Review: Silent Blade by Ilona Andrews

Silent BladeSilent Blade by Ilona Andrews

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 The blurb:
On Meli Galdes’ home planet, the struggle for power is a bloody, full-contact sport—in business and on the battlefield. For years her lethal skills have been a valuable asset in advancing her family’s interests. She’s more than earned her right to retire, but her kinsmen have one last favor to ask.

Kill the man who ruined her life.

The Review:
Since Silver Shark was released today, I decided to review the prequel. The world of the Kinsmen is fascinating. At the same time high tech, yet it almost feels regency when it comes to the families. I’ll admit, the fact that Meli was engaged to Celino at the age of 10 felt wrong, yet it is a part of society. I loved how Meli accepted the contract, and used all she knew about Celino to snare him in.

The result is a delicious dance of love past and present. As she plans to get her revenge, Celino falls hard. And so does she. Yet she walked away. I loved that, there felt like poetic justice. But, they get their HEA, so don’t worry. And I loved the ending. It fit the story perfectly

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Review: Bear Necessites by Dana Marie Bell

Bear Necessities by Dana Marie Bell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The blurb:

To Bear Necessities (Halle Shifters, #1)hold onto his love, he must release his beast. Halle Shifters, Book 1 Once a Bear sets his mind on a mission, it’s best to stay out of his way. Alexander “Bunny” Bunsun is that Bear. Something’s not right with his cousin Chloe, and he’s come to Halle, PA, to sort it out, turn his Harley around and head home to Oregon. Until an enticing scent lures him into the local tattoo shop. There she is. An inked, Southern-drawled she-Wolf with lime-green hair. His perfect mate.
Tabitha Garwood’s rotten day just got worse. Her Outcast status makes her a target for harassment with alarming regularity. And now, in the middle of a root touch-up, looking like a half-melted Skittle, she’s met her destined mate.
The only upside? She finally has a protector in the form of a huge, tattooed, shaved-head Bear who vibrates with carefully restrained power. When Chloe is left for dead and Tabby is threatened, only Alex can keep his growing family safe.
Giving Tabby the loving home she needs, though, could come at a price-Alex must give up the control he’s worked a lifetime to attain. Which means someone could die at the hands-and claws-of his beast.
Warning: This novel contains explicit sex, graphic language, a hunky Bear named Bunny and . . . Yes. I said a Bear named Bunny. I don’t know about you but I’m not brave enough to make fun of it

The Review:
I picked up this book after finishing Blood of the Maple, mainly because I wanted to read Dana Marie Bells Samhain titles. The title of this book caught my attention, were-bears sounded like an unusual twist. In fact, this book was full of unusual twists. There are mates, a standard trope in Paranormal Romance. I loved how both Alexander and Tabby accepted that they were mates, just like that. Which means that their HEA never really in question. That doesn’t mean they have an easy path, far from it. I loved how they slowly started to trust each other, especially Tabby. Tabby has a reason for not trusting people, and I loved how the author handled the solution to that, showing Tabby that she wasn’t alone. ( I am not going into any details, read the book  )
What made me like this book so much, wasn’t the characters, or the plot. No, it was the way all of it worked together to create a story that left me satisfied. And in my mind, there is no bigger praise.

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Review: The Sergant’s Lady by Susanna Fraser

The Sergeant's LadyThe Sergeant’s Lady by Susanna Fraser

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Particulars: Historical Romance, Carina Press, e-book.

The Review:
The blurb:

Highborn Anna Arrington has been “following the drum,” obeying the wishes of her cold, controlling cavalry officer husband. When he dies, all she wants is to leave life with Wellington’s army in Spain behind her and go home to her family’s castle in Scotland.

Sergeant Will Atkins ran away from home to join the army in a fit of boyish enthusiasm. He is a natural born soldier, popular with officers and men alike, uncommonly brave and chivalrous, and educated and well-read despite his common birth.

As Anna journeys home with a convoy of wounded soldiers, she forms an unlikely friendship with Will. When the convoy is ambushed and their fellow soldiers captured, they become fugitives—together. The attraction between them is strong—but even if they can escape the threat of death at the hands of the French, is love strong enough to bridge the gap between a viscount’s daughter and an innkeeper’s son?

My impressions:
I picked up this last year, when Kobo had offered selected Carina Press titles for 0.99. For a number of reasons, I didn’t get around to read it until now. This book is on many levels a complex story about survival and second changes. The characters suffers through the whole novel. Even when they are in camp, there is some sort of trouble. The plot is gripping, and with unexpected plottwists. But what I really loved with this book is the settings. I love how the setting is described in a blunt honest way. The dangers with being on the trail, in enemy land, isn’t hidden. But, despite the plotting, and setting which is good I felt that the characters were lacking. Oh, they weren’t bad. They were flawed, but I didn’t feel that they grew. Or maybe it was there and I didn’t discover it.

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Review: When Strangers Marry by Lisa Kleypas

When Strangers Marry (Vallerands, #1)When Strangers Marry by Lisa Kleypas

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The particulars: Historical Romance, Avon, available as e-book

The review:

The blurb:

Lysette buried her face against Max’s throat. “But he’s going to take me away. Don’t let him, don’t — ” “You’re not going anywhere,” Max interrupted. “Calm yourself, Lysette. It’s not good for you to become excited.” His possessiveness made her strangely giddy. As far as he was concerned, she was his, and no one was going to take her away from him. Max stared at Etienne. His voice was soft, but it contained a note that chilled Lysette’s blood. “If you so much as disarrange a hair on her head, I’ll tear you apart.” Lysette couldn’t believe it, but she didn’t care about her ruined reputation. The only thing that mattered was that she wouldn’t have to marry Etienne.

My impressions:

This was one of the first romance novel I bought in English. I loved it then, and I love it now. It isn’t the most gripping romance novel, and it is probably a bit dated since it is almost 20 years old. But, I just love reading about Maximilien’s and Lysette’s whirlwind romance. It is set in New Orleans, against a backdrop of change and intrigues. No matter how many time I have read it, the story sucks me in. The plot has enough twists to keep up my interest, but what makes me coming back again and again is the characters. The characters is a part of the era, but it feels logical.

I think it is out of print, but if you finds it in the library, grab a copy!

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Review: A Tailor-Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer

A Tailor-Made BrideA Tailor-Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The particulars: Historical Christian Romance, Bethany House, available as e-book and in print.

The Review:

The blurb:

When a dressmaker who values beauty tangles with a liveryman who condemns vanity, the sparks begin to fly!
Jericho “J.T.” Tucker wants nothing to do with the new dressmaker in Coventry, Texas. He’s all too familiar with her kind–shallow women more devoted to fashion than true beauty. Yet, except for her well-tailored clothes, this seamstress is not at all what he expected.

Hannah Richards is confounded by the man who runs the livery. The unsmiling fellow riles her with his arrogant assumptions and gruff manner, while at the same time stirring her heart with unexpected acts of kindness. Which side of Jericho Tucker reflects the real man?
When Hannah decides to help Jericho’s sister catch a beau–leading to consequences neither could have foreseen–will Jericho and Hannah find a way to bridge the gap between them?

My impressions:

I picked up this when it was free on Kobo a couple of months ago. I rarely reads Christian Romance, but something with the blurb snagged my interest. And I am glad I read it. It is hard to explain what I liked most, but the short story is that I fell in love with the writing. It was a light, and hopeful story set in the West. The author had clearly spent time reseaching the setting, since it felt realistic. The plot wasn’t that special, but the characters. Oh my. The characters were a delight. Not perfect, but they were scarred, yet they still had some kind of hope for humanity. It was fascinating to see Jericho’s growth, from loathing Hannah’s work, to accepting it, and the rest of Hannah. Hannah is a strong woman, determinded to succeed.

I wont say anything more, but I encourage you to buy the book. It is well worth the money!

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Dark and Disorderly by Bernita Harris

Dark and DisorderlyDark 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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