The Mysterious Madam Morpho (Blud #1.5) - Love the cover, but more Criminy please!
This is a novella from the Blud series. As a follow-up to Delilah Dawson’s debut novel Wicked as They Come, to hold us over until the next book we get to revisit her alternative London and Criminy Stain’s caravan. Instead of Criminy and Leticia (Tish) getting focus, we meet Madam Morpho, a new addition to the caravan with a unique ability to re-animate butterflies, and we meet Mr. Murdoch, the mysterious engineer behind the caravan’s clockworks and staging. Morpho is running from her past, but is she valuable enough for the caravan and Mr. Murdoch to run with her?
I love this series for a combination of reasons, from the quirky steampunk London makeover to the blud bunnies to enigmatic Criminy himself. The first two are there in spades which is great, but I’ve unfortunately caught a case of Criminy fever and found myself missing his presence immensely this time around, Tish as well. The world building remains impressive, with enough imagination to satisfy any urban fantasy/paranormal/steampunk fan, but the romance itself came up a bit short for me. Insta-love stories never really do it for me, namely because I just can’t suspend my belief enough to completely buy it, and that’s what we see here. Granted, Ms. Dawson is only working with 100 or so pages so she has to move quickly. It’s just that it didn’t resonate with me very much and if I was going to read this for the romance, I think it would have enjoyed it more if it was Criminy and Tish, an establish ship that readers are already invested in. Nevertheless, it’s a solid read and I do recommend fans of the series give it a shot.
Archangel’s Storm (Guild Hunters #5) - Exceeded my expectations
I do enjoy this series, but no installment has surpassed the first book as my favorite. Archangel’s Storm doesn’t do it either, but I would probably rate it top 3. Much like Archangel’s Blade, Elena and Raphael take a back seat as the story gives Jason, one of Raphael’s Seven, focus as he enters the rival territory of archangel Neha to solve the grisly murder of her consort. Jason has his own demons to face from his past, and they do challenge him; however, he must put it aside to work with Princess Mahiya, daughter of the slain archangel, to find the murderer and return to Raphael.
Jason isn’t particularly one of my favorite side characters. In all honesty, I never really thought too much about his character at all so I wasn’t really looking forward to this book. I sooner expected angel Illium to get his own story or even my personal fave, the vampire Venom. While Illium doesn’t get much time at all here, Venom actually does get significant focus which was a pretty good consolation prize. As progeny of Neha, his presence helped to flesh out the story and character development, though I would have liked more.
Both Jason and Mahiya have had pretty difficult upbringings, easily making them sympathetic characters. You root for them to find happiness, but it isn’t the easiest love story and there is no insta-love, which is for the better in my opinion. There is a lot more mystery and story than romance in this book which is personally how I like it, but it’s hard to say if other readers will feel the same. I love the world building and the focus on angel politics, but I am sure there is a contingent that reads these more so for the romance aspect.
It was a satisfying read, but I am still hoping Ms. Nalini Singh gifts us with a Venom-centric book at some point. With the next book set to go back to Raphael and Elena, I am not sure how far off that possibility is. Either way, I’ll be reading all the same.
Trilogy Giveaway + Author Interview + Review - Caroline Hanson, Valerie Dearborn Series
Love is Mortal Review
Betrayal and redemption are the primary themes in Love is Mortal, book 3 in the Valerie Dearborn series. It also completes the story arc of Valerie and Lucas. Stuck in the land of the Fey, Valerie is desperate to get out of Cerdwellyn’s clutches. Her powers as an empath, while useful, are not enough and she’ll have to work with Lucas if they have any hope of freedom. But can she trust him after his betrayal?
I have enjoyed this series quite a bit so it was sad to see this come to the end, though this book was a fitting way to conclude their story. There’s a lot of character development, particularly on Lucas’s end. After the devastating revelations in Love is Fear, there was a lot of rebuilding to be done when it came to Lucas and Valerie’s relationship and not a lot of time to do it. The work around was effective.
There wasn’t as much action this time around as Val and Lucas spend a great deal of time captive. It’s more of a psychological game. The the start was a little on the slow side for me because of this, but it does hit its stride and doesn’t really stop until it’s over.
Even though this doesn’t leave on a cliffhanger, there are a lot of questions still left when it comes to the land of the Fey and Cerdwellyn’s past and future, as well as Jack and Rachel, so thankfully we’re not completely finished with Valerie Dearborn world. It’s a fabulous series and I still want more.
*ARC provided by the author.
Author Interview
I’d like to extend a warm welcome to Caroline Hanson, author of the fantastic Valerie Dearborn novels. With the third and final book (for this arc at least) now released, Ms. Hanson and I thought it’d be a great opportunity to hold a giveaway as well! But before that I had a few questions for our guest of honor.
1. Could you tell us a little about yourself? Where did you grow up and how did you come to love the Urban Fantasy and Paranormal genre?
I grew up in Fresno, California which is not particularly exciting. The most famous person to come out of our school is Kevin Federline- what’s that tell ya? I’m an only child and had strict parents so I spent a lot of time in my room reading. I moved to England at 20 which should also tell you something about me- halfway around the world from Fresno. Lol.
I loved Anne Rice and Depeche Mode as well as The Cure during high school and always liked paranormal books. But it was reading Laurell K Hamilton several years ago that started me on my urban fantasy obsession.
2. Can you share a little bit of your process with creating the Valerie Dearborn novels? Did you have a three initial books in mind, or were you initially planning one book and then your ideas expanded?
Valerie Dearborn actually came to me as a fairly full-fledged idea and was in response to what I had been reading. I did not like how action-based or mythology-based urban fantasy had become. Very external plot driver whereas Hamilton or even Meyer are all internal plot. I love internal conflict and building external problems to reflect the character’s internal bullshit. Joss Whedon is the master of that type of storytelling.
I also really don’t like the way vampires have been glamorized. That they have become all PC and nice. WTF? They’re killers! Very smart, very manipulative and very beautiful killers. That is what I find fascinating about vampires.
As for heroines, with the exception of Bella, they are usually very kick ass. I don’t relate to that. If a vampire was going to attack me I would probably huddle up in a ball and wait for the end. I wanted to read a story about a normal girl who gets dragged into the vampire stuff against her will. I think Valerie is relatable and that’s what has resonated with people. Or Lucas. Either way they like the books.
3. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
Ugh. That’s tough and my answer isn’t very nice. I think in order to be successful, you have to be a little insecure with your writing. I’m an attorney (have you noticed how many successful writers are attorneys?) and I was terrible at law school. My law school was proud of the fact that they would tear us down and try to rebuild us. To succeed in writing one must be comfortable with being torn down. You will be told your writing blows. That’s just a fact. But successful writers take that criticism and look for the truth in it, even when what they want to say is ‘Go f*ck yourself!’ If you can’t cut your favorite scene or cut out thousands of words and start over again, you probably won’t be successful. And that sucks.
4. Do you have any favorite authors who have inspired you?
Well, as I said a little bit above it would be Laurell K Hamilton and Anne Rice. But I also love Laura Kinsale and Loretta Chase. I met Loretta Chase this last year and went up to her, wanting to tell her how much I loved her stories but I got all teary-eyed and had to leave because I was gonna cry. It was a little bizarre to have such a fan girl reaction.
5.What can we look for next for your future works and the Valerie Dearborn world and other future works?
You know, I’m not sure what’s next. I’ve written three books, two novellas, two short stories and a couple of other random things in the last two years and I like to think that I am now going to take a break. But writers write and I still have to tell Cerdwellyn’s story. Jack and Rachel’s stories are not complete and I have Molly. In my mind, I think I know what that story is. Or at least part of it, but that may change. I really have to let that percolate, because I know people want Valerie and Lucas in there too and right now I’m not sure they have enough conflict to be very interesting in that book. So the next to Valerie book is going to take a while.
I’m working on a few new things, the first of which is a book called A Lady Out of Time and the heroine is a tough girl. She is a soldier who goes back in time to England and meets a very stuffy duke. I’ve read a lot of historicals and am so sick of the virginal, weak heroine that I really want to write something different.
My other series is called Incendia which means to ‘set alight.’ It’s urban fantasy and different than a lot of the things I have seen. I think this is the series that will make the Lucas fans happy. I think they’ll fall in love with Alexander. It will be very emotionally based, have a love triangle, and both men are pretty flawed. It’s got a Roman feel to it but is modern. Mainly.
Thank you again to Ms. Hanson and we look forward to what you’ve got next!
Giveaway
With Your Urban Fantasy Ms. Hanson is holding a giveaway for TWO winners to receive the complete trilogy of this series. It’s perfect for those of you who are new to the series, or for those who still want a chance to read the final book. It’s a win win!
I am collecting entries through Saturday, December 8th. I will announce the winner the next day.
How to Enter (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY): My giveaways are only open to followers of Your Urban Fantasy who are 18 years of age or older. In order to enter YOU MUST COMMENT ON THE ANNOUNCEMENT POST! If you’re a new member, sign up on the right panel to follow my blog via email and/or Twitter. (Make sure you check your email to confirm your subscription. You should receive a notification immediately, so check your spam folder if you don’t see it right away). Current followers can just say so in their post and your entry will be added. Overall, there are up to 3 chances to win:
- Follow this blog via email (THIS IS REQUIRED)
- Follow me on Twitter (bonus entry)
- “Like” Your Urban Fantasy on Facebook (bonus entry)
While I do appreciate RSS subscribers, I cannot confirm your status as a follower so your entry will not count (sorry!); however, you are welcome to sign up by email and Twitter or Facebook. Good luck!
Freebie Watch! The Chosen by Denise Grover Swank
The kindle version is currently free! Get it while it lasts!
http://www.amazon.com/Chosen-Denise-Grover-Swank/dp/1463692463/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353382980&sr=8-1&keywords=chosen
Synopsis: Everything Emma Thompson owns fits in a suitcase she moves from one roach infested motel to another. She and Jake, her five year old son who can see the future, are running from the men intent on taking him. Emma will do anything to protect him even when it means accepting the help of a stranger named Will. Jake insists she needs Will, but Emma’s never needed help before. And even though she’s learned to trust her son, it doesn’t mean she trusts Will. Mercenary Will Davenport lives in the moment. Hauling Emma to South Dakota should have been an easy job, but his employer neglected to tell him about Emma’s freaky son and the gunmen hot on her trail. Instinct tells him this job is trouble, but nothing can prepare him for Jake’s proclamation that Will is The Chosen One, who must protect Emma from the men hunting her power. A power she doesn’t know she has. Will protects Emma and Jake on a cross-country chase from the men pursuing them, while struggling with memories from his past, his apprehension of Jake, and his growing attraction to Emma. Will’s overwhelming urge to protect Emma surprises him, especially since it has nothing to do with his paycheck and possibly everything to do with the tattoo Jake branded on his arm. Rich and powerful men are desperate to capture Emma, and Will must discover why before it’s too late.
Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet (Charley Davidson #4) by Darynda Jones - Audiobook Review
The trauma after the drama from the events of Third Grave Dead Ahead has left Charley in a bit of a rut. Instead of solving cases, she’s taken up a new hobby: sitting on her couch all day, acquiring a Home Shopping Network addiction in the process. She finally finds a bit of motivation once a woman shows up who needs her help. Someone is trying to kill her, but something is amiss when all of her loved ones believe she’s paranoid.
Meanwhile, Reyes Farrow, Son of Satan and her better half, has been released from prison, making ends meet by doing what he does best: fighting. He’s been keeping his distance from Charley, but that doesn’t last long (not surprisingly) as he becomes a person of interest in an arson case.
I decided to shelf this series after the third book, but I agreed to an experiment for fellow blogger, Anne-Marie of Unwastedwords, to go the audiobook route in order to determine if my reading experience could redeem the series for me. I can say that this book was a bit more bearable. I’m not sure if it’s because I had a break from reading the books back to back or what. There were a few moments when I got annoyed with Charley’s punchlines and dialogue, but it wasn’t so bad. I thought the narrator did a pretty good job, though she sounds slightly older than how I imagine Charley would sound. I liked her voices for the supporting characters, particularly her aunt.
My biggest gripe with this series is the lack of supernatural conflict in place of the regular old murder mysteries. While I felt her grim reaper issues actually were a little better in that respect, things need to come to a head already. I recently saw that the books have been extended through Book 6. At this point, because I’ve read this far I would be willing to continue the series in the event that things end at Book 6, but not much further beyond that.
Either way, thank you, Anne-Marie, for this opportunity. If I didn’t routinely use text-to-speech I’d likely go the audiobook route much more often.
Who is my favorite Author? Kim Harrison, that’s who! Ever After ARC is MINE!!
Though I gave my copy away last year, this one is priceless for this very reason:
But don’t worry! I will be holding a giveaway for the official release!!
NEW and EXCLUSIVE! Hollows Short Story - Trouble on Reserve
Hi Hollows fans! Ms. Harrison certainly surprised us today (or yesterday for those of us in the know) with the new Hollows short, Trouble on Reserve. The good news? IT’S NEW HOLLOWS MATERIAL!! The bad? It’s only available to iPad, iPod Touch (with the later iOS), and iPhone users who download the Sony Reader App.
While I am typing this blog from my beloved MacBook Pro, I happen to be a Droid girl with an outdated iPod touch *Le Sigh*. But knowing me, that certainly wasn’t going to get in my way. Thanks to a WONDERFUL coworker, I was able to read the story on her iPhone. It. Is. FABULOUS! Our favorite elf and demon witch team up once again with a wonderful twist. While great, I noticed a few significant spoilers from Ever After, so beware!
Full Blooded (Jessica McClain #1) by Amanda Carlson - An easy listen, maybe too easy
I received this audiobook as a gift, so this was a first for me in a long while. Amanda Carlson’s debut novel introduces us to Jessica McClain, the first female werewolf. Her first transformation catches her by surprise, initiating a decade late. This unique occurrence has put her at the center of the supernatural community, and they all want a piece of her. As a being more powerful than her male counterparts, can she navigate her new abilities in time to defend herself against a growing number of foes, werewolf or otherwise? Thankfully she doesn’t have to fight the good fight alone, with family and new friends to help her along the way.
While it wasn’t a bad book, the writing felt a little elementary to me. There were adult themes at times, but I think with a little tweaking it’d be better suited for young adult. While this was the first book in the series, I didn’t feel like a whole lot happened and I wasn’t particularly interested in their pack politics. I’m also not a fan of Mary Sues right out the starting gate, and Jessica’s powers put her in that category.
I expected more. It never really grabbed me. Being in audiobook form is probably the only reason why I finished this. The narrator is pretty good. I liked her accents.If you’re a fan of cliffhangers then this is certainly the book for you!
Werewolves/shifters/lycans, etc. aren’t my favorite supernaturals to read about usually, so a series had to be REALLY awesome to pull me in. I’ve certainly read worse, but I think I’ll just stick to Kate Daniels and Mercy Thompson when I need that kind of fill.
It probably didn’t help that I read this on the heels of two series that are practically urban fantasy royalty (The Hollows and October Daye respectively) and have some of the best world building you’re going to find. The short-comings of Full Blooded were all the more prominent due to that.
Ashes of Honor (October Daye #6) - A must read for fans of the series.
Ashes of Honor, Book 6 in the October Daye series, takes place about a year after One Salt Sea. Toby has loved, lost, and is now trying to get back to normalcy. Of course, in Toby’s world “normalcy” includes solving cases and facing danger head on. And those who love her most fear that her luck could run out.
She takes on a case for Etienne to find his teenaged daughter, Chelsea, a changeling whose been kept a secret from Etienne for all of these years. However, without her father’s tutelage to harness her powers, she inadvertently wreaks havoc on Faerie, and Toby and her friends are at the front lines to help.
This was a great book for character development. Being the cat lover that I am, I was particularly interested in the politics surrounding the Court of Cats and their growing disdain for Tybalt’s decisions. Toby and Tybalt have always had a complicated relationship, so the consequences have caught up and everything plays out accordingly. Romance or no, I find the books are always better when he’s gracing the pages, and this time there was a satisfying dose of him.
The adventure to find Chelsea was a little flat for me, though it ended well. I think Seanan McGuire has created an amazing world, so to go from the previous book where we took a trip to the Undersea where we could see Toby in all of her mermaid glory and compare their politics to land fae, this wasn’t quite as interesting for me.
Toby gets banged around a LOT here. Having self-generating abilities has its pluses, but I feel like at least a quarter of the chapters end with Toby passing out or getting knocked out, which came off as a bit too repetitive.
Even still, it’s a quality read and a very important installment to the series. It’s probably my favorite at this point. I always appreciate a series that gets better with age.
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