A Perfect Blood Paperback is out! And OH-EM-GEEE!!
“When this is over, can I fix that?”
My fingers, he realized, shivering when she brushed his palm. She’s talking about fixing my fingers. “If you like,” he said with a false calm, then pulled away, stifling a spun-sugar feeling as her hand slipped from his. It’s the adrenaline, he thought, not meeting her eyes.
Yeah, that. just. happened. Now READ!!
EDIT: I got it for my kindle, but those who already have the book and don’t want to purchase it again can read the whole thing in the browse feature on B&N. It’s free and all you have to do is click the first “Teaser Chapter” link:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/sample/read/9780061957901
Thanks to our very own VirginiaHouston for bringing this link to my attention. The Harper Browse doesn’t offer it at this time.
As you may or may not know, the mass market paperback was released this Tuesday and Kim added a special bonus which included a change of POV from a previous chapter. She decided to use Trent’s POV for the office scene where (spoiler ahead)……………Rachel takes off the demon bracelet that he put on her in Pale Demon. I just read the excerpt and well…
I’m about to go on a Goodreads quoting spree. Who wants to join me?!
It’s been a pretty good week for me. I scored front row tickets to the Madonna concert this past Sunday (I’d never been to one of her shows before), and now I read this MIND BLOWING excerpt from this book! Honestly, I’m speechless. If you want to read it yourself (and believe me, you’ll want to), you could stop by your local bookstore and read the MMP, you could buy the ebook like I did. I like having ebook and hardcovers for this series, so I purposely held out for the ebook until now. Kim NEVER goes for the jugular like that. She’s usually way more subtle. That last paragraph was just… As I said, I’m speechless right now and that NEVER happens with The Hollows.
Grave Dance (Alex Craft #2) - Picking up a little more, still not in love with it
Business is picking up a little more for Alex Craft as this time it is up to her to solve a peculiar string of murders…or so we assume. Instead of bodies turning up police are merely finding body parts, namely the left feet of several people. This makes it particularly difficult for Alex who cannot raise a shade without a body (I’m thinking a head and torso would suffice).
This means she needs to call upon the magic of her friends, but that also puts them in the line of fire along with Alex herself as she draws the attention of the Fae court. Can she fend them off and get out of it in one piece?
I would say that I enjoyed Grave Dance a little more than Grave Witch, but that’s not saying too much. I am still finding it hard to become attached to the characters and the world at this point. There are a few interesting developments, particularly Alex’s eye sight which is at risk every time she uses her magic. Her normal sight is steadily depleting, making me wonder if she’ll eventually be in the dark permanently.
Secrets are still slowly unraveling, but I still found myself wondering about a number of plot points, particularly when it comes to her father. He is more interesting this time around, but I wanted more questions answered about his motivations and his heritage. There is also the character Death. Her meetings with him are very sporadic and their feelings for one another are crossing lines into the taboo territory for reasons that we have yet to learn. So he remains mysterious.
The love triangle is an obvious focal point of this series, though it’s hard for me to buy it. Death seems like the better choice, but only because he doesn’t have the same baggage as Falin. She doesn’t have any more chemistry with Death than Falin, but she gets more screen time with Falin so at this point I’m liking Falin more. I don’t dislike Death, but I have a habit of getting attached to my first choices, so I’m trying to brace myself for disappointment. I hope it concludes soon enough one way or the other. This is why I don’t like triangles.
Towards the end of the book the plot really picks up out of nowhere and I went from being mildly interested to not being able to put it down. Kalayna Price’s writing shines best when writing about Faerie, and I couldn’t wait for Alex to go back. I doubt this will be the end we see of it.
Usually by the third book I can tell if a series will become a favorite. I’m still on the fence about this one, so I guess that means I’ll have to give Book 3 a try.
Grave Witch (Alex Craft #1) - Mediocre start, decent finish
Sometimes when you’ve read a fantastic book it can be a hard act to follow, so perhaps that why I wasn’t immediately pulled into this book. Grave Witch is the start of the Alex Craft series by Kalayna Price. Alex is a low rent “Magic eye” (a derogatory term for a witch private investigator), but her abilities are anything but.
She can to speak to the dead—even to the point of befriending Death himself—making her a valuable asset for the police. And her skills are needed now more than ever for a high profile murder case that puts her life and the lives of those close to her on the line. Even with the aid of the mysterious detective Falin Andrews, the powers that be in the supernatural and human world may be more of a challenge than she can handle.
The book isn’t a difficult read at all, so even though I didn’t find myself invested in the plot until the half-way point, it was certainly bearable. I think Alex has relatable qualities. She doesn’t really carry that “too stupid to live” attitude like a number of other heroines. There were scenes where I could imagine other heroines taking a more self-righteous route, but Alex is young, poor, and struggling, and her reactions to adversity are more realistic as a result of this. It was refreshing.
Thankfully, I was prepared for a love triangle ahead of time. Sometimes that helps my mindset, but I am still not a fan of the idea. At this point in this series it isn’t too annoying, but this is only the introduction to the series so I am expecting a lot of development in the following books. So far I don’t have a preference because I have enjoyed the screentime with both Death and Falin. But it’s also a little too familiar. It’s not the only series where the heroine’s guardian angel (of sorts) develops feelings for her while carrying disdain for her current otherworldly boy toy.
While I don’t give the series many points for originality, it doesn’t quite feel like a throwaway. It’s a solid read, there’s room to grow, and I will read the next book just to see where things go.
Death’s Mistress (Dorina Basarab #2) - It keeps getting better!
“Louis-Cesare. It’s good to finally have you in hand.”
Indeed it is!!!
This time around our favorite ass-kicking dhampir Dorina Basarab now finds herself involved in a murder mystery “whodunit” style. Someone has started murdering vampire Senate members and that may be too close to home. To make matter worse, her best friend Claire also needs Dorina’s help to locate a fae relic that could be used to harm her infant son, the successor to the fae throne. With those she holds most near and dear in harm’s way, who can Dorina trust?
In usual Karen Chance style, Death’s Mistress is jam packed with story and there are even a quite few laughs. I feel like her imagination knows no bounds and that has to account for the super fast pace of her books, though Dorina’s pace doesn’t feel as hectic as Cassie’s. It feels just right.There is so much going on that I can’t even put it in one synopsis.
There is moving and shaking among all of the supernaturals: the mages, the vampires, the dark and light fae, you name it. About the only species with nothing going on is the dhampire community, and that could be because there are only a handful of them to begin with. I would like to see Chance introduce us to the few that exist. Why not? We’re seeing everybody else!
Louis-Cesare tension is back and better than ever. Their interactions, while extremely amusing and pretty freakin’ hott, are ultimately dangerous. Louis-Cesare’s affections are as transparent as it gets and that may be a problem since dhampir/vampire relationships are about as taboo as it gets. So a star-crossed appeal has become a component of their relationship.
The secondary character really shine here. I was entertained to no end by Raymond, a vampire she beheads early as leverage, as well as her uncle Radu. He is delightfully flamboyant, dramatic., and surprisingly relatable. Papa Mircea was fabulous here as well with additional back story involving his past with her mother. Then there’s her unconventional pet Stinky, a chimera, who sticks to her like glue every since she saved him in book 1.
All of these elements really give the series a life of its own outside of the Cassie Palmer series, and I think it’s for the better. I can effectively say that I prefer the Dorina novels to the Cassie novels. I can’t wait two WEEKS for the next installment let along two years like the poor souls that read these books in real time. It’s definitely one of my favorite series and I highly recommend this read. It has everything I’m looking for in a great Urban Fantasy series.
Midnight’s Daughter (Dorina Basarab #1) - My socks have been rocked!
“”I ran out of stock around midnight and dropped by a place, got some Chinese.” I hoped he meant takeout….”Mu-shu pork” he told me indignantly.”
I held off from immediately jumping into the Dorina Basarb series, a spin-off of the Cassie Palmer novels by Karen Chance, for a couple of reasons:
1)I have some quirks with the Cassie Palmer books that I feared could spill over into this series
and
2)I wasn’t sure if I wanted to invest in a series with such a long wait between novels. In my perfect world, I’d get two books per year when it comes to my fave series, not one every TWO years.
So it took quite a while to get around to this, but I am so glad I finally did.
This spin-off series centers around Dorina Basarab, a dhampir (vampire/human hybrid) assassin. Not quite enough of either species, Dorina’s kind is rare and doesn’t fit anywhere in either society. It doesn’t help that she is subject to rages that cause her to black out and endanger not only those around her, but herself as well.
It turns out she is the daughter of the great and powerful Mircea Basarab, and he needs her skills to help capture her uncle and his brother, Dracula, who has escaped from prison. Crazy and dangerous, this is a tall order, so Mircea also adds another master vampire to the mix, Louis-Cesare. The goal is for Dorina and Louis-Cesare to work together, but we all know the results when you try to mix oil and vinegar.
This book was a lot of fun. This series has beaten the odds and has become an instant favorite, regardless of the lag time. It’s missing my biggest annoyances with the Cassie books: an irritating love triangle and Cassie herself (I’m not just a fan, sorry). Dorina is much more likeable heroine for me. I laughed, I cried (okay, not really), I QUOTED!!
Chance really knows how to write compelling and downright delicious male characters. Louis-Cesare has shot up on my list of book crushes. He’s an amazing fighter, and the chemistry with Dorina is crazy good! It doesn’t feel like your run of the mill relationship like with so many other novels. It’s dynamic, it’s got room to evolve, he isn’t invisible, and Dorina actually can take care of herself quite well. It feels really natural, or about as natural as you can expect for supernaturals.
Another pleasant surprise was Mircea. After reading the Cassie books we’re only used to Mircea the lover and powerful Senate member. In these books we get to see Mircea the father. While we see the Senate member too, I really appreciate this perspective of him because it adds more depth to the character for me. I like him more and more because we see more of his vulnerability here as opposed to the Cassie books. When it comes to Dorina, you can tell that he doesn’t have all of the answers, even when he tries to save face . It’s a subtle chink in his armor and I love it!
This is about as great of a start as one could hope for. I finished this book and couldn’t wait to dive in to the next one! I think it’s needless to say that I highly recommend this one.
Darkness Devours (Dark Angels #3) - Supporting characters save this series
The Vampire Council just won’t leave poor Risa Jones alone. This time she is forced to investigate a string of murders involving blood-whore addicted vampires. Sure, she’s got her own problems to deal with, but with an execution order on her life she’ll have to shift priorities and solve this case in order to get it lifted. She begrudgingly enlists the help of her ex-boyfriend journalist; this only serves to stir the pot even more, bringing up old feelings and nuggets of her past.
Not a lot of progress is made toward the overarching plot of the series, which involves Risa confiscating keys for her father that could potentially open the gates the hell. But I found the mystery to be satisfying enough to keep my interest. I love vamps so if we were going to get a side plot, I’m glad it was this one. That said, I hope that the next book is heavier on the main plot so that there can be steady advancement of the plot.
I am enjoying the continued development of her dark angel partner in crime, Azriel. There is progress on the relationship front with Risa as well, but it’s fragile at best and I have feeling that there will be a hitch. Not to mention, her current lover Lucian is not quite out of the picture yet, though this relationship hits its own rocky waters. I’m surprised it’s taken this long honestly. Lucian practically has a red flag stamped to his forehead when it comes to trust. It’s so obvious that he’s hiding something that I question if this is a red herring; otherwise, we’re in for a grossly underwhelming revelation of his true intentions.
When I first started reading Keri Arthur’s Dark Angel series, I wasn’t sure if it would be my cup of tea. I wasn’t really feeling Risa much as the lead and sometimes that can make or break a series for me. While she’s still not necessarily my favorite, I’m growing more attached to the supporting characters (namely Azriel ), so for now I will continue reading.
Poll Results - Midnight’s Daughter it is!!
Thanks for your input, everyone! This poll confirms that my indecision was clearly justified. It really was a tight race! I’ll start with Dorina (which I am enjoying quite a bit already), and then it”ll just be a toss up from there. I am so excited!!
Poll: Which book should I read next? You decide!
I’m going to do a quick poll this weekend because I am conflicted as to which novel I want to start this coming Monday, though I may leave it ongoing to decide which series should follow. Hopefully you guys can help me out! Keep in mind that I typically like to read books in a series back to back, so the longer the series, the longer it will take for me to get to something else.
Option 1
Grave Witch (Alex Craft #1) - I’ve been meaning to get around to this series for some time. I’ve heard good things and book 3 was released this July.
Option 2
First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson #1) - another series that I’ve heard good things about. The fourth book is due out on October 30th (along with like…3 other books I’ve been eying >_>).
Option 3
Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress #1) - Cat and Bones, I know I know. It’s taken me a while to get around to this one because I was pretty unimpressed with one of her spin-off PNR novels. But I hear this series is more UF and many seem to like it, so I’ve finally come around to being willing to give it a try. This series has 6 books out already and I’ll be honest and say that even though I have polled it, I likely won’t read this first since it already has so many books out. I honestly only added this to the mix because “Grave” seems to be a pretty popular trend here when it comes to these titles, and I find that amusing :P.
Option 4
Midnight’s Daughter (Dorina Basarab #1) - I have my quirks with the Cassie Palmer series, namely Cassie, but I’ve been told by a number of people that Dorina is actually more likeable. The third book is due out on October 2nd, a date that is fast-approaching.
So please VOTE and share your thoughts!
Without Text-to-Speech, Kindle Paperwhite is about as useful to me as a paperWEIGHT!
I was quite excited to learn about the new line of Kindles that would offer a front lit e-ink display. While I am still partial to my Kindle Keyboard and prefer it to the touch screen, I would have been willing to do away with it for a chance to have a self-illuminating e-reader. I was on my way to click “pre-order” until I decided to check out the specs, only to learn that the new e-reader will not offer audio—meaning it will not offer text-to-speech (TTS).
TTS has been an invaluable feature for me, allowing me to progress through a book more quickly for moments when I can’t read or don’t feel like reading and fatiguing my eyes. And it progresses faster than audiobooks. So, needless to say, I was utterly disappointed with this decision by Amazon. It is the ultimate deal breaker.
Amazon’s supposed reasoning (don’t quote me on this) was that it wasn’t a popular feature among most of its customers. I don’t know if I buy that because this feature will be available on its Fire devices. Not to mention, it’s missing audio capabilities altogether which will affect audiobook and MP3 users. I suspect that Amazon is trying to limit audio on future e-ink devices in order to migrate this cluster of consumers over to their LCD models.
My philosophy: if it ain’t broke, why fix it? I own a Kindle Keyboard, Android Tablet (that I purchased from Amazon), and an Android Smart phone. I have 3 options for e-book reading (aside from my computer), yet I far and away prefer the Kindle Keyboard. The e-ink display and TTS are an unbeatable combo in my mind. My kindle was stolen a few months ago and I tried to make do with using my tablet as an e-reader. It was so horrible that I went ahead and bought a new Kindle. I am just that dedicated.
But after learning that the Paperwhite would lack text-to-speech, this prompted me to look for alternatives. To fellow tablet/smartphone owners, there are affordable e-reader apps out there that offer TTS. I even downloaded the INOVA text-to-speech app for free; it integrates with a number e-reader apps. “Kendra”, the voice, provides fantastic quality and there are more adjustable speeds, pitches, and accents. It’s better than the Kindle’s “Samantha”, but as I said earlier the e-ink/TTS combo is unbeatable and I am satisfied enough with Samantha’s quality. But just in case Amazon does away with the e-ink/TTS combo for good, it’s nice to know there are alternatives. Alternatives that are only going to get better with time. All is not lost for those of us who understand how important this utility is to our reading habits, even if Amazon doesn’t seem to care anymore.
Additional options include Moon+ Reader Pro. It’s very affordable at $5, but there is also a free reader I tried called FBS Reader. It offers a text to speech plug-in (you have to download it separately) and it works pretty well. One criticism is that it breaks up the sentences which stalls progress a little bit, but as I said, with time I’m sure these alternatives will only improve and become more readily available.
Bottom line, if Amazon brings TTS back to future e-ink models they will retain me as a customer, but if they limit TTS to the Kindle Fire then they’ll have nothing to offer me since I already own a tablet. Yes, the Keyboard is still available for now, but it’s positioned to be phased out since they don’t even want to update the firmware for it.
For me, TTS is more important than e-ink. So if my kindle goes out and they still only offer e-ink without TTS I will adjust with my tablet and phone, even though I’d rather not have to do so. TTS/e-ink is the best, but TTS/LCD certainly trumps frontlit e-ink/nothin’.
Demon Love Spell - Shoujo manga lovers can look no further
These days I’m hard pressed to read a lot of manga as opposed to written novels, so Mayu Shinjo’s new series, Demon Love Spell, was a welcomed reprieve. Miko is a budding shrine maiden who is still developing her abilities to banish spirits, a skill and duty that has passed down from generation to generation in her family for centuries.
She strives to keep her family’s tradition alive, but she has to get better. She sees one opportunity to do so when she meets Kagura, an incubus demon who feeds on women’s desires for strength. Miko’s spell inadvertently works to incapacitate his abilities, even shrinking him to the size of a pixy! But this plan isn’t full proof and he now has his sights set on her. While not completely evil, Kagura aides Miko in banishing spirits with intentions more evil than “lady-killing.”
It’s a cute, short, and occasionally humorous read. While it’s not what I’d consider explicit, the implied sexual themes are very obvious. He is an incubus with an appetite! I will say that I like how his smoldering sexiness is balanced with implementing his chibi form whenever Miko sees fit. Their dynamics shift at these points, which gives the series breathing room to put the two on screen while limiting the sap.
Overall, not a lot struck me as particularly original or innovative when it came to the art or the story, but I didn’t come in expecting that anyway. The plot is still entertaining even with the elements that I’ve seen before.
I liked the two lead characters overall and I expect a lot of emotional development as the series progresses. This is only the first volume, so it’s going to take time to build to something deeper I think.
*ARC Provided by the publisher
Dragon Bound (Elder Races #1) by Thea Harrison - The flame fizzles towards the end
I’m always up for a new series, and throwing…well…”elder races” into the mix sounded right up my alley. That’s just asking for a rich fantasy world with endless possibilities and creatures.
Pia Giovanni is a nomadic human/Wyr hybrid who tries to stay under the radar and out of trouble when it comes to Wyrkind and their Dark Fae enemies. However, she is forced to steal a special item from Dragos Cuelebre, the most powerful and short-tempered Wyr there is. She manages to be successful, but that only makes her public enemy number one to him, until they meet and sparks really fly.
The novel actually starts off promising. We’re introduced to a number of creatures and get a taste of the delicate balance of respect and deep rivalries that exist among the different species. The tension starts out high between Pia and Dragos and it’s very entertaining. I was invested in their teamwork when they ended up in enemy territory.
However, being primarily PNR that can only last for so long until they shag like bunnies. If I do PNR, I am not for the super sappy kind and that’s what it morphs into more and more as the book progresses. The ending was eye-roll inducing for me because I just felt as if too much happens between them within a span of days that I could count with two hands.
The nicknames for the characters were pretty corny too; so much so that I wish Harrison didn’t even bother to add them.
I also had an issue with the writing format of the book. It alternates between third-person and first-person; however the first-person inner monologues are supposed to be italicized. There were countless spots where they were not italicized, making it a little confusing and annoying to follow at times.
I’m not sure if I will continue with this series because the couple (which I ended up not liking) overshadows the world itself, which I found way more interesting. For a PNR, that’s honestly how it should be in the first place. But their love story just wasn’t complicated enough for me to appreciate the journey. They just didn’t earn it for me.
HOLLOWS ALERT!!! Excerpt of Ever After (Book 11) is here!
If you guys purchase (now for 99 cents though before it was free) the Pet Shop Boys short story, it includes the first excerpt of EVER AFTER! See, I love you guys so much I told you before reading it myself *now rushes off to read*
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from Google Book Store
Buy from iTunes
Buy from Sony Book Store
Edit: I just finished the excerpt. Bah! There’s NEVER enough Hollows! And I honestly was thinking about Carew towers recently so it’s right on time that Kim brings it up again.
Krampus by Brom - Santa Clause is kramping his style
If you are familiar with the artist/author, Brom, then you probably realize that he has a knack for taking popular children’s tales and re-envisioning them with a twist-usually warped, disturbing, and certainly not child friendly. I absolutely loved The Child Thief, a dark retelling of Peter Pan, so I absolutely jumped at the chance to review Krampus.
Krampus is the Yule Lord, locked away for centuries thanks to Jolly Old Saint Nick. But he is determined to come back and restore Yuletide to it former glory, after he takes care of that little Santa issue course…
We also meet Jesse, a deadbeat down and out 20 something, who stumbles upon the special key that Krampus and his minions have been searching for. Begrudgingly he aids Krampus with hopes that the Yule Lord’s power will be enough to save his family.
Brom is first and foremost an artist (he illustrated this cover), but he is a fantastic storyteller as well. He purposely makes it difficult to question the true villain at times, so it’s hard to know who to root for even when it comes to the protagonist. Every character has an agenda and nobody is innocent, save for Jesse’s young daughter perhaps. It wasn’t quite as gruesome as The Child Thief, but there were a few cringe-worthy moments.
I really enjoyed the comparisons of Krampus and Santa Clause. I grew up with Santa in my life, so I couldn’t help but have a little bias towards him, but I also found myself appreciating some aspects of what Krampus signifies. Neither character is perfect, which once again leaves the reader conflicted.
Brom’s books are great to read if you want something a little different that breaks the usual formula. I can say that I enjoyed The Child Thief more, but Krampus is still good stuff!
Maybe his message is that good or bad, there’s a villain in all of us.
*ARC provided by the publisher
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