Archive for the ‘Authors’ Category

Title: The Missing
Author: Shiloh Walker
Release: Out in Trade Paperback now, Mass Market July 6th, 2010
Purchase this book: Amazon | Borders | Kindle Version
Goodreads Entry: here
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Suspense
Rating: 4 Stars

The Missing is only my second Shiloh Walker read and it served as a good reminder that I really need to pick up more of her books. In spite of my “paranormal/romance burnout” I flew through this book yesterday and could not put it down. I was cursing Shiloh Walker and updating my goodreads status at 4 am, wondering where the night had gone.

Taige, pronounced like Paige with a t (I asked!), has a unique gift. Ever since she was a little girl Taige has had visions or dreams that help her find missing kids. As a young girl she does her best to ignore her gift and the inconvenience it causes. Yet, events in her life push her toward using it to help kids any way she can, no matter the cost her own life.

Taige and Cullen were a sweet, but electric, couple. At first I wasn’t sure where things were going and I was a bit apprehensive about meeting them as teenagers. Over the first 50 pages all reservations I had disappeared and I was smitten. Shiloh Walker wrote them in such a sweet, yet realistic courtship it was impossible not to fall in love with the pair. She then went on to take my heart, rip it out of my chest and stomp on it. Shiloh Walker is evil, in the way all good tragedy writers are. She made me cry. There I admitted it. Taige and Cullen were so perfect for each other, yet their relationship takes such a heartbreaking turn. I hated it and I loved it. I couldn’t put it down once I got to that point. I would have liked to see Taige drag Cullen around by his “you know what” a bit to make him suffer, but that could just be the evil bitch in me talking.

The suspense of The Missing was haunting and readers are given enough clues to figure out bits and pieces here and there, yet I didn’t have an clear hunch about the bad guy until three quarters of the way through. I think portions of the missing children plot could have been prolonged and I would have enjoyed seeing Taige and Cullen’s relationship change during that hardship, but overall the story worked well as it was.

The only annoyance I had were the dreams Taige and Cullen shared. I knew where that subplot was going and I just couldn’t get on that train. It felt too easy and neither of them seemed like the kind to not face their feelings and be honest with each other. In the end I think the couple really needed a knock down, drag out, all things on the table, tupperware thrown at your head type of discussion and I felt shorted that because of the dreams. It didn’t annoy me enough to not love the book, but I would be a slacker blogger if I didn’t mention it.

The Missing is a haunting and emotional story you will not want to put down once you start it. Clear off your schedule for the day, bake some brownies, grab a box of tissues and curl up with some Shiloh Walker. You won’t regret it, I promise.

Other Trusted Reviews:
WickedLilPixie – 4.5
Bibliophilic Book Blog – 3
Stacy’s Place – 4.5

FTC Disclaimer: Book was given to me for review by author

Title: Bullet (Anita Blake, Book 19)
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Release: June 1st, 2010
Buy Books: I refuse to link and encourage you to buy this crap.
Goodreads Entry: here
Rating: 0 Stars

Sigh. There once was a series about a vampire executioner/necromancer that kicked ass. Anita Blake was her name and she rocked my urban fantasy world. She kicked ass, took names, and didn’t care that she was wearing outdated/out-of-fashion clothing while she did it. She didn’t need stiletto heels or mid drift bearing leather vests. She wasn’t swayed into stupidity by the likes of hot men and out of the world orgasms.

Where oh where has our Anita gone to? She certainly isn’t being written by Laurel K. Hamilton anymore. Now before anyone says “oh you are just one of those who like to complain about all the sex”…. no, I’m not. I like sex in books…. in fact sometimes i LOVE it. What I don’t like is sex to the point that it has no relevance to the plot, or worse, sex instead of a plot. I’ve never been a complainer when it comes to Hamilton, other than what she did to poor Richard… I didn’t hate the ardeur or complain about the harem of men until I started losing track of who was who. I even kind of liked Blood Noir and Skin Trade… had hopes that maybe the Anita I loved was making her way back.

Unfortunately, Bullet is exactly as it is titled, a bullet into the coffin of the Anita Blake series for this reader.

Now here I could try to sum up what was going on in this book and put it into neat paragraphs… but I have put enough time into this one. Instead I am just going to give you a nice neat bulleted list (heh, pun intended) of my complaints and notes.

• The phrase “creamy goodness” should never be used more than once in a book, much less two times or more and when talking about one’s own breasts
• “too tall for straight missionary, or I was too short” was used more than once… relatively close together about entirely different men. Furthermore…. eh what? I want details in a sex scene but can they please be better than random thoughts like this?
• More than once I noted a big W-T-F is going on? There is all kinds of strange metaphysical triumvirate crap going on and most of the time it doesn’t make sense. If there are rules to the supernatural world Anita lives in now that she is ever-powerful, I can’t figure them out and I don’t like it. I don’t buy the weird magic touching mojo just works without rules or reasoning, giving Anita and gang the power to fix anything. Additionally, how many new powers does Anita have now and can someone get me a chart?
• Pages and pages and pages of description. Not just any description… but description of guys’ hair color, eyes, clothing, and shoes. It was endless… if the guys were not always wearing knee high boots we probably would have gotten description of their sock color… surely all varying colors of blue (cue *eyeroll*). Oh and it was not just Anita’s main squeezes that we were treated to unnecessary man drooling, it was every guy she lays eyes on. Bullet could have been at least 50 pages lighter if an editor would have done their job and not allowed her to bore us with Hamilton’s game of “how many different kinds of blue eyes can I shove in a book and how long can I write about them.”
• On the note of clothing… WHY does every man in the book have pants that were “painted on”? Really? I lost count of how many times Hamilton was painting pants on men.
• Boring, emotional, relationship drivel. Pages and pages of talking whether it be among the characters or within Anita’s head. Every scene was like one of those bad fights you had with your high school sweetheart where you both kept going long after everything was said and you found yourself talking in circles…. except in Bullet every one of those scenes involved 3 more more guys making them excruciatingly long. Sigh. I enjoy a good turbulent relationship but at some point in the book there must be a plot right? I mean something has to happen outside of the bedroom right?
• Rainbow of Tigers… they are confusing and totally weird. That is all.
• Poorly written sentences and paragraphs. Unnecessary details that only make my brain go into zombie mode… such as:
  

  Nathaniel had made me drink a Powerade from the cooler near the locker rooms, but he’d also insisted on stopping at the kitchen so he could make me a protein shake. They were designed to replace things a hard workout would take out of you, and the interesting thing was if you didn’t need the shake, it tasted bad, but if your body needed it, chocolate tasted like chocolate. It tasted very good today.

• Richard… sigh. My dear Richard. I want Richard to stop whining and being a pansy as much as the next girl. When forced to choose between a creepy old vamp (Jean Claude) and an uber hot alpha werewolf (Richard) I am always going to side with the warm blooded non-creepy one. Well, I got my wish in this book…. but I am sad to say it was disappointing. Not because unwhiny Richard wasn’t what I thought…. oh no.. Richard accepting the things he wants is totally SEXY. The problem is that the turnaround is completely unrealistic and poorly done. It is done without set up or any believable back story. A fellow blogger described it perfectly, it seems that Hamilton just got tired of writing him as a pain in the ass and decided to stop doing it.
• Sex scenes…. for those who complain about the frequent sex in the later books…Bullet was a nice inbetween. It wasn’t overwhelming and it wasn’t sparse…. but it was BORING. Uninspired and lacking chemistry or sizzle of any kind. I am going to blame it on all the talking during, before, and after.
• Anita getting it on with the girls. Hey, I am all about Anita getting a little help taking care of her harem… its large, she needs it. Yet when Anita actually gets some sexual mojo going with one of the girls underneath her Hamilton wimps out on committing to it. The girl is left to get off on her own by rubbing up against Anita’s stomach? Really? Either dive in or get out of the pool.
• Plot….. where the hell is it? Other than a dance recital at the beginning of the book, Bullet takes place entirely in the Circus of the Damned…. much of it in the bedroom. AND THERE ISN’T EVEN A LOT OF SEX! There is definitely sex… but not enough for most of the book to take place underground in a bedroom. We get glimpses of cool things Anita could be doing (vampires running amock everywhere!) but we never actually get the action! Even the end reads like “here are all the traditional urban fantasy things that happened when we weren’t having sex or talking about our feelings, but I didn’t feel like writing them into the story so let me just tell you how it ended.”
• No Edward. Do I need to say more?

Now, I could go on…. but really, who is still reading at this point? My words can not express how bad I think this book is. And honestly, its a pretty harsh review already. I probably harbor an unhealthy amount of anger in regards to Bullet. Hamilton used to write better than this… and where is her editor? Are you telling me that no one at her publisher read this and questioned anything? Or is it no longer about writing a good story but instead about just meeting a deadline so it hits shelves on time? If so, its shameful… readers spend hard earned money on these books and deserve better than this. When you are the author of a long running, popular series, you have a higher level of responsibility. Your fans trust you, they buy your books on faith. If you can no longer deliver a book of at least mediocre quality writing then do yourself, your fans, and your characters a favor. Stop.

With that, I say good-buy to Anita Blake. Anita, Richard, Jason…. I have loved you and you helped me escape from my crazy so-called life many many nights. I will miss you but I am afraid I no longer care what happens unless it involves Edward coming in and and going on a mass killing rampage complete with Anita/Edward showdown. I am going to try to appreciate Bullet for what it did give me – sexy alpha Richard and series closure.

Disclaimer: This book was purchased by me.

Street Magic – 3.5 stars

Her name is Pete Caldecott. She was just sixteen when she met Jack Winter, a gorgeous, larger-than-life mage who thrilled her with his witchcraft. Then a spirit Jack summoned killed him before Pete’s eyes—or so she thought. Now a detective, Pete is investigating the case of a young girl kidnapped from the streets of London. A tipster’s chilling prediction has led police directly to the child…but when Pete meets the informant, she’s shocked to learn he is none other than Jack. Strung out on heroin, Jack a shadow of his former self. But he’s able to tell Pete exactly where Bridget’s kidnappers are hiding: in the supernatural shadow-world of the fey. Even though she’s spent years disavowing the supernatural, Pete follows Jack into the invisible fey underworld, where she hopes to discover the truth about what happened to Bridget—and what happened to Jack on that dark day so long ago…

Demon Bound – 4 stars

Thirteen years ago, Jack Winter lay dying in a graveyard. Jack called upon a demon and traded his soul for his life… and now the demon is back to collect its due. But Jack has finally found something to live for. Her name is Pete Caldecott, and because of her, Jack’s not going to Hell without a fight.

Pete doesn’t know about Jack’s bargain, but she does know that something bigger and far more dangerous than Jack’s demon is growing in the Black. Old gods are stirring and spirits are rising–and Jack doesn’t stand a chance of stopping them without Pete’s help.

I already had Caitlin Kittredge’s Nocturne City series on my “to read” list, but I was looking for something quick in between review books and The Mighty Buzzard suggested this series as he was really enjoying it. With only 2 books released so far, it was perfect. I was looking for a good urban fantasy that wouldn’t tear my heart out and this was just what I needed.

First things first…. what I loved about these books? The characters. I liked and related to both Pete and Jack from the first chapter. Pete is smart and independent, but also stubborn. Jack is a tortured, cocky, moody bastard. He is cynical, dirty, and dangerous…all things that attract me even tho I know better.

The first book, Street Magic, is narrated by Pete and focuses on her investigation into the disappearance of young girl. The investigation lands her in the middle of a supernatural world she is hesitant to accept and connects her with a long lost friend she believed was dead, Jack Winter. She fights to keep a drug addicted Jack clean in order to save the missing girls while Jack struggles to stay sane and keep Pete safe from monsters from their past. It manages to move the romantic subplot along without taking away from the urban fantasy story line.

Demon Bound, book 2, is narrated by Jack and is all about a decision he made 13 years ago coming back to haunt him. Because of his growing feelings for Pete, Jack tries to keep her out of the dangerous tasks he has to do, but he can’t save himself without her help.

I enjoyed both characters and enjoyed both books, but I found myself liking Jack’s narration more than Pete’s. It felt more honest and realistic. I liked being inside his twisted head and was surprised to find his book was heavy on emotion. Street Magic had definite romantic tension between Pete and Jack, but it was very low key and I assumed it would take books to develop. Instead Demon Bound is filled with Jack’s struggle to accept his emotions for Pete and find a way to keep her safe, even if he loses his fight.

My biggest complaint about the series is the world building, its lacking. Street Magic barely touches on the rules of the world and a few times I was left feeling confused as to how things worked or what was going on. Demon Bound did make an attempt to rectify this and added a few layers of depth, but in general I still feel unsure as to what Caitlin Kittredge’s supernatural Black London world really entails. I also wasn’t a fan of the ending of Demon Bound, tho I give the author credit for not doing the predictable thing. I am willing to be open minded and wait to see what book 3 has to offer us.

If you like urban fantasy with rich characterization, dark plot lines, and a bit of British slang, you’ll enjoy the Black London series.

FTC Disclaimer: These books were purchased by me

The writing duo of Moira Rogers is kicking off a brand new contest in celebration of the release of their new books, Sanctuary Unbound and Safe Harbor. What is so kick ass about this contest? Its taking place across all of your favorite blogs and YOU could win a brand new Kindle. Check the bottom of this post for more details.

This will probably not come as a surprise to anyone, but I am declaring myself, Team Werewolf Bootlegger. Why you ask? As if I need to explain. Bree and Donna, of Moira Rogers, happen to write the best damn werewolves I have ever read. They never fail to disappoint me in all the growling dominant ways that matter. But for your sake, I thought I would do a quick list of why werewolves are better than vampires.

Werewolves are always better than vampires because….

• They are alive. Yes, blood pumps throughout their body and i mean ALL of their body, if you know what I mean.
• When they growl, they mean it. Its so natural and authentic goosebumps will pop up along your arms and your body will tingle in all the right places.
• It is part of a werewolf’s nature to protect you and the family, you will always feel safe.
• Want to go out shopping at 2 in the afternoon? Have no fear, your werewolf will be there hold your purse while you pop into the dressing room to try something on. No pesky sun allergy to deal with. (As a side note, this also means afternoon sexy time is possible…bow chicca bow wow)
• Werewolves eat real food, not blood. Why is this important? First, drinking blood is gross. Second, It means they can make you breakfast… I am thinking waffles. Bonus points if you get the werewolf to make you waffles but you never get around to eating them because he is too damn sexy to not jump upon and have your evil ways with, on the kitchen floor. Yes Derek…. this one is dedicated to you.
• If you ever get cold, your shifter can simply change to wolf and cuddle up with you for hours of warmth and fuzziness.
• Werewolves have super strength, I am going to assume super stamina has to go along with this….Stamina is important ladies
• If your particular werewolf is a bootlegger….. you get free booze. +10

Now for a few of my favorite Moira Rogers werewolf quotes…. as if you need further proof:

Connor

The voice in his head protested. He ignored it and reached into her pocket, plucking out her key. He held it in front of her as he bent close to her ear. “Do you want to go upstairs with one of them, or with someone who knows what the geeky slogan on your T-shirt means?”

She leaned into his caressing fingers with a soft noise of pleasure. “A hunky brilliant techie werewolf with a dirty mind…” I’m in love. “That’s pretty much the hottest thing ever.”

Zack

When Zack didn’t thrust all the way into her, she growled and whipped her head around, not bothering to stop the giddy flood of power that spilled from her along with her challenging words. “I can take anything you can give me, so fuck me already.”
He tugged her head back with a low growl and slapped her ass with his other hand. “If you ask nicely.”

Derek

One hand dropped to her ankle, and his large fingers encircled it easily. “Tell me to stop.”

She couldn’t. She wouldn’t. “No.”

Derek dragged her ankles apart and dropped to his knees between her legs. He tickled his fingers up her calves as he jerked his gaze to hers again. “Put your hands over your head.”

Sheer primal instinct drove her to obey.

What team are you on?

This post is a part of Moira Rogers’ Creature Feature Kindle Throwdown Contest. By leaving a (meaningful) comment, you will be entered to win a Kindle from Amazon.com, or an alternate grand prize of $275 to spend at an online book retailer. For a full list of rules and more ways to win, visit the contest page.