Book Review: Stolen (Women of the Underworld #2) by Kelley Armstrong

Stolen by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Publisher: Plume Books

Summary:  It was in Bitten, Kelley Armstrong's debut novel, that thirty-year-old Elena Michaels came to terms with her feral appetites and claimed the proud identity of a beautiful, successful woman and the only living female werewolf.

In Stolen, on a mission for her own elite pack, she is lured into the net of ruthless Internet billionaire Tyrone Winsloe, who has funded a bogus scientific investigation of the "other races" and their supernatural powers. Kidnapped and studied in his underground lab deep in the Maine woods, these paranormals - witches, vampires, shamans, werewolves - are then released and hunted to the death in a real-world video game. But when Winsloe captures Elena, he finally meets his match.

Book Review: Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher:  Plume Books

Summary:  Elena Michaels is the world’s only female werewolf. And she’s tired of it. Tired of a life spent hiding and protecting, a life where her most important job is hunting down rogue werewolves. Tired of a world that not only accepts the worst in her–her temper, her violence–but requires it. Worst of all, she realizes she’s growing content with that life, with being that person.

Review: The Fury and Dark Reunion

The Fury and Dark Reunion by L.J. Smith

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Very good series & I loved this double edition (this is my second copy of books 3 & 4). Originally read in the 90s. Donating now as clearing bookshelves for a move.



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Review: Firelight

Firelight by Kristen Callihan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



A 3.5 really. I was in the mood for a paranormal romance & so I decided to begin this series. I liked it. I didn't love it & I'm not exactly sure why. The characters were well done & the story was well written but something just did not rivet me. Possibly it was that I kept wanting to know more about why Miranda had her power & where it came from. That was huge for me & it's never much addressed. She has it & always has & that's it. M'mkay. And then there's Benjamin (Archer). By the time it's revealed what exactly he is, I honestly didn't care as much. It was a long time coming for that one. I suppose he's the more important between he & Miranda so that's why this all revolves around him. I don't know. I did like all of the murderous mystery tied into that quite a lot. I think I was so preoccupied with that that I didn't get swept away by the romance (though it was well done & they had good banter & conversations between them that made it work). I'll continue the series because I'm interested in the world the author's given.



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Review: The Force of Wind

The Force of Wind by Elizabeth Hunter

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Not as great as the first two but still a good installment in this series. I did find Giovanni's tendency to lose all rational sense where Beatrice was concerned to be a bit tedious. He wasn't very much like that in the first two books & this time around it all centered on Beatrice taking steps to become more independent in her abilities to learn to protect herself. Paranoia, whiny & over-bearing doesn't translate very well as strength of love to me, so it put me off just a bit. I was glad that Beatrice didn't suffer him and went ahead with whatever she was going to do anyway & told him he was being a dolt. I did tire a bit of her bravado when she clearly had no ability to win or even a plan. Her mouth ran ahead of her brain & physical capability more than it did in the last book. And then there's the relationship between Giovanni & Beatrice. Their couplehood is solid so there's really nothing that I read as a real threat. Not even Baojia. I didn't see the point of the pseudo-flirtation with a triangle. There seemed to be more romance & one on one bonding in this book and honestly, it started to get a little formulaic. After the third declaration of eternal love & "balance in this life & any life" in a vampire story, I've kinda had enough with the trope. I'm starting to want one of them to die in book 4, just to have the perverse thrill of the opposite or at least a very bittersweet, short union. I did like that there weren't just easy wins & smooth sailing when it came to vampire showdowns.

I missed Carwyn's presence a lot and hope he's featured a lot in the final book. Stephen was great to finally meet & get to know (& sad to see depart). Everything about Tenzin is interesting, as always. They mystery of the book & the alchemist's immortality formula is still running & as before, I wanted more of that in this book. It was interesting to spend so much time in the court at Penglai & I liked all the political intrigue. I'm hoping Rome is the big deal in the last book, because Livia... I think there's a story there.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. It took me a little longer to get through than the others but that's probably because I know what I'm looking for in the resolution department and I want to get there already.



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Review: This Same Earth

This Same Earth by Elizabeth Hunter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



A great second entry into this series & no typos here. The story picks up and we find that Giovanni as exiled himself from Beatrice's life by pretty much freezing her out. He sends her occasional plane tickets to visit the house in Chile but he never responds to her messages or anything. This goes on for five, almost six years. It's hard on Beatrice but we get to see her grow in many ways & that was great. Her interests, confidence, career & personal relationships flourish in a good way, even though she hasn't forgotten Giovanni. Her hurt was well crafted & with that pulling against her growth, it was bittersweet to read. I really loved that.

Then Giovanni returns & most of the story is about the two reconnecting as friends and moving forward to more. Again, as in the first book, this all feels very organic and real. The depth to the characters doesn't falter here and I was glad of that. I was hoping for more action & involvement in the search for Stephen, Lorenzo's return & they mystery of the books but there are two more installments so I can live with it. They mystery is very engaging & I can't get enough of that. That alone is quite the page-turner for me.

Carywn was fantastic & is one of my favorites of the supporting characters. Deidre was fascinating as well & certainly provided a good bit of perspective for Beatrice. The addition of Benjamin caught me by surprise because I so quickly found him a needed character. I like the added dimension he adds to Giovanni. We know Giovanni raised Caspar but now in this book we get to see him in this capacity & that was quite nice. The epilogue actually made me teary.

I have the next book on my Kindle already so... must get on to that.



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Review: A Hidden Fire

A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This has to be one of the most impressive indie books I've read. On story alone, I'd give this 5 stars. The only reason I'm holding to 4 (or 4.5) is because there are about 30 typos sprinkled throughout and I have to keep myself honest on my criteria. This is damned close to perfect though.

I am absolutely enamoured of the entire vampire mythology presented here and it drew me right in. There are plenty of vampire books around but this didn't feel like one of those "so inspired by something else that it was distracting". This felt like its own story. The elements being an aspect of the vampire characteristics was fascinating, as well. I was completely caught up in the research/librarian aspect of the story as I've always had "archivist" as my dream job. I pretty much squeed reading that the second level of Giovanni's manse was a library. I knew Beatrice was a kindred when she told him that given the choice between the company of the hot PhD & the library, the library wins. Every time. *sigh* The mystery of the papers, books & where Stephen was just made for a great read & smoothly propelled the story along.

The characters are great and I must admit that as much as I think Lorenzo is a vile, twisted little blood-sucker, I love him! He's a worthy adversary for Giovanni. And Giovanni is a great main male character. His whole dark & brooding didn't go overboard and neither did his alpha male (re: general jerkdom). He was very easy for me to like even when I didn't like what he was doing. Beatrice is a fantastic heroine with wit, strength and sensibility. I was very happy that she came across as a grown woman who didn't just lose her ability to reason because Giovanni was the hot, wealthy, worldy PhD. It was refreshing. This also made the relationship between the two feel organic and on pace. There's no insta-love for no tangible reason or declarations of eternal love out of nowhere and for that I was grateful. They had normal conversations about things and got to know one another as the reader gets to know them. They spoke and reacted as normally as I could imagine people would given the circumstances. I also enjoyed that Giovanni (who literally has nothing but time) was keenly aware of how young Beatrice was. I liked that he had respect for her living her own life and didn't take any action to subsume hers into his just to have her. And Beatrice kept her senses about her and beyond her feelings for Giovanni, she never forgot her grandmother or her PhD program. She never forgot her dreams & plans. I liked the maturity both displayed. It made for a bittersweet romance. It felt honest and not just like they were props for the plot. I loved their attraction and of course, am pulling for them but I like where this installment ends for them. The remainder of the characters, Carwyn, Isadora, Tenzin & even Doyle, the cat, were extremely enjoyable & very well drawn. I can't wait to get back to them all.

I already have the second book on my Kindle, so I need to get on to reading that. Like, now.



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Book Review: Break Out (Dark Desires #1) by Nina Croft

Break Out by Nina Croft

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Summary:   The year is 3048, Earth is no longer habitable, and man has fled to the stars where they've discovered the secret of immortality—Meridian. Unfortunately, the radioactive mineral is exorbitantly expensive and only available to a select few. A new class comprised of the super rich and immortal soon evolves. The Collective, as they're called, rule the universe. 

Just Finished Reading: Fated (Dark Protectors #1)

Fated by Rebecca Zanetti

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I should likely begin by saying that I'm not one who spends a lot of time in the romance genre. The covers rarely captivate me enough & neither do the summaries. This looked interesting to me so I gave it a try.



Oddly enough, I found the parts in this book that I liked the most were the secondary characters (all the Kurjans, Katie, Talen's brothers, Emma) the science & the action sequences. All of that was intriguing & really where I think the story shines. The romance between Cara/Talen was minimally decent. Honestly. it wasn't so much romance as clinical-type conversations interspersed with sex. I will give that some of their most relevant emotional connecting took place during sex & that was credible to me as a sort of romantic bonding. Since they're "Fated" I guess they don't need to waste time on things like getting to know one another or foreplay. Cara was a bit bland when she was around Talen, in general & came off as never having bothered to figure out who she was as a person before he arrived in her life. It's not necessarily bad, but I need better than that from heroines that speak to me & make me cheer. Talen was a bit bland because... I don't know why really. He's perfectly handsome, way alpha-possessive, will protect until his last breath & is crazy-expert when it comes to sex. M'kay. Not surprising given the genre but he didn't captivate me in the wish-fulfillment department. It probably didn't help that Cara vacillated between arousal & fear of him & I'm not into the "I didn't do as he instructed & now he's really pissed & I'm afraid he might actually hurt me & I'm all into the danger of it" thing. To be fair to the story, it is made clear that Cara has abusive Daddy issues, so maybe that's part of it. I don't know. I liked it when he had moments to impart his family history & all that was going on between the different factions. None of that ever came off as an info-dump by the author. It was well executed & quite enjoyable. I don't usually have much tolerance for precocious & "specially destined" children but I did warm to Janie. She's still no Alia Atreides. I did find it rather ridiculous that Cara could be away from her child for weeks at a stretch but when she's finally reunited with her daughter for a mere hour, she's all craving, needy & missing Talen. I'm not a mother but as a woman all I could say was "What?!" & also "Girl, Please! Get a damned grip!"



I will definitely read the next in the series to see what's next (cause it's already waiting for me on my Kindle). Maybe I'll find more depth & enjoyment in the mains & lots more on the secondaries. Overall, I think it was an okay book. It kept me turning the pages & whenever I was ready to give up ("stars exploding" euphemisms, overkill of eye color descriptions, the word "mate" used ad infinitum as a term of endearment until it creates a bindspot in the reading & way too much post-sex blushing/flushing from Cara, especially after weeks of the deed with Talen (gmab, please)), I was pulled back in by something interesting & cool (hierarchy, treachery, faction/family histories & genetics chatter). I'm all in for the world the author has created.



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