Showing posts with label Flux. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Flux. Show all posts

Monday, July 2, 2012

Dead of Night by Lynn Viehl

I've got a confession to make, I haven't read the first book yet. Having said that, I can't really give my opinion on Jesse and Cat's relationship because by the time Dead of Night begins, it's an established relationship and at that, they don't exactly get a ton of alone time. Cat is mainly busy helping her brothers out with the horses and working part-time at the bookstore in town--although they do manage to steal a little time away for themselves.
In Dead of Night, Cat will balance chores at home, a part-time job, and finding the girls that have been going missing. Oh, and the girls? They all bear some resemblance to Cat. Meanwhile she's also trying to convince her brothers (Gray and Trick) that she's just a 'normal' girl--despite the fact that she often takes off at night to spend time with Jesse. Did I mention that she's a Van Helsing? Yes, Cat's from a family of vampire hunters and Jesse happens to be from a family of vampires.



I didn't expect to like Dead of Night quite as much as I did and although there really wasn't much romance in Dead of Night, it still kept my interest. However, I wish that vampires had had more of a presence in Dead of Night. Would I recommend it to you? I think it depends on what you enjoy and if you decide to read Dead of Night, don't forget to read After Midnight first!


Overall Rating: ★★★ and a half.

Dead of Night by Lynn Viehl
Publisher: Flux Books
Release Date: July 8, 2012
Edition: e-ARC
* Received for review via published and NetGalley.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Hollyweird by Terri Clark

When Aly King wins a contest to fly out to Los Angeles (with her best friend, Des, and her older sister/chaperone Missy) to meet the Dakota Danvers, she gets much more than she bargained for. After all, Dakota is far from the perfect boy that Hollywood makes him out to be; if anything, he's downright evil--being one of Lucifer's sons and all that. More importantly, he's up to something and Aly and Des are about to wind up in the middle of it all; luckily, they'll have some help from Jameson (actually, he'll have help from them), a fallen angel working on redeeming himself for another shot at his wings. Will Aly fall victim to Dakota's devilish plot? Or will she--with a little heavenly help--foil it?

Hollyweird is a fun, lighthearted read--okay, it's mostly lighthearted. There are words that might not make any sense--thanks to Des and the slew of words that she often makes up--and a lot of brand names mentioned, but once you get past that, Hollyweird is an enjoyable read. It's told from Jameson and Aly's points of view (alternating) and I think that it definitely lends a lot of light onto the story. Also, I will admit that I really loved how the seven deadly sins were incorporated into Hollyweird! (I would've been done in by gluttony, that's for sure.)

And yes, if you're wondering, there are other preternaturals in Hollyweird. It's not all angels and demons, I promise--although they are the focus of Hollyweird. Des has always believed in that sort of thing and I'd say she handles things pretty well--asides from Dakota, but that's understandable. Aly, on the other hand, does not believe in the supernatural and she's the sort of girl who needs some proof if she's going to believe--her reaction is, in my opinion, quite believable. I'd say that, overall, the romance is sort of muted by everything else that's going on and in that sense, if you're looking for some serious romance, this is probably not where you're going to find it--which was fine with me.

Overall, Hollyweird was an enjoyable read although perhaps not as much of a page turner as I was hoping for. If you're looking for a lighter read, then you may want to consider picking up a copy of Hollyweird to read.

Overall Rating: ★★★ and a half.

Hollyweird by Terri Clark
Publisher: Flux
Release Date: May 8, 2012
Edition: e-ARC
* Received for review via publisher and NetGalley.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Ripper by Amy Carol Reeves

After the death of her mother, Arabella Sharp moves to London to live with her grandmother--Lady Charlotte Westfield--and in an effort to keep Arabella under control, her grandmother has Arabella volunteer at the Whitechapel Hospital for Women. It is there that she'll meet William Siddal and Simon St. John, two young men in the medical field, and Julian Bartlett, the head of the hospital. It's what will spark her interest in the medical field and also, unfortunately, her visions of the Reaper and his victims.

I'll be honest, at times, Ripper felt like a bit of a love square (although the fourth person--I believe--is just hellbent on Arabella and not exactly in love with her) and surprisingly, I didn't really mind. Yes, someone does end up in the friend zone and her choice might be evident, but I still enjoyed reading about both of the boys and well, I feel quite badly for the one who ended up in the friend zone. Having said that, there are definitely some cute boys in Ripper and I'm probably more taken with Max than I should be--don't worry, that'll make sense if you read Ripper. I would not, however, call the romance the driving force of Ripper as it is definitely more focused on the mystery of who the Ripper is and well, Arabella's gift and so forth.

Yes, there's--what I consider to be--a paranormal element to Ripper and no, I don't mean vampires and the like. It definitely adds to Arabella as a character and as there has to be another book after Ripper, it adds to the overall plot quite nicely. For the record, Arabella is by no means a weak girl and she knows exactly what she wants (and needs to accomplish) and although her grandmother might seem like a stuffy old woman, she definitely grew on me. (And the Reverend seemed like a complete creeper to me, but I suppose that's a bit off topic.) As for the pacing, it did feel a bit slow at times, but towards the end it definitely picked up speed and I find myself looking forward to reading more about Arabella in the future.

Would I recommend this book to you? If you enjoy historical fiction with a paranormal/fantasy twist, yes. And okay, so I find re-tellings of the Ripper story to be fascinating--if you do too, you might want to pick this one up! Overall it was definitely an enjoyable read and I find myself looking forward to seeing Arabella again in the next book.

Overall Rating: ★★★★

Ripper by Amy Carol Reeves
Publisher: Flux
Release Date: April 8, 2012
Edition: e-ARC
* Received for review via publisher and NetGalley.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Buried by Linda Joy Singleton

Thorn is a Finder which is pretty much what it sounds like... she finds things and on occasion, has visions related to the object(s) she touches. When she comes across a heart shaped locket on a shoestring, she gets the feeling that it'll lead her on a wild hunt as she attempts to reunite it with its owner and well, she's right. But if the locket wasn't creepy enough on its own, there's also the fact that it leads her to the grave of a child and all these things are definitely connected.

If I'm being completely honest, I didn't connect with Thorn for quite some time; this may have something to do with the fact that she dresses like a goth and doesn't use her real name--which is Beth Ann, if you were wondering. But then the Grin Reaper enters the picture and so does the singing competition that will make one of Thorn's secrets a little less secret. At that point, Thorn becomes a lot more interesting.

But Thorn's dad? Not quite sure how to describe him. Passive aggressive? I spent more than half the book wanting to shake some sense into him and I think the ultimate lesson to take away from Buried is this: appearances can be deceiving. Oh! I also absolutely loved Sabine--Thorn's friend from California who happens to be a psychic. Seriously, she has a spirit guide named Opal and even a state away she helps out Thorn. This may be due to the fact that Sabine is the main character from "The Seer" series that Linda Joy Singleton also writes--actually, I think it's on my bookshelf somewhere. In that sense, it takes place in the same world.

Ultimately, I feel like Buried started off slow and it didn't real grab me until it was halfway through. Although I didn't feel like it was particularly my cup of tea, I think that there are definitely readers who will love Buried. I mean, how often do you have a main character that's a goth!? Also, I love the idea of a secondhand store that doubles as a doughnut shop (The Hole Truth) and seriously, who wouldn't want a shop like that!? That will make a lot more sense if you read the book, that much I promise. Did I mention that Thorn is a terrible detective? Because I probably should say that. I don't mean it in a bad way, I only mean to say that she seems to jump to conclusions and to be honest, I found it to be a little bit humorous.

To summarize, Buried is a unique read. The main character is definitely different and things definitely pickup as the book progresses. It does appear to be the first book in a series (The Goth Girl Mysteries) and I'm definitely curious to see how things will progress for Thorn and company. Overall a good book and one that I'd definitely recommend you form your own opinions about. 

Overall Rating: ★★★ and a half.
Buried by Linda Joy Singleton
Publisher: Flux
Release Date: March 8, 2012
Edition: e-ARC
* Received for review via publisher and NetGalley.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Waiting On Wednesday (2)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

Summary from GoodReads:
Freak. That's what her classmates call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood. When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed her father and drove her mother mad. Donna's own nearly fatal injuries from the assault were fixed by magic—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. The child of alchemists, Donna feels cursed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane and grounded is her relationship with her best friend, Navin Sharma.

When the darkest outcasts of Faerie—the vicious wood elves—abduct Navin, Donna finally has to accept her role in the centuries old war between the humans and the fey. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout with secrets of his own, Donna races to save her friend—even if it means betraying everything her parents and the alchemist community fought to the death to protect. 


Why am I looking forward to The Iron Witch? I'm always looking for another great fey related story to read and the storyline certainly looks promising. Iron tattoos, alchemist parents, and a half-fey guy? I can't wait to see how everything is going to come together. And have I mentioned the gorgeous cover? I'm a big fan of filigree and even the title draws me in--since I'm gathering that Donna is the Iron Witch due to her tattoos although I could be horribly wrong. 

The Iron Witch comes out on February 8, 2011 from Flux. 


What are you waiting on this week? :D
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