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Mini Monday Reviews: Spaz & Pixie Edition

December 5, 2011 in Monday Mini Reviews, Reviews

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Spaz: Zoe Archer does a beautiful job with taking us back to the 1700s in Georgian England where we first meet James Sherbourne, Earl of Whitney. He has been immediately allured to a Romani gypsy Zora Grey. The narration and setting feel authentic and help to immerse you in the story.

The Hellraisers refer to a group of five guys caught in a bad bromance. Their name proclamations and the frequent way they referred to themselves initially really made me cringe. “Shall we investigate, Hellraisers?” “We’re Hellraisers, after all!” Sttttopppp!!! Any cool card you have by belonging to a clique called “Hellraisers” is lost when you continuously refer to the name of your own clique!

But I digress… I was not immediately in love with this book, but I was won over once the dark began. Zoe Archer did a fantastic job with creating multi-dimensional characters and giving them really awful curses, making you care for them more than you think you will. Overall, once I got in to the story, it moved right along and was enjoyable.

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WLP: I’m a huge fan of Katie MacAlister but was really disappointed by It’s All Greek To Me. The heroine came across as a teenager even though she’s in her 30′s. She over talks at every chance she gets and keeps punching people out, thus her maturity level really killed any little bit of like I had for her.

It was supposed to be funny but sadly it fell flat for me. I just couldn’t get over how annoying she was. The happily ever after came way too fast considering both characters hated each other, add to that joking and making light about issues (rape, drinking problem) that aren’t very funny.

One of the characters gets into a heavy petting situation and screams rape (even when she knows it wasn’t rape), the main male character makes light of it. His brother also has a huge drinking problem, but after a bunch of episodes the only time he quits drinking is after his brother freaks out and tosses all the alcohol. Skip this one.

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WLP: I loved Blood of Eden (released TOMORROW), give me a police procedural meets the paranormal any day! Do not hesitate to buy yourself a copy of this book, it’s full of action & a real page turner. I adored all the characters, you all will love Sloan she’s smart and kicks ass.

The whole concept is refreshing and new! Blood of Eden is one of my favourite new series of 2011!

I was very impressed with the way Ms. Dane tells a story, she gives you just enough info to get you hooked and doesn’t make anything predictable where you figure out the plot. It was seriously one of the best books I read in November! Seriously, why are you still here reading this, go buy a copy ASAP!

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In The Company Of Vampires – Katie MacAlister

November 6, 2010 in Reviews

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Katie MacAlister’s Website
  • List Price: $7.99 US
  • Publisher: Signet; (November 2, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0451231600
  • ISBN-13: 978-0451231604

Buy In The Company of Vampires at:

When Francesca arrives at GothFaire to save her mother from the trickster god, Loki, things go from bad to worse. Her immortal ex, Benedikt, is there, full of secrets-and with a new girlfriend. Now Fran must battle a power-hungry group who wishes to dominate both the immortal and mortal worlds-and the woman who claimed Ben’s heart. It’s a good thing Fran’s no ordinary mortal…

Five years have passed since Fran left GothFaire for the US. She’s went to College, started a job & is trying to get past her break up with Ben. She just couldn’t deal with the whole “Beloved” thing, among other things. But when Fran’s mother stops answering her phone & the Vikings are sent back from Valhalla, Fran has to go back to where it all began, GothFaire.

But little does Fran know, Ben has a girlfriend & things are about to get hella ugly. She needs to remember, things aren’t always what they seem.

Fran has grown, boy has she grown. There are parts in the book that break your heart, especially when Fran finds out Ben has a girlfriend, you could feel that pain. But she is still the same old Fran, just more mature & still tounge tied around Ben. Ben has changed the most, but alas I can’t tell you anything about that lest I ruin it for you.

There are apperances by all our favorites from Confessions of a Vampire’s Girlfriend, but sadly no Soren as he is now attending University. Even worse, there is Loki but he’s not the baddest baddy on the block which Fran learns really quickly. But the best part, VIKINGS!!

WEASEL GOLD!!!

The Vikings are back & I damn near peed myself, I love them! They need their own spin off, do you hear me Ms. MacAlister?! Please!! Numerous times I was laughing hysterically outloud at the picture painted of them, they’re so damn great! Thankfully with the way this book ended, it looks like we’ll have more time with the Vikings. Thank god, I don’t think they ran out of money on their Weasel Gold Card (Visa Gold).

In The Company of Vampires is the best Dark One Novel Katie MacAlister has written to date! There’s snark, there’s romance & let me tell you there are some of the best sex scenes written in this book…they are steamy & funny as hell.

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Confessions of a Vampire’s Girlfriend – Katie MacAlister

November 4, 2010 in Reviews, Young Adult Reviews

  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Katie MacAlister’s Website
  • List Price: $9.99 US
  • Publisher: NAL Trade; (November 2, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0451232593
  • ISBN-13: 978-0451232595

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Got Fangs?

All sixteen-year-old Francesca Ghetti wants to do is have a normal life where she’s one of the crowd, blending in so no one will know just how much of a freak she is. Dragged to Europe by her mother to join GothFaire, a travelling band of psychics, magicians, and assorted other oddities, Fran has to cope with not only the normal angst of always being a fish out of water, but also with her own fate as a psychometrist.

Enter one Moravian Dark One (referred to by most people as vampires) named Benedikt who claims Fran is the key to redeeming his soul, a mysterious horse who seems to have an involved past, an immortal friend who remembers what Mozart was like, and a demonologist who thinks he’s Elvis, and you can understand why Fran despairs of ever fitting in.

Circus of the Darned

I’ve given up all hope of having a normal life. As if things weren’t freaky enough traveling around Europe with a group of witches, mediums, and magicians who make up my home-away-from-home (aka the GothFaire), now I also have to cope with a mysterious man who wants to steal my horse, and a time-travel counselor who insists I’m Cleopatra reincarnated.

I just want to go on a date with Benedikt, but when your boyfriend’s a vampire, nothing is easy. Not only is Ben keeping secrets from me, but somehow, I raised an entire battlefield of warring Viking ghosts–all of whom refuse to be sent back.

And I thought all I had to worry about was what to wear on my date…

Confessions of a Vampire’s Girlfriend is actually 2 books in one, Got Fangs? (2005) & Circus of the Darned (2006). Both are YA’s, but lead up to In The Company of Vampire’s also released on November 2, which is the adult continuation of Fran & Ben’s story. You with me so far? Good!

Fran’s father ends up sending her to live with her mother when he remarries a trophy wife. Miranda (Fran’s Mom) isn’t like every other Mom, she’s a witch & travels Europe as a member of GothFaire a traveling company of magicians, palm readers, etc. Fran has always tried to live a normal life, but it’s been hard all things considered, add to it she is a psychometrist who can read emotions by touching people or objects. Thus Fran wears gloves ALL THE TIME.

When her best-friend’s brother comes for a visit, he claims she is the key to unlocking his soul…he’s a Dark One, otherwise known as a Vampire. Fran tries to cope with the fact that she is a Beloved, or so Ben says & deal with all sorts of oddities that happen at GothFaire….like when she raises a band of long dead Vikings.

I have to tell you, I love Fran. She isn’t the average teenage girl, for one shes a psychometrist, for two she is 6 feet tall! Fran is anything but normal. Ben is just made of yum, he’s dark & secretive, but oh so protective of Fran, no matter how much she hates it. He really doesn’t want to pressure her, but come on..his soul is at stake (ha, get it, stake?!) But Fran is only 17 & Ben is over 300 years old, thus Miranda isn’t to fond of Ben, but can you blame her? 

But it’s not Fran or Ben who take the cake…it’s the band of Viking Ghosts. I caught myself laughing out loud a few times, the Vikings are made of win! I want my own group of Viking Ghosts, if they’re anything like these guys. Pillaging McDonald’s, fighting & looking for wenches!

Confessions of a Vampire’s Girlfriend is a coming of age love story, that will have you cackling & wishing there really was a GothFaire!

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Love In The Time Of Dragons – Katie MacAlister

May 15, 2010 in Reviews

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Katie MacAlister’s Website
  • List Price $7.99 US/$9.99 CDN
  • Publisher: Signet; Original edition (May 4, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0451229711
  • ISBN-13: 978-0451229717

Buy Love In The Time Of Dragons at:

Tully Sullivan is just like any other suburban mom-except she’s just woken up in a strange place surrounded by strange people who keep insisting that they’re dragons-and that she’s one too.

Love In The Time Of Dragonsis the first novel of the Light Dragons, a spin off featuring the Dragon’s from all the different septs but focusing on Tully/Ysolde.

Ysolde was the mate of Baltic, but was murdered by another dragon. Somehow Ysolde was reborn as Tully Sullivan. Tully had no idea the visions she had were really her reliving the past. Tully has been working as a Mage apprentince & got dragged into the dragons issues at the end of  Me & My Shadow(the last dragon book) When the rest of the sept’s find out that Tully is actually Ysolde, they think she can bring Baltic to her & if she doesn’t they’ll execute her for the murders Baltic has committed. But there’s a problem, Tully can’t remember much of anything other than she’s married to another man & has a son. Baltic was also reborn & has been crazy ever since the death of his beloved Ysolde & will do anything to have her back.

This has to be one of my favorites in Katie MacAlister’s dragon series, not only is it incredibly intense & full of action, it’s hysterical. Tully/Ysolde has some of the best one liners I’ve read lately & of course we have Jim the doggie demon making appearances, he’s always good for laughs. I was shocked that while Baltic has always been the bad guy, you quickly fall in love with him & understand the reasoning behind his madness. His mate died, of course he goes nutty people! We get so much background information on a lot of the other dragons as well, lots of old history & friendships.

My only issue was the ending, damnit there was a cliff-hanger. BOO. Which is going to make the wait for the next Light Dragon book hard! If you are a Katie MacAlister fan, Love In The Time Of Dragons is a great lighthearted read.

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Steamed – Katie MacAlister

February 15, 2010 in Reviews

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • List Price: $7.99 US/$9.99 CDN
  • Publisher: Signet; Original edition (February 2, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0451229312
  • ISBN-13: 978-0451229311

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When one of Jack Fletcher’s nanoelectromechanical system experiments is jostled in his lab, the resulting explosion sends him into the world of his favorite novel-a seemingly Victorian-era world of steampower, aether guns, corsets, and goggles. A world where the lovely and intrepid Octavia Pye captains her airship straight into his heart…

Jack Fletcher and his sister Hallie are in Jack’s office when they have a workplace accident. They end up on Captain Octavia Pye’s airship in a “steampunk” world, though it’s the 2010 there as well. Jack is a huge Steampunk fan, as well as a Quaker (I still don’t understand why that was mentioned a lot) and he’s extremely excited to have landed in a Steampunk fantasy. His sister, not so much. Jack and Octavia end up falling for each-other, among wars between the revolutionaries and a band of pirates.

This is Katie MacAlister’s first book in her Steampunk Romance series and I have to tell you, it leaves a lot to be desired. The point of view alternates between Octavia and Jack at the drop of a dime, which is sometimes confusing though it reads okay. Jack is a Quaker, yet he drinks, swears and is a ladies man in his office. I have no idea why he was a Quaker, but it was mentioned many times through-out the story.

There were some really cheesey lines: “Your mind says no, but your body says yes” that really had me rolling my eyes. There were way too many references to Steampunk which made me feel like Ms. MacAlister was trying hard to let us all in on the fact that the book is Steampunk.

Overall it was an okay read, I enjoy Ms. MacAlister’s writing but if you are a true Steampunk fan this book isn’t going to do it for you. Just because it’s set in a Steampunk world and things are run by steam, doesn’t make it Steampunk.

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