I Dream of Dragons Author: Ashlyn Chase Title: I Dream of Dragons Series: Boston Dragons 1 Genre: Paranormal Pairing: M/F Rating: One Petal On the Author's Website: http://www.ashlynchase.com/reviews.html#dream Summary: THE HEAT IS ON When Rory Arish and his two fiery dragon siblings are run out of their ancestral Irish home, it seems their luck has run out-until they arrive in Boston and find a paranormal-friendly apartment building. Finally, Rory has a place to call home. There's only one problem: Rory's new lair has simultaneously been rented to an infuriating woman who is as stubborn as she is beautiful and will not leave 'her' apartment matter how steamed he may be... AND SPARKS FLY Amber McNally is a down-on-her-luck flight attendant. She needs this apartment, and not even a fire-breathing dragon with his Irish charm and scorching good looks is going to scare her away. Holing up in their respective corners, a battle of wills ensues. Who will be the first to blink...or give in to their off-the-charts chemistry and decide to make this unorthodox living arrangement a little more permanent? Maggie's Review:
After being accosted by leprechauns and forced to leave their homes in Ireland, Rory and his sisters try to find a new home in Boston's Back Bay. Amber is tired of her job as a flight attendant and is offered the job of a neo-Muse. When it turns out she also needs a new apartment, sparks fly when both she and Rory are forced to share the apartment they both rented. I found this story to be utterly ridiculous. Everything was just a touch over the top, from the way Rory lost his home to the way he and Amber manage to share the space in their apartment. Nothing happens that way in real life and as every bit of ridiculous piled on and believability failed, I found myself losing complete respect for the book as a whole. Every person was a caricature instead of an actual character. Mother Nature, for example, had the worst personality times ten. Every time she appeared, I found myself rolling my eyes when she was trying to be serious, or simply skipping over anything she said because nothing that came out of her mouth was actually important. It was just that bad. Maggie's Recommendation: Everything in the book, from the writing style to the characterizations was so over the top it was ridiculous. I didn't believe in the characters or their problems, nor did I find myself caring. I do not recommend this book.
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The Fairy's Assistant Author: Sasha L. Miller Title: The Fairy's Assistant Series: None Genre: High Fantasy Pairing: M/M, M/F Rating: Four Petals On the Author's Website: http://www.sashalmiller.com/ Summary: Hayden generally enjoys his life—he gets to travel, he has a fairy in his pocket, and he helps her bring happiness to people who would otherwise go overlooked and continue suffering. The only problem is that magic is illegal, and there's a certain stubborn, handsome knight determined to prove that Hayden deserves to be locked up. Between dodging the stubborn knight and the odious nobles he's currently working for, helping his fairy get a woman to a ball is going to be more difficult than their missions usually are. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I had read this story before when it was part of a fairy tale anthology and I remember liking it then. It's pretty much unchanged in this version, so if you've read it before don't expect anything new. That said, it's definitely worth a second read. Hayden has a fairy in his pocket whose goal in life is to save people in distress by helping them find their true love. He travels around a country that believes all magic not sanctioned by the crown is evil, so he has to hide what he's doing from the handsome knight following him around as well as from the mean stepmothers oppressing those people in distress. It's an interesting take on a Cinderella story that I really enjoyed. What I particularly liked was Hayden's romance and how it balanced with his fairy's current project of getting a woman to the royal ball. The two plots weave perfectly with each other with an amazing sense of balance. While Hayden is figuring out what he wants with his own life and whether he can even get it given the fact that he has a fairy in his pocket, he's also figuring out how to get the girl to the ball and defeat the evil stepmother. It was great. Still, I couldn't give this a full five petals. I know that this is a fairy tale and the style of these sort of books is generally simplistic in nature, but it was a little too simple. There was no twist and nothing that happened in the plot surprised me. It was a very enjoyable read despite that, but without that extra depth I just couldn't give it more than four petals. Maggie's Recommendation: I really enjoyed the romance and the overall plotting of the book, but I felt it lacked a touch of depth. I definitely recommend reading it regardless; it was that much fun. |
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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