Tag Archives: Urban Fantasy

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Book Review, ,
Overview
Neverwhere Illustrated Edition - Neil Gaiman - Hardcover

Title: Neverwhere
Author: Neil Gaiman
Series: London Below, The World of Neverwhere #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Science fiction, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 12th – 20th April 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: headline
Year: 1996
5th sentence, 74th page: Oh yes.

Synopsis

Under the streets of London lies a world most people could never dream of.

When Richard Mayhew helps a mysterious girl he finds bleeding on the pavement, his boring life changes in an instant. Her name is Door, she’s on the run from two assassins in black suits and she comes from London Below.

His act of kindness leads him to a place filled with monsters and angels, a Beast in a labyrinth and an Earl who holds Court in a Tube train.

It is strangely familiar yet utterly bizarre.

Thoughts

As with all Neil Gaiman books, I have heard nothing but good things about this novel. And I bought a special edition in a sale because it was illustrated… which always makes me happy. What I didn’t expect was that this would quickly become my favourite Neil Gaiman book. There is just something so wonderful and fantastic about this story… it’s impossible to forget. And, honestly, why would you want to? I think that the world of London Below is the kind of place I’d be happy living in… for about 5 minutes, and then I’d die…

As an adult, there is one question that I keep coming up against… what is life about? What is it that I want out of my life? Richard doesn’t quite know that these are the questions he’s asking himself, but from the very beginning it is obvious that he isn’t quite living the life that he wants to live. He’s completely lost. Kind of untethered and, honestly, enough to pluck at your heartstrings. And then he meets Door and he is thrust into a whole other level of shit. But, one that actually leaves him feeling like there’s something interesting in life. And, honestly, isn’t that all that we each want? SOMETHING in life that makes it worth living?

There are so many wonderfully intense things about the storyline of Neverwhere. But what I love the most is the world that Gaiman has created. It is a little too easy to imagine London Below sitting just beneath our feet everyday. It makes me wonder what the version of this world would be down in Australia. There are so many brilliant little, intricate moments of change and difference that I just can’t even comprehend. So many brilliant little ideas that seem so damn obvious now that I’ve read them… but at the time, seemed completely, ridiculously far-fetched… I just love the dark, twisted world that Gaiman has created. It’s not the sunshine and daisies version of an urban fantasy world that I normally come across in my books…

Neverwhere is one of the most enthralling and astonishing books I’ve read in a while. It’s not one that you can’t put down (for which I was glad, because I don’t want to do nothing all day). But it is one that will stick with me, and whoever reads it for a long time after they turn that final page. It is an amazing journey, a great story and filled with characters that are loveable – even when they’re the villains.

<- The Seven SistersHow the Marquis Got His Coat Back ->

Image source: HarperCollins Publishers

Firewalker by Allyson James

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Amazon.com: Firewalker (Stormwalker, Book 2) (9780425237823 ...

Title: Firewalker
Author: Allyson James
Series: Stormwalker #2
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dragons, Paranormal romance, Strong women, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 12th April 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: The bartender came back in.

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Synopsis

Janet Begay’s Crossroads Hotel has attracted the supernatural from the day it opened. Witches, Changers, and a mouthy magic mirror have decided to make it their home. But a new, dark power is rising – this time inside Janet herself.

Her boyfriend, Mick, a sexy dragon shape-shifter the Navajo call a Firewalker, knows what terrifying magic is threatening to overwhelm Janet and her Stormwalker powers. He watches over her, ready to fight for her, to do anything to keep her safe.

But then a mysterious corpse is found near the Crossroads Hotel – and Janet becomes Sheriff Nash Jones’s main suspect. Trouble is, even she can’t be sure she didn’t do it. Now Janet and Mick must uncover what really happened, and their investigation leads to the most perilous decision of their lives: Mick must choose between protecting his own people or guarding Janet, the woman he loves, from the many forces amassing against her.

Thoughts

I read this whole book cover to cover in one night. I should have been sleeping, but I was completely hooked and couldn’t quite put it down. There was just something about Janet’s battle against herself and trying to figure out who she was that made it impossible to put down. Kind of heart wrenching in places and an amazing journey.

After the big reveal about Mick’s identity in Stormwalker, I didn’t think that there would be many more surprises from that quarter. I was wrong though. Although there were no large reveals, but so many small little secrets that leaked out throughout this story. Created characters which were so much more multi-faceted and intense than before. Which I wasn’t entirely sure was possible…

There are a lot of supernatural battles that go on throughout this story – but the part that I like best? The message that you need to find a way to accept yourself. More particularly, accepting all aspects of yourself. For Janet, this is a pretty big deal when everyone around her is telling her that there is something seriously wrong with her and that she needs to just completely shut down a part of herself. I love that even though all this pressure is on her, she find a way to still be true to herself and maintain a sense of dignity.

After an amazing start to a great new series, sometimes the second book can fall a little flat. That’s most definitely not the case with Firewalker, this was a brilliant, amazing and intense journey. One that I absolutely loved and just didn’t want to put down. Yet, now I have to wait “patiently” for the next books to arrive at my doorstep.

<- StormwalkerDouble Hexed ->

Image source: Amazon

Stormwalker by Allyson James

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Stormwalker by Allyson James - Penguin Books Australia

Title: Stormwalker
Author: Allyson James
Series: Stormwalker #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dragons, Paranormal romance, Strong women, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 29th March – 5th April 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: I was too tired to answer, too tired to aruge, but I couldn’t deny that I’d missed him too.

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Synopsis

Janet Begay is a Stormwalker, capable of wielding the raw elemental power of nature’s tempests – a power that threatens to overwhelm her. Only her lover, Mick, a dark-haired, blue-eyed biker, is able to siphon off her excess energy and calm the storm raging within her – even as their passion reaches unimaginable heights of ecstasy.

Janet and Mick have come to the desert town of Magellan to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the police chief’s daughter. The barren land around it is full of vortexes, the gateways that connect the human world with the mystical realm of Beneath, and after encountering skin-walkers and receiving hints from a shape-shifting coyote and a smart-ass magic mirror, Janet fears that her own powerful, scary-as-hell mother is involved.

She’s also uncertain about Mick. He can wield fire and never get burned, and Janet can’t seem to touch him with her storm powers. But Janet must trust him, since she and Mick find themselves venturing where no human can survive alone – and only together can they overcome the greatest danger they’ve ever faced.

Thoughts

I’ve been trying to get around to this book for a very long time. And now… wow. It is amazing and unforgettable. Completely unputdownable and just… awesome. I only read a few pages when I first started it, then got distracted. And then, when I picked it up again… I finished the rest of it in one day. Luckily, we’re at the start of quarantine, so I didn’t have to feel too bad about shoving my nose into a book for that long…

Janet is everything I didn’t know I needed in a lead female – she is of Native American descent (which I very rarely come across), has a mother from hell (literally) and some serious boy complications. Yet, in amongst all of that, she finds a way to be herself. She’s not as sassy as some of the other lead women that I’ve loved… but she has this sense of self that I just couldn’t get over. She’s determined to do what’s right and find a way to live her life, even if it’s the more difficult decision. There is something incredibly inspiring and heartfelt about her approach to life, and I think I need to take a few leaves out of her book – I don’t need to be sassy and tough, just find a way to be sure of myself.

Sadly, I had already read Double Hexed before I picked up this novel. Although, it is the reason why I bought Stormwalker in the first place. Regardless, because I’d already read a novella further in the series, I already knew exactly what Mick was. It didn’t take away a bit of the wow factor when the final reveal occurred at the end. But, it did still work well. After all, a lot of the angst in Janet and Mick’s relationship throughout the story is based around the idea that Mick refuses to tell her the full truth. And, to be honest, there were still a few shockers in the big reveal anyway.

Stormwalker is a fantastic first book of a series! I only have Firewalker on my shelves, but the moment I finish this review, I’m going to start on it… this is just such a great series and I absolutely adored every moment of it! I am really looking forward to finding out more about the relationships between Janet, Mick, and their annoying, sexual deviant companions the Magic Mirror and Coyote.

<- A Little Night MagicFirewalker ->

Image source: Penguin Books Australia

The Becoming by Jeanne C. Stein

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover the becoming jeanne c stein

Title: The Becoming
Author: Jeanne C. Stein
Series: Anna Strong Chronicles #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Strong women, Urban fantasy, Vampires
Dates read: 1st – 8th March 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ace Fantasy
Year: 2004
5th sentence, 74th page: I replace the receiver, frowning at both the implication and infelction of his tone.

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Synopsis

My name is Anna Strong. I am a vampire. How I became one is the reason for this story. I tell it the way it happened. It may not be what you expect.

She’s a bounty hunter – tought beautiful, and trained for the unexpected. Until the night she’s attacked and left closer to death than she can imagine. She awakens to an indoctrination into a dark new world where vampires walk among us. But this time, a tight grip on a .38 won’t stop what she’s hunting for.

Existing between the worlds of the living and the dead, Anna is torn by her love for two very different men. Max, a DEA agent, all too human, and vulnerable. And Avery, a Night Watcher who’s joined Anna in pursuit of the rogue vampire who changed her life that terrifying night. Now, as her two worlds collide, fate plunges Anna into the ultimate battle between good and evil where survival is not just for the living…

Thoughts

I quite enjoyed this novel. It wasn’t one that made me stop in my tracks and need to just stick my nose as far into it as I could. But it was one that I enjoyed. After I got past the very first opening scenes – rape is just not something that I enjoy reading about. Even if it was brushed over pretty quickly. It just made for an uncomfortable beginning to the story. One that did make me pause in my reading for quite a while.

One of the things I really enjoyed about Stein’s writing and world building was her subtly different take on vampires. It’s nothing outrageous such as other vampire stories I’ve read. But their gradual change, their ability to walk in the sunlight. I kind of liked the differentiation. I also liked that most of the rules of her vampire world are still not quite explained in this story… it’s all written as Anna discovers who and what she is… and then you find out that she’s being lied to a fair bit.

I was expecting a bit of a twist toward the end of the story – there were a few too many hints at the secrets being hidden throughout. Yet, even when I found out what it was, I was kind of thrown. In the best way possible. I only had an inkling of the villain and the true story just before Anna herself realises. It made it so much more intriguing, sweeter and fun.

This is a great first story. It’s about becoming a vampire and being thrust into a new world. But it barely even scratches the surface of the life Anna is about to embark on. One that I’m looking forward to reading more about. One that I can’t wait to read more about… if I can just find where I put Blood Drive in my piles of books that I want to read.

<- Anna and the Vampire PrinceBlood Drive ->

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9 from the Nine Worlds by Rick Riordan

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover 9 from the nine worlds

Title: 9 from the Nine Worlds
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard Companion
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Norse mythology, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 8th March 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Collection
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Year: 2018
5th sentence, 74th page: I faced the inside of the V so I could keep an eye on the harp and the giant.

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Synopsis

How well do you know the nine Norse Realms?

Do you get all those heims mixed up? Well, this collection of rollicking short stories – each set in a different world and told by a different character from the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series – will help straighten you out. And even if it doesn’t, you’ll enjoy reading about how Alex saves Amir’s pants, Samirah plucks a giant’s harp, Mallory teaches a dragon how to throw down insults, and much more. Just watch out for Thor, who is running through the whole thing and raising quite a stink.

Thoughts

This was such a nice way to round out the end of the Magnus Chase series. It’s not the ending perse, just a way to revisit all of the characters after Magnus and Loki’s final, epic battle. You get to go on a journey through each of the nine worlds with nine different, well loved characters. As I said, a nice, easy way to round out the series.

This story kind of reads like a bit of an epilogue. It tells you of the adventures that the secondary characters all have after they’ve postponed Ragnarök. I like that although the end of the world has been postponed, these characters are still constantly fighting little battles. Finding a way to carve out a better reality for themselves as they live out their (mostly) immortal lives.

I think that one of the reasons I’ve loved the Magnus Chase series so thoroughly is the fact that it has a hugely diverse set of characters. They’re part of the LGBTQI community, or the Muslim community… or… well, there are a number of minorities represented in this story. And they’re actually the ones that feature within this book. Not the lead, but all of those fantastic secondary characters that are a great way to bring acceptance and understanding into peoples’ lives.

<- Hotel ValhallaThe Sword of Summer ->

Image source: Amazon

The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel by Rick Riordan and Robert Venditti

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for the last olympian graphic novel book cover

Title: The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel
Author: Rick Riordan & Robert Venditti
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians – The Graphic Novels #5
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Graphic novels, Greek mythology, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 21st February 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Graphic novel
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Year: 2019
5th sentence, 74th page: The fire-stealer guy?

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Synopsis

The end is near.

War is upon the half-bloods as they prepare for battle against the Titans, knowing that the odds of victory are grim. Kronos’s army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan’s power only grows.

While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it’s up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.

Except Percy is running out of time as the long-awaited prophecy surrounding his sixteenth birthday finally unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.

Thoughts

I already knew what was going to happen in this story – I’ve read the novel that it was based on. But it was still beautiful and stunning. Almost impossible to forget. There is just something so beautiful about this graphic novel. It’s a lot lighter than some of the graphic novels that I tend to read. It’s also great to see a graphic novel interpretation that actually envisions things like I did. It didn’t ruin my perceptions by being something so totally different.

Spending the night reading this graphic novel made me want to go to my shelves and grab yet another Rick Riordan novel. I kind of need to finish / start the Kane Chronicles, so it’s definitely something that is insanely tempting… but I probably need to finish some of the series that I have already started.

I found the Last Olympian novel a bit of a darker storyline than the rest of the series. Yet, somehow, this was quite a nice, light book. Both in the gorgeous colours and the way that the storyline is set out. The more horrible parts don’t take up a large portion of the storyline, but they do still feature. In a way that makes the tale a little more uplifting and bright than what I was expecting.

This was a great, easy finish to the graphic novel adaptations. It was a good way to spend an hour just drifting back into an amazing world that I’m not all that keen on leaving most of the time.

 <- The Battle of the Labyrinth ReviewThe Lightning Thief Review ->

Image source: Riordan Wiki-Fandom

Red Moon Rising by Lori Handeland

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover stroke of midnight

Title: Red Moon Rising
Author: Lori Handeland
Series: Nightcreature #1.5
In: Stroke of Midnight (Sherrilyn Kenyon, Amanda Ashley, L.A. Banks & Lori Handeland)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Urban fantasy, Werewolves
Dates read: 13th February 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperback
Year: 2004
5th sentence, 74th page: “What’s my next assignment, sir?”

Synopsis

Novelist Maya Alexander’s peace is shattered when she is stalked by a Navaho skinwalker who has taken on the guise of a wolf. Her only hope is the mysterious Clay Philips. In his arms, she seeks protection-but as the red moon rises, no one is safe from the danger that lurks nearby…

Thoughts

I’m definitely hooked on this series. There is just something about actually having werewolves as the bad guys that is such a great departure from what I typically read. Adding in a skinwalker in this novella just made me fall even harder for this series. Now I just have to find the next book in the series… it’s buried in one of my many piles of books at the moment I believe.

I love that Maya isn’t really considered a typical beauty. There is something I found a bit “eh” about the continuous repetition of a seriously beautiful woman with an average looking man. But, like in Blue Moon, there’s a bit of a reversal here. The woman isn’t someone who thinks that they’re gorgeous. They’re just not quite that supermodel look… which is what most of us are like. So someone with hips slightly too big and a body that isn’t toned because she sits down all the time? Yeah, I can get behind that!

Although this is a great romance in and of itself, it also starts to seriously set up the rest of the series. Now there is a spy within the hunters, and the lead in this gives up his hunting duties to be a cyber hunter… I’m seriously hoping that he is as helpful and awesome as I’m expecting as this amazing series unfolds!

 <- Blue MoonHunter’s Moon ->

Image source: Amazon

The Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover the ship of the dead

Title: Magnus Chase and the Ship of the Dead
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #3
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Norse mythology, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 3rd – 11th February 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Puffin Books
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: My ears still rang from the weird music.

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Synopsis

My name is Magnus Chase. These days, I’m one of Odin’s immortal warriors, but that doesn’t stop people trying to kill me all the time.

Loki the trickster god is free from his chains. He’s put together a crew of giants and zombies to sail Naglfar, the Ship of the Dead, in a battle against the Norse gods. If he succeeds, the final battle of Ragnarok will extinguish all the worlds.

With help from Percy Jackson and my cousin Annabeth, and with friends by my side, I have to sail across the oceans to reach Naglfar before Midsummer’s Day. The only problems are the angry sea gods, hostile giants and evil fire-breathing dragon in the way.

But even if we survive the journey I’ll need more than just Jack, my talking sword, to beat Loki. I must find a magical elixir so deadly that it will either make me powerful enough to defeat Loki and put him back in chains for good… or destroy me entirely.

Thoughts

This is a great ending to a really good, fun series. I love that Riordan deals with outsiders in all of his series. But, in particular, I love that this series ends with a gender fluid person finding their happily ever after. Plus, it does explain a lot about the different “outsiders”, not just through Alex and their gender identity, but also with a great Muslim character who is devout, sweet and quite capable of kicking everyone’s butt.

Sam’s participation in Ramadan is a great storyline. There is so much fear and superstition against Muslims, so featuring a pretty major practice for this religion in a very well-loved character was brilliant. I actually wished more children’s books would feature people of different faiths, religions and identities. It’s definitely something I could have done more with as a child. And it’s a great way to help the next generation become far more accepting of differences.

Although this is the final, epic battle of the series. It really wasn’t the epic battle that I was expecting. I was expecting something with a lot of gunfire, violence and just plain, old insanity. It wasn’t like that. It was a much more entertaining, funny and unique way to stop the end of the world. All in the company of a giant boat coloured like a banana… something that had me laughing out loud repeatedly throughout this story.

The Ship of the Dead might be the conclusion to the Magnus Chase series, it’s not the end of this greater adventure that Riordan has been taking us all on. Actually, the end chapter of this dovetails perfectly into The Trials of Apollo and, luckily… that is sitting on my shelf. Just waiting to be picked up.

<- The Hammer of ThorHotel Valhalla ->

Image source: Toppsta

Dead Girls are Easy by Terri Garey

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover dead girls are easy"

Title: Dead Girls are Easy
Author: Terri Garey
Series: Nicki Styx #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Ghosts, Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 27th January 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Avon
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: “She was quite a character.”

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Synopsis

“My name is Nicki Styx and I thought I had the world all figured out. Then I regained consciousness.”

There’s something about almost dying that makes a girl rethink her priorities. Take Nicki Styx – she was strictly goth and vintage, until a brush with the afterlife leaves her with the ability to see dead people.

Before you can say boo, Atlanta’s ghosts are knocking at Nicki’s door. Now her days consist of reluctantly cleaning up messes left by teh dearly departed, leading ghouls to the Light… and one-on-one anatomy lesssons with Dr. Joe Bascombe, the dreamy surgeon who saved her life. All this catering to the deceased is a real drag, especially for a girl who’d rather be playing hanky-panky with her hunky new boyfriend… who’s beginning to think she’s totally nuts.

But things get even more complicated when a friend foolishly sells her soul to the devil, and Nicki’s new gift lands her in some deep voodoo.

As it turns out for Nicki Styx, death was just the beginning.

Thoughts

I’ve been meaning to read this novel for a long time. Ever since I read the novella in Weddings from Hell. But, it always seems to be pushed to the side. Now I have no idea why I did so… this is brilliant, funny and kind of sweet. It’s such a light-hearted take on the ability to see ghosts and a great way in which to create a whole new romance to grace my shelves. It’s just… well… beautiful.

I’m a big believer in karma and the belief that what goes around comes around. The fact that this is a big part of the storyline, that idea that everything happens for a reason… I absolutely lapped that up. Especially when Nicki has the pleasure of coming up against the man who wronged her in the past and kind of turned her against relationships… there was something so poetically beautiful about it. Especially when he realises what a mistake he made.

Growing up I kind of always wanted my token gay friend. What I didn’t realise was that I had actually met him in year eight, and just have absolutely no gay-dar. But the token gay best friend in this story is absolutely brilliant. He hits every single stereotype, is completely loyal and adds an extra layer of light-heartedness when shit really starts to hit the fan. He also perfectly compliments Nicki’s sass and bitchiness in a way that I completely didn’t anticipate. And acts as a bit of a conscious when she starts to withdraw… everything that you should have in a best friend.

I seem to run across certain themes and trends in the books that I’m reading which are completely random. And I’m never really sure why they appear. In this case, lately it seems to be Voodoo. I read two stories which feature this in a matter of days, and have come up against a few more stories which feature this religion (practice?) in the past few months. It’s a great story driver and something that I’m completely fascinated by. Now I just feel like I need to start doing a little research of my own.

Although Nicki’s life is completely turned upside down in this story, there is no woes me attitude. I tend to find that completely irritating. Even if I would probably be a little sooky about dying, coming back and being able to see ghosts. I’m not perfect, but I like it when the heroines in my stories are unwilling to take the challenges life throws at them by the balls and tell them to just get stuffed. Especially when I know that things are just going to get more and more intense as this series unfolds. After all, there are a few mysteries that were introduced in Dead Girls are Easy which haven’t been tied up yet…

 <- Happily Never After ReviewA Match Made in Hell Review ->

Image source: Goodreads

Hot for the Holidays by Lora Leigh, Angela Knight, Anya Bast and Allyson James

Book Review, , , , , , , ,
Overview
Image result for hot for the holidays book cover

Title: Hot for the Holidays
Author: Lora Leigh, Angela Knight, Anya Bast & Allyson James
In: Hot for the Holidays (Lora Leigh, Angela Knight, Anya Bast and Allyson James)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Paranormal romance, Short story collections, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 5th – 12th January 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Jove
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: He ignored it, swung his sword.

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

Featuring four all-new novellas of sensual surprises and seasonal spirits, this collection includes a new tale of the Breeds from Lora Leigh and a return to the world of the Mageverse from Angela Knight.

Vampire’s Ball by Angela Knight
Kat Danilo’s childhood turned tragic when her sister become the victim of a serial killer. Years later, she gets a chance at justice when she discovers she’d the daughter of Lancelot, vampire knight of the Round Table. But first, she’s got to convince a handsome vampire warrior that she’s worthy to gain the magical powers that are her birthright—powers that might help her find her sister’s killer.

If the murderer doesn’t find her first….

Sweet Enchantment by Anya Bast
This novella provides a first taste of the world in which Anya’s new Dark Magick series is set.

A Little Night Magic by Allyson James
The town of Magellan is famous for its woo-woo activity. Naomi is known as an Unbeliever (one who doesn’t believe in Magellan’s mystical energy). But Naomi must put disbelief aside when her Navajo lover reveals that he is a Changer, a shapeshifter, and has returned to Magellan to protect her from grave anger on Christmas Eve.

A Christmas Kiss by Lora Leigh
Jess has been in isolation for the past year… ever since she betrayed the people she loves the most. Yet, it’s Hawke’s unwillingness to visit her that really hurts her the most. As secrets are revealed and truths discovered, will Jess and Hawke finally find a way to be together?

Thoughts

This is a fantastic novella collection. Especially since it’s got a Christmas theme, but really wasn’t Christmassy at all. Actually, other than the fact that each of these novellas was set around the festive season, there was nothing truly Christmassy about any of these. Which made me much, much happier. I’m just not that into the festive season this year…

I bought this collection because I had one of the series in it (Stormwalker). And then, not long after, started the second one (Breeds). In reading this, I also got to discover two new, great series that are most definitely going on my wish list. It made a great, fun collection. One that took me to new worlds and made me want to just sink my teeth into each and every one of these four series…

Although this is in the paranormal romance section of my bookshelves, it’s really not all the romancey. There are a few stories in this that are intensely lustful, and in every single one there is a couple and sex. But, ultimately it was more about finding a way to be happy with one another, not about the actual overboard romance.

 <- A Christmas Kiss ReviewVampire’s Ball Review ->

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