Title: Quid Pro Quo Author: Tanya Huff Series: Henry Fitzroy #8.7 In: Evolve (Nancy Kilpatrick) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Dark fantasy, Vampires Dates read: 1st April 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Edge Year: 2010 5th sentence, 74th page: Scent would have allowed her to pick them out of a crowd regardless of how good a look she’d got at them.
Vicki is disturbed from her day-time rest one day by goons breaking into her house to find her. Later, she finds out that her cop lover and partner has been taken to blackmail her… is all hell about to break loose?
I struggled a little to get into many of the short stories in the Evolve collection. But, this, as a final ending to the anthology was just amazing. This was exactly the kind of short story that I love, and my biggest complaint is that it ended too soon. I want to find out more about Vicki and Mike and the ways in which they have each other’s backs. I also want to find out why Vicki seems to be different from other vampires…
This was a little bit sweet and romantic, but more so in the
fact that the relationship described in Quid
Pro Quo was far more realistic. Mike and Vicki sacrifice a lot for each
other, and although the realisation at the end is that their relationship puts
each other in jeopardy, it also highlights that they will do anything for each
other. And that although the relationship could endanger them, it also makes
them more human and in touch with the world around them. Something that we all
need, vampire or not.
She’s the chef that could help him save his business. But, when he realises just how much she means to him, he’s not sure if he should risk his life or his livelihood first.
This was kind of cute. It’s not the first time that I’ve
come across a story about a genetic vampire (rather than one that has been unwillingly
changed), but it is probably the first one that featured entertainment and food
so strongly. Actually, weirdly enough, it made me want to do a bit of cooking
when I finished this story. After all, the lead female is a chef and the lead
male almost gives up his life to make sure that he does have a great chef in
his damn kitchen…
The sexuality in this short story was seriously damped down
in comparison to some of the other paranormal romance stories that I’ve been
reading lately. Which was kind of nice. It still had that component to it, but
it was the first moments of courtship that really took centre stage. Those moments
when there is almost no touching, but a lot of glances and curiosity about one
another. Considering this is found in a whole collection of vampire romances,
it was nice to have one romance that was a lot more cute, and a lot less sexual
to balance out the intensity of some of the other tales.
Title: The Infestation Author: Tom Holt In: The Mammoth Book of Dark Magic (Mike Ashley) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Dark fantasy, Wizards Dates read: 11th April 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 2004 5th sentence, 74th page: Like I said, we understand one another, just as we’re both misunderstood by all the rest of them.
He’s a mediocre wizard at best. But he’s about to be challenged more than he ever anticipated. Will he overcome the infestation? Or be overcome?
I wasn’t expecting to like this short story so much. At the beginning of the story I was a bit ‘eh about the character and the storyline. Although it did make me feel a little like I was reading a Terry Pratchett story… it wasn’t until about the halfway point that it started getting really, really good.
This isn’t one of those stories where the little man rises
up, finds a power he didn’t know he has and change his life forever. Of which I
am glad. Because that is a little overdone sometimes. This is a story in which
the bumbling fool manages to scrape together enough gumption and power to do
the right thing. And then at the end of the day, he turns around and returns to
his menial, frustrating job and life goes on.
Passion runs as hot as a fever dream in these all-new stories by four New York Times bestselling provocateurs of the paranormal…
In Angela Knight’s Blood and Roses, a vampire warrior and his seductive captor join forces to stop a traitor from unleashing an army of demonic predators on their kingdom.
New in Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series is Whisper of Sin, in which a woman in lethal danger finds an unlikely protector – and lover – in a volatile member of the DarkRiver pack.
Virginia Kantra continues the haunting tales of the Children of the Sea in Shifting Sea, the story of a wounded soldier rescued by a strange and enigmatic young woman.
Meljean Brook launches a bold new steampunk series with Here There Be Monsters, as a desperate woman strikes a provocative – and terrifying – bargain to gain overseas passage.
I’ve had this collection sitting on my shelf for ages. I just haven’t gotten around to reading it… until now. And now I’m wondering why I took so long to sink my literary teeth in… I already had the Psy-Changeling series, but now I have another three paranormal romance series to obsess over… when they eventually arrive on my doorstep.
The themes and paranormal characters in this collection of
four novellas run the gambit. There’s a steampunk tale with pirates, a romance
with a leopard shapeshifter and one with vampires and their battles. The
romances are instantaneous and involve a lot of running away… the only thing
that these four novellas really have in common is the fact that they are all intense,
fun and have a good ending. Although, maybe not good stories to read when you
have to sleep alone….
Title: Isobel Avens Returns to Stepney in the Spring Author: M. John Harrison In: Black Feathers (Ellen Datlow) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Contemporary, Horror, Mental health Dates read: 12th April 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Pegasus Books Ltd. Year: 2017 5th sentence, 74th page: London was as quiet as a nursing home corridor.
China loves Isobel. But Isobel is aiming for something higher. Something that might end their lives together and create a new world view.
This story made me think of anorexia and other eating
disorders. Although the storyline features Isobel Avens trying to turn into a
bird, her constant weight loss and wish to be something else has serious echoes
of an eating disorder. It made me incredibly uncomfortable reading this too,
especially since I know a lot of women who have suffered with such horrible
body issues…
Unrequited love is a bitch. And honesty, I think it’s what
shifts this story into the horror realm for me. It feels like one of the more
terrifying things that anyone can experience… China gives his everything to
Isobel. And yet, at the end of the tale, that is not enough and he must find a
way to either move on in life or be miserable forever…
I never realised that I was missing stories about pixies from my bookshelves until I read this novella. Now I want to see if I can find any story that involves these little sprites… and dig myself further into this series that has them as supporting characters. After all, Jenks isn’t a lead character, but he does (apparently) feature in the other Hollows stories and there was a lot of background to his character that I just haven’t got yet… but I’m trying to fix that right now.
Just before reading this novella, I had the privilege of sinking my teeth into Circe, so Greek mythology and stories were in the forefront of my mind while reading this. Which means that the moment that nymphs and dryads were mentioned, I started grinning like a school girl with a crush. The fact that the nymph is a warrior and a little unhinged and ran around with a great big sword made me all the happier. I always enjoyed a good mental case running around with a sword… it adds a sense of humour and entertainment to the storyline.
Harrison is able to add a great deal of detail in a very small amount of pages. I particularly loved the cultural and social backstory of pixies in this story. The creation of an entire paranormal race with their own motives, movements and beliefs is something that can be quite difficult to highlight by itself, but adding in a few fights with a sword-wielding nymph and a bit of a conspiracy that doesn’t really end in the best way… well, that is some fantastic writing.
Title: Vast Wings Across Felonious Skies Author: E. Catherine Tobler In: The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk (Sean Wallace) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Dieselpunk, War Dates read: 8th April 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 2015 5th sentence, 74th page: “Hold together, baby,” she whispered as if those words had become part of the ritual.
Sakura is a pilot in the war, but when she gets sucked up into a mysterious cloud, she finds herself fighting something she had never imagined. Now an “alien” under suspicion, it might take all of her skills and courage to defeat this unknown opponent.
The street that I grew up on is, surprisingly an old army
camp. And in World War II, it was the place where they kept the “aliens”. Which
has kind of left me with a bit of a fascination with the imprisonment of people
of specific nationalities during the War. So I was kind of immediately drawn
into this short story. Not only did it feature a woman pilot, weird aliens and
a bit of conspiracy, but it also talked about the experiences of people who
were imprisoned for their heritage.
I’m fairly new to the Steampunk and Dieselpunk subgenres, but I was kind of surprised to read one such tale that aliens in it. There were a few in The Mammoth Book of Steampunk that had a similar feeling, but this was still a storyline and tale that really took me by surprise. In all the best ways possible. The creepiness of being abducted in the sky and then attacked by what seemed to me like hollow men was quite intense. And the imagery invoked by Tobler lingered long after I turned the last page of this story. It’s definitely one that I would suggest anyone who is even slightly fascinated by Dieselpunk sink their teeth into.
Title: Blood Work Author: Kim Harrison Series: The Hollows #0.2 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves: Graphic novels, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Urban fantasy Dates read: 16th April 2019 Pace: Fast Format: Graphic novel Publisher: Ballantine Books Year: 2011 5th sentence, 74th page: Damn, she was fast.
When Ivy met Rachel, the result wasn’t exactly love at first sight. Sparks flew as the living vampire and the stubborn witch learned what it meant to be partners. Now Kim Harrison, the acclaimed author of Pale Demon and Black Magic Sanction, turns back the clock to tell the tale – in an original full-color graphic novel.
Hot-as-hell, tough-as-nails detective Ivy Tamwood has been demoted from homicide down to lowly street-crime detail. As i f rousting trolls and policing pixies instead of catching killers wasn’t bad enough, she’s also been saddled with a newbie partner who’s an earth witch. It’s enough to make any living vampire bare her fangs. But when a coven of murderous witches begins preying on werewolves, Rachel Morgan quickly proves she’s a good witch who knows how to be a badass.
Together, Ivy and Rachel hit the mean streets to deal swift justice to the evil element among Cincinnati’s super-natural set. But there’s more to their partnership than they realize – and more blood and black magic in their future than they bargained for.
I felt hooked on this series before I opened the first
novel. But if I was kind of on the fence about whether to buy more of these
books and truly sink my teeth into them… this graphic novel made me feel much
more certain about my newest obsession. I was almost late to a meeting because
I was so absorbed in reading through this. The imagery and the storyline just
swept me away beautifully.
I’ve been reading a few graphic novels lately and this one
was a little more sexualised than the others that I’ve been reading. A little
more expected from the medium than the other contemporaries which I’ve been absorbing.
But I didn’t find it much of a problem. There was sexualisation, but it wasn’t disturbingly
so. Actually, it worked incredibly well since this is aimed at more of an adult
audience and there is a very sexual component to the storyline and characters
anyway.
I’m not sure if I was supposed to read this before or after the first Hollows novel. It provides great back story, but since it was published after Dead Witch Walking, I’m very uncertain. Luckily, I absolutely loved this story and it won’t be a large time gap between reading this and the first novel (when the first novel arrives on my doorstep that is).
Title: Run, Rabbit, Run Author: Jane Yolen In: Mad Hatters and March Hares (Ellen Datlow) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Poetry Dates read: 29th March 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Tor Year: 2017 5th sentence, 74th page: when the dogs caught his scent.
Why must the rabbit run? How does he truly work into the world of Alice?
This isn’t one of my favourite poems. It isn’t one of those
that sticks with me. But it was a fun and interesting journey. A great way to
finish a fantastic collection. Easy, and engaging without making me think too
hard.
I loved that the Mad Hatters and March Hares collection both started and ended with a poem. Both are light and funny. Interesting. A great way to think about a classic in an entirely different way.
The rabbit is such an iconic aspect of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and you can understand completely why he caught Yolen’sattention. What a great way to finish such a fun journey… I just don’t have the words beyond that.
Title: The Turn Author: Kim Harrison Series: The Hollows #0.1 Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Urban fantasy Dates read: 4th – 16th April 2019 Pace: Fast Format: Novel Publisher: Pocket Books Fiction Year: 2017 5th sentence, 74th page: Hesitating, she went over it again to make sure the holes were filled.
Can science save us when all else fails?
Trisk and her hated rival, Kal, have the same goal: save their species from extinction.
But death comes in the guise of hope when a genetically modified tomato created to feed the world combines with the government’s new tactical virus, giving it an unexpected host and a mode of transport. Plague rises, giving the paranormal species the choice to stay hidden and allow humanity to die, or to show themselves in a bid to save the human race.
Under accusations of scientific misconduct, Trisk and Kal flee across a plague-torn United States to convince leaders of the major paranormal species to save their supposedly weaker kin. Not everyone thinks humanity should be saved, though, and Trisk must fight the prejudices of two societies to prove not only that humanity does have something to offer but also that long-accepted beliefs against women, dark magic, and humanity itself can turn to understanding; that when people are at their worst, the best show their true strength; and that love can hold the world together as a new balance is found.
I really, really wanted to give this novel a much, much
lower rating. Actually, when I first put it down I did… but the more I think
about it, the more I realise that I loved it. Alright, I wasn’t a huge fan of
the ending (hence the slightly tanty that I threw when I finished this), but it
was an incredibly powerful and intense story. One that I won’t forget at any point
soon. And one that I will definitely read again and again and again…
I have honestly never wanted a character to die more than I
did in this novel. I even had to stop reading this for a while because I was
getting so damn ragey at Kal. And it’s probably because his villainy and
actions hit a little too close to home. After all, every single horror in this story
comes from the jealousy of a man, and his pride and belief that a woman cannot
possibly be smarter than him. Better than him when she doesn’t fit the roles
that he assigns to her. Like I said, it struck way too close to home. And it made me want to smack him around the
head, and make sure the vampires and witches actually managed to kill him… I’ve
really never gunned for a villain to die so badly. I’ve cheered before when
they have… but I’ve never screamed when they haven’t…
This might be the first book I’ve read that features a
female scientist. At least, the first fantasy tale (I’ve read plenty of
non-fiction stories by female environmental scientists, but never a fiction
tale). I may be an environmental scientist as opposed to a geneticist, but the
drive to publish and create new avenues of research for myself is still there. I
completely understood why Trisk was so determined to get her name on her own
research, and the fine line that she had to walk. Alright, I don’t have to deal
with many of these issues because the story is based in the 60’s, but there are
echoes of them in every researchers life. Which is probably why I was so
aggressively determined to see Kal end, and painfully if I had my way.
It’s obvious that I’ve been reading a lot of gushy, happily
ever after tales lately. Because I fully expected that of this story. I didn’t
for one moment think that I might not be happy with the ending. And I really
didn’t consider that it would make me roar a little bit in rage (my poor
partner was more than a little confused at my reaction). But, the more I’ve
thought of it, the more I’ve actually liked it. After all, there aren’t the
happy ending, everything tied in a neat bow finales in real life, so why
shouldn’t there be less-than-perfect endings in the novels?
