BeastAuthor: Jamie Sullivan Title: Beast Series: None Genre: Paranormal Pairing: M/M, Bi Rating: Three Petals On the Author's Website: https://jamiesullivanbooks.wordpress.com/my-books/ Summary: The very last thing Beau expects to land on his desk is the story of the year: the location of the missing scumbag rockstar Gabriel Fletcher. Eager for the chance at a story that could make his career, he heads off immediately for the remote mansion where Gabriel is rumored to be hiding. But the questions he seeks to ask bring answers he never could have expected... Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Beau's a reporter looking to make his mark in journalism, so when he's handed the story of the missing rockstar Gabriel, he jumps at the chance for an interview. Except, when he arrives where Gabriel is supposed to be hiding, what he finds instead might just end his life, let alone his career. I'm of two minds about this story. On the one hand, it's a cute, fairy tale themed story about a beast and a lovely and open minded human that is forced to stay in the beast's home. I do think the story was a very interesting retelling of Beauty and the Beast. On the other hand, this story is classic Stockholm syndrome with the hero falling in love with his captor. I do admit the captor never mistreated Beau, but the growing love between them felt a little awkward at times. The one real complaint I have about this story is the magic. Obviously there is a magical beast and some sort of spell that made him, but the details of how the magic works or the extent of magic in the world were never provided. It feels like an afterthought thrown in because there had to be some explanation for the existence of the beast. A little more detail would have greatly improved the overall world building in this story. Maggie's Recommendation: I will only recommend this story to people that already enjoy The Beauty and the Beast. Those that think B&tB is a Stockholm syndrome story will likely not enjoy this one either. I also had issues with the lack of detail regarding the magic, but overall I thought it was cute.
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FlamecallerAuthor: Caitlin Ricci Title: Flamecaller Series: None Genre: High Fantasy Pairing: M/M Rating: Two Petals On the Author's Website: https://www.caitlinricci.com/ Summary: When the emperor has his father killed, it's the breaking point for Haruo, who sets out from the island of dragon shifters where he lives in search of revenge. The tournament being held to marry off the emperor's son seems like a perfect opportunity—what better way to get close to the father than through the son, afterall. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. After being forced to watch his father's execution, Haruo knows it's his turn to take on his family's legacy. He needs to kill the emperor in order to save his island. Then he learns about an upcoming tournament where the winner can choose a bride for the emperor's son and Haruo hatches a plot to accomplish his mission. I really liked the world building in this story. The island and the voices of the island combined with the anguish of the island because of the actions of the emperor was a really interesting premise. Unfortunately, the story doesn't live up to that premise at all. The lack of explanation hurt the story the most. After reading this story I still don't have any idea why there are dragon shifters, why the island is alive, or even why the emperor's presence on the island is having such a negative effect on it. Given all of that was the entire base of the story, having the answers left out made this story almost unreadable. Basically, Ricci needed to double the length of this story. Talking the time to actually flesh out the full plot, and to let the characterizations actually grow, would have helped this story immensely. Maggie's Recommendation: While the premise of this story had promise, unfortunately the story didn't live up to it. The lack of descriptions and the lack of time taken to properly flesh out the story meant the promise of the world building just wasn't realized. I therefore cannot recommend this story. Lake Silence Author: Anne Bishop Title: Lake Silence Series: The Others Genre: Dark Fantasy Pairing: M/F Rating: Four Petals On the Author's website: https://www.annebishop.com/b.lake.silence.html Summary: Human laws do not apply in the territory controlled by the Others–vampires, shapeshifters, and paranormal beings even more deadly. And this is a fact that humans should never, ever forget . . . After her divorce, Vicki DeVine took over a rustic resort near Lake Silence, in a human town that is not human controlled. Towns like Vicki’s have no distance from the Others, the dominant predators that rule most of the land and all of the water throughout the world. And when a place has no boundaries, you never really know what’s out there watching you. Vicki was hoping to find a new career and a new life. But when her lodger, Aggie Crowe–one of the shapeshifting Others–discovers a dead body, Vicki finds trouble instead. The detectives want to pin the man’s death on her, despite the evidence that nothing human could have killed the victim. As Vicki and her friends search for answers, things get dangerous–and it’ll take everything they have to stay alive. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Vicki hoped to start over with her resort and a new beginning to her life. It's slow going, but she's making progress, that is until one of her boarders finds a dead body. The ensuing investigation throws every one of her plans into disarray, but with the Others lurking around every corner, Vicki knows that surviving to the next day without being eaten might be impossible. This story reads a bit as a "what if?" novel. What if a regular human with no magic and no history with the Others is suddenly exposed to them. It's basically an experiment to see what the original series could have been like if Meg (the main character from that series) had been a regular human. You have the same story line of Vicki trying to figure out how she fits in with the Others, the cops figuring that out too, and the bad guy arrogant enough to not be capable of understanding the Others at all. It's all the same as Written in Red, except for the fact that it's patently not. Vicki is a completely unique and interesting character and the way she approaches the Others reflects her own personality. It was definitely the characterizations as a whole that gave this so-similar plot enough uniqueness to stand apart as its own novel. Maggie's Recommendation: This glimpse into another aspect of the world and all the various creatures that inhabit it was still very interesting despite the sameness of the overall plot to the original Others series. I completely enjoyed reading it and absolutely recommend it. The Dragon's Legacy Author: Robin White Title: The Dragon's Legacy Series: None Genre: Fantasy Pairing: M/M Rating: One Petal On the Author's Website: No website Summary: Valgaforis wants to be left in peace. And if he must be bothered, he would prefer goblins to humans. But these humans come searching for something that sounds like it just might help him figure out what happened to the rest of his kind. He can tolerate some bothersome humans for a little while to answer that burning question. Things just seem to keep going wrong for Alessio. While on the hunt for the regalia of his bloodline, which will finally secure him the throne, he stumbles across Erik, who's somehow already discovered the dragon cave Alessio seeks. Erik, a native of the Northland, offers to help, and Alessio gratefully accepts, despite the unexpected complications added to his already difficult journey. Along the way they encounter spirits, hobs, a river bride, and even trolls. In fact, the only thing they don't seem to encounter is the dragon Alessio expected to find when they finally reach their destination... Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Valgaforis is lonely until a bunch of humans invade his home. He decides to follow them in order to answer the mystery of what happened to the rest of the dragons, except the journey he begins might not ever end. This doesn't happen a lot, but I just couldn't finish this book. I couldn't even get into it. I can't say whether I might have even liked the plot or the characterizations because I couldn't muster the will to read far enough to get an honest opinion about this story. Every single word in this story falls under the disappointing cliche of "telling instead of showing". There's no emotion, no build up, and nothing to draw my interest. Maggie's Recommendation: Given I couldn't finish this book because of the very poor writing, I can't recommend it. Iron and Magic Author: Ilona Andrews Title: Iron and Magic Series: The Iron Covenant 1 Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Pairing: M/F Rating: Four Petals On the Authors' Website: http://www.ilona-andrews.com/series/iron-covenant/ Summary: No day is ordinary in a world where Technology and Magic compete for supremacy…But no matter which force is winning, in the apocalypse, a sword will always work. Hugh d’Ambray, Preceptor of the Iron Dogs, Warlord of the Builder of Towers, served only one man. Now his immortal, nearly omnipotent master has cast him aside. Hugh is a shadow of the warrior he was, but when he learns that the Iron Dogs, soldiers who would follow him anywhere, are being hunted down and murdered, he must make a choice: to fade away or to be the leader he was born to be. Hugh knows he must carve a new place for himself and his people, but they have no money, no shelter, and no food, and the necromancers are coming. Fast. Elara Harper is a creature who should not exist. Her enemies call her Abomination; her people call her White Lady. Tasked with their protection, she's trapped between the magical heavyweights about to collide and plunge the state of Kentucky into a war that humans have no power to stop. Desperate to shield her people and their simple way of life, she would accept help from the devil himself—and Hugh d’Ambray might qualify. Hugh needs a base, Elara needs soldiers. Both are infamous for betraying their allies, so how can they create a believable alliance to meet the challenge of their enemies? As the prophet says: “It is better to marry than to burn.” Hugh and Elara may do both. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Hugh is a shadow of himself now that his master has abandoned him, but that doesn't mean the men he personally trained don't still rely on him. In an effort to save them, Hugh knows he must find them a defensible home. Elara is something not quite human, but she isn't enough to keep her people safe without help. Meeting Hugh could save her people, just as she can provide safe haven for Hugh's, but their forces combined together still might not be enough to save them. I really, really enjoyed reading this story. Hugh is a nonredeemable character known for his cruelty and generally being truly evil. Somehow the authors managed to not only explain his past behavior, but did so in a way that doesn't sweep it under the rug. Hugh confronting his past and admitting his failures humanizes him in a way I didn't think could be possible. I ended up actually liking him by the end of the book. Elara is a different matter. I liked her from the beginning, however her past is still shrouded in mystery. I'm assuming she'll be better explained in a later book, but I feel like I wasn't able to get to know her as well as Hugh because of those unanswered questions. The only thing about this book that disappointed me was the world building. This story relies almost entirely on my having read the Kate Daniels series to explain why the world is they way it is. I understand rehashing everything that Kate has learned about the world over ten books just isn't possible, but a bit more description on the shift and on some of the creatures now inhabiting the world would have been helpful. Maggie's Recommendation: The way the authors were able to humanize someone like Hugh, who I didn't think was actually redeemable, was remarkable. I could have used a bit more world building, but overall I definitely loved reading this book. I absolutely recommend it, but I suggest you read the Kate Daniels series first so you understand everything that happens in this story. Dark Visions Author: L.J. Hamlin Title: Dark Visions Series: Visions 2 Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Pairing: M/M Rating: Two Petals On the Author's Website: http://www.ljhamlin.com/ljs-books/ Summary: Ronan and Dustin have been dating for a year, since dealing with the sanguis demon that brought them together. They've been working at Ronan's detective agency together and when a case comes up in New Orleans they decide after the case is concluded they'll take a well-earned break. But the simple case they thought they'd taken on instead proves to be a complicated nightmare. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Ronan and Dustin are headed to New Orleans for a case they hope will be quick. They're looking forward to spending an extra few days there on vacation together, except the easy case turns out to be anything but easy. In fact, it could be deadly. I do admit that the overall plot was interesting. I liked the introduction of new creatures to the world building and I did enjoy the continued growth of the relationship between Ronan and Dustin. That said, there wasn't much else I liked. For one, we barely got to know Ronan and Dustin in the last book and suddenly they're going to a new city. We learned that Dustin had moved to be closer to Ronan and that Ronan had rearranged his life for Dustin, but their planning a vacation together was a bit sudden. The plot wasn't bad, but it would have worked better for a third book. I also had issues with the writing style. Writing in the present tense is a risk and I don't think the risk paid off for this series. It's really difficult to read writing in the present tense and speaking in the past. The style also naturally detracts from the emotional aspects of the story, which made their relationship and their reactions to the plot feel a touch unrealistic. Maggie's Recommendation: While I liked the overall plot, I didn't feel like it was organized in the timeline properly. I also had issues with the writing style. This story wasn't bad, but I don't feel like I can recommend it. What Fate Portends Author: Clara Coulson Title: What Fate Portends Series: The Frost Arcana Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Pairing: M/F Rating: Four Petals On the Author's Website: https://claracoulson.com/what-fate-portends Summary: Seven years ago, the exposure of the paranormal led to the tumultuous downfall of human society. Now, the legions of the fae rule the broken world, and humanity has nothing left but a handful of protected cities and a heaping helping of regret. Enter Vincent Whelan. Half fae and former cop, he's become the best-known stretch scavenger in Kinsale, North Carolina, braving the "stretches" outside his city to recover precious items lost in the collapse. He makes good money. Lives the good life. Has a good future in store. As long as he can ignore his traumatic memories of the past. But when a new job with an odd twist blows onto his doorstep, Vince finds himself unwittingly drawn into a vast conspiracy lurking underneath Kinsale's thin veneer of civilization. Old friends suddenly return to haunt him. New enemies appear at every turn. And Vince fears he isn't prepared to confront either one. But if he doesn't put his detective hat back on and solve this case on a tight deadline, then what's left of the city he calls home might just crumble to dust. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via the author in exchange for an honest review. Vincent is a stretch scavenger, which means he travels through dangerous territory in order to retrieve precious items, for a cost of course. When he's offered a new job the lure of the money entices him to accept, but once he starts working on it, Vince quickly realizes not only has he been tricked, but he might just be in for the fight of his life. The world building in this story was really interesting. The fae had to step in to save Earth, which set off an eternal winter and brought magic and magical creatures into the limelight. I could see the amount of thought and planning that went into every aspect of the new society that resulted, as well as the repercussions for humans and fae alike. I also really enjoyed the characterizations. Vince and Saoirse were each unique characters that just worked well together. If I had one complaint, it was that this story absolutely read like the first book of a series. There were a lot of purposefully unanswered questions, some of which are a touch cliffhanger-y, left in this story. It sets up the next book very nicely, but I could have used a bit more closure and a few more answered questions in this story to really round out my full understanding of the characters and the situation they're in. Maggie's Recommendation: I really enjoyed this story. The world building and characterizations were very well done and incredibly engaging. I could have used a few more questions answered by the end of the story, but it really only made me anticipate the next book in this series even more. I definitely recommend this book. Fighting for You Author: Megan Derr Title: Fighting for You Series: Lifesworn 2 Genre: High Fantasy Pairing: Poly, M/M/M Rating: Three Petals On the Author's Website: http://maderr.com/?page_id=31 Summary: All Penli wants to be is left alone. After nearly a decade of blood and violence, and a lifetime of enduring his cold, ambitious family, it’s almost a relief to be practically alone in the middle of a desert kingdom with no way to return home because of the warrant out for his arrest. The very last thing he needs is to be consumed by a fit of honor and nobility—but he would much rather die than ever see the two sweet, intriguing men who cross his path forced apart, one to be thrown to the streets, the other to marry a malicious bully Penli has despised for years. Though he means only to free them, having no desire to marry after barely escaping one unwanted marriage, with each passing day Penli fears the only thing more difficult than throwing his life away will be resisting the urge to build a new one with two men he barely knows. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Penli can't return home because of the warrant out for his arrest, but he can't settle in to his new home either. He's lonely, so he decides to spend a night with a wonderful pair of strangers that cross his path. Then he realizes just who those strangers are and he can't help hatching a plan to save them. Except, saving them might mean he loses them forever. The characterizations were the best part of this story. Penli's inner narrative as he tried to find his place in his new life was incredibly well written. I also liked how he interacted with Teia and Sendaar. It was sweet how he tried to save them and how their relationship progressed. I did find the overall plot to the series difficult to follow. Penli was a minor, but important character from book one and his actions in that book are what led him to this new city. Unfortunately, the author never bothered to even gently rehash any of that history. It had been so long since I read book one that I spent much of Fighting for You trying to figure out who Penli was and why he was in exile. I ended up having to stop reading this book to go reread book one, which shouldn't have been necessary. It detracted from my overall enjoyment of the story. Maggie's Recommendation: The characterizations in this story were extremely well written. I loved how the depth of the characters allowed for the romance to really blossom. However, the author neglected to remind the reader of what happened to Penli in book one of this series. While I do recommend this book, I suggest you reread book one first so you won't be confused. Dragon Magic Author: Megan Derr Title: Dragon Magic Series: None Genre: High Fantasy Pairing: M/M, Poly (M/M/M/M), Trans Rating: Three Petals On the Author's Website: http://maderr.com/ Summary: Four strangers. A shared moment long forgotten. A bond forged in desperation. On the first day of the Festival of Counting, the beginning of the royal census that takes place every ten years, the royal city is filled to overflowing. Everyone is happy, excited, and proud to be counted amongst those who live in the glorious kingdom of Orhanis. Then a demon strikes, killing thousands in mere seconds and leveling the city. As the royal castle burns, only four men remain to drive the demon away—and in their desperation, accidentally bind themselves together in a legendary Oath, unable to part ways until they find and kill the demon once and for all. Mahzan, the King's Jester, an orphan who clawed his way to the top and hides a fearsome magic... Sule, the notorious North Captain, who sacrificed everything to live as a strong, capable, highly respected man... Cemal, a priest who traveled the continent bent on revenge and now lives lost... and Binhadi, the mercurial shadow mage with a dark history and bloody ties to the throne... Four men used to standing apart, standing alone, who must learn to stand together if they hope to save themselves and all of Orhanis. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. When a terrible creature destroys the kingdom, four men are forced together in order to survive. The inadvertent magical bond that permanently connects them can only be severed by killing the creature, so they set out on a journey, only to realize that what they left behind might be even worse. I loved the characterizations in this story. Mahzan, Sule, Cemal, and Binhadi were each their own unique person with individual quirks and traits that meant I could tell them apart very easily. How they interacted with each other was also different between each one. For example, how Mahzan interacted with Sule was completely different from how he interacted with Cemal. They are what made this story interesting to read and are why I finished this book. The plot in this story was the weakest one Derr has released in a very long time. It rambled and stalled at unpredictable moments, dragged on at times in ways that bored me, and overall just wasn't very interesting. This story could easily have been half the length and would have still conveyed all the important plot points. I also thought the ending was a bit of a cop out written almost as if Derr was planning a sequel instead of this being a stand alone novel. Maggie's Recommendation: The characterizations were phenomenal as always, but the plot dragged and was overall boring. While I do recommend this story, I think this is the first time I'll reluctantly recommend a Megan Derr story. Forward the Hunt Author: Lotus Oakes Title: Forward the Hunt Series: Part of LT3's For the Hoard collection Genre: Fantasy Pairing: M/M Rating: One Petal On the Author's Website: http://nekokoban.hanashika.com/ Summary: For as long as he can remember, Haruki has wanted to be part of the Great Hunt, the annual coming of age ceremony where the youth of Salfea are let loose to kill a dragon and bring it home as proof of adulthood. The larger and higher-ranked the dragon, the greater the reward. Held back for years by family obligation, Haruki has only ever been able to watch from afar until the opportunity finally comes to him. Desperate to prove himself, he's certain he'll do whatever it takes to have a successful hunt. But on the first night of his Hunt, Haruki finds an injured dragon so highly-ranked that killing him could rocket Haruki all the way to the throne... if he can resist the dragon and his ways. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Haruki has always wanted to participate in the Great Hunt, a hunt where he would kill a dragon and thereby cement his place in the world. Except, when he finds a dragon Haruki instead saves it and brings it home. I am struggling to find something nice to say about this story because I just didn't like it. I guess I could say the world building was interesting. The society built around the prestige of what type of dragon you kill was horrifying, but it was unique and clearly well thought out. The barest hints of the dragon society also had potential to be very interesting, but it never really went anywhere. Mostly this story made me feel very uncomfortable. From the city residents killing sentient dragons for selfish reasons to the awkward romance between Haruki--who came across as a young child despite the fact that he repeated over and over again that he was an adult--and a many hundred year old dragon, it all made me unhappy to read. Maggie's Recommendation: I can't recommend this story at all. While there were hints of potential in the world building, the awkward and uncomfortable plot made me wish I hadn't picked up this story. |
Magnolia's Reviews
Maggie reviews paranormal and fantasy novels and novellas. She also interviews authors and hosts giveaways. Archives
April 2018
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