Title: Frost Moon SubTitle: Book One, The Skin Dancer Series Author: Anthony Francis Publisher: Bell Bridge Books Pub Date: 04/06/2010 Category: ADULT: Urban Fantasy This is a gritty urban fantasy, well written and never dull, that surprised, horrified and delighted me. It’s an unusual and unpredictable story with a cast of great characters that range from warped and twisted to cute and bouncy and include bear, deer, cat and the usual wolf shifters as well a Christian vampire, a blind witch and a couple of FBI agents. The Blurb In an alternate Atlanta where magic is practiced openly, where shapeshifters party at the urban clubs and vampires rule the southern nights like gangsters, where demure witches sip coffees at the local cafes and mysterious creatures command the dark caverns beneath the city, Dakota Frost's talents are coveted by all: She's the best magical tattoo artist in the southeast: a SkinDancer, able to bring her amazing tats to life. When a serial killer begins … [Read more...]
Blogiversary & book give away coming up
On the 25th May, I will have been running this blog for one year. Wow! Time flies when you're having fun. To celebrate, I have two books to give away to anyone in the world. They're the first two books in Leanna Renee Heiber's Strangely Beautiful series. She's one of my favourite writers. So I hope to see you here to celebrate my first year of blogging and for your chance to win these terrific books. … [Read more...]
Review – Two Moon Princess by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban
Title: Two Moon Princess Author: Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban Publisher: Tanglewood Pub Date: 04/15/2010 Category: YA Fantasy Two Moon Princess is an excellent, interesting and well-executed young adult novel with all the hallmarks of a good read, as well as a rare depth in its underlying themes. The twists and turns in the story kept me so enthralled that I read late into the night in order to finish it. Blurb To Andrea, the life of a princess is not a dream; it's tedious and stifling. But the certainties of her life, both good and bad, are thrown into chaos when she accidentally travels to an alternative world, from a cave on a forbidden beach in her family's kingdom to the warm and carefree life of Southern California. Then a careless visit to the cave results in terrible consequences: a brewing war between kingdoms, her sister's love for the wrong man, Andrea's own conflicted feelings for an enemy leader, and dark family secrets exposed. Andrea needs to act to resolve problems … [Read more...]
Review – The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
Title: The Girl in the Steel Corset SubTitle: The Steampunk Chronicles Author: Kady Cross Publisher: Harlequin TEEN Pub Date: 05/31/2011 Category: FICTION - JUVENILE: Action & Adventure An excellent, well-crafted, well-crafted book set in a vibrantly described alternate Victorian world where automatons powered by a substance unfound in our reality are a normal part of life. A light highly enjoyable read. The Blurb In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one…except the "thing" inside her. When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch…. Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for … [Read more...]
Review: The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess by Leanna Renee Hieber
Title: The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess Author: Leanna Renee Hieber Publisher: Dorchester Publishing Pub Date: 05/16/2011 Category:ADULT: Romance: Fantasy Five stars to this beautiful, passionate, sophisticated and moving gothic fantasy set in Victorian England. Leanna Renee Heiber’s language is like poetry in prose form, evocative, beautiful to the ear and rich with many-layered meaning. A memorable book. ‘The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess’ is the third in the award-winning, bestselling ‘Strangely Beautiful’ series’. It’s a prequel to the first book, ‘The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker’ - which I awarded an M-Award to - but you can read this either before or after the first two. I recommend after, because the previous books have wetted our appetite for the details revealed in this one. The blurb says simply - The goddess Persephone begins her quest to be reincarnated with her true love, and more secrets of The Guard are revealed. In this … [Read more...]
Review – ‘Photographs and Phantoms’ by Cindy Spencer Pape
Title: Photographs and Phantoms Author: Cindy Spencer Pape Publisher: Carina Press Pub Date: 04/25/2011 Category: Adult fanstasy This delightful romantic novella (20,000 words) is a companion to ‘Storm & Sorcery’ by Cindy Spencer Pape (March 7, 2011). I haven’t read Storm and Sorcery, but after reading this, I certainly want to. The book shows the writers ability to create a rich world of interesting, likeable characters and mix them up with a good chunk of mystery, romance and surprise to make an absorbing and enjoyable read. I give it 5 stars and recommend it to all lovers of fantasy romance, especially if you’re into anything set in an alternative nineteenth century world where you can have a clockwork dog as a pet. The blurb Brighton, 1855 As a member of the Order of the Round Table, Kendall Lake is overqualified to be investigating strange phenomena at a seaside photography studio. But since the photographer is related to the Order's most powerful sorcerer, Kendall … [Read more...]
Review – Mercy by Joshua Grover-David Patterson
Wow, wow, wow. This book blew me away. When Joshua contacted me and asked for a review, I said that Zombie novels weren’t really my kind of thing, but I said I’d look at it, anyway. One of the reviews he showed me said the novel had heart and that appealed to me. But this book doesn’t just have heart, it has soul, it has meaning, it’s thought provoking and it’s deeply moving. The blurb says.. When Georgina Fulci’s plane crashes into the Atlantic, her troubles have just begun. Desperate to get home to her family, Georgina and a handful of survivors must find a way to escape an uncharted island… while fighting off hordes of the living dead. Mercy isn’t just another horror story with Zombies. It’s real people, fighting a real life problem (that just happens to be zombies) and dealing with the very real kind of issues that would come up for this particular group of characters that band together from chance, or is it, as Leroy would suggest, design. The story is written as journal … [Read more...]
Forever Vampire by Michele Hauf
Title: Forever Vampire Author: Michele Hauf Publisher: Harlequin Imprint: HQN Books Pub Date: 04/26/2011 Micheles Hauf has come up with another wonderful paranormal fantasy romance in Forever Vampire. The novel has got it all - interesting characters, a great story, action and hot romance. A great read for romance lovers. The blurb Vail the Unwanted is a pure-blooded vampire. But raised by Faery, he has neither home nor peace, and when his aid is sought in the recovery of a priceless diamond gown, his price is information. Specifically the whereabouts of his accursed father. His goal is revenge, and the supernaturally sexy Lyric, the icy blond vampiress with whom he must work, is a distraction he can’t afford. Outwardly as cold as the diamond dress in which she was kidnapped, Lyric has her own secrets. Desperate to break free from her criminal family, she aligns herself with the brooding Vail. Together they seek justice while each secretly works for freedom and a fresh start. … [Read more...]
Review – The Green-eyed Demon by Jaye Wells
Title: GREEN-EYED DEMON Author: Jaye Wells Publisher: Hachette Book Group Imprint: Orbit Pub Date: 03/01/2011 Category: ADULT: Fantasy This is an excellent book. Urban fantasy full of all the elements I love, great characters, rich setting, interesting plot, a healthy touch of romance and lifted by humour. The blurb The clock is ticking for Sabina Kane. She has to save her sister from her mysterious captors. And in order to do that, she has to broker a deal between the mages and the vampires before all hell breaks loose. But as much as Sabina is focused on surviving the present, the past won't be ignored. Before she can save those she cares about, she's got to save herself from the ghosts of her past. Because the past is haunting her. Literally. My Review This is essentially a mystery. The problem Sabina has to solve is, where is her blood thirsty grandmother holding her sister hostage? It’s not easy to find out and she has to work with a werewolf, a voodoo practitioner, … [Read more...]
Review – Angel Burn by L.A Weatherly
Title: Angel Burn Author: L.A. Weatherly Publisher: Candlewick Press Pub Date: 05/24/2011 General impression I enjoyed this YA Romantic Fantasy and devoured it at a fast pace. It’s intriguing, engrossing and heart warming. What people think they experience and what they do experience aren’t always the same thing, and in this novel, angels are definitely not what they seem. Trouble is, very few people know it, and the angels not only have a cult following but have infiltrated all areas of US society with potentially disastrous consequences. It’s an interesting and rather scary take on why cult followers might be so gushy and starry eyed. The blurb Willow knows she’s different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people’s dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. She has no idea where this power comes from. But the assassin, Alex, does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows … [Read more...]
