Tag Archives: Urban Fantasy

Night Broken by Patricia Briggs

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview

Title: Night Broken
Author: Patricia Briggs
Series: Mercedes Thompson #8, Mercy-verse #24
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Urban fantasy, Werewolves
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Year: 2014

Thoughts

This might be a reread, and my first time writing a review, but honestly, no matter how many times I read this, I will think it is amazing and wonderful. Even though I knew what was going to happen, I still couldn’t find it in myself to put this book down at any point while reading this. This is a high-energy, high-intensity story. I love that although Mercy has found her happily ever after with Adam, there are still constant challenges. The more she finds out about her heritage and assumes her role as part of an alpha couple, the more trouble that she runs into. Which is exactly what I love so much about this author, series, and book.

Christie damn well pisses you off from the very beginning of this story. Honestly, there are many moments throughout this that made me want to reach through the pages and smack the pettiness out of this antagonist. Actually, I disliked Christie more than I disliked the actual, dangerous villain. Probably because manipulative, annoying cow is horrible. And the way she tries to play the pack against Mercy to regain her “position”. Yet, I also love how Mercy is able to handle this with poise – I honestly wish that when I’ve come up against Christie-like characters in my own life, I could handle it with as much calm and control as Mercy does. There’s also the fact that Mercy does get her own petty revenge at the very end, which is nowhere near the level of discomfort she went through, but enough to make me smile and smirk.

I love how this story brings in a whole new form of supernatural being to contend with. Because vampires, werewolves, Native American shapeshifters and the ever-elusive fae aren’t enough. Then there’s the villain in this story. And it was truly terrifying in moments (even in a reread). Although, ultimately the villain was vanquished (or beaten), there are lingering aspects of this new form of supernatural in Mercy’s life. And I can’t wait to see how this evolves throughout the series. Night Broken is the last of the books in the Mercyverse that I haven’t read yet, so it’ll be interesting how this will evolve in the future…

Mercy and Adam are still one of my favourite literary couples. They are both feisty and powerful. Yet, even though they are wonderfully independent, they are also incredibly supportive of one another. They are able to see each other’s flaws and love each other in spite of them. The kind of relationship that I love reading about – after all, it’s not realistic to think that you can love someone long term and not ever get annoyed at them. I also love how although Mercy might be constantly fighting to have members of the Pack accept her, because they are important to Adam, they are important to her. And it’s this that makes for some great conflict, both within the social structure of the group, and the epic final battle at the end.

<- Hopcross JillyHollow ->

Image source: Amazon

Wicked Ways by Cynthia Eden

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: Wicked Ways
Author: Cynthia Eden
In: When He Was Bad (Shelly Laurenston & Cynthia Eden)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Year: 2008

Thoughts

It’s always interesting to see how a story will drop you right into the action. In the case of Wicked Ways, this novella starts off with a date gone wonderfully, horrifyingly wrong. Like, seriously bad. But then, because it’s paranormal romance, it gets better and better. Leaving you with a smile on your face and a bit of a spring in your step. I absolutely loved reading this and it’s definitely moved some of my Cynthia Eden books to the top of my TBR priority… until the next amazing story that I read.

I love that as Miranda starts to fall for a shifter man, she is able to accept all of him. There is no gentleness in his Otherness, and she is able to take that on board and just… enjoy his company. I’m all for love stories that involve completely accepting your other half for all of their flaws. Miranda just takes that a step further as she accepts him for all of his… claws.

This novella is a great romantic suspense, with shapeshifters and vampires thrown in. At it’s heart, it’s really a story of two people falling in love as they hunt down a serial killer and sociopath (or is it a psychopath, I get my paths mixed up). The fact that the killer is a vampire and the man hunting him is a cat shapeshifter adds to the drama, blood and adrenaline. But, it’s still a pretty simple and fun romantic suspense novella.

Wicked Ways is yummy and fun. It was a wonderful novella that I thoroughly enjoyed for the steaminess and action. I definitely loved the drama and look forward to more of this in the future of my Cynthia Eden reading.

<- Miss CongenialityWhen He Was Bad ->

Image source: Goodreads

Wed or Dead by Cynthia Eden

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview

Title: Wed or Dead
Author: Cynthia Eden
In: Howl For It (Shelly Laurenston & Cynthia Eden)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters, Urban fantasy, Werewolves
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Year: 2012

Thoughts

I’ve read a Cynthia Eden story before, a little while ago. But just the one, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect with this novella. Likewise, after reading the blurb for this tale, I thought I had an inkling of what I was going to enter into. None of these things prepared me for the story I got. And it was completely epic for that fact. I seriously loved this and had a great time reading through this novella.

There is a whole lot of betrayal and treachery throughout this story. The turns and the deceits happened so quickly that I got to a point I was expecting it with each turn of the page. I most definitely had a beating heart throughout this tale. And it most definitely made my poor heart hurt for both Gage and Kayla – they so obviously care for one another, but are also constantly thrown into the path of some seriously horrible drama.

Gage and Kayla work wonderfully as a couple, although Gage does spend most of this story underestimating her, and then getting his butt kicked. I love that Kayla is able to go toe to toe with Gage in every moment that he underestimates her. It made me smile and laugh. I love a strong woman who is able to stand up for herself and take people to task for underestimating them.

To add to the drama and heartbreak throughout this story, there is Kayla’s brother and the past trauma that they both experienced. You spend the whole time hoping that Kayla and Gage find their happily ever after, but also hoping that Kayla is able to find that with her own brother. And the two seem to be mutually exclusive conditions…

<- Like a Wolf with a BoneHowl For It ->

Image source: Penguin Books Australia

Howl For It by Shelly Laurenston and Cynthia Eden

Book Review, , , , , , ,
Overview

Title: Howl for It
Author: Shelly Laurenston & Cynthia Eden
In: Howl For It (Shelly Laurenston & Cynthia Eden)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters, Short story collections, Urban fantasy, Werewolves
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Year: 2012

Thoughts

Howl For It is a fantastic collection of two wonderful, lusty novellas. They both fit nicely together in this collection, with the paranormal romance and werewolves as the centre point. Yet, Laurenston and Eden have two distinctly different voices that you will fall in love with. Both of these novellas are fast paced and filled with a decent amount of death and mayhem. A little bit of betrayal and a whole lot of strong males who can howl at the moon. Definitely a fun anthology to sweep you away on a moonlit night.

This is one of those anthologies that I’m really glad I bought, I look forward to reading it again and again. There was something kind of sweet about both of these stories. Even as they are tales that involve a whole lot of blood and death. I might already have both of these authors in my TBR, but I most definitely want more!

<- Wed or DeadLike a Wolf with a Bone ->

Image source: Penguin Books Australia

Hot and Badgered by Shelly Laurenston

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: Hot and Badgered
Author: Shelly Laurenston
Series: Honey Badger Chronicles #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2018

Thoughts

I have to admit that I have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with honey badgers, like I’m kind of ridiculously obsessed with the silly things. So when I found out that there’s literally a paranormal romance / shapeshifter series which features honey badgers… I don’t know if I’ve ever been quite this happy in my life. And that was before I had the pleasure of actually reading this book. When I found out that the shapeshifters featured in this book were also sisters, and ones who are none to be incredibly chaotic… so many of my happy buttons were pushed.

Throughout this I honestly couldn’t stop laughing out loud at the shenanigans of the MacKilligan sisters. I mean, the first time you meet them, one is jumping out of a bedroom window, and the other runs a man over… multiple times. Then, to complete this chaotic trio, you have a panic attack prone genius who thinks a stay at a mental health institution is a nice holiday. And that’s just the character introductions in the first few chapters. The more supporting cast that you get to meet, the more insanity unfolds. I honestly can’t believe that this is an author who hasn’t been on my shelves yet. One that I can’t wait to read more of in the future.

I can’t wait for more of the MacKilligan sisters’ insanity as this series unfolds. The series most definitely starts out with the sanest of the three – Charlie spends most of her time running around trying to stop the other two from just killing everyone. I’ve got one younger sister that I keep an eye out for, and she doesn’t have homicidal tendencies – I can’t imagine watching two who are definitely insane. Charlie is a ridiculously fun lead, one who doesn’t hesitate to be herself and finds a way to carve out her own happily ever after.

Although this story is a romance between Berg and Charlie, for me it was about the relationship between the sisters. There is something great about a well written family bond, and Laurenston has the exasperation and love pegged perfectly in this story. Berg and Charlie are also a fantastic couple that you are rooting for from the very beginning, but there’s just something about the three sisters. There’s also the fact that being bought into Berg’s life brings along a whole cast of characters who I want to get to know even better. Berg’s two triplet siblings being some of them. I’m hoping that the more I dive into the world of Laurenston, the more I will get to meet different members of this world. All of whom have a whole lot of humour and sass in their creation.

<- More Shelly LaurenstonIn a Badger Way ->

Image source: Kobo

Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview

Title: Second Grave on the Left
Author: Darynda Jones
Series: Charley Davidson #2
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Grim reapers, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Urban fantasy
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Year: 2011

Thoughts

This book, like the first in this series is filled with laugh out loud goodness. Charley is ridiculously sassy and glorious – she might find herself in situation after situation, but she always handles it with plenty of humour and wit. I absolutely love how she careens from one moment of trouble to another, with no real clue how she’s gotten there. That, and every chapter starts with a sassy pun on her t-shirt that helps to set the tone of the chapter. Starting a chapter with a bit of a giggle, and continuing in that vein throughout the whole book? It was a wild and incredibly funny ride. One that I look forward to picking up in the next Charley Davidson novel.

The first book in this series introduces Charley, Cookie and the many people in her life, this novel then starts to investigate and highlight not only Charley’s relationship to Reyes, but their powers. And the ways that they are intertwined, and just generally all of the somewhat horrifying implications of what their presence on earth means to the world. I love that there is a bit of an apocalyptic threat and theme to this story – one that I’m sure will get worse and more developed as the tale unfolds. Reyes and Charley are a great couple and I love how they are the literal definition of opposites attract (son of hell, daughter of heaven).

Not only is this a fantastic book that unfolds more of the lore in the world of Charley Davidson, but it also has not one, not two, but three mysteries throughout. Charley doesn’t just have to figure out how to find Reyes, save his life and stop this moment of Armageddon. She also has to help Cookie find Mimi (and discover just what it is that has her hiding in the first place). And finally, the mystery of the ghost in the trunk and just how he ended up there. All of which would be great drivers to the story in and of themselves, but when all three are combined? It made for an incredibly difficult book to put down. I just had to turn one more page…

Alongside the development of the relationship between Charley and Reyes, there is a bit more of a reveal as to the state of Charley’s relationship with her family. And it was a seriously heartbreaking reveal. My heart broke for what Charley has had to deal with. But, there is a hint of reconciliation with her sister, one that I clung to in the hopes that this would mean she finally gets to have a healthier relationship with the people who are supposed to love her no matter what.

<- For I Have SinnedThird Grave Dead Ahead ->

Image source: Booktopia

Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: Rosemary and Rue
Author: Seanan McGuire
Series: October Daye #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fae, Paranormal romance, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2009

Thoughts

Holy crap. This was amazing. Like, phenomenal and wonderful and amazing. Although, I’m already completely in love with Seanan McGuire’s writing. So, it’s not really surprising that I loved this novel. Yet another fantastic series that I get to sink my teeth I to… now I need to FINISH some and stop finding new ones…

My brain most certainly got stuck on the whole saying goodbye to your family for 14 years. Particularly your little girl. I spent a lot of time while I was reading this novel glancing over at my beautiful daughter and just eye-beaming her with all of my love. I really and truly hope that later on in the series, Toby is able to reconnect with her child. Surely there will be a moment at some point throughout the series (I say with eternal hope).

The betrayal that occurs in this story is pretty ridiculously epic. And incredibly heartbreaking. There’s a whole lot of history that goes into Toby’s story, and when you realise who is responsible for all of the death and mayhem. And also, that final death that truly made a tear come to my eye… I definitely didn’t see any of it coming. Which, of course means that I loved it.

Rosemary and Rue does great justice to the fae and folklore. It doesn’t paint them to be kind and generous. Or welcoming to humans of any kind. Rather, they are predatory and incredibly wrapped up in their own drama. Also, beings of a totally different reality. The shifts and cracks in the many alliances and future challenges Toby is likely to face are already apparent in Rosemary and Rue. Again, making me want to dive right into A Local Habitation.

I’m being very hopeful that in future books, not only will Toby reconnect with her daughter, but also that she will be able to smooth things over with Julie. I hated that there was a rift there. I’m pretty sure Tybalt will eventually be the love interest, so I’m also looking forward to that…

<- More Seanan McGuireA Local Habitation ->

Image source: Amazon

Cursed Luck by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: Cursed Luck
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Cursed Luck #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Magic, Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2021

Thoughts

There is a very good reason why I love Kelley Armstrong so much. And everything I pick up one of her books, I’m reminded again of just WHY I think she’s so amazing. Although, admittedly, some of her works are pretty dark. This is nowhere near as dark and heart rending as some of her other stories though… there is such a pithy, light, and fun tone to this whole story that left me smiling throughout.

Kennedy is a little too much like me. And I loved her. She’s impulsive, loyal and doesn’t always think things through when trying to help. Which, of course is what ends up placing her in awkward position after awkward position. That, and she’s obviously and needfully very driven to find her sisters. Mostly though, her impulsively doesn’t always necessarily lend itself to being helpful in her situation. Something I am all too familiar with…

Aidan is a great counterpoint to Kennedy. He is sweet and buttoned up, and really very cute. His rule-following nature and tendency to want to plan his way through everything sort of acts as the voice of reason to Kennedy’s insanity. Like Kennedy though, he is incredibly loyal to his sibling. I loved how both the leads in this are very loyal to their siblings. It means they get manipulated constantly by this motive… but it’s yet another reason to love them.

The surprise of motive and culprit was brilliantly done within this novel. There were some wonderful surprise reveals from the second half onwards. It had me diving into this story page after page. I love when authors are able to take a great story and make it even more phenomenal with all of their tricky little twists and turns. The fact that Armstrong was able to use this surprise to provide a totally unexpected motive… I definitely can’t wait to read High Jinx.

<- More Kelley ArmstrongGoddess of Summer Love ->

Image source: Amazon

The Leopard King by Ann Aguirre

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: The Leopard King
Author: Ann Aguirre
Series: Ars Numina #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters, Urban fantasy
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2016

Thoughts

I’ve read a book by Ann Aguirre before, but it was a young adult dystopia novel (and I still need to finish the series). Having said that, I had NO IDEA what to expect from a adult paranormal romance by the same author. Until I dug into kobo plus, I actually had no idea that there WAS an adult series. But, wow, am I glad that I found out about Ars Numina!!! This was an amazing novel and I literally read it cover to cover.

At first, I was wondering how the complexities of Dom and Pru’s relationship would work out. His dead wife was her best friend and her booty call his best friend. But somehow Aguirre was able to make this work perfectly. In fact, you feel an emotional connection to everyone in this. Even Slay, who definitely acted a bit like an idiot. You still want him to find his happily ever after. Which will happen much later in this series I believe…

The world building in this romance was particularly enjoyable- there’s the history of the arcana’s separation from humans. But, then there’s the five warring factions that are trying to come to a Peace Treaty. And all of the insane politics that slowly get unraveled throughout. Honestly, the multitudes of complexities throughout this were amazing and, even though I loved the central relationship, it was also all of the intricate details that Aguirre was able to cram in that had me grinning from ear to ear.

Pru and Dom’s story was very sweet and filled with just enough lust to make my toes curl. It was also a fantastic way to start a whole new series. Each of the 6 men who are featured in this series were introduced, and almost all of the women. Since I already love all of these characters, it’s going to be hard not to just dive headfirst into the rest of the series, and forget about all of the other great books on my shelves.

<- More Ann AguirreThe Demon Prince ->

Image source: Kobo

Doomsday Can Wait by Lori Handeland

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview

Title: Doomsday Can Wait
Author: Lori Handeland
Series: Phoenix Chronicles #2
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Angels, Demons, Fae, Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Year: 2009

Thoughts

It’s been a long while since I read Any Given Doomsday. So it did take a little time to get into this… mostly because I kept forgetting what had happened in the past book. But, once I got my head back into the world building… I was hooked.

One of the things I still find weird about this series is the whole sexual empath thing. Its certainly enjoyably unique, but I’ve been mainlining contemporary romances lately. And this really doesn’t fit the bill. Again, something that took me a little while to get my head around. But, I am looking forward to seeing how that will evolve in the following book.

I liked the idea of Liz and Jimmy reuniting in Any Given Doomsday. But the more I got to know Sawyer in this, the more I enjoyed their dynamic. The complexities of the relationships in this world got very heavy very quickly in Doomsday Can Wait. I can’t wait to see how they will develop further into the series.

I was completely taken by the relationship complexities in this novel. But there was a lot of action as well. Liz’s desire to win the day, no matter the cost and the fight between good and evil was pretty intense. It added a brilliant and much needed element of darkness to this fantastic story.

<- Any Given DoomsdayApocalypse Happens ->

Image source: Goodreads