DNF Review: Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen

Title: Alias Hook
Author: Lisa Jensen
Genre: Fantasy / Fairy-Tale Retelling
Release Date: 8 July 2014
Source: From publisher in exchange for an honest review

The flip-side of Peter Pan, the historical fantasy, Alias Hook, is a time-traveling love story about male and female, love and war, and the delicate art of growing up.

Captain James Benjamin Hook is a grown man stranded in a world run by a capricious 11-year-old boy. Once an embittered warrior with a grudge against the world, now Hook is trapped forever in a pointless war he can never win against the boy tyrant, Pan, and his magical allies.

When a grown woman dreams her way to the Neverland in defiance of all the boy's rules, she may be the key to Hook's redemption—maybe even his release—if they can unravel the curse that binds him there before Pan can capture her and drag Hook back into their neverending game.

But nothing is won in the Neverland without the forfeit of something else. And the price of Hook's freedom may be more than he can bear to pay.

The problem here is two-fold.

Nothing at all happened for the first 20% of the book. So I read, and read, and read about Hook and his past (Oh, woe is me), and how he was wronged by every woman he ever met, or about how he was always about his own image - at the expense of anyone that got in the way.

I should know by now to expect nothing but treachery from a woman.

I've known it all my life. Why should this woman be different than all the others?

Never mind that you left your fiancee to go pirating. Or that after being captured and freed, you found a woman who engaged you mentally and physically and you left her, too, for your bloodlust. But of course, these women betrayed you.

Women are relegated to the Mary or Whore route. He speaks of attempting to pillage the Indians for their women. He talks of the fairies that try to beguile them with their lusty bodies. They're all temptresses out to get him.

Anyway, that's a whole 'nother rant.

My problems were the damn HUGE blocks of text, listing out every single thing in the damn room, or his wardrobe, or whatever. I struggled not to skim, to just to get something going on. I was so BORED.

Then there's Hook himself. There's no hero in Neverland, is what I can take away from this. There's Pan - the tyrant - who won't let Hook die and go to his peace; because afterall, who else would Pan fight? Then there's Hook, who wasn't a much better person in life. And has carried his rage here for over 200 years.

I'm quite sure that the arrival of Parrish, a woman, is supposed to be the catalyst to his change and I'm kind of curious how they're going to defeat (or escape) Pan...but not enough to keep reading.

Unfortunately, this book just didn't work for me. The long passages of introspection by Hook were too much for me to continue to read.

Grade: DNF at 35%

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Review: Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews

Title: Magic Bleeds
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Kate Daniels, Book 4
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 25 May 2010
Source: Bought

Kate Daniels cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to deal with-especially if they involve Atlanta's shapeshifting community.

And now there's a new player in town-a foe that may be too much for even Kate and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, to handle. Because this time, Kate will be taking on family.

This series has some of the shortest blurbs I've ever read. After the end of Magic Strikes, I was so eager to start this book. It seemed like finally everything we'd been waiting for between Curran and Kate was going to happen.

And then I sat, alongside Kate, as it all came shattering down. Curran didn't show. Curran didn't take her call. Kate was hurt, and devastated, and then she got mad. I was right there with her.

It's hard to talk about this book without a lot of spoilers. The plot - again - is tightly written and the pacing is spot on. I could hardly catch my breath while I read. Everyone got in on the action here - the Masters of the Dead, the shapeshifters, the Order and the Guild - no one was safe.

And then there's the villain. So utterly perfect, and terrifying. The stakes keeping getting ramped up, and the opponents keep getting more difficult to deal with. Ilona Andrews is doing a superb job of ratcheting up the suspense in the lead up to what we all know has to come eventually for Kate; the thing she's been training her whole life for.

Though I didn't get the payout I wanted at the beginning of Magic Bleeds, I definitely got satisfaction. Watching Kate and Curran circle each other, tease each other, and go through their own mating ritual made me grin, laugh out loud, and so incredibly happy when they finally figured out how to make it work.

The final showdown, I can't even begin to talk about, but it had me on the edge of my seat. Then when it was done, they went and ripped my heart out, stomped on it a couple of times, and handed me back the mushy remains.

Magic Bleeds proves that Ilona Andrews is in top form. These books just get better on re-reads, and I love going back to visit with all of the beloved characters.

Grade: A


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DNF Review: Reckless by Skye Jordan

Title: Reckless
Author: Skye Jordan
Series: Renegades, Book 1
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Release Date: 23 August 2013
Source: From publisher in exchange for an honest review

A couture wedding dress designer to the rich and famous, Lexi LaCroix's image means everything. Raised on the wrong side of the tracks, her years of polish and hard work are finally about to pay off. But crossing paths with a sexier-than-sin, bad-boy biker who makes her realize how much living she's sacrificed for her success, one touch is all it takes to threaten her carefully choreographed life.

Jax Chamberlin has been screwed over by gorgeous gold-diggers one too many times. Though he runs his own stunt company, all of America knows his Hollywood face even years after he's given up acting. Finding a woman who doesn't plan to use him as a stepping stone to success is virtually impossible, so when the charming and mysterious Lexi offers him a chance at a totally anonymous hook-up during an out of town trip, Jax accepts. Only Lexi is more sextacular than charming, and Jax wants more. Lots more.

But Lexi's got a major hang-up over his renegade lifestyle. And if she finds out his connections could catapult her to the top of her career, he's afraid the fantasy woman he's falling for might just end up like all the rest.

Warning: This novel contains uber-hot sexual encounters. For safety's sake, read along with pitcher of ice-water. Or...wine...

Where to start?

I'm not sure what I went into this expecting. I hadn't even remembered what the blurb was about - my bad for not getting to it sooner - but I went into this completely blind. Unfortunately, that meant that Lexi and Jax had to make me love them on their own, from the start.

We first meet Jax where he's talking to an (apparent) ex, thinking incredibly nasty thoughts of her. We find out that she's screwed him out of a job and that's why he feels so negatively towards her. But when she offers to get him the job back if he'll just get back in her bed and he CONSIDERS it....not a good first impression.

My first impression of Lexi isn't much better. She sees the truck that Jax is in, and immediately thinks of the truck that she knows "exactly what kind of guys drove those trucks." Apparently, only sexy guys can now own big trucks. Mmm-hmm. I'll have to remember that.

For their meet-cute, Lexi uses a beta app that her friend designed to sell to the NSA (don't ask) and gets Jax's phone number. She proceeds to text him, anonymously, making it very clear that she's watching him, can see him, and is paying attention to him but not letting him know who she is. He, apparently, is fine with this because the flirting and sexting begin.

Don't get me wrong, the texts were my favorite part of the book to that point. They were both cute and sexy, and it was clear that they had a lot of chemistry. Their senses of humor worked well off of each other - and they both dropped their emotional baggage to flirt. I really enjoyed it.

Unfortunately, we got back to the emotional baggage. Lexi can't get involved with anyone that could cause a scandal - apparently her Hollywood and/or rich clients won't appreciate her having any scandals....because they never do. Right. Anyway, she's all paranoid about her reputation, but she's attracted to the 'rough' Jax. He's got a leather motorcycle jacket (of a brand I've never heard of...so sue me), and work boots, and a tattoo. He's got to be 'lesser' right? Yep. But she can do a little anonymous sex.

Jax, on the other hand, alternates between 'She doesn't think I'm good enough for her,' and 'She's using me to get to my connections.' I still can't figure out how those two insecurities can coexist in his mind, but there you have it. He floats from one insecure moment to the next and there's nothing less sexy to me than insecurity. As the blurb states Jax is a famous Hollywood actor, retired and now doing stunts. He's easily recognizable - instantly by fans, as proven in one scene. His co-star that he is filming with is of the Brad Pitt type celebrity. Apparently Jax is of the same level.

Want to know where I lost all believability in this book? It wasn't Lexi's friend designing phone apps for the government. It wasn't the harmless hacking, or a top fashion designer taking on two interns that haven't graduated from the fashion design school. It wasn't even the fact that Lexi apparently could design better after Jax gave her an orgasm.

It was the fact that Lexi, who makes her living selling haute couture wedding dresses to the rich and famous in Los Angeles, has NO IDEA who Jax or his co-star are. Even after hearing the co-star's name, even after finally seeing Jax's face. Nothing. No recognition at all. How? How does that happen? You live and work there. You sell expensive dresses and you don't know your (possible) clientele? You've never thought maybe you should know the people you're trying to sell to?

Argh! I'm still so frustrated by this.

Before all that I'd happily been reading for the smexy times. They were pretty good smexy times - with a few things that pulled me out of the moment, but I feel like I've complained enough. Suffice it to say that when the sexy times had me laughing out loud I knew it was time to stop because there was nothing left to keep me invested.

I do have the second book in the series already, and the writing and sexiness were pretty good, so I'm sure I'll try it to see if some different characters work better for me.

Grade: DNF (at 51%)

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Review: Magic Mourns by Ilona Andrews

Title: Magic Mourns
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Kate Daniels, Book 3.5
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 1 September 2009
Source: Bought

Andrea Nash of the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid - with an assist from her friend, Kate Daniels - tries to figure out why the giant three-headed dog who guards the gates of Hades is sniffing around Atlanta.

* Originally published in the anthology, Must Love Hellhounds *

Well, damn.

How many of these did I skip reviewing last time?

Okay, here goes. This is just a novella - about Andrea and Raphael. And after the intense flirting (and thing) that happened in Magic Strikes between them, it's about damn time!

I always liked Andrea. She's strong, competent, level-headed, and willing to fight for what she believes. She sticks to her promises, and her ground - no matter what. And I can trust her. I know for a fact she will never, ever betray Kate. What I learned in this book is that she's also scarred, and scared. She needs Raphael just as much as he needs her.

Raphael's been chasing Andrea, with no encouragement, for six months. It's more than obvious that he's smitten with her, and it's more than just - in Andrea's words: TWT-IHFB (That Weird Thing I Haven't Fucked Before). Personally, I don't find Raphael sexy, even if Kate, Andrea and the rest of the world does, but I have to admit that I love his personality. He's loyal, committed, a smart-ass, and kicks butt ... in human form quite frequently. Plus he's a smart businessman. What more could a woman want?

When Cerberus shows up, I knew I was going to love this. Greek mythology was one of my first interests in ancient history - and the myth that's central to this story is still one of my favorites. I like how Ilona Andrews weaves in the mythologies of so many different cultures to this series, paying homage and making them their own all at the same time.

Though Andrea and Raphael will never be as interesting to me as Kate and Curran, this is a good novella that gives you more insight to some of these great characters of the Post-Shift world.

Grade: B-

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Review: Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews

Title: Magic Strikes
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Kate Daniels, Book 3
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 31 March 2009

When magic strikes and Atlanta goes to pieces, it’s a job for Kate Daniels...

Drafted into working for the Order of Merciful Aid, mercenary Kate Daniels has more paranormal problems than she knows what to do with these days. And in Atlanta, where magic comes and goes like the tide, that’s saying a lot.

But when Kate's werewolf friend Derek is discovered nearly dead, she must confront her greatest challenge yet. As her investigation leads her to the Midnight Games—an invitation only, no holds barred, ultimate preternatural fighting tournament—she and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, uncover a dark plot that may forever alter the face of Atlanta's shapeshifting community...

Apparently, I've never written a review of this book - though I've read it at least a couple dozen times. In fact, I distinctly remember the last re-read I did I had plans to review ALL the books in the series.

Then I hit this book, with its humor that keeps me laughing all the damn time, and the suspense that keeps me on the edge of my seat, biting my nails. And that ending! Good lord. *fans self* How could I be expected to write a review??

But I'm going to try. I don't want to spoil anything so I'm pretty much going to devolve into fangirl squealing from here on out. Fair warning.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, this book is absolutely, mind-blowingly ... PERFECT. Every time I read it I can't stop. The humor that's on nearly every page makes me struggle against updating all the time, quoting it all. I laugh and grin like an idiot throughout damn near this entire book. You should see the looks I've gotten from perfect strangers. There are the moments when I'm ready to break into tears though. The struggle and dangers are very real in this world, and sometimes not everyone makes it.

By now, I've come to love not only Kate and Curran, but everyone else in this messed up Post-Shift Atlanta. Derek, Julie, Jim, Raphael, Andrea and even Saiman. Then there's the new characters we meet, some that made me laugh, and one that made me freeze up in fear. I still get shivers when I read his entrance and introduction to Kate. The point is that I'm totally invested in these people, I feel like I'm fighting right there alongside them, struggling to survive - and more, fighting to live.

The plot in Magic Strikes is one of the most interesting, tightly written, and beautifully executed I've seen. Every single thing has significance - you may not realize it at the time, but it's there. Each moment leading to a shattering conclusion where my heart's in my throat and I cheer when it's all over.

I've thought about including some of my favorite quotes, but we'd be here all day.

You know those things where people want you to name five desert-island-keepers? You know, the five books that you'd take with you to read and re-read with no other books available? I can never pick. Asking me to pick favorite books - narrowing them down - is so hard it's painful to me. But I can easily say that Magic Strikes would be one of them.

Grade: A+

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Interview: Suzy Vitello, Author of The Empress Chronicles

Today, I'm excited to host my first, ever, author interview! And I get to interview Suzy Vitello, who has a fabulous looking new book coming out called The Empress Chronicles! Check out the cover reveal to be posted simultaneously on my blog this morning!!

Now, onto the interview:

Cover Reveal: The Empress Chronicles by Suzy Vitello

Title: The Empress Chronicles
Author: Suzy Vitello
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal (Historical and Contemporary)
Release Date: 4 September 2014

And now, the cover!!

Review: Play by Play by Kate Donovan

Title: Play by Play
Author: Kate Donovan
Series: Playmakers, Book 1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: 9 September 2013
Source: Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Former college football star Jake Dublin’s wildly popular sports blog also details his personal life. And lately it’s all about Sophie, the pretty young woman who just moved into his apartment building. His readers know her only as “Elevator Girl,” and they’re all rooting for Jake to score.

The blog posts and banter with his followers are all in good fun, and he fully intends to come clean with the woman he’s wooing and wowing. That is, until she confides that she grew up in a house full of jocks and even dated a few. Her verdict? Never again!

Jake knows he needs to confess. But somewhere along the line he fell in love with Sophie and can’t stand the thought of losing her. So he procrastinates, and blogs, and digs himself deeper into a hole, until it all leads to a showdown that’s so nail-biting, not even the best play-by-play guy could ever have seen it coming.

I could have sworn I'd read something by Kate Donovan at some point before, but Goodreads tells me no. This is a novella (my Kindle says the story ends on page 65 of 86) that's fairly nicely put together - surprising, as novellas are usually a hard sell for me. It doesn't feel too long, or too short, though I do wish I had gotten to know Sophie, the heroine, a bit better.

For the most part Sophie just came off as a very talkative person - almost to the point of being a nervous talker. The contrivance of Jake not telling her was nearly as much her fault as it was his. At some point he should have just taken her shoulders and said it, but honestly, she should have stopped interrupting him and saying he could tell her later, too! After a while, I have to admit, it got old and I just wanted it to come out.

Of course, eventually it does; in the worst way possible. That heads into spoilery territory so I'll leave it there. Onto our hero...

Jake is adorable! I loved him from the start. He's got this great sense of humor that comes through in his thoughts and writings. His blog posts were lots of fun to read, and the comments were just as much. Another surprise for me, because I usually don't like tactics like that in books. Also, though there's a lot of suggestion, everything fades to black.

Again, color me surprised, because I liked it that way. It fit the story that was being told. I like when authors tell the story as it's meant to be told.

Play by Play is a cute, funny - made me laugh-out-loud more than once - and sweet romance. Kate Donovan has definitely put herself on my radar with this quick, fun book. I'll be looking for more from her. Apparently, there's actually a sequel that was just released - a full length novel - called Playing for Keeps. I think I'll go grab it.

Grade: B-

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Cover Reveal: Night Sky by Suzanne Brockmann and Melanie Brockmann

Title: Night Sky
Authors: Suzanne and Melanie Brockmann
Series: Night Sky, Book 1
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Release Date: October 7, 2014
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Book Description:

Sixteen-year-old Skylar Reid is thrown into a strange world when she discovers that she has unique telekinetic and telepathic powers. After Sasha, the child she babysits, is kidnapped and believed to be murdered, Sky and her best friend Calvin are approached by Dana, a mysterious girl who has super-abilities similar to Sky’s. With the help of Dana and her sidekick Milo, the four teens embark on a quest to discover who killed Sasha, and to bring the killers to justice.

With Dana as Skylar’s surly and life-toughened mentor, Sky attempts to harness her powers to aid them in their quest. Complicating an already complex relationship with the older girl, Sky starts to fall for the dangerously handsome and enigmatic Milo – and begins to suspect that the attraction is mutual. But then Sky realizes that Sasha might still be alive, and the unlikely foursome’s mission becomes one of search and rescue, pitting the heroic teens against a very deadly enemy.

Suzanne Brockman, a New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author, has won 2 RITA awards, numerous RT Reviewers’ Choice, and RWA’s #1 Favorite Book of the Year three years running. She has written over 50 books, and is widely recognized as a “superstar of romantic suspense” (USA Today). Suzanne and her daughter, Melanie Brockmann, have been creative partners, on and off, for many years. Their first project was an impromptu musical duet, when then-six-month-old Melanie surprised and delighted Suz by matching her pitch and singing back to her. Suzanne splits her time between Florida and Massachusetts while Mel lives in Sarasota, Florida. NIGHT SKY is Mel’s debut and Suzanne’s 55th book. Visit Suzanne at -www.SuzanneBrockmann.com.

Review: A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole

Title: A Hunger Like No Other
Author: Kresley Cole
Series: Immortals After Dark, Book 2
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: 1 April 2006

A mythic warrior who'll stop at nothing to possess her...

After enduring years of torture from the vampire horde, Lachlain MacRieve, leader of the Lykae Clan, is enraged to find the predestined mate he's waited millennia for is a vampire. Or partly one. This Emmaline is a small, ethereal half Valkyrie/half vampire, who somehow begins to soothe the fury burning within him.

A vampire captured by her wildest fantasy...

Sheltered Emmaline Troy finally sets out to uncover the truth about her deceased parents—until a powerful Lykae claims her as his mate and forces her back to his ancestral Scottish castle. There, her fear of the Lykae—and their notorious dark desires—ebbs as he begins a slow, wicked seduction to sate her own dark cravings.

An all-consuming desire...

Yet when an ancient evil from her past resurfaces, will their desire deepen into a love that can bring a proud warrior to his knees and turn a gentle beauty into the fighter she was born to be?

Check out my review for the first (novella) in this series The Warlord Wants Forever

This is probably only my second or third read of this book, I'm buddy re-reading the series with Sarah of Feeling Fictional in preparation for the release of the fourteenth book in the series - someone's book that I've been looking forward to for a few years now. But I won't spoil that here.

Kresley Cole is a master of weaving together and intricate tale that involves overlapping storylines, and many, many characters. The Immortals After Dark world is populated by the Lore - immortal beings that have managed to hide themselves from humans, for the most part. There are Lykae - not the standard werewolves you may be thinking of; Witches, Vampires, Demons, Ghouls, Phantoms...and my personal favorite: Valkyries. All these factions fight for themselves, looking for their other half - whatever they call it, Mate, Bride, etc - and living their lives. Every five-hundred years comes the Accession to mess that up. As told in the book, the Accession...

...Bringing prosperity and power to the victors, the Accession wasn't an Armageddon type of war--it wasn't as if the strongest factions of the Lore met on neutral turf after an invitation to "rumble." About a decade into it, events began to come into play, as if fate was seeding future, deadly conflicts, involving all the players at a startling rate. Like windmill vanes on a rusted spoke, it began creaking, creeping to life, only to gain momentum and soar with speed every five hundred years.

Some said it was a kind of cosmic checks-and-balances system for an ever-growing population of immortals, forcing them to kill each other off.

In the end, the faction that lost the fewest of their kind won.

So here we are; at the beginning of what many in the Lore are starting to believe is the start of the Accession. A time when immortals find their mates - sometimes in very unexpected places, alliances are made or discord is sown between the different factions of the Lore.

I'm speaking a lot about the world, because after thirteen books it's still my favorite thing about this series. The world and overall plotting is masterful. Kresley Cole blows my mind time and time again with the way she casually ties things together, references events we won't hear about for books to come, and never once have I caught a slip or mistake in these books. I'm awed by the ability she has to keep it all straight. There's a side reference in this book, Book 2, that doesn't get fully explained until Book 9! All of these events are taking place so close together as to be on top of one another. You're always right in the middle of it, hoping that these characters you come to love will make it through.

The other thing I can guarantee you, in every book, is that Kresley Cole loves to put her heroes and heroines through the wringer before giving them their HEA. Not just at the hands of others either - she pushes these characters to the very limits of what they might be able to forgive their fated other-half...and for some it might step over the line. I struggle with this from time to time. I read these books, I love these books, and even still I wonder if I shouldn't be objecting more to some of the treatment the characters do to one another.

I suppose I should talk about the main characters of this book: Emma and Lachlain. Emma is the half-breed daughter of a vampire and a valkyrie. She's been raised by the valkyrie, hidden from the vampires, her entire life. Lachlain is the lykae king - imprisoned for 150 years (by vampires), he finally breaks free to find his mate.

As you can imagine the fact that Emma is (part) vampire is a source of tremendous torture to Lachlain's fragile sanity. He can't imagine why he's been mated to one of his hated enemies, but still he fights to protect her, even from his own rages. I definitely understood what Lachlain was struggling with, and honestly his recovery is really, really quick - just the hell that he puts Emma through in the meantime can sometimes be cringe-worthy. I like him a lot. He's like the prototype of 'bash-em-over-the-head-and-drag-her-back-to-the-cave' type. But he's also all - and I do mean ALL - about making sure his mate is happy. He makes mistakes, so it's a good thing he's got Emma to call him on it, and bring him into line.

Almost as much as I hate to say this, everything that happens to Emma just makes her stronger, more sure of herself, and more able to handle everything thrown at her. She starts the book as Emma the Timid. The most exciting thing she's ever done is go to Paris by herself to search for the father - whose name she doesn't even know. And even then she was protected by the money she had from the coven to protect her. She continues to think of herself as this in some small moments for about half the book. The truth is something far more complicated. Emma's been conditioned to think she's not good enough, not strong enough, not brave enough. It wasn't intentional, it wasn't anyone's fault, but the consequences of growing up with those that she did - the strong, brave, and fighting valkyries. She shows from very early on that she's not afraid to defend herself, think for herself, and stands up against Lachlain over and over again.

I admit the first time I read this I didn't love Lachlain or Emma. I liked them both, but I was irritated with how Lachlain treated Emma (especially in the beginning), and Emma's timidity. I'd bought too much into her own image of herself instead of seeing what was shown to me. I loved Emma on this re-read. She's fantastic. She continues to grow and evolve as a character throughout the book, and kicks ass along the way. Lachlain I still have some problems with. He does some pretty neanderthal things, especially in the beginning, but I understand too. He's coming out of fifteen decades of torture, and has finally found his mate and is terrified that she might leave him. By the time Emma reached the end of the story I felt that Lachlain was a good match for her, and that they'd be great together.

In the end, I ended up loving this book so much more than the first time I'd read it. the main characters are great, the world is phenomenal, the plot is amazing, and the secondary characters continue to make me wish for many, many more stories in this series!


Grade: B-

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