Apocalypse to Go Author: Katharine Kerr Title: Apocalypse to Go Series: Nola O'Grady 3 Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Pairing: M/F Rating: Three Petals On the Author's Website: http://deverry.com/?page_id=51 Summary: The Apocalypse Squad is on the move! Secret Agent Nola O'Grady has enough trouble on her hands when a were-leopard accuses her of receiving stolen property, but things get worse fast. A mysterious trans-world law enforcement group wants to recruit her partner and bodyguard, Israeli Interpol officer Ari Nathan. His new loyalties might jeopardize their relationship. Then her younger brother Michael goes searching for their missing father and lands himself and their brother, Sean, in a world of trouble--quite literally, in a dangerous deviant-world version of San Francisco. Can Nola and Ari find them in time to save them from their kidnappers before they're murdered? The search will lead them through a city of secrets, but the worst secret of all lurks at the heart of the only thing Nola loves more than Ari: her family. Maggie's Review:
Nola's fight against the forces of chaos continues to be fraught with danger, but she always hoped that danger would stay focused on her and Ari. When Nola's family gets involved and two of her brothers go missing, she knows that it's too late for anything but a battle for their very lives. The world building in this series continues to amaze me. The idea of deviant world levels and how each level started out the same and was slowly changed by events occurring within is incredibly interesting. This book goes into so much more depth about those worlds, including how to travel between them and the events that occurred to make them so different. The detail and the depth provided allowed for places where there wasn't much growth--ie. Nola and Ari's relationship--to just be present and enjoyable. The plot itself was good. I liked how it progressed throughout the book, but it wasn't the most interesting part. It provided for plenty of opportunity for the world building to be showcased, which was fun. I could have used a little more drama or suspense to make the plot as dynamic as the world building, however overall it did work. Maggie's Recommendation: The world building of the deviant levels in this book was really well written, but it was so good that at times it eclipsed the characters and the plot. I still have to recommend this book because overall I did enjoy it.
0 Comments
Lyle's Story Author: Kay Berrisford Title: Lyle's Story Series: Landlocked Heart 2 Genre: Paranormal Pairing: M/M Rating: One Petal On the Author's Website: https://kayberrisford.com/ Summary: Lyle, a merman, and Ben, his human, work together in a seaside ice-cream parlour and their life together is bliss. Or would be, if not for Ben's constant worries about career and money, and Lyle's dark past—a myriad of secrets, lies, wild magic, and foul deeds, which now threaten to catch up with him. When Lyle's merfolk family accuse him of murder, Ben and Lyle's bond is stretched to the limit. Not only does Lyle seem unsuited to Ben's dreams of domestic happiness, hismagical powers are spinning dangerously out of control. Even Lyle isn't entirely sure he's innocent. With Ben dragged deep into the enchanted processes of merfolk justice, escaping with his life—and getting home to an important job interview—is just the start of the challenge. Uncovering Lyle's inner truths without destroying their love could be a step too far… Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Lyle and Ben somehow managed to survive Lyle's curse and to find each other again, but just being together isn't enough. Ben is restarting from scratch after leaving everything behind for Lyle, while Lyle's past is haunting them both. This time if they have to run, it might just be to save their lives. This book never came together for me. I wanted very much to believe in everything that was happening to them but nothing worked. First was the setting, which started on the edge of the ocean with them both working in an ice cream shop. I've worked retail, so I know the way they were running that shop wasn't the least bit realistic to real life. That set the tone for the rest of the story, which lacked realism in every aspect. It also felt disjointed, what with the awkward flashback suddenly cutting into the middle of the story. A little rearranging with the flashback as the prologue might have helped since it wouldn't have disrupted the flow of Lyle and Ben's relationship quite so much, but the story was overall so poorly written I don't know that much could have helped it. Lyle and Ben's relationship never really meshed either. They always felt like they were operating from two different worlds--which they technically were since Lyle is a merman and Ben an human--but the point of their relationship was to meld their two worlds into one strong relationship. I liked where that was going after the first book in the series, but this book killed it for me. Maggie's Review: The plot, the romance, and the setting all lacked realism, which made it very difficult to like this book. Overall I found it difficult to read and poorly written, so I can't recommend it. Nightshift Author: Charlaine Harris Title: Nightshift Series: Midnight Texas 3 Genre: Paranormal Pairing: M/F Rating: Two Petals On the Author's Website: http://charlaineharris.com/?event=publication-night-shift Summary: At Midnight’s local pawnshop, weapons are flying off the shelves—only to be used in sudden and dramatic suicides right at the main crossroads in town. Who better to figure out why blood is being spilled than the vampire Lemuel, who, while translating mysterious texts, discovers what makes Midnight the town it is. There’s a reason why witches and werewolves, killers and psychics, have been drawn to this place. And now they must come together to stop the bloodshed in the heart of Midnight. For if all hell breaks loose—which just might happen—it will put the secretive town on the map, where no one wants it to be... Maggie's Review:
This time Manfred doesn't know what's happening to Midnight, just that people keep killing themselves in the crossroads. Midnight's quiet and peaceful existence goes further into jeopardy with every death drawing more and more attention, but given their own lives might be the next lost, the Midnighters know they have to band together to defeat this enemy. This was a disappointing ending to what was a very disappointing series. I missed the drama and suspense coupled with wonderfully exotic magic that I experienced from some of Harris' other series. None of that great writing was present in this book or in the entire series. There were hints of it, what with Manfred and the rest of the Midnighters having some interesting backstories, but Harris completely squandered it all by never actually going into any depth at all about the characters or the magic in this series. I expected at least something, given the evil they were fighting in this book, but it feels like Harris simply forgot that providing depth to a book is necessary. The worst part of this book in particular was the ending. I don't want to give too much away, but it's safe to say that the last chapter of this book was a terrible cop-out with Harris tying a bow so neatly around the plot and her characters that everything that happened to them felt far too structured for real life. I literally finished the book feeling like I needed to go read something else in order to push the terrible ending of this one out of my head. Maggie's Recommendation: I found this book and the series as a whole to be incredibly disappointing. I know what Harris is capable of writing and this wasn't even close to her best. In fact, given the truly terrible end to this book, I would say this series is her worst. I absolutely do not recommend this book or the series. In His Majesty's Service Authors: Elizabeth Silver and Jenny Urban Title: In His Majesty's Service Series: None Genre: Sci-Fi Pairing: M/M Rating: Two Petals On the Author's Website: http://www.idkmybff.com/our-books/ Summary: Everyone in the Drion Collective knows that finding your match—the one person in existence with the same soul mark as yours—is the best thing that could ever happen. But the last thing Lord Anders Hawthorne is thinking about when he boards a ship to Drion for the king’s funeral is finding his soul mate. Captain Zachary O’Connell has the perfect life—his ship, the stars, and no emotional entanglements. When heat sparks between him and Lord Hawthorne, Zach gleefully dives into a no-strings arrangement. He doesn't expect it to last beyond arrival at Drion, any more than he expects trouble along the way. Trouble quickly finds them, however, and it soon becomes clear that Lord Hawthorne is not only not who he says he is, but also that he's the target of a deadly plot. With danger all around them, Zach and Anders must work together to save the Collective. Meanwhile, Zach must come to grips with losing everything he always thought he wanted, to have the one thing he never dreamed he needed. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. When Anders' father dies, it's suddenly a race against the clock for Anders to get back to the capitol in time for the funeral. Despite being in mourning, meeting Zach on his journey is dangerously distracting from the political machinations they're about to have to deal with. The forces acting against them might pull them apart forever, or might just kill them. There were too many plot holes in this book for me to list out in one review. The most glaring one, of course, is the fact that Anders immediately jumps into bed with the first hot spaceship captain he meets despite his beloved father barely being dead a few hours. Almost every pivotal scene in this book coincided with a bit of information that felt like it was made up on the spot to make that scene fit, or had a bit of backstory suddenly thrown in, or something equally poorly composed added that made me grind my teeth. Adding what felt like faked depth to the story made it feel unrealistic and made it very difficult to read. I also had issues with the emotions in this story. None of it felt real, from the romance to their almost constant arguing, mostly because there was no depth to it. Anders and Zach would be talking--or even just sitting in the same vicinity--and something would spark and they would be screaming at each other. Seconds later the fight would be over and they would be having graphic sex instead. There were a few scenes of this that I reread a couple of times just to figure out what that spark was, and I couldn't figure it out. Maggie's Recommendation: This book had far too many plot holes that left me desperately wanting real depth. I also thought the emotions in the story weren't properly fleshed out. Everything felt fake and that is why I cannot recommend this book. Magic Steps Author: Tamora Pierce Title: Magic Steps Series: The Circle Opens 1 Genre: High Fantasy Pairing: None Rating: Three Petals On the Author's website: http://www.tamora-pierce.net/books/magic-steps/ Summary: Lady Sandrilene fa Toren knows all about unusual magic - she herself spins and weaves it like thread. But when she witnessed a boy dancing a spell, even she is confounded. To her dismay, Sandry learns that as the mage who discovered the power of the young dancer, she must be his teacher. Before lessons can begin, however, Sandry and her uncle, Duke Vedris, get news of a mysterious murderer stalking a clan of local merchants. The killer employs the strangest magic of all: the ability to reduce essence to nothingness. As the murders mount and the killer grows bolder, Sandry's teaching takes on a grave purpose. For it becomes clear to everyone that the killings can only be stopped by the combined workings of two people: the young teacher and her even younger student. Maggie's Review:
When Sandry's uncle falls ill, she hurries to his side to care for him and to take care of his kingdom in his stead. One day she finds a young boy with strange magic--just like she was once found--and is forced to take him on as her student. Except, someone is committing terrible murders in her uncle's city and her young student might be the key to stopping it. This was a good start to a new series set in the same world and with some of the same characters from the original Circle of Magic series. Sandry as a character is finally starting to grow up and to learn her place in the real world. I loved seeing her growth in this book as she takes on her uncle's duties and her new responsibilities as a teacher. Unfortunately, I saw many of the issues I had with Pierce's characterizations in the first series in how Pasco--Sandry's student--was written. He was never fully fleshed out as a character, only seeming to pop into the story as needed to add something to the plot. Despite his parents, siblings, and Sandry all teaching him real life lessons, he manages to make idiotic mistake after mistake, which turned him more into a clown than a character. This is an issue for the story as there wouldn't even be a fully-fleshed plot without Pasco, but every time he's mentioned the story suffers. Maggie's Recommendation: I really liked reading Sandry's continued growth in this book, particularly as she takes on responsibility and moves on from her time at Winding Circle. Pasco, however, is never properly characterized and that really hurt the overall story. Still, I have reread this story far too many times and I still find myself picking the book up yet again, so I have to recommend it anyway.
Today I was visited by the wonderful Liv Rancourt and Irene Preston who were kind enough to talk about Nocturne, book two in the Hours of the Night series. Be sure to keep reading for an excerpt and a giveaway, and you can always check out my four petal review of Nocturne.
Nocturne comes out on October 12, 2017 and is available at all your favorite retailers.
Thanks so much for having us, Maggie. Irene and I are excited to be sharing Nocturne with readers. It’s been a long time in coming, but finally we can say it’s here!
Setting a vampire story in New Orleans might not be the most original idea ever, but that’s part of why we decided to do it. There’s something about NOLA’s heat, humidity, history, and magic that makes it perfect for a vampire story. In New Orleans, the carnival season starts in late January, then builds and builds until the finale on Mardi Gras. We chose that season deliberately, because the chaos surrounding the celebration makes a great back-drop for the challenges Thaddeus and Sarasija face. Irene’s got another reason. “In Nocturne, we wanted to ride in a parade, so we invented Krewe of Thaumaturges. They even have their own signature parade throws. Like the Zulu coconuts and Muses shoes, Thaumaturge medallions are highly sought after by the crowds.” I do kinda want to make Krewe of Thaumaturges tee shirts, you know? They’d be so cool! I was in New Orleans last February, the week before Mardi Gras, so I had no trouble channeling the crowds and color and confusion for the story. Even better, Irene grew up in Louisiana, so she has local’s knowledge and understanding of how crazy things can get. I hope Nocturne takes you on a little vacation to one of the coolest cities in the US, during the wildest time of the year. Keep reading for an excerpt, and be sure and enter our rafflecopter giveaway for a $25 gift card. Thanks so much, and laissez les bon temps rouler!! Excerpt:
Nohea’s car had been built for speed, not comfort. The backseat, a claustrophobic nest of black leather, was more of an afterthought than anything else. Sara offered me the front seat, but I refused, and not because I feared sitting next to Nohea. Sara was more adept with the GPS system. He should be the navigator, while I sat in back reciting the Hail Mary.
Because Nohea gave her glossy black vehicle every opportunity to show off its speed. Once we climbed up onto Route 10, I eased back. “You agreed to compare notes while we drove, and by now, we’ve been to three parties. What have we learned?” Nohea scooted from lane to lane, dodging slower-moving vehicles. The iPad cast a blue glow over Sara’s features, and the air conditioner surrounded us with stale air. “Well…” Sara tapped on the iPad’s screen. “In my opinion, Mardi Gras parties can be hazardous to your health.” Nohea gave him a sidelong glance, while I bit my lip to keep from smiling. “What? You know it’s true. The first party Aunt Berta died, and this last one Uncle Whose-its almost did, too.” The traffic around us thickened, forcing Nohea to ease up on the accelerator. “It’s almost always the same people attending, too.” “I noticed that, and as hard as we try to go Sherlock on them, we’re coming up with squat.” Sara’s phone chirped, and he wrestled it out of his pocket. With a noise of frustration, he thrust it back in. “What?” Nohea asked. “My friends are idiots.” We drove in silence until we neared the bend that would take us over the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. This narrow band of concrete ran some twenty miles over open water, carrying us out of the city. Under the cover of the night sky, I allowed my thoughts to wander. I found it hard to believe all these events were linked. On the other hand… “Paul and Roberta are not related, are they?” “Not directly, but maybe by marriage?” Nohea said. Sara tapped on the iPad screen. “Gimme a minute. I saved the family tree from my email.” His phone chirped, interrupting him. “Crap,” he muttered. After a moment, he stuffed the phone away. “Whatever. It looks like Aunt Berta was married to Uncle Paulie’s older brother for a little while, so there is kind of a link.” “And didn’t someone tell us that Aunt Berta was the head of the family business?” Nohea asked. I racked my memory, but nothing came to me. “I didn’t know Brother Michael’s family had a business.” “It’s not”—Sara’s phone chirped again—“dammit.” “What is it?” Nohea glanced at him, brows drawn as if she were puzzled by his behavior. The phone chirped again. And again. “Fuck.” “Sara?” His behavior worried me. “Who is texting you?” “Josephine and her brother.” “Josef?” Nohea asked. He grimaced and nodded. “What do they want?” I found I didn’t really want to know the answer to my question. While I could not begrudge Sara the opportunity to make friends his own age, I would not have chosen the twins to be his companions. “They started by asking me to go clubbing, but now Jo’s freaking out on me.” He stared through the window at the glossy black water. “They told me to turn around and come back to the city.” “They are irresponsible.” I spoke forcefully, then recoiled, hoping I had not quieted him completely. He shifted in his seat and met my gaze, brows drawn with worry. “Especially since I didn’t tell them we were going anywhere.” His obvious concern infected me, and the vast empty lake around us left me feeling vulnerable, exposed. The city of New Orleans was a warm smudge behind us, and up ahead was a fainter glow. “God only knows what those two are up to.” Nohea’s common-sense tone settled both of us. “You’re right,” Sara murmured. Our speed increased, and I eagerly anticipated our arrival back on solid ground. When we reached the far shore, Sara used Nohea’s cell phone to find our destination. We left the freeway, taking smaller and smaller country roads. Our destination was on Monroe Lane, close enough to the lake that slivers of the dark water could be seen from the road. “Twenty-three thirty-seven…thirty-eight…it should be right up there.” Sara pointed past a clump of hemlock liberally draped with Spanish moss. “This is it?” Nohea slowed to a stop in front of a small shotgun cabin. The house was raised on stilts several feet off the ground. “Doesn’t seem right.” “Why?” I asked. “Well, it’s not like we were friends or anything, but the woman we met at the Gretna store didn’t look nearly country enough to live out here.” Sara rolled his window down, letting in a wave of moist air. “A little too much corporate shark for out here.” “She doesn’t appear to be home.” The house was dark, and there was no car in the drive. Nohea slapped the steering wheel. “Where’d you get this address again?” “From Z,” Sara snapped. “I told you.” He opened his car door. “Wait.” He ignored me, climbing out of the car. I had no choice but to follow. “Let me see if I sense anyone.” “It’s fine, Thaddeus.” Sara strode up the front walkway. “She’ll either be here or she won’t.” Short of wrestling him to the ground, I could not stop him. Sara mounted the front step and rapped on the door. An explosion knocked us both to the ground, and the house went up in flames Nocturne is only $2.99 (40% off) through Oct. 12. Don’t miss Vespers and Bonfire (Hours of the Night 1 and 1.5) at the special price of $0.99 for the same period! Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | More Stores Add to GoodReads Read More on IrenePreston.com Read More on LivRancourt.com Giveaway:
NocturneAuthor: Irene Preston and Liv Rancourt Title: Nocturne Series: Hours of the Night 2 Genre: Paranormal Pairing: M/M Rating: Four Petals On the Author's Website: http://www.irenepreston.com/blog/hours-of-the-night/nocturne/ Summary: It's Mardi Gras, cher, but this year le bon temps kick off with murder… For generations, the White Monks have treated the vampire Thaddeus Dupont as a weapon in their battle against demons. However, when a prominent matron drops dead at a party, Thaddeus and his lover Sarasija are asked to find her killer. Their investigation leads them to an old southern family with connections everywhere: Louisiana politics, big business, the Church, and an organization just as secret as the White Monks. Meanwhile, an esoteric text containing spells for demon-summoning has disappeared, Thaddeus is losing control of le monstre, and Sara is troubled by disturbing dreams. These nightmares could be a side-effect of dating a vampire, or they could be a remnant of his brush with evil. As the nights wear on, Sara fears they are a manifestation of something darker – a secret that could destroy his relationship with Thaddeus. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via the author in exchange for an honest review. Sara and Thad know they still have a divide between them to bridge for their relationship to really flourish. Thad's a strict Christian with strong beliefs in good and evil. Sara's a child of the modern era, so his beliefs are different, plus he's not Christian. When someone steps into that divide to try and tear them apart, neither Sara nor Thad know whether they'll even be alive the next day to continue their relationship at all. This is a fun series to read, but then New Orleans is a fun place to be. The welcoming air of Mardi Gras only adds to the series. Yes, I missed the gators wearing Santa hats, but at the same time the setting of beads, bliss, and bombs in Nocturne was wonderful too. Having such an interesting setting helped ground the rest of the story of vampires and magic with a touch of realism, and provided depth to everything else. If I had one complaint about this book, it was that the characters never talked with one another. So much of what went wrong or caused drama in this book could have been solved without problem if they just opened their mouths. I got frustrated while reading because I could see what was going on when they couldn't. In my opinion, my feeling that much emotion over a book only shows how well written it actually was. Maggie's Recommendation: This book provided yet another wonderful setting to ground the vampires and magic in the real world. I had some issue with the characters not communicating with each other properly, but overall I really liked this book and definitely recommend it. Hexslayer Author: Jordan L. Hawk Title: Hexslayer Series: Hexworld 3 Genre: Paranormal (Historical) Pairing: M/M Rating: Four Petals On the Author's Website: http://jordanlhawk.com/books/hexworld-series/ Summary: Horse shifter Nick has one rule: never trust a witch. Nick has devoted his life to making his saloon a safe haven for the feral familiars of New York. So when a brutal killer slaughters a feral under his protection, Nick has no choice but to try and catch the murderer. Even if that means bonding with a handsome Irish witch. Officer Jamie MacDougal came back from the war in Cuba missing part of a leg and most of his heart. After his former lover becomes one of the killer’s victims, Jamie will do anything to solve the case. Nick comes to Jamie with a proposal: after making a temporary bond, they will work together to stop the murders. Once the killer is caught, they walk away and never see one another again. It sounds simple enough. But the passion that flares between the two men won’t be so easily extinguished. And if Nick can’t learn to trust his witch, he stands to lose everything—including his life. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via the author in exchange for an honest review. When a killer starts haunting shifters, Nick knows he has to do something. Trusting Jamie, a witch and a police officer, is the very last thing Nick wants, but as the killer starts to target people Nick has sworn to protect, he has no choice. Except, that choice might lead to the end of everything Nick holds dear. Like I said with the previous books in the series, the world building is amazing. Hawk has taken true historical facts and added a beautiful touch of magic. There is so much depth included with each bit of research that went into the story and it feels so realistic. The world building is definitely what kept me turning the pages in this book. Of course, I also enjoyed the plot. The mystery of who was killing and why was dynamic and kept my attention. I also liked how the romance was different from the ones in the previous books. The characters each had distinct personalities that gave very different insights to the mystery and made their love story unique. That said, I did find both the plot and the romance to be a tad predictable, which is why I deducted a petal, but that didn't detract from how much I liked this book. Maggie's Recommendation: I absolutely recommend this book and this entire series. The world building is phenomenal and provides amazing amounts to depth to the story. I did find the plot and the romance to be slightly predictable, but overall I definitely enjoyed this book. Enter the Dragon Author: Jamie Sullivan Title: Enter the Dragon Series: None Genre: High Fantasy Pairing: M/M Rating: Two Petals On the Author's Website: https://jamiesullivanbooks.wordpress.com/my-books/ Summary: Since a ceasefire was called on the Dragon Wars, dragons and humans have lived in an uneasy partnership. To help humans understand dragons and prepare future dragon trainers, the Academy was created. Jac Conway is an eager student, long enthralled with all things dragon. But even he, with all his hopes and ambitions, never dreamed of just how close to them one night would bring him... Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All Jac wants is to study dragons, so he enters the academy in order to learn everything he can. In his first year he visits the dragon caves and actually meets one, except he never could have imagined what would happen to his future because of it. This story was all squandered potential. It is almost an outline or a few short snippets from what sounds like a very interesting story. There's the introduction of Jac at the academy and his meeting Bryn, then a painful time skip that leaves out every single moment of Jac's time actually learning anything at said academy. All of that much-needed world building was skipped and then subsequently told to the reader in a later chapter. Had Sullivan taken the time to flesh out Jac's time at the academy, including the glossed over world of dragons and humans cohabiting, this story might have achieved the missed potential. I was also missing a firm plot. The romance itself was the plot, but Jac spends all of ten minutes with Bryn and never sees him again during the awkward three year time skip. There was zero build up of emotion between them, so their eventual connection never felt believable. Had Sullivan written those missing three years--and not left out the other time skips as well--their relationship might have had the opportunity to gain that necessary depth. Maggie's Recommendation: This story was purely squandered potential. It lacked world building, characterization, and depth mostly thanks to the almost-constant time skips. I therefore cannot recommend this story. |
Magnolia's Reviews
Maggie reviews paranormal and fantasy novels and novellas. She also interviews authors and hosts giveaways. Archives
April 2018
|