Month: March 2013

The Sorcerer snippet no 3

On By mikaelalindIn Uncategorized

I stepped out of the car, and stared at the house. Once, it had been painted a bright yellow and kept in top shape. Now, the paint was flaking, and the roof was in need of repair. I shook off the bitterness that filled me. You had no choice but selling it to cover the back taxes, I reminded myself. I opened the car door, and stepped outside.

Solange looked around and shook her head.
“ What a dump,” she murmurred.

Irritation flared, but I squashed it. She was right, the house was a dump. I opened the gate, and hid a wince when the paint left a grey trace. I rubbed it against my thigh, and swallowed a growl when it stubbornly clung to my palm.

Friday Finds

On By MikaelaIn Uncategorized
I have used Ereader IQ occasionally, but earlier this week I discovered a new to me feature: Subscribing to an author, and getting e-mails when their prices drop on Amazon. This is perfect for KDP select, since I tend to miss those freebies.
Oh, and I discovered that I probably can order Createspace books through my local bookstore. Which made me wonder if I can order Samhain books as well: I definitely plan to visit the store next week.

Anyway. On to the books:

The Jack Daniels series by JA Konrath.  I read and enjoyed Shot of Tequila a couple of years ago, so when I found out that JA Konrath was in KDP Select, I decided to get this series.

 
Dweller on the Treshhold by Rinda Elliot
This is a brand new author to me, and I look forward to reading it, some time next week

Red by Kate SeRine:
 This a Fantasy mystery, which sounded good. Plus it is only 1.99 at Amazon.

Friday Bargains: Urban Fantasy and Mystery

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations, Books

Carina Press has lowered the price of Janni Nell’s Allegra Fairwater series to 2.99. Which is a great price, but it can get lower if combined with a Kobo Coupon. VoucherCode30 gives 30% off on any non Agency book. I am a bit behind on the series, but I really recommend it.
To die for is an eight book bundle that is available for pre-order at Amazon and Kobo for 0.99. I am definitely getting it.  Unlucky by Jana DeLeon have been on my wishlist for a long time.
Capable of Murder by Brian Kavanaugh is free at Amazon. I reviewed this last year, and found it a decent mystery.
Trouble in Mudbug by Jana Deleon is free. I know I mentioned it awhile ago, but I love Jana Deleon’s humourous mysteries.
The Accidental Demonslayer by Angie Fox is free. This made me happy, since this series have been on my wishlist for a long time.

Click. Click! Ooh.

On By mikaelalindIn Uncategorized

Yesterday in the war room I asked if  it was believable if Mages were called Mancers in the US and Witches/Wizards in the UK.   It was prompted by a thought that the pixies had to come from somewere, and maybe Magi CIS and the Brownie Liason was set in the same world.

The answer I got from the war room people, was Yes.   And something clicked in my brain, starting a lot of thoughts tumbling around in my mind.

A lot of it is things that will never show in any of the stories, like how the differences occurred ( Clans vs not clans), the stability of magic etc.

But, I look forward to spending the weekend doing research and writing a lot of notes. :).

 

 

WWW Wednesday March 27:

On By MikaelaIn Uncategorized

WWW_Wednesdays4

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?



Warning: This edition is bit… monotone :P.

What are you currently reading?
Right now, I am reading  Rocky Mountain Haven by Vivian Arend. It is the second book in her Six Pack Ranch series, and it is soo good. 

 What did you recently finish reading?
Rocky Mountain Heat by Vivian Arend, book one in the  Six Pack Ranch.  Mmm.. Sexy cowboys!

 What are you planning to read next?
Rocky Mountain Desire.  I want to see if I like it better this time around…. And then it is Rocky Mountain Angel  :). 

Review: Under A Witch Moon by Maria E. Schneider

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations
The Particulars: Urban Fantasy, Bear Mountain Books, available in print and as e-book
The Source: Smashwords
The Grade: B+
The Blurb:
Adriel should have known that with a werewolf, it never stopped with just one body. She would have gone to the police after witnessing Dolores’ death, but she wasn’t certain the killer she saw was responsible for the other murders. Besides, the police didn’t believe in werewolves, and they weren’t going to believe she was a witch either so what could she tell them?

She kept her eyes and ears open while she tried to help her latest client escape the clutches of a voodoo witch, but things went from bad to worse when more bodies turned up. She was greatly relieved when she met White Feather, an undercover cop. Unfortunately, he wasn’t convinced she was innocent of all wrong-doing.
It was going to take every spell she knew and a few she hadn’t tried to solve the murders and stay alive.

The Review:
This book have been on my wishlist for a long time. And after finally buying, I kicking myself for waiting so long. But the upside is that book 3 is out soon.
The version of Santa Fe that the author created felt believable to me. The supernatural elements felt seamlessly integrated into the non magic society. I liked how Adriel’s magic worked, and how she created potions that might or might not work like she thought they would.
I also liked how the other supernatural elements was explained, and how not everyones magic worked exactly the same way, but it depended on what gift you had.
I liked Adriel. She was down to earth, and happy laying low, not attracting attention to herself. I felt for her when her life suddenly turned upside down.  I also liked the other characters we met, from the streetwise Lynx to the vivacious Matilda. And Whitefeather. dreamy sigh
The plot was fast paced, and I enjoyed following Adriel as she struggled to defeat the villain, and save her client. I loved how the stakes slowly rose through the plot, as Adriel and her friends gradually discovered who was behind it. One aspect that I especially liked  was how several separate plot threads turned out to be connected in the end.  Which lead to some unexpected plot twists. 
The biggest problem I had with this book, was that one tiny detail in the beginning of the book pissed off the biologist in me, and it took awhile for me to calm down, and appreciate the story. But otherwise, it was a well written Urban Fantasy.

Friday Bargains: Historical Romance

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations

There is a lot of good historical romance deals, right now. 

I love Patricia Rice’s novels, and right now she is offering a sale on two of her books. 
Denim and Lace  and The Genuine Article is discounted to 2.99. If you haven’t tried Patricia Rice yet, this is a great time.  

There are also a bunch of Johanna Lindsey titles available for 3.99 or less at Allromance right now.

And there are also some Dabwaha deals:

The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan is free right now. 

A Lady by midnight by Tessa Dare is discounted to 2.99 right now.

Review: Darkhouse by Karina Halle

On By MikaelaIn Uncategorized
The Particulars: Paranormal Suspense, Smashwords, available as e-book
The Source: Smashwords
The Grade: B+
The Blurb:
There’s always been something a bit off about Perry Palomino. Though she’s been dealing with a quarter-life crisis and post-college syndrome like any other twenty-something, she’s still not what you would call “ordinary.” For one thing, there’s her past which she likes to pretend never happened, and then there’s the fact that she sees ghosts.

Luckily for her, that all comes in handy when she stumbles across Dex Foray, an eccentric producer for an upcoming webcast on ghost hunters. Even though the show’s budget is non-existent and Dex himself is a maddening enigma, Perry is instantly drawn into a world that both threatens her life and seduces her with a sense of importance. Her uncle’s haunted lighthouse provides the perfect catalyst and backdrop for a mystery that unravels the threads of Perry’s fragile sanity and causes her to fall for a man, who, like the most dangerous of ghosts, may not be all that he seems

The Review:
Mandi at Smexybooks raved about Sins and Needles, which made me curious about Karina Halle. When I went to Smashwords, I discovered that this one was free so I downloaded it. I am glad I did.
I liked Perry a lot. She felt very normal with her complains about her boring job, her uncertainty what to do in the future and her family’s pressure. I also liked that she was scared to death while investigating the lighthouse.
This isn’t a romance, but I could sense something between Dex and Perry. I liked how she was torn between frustration that he didn’t call and hope that she might get a kick in her career.
The Oregon setting fit this story to the T, and I loved how the author used the history of the place to increase the suspense.
The plot hooked me from the start. The tension rose slowly, until I couldn’t keep on reading, since it was late and I feared I would get nightmares if I kept reading. Yes, it was that scary. Also, I’ll never look at flashbacks in the same way again. Normally, flashbacks makes me DNF a book, but not here. Here, the flashbacks were a vital part of story, and increased the sense of danger in the story.
That said, I felt that there was too many unanswered questions at the end of the story. But maybe I’ll find out more in the next book.

WWW Wednesday March 20

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations, Uncategorized
This meme is from shouldbereading.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently reading:
The Marquess by Patricia Rice
I am in a historical romance mood, plus I love Patricia Rice novels :).
Recently finished:
Feral Magic by Robin D Owens
I have wanted to read this for a long time, but it was only available at Amazon and BN. But finally it was available at Allromance :).
Lost in You by Lauren Dane
Soo good. Seriously. If you are in the mood for contemporary romance, I recommend her Petal novels.
Under Witch Moon and Under Witch Aura by Maria E Schneider:
I gobbled up both of these last week and I loved them. Well written, with an intresting setting and unique magic. Recommended!
Reading Next:
Well, I am waiting for Under Witch Curse by Maria E Schneider. It is out in April, meanwhile I think I’ll read the Elizabeth Chadwick novel I meant to read last weekend.