Quickie Review: Wolfsbane and Mistletoe anthology

Editor: Charlaine Harris, P.N. Elrod

Title: Wolfsbane and Mistletoe

 

My Thoughts:

This is one of the better anthologies out there. I can truly say that no matter my feelings about any one of them, every single story is well-written and mostly entertaining.

My favorite stories were
The Haire of the Beast, by Donna Andrews,
Fresh Meat, by Alan Gordon, and
The Perfect Gift, by Dana Stabenow.

They are all new-to-me authors (well, I've read a mystery from Dan Stabenow before, but still) and their stories were simple, interesting, and fresh perspectives of werewolf/shifter mythologies. Ms. Stabenow's was a bit cluttered and I was confused for a while, but it all clears up into an enjoyable story.

Patricia Briggs' story was also enjoyable, as was Karen Chance's.

My least favorite stories were Rob Thurman's entry - it was quite twisted and my only reaction was wth? and Keri Arthur's entry: I just didn't care about it.

Recommended! A very good anthology, with every single story in it being worth the money.

 

Review: Twice Bitten by Chloe Neill

Author: Chloe Neill

Title: Twice Bitten

Series: Chicagoland Vampires #3

About the Book: 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, Chicago's newest vampire. 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.

Unfortunately, someone is gunning for Gabriel, 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:

A few impressions:

Merit is one of the more well-rounded heroines I've come across in UF, meaning that she has very obvious faults as well as strengths. I want to smack her for her faults sometimes, but I also want to cheer her on for her strong points. For a all that she can act the idiot and has bad choices in friends, she is fiercely loyal to her causes, accepts the consequences of her choices, and has a lot of backbone in her character. I had new/more respect for her after I was done reading.

Why oh why did that Mallory girl have to come back into the picture? I immensely enjoyed her absence and thought Lindsey was a much better friend and sidekick. Pity she couldn't stay away forever.

Ethan is also a more balanced character than most UF leads I've come across, for the simple fact that he is fallible and has flaws that are actually flaws instead of "good traits taken to the extreme." for that reason alone I like him and empathized with him and his conflicted self, even though he was way outta line for what he did to Merit. Of all the men in this series he's the one I like best. Morgan is an immature jerk, and I don't like what I've seen of Jonah much.

What is it with ALL the men I. This series being extremely handsome? It seems only beautiful people exist in or venture into Chicagoland.

I hate to say it but the shifter mythology in this series is kinda lame; even so, it is a pretty bangin' vampire series.

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

1. Some Girls Bite - 4/5
2. Friday Night Bites

 

Review: Hounded by Kevin Hearne

Author: Kevin Hearne

Title: Hounded

Series: Iron Druid Chronicles #1

About the Book: The first novel in the original, six-book Iron Druid Chronicles--introducing a cool, new, funny urban fantasy hero

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.

Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil

 

My Thoughts:

This would have been an excellent read but for a couple of things that dampened my enjoyment drastically.

Before I start on those, hands down the best thing about this book was Oberon, the dog. Mad props to Mr. Hearne for creating such a wonderful animal with his own unique personality.

The first thing that bothered me greatly was the women, every single one of them. The moment they opened their mouths, it wasn't right. I was very hard pressed to believe any goddesses worth their salt spoke as insipidly as the ones in this book did, or any women really. They were not believable at all for me. Two: our druid is flawless. Eh.

But the biggest thing, I think, was all the potshots Mr. Hearne takes at Christianity in the book. Now to be fair, it was a line or two here and there, nothing blatant or whatever, but for some reason, they really, really, really rubbed me wrong. It was annoying and mostly untrue (stereotypes of any group are not cool).  Not cool, not funny. Because of this, I am not too sure I will continue with the series.

But I do think it's worth reading.

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

 

Review: Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh

Author: Nalini Singh

Title: Blaze of Memory

Series: Psy/Changeling #7

About the Book: Dev Santos finds a woman with amnesia-and all she can remember is that she's dangerous. Stripped of her memories by a shadowy oppressor and programmed to kill, Katya's only hope is Dev. But he could very well be her next target.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this one for a book that didn't have any changeling protagonists and didn't have any wolves in it (no Hawke for me, sniff, sniff). I enjoyed Dev and Katya very much. I also enjoyed seeing Sascha and Lucas.

Things got a bit cheesy and rather improbable at the end, but what-the-heck, it's fantasy, after all :D.

If I didn't know better, judging from the conclusions jumped to on every single occasion by a certain person, in just about every book, I'd think the primary jobs of empaths are to prophesy as much doom-and-gloom and see impossible odds for people while going on and on about their own bliss as possible.

And oooh! I am beginning to appreciate the awesomeness of Judd Lauren, and beginning to be more interested in Kaleb Kyrcheck, Aden, Vasic and the other arrows.

Fun times.

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

1. Slave to Sensation
2. Visions of Heat
3. Caressed by Ice
4. Mine to Possess - 2.5/5
5. Hostage to Pleasure
6. Branded by Fire

 

Review: Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill

Author: Chloe Neill

Title: Some Girls Bite

Series: Chicagoland Vampires #1

About the Book: Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn't exactly glamorous, but it was Merit's. She was doing fine until a rogue vampire attacked her. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker-and this one decided the best way to save her life was to make her the walking undead.

Turns out her savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now she's traded sweating over her thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan "Lord o' the Manor" Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four-hundred- year-old vampire, he has centuries' worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects her gratitude- and servitude. But an inconvenient sunlight allergy and Ethan's attitude are the least of her concerns. Someone's still out to get her. Her initiation into Chicago's nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war-and there will be blood.

My Thoughts: 

What I liked

1. Merit. It came as a surprise to me, because I wasn't even sure i liked her in the beginning.
2. The story. Another surprise. I am not a fan of vampires, as a rule, and I wasn't sure I was enjoying the story for a good chunk of it. But by the end, I really liked the world and the plot Ms.. Neill created.
3. Some of the side characters. Jeff was not too bad. Catcher was interesting at first, and the grandaddy was cool.

What I didn't like

1. A lot of the side characters. That Mallory character grated on my nerves. Catcher was interesting until he became involved with her.
2. The story. By that, I mean the series. I have heard about the stunt the author pulled in book 4, and I don't think I am up to dealing with that tomfoolery. It's her series, and she can do whatever she wants with it, but I don't like getting invested in books and relationships and then have the author pull a such a stunt on me on me, no thank you, ma'am. So erm...jury's out on the series. Might wait till it's completely over, read the last book, and see if I want to go back and read the series properly.
*I've been assured that the change is not as drastic as all that, and so I will be pressing on with the books much sooner than I had anticipated.*

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

 

Review: Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn

Author: Carrie Vaughn

Title: Kitty and the Midnight Hour

Series: Kitty Norville #1

About the Book: Kitty Norville is a midnight-shift DJ for a Denver radio station - and a werewolf in the closet. Her new late-night advice show for the supernaturally disadvantaged is a raging success, but it's Kitty who can use some help. With one sexy werewolf-hunter and a few homicidal undead on her tail, Kitty may have bitten off more than she can chew?

My Thoughts:

The last 25% of the book is a massive improvement over the first 75% of the book, in my opinion, and major reason I've rated this book as 'good' (3 stars) instead of 'didn't like it' (2 stars). I also think that my feelings about this book have to do in large part with my own expectations gone wrong.

What I Expected:

Before starting this book I'd heard it was about submissive werewolf. That had me majorly excited because in all the werewolf fiction I've come across, dominant, not submissive wolves are the subject. You come across an outlier once awhile, like Anna in Patricia Briggs' Alpha and Omega series, but they ae usually dominant wolves in some weird/different incarnation (like Anna is) or dominant wolves whoa re dormant and waiting for the right time to strike. I wanted to read this book because I thought it would be fun to see an imagined werewolf society through a submissive wolf's perspective. I was also excited because not every strong person is 'kickass', or 'take-charge', or dominant. That paradigm shows us only one side of strength and forces our expectations of what strength should be inside a box (okay soapbox over...I think).


Well, anyway, that is what I expected, not what I got.

What I got:

1. A HELLA whiny heroine. And by that I mean HELLA whiny! Whining in both wolf and human forms, cowering all the time, all over the place. If I had to desrcibe her in one word, it would be whiny, with 'HELLA' in brackets and capitals attached before.

2. NOT a healthy description of a person or a wolf pack. In Kitty's pack instead of being protectors, the dominant wolves seem to be walking abusers, preying on anything weaker than themselves, ans walking man-whores too (no wonder most werewolf mythologies have them as immune to almost everything. They'd all have died from STD's by now if that wasn't the case!) Most of them were asshats. They were more like sadists than a pack of werewolves.

3. A HELLA whiny heroine. She was not a healthy person. As I was reading, I couldn't help thinking over and over again that 'this is NOT what a healthy depiction of a submissive person/werewolf should be!', and 'this is NOT what a healthy werewolf packs should be!

*As the story went on, I liked Kitty less and less, most of that being the way she acted on her talk show. I don't know if she was meant to be a shock jock or something, but I thought the way she spoke to most people was quite rude and uncalled for. I don't like that.

By the end, the writing had gotten really better, but through some unbelievably fake machinations (to me at least), our heroine sorta comes into her own, and discovers that mebbe she isn't really submissive after all. She is growing up; she has more spine; she is probably more dominant than she thought she was. I felt that was a cop-out. She's basically your generic 'kickass, talk-smack' UF heroine, only quite watered down, and slightly gentler. Eh whatever.

Thus I was disappointed in this here story. It was a good case of wrong expectation, but I also think it was a good case of wrong execution too. Even though I enjoyed the last parts of the story much more than I expected, I don't think I will come along for the ride.

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

 

Review: Tangle of Need by Nalini Singh

Author: Nalini Singh

Title: Tangle of Need

Series: Psy/Changeling #11

About the Book: Adria, wolf changeling and resilient soldier, has made a break with the past--one as unpredictable in love as it was in war. Now comes a new territory, and a devastating new complication: Riaz, a SnowDancer lieutenant already sworn to a desperate woman who belongs to another.

For Riaz, the primal attraction he feels for Adria is a staggering betrayal. For Adria, his dangerous lone-wolf appeal is beyond sexual. It consumes her. It terrifies her. It threatens to undermine everything she has built of her new life. But fighting their wild compulsion toward one another proves a losing battle.

Their coming together is an inferno...and a melding of two wounded souls who promise each other no commitment, no ties, no bonds. Only pleasure. Too late, they realize that they have more to lose than they ever imagined. Drawn into a cataclysmic Psy war that may alter the fate of the world itself, they must make a decision that might just break them both.

 

My Thoughts:

As a rule, I enjoy the books featuring the SnowDancer wolf pack, so I expected to like this one, and I did, quite a bit too, but not as much as the other SD books.

My favorite parts were the parts with Hawke and Sienna, which were so ridiculously cheesy and utterly adorable. I loved every second of their on-screen time. They're adjusting to mated life, and it is so cute to watch. We also get to spend time with just about every SnowDancer who's ever been mentioned, which was a great treat for me. Their pack dynamics are just fantastic. Riley and Mercy's news was awesome and I cracked up at he and Hawke getting drunk. Mercy's a bit more likeable now that she hangs with the wolves. And Hawke is so silly he makes my heart sing. Love that wolf!

Okay, Riaz and Adria. I enjoyed very much this journey of two broken people healing each other and then unexpectedly becoming indispensable to each other, and it was awesome seeing their pack help them along the way. It was only in the last 20% or so of the book that their story finally started to really engross me. I think Ms. Singh handled it so well, and I love the emphasis on choice (i.e. that mating is not automatic; you have to make a conscious decision) and the noting of the fact that it's not only mated changelings who can have a fulfilling life, that humans who love each other can have just as fulfilling a life as mated changelings. It felt like an affirmation of love and humanity and it was awesome. That final scene with Riaz and Adria drove home the point wonderfully; it was poignant and amazing.

BUT! As I was reading I realized I wasn't ready for this story. I love SD and all the lieutenants have grown on me, so my excitement has been building ever since Ms. Singh announced that she'd be writing Riaz's story. I was sure I would enjoy it, and I did. However, he and Adria really only appeared on the scene in Indigo and Drew's story, 2 books ago. I felt like I hadn't had time to get to know them and be invested in them, so I was actually more caught up in other things: Hawke and Sienna's sheer adorableness, noticing how awesome Riley is, enjoying SD pack dynamics, paying attention to the Psy drama and the tension in the PsyNet.... just about everything else except for the main couple. They weren't strong enough to carry the book because I hadn't had time to know them before they were thrown together. For this book to have worked better, I think Riaz and Adria should have been introduced much sooner, or their story to have come later.

The next ARC of the series promises to be interesting. This ride is far from over. Recommended read, even though the whole is a teensy weensy bit less than the sum of its parts.

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

1. Slave to Sensation
2. Visions of Heat
3. Caressed by Ice
4. Mine to Possess - 2.5/5
5. Hostage to Pleasure
6. Branded by Fire
7. Blaze of Memory
8. Bonds of Justice
9. Play of Passion
10. Kiss of Snow - 5/5

 

Review: The Shape of Desire by Sharon Shinn

Author: Sharon Shinn
Title: The Shape of Desire
Series: Shifting Circle #1
Pages: 336
Source: Owned

For fifteen years Maria Devane has been desperately, passionately in love with Dante Romano. But despite loving him with all of her heart and soul, Maria knows that Dante can never give all of himself back-at least not all the time.
Every month, Dante shifts shape, becoming a wild animal. During those times, he wanders far and wide, leaving Maria alone. He can't choose when he shifts, the transition is often abrupt and, as he gets older, the time he spends in human form is gradually decreasing. But Maria, who loves him without hesitation, wouldn't trade their unusual relationship for anything.
Since the beginning, she has kept his secret, knowing that their love is worth the danger. But when a string of brutal attacks occur in local parks during the times when Dante is in animal form, Maria is forced to consider whether the lies she's been telling about her life have turned into lies she's telling herself...

I am a huge fan of Sharon Shinn, and have been looking forward to this book for almost a year now. Having read it, it is different from Ms. Shinn's usual work in that it is set in the real world, in present-day Missouri, and reads more like magical realism than fantasy. I enjoyed it very much, but it was different.

Maria Devane has been in love with Dante for fifteen years. Dante is a shapeshifter, and as the years have gone by, he spends more and more time in his animal shape, so that he is human only a few days a month. Maria's whole life revolves around keeping Dante's secret and she lives for the moments she can be with him in his human form.

The story is quite slow-paced, but I think that was the point. It's not an epic tale, or one filled with adventure; not a lot of things happen. It's the simple story of Maria life, her daily routine, and the brief moments of happiness she has with Dante. It's about the strain of keeping his secret, of choosing to be in a relationship, which although it makes her happy, is not entirely healthy and balanced.

In the end, we find out it's also about Dante, his motivations, and the choices he's made; the new choices he can choose to make.

The issues that arise in Maria's life around the choices she makes concerning Dante, and how she reacts to issues in the lives of the people around her provides a lot of food for thought - both for Maria and for me as a reader. There are no easy answers.

It's a slow story. But it is also a simple and heartfelt story, told with grace and stark beauty, with complex characters who have complex motivations, who make difficult choices.

I waited a year for this, and although it was not what I expected at the end of that wait, I was not disappointed at all. Of course I recommend it - it's Sharon Shinn!!

★★★★

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

N/A

Review: River Marked by Patricia Briggs

Author: Patricia Briggs
Title: River Marked
Series: Mercedes Thompson #6
Published: March 1, 2011

Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She's never known any others of her kind. Until now.
An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River-one that her father's people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help...

It feels really blasphemous to be rating a Patty Briggs book so low, and to be fair, I liked it a lot more than many books I've rated three stars. However I rated Bone Crossed for stars and I liked that one much better than this one. So I am rating in comparison to the other books in this series as opposed to the book on its own merit, if you get what I mean. That's said......

I liked the story. It was a good something. But for me it lacked the draw that other books in the series have had. I didn't care much for the first book in the series, but every one after that has held me spellbound until I finished it. This one I found hard to get into from the beginning and had to put it down for awhile. When I came back into it, it hit its stride and I rolled with the story until the end, but it was still lacking in Patty's usual subtle oomph for me. 

I think a part of that could be attributed to the new setting. The story takes place away from the pack, and the usual supporting cast, and has a slew of new characters. They were interesting to read about, and I really liked to see Mercy 'explore' her Native American heritage; it was also moving in parts - especially the scene where she saw her father's ghost dancing and the scene where Coyote explains that dance to her. But it still lacked the magic of previous books, the cohesiveness the Columbia Basin support cast brings. 

And this one is my fault. You know how people read to see their favorite characters - like how most people will read to see Mercy and Adam again? Well, my favorite character is Samuel, and I sorely missed the glimpses of him I usually get. I mean, it's not Patty's fault that I had the bad taste (well. it's good taste IMO, LOL!!!!) to fall hardest for a side character, but it is what it is.

And this part is a little ranty. You can skip it entirely, as I'm pretty sure I'm going to be the only one who feels this way :)

For the first time, Mercy and Adam really got on my nerves. Adam with his posturing and yellow eyes....yes sah! We get it. She's your wife, your mate, she belongs to you, no one can hurt her, blah blah blah. Enough already. Adam used to be both possessive and sensible; in this books he was not sensible, and I wanted to smack him on the nose. I felt more than a share of malicious glee when Wolf got his own back on Adam. In that scene especially I felt his behavior was uncalled for, so I was glad he was 'put in his place', so to speak.

And Mercy going on and on and on and on ad nauseum about not being a fragile flower, and not needing to be protected and how Adam was her mate.....we get. We really do! We've been rooting for you guys all along. Now we don't need to be reminded every two pages. The Lady and the Gentleman doth protest waaaaaaaaay too much. Okay, rant over. 


It was a good book, a solid book, an enjoyable book and I have no doubt many, many people will love it. It just didn't pack the punch for me Patty's books usually does, and so I was disappointed. The whole was less than the sum of its parts, for me.

★★★

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

1. Moon Called - 3/5
2. Blood Bound  -5/5
3. Iron Kissed - 5/5
4. Bone Crossed - 4/5
5. Silver Borne - 5/5

 

REVIEW: The Mane Event by Shelly Laurenston

Author: Shelly Laurenston
Title: The Mane Event
Series: Pride #1
Source: Library

One of the hottest new voices in paranormal romance, Shelly Laurenston knows how to do it all, delivering tales that are wickedly funny, action-packed, and scorch-your-fingers sexy. With The Mane Event, she proves just how delicious love can be once you unleash your inner beast...

I heard this series was rather humorous, and so wanted to check it out. The first book in this series is actually to separated stories with two separate couples; one just happens to take immediately after the other, sort of a continuity.

I didn't care for the second story (featuring Brendon and Ronnie Lee) too much, but I do think that the first story epitomizes all that fans say is good about this series.

Mace and Dez's story: 3-3.5 stars
It started off strong and was laugh-out-loud funny in several places, making it unique, to me at least (I don't often come across PNR that's this funny). I liked Mace a lot, and I thought the idea of the shifters Ms. Laurenston had created were great. I liked the characteristics she gave them: lions usually grew up in a pride, the males grew a mane, literally. They had to cut their hair almost daily or they'd had a shaggy ole mop on their heads, the hyenas were brutal....just little quirky things that reminded me of the animals themselves.

Then it all goes downhill from there. Believe it or not, I didn't realize this book was classified erotica before I started reading it and had gotten well into the first story. And while I have nothing against erotica apart from it's not really a genre I read, this was one instance where I felt that the story was hindered by all the smexing. Before it started, we were being treated to a rather funny story of a shifter trying to woo his childhood friend, whom he'd loved all his life. Then the smex started and wouldn't stop. Every blessed passage they were going at at like rabbits. All the emphasis on sexual gymnastics took the focus off the romance - at least for me it did. I really felt the story would actually have been so much better if the intimate scenes were...well, intimate, instead of so hot and heavy... anyway, they fell flat for me, and since they dominated the story once they began, the rest of the story fell rather flat for me too, spoiling all the fun I'd been having. The story moved from four to three-ish stars.

Brendon and Ronnie Lee's story: 2.5 stars
Unlike Mace and Dez's, I didn't find much romance in this one to begin with. the focus was pretty much on body parts from the get-go, and beyond that, there wasn't much to go on. The side characters were pretty much annoying in this one, and the things that were cute in the previous story quickly became annoying here. Yes we know: cats are tricky; wolves can't hold their tequila - we get it all; we don't need to be reminded every two pages. I didn't much care for Brendon or Ronnie either. Meh.

Final thoughts:
All in all, it was an okay book. I think I would have enjoyed it far more if I'd only read the first book, and if it had sensual intimacy instead of the gymnastics, but we don't always get what we want, :) I'd recommend the book, the first story, at least. It really is funny and wonderfully written. And who knows, you might find it hot too :D.

I don't think I'll be reading more in this series, but I'll definitely be checking out Ms. Laurenston's work as G.A. Aiken, and I'll make sure to find out if it's erotica before I start!

★★★

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

 

REVIEW: Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

Author: Kim Harrison
Title: Dead Witch Walking
Series: The Hollows #1
Source: Library

All the creatures of the night gather in "the Hollows" of Cincinnati, to hide, to prowl, to party...and to feed.

Vampires rule the darkness in a predator-eat-predator world rife with dangers beyond imagining - and it's Rachel Morgan's job to keep that world civilized.

A bounty hunter and witch with serious sex appeal and an attitude, she'll bring 'em back alive, dead...or undead. Er...ok. So this is not going to be a complimentary review, as you've probably already guessed by the rating. 

I am a character-driven reader. I don't necessarily have to love a character to bits, but if I can get behind him/her, then I will come along for the ride, and be willing to overlook a lot of things, like faulty plotting, and a not-too-interesting story, among other things. If I don't like the character, well, then I enjoy the book less, and become somewhat cranky. I notice choppy plotting and not-very-good writing. 

I am not a plot-driven reader, but sometimes, really good storytelling will keep me interested even when I dislike the characters. 

This book failed on both fronts. I wanted to slap Rachel, the main character, almost from the beginning, and was praying someone would shoot her dead and put me out of my misery. I didn't see much likeable/interesting/redeemable about her. She was not intelligent - and since every other person was dumber than she was, it made for a rather stupid cast of characters. The secondary characters were also boring and annoying in turns. 

Um... the story. It was published in 2004, (I'm guessing) in the infancy of UF. It might have been considered cutting edge/excellent in it's time, and perhaps if I'd read it in 2004-2006 I'd have thought so too. But now that the genre has taken off, it is just bad prose and bad plotting. 

I do not think I will be reading more of the books in this series; it's not for me. I might try other books Kim Harrison has written, but probably later. 

I don't recommend this one.

★★

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

 

Heartless by Gail Carriger

Author: Gail Carriger
Title: Heartless
Series: Parasol Protectorate #4
Pages: 374
Source: Owned

Lady Alexia Maccon, soulless, is at it again, only this time the trouble is not her fault. When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband's past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking ), Madame Lefoux's latest mechanical invention, and a plague of zombie porcupines and Alexia barely has time to remember she happens to be eight months pregnant.
Will Alexia manage to determine who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it is too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf's clothing? And what, exactly, has taken up residence in Lord Akeldama's second best closet?

Information reaches the now-heavily pregnant Alexia that someone plans to kill the Queen. So of course, since Alexia will never shirk her duties as muhjah, she takes it upon herself to find the culprit and put a stop to their shenanigans.

Gail Carriger's writing so witty and fun, and it has this old-world feel to it that suits the historical aspects of the book perfectly, making it a pleasure to read. Conall Maccon is such a gruff sweetie, I can't help but love. He and Alexia are a riot when put together.

I felt so sad for Professor Lyall, as the revelations about his past came to light. And we got to meet Prudence herself, finally! :D

I think this is not one of the better stories in this series, and it dragged quite a bit more than some of the previous three books. There were three main reasons for that. Number 1: I HATE Felicity and Ivy Tunstell. They were in the book a bit too much for me, especially Felicity, distracting me whenever they were on. At least Ivy is much smarter than she appears. Felicity just has no excuse for existing. Number 2: I am not much of a steampunk person, the story dragged a bit in the sizable portions where steam machines and such play a role. Number 3: I was tired of Lord Akeldama and Biffy's whining.

Not the best story in the series but still worth a read.

★★★½

Fool Moon by Jim Butcher

Author: Jim Butcher
Title: Fool Moon
Series: Dresden Files #2
Pages: 347
Source: Library

Business has been slow. Okay, business has been dead. And not even of the undead variety. You would think Chicago would have a little more action for the only professional wizard in the phone book. But lately, Harry Dresden hasn't been able to dredge up any kind of work—magical or mundane.
But just when it looks like he can't afford his next meal, a murder comes along that requires his particular brand of supernatural expertise.
A brutally mutilated corpse. Strange-looking paw prints. A full moon. Take three guesses—and the first two don't count...

I'm sad to give this one a measly three stars because I was excited for this book. I was disappointed.

A lot of the plot was advanced by people who should know better being unforgivably obtuse. Take Murphy, for example, with her knee jerk reactions, arresting Harry every chance she got, when a little bit of maturity would have accomplished drastically different results. All she'd needed was a few minutes - no seconds, of clear thinking to allow Harry to talk, and a lot of misconceptions would have been cleared up. But no. She's too old to be that immature. And her job alone should preclude her from being that way, but no.

Harry himself was not much better. He acted rather immature and needlessly cruel for a good part of the novel, even if for no other reason than to show bravado to people who were on your side. He's too old for that. His mini God-complex was also rather annoying. And you would think anyone who saw himself as the only hope mere mortals had against all the dark forces would conduct himself with a modicum of common sense, but no. He's gone down in my estimation with this novel.

I so wanted to like this one. Like my friends Sans would say, Sad Panda.

★★★

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

#1. Storm Front

 

On the Prowl (anthology)

On the Prowl by Patricia Briggs
My rating: ★★★★

Alpha and Omega - 5 stars
This is my second read of this novel, the intro to Patricia Briggs' Alpha and Omega series, and I am upgrading my rating to 5 stars. I loved it! And I had more time to notice other things since I was already familiar with the storyline, and oh, the things I noticed! I LOVED Anna's first impression of Charles, and the descriptions she gave of him were KILLING ME SOFTLY!!! And Charles, being all studly on Anna made me giggle (and melt), LOL! You stud, you.

And of course I loved the three references to Samuel. He wasn't there in the book, but his father and brother's perceptions are so telling. From them I caught a glimpse of the 'lighthearted person who "had joy in abundance"' (in spite of his past) and had taken the time to teach Mercy to be joyful too. I saw him how he should be instead of the sad person he is now, bowed under the weight of so much pain. And my heart broke all over again.

Bran  must have some amazing genes to have created the offspring that he has! Patty sure knows how to write those Cornick men!

Inhuman - 2.5 stars
Eileen Wilks tells a story set in the World of the Lupi, about a hellhound and a telepath caught in the search for a killer. It's not too hard to follow, but there were quite a few references to things and events I can surmise happened in the previous book (this novella is #1.5). I was a bit impatient with the heroine: if i tell you there's a killer who can assume anyone's shape and then later I tell you that people who saw the killer say they saw you - wouldn't you be able to put two and two together? It was a good enough read, but the first half was much better than the second. It also felt rather soapbox-y to me, making me want to steer clear. Overall not a bad novella, but it doesn't inspire me to go looking for more books in this series.

Buying Trouble - 5 stars
This one is labeled Dorina Basarab #1.1 I haven't started the Dorina Books, and have only read the first of the Cassie Palmer books. In the one I read, I was really confused and not too impressed with Ms. Chance. Well, now I am super impressed. But for a moment there I had no idea what was going on. The main character was introduced and I went 'Claire who? LOL!' It's the same world, I guess, but this one was so much more fun than Cassie's book. There's a motley crew of paranormal beings featured - everything from trolls and fey to werewolves and dragons and a 'null'. and let me tell you, I have never read any male described as having "creamy buttocks," LOL! the story was full of surprises I didn't see coming; and laughs too. Wholly original and so much fun. Oh yes, the story is about the adventures of a Fey and a Null.

Mona Lisa Betweening - 2 stars
As far as I can tell, this one was about a shifter queen running around having sex with the men in her court under the full moon - rather reminiscent of Anita Blake. No thanks.

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Blood Cross by Faith Hunter

Jane Yellowrock #2
Blood Cross by Faith Hunter

★★½

The first book in this series surprised me into enjoying it and checking out the rest of the books. Unfortunately, this book is a disappointing follow up to the first book.

Jane Yellowrock is still in Louisiana, even after completing her job for the Vampire Council. It seems she has been hired on to do some more work for them: a rogue is making new vampires and must be stopped.

For a long while the story just seemed to be going nowhere, so I went back and checked the synopsis, and it was vague, much like the story itself: there was not much of a sense of the plot moving forward to some sort of culmination. It remained flat until the final few chapters, where it picked up a bit, but by then I couldn't care less about any tensions or happenings that had to be resolved, I just wanted the book to end.

I also found myself returning to my initial assessment of Jane (you know, before the turn of magic that had me change my mind about the first book) as a rather uninteresting character to get to know. The one thing that perked me up was her relationship with "Bruiser", which alas, seems to be fated to either go nowhere or be part of a love triangle/quadrangle.

I was really disappointed in this installment. I think I will go on to read the next book in series to gauge whether the first book was a fluke or if it's truly worth coming along for the ride.

And...the cover is horrible. Womp.

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Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
★★★

I gave this book 3 stars, but I a not comfortable with that; but I also didn't feel comfortable with giving it four stars because I feel like I enjoyed the books I've rated 4 stars more than I did this one. So, mebbe 3.5 stars

It was a fairly good story, and rather enjoyable. Unlike many reviews I've read, I didn't mind the beginning. I was able to get straight into the flow of things. By mid-story, though, I was floundering. The same cycle kept repeating itself: "Oh noes! People from the village have came around! Oh noes, we found a dead body on our property, hide it quick ! Oh noes, a mutt kills someone! Oh noes, we killed some mutt! Oh noes, another mutt has come into town! Oh noes, Clay is throwing a temper tantrum! Oh noes, Jeremy is unruffled! Oh noes, Elena is yelling at Clay for something that happened a lifetime ago! Oh noes, Elena is mouthing off to Jeremy! Oh noes, Elena is going off on her own when she shouldn't, bad things are going to happen! Oh noes, Elena forgot to call Philip."

A good 50-60% of the story is what I've just described up above, I think.

So um yeah. I liked the story. I didn't like that it repeated itself so often.

I will definitely be checking out more of Ms. Armstrong's work.

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Under Her Skin by Frost, Andrews, and Brook

Under Her Skin by Jeaniene Frost
My rating:★★★★

Pack - 3 stars
This is Jeaniene Frost's novellita, a tale of a girl bitten by a werewolf while on a hike in the park. It was a good story while it lasted, but very forgettable after that.

In Sheep's Clothing - 4 stars
Jill Myles' contribution was a rather sweet story about a werewolf who was abducted by a highway killer *shudders*. It wasn't bad at all, although I did notice that the werewolf acted more like a friendly domestic dog than like a werewolf :) Also a rather forgettable story.

Grace of Small Magics - 5 stars
Ilona Andrews' entry was the rather Stockholm Syndrome-like story about a girl bondservant to a powerful magical family. It was very interesting, packed quite a punch, and...was rather cheesy. It was also quite twisted. Loved it ^_^. 4 stars for the story, 1 more for originality.

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Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs
My rating: ★★★★★

I read this for Samuel and only for him.

I also gave this one five stars for Samuel. The rest of the story is good too, but for me, everything took a back seat to my favorite werewolf.

Samuel broke my heart. I spent a good deal of the story with a lump in my throat for him. The conversation he has with Mercy in the X-ray room was so poignant, so sad. :'( And it was interesting too, seeing into the mind of a wolf who was losing control. I am glad Samuel found someone to live for. But I'll miss Sam. I liked the wolf being in control. I raised my eyebrows a bit when Mercy was thinking it was good that Ari had a sense of humor, because she'd only allow someone with a sense of humor to have Samuel. Smh. she complains about how protective he is, but she is also so very protective of him. She really does love him - you know, love that has everything to do with friendship and nothing to do with being in love. That was sweet to see.

And Bran....you gotta love Bran.

Um yes. The rest of the story was good, as stories in this series have always been. Truth be told, I wasn't paying it too much mind: I had eyes only for my Samuel.



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Storm Front by Jim Butcher

Storm Front by Jim Butcher
My rating:★★★★

This is the first book in the Dresden Files and our introduction to Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden, a modern-day wizard living in Chicago. Somebody has been using very dark, dangerous magic to brutally kill people, and Harry must figure out who it is, because the wizard council thinks he did it.

I enjoyed it. I did find it a bit hard to concentrate for, like, the first 20% or so, but then things really picked up as the story, well...picked up... and I had myself a fun time.

I will definitely be reading more of this. It seems like a nice addition to the UF genre. No unique, per se, but it has an interesting twist on things. I like the Chicago Jim Butcher has created so like our own world, and yet not. This means you don't have to do a lot of thinking to figure out the rules of the world - you already know it because it's like ours. And the rules he's added on are also fairly straightforward that you don't need a whole lot of info to get right into the thick of things. They are interesting rules too - for example the part about potions needing eight components.

And the world is interesting enough to set it apart from the many worlds in UF.

And I like the author's voice. Male (fantasy) authors have a starker voice than female (fantasy) authors, for me. And it either works very well or it doesn't. Mr. Butcher's storytelling is shaping up to work very well for me.

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Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs

Mercede Thompson #4
Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs
My rating: ★★★★

More than 3.5, but not quite four stars.

In this installment, the Vampire queen has discovered what Mercy did to Andre and is out for blood. Mercy has to figure out how to stay alive and keep her friends and loved ones out of the line of fire. A little trip to get away from everything for a few days also turns into way bigger deal than expected.

By now, I am used to the awesomeness of Patricia Briggs' writing, but it gets me every single time. the story is told very simply, so that you can see plot twists from miles away. I KNEW who Jim Blackwood was when i met him, even before his name was spoken, and I knew Mercy was going to meet him. What gets me is he execution - predictable mystery, flawlessly executed. It makes i fun to read on, even though you know who the whodunits are already.

What kept me from fully enjoying this story was..well, the story. Marsilia needs to die. Simple. It grates on me that she is still alive and hurting so many people. I agree with Samuel about Stefan (but then again, I'd agree with Samuel about anything, LOL!) If he cared so much he'd do the entire world a favor and put Marsilia out of her misery. She is evil. She needs to die. Stefan is an idiot.

I liked seeing Adam again, and how gentle he is with Mercy. Mercy's mom made me laugh most of the time. Samuel made me smile always - and why not, he is my favorite, after all.

Good book, good reading. Will reread. in fact, will by paper copies of this whole series and put in a place of honor on my bookshelf. This one is just not my favorite installment.


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