Tag Archives: Night Shift

Lucky Charms by Lisa Shearin

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
night-shift

Title: Lucky Charms
Author: Lisa Shearin
Series: SPI Files #0.5
In: Night Shift (Nalini Singh)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Paranormal fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: “So there’s no way around my being involved.”

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

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“.

Thoughts

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.

<- Magic StealsThe Grendel Affair ->

Image source: Audiobooks

Advertisement

Secrets at Midnight by Nalini Singh

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

night-shift

Title: Secrets at Midnight
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #12.5, Psy-Changeling Season One #12.5
In: Night Shift (Nalini Singh)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: How could she do anything but adore him?

Synopsis

Bastien Smith is frustrated. A changeling male should be able to track his mate anywhere—through fire and hail, snow and rain. But he keeps finding and losing her scent in the city streets, ever since he first became aware of it two weeks earlier, when the elusive fragrance awakened the leopard within him…

Then Bastien is suddenly confronted with his prey. Kirby is an all-too-human woman who wants Bastien just as much as he wants her. But he can’t deny what his body and senses are telling him: there is a raging chaos inside of Kirby that he doesn’t understand, secrets that whisper awake at midnight and cause her terrible pain. If they’re to have any chance of forever, then he must solve the mystery that is Kirby…

Thoughts

Like a lot of people who believe in true love, I enjoy a nice, sweet paranormal romance. Especially when it’s a short story about falling in love, finding your family and getting your own kind of happy ending. And if it’s characters that have a difficult past and have always struggled to fit in with the rest of the world. Not only is it a reminder of the fact that we can all find our place in the world, but it gives me hope that in spite of your scars, you will find someone that accepts all of them. Kirby is one such heroine – she is terrified of intimacy and struggles to trust, but has a sweet heart and kind demeanour that makes you want to give her a huge hug and bring her into your own family.

Bastien, although a little too overboard and possessive for my tastes, works away at all of these insecurities and shows what true love and support is all about. Singh brilliantly intertwines the lives of these two characters to tell a sweet little tale about finding one’s place in life and embracing happiness when it is thrown at you.

<- Flirtation of FateShield of Winter ->

Image source: Audiobooks

The Beast of Blackmoor Bog by Milla Vane

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

night-shift

Title: The Beast of Blackmoor Bog
Author: Milla Vane
In: Night Shift (Nalini Singh)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Medieval fantasy, Romance
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: He stared into the fire, his broad chest rising on a series of deep breath.

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

Synopsis

A warrior princess must tame The Beast of Blackmoor to earn a place among her people. But she quickly discovers that the beast isn’t a monster, but a barbarian warrior who intends to do some taming himself.

Thoughts

This short story was a constant surprise for me – the tale never took me where I expected, which is always such a pleasant surprise when reading a new story and author. The twists and turns that The Beast of Blackmoor Bog took me on in such a short story were thrillingly enjoyable and I am now busy hunting for more writing by Vane.

This story had a really old school, medieval feel to it – I couldn’t help but think of Conan the Barbarian while I read it, and it was a really nice change from the majority of stories that I seem to be sinking my teeth into at the moment. The battle field and the setting in which this story takes place is all too easy to see and compare to the landscape of pre-Christian Europe. A locale full of potential when writing and reading a new story.

Vane excellently flicked between the POVs of the two main characters – it was subtly done, but all the more insightful for it. This change between third person POV allows the reader to gain understanding of both of the characters’ motivations and drivers, their hopes and fears throughout the tale. But, due to Vane’s incredible talent, it was done without interrupting the flow of the story.

<- Lucky Charms Review Night Shift Review ->
Image source: Audiobooks

Night Shift by Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Lisa Shearin & Milla Vane

Book Review, , , , , , ,

Overview

night-shift

Title: Night Shift
Author: Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Lisa Shearin, Milla Vane
In: Night Shift (Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Lisa Shearin & Milla Vane)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Paranormal romance, Short story collections
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Berkley
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: How could she do anything but adore him?

Synopsis

Four masters of urban fantasy and paranormal romance plunge readers into the dangerous, captivating world unearthed beyond the dark…

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh delivers a smoldering story with Secrets at Midnight , as the scent of Bastien Smith’s elusive lover ignites a possessiveness in him that’s as feral as it is ecstatic. And now that he’s found his mate, he’ll do anything to keep her.

In #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews’ novella, Magic Steals , when people start going missing, shapeshifting tigress Dali Harimau and jaguar shifter Jim Shrapshire must uncover the truth about the mysterious creatures responsible.

From Milla Vane—a warrior princess must tame The Beast of Blackmoor to earn a place among her people. But she quickly discovers that the beast isn’t a monster, but a barbarian warrior who intends to do some taming himself.

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.

Thoughts

I loved, loved, loved this enthralling collection of four short stories. The underlying theme of paranormal romance provided a darker side to some great stories, but also a sense of joy and hope in each journey.

Each and every tale within this book left me smiling and wanting more – so much so that I went and bought a book by each of the authors immediately after I put the book down.

Using our inner desires and our animalistic nature in such a fascinating way was a task that was pursued differently by each author, but helped to tie the four stories together. If you liked one, you’d probably (definitely) like all four.

<- The Beast of Blackmoor BogSecrets at Midnight ->

Image source: Audiobooks

Magic Steals by Ilona Andrews

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview

magic-steals

Title: Magic Steals
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Kate Daniels #6.5
In: Night Shift (Nalini Singh)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dystopia, Paranormal fantasy, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: Don’t you faint.

Synopsis

Shapeshifting tigress Dali Harimau may be a powerful healer and magic user, but she’s far from what might be called “normal”. She dislikes the violence and bloodshed that are a way of life for most of her kind, even going so far as to become a vegetarian. The last thing she wants is trouble…

Jim Shrapshire is an original, hardcore badass. A jaguar shifter, he’s been tasked with keeping Atlanta’s Cat Clan in line, which he does with swift and lethal force when necessary. His only soft spot is for the petite Dali, whose kindness he calls upon when he is injured.

When Dali is approached by a desperate woman whose grandmother has vanished, Jim is concerned enough to help investigate. But what they find may just be the end of them—an enemy whose skill in the dark arts is matched only by their willingness to kill anyone in their way…

Thoughts

Revisiting Dali and Jim is always a pleasure, and this novella was no different. Dali and Jim’s relationship is so much more subtle than the other relationships in the Kate Daniels series, but no more passionate. Dali’s strikingly different attitude and outlook on life is so refreshing, and I am really hoping that more of her stories will be told as the series continues.

Dali’s tales explore a different aspect of magic, shapeshifter life and mythology than the other books. Dali’s position as a purveyor of good within the East Asian (specifically Indonesian) community is further explored. This is so different from the usual positioning of the shapeshifters within this dystopian society, and I love the juxtaposition between Dali’s two identities. And the way that she eventually realises that she can use both aspects of her life in her partnership and leadership with Jim.

<- Magic RisesMagic Breaks ->

Image source: Ilona Andrews