Posts filed under ‘Just Finished Reading (Review)’
Just finished reading…Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey
My review of Beauty and the Werewolf is up at Book Binge! Head on over and see what I thought.
And, while I’ve been pretty scarce lately on the blog, I’m still reading up a storm. Come visit me over at Goodreads for my latest reads. Also, I’ll continue posting reviews over at Book Binge.
Meanwhile, I’m knitting like crazy, getting ready for Christmas. Regular posts will resume in the New Year!
Just finished reading…Pushed to the Limit by Nico Rosso
Pushed to the Limit (Limit War series, book 2) by Nico Rosso [NOVELLA]
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Teryn Pilander lives in a world of secrets. She is a Shadow Corps operative for the Core Army in the Limit War, trained in espionage. Her latest mission takes her to the planet Viela, drawn by a communication that the local government captured a Dusk Warrior Officer for questioning. More interesting than the message, though, is the voice delivering it. A little shy, but deep and strong, the masculine voice sparks dormant fires in Teryn. She tells herself that once the mission is over, she might put her spy self away for a bit and live a little as a woman.
Typically, I tend to be a bit compulsive when I read a series, hating to read out of order. However, when I was asked by the author to review this novella, I was assured that the story would stand alone just fine. And, I was so relieved to discover that it was true. While there were some references to what took place in Taken to the Limit, book 1 in the Limit War series, I never felt like I was missing out on any important storyline, character development, or information.
I really liked this story of Teryn, a strong, kick-ass heroine, and Drel, a shy but tough beta hero. Pushed to the Limit opens with Teryn arriving on the planet Viela after being lured to it by communications tech Drel. She quickly sees it for the trap that it is, and Drel realizes that he’s made a big mistake. When they join forces against the Dusk (a stealthy invading force) and Vielan collaborators, the story kicks into high gear.
At the beginning of the story, their connection felt sort of like “insta-love,” with a pretty extreme reaction on Teryn’s part just by hearing Drel’s voice as he guided her and her crew to land on Viela. However, as events unfold, Teryn and Drel are given an opportunity to connect and get to know each other. (The time-frame is still pretty fast, but the time is well spent, with each learning what makes the other tick.) I really appreciated that even in the compressed format of a novella, a good amount of it was focused on developing their connection. One really gets why they are drawn to each other.
As far as the world-building, there was just enough given the novella-length, with out the story feeling either wallpaper-y or too dense. There also was a good balance between the romantic relationship and the larger story arc.
I would really enjoy seeing a long story in this world, with a greater complexity of plot and more time to develop characters. However, Pushed to the Limit was a satisfying introduction to the series, and I’m now curious enough about it that I’ve gone ahead and bought the first book. I’ll be looking forward to reading more about the Limit War.
I received this book from the
author, for review purposes.
Just finished reading…My Dangerous Pleasure by Carolyn Jewel
My Dangerous Pleasure (My Immortal/Witches series, book 4) by Carolyn Jewel
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I love this series, and was so glad that the long wait between books 3 and 4 was finally over. Iskander has been put through the mill in previous books in this series, so I’ve been really looking forward to his getting a shot at a HEA.
First off, let me say that this is the fourth book in the series, and given the complexity of the world and the character relationships, I highly recommend reading them in order. I’m usually a stickler about these things, and the payoff will be worth it in this case, since the larger story arc continues to get more and more interesting as the books progress.
The world of demonkin, witches, and mages waging a power struggle in modern-day San Francisco is dark, sensual, and often violent. Nikodemus, the leader of the kin, is struggling to keep the peace between his kind with their witch allies, and the power-hungry mages.
Paisley, a human woman who owns a bakery and rents a garage apartment from her sexy (and unbeknownst to her) demonkin landlord, Iskander, stumbles into this explosive situation when Kessler, a dark mage awakens an incipient magic in her, and begins to terrorize her.
I really liked Paisley. While she’s often put in terrifying, confusing, and overwhelming situations (at the beginning of the book she is completely unaware of the non-human world) she deals with it in a straightforward, no-nonsense manner. Her naiveté doesn’t result in tstl actions, as often is the case with uninformed heroines.
Iskander is someone who has been through hell, been damaged, especially by his crazy blood-twin, and is often on the edge of losing it, himself. I love how when he’s put in the position of guarding Paisley, she brings out another side of him that we haven’t seen in previous books. He’s not just a bad-ass alpha around her, but also a considerate protector (and, eventually,) lover. Their love scenes are HOT, and I love how Iskander, for all his passion, always tries to make sure that she is ok with his more “demon-like” aspects.
While the story itself took a little bit to really get going, once it did, I love where it went. I found the story behind Kessler’s actions original and absorbing, and it kept me turning pages. I can’t wait for the next book in the series to see where the larger story arc continues to go.
Related posts about the series:
I received this book from the
author, for review purposes.
Just finished reading…Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts
There’s little as thrilling as firefighting-at least to Rowan Tripp. The Missoula smoke jumpers are in Rowan’s blood: her father is a legend. She’s been fighting fires since her eighteenth birthday. At this point, returning to the wilds of Montana for the season feels like coming home-even with reminders of the partner she lost last season still lingering.
Fortunately, this year’s rookie crop is one of the strongest ever-and Gulliver Curry’s one of the best. He’s also a walking contradiction, a hotshot firefighter with a big vocabulary and a winter job at a kids’ arcade.
Everything is thrown off balance when a dark presence lashes out against Rowan, looking to blame someone for last year’s tragedy. Rowan knows she can’t complicate things with Gull-any distractions in the air or on the ground could mean the end-but if she doesn’t find someone she can lean on, she may not make it through the summer. . . .
Just finished reading…The Shattered Gates (Rifter #1)
The Shattered Gates (The Rifter, book 1) by Ginn Hale
From the publisher’s press release:
Written over five years, The Rifter is award-winning author Ginn Hale’s new ten-part serialized novel that follows two men transported from modern America to a theocratic world in the throes of a revolution.
When I was offered the opportunity to review Ginn Hale’s ambitious, 10-part serialized novel, I jumped at the chance. Not only am I a big fan of Ginn Hale, I was also intrigued by the structure of this project. It conjures up visions of those old-time radio dramas, serialized adventure movies, and telling stories around a campfire where the storyteller always left one wanting more.
Here’s the description for the first installment, The Shattered Gates
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This first installment of the 10-part serialized novel pretty much did what it needed to do, and has hooked me!
John and his mysterious roommate, Kahlil/Kyle come from different worlds, but are connected by magic. John is just discovering that there is more to the everyday world he knows. He is thrust into the action (and Kahlil’s world) when he makes a fateful mistake. Now, he’s doing everything he can to survive—and keep his friends alive—in a strange land. I like John. He’s forthright, and a bit skeptical of the magic that he’s just becoming aware of.
Kahlil is still a bit of a mystery. He’s on a mission to protect his world and John’s, even if it means killing. He’s a bit of a fish out of water in John’s world, but I love the wonder he has at the everyday (our) world. even something as simple as ordering breakfast at a diner is a special experience for him. The author really conveys Kahlil’s awe in a beautiful and believable way.
The sense of loneliness and isolation of both men is conveyed beautifully, and it ties them together, even while they are unaware of their similar feelings.
My only quibble with the story was John’s initial lack of curiosity about his knife/weapon carrying roommate. I really found it sort of brought me out of the story when he never even questioned Kahlil’s comings and goings while armed to the teeth (at least beyond wondering about it to himself).
The world—especially Kahlil’s world—has plenty of depth. It’s clear that there’s still a lot to learn about it, but it’s complexity doesn’t completely overwhelm the story. I like the knowledge that I will learn more about it as the story continues to unfold in future installments.
The events were mysterious and compelling enough to suck me in, and make me want more. I have plenty of questions about where the story is going: what role does John play in Kahlil’s world? What will happen when Kahlil connects up with John again? What exactly is going on with the shattered gate? I’m sure that all of my questions will be answered.
In all, I really enjoyed part 1, and can’t wait to read part 2 .
New installments will be released on the second Tuesday of each month. Singles installments and subscriptions are available from Weightless Books.
People are going to talk…