July is supposed to be my quiet time, yet, somehow, it has turned out that I am running around even more than usual… but on a positive note, my own, personal library is almost unpacked…
Title: Mona Lisa Betwining Author: Sunny Series: Monere: Children of the Moon #2.5 In: On the Prowl (Patricia Briggs) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance Pace: Fast Format: Novella Publisher: Berkley Year: 2007 5th sentence, 74th page: Or even by Blaec, Halcyon’s father, though he had been the tool in sending them on to the final darkness.
Among the children of the moon, Mona Lisa is of Mixed Blood- part Monere, part human, and destined to be alone. Then she meets a man who could be her salvation- or her downfall.
This novella sends goosebumps running up my arms – the raw sensuality of the words is enough to make you glance sneakily around for an audience. But the emotive descriptions of the night, the moon and the forests add to this heightened sense of reality which Sunny is able to so effortlessly create. This heady combination left me speechless and dreamy for a long time after finishing this novella – something that is incredibly difficult, believe me!
Mona Lisa’s grief and confusion at her feelings, lovers and new role in life are so tangible throughout the story. And it is Dontaine who appears to bear the brunt of her negativity – a man that reminds her of not only what she’s lost, but what she has unwittingly gained. However, his very compassion and understanding of her in ways that she is barely able to comprehend are such an endearing quality that you can only hope for his continuing presence in her life.
The vividness with which Sunny describes both the setting and Mona Lisa’s potent sexuality definitely makes this story feel more like a guilty pleasure than a bit of classical reading. The unabashed way in which she describes the couplings throughout the story are both erotic and romantic, a difficult balance for any writer to strike.
Title: Snakeskin Author: Rob Thurman Series: Trickster #0.5 In: Kicking It (Faith Hunter & Kalayna Price) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Easy reading, Mythology, Tricksters, Urban fantasy Pace: Fast Format: Short story Publisher: Roc Year: 2013 5th sentence, 74th page: Billionaires are a special breed, and an old horny billionaire is going to want a young thing with tits done by Dr. Double D and the only lines on her skin the ones shown by her Brazilian wax.
Trixa agrees to help a woman deal with her very rich husband. But, when she is double crossed, things take an interesting turn.
I love stories about Tricksters – they are completely amoral, always entertaining and beautifully symbolic of the balance between good and evil. Plus, where they travel, chaos follows. Which is always entertaining, and provides great conflict in and of itself. The introduction to Thurman’sTrickster series is no different.
Trixa is the very embodiment of chaos – she is neither good nor evil and, while straddling both realities, she is able to help keep the balance. The playful light and twisted humour within which she tells the story drew me in from the first point, and I was never quite sure what game she was playing. Until the very end that is. The tone of the piece perfectly reflects the chaotic and perverse way in which Trixa deals with the world and those around her.
Title: The Arcane Art of Misdirection Author: Carrie Vaughn Series: Kitty Norville #4.6 In: Hex Appeal (P.N. Elrod) Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this) My Bookshelves:Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy Pace: Fast Format: Short story Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin Year: 2012 5th sentence, 74th page: Which opened into a hallway, just like the one she’d left.
Welcome to the world of Kitty Norville. Where nothing is as it seems, including the world of casinos and gambling.
Casinos are a great location for mystery and subterfuge – they’re all about tricking the senses and convincing people to stay and act against their will. The idea of a sorcerer using this against the system to meet their own ends worked really beautifully, as did the description of such a location as a maze to trap people into spending their money. After all, they’re designed to contain everything and anything that we could want so that we don’t want to leave. Contrasting this view of those who want to win with a woman who works for the system and finds it rather tedious and boring was a great approach in this short story.
There are few people who are able to see through their preconceived conceptions to the inner truth, and it was enjoyable reading about somebody who is so inclined. Very few people would be able to see past this, and more difficult yet, accept this altered reality. There is a reason that everything is coloured by our preconceptions and this short story was a great way in which to question what happens when such preconceived ideas are altered. The conclusion of this story really highlights this complete change in Julie’s outlook on life and the potential new futures which she faces.
There are seven kings in Thrysland. My father is one of them, and my husband is another. In my belly, perhaps, I carry a third.
Rose is the beautiful unhappily married daughter of a king and she has a secret to keep, not just from her husband but from her sisters, fierce warrior Bluebell, and Ash, a seer in possession of great but unknown powers. But larger events are afoot in Thrysland. The country is plunged into war with merciless raiders; religious zealots are at work on Rose’s husband, King Wengest, and more than that, there is a dark and deep magic at work throughout the land that threatens them all…
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this novella since I first read it! I love the idea of four sisters set in pre-Christian Europe, and the very different roles that they all play in their lives and the safety of the kingdom. Rose (the main sister in this story) is so clear and striking in my mind’s eye, and I find myself returning to her story again and again. She is the epitome of what many women must have experienced in that era – married to a man she doesn’t love, whilst yearning for the one that she does.
Although this story is about Rose and her hidden love, and is based on pre-Christian Europe, I love the fantastical elements within it. The sendings and the secrets that are obviously hidden with each of these characters sent goosebumps up my spine. Especially, reading this late at night, by a small light, the world seemed so real and vivid. It’s always a good story (whether it is short or long) when it not only stays in your mind, but also features heavily in your dreams. I can’t wait to read (but, firstly buy) the first novel in this series, Daughters of the Storm!
Title: Cyncerely Yours Author: Eileen Wilks Series: World of the Lupi #4.5 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Animagus, Paranormal romance Pace: Fast Format: Free online short story Publisher: Eileen Wilks online Year: 2008 5th sentence, 74th page: His face wasn’t.
Cynna and Cullen’s wedding day is like everything in their relationship – not quite going according to plan.
I always love a good wedding story or scene. After all, there is so much potential for things to go wrong! Wilks’ use of Cynna and Cullen’s wedding as a source of new beginnings and endings was a really sweet notion too. The explanation of some of the practices that we tend to take for granted (a white wedding gown for example) helped to show that, although some of the characters aren’t Christian, the rituals and meanings hold a place within our lives. Even for those many people who get married these days, there are aspects of this ritual that have a purpose and a place beyond the religious connotations.
It wouldn’t be a World of the Lupi wedding if everything went smoothly though. And, staying with the tradition of beginnings and endings, Cynna’s past comes back to haunt her – literally. The true purpose of this, which is, of course revealed at the end of the short story, truly helps to close the door on an aspect of Cynna’s past. And it is this great symbolism that weaves through the whole story that makes it a literary wedding that I’m going to remember for a long time.
Title:Good Counsel Author: Eileen Wilks Series: World of the Lupi #4.2 Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Animagus, Paranormal romance Pace: Fast Format: Free Online Short Story Publisher: Eileen Wilks Online Year: 2008 5th sentence, 74th page: Sure.
This snippet takes place after Night Season (World of the Lupi, #4) and just before the free short story, Cyncerely Yours (World of the Lupi, #4.5). It’s more of a scene than a complete story, but I thought readers who’ve enjoyed the series might enjoy listening in on Cullen’s counselling session with Father Michaels.
Although Cullen and Cynna agree to become married at the conclusion of Night Season, it is kind of hard to imagine that either one will truly carry through with it. That is until the short story, Good Counsel. It is in this six pages that Cullen truly shows his commitment (and love for) Cynna and the degree to which he’ll go to make her happy. Throughout his discussion with the Catholic priest, he is able to be clear sighted and honest – he doesn’t really want to get married, but it is important for her, so therefore he’ll do it. The idea of acceptance by one’s community and the importance of this in such a thing as a wedding is also beautifully and succinctly investigated.
I have had some slightly unpleasant experiences with the Christian faith and very early on decided that it wasn’t a religion for me. However, Cullen’s descriptions of the importance of it and the Abe’s easy acceptance of diversity and the unconventional relationship he is about to officiate goes a long way to restoring my faith in such an organisation. Although Cullen is himself not Christian, he is able to understand many of the principals and governing ideals, and the reasons why it is such a cornerstone in Cynna’s life. It is this easy acceptance on behalf of both Cullen and Abe that I most loved about this short story.
Title:Night Season Author: Eileen Wilks Series: World of the Lupi #4 Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Animagus, Paranormal romance Pace: Fast Format: Novel Publisher: Berkley Sensation Year: 2008 5th sentence, 74th page: Rule said Cullen had a habit of picking up strays.
Pregnancy has turned FBI Agent Cynna Weaver’s whole life upside down. Lupus sorcerer Cullen Seabourne is thrilled to be a father, but what does Cynna know about kids? her mother was a drunk and her father abandoned his family. Or so she’s always believed…
As Cynna is trying to wrap her head around this problem, a new one pops up in the form of a delegation from another realm. They want to take Cynna and Cullen back with them – to meet her long-lost father and find a mysterious medallion. But when these two born cynics land in a world where magic is common-place and night never ends, their only way home lies in tracking down the missing medallion – one also sought by powerful beings who will do anything to claim it…
Blood Lines left off on a bit of a cliff-hanger for Cynna and Cullen. So, although Lily and Rule make an appearance in Night Season, it is nice to spend some more time with this incredibly unique couple. I also loved revisiting Kai and Nathan (albeit briefly) throughout this series. The novella Inhuman introduced these incredibly different characters, and vastly expanded the World of the Lupi universe. All in all, this story took a slightly different turn from the rest of the books, and it offered a refreshing outlook into a series that anyone would quickly become enthralled by.
I love the idea of a number of different realms, with different rules and levels of magic, and completely different natives. The anthropologist in me is fascinated by Wilks’ construction of so many different cultures and social realities. Edge, to me, highlights the fact that we all have prejudices, and they can be immensely derogatory to a group of individuals. I loved that even Cullen, who has been on the receiving end of such typecasting, feels for the humans who are in a similar position in Edge.
Cynna’s pregnancy is an important topic throughout Night Season. As someone who is terrified of getting pregnant accidentally, I can completely understand her fear and trepidation at this immense challenge that she is about to face. I always love when I can relate so completely to character’s – not that they are horrible mothers, but they are fearful. I have never met a woman who is willing to say that motherhood is an all-enjoyable experience. Everyone is fearful and worried about such a ginormous task, and I think that acknowledging this is so important for those of us who may be facing such a journey in their futures.
Title: The New Kid Author: Eileen Wilks Series: World of the Lupi #0.1 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Animagus, Paranormal romance Pace: Fast Format: Short story Publisher: Eileen Wilks Online Year: 2013 5th sentence, 74th page: He was a heterosexual misfit.
This short story takes places in Rule’s past, specifically January 10, 1976 during his Sophomore year of high school in a small town near Clanhome. It’s a fun look into a time when Rule wasn’t Lu Nuncio yet and was just learning how to integrate with humans.
Sixteen-year-old Rule is everything I imagined him to be and more in this great short story. Wilks leaves a comment at the top of the tale that suggests it be read after a few of the novels, get to know Rule before flashing back to his past. And honestly, it is a great suggestion. I have just read this short story after reading the first four books, and although it made his actions a little more predictable, it also made the story all the more enjoyable and the nuances of the characters a little more potent.
I love any story that investigates the cultural norms that we take for granted and turn them onto their head. The cliques that often categorise are of course prevalent in a story about a sixteen-year-old. But, it is the way in which Rule views them that provides a different kind of insight. His willingness to do what is right and break free of the clicks is also such an incredibly attractive quality. That, although from the novels, I already knew he possessed, made me fall for him a little more.
It’s seer “Makenna Frazier’s” first day on the job at Supernatural Protection and Investigations, and her first assignment is more than she bargained for when bodyguard duty for a leprechaun prince’s bachelor party goes every which way but right in national bestselling author Lisa Shearin’s “Lucky Charms“.
This is an awesome start to a new series, with a great chief protagonist and an awesome premise for a magical police agency – the SPI. I liked the way that Shearin overlays the idea of SPI on top of our everyday lives and makes the idea of Leprechauns running wild through the streets plausible and believable. The hints provided throughout this short story are a great preclude into the actual SPI Files books and I can’t wait to see what’s on the horizon for Mac.
Shearin achieves something that is incredibly difficult in stories – humour that is actually funny. It is incredibly difficult to be funny on paper and weave this into the storyline. But, Lucky Charms does this perfectly – a cross dressing leprechaun dancing in a goblin sex club is an image that will forever make me smile and stay in my head.
Title: The Arcane Art of Misdirection
Title: Crown of Rowan
Earth and Skye 