Christmas Past by Keri Arthur

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for wolfsbane and mistletoe book cover

Title: Christmas Past
Author: Keri Arthur
In: Wolfsbane and Mistletoe (Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Paranormal romance, Vampires, Werewolves
Dates read: 29th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: I watched the world go by, half of me wanting to play it safe and go home, but the other half – the foolish half – wanting his company, however dangerous that might be to my emotional health.

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Synopsis

Hannah just wants to have a nice Christmas for once. But she’s working with the man who broke her hear last Christmas to take down a crazy, vampire killer. So things might not quite go as planned.

Thoughts

I just spent most of Christmas alone. And I have a partner, so it just made me sappy and missing him. This sentiment was beautifully echoed in this story. Alright, Hannah doesn’t actually have a partner. And she was dumped the previous Christmas, but that yearning for the one that you love on Christmas Eve… I get that. However, this story was made far more sucky by the fact that Hannah is forced to spend the evening on a case with her ex. That would be seriously sucky.

Being Australian, I’ve never really dealt with people who collect for charities on the road. Or really anybody who stands around in some kind of weird elf outfit ringing a bell for money. So I can’t really imagine it. Having said that, apparently there’s a vampire running around killing the people who choose to do this. Which was a much more fun story than the central romance. The romance was fun, but I liked the chases through the dark cemetery to catch the culprit in a little elf’s outfit much, much more.

As much as I enjoyed the romance in this story… I kind of thought that Hannah was a little too forgiving. They both knew that she was going to forgive Brodie. But it would have been a little more exciting if she actually made him grovel and apologise. That might just be my own drives though.

 <- The Perfect Gift ReviewSA Review ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

A Field Guide to Insects of Australia by Paul Zborowski & Ross Storey

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover a field guide to insects of australia

Title: A Field Guide to Insects in Australia: Third Edition
Author: Paul Zborowski & Ross Storey
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Insects, Non-fiction, Science
Dates read: 2nd November – 28th December 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Non-fictional text
Publisher: New Holland Publishers
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Nymph of the snake mantis, Kongobatha diamentata, Mantidae (15 mm long)

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Synopsis

Whether you’re an amateur insect enthusiast, a student or an entomologist, this completely revised new edition of A Field Guide to Insects in Australia will help you to identify insects from all the major groups.

With more photographs, species and up-to-date information, A Field Guide to Insects in Australia will enable you to differentiate between a dragonfly and a damselfly or a cricket and a grasshopper. You’ll find cockroaches, termites, praying mantis, beetles, cicadas, moths, butterflies, ants and bees. More than 300 colour photographs show the insects in their natural habitat, while many line drawings clearly illustrate subtle differences where identification is tricky.

Thoughts

I bought this book in my Undergrad, hoping that it would help me identify some of the bugs in my backyard down to species level. Back then I didn’t know how insanely difficult that was. But now? As an adult? I realise that this book isn’t quite for that. It can help you identify insects down to their orders. Beautifully so. I didn’t feel like I was reading a textbook while reading this. I actually found it incredibly fun and intriguing.

The images in this book are a great way to crystallise all of the information which was being provided to you throughout. As each order and suborder was provided, a number of gorgeous pictures were placed next to them. Many of which I either recognised, or vaguely recognised from similar species. I thought the pictures were completely beautiful. Although I am a total bug geek. So that might have something to do with my happy feelings about the pretty pictures.

Alongside the information about each order and suborder, this book provides information about where you are most likely to find each group. These extra pieces of information are so helpful with identifying a specimen down to order. And I’ll probably be using the Hymenoptera section heavily when it comes to identifying my specimens collected for my PhD.

Although my favourite part about this book was the breakdown of each order, I also loved that the start of this book talked about trapping, catching and preservation. I remember the vast majority of this from my Undergrad days, but it was nice to have a refresher. Again, accompanied by pictures to help you view what was being discussed.

 <- More insect reviewsMore non-fiction reviews ->

Image source: Goodreads

The Perfect Gift by Dana Stabenow

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for wolfsbane and mistletoe book cover

Title: The Perfect Gift
Author: Dana Stabenow
In: Wolfsbane and Mistletoe (Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Paranormal fantasy, Werewolves
Dates read: 28th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: It appears that each generation evidently married early and had children very young.

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Synopsis

How do you get rid of an unwanted / problematic pack of werewolves at Christmas time? Well, you give their end as a gift to someone else…

Thoughts

I’m still not entirely sure how this is a werewolf story. Actually, I am. Because I get where the werewolves come in. What I’m confused about is that it starts with a group of ?something? wanting to kill off a rogue pack. And then at the end, someone turns into a werewolf. It was all just very, very confusing.

Although I really enjoyed this story. I spent the entire time flipping back a page, thinking that I had missed some crucial piece of information. It just didn’t quite work. There was something more that I needed to make me feel truly happy about this storyline. It’s difficult to truly love something when you’re not entirely sure what is happening. Or at least, it is for me.

I did love the fact that this is the first time in a long time that plays with the mystical nature of the 7th son. And the fact that he was born on Christmas Eve… a unique take that I was incredibly excited by. One that completely made up for my confusion.

 <- Il Est Ne ReviewChristmas Past Review ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

All Through the Night by Elise Forier Edie

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover haunted nights ellen datlow

Title: All Through the Night
Author: Elise Forier Edie
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Fae, Ghosts, Paranormal fantasy
Dates read: 28th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: But all that happened was a hand touched her head, warm and soft.

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Synopsis

She moved from Ireland to create a better life. But then she lost her husband. And then the fae came visiting on All Hallows Eve…

Thoughts

Most of the stories in the Haunted Nights collection have been a little intense and quite frankly horrifying. This one isn’t really horrifying. It’s just incredibly tragic and sad. I don’t cry, much, at all. But I did feel a sore point in my breast. It was just so… sad.

This short story is a fantastic weaving together of Irish folklore and the difficulties of travelling to America at the turn of the century. The poverty and the risks that were taken for such a thing. It’s also about a melding of the world and beliefs. She spends her time believing that the fae are going to take her baby. And her baby is taken… but it has a little more to do with the realities of the world in which she’s found herself.

All Hallows Eve is creepy. It’s probably why I hate Halloween so much. People celebrate it because they have no idea about the history of it and the darkness that surrounds the night. The thin veiling between the spirit world and reality. This was a great way to bring back those realities of what I actually think is a kind of terrifying night.

 <- Sisters ReviewA Kingdom of Sugar Skulls and Marigolds Review ->

Image source: Amazon

Catch by the Lightning by Madeline Baker

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of time travel romance book cover

Title: Catch the Lightning
Author: Madeline Baker
In: The Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Romance, Time travel
Dates read: 28th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: I’m about a quart low.

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Synopsis

On the eve of her suicide, a strange horse arrives to sweep her away. To another time and another place. Will she find her reason to live here?

Thoughts

I think most women have wanted to find themselves a hot, Indian cowboy to have a bit of a roll in the hay. The woman in this short story got one. And I’m so incredibly glad. This was fun, easy and I love that it took a pretty typical fantasy (or at least, what I view as a fairly typical frontier fantasy) and made it her own. With time travelling, because what’s a romance without a little bit of time travelling?

I’ve been reading a few time travelling stories this year. Particularly short stories in The Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance collection. But I’ve never read one that features a time travelling horse. It’s weird and quite different. But definitely something that I’ve decided I need more of. It also reminded me of the Dreamworks movie Spirit, which bought up all kinds of happy, childhood nostalgia.

This touches on issues of suicide. And that point you reach where you’re not sad. You’re just not there anymore. There is no purpose. I get this feeling more than I would like. So this touched quite close to the belt. But I actually loved that fact. Because instead of being dark and dour, she’s abducted by a time travelling horse and finds the love of her life. A slightly off-kilter happily-ever-after for all of us.

 <- The Walled Garden ReviewSteam Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Beauty Dates the Beast by Jessica Sims

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover beauty dates the beast

Title: Beauty Dates the Beast
Author: Jessica Sims
Series: Midnight Liasons #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Dates read: 21st – 27th December 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: PocketBooks
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: I lay there, awake and breathing hard for long minutes.

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Synopsis

WANTED

Single human female to join charming, wealthy, single male were-cougar for a night of romantic fun – and maybe more.

Me: The tall, sensuous, open-minded leader of my clan.

You: A deliciously curvy virgin who’s intimately familiar with what goes bump in the night. Must not be afraid of a little tail. Prefer a woman who’s open to exploring her animal nature. Interest in nighttime walks through the woods a plus.

My turn-ons include protecting you from the worst the supernatural world has to offer.

Ready for an adventure? Give me a call.

Vampires and doppelgangers need not apply.

Thoughts

I bought this because I enjoyed the novellas Vixen and Speed Mating, but I was a little nervous to read it. These stories were quite intensely erotic, and I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy it. I love a good erotic, lustful novel. But there are certain ones that are a little too graphic for me. And, whilst the novellas weren’t that way – I thought a full-length novel along the same vein could be. Happily, this was a lot more storyline and character based than the novellas. It was an incredibly quick, easy and fun read.

Actually, I was kind of surprised about how hooked I got into this story. I read the first chapter and put it down. But then, I read the rest of it just before bed. I even read the first two chapters of the next novel. Which I never do. I hate reading the excerpts because then I want the next book, and can’t quite get it yet. This time though… I HAD to know what was going to happen next. Who it would be about… I just had to know. I’m hooked now.

I’ve read a lot of shapeshifter books, and in particular, a lot of shapeshifter paranormal romances. They’re a subgenre I just love. I’m constantly adding them to my shelves. However, this is the first shapeshifter novel that features a Wendigo. A very surprising creature to include, but somehow, it worked and made everything all that much more exciting.

There was one thing that bothered me about this story – what is the damn obsession with virgins? I mean, honestly. It’s a stupid construct, and practice. Like epically, frustratingly and ridiculously stupid. Whilst Bath isn’t too painful with that virginity thing and it was more about people getting close than any sense of “purity”… it was still a thing! There is just something I find really frustrating with our obsession with this topic. Alright, rant over.

As much as I loved this book – one of the things I love the most is the idea of a supernatural dating service. I’ve never been a part of online dating, or really used any dating service (I met my SO when I was 17). But I think that this is a great idea. And the way it looks like it will be shaped as the series continues… I’m completely obsessed.

 <- Alpha Ever After ReviewDesperately Seeking Shapeshifter Review ->

Image source: Goodreads

Naked City edited by Ellen Datlow

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Overview
naked-city

Title: Naked City
Author: Ellen Datlow, Jim Butcher, Delia Sherman, Richard Bowes, Ellen Kushner, Christopher Fowler, Patricia Briggs, Pat Cadigan, Peter S. Beagle, Naomi Novik, Matthew Kressel, Kit Reed, Lavie Tidhar, Nathan Ballingrud, Melissa Marr, John Crowley, Holly Black, Jeffrey Ford, Lucius Shepard, Caitlin R. Kiernan & Elizabeth Bear
In: Naked City (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Short story collections, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 28th June – 26th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: Out in Brooklyn in a couple of spots you can walk down a street and almost think it’s a hundred and twenty-five years ago.

Synopsis

In this thrilling collection of original stories, some of today’s hottest paranormal authors delight, thrill, and captivate readers with otherworldly tales of magic and mischief. In Jim Butcher’s “Curses”, Harry Dresden investigates how to lift a curse laid by the Fair Folk on the Chicago Cubs. In Patricia Briggs’s “Fairy Gifts”, a vampire is called home by magic to save the Fae who freed him from a dark curse. In Melissa Marr’s “Guns for the Dead”, the newly dead Frankie Lee seeks a job in the afterlife on the wrong side of the law. In Holly Black’s “Noble Rot”, a dying rock star discovers that the young woman who brings him food every day has some strange appetites of her own.

Featuring original stories from twenty authors, this dark, captivating, fabulous, and fantastical collection is not to be missed!

Thoughts

This is a seriously diverse collection of urban fantasy short stories. Not to mention fun and engaging. Probably moving right to the top of my list if I’m being honest. Normally my purview of urban fantasy is kind of small. But the breadth and width of these stories and the style in which they’re written… just wow.

I loved the fact that most of these short stories were standalones. I used to really enjoy finding new series through short stories and novellas. But, I have so many now that sometimes just reading a standalone without having to hunt out more of that world (I’m obsessive, I do this EVERY time) was kind of nice. I got a great taste of the imaginations and storytelling talents of a variety of authors, without actually feeling the need to buy more, more, more. Honestly, there is nothing worse than finding myself a new series to obsess over and then realising that I have a whole slew of new books to buy…

Although this is an urban fantasy collection, it does have a darker twist to it than usual. Every single one of these stories is a little bit dark, a lot bit fun and most don’t have a happy ending. Which, I tend to love, because I get a bit over all the happily ever afters… but it’s definitely something to keep in mind as you rip through the stories.

<- CorpsemouthCurses ->

Image source: Patricia Briggs

The Ripper is You by Alvaro Zinos-Amaro

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

Title: The Ripper is You
Author: Alvaro Zinos-Amaro
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, Mental health
Dates read: 26th December 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: Polly appears at 2.22 a.m., right on schedule, and clearly the worse for wear.

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Synopsis

Each victim is a unique experience. And a unique show of his psychosis.

Thoughts

I’m really not sure of this short story. I loved the premise, but actually reading it… I just couldn’t get involved in the storyline. Having said that, something about the writing actually makes you feel like you’re in the story. Somehow immersed into the reality. Which is completely the point. And it’s got something to do with the weird cadence in which the story is actually written. It’s a very different pacing, as I said though… it’s a pacing that didn’t quite draw me in as much as I would have liked.

This is incredibly dark and intense. And it focuses in tightly on the murders in a way that I haven’t experienced before. Yet, the part about this pinpoint lighting that I enjoyed the most was the beginning of each section. There is a brief psychological analysis of what each of these murders represents at the beginning. One that makes you view what was done to each body in a different light. Or at least, that’s how it felt for me.

There’s a twist at the end of this short story. One that I’m not really convinced I was able to totally understand. I think I probably need to read this tale when I’m a little bit alert. But I love twists, so I appreciated it’s presence. Even if I wasn’t entirely sure what was going on…

 <- Madame X ReviewTrespass Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Lena’s Decision by Bec McMaster

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: Lena’s Decision
Author: Bec McMaster
Series: London Steampunk #1.1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Steampunk romance, Vampires
Dates read: 30th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Bec McMaster
Year: 2016
5th sentence, 74th page: Lena’s lips stiffened.

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Synopsis

Lena’s discovered a family secret. But now she has a huge decision to make. How will it affect her future?

Thoughts

This is a great short story filler between the activities of Kiss of Steel and Heart of Iron. Or at least, that’s what it feels like to me. A sort of prologue before you get into the next novel. Which I plan on doing soon… very, very excited. I just need to actually get Heart of Iron to put on my shelves. Luckily I have Tarnished Knight in the meantime.

This short story provides some great foreshadowing to the greater series. It hints at the problems to come. Although, there’s not a great storyline throughout. Lena finally discovers the family secret, finally makes a move on Will and then has to actually deal with the consequences of her actions.

Will is also kind of stupid. Which seems to be the trend with men in many of the romances that I read. He’s a moron who is trying to protect a wilting flower. And I’m looking forward to him discovering the fact that Lena isn’t some precious gem, and getting a well deserved kick up the butt.

 <- Kiss of Steel ReviewTarnished Knight Review ->

Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover kiss of steel

Title: Kiss of Steel
Author: Bec McMaster
Series: London Steampunk #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Steampunk romance, Vampires
Dates read: 22nd – 26th December 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: Honoria stared at him through passion-glazed eyes.

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Synopsis

WHEN NOWHERE IS SAFE
Most people avoid the dreaded Whitechapel district. For Honoria Todd, it’s the last safe haven. But at what price?

Blade is known as the master of the rookeries – no one dares cross him. It’s been said he faced down the Echelon’s army single-handedly, that ever since being infected by the blood-craving he’s been quicker, stronger, almost immortal.

When Honoria shows up at his door, his tenuous control comes close to snapping. She’s so…innocent. He doesn’t see her backbone of steel – or that she could be the very salvation he’s been seeking.

Thoughts

I got about halfway through this book over a year ago. But it was in eBook format, which I always struggle with, so I decided to buy the physical copy and enjoy it that way. Then it sat on my shelf for an untold length of time (actually, it was about a year, but I digress). And after just ripping through this, I’m wondering why I left it just sitting there for so damn long! This is a great steampunk romance that draws you straight in and is a really easy read. The thing that I got most excited about with this though… the author is an Aussie. So now I know that I have to buy the entire series. Because Aussie.

I have a lot of vampire books. And I have a lot of steampunk books. I have never read a story which combines the two. And then adds in romance. Which was really amazing. I loved the idea of both steampunk and vampires. Romance and a little bit of clockwork. Alright, this isn’t as intensely steampunk as some of the other books on that shelf. But it still has that fantastic flavour. And although this is a romance, it’s not as intensely romantic and lustful as many of the other books in that section of my shelves. A great balance all round.

There is a lot of backstory and tragedy to the characters in this. Even, the secondaries have a heap of backstory. Whilst the secondaries don’t really have theirs shared, the slow unravelling of Blade and Honoria’s secrets and hurts was enthralling. There was just enough of a hint that something else was going on that I found it impossible to put down. Plus, their constant dance of almost getting together made me want to know WHEN.

The leads in this story aren’t perfect, they’re wonderfully flawed. And I always love a great, flawed hero. Honoria, although tough needs to get out of her own headspace and realise that while she’s smart, she’s also kind of blinded and dumb about things. Something that I have in common with her… and Blade, he’s kind of beautiful, but also unwilling to bend and change to suit another person’s needs. Which kind of makes them a perfect couple – both irritatingly stubborn, but intrinsically caring.

 <- Blade’s Escape ReviewLena’s Decision Review ->

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