Archive for January, 2010
Best Fantasy Book Recommendation – On The Edge by Ilona Andrews
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Awesome, awesome, awesome….sorry, but I get repetitive when I am reviewing a fantasy book that I really loved. And, Ilona Andrews’ On the Edge is one of those books. It’s a great story of a strong woman who will do anything to protect her brothers, but – as often happens in life – things happen that are out of her control. And that’s when a mysterious warrior from another land arrives, ostensibly to help her but to her, he’s an enemy, even if she needs his help to survive.
Rose Drayton and her brothers, Jack and Georgie, live in a land called “the Edge”. It’s an area between the human world (the Broken) and the magical world (the Weird). “Edgers” live a hard-scrabble existence with no law and little money and they often take low-paying jobs in the Broken to make ends meet. Rose cleans offices in the Broken and raises her brothers in the Edge. However, she’s a very special (and hunted) Edger because she has the magical ability to “flash white” – an ability that makes her highly pursued by bluebloods from the Weird.
The story starts with Rose and her brothers scraping by, living their simple lives. Out of the blue, they are suddenly attacked in their home by magical creatures that thrive on killing and eating magic. The family is saved when an annoyingly handsome blueblood warrior from the Weird, Declan Camarine, shows up; he states that he is there to marry Rose and take her back to his kingdom. You should know that heirs that can flash white are held in high esteem by Bluebloods. So of course, Rose wants nothing to do with Declan – who wants to be a brood mare for some rich elitist nobleman?
Ilona Andrews has given us a wonderful story with outstanding dialogue in the exchanges between Declan and Rose. Rose stays strong but is constantly fighting her attraction to Declan. She knows he’s hiding something and she refuses to trust him – no matter how many times he saves her brothers from the horrid magic eaters. The back and forth dialogue between Rose and Declan is exceedingly well done; I could NOT put this book down. It was New Year’s Eve, we had friends over, and there I was, hiding away trying to finish this book and find out if Rose ever gives in and trusts Declan. Read the book to find out what happens. On The Edge is a masterfully written fantasy romance book. I cannot recommend it enough.
On The Edge is available from local and online booksellers.
Great Fantasy Book Adventure – Deathwish by Rob Thurman
Posted by: | CommentsDeathwish by Rob Thurman
The book opens with Cal and Niko being approached by Seamus, a vampire sent to them by Promise, Niko’s girlfriend. Seamus seeks Cal and Niko’s help because he believes he’s being followed. But Seamus isn’t totally forthcoming and doesn’t quite give Cal and Niko the whole story. You see the Vigil (a watchdog organization responsible for cleaning up supernatural problems) are watching Seamus because they believe he wants to reveal himself (and other creatures) to the human race. Their mission is to keep humans and monsters separated. On top of that they learn that Promise’s daughter, Cherish (a thief and a con artist), stole something from a creature who’s now in town to retrieve it.
This is far from the end of their troubles, though. The story hits another turn when the brothers discover that the Auphes are back looking for Cal. Between the Auphe and their constant desire to capture and kill Cal, the Vigil, and the theft the brothers have their hands full.
What makes this fantasy book truly stand out is the great character development amidst all the different events. Cal is portrayed as a young male struggling with his Auphe side. Disdain for the race and frustration at his identity make him a tangible character and show the reader that he isn’t just another hard-headed, perfect protagonist. Niko on the other hand, is a meditative human with inner strength. He has exceptional fighting and weaponry skills, belying his outer calm. Niko is the head, and Cal is the heart of this family, and they battle many forces to restore peace in their hometown. Aside from these main characters, we see a glimpse inside Niko’s vampire girlfriend, Cherish, and various other supernatural characters.
Deathwish, the fourth book in the Cal Leandros fantasy book series, is action-packed with a plot that unfolds rapidly. Along with numerous twists and turns and dark humor, the bounty of unique characters makes this book an intense read. Deathwish is another wonderful addition to Thurman’s popular fantasy book series. Get Deathwish from your favorite online bookseller.
Vampire Books Worth Reading – Curse The Dawn by Karen Chance
Posted by: | CommentsCurse The Dawn by Karen Palmer
As such Cassie has to defend her life all the while trying to navigate the waters of How To Be A Pythia 101. Her predecessor’s untimely death has left her in the dark about her new duties and without any details about her new job. Details that would come in handy considering the substantial opposition she faces.
To add fuel to the already burgeoning flame there is an all powerful ancient evil that is intent on ushering in death and destruction that will take most of Cassie’s own uncertain powers to fight the impending doom. Fortunately she has some very influential and powerful friends: John Pritkin is a highly skilled war-mage with a wild side and a solid weapons background; Mircea is as deadly as he is handsome and debonair and belongs to the formidable Vampire Senate. With their help Cassandra may live to see another day.
Curse The Dawn starts off with immediate action when an on-the-job training session evolves into a dangerous gunfight. It isn’t much later that Cassie is brought into negotiations that once again put her life in peril and produces the biggest magical catastrophe in centuries. The drama in Cassie’s life never seems to let up and chaos, intrigue, and full out battles ensue. This book is the fourth in the Cassie Palmer vampire books series and it lives up to its predecessors as an energetic and highly entertaining read. Curse The Dawn has everything a good action fantasy should have; gunfights, explosions, high drama and in house magical temper tantrums.
The chemistry that Cassie has with John and Mircea propels the book along at a perfect speed. The readers really get a sense of what motivates the characters and will readily invest in their lives. The plot is ripe with underlying tensions and an intricate supernatural world. Fans of the genre and of Karen Chance will be satisfied with the action and energy Curse The Dawn delivers. Curse The Dawn is a hard book to put down and one that will leave the readers wanting more.
Recommended Fantasy Book – Cursed to Death by L.A. Banks
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In Cursed to Death, the latest fantasy book in the Crimson Moon series, L.A. Banks has taken sexy to a whole new level. Not that the book is full of scenes that would make Hugh Hefner blush or anything, but more in the sense that the lead character Sasha, a shadow wolf, has become irresistible to men and, likewise, she feels irresistibly drawn to them. This makes for a very sexually charged book. Especially since she and her mate, Max Hunter, also a shadow wolf, have a healthy enough sex drive to begin with. There’s also Rodney, the Fae King, who’s become so obsessed with Sashsa that he’s pledged to give up his kingdom just to be with her. Finally, there’s her boyfriend’s brother, Shogun, who would rather die than not have her.
Oh BOY do I wish I had these problems!
The great thing for the reader is that all three of these supernatural beings are really hot and extremely masculine. Ladies, trust me – you’ll love reading about Sasha and her escapades in this sexy and sensual fantasy book.
The Story
Sasha, a member of a secret team of government operatives, has to investigate the murder of a female shapeshifter phoenix who used to dance at the local supernatural club. Sasha and her mate Max soon become aware that black magic is afoot. Additionally, after finding the dead phoenix they notice that members of the supernatural community (fae, shadow wolves and pixies) are getting weaker and beginning to lose some of their powers. On top of that, they discover that the dead phoenix probably held vital information about these strange occurrences.
Sasha also notices that both she and Max are becoming more and more irritable with each other – something that’s personally disturbing to her. To further complicate matters, she finds that every man in her vicinity is so attracted to her that fights break out almost every time she goes out the door. It doesn’t take long for her to realize that the dark magic being used has certain targets in mind and that she’s at the top of the list. She’s got to find a way to stop it before they all kill each other. This same dark magic is probably being used to slowly suck the power from the supernatural beings, except mysteriously enough, one race seems to be immune to it. This in turn causes a whole new set of problems.
There’s much more evil afoot than Sasha realizes and if she doesn’t figure out a way to stop the problem, thousands of supernatural creatures could die.
LA Banks has a wonderful talent for quickly drawing you into a story and this fantasy book is no exception. The realistic dialogue, fully formed characterizations and suspenseful storyline all come together in an urban fantasy book that will please all fans of this genre. She’s developed an extremely capable, independent and likable character with Sasha; readers will find it easy to identify with her.
Additionally, the action in this book was non-stop and have I mentioned the hot, sexual tension? You may have to take a cold shower after reading it but believe me, its well worth it. I’ve enjoyed all of the fantasy books in the Crimson Moon series so far and this latest novel is the best yet. You should check out Cursed To Death – some of the “adult scenes” are (ahem) still running through my mind!
Great Paranormal Romance – Undead on Arrival by L.A. Banks
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One of my favorite things about L. A. Banks’ Crimson Moon series has been the intense relationship between Sasha Trudeau, Shadow Wolf and member of an elite squad of government agents, and her mate, Max Hunter. Their passion strikes a real chord with the reader and I thought there was no way to top it – but Banks has outdone herself in this latest novel, Undead On Arrival, because she has made the tension rise to the bursting point. Sasha loves her mate but, in this story, she has to battle the feelings she has for Max’s werewolf brother, Shogun, and the sparks that fly between the three are electrifying.
Everything seems to be going perfectly for Sasha at the end of the last novel, Bite The Bullet. She had stopped a war and found that her bond to Max is stronger than ever. Unfortunately, the demon virus that had infected Max in the past returns with a vengeance. As such, he has to be monitored constantly as they try to find a cure. But when he escapes and a human turns up dead, Sasha fears that even if the demon virus doesn’t kill him, it’s likely he’ll be tracked down and murdered by either the werewolves, the vampires or his own Shadow Wolf clan. And although Sasha doesn’t want to believe that Max is capable of murdering an innocent human, the evidence against him is pretty overwhelming.
Sasha has to watch as the man she loves becomes something she cannot comprehend as the virus takes over his mind and body. Working with Shogun to try and get a sample of his blood, she’s determined to do anything to find a cure for Max. Fighting for her man, Sasha ends up in the middle of a sizzling love triangle between herself, Max and Shogun which threatens to end the truce between werewolves and shadow-wolves. Did someone, or something, set up this entire ordeal? Or did Max really commit murder? Either way, it’s going to take all of her strength to find out what’s going on, to stop a potential war, and to finally cure the man she loves – a tall order even for Sasha.
Banks has done an excellent job of weaving several plots together that keep the reader on the edge of their seat. The world she has created is believable enough to have you wondering if there really could be werewolves out there. And, after reading what happens between Shogun, Max and Sasha, you may end up wishing it were true.
Undead On Arrival is Book 3 in the Crimson Moon series. I enjoyed reading it so much that once done, I paid for the Kindle version as well. This book got excellent reviews at Amazon as did the next book in the series, Crimson Moon, which I’ll be reviewing next week!
Also, see my review of Cursed to Death by L.A. Banks.
Paranormal Romance Book – Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
Posted by: | CommentsDark Lover by J.R. Ward
In this first book we meet Wrath, the leader of the Black Daggers, King of his species and the last true, pure blooded vampire on earth. Wrath is tired of his empty life and exists in a tormented haze of bitterness. His only purpose in life is to ensure the safety of the vampire race that has suffered over the generations at the hands of the lessers.
In this fantasy world vampires begin their lives like humans and remain completely unaware of their powers until their mid-twenties when they undergo a dangerous transformation. Once the change is complete they then drink the blood of vampires of the opposite sex in order to feed and survive.
Enter Beth, our primary female character. Beth has no idea she is anything but normal. Her life as a journalist keeps her busy if not completely satisfied. When she learns that her father is a vampire she enters a state of denial; after all, acknowledging her father’s genetics makes her half vampire/half human. But although she’d love to dismiss her heritage, cooler heads prevail and her father makes arrangements for someone to help her with her transformation. He convinces Wrath to take her under his wing and oversee the process involved in changing from human to vampire.
Now, you have to understand that Wrath has no interest whatsoever in helping this half-breed.
That is, until he meets her.
The attraction between the two of them is instant and tangible. Though Wrath and Beth fight their feelings it’s impossible to deny the chemistry between them. Wrath is hopeful for the first time in his long and lonely life that he may experience something other than duty and obligation. But he first has to convince Beth that vampires exist – preferably before she becomes one herself.
Dark Lover is a wild ride of action and drama. The brothers are the epitome of sexy, macho alpha males but are also charmingly flawed and interesting. Readers will have no trouble investing in the lives of each character. The sensual scenes between Wrath and Beth are erotic and seamlessly intertwined into the story line; readers will be captivated from the first page. Dark Lover is guaranteed to satisfy romance fans and fantasy book lovers alike.
But don’t just take my word for it. Check out what over 400 people have to say at Amazon.
Fantasy Book Review – Blood Kin by Maria Lima
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I love it when the sequel to a book I love comes out and it is better than you expected. That’s exactly what happened with Maria Lima’s newest installment “Blood Kin“, in the Blood Line series. I have commented before on the infinite possibilities that Keira Kelly presents as she is going through her transformation (see Blood Bargain), but in this newest book, her change is finished and the possibilities are still infinite as she discovers that she has a conglomeration of all abilities wrapped up into one. She can be anything from shape shifter to weather witch.
The Story:
Keira is heir to the kingdom of the Kelly Clan. Keira doesn’t necessarily consider this a “perk” since her newfound abilities (and title) have caused her great-grandmother Gigi to order her to return to the family homestead in Canada. It’s not too tough of a gig though since she’ll be living in the lap of luxury.
However Keira’s a bit downhearted because her best friend Bea won’t speak to her after a decision Keira had to make to save her cousin’s life. And her lover Adam flatly refuses to go with her to Canada.
So when the day arrives to leave in her private Lear jet (now that’s a real perk) only her brother Tucker, his boyfriend Niko, and her cousin Daffyd are there to accompany her. Both Adam and Bea are no shows.
It’s at this point that Keira decides that although she may be the heir to a powerful kingdom, she wants her life in Texas to stay as is; she plans to come back home as soon as possible. Those plans are quickly put on hold when her plan is diverted to Vancouver due to bad weather and her cousin Daffyd mysteriously disappears. On top of that homeless people are dying and no one quite knows why. When all is said and done Keira will have to confront murder, lies and revelations from the dark world before her dream of going home can be realized.
This latest Keira Kelly book by Maria Lima snares the reader’s attention early on with an intriguing story line and provides a steady stream of mystery at every turn. Maria Lima certainly knows how to keep her readers begging for more. I know I am.
Go here for more information on Blood Kin.
