November 18, 2012

RISEN: A SUPERNATURAL THRILLER by Jan Strnad

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3 out of 5 stars

What I liked about this novel was that it managed to hold my interest clear through to the end. So many novels I pick up now days don’t. With Risen: A Supernatural Thriller, I struggled some with the slow beginning and there were a few areas where the pace lagged unnecessarily (and I started to skim), but once the action got started, I breezed straight through to the end. It managed to do what a good horror is supposed to do in my opinion—give me the heebie-jeebies and keep me guessing about what exactly is going on to an interesting/surprise ending. I like zombie stories and I considered this one a zombie story with a HUGE twist.

The story is told through multiple points of view, which would usually bother me, but in this case I felt it worked. Instead of the story revolving around one or two characters, it took in all the residence of a small town named Anderson. Though there were several areas where head hopping was going on, for the most part the multiple points of view helped me to keep a name with a face and personality rather than two dimensional stick figures. The town of Anderson might not be huge, but we are still following a rather large group of people. Multiple points of view helped me understand how they related to one another before the trouble began.

What I didn’t like so much were too many unanswered questions left hanging. I liked how the antagonist was dealt with, but I never really understood where Seth originated from or how he got the power to resurrect these dead bodies in the first place. Theories were brought up, but never a satisfactory answer given. I didn’t understand the motive behind the killings. What did Seth have in mind once all the residents were under his control? Why was it important for certain individuals to kill particular people when others could kill anyone they wanted? I was made to feel certain individuals were killed for a reason, but the reason was never brought up again. An example would be the nudists. A lot of pages were given to the killing of these people and then nothing more after they rose. I had more questions, but they didn’t bother me as much as not understanding who Seth was and the motive behind his frightening actions.

There is much more to this story than your typical reanimated corpse. If the questionable areas had been made clearer, and more care taken with editing of punctuation and grammar to help tighten the text, I would have happily given this a five star rating over three. Perhaps there is a sequel planned in the near future and my questions will be answered there (I’m hoping anyway). I’ll look forward to reading more work by Jan Strnad.

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November 6, 2012

SOUL SEDUCER by Alicia Dean

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2 out of 5 stars

To be honest I had a tough time connecting with the first part of Soul Seducer. I was drawn to the story because the premise sounded like something new and exciting. Dimitri is a reaper, a tortured soul who falls in love with Audra Greyson, a woman who is still alive. Another reaper, Gaylen, has a vendetta against Dimitri for a wrong committed when they were both still alive. He plans to take Audra before her assigned time to die to keep her bound to him forever and out of Dimitri’s reach.

All the necessary elements for a great romance are here, but the execution doesn’t come through well. I found Audra extremely hard to relate to. I felt her reactions to Dimitri were off key. Since she is a nurse by profession, Audra should understand better than most that death is a part of life; we can’t have one without the other. It is Dimitri’s job to escort the souls of those who die to their reward, or punishment. He is not the one to actually kill these people so I couldn’t understand why she wanted to blame him for their loss. Since Audra didn’t come across as all that interesting or likable to me, I needed to understand better why Dimitri loved her. Part of me actually hoped he’d just turn and walk away, let Gaylen take her.

Gaylen, our evil counterpart to Dimitri, is out to claim Audra for himself, not because he loves her, but because he wants to take her from Dimitri and keep her away from him forever. Gaylen was a great character and came across better than the others. If not for my interest in him I might not have finished the story. I felt the author had fun working with Gaylen and it showed in how he came across on the pages.

All through the story I found myself questioning how a person became a reaper in the first place. At first I thought it might be because they had to atone for some past transgression in life, but other characters became reapers after death and didn’t appear to have committed any unsavory deeds. There were more people becoming reapers after death than there were souls being taken to their reward, which made me think eventually there would be more reapers than living people on the planet.

There were a lot of areas where the story strayed away from the main plotline. I found most of them to be a distraction and ended up skimming to get back on track. I would rather have learned more about Dimitri in his life before he became a reaper and less about minor characters not connected to him. I also craved much more from Audra in connection to Dimitri as a lover and less on his job as a reaper.

The novel could have used two or three more passes by an editor to help polish before publishing. I wanted to give it three stars but couldn’t quite justify it because of editing issues. Though the beginning didn’t catch my attention well, I did find the last half to be much better. I wanted to hang around to learn what happened. It wasn’t an altogether unsatisfactory ending, but I would have liked an epilogue to find out where they ended up.

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November 4, 2012

STONE LOVER by A.C. Warneke

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3 out of 5 stars

I received this novel free for the purpose of an honest review. Though it is a typical paranormal romance (gargoyles instead of vampires or werewolves) I enjoyed it. It was fast and fun. I read pretty much straight through from start to finish. If you are searching for depth of plot in other areas, Stone Lover probably won’t be your cup of tea. The focus of this story is centered strictly around the romance between Melanie and the gargoyle Vaughn.

The beginning left me a bit lost. Melanie is in the process of moving into a new building and decides to go up to the roof. I ran into my first problem when she had to walk through an apartment separate from her own to get there. I wasn’t sure how she even got inside to walk through. Description of her apartment, and the one she walked through to get to the roof, could have been better to give a clearer picture in my mind. Once on the roof she spots three gargoyles and becomes fascinated with one in particular. I found it a bit hard to suspend disbelief when Melanie decides to give a hand job to one of them. I love all types of romance, but didn’t really buy this part.

Later on that night she meets the gargoyle in his human form at a club and they begin a sexual relationship almost immediately. I enjoy paranormal romance, so this part didn’t bother me. The rest of the novel follows the usual pattern for this type of story—human woman falls for a gorgeous man of a different species and they have to find a way to make it work out. Most of the story is fairly predictable and I didn’t hit any real surprises. There is one uncomfortable place involving a small child sitting in the lap of one of the gargoyles that I could have done without, but overall Stone Lover was an enjoyable read and I’ll likely pick up the next one in the series. I wanted to give this story four stars but there were a few too many editing issues to overlook and so I dropped it to three. Another round or two with an editor to help pick up typos and punctuation issues would have been appreciated by this reader.

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October 12, 2012

A SHADOW OF TIME by Louann Carroll

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5 out of 5 stars

A Shadow of Time by Louann Carroll was a little different story from my usual read. I seldom have dreams about novels I’m reading, but this one must have hit a nerve. It scared me. Of course, I like someone to try to scare me. 🙂

Kellyn O’Brien has just been widowed, has a young son, and is four months pregnant. Not a position most young women would want to find themselves in. On top of that, she learns her husband lied to her from the start about his family. He told Kellyn he’d been adopted, the same as she had been. After he dies, Kellyn is left pretty much penniless, but she soon learns her son has inherited her husband’s family home. After the shock wears off she learns she could be set up pretty much for life with both children, all she has to do is move into Shadow Ley, a large home located in the California foothills, with her children. Doesn’t seem like much of a hardship, until she gets there.

Shadow Ley is not what it first appears. There is strange goings on there, such as rooms that magically clean themselves, furniture and floors repaired right in front of them. And there could be a djinn living beneath the enormous home named Shenahobet, a guardian of sorts, and he might have evil in mind where Kellyn, her kids, and her new friends, are concerned. Kellyn and her friends soon learn they have more in common than they thought even. All of them have experienced strange dreams about past lives, but after Kellyn’s arrival what were once only strange dreams become realistic visions during the daylight hours. Everyone is at a loss as to the meaning behind them.

A Shadow of Time is a novel one has to pay close attention to because of all the different twists and turns we take, not only in the present, but with lives they may have lived in the past. How much of their past lives are connected to the present, or even the future? Shadow Ley and Shenahobet are the connection Kellyn needs to figure out before one or all of them ends up hurt or killed. Somewhere in the past a wrong was done and if they don’t find a way to correct it, these friends are destined to keep reliving it over and over again. I enjoyed this story and the twists and turns involved as it escalates toward a surprise ending.

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September 27, 2012

SHADOWBORN by Jocelyn Adams

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5 out of 5 stars

I received an advanced copy of Shadowborn from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

Shadowborn is the second novel in the Lila Gray trilogy. Lila is the Seelie queen who began her journey in The Glass Man while still living in the human realm. She now finds herself in a bit over her head trying to unite the Seelie and Unseelie courts when both sides hate each other. One of her biggest obstacles to find a way around began in the first novel when she fell in love with the Seelie king, Liam. It’s a problem because making their love public knowledge could easily get one or both of them killed. Talk about an emotional rollercoaster ride. I loved both of these novels. By the time I finished Shadowborn I’d become one hundred percent emotionally involved with Lila, her man troubles, and her trying to stay alive by keeping one step ahead of the bad guys trouble. Whew! I’m not going to give anything away because you need to read it yourself, but when we hit one particularly heartbreaking spot (and you’ll know it when you get there) this reader broke down and started blubbering like a baby. I ended up hiding out in the bedroom so no one would see me, kindle in one hand, box of Kleenex in the other.

What I most enjoy about Jocelyn Adams’ writing is her ability to not only bring the romance to full Technicolor life with her characters, but to provide a plot that is both complex and satisfying. It managed to keep this reader always slightly off balance, which of course, kept me turning those pages until I reached the end. It was easy to suspend disbelief and imagine putting myself in Lila’s place, wondering what I would’ve done if faced with her challenges. I really can’t give this novel any less than five stars. It provided everything I could hope to find when choosing a paranormal romance and more. I can’t imagine anyone who has the same tastes in novels not loving it as much as I did. I can’t wait for the third one, though I might need this time to recover. My heart came very close to breaking on this one.

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September 22, 2012

THE DEVIL’S BED by Doug Lamoreux

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5 out of 5 stars

There is nothing I like better than to sit down with a good horror story and let a writer try to scare me. I think horror is one of the more difficult genres to get right. It’s difficult to find an author who not only knows how to build tension to keep the reader hooked, but also sense when relief is needed from all the blood and gore so we don’t become desensitized. With that said, Doug Lamoreux’s The Devil’s Bed presented interesting characters, who were all shown as real people with both strengths and weaknesses. It was easy to suspend disbelief and imagine myself in their midst, sharing in their fear.

The story begins with college student Brandy and her best friend Vicki taking a tour of a castle in France. Bored, Vicki allows herself to be led away from the group by one of the local boys. He ends up assaulting her on unhallowed ground by the graves of 14th Century Templar Knights who had been burned for witchcraft. When Brandy and the rest of the people on the tour can’t find Vicki, they are forced to leave without her. The boy who assaulted her is among those on the bus, but remains silent about what he’s done. When Vicki is knocked out, she hits her head on one of the crypts and her blood leaks inside where it is absorbed into the skeletal remains of the Templar Knight inside. Awakened from his long sleep, he rises and then uses Vicki’s blood to raise the others. They are all thirsty for blood and immediately begin their search for new victims.

Brandy finds herself the leader of locals (including a priest) from a nearby town as they struggle to find a way to defeat the bloodthirsty Knights. They must band together if they want any hope of putting them back in their graves, permanently the second time. There are several great areas in the story that work to add depth, such as the demonized horses that rise with the Knights so they can ride again in search of victims. I loved it. An exciting, fun read for all those like me who crave a good scare. I know I’ll be watching for more novels in the near future by Doug Lemoreux.

Posted by on September 22, 2012 in Archives and tagged , , , , .

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September 15, 2012

THE JUDAS SYNDROME by Michael Poelti

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3 out of 5 stars

I almost decided to pass on writing up this review because I had such mixed feelings about the novel. I actually started and stopped reading about three times before I finally finished. It wasn’t any one thing that bothered me, but a combination of several. It should have, and could have, been a great story. I’ve always enjoyed reading survival types and surviving a nuclear war would certainly be a tough one. Many possibilities for potential problems to crop up.

So we have a group of teenagers who decided to go camping on the perfect weekend to miss out on the big bang. But they return home to total chaos. This part was okay, even the three-legged skunk that makes an occasional appearance. At this point details start to get a bit sticky for me. I think it might have been different if the connection to the main character Joel could have been stronger, which is surprising when it comes to a first person narrative. Instead of living inside Joel’s head I felt like I was being told what he was thinking, leaving me emotionally detached. His fear and confusion didn’t jump across the pages to me. With no real connection to the main character there wasn’t a lot of hope for more with the others. Jake was probably the only one I somewhat cared about and this was because I could relate to the flaws in his personality. He became real. The others did not. Each character should have had a specific place in the story, but all of them could easily have traded places and I wouldn’t have known the difference.

Some of what these kids did came across as realistic, but unfortunately, a lot of it didn’t. I felt fixes to problems were thrown in for convenience to make things easier for the author. A couple of examples: they just happen to walk into a barn and find everything they need there to grow their own food. After a nuclear war, growing food is going to be a problem, hunger a huge issue. It could have been used to add depth to the story, but instead they are handed an easy way out. Then, when they start to run out of fuel needed to keep the household and vehicles going, they just happen to run into a semi truck filled with the stuff. My reaction was, “Really, seriously.” It sorely tested my ability to suspend disbelief.

But, even after all of these problem areas, and the months it took me to actually finish, I ended the first novel curious about where the second one would lead. I’d like to learn whether the remaining friends grow closer together or continue to fall apart. For that reason I’ll give it a three star rating rather than the two I was leaning toward and hope for better in the second one. Bottom line—a so-so story, not great, but certainly not bad. The writing itself is fairly good and this probably helped me overlook some of the problems. I might not make a sprint toward the second one, but I will read it.

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September 4, 2012

AWAKE KING ARTHUR by Glen Batchelor

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5 out of 5 stars

Minor spoiler points in review.

This is one of the most unusual novels I’ve ever read, and I mean this in a good way.  We’ve all grown up with the legends about King Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot, Guinevere, and of course, the famous sword Excalibur, but I bet no one has read this version.  Most have heard how Mordred—Arthur’s greatest enemy—was able to deliver Arthur a killing blow at the same time Arthur used Excalibur to strike down Mordred. It would appear both of these men were destined to die. But what if instead, Merlin used his great magical power to put Arthur into a deep sleep? It could raise all sorts of interesting questions, one of which we read about in this novel.

After sending Arthur into a deep magical sleep, Merlin spends the next fifteen hundred years being reincarnated over and over again, though not as human until the last. At one time or another he has been just about every kind of living thing known to man, including leaves, worms, and of course, an assortment of animals. During these many long years Merlin has had several bad experiences from the teeth and claw end of cats and he has learned to hate them with a passion. I don’t want to give too much away, but Merlin’s intense dislike of cats will play an important (and amusing) part of the whole story.

I thought it was clever on the author’s part to have each of the important characters from King Arthur’s past come together again when Arthur awakes after his enchanted sleep. We meet up again with modern-day versions of Lancelot, Guinevere, Merlin, and even Excalibur—only the famous sword is no longer a sword, having been broken during his last battle with Mordred. Merlin must weave his magic once again and molds the broken pieces of Excalibur into an electric guitar. Only Arthur is able to play the magical chord that can influence people when he joins up with a punk rock band, until our modern day Lancelot gets hold of another version of Excalibur, one with an evil chord that could work to change everything if he’s allowed to play it. Even Mordred makes another appearance, nothing changed about his evil objective.

All in all I have to say I had a lot of fun reading this quirky re-telling of an old legend.  It is a fast, fun, creative tale that I can easily see both adults and YA readers enjoying. It brought me back to the days when I was more willing to set my imagination free and run with the characters as I turned those pages.

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August 31, 2012

GENESIS By Christie Rich

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4.5 out of 5 stars

Genesis by Christie Rich is the third novel in this series about an Elemental named Rayla Tate. So far it has been my favorite. In “Five” the first of this series, we are introduced to Rayla, who is an Elemental, or one who can manipulate the elements. She was raised in the dark about Elementals and the fae realm she’d soon get thrown into. We are also introduced to four fae lords, all of who are hoping to win Rayla’s heart and convince her to bond with them. The first novel wasn’t action packed, but I did enjoy a lot of the world building and the beginnings of a romance. It was a fair set up to the next in line “Dark Matter”.

In the second novel we learn more about each fae lord as Rayla tries to choose which one to bond with. We also meet a new one here. Action was better in this second novel, as well as the characters behaving in a more believable manner. Editing in the first novel wasn’t the best, a few typos and such tripped me up more than I would have liked. “Dark Matter” had fewer problems and for the most part I enjoyed it.

In Genesis we find the characters developed even more. I found myself able to connect with the main character in a way that I had not in the first two. The tension is held well from start to finish and the action is better in my opinion. There weren’t as many slow spots that tended to make the text drag. It should be enough for those who want more than straight romance in their stories, though things are definitely still hot between Rayla and the lords here. The romance part has been a high positive for me in all three novels and is what first caught and held my attention in “Five” and “Dark Matter”. I personally don’t mind a small lag in action if it helps to build up the romance part of things. I believe there is a balance in this third novel that wasn’t in the first two.

If I had to pick a downside to this series, and especially in book three, it is Rayla’s constant questioning of the lord she finally ends up choosing. (You’ll have to read for yourself to learn which one.) I actually found myself getting irritated with her a few times. I didn’t mind problems cropping up to keep the two apart, but I didn’t like her constant questioning of his motives. I wanted her to grow up, take charge of her life, and stop acting so confused. But, all in all, this was a minor point and not enough to make me stop reading. I would like to give Genesis 4.5 stars but half stars aren’t available. I think Christie Rich is getting better with each novel and I’m definitely looking forward to book four.

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August 23, 2012

DARK MATTER by Christie Rich

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Four out of five stars

Dark Matter is the second in a great new series by author Christie Rich. I have found the story so far to be a fast, fun, and an interesting new take on the world of fae. Definitely high on the sexual tension scale for all you hopeless romantics like me.

So recap book one—Rayla finds out she is an Elemental, or one who can influence the elements. But there is a catch. She needs to bond with one of the fae lords before she can gain access to her power. Enter four hot men who are all trying to win Rayla over to them, only she’s not sure she wants to be tied to any of them.

Dark Matter finds two of her prospective lovers caught, tortured, and held captive on an island in order to lure Rayla in. It seems there is a group of people who have been experimenting with Elementals through genetics and they have plans to impregnate her in hopes of producing the first male Elemental. They figure she will eventually show up to try to rescue her two favorite fae lords and when she does they can trap her the same way they trapped the lords. This part is interesting and kept the tension level up throughout the story. Rayla also manages to gain access to some of her power without having to bond with one of the lords.

In the first novel I had a lot of trouble connecting with Rayla in a believable way when it came to some of her thoughts and actions. Relationships with family and friends were shallow and didn’t come across well, sometimes downright irritating. Minor characters tended to be two dimensional and flat. There were also quite a few typos and punctuation errors that tended to trip me up. In this second novel both of these problems improved a great deal. I still have trouble connecting with Rayla in some of her actions, but I was more willing to forgive her in this second story. Her relationship with her best friend Cassie is coming across better and I loved watching her relationship with Heath develop (a hot new lord). I’m not so sure I’d be so wishy-washy about choosing one of them, but this is not a fault in the story, only a difference of opinion.

Bottom line—I enjoyed the novel quite a lot. The first one pricked my interest and this one worked to build on it. I very much look forward to book three and I’m hoping Rayla will make up her mind soon and choose one of the guys because she’s driving me as crazy as she is them. For all you fantasy romance lovers out there, this one is well worth your time and dollars. They remind me a little bit of Laurell K Hamilton’s Meredith Gentry series, though thankfully without all the graphic sex.

 

 

Posted by on August 23, 2012 in Archives and tagged , , , , , , .

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