactly what is happening when you need to have time travel. But in the case of The Gloaming Hour, I didn’t actually care. It was just such an easy, sweet and nice story.

I love how this story is all about new beginnings. Not just for the woman in the present, but also the weirdly time travelling man who she falls for. And, ultimately, it’s about finding your own version of happily ever after. Whatever that may be. It’s actually a good reminder for me at the moment to find my own Zen outside of what is expected of me.

This is an incredibly quick, easy and light read. Which was quite surprising since the lead female was stalked and attacked in an incredibly horrific way. It was a nice way to just relax for ten minutes or so. Without having to think about the realities of the world.

 <- Last Thorsday Night ReviewA Wish to Build a Dream On Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Wolfland by Tanith Lee

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for red as blood tanith lee book cover

Title: Wolfland
Author: Tanith Lee
In: Red as Blood (Tanith Lee)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Horror, Retellings
Dates read: 8th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Wildside
Year: 1983
5th sentence, 74th page: Gradually, then, the voices of the other wolves began to dull, eventually falling quiet.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

In “Wolfland”, Lisel takes a trip through the woods to visit her grandmother – who bears little resemblance to the loving old woman we expect.

Thoughts

This was a really cool Red Riding Hood retelling. Not the kind I was expecting, but certainly an enjoyable one. I kind of totally adored this and was really sad that it was over so soon. I could imagine an entire saga created about this version of Red Riding Hood. And I would most definitely read it.

A bit of a spoiler here… but I loved the fact that Grandma was actually the big bad wolf… of a sorts. And her reasons for becoming such a scary beast were absolutely on point!!! Even though it was a little bit scary…

Although I seriously loved this short story, I was still completely horrified by it. Particularly the ending. Which is probably why I keep wishing that this was a bigger series.

 <- The Princess and her Future ReviewBlack as Ink Review ->
Image source: Amazon

The Duke Who Came to Dinner by Elaine Fox

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for four dukes and a devil book cover

Title: The Duke Who Came to Dinner
Author: Elaine Fox
In: Four Dukes and a Devil (Cathy Maxwell, Elaine Fox, Jeaniene Frost, Sophia Nash & Tracy Anne Warren)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance
Dates read: 8th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Avon Romance
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: Calling it.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

An impulsive decision leaves Gray naked and alone on a beach. But, the Duke who caused it all could just be her ticket to a better life, and a more romantic ending than she’d originally anticipated.

Thoughts

This was an incredibly cute and sweet contemporary story. One that was far too easy to read, but I probably also won’t forget for a while. Because, it was just… well… sweet. And innocent and just so supremely easy. I was really sad that it was over so quickly… I enjoy the sweet and easy tone to this storyline.

I really wasn’t expecting a contemporary romance or an easy read in the Four Dukes and a Devil collection. I thought there’d be a little more historical factors or supernatural tones to this storyline. But I loved that it did exist. That I got the pleasure of reading such a fun and humorous little story. one which features a meddling dog. Because, all good stories require a meddling puppy if we’re being honest here.

One of my favourite factors about this book is the fact that although it is in a romance collection it wasn’t overly lustful. There are sometimes when that’s exactly what I want. But reading this, I loved that it was just a sweet courting, not an intense romance. It’s nice to have something different in my reading every now and again…

 <- The Irish Duke ReviewDevil to Pay Review ->

Image source: Amazon