Oct 2 2012

Coming Soon: books to get excited about!

Title: Hidden

Series: House of Night #10

Authors: P.C. and Kristin Cast

Release Date: ~~October 16, 2012~~ Now Available!

I loved the first few books, and although I still enjoyed the later releases, I found them a bit repetitive. I’ve mostly continued reading out of loyalty and perhaps a fair bit of curiosity. Only two more to go after this release – I’m hoping they will blow me away! I believe I am the minority, however, so don’t let me skew your opinion. Most people are in love with ALL the books, not just the first few.

by Niki Hawkes

Oct 1 2012

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Book Review: Darkness Unbound by Keri Arthur

Titles: Darkness Unbound

Author: Keri Arthur

Series: Dark Angels #1

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Risa Jones is as extraordinary as her heritage. Born from a lab-enhanced clone mother and an Aedh father, she can not only talk to the souls of the dying and the dead, but she can see the reapers and walk the gray fields that divide this world from the next. They are skill she rarely uses, however, preferring to concentrate on the business she shares with her two best friends. But when her mother asks her to help the parents of a little girl locked in a coma, she reluctantly agrees. What she discovers scares the hell out of her. Because the little girl’s soul no longer resides in her body, and it wasn’t death and the reapers that took her.

The Review:

Keri Arthur is my favorite paranormal author! I love her characters: they are all well-developed and evoking, and their unique personalities get me emotionally attached every time. The reason they affect me so much is partly due to Arthur’s excellent sense of humor – it translates to her writing in a way that makes the characters more realistic, and the overall story more enjoyable. I also love the story-lines of her books: while primarily romances, these books have dynamic and interesting plots that have you unraveling mysteries with the characters from start to finish. Finally, I love the content… these are incredibly sexy books!

As a spinoff from Arthur’s “Riley Jensen” series, “Darkness Unbound” is every bit as good as its predecessors. Not only is there great development of the characters, but the plot is also fresh and interesting – you wont be able to put it down! In fact, I recommend you have the next book already handy. Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely, and look forward to what Keri has in store for us next!

While this was an excellent read, I’m not sure that it would have the same impact as a stand-alone novel. There are countless references to characters and events that took place in Riley’s series, and I can see how the story would be a little flat if you didn’t know the backstory on most of the referred characters. I’ve had nine books to get to know these people, so their thoughts and opinions have a lot more significance and meaning than would any random character. Also, there are certain familial connections that would be quite confusing if you haven’t read the other books. Therefore:

Recommendations: if this is your first introduction to Arthur’s books, I strongly recommend you start with “Full Moon Rising” (Riley Jensen #1). They are sexy, dynamic, engaging, and memorable, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did! On a side note, readers who dislike strong language and sexual content should proceed with caution.

by Niki Hawkes

Other books you might like:

“Blue Moon” by Lori Handeland
“Guilty Pleasures” by Laurell K. Hamilton
“Moon Called” by Patricia Briggs
“Stray” by Rachel Vincent
“Succubus Blues” by Richelle Mead

Sep 19 2012

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Book Review: Endgame by Ann Aguirre

Title: Endgame

Author: Ann Aguirre

Series: Sirantha Jax #6

Genre: Science Fiction

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Review: This particular book is the last of a six book series, and I am truly sad to see it end. I’m a fairly scattered reader, and often bounce around to other series before picking up sequels. Therefore, it is a true testament to how much I enjoyed this series that I actually read them all one after another.

Aguirre’s books have a fine balance of being both character and event driven, which I think really allows the reader feel involved in the story. Told in a unique writing style (first-person present tense), it made for a great deal of suspense and excitement. The only, and I mean only, complaint I have throughout all six books is that there were a few places in the first book that were a bit under-descriptive. That said, I didn’t have any problem with that moving forward; each book added an incredible momentum to the series and just kept getting better.

While the characters were dynamic and storyline was great, my favorite part of the series was the alien interactions. Particularly in “Doublebind” the third novel, we get immersed into a highly intelligent and fascinating alien race. This, along with other factors, made that book my favorite and solidified my love of the series as a whole.

Overall this series was fast-paced, well-written, clever, and totally absorbing! And different – I’ve never read anything quite like it.

Recommendations: Although the novels are set in space, they read more like urban fantasy than science fiction. Readers who dislike strong language an sexual content may want to skip this recommend.

Other books you might like: