Tuesday, July 25, 2017

A Sweet Return Trip to One of My Favorite Worlds…

July 25, 2017 0 Comments








First Drop of Crimson tells the story of Denise MacGregor and Spade two characters introduced in the Night Huntress series. Both are close with Cat and Bones, the couple at the heart of the series.  In this story, Denise is recovering from events that cost her a husband and has sworn to stay away from the vampire world. This is impossible as she is targeted by a demon and Spade, a vampire is called in to assist. Both have decided not to tell Cat or Bones about Denise’s peril and are forced to work together to save her life.



The Good:



Denise and Spade have some heat. Denise is rightfully terrified by her situation and still able to evade Spade for most of the book. This scenario offers a fun cat (no pun intended) and mouse game between them.  And when they come together, the pages sizzle.



Spade is charming and enjoyable even though his plan for how he will spend his life with Denise is a bit short sighted.  I listened to this audiobook using OverDrive from my local library and enjoyed the voice actor tremendously. She also read the Night Huntress series and provided enough distinction that I could identify Spade without confusing him for Bones. This is a rare talent as they are both British born vampires.



The Not So Good



Spade’s back story is tragic, but it takes too long to find out the whole story about his previous human lover. I had to wait for almost to end of the book for all the details.  Also, at times the pacing felt a bit too slow and the antagonist in the story wasn’t convincing enough for me. He kept giving Denise chance after chance to find who he was looking for instead of following through on his threats against her family. I like a good villain with real consequences for the main characters. The slow pace forced me to try harder to pay attention to the details of the story.



The Verdict






I really loved the Night Huntress series and am a fan of the author. It was a treat to visit a world that fascinated me for months. While it wasn’t as incredible as Cat and Bones’ story, it was a solid novel.

Friday, July 14, 2017

An Almost Perfect Comical Read…

July 14, 2017 0 Comments





Review of High Stakes by Erin McCarthy

 I held on to this book for over a year. I picked it up during one of my used book runs during grad school and was too busy to give it the attention it so clearly deserved.

 High Stakes introduces readers to Ethan and Alexis. These two meet when Ethan uses influence to persuade Alexis’ younger sister Brittany to move into his casino. Ethan is the President of Vampires and needs Brittany to help secure support for his re-election. Alexis comes to rescue her sister and hilarity ensues.


The Good

Alexis and Ethan are really funny together. Alexis calls him Garlic while he addresses her as BB (Ball Buster). They spend the book sparing both verbally and physically. Plus, their scenes together were hot!!!

I loved that she was a super serious career woman, a prosecutor who has practically raised her baby sister. The character is strong and can take care of herself both physically and mentally.  Alexis is well fleshed out, we know why she feels the way she does. The author uses Alexis and Brittany’s childhood to depict how different the girls are and why.

The story also introduces Brittany, Seamus, the Frenchman, and Ethan’s opponent for the office. I enjoyed their roles and the interactions between them. The story moved between characters well allowing enough time on the main stage for each character.

The Not So Good

The ending!! I hate cliffhangers. I get that the author wants you to follow the story to the next book in the series, but I have some questions.  How does Alexis adjust to her new life?  What about Brittany? Does the next book continue with their story or move the story to another couple?

The story wrapped up a bit too quickly pace wise.

The Verdict

 


I really liked it! There was a good mix of comedy that made the experience lighthearted and fun.  This is my first book by Erin McCarthy and I doubt it will be my last.  

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Still Catching my Breath…

July 08, 2017 0 Comments


Wow!  After finishing the book, I felt like I had run a marathon through mazes of storyline and numerous characters. It felt epic!


Born of Vengeance is the 10th book in the series. It focuses on Bastien and Ember, two military fighters from very different backgrounds. Bastien is a prince while Ember is from a lowly military family. The first thing we learn about Ember is that her sister ruined her previous relationship and Bastien steps up to save that same sister after an attack. Their story skips a few months and we learn that Ember and Bastien are in a relationship. The rest of the almost 400-page story takes readers on a ride through Ember’s rejection, Bastien’s betrayal, and a coup that changes the destinies of the main characters.



The Good

Sherrilyn knows how to write an incredible story. The action just kept coming from one page to another. The pacing was fast fun and kept me entertained. I’ve read some of the other books in the series and it was nice to catch up with some of the characters I’d spent hours with before. Bastien breaks my heart often as his character has to endure various horrible events.  I loved reading the interactions between Ember and her sisters. I was devastated when she loses a close family member. The different stories are weaved expertly throughout the book.

The Not So Good

 There are so many characters in the book!  If I hadn’t read some of the other books I would have been lost.  At times I was still pretty lost since its been years since I read the other stories. I would suggest an insert to help orient the reader in the relationships and different races that populate this world.

The Verdict.



It's hard for me to deny how much I love a well-written story, it was almost perfect. My only suggestion would be to read this as close a possible to the other books in the series or you might be confused by the cousin/brother/son relationships and why they matter.

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