Here is a secret about this cranky old Southern Belle: I adore Star Trek in all of its forms — even DS9 (Deep Space 9 for those of you not in the know). I cut my teeth on the original Star Trek. With the launch of the new Star Trek movie in 2010, new frontiers were made available.
In this second entry in this series, James Tiberius Kirk discovers that the Academy is much tougher than he thought — not just because the classwork is hard, but because the competition from the other cadets is unrelenting. Everyone wants to be the best. Kirk has already made his famous declaration to Captain Pike that he can graduate in three years. He still does not know Uhura’s first name. Add to that the fact that cadets are dropping like flies and Kirk finds the Academy is not what he expected.
Is it hot in here, or is it Virna DePaul? Pass me a fan. Here’s the deal-this isn’t your mama’s vampire story. DePaul has turned the genre on its ear. Or at least on my ear.
Our hero is a vampire. That’s not new, but the fact that our Ty doesn’t love his blood-sucking, night-walking self is. See, he got turned against his will. Read More »
Well here we are on book four of the Collegium Chronicles. I cackled when one of my all-time favorite creatures put in an appearance. If you love Lackey like I do, you will be tickled to know the Suncats show up in this book. Here we move more into the romance with Bear and Lena as well as Mags and Amily.
This story dwells a lot more on the young ones learning to stand up for themselves. There are some SERIOUS plot holes. One had me paging backwards and rereading an entire chapter to see if I have missed something. I had not. Too much is not explained.
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Did you read my last review of this series where I was singularly underimpressed? Color me surprised but this one did not do it for me, either. You get dibbles and dabbles of story but so much is left to the guessing of the reader. And, children, this cranky old Southern Belle does not like to have to guess. I did enjoy the kirball, although it is such a nod to quidditch that it is hard to divorce my Hogwarts from my Heralds.
I am enjoying the newness of the Collegium and the old guard vs. the new guard. That is an interesting bit that I wish would be delved into more. Read More »
The story is intriguing, but the way it is told could have used a bit more editing. I found it to be disjointed and clunky at times. The writer develops an amazing backstory and reveals it by having a character ask Elora who she is. I was amused by this not-so-clever writer trick. I was not so amused when this was repeated by another character in the telling of a tale.
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In this third book, the conclusion to The Elven Lord series, Kennedy gives us Drystan and Camille. Both have horrific backgrounds but both have managed to overcome them. Read More »
Giles is a warrior pretending to be a dull blacksmith. Cecily is the heiress to a huge power pretending to be just an Elven girl. These pretenses in a fantasy world lead them right into one another. Add to that the teen-aged Cecily’s rebuffed offering by Giles and you have some great angst. What’s worse than having to spend time with someone you humiliated yourself for and still got rejected by? Read More »
Much better than the first one, but I also knew the characters better this time. I highly recommend starting with book one. Sorcha Faris is a Deacon. Her partner is Deacon Merrick. In book one, Sorcha also developed an unusual relationship with a very unusual man, the Pretender to the Throne, Raed Rossin.
Here’s the thing, darlings. I love love love me some Misty Lackey. Put me in Valdemar with some boys and girls in white, blue or green and I am in heaven, I tell you — better than a Sunday fried chicken dinner that I did not have to cook or clean up. So, I was delighted for the opportunity to read the second in Lackey’s return to Valdemar. I have not read the first one although I did order it while reading this one.
This is Lowe’s first adult novel. It is my first Lowe novel. Aren’t we a pair? When I got this for review, the cover made me think it was going to be a yummy Gothic romance. I was wrong about part of that thought.
It’s not a romance—not exactly. You get hints of a romance to come, but this is part of a planned series. Read More »
This book finally finds one of the lost children from Sea Lord; I was so worried about them when they were swept away. Finally, we catch up with Iestyn who calls himself Justin. He has no memory of who he was and makes his living as a berth-to-berth sailor. When he meets Lara Rho, he knows he’s out of his element. Read More »
The introduction of the hero, Blaine, is intense as well as funny. I just loved his internal monologues—classic Rose snappy comeback mode. And the description of where the hero and his friends were being held? Surreal absurdness a la a good French comedy.
Enter the heroine and her rib-tickling sidekick. Bad enough the heroine is cursed, but her best friend is a DA—that’s Death’s Assistant not District Attorney. Throw in a real earth mama mother for a bit of mother-daughter angst.
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Forensic archaeologist Dr. K wants to find a werewolf - not to prove that they are real, but to prove that they aren’t. When she intercepts the bones meant from her ex-husband, she gets a huge, hairy surprise when Zane is revived. See, he’s a magical creature and even when all of his bones are separated into silver containers, he can still reanimate when all pieces are back together. Read More »
Messenger in the Mist is, in a word, confusing. It is an intriguing fantasy world until someone quotes a poem. Then you have to wonder if this was something else completely. Star, the rider/messenger, is a character you can love. She is well-defined with conflict galore. The prince is very two-dimensional while his erstwhile princess is the queen of drama, if you know what I mean. A fourth character becomes suddenly important two thirds of the way through the book.
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Coronets and Steel is the kickoff book for a new modern fantasy series, Sherwood Smith introduces us to Aurelia Kim Murray who goes by Kim. It’s a first-person dialogue that I so wanted to love. I mean, what’s not to love about a girl on a quest for her ailing grandmother? She’s got to find her family roots. She discovers that she’s the spitting image of Ruli, who is a very real princess who’s gone missing.
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I admit to being a fan of Cricket Starr. She writes sexy stories that don’t lack in the humor department. Meet one Al Lupus. He’s a blue collar bar owner werewolf. His world gets upended when one Babe, aka Barbara Grisloup, walks into his bar. She’s got everything he doesn’t: class, style and status. Read More »
Marked by Moonlight,book one of the Moon Chasers series, is a first in the paranormal field by historical author Sophie Jordan writing as Sharie Kohler. Let me make myself clear when I tell you that I adore curling up on the chaise lounge with one of her historicals. I was so excited to see this one that I bought this right off the grocery store shelf. Then I started reading it. This is no Sophie Jordan story. Read More »
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