Tag Archives: Inked

Human Nature by Eileen Wilks

September 3, 2018Book ReviewAnimagus, Eileen Wilks, Inked, Paranormal Romance, World of the Lupiskyebjenner

Title: Human Nature
Author: Eileen Wilks
Series: World of the Lupi #5.5
In: Inked (Karen Chance, Marjorie M. Liu, Yasmine Galenorn & Eileen Wilks)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Books
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: “Of course.”

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When the magically tattooed body of a man is found in a Northern California town, FBI Agent Lily Yu is drawn into the case. Trouble is, the victim wasn’t human – and the killer isn’t finished in USA Today bestselling author Eileen Wilks’s “Human Nature”.

This is story number 5.5 in the World of the Lupi series, but it takes place before the actions of novel 5 (Mortal Sins). That kind of threw me. I’m not sure why this is, but it didn’t take away from any of my enjoyment in the story. So it was still a thoroughly enjoyable way to procrastinate for the night.

I have a thing about tattoos. The fact that in Human Nature, one is used in the killing of one of the lupi was kind of sad, but still made it enjoyable. All throughout the World of the Lupi series to date, stereotypes and prejudice against others. This really came to the fore in this novella – although Lily has a murder to solve, the bigger issue she continuously comes across is the prejudice of the locals. Especially the local law enforcement. Actually, my biggest complaint about this story is that the poetic justice that I was hoping to see meted out didn’t occur. Maybe in one of the future novels in this series?

At the very end of this tale, a great point is made – Rule and his people may be different from humans. But they are still human, with all that that entails. And, ultimately, the murder is just another one driven by human nature and all the horrors that that entails.

<- Mortal Sins

Blood Magic ->

Image source: Kobo

Armor of Roses by Marjorie Liu

August 27, 2018Book ReviewDark Fantasy, Demons, Hunter Kiss, Inked, Marjorie Liu, Paranormal Fantasyskyebjenner

Title: Armor of Roses
Author: Marjorie Liu
Series: Hunter Kiss #3.5
In: Inked (Karen Chance, Marjorie M. Liu, Yasmine Galenorn & Eileen Wilks)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Demons, Paranormal fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Books
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: It was 1944, but this could have been a quiet street sixty years from now.

When New York Times bestselling author Marjorie M. Liu’s demon hunter Maxine Kiss investigates a grisly murder, she finds herself involved in a conspiracy dating back to World War II – and a secret mission that her grandmother may have carried out for the U.S. government, one that involes the mysterious “Armor of Roses.”

Lately I’ve been enjoying a graphic novel series by Marjorie M. Liu & Sana Takeda. So, I already knew that I enjoyed this author. However, reading this novella showed me that she is certainly one that I need to buy more of! And now I have to wait for the books to arrive…

I really enjoyed the swanky opening scene of this story – it was a swanky yacht with a very different crowd and a woman who so completely obviously didn’t fit in. Which, of course, drew me in immediately. Maxine is literally a woman who is surrounded by demons… luckily they are her constant friends and companions. But, it does make it a little difficult for her to fit in with the rest of the crowd she is originally surrounded by. Luckily, this quickly changes and she heads into a world that far better suits her companions.

I really wasn’t expecting a time travel component to this story. Or a greater conspiracy that would draw in World War II. But, it worked brilliantly and it was impossible to put down from the moment Maxine was forced to visit her grandmother. It was a really good journey and, as with all stories that I love, it didn’t go where I expected or predicted. Although, it did kind of hint at the first two novels in this series that I haven’t yet read… which might ruin the storyline a little, but certainly something that I look forward to regardless.

<- Skin Deep

Etched in Silver ->

Image source: Penguin Random House

Inked by Karen Chance, Marjorie Liu, Yasmine Galenorn & Eileen Wilks

August 11, 2018Book ReviewDark Fantasy, Eileen Wilks, Inked, Karen Chance, Marjorie Liu, Paranormal Fantasy, Short Story Collections, Yasmine Galenornskyebjenner

Title: Inked
Author: Karen Chance, Marjorie Liu, Yasmine Galenorn & Eileen Wilks
In: Inked (Karen Chance, Marjorie Liu, Yasmine Galenorn & Eileen Wilks)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Short story collections
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Berkley Books
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Right now, I need some –

Four tales of paranormal romance and urban fantasy explore body art that is more than it seems – in a world of magic and mayhem that always leaves its mark…

New York Times bestselling author Karen Chance’s “Skin Deep” tells the tale ofa war mage in Las Vegas who stumbles across an ominous magical ward that appears as a dragon on her skin – and has a mind of its own…

In New York Times bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn’s “Etched in Silver”, a supernatural agent is on the trail of a sadistic serial killer when an unexpected – and dangerously seductive – ally comes to her aid, setting in motion a magical ritual that may end up binding them together, body and soul.

I love tattoos. I have two, I’m going to get more. I love stories that feature tattoos. I loved this collection which was basically all about tattoos. Actually, the most disappointing thing about this was how quickly it ended. After all, there were only four novellas in this collection, and I would have happily enjoyed far more.

I’ve held off on reading this collection until I was up to the right stage in the World of the Lupi series, after all, that was why I bought this. But, then I got a little bit too excited about the idea of tattoo riddled paranormal fantasy tales written by some very captivating authors. And I started reading this. And boy, was I not disappointed. Every single one of these tales drew me in and made me immensely happy. It also caused me to buy quite a few more books that I really didn’t need…

Even if you don’t really like tattoos (yes, I can’t quite believe that people like that exist either), this is a great collection of tales. It features strong women, chaos and magic in a turbulent mass that completely draws you in.

<- Human Nature Review

Skin Deep Review ->

Image source: Penguin Random House

Etched in Silver by Yasmine Galenorn

July 26, 2018Book ReviewDark Fantasy, Fae, Inked, Otherworld, Paranormal Fantasy, Yasmine Galenornskyebjenner

Title: Etched in Silver
Author: Yasmine Galenorn
Series: Otherworld #0.5
In: Inked (Karen Chance)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Fae, Paranormal fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Books
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: “Can’t stop… would… kill us…”

I didn’t know what to expect from this story. It is the first time that I’ve read Galenorn and it’s the prequel to her Otherworld series. So I really had no idea what I was getting myself in for, I just knew that I liked the cover of the novels within this series, so I figured reading the prequel novella would be a good way to introduce myself to this world. And I really wasn’t disappointed.

A mixture of the fae, a seedy underworld and hunting an evil creature worked really well to create a multilayered universe with a fast-paced plot. The fact that there was an incredibly potent and powerful attraction in between and a fierce sexuality which doesn’t quite manage to steal centre show just helped to make it all the more racy. After all, adding in a sexual / romantic encounter or two only helps to raise the stakes of the chase.

I absolutely loved the ending of this novella, and I can’t wait to crack the spine of Witchling – I want to see how much of Camilla’s choices are reflected in the novel and how her sisters react to them. Actually, it’s taking a lot of self-control to not rush around and read the rest of the series right now…

<- Armor of Roses Review

Earthbound Review ->

Image source: Pinterest

Skin Deep by Karen Chance

July 21, 2018Book ReviewCassandra Palmer, Cassandra Palmer World, Dark Fantasy, Inked, Karen Chance, Paranormal Romanceskyebjenner

Title: Skin Deep
Author: Karen Chance
Series: Cassandra Palmer World #15, Cassandra Palmer #4.5
In: Inked (Karen Chance)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Books
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Right now, I need some –

Lia is a really good, fun character, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed meeting in Vegas Odds. So it was nice to revisit her in Skin Deep with an amazing new tattoo to boot. I also enjoyed the way that her relationship with Cyrus had developed further from that outlined in their previous novella.

This was quite a fast paced novella, although a lot of it went quite over my head since I have a real lack of understanding about where the world is set. Though this gave a really nice insight into how parts of it fit together. Actually, I’m kind of fascinated to see how it works with Touch the Dark, the only Cassandra Palmer novel that I have had a chance to read so far…

Skin Deep takes you deep into the underworld and the slums that have been worsened by the magical wars. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the world that we know, and the underworld that is literally below ground in Lia’s Las Vegas. The contrast in the settings was really fun in this story, and it reminded me how much I love and admire Chance’s world building and ability to position what we know alongside what we imagine so seamlessly.

<- Inked

Armor of Roses ->