Grounded

Wingless: misery's company by Holly Hood

Eve Cardwell, is willful and fiercely independent, she has to be, she lost her everything; her brother Marcus. He was her sense of security and her ability to believe that life is worth living. You know, that one person in the world that gets you, forgives you, and loves you unconditionally.

Along comes Evan, saving her from herself and from everything she is trying to run away from. 

The good:

I actually liked the "death as mob" theme. Great idea. I think overall this book was full of a great deal of really good ideas. Ms. Hood is an out of the box writer with a real talent of keeping her creativity relatable; as in there is something in Eve that we all understand. There is something about Evan's struggle that we can all relate too, yet he invites Eve and us into his dangerous and new world.

Evan is really hot.

Fav line:

"...My life lesson was simple. Believe with your heart, fear is real, and no one ever is going to make it out by the skin of their teeth. Death may be scary, but there was one thing that death gave us, and that was blindness to not see it coming until it was too late. And now I believed in everything that I was told I was wrong to believe..."

The bad:

Eve was really depressing and whiny. She comes from a rich family with parents who love her and two perfectly good siblings who want the best for her; I generally hate people like Eve who have to make up drama because they don't really have any. Yes, she lost her brother, but who hasn't lost someone? And, that is one bad thing that happened to her compared to people who persevere through hardship with far less support and resources than what she has to work with.

I believe that Ms. Hood meant to make the character "unlikeable," so I continued to read and met Evan who seemed awesome, I kept wondering why was he dating this dark and annoying whiny 'blah' of a girl.

Then the arguing started, Eve and Evan spent quite a bit of time YELLING! at each other, flip-flopping from happy to violent way too often; to much drama for me. I was rolling my eyes and thinking, "Just leave each other alone." 

Overall:

This was an okay read. I wasn't blown away, but I will continue to read Ms. Hood's work because I think she is a really talented author with a bright future. Meet Holly Hood

I'm jus sayin:

I should tell you that I am one of those "Men are like buses, next one comes in fifteen minutes."  I'm just not a epic love story kind of gal, sorry "Twilight" and "Titanic," but I have better things to do, like paint my fingernails and watch them dry or go to the golf pro shop with C-mac.  

Check this book out at Amazon and goodreads

Hot and molten mercury

Murder by Ritual by LeTeisha Newton

Blurb: 

on the scene of a grisly quadruple murder Eris Herrington thinks she’s been pushed too far. Strands--humans who now had the power to walk as animals or, like her, could see into anything they touch--haven’t been public for long. A killer among them won’t be good.

Eris realizes she’s been manipulated for this case in order to join the Strand Special Core, and Ken Satou will be her partner. She’s ready to walk away, but Ken won’t stand for it. If he has to seduce her into submission to solve this case that is exactly what he’ll do.

The Good:

This paranormal romance is a well thought out and fun read. One of those mysteries that became a “I just have to know,” spurring late nights and early mornings with my ipad. And it did not let me down; with a nice twist and a good plausible ending.

To be honest, it took me until page 24 to get really invested, here is the line that had me hooked, Ken describing Eris’ eyes, “as hot and molten mercury” I was mesmerized. And can this author write good kiss! “One of his palms cradled the of her head, the other her right cheek holding her face to his as he plundered her mouth…” (Pg77). Talk about hot and steamy! And did I mention that the characters ‘love’ scenes are plentiful and well written?

Fav character: Dr. Heming, I do love myself a hunky geek add in vampire and its off the charts lust for me. Yes, I love the strange characters and the bad guys, they have no filter and say exactly what I’m thinking!

The  bad:

I deducted a star for all the reiteration; I was beaten over the head with the idea that they are mates. Okay, I get it!

And I deducted for awkward sentences, “Any person who is possible to come into the special core as an agent is submitted to a background check…. (pg69)” I believe the word that should have been used was ‘candidate.’  “Any candidate of the special core is submitted to a background check…. (pg69)”

Which brings me to my next point, the book got too wordy at times. However, this can be resolved with a beta reader and an aggressive editing eye..

I'm jus sayin:

I was blown away by the world building in this book and am glad I was introduced to such an imaginative author.

Want to judge it for yourself? Head on over to Goodreads, Amazon, or B&N!

Seduced

Seducing the jackal by Seressia Glass

Blurb: Centuries ago, tragedy severed the alliance between the jackal shifters and powerful Egyptian priestesses. But when four of his brothers succumb to a deadly curse, clan commander Markus kidnaps one of the witches and insists she undo the evil magic.

Although Tia can undo the curse, she insists her coven is not behind it—and she is shaken to her core by her intense attraction to her captor. The sparks between them quickly ignite, filling them both with passion and power unlike anything they've ever known. Will it be enough to heal the rift between their peoples?

The good:

I found this to be a really solid read. The author is a good writer with a strong voice. Her characters are well thought out with understandable motivations. In other words, as readers we’re provided enough back story to understand the why the characters choose the decisions they do. I also liked that the story focused more on the relationship between the H/H and not so much on the mythology of ancient Egyptian deities. And Tia’s power, YASSS! I love the whole situation (You have to read it or visit my blog to figure out what I’m talking about).

I found a few problems, so I can’t use the term ‘bad’

A few minor grammatical errors

The story was a little predictable

I’m jus sayin: ****spoiler alert***

Sexual energy feeds her power ( How Awesome!)

Get the book here at Amazon or check it out on goodreads

I got the Fever!

Wolf Fever by Milly Taiden

Raine Bowe volunteers for a sleep study for extra cash, but wakes up in a lab, the victim of a mad scientist. She escapes with one objective, find someone to help her fight the evil growing inside her.

Ryder Storm is a man with a bad boy reputation. He knows the desperate woman in his bar is his mate the moment he lays eyes on her. He'll give her anything she wants, except the one thing she's begging for. Death.


Mature reader warning: Adult content including but not limited to: Violence and raw sexual language and actions.

The good:

One to watch

This is my first read by Mrs. Taiden and I really loved the passion and excitement of this book. The H/H have so much chemistry from the very beginning and the writing is steamy like hot butter on the griddle.

The story is unique in the sea of paranormal romances. How many heroines are as strong as the alpha male in their stories? I can only think of a few, so the author gets extra stars from me for that.

And the sex. GOOD sex tastefully done

The bad:

There were a few errors overall, but nothing that I'm going to whine about.

I’m jus sayin:

I was a little upset that she didn’t get to personally exact revenge

Check this book out at Amazon or goodreads!

I do.

If you've never heard of Kim Harrison, shame on you. SHAME!

She is an amazing writer with an eclectic group of characters that will make you love to read. Seriously, she is amazing and I am a bookie when it comes to her. I once wrote on her blog and she wrote back. I giggled like a school child and told all of m co-workers and friends about the experience.

One of the main reasons that I love her is her Hollows series. Its AMAZING. no seriously, its STUPENDOUS!

Who else could blend supernaturals into one storyline: vampires, fairies, nymphs, elves, demons, and Tinkerbell (pixies).

I'm humbled every time I read one of her novels: "Pg 38 describing Trent, "Elegance coupled with savagery and a frightening grace, magic sung into existence"


So effing amazing! How could you not read this? Did I mention the lesbian tension? Or the hot chemistry between Rachel and Trent, one of the main protagonists, or Rachel and Al (the demon). I mean I'm a little in love with Trent ( He was one of my book boyfriends), yet I hate him a little. Don't you love it when authors can pull that emotion out of you?
NO? Than get off this blog!
Pg 692. "It was beautiful. It made us deadly. It was an ancient war machine. The rings were made for this. And now we had access to the weapons vault."
Dayum!

Check out this series! Amazon, goodreads, B&N

Kim Harrison's Goodreads page

Ugly is relative...

Brent is determined to wants to find his mate, so does his dragon.

Carissa has no desire to live up to her parents 'free love' lifestyle, so she’s buried her sexual desires and decided to focus on building up her business, Scentify an aromatherapy store. 

Everything is great until she meets Brent, then things turn ugly—dragon ugly.


I'm just sayin:

The book was a decent read, though it was sometimes a little dry. It took forever for the "action" to start and there wasn't really a protagonist in the story either. The sex scenes were mild as well. But, there weren't tons of writing errors and everything that happened made sense ( I have read a lot of books where the characters actions don't make sense based on what the author has established.) I also liked that she had a 'better' career than him and it was never an issue. There were some confusing things about this story, one of the characters mentions a shifter football team that he is supposed to be on, but that development never goes anywhere. And a hypnotizing snake shifter-singer that really has no point.

Overall:
 It was just okay

Chek this book out at Amazon, Goodreads, B&N

Atone by Angela Brown

I recently read "Atone" by one of my favorite authors, Angela Brown. This novelette is part of her NEO chronicles are the stories of our heroes before they band together to save of behinds from those who threaten our existence.

NEO – Network of Extraordinaires and Otherworldlies is shaping up to be one badass group of people, so I can't read their combined adventures, but for now I'm enjoying all of the individual stories. 

Atone, book two, is centered around Caine, a hot assassin that specializes in the ladies. He's ready to retire, but decides to take just one last job, assassinate an assassin, the ultimate "one for the road" departure. Just what Caine needs.

I'm just sayin:

For a novelette I found that Atone offered the reader a lot of information. For example, Caine's background story is full of emotion and betrayal the glimpse into this killers past helps us to understand what shaped him into becoming a real lady killer. 

One of the reasons that I love Angela Brown's work is that she writes very descriptively. I can see in my mind exactly what she is writing:

LOC 171 "Colorful dots covered a gray slate in his mind, moving, coalescing like an impressionistic painting, until a familiar face came into view."

At the same time, she is an author with a sense of humor with her characters:

 loc 390 "When conversations are a blast"

I also love that she writes unconventional women; I'm over lawyers, fashion designers, and medical professionals that act anything but. I want to see more ninja's and mountain women, maybe an astrophysicist or two. I really like that the world has no bounds when Angela writes.

Overall:

I actually cried during one of the scenes in a book, how often does that happen in a novella? Never, unless it is written by a talented artist like Angela Brown who's weaving a tapestry of books into the series she calls NEO chronicles.

Check this book out at Amazon, Goodreads, or Barnes and Noble. 

Book one of NEO:

Frailties of the Bond

And cause I love it so much:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15843604-neverlove

What I've been reading.........

"She laughed as fell..." Because she's a boss!

Max Gladstone's novel is set in a world so different from ours; people called craftsman wield the power of God's. God's love, war, and trade their power and their devout love them all the more. Vampires roam free selling their wares to those addicted to their bite, and driverless carriages pulled by horse's ferry customer's to and fro the giant city of Alt Coulumb- a much easier task if the fare speaks horse.

Tara, a recent "graduate" of the hidden schools is approached by the international necromantic firm of Kelethres, Albrecht, and Ao. A prestigious firm offering her one shot at a position as associate and a chance out of the farm town her family lives in.
Her client is Kos, recently deceased fire god of the city of Alt Coulumb. Without Him, the metropolis’s steam powered technology will shut down and its occupants and his devout will tear the city asunderTara’s must help resurrect Kos before chaos reigns. Her companion, the last priest to see Kos the ever burning alive, Abelard, chain-smoking, non-horse speaking, devotee with a secret he doesn't know.

Was Kos was murdered? Or did he die of natural causes? They must find out in order to trial the case before Alt Coulumb’s court of justice pitting Tara against the very man who threw her from the sky as she laughed.


This is what I consider to be a hard read. Not because of the story or errors, but because my mind is so wrapped up in the present that it's hard to get into a totally different world. No cars, cells, or flat screen televisions. No love triangles, meaningless sex or angst ridden teens.
This is a the real deal, an honest to goodness piece of literary art. Not pride and prejudice style, but fantasy 'I WANT THIS TO BE A T.V. SHOW!' style. Completely and utterly original. I loved it. Imagining the city of A.C. along the lines of Hong Kong or Tokyo but with carriages and vampires, gargoyles, and craftsmen, men and women who use the start to draw power.
Oh, to be a craftsmen with my very own dagger and classroom full of mindless drones.

Awesome read, cool cover, great author who I can't wait to read more from.

Check it out here to buy it for your Kindle or go to goodreads to buy from a different retailer

Loving Zeek & Thorn

I was so excited when Dicey Grenor announced this novella on her facebook page. I am a huge fan of the Narcoleptic Vampire series and of the author herself. Mrs. Grenor is a good at creating smart, sassy, sexy characters that are complex, yet endearing. So, I knew this novella was going to be in my Kindle library as soon as it came out.

I was gifted this novella from Mrs. Grenor, but my opinion of her work was not influenced by her generosity.

So let's get into this review:    

Zeek is one of Willow's grooms, the lone sister in the troupe of men that made Willow a master vampiress.  She loves her second life of health and strength after a lifetime of ostracism and illness. Enter Thorn, a preacher left behind after the rapture. A man trying to live right after a lifetime of doing so many people wrong.

When the two meet Thorn tries to resist the temptation of his favorite drug and Zeek struggles to show Thorn the real her, in all her glory.

Zeek's spirit is beautiful despite being battered over an over by abuse and ignorance. Her loyalty, strong beliefs and loving nature make it hard not to fall for her character. At first I didn't like Thorn, how could I? He really didn't have that many redeeming qualities at first, he's so concerned with her appearance, but then we get to watch him fall in love with someone he totally doesn't expect. He sees Zeek's spirit and falls in love with HER, not her body or what she can do for him. But the raw person inside, which is all she ever wanted in a lover.

I'm just saying:

The adult scene in this book is may test some of you, but they are not too graphic and done with class. Personally I found them to be tender and sweet, the slow burn of eroticism is still there, but handled with such care that it makes you smile affectionately cause you understand the motivations and the elation that the characters fell when they finally get down to the dirty.

Favorite character: 
Vance. I have a girl crush on her now. Yeah she's sexy and can kick your ass, but she's also nurturing and true to herself and her friends.

Monroe. OK, maybe it's the perv in me but his line, "It took me two hours, but I finally put the Mrs. to bed" made my insides feel good.

Favorite line:
"The only thing worse than a horny vampire is a hungry one"

Complaints: I wanted more!

Overall:

This book is a blast!  Sexy, raw, and human. The real humanity, not that fluff and stuff of gallant pretty people that pay lip service. But, the humanity that makes you look in the mirror and tell yourself to be a more accepting person. Read it, challenge yourself to expand your literary horizons, you might discover that we're ALL really not that far apart from one another.


To view this book on Amazon.com click the link or the book. Please leave a comment or if you like to read what I read follow this blog!

Falling for a good book...

Edge of the falls by Nazarea Andrews

Sabah is an orphan child taken in by the mysterious ‘Mistress’ after being abdoned  to the slums as a child. Soon she grows up and falls in love, knowing her place living outside the great city nearby.

But when a ban-wolf saves her life, Sabah begins to change.

The book synopsis says that it’s a romantic retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but I found this book to be so much more than just a children’s story. I fell in love with the world that the author created. Not that it’s a magical fairytale with talking teacups and other server ware, a dark dystopia where a beautiful girl has more than just furry beasts to worry about when civilized gentry can change one’s fate on a whim.

Sabah is the best kind of heroine; fiercely passionate and strong, but also willing to be open and vulnerable when she finally sets her sites on what her heart desires.

I felt myself wrapped in Sabah’s story; fearing, feeling, betrayed, but also growing as Sabah did. I would recommend this story to anyone that enjoys a good well rounded read. The characters are magnificently written  and the story is thoroughly entertaining.



If you like what you read please hit the follow button. Thanks!

Not that tempted

Tempting the Jaguar by Katie Reus

This was an okay read. Nothing special about the hero or heroine, though it turns out someone thinks that she's very special. The action was miniscule and the love scene's were well detailed, but there just

was not enough book for me to get excited about this book. Overall, its a good easy read.

Click the cover to view this book on Amazon. And if you like what you read please hit the follow button. Thanks!

Suck what up more?

Suck it up by Emma Hillman

Love story between Dr. Nathan and his nurse Kellie, its part of a series about a particular pride. Kellie has a lot of problems and really bad luck. Her lion is gay, but she isn't. Nathan is perfect, other than the God problem he has when he mates Kellie without telling her or discussing it with the rest of his pride.

There were a lot of interesting twists and characters, SPOILER ALERT, the antagonist is a woman! Yay! Amnd Hillman buck tradition and creates a un-formulaic storyline and the sex in the book is good. But this is a novella and the price was kind of high for the amount of story you get, so I deducted a star based on that.

Overall,  an ok ready.

I only found one error:
Location 1089 "...they were always so full of themselves, so egomaniac" ---> should have been egotistical or egomaniacal.

Click on the title or image to visit this book on Amazon.com. And if you like what you read please hit the follow button. Thanks!

Magic under glass

Magic under glass by Jaclyn Dolamore

Nimira, a girl from Tasim  who has traveled far from home to try and change her fortune. A "trouser girl" trained in the art of dancing, a novelty that has fallen out of fashion and has her living under harsh conditions until an opportunity from a young sorcerer introduces her to a haunted automotan that throws her into the middle of the fiary war.

Intersting characters with a well thought out story that I became engrossed in almost immediately. I liked that this was a unique story: automotan ( wind up robots), humans erecting a wall between themselves and fairies, but mostly the story of Nimira.

This is a solid read worth the charging price, have at it!

Sinfully delighted to read this book

Sins of the heart:

I was hooked after the first chapter. Silver weaves a complicated tale involving a God, his sons and the daughters of his enemies. And, Yow-ZA the men are hot!

Dagan meets Roxy and is drawn by her devil may care attitude and piercing green eyes. He saves her from an unfortunate end, then leaves her with only one warning. Years pass and their paths cross again only this time, neither of them is willing to leave with only words between them.

Blown away! Thank goodness it's not about shifters or vampires! The intricately woven story is rich and full of details without being stuffy and overworked. And this is not just a romance, this is a suspense novel that will keep you wondering as the H/H navigate "top world,"Earth where demigods, fire genies, and Asentian guards all vie for one goal or should I say girl?

Dagan. wow. Tall, blonde, and hard on the outside; caring, loyal, and earnest on the inside. What a man! Did I mention there were three more of them? One even has an english accent (Yes,please!). 

Please read this book from amazon and comment on this blog, I would love to hear what you think.

No Clarity in the writing...............

Dark Clarity 

I bought this book based on some other people mentioning it on a group page that I frequent. I downloaded the sample to give it a go, but found it riddled with error after error. Finally at 20% I finally got fed up and returned it for a refund, I figure that if you're not willing to invest your hard earned money in an editor to improve your work, then I'm not willing to spend my hard earned money trying to read it.


Here are just SOME of the problems I encountered while reading this:


"I eyes popped open as I was yanked from the creatures crosshairs and slung hard against the wall"


"and wow the man was enormous, close to six and a half feet with broad shoulders,....." does not describe an enormous person, in fact it is only slightly above average height for males.


There is a tense problem, Location 2138: disappearing instead of disappeared


Many misuse/wrong words: Location 3523 "Slipped" instead of `sip' and "copse" instead of `corpse'.


Then there was the most unforgiveable of novel writing offenses; incorrect spelling:
Location 2944 "felping." Seriously? No matter what OS or program your working in there is some sort of spelling corrector built, why didn't the author use it?

Great title:

Scar by Kassanna

Great cover, mediocre read. I liked the concept of this book; someone kidnaps the son of the alpha. Fre, finds a puppy locked in car parked at a strip club; love follows. A single father, Rhys also happens to be alpha of his pack; he falls for Fre without revealing his true nature. 

I really enjoyed the cover of this book and saw that it had been reviewed favorably, so I got a sample. It was an okay read, though the hero and shero never became real to me.

I enjoyed the character Keen, but wish the author spent more time developing all of the characters in the story.

It felt flat when I read the love scenes and the actions were just white words on the black kindle screen. I prefer for the words to come alive in my imagination and this never happened. 

Maybe, it was the myriad of typos and grammar problems, or, the mundane details that didn't move the story (Why do I care about the way he sticks his straw in a drink? Location 392. And, an "ode" is a song, not an aroma. location 432). Either way this was just an okay read, certainly not worth $4.

And if you like what you read please hit the follow button. Thanks!

Locked in confusion

Lawked Flame by 

This book needed a prolouge and and editor.

I was so confused by the aliens and their small town that I got lost in the "action" sequences. I was so fed up that I stopped reading this book altogether. The last straw for me? There was a sequence involving the heroine's mother becoming ill; too much time was spent on the sequence and the character explaining to her lover that her mother was white with a fierce mothering instinct, as if race plays a part in that. For me this stalled the story; as did the side plotlines that did nothing to move the main story along.

Skip this bore!!!

Carnal knowledge
I have no idea what this book is about, I read the entire thing and it was terrible. Awful.


The good:
Nothing

The bad:
Everything

I'm jus sayin:
Um, any dude that refuses to let you back into his house after you showered with him yesterday and keeps you in the doorway to his house is not worth the fight. And, practically begging to be let in is not strong or heroine like behavior; in fact it's embarrassing and stupid. I want my money back. Seriously, refund my dollars, please!

Under Violette Dubrinsky's spell

Under the Crescent Moon is about New York Lawyer Azaleigh Montclaire inherits the estate of her aunt; an old house in Georgia, a big ring, some family jewels, oh yeah, and a Zombie. Victor St. Croix is not your run of the meal "Walking Dead" Zombie, he's better! A gorgeous six-and-a-half foot, dark-haired, green-eyed giant of a man who falls to his knees and swears to protect her with his life from the Night Walkers, fiendish bloodsucking vampires, who threaten to massacre the entire town of Hallows Brook if Azleigh, the guardian, doesn't get over the shock of having her very on Zombie hunk. 

The good:
There is so much more to this story than a witch and her play thing; the plot is easy to follow, though not so easy that you feel  like your being talked down to. There is a plot that will surprise you and the make you want to yell at the characters, because this book is really about love and destiny; opening your heart to what love has to offer and keeping it, even if it means giving up yourself for it. 

The bad:
There is a little problem with continuity and there are a few errors in the book; slate instead of slam, but that is to be expected with e-books. 

 I'm just sayin:
The errors are outweighed by the great story; there are so many books in the i/r genre that are so hard to get through whether from bad technique or ill formed storylines, but Mrs. Dibrinsky manages to create an entire world of characters that are distinct and interesting; their stories are so compelling that you will find yourself rooting for the characters, or against them. I will definitely read this book again and again.follow me to purchase

please leave a comment or ask a question, I would be happy to hear from you!

Hunting Season by Shelly Laurenston

A story of Ravens and Crows; Neecy and Yeager; as the story unfolds we learn that Crows are a group of women who are offered a new life as champions of the goddess Skuld; Ravens are Nordic heirs and champions of the God Odin. Both fight for their Gods, both are strong and intelligent, both are trying to keep the world safe from the magic's of the other side. 

The good:
Great beginning familiar themes and plot from the author.

The bad:
Not as good as any of her other works, a little confusing, slow and the ending was beyond rushed. After a two hundred pages of build-up the bad guy was dispatched in two lines, ugh. 

I'm just sayin: Compared to her other series, I was very disappointed with this book; I didn't care about any of the characters or their stories, the background seemed to be rushed, though I was introduced to more and more crows until I got them confused with one another. There were werewolves for no other reason, mentioned more than once and given inner dialogue, though I wasn't sure what their point was. The only thing that I'm certain of is that Neecy (heroine) was annoyingly stubborn and defensive in the face of an open, honest, good man, Yeager. I hate how books drag this sort of thing out; we have all been hurt, but most sensible women (even us tough ones) know a good thing when we see it and will open up a bit, but Neecy was denial for two-hundred and thirty five pages and okay for fifty.

Overall: pass on this book an read one of this authors other gems instead

To check this book out, click here