Short and Sweet Book Reviews #51 - Undead and Unappreciated by MaryJanice Davidson, Undead and Unreturnable by MaryJanice Davidson, Do You Want to Cause a Scandal by Tessa Dare

Undead and Unappreciated by MaryJanice Davidson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Betsy just keeps getting better and better. This time there are several new character who play a part in Betsy's life as the new vampire queen. I love the way fashion is mixed into whatever new danger or problem Betsy finds herself in. I have to laugh about who she is so hung up on fashion. Shoes have never had as big a role as they do with Betsy. It best part was when she turned evil and did not care about what was on her feet. I am listening to the stories and the reader really does have the role down pat adding additional enjoyment to the books.


Undead and Unreturnable by MaryJanice Davidson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Betsy is getting married and nothing will stand in her way. There are things that are trying to intrude. Like a recently murdered ghost who want help in stopping her killer. Does Betsy do the smart thing about the killer. Of course not and poor Eric her intended groom is beside himself. This series is great fun. The audio book reader puts just the right tone of voice into her reading.


Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Everyone needs a good laugh and what is better than a lot of good laughs while reading a very entertaining book. Do You Want to Start a Scandal gave me the laughs and a good story to boot. Once again Tessa Dare manages to write a historical romance that had great characters who cause laugh out moments with their dialog. I loved the mystery attached to the story and the surprise near the end bought on more smiles. Charlotte Hightower is the last of the three Hightower sisters to find their HEA and Piers Brandon, Lord Granville is the perfect match for her.

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Short and Sweet Audio Book Reviews # 45 - Make Me Love You by Johanna Lindsey, Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson, Night Shift by Cahrlaine Harris

Make Me Love You by Johanna Lindsey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I listened to the story from Recorded Books. It caught me attention from the first. I loved Brooke Wentworth and her I will survive and have a better life attitude. Dominic Wolfe was never a total loss even at the first of the story. There was a twist at the end. I anticipated part of the twist but the second part took me by surprise. A nice story using the forced to marry trope. Lindsey managed to include enough new circumstances to make it unique.


Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have seen this series at my library for several years so decided to give it a try. Undead and Unwed is the first book in the series and sets up the world, the backstory, the characters and a nice plot with elements that can carry over and a solution to the big problem in this book. I loved Nancy Wu who performed the book. Betsy Taylor is very snarky and Wu does a great job getting just the right voice for Betsy. If you like vampires this is a good series to start. Davidson gives her vampires a different twist. Betsy has a unique making and thus can do some things others cannot. There are also some really great side characters to add to the story.


Night Shift by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have to start by saying that when I picked the book up to read it just did not catch me and I put it down. I had the opposite reaction to the audio book. I think most of that was thanks to the performer who did the recording. Her timing and pace were perfect for the story and kept me listening. All of the characters were on hand with the addition of at least one new character. Since this is a trilogy a lot is wrapped up in Night Shift. There is enough left unanswered for another book but Harris has said three and no more. I was satisfied with the ending so if there are no more it will be OK>

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Blood and Metal (A Dark Desires Novel) by Nina Croft

Science Fiction Romance

From Goodreads:

She's his last chance for redemption...if she doesn't kill him first.

Copilot of the Blood Hunter, Daisy is a newly-turned vampire, and she's hungry. Really hungry and it's interfering with her plans for revenge. Unfortunately, the only thing that can distract her from said hunger is sex...which is a problem when she can barely refrain from draining any man dry within moments. But old flame Fergal Cain might just be the sexy-assed solution to her problem.

Part human, part cyborg, and with a poison coursing through his system, Fergal's running out of time to find the scientist who has the cure. Unfortunately for him, the misfit crew of the Blood Hunter put a serious kink in his plans. And if the poison doesn't kill him, the hot little vamp he can't resist might do the honors herself.

I always enjoy a visit with the crew of the Blood Hunter.  Daisy has been a part of the crew from the beginning.  When I first met her she was part plant and green.  Now she is dead white and a vampire, a very new and very hungry vampire.  The crew is helping to keep her fed.  Rico is carefully watching her and helping her stay controlled.  He tells her to get laid as that will also help.  Since she is likely to rip the throat out of her partner sex may not be the answer.

Then Fergal Cain returns.  He and Daisy have a past. They reconncect.  Of course there are problems so look for a lot of tension and danger for both. 

While this is Daisy and Fergal’s story there is much more going on.  The crew of the Blood Hunter are going after the Church and this time they plan to finish what they started.  Daisy and Fergal are front and center in the story line.  They get their HEA but not until a lot of action, tension and danger have occurred.

There is a great set up for future stories in this series.  I love the entire crew of the Blood Hunter and now that they are back together I have high hopes for more great adventures. 

Entangled: Select Otherworld published Blood and Metal by Nina Croft in 2015.

I received an ARC of Blood and Metal from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Archangel’s Legion (Guild Hunter #6) by Nalini Singh

Paranormal Romance

What Goodreads Says:

Nalini Singh, the New York Times bestselling “alpha author of paranormal romance” (Booklist) returns to an immortal world of violent passion and lethal power…on the brink of a deadly archangelic war.
Angels are falling from the sky in New York, struck down by a vicious, unknown force.
Vampires are dying impossibly of disease.
Guild hunter Elena Deveraux and the Archangel Raphael must discover the source of the wave of death before it engulfs their city and their people, leaving New York a ruin and Raphael’s Tower under siege by enemy archangels.
Yet even as they fight desperately to save the city, an even darker force is stirring, its chill eyes trained on New York…and on Raphael. Rivers of crimson and nightmares given flesh, the world will never again be the same…

In the sixth book of the Guild Hunter series we are back with Elena (Guild Hunter and newly made angel) and Raphael (the Archangel who made her).  They are under attack and must work against overwhelming odds.

In Archangel’s Legion we get a closer look at the marriage between Elena and Raphael.  Both are such strong characters and that strength brings some conflict between the two.  Elena has to accept that Raphael does not show others the side he shows her.  She has to make sure he understands her commitment to human’s she has know for years.   Characters from previous books are part of the story but the focus is on Elena and Raphael.

The book is filled with tension.  There is a war coming and they are outnumbered.  They are being weakened by disease and other attacks.  Elena is still coping with problems with her family and the new knowledge that is revealed about other hunters in her past.  All of this combines to make an exciting story.  Look for some surprises when the battle finally starts and for enough loose ends to set up the next book due out in 2014.

Archangel’s Legion keeps the Guild Hunter series as exciting as ever and sets the stage for the next book.

Jove published Archangel’s Legion by Nalini Singh in 2013.

Charming (Pax Arcana #1) by Elliott James

Urban Fantasy 

What Goodreads Says:

"John Charming isn't your average Prince...
He comes from a line of Charmings — an illustrious family of dragon slayers, witch-finders and killers dating back to before the fall of Rome. Trained by a modern day version of the Knights Templar, monster hunters who have updated their methods from chainmail and crossbows to kevlar and shotguns, he was one of the best. That is — until he became the abomination the Knights were sworn to hunt.
That was a lifetime ago. Now, he tends bar under an assumed name in rural Virginia and leads a peaceful, quiet life. One that shouldn't change just because a vampire and a blonde walked into his bar... Right?"

Let me start by saying that I loved Charming.  From there let me break down why I loved it.

Worldbuilding:  Charming had some of the most intense worldbuilding I have seen in any book.  Almost every scene and every character had to be explained and it had to be done in a book written in the first person.  This is a set up something I really hate – a lot of time in a characters head with no action just long winded explanations.  That did not happen here.  John Charming the main character did have to do all of the explanations for the world but it was so skillfully done that the story never faltered.  Something needed to be explained and the explanation appeared in the context of the story.  In an interview at the end of the story James stated that he cut put pages and pages about the world and he hated to do it.  He left in just the right amount to keep the story moving and for me to understand the world and the characters.  Very, Very well done.

Characters:  We start with John Charming, one of those Charming who have helped save the world numerous times.  He has problems and they help drive the story.  Sig is the main female characters and is a species that we think are imaginary.  Along with the intense worldbuilding there is some really intense character building in the story.  Much of it is necessary to explain the history of both the two main characters and several of the side characters.  Again everything arrived when needed and did not slow the story down.

Plot:  It is a standard plot.  Evil in the person of the vampires, good from the two main characters and some of the side characters.  A few surprises from some of the characters who are not as good or as evil as expected.  The characters and the worldbuilding take this from just the same old plot to something special.  Some things were settled but this is book one so look for loose ends that will be the focus in book two.

Writing:  This is the first published novel by Elliott James.  He has published numerous short stories in the past.  He is very good.   It takes very good writing skills to have the level of worldbuilding and character development you find in Charming.  The story moved smoothly and the tension built as the story progressed.

I highly recommend Charming.  It was fun, full of tension and had a high quirky content.  All in all a book I had trouble putting down.

Orbit published Charming by Elliott James in 2013. 

I received an ARC of Charming from Netgalley.

Trail of Dead by Melissa E. Olson

Paranormal Mystery/Romance

From Goodreads:

"As a null, Scarlett Bernard possesses a rare ability to counteract the supernatural by instantly neutralizing spells and magical forces. For years she has used her gift to scrub crime scenes of any magical traces, helping the powerful paranormal communities of Los Angeles stay hidden. But after LAPD detective Jesse Cruz discovered Scarlett’s secret, he made a bargain with her: solve a particularly grisly murder case, and he would stay silent about the city’s unearthly underworld.
Now two dead witches are found a few days before Christmas, and Scarlett is once again strong-armed into assisting the investigation. She soon finds a connection between the murders and her own former mentor, Olivia, a null who mysteriously turned into a vampire and who harbors her own sinister agenda. Now Scarlett must revisit her painful past to find Olivia—unless the blood-drenched present claims her life first."

Trail of Dead is the second Scarlett Bernard Novel.  I read and reviewed the first novel, Dead Spots, in October of 2012.

Sometimes a second book is a let down.  That is not true of Trail of Dead.  If anything it is even better that Dead Spots.  One of the things that struck me this time was how two different authors can take the same premise and write books that are completely different.  In the Alexia Tarabotti novels by Gail Carriger Alexia can negate supernatural powers or when near vampires and werewolves they become normal humans.  Scarlett does the same but the stories and characters are completely different.  The fact that it took me two books to even make the comparison is proof of that.

The world building was done in Dead Spots.  The main characters are the same. Jesse, Scarlett and Eli are all part of the story but the focus has moved from Jesse and Eli to Scarlett.  Trail of Dead builds from the foundation laid in Dead Spots.  Again the writing is excellent, the plot well developed, the characters well drawn and tension builds to a satisfying conclusion.  Again, there were some unexpected twists and turns.  This book was based on a problem character from book one.  That character is now gone.  Trail of Dead could be the last Scarlett Bernard Novel but I am hoping that I saw a small set up for the next book.  I will certainly be on the look out and hoping that the series will continue.

Trail of Dead is scheduled for publication June 4, 2013.  I received an advanced reader’s copy review copy of Trail of Dead from Amazon Vine.  You should pre-order your copy now.  At 3.99 for the Kindle edition it is a bargain.

47 North will publish Trail of Dead by Melissa F. Olson in 2013.

Dead Spots by Melissa F. Olson

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Paranormal

Dead Spots is a very good first book and another one I had doubts about until I started reading.  47 North is the publisher and this is another of Amazon’s publishing companies.  I have had mixed results with their books but this one is first rate.

Here is a summary:

A woman with the ability to counteract magic is in a race against time--and the supernatural underworld--to catch a killer before another body drops.

Scarlett Bernard knows about personal space: step within ten feet of her, and any supernatural spells or demonic forces are instantly defused--vampires and werewolves become human again, and witches can't get out so much as a "hocus pocus." This special skill makes her a null and very valuable to Los Angeles's three most powerful magical communities, who utilize her ability to scrub crime scenes clean of all traces of the paranormal to keep humanity, and the LAPD, in the dark.

But one night Scarlett's late arrival to a grisly murder scene reveals her agenda and ends with LAPD's Jesse Cruz tracking her down to strike a deal: he'll keep quiet about the undead underworld if she helps solve the case. Their pact doesn't sit well with Dash, the city's chief bloodsucker, who fears his whole vampire empire is at stake. And when clues start to point to Scarlett, it'll take more than her unique powers to catch the real killer and clear her name.

Here is my opinion on different parts of the book.

Plot:  This is an intricate and complex plot.  It kept me guessing until the very end.  Expect to be surprised.  It even set up the next book in the series in a the context of everything that happened in Dead Spots

World building:  I really liked how the author handled building this world.  Information arrived just when you needed it and in a way that fit into the plot.  I never felt like anything was just dropped in.  Things were revealed in ways that fit and were a part of the story.  This is a paranormal world and it was explained in a logical and believable manner.

Back-story:  There had to be a lot of back-story included in the world building.  There was just enough to allow me to know the what and why of things.  Again it was a part of the story and did not intrude on story flow.

Characters:  There were really three main characters; Scarlett, Jesse and Eli.  Scarlett is the main character.  She is very well-drawn and comes from a difficult back ground, is likeable, and seems to be drifting through life.  Eli is just loveable.  He cares for Scarlett even though she thinks he is just using her.  Jesse on the other hand is the very clean all American type.  There is a slight triangle here.  There are a number of important side characters.  Each had just the right amount of development to fit in the story. 

Writing:  I was really impressed with the writing.  Everything was laid out in a logical manner.  I did not see one place where things did not flow smoothly.  Characters, back-story, world building, tension and plotting all meshed into a smooth whole. 

Tension:  There was plenty of tension in this story.  Scarlett blamed herself of a lot of things in the past causing her a lot of internal tension.  There was the murder and the deadline for solving that ramped up the external tension.  There was the tension between the characters that added to that external tension.  All in all a satisfactory balance between external and internal factors moving the story.

I do not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone who loves paranormal books. Dead Spots is a well- written book that tells an excellent story.

47 North published Dead Spots by Melissa F. Olson in 2012.

Waiting on Wednesday July 25, 2012

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I am waiting on The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires by Molly Harper.  I have this on preorder from Amazon and admit I picked it because I liked the title.  It is released on July 31 but is not due to be shipped until August 3rd.  

Here is what Goodreads says about the book:

Iris Scanlon, Half-Moon Hollow’s only daytime vampire concierge, knows more about the undead than she’d like. Running all their daylight errands—from letting in the plumber to picking up some chilled O neg—gives her a look at the not-so-glamorous side of vampire life. Her rules are strict; relationships with vamps are strictly business, not friendship—and certainly not anything else. But then she finds her newest client, Cal, poisoned on his kitchen floor, and only Iris can help.

Cal - who would be devastatingly sexy, if Iris allowed herself to think that way - offers Iris a hefty fee for hiding him at her place until he figures out who wants him permanently dead. Even though he’s imperious, unfriendly and doesn't seem to understand the difference between "employee" and "servant," Iris agrees, and finds herself breaking more and more of her own rules to help him - particularly those concerning nudity.

Turns out what her quiet little life needed was some intrigue & romance—in the form of her very own stray vampire.

Book Beginnings on Friday, March 2, 2012

Book Beginnings on Friday is a meme hosted by Katy from A Few More Pages. Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include  include the title and author so others know what you're reading.

This was my Waiting on Wednesday book.  It came in the mail Wednesday and I have already finished it.  Timeless by Gail Carriger is the last Alexia Tarabotti novel.  I have to applaud Gail for stopping the series instead of continuing until it got old.  I don't want to spoil the end for anyone but I will say it was a very elegant ending.  Even with that Timeless left me wanting more.  Of course there will be a new series featuring Alexia and Conall's precocious child.

Here is how Timeless begins:

"I said no such thing," grumbled Lord Maccon, allowing himself, begrudgingly, to be trussed in a new evening  jacket."

Here is what Goodreads has to say about Timeless.

 Alexia Tarabotti, Lady Maccon, has settled into domestic bliss. Of course, being Alexia, such bliss involves integrating werewolves into London High society, living in a vampire's second best closet, and coping with a precocious toddler who is prone to turning supernatural willy-nilly. Even Ivy Tunstell's acting troupe's latest play, disastrous to say the least, cannot put a damper on Alexia's enjoyment of her new London lifestyle. 

Until, that is, she receives a summons from Alexandria that cannot be ignored. With husband, child, and Tunstells in tow, Alexia boards a steamer to cross the Mediterranean. But Egypt may hold more mysteries than even the indomitable Lady Maccon can handle. What does the vampire Queen of the Alexandria Hive really want from her? Why is the God-Breaker Plague suddenly expanding? And how has Ivy Tunstell suddenly become the most popular actress in all the British Empire?

Bloody Good by Georgia Evans

Paranormal Romance/Alternate History

Bloody Good is a new take on vampires. Like dragons, pixies and shape changers vampires are one of the Others who still live among normal humans. The time is World War II, the place is a small village outside of London, and the characters are a mix of Others and normal humans. The German’s have dropped vampires in the area with the goal of helping the German invasion of England. Things don’t go as planned thanks to the mix of Othersand humans already living in the area. They do whatever it takes to protect home and country.

With a great cast of characters and good world building Bloody Good is a enjoyable story. Georgia Evans takes the time to develop both the characters and the differences between our world and the alternate history world in Bloody Good. The pacing is not rushed allowing the reader to savor the story. The details also set the scene for the next books in the series. Currently there are two additional books;,Bloody Awful and Bloody Right.

Kensington Fantasy published Bloody Good by Georgia Evans in 2009.