Tag Archives: Paranormal Fantasy

Unappreciated Gifts by Patricia Briggs

Book Review, , , , , , ,
Overview
A Fantastic Holiday Season

Title: Unappreciated Gifts
Author: Patricia Briggs
Series: Alpha & Omega #3.5, Mercy-Verse #21
In: A Fantastic Holiday Season (Kevin J. Anderson & Keith J. Olexa)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Werewolves
Dates read: 29th January 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: World Fire Press
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: But Kelly did indeed know how to dance, and they soon progressed beyond the simpler moves into some more daring, dramatic… even melodramatic moves.

Synopsis

Some members of Adam’s pack think Asil should get out more, so they’ve challenged him to accept a series of blind dates . . .

Thoughts

I really, really like Asil. And I really, really like Christmas. So a story that features both… I’m most likely going to enjoy that. And when it is written in the drily humorous tones of Patricia Briggs… yeah. I really couldn’t put this down. I wandered around the house (and walked into a few doorways) for about ten minutes while I just completely devoured this story.

The premise of giving a “gift” of five dates for Asil was funny from the very beginning. And I was expecting it to be a series of five short almost mini stories which outlined each of his adventures. Instead, it was just about the first one. And honestly, that was enough. It was kind of hilarious, really sweet and definitely highlighted just why I love Asil so much. After all, he has this sly sense of humour and a strong sense of dignity. Both things that I love in a man (and a character).

Unappreciated Gifts is a fun little, Christmassy return to the world of Mercedes Thompson. It is a good little laugh and a nice way to fall into the world, without being dragged too deeply under.

<- Fair GameDead Heat ->

Image source: Goodreads

Redemption by Patricia Briggs

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
shifting-shadows

Title: Redemption
Author: Patricia Briggs
Series: Mercedes Thompson #7.4, Mercy-Verse #20
In: Shifting Shadows (Patricia Briggs)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Werewolves
Dates read: 29th January 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Ace Fantasy
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: “I figured out the install problem, too, thank you.

Synopsis

Ben (a major character in the Mercy Thompson series) is not good with people, particularly women, but he’s become strangely protective of a young lady in his office. This story was originally published in Shifting Shadows.

Thoughts

Ben is intriguing from his very first appearance in Moon Called. Although, not exactly all that attractive. Just… interesting. Yet, as the series progresses, he becomes a fair more enjoyable and beloved character. One that I constantly want to hear more and more about as the insanity of the storylines unfolds… so I was more than a little ecstatic when I found out that there was a short story solely based around Ben…

One of my favourite things about this short story is that it highlights the fact that dominance isn’t just about being bigger, tougher and stronger than everyone else. Rather, it is also about the willingness to protect and care for those who are weaker than you. And, since Ben is starting to grow up in this series… he is finally beginning to understand this! And understand some of his horrible past.

This might not be a truly feel good story, especially since it touches on many issues from his past, but it is a really good one. It lets you get to know a character that I completely adore. And it also allows you to gain further understanding into the structure of the wolf packs.

<- Frost BurnedHopcross Jilly ->

Image source: Patricia Briggs

Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for frost burned patricia briggs book cover

Title: Frost Burned
Author: Patricia Briggs
Series: Mercedes Thompson #7, Mercy-Verse #19
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Werewolves
Dates read: 28th – 29th January 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ace Fantasy
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: “Sweats,” Kyle whispered to me, rolling off the chair like it hurt.

Synopsis

In this #1 New York Times bestseller, author Patricia Briggs “has reached perfection”, as Mercy Thompson faces a shapeshifter’s biggest fear…

After an accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and her stepdaughter, Jesse, can’t reach Alpha werewolf Adam – or anyone else in the pack, for that matter. They’ve all been abducted.

Through their mating bond, all Mercy knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. But she fears his disappearance may be related to the political battle the werewolves have been fighting to gain acceptance from the public – and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outmatched and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely.

Thoughts

I always forget how much I love the books in the Mercedes Thompson world. Actually, I don’t quite forget… I just don’t think that they could possibly be that good. And then I open one, and I don’t know why I don’t just read these books on repeat. (Probably because I have FAR too many other books that I also want to read…. It makes decision making incredibly hard).

Frost Burned is the seventh in the Mercedes Thompson series and takes place after Mercy has finally healed from her… activities… in River Marked. It starts with one of those beautiful moments in which everything seems to be going well. And then it’s not. Which is kind of how all such books end up going. However, unlike most books I’ve read, it kind of seems like the main catastrophe and storyline is over. When the book is only halfway through. That’s when you kind of know that the shit is about to seriously hit the fan.

Ben takes a much more central role in this story than the other stories. And so does Asil. Both characters that I absolutely adore and find completely intriguing. They have intense backgrounds and aren’t what you would traditionally classify as “good”. Which is probably why I like them so much. Their presence in Mercy’s life and the fact that, in spite of all odds, she actually likes them, helps to increase the stakes of what is happening.

Unlike the other books so far in the Mercedes Thompson series, there isn’t one big storyline, per se. Rather than a very clear beginning, middle and end with only one big obstacle to overcome, there are a small handful. It means that instead of the expected highs and lows, this story is more like a rollercoaster. And because of that, all that much more difficult to put down.

<- River MarkedRedemption ->

Image source: Amazon

Hexed by Ilona Andrews, Yasmine Galenorn, Allyson James & Jeanne C. Stein

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
Hexed

Title: Hexed
Author: Ilona Andrews, Yasmine Galenorn, Allyson James & Jeanne C. Stein
In: Hexed (Ilona Andrews, Yasmine Galenorn, Allyson James & Jeanne C. Stein)
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: 6th – 23rd January 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Berkley
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: If I can.

Synopsis

‘Four bestselling names in romance and fantasy come together in this collection of thrilling novellas featuring powerful women who know how to handle a hex or two…

New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews spins “Magic Dreams.” Shapeshifting tigress Dali Harimau finds herself in deep waters when she must challenge a dark being to a battle of wits or risk losing the man for whom she secretly longs.

In “Ice Shards”, New York Times bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn returns to the Otherworld as Iris Kuusi, a Finnish house sprite, journeys to the frozen Northlands to confront the crazed shadow of her former lover and break the curse that is keeping her from marrying the man she loves.

National bestselling author Allyson james takes you to Magellan, Arizona, where Stormwalker Janet Begay and her friends are trapped by a powerful curse. It will take every bit of magic simmering beneath her skin for the Stormwalker to survive being “Double Hexed”.

From national bestselling author Jeanne C. Stein comes “Blood Debt,” in which bount-hunter-turned-vampire Anna Strong is visited by three witches who ask her to right an old magical wrong. Anna will have to live up to her last name to make it through alive.

Thoughts

I absolutely adored this collection of novellas. And was wondering why I didn’t pick this up much, much sooner. After all, it’s been sitting on my bookshelf for a few years. Although, since I now have another two series that I need to buy (I already had two), I’m beginning to think that that may have been my reason for not sinking my teeth into this series too early on.

There was a healthy addition of romance throughout these urban fantasy stories. But, mostly they featured kick ass women, curses and pasts that they were trying to overcome. All of which are some of my favourite themes and topics in any kind of story. The fact that I got to read four novellas with these themes, well, that just made me even more happy. And made this collection all the more difficult to put down so I could do something grown up and productive.

 <- Blood DebtMagic Dreams ->

Image source: Ilona Andrews

Santa’s Mortuary by Heather Graham

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
A Fantastic Holiday Season

Title: Santa’s Mortuary
Author: Heather Graham
Series: Krewe of Hunters #14.2
In: A Fantastic Holiday Season (Kevin J. Anderson & Keith J. Olexa)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: World Fire Press
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: It was amazing that their room – in the right wing of the building – could be so quiet and charming while all manner of activity went on in other parts of the house.

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Synopsis

It was amazing that their room – in the right wing of the building – could be so quiet and charming while all manner of activity went on in other parts of the house.

Thoughts

Christmas time is a time for love, family and laughter. Unless you are a slightly amorous ghost who is separated from the love of his life. Then it’s just a time of frustration and loss of love. And a potential way to ruin everyone else’s Christmas with your sense of loneliness.

Although Christmas is always toted to be a story of happiness, love and family, it is often a time of loneliness for some. I love that in a holiday story collection, there is a number of stories which feature this loneliness, including this Krewe of Hunters short story. And, I also love the fact that, like every good story, this one ends with a happy ending for all.

 <- A World Done In by Great Granny’s Grateful Pie ReviewYes, Virginia2097c, There is a Santa Claus Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for daughter of smoke and bone book cover

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Angels, Demons, Paranormal fantasy
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Little, Brown, Company
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: What do you think of me, that you think I’d just vanish like that?

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Synopsis

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious “errands”; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Thoughts

I read this in a lot of stop-start fits. It’s not that this wasn’t amazing (it was), it just wasn’t that amazingly fast-paced, grip you by the hair, drag you along kind of story. It was pleasantly paced. And that made it possible to put down and be a productive and useful member of the world. Or at least, it allowed me to do data analysis for a PhD…

Karou is everything that I wanted to be as a young teenager. An artist, free, living in a beautiful European city, and, probably most importantly, has blue hair and tattoos. I can imagine reading this as a teenager, and idolising Karou in so many ways. She would have been exactly what I wanted to be when I was sixteen-years-old. Now, ten years older, I still think that Karou is a wonderfully fun character. And one that I enjoy finding out more about as the trilogy unfolds.

The end of Daughter of Smoke and Bone was not what I expected in the slightest. It was a twist that I didn’t see coming, and one that was thrilling in its surprise. My first words when I finished this book was Oh My Freaking God! Yet, it wasn’t one of those surprises that didn’t fit into the storyline, it somehow fit perfectly. I can’t wait to find out what other surprises there are around the corner!

 <- Dreams of Gods & Monsters ReviewDays of Blood & Starlight Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel by Kim Harrison

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Holidays Are Hell

Title: Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel
Author: Kim Harrison
Series: The Hollows #5.5
In: Holidays Are Hell (Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Marjorie M. Liu & Vicki Pettersson)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Fiction
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: The cold hit me, and I held my crossed arms close now for warmth.

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Synopsis

All Rachel wants to do is join local magical enforcement. But her brother has other ideas for her. When a séance to find out their father’s wishes goes wrong, all hell is about to break loose…

Thoughts

I read this because it was in a Christmas collection and I really wanted to get into the Christmas spirit. Yet, I’m still completely unaware as to what this has to do with Christmas. Other than the fact that all of the action takes place on the solstice.

Regardless of the fact that I specifically wanted a Christmas story, and didn’t get one… I thoroughly enjoyed this novella. And can’t wait to discover more of The Hollows series. Rachel is an independent and strong woman. But in a way that is completely different to every other strong woman I’ve read about. Normally they are physically able, and can kick box and karate or whatever form of self defence… but Rachel is actually incredibly physically weak. Yet, this is what lends her so much strength and power. And makes you root for her as she rushes around the city, after a ghost, trying to find a missing girl and a creepy, demented vampire.

 <- Holidays Are HellRun, Run, Rudolph ->
Image source: Harper Collins Publishers

Naughty & Nice by Kevin J. Anderson

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
Image result for naughty and nice kevin j. anderson book cover

Title: Naughty & Nice
Author: Kevin J. Anderson
Series: Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. #3.5
In: A Fantastic Holiday Season (Kevin J. Anderson & Keith J. Olexa)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Comedy, Cops, Paranormal fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: World Fire Press
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: In order to brainstorm, I invited Sheyenne to lunch.

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Synopsis

Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. finds himself tackling a bizarre Christmas case when Santa Claus himself becomes a client, hiring Dan to recover some very precious stolen North Pole property. If you like werewolves, vampires, evil elves, zombies, as well as a lot of belly laughs, curl up with this story and some eggnog.

Thoughts

I’m struggling to get into the Christmas spirit this year. So I thought that I would try and read some Christmas themed stories to get the festive feelings going… and it’s kind of working, but mostly it’s giving me that nice,happy, buzzy feeling that a good story gives me. And this was an amazing story to start the collection off with. It was funny, sassy and reminded me of the joy that Christmas time used to bring as a child (and I’m not talking about the presents).

For me, Christmas has always been about the joys of family,friends and community. Although, as with any other kid, I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed present receiving (and giving), it’s been about the people that I’m around. So it’s always been a little annoying to be thrust into a world full of the commercialisation of Christmas. And how many people have bitched about that? Luckily, Anderson feels the same – this story is all about how bad the commercialisation really is. The comedic and entertaining way in which this was done worked nicely.

This story by itself would have made me quite happy and entertained.But the fact that a zombie was the P.I. and his poltergeist girlfriend helped him out… that just made everything ten times better. It introduced a level of dark and urban fantasy to a Christmas tale that worked incredibly well for my happily crazy and convoluted brain.

 <- A Fantastic Holiday Season ReviewClose Knit Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

My Soul to LoseTitle: My Soul to Lose
Author: Rachel Vincent
Series: Soul Screamers #0.5
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Banshees, Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: And it’s not really a lie.

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Synopsis

It was supposed to be a fun day, shopping at the mall with her best friend. Then the panic attack started and Kaylee Cavanaugh finds herself screaming, unable to stop. Her secret fears are exposed and it’s the worst day of her life.

Until she wakes up in the psychiatric unit.

She tries to convince everyone she’s fine–despite the shadows she sees forming around another patient and the urge to scream which comes burbling up again and again. Everyone thinks she’s crazy. Everyone except Lydia, that is. Another patient with some special abilities….

Thoughts

Oh my god. Now I have to wait until the first novel in this series arrives. Which will probably be in about two weeks from this point… which is a long time when you have found a new series to obsess over. This was just such a great introduction. And I haven’t ever had any book or series on my shelf that features a banshee. And since they are so awesome in folklore, I’m not entirely sure why this is…

I always enjoy reading about creatures and characters from folklore in our modern day settings. But, as previously mentioned, this is my first banshee tale. And it worked amazingly. Imagine screaming whenever someone near you is going to die… now imagine being a teenager. In and of itself each of these things can be incredibly difficult. But combined? Wow. And this was only an incredibly short novella that helped to introduce Kaylee. I can’t imagine what the rest of the series is going to be like!

Half of this story involves Kaylee being incarcerated in a psych ward. And it is as truly horrible as I imagine it to be. Kaylee’s experiences and emotions tore at my heartstrings and pulled me incredibly far into this story. And now I need to wait for my copy of My Soul to Take to see what the aftermath of her incarceration will be…I honestly don’t know if I have the patience.

 <- Last Request Review My Soul to Take Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Play Dead by Dina James

Book Review, , ,

Overview

The Mammoth Book of Vampire RomanceTitle: Play Dead
Author: Dina James
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Vampires
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: Isn’t he an enemy of yours?

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Synopsis

Nik thinks that he’s found the woman of his dreams, but will his vampire brethren stop him from being with his soul mate?

Thoughts

I both liked and got bored with this short story. It was kind of interesting and fun. And I really liked the idea of one of the soulless damned (a vampire) finding his soul mate. There was a great little twist of irony in this and it was kind of sweet that even a soulless blood sucker could have that whole perfect fit, love at first sight experience.

The execution on the other hand just didn’t quite draw me in as far as I had hoped. I don’t know if that was because I just wasn’t interested in reading a vampire romance short story at the time or the style of writing. But, regardless, I actually skim read most of this story which is always a sure indication that I’m interested enough to finish it, but not interested enough to actually read everything word for word and truly absorb it. A weird little paradox that one…

 <- Dancing with the Star Review In Which a Masquerade Ball Unmasks an Undead Review ->
Image source: Goodreads