All posts by skyebjenner

In the Beginning by Lori Handeland

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for in the beginning lori handeland book cover

Title: In the Beginning
Author: Lori Handeland
Series: Phoenix Chronicles #0.5
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Angels, Demons, Fae, Paranormal fantasy
Dates read: 11th July 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Lori Handeland
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: His broad shoulders obscured any light from the distant street or even the minuscule moon.

Synopsis

Liz Phoenix does her best not to let anyone on the Milwaukee Police Force know that she’s psychic. But her partner, Max Murphy, suspects. She’s had one too many spot-on hunches.

When they’re sent to the scene of a murder, Liz’s latest psychic flash leads to disaster.

In the Beginning reveals how Liz came to be an ex-cop and started on the road to becoming the Leader of the Light.

Thoughts

This is one of those short stories that kind of stands alone. But doesn’t really. It’s almost like a prologue that gives a little more history and insight into Liz’s choices and history as a cop than you would otherwise get. Which is, of course what I loved the most about it. I love every extra little bit of information and history you can glean from a character’s life when you are about to sink into the depths of a new series.

A good character always has a bit of tragedy in their past, it’s a great way to add an extra layer of mystery and characterisation to them. There’s not many tales in which I actually read about one of these past tragedies. It actually broke my heart a little. Even though this is an incredibly short (16 pages) tale and I don’t often bond with characters that quickly, there was something so tragic about the misfortunes which befall Liz and Max.

As soon as I read this origins story, I delved straight into Any Given Doomsday. The foreshadowing in this tale is absolutely fantastic and it made me want to discover what was likely to happen next. And how her discovery of the demons was going to play out throughout the rest of the tale.

 <- Demons at the GatesThere Will Be Demons ->

Image source: Goodreads

On the Slide by Richard Bowes

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
naked-city

Title: On the Slide
Author: Richard Bowes
In: Naked City (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Time travel, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 11th July 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: Grainy black-and-white detectives in suits and hats chased a gunman over the roofs of early 1960s New York.

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Synopsis

He’s trying to slide through time to fix up the mistakes of the past. But is he going to be able to do this on the set of a movie?

Thoughts

It took me a little while to understand what was happening in this story. Mostly because it’s a short story in a collection of urban fantasy tales, and it didn’t quite seem like a fantasy until about three quarters of the way through. And then I started to really pick up on the nuances and quiet storylines that I’m beginning to recognise in Richard Bowes’ short stories. It was at this point that I decided I really wanted to go back to the beginning and read it again with more awareness.

The idea of sliding through time isn’t anything new, but the dreamy and twisty way in which Bowes tells the story made it feel a little newer. There was something that made you feel like you were sliding in and out of time as you read the story anyway, so when that final transition occurred, it wasn’t so shocking. Rather, it felt… inevitable.

In a collection of tales of urban fantasy, this was a nice, contemporary spin. There wasn’t the same level of supernatural and preternatural characters and stories which I’m used to. And I really enjoyed it. Sometimes it’s good to step out of your comfort zone and try something new… especially when it takes you pleasantly by surprise.

 <- How the Pooka Came to New York City ReviewThe Duke of Riverside Review ->
Image source: Patricia Briggs

Undead Man’s Hand by Erin McCarthy

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for out of the light, into the shadows book cover

Title: Undead Man’s Hand
Author: Erin McCarthy
Series: Vegas Vampires #7
In: Out of the Light, Into the Shadows (Lori Foster & Erin McCarthy)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Romance, Vampires
Dates read: 31st July 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: I drink blood.

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

Nick turned two young Russian royalty decades ago. Now he might have finally found the woman who will make him happy for the rest of his life, and one of these children could just stand in the way…

Thoughts

Well, I seriously wasn’t expecting the culprit of this story. It was kind of surprising. Horribly so in many ways. But also a fantastic twist. One that I enjoyed thoroughly and really didn’t want to look away from. What a fantastic way to end the Vegas Vampires series and Out of the Light, Into the Shadows collection.

I haven’t quite finished off the Vegas Vampires collection at this point. I have one more novella, and one more full-length novel to finish first. But, I first met Nick in Deal or No Deal and he seemed incredibly sweet. I was looking forward to him finding his happily ever after when his name was first mentioned in this novella. And I seriously wasn’t disappointed. Not only did he get his happily ever after woman, but the awkwardness of the past was removed (albeit in a slightly more violent way). Partnered with a cop and a series of crimes… it was an incredible journey!

One of the things I love about McCarthy’s writings are that although it is much the same story (boy meets girl), she manages to make each and everyone completely different. Both through the characterisation and the trials that they face. Normally when I’ve read so many romances by the same author, I get a little bored of their storytelling. Not with McCarthy. I still couldn’t put down her story and I can’t wait to sink my fangs (pun intended) into the final tales in this series.

 <- Deal or No Deal ReviewHigh Stakes Review ->
Image source: Penguin Random House

Sleeping with the Spirit by Laurie Faria Stolarz

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

Title: Sleeping with the Spirit
Author: Laurie Faria Stolarz
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: Contemporary, Easy reading, Ghosts
Dates read: 10th July 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Teen
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: “Hello, Brenda.”

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Synopsis

Brenda can’t sleep at night, she’s being haunted by a specter in her dreams. But, when she realises what he actually wants, she decides that sleep might not be the worst thing after all.

Thoughts

I’ve obviously been reading much too much paranormal romance stories of late. Just by reading the title of this novella, I was expecting something far more erotic and a lot less… innocent. And kind of cute. It was a surprise, but it was a nice one.

This story made me really want to pick up tales of necromancy and ghost-speakers. The idea of a young girl seeing ghosts, not only her own sister, but also a boy who had been killed twenty years before hand was just a little too fun and close to other, similar stories on my shelves. But, I digress…

Brenda is a nice female lead, she’s scared by her past, unsure of her future and just generally confused. And, I mean, what teenager isn’t? The fact that she’s being haunted just seems to make it that much worse. Yet, in the end, she finds a way to heal, do the right thing and embrace the new life and reality that she wants in her world.

I was kind of expecting a bit of a murder mystery / thriller to this story. Especially when the fact that Brenda lives in a “blood bath” house was revealed. But it wasn’t even remotely about that. This story was about forgiveness and moving on. Finding hope in love, in whichever and whatever form that takes. Which is why I found it so sweet.

 <- Love is Hell ReviewStupid Perfect World Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins Publishers

Crimson Kisses by Diane Whiteside

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

Title: Crimson Kisses
Author: Diane Whiteside
Series: Texas Vampires #3.25
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2 (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Historical romance, Paranormal romance, Vampires
Dates read: 7th July 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: Oh no, no, no.

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Synopsis

She’s found the man that she wants to spend the rest of her life with. But her father has decided he wants to keep her under his thumb for a little bit longer. A daring escape, a failed rescue and a year spent apart has just helped to harden her reserve.

Thoughts

This was a little bit too short for me. It had the feel of a plot that could have extended out for an entire novel. Especially since the hapless couple try to escape, realise they can’t and then plan to rendezvous. Afterwards, they manage to mess that up, but eventually find a way back to each other again, just a little bit later than had been anticipated. All that in less than thirty pages? It made for a great, fast-paced read, but I really wanted much more background information.

With a title like Crimson Kisses, I was kind of expecting a lot more… well, kissing. There wasn’t as much lustful passion in this storyline as I’ve been gaining from some of the paranormal romance stories that I’ve been sticking my little literary nose into. But it did have a great feeling of sweetness and everlasting love. It certainly made me hope that the wonderful leads would be able to have a happily ever after…

 <- Butterfly Kiss ReviewVampsploitation Review ->
Image source: Bookdepository

The Memory Book by Maureen McHugh

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

Title: The Memory Book
Author: Maureen McHugh
In: Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Gaslamp, Horror
Dates read: 7th July 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tor
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: But a man’s vanity could always be counted on, and even as the Finches frowned, he laughed.

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

Laura Anne keeps a little scrapbook in a secret place. Whilst all the other books are just full of nice memories, this one is full of something much darker, and she’s about to use it to get her own way.

Thoughts

This short story seriously sent goose bumps up by back. It was kind of horrible and truly uncomfortable. Not at the very beginning, in the beginning I was more than ready to feel sympathy for and love Laura Anne. But that quickly changed. And now I’m glad that she doesn’t really exist. She was a creepy, evil girl child.

Recently I started getting a little bit more into my crafting… and one of those craft things that I’m thoroughly enjoying is scrapbooking. After reading about how Laura Anne uses her “memory book” / scrapbook to alter the course of peoples’ lives… I’m feeling a little uncomfortable about getting back into that. Although, the current project is all about happiness and love. So maybe I should just concentrate on that…

The open-endedness of this short story’s ending added an extra layer of horror and just nope to this story. You can imagine the havoc that Laura Anne is going to continue wreaking on the people in her life and imagine no way in which it could be stopped.

 <- From the Catalogue of the Pavilion of the Uncanny and Marvellous, Scheduled for Premiere at the Great Exhibition (Before the Fire) ReviewLa Reine d’Enfer Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Deal or No Deal by Erin McCarthy

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for out of the light, into the shadows book cover

Title: Deal or No Deal
Author: Erin McCarthy
Series: Vegas Vampires #6
In: Out of the Light, Into the Shadows (Lori Foster & Erin McCarthy)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Romance, Vampires
Dates read: 28th July 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: Sergei’s face was impassive, and Rasputin grinned.

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

Katie has been wondering what happened on the night her family was killed for over 90 years. Michael has been looking for the woman that he loves since that same night. Will they find the answers that they need together, or will they be doomed to spend eternity without love?

Thoughts

There is something fun and kind of beautiful about Erin McCarthy’s stories. And it really doesn’t seem to matter what they’re about, where they’re set or what genre they fit into. This is yet another example. Although this is a novella set in the Vegas Vampires world, it had a bit more of an old-world feel to it. Or, maybe that’s just what I picked up on by having a character called Rasputin and a Russian princess who was almost killed.

For most of this story, all I could think about was Anastasia and Rasputin. The Disney-fied version with all of the songs. It really wasn’t a bad thing to think about while I was reading this story to be fair. I love that movie. I love the songs and I loved this novella. There was just something fun and engaging about it. Something about Katie (or Maria) and Michael that made you hope they got their happily ever after. And most definitely got their revenge…

There is nothing I love more in stories than when the bad guy dies. Not necessarily through the hands of the people they’ve wronged, but as an inadvertent consequence of their own actions. McCarthy is incredibly good at this slightly surprising form of poetic justice. There is always a fantastic consequence that makes me immensely glad, but it’s never quite in the form that I expect. And what happens to Rasputin is no different. It’s a bit surprising, and it left me with a huge smile on my face as I closed the final pages of the story.

 <- Russian Roulette ReviewUndead Man’s Hand Review ->
Image source: Penguin Random House

Bled Dry by Erin McCarthy

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for bled dry erin mccarthy book cover

Title: Bled Dry
Author: Erin McCarthy
Series: Vegas Vampires #3
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Romance, Vampires
Dates read: 16th May – 7th July 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: But we will be discreet until the election is over.

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

Only in Vegas can a one-night stand with a vampire beat the odds – from the USA Today bestselling author of Sucker Bet and Bit the Jackpot…

Hooking up with a vampire has its risks – but getting pregnant usually isn’t one of them. Tell that to Brittany Baldizzi, who finds herself in the family way with no father in sight. After their one night of passion, vampire Corbin Jean Michel Atelier disappeared off the face of the earth – or at least off the Vegas Strip…

Corbin is a vampire with a cause – he is secretly trying to find a cure for his condition. But when he finds out Brittany is pregnant with his child, Corbin can’t keep his parental instincts from trumping his bloodsucking ones. Even when showing his hand could cost him the woman he can’t help but love…

Thoughts

It took me a lot longer to read Bled Dry than any of the other novels in this series so far. Mostly because Corbin kind of pissed me off. He might have been attempting to do right by Brittany throughout… but mostly he was just being a bit of a ham-fisted moron. And Brittany should have smacked him around the head far more times than she did… but, once I got over my smack-Corbin feeling, I actually thoroughly enjoyed this tale.

There are almost no romance stories in my shelves that feature a pregnant woman. There are many that mention a previous couple becoming pregnant, but none that actually have this as a central plot point. It was a nice change. Babies might not be my thing, and I’m unsure about motherhood, but I think it’s an integral aspect of our lives (for so many obvious reasons). The fact that it was the central point of the storyline and the reason for all of the complications (both positive and negative) was incredibly fun. It didn’t take away from the romance or the passion, but it did provide an entirely new standpoint that I just lapped up.

I’ve never read a story in which the vampire wanted to reverse the act of vampirism. Most of the tales end like High Stakes and Sucker Bet where the mortal significant other is turned to run off into the sunset living happily ever after. This didn’t quite end like that… and the fact that Corbin wanted to grow old with Brittany instead of living forever, well, I kind of liked that ending far more. It was about those finite, happy moments you have together and raising a family in a lifetime, not staying together for ever and having no reason to live every day like it’s your last…

Although the first two thirds of this story involved me mostly being pissed off because Corbin was being an idiot, once I got past that. And he got past his own stupidity, I actually really loved this story. It had that same cutesy, sweet feeling that I’m getting used to in McCarthy’s stories. And left me with the typical, nostalgic, happy smile that her works always leave me with.

 <- Bit the Jackpot ReviewSucker Bet Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

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