Tag: blog review

Books, great reads, Reviews, scifi, Urban Fantasy

Magic Stars by Ilona Andrews

Karen

magic stars 2

I received an ARC of this book from the author…and all I can say is wow! I loved it! I am a fan of the Kate Daniels series so I was actually excited to buy this book come the end of December, but thanks to the Andrews team I got to read it early. So lets talk about it.

Blurb: Derek Gaunt has no family and few friends. Scarred, solitary, he is the lone wolf who separated from his pack. When those close to him are murdered, he’ll stop at nothing to hunt their killer through magic-drenched Atlanta.

Soon Julie Olsen joins him and what begins as revenge turns into the race to save the city. Their search puts them against powers they never imagined and magic so old, it predates history. It may cost Derek his life, but there are things for which even he would risk everything.

Review: I love this world, so for me this was icing on the cake. The awesome part is that it doesn’t have the throw away feel like most novellas do. This had solid world building, so if you’re not familiar with Kate Daniels (If you love UF this series is a must read) then you could still picture the post-shift Atlanta. Also being it Derek’s mind was a refreshing twist, one I didn’t expect, and the moments when he was talking to Julie were right on point for both of their characters. The story was interesting too, not too complicated with the shortness of the book, yet not immediately revealing, making you want to read more. If I could give future writers advice (and I really shouldn’t since I’m not one myself, but think of this purely from a readers standpoint) this is a great example of how, no matter how long your story is, fundamentals are key. This story had a clear beginning, middle and end but still left me with questions, making me hungry for the next book.

Great read and I highly recommend it, though it’s not available yet, mark your calendars for this book. Remember end of December, grab a copy you won’t regret it.

Books, great reads, Reviews, scifi, steampunk

The Diabolical Miss Hyde by Viola Carr

Karen

diabolical-2

This book has been on my TBR forever but for some reason I just never got around to it, that was my loss. I LOVED this book, let me tell you why, but first the blurb:

Magic, mystery, and romance mix in this edgy retelling of the classic The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde–in which Dr. Eliza Jekyll is the daughter of the infamous Henry

In an electric-powered Victorian London, Dr. Eliza Jekyll is a crime scene investigator, hunting killers with inventive new technological gadgets. Now, a new killer is splattering London with blood, drugging beautiful women and slicing off their limbs. Catching “the Chopper” could make Eliza’s career—or get her burned. Because Eliza has a dark secret. A seductive second self, set free by her father’s forbidden magical elixir: wild, impulsive Lizzie Hyde.

When the Royal Society sends their enforcer, the mercurial Captain Lafayette, to prove she’s a sorceress, Eliza must resist the elixir with all her power. But as the Chopper case draws her into London’s luminous, magical underworld, Eliza will need all the help she can get. Even if it means getting close to Lafayette, who harbors an evil curse of his own.

Even if it means risking everything and setting vengeful Lizzie free . . .

This book was amazing! It was a steampunk twist on Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde with even a dash of Frankenstein thrown in for good fun. You follow the main characters Eliza and Lizza as they try to solve a murder, escape the Royal enforcers and figure out who they really are. The world build is perfect, I mean spot on, I normally have a hard time with steampunk and honestly sometimes, especially when Eliza was talking it did seem a little verbose but all and all I enjoyed it immensely. The story itself broke a lot of my rules, too many plot lines, too many characters, too much going on but guess what I DIDN’T CARE! Yeah I liked it that much. She even has an adorable little robot Hippocrates who likes to keep things logical thank you. Read it! I’m still on this book high, so I don’t want to talk to much lest I reveal something I shouldn’t.

Book two The Devious Dr. Jekyll just released on October 27th Hyde-2  acquiring now, I’ll let you know what I think of that as well.

Here is its blurb: Solving the infamous Chopper case has helped crime scene physician Dr. Eliza Jekyll establish her fledgling career in the chauvinistic world of Victorian law enforcement. But the scrutiny that comes with her newfound fame is unwelcome for a woman with a diabolical secret. And there is the mercurial Royal Society agent and wolf man Remy Lafayette. Does he want to marry her, eat her, or burn her at the stake? Though Eliza is uncertain about Remy, her dark and jealous shadow self, Lizzie, wants to steal the magnetic and persistent agent, and usurp Eliza’s life.

It’s impossible to push Remy away when he tempts her with the one thing she can’t resist: a bizarre crime. The search for a bloodthirsty ritual torturer dubbed the Pentacle Killer draws them into a terrifying world of spies, art thieves, and evil alchemy, where the price of immortality is madness?or damnation—and only Lizzie’s dark ingenuity can help Eliza survive.

As Eliza and Remy race to thwart a foul conspiracy involving the sorcerous French, they must also overcome a sinister enemy who is all too close: the vengeful Lizzie, determined to dispose of Eliza for good.

Happy reading!!

Books, great reads, Reviews

Playing With Seduction by Erika Wilde

debra

Hey everyone,

Playing With Seduction is an erotica story from Erika Wilde.  I found this author years ago under the name of Janelle Dennison.  She decided to venture into erotica fiction and so uses the name of Erika Wilde for this genre.

This is the 3rd story in The Players’ Club Series. This book tells the story of Kendall and Jace.  Kendall is 8 years older than Jace and at different places in their lives.  After a devastating divorce, Kendall wants children now and Jace wants children, just not yet.  The Players’ Club is a member-only adult club where members are able to pursue all their adult fantasies.  Jace is determined to have a relationship with Kendall after he works past her reservations.  After receiving an invitation to the Club, Kendall and Jace hook up and begin their relationship and the story proceeds through a series of events that affect the relationship.

I have been a fan of Erika/Janelle’s for a number of years and I enjoyed the story.  It is a quick read, although somewhat predictable and is light on angst but sometimes light on angst makes for a fun and enjoyable read.  Besides, I liked both characters and I felt that the descriptions of Kendall’s concerns about pursuing the relationship with Jace were well-done. Of course, there is enough erotica in the story to keep it interesting!!  This book can be read as a stand-alone book, but I think you will enjoy the series.

Happy Reading,

Debra

Books, indie author, Out of the Box Blogs, Reviews

Bad Review or No Review At All?

Karen

I’ve been wrestling with a problem as of late, as our blog is growing and my presence on goodreads is getting larger: Is it better to put a bad review up or just no rating at all? Let me put this question in context. Authors need ratings, and recommendations, hey it’s how the world goes round in the book business, so in order to get that you have to get your books into people hands. The trend, and it’s not just indie authors since I’m also a member of netgalley, is to give away free books to people that will give you a review or blog about your book. Press is important. But as the old adage bad press is better than no press applicable here? I always tell authors, please be prepared I will be honest in my reviews, and that’s true I don’t hand out five stars just because I got a free book. But what if I hated it? What if I felt it was a one star flop? Still review? Tell all? Or just stay quiet? Let me know what you think in the poll I’ve attached, and this is not just for authors to vote on please do if you review books, or even if you just read tell me which would you prefer?