ARC Review - Watch Me

Watch Me
by Cynthia Eden

I received an ARC of this book from the Publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. 

OK, so you need to know up front, I adore Cynthia Eden. Her books tend to be like crack for me. And this book even more so. By that I mean, it is addictive, with a quick short high, that doesn't last long, and leaves you scrambling for the next one, often with very little memory of that previous high.

This is romantic suspense lite, there isn't a lot of depth to the plot or the characters, and the mystery while tricky wasn't really explored much,it was just BAM and there it was. Don't get me wrong, I really did enjoy this book, I am looking forward to the rest of the series, and it was just a ton of fun while it lasted (so altogether a whole lot better than crack), it just isn't likely to go on my re-read list.

Chance Valentine is the secretive, dangerous, and sexy body guard. Gwen Hawthorne is the feisty but loving heroine. They have years of back story, but we really don't get to see any of that, and of course they love each other (and always have).

3.5 stars

Free - Wrecked by Meljean Brook is FREE

Ok, so the title says it all. But Wrecked is free over at amazon.

Even more interesting, Meljean has contact to get an epub from her if kindle isn't your thing.

http://meljeanbrook.com/wrecked-free-december-11/

Since I read this series in order, I am a bit unqualified to determine how this fares as a stand alone, but this is my absolute favorite steam punk series. So I highly recommend it.

Review - Dead But Not Forgotten Stories from the World of Sookie Stackhouse

Dead But Not Forgotten
edited by Charlaine Harris

OK, so I am a sucker and I borrowed it. I mean really, how many ways are there to hose a fan base? Now we have fan-fic of her series? But I really wanted to see MaryJanice Davidson's take on Eric. While I never felt the antipathy so many people felt toward Dead Ever After, I remained somewhat dissatisfied with Eric's ending, and After Dead really only made it worse. Hind sight is 20/20, and re-reading only makes it truer, so going back and re-reading the ENTIRE series made me see even more clearly that it was always only and ever Sam for Sookie. But still, I adored Eric and I didn't like how his ending was left. And I really enjoy MaryJanice Davidson, so I figured this was a shot, much like when I tracked down the book Scarlett when Gone With the Wind left me too depressed. And much like Scarlett, while the tone was a little off, it was good to see my favorite characters overcome. MaryJanice Davidson gave me back the 4 steps ahead of everyone, devious and conniving Northman. So I am going to take my Davidson provided Eric ending and enjoy it.

The rest of the stories were hit and miss, some of the authors were obviously not as familiar as they should have been with the source material, and tone and characterization were problematic throughout. I don't know that I would actually recommend this to anyone, and I certainly wouldn't advise buying it, but if your library or a friend has a copy you could borrow, if you are anything like me about needing closure, you might open it up to Widower's Walk.

Goodreads Best Books of 2014

Goodreads annual reader poll results are up here.

I'll admit that it is hard to get into it when my personal favorite books didn't win. Honestly, I think there should be more romance categories, but that is a personal bias. One winner did however pique my interest, in the Science Fiction Category Andy Weir's The Martian seems like, despite the fact that it isn't remotely romance, it may just be my cup of tea. but, if you are a loss for what to read next, dig through not just the winners but also the nominees, there is some great stuff out there.

Review - Night Shift

Night Shift
by Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Lisa Shearin, and Milla Vane


I was ecstatic when I saw this book coming out. It has 3 of my absolute must read authors in it.


Secrets at Midnight (Psi-Changeling 13.5?)

This novella stars Bastion and a new character as his heroine. I flip flopped a lot on this one. It just seemed somewhat uneven in terms of the plotting and the pacing. I went from aww that so sweet I love this, to what the heck that is just crazy, several times. And there is quite a twist in terms of Changeling physiology. It wasn't necessarily bad; I just think it suffered a bit from the shorter format and time frame. While this could probably be read as a stand alone, I wouldn't advise it. 3 stars


Magic Steals (Kate Daniels 7.5)

This is a Jim and Dali story, and I adore them. I will however admit that I threw a bit of a temper tantrum when I realized this story was set during magic Rises rather than after magic breaks. Tantrum done, I dug into the story and I adored it every bit as much as I expected to. We got into both of their heads so much and Dali got to know Jim so much better too. And there is a really touching scene with Dali's mother. I am really enjoying seeing their story unfold, and these short stories work for them because we know so much about them and their lives from their relationships to the rest of the characters in the Kate Daniels world. I remain, as ever, conflicted on whether I want a full novel for them post haste (so I can gobble it down the unseemly greed), or if this unfolding through short stories is the better plan to prolong the enjoyment. This is absolutely not a stand alone. You have to at least read magic Dreams which was originally printed in Hexed, if not the entire Kate Daniels series. 5 Stars


Lucky Charms (SPI 0.5)

I could not get into the voice of this story and the plot just didn't interest me. Presumably this is a stand alone as it appears to be a prequel. DNF
The Beast of Blackmoor

This was way, way darker and way more explicit than I was expecting from Meljean Brook AKA Milla Vane, but I suppose that is why it is under a different name, it isn't the same as the rest of her books. That is by no means a bad thing, as it is really well written and the characters are well rendered even in this short format. It was just a surprise. It features an interesting peak into a new almost medieval fantasy world with deities who act dramatically and concretely in the world. fascinating stuff and I hope we see more like it. This is absolutely a stand alone. 4 Stars

Altogether I am rating this 4 stars

Advance Review - Light My Fire

Light My Fire
by G.A. Aiken

I received an ARC of this book from the Publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
This is the 7th book in the Dragon Kin Series, and then there are a handful of novellas. I adore both this series, and her Pack/Pride series under the Shelly Laurenston name. If you are confused by the fact that some of the Dragon Kin stories are under a different name, well it's the same author, so don't worry.

A word about reading order according to the author:

There are two ways to read the Dragon Kin series. One is in the order they were written by me, and one is based on the chronology of the series. I, personally, prefer the order in which the books were written because I tease or hint about the romances of the older dragons during the full-length novels. Then in the anthos, some of the humor payoff comes out of having read those novels first.

This doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t read the series in straight chronological order. I know there are some readers who hate “prequels.” So to help out, below are the reading orders of the book, mine and chronological.

– G.A.

G.A.’S READING ORDER

1. Dragon Actually
2. “Chains & Flames” from Dragon Actually
3. About a Dragon
4. “Can’t Get Enough” from Everlasting Bad Boys
5. What a Dragon Should Know
6. Last Dragon Standing
7. “Dragon On Top” from Supernatural
8. The Dragon Who Loved Me

*9. How to Drive a Dragon Crazy
*10 A Tale of Two Dragons

CHRONOLOGICAL READING ORDER

1. “Can’t Get Enough” from Everlasting Bad Boys

*2. A Tale of Two Dragons
3. “Chains & Flames” from Dragon Actually
4. “Dragon On Top” from Supernatural
5. Dragon Actually
6. About a Dragon
7. What a Dragon Should Know
8. Last Dragon Standing
9. The Dragon Who Loved Me

*10 How to Drive a Dragon Crazy

*These are my additions to Aiken's post which hadn't been updated with the newest books.

While I was disappointed that the Pack/Pride series was ending or at least going on hiatus, I was thrilled to see she started back on the Dragon kin series. Aiken/Laurenston has the absolutely funniest paranormal characters. They're witty, snarky, self-absorbed, and insane. Who wouldn't have a good time with that? But, as is almost always the case with a series, this just isn't a good starting spot, so if you haven't read the rest of the series, now is not a good spot to jump in. While each of the stories has it's own hero and heroine, there is an overall plot arc that won't make sense without all the pieces of the puzzle.

Light My Fire comes back about a decade after The Dragon Who Loved Me. Most of the characters live hundreds of years, so all the beloveds are still around and much as we saw them last, but there are a ton of new kids running around. Celyn the Charming, who caused so much trouble with, Izzy and Éibhear, finally gets his own heroine, and she is an absolute riot. Elina Shestakova of the Black Bear Riders of the Midnight Mountains of Despair in the Far Reaches of the Steppes of the Outerplains, is a cynic with a fatalistic world view from a matriarchal society, so just about as opposite from the Southland Dragons as is humanly, or even inhumanly , possible.  And she is even more different from Celyn who tends to be a sweetie. The best way to explain Elina is to picture a stereotyped Russian man and then add some more aggression and chauvinism. Frankly, Celyn and Elina kind of flip gender sterotypes in an enjoyable and hilarious way that made me re-read this in really short order. Their romance was nicely integrated into the overall plot arc of the series, and they fit into the overall Anwyl and original human dragon hybrid children plot. The series seems to have grown organically and the new characters have been a logical extension of that growth, and they don't just seem to be place holders for characters we are waiting to have grow up so they can get their own stories. When a series gets this long you start to worry that the whole thing is going to spiral out of control into a mess that you don't even recognize anymore, and I am so, so glad that isn't the case this time. This book opened up the Dragon Kin World in a way that i think is going to keep the series fresh and interesting for a few more books at the very least. 4.5 stars and a murderous rampage if it takes more than about a year to get me the next one.

ARC - I'm Dreaming of an Undead Christmas

I'm Dreaming of an Undead Christmas
by Molly Harper

I received an ARC of this book from the Publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. 

This is a novella set in the Half Moon Hollow series, which is a spin-off from the Jane Jameson series and in the same world as the Naked Werewolf series. While you don't need to read the naked Werewolf story (or vice versa) to enjoy these, the Jane Jameson ones are somewhat required as far as I am concerned.

This particular novella is actually kind of interesting. It was initially released as an audiobook LAST Christmas, and is now being released in ebook form. If you do the Audible audiobook thing, it is actually free at the moment. Considering Charlaine Harris recently did something similar, with the audio releasing before the print, I kind of wonder if this is some sort of new experiment. I know some people love the audio, but since I just can't stand it, i hope this doesn't become too common, or I'll end up very frustrated.

Molly Harper's strengths have always been her humor, and the relationships her characters have with everyone, not just with their hero/heroine. There's no romance in this story, but considering Harper's strengths, that really isn't a problem. It is a happy holiday story that lets us get caught up with beloved characters (without eating into another main character's story) and gives is helpful time spanning information without dragging down the main romantic story. It's Gigi's first Christmas since her sister Iris became a vampire, she's getting ready to graduate college, and she's looking for a future job. All very entertaining for a hold over novella, not something I would want in addition to the main book, but definitely something to whet the appetite for The Dangers of Dating a Rebound Vampire. 3.5 stars