Tag Archives: Paranormal Romance

Angels’ Judgment by Nalini Singh

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
Angels' Judgment

Title: Angels’ Judgment
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Guild Hunter #0.5
In: Angels’ Flight (Nalini Singh) & Must Love Hellhounds (Charlaine Harris)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Angels, Paranormal romance, Vampires
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: “Lucy’s pregnant.”

Synopsis

In Angels’ Judgment a hunter must rack one of her own gone bad, while surviving the deadly tests placed in her way by the archangels themselves. Unexpected backup comes from a stranger who might just be the most lethal threat of all…

Thoughts

I love Sara. She is the perfect mix of tough, independent and savvy. The fact that she is due to lead a group of hunters who are just as tough, independent, and probably scary, kind of makes her a perfect lead. I love that although she starts off entirely naïve to the potential danger of her new leadership-situation, she quickly grasps the gravity of the situation and comes out swinging.

Although Sara’s independence and strength are probably my favourite things about this novella, I also love her male counterpart. Part of that might just be because I love the fact that he is called the Slayer. Which, when you have a series based on vampires and vampire hunters, can you really get a better name? The shadow man of the Guild might not seem like the perfect partner for their future leader, but somehow, in the midst of finding a murder and foiling attempts at Sara’s dethronement, they work in perfectly.

Having mentioned all of that, this novella didn’t actually have the end that I was expecting…. Which worked out beautifully for me. And left me with that great, bubbly feeling that all good stories do.

<- Angels’ DanceAngels’ Pawn ->

Image source: Booktopia

Angels’ Dance by Nalini Singh

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Angels' Dance

Title: Angels’ Dance
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Guild Hunter #0.4
In: Angels’ Flight (Nalini Singh)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Angels, Paranormal romance, Vampires
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: But if there is need, Raphael requests you allow him to fly you, too.

Synopsis

In Angels’ Dance an angel trapped in the mountain stronghold of the Refuge finds herself under siege by a warrior angel from a martial court.

Thoughts

This was my introduction to the Guild Hunter series. Since I was already familiar with some of Singh’s work, I knew that her short stories and novellas always help to add to an overarching series. Thus, I began with the story that starts 400 years before the rest of the series. And, it wasn’t in anyway a mistake – I am now completely hooked into this new adventure, and just waiting on the next book to arrive…

Jessamy and Galen are the exact definitions of opposites attracting. Jessamy is seen to be an invalid, unable to leave the home of angels, and although respected, often overlooked for her injuries. Galen on the other hand is never overlooked. He is large, aggressive, and not prone to thinking about his actions and those of others in depth. Or at least, that is how they both appear on the surface. As I have discovered with Singh’s writing, nothing is as it seems and the journey to romance that is often the key thread is littered with small discoveries of a character’s history.

Although my love of this story stems primarily from the joys of a well written love story, I found this new world fascinating. Angels and archangels help to create a tale that just helps to raise the stakes as I discovered the new rules for a brand new series…

<- Angels’ FlightAngels’ Judgment ->

Image source: Goodreads

Dangerously Divine by Deborah Blake

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

Dangerously DivineTitle: Dangerously Divine
Author: Deborah Blake
Series: Broken Riders #2, Baba Yaga World #5
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fae, Mythology, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: Even from halfway across the room, she could tell that something wasn’t right.

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

Synopsis

The Riders: Three immortal brothers who kept the Baba Yagas safe, now stripped of their summons to protect. But fate is not finished with them – and their new callings are even more powerful…

Though his physical wounds have healed, Gregori Sun, the eldest of the Riders, reamins in spiritual turmoil. His search for his mother, the one person able to heal his soul and save his life, is failing – until he crosses paths with a beautiful and fascinating librarian who might be the key to his salvation…

Ciera Evans’s bookish ways are just a guise. The product of a difficult past, she has dedicated her life to saving lost teens – by any means necessary. She works alone, but when a dark, brooding stranger proposes they team up to solve both their problems, she is tempted – in more ways than one…

After Ciera and Sun’s plans are derailed by dangerous enemies, they find themselves entangled in an ungodly affair – one that will force them to find new strength together, or be forever haunted by their pasts alone.

Thoughts

I read this story in a day. Which is always a good indication that it was amazing and I loved it. Alright, I’ve basically done this with each of the stories set in the Baba Yaga universe, but there was something about Dangerously Divine that I especially loved. Maybe it was the fact that although there was still the aspect of the Otherworld throughout, it didn’t have as large a place in the storyline. Something a little different to the other tales in this series. There were no journeys into the Otherworld, and, although there are gods and goddesses throughout, the fact that the entire story is based in one city with some very mortal enemies was a great change of pace.

After meeting Gregori a little better in Dangerously Charming, it was hard to imagine what kind of woman he would end up with. Honestly, I had kind of imagined somebody who was immensely spiritual, and maybe a little bit of a hippy. Ciera is nothing like that. And her tragic past just make her all the more engaging as a heroine. I’ve loved every one of the women and characters throughout the Baba Yaga series, but the fact the Ciera was from such a troubled past, and battled her own inner demons as much as Sun does kind of made me lover her the most.

Ciera and Gregori’s battles collide in this great book, and, ultimately deal with a serious issue in our culture. Drugs, homelessness and violence collide with freak snow storms, mystical healing abilities and a sense of justice that prevails above all else. This intense collision is one that is going to stick with me for a long time. It was everything that I want in a good paranormal romance.

 <- Dangerously Charming Review Dangerously Fierce Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Dangerously Charming by Deborah Blake

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

Dangerously CharmingTitle: Dangerously Charming
Author: Deborah Blake
Series: Broken Riders #1, Baba Yaga World #4
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fae, Mythology, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2016
5th sentence, 74th page: He leaned down to pocket the ball.

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

Synopsis

The Riders are three immortal brothers who protect the mythical Baba Yagas. But their time serving the witches has ended – and their new destinies are just beginning…

Ever since a near-fatal mistake stripped Mikhail Day and his brothers of their calling to be Riders, Day has hidden from his shame and his new, mortal life in a remote cabin in the Adirondack Mountains. But when a desperate young woman appears on his doorstep, he cannot resist helping her – and cannot deny how strongly he’s drawn to her…

For generations, women in Jenna Quinlan’s fmaily have been cursed to give up their first born child to the vengeful faery Zilya. When Jenna finds herself unexpectedly pregnant, she is determined to break her family’s curse and keep her baby, even if it means teaming up with a mysterious and charismatic man with demons of his own…

To unravel the curse, Jenna and Day will have to travel deep into the Otherworld. But the biggest challenge of the journey might not be solving an ancient puzzle but learning to heal their own broken hearts…

Thoughts

I liked that the point of view was switched a little in this story. The Baba Yaga stories had a strong female lead who travelled around (and then eventually found their loved one). I loved this fact, but after three novels, a change was certainly needed. Dangerously Charming provided this, but kept me in the world that I have fallen madly in love with.

Following the first of the (now mortal) Riders, Dangerously Charming still has a strong female lead. It still has all of the paranormal and mythological aspects that I have fallen for. But, it has a differently damaged lead – a now mortal immortal. It also took someone who was damaged and trying to find a new way in life and helped them to find the way. Yes, this is still a paranormal romance. And it is still predictable that the main characters are going to fall for one another. But really, I don’t mind that kind of predictability. The ways in which they fall, and how they beat the baddy (in this case, a not-so-big, bad faery) are just murky enough that it is impossible to put the book down.

I liked Jenna’s spunk and vulnerability. Pregnancy makes most women emotional (or so I’m told), but somehow she manages to combine this with a strength and gumption that is completely unique. The Baba Yagas are supposed to be strong. And, quite frankly, are expected to be more than a little kick ass, but that’s not expected of a pregnant mortal. Yet, Blake takes these differences and gives Jenna a strength and independence all of her own. One that was actually all the more relatable for the increased vulnerability.

 <- Wickedly Spirited Review Dangerously Divine Review ->
Image source: Penguin Books Australia

Wickedly Spirited by Deborah Blake

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

Wickedly SpiritedTitle: Wickedly Spirited
Author: Deborah Blake
Series: Baba Yaga #3.5, Baba Yaga World #4.5
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Mythology, Paranormal romance, Witches
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: InterMix
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: What if she wasn’t as powerful as they all said?

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

Jazz, the powerfully magical teen first introduced in Wickedly Powerful, is now being trained as a Baba Yaga—and she’s determined to free the Broken Riders herself.

Jazz had a rough life before meeting her guardian, and she knows she’s lucky that Bella is training her to be a Baba Yaga. But the gifted young witch is frustrated by the slow pace of her lessons. Jazz knows she’s capable of even greater magic, and she wants nothing more than to find a spell that will give the Riders back the immortality they lost.

With the reluctant assistance of Bella’s dragon-turned-cat Koshka, Jazz travels to the Otherworld to get the necessary ingredients to perform the spell. A willful young witch, dangerous magic, and one powerful wish—what could possibly go wrong?

Thoughts

Jazz was a fun introduction in Wickedly Powerful. She’s sassy, powerful and full of energy. The fact that there is a novella available that features her was kind of a welcome surprise. Although, it really wasn’t what I expected, and sadly, I read it before Dangerously Charming, which was kind of a mistake – after all, the acts in this take place after Mikhail Day’s story and it kind of had some spoilers.

Teenagers never do what they’re told – or at least, I know that I rarely did. If I was given an order, I needed to understand why, otherwise I’d merely take it as a suggestion. Which is kind of like Jazz. She is told not to play with higher powers again and again. But, because she doesn’t understand why Bella says these things, she’s a little more fluid in her adherence to the rulings. Which is why you can see that she’s going to get into trouble from a mile off. The trouble that she finds herself in is completely unexpected though. Actually, I was quite taken back by the results of her rebellion and I can’t wait to see how this factors into the greater series…

 <- Wickedly Powerful Review Dangerously Charming Review ->
Image source: Penguin Random House

Touch the Dark by Karen Chance

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Touch the Dark

Title: Touch the Dark
Author: Karen Chance
Series: Cassandra Palmer #1, Cassandra Palmer World #3
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Roc Fantasy
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: Staring at me from the mirror was Louis-Cesar’s face, white with shock.

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

Synopsis

Cassandra Palmer can see the future and communicate with spirits – talents that make her attractive to the dead and the undead. The ghosts of the dead aren’t usually dangerous; they just like to talk… a lot.

The undead are another matter.

Like any sensible girl, Cassie tries to avoid vampires. But when the bloodsucking mafioso she escaped three years ago finds Cassie again with vengeance on his mind, she’s forced to turn to the vampire Senate for protection.

The undead senators won’t help her for nothing, and Cassie finds herself working with one of their most powerful members, a dangerously seductive master vampire – and the price he demands may be more than Cassie is willing to pay…

Thoughts

It’s been years since I last picked up this novel – back when I first read it, I thought it was a standalone story with an off-kilter ending. Now that I’ve found out it’s just the beginning of a series, I thought that I’d pick it up again. See if it was as good as I remember and help me to become reintroduced to the world of Cassandra Palmer. And, if anything, I think that this was a little better than last time. Maybe because I’ve grown older, or maybe I just was in a more appreciative headspace… regardless of the reasoning, I loved this novel and am now keenly waiting for Claimed by Shadow to arrive.

One of the things that I loved about this storyline is the way that Chance approached virginity. I’ve found that very few of my favourite storylines have a virgin as the main character. And, the few stories when there are key characters who are also virgins, this takes up a lot of their characterisation. Most stories I read don’t focus on somebody’s sex life to define them, so it always annoys me when there is a focus on the inexperience levels as well. It puts too much emphasis on the idea that we should be or shouldn’t be… or whichever way, too much pressure. Chance doesn’t do this though. It’s just an aspect of Cassie’s existence, and although it is an important plot driver and point, it doesn’t create the character.

Ever since the Twilight fiasco, I’ve been a little hesitant to pick up any books that directly mention vampires. I’m sorry, but vampires shouldn’t be considered a romantic, sexy creature that you can have a happily ever after with. Their entire mythos is built around the fact that they are supposed to be predators… I know that their overwhelming presence in this story was something that made me pick it up, put it down, and so on for months. But, I was pleasantly surprised – yes, there is a sexual factor about the vampires, and Cassie spends a lot of time with them and lusting for them. BUT, there is no moment in which they are not considered as, and treated like, predators! Which really, is all I want out of a good vampire character…

<- The Queen’s WitchClaimed by Shadow ->

Image source: Wikipedia

The Queen’s Witch by Karen Chance

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
The Queen's Witch

Title: The Queen’s Witch
Author: Karen Chance
Series: Cassandra Palmer #0.6, Cassandra Palmer World #2
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Karen Chance Online
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: But Trevelyan seemed pleased.

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

Synopsis

“The Queen’s Witch” is a short story connected to the New York Times bestselling Cassandra Palmer and Dorina Basarab series of urban fantasy novels. It features Kit Marlowe in a supernatural thriller set in Elizabethan England.

It’s a companion novel to The Gauntlet.

Thoughts

I loved the setting location for The Queen’s Witch. Following on Gillian and Kit from The Gauntlet, they travel through Victorian England and try to find a way to save the queen. The semi-historical setting gave the story a unique feeling from the main Cassandra Palmer series, and (I’m assuming) context for the later storylines within the series.

Having said that, I’m not actually sure where this miniseries fit into the storyline, but it feels like there is a lot of context here that is going to become useful later. The idea of coven witches and circle witches is fascinating, and the constant war that they are at is a constantly recurring battle. That of the old system vs. the new – modern vs. natural.

Kit Marlowe and Gillian have a tensely sexual relationship, and I like the way that they play off of one another throughout the story. Although this isn’t resolved at the conclusion of the story, it added a nice layer throughout the storyline.

 <- The GauntletTouch the Dark ->

Image source: Goodreads

One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
One Fell Sweep

Title: One Fell Sweep
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: The Innkeeper Chronicles #3
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Paranormal fantasy, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ilona Andrews
Year: 2016
5th sentence, 74th page: “You know what, Jim, we are some distance away,” a male voice said through the mild static.

Synopsis

Dina DeMille may run the nicest Bed and Breakfast in Red Deer, Texas, but she caters to a very particular kind of guest… the kind that no one on Earth is supposed to know about. Guests like a former intergalactic tyrant with an impressive bounty on her head, the Lord Marshal of a powerful vampire clan, and a displaced-and-superhot werewolf; so don’t stand too close, or you may be collateral damage.

But what passes for Dina’s normal life is about to be thrown into chaos. First, she must rescue her long-distant older sister, Maud, who’s been exiled with her family to a planet that functions as the most lawless penal colony since Botany Bay. Then she agrees to help a guest whose last chance at saving his civilization could bring death and disaster to all Dina holds dear. Now Gertrude Hunt is under siege by a clan of assassins. To keep her guests safe and to find her missing parents, Dina will risk everything, even if she has to pay the ultimate price. Though Sean may have something to say about that!

Thoughts

This series just keeps on getting better and better. The expansion of Dina’s world and the ways in which she is constantly challenged help to open up a greater world that I can’t help but sink my teeth into. Again, this only took me a day to read and, although the writing style helps to give fluent breaks and pauses throughout the story, I still found it impossible to put down.

Following Sweep in Peace, Dina finds Sean returned to her in slightly damaged condition, but it is obvious that there is some true romance going on. Yet, instead of focusing on the joys of a blossoming new relationship, she is forced to travel to the Australia of the cosmos (yes, I went there), and find her sister. What she finds is nothing like she expects – a hardcore, assassin woman who has literally survived hell on earth. The fact that Dina’s cute (and a little unhinged) five-year-old niece is thrown into the mix makes it one hell of a family outing. That, and Arland’s able to make a new appearance with some very interesting consequences…

Although Dina starts this story with a bit of inter-planetary travel, it’s mostly about her ability to keep the victims of a holocaust alive. The Hiru come seeking help and asylum in her inn, and this leads to a race of Nazi-like aliens knocking on her door. Dina and the inn are able to survive almost anything, but with the challenges that she is forced to face, it is certainly a close call this time.

 <- Sweep in PeaceSweep of the Blade ->

Image source: Ilona Andrews

Steel’s Edge by Ilona Andrews

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Steel's Edge

Title: Steel’s Edge
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: The Edge #4
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Paranormal romance, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ace Fantasy
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: Whatever it was, she could use a distraction, and he was the man for the job.

Synopsis

The Edge lies between worlds, on the border between the Broken, where people shop at Wal-Mart and magic is a fairy tale – and the Weird, where bludblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny…

Charlotte de Nay is as noble as they come, a blueblood straight out of the Weird. But even though she possesses rare magical healing abilities, her life has been filled with nothing but pain. After her marriage crumbles, she flees to the Edge to build a new home for herself. But when Richard Mar is brought to her for treatment, Charlotte’s life is turned upside down once again.

Richard is a swordsman without peer, the future head of his large and rambunctious Edger clan – and he’s on a clandestine quest to wipe out slavers trafficking humans in the Weird. So when his presence leads his very dangerous enemies to Charlotte, she vows to help Richard destroy them. The slavers’ operation, however, goes deeper tahn Richard knows, and even working together, he and Charlotte may not survive…

Thoughts

This was a great finale (so far, I hope) to The Edge series. I’m still hoping that more books will be written based in this amazing world, but if it doesn’t, then this is a pretty damn good story to end with. Following Richard Mar as he tries to right the wrongs of Sophie’s past and heal his own wounds. This novel gave everyone a happy ending and a hope for a better future, something that all good series should end with – a sense of hope.

Although Steel’s Edge keeps in the strain of the rest of the series, it’s a beautiful urban fantasy, paranormal romance that follows two dysfunctional characters as they slowly fall in love. Yet, Charlotte’s position as one of the bluebloods, the upper echelon of Andrews’ worlds gave it a nice new spin. Both Richard and Charlotte have had past marriages and past tragedies, in a way that I don’t understand, they are damaged. Yet, the united cause of stopping slave traders helps to bring them closer together and finds a way in which they can both overcome their horrible pasts.

Of all The Edge books, this had the best finale and ending to the story. Richard and Charlotte’s admittance of their feelings and the ways in which they show their love is completely different to the other three couples in this series. Yet, I found their relationship that sweetest and the ending with the family that they create the most endearing.

Steel’s Edge helps to tell more of Sophie’s story. Her, George and their compatriots have more of their adult life told in Sweep in Peace, but how Sophie becomes a master swordswoman isn’t really told. Sophie’s relationship with Charlotte is really sweet, but her attitude towards her surrounds is a little overwhelming and intimidating.

 <- Fate’s EdgeOn the Edge ->

Image source: Goodreads

Fate’s Edge by Ilona Andrews

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Fate's Edge

Title: Fate’s Edge
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: The Edge #3
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Paranormal romance, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ace Fantasy
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: His voice trembled slightly.

Synopsis

The Edge lies between worlds, on the border between the Broken, where people shop at Wal-Mart and magic is a fairy tale – and the Weird, where bludblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny…

Born into a family of con men, Audrey Callahan left behind her life in the Edge for an unmagical existence in the Broken. Audrey is determined to stay on the straight and narrow, but when her brother gets into hot water, she takes on one last heist and finds herself matching wits with a jack-of-all-trades.

Kaldar Mar is a gambler, a lawyer, a thief, and a spy with some unusual talents that guarantee him lucrative work. His latest assignment has him tracking down a stolen item, and Kaldar doesn’t expect much of a challenge – until Audrey turns up to give him a run for his money.

But when the missing object falls into the hands of a lethal criminal, Kaldar realizes that in order to finish the job and survive, he’s going to need Audrey’s help…

Thoughts

I always love it when there is a character that is cheeky, mischievous and a bit of a trickster. Kaldar’s presence in Bayou Moon filled this urge perfectly – he’s a bit of a trickster, but with a deadly edge to his every move. The fact that he spent the majority of Bayou Moon purposely going out of his way to irritate William just made me love him even more. So, an edge novel all about him – and his partner… I was ridiculously excited to jump into this series.

Audrey was an interesting change from Cerise and Rose – she isn’t a killer or able to physically defend herself. Instead, she is constantly finding ways to con herself in and out of situations. Which, surprisingly at the end of the story, is what helps to save the day. Although Kaldar’s humour shines through in his past appearances, it’s his deadlier side which is highlighted in Fate’s Edge, and it is this aspect of himself that I took a little while to understand. Not in his characterisation, but in how Audrey and he would be able to end up together. After all, he’s a spy and although a conman, it’s his swordsmanship and cutthroat familial ethics that shine the brightest. But, somehow, it all just works. Audrey is able to see through his bullshit, and, although she isn’t able to fight, she still has an amazing tough inner-core.

George, Jack and Gaston have a great role to play in this story – predominately George and Jack. I love the brothers, the fact that they are polar opposites (like myself and my sister), but also have this same inner core. The fact that they actually make an appearance as adults in Sweep in Peace just made my jaw drop and I am completely, totally and utterly in love with their storyline now. I actually want to find out more about their lives and hope that they show up in Steel’s Edge a little more. But, even if they don’t, the ways in which they’ve already grown throughout this series has been fun – beautiful and effortless.

 <- Bayou MoonSteel’s Edge ->

Image source: Goodreads