All posts by skyebjenner

Mr. Speedy by Elda Minger

Book Review, ,
Overview
Fantasy

Title: Mr Speedy
Author: Elda Minger
In: Fantasy (Christine Feehan, Sabrina Jeffries, Emma Holly & Elda Minger)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary romance, Feminism, Gender
Dates read: 21st September 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Jove
Year: 2002
5th sentence, 74th page: I’m disappointed, but I have to respect your judgement.

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Synopsis

In a private, all-male school for seduction…
…she might just graduate with honors. If she can only maintain her disguise long enough to teach the man of her dreams a few lessons.

Thoughts

There are so many issues with gender and courting. There’s also so many things about it that are ridiculously fun. But those people that think women are just something to prey upon? Well, that’s where it gets seriously problematic… and this novella perfectly encompasses that. By featuring a backdrop of a seminar designed to get women into bed… in the worst way possible.

Miranda is a driven, independent and strong woman. Her slightly insane drive causes her to make a decision, one that I’m not entirely sure I would do myself. I might be driven, but I’m not sure I would want to immerse myself in a world of toxic masculinity, discussed as an incredibly effeminate man. Yet, this obviously works for her, because she manages to find the man of her dreams, get to know him, and find a bit of understanding about how truly insecure most of the attendants at the seminar truly are. It would probably help all of us to understand what sometimes seems incredibly confusing (actually, scratch that, I’m never going to understand the decisions my partner makes)…

I loved this novella, but I did spend the entire time thinking about the movie She’s the Man. There is something that seems to be recurring in this theme of cross-dressing to get what one desires. And then falling in love. Which is both annoyingly predictable, and so beautifully, dreamily fun. Actually, mostly it’s just fun. It’s hard enough to get to know the people that you’re interested in, but when there are extra boundaries… I can kind of understand going undercover as a man after all…

 <- Luisa’s Desire ReviewThe Awakening Review ->
Image source: Christine Feehan

I Need More You by Justine Musk

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of vampire romance 2 book cover

Title: I Need More You
Author: Justine Musk
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2 (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Angels, Paranormal romance, Vampires
Dates read: 20th September
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: “Vincent.”

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Synopsis

She travels across the world to hear his call. To be reunited with the man that she loves… but how can she be sure that this fallen angel loves his nightwalker back?

Thoughts

The part of this story that I liked the most was the setting. Using the backdrop of Burning Man was completely novel and intriguing. It’s something that I’ve only vaguely heard of and been a little intrigued by. And it’s a setting that I’ve never come across before.

The poignancy of the setting of Burning Man and letting things go worked incredibly well for this story. The narrator follows a fallen angel and man all over the world, following a secret call that helps her to find her love. But after a few blissful moments of reunion, the cycle is repeated again. It honestly sounds like an intensely painful and irritating way to maintain a sexual relationship. But, at the end there is a kind of farewelling of the past and a hope for the future.

This wasn’t quite the vampire romance story that I expected. It really wasn’t even all that vampire-based. Alright, the narrator was a vampire, but there really wasn’t a moment in it that this seemed to take key place within the storyline. She more read like a mortal who happened to have a dietary concern… for the majority of the story. I think that this, along with the vagueness of the relationship made this story a bit bleugh for me, although still not horrifying.

 <- The Scotsman and the Vamp ReviewPoint of No Return Review ->
Image source: Bookdepository

The Keys to the Door by William Meikle

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

Title: The Keys to the Door
Author: William Meikle
In: The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories (Maxim Jakubowski)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Crime, Historical fiction, Horror
Dates read: 20th September 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: And, by Jove, I did indeed feel something: a certain coldness and dampness in the air.

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Synopsis

Mary was born on the same night as a horrific murder took place. Now, they’re trying to exorcise the Ripper and give the young woman her bid for freedom.

Thoughts

Unlike every other short story in The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories collection, this one had an intriguing element of fantasy. Nothing too overt, but enough that I had a bit of a smile and a feeling of fantasy nostalgia hanging across my face when I turned the last page. And a few goose bumps, considering the fact that it had a kind of horror spin on it.

The poetry of having the woman who is the primary victim also being born on the same night as the final Ripper victim and having the name of one of his victims helped to add to that eerie feeling. The setting of an old building, a candlelit room and a haunting spectre further compounded this feeling. It made this one of the more enjoyable stories and, ironically, less dark than many of the others in this collection.

I liked the sense of closure at the end of this tale. It not only put the spirit of Jack the Ripper to bed, but also let the lead detective finally say his own goodbyes. It also hinted that the darkness within the killer was something more than just the average serial killer… which I kind of like since we will never know who it was, or why they did it.

 <- A Head for Murder ReviewIt’s All in the Genes Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Russian Roulette by Erin McCarthy

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
First Blood

Title: Russian Roulette
Author: Erin McCarthy
Series: Vegas Vampires #5
In: First Blood (Susan Sizemore, Erin McCarthy, Chris Marie Green & Meljean Brook)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Romance, Vampires,
Dates read: 20th September 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: It suited Alistair, the contrast of bright and dark, and he stayed inside during the day, asleep, and hit the streets at night to work, to dine, to socialize.

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Synopsis

Alistair Kirk is a bar owner, a musician, and a vampire. When he hears that a fledgling vampire is being held captive and faces certain death, he rushes to the rescue.

Sasha Chechikov, once a vampire slayer, now a vampire herself, is on the run from her former associates. Sasha’s past leaves her wary of trusting anyone, but she can’t deny the sparks that fly between her and her sexy saviour. Will Alistair be able to protect Sasha from her enemies? And will two vampires who seem so different from one another learn what it means to truly love?

Thoughts

I’m really glad that I read this novella before Sucker Bet. If I had’ve started this after Sucker Bet, and realised that it was a tale about Sasha… I probably would have been seriously pissed off. She was kind of a bitch in the novel. But this novella made me sympathise with her and actually like her. Or at least, admire her a little more for her strength and gumption…

Unlike the glitz and glam of Las Vegas, New Orleans has a wonderfully different flavour. Changing the setting, and making it a little less “wow” was a great way to round out the last of the stories in the Vegas Vampires series. It also kind of highlighted that who Sasha was in Sucker Bet wasn’t really her true persona… rather, it was all a façade.

Aaron is exactly the kind of male protagonist / love interest that I tend to like. He’s not quite what you would consider “traditional”, completely different to the kind of man that I would go for, and is quiet in his pursuit of women. It’s a bit of a change from many of the domineering men that seem to fill Erin McCarthy’s stories. One that I think I needed at this point. Actually, my biggest complaint about this story was the fact that it was a novella, I think that the ending of Sasha’s story could have been dragged out far longer in a far more enjoyable manner… but maybe I’ll just pick up another Erin McCarthy book instead.

 <- Sucker Bet ReviewDeal or No Deal Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Sucker Bet by Erin McCarthy

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for sucker bet erin mccarthy book cover

Title: Sucker Bet
Author: Erin McCarthy
Series: Vegas Vampires #4
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Romance, Vampires
Dates read: 19th – 20th September 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: Absolutely and utterly ashamed.

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Synopsis

A night of indulgence…

Gwenna Carrick is a woman with a history – 900 years of it. As the vampiress ex-wife of the notorious vampire Roberto Donatelli, she has to keep a low profile. Not easy when she’s bathed in the neon glow of Las Vegas – especially when there’s a whole online group of vampire slayers bent on dealing her her last hand.

can feel like eternity…

A wild night with a stranger was not in the cards for Gwenna. But that’s what happened when she met Detective Nate Thomas. Their passion made her feel… well, alive again. But when Donatelli catches wind of the tryst, Nate tops his to-off list. Gwenna knows she hit the jackpot with Nate and won’t let her ex stand in the way. But they soon realize they have far more enemies than Donatelli – both on the Strip and underground…

Thoughts

This was a great finish to a really fun little series. Alright, there are three novellas which follow it chronologically, but I read them before reading the full length novella, and they don’t really add to the greater storyline. However, Sucker Bet does and it provides some much needed answers to the political and social intrigues which are peppered throughout the four main novels.

Alexis, Cara and Brittany are all very strong and independent women. Ones who not only know what they want from life, but also know what they don’t want. And who they don’t think they want. Gwenna on the other hand is much softer, subtler and a little more lost. She has a far longer history than the three mortal women and, because of this, more hang ups than they have. Which all made her a great lead to finish the series with. She was something different and unique in a series that is full of unique takes on the vampire romance subgenre.

I loved that although Gwenna is a little lost and unsure of what to do with her life, she is also sure of what she doesn’t want. And honestly, some people can’t even quite figure that out… that alone takes a strength of will. She also realises what a great catch of a man she has from the very beginning. She may be unsure of where they stand with each other, but she doesn’t hesitate to find a way to be happy with an incredibly hot human being… something that none of her counterparts in this series were capable of doing. Which is probably why I loved her so much and so quickly.

This was a great way to tie up the political intrigue and battles which have been an undertow and obstacle in all of the stories in this series. It finally removes Donatelli’s annoying influence from the lives of the characters I’ve come to love and made him realise just what he has lost. A bit of poetic justice that didn’t involve blood or death at the closing of the pages as the four main couples finally ride off happily ever after into the sunset. Plus, you finally get to find out why Kelsey calls Ringo Kyle all the time.

 <- Bled Dry ReviewRussian Roulette Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Underbridge by Peter S. Beagle

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
naked-city

Title: Underbridge
Author: Peter S. Beagle
In: Naked City (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Fae, Mental health, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 20th September 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: The months passed, and the weather turned relatively mild and notably dry.

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Synopsis

Richardson just wants tenure, or, at the very least, a stable job. But his discovery of the Troll Underbridge might just change everything…

Thoughts

As someone who is halfway through her PhD and just entering the world of academics… I can completely understand Richardsons’ incredible need to just… crack. Right down the centre. With absolutely no finesse. Alright, I don’t actually want to crack, and I definitely wouldn’t do what he did… but we’ve all had our moments of instability, and I found Beagle’s take on this in this short story incredibly entertaining and intriguing.

We’re all a little scared of the things that go bump in the night. The creatures which hide under the bed in the dark. The ghouls which hide under our bridges and in the dark, hideaway places. Which makes the troll under the bridge a perfect feature for an urban fantasy short story. After all, they’re a fixture in fairy tales and fit that idea of the things that scare us – although, they don’t seem to show up as commonly in the stories… probably because they’re just not quite sexy…

For me, this short story highlighted the question “how far will you go?” For Richardson, I think the answer was kind of too far. But it still begs the question – how far would I go to achieve my goals? To get a steady job… I think that there may be a little of Richardsons’ darkness in all of us when we truly want something…

 <- Picking Up the Pieces ReviewPriced to Sell Review ->
Image source: Patricia Briggs

Fan Fictions by Gabrielle Zevin

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for love is hell book cover

Title: Fan Fictions
Author: Gabrielle Zevin
In: Love is Hell ( Melissa Marr, Scott Westerfield, Justine Larbalestier, Gabrielle Zevin & Laurie Faria Stolarz)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Mental health, Paranormal romance, Young adult
Dates read: 19th September 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Teen
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: Honestly, I’m worried about you.

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Synopsis

Paige is invisible. And ordinary. Someone who nobody notices. Until Aaron. But now she’s not sure if he’s real or just a figment of her imagination…

Thoughts

At one point or another, we all feel like we’ve been overlooked in high school. Or at least, everyone that I know feels that way… but this story took that feeling to a whole new level. And kind of a whiney one. I really liked the concept, and loved the writing (hence the four-star rating), but I seriously had to take a star off for Paige’s down right insanity…

Although I’m a complete bibliophile, and tend to have some insane dreams about what I’m reading… I’ve never taken on the persona of a book that I’m reading. Never felt those lines begin to blur as I take on a reality that is far more enjoyable than my own. Probably a good thing, considering I read a lot of stories with some incredibly messed up protagonists. But I have had moments when I’ve wished that more of my life could be like that in the stories I read.

From the title of this story, I wasn’t really expecting this kind of tale. I was expecting something with a character who actually writes fan fictions. But, in hindsight, I suppose that taking on the storyline that you’re reading is exactly what fan fictionists (is that even a word?) are actually striving for. After all, they’re generally writing a fan fiction so that they can immerse themselves into a world that someone else has created, and they’re just not really ready to leave… and what avid reader hasn’t felt that way?

 <- Thinner Than Water ReviewLove Struck Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins Publishers

The Unwanted Women of Surrey by Kaaron Warren

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for queen victoria's book of spells ellen datlow book cover

Title: The Unwanted Women of Surrey
Author: Kaaron Warren
In: Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5:  4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Death, Feminism, Gaslamp, Historical fiction
Dates read: 19th September 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tor
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: We went walking early in the evening.

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Synopsis

In a house of unwanted women, the Grey Ladies have decided to make their presence known. But these unwanted wives don’t really know what the cost is going to be… will it be too late when they find out the truth?

Thoughts

This is kind of a strong story. It intertwines death, feminism and the choices we make in life. And it truly asks the question: what is right and what is wrong? Where are the shades of grey? Or in the case of this story, where are the shades of the Grey Ladies? After all, they haunt through this story in an eerily familiar way with each flick of a page.

The mix of a tale about women attempting to find their power and place in the world. the five women in this story are all unwanted by their husbands for one reason or another. In some circumstances, I think that this unwantedness is completely understandable (there was a potential murderer among them). But in others it is just kind of tragic. At the beginning of the story, all of these women are kind of just gliding through life with no real aims or decisions as to where they want to go in the world. By the end, that has changed and there is a sense of purpose and desire in all of their actions.

The use of the cholera outbreak and a mass murder gave this tale an entirely haunting feeling. And one that made you feel a little less comfortable with the decisions that are being made by the unwanted women of surrey. Yet, it also provides a great placement in history as this was a moment that actually happened. And houses provided for married, yet unwanted women was also quite a common occurrence within this time period. The fantastic blend of historical fact, and the fantastical nature of the Grey Ladies completely swept me away.

 <- Smithfield ReviewCharged Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Haven by Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for monstress 3 haven book cover

Title: Haven
Author: Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda
Series: Monstress #3
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Graphic novels, Steampunk
Dates read: 19th September 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Graphic novel
Publisher: image
Year: 2018
5th sentence, 74th page: If we’re here, it’s because family protects family.

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Synopsis

Maika Halfwolf has begun to unlock the mysteries of her past – but the challenges of the present are only growing. In this third volume of MONSTRESS, collecting issues 13-18, Maika’s journey takes her to the neutral city of Pontus, where she hopes to find temporary refuge from her pursuers. Unfortunately, Pontus may not be as safe as Maika and her allies had hoped.

s the impending war between humans and Arcanics creeps ever closer, and powerful players fight for the chance to control her future, Maika finds she must work with Zinn, the Monstrum that lives inside her, in order to ensure their mutual survival. But even that alliance might not be enough to prepare Maika for the horrors to come.

Thoughts

I’ve been putting off reading the next instalment in The Monstress series until it would complete a little more of one of my reading challenges… and when it finally came up on that week in my challenge… well, I completely devoured this. It probably helped that I was having a kind of dark week, and the darkness in the illustrations and storyline of this graphic novel hit the spot perfectly… now I just have to save up the money for the next book in the series…

I’m not someone who reads a lot of graphic novels… actually I’ve really only become interested in the genre in the last eighteen months… but for me, this is everything I never knew I wanted in a graphic novel. A fantastic combination of east and west… with a very healthy dose of mythology and steampunk thrown into the mix. But, mostly, I’ve loved how as this series has progressed, the story has gotten darker and darker, more complex and intensely twisty.

What started as an easy story about Maika Halfwolf has by this point become an incredibly complex tale of politics, war and the gods. There are a few points throughout which I lost a bit of track of who was who, but it was incredibly easy to quickly pick up the thread of the storyline again. After all, Liu and Takeda have done an amazing job of telling the story.

Although I enjoy this story, it is the stunning beauty and power of the illustrations which truly drew me in. There is an intensity and power to the panels which I haven’t seen in many illustrations, one that will leave goose bumps up your arms as you flick through the pages. And quite possibly linger in your dreams when you lay your head down at night.

 <- The Blood ReviewThe Chosen Review ->
Image source: image Comics

A Reversal of Fortune by Holly Black

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for coyote road book cover

Title: A Reversal of Fortune
Author: Holly Black
In: The Coyote Road (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Family, Food, Tricksters
Dates read: 19th September 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Firebird Fantasy
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: Maybe without a soul she wouldn’t even care that Boo was dead.

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Synopsis

Nikki is just trying to have a good summer with her dog Boo. But when an accident causes her summer to take a tragic turn, she realises that she might just have to make a deal with the devil.

Thoughts

Eating competitions fascinate me. They’re weird, random and something that I couldn’t fathom doing myself… mostly because I already feel way too sick whenever I overeat even slightly. When I found out that actually being sick is a huge taboo and has its own name (a reversal of fortune), I was drawn completely into the tale. It had me laughing out loud, smiling, and chuckling at the ways in which Holly Black was able to take a fairly typical trickster tale and turn it on its head.

Being that this short story is in a collection of trickster tales, I figured that it was quite likely for Nikki to outsmart the devil. But using a food eating competition to do so. And quite a disgusting one at that… it was a little too humorous and fun for me to put the story down. A good reminder as to why I love Holly Black’s writing so much… she always has just the right amount of sass and surprise to leave me with a large smile on my face.

After finishing this story, I both wanted to go and eat my weight in sour worms… and never eat them again. There were some fairly strong emotions inspired by Nikki’s face off with the devil. But mostly what I loved was the fact that she did all of this for her dog. She faced up to the loss of her soul, because her dog is her soul. Or at least, that’s how I read it… and it’s something that I think I too would do. I can’t imagine not having my beautiful big dog by my side everyday…

 <- The Constable of Abal ReviewGod Clown Review ->
Image source: Amazon