Reindeer Games Author: Kenzie Cade Title: Reindeer Games Series: None Genre: Paranormal Pairing: M/M Length: Novella Rating: Four Petals On the Author's Website: https://kenziecade.wordpress.com/ Summary: Dashing von Stride has one thing on his mind: winning the window display contest for the Miracle on Main Christmas Contest. His plans are set and ready—and then he walks into his toy store, Reindeer Games, to find a sleigh that shouldn't be there. The mystery sleigh sparks a new plan, however, and now all Dash needs is the perfect Santa to model his display after. This year, the pranks with his reindeer have gotten out of hand. Instead of preparing for the Big Day, Niklaus Kringle is hunting for his missing sleigh. Locating it should have been easy, but games easily won are seldom worth playing... Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. A hallmark of a well-written book is whether it elicits an emotional response from a reader. What that means is if I keep my reviews purely analytical, I would be doing myself and anyone who reads these reviews a disservice. This book tugged on the heartstrings with every well-crafted sentence, which is why Reindeer Games received four petals instead of three. I found myself unconsciously smiling the entire time I was reading this story. It was that adorable and that much fun. I do have to admit I rolled my eyes at the fact that the main character was called Dashing von Stride, but the cheesy name fit with the tone of the rest of the story. It was a sugary sweet, everyone is on Santa's good list, fun ride on the sleigh. That said, there were a few issues. The plot kept jumping around. It felt like there were a number of different plot ideas Cade attempted to weave together, but was never able to fully realize them. First the story focused on the contest the town holds over the best Christmas-themed window display, but that plot was completed as only an afterthought in the epilogue. Then the plot was about Dash's mean, cheating neighbor, whose conclusion was also relegated to a short mention in the epilogue. The plot subsequently moved on to Dash's absent family and how the von Strides were important elves, but that idea is never fully expanded. We learn why Dashing was left in the town, but even though the mystery of what happened to the rest of the von Stride family is brought up multiple times, it was forgotten entirely by the end of the story. It didn't even get a mention in the epilogue. I would say it's an excellent set up for a sequel, but I don't see any signs Cade is planning to write one. The one plot that did work was the romance. I enjoy reading insta-love when it's done right and it was done right here. The magic, or fate, that let Dashing and Nik know they were meant to be together was fully explained. This was a short story, so there wasn't a lot of build-up before they jumped in bed, but it was enough for me to believe that, magic or not, they were going to be together for life. Maggie's Recommendation: I enjoyed reading this story. The plot was a little sparse at times, but the spirit and joy of the holiday season that filled every page made me willing to overlook any issues. I do recommend this book to those looking for a fun and easy holiday read.
0 Comments
WiddershinsAuthor: Jordan L. Hawk Title: Widdershins Series: Whyborne & Griffin 1 Genre: Paranormal (Historical) Pairing: M/M Length: Novel Rating: Four Petals On the Author's Website: http://jordanlhawk.com/books/whyborne-griffin/ Summary: Some things should stay buried. Repressed scholar Percival Endicott Whyborne has two skills: reading dead languages and hiding in his office at the Ladysmith Museum. After the tragic death of the friend he secretly loved, he’s ruthlessly suppressed any desire for another man. So when handsome ex-Pinkerton Griffin Flaherty approaches him to translate a mysterious book, Whyborne wants to finish the job and get rid of the detective as quickly as possible. Griffin left the Pinkertons following the death of his partner, hoping to start a new life. But the powerful cult which murdered Glenn has taken root in Widdershins, and only the spells in the book can stop them. Spells the intellectual Whyborne doesn’t believe are real. As the investigation draws the two men closer, Griffin’s rakish charm threatens to shatter Whyborne’s iron control. When the cult resurrects an evil sorcerer who commands terrifying monsters, can Whyborne overcome his fear and learn to trust? Will Griffin let go of his past and risk falling in love? Or will Griffin’s secrets cost Whyborne both his heart and his life? Maggie's Review:
This was an interesting book. It was paranormal set in the early 1900s and the amount of detail of how the world worked back then--from clothing to conveyance--was perfect. Hawk was so specific that even the negative views on women and gays of the time were accurate. While reading, I felt like I had lived during that time and understood exactly what Hawk was describing. In fact, it was so well written I felt like I was reading a gay version of Sherlock Holmes. I also really liked how the magic was formed, although I was disappointed that there wasn't more explanation. It was scientific and therefore Whyborne could experiment. It also didn't require any special circumstance of birth or ability, just the knowledge of what to study and the will to commit to the spell. Whyborne was able to learn it in amazing time and that made the book far more interesting. What I struggled with was the predictability of the story. I had the grave robbing and thefts from the museum figured out far before the main characters even started to investigate it. Unfortunately, when the characters did catch up with me, their process and explanation did feel boring. I also kept expecting a twist to surprise me, but everything was very linear. Even the conflict in the romance was expected. This was a well-written book. I enjoyed reading it and I will be reading the rest of the series. Maggie's Recommendation: I did enjoy reading this book. The historical accuracy as well as the interesting way of using magic kept me hooked. The plot was a bit predictable and linear, but interesting enough that it kept my attention. I will be getting the next book in the series. Ecstasy Unbound Author: Setta Jay Title: Ecstasy Unbound Series: Guardians of the Realms Genre: Paranormal Pairing: M/F, Poly Length: Novel Rating: One Petal On the Author's Website: http://www.settajay.com/books.html Summary: As one of the twelve Guardians, Urian has spent the last several centuries in a constant battle to keep the inhabitants of Earth’s Realms under control. Humanity has to evolve, hell beasts need to die, and Immortals need mates. But lately, Uri's mind is overrun with thoughts of when his sexy voyeur will find him again, watching him from the shadows, continuing their wicked game. All Guardians are forbidden contact with the little goddess and her brothers, but his need for her escalating, he finds it increasingly difficult to keep from pinning her down on the nearest surface and making her his. Alexandra has managed to evade the Guardians and being cast out from the human Realm for centuries, ever since the Creators sent the Gods to sleep for their sins against humanity and banished all Immortals. Always sensing that she was needed on Earth, only once has Alex gone against her instincts and the price she paid will forever haunt her. It is for that reason she forces herself to stay away from the only male who has ever truly enticed her. The only one who has ever made her long for what she knows is dangerous. In a desperate need to help her beloved brother, she will have to go to the enthralling Guardian, her dark obsession, and even though he will surely attempt to exile her, she won't go easily… Maggie's Summary:
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Before I start, I do need to say that there is a mention of graphic rape as well as other triggers that were not warned about anywhere before I picked up this book. I was not happy to realize this. The book begins with an extremely graphic sex scene in a bar while the main love interest watches from across the room. The women in the scene are objectified as solely sexual objects with no other purpose than to spread their legs. The thoughts of the men involved are equally vapid. Everyone is utterly consumed by carnality and I could not figure out how it applied to the plot in any way. I know the book is technically a romance and is being billed with "explicit and sizzling sex scenes with big dominant males", however this wasn't romantic at all and the big, dominant males were really just idiots with big dicks. The voyeur part was creepy, the sex did nothing to advance any plot, and the purpose of the sex--poorly described, but allegedly necessary for the continued survival of the men in the scene (I mean, really?!?)--was awful. I don't mind reading graphic sex scenes if they're well written and have a purpose to the story, but this one appeared to be written solely for the gratification of the author. At only twenty pages into the book I was seriously considering dropping it entirely, but the summary was so interesting I instead skimmed the rest of that scene and tried to find a bit of actual plot to continue reading from. Which is when I ran face first into the mention of rape that I was not prepared for. At this point it was not possible to be unbiased with the rest of what I did manage to read before I had to put this truly awful book down. Nothing is properly explained, from the magic to the reason why the male characters absolutely need to have sex. The main female character has to shield herself magically for some reason. How she does this is not explained and the why is only explained via the unnecessary rape scene. After viewing a man have a menage with a strange woman and his male friend, she then spends about ten pages walking around in desperate need of sexual gratification. I found that objectification utterly disgusting and I was completely unable to figure out why stripping both the male and female characters down to nothing but sex-bots was necessary. The book randomly switches point of view mid-scene, which was extremely confusing. There are also words left out of sentences and general grammatical issues that I was no longer willing to ignore after every terrible thing I had already read. I will not be finishing this book, nor will I read anything else in the series. Maggie's Recommendation: I absolutely do not recommend this book. It was unnecessarily graphic in ways that I found disturbing, and was overall poorly written. I could not bring myself to finish reading this book, it was that bad. For Promise Yet Unbroken Author: Tygati Title: For Promise Yet Unbroken Series: No Man's Land 2 Genre: Science Fiction Pairing: M/M Length: Novel Rating: Five Petals On the Author's Website: http://tygati.blogspot.com/ Summary: Jeremey has been an unrepentant troublemaker since the day he learned to walk, with no intention of slowing down—until the day tragedy struck. Now a young man, Jeremey seeks to make amends for his wild youth and fulfill an unspoken promise he once made years ago to the people of Noman. All he needs is a dragon and a chance to prove himself, which is easier said than done in the face of a crashed spaceship, hostile aliens, a deadly plague, and interstellar war. Still, if there's anyone up to the task, it's Jeremey Jasper, troublemaker extraordinaire. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I read and reviewed In the Hours of Darkness, the first book in this series, and was underwhelmed. However, I could tell from that book that For Promise Yet Unbroken would be fabulous, and I was right. I spent a good portion of my time while reading For Promise Yet Unbroken actively trying to find something wrong with the story and I couldn't. It's well written, the characters are engaging and realistic, the plot was so well composed I had trouble putting the story down, and overall I really, really enjoyed reading it. Jeremey Jasper was a troublemaker, but tragedy brought his life crashing down around him. He is forced to move to a larger town where he is unhappy until he is able to meet his dragon. I would have liked Tygati to go more into Jeremey's time living there. Why he is so unhappy is only glanced over and how his life immediately changes after finding his dragon isn't mentioned at all. He must have moved his living quarters and undergone some sort of training with his dragon, but that was never mentioned in any detail. I do understand why that part of the story had to be brief, I just wanted to have a bit more because it was so well done. I really enjoyed the way the dragon society was written. The women control the knowledge and technology because if the men had access to it they would do something stupid. There is therefore a leader of the women and a leader of the men. The interaction between the two groups was a great scene. I also liked the way Tygati described all the aliens. There was depth to each character, including details about each of their cultures, that was magnificently composed. I would love to learn more about the dragon and alien societies in a future book. Tygati doesn't currently have plans for another book in the series, but I can see the potential for one. Should another book be published, I will absolutely read it. Maggie's Recommendation: I absolutely recommend this book. It's well written and very engaging. I particularly loved the way the dragon society was structured. If a future book is ever published in this series I will absolutely purchase it. |
Magnolia's Reviews
Maggie reviews paranormal and fantasy novels and novellas. She also interviews authors and hosts giveaways. Archives
April 2018
|