Book Review ~ The Ghoul Vendetta

The Ghoul Vendetta

by Lisa Shearin
published by Berkley Publishing Group/Ace Books
expected release date: January 31, 2017
genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, Supernatural

**Received e-arc from netGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Summary (Goodreads): Men in Black meets Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum in the fourth urban fantasy novel in the series starring seer Makenna Fraser and her fellow agents at Supernatural Protection & Investigation.
The agents of Supernatural Protection & Investigations (SPI) are paid to keep the peace. But that’s not so easy when an endless evil threatens to tear that peace to pieces...
A vampire gangster’s nephew is abducted off his yacht by a bunch of low-rent Creatures from the Black Lagoon. A slew of banks are knocked over by what looks like the cast of Night of the Living Dead. All of this may seem like the movies, but, I promise you, it’s not.
I’m Makenna Fraser, seer for SPI, and I know the culprits aren’t wearing disguises or makeup. They’re real. Deadly real. Especially their leader—an ancient shapeshifter who leaves a trail of chaos and blood in his wake. Now, he’s taken my partner, Ian—and his intentions aren’t pretty.
The worst part? This is only the beginning...
The beginning of the end of the human race.

My Thoughts: This was my favorite book, so far, in this series. We see both professional and personal growth in Mac.
We start with another date for Mac and Rake and of course it is interrupted by another weird attack. This time by a kraken and creatures from the black lagoon kidnapping a prominent member of vampire society. These two just need to be allowed to have a real date with nothing happening. We do see their relationship go a few steps forward by the end of this book but it is seeming like a very slow process.
This book sees the return of Ian's stalking, many faced ghoul. He's gone back to robbing places like when he and Ian first came in contact with each other (sort of). Only this time he is leaving presents that awaken something in Ian. I liked the progress of Ian's character and the reasoning behind the ghoul's obsession with him.
This obsession leads to Mac doing everything she can to save her partner. While finding out just what she is capable of on her own. We also find out just how many people outside of SPI care about these two characters. I liked how everyone came together to help out even if it wasn't to take part in the battle.
I'm hoping that we get to see more of Rake's friends. I'm definitely interested in the dragons and their riders. They seemed to be an fun group and I want more.
Overall, this was a fun book.  I wish there had been more resolution to the conflict at the end but it did help move the series forward while giving new characters and reuniting old friends. Cannot wait to read more from this world.

Rating: 4

Book Review ~ Shaman Rises

Shaman Rises (Walker Papers #9)

by C.E. Murphy
published by Harlequin Luna
Genre: Adult, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy, 

**Received egalley from publisher and netgalley in exchange for my honest opinions.

Summary (Goodreads): Joanne Walker has two choices:

Defeat the enemy…or lose her soul trying

For over a year, Joanne has been fighting the Master—the world's most abiding evil entity. She's sacrificed family, friendships, even watched potential futures fade away…and now the Master is bringing the final battle to Joanne's beloved Seattle.

Lives will be lost as the repercussions of all Joanne's final transformation into her full Shamanic abilities come to her doorstep. Before the end, she'll mourn, rejoice—and surrender everything for the hope of the world's survival. She'll be a warrior and a healer. Because she is finally a Shaman Rising.

My Thoughts: I did my usual procrastination on reading this, being the last book of the series. I'm still not sure how I feel about it after finishing. I enjoyed the book and was mostly happy with where everything ended up but there was still a feeling of something being off.
The main thing that threw me off was a death of a character. It wasn't something that happened in the middle of battle or at any time that would makes sense. We don't even see it happen.  Joanne turns around and looks and this person is dead. It comes up in another twist later in the story but still just felt like it was more for shock value than furthering the story in any way.
There was also too much going on at times. Trying to fit in every character that ever appeared in the series took up time that could have been more focused on Joanne's and the Master's stories. I wanted more of Joanne and Morrison, more of Morrison, more depth to the characters that we have come to love over the course of this series. Instead we have one epic battle after another. This isn't always a bad thing. There was plenty of action but not a lot of connection. When you thought they were done there was another tragedy happening that Joanne had to run off to fix.
This all sounds like I should have hated this book but I didn't. I still really enjoyed reading it just wanted more since it was the last time we were going to be with this group as it is. I'm happy for those that got their HEAs just wish it hadn't felt so rushed and chaotic.

Rating: 4

Book Review (e-Arc) ~ The Veil

The Veil (Devil's Isle)

by Chloe Neill
published by Berkley NAL
expected release date: August 4, 2015
genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal

**received e-galley from publisher and netGalley in exchange for honest review.

Summary (Goodreads): Seven years ago, the Veil that separates humanity from what lies beyond was torn apart, and New Orleans was engulfed in a supernatural war. Now, those with paranormal powers have been confined in a walled community that humans call the District. Those who live there call it Devil's Isle.

Claire Connolly is a good girl with a dangerous secret: she’s a Sensitive, a human endowed with magic that seeped through the Veil. Claire knows that revealing her skills would mean being confined to Devil’s Isle. Unfortunately, hiding her power has left her untrained and unfocused.

Liam Quinn knows from experience that magic makes monsters of the weak, and he has no time for a Sensitive with no control of her own strength. But when he sees Claire using her powers to save a human under attack—in full view of the French Quarter—Liam decides to bring her to Devil’s Isle and the teacher she needs, even though getting her out of his way isn’t the same as keeping her out of his head.

But when the Veil threatens to shatter completely, Claire and Liam must work together to stop it, or else New Orleans will burn…

My Thoughts: I always keep my expectations low when going into a new series from the UF/PNR genres. It helps to cut down on any disappointment. Fortunately, this book worked for me. While there were some things that didn't quite make sense, overall, this is a series that I'll look forward to the next book coming out.
This book was more story driven than character driven for me. The author made New Orleans recognizable while also making it a dystopian landscape. Like finding out how NOLA and it's people managed to survive and rebuild and go forward after the war with the paras. I look forward to finding out more about the those living and working in Devil's Isle. At times they were more interesting than the main group of characters.
While I liked Claire and Liam,  if they are the sole focus of this series, I can see myself losing interest. Having Claire become so proficient in her powers so quickly and in the save the day moment was less believable than anything. I had seen mention of it around and had to agree, she should not have been able to solve the veil problem all on her own at this point in her life.
There is some romantic feelings between Claire and Liam but it was kind of light. It has possibilities going forward but like I said above I will enjoy this series more if there are other characters taking the lead than just these two.
Even with the current veil problem being resolved there are enough questions/mysteries to keep me interested in future books.

Rating: 4

Book Review ~ Wild Things

Wild Things (Chicagoland Vampires #9)

by Chloe Neill
published by NAL Trade
genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, PNR, Supernatural

Summary: (Goodreads): Since Merit was turned into a vampire, and the protector of Chicago’s Cadogan House, it’s been a wild ride. She and Master vampire Ethan Sullivan have helped make Cadogan’s vampires the strongest in North America, and forged ties with paranormal folk of all breeds and creeds, living or dead…or both.

But now those alliances are about to be tested. A strange and twisted magic has ripped through the North American Central Pack, and Merit’s closest friends are caught in the crosshairs. Gabriel Keene, the Pack Apex, looks to Merit and Ethan for help. But who—or what—could possibly be powerful enough to out-magic a shifter?

Merit is about to go toe to toe, and cold steel to cold heart, to find out.

My Thoughts: Another enjoyable installment in the Chicagoland series. I probably liked this book for all the wrong reasons. Since he first showed up Gabriel has been my favorite character in these books. I really want a book from his POV circling around the supes.
Ethan and Merit are laying low (hiding from mayor) with the supes. During an annual festival things get a little out of hand. We find out about other types of supernaturals "living" in the world besides the ones already out. In the aftermath it is discovered that someone is kidnapping supernaturals. In order to get out of trouble with the elves Merit and Co. have to find the missing and return them to their families.
The story line with the mayor seemed to resolve too easily. I also didn't like that it happened off page. The story went from A to C without showing anything between.
The rest felt like a transition type book. With decisions being made regarding Chicago, GP, and the future it set up for some possibly interesting stories.

Rating: 4

Book Review ~ Twice Bitten

Twice Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires #3)

by Chloe Neill
published by Penguin Group
genre: Adult, PNR, Urban Fantasy, Supernatural

Summary (Goodreads): Merit, Chicago’s newest vampire, is learning how to play well with others. Other supernaturals, that is. Shapeshifters from across the country are convening in the Windy City, and as a gesture of peace, Master Vampire Ethan Sullivan has offered their leader a very special bodyguard: Merit. Merit is supposed to protect the Alpha, Gabriel Keene—and to spy for the vamps while she’s at it. Oh, and luckily Ethan’s offering some steamy, one-on-one combat training sessions to help her prepare for the mission.

Merit must accept the assignment, even though she knows that she’ll probably regret it. And she’s not wrong. Someone is gunning for Gabriel Keene, and Merit soon finds herself in the line of fire. She’ll need all the help she can get to track down the would-be assassin, but everywhere she turns, there are rising tensions between supernaturals—not least between her and a certain green-eyed, centuries old master vampire.

My Thoughts: This might be my favorite so far. Liked the addition of the shifters and the fact that it wasn't another round of Celina and a traitor in the house.
We finally get some real Merit and Ethan action, unfortunately it doesn't last nearly long enough. There is something about these two on the page, whether working, fighting, or just making everyone frustrated that works and makes you want more. Even when I want to kick Ethan he is quickly moving up the ranks as a favorite vamp character.
I liked the dynamics of the packs. They are such a 180 from the vampires that it was easier to enjoy and want to be on their side. That said the whole "traitor" thing didn't make sense considering how power is passed down. It served the purpose of the final set up but would have liked it to make more sense.
Overall, really enjoying this series. There are a ton of great side characters that can easily steal a page or two. Don't know why I waited so long to read this series but I'm looking forward to reading more. Book 10 just came out so plenty to catch up on.

Rating: 4

Book Review ~ Raven Calls

Raven Calls (Walker Papers #7)

by C.E. Murphy
published by Luna
genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, Mythology

Summary (Goodreads): Something wicked this way comes…

Suddenly, being bitten by a werewolf is the least of Joanne Walker’s problems.

Her personal life in turmoil, her job as a cop over, she’s been called to Ireland by the magic within her. And though Joanne’s skills have grown by leaps and bounds, Ireland’s magic is old and very powerful…

In fact, this is a case of unfinished business. Because the woman Joanne has come to Ireland to rescue is the woman who sacrificed everything for Joanne—the woman who died a year ago. Now, through a slip in time, she’s in thrall to a dark power and Joanne must battle darkness, time and the gods themselves to save her.

My Thoughts: I love books set in Ireland and this was no exception. This series has always leaned more towards the native american mythology part of Joanne's heritage. In this book we not only get that part but a huge influx of Celtic mythology mixed in.
There was a lot going on throughout this story. Saving Joanne's mom from becoming enthralled to the Master, a new magic user in Ireland, and lots of Gods or close to them. Gary is still one of my favorite side characters in any series and he plays a big part in this book.
Overall, lots of kick ass women, not just Joanne in this story. Not all were on the same side but still warriors. The werewolf bite became too much of a thing at times and I was glad when that was finished.  From the way the book ended Joanne won't be getting back to her romance anytime soon.

Rating: 4.5

Book Review ~ Circle of Desire

Circle of Desire (Damask Circle #3)

by Keri Arthur
published by Dell
genre: Adult, PNR, Urban Fantasy, 

**Received e-arc from netGalley/publisher in exchange for honest review

Summary (Goodreads): A TEMPTING FATE
 Two children have been found dead, their souls torn from their bodies. Two more are missing, and Ethan Morgan’s niece is one of them. A dedicated cop, Ethan has every intention not only of bringing her back alive but of catching the monster behind these kidnappings. And he will use anyone and everyone to achieve those aims—even a crazy woman who claims to be a witch. But time is ticking. The victims rarely stay alive for more than seven days. Four of those days have already passed.

In ten years of working for the Damask Circle, shapeshifter Katherine Tanner has never come across anything that goes after kids the way this monster does. The last thing Kat needs is interference from a cop who has no idea what he’s up against. But the greatest threat to Kat may come not from the forces of darkness, but from the man she is beginning to love. Because Ethan is a werewolf... and the full moon is rising.

My Thoughts: For some reason this felt more like a part of a series rather than a stand alone.  It may be because Kat works as team with her Grandmother so it was not just the HEA couple vs the bad guys.
Ethan is my new book pet peeve. He is a werewolf but is completely surprised that there are vampires, psychics, demons, etc that exist in the world. I just don't get this character trait and find I want to bang my head on something when they just deny, deny, deny. Even after he had seen Kat's grandmother do a seeing to try and find out more about the missing children he didn't believe. When Kat shifted into her other form right in front of him you could tell he still wanted to deny it.
I liked Kat, thought she was probably the strongest female lead from this series. At least on most things. She was very sure of herself when it came to going after bad guys and being Ethan's partner for rising moon. The only thing I didn't like about her was the I'm going to change him attitude, she knew best and it didn't matter Ethan's reasons, things were going to end up how she wanted. There was another part to this that really took it to another level and even though it wasn't done on purpose I didn't like that part of the story/relationship.
Overall, I've enjoyed reading Keri Arthur's books and while not my favorites of hers, I don't feel like I wasted my time. As of now this is the last book in this re-released series. I would not mind more of them if they had more of a series feel with carry over characters in each book.

Rating: 4

Waiting on Wednesday ~ Shaman Rises

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

Shaman Rises (Walker Papers #9)

by C.E. Murphy
published by Harlequin Luna
expected release date: June 24, 2014
genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy

Summary (Goodreads): For over a year, Joanne has been fighting the Master—the world's most abiding evil. She's sacrificed family, friendships, even watched potential futures fade away…and now the Master is bringing the final battle to Joanne's beloved Seattle.

Lives will be lost as the repercussions of all Joanne's growth come to her doorstep. Before the end, she'll mourn, rejoice—and surrender everything for the hope of the world's survival. She'll be a warrior and a healer. Because she is finally a Shaman Rising.

**Not crazy about this cover compared to the others in the series but still expect a good read and hoping I like the ending to this series.

(mini) Book Review ~ BackUp

BackUp (The Dresden Files #10.3)

by Jim Butcher
published by Subterranean
genre: Adult. Urban Fantasy, Supernatural

Summary (Goodreads): Let's get something clear right up front. I'm not Harry Dresden. Harry's a wizard. A genuine, honest-to-goodness wizard. He's Gandalf on crack and an IV of Red Bull, with a big leather coat and a .44 revolver in his pocket. He'll spit in the eye of gods and demons alike if he thinks it needs to be done, and to hell with the consequences--and yet somehow my little brother manages to remain a decent human being. I'll be damned if I know how. But then, I'll be damned regardless. My name is Thomas Raith, and I'm a monster. So begins "Backup" a twelve thousand word novelette set in Jim Butcher's ultra-popular Dresden Files series. This time Harry's in trouble he knows nothing about, and it's up to his big brother Thomas to track him down and solve those little life-threatening difficulties without his little brother even noticing.

My Thoughts: This is a short story from the Dresden Files. I really liked that it was told from Thomas' POV. He is one of my favorite vamps in any series and it was nice to get a glimpse of this world from someone else's eyes.
Thomas finds out from his sister from that other family that a group they have been trying to wipe out in the Oblivion war has just hired Harry to help with a fake kidnapping. The real purpose is to get a book into the Harry's hands in order to keep them in existence.
Even without remembering what was going on in the series at this point, it was still a great read that gave a little more insight into one of my favorites.

Rating: 5

Waiting on Wednesday ~ Skin Game

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.


Skin Game (The Dresden Files #15)

by Jim Butcher
published by Roc
expected release date: May 27, 2014
genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, Supernatural,

Summary (Goodreads): Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, is about to have a very bad day….

Because as Winter Knight to the Queen of Air and Darkness, Harry never knows what the scheming Mab might want him to do. Usually, it’s something awful.

He doesn’t know the half of it….

Mab has just traded Harry’s skills to pay off one of her debts. And now he must help a group of supernatural villains—led by one of Harry’s most dreaded and despised enemies, Nicodemus Archleone—to break into the highest-security vault in town so that they can then access the highest-security vault in the Nevernever.

It’s a smash-and-grab job to recover the literal Holy Grail from the vaults of the greatest treasure hoard in the supernatural world—which belongs to the one and only Hades, Lord of the freaking Underworld and generally unpleasant character. Worse, Dresden suspects that there is another game afoot that no one is talking about. And he’s dead certain that Nicodemus has no intention of allowing any of his crew to survive the experience. Especially Harry.

Dresden’s always been tricky, but he’s going to have to up his backstabbing game to survive this mess—assuming his own allies don’t end up killing him before his enemies get the chance….

**This is one of my favorite authors and series. Always look forward to new books.

Book Review ~ Daughter of the Sword

Daughter of the Sword (Fated Blades #1)

by Steve Bein
published by ROC
genre: Adult, Historical, Urban Fantasy, Asian

Summary (Goodreads): Mariko Oshiro is not your average Tokyo cop. As the only female detective in the city’s most elite police unit, she has to fight for every ounce of respect, especially from her new boss. While she wants to track down a rumored cocaine shipment, he gives her the least promising case possible. But the case—the attempted theft of an old samurai sword—proves more dangerous than anyone on the force could have imagined.

The owner of the sword, Professor Yasuo Yamada, says it was crafted by the legendary Master Inazuma, a sword smith whose blades are rumored to have magical qualities. The man trying to steal it already owns another Inazuma—one whose deadly power eventually comes to control all who wield it. Or so says Yamada, and though he has studied swords and swordsmanship all his life, Mariko isn’t convinced.

But Mariko’s skepticism hardly matters. Her investigation has put her on a collision course with a curse centuries old and as bloodthirsty as ever. She is only the latest in a long line of warriors and soldiers to confront this power, and even the sword she learns to wield could turn against her.

My Thoughts: I loved this book more than the time it took me to read it shows. I've been in a reading slump and this made a large dent in pulling me out of it.
I often read and enjoy crime and mystery books and the additional of historical Japanese storytelling mixed in just put it over the top.
Mariko was a great lead. She is a strong female in a world where anything else would not work. As the only female detective, in a culture that is not very accepting of females in that position, she has no choice but to be tough. That said, she is not an emotionless robot. There were a couple of times were you could tell her heart was overruling her discipline.
My favorite parts were the chapters that went back in time and told the stories of the three swords. I could have read a book just on their history and been happy. The author did a great job weaving the old and new together in a way that when they meet up, it was seamless.
Overall this book worked on many levels. It kept my attention at a time when I was having trouble keeping any interest in a book. It was a great mix of old and new where the swords as much a main character as Mariko is. Another plus, book two comes out next week and I am looking forward to reading more.

Rating: 4

Currently Reading ~ Another reading slump

It seems I've found myself in another mini (hopefully) reading slump. I read Styxx last week and had no problem getting through the 800+ pages. Since then I've had trouble getting anything to keep my interest.
I just started Daughter of the Sword which has an interesting mix, with the story taking place in both historical Japan as well as modern day. I'm about 100 pages in and hoping that it keeps my interest the rest of the way. It also sounds like a promising start to a new Urban Fantasy series with the second book coming out in Oct.

Book Review ~ Blood Trinity

Blood Trinity (Belador #1)

by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love
published by Pocket Books
genre: Adult, UF (Urban Fantasy), Paranormal

Summary (Goodreads): All her life, Evalle has been straddling the line between human and demon. Curious about her origins, but content to live in the shadows, she finds that anonymity threatened by escalating conflicts between species. Accused of a savage murder, she's forced center stage in what seems like the beginning of an Atlanta apocalypse. Before long though, her personal problems will submerge as she learns startling facts about a hoard of supernatural terrorists.

My Thoughts: I went into this only being familiar with one of the authors. I'm a huge fan of Sherrilyn Kenyon but know nothing about Dianna Love. I had glanced at some reviews/opinions of this book and knew going in that this was more on the Urban Fantasy side rather than the Para Romance that I'm used to reading from Kenyon. Knowing this helped a great deal since I also enjoy UF I just had to make sure I was in the right mind set to read it.
Character wise, Evalle was hit and miss with me. I liked her for the most part but there were times that I just wanted to shake her. Parts were intentional, like when she was mouthing off to Sen knowing that he didn't like her and was the one person (?) that could ruin her life. Most of the time though she was the tough heroine that you expect dealing with powers and conditions that make her life more difficult than easy.
Tzader and Quinn, who we meet right away, are the only two real friends Evalle has and the only two people she trusts. I liked both of these guys and cannot wait to find out more about them. There were some things mentioned in this book that I'm sure will be the focus of later stories.
There were potential love interests/relationships. I liked Storm, found him interesting and was intrigued by his back story and look forward to finding out more about it. Isak, not so much. This was someone that just didn't work for me but I know he is going to feature prominently in at least part of Evalle's story going forward.
We are introduced to many more people that play either a part in this book's story or are being set up for later books. The HEA that we got between at the end between two of the side characters fell into the sweet territory for me but I still liked it.
Overall, I thought this was a promising start to a new (for me) series. There was enough action to keep me interested even if I didn't like some people and enough given about others that I want to continue reading to find out more.

Rating: 4

Waiting on Wednesday ~ Night Broken

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

Night Broken (Mercy Thompson #8)

by Patricia Briggs

expected release date: March 4, 2014

genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, 

Summary (Goodreads): An unexpected phone call heralds a new challenge for Mercy. Her mate Adam’s ex-wife is in trouble, on the run from her new boyfriend. Adam isn’t the kind of man to turn away a person in need—and Mercy knows it. But with Christy holed up in Adam’s house, Mercy can’t shake the feeling that something about the situation isn’t right.

Soon, her suspicions are confirmed when she learns that Christy has the farthest thing from good intentions. She wants Adam back and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen, including turning Adam’s pack against Mercy.

Mercy isn’t about to step down without a fight, but there’s a more dangerous threat circling. Christy’s ex is more than a bad man—in fact, he may not be human at all. As the bodies start piling up, Mercy must put her personal troubles aside to face a creature with the power to tear her whole world apart.

**This is another of my favorite series/authors always look forward to these books.

Book Review ~ Changes

Changes (The Dresden Files #12)
by Jim Butcher
published by Roc
genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, Mystery

Summary (Goodreads): Long ago, Susan Rodriguez was Harry Dresden's lover-until she was attacked by his enemies, leaving her torn between her own humanity and the bloodlust of the vampiric Red Court. Susan then disappeared to South America, where she could fight both her savage gift and those who cursed her with it.

Now Arianna Ortega, Duchess of the Red Court, has discovered a secret Susan has long kept, and she plans to use it-against Harry. To prevail this time, he may have no choice but to embrace the raging fury of his own untapped dark power. Because Harry's not fighting to save the world...

He's fighting to save his child.

My Thoughts: I'll start by saying, I waited to read this until book 13 was out. All the review from when this came out were talking about the cliffhanger ending and I did not want to have to wait. I'll be reading Side Jobs this month and then Ghost Story next month. A much better wait time.
This is one of my favorite series. When I started reading I looked at DH and said "I forgot how much I enjoy reading these books".  I don't think I can give it a bigger endorsement than that, but I'll try.
The action begins pretty much from the start. We find out that Dresden's daughter (which he did not know about) has been kidnapped, which brings Susan and her little minion back into the picture. I've always been a Murphy fan so I did not care for Susan much. I didn't hate her as a character she just was not my favorite.
Harry seems to get on board with this pretty quick (which was necessary) and starts looking for help. Arianna, deranged princess, of the Red Court is also in town under the guise of a truce with the White Council. She also has her fingers in other pies, including the IA of the police dept. which limits what help is coming from that corner.
Overall there were a lot of revelations and monumental decisions made throughout this book. It lived up to its title. From Harry's choice to get more power to Susan's ultimate choice to end the threat to her daughter, it cannot help but impact the series going forward.
The cliffhanger...I was so worried about it going in that by the time it happened my only thought was "Harry can get out of this". Of course it won't be that easy and it is another change to the norm but I'm very interested to see how Mr Butcher continues on.

Rating: 4  

Book Review ~ How Beauty Met the Beast

How Beauty Met the Beast (Tales of the Underlight #1)
by Jax Garren
published by Carina Press
genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy

**received from publisher via netgalley in exchange for honest review

Summary (Goodreads): The Beast

Scarred. Damaged. Living with a terrible secret. Agent of the Underlight Wesley "Hauk" Haukon has nothing left but the fight for liberty against the oppressive Order of Ananke. He's starting to lose hope…and then he sees her.

The Beauty

Despite her night job as a burlesque dancer, grad student Jolie Benoit has always played the mostly good girl. That all changes following a scorching sexual encounter with a stranger whose face she doesn't see. After she's kidnapped by thugs and rescued by a man with a very familiar voice, Jolie becomes a pawn in a struggle she never knew existed.

Hauk knows he cannot have her, and resolves to protect his heart and his secrets. But as they work together and grow closer, he finds new reason to keep fighting. Dare he risk hope in a new life, one where Jolie can see past his ravaged face and where their friendship can grow into something more?

My Thoughts: This wasn't a bad story, it just did not feel like the first book in a series. While reading this I continually felt like I was reading a prequel to a well established series. One where I should know more about the characters and world than I did going into this.
I still enjoyed the story. I liked Hauk and the Underworld. I can definitely see myself reading more about the goings on in this world. I just wish the first book was longer and gave us more of the world and characters so I felt like I HAD to read the next book rather than just being curious.

Rating: 3

Book Review ~ Courting Darkness

Courting Darkness (Otherworld #10)
by Yasmine Galenorn
published by Jove
genre: Adult, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

Summary (Goodreads): It's Winter Solstice, and Aeval welcomes me into her Court of Darkness. With Morio still dangerously weak from his injuries and Vanzir alive only thanks to my silence, the thought of training under Morgaine doesn't seem as daunting as it did. But then, Hyto returns to shatter my life. Captured and swept off to the Dragon Reaches, can I manage to stay alive long enough to escape, even as Smoky's father intends to break my spirit, then my body?

My Thoughts: Where to start. This is a very dark book. This series tends to lean towards the darker side of  UF/Fairytale but with the forced sex elements this one was darker still.
I appreciated that even while the rape from Camille's father in law was taking place, you never got the impression that it was OK. The struggles that Camille went through after her and Hannah were able to escape were what you would expect from someone who had gone through that torture.
Camille's husbands are some of my favorite males in UF. Especially Smoky and Trillian. There is something about having more than one Alpha males around without it becoming a constant pissing contest.
Overall, this was good book and moved several of the characters forward. We got to see more of the dragon court and their ways. The issue with Vanzir was put to rest and we got a glimpse of Iris and powers. I'm behind by a couple of books but hoping that we get back to the overall story of the spirit seals.

Rating: 4

Book Review ~ A Perfect Blood

A Perfect Blood (The Hollows #10)
by Kim Harrison
published by HarperVoyager
genre: Adult, Fantasy, UF

Summary (Goodreads): Ritually murdered corpses are appearing across Cincinnati, terrifying amalgams of human and other. Pulled in to help investigate by the I.S. and FIB, former witch turned day-walking demon Rachel Morgan soon realizes a horrifying truth: a human hate group is trying to create its own demons to destroy all Inderlanders, and to do so, it needs her blood.

She's faced vampires, witches, werewolves, demons, and more, but humanity itself might be her toughest challenge yet.

My Thoughts: The Good:  Lots of Trent in this one. While I loved how Rachel and Trent's relationship seemed to grow, part of me was impatient and just wanted it to move faster. I've always liked when they worked together even when they were hating each other.
I also liked the bad guys (not literally). They were a group of crazies that you could really hate without feeling bad about it. You also didn't get the impression that there would be any redemption with this group.
The Bad: This is more like the sad. I understand the growth and people going in different directions, I was sad to see the main three not be as close as they usually are. With only a couple of books left in this series, it made me curious where they were going as a group in these final books. They also felt disconnected, especially Ivy. Where before we would see her reaction when something bad happened to Rachel, in this one we are told in one line, that Ivy was crazy with worry when Rachel was missing.
I'm also not sure how I feel about them not having any allies in the FIB going forward.
Overall: This was another great book in this series. What I liked outweighed what I didn't. I'll be interested to see where these storylines go. I also want to know who is funding this hate group. Here's hoping that this series ends with a bang and not a fizzle.

Rating: 4

Book Review ~ Nightkeepers

NightKeepers (NightKeepers #1)
by Jessica Andersen
published by Signet
genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, PNR

Summary (full @Goodreads):
As a Miami narcotics detective, Leah Daniels never knows how her day will turn out. But she certainly never expected to be strapped to a stone altar, the human sacrifice in an ancient Mayan ritual meant to coax up a demon from the underworld. Or that she'd be saved by a handsome warrior-priest king who claims to recognize her from his visions...

My Thoughts: I was in need of a new UF/PNR series and so far this one looks like a keeper (no pun intended).
Most of the fantasy series I read seem to focus around Greek mythology, I liked learning/reading about the Mayan culture and beliefs.
While there is an HEA between Strike and Leah this first book read more like UF than PNR. The romance seemed almost secondary to the battle between good and evil. Even with Leah it was about getting revenge against the ones that killed her brother and partner. While some may not like that there wasn't more focus on the romance I liked the mix and balance. It was well paced and the action kept going almost from beginning to end.
I do have mixed feelings about all the other POVs. It was nice to get to know some of the other characters. since it's a big cast, but at times I didn't feel it was needed (like with Anna and her students).
Overall this was one of the better first in a series books I've read in a while. I don't know how it'll work if the focus is more on the HEAs but I'm willing to try a few more books at least (there are already 8 out).

Rating: 3.5

Book Review ~ The Guardian

The Guardian (Dream Hunter #5, Hell Chaser #4, Were Hunter #9)
by Sherrilyn Kenyon
published by St. Martin's
genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, PNR

Summary (full @Goodreads): Dream-Hunter Lydia has been charged with the most sacred and dangerous of missions: To descend into the Nether Realm and find the missing god of dreams before he betrays the secrets that could kill her and her kind. What she never expects is to be taken prisoner by the Realm’s most vicious guardian…

My Thoughts: I'll start with Lydia. I didn't hate her but I felt nothing towards her. Through the whole book I never felt any connection to her character. I realized how bad it was when I set up this review. It took me hours to figure out why this was a Were Hunter book. If you've read the book, you know this is bad since Lydia is a Jackal Shifter.
I wanted to know more about her and her background. We got the basics about her parents, her father's a Dream Hunter and mother was a Shifter. I wish we had gotten to know more about her mother's death, her dreams/premonitions, and other abilities.
On to Seth. Seth moved up on my list of favorites from this series. He had such a heartbreaking back story that you wanted him to win. You wanted him to come out on top of this relationship he has with Noir. You wanted to give him a hug and make it all better (this may have just been me). Even though he's not a Dark Hunter he still fit into that role of tortured hero well.
After Nick, my favorite characters from this series are Jaden and Savitar. While there was no Sav, we did get some more of Jaden. None of his back story was really told but I still felt like I came away with a little more of him. I wanted more.
When I was finished with this book, I felt like I missed some things. I still don't understand what Seth did to save Lydia. I get that it had something to do with his Swallow but I never really understood. It also seemed like the fact that someone betrayed Solin and Co.,  to the Greeks, was swept under the rug. It was mentioned when they were trapped but that was it.
Overall, I was happy with Seth and Lydia (even though I don't really know her). It left me wanting to know more about other characters, which is always good in a series. I've already read Retribution now on to Time Untime.

Rating: 4