Sookie Stackhouse brings enough birthday cupcakes for her nephew’s entire class but finds she’s one short when the angry ex-boyfriend of the school secretary shows up.
I both thoroughly enjoyed this story and felt kind of
concerned by it. This is the first short story in a collection of short stories
based on our experiences in school. And it has a shooter entering the school
grounds. Granted, this was written and published quite a few years ago and may
not have been such a hot issue… but considering the constant gunning down of
children happening in America at the moment… it was more than a little
concerning that the story starts with a tale about a gunman.
I’ve only briefly dabbled into the world of Sookie Stackhouse, but every time I read one of the short stories based in this world, I really want to pick up another one. It’s not great for my self-control when I have two unread Sookie Stackhouse books sitting on my bookshelf just waiting to go… especially since I’ve been told again and again that the stories get better as they unfold, and short stories like Playing Possum really support this idea.
Although this was a tale that I thoroughly enjoyed in the
moment, I still find it incredibly problematic. A crazy man taking a gun into a
kindergarten in revenge of a woman… it’s a strong comment on our society today
that that is so normalised that a short story can be written about it. After
all, if this was far fetched, it wouldn’t work in this series…
Bones, faces New Orleans ghouls who eat victims alive – horror.
I really enjoyed this introduction to Bones. This story hints that he’s going to be a great male lead for the Night Huntress series. Or at least, one that is going to make me happy. He has a strong moral compass, is incredibly tough and has a slightly rebellious streak. All things which I love in any literary character… the fact that it’s wrapped up in a good-looking package with an English accent just makes it all the better…
I’ve read a lot of stories set in America. It’s a bit like
all forms of entertainment media, America seems to be the centre for a lot of
this. This is the first story I’ve read set in New Orleans though. And I’m
really hoping that the rest of the series is set here too. There is such a fun
and different flavour to this town. It is so unlike any other American setting
which I’ve read. Actually, it’s honestly the only place in the US that I’m
really interested in visiting…
The name Reckoning made this seem like it was going to be about revenge, or somebody turning, or the end of the world as we know it. It was a little bit about revenge, but mostly it was about hunting down the crazies. And the moral arguments that Bones has to make with himself while he does so. Becca is used to find the villains, but at what cost? Does the sacrifice of one person’s safety mean the survival of so many more? Is it a fair trade off?
He has the best of the world – looks, intelligence and a great big estate. Yet, something seems to be constantly lacking from his life. That is, until his feline companion becomes something much more thanks to the dark gift of a goddess.
This short story was quite uncomfortable to say the least. It
was a really interesting tale. Certainly, one that I enjoyed reading… but not
one that I felt… comfortable about at the end. After all, the romance is between
a man and his cat-turned-woman. And although it could have been considered a
love story, I just couldn’t get the idea that the woman in the story started
out as a cat.
The first story in any anthology tends to set the tone for
the rest of the collection. Even if it is of a different theme or tone than
many of the other stories in the book. So, I found it quite interesting that this
series started with passions that weren’t quite natural. A story about being
spurned by the people you are surrounding yourself with and accepted by those
that have always been there.
This story was also about respect. The protagonist willingly
takes Simew into his life, bed and home. Knowing exactly who and what she was,
he still chose to marry her and keep her by his side. Yet, when she didn’t
perform exactly as he wished (catching a mouse in your mouth will probably make
most people a little upset), he starts to pull away from her. Which is a great
reminder of how we should treat the people we love – even if they aren’t quite
able to fit into the perfect world view that we have of our lives.
Title: Midnight Thief Author: Livia Blackburne Series: Midnight Thief #1 Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Assassins, Medieval fantasy, Paranormal fantasy Dates read: 5th April 2019 Pace: Fast Format: Novel Publisher: Hyperion Year: 2014 5th sentence, 74th page: Kyra grabbed the longer shreddings from the table as they fell.
Growing up on Forge’s streets has taught Kyra how to stretch a coin. And when that’s not enough, her uncanny ability to scale walls and bypass guards helps her take what she needs.
But when the leader of the Assassins Guild offers Kyra a lucrative job, she hesitates. She knows how to get by on her own, and she’s not sure she wants to play by his rules. But he is persistent – and darkly attractive – and Kyra can’t quite resist his pull.
Tristam of Brancel is a young Palace knight on a mission. After his best friend is brutally murdered by the Demon Riders, a clan of vicious warriors who ride bloodthirsty wildcats, Tristam vows to take them down. But as his investigation deepends, he finds his efforts thwarted by a talented thief, one who sneaks past Palace defenses with remarkable ease.
When a fateful raid throws Kyra and Tristam together, the two enemies realize that their best chance at survival – and vengeance – might be to join forces. And as their loyalties are tested to the breaking point, they learn a startling secret about Kyra’s past that threatens to reshape both their lives. 88 In her arresting debut novel, Livia Blackburne creates a captivating world where intrigue prowls around every corner – and danger is a way of life.
This was one of the books that I just happened to pick up in
the Black Friday sales. It was an impulse buy that I am so not regretting! This
was such an amazing story. I loved the mix of medieval setting, assassins
running riot and a slightly paranormal twist that wasn’t quite what I expected.
Kyra was also one of my favourite young female heroines in a while… she had
spunk, independence and a lot of gumption.
Midnight Thiefcombined some of my favourite themes and subgenres in a way that I just wasn’t used to. From assassins to medieval fantasy with a mix of paranormal fantasy, it all worked seamlessly. And this is the first time that I’ve ever seen this unique combination. I also loved the cat aspect that was intertwined throughout the story. Not only Kyra’s unique talents and inclinations, but also the Demon Riders that are constantly showing up. I might not want a pet cat, but I do love any stories that feature them, especially the big cats which are such successful predators.
There was a hint of romance throughout this story that just made
you want Kyra to have a happily ever after… but, it wasn’t so overwhelming that
you felt a bit gaggy over it. And, of the three men who take centre stage at
one point or another, you’re not quite sure what her feelings towards them are.
Or what theirs are towards her. It was really nice to read a book aimed at a
young adult population that wasn’t gushy romance all the way through. But,
there’s enough that you can’t wait to see not only what happens to Kyra next as
people begin to unravel her past, but also how her personal relationships are
going to end up…
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: 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: 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?
Title: Dead End Dating Author: Kimberly Raye Series: Dead End Dating #1 Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Paranormal fantasy, Paranormal romance, Vampires Dates read: 23rd October 2018 – 18th March 2019 Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Ballantine Books Year: 2006 5th sentence, 74th page: Not yet.
BITING IS SO LAST SEASON.
A vivacious vampire with a flair for accessorizing, Lil Marchette is unlike most of her kind. She prefers lively shades of pink to dismal black (soo not her color), plus she’s a hopeless romantic. In need of a steady paycheck to support a compulsive cosmetics habit, Lil starts Dead End Dating (DED), a Manhattan-based matchmaking service that helps smart, sophisticated singles like herself find eternity mates–and may even help her stake a claim to her very own Count Right!
When Lil meets geeky vampire Francis Deville, she knows he’s the perfect first client. If she can hook up Francis–after a little revamping, of course–she will prove her skills to the vampire community and turn DED into the hottest dating service in the Big Apple. But just as her business takes off, Lil meets the (literally) drop-dead gorgeous bounty hunter Ty Bonner, who is hot on the chase of a serial killer. Instantly drawn to the luscious vamp stud, Lil really wants a taste. But as a made vampire, Ty can’t procreate–and Lil will settle for nothing less. Luckily, between “vampifying” Francis and helping Ty solve his murder mystery, Lil has no time for silly romantic entanglements . . . even if Ty is all that and a Bloody Mary chaser!
It took me forever to read this book. And not because I
didn’t absolutely adore it, but because my version was an ebook (I went online
last night and rectified that mistake…).
Most vampire stories are kind of dark in some way, shape or
form. Whether it’s the blood drinking, but skulking around at night or the
(sometimes) ability to turn into bats, there is always an element of darkness
to the tale. Not so with this vampire story. It was kind of funny and witty. It
threw expectations to the wind and created a whole new form of vampire. Alright,
Lil would drive me absolutely nuts, and I’d probably bond better with the dark
and twisty vampires better… but this was far more enjoyable to read about.
This was one of those thoroughly enjoyable easy reads. There was a bit of a mystery throughout (who the evil kidnapper would be), a bit of romance and a lot of indecision. But, what I loved the most was the humour in the narrator’s voice. At every turn, fun was poked at common perceptions of vampires and vampirism, providing a far lighter fantasy journey that I have previously read. And now I can’t wait to see where Lil’s shopping problem and penchant for believing in true love will take her in Dead and Dateless.
To save her brother, Isabella is about to reluctantly walk down the aisle with Mr. Dangerously Wrong.. unless Chance, a dashing vampire, can derail this wedding of the beauty to the beast.
My best friend is getting married this year. And I’m so
happy for her, but I’m kind of loving a collection of novellas with the theme “weddings
from hell”. I hope none of her big day ends up like that… but it’s still kind
of fun / funny to read these paranormal romance stories. Especially one in
which the bride doesn’t want to be married and gets her own beautiful revenge
for being forced into such a situation…
Isa is exactly the kind of heroine that I tend to love – independent,
strong, kind of protective and with just the right amount of sass. Which really
comes through in the end of the story (in case you can’t tell, I love how this
story ended). Isa is able to stay in control of who she is, even when placed in
a situation that I would find incredibly and intensely horrifying.
I might have loved Isa, but I love her grandmother far more.
She is ten times sassy, far more pithy and had me laughing out loud. Especially
when she constantly shocks her poor granddaughter with her saucy-ness. There is
just something great about having such a spicy old woman in a storyline that is
about a romance between a vampire and human.
Harry finally has a day off, and he plans to spend it showing a beautiful woman a good time. However, friends, apprentices and young morons keep getting in the way of his best laid plans.
I haven’t picked up anything in The Dresden Filesfor a while. Mostly because I’ve just been distracted by the multitude of amazing books that are out there. And reading this short story reminded me of just why I love this series so much. It’s funny. It’s quirky. And it always abides by Murphy’s Law – anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
I love how Butcher can take such a small thing as a day off and twist and turn it until all hell is breaking lose. Not just one moment of oh crap, or even one thing going wrong. It is a calamity of things going wrong. There’s the apprentice. The friends. And some weird wannabe rival kids. Anhy one of which would make an entertaining short story. But when you put all three together? I was laughing out loud… luckily there was no one else in the house at the time.
Earth and Skye 