Archangel’s Consort by Nalini Singh

On 31/01/201112/07/2014 By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations, Paranormal Romance

The Particulars: Urban Fantasy, Penguin, available in massmarket and e-book

Why it was in my TBR pile? Because I love this series

The review:

The blurb:

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux and her lover, the lethally beautiful archangel Raphael, have returned home to New York only to face an uncompromising new evil…

A vampire has attacked a girls’ school—the assault one of sheer, vicious madness—and it is only the first act. Rampant bloodlust takes vampire after vampire, threatening to make the streets run with blood. Then Raphael himself begins to show signs of an uncontrolled rage, as inexplicable storms darken the city skyline and the earth itself shudders.

The omens are suddenly terrifyingly clear.

An ancient and malevolent immortal is rising. The violent winds whisper her name: Caliane. She has returned to reclaim her son, Raphael. Only one thing stands in her way: Elena, the consort who must be destroyed…
My impressions:

This is the third book in the Guild Hunter series. So far, each book in the series have been better than the one before. With the Archangel’s Consort, Nalini Singh have created a heart-stabbing story that crackles with tension. The tension is a multifaceted thread that goes through the novel. Each word, each scene helps ramps it up until I almost wanted to put down the book, because it is too much. Yet at the same time, I didn’t. I wanted to know what happens next.

My heart wept when Elena struggled with balancing her new life and her old. I rejoiced when she claimed a part of Raphael’s manor. Both the good things and the bad things helped to make this a story about love. Not just the love Raphael and Elena feel for each other, but most of all the love a child feels for a parent, no matter how many times they had been hurt.

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Cheap reads round up ( epub/kindle)

On 31/01/201113/07/2014 By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations

The YA are shorts stories, and offered for free at Kobo. (I don’t know what they cost at Amazon. Sorry. Assume they are free, or cost 0.99). The Romantic Suspense are longer and cost between 0.79-0.99 at Kobo. ( Amazon don’t list the prices, so I don’t know their price) The reason I only list Kindle and Kobo is because they cover the two main formats. However, they are probably available from BN and Sony too.
YA( Fantasy/ Paranormal):

Retro Demonology by Jana Oliver ( Kindle)

Remedial Magic by Jenna Black ( Kindle)

Beasts and BFFs by Shannon Delaney ( Kindle)

Romantic Suspense:

Love is Murder by Allison Brennan ( novella) ( Kindle)

Alone by Lisa Gardner( Kindle)

Enigma by Lora Leigh ( prequel to Live Wire) ( Kindle)

I intend to make this a regular feature, and post about cheap reads I discover.

Force of Habit by Alice Loweecey

On 28/01/201113/07/2014 By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations

Force of Habit by Alice Loweecey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Particulars: Crime, Llewellyn Worldwide, available both in print and e-book

Why was it in my TBR? It was offered for free for awhile, and the blurb piqued my intrest

The Review:

The blurb:

An ex-nun takes a wobbly leap into private investigation

Giulia Falcone is going straight to hell. First, because she left the convent. Second, her new job with a private investigator has her sneaking around and lying. Adjusting to life outside the habit isn’t easy. Make-up, dating, and sex are all new to her. And despite a crush on her boss Frank Driscoll—a foul-mouthed, soft-hearted ex-cop—Giulia is sure he’d never fall for an ex-nun.

Her first case involves drop-dead handsome Blake Parker, a man with immense wealth and an ego to match. He and his fiancée are getting disturbing “gifts” with messages based on Bible verses. When Guilia is drawn into the stalker’s sights, salacious photos appear, threatening her job and her friendship with Frank. No one imagines—least of all naïve Guilia—the danger ahead, when a date with an online gamer turns into a fight for her life.

My impressions:

I loved this book. It is a multi-facetted mystery about love, and past actions. Giulia’s uncertainty and doubt about her religion were a red thread through the whole book. Her naivete was a nice contrast compared to the blase and cynic Frank.

That differnece is one thing that Alice Loweecey use to raise the stakes in this novel. She use small things, needling words, glances. These things creates doubts, both in Giulia’s mind and Frank’s. Slowely, the rift widen until their relationship is so frayed that they are barely talking with each other.

I read a lot, and often it takes more than one book to hook me. Alice Loweceey have managed to create a fascinating mystery, that makes me impatiently wait for the next one.

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Hard Magic by Laura Anne Gilman

On 27/01/201112/07/2014 By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations

Hard Magic by Laura Anne Gilman

The Particulars: Urban Fantasy, Luna, available both in print and e-book

Why was it in my TBR? I know Laura Anne Gilman writes books I love.

The Review:

The Blurb:
Welcome to P.U.P.I.—Private, Unaffiliated, Paranormal Investigations
A handpicked team trained to solve crimes the regular police can’t touch—crimes of magic.
My name’s Bonnie Torres. Recent college grad, magic user and severely unemployed. Until I got a call out of nowhere to interview for a job I hadn’t applied for. It smelled fishy, but the brutal truth was I needed the work—so off I went.
Two days later I’m a PUPI—me and Nick, Sharon, Nifty and Pietr. Five twentysomethings, thrown into an entirely new career in forensic magic.
The first job we get is a doozy: proving that the deaths of two Talents were murder, not suicide. Worse, there are high-profile people who want us to close up shop and go away. We’re sniffing out things they’d rather keep buried.
Looks as if this job is gonna get interesting. The only problem is, we’re making it up as we go along…

My impressions:

For me, Laura Anne Gilman are one of those authors that you gradually get hooked on. And this is Gilman at her best.
This novel is set in the Cosa Nostradamus universe, just like her Retrivers novels. But while the Retrievers mainly are focused on Lonejacks, this one gives a glimpse into how someone raised by a Council mentor thinks. The Cosa is in upheaval, the tension between Lonejacks, Council and Fatae ( non-humans) are increasing. The founding of P.U.P.I create strong feelings in the Council.
It was fascinating to read about what happens when something new is formed. The training required, how others reacts. The plot were well written, and filled with unexpected twists.
What made this stand out were the characters. I loved how she displayed the headbutting that always occur on a workplace. Also, I liked how she deftly wove the uncertainty of the sitaution into the plot. First, Bonnie’s nagging doubt if she would get a job at all. Then, the worry if they would get to keep the job.

The thing that keeps this from becoming 5 stars is the ending. It felt cut short, on the other hand they are investigators, not cops.

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Mercy Blade by Faith Hunter

On 25/01/201113/07/2014 By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations

Mercy Blade by Faith Hunter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jane, a shapeshifting vampire-hunter-for-hire, crosses paths with a stranger who has arrived in New Orleans, enlisted to hunt vampires who have gone insane-or so he says…

This is the third book about Jane Yellowrock. The worldbuilding was solid. The fascinating vampire culture that Faith Hunter created, unfolded a bit more. It clearly built on the first two books. There were hints about the reason for the last Vampire war, that only whetted my appetite for more. The tension between Jane and Rick vibrated through the book, and felt that realistic. In the end, the book left me curious about what happened next, but the story arc for this book felt finished.

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Fatal Affair by Marie Force

On 24/01/201113/07/2014 By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations

Fatal Affair by Marie Force

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Blurb:

Washington, D.C., Metro Police Detective Sergeant Sam Holland needs a big win to salvage her career—and her confidence—after a disastrous investigation. The perfect opportunity arises when Senator John O’Connor is found brutally murdered in his bed, and Sam is assigned to the case. Matters get complicated when Sam has to team up with Nick Cappuano, O’Connor’s friend and chief of staff…and the man Sam had a memorable one-night stand with years earlier. Their sexual chemistry still sizzles, and Sam has to fight to stay focused on the case. Sleeping with a material witness is another mistake she can’t afford—especially when the bodies keep piling up.

My impression:

I loved this book. For a moment, it let me slip into the life of a Police. The murder case is central, but there is so much more in this book. Sam fights against her feelings for Nick. She is gutsy, and stubborn. And I love it.

This book is filled with secrets. Everybody got them. And the secrets causes a lot of problems.As Sam tries to solve the case, she must face her own insecurites, and secrets.

The author reveals the secrets with a deft hand, that kept me on the edge.

Well done!

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Dark and Disorderly by Bernita Harris

On 16/01/201112/07/2014 By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations

Dark and Disorderly by Bernita Harris

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Blurb:

Lillie St. Claire is a Talent, one of the rare few who can permanently dispatch the spirits of the dead that walk the earth. Her skills are in demand in a haunted country, where a plague of ghosts is becoming a civic nuisance.

Those skills bring her into conflict with frightened citizens who view Talents as near-demons. Her husband comes to see her as a Freak; so when Nathan dies after a car crash, she is relieved to be free of his increasingly vicious presence. Lillie expects to be haunted by Nathan’s ghost, but not to become Suspect #1 for her husband’s murder and reanimation.

But what’s most surprising of all is the growing attraction between her and psi-crime detective John Thresher. He thinks that Lillie killed Nathan—and Nathan must agree, because his zombie is seeking revenge. Now she and Thresher must work together to solve her husband’s murder—before his corpse kills her…

My impressions:
I spotted this book over at Carina Press webpage, and it caught my eye. But, it was summer and I never got around to buy it. Then, Kobo offered selected Carina press e-books for 0,99, and this was one of them. I snatched it up. Am I glad I bought it? Oh yes.

The opening line caught my attention. But what really reeled me in was the unique world. I love urban fantasy, but after awhile you get tired of the standard tropes. This book deals with the conflicts between humans and ghosts. That, combined with the riveting plot and the tension between the characters hooked me.

I will definitely read the next book in the series.

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Bitter Night by Diana Pharaoh Francis

On 15/01/201112/07/2014 By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations

Bitter Night by Diana Pharaoh Francis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

SOMETIMES YOU CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES. AND SOMETIMES, THEY CHOOSE YOU…

Once, Max dreamed of a career, a home, a loving family. Now all she wants is freedom…and revenge. A witch named Giselle transformed Max into a warrior with extraordinary strength, speed, and endurance. Bound by spellcraft, Max has no choice but to fight as Giselle’s personal magic weapon — a Shadowblade — and she’s lethally good at it. But her skills are about to be put to the test as they never have before….

The ancient Guardians of the earth are preparing to unleash widespread destruction on the mortal world, and they want the witches to help them. If the witches refuse, their covens will be destroyed, including Horngate, the place Max has grudgingly come to think of as home. Max thinks she can find a way to help Horngate stand against the Guardians, but doing so will mean forging dangerous alliances — including one with a rival witch’s Shadowblade, who is as drawn to Max as she is to him — and standing with the witch she despises. Max will have to choose between the old life she still dreams of and the warrior she has become, and take her place on the side of right — if she survives long enough to figure out which side that is….

I must admit that I waited a long time before buying this book. I had tried to read Diana Pharaoh Francis before, and felt meh about her books. But since this book was urban fantasy, I wanted to try it.
And OMG. Her writing sucked me in. For a moment, I thought I *was* in California. The characters felt real. Max anger was understandable, so was Alexanders decisions. The plot were filled with unexpected twists, that gradually raised the stakes. All in all, this was an excellent read.
If you haven’t read Diana Pharaoh Francis yet, this is a great book to start with.

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Enchanted No More by Robin D. Owens

On 14/01/201113/07/2014 By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations2 Comments

Enchanted No More by Robin D. Owens

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Guilt-ridden by a mistake that cost her family their lives, half-Lightfolk, half-human Jenni Weavers turns her back on her magical heritage…until her remaining brother who hates her is trapped and she’s the only one who can step into an alternate dimension to save him.

This is Robin D Owens at her best. She have taken common fantasy races, and turned them into something unique. The plot grip you from the start, and keeps you on the edge, wondering what happens next. And the characters. All the characters felt like they had a function, like they moved the plot forward.

Go,read.

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