Book Thingo » Paranormal romance

The Lone Warrior by Denise Rossetti

Kat — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The Lone Warrior by Denise Rossetti (Four-sided Pentacle, Book 3)

Despite some poignant moments, too many inconsistent elements may prevent you from fully enjoying the story. Best enjoyed as part of the series in which it belongs.

This review is part of the AWW2012 Reading and Reviewing Challenge. Click here for a list of books I’ve read so far.

When Denise Rossetti this year’s Australian Romance Readers Award for The Lone Warrior for Favourite Erotic Romance, I knew I had to read this book. I’m not sure who categorised this book for the awards, but it’s more fantasy romance than erotic, and the publisher label at the back of the book says ‘paranormal romance’.

When Mehcredi’s attempt to do the Necromancer’s bidding goes awry, she’s bound to the service of earth shaman Walker. Abandoned as a child, Mehcredi doesn’t know how to be with people, and effectively being trapped into dealing with a bunch of strangers brings old insecurities to the surface.

Mehcredi gradually finds some peace within Walker’s circle of friends, and some measure of self-confidence. When Walker frees her from her bond so he can pursue his quest to avenge his slain kin—he’s the only one left after they were wiped out by demons—Mehcredi insists on coming along, disguised as Walker’s apprentice.

The beginning of this story had me hooked. Until Mehcredi and Walker set off on their journey, I was invested in her story—of her awful childhood and how she makes new friends, gains self-esteem and, at times, loses progress. I was particularly moved by her description of masturbating, as a child, in a closet:

If there was one thing she’d learned at Lonefell, it was the comfort her own bod could give her. The only names she knew for what she did were ugly or childish, or both—frigging, beating off, jerking off. Taso called that soft, sensitive place a cunt, spitting out the word as if it tasted foul in his mouth. But when she lay hunched in some hidey-hole at the keep, cold and miserable and unable to sleep, stroking it helped. The fingers of one hand busy, she’d achieve release, the other first shoved in her mouth to stifle her cries. Afterward, she’d drift off, telling herself it didn’t matter, that at least one person cared enough to gift her with pleasure—even if it was herself.

I wasn’t so moved by Walker’s growing awareness of and lust towards Mehcredi. To call this book an erotic romance is, I think, stretching the definition. Yes, Rossetti uses words like cunt and cock and fuck, but the sex scenes, to me, are more purple prose than erotica. (‘Nngh’ is not a word, and even if it were, it would not be sexy.) The explicit language merely emphasises the lack of depth in these scenes and the weakness of the romance. I understood why Mehcredi fell in love with Walker, but not why he fell in love with her.

The external plot starts off promisingly, but towards the end, I was handicapped by not having read the previous books in the Four-sided Pentacle series. The explanations of magic, demons, djinns and technomages aren’t detailed enough to prevent confusion, ultimately causing me to lose a lot of interest in what was going on. I also found some scene transitions off-putting, with sex scenes interrupted by demon scenes.

I suppose what it all comes down to is a lack of consistency throughout the story. This is reflected in the characters, the language, the pace and the mythology. Mehcredi is an assassin, but she’s not really. Walker is the last of his kin, except he’s not. Prue negates magic, except not with Erik. Magic seems all too easy with the good guys, and even at the very end, the consequence of Walker saving Mehcredi’s life—the source of their final conflict—resolves itself in a terribly convenient way. (Mild spoiler alert: I wonder how Walker feels about part of his soul now being just a fashion accessory?)

Yay or nay?

This book is probably best enjoyed in series order because it seems to rely on worldbuilding done in previous books. I was interested enough in the outcome to keep reading to the end, but despite some poignant moments, there were too many inconsistent elements for me to fully enjoy the story.

Who might enjoy it: Readers who like an awkward heroine

Who might not enjoy it: Fantasy readers expecting a deep mythology

Title: The Lone Warrior (excerpt)
Series: Four-sided Pentacle (Book 3)
Author: Denise Rossetti
Publisher: Berkley/Penguin

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Lover Reborn by J. R. Ward

Kat — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Lover Reborn by J. R. Ward (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 10)

Tohr’s book hearkens back to the earlier books in the BDB series. It’s not without its faults, but in true J. R. Ward fashion, when she pulls out the angst, it’s very, very good.

Click here for a round-up of all BDB-related posts on Book Thingo.

I thought I had weaned myself off the crack, cold turkey, after I managed to resist the call of Lover Unleashed. But as a former Cellie, I was interested to see how Tohr gets his happy ending. Plus a review copy of Lover Reborn turned up in the mail. How could I resist?

Warning: This will be a long post. I’m using subheadings so you can skip to the bits that matter to you. There are spoilers, although I’ve tried not to give away major plot points.

The good stuff

I wasn’t expecting much from this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. For the most part, J. R. Ward restrains herself from going overly over the top and delivers a story that is more layered and coherent—if not always believable—than the BDB has delivered for some time.

Tohr is still steeped in grief when Lover Reborn begins. Despite the irksome Ward-style writing, the story begins at a cracking pace, with the Brothers chasing stupid lessers—don’t worry, they don’t feature much in this book; more on that soon—and finding themselves face-to-face with the Band of Bastards. I didn’t read the previous book and had no idea who they were, but Ward does a good job of unobtrusively filling in the blanks. Plus I had Decadence’s cheat sheets.

The baddies in this book are a gang of vampires led by Xcor (note: X is the new H), who has his eye on Wrath’s throne and plans to use the glymera to get there. These guys are so much more interesting than lessers—so you can tell they’ll eventually be reformed. Sigh.

Tohr’s romantic arc doesn’t intersect much with the external conflict. Lassiter, it turns out, is on a mission to save Wellsie and Baby Tohr from the In Between—the BDB version of purgatory, which didn’t exist before but does now. Oh, don’t be questioning the world breaking. Therein lies madness.

The book spans over a year of BDB time, which is a pleasant change from previous books. Certainly, Tohr and No’One (aka Joanoni—it’s a Twitter thing) need the time to sort out their issues and the build-up at the start of their relationship is wonderfully angsty, and Ward can write angst like nobody’s business.

But the pacing of the romance isn’t always perfect. When the external plot ramps up, sometimes Tohr’s story gets lost in the action. Lassiter fills us in on what’s been happening, which is convenient but unsatisfying.

Nevertheless, Ward gives Tohr’s healing process a lot of page time. I have issues with how this is handled (see the section on dealing with Wellsie below), but if you buy into Tohr and Joanoni as a couple, then it probably won’t bother you as much. I’m pretty sure many readers will find Tohr’s two-year mourning period insufficient, but I don’t think this is unrealistic. I think people who have been in a happy relationship and lose their partner have a very good template for relationships and are more receptive to new love than we might allow them to be.

The first feeding scene between Tohr and Joanoni—okay, No’one—is done excruciatingly well and brought me to tears. Their conflicts, however, are a mixed bag. Tohr’s declaration that ‘I want to fuck you. That’s why I went back home.’ is just so underwhelming, and on a few occasions he descends to unbelievable levels of arseholic. Their big break up scene could have been more subtle (then again, it’s the BDB), but it’s still a lot more toned down and believable than many of the other books in the series.

For the most part, the relationship between Tohr and No’One is summed up by this quote from her:

I am happy to simply have time with you. That is enough—and more than I could ever have expected out of my fate. These past few months have been a complicated joy that…

Ward being Ward, there’s an extra special twist at the end for No’One that came as a surprise to me. I loved that I didn’t guess it (although perhaps it was just me). That’s how immersed I was with the story—I wasn’t thinking ahead at all. The resolution of the impossible-love-twist may not work for every reader, but at least it makes more sense than Ghost Jane or Monogamous Primale Phury or Scribe Unvirgin or…well, you know where madness lies.

This is also one of the few couples in the series whose happy ending feels secure, at least on an emotional level.

Dealing with the issue of Wellsie

My biggest problem with Tohr’s emotional arc is that Ward uses Wellsie to force Tohr’s romance with No’One. Tohr is essentially forced to get over it by Lassiter in order to save Wellsie and Baby Tohr from being lost between life and death.

It’s as if Ward has to apologise to Wellsie fans for killing her off. What ends up happening is exactly the opposite of what I think Ward intended. To me, this plot does a great disservice to Wellsie—it’s basically her fault that Tohr has to find another love. It also puts a seedy tone around Tohr and No’One’s relationship, especially when they’re finally having sex. It’s like Lassiter is pimping him out so Wellsie and Baby Tohr can get to heaven.

Wait. What?

Yes, fine, it’s more complicated than that. It’s Tohr’s inability to let go of Wellsie that keeps her tethered to the living—in the undead vampire sense—world. And, okay, Wellsie’s plight enables Ward to externalise Tohr’s recovery, at least in the beginning—his grief is mirrored by Wellsie’s state and his inability to move on is illustrated clearly to the reader. After that, though, when Wellsie keeps getting worse even with Tohr trying his absolute best to have sex with someone else without feeling guilty—WTF? I hear you scream. Yes, I know.—it just seems cruel.

Because Ward uses Wellsie as an excuse for Tohr having to move on, Tohr’s recovery from grief never really feels natural. Worse, it feels like a betrayal of Wellsie’s character. And I’m not even a Wellsie fan.

Vampire ennui and self-esteem issues

If I had to sum up every character’s problem in the BDB series, it would be lack of self-esteem. Go reread your books and tell me you disagree. Everything boils down to characters feeling like they’re not good enough. It’s getting tiring. How long have these vampires been around again?

I was also uncomfortable with the level of contempt that some of the characters directed to anyone other than themselves or their friends. This is particularly noticeable at the beginning of the book. Given Tohr’s disdain for human beings it’s hard to fathom why he bothers fighting lessers. Maybe it’s become a hobby for lack of anything more exciting to do? Vampire ennui saves humankind. Awesome.

Xhex repeatedly goes off on internal rants about the glymera and sexist Brothers and the Kardashians—basically, notions of femininity that don’t fit her:

Anyone tried to turn her into a glymera chickadee? She’d just saw through the gold bars, set a bomb on the base of the stand, and hang the steaming remains from a chandelier in the foyer.

I get what Ward is trying to convey, and perhaps she’s responding to (I think well-deserved) criticism about the portrayal of women in the BDB world. I love that Xhex challenges the Brothers, including JM, about the patronising way they treat her, and she does become more tolerant towards the end of the book. But for the most part, especially when Xhex isn’t even with the Brothers, I think Ward overcompensates—it’s all just too over the top and angry and reinforces the notion that women who have made different choices about their lives can’t peacefully co-exist.

Xcor is one seething mess of self-esteem issues. He’s like V but uglier. Apparently. I don’t know anymore. He’s a great villain, but since he doesn’t seem destined to remain one forever, I’m kind of unimpressed. Nevertheless, the Band of Bastard members are intriguing and these new antagonists bode well for the coming books.

Secondary relationships and characters

If I had to sum up the theme of Lover Reborn, it would be one of healing.

Ward almost breaks John Matthew’s HEA to provide Tohr’s story with some parallel angst. JM and Xhex discover they just can’t work together, and Xhex leaves the mansion. Again, there’s something forced about their conflict—or at least, the way it’s presented is awkward. A lot of time elapses between scenes and Ward has to fill the reader in with bursts of info dump. There’s some good angst in their story, but JM seems to have a regressed, and their sex scenes are so not sexy. To me they were pointless and porny (not in a good way).

Qhuaylock doesn’t feature much in this book, but Qhuinn does have his own arc. Since the last chapter (excluding the epilogue) ends on Quinn and Blay, it comes as no surprise to me that book 11 of the series will be their book. In the meantime, Lover Reborn is not the book to make Qhaylock fans happy. Me, I’m a Saxton fan, so I’m destined for heartbreak.

Layla’s story arc is the one that caused me the most anger while reading this book. To me, she’s one of the most victimised characters in the series and I desperately wanted her to end up with someone who deserves her. Instead, it looks like Ward will use her to redeem the unredeemable. It sucks like a starving vampire.

There’s also a twist around Layla which I totally saw coming. It might make other readers gnash their teeth, but hey, now it’s your turn. :D

Rhage is totally adorable in this book.

Tohr shrugged. ‘Assuming he’s kept the same ones on, they’re a total of five. Three cousins. That porn star Zypher—’

Rhage harrumphed at that. Clearly, even though he was now very happily mated, he felt like the race had one, and only one, sex legend—and it was him.

Wardspeak

Look, you can’t escape Ward’s narrative style, and maybe I’m just more sensitive to it now, but the language irks. The brand-dropping seems to have been toned down, but Ward still tries much too hard to be urban and edgy…with unfortunate results. (See the Xhex quote above—I rolled my eyes. Seriously.)

This isn’t helped by godawful editing choices, and at this point, I can’t tell if the blame lies with the editor or with the author. Certainly, I’d hate to have been the proofreader for this book. Tense, punctuation, word choice, lack of nouns—they’ll offend anyone with any love for the English language. I wonder if foreign translations are just as painful?

Deliberately bad punctuation and stupid vocabulary aren’t subversive or cool. They’re just annoying and they make reading more difficult than it has to be.

To summarise: Give. Me. A. Break(s); Xcqh’BBQ… Gotchu.

Gesundheit.

Yay or nay?

Lover Reborn hearkens back to the earlier books in the BDB series. It’s not without its faults, but in true Ward fashion, when she pulls out the angst, it’s very, very good. My advice to readers is to do what they’ve been doing along: love the bits that are angsty and awesome and ignore the bits that aren’t. It’s the only way to keep enjoying this series.

Who might enjoy it: Long-term BDB fans—especially those who skipped the last book

Who might not enjoy it: Readers who love Wellsie or Layla or Qhaylock

A review copy of this book was generously provided by Hachette Australia.

Title: Lover Reborn
Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood (Book 10)
Author: J. R. Ward
Publisher: Piatkus/Hachette Australia

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Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison

Kat — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 23:00:00 +0000

Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison (Elder Races, Book 1)

The Elder Races series has become my BDB replacement. It’s totally cracktastic.

After reading Wandergurl’s review and at the urging of Decadence and Kate, I finally picked up the first book in Thea Harrison’s Elder Races series.

I’m hooked.

Pia Giovanni is blackmailed into stealing from Dragos, Wyr (shapeshifter) leader and one of the most powerful creatures in the world. She’s on the run, but he’s determined to find out who stole his…penny.

Dragon Bound gets off to a snappy start, with Dragos’s pursuit of Pia and her attempts to elude him. Dragos’s enemies are determined to bring him down, and Pia is inadvertently swept up in their conflict. Her life has been based on the need to protect herself, but with Dragos refusing to let her go, it seems her secrets may put her in even greater danger than either of them could have anticipated.

Dragos is your typical alpha male, leader of a savage community, whose ruthlessness is suddenly tempered by his fascination with—and later love for—the heroine. Pia is not exactly weak—she has her own skills and resources—but her greatest strength in the relationship is her ability to understand Dragos’s nature and help him be a better person. Species. Wyr. Whatever.

“I am jealous, selfish, acquisitive, territorial and possessive. I have a terrible temper, and I know I can be a cruel son of a bitch.” He cocked his head. “I used to eat people, you know.”

If he meant to shock her out of crying, he succeeded. A snort burst out of her. “That’s awful,” she said. Her nose was clogged. “I mean it, that’s awful. It’s not funny. I’m not laughing.”

He sighed. “It was a long time ago. Thousands of years. Once I really was the beast the Elves call me.”

She closed her eyes, took a deep, shuddering breath and rubbed her fingers along the seam of his T-shirt. “What made you stop?”

“I had a conversation with somebody. It was an epiphany.” His voice was rueful. He rocked her. “From that point on, I swore I would never eat something that could talk.”

If you like sassy heroines, there’s plenty of it in Dragon Bound. One of my favourite scenes is when Pia gets drunk with the PR representative for Dragos’s corporation and they indulge in a bit of girl bonding.

Yes, the writing is sometimes mired in purple prose (‘broad mushroom head’—yes, it’s exactly what you think it is) and the kind of awkward language (‘I’ll pursue that comment later.’ Really? Do people talk like this?) that fans of paranormal romance readers regularly endure—perhaps even enjoy, because who am I to judge?— but Dragon Bound also embodies all that we love about the genre.

Yay or nay?

The Elder Races series has become my BDB replacement. It’s totally cracktastic.

Who might enjoy it: Paranormal romance series fanatics

Who might not enjoy it: People who expect paranormal romance characters to act like normal people

Title: Dragon Bound (excerpts: one, two, three)
Series: Elder Races (Book 1)
Author: Thea Harrison
Publisher: Berkley/Penguin
A format: 9780425241509 (9/6/2011)

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Heart of Steel by Meljean Brook

Kat — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 23:00:00 +0000

Heart of Steel by Meljean Brook (Iron Seas, Book 2)

It’s rare in romance to find an uncompromisingly strong heroine and even rarer to find a hero who understands how to love such a woman. This book gets it just right.

Although Meljean Brook is one of my autobuy authors, I was hugely disappointed by her first Iron Seas novel, The Iron Duke. I found Rhys Trahaearn unheroic, rapish and generally irritating. I hadn’t planned to read any more of this series, except I forgot to tell the bookshop, and they put aside a copy of Heart of Steel for me.

This is fortunate, because Heart of Steel is everything I love about Brook’s writing. Adventurer Archimedes Fox and Captain Yasmeen, who appeared in the first book, remind me of Hugh and Lilith from Brook’s The Guardians series. Their romance is cheeky but filled with subtext and things left unsaid that make it just that much more thrilling.

Archimedes Fox is presumed dead and Yasmeen makes a bargain with his sister to sell off a valuable Da Vinci sketch in exchange for a portion of the proceeds. But there are complications. Word seems to have got out, and some people are not above a bit of murder to get their hands on it. The sketch is stolen. Oh, and Fox isn’t actually dead.

Soon, Yasmeen has her own very personal reasons for wanting to find who is after the sketch. Fox, for reasons of his own, has decided to fall deeply, tragically, romantically in love with Yasmeen as they pursue treasures, mercenaries and assassins.

It’s a testament to Brook that she can create a character like Archimedes Fox, who treads a precarious line between roguish charm and utter ridiculousness, and find the perfect heroine for him—one who is unbowed and unyielding. Fox is the heart of this story, but Yasmeen is its strength.

There’s a lot of world building in this book, some of which follows on from The Iron Duke. It’s possible to read this as a stand alone novel, but it may be more satisfying to read the series in order. It does gets a bit dense in parts, so if you’re an impatient romance reader like me, you might find yourself skimming through the political and historical background, even though they’re crucial to understanding how the plot comes together.

The romance in Heart of Steel is relatively understated. Fox is determined to prolong his romantic agony. Yasmeen, of course, tells him he’s being ridiculous, but Fox has his reasons. Brook could have developed this aspect of his character more, but Fox is so much fun that it hardly matters.

Yay or nay?

It’s rare in romance to find an uncompromisingly strong heroine and even rarer to find a hero who understands how to love such a woman. Heart of Steel gets it just right.

Who might enjoy it: Steampunk romance enthusiasts

Who might not enjoy it: Acrophobics

Title: Heart of Steel (excerpt)
Series: Iron Seas (Book 2)
Author: Meljean Brook
Publisher: Berkley/Penguin
B format: 9780425243305 (1/11/2011)
PDF: 9781101542798 (1/11/2011)
ePub: 9781101545676 (1/11/2011)

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Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Decadence — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 23:00:04 +0000

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (Hush, Hush Saga, Book 1)

A bodice-ripper for the Twilight generation. If you look beyond its uncomfortably age inappropriate start, you’ll find unwanted but undeniable chemistry, highly realistic teenage logic and page-turning mystery.

Hush, Hush is a really interesting book to review. Its plot is reminiscent of a 1970s bodice-ripper where the older, more experienced hero antagonises the virginal young heroine as much as he tempts her. Becca Fitzpatrick doesn’t let a lack of sex (this is teen fiction, after all) prevent her from having Patch Cipriano forcefully seduce Nora Grey at every opportunity. They each have other potential love interests who make the other party jealous, but the once-intimidating hero actually becomes the safer option and they are forced to team up to survive.

Rape-tacular biology in motion

There are aspects of the book that don’t present well despite Fitzpatrick’s best intentions, and I’m going to get the crap out of the way first because most of it happens in the first half of the book.

In what must be the most pedo-tastic lesson plan ever, the Biology teacher (who is also the stereotypical results-driven sports coach) introduces the topic of sex by asking Nora to tell her class what she looks for in her ideal mate. She shies away, so he asks Patch, who lists vulnerability among his preferred qualities, then shines the spotlight back onto Nora, detailing why he is attracted to her and announces that her discomfited blush means she wants him, too.

While Patch has been around for centuries and flirts like an adult, at fifteen Nora is definitely underage, so the scene read like a prelude to rape where the perpetrator is laying the groundwork for reasonable doubt and psychologically isolating his victim from support because all anyone is likely to remember is that Patch flirted with Nora and she ‘liked’ it.

What adds to the squick factor is that it stems from an inappropriate question from an adult teacher that would violate the Child Protection Act. The coach takes credit for a successful lesson, calling it ‘biology in motion’, tacitly supporting Patch’s behaviour. I’m surprised that his next lesson didn’t involve asking them for a live demonstration.

Unwilling to act on her attraction to Patch, Nora asks the coach to separate them, but has trouble explaining to herself what the problem is, so she makes no real effort to communicate it to him. And he’s so oblivious to her distress that he tells her she also has to tutor Patch for no extra credit.

Her best friend Vee Sky suggests a campaign to get the coach fired, but Nora shuts her down and Vee never speaks another word of sense again. She later gives Nora bad advice about continuing to see someone who physically threatens her because it gives Vee more opportunities to throw herself at his uninterested friend despite several public rejections.

After her father’s murder, Nora is left to raise herself while her mother travels for work. She says they have a deal where, as long as she behaves responsibly, her mother won’t have to take a lower paying job that would give her time to supervise Nora. In other words, Nora is made responsible for her mother’s ability to keep the family home as well as her own upbringing. Forcing her mother to be her parent would actually be a failure on Nora’s part. Nora is forced to be capable of looking after herself, but events in this book highlight the reasonable need a teenager has for someone to take care of her. She develops a habit of handling things herself without it ever occurring to her to ask for help when she needs it. She even pushes help away without any apparent consciousness that she is in over her head.

Nora has a nervous tic of popping enough iron pills to ensure she never has another bowel movement in this lifetime, but despite her attachment to this security blanket, she is willing to give them up for the remainder of the school day to stalk Patch. I wondered if her anaemia was a sign that Nora was more than human, but it was dropped partway through the book.

Why did I finish the book?

One reason I kept going was to see just how bad it could get, figuring that a negative review would be quick to write. It would have been easy to dismiss Fitzpatrick as a bad writer, but there’s more to the story and it actually gets a lot better. Yes, she creates an extreme situation in Nora’s lack of support system, but she captures the awkwardness of teenage years where a ‘smart’ girl is overlooked through neglect and her own inability to see she’s in an unhealthy situation.

Vee is loud and sometimes annoying, but Fitzpatrick quietly shows that her confidence is a defence mechanism. What Nora describes as ‘voluptuous’, others brand as ‘fat’, and Vee unsuccessfully tries fad diet after fad diet. She reminds me of Lula from Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series with her lack of subtlety and ability to rationalise the irrational to get her own way.

Nora and Vee definitely both make stupid choices, but the reasons why are clear. I could reasonably see an insecure teen making mistakes out of a belief they need to be independent or a desire to be more than they are perceived. What some readers might consider flaws are a well-portrayed part of the teenage condition and it resonated within me because while I wasn’t either of those characters, I had some of those qualities when I was their age.

I’m not a fan of bodice-rippers, but like one that haunted me long after I read it, Hush, Hush had a magnetic quality that kept me turning the pages. Except for the inappropriate classroom scene, I enjoyed watching Patch make Nora squirm while she goes back for more because she doesn’t want him to keep besting her.

I think that’s part of what makes their connection so interesting. Any relationship between Nora and Patch was never going to be one between equals because of his preternatural abilities and centuries of experience. But he got under her skin and seduced her into actively pursuing him. I’m drawn to the conflict between hero and heroine as long as the connection is there, especially when it’s inconvenient or unwanted like it is in Hush, Hush. Sadly, the classroom scene is the only insight given to Patch’s interest in Nora, but hopefully we’ll see this become more fleshed out in later books.

The book opens centuries ago with an exchange where an angel demands an annual fortnight of service from a young duke and it made me wonder which one was Patch and what this has to do with the present day. Setting aside the question of what kind of teenager loans out their car, how could Nora hit someone with Vee’s car and write it off, only for any signs of collision to disappear? How is this connected to a girl’s murder at another school and how is Patch always there when Nora needs help? Since I’m not in the habit of killing fairies, I just had to keep reading.

Yay or Nay?

Hush, Hush is a bodice-ripper for the Twilight generation. If you look beyond its uncomfortably age inappropriate start, you’ll find unwanted but undeniable chemistry, highly realistic teenage logic and page-turning mystery. I have to hand it to Fitzpatrick—she knows how to dole out the crumbs.

Who might enjoy this book: Fans of bodice-rippers, Lauren Kate’s Fallen series and the Twilight saga

Who might not enjoy this book: Readers who hated Twilight, like gentlemanly heroes and expect their heroines to be strong, well-defined, independent and kick-arse

Becca Fitzpatrick will be in Australia in December at The Black Hand Ball, hosted by Simon & Schuster. Click here for details and bookings.

Title: Hush, Hush (excerpt)
Series: Hush, Hush Saga, Book 1
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Hardback: 9781847386946 (11/2009)
C format: 9781847386953 (11/2009)
B format: 9781847386960 (9/2010)
Ebook: 9781847389169 (11/2009)

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Signing: The Black Hand Ball, Sydney (featuring Becca Fitzpatrick) — 7/12/2011

Shadow Kin by M. J. Scott

Kat — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 23:00:00 +0000

Shadow Kin by M. J. Scott (Half-Light City, Book 1)

Shadow Kin straddles urban fantasy and paranormal romance. If you’re not fussed about first person narrative and POV shifts, this book introduces a fresh voice in the genre that won’t have any trouble finding an audience.

When Shadow’s attempt to assassinate a sunmage fails, she knows she’s in big trouble. First, there’s her boss, the Blood Lord Lucius, for whom failure is punishable by death…or worse. Then there’s Simon, the sunmage, who persuades Shadow to betray Lucius.

Shadow is a wraith, and all her life Lucius’s protection—such as it is—has been her only sanctuary. It’s also a dark prison she’s desperate to escape, and Simon’s offer of protection is the first real chance she’s had since her Fae family abandoned her to the Blood Lord.

The story gets off to a fantastic start—fast-paced and intriguing, with a kick-arse but vulnerable heroine. Perfect urban fantasy fodder, and I couldn’t put it down. Debut Australian author M. J. Scott sets up an intriguing world featuring vampires, demons, fae, mages, Templars and more. Shadow Kin is the first book in the Half-Light City series, and Scott introduces political and cultural tensions, as well as mysteries that will no doubt be more fully explored in later books.

There are moments of violence, but also of intimacy. Surprisingly, some of the most intense scenes are between Shadow and Lucius—the kind that sells chills rather than thrills down the spine.

POV-sensitive readers will have issues with how Scott has chosen to shift the narration between Shadow and Simon. Changes in the narrator are marked by sun and moon symbols, but they can be awkward. Both narrators use first person, which makes the some POV shifts bewildering.

The real problem is that there isn’t a compelling reason for Simon’s point of view, other than to reveal parts of the plot that Shadow has no knowledge of. The payoff isn’t worth it, because not only does shifts to Simon’s POV affect the story’s pacing, Scott fails to capitalise on Shadow’s deeper internal conflict by being in the wrong head at the wrong time.

The story also suffers from that perennial paranormal romance weakness of sappy endings. Scott does better than most, but it still niggles, especially when compared with the polish of the story’s beginning.

When I first met Scott at last year’s R*BY awards dinner, she had just signed her first book contract, so I’ve been looking forward to Shadow Kin for over a year now. It was worth the wait.

Yay or nay?

Who might enjoy it: Readers who like an intricate plot

Who might not enjoy it: Those who refer to themselves in the third person

An e-galley of this book was generously provided by Penguin USA via NetGalley.

Title: Shadow Kin (excerpt)
Series: Half-Light City (Book 1)
Author: M. J. Scott
Publisher: Roc/Penguin
A format: 9780451464040 (6/9/2011)
Ebook: 9781101541098 (6/9/2011)

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Book launch: Shadow Kin by M. J. Scott – 22/9/2011

Heart Search by Robin D. Owens

Wandergurl — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:00:38 +0000

Heart Search by Robin D. Owens (Celta's HeartMates, Book 10)

A good addition to the series for Celta fans who are curious to see how characters have evolved and want to catch up on previous characters’ lives.

I first read Robin D. Owens’ HeartMate earlier in the year. Within the next month I managed to collect every single book in the Celta series by visiting random bookshops in the Philippines and through some creative used book buying via @GirrlitsBooks. Needless to say, I love everything about this series—even the apostrophes.

Laev T’Hawthorn was stupid a few books ago and, as a twenty-year old, married the wrong girl, thinking she was his HeartMate. She fucked him over, to put it in simple terms, and later died when a devastating illness swept the land. Laev, now head of his family after the death of his grandfather, has since discovered that she stole family heirlooms and sold them. He is determined to get them back, and in doing so right some of the wrongs he felt he has brought upon his family by choosing the wrong woman.

Camilla Darjeeling runs a tea house (in case you couldn’t get this from her name) and is a very independent woman who has worked very hard to get herself a better station in life. She also knows Laev is her HeartMate. (She can’t tell him—this is a law of the land, just so you know that she’s not just being unnecessarily stubborn.) She’s being bothered by her unscrupulous father and uncle, who keep stealing everything she owns and physically abusing her despite her best attempts to avoid them.

Camilla refuses to acknowledge Laev is her HeartMate, and he refuses to try and find her because of his past experiences and regret. Eventually, their sexy-time dreams catch up with them and they finally hook up in real life, but neither them wants to go further than that.

Laev and Camilla’s relationship came across at times like a friends-with-benefits tale that evolved and and turned out well. Their hesitation to move towards romance, despite the fact that it was inevitable, was realistic and well-portrayed. People do have regrets, and this does stop them from moving forward or trying to love again, because they’ve been burned before. Camilla’s lack of trust for men, brought about by abuse from the men in her family, was also realistic. If you take away all the juju and magic porting and mind-talking cute animals, they really could just be two people having issues with commitment.

You can’t read this book without reading the rest of the series. The Celta series has a very finely ingrained mythology, which you won’t entirely understand if you start with Heart Search, which is set ten years into the future from the last book and focuses on a younger generation. You don’t have to read all the preceding books, and you don’t even have to read them in order—I didn’t—but you need another book to start with before you get to Heart Search. It’s so far along in the series that it’s best to read one or two of the previous books in the series (any of them, really) beforehand.

Yay or nay?

A good addition to the series for Celta fans who are curious to see how characters have evolved and want to catch up on previous characters’ lives.

Who might enjoy it: Celta HeartMates series fans

Who might not enjoy it: Apostrophe haterz

Title: Heart Search (excerpt — PDF)
Series: Celta’s HeartMates (Book 10)
Author: Robin D. Owens
Publisher: Berkley
A format: 9780425241387 (2/8/2011)
ePub: 9781101517291 (2/8/2011)
Adobe: 9781101507896 (2/8/2011)

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Storm’s Heart by Thea Harrison

Wandergurl — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:00:42 +0000

Storm's Heart by Thea Harrison (Elder Races, Book 2)

My new auto-buy author. Even if the hero had turned out to be a wimpy web-footed shapeshifter from outer space whose non-human form was even weirder looking I’d probably still buy it.

Tricks, former head of PR for Culebre Enterprises, has come out of hiding after the death of the Dark Fae King to reveal herself as the heiress to the throne. Not surprisingly, people are trying to kill her. Enter Tiago Black Eagle, wyr sentinel sent by Dragos, her ex-boss who gave her refuge (see previous book), to make sure she’s okay and find out who tried to kill her. They haven’t had much interaction until now, but they make up for lost time pretty quickly. Can Tricks and Tiago find out who’s trying to kill her before she ends up dead, and still have time for some nookie?

I think I’ve written a similar summary before. Hell, I think I might have done it for Dragon Bound, the first book of this series. But hey, why ruin something that works?

Thea Harrison is my new auto-buy author. Even if the hero had turned out to be a wimpy web-footed shapeshifter from outer space whose non-human form was even weirder looking I’d probably still buy it. (But I’d ask Decadence first.) I am utterly fascinated by her world building and enjoy the universe she’s created.

Tricks and Tiago are great characters. Tricks could have easily turned into a Mary Sue, or Miss Super-Independent-I-Don’t-Need-Anyone, but instead she acknowledges what she needs to learn and gets on with it. Tiago could also have turned into a grunting alpha—honestly, I think of him as Conan or Taboo (from the Black Eyed Peas)—but he’s worked out well. Harrison, and by virtue of this, Tricks, doesn’t try to change him, even at the end, when they’re mated (this is not a spoiler as I’m sure we all know this is going to happen—it’s a romance) and he’s got to be Mr. Faerie. There are also none of the if only they spoke to each other this conflict would not have happened bullshit. When something happens to her, they talk about it right away. They even talk about the whole mating gig. I really liked that in the story.

I found the external plot around murder attempts on Tricks quite interesting, and that kept me reading more than the actual romance. I liked the murder investigation and how everything moved along but, yes, eventually I killed a fairy three-quarters into the book.

Yay or nay?

Yay. But you need to read Dragon Bound first. Storm’s Heart can stand alone, but the first book is better. This doesn’t suck—not at all; it’s pretty good—but you might as well get book one too. :-)

Title: Storm’s Heart (excerpts: one, two, three)
Series: Elder Races (Book 2)
Author: Thea Harrison
Publisher: Berkley/Penguin
A format: 9780425242667 (2/8/2011)
Ebook: 9780748132508 (2/8/2011)

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Heartless by Gail Carriger

Wandergurl — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:00:13 +0000

Heartless by Gail Carriger (Parasol Protectorate, Book 4)

The latest instalment of the Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series proves that some things can get even better with time.

Alexia Maccon (nee Tarrabotti) has got herself into trouble again. Aside from the ‘infant inconvenience’ that has led to everyone trying to kill her—featuring, this time around, zombie, semi-mechanised porcupines—she has to solve a plot to assassinate the Queen. All while waddling about, moving, investigating her husband’s past, fussing over members of the pack and having tea.

This latest instalment of the Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series proves that some things can get even better with time. This book was just as witty and compelling as the others—I read it at every possible moment—and even more creative. (The porcupines were totally original.) Alexia, despite being preggers and totally dependent on her parasol, hunky werewolves and her unflappable butler to prop her up, still manages to save the day and pop out a baby besides. (Yes, the progeny makes its appearance in this one, which is not a spoiler since you can tell that from the size of her in chapter one.)

Connal, Lord Maccon, is still the smitten werewolf, but he gets to play a bigger part in this book, what with managing his pack. (In the last book he was a mostly absent ass.) His gruff but affectionate nature has ensured that I kind of have a soft spot for him, especially since his wife is doing such a good job of training him. Lord Akeldama, Alexia’s gay BFF has a bigger role in this books as well, and he invents even more affectionate nicknames for her. We also get further glimpses into his character, and we get to see more than his all-knowing, fashion-loving self.

This book fleshes out other secondary characters. We get to learn more about vampire hives, pack politics and how an alpha becomes an alpha. There’s also a whole bunch of dirigibles and we even get to find out Biffy’s real name.

Which brings me to this important point: I love this book, and this series, but you really can’t start from here. It can, if you must, stand alone. The central plot point is explained in such a way that it finishes in this book, but all the secondary threads, including the one involving the baby that has been stretched for the last few books, don’t end or start here. It will leave you wondering, and the continuity is better if you begin from the start.

Was there anything I didn’t like about it? Well, I kind of figured out a major plot point from just a little after the beginning. I also still really dislike Alexia’s sisters. Also, I don’t really get why it’s called Heartless. I don’t think it fits with the theme of the book—I think they just wanted something that ended with ‘-less’. Other than that, I have to say I liked it better than the last one.

Yay or Nay?

YAAAAY! I’m so glad there is more of this series and I look forward to the next one. (In May, 2012!) Highly recommended for people who are kinda over paranormals and want something different. Yes, this still has vampires and werewolves, but it’s steampunk. And Victorian London. And so incredibly witty it will make you laugh out loud. Also, there’s a lot of tea.

Title: Heartless (excerpt)
Series: Parasol Protectorate (Book 4)
Author: Gail Carriger
Publisher: Orbit/Hachette
B format: 9780356500096 (7/2011)
A format: 9780316127196 (28/6/2011)
Ebook: 9780748122677 (7/7/2011)

Books in the Parasol Protectorate series

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Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison

Wandergurl — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 00:00:22 +0000

Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison (Elder Races, Book 1)

The perfect antidote for a paranormal romance slump. I have been sucked into another series!

Pia Giovanni has been blackmailed into stealing something from a dragon’s horde. After becoming the only being in the world to get away with it, she finds herself targeted by Dragos Culebre, a powerful member of the Elder Races. (Yes, he is a dragon. Yes, he lives in a big tower in New York.)

Dragos can’t believe someone has managed to steal from him, but instead of dismembering the thief he finds himself, well, feeling. At the same time, he knows that there’s more to this theft than meets the eye, and before long he and Pia are on the run, trying to unravel the plot against him.

First of all, I had to overcome a lot of resistance to reading this book. The lead character’s name is Pia, the name of my short, spunky, super curvy, bob-cut Asian ex-flatmate. While she has equally interesting adventures of her own, it was hard to imagine the name as a tall, lanky vegetarian blonde dating an almost seven-foot tall hunkachunkaburnin’ love (Okay, she’d do that too—Who wouldn’t?—but she is definitely not blonde!) and I worried I wouldn’t be able to get past that. Thanks to the amazing Decadence’s persuasive powers, however, I finally borrowed the book from her and promptly devoured it over a few train rides.

You may or may not have noticed that I’ve been in a paranormal slump lately. So much so that I can’t even bring myself to pick up J. R. Ward’s latest—which is ironic since we will freely admit to starting this blog partly so we could get J. R. Ward ARCs.

Thea Harrison’s Dragon Bound was the perfect antidote to that slump. Okay, so dragons have been done before. So have shapeshifters and hunky seven-foot tall alphas. What makes this book a breath of fresh air is just how everything is put together.

Pia is a respectable, admirable heroine who tries hard to get herself out of trouble, especially when it’s not really her fault. She’s spent most of her life lying low, trying to keep herself from being noticed. One nasty ex-boyfriend later and she ends up in the dragon’s den.

Dragos is, of course, the perfect alpha. He’s dark, he’s broody, and he has longish black hair that just brushes against his neck (sound familiar?). He has a personality, though, and it’s not all thuggish. Pia and Dragos come together naturally. It’s not one of those scenarios where suddenly they are thrown together and in two days, whoops, we’re walking down the altar. They do get there eventually, but it’s entirely plausible, at least in their world.

The secondary characters are priceless. Dragos has a bunch of boys who are not only sequel bait but amusing and fun to read. Harrison does a great job with the world building. The urban fantasy element draws you into the world but makes it believable, enough for you to be able to feel that you can live alongside them, the way they’re meant to in the novel. It’s fantastical but believable at the same time.

There’s a plot. It’s about people trying to overthrow Dragos (not that he really has a throne, but you know, he’s a powerful entity). It was a good story and I really got into all the adventure. Harrison does good on the adventure bits. And the romance bits. And the rest of it in general.

What didn’t I like about the book? I would have to say Dragos, while having that personality and being a great read and all, had too many similarities with all the other alphas I’ve read. I realise they all have to be a certain way, but he sometimes felt like an amalgamation of a whole bunch of alphas from other books. That said, I still really liked his character a lot.

Yay or Nay?

A resounding YAY. I intend to get my own copy and, yes, I have been SUCKED INTO ANOTHER SERIES. (Thanks, Decadence.) It is all worth it though. I’m really enjoying this and would highly recommend it to anyone who is a bit over your average paranormal and wants something well written and just a bit different from the rest.

Title: Dragon Bound (excerpts: one, two, three)
Series: Elder Races (Book 1)
Author: Thea Harrison
Publisher: Berkley/Penguin
A format: 9780425241509 (2011)

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