Acheron

Sep 282008
 

Occasionally you come across a series that you completely fall in love with and the Dark-Hunter books were such a series for me. I hadn’t really read much in the romance genre, preferring to stick to Fantasy, Sci-fi and Chick Lit. I was stuck for something to read and happened to pick up a book by Sherrilyn Kenyon in a charity shop and since the back blurb intrigued me, I decided to give it a go. I was hooked from then on. It was gutsy, romantic, sexy, funny and the action scenes were all you could want. It was incredibly well written and the story just flowed smoothly, right to the last page and I was actually sad it had ended. When I found there was a whole series of them, I was overjoyed! I’d class them as Supernatural Romance rather than plain romance as they feature werewolves, vampires and hot, sexy gods. What was not to love? Though each book in the series focused on different characters and their lives, the link between them all was Acheron. An enigma you never learnt too much about but couldn’t help loving anyway. You know he’d been incredibly hurt and alone for a dozen lifetimes but not by who, how or where. The sacrifices he made for those he loved were beyond anything you could imagine. As I read each book, I wanted to know more about this intriguing character but because of his nature and the storyline, I feared that the only time you would find out would be at the very end of the series.

Finally his story has been written and I couldn’t put it down. Rather than it being told as a memory, you are taken through his life and the things that he endured that made him the man he is today. You understand so much more about him and the choices and sacrifices he had to make. It was brilliantly written and when his history is done and it switches to the modern Ash that we know and love, you can’t help empathising with him and fearing that this time he will come completely undone and have no way back. The character of Tory ties in with several others as has happened a lot in the other books, a facet of Kenyon’s world that I love and I wonder how on earth she manages to keep them all straight. You can’t help but love Tory, her determination and fierce loyalty are ultimately the things that Ash is drawn to and feel there would be no one more perfect for him, if they can endure the obstacles that are put in their path.

As I said before, I couldn’t put this book down and it was a fantastic book of the history of the Dark-Hunters and their lives. I loved it and am extremely happy that my fears were unfounded and this is not the end of the series. I can’t wait for the next book!

Rating: ★★★★★ 

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Happy days are here again!

Aug 172008
 

After breakfast, we decided to have a wander around Nottingham city centre. The main reason I get excited about this is, our usual wandering route takes us past Waterstones. I love Waterstones. It’s the only dedicated bookstore in Nottingham and I’m like a kid in a sweet shop as I walk in. So much anticipation, so many books, so many pages to be turned and their stories explored. Which is odd considering the books I am looking for, are usually out of stock. I still get excited tho.

Today was not a usual day, today everywhere I looked were books that I wanted! I came out with Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Scion, Patricia Briggs’ Iron Kissed and Karen Chance’s Embrace the Night.

Today is a GOOD day to read!

Claimed by Shadow

Aug 132008
 

Being the heir to the Pythia, the world’s chief clairvoyant, Cassandra feels she has way too much on her plate. The amount of power the position holds would make her attractive to all sorts of factions who would want to bend her to their own devices and she is sick of being used. Struggling to find someone else to be the heir while trying to unsnare herself from the master vampire who placed a geis on her, can she prevent her life from becoming one big bad day.

I was a little surprised at the direction this sequel took, but not unpleasantly. It delved more into the background of the characters, the history of the ‘world’, and also a lot more about the mysterious Pythia. It was as engaging and fast paced as the first, still a little confusing as it flipped around, but again the story didn’t suffer too much as a result. The Time travel seemed a little contrived but it did end up making a lot of sense. As in the first book, there wasn’t a lot of sex but the build up, anticipation and heat were very well done.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

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Touch the Dark

Aug 132008
 

Cassandra Palmer is a talented clairvoyant who can also see and talk to ghosts. When she finds her own obituary notice on her computer screen, she realises the vampire mafia that she managed to escape a few years ago, have found her again. While her instinct is to flee, she ends up turning to unlikely sources for aid gaining interest from the dead and undead alike. Unfortunately there is no such thing as something for nothing and is her life worth the cost?

I’ve had this book around for a while and kept meaning to pick it up. I’m glad I finally did. While the background explanations got a little confusing, it didn’t detract from the fast paced action and intriguing characters. I liked the ‘not as it seems’ aspects to some of the major characters and enjoyed the story unfolding. I also expected it to be another bonkfest but was pleasantly surprised at how little there was and how well the heat, longing and anticipation were built up. Thankfully I had the second book in the series already, so was very keen to plough back into Cassandra’s world.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

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So many books…

Aug 132008
 

….. So little time!

Ok so it’s been a while since I blogged or posted a review. I’d like to be able to say something important came up or that I ran out of books to read buuuuuut, I just practice procrastination as a way of life ;)

I think I will have been in my grave at least a week before I stop reading, which would be impressive seeing as I want to be cremated. Interesting segue! Anyway, I’m working on the backlog of reviews and they should be up soon. Unless I need to contemplate my navel or ponder on why I always manage to end up with odd socks after washing a load. Important things you know!

Really :-)

The Other Side of the Story

Jul 212008
 

Jojo, Gemma and Lily are three very different women who are linked together through love, life and publishing. Gemma and Lily used to be best friends until Lily stole Anton from Gemma. Then Lily has the audacity to have a book published which was also Gemma’s dream. Jojo is the literary agent who works with both of them and has her own problems with love. Sleeping with the boss is definately not the best way to get ahead in publishing.

I think it’s the characters that make this book the funny, touching story it is. The plot is fairly negligible and predictable but with three very strong female characters, it almost has to be that way. You switch between loving and hating each girl as they go through their individual tales, but overall it is a very humerous look at the publishing industry. The book is in sections as the focus switches between characters, and it’s interesting to see shared events from different perspectives. I enjoyed it a lot.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

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Angels

Jul 212008
 

Maggie Walsh is the safe, sane, dependable and potentially boring member of the Walsh family. She shocks everyone when she leaves her husband and escapes to LA to visit her best friend Emily. Is it a voyage of discovery or has she taken leave of her senses and will she ever find them again?

I think Angels is very cleverly written. At the start you feel Maggie is a fairly selfish individual who has become bored with married life and is seeking some kind of thrill. The truth is very far from it and as the story unfolds, you find out more of what was going on and the reasons behind why she had to leave. It’s poignant at times, very funny at others and as with the rest of the Walsh books, the family interactions are hysterical. I didn’t want to put it down and I was quite sad when I came to the end, but I was definately not unhappy with the way it turned out. Very enjoyable!

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

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Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married

Jul 212008
 

Lucy Sullivan visits a psychic and is told she will be getting married within 18 months. As the predictions for her friends seem to come true, she half believes her own and ends up looking at all new men as prospective husbands. Could it really be the feckless and irresponsible Gus?

The main problem I had with this book, is I never really clicked with the main character. I love Marian Keyes’ work and I really wanted to enjoy it, but Lucy just plain irritated me. All the aspects for a good book are there, the pace was fine and the plot was good but perhaps the subject matter of alcoholism is a little too close to home for me right now. I never considered not finishing it and I was pleased with the way it turned out, but I didn’t put it down with that warm glowy feeling of having been engaged and entertained.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

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Storm Front

Jul 182008
 

It’s been a long time since I read and subsequently reviewed a book. That’s mainly because it’s been a long time since I read (or at least, finished) a book. I asked Grete specifically for something that was easy to read and entertaining, and she had no problem recommending the Jim Butcher books, of which Storm Front is the first.

The first thing that struck me about the book is the similarity to the Dirk Gently stuff by Douglas Adams. This isn’t a bad thing, I loved the Dirk Gently books and the Dresden Files (the name of the series for which Storm Front is the first one) felt comfortable almost from the first chapter.

Jim’s writing is clean, tidy and easy to read. The books are detective novels in the classic style with the current popular added theme of the supernatural / magical / mythical world playing a great role. Our hero is Harry Dresden, the only wizard in the phone book. The first person style makes it very easy to get into Harry’s head early and within a few pages we’re already empathising with him and feeling his pain. The pace is good, carrying us through the introduction of the world (modern America) and the principal characters, and into the story all in a fairly short time. We meet pretty archetypical police staff, paranormal magazine reporters, bad guys and people who need the services of magical private investigators.

The story arc is pretty simple, I can’t decide if I was pleased or upset at the lack of major twists. I certainly felt that there was going to be a huge twist at the end, and it never arrived. Having said that I don’t think the story suffered for it, it was unpretentious, and delivered exactly what it set out to do at the start. There was plenty of action, humour and good character interaction. In any first person style work, you spend a lot of time in the head of the main protagonist and so you have to feel something for them, otherwise the story just isn’t going to be worth reading. Harry Dresden is interesting, witty and worth spending time with, so it was no chore to listen to his thoughts and follow the story through his eyes.

It was a fun book, worth reading, and although I don’t think it made me laugh as hard as it could have done, it certainly kept me interested all the way through, and it’s a long while since I actually finished a book as quickly as this one. Worth getting, worth reading, and easily worth the price.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

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Ethan of Athos

Jul 172008
 

Dr. Ethan Urquhart is the Chief of Biology at the Severin District Reproduction Centre. On a planet entirely populated by men and forbidden to women, it takes ingenuity to keep the species going. When there is a drastic shortage of viable ovarian tissue cultures, steps have to be taken to order supplies in from off-world. When the delivery turns out to be substituted junk, Ethan has to leave his cloistered planet in search of new tissue cultures. Eli Quinn of the Dendarii Free Mercenaries has a coinciding interest and after saving Ethan’s life, agrees to help him complete his mission, if he will help with hers.

I was surprised at first that this book wasn’t focused on Miles – He is mentioned a few times in passing but that’s it. It was good to meet Eli Quinn again, with her new face and she has developed into a very likeable character along with Ethan Urquhart. I wasn’t sure what to expect given Athos’ nature but since the book is extremely well written, it was handled with tact, normality and was very refreshing. Not your average sci-fi book but enjoyable none-the-less.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

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