All posts by skyebjenner

The Breed Next Door by Lora Leigh

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Hot Spell

Title: The Breed Next Door
Author: Lora Leigh
Series: Breeds #5.5
In: Hot Spell (Lora Leigh, Emma Holly, Shiloh Walker & Meljean Brook)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Erotica, Paranormal romance, Romantic suspense
Dates read: 7th July 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2005
5th sentence, 74th page: He had been a man tormented with thoughts of losing the daughter he so obviously adored.

Synopsis

Lyra’s neighbor can’t be for real. A man who makes her hormones stand up and scream every time she sees him. And he’s breaking through her reserve to invade her dreams at night.

But Tarek Jordan is even more than he seems. A Breed Enforcer with a plan. First, find the Council Trainer he’s tracked to Fayetteville, Arkansas, and second, claim the woman next door as his own. She’s fated to be his and his alone. He can feel it in his blood. Until the danger that has shadowed his life suddenly casts a darkness over Lyra’s as well. Now Tarek knows that he can’t wait any longer to claim the woman his heart and soul burns for. He has to tell her who he is, what he is, and what he wants. And Lyra will have to accept him as he is, on his terms, and now. Her life depends on it.

Thoughts

We’ve all heard of the boy next door, but I’ve never read a story about the “breed” next door. Or really any kind of romance with a neighbour quite like this. Which of course meant that I loved it and didn’t want to put it down. Actually, I loved this novella so much that I went straight to my shelf to grab Tempting the Beast, the first in the series…

I seem to run the gambit of paranormal romance stories. Some which fill my shelves are sweet, innocent and more than a little cute. Some are a little darker, and then you find novellas like The Breed Next Door which are not so much dark as very erotic and intense. They’re definitely not the kind of stories that I would happily bring out in public. They’re the perfect way to spend the night in though, curled up under a blanket with a rom com playing in the background…

Some days I feel really domestic and reading a story which features a woman who is more that way inclined was really nice. Lyra bakes bread in exchange for her brothers’ help and is more than happy to start cooking for her new lover when she realises that he just can’t do it himself. This different form of showing love made me incredibly happy and I am really quite disappointed that her story was only a short novella, not a full blown novel.

<- Soul DeepMegan’s Mark ->

Image source: Meljean Brook

Tempting the Beast by Lora Leigh

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for tempting the beast book cover

Title: Tempting the Beast
Author: Lora Leigh
Series: Breeds #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Erotica, Paranormal romance, Romantic suspense
Dates read: 9th July 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Year: 2003
5th sentence, 74th page: Breathing hard, her fingers stilled on her flesh.

Synopsis

Callan Lyons is a genetic experiment. One of six fighting for freedom and the survival of their Pride. Merinus Tyler is the reporter who will tempt him, draw him, until the fury of the “mating frenzy” locks them into a battle of sexual heat there is no escape from.

Deception, blood, and the evil Genetics Council are hot on their trail. Callan will use his strength to try and save them both… and do all in his power to keep his woman in the process.

Thoughts

I’ve been meaning to get to this story for a few months now. It just seems to be one that I pick up, look at, and then put right back down again. Until now. When I read the whole book, cover to cover in one day. It was just the right level of intrigue and danger with passion and lust. Although, the passion and eroticism of the book definitely mean that this is a book to read at home… I can’t imagine how awkward it would be to have someone reading this over my shoulder on the bus…

Most of the shapeshifter / paranormal romance type stories that I read feature peoples’ who are just genetically different and a little more… evolved than the average human. The “Breeds” in this series instead are a government, genetic experiment. Talk about creepy conspiracy theories. It’s this that makes me seriously want to sink my teeth into more of the series. I love anything that has a more animalistic spin on humanity and passions, but the idea that there is a shadow government that is the horror of the series, there is just something uncomfortably intriguing about this story.

I love stories about love. But the idea of one in which you don’t actually have a choice or control over your passions and the person you end up tied to… well. That kind of scares me. And I love that it scares Merinus too. Although she felt tied to Callan before she even meets him, her inability to escape him and physical withdrawals terrify her. Into running. Again and again. This willingness to fight against something showed a level of characterisation that I found far more believable and relatable. After all, I wouldn’t want to just succumb to a man because there was a lustful attraction there…

I really enjoy reading about dominating and domineering men. But there is a line. Sometimes they go a little too far with their control issues. Callan flirted with this line, crossed it, but then luckily withdrew just enough that I didn’t find him overbearingly horrible. Even his issues of control and power were explained in a way that I found more pleasing and less want-to-throw-my-book-annoying. Which, again is why I read the whole book in one day…

<- More Lora LeighThe Man Within ->

Image source: Goodreads

A Small Band of Dedicated Men by Andrew Lane

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

Title: A Small Band of Dedicated Men
Author: Andrew Lane
In: The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories (Maxim Jakubowski)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Crime, Historical fiction
Dates read: 7th July 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: I really don’t think that will replace “Leather Apron” in the minds of the public.

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

Druitt has called together all of the men accused of being Jack the Ripper. Their patrols might stop one killer, but are there more hiding amongst them?

Thoughts

This took a turn that I really wasn’t expecting. I thought that maybe this would be a story of innocents who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. And I mostly kept thinking this until the very end. Which quickly made me not so happy and more than a little uncomfortable. And incredibly glad that these men are dead, it was just a little too easy to believe this story.

Of all the Ripperologist theories I’ve recently been exposed to, the one that features Druitt is always what I feel closest to. Not necessarily because the evidence against him is the strongest, but more so because of the fact that this theory features in a Science Fiction series that I love (Sanctuary on SyFy). Which means that his central place in this storyline made me sink my nose right into the story and refuses to pay attention to anything around me.

Stories about teams of serial killers and mad men are starting to become a bit more frequent in my reading roster. Which is both terrifying, and kind of fun. There’s a totally different, unsettling feeling to these types of tales and I, for one, can’t wait to read more like this Small Band of Dedicated Men.

<- The Roebuck Cabal ReviewDear Boss Review ->
Image source: Amazon

The Twits by Roald Dahl

Book Review, ,
Overview
Image result for the twits roald dahl book cover

Title: The Twits
Author: Roald Dahl
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Comedy, Easy reading
Dates read: 16th June – 5th July 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Puffin
Year: 1980
5th sentence, 74th page: He was out of breath and so tired he could hardly flap his wings.

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

Synopsis

How do you outwit a Twit? Mr. and Mrs. Twit are the smelliest, ugliest people in the world. They hate everything — except playing mean jokes on each other, catching innocent birds to put in their Bird Pies, and making their caged monkeys, the Muggle-Wumps, stand on their heads all day. But the Muggle-Wumps have had enough. They don’t just want out, they want revenge.

Thoughts

Growing up, my best friend and I decided that we were the “Twin Twits”. And I couldn’t for the life of me remember why and where this came from. Until I bought a box set of Roald Dahl books. And realised exactly why we used the word Twits. As an adult, I’m not entirely sure why we thought that was “cool”, but it meant that rereading this was a great, nostalgic journey down memory lane.

This is one of those fun, easy things that, as an adult you can read in under half an hour. It only took me a few days because I kept getting distracted by being… well, an adult. It’s funny and full of these quirky, lively illustrations. The storyline isn’t a difficult one, and actually really only comes into play about halfway through the novel. Mostly because the first half is just a series of funny little anecdotes about how horrible Mr and Mrs Twit are.

I can imagine keeping this book for years and reading it to my future nieces, nephews and maybe children. Teaching them all about the silliness of the Twits and the karma that followed their horrible actions. Sharing the fun pictures and laughing at the randomness of the activities.

<- Switch BitchTwo Fables ->

Image source: Amazon

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for persuasion word cloud classic book cover

Title: Persuasion
Author: Jane Austen
Series: Word Cloud Classics
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Romance
Dates read: 2nd – 5th July 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Word Cloud Classics
Year: 1817
5th sentence, 74th page: They did not like each other, and no renewal of acquaintance now could do any good; and were Lady Russell to see them together, she might think that he had too much self-possession, and she too little.

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

Synopsis

Published in 1818, Persuasion was Jane Austen’s last completed novel. In this compelling love story, Anne Elliott is unhappy and unmarried twenty-seven. At the urging of her family, she broke her engagement to the man she loved eight years before because he was poor and didn’t have good family connections. When they meet again, he is wealthy, a captain in the navy, and looking for a wife, but he has not forgiven Anne for her rejection and resolves not to fall in love with her again. With a heat-burnished cover, foil stamping, and designed endpapers, the Word Cloud Classics edition of Persuasion is the perfect addition to any bookshelf!

Thoughts

I always forget how much I love Jane Austen until I pick up one of her books and start sinking my teeth into it again. The fact that there’s still a few that I haven’t read yet makes me think that I need to finish reading the books on my shelves. Especially since this was the first time I’ve ever read Persuasion, and I seriously couldn’t put it down once I got about a third of the way in. after all of the introductory, family history nonsense.

My heart broke a little as Anne’s plight and treatment by her family was fully revealed. There was something so sweet and kind about her from the very first introduction, and the fact that she was completely ignored and abandoned by her family was just… well, heart wrenching. But it also made this story all the more romantic and endearing. There is one man that truly understood her worth and he waited around for her for years and years.

We’ve all been persuaded to do something that we’re not really sure is right, or away from something that we know we really want and need in our lives. Although this story was written in the 1800’s, that is a theme that still occurs repeatedly today. Yet, I love that Anne has a chance to make things right and fix her mistake of being persuaded away from true happiness. Persuaded to go against her heart and work with her head and the sensibilities of others.

This is one of those novels that is going to the top of my favourites list. One that I’m going to read again and again. Whenever I’m feeling low, in a reading slump or just in need of a good story that will provide me with a little hope that the world isn’t actually that bad.

<- Northanger AbbeyPride and Prejudice ->

Image source: Pinterest

From the Catalogue of the Pavilion of the Uncanny and Marvellous, Scheduled for Premiere at the Great Exhibition (Before the Fire) by Genevieve Valentine

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

Title: From the Catalogue of the Pavilion of the Uncanny and Marvellous, Scheduled for Premiere at the Great Exhibition (Before the Fire)
Author: Genevieve Valentine
In: Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Fantasy, Gaslamp, Wordplay
Dates read: 4th July 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tor
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: Even with the losses, however, the Exhibition turned enough profit to finance construction of the Victoria and Albert Museum itself.

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

A collection of notes, letters and quotes that tell of the Pavilion of the Uncanny and Marvellous.

Thoughts

This was a bit of a weird read. Not in a horrifying or negative manner, but in a, I’m going to read this again and again to see what pops out. It’s fascinating, fun and a perfect mix of reality and fantasy. The unique structure of this story is what I love the most about this story though. It is different, fun and gives an entirely different flow to the storyline than any other short story that I have read recently.

There aren’t many stories that I struggle to see the overarching storyline… a mass of exposure tends to make things more and more predictable. But, because this short story has such a unique and completely alien format to what I’m used to, I’m still not sure I’ve fully grasped what was happening. Which I loved. It not only means that this is a story I’ll enjoy reading again, it was also a challenge. And who doesn’t love a good challenge?

 <- The Fairy Enterprise ReviewThe Memory Book Review ->
Image source: Amazon

How the Pooka Came to New York City by Delia Sherman

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
naked-city

Title: How the Pooka Came to New York City
Author: Delia Sherman
In: Naked City (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Comedy, Fae, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 4thy July 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: The shoat it belonged to squealed and bolted, leaving only four and their dam for the Pooka to fight.

Synopsis

The Pooka is a trickster of marsh and bog. So he’s not entirely sure why he’s in New York City, but maybe he should just make the best of his situation…

Thoughts

Most of the fae stories I read form some mentioning of the immigration of the Fair Folk to America in some way, shape or form. There’s always a mention of the industrial revolution and a discussion of how hard it was, even for these supernatural immigrants. But I’ve never read a story that actually takes place in this time. That talks about those first moments off the boat in a whole new world that is just as convoluted and confusing to the fae as it was to the humans. Until now. And I find that I kind of love it…

As with all of the other short stories I’ve read by Delia Sherman, there is a great level of wit and humour to this story. And a slight twist to it that made it so much more fun and more difficult to put down. But, mostly I loved the nature of the trickster and the weird juxtaposition of a man who is accompanied by a fae who is supposed to save him. When the fae is so iron sick that he can barely save himself…

I loved the vivid descriptiveness of this story. I felt like I was actually standing next to the Pooka as he discovered a new world. Trudging through a new reality that I didn’t understand or quite like… but one that had so much potential.

<- CursesOn the Slide ->

Image source: Patricia Briggs

The Claire Switch Project by Lynsay Sands

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for dates from hell book cover

Title: The Claire Switch Project
Author: Lynsay Sands
In: Dates From Hell (Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Kelley Armstrong & Lori Handeland)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Dates read: 4th July 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Avon Fiction
Year: 2006
5th sentence, 74th page: Her boobs were…well…her boobs.

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

Claire, new shapeshifter, accepts dates for school reunion with crush Kyle and his sister Jill.

Thoughts

It only took me two pages to recognise something in this novella that links the story to Run, Rudolph, Run. Partly it was the mention of Jill, but mostly it was the creepy man zapping an unsuspecting woman with a ray and turning her into a shapeshifter… it’s basically what happens to Jill. Just five years later than the activities in this novella.

I love the romance and the cuteness of this novella. It’s ultimately about a couple who have been in love since high school, but unable or unwilling to do much about it. And then, when they finally decide to take that first step, supernatural complications get in the way to make things a lot more difficult…and a whole lot more fun.

What I loved most about this tale was the fact that it was not just about the romance, but also the high school reunion. My ten year reunion is due to happen next year, and I honestly don’t know if I want to go. I just didn’t like high school. But reading about one in which everything ends on a positive and karma seems to take part in the activities… it makes me wonder whether it might be worth going, even if I can’t shapeshift…

 <- Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil ReviewChaotic Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins Publishers

Cravings by Laurell K. Hamilton, Mary Janice Davidson, Eileen Wilks & Rebecca York

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
cravings

Title: Cravings
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton, MaryJanice Davidson, Eileen Wilks & Rebecca York
In: Cravings (Laurell K. Hamilton, Mary Janice Davidson, Eileen Wilks & Rebecca York)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Short story collections
Dates read: 15th June – 3rd July 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Jove
Year: 2004
5th sentence, 74th page: He leaned his face over my shoulder, and I caught the sweet scent of his skin.

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

Longings in the night…

In the heat of the night, anything goes. Boundaries are crossed and secret yearnings take shape. Creatures stalk the shadows, surrendering to their wildest needs – and satisfying hungers that take their victims beyond fear to the dark edge of desire. Succumb to the pleasure as four of your favorite authors present their favorite characters in all-new tales of bloodlust, of the kind of appetites that must be sated again and again, and of the passion that feeds them…

Thoughts

I bought this book a few years ago to read the World of the Lupi novella between it’s pages. And then I put it away because I was still incredibly new to the genre of paranormal romance. Now, a few years later, a lot more involved in the genre and more than a little obsessed, I decided to pick up this collection again. And boy, was I glad that I did.

All four of these stories have a great paranormal spin to them. They’re tales of passion, romance and lust. Stories that involved a lot more of the paranormal than the passionate. But just enough spice that I still found myself wanting a good male companion for the night. As much as I loved the passion and romance, and in many cases, sheer lust, that jumped off the pages of these stories, I mostly enjoyed the paranormal aspect of the stories. From vampires to werewolves and back again, there were supernatural beings coming out of the wood works. With a little bit of humour, a little bit of darkness and a lot of bang.

 <- Burning Moon ReviewBlood Upon My Lips Review ->
Image source: Amazon

The Battle of the Labyrinth – the Graphic Novel by Rick Riordan & Robert Venditti

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for the battle of the labyrinth graphic novel book cover

Title: The Battle of the Labyrinth – the Graphic Novel
Author: Rick Riordan & Robert Venditti
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians – the Graphic Novels #4
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Graphic novels, Greek mythology, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 28th June – 4th July 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Graphic novel
Publisher: Puffin
Year: 2018
5th sentence, 74th page: That’s why the Titans’ army is after it.

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

Honestly, blowing up another school was the last thing I wanted to do.

As the son of a Greek god, I’ve had my share of near-death disaster – and now my arch-enemy Luke wants to invade camp via an ancient labyrinth.

If he succeeds, thousands of bloodthirsty monsters will attack. So it’s ‘Goodbye, sunshine; hello, darkness’ as four of us descend into the terrifying underground and beyond…

Thoughts

It took me a little longer to get into this graphic novel than the first three in the series. I don’t know if it’s maybe because I just didn’t originally like this storyline as much (it mostly just sets up the final battle), or if I picked it up at an inconvenient time. But, regardless, it took me a fair bit longer to read than a graphic novel usually would. Although, once I got past the first part / chapter, I didn’t stop.

There was a lot of information in the original novel, and a lot that was missed out in the graphic novel. But Venditti and Riordan managed to work this perfectly. I didn’t feel like important aspects were skipped out on, but rather, wondered why I enjoyed them so much in the novel. There was a great flow and pace to the storyline as you sink into the depths of the labyrinth and hope for the best with Percy and all his friends.

One of the parts of this graphic novel that stuck with me was the panels which showed Annabeth, Percy, Grover and Tyson walking through the labyrinth. Each panel has a different background to the characters and I thought that this showed the tricky, everchanging nature of the labyrinth perfectly.

 <- The Titan’s Curse – The Graphic Novel ReviewThe Last Olympian – The Graphic Novel Review ->
Image source: Penguin NZ