Month: May 2017

Review: The Romeo Catchers by Alys Arden

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I love vampires.  And witches.  And scary stuff in general.  But I also love history.  And when all those things are wrapped around a great story set in New Orleans, it’s usually a winner for me.

This is the sequel to The Casquette Girls, another outstanding story.  So if you haven’t read that one, stop right now and go read it.  It’s not an absolute necessity, but it makes this one so much easier to follow.

The Casquette Girls

But back to this one…

The story picks up shortly after the first one.  It’s several months after Hurricane Katrina.  Nicco and his vampire kin are safely tucked back into the attic at the Ursuline Convent.  So all should be well.  But of course it’s not.  A new danger is lurking in the city.  And all roads lead back to the Medici.  Adele and Isaac’s relationship is tested as she can’t get away from her memories of Nicco.  Will their love, and the coven, be strong enough to survive?

This is a looong book.  But anything less would have left out too many important details.  I love the author’s knowledge of the city and the way her words pull you in.  I could feel myself walking along the dark streets of the French Quarter, just waiting for something to jump out.  The sights, sounds, and smells are all there.  And that cover!  I’ve been waiting for this sequel for a very long time.  And now I begin waiting for the next one…

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  The Romeo Catchers

Review: I am Death by Chris Carter

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i-am-deathHaving just turned the last page I have to say this book was fantastic. It was also one of the most disturbing books I’ve ever read. Talk about taking deviance to a whole new extreme!

You’ve read one thriller, you’ve read them all right? I mean some might be better or more thrilling (see what I did there?) than others, but at the end of the day they are all the same basket of fish, eh? Wrong! This one had me hooked from page one and breathless all the way to the end.

I had to find out more about Chris Carter since this was the first time I had picked up one of his books. After looking up the author’s profile here I admit to finding his history quite fascinating as well…

Can’t wait to read more from this series and anything else Carter has penned!

Until next time…
Urania xx

ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.

Buy it now I am Death by Chris Carter

Review: The Farthest Edge by Kristen Ashley

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Whew! This was another exciting and very hot addition to the Honey series by Kristen Ashley. I’m not even kidding about the “hot” factor. I love Kristen’s writing, as I’ve said before, but when she mixes it up and jumps into the BDSM world, then I’m definitely one happy girl. Now I realize that this type of books isn’t for everybody and that’s okay. But for me, I’m loving the fact that she decided to try something new to her.

If you read The Deep End, you saw a bit of Evangeline and know what happened to her to make her step away from a world that was her world. A life changing moment that many people would have to think twice about returning. But her friends never gave up on her. They kept pushing until they found the right button and she was done for.

Branch has a past that no one will ever know about. A past that has changed him forever. He’s hard and unflinching and quite a force. And he doesn’t like to open himself up to others, at the risk of his past messing up their future. He also has needs, just like everyone else, but because of his past, he goes about fulfilling those needs in all the wrong ways. That is until a little firecracker takes it upon herself to flip his world upside down, tear his walls to pieces and push him to the farthest edge right into her open arms.

This is an interconnected standalone, so you don’t have to read The Deep End, but I highly recommend you do. Again, this book is nothing like her usual books. The Farthest Edge will have you sweating and squirming and wishing for your spouse or significant other. Lots of sexy times. LOTS. But also is has a whole lotta sweet. Friends that don’t give up on each other and lovers that stand by and help life you up, and hold you up, when you need it the most. I really enjoy this world. I look forward to more from it.

~Melpomene

Release day: June 6, 2017
Grab The Farthest Edge here: http://amzn.to/2pPNXX4
Start from the beginning with The Deep End here: http://amzn.to/2rjv9R6

Review: The Final Vow by Amanda Flower 

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This is number three in a series – and I so wish I had read the first two, well, first. I totally dug the storyline: Kelsey Cambridge, historical farm director gets herself embroiled in a murder mystery. And I dug the characters: bridezilla, jerky ex, perky assistant, grouchy good old boys club, Wonder Woman wedding planner, and uber-supportive wannabe boyfriend. But I struggled to empathize with them, because I didn’t get to know them deeply enough. I almost felt my heartbeat faster when things got a little dicey for Kelsey, but for the most part I was on an even keel, just watching the events unfold but not really feeling them. 

I think I need to read number four though. Now that I’ve been introduced to Kelsey et al, I need to see where the romances go, how the Cherry Foundation decides to proceed, and if ringing the bell makes it into daily rotation at Barton Farm. By the end, I was invested, and now I need more!

-Calliope

Buy THE FINAL VOW

Review: One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline

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Lisa Scottoline is greatness.  She has a way of pulling you in from the very first sentence and then not letting you go until the last page.  This latest thriller is no exception.

Chris Brennan is not who you think he is.  He seems like a perfect candidate for a small-town coaching/teaching position.  But everything about him is a lie.  And there’s a lot at stake, including lives.  Among the cast of characters are high schoolers with troubles of their own, single moms trying to get by, and married couples coping with lies as well.

I will tell you that this book made me think one thing at the beginning but then made me change my mind several times along the way.  It’s not who you think it is, and it’s not why, either.

This one is a great suspense story.  My only complaint is that the ending seemed a bit rushed in a bid to tie up loose ends.  That doesn’t take anything away from the riveting story, though.

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  One Perfect Lie

Review: Every Other Wednesday by Susan Kietzman

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This is the story of three women moving from one phase to another in their life journeys, meeting for lunch to vent and learn and make decisions.

I would’ve liked more depth of character and personality in Joan, Ellie and Alice. I saw a lot of their behaviors but didn’t feel like I knew them very well. And because I didn’t know them, their behaviors annoyed me instead of endearing me, which is too bad because this could’ve been a terrific book. 

Unfortunately, the book seemed more like a list of “sins” (in the characters’ eyes) — gambling, homosexuality, a woman making her own money —  than a story of three authentic women. 

I did like the title, and it reminded me of another “Wednesday” book I’ve read — one I absolutely adored: The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton, which got 4 fat and happy stars from me. 

-Calliope 

Buy Every Other Wednesday

Review: Four Bridesmaids and a White Wedding by Fiona Collins 

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What a hoot! Wendy’s getting married, and the bridesmaids do some early celebrating on a spa weekend. Except the spa part falls through and they’d never guess what was in store for them instead. 
Collins successfully writes this romcom with a true ensemble cast. Each woman reminded me of someone I know in real life, so reading this book became something of a movie in my head with my friends as the actors.  I won’t name names here, but if you read it you might recognize yourself. (For the record, I’m either Tasmin or JoJo.)

Four Bridesmaids is lighthearted for sure, but does take a somewhat serious look at the sacredness of relationships and our responsibilities in maintaining them. Collins also illustrates the strong bonds of female friendship. Sometimes all it takes is knowing you’ve found a kindred spirit to shine the light of truth on your life, and give you a happy nudge forward. 

-Calliope 

Buy FOUR BRIDESMAIDS AND A WHITE WEDDING ($2.99 hey now!)

Musing: Catching up… Prepare for a Trifecta 

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Slacker Calliope here. Been reading but not reviewing for a couple weeks, but all that’s about to change. Three reviews will come your way this weekend – maybe more if I finish another book! And the rest of the titles you see here will be reviewed in upcoming weeks, barring the distraction of acquiring more books, in which case… slacker Calliope here. 😜
Btw, my current read is The Final Vow by Amanda Flower 

Review: The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan

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valley-amazementI absolutely loved parts of this book, but then parts of it bored me to tears. Parts were well detailed, other parts seemed like hours and hours of wasted details, and yet others seemed lacking in details. I also felt strongly that Tan just invented a few parts of the novel to add more drama and those parts,for me, took away a great deal from the book.

I don’t begrudge Tan for making the book almost 600 pages long. However, I think the 600 pages had many parts that were missing and many that were not needed…the different storylines, although connected, just felt so out of balance.

The whole *****SPOILER**** man in the country basically holding the wives hostage and escaping over a mountainside just seemed so out of tune with the rest of the novel. Then we finally have this novel ending in a mad rush to tie everything together and reunite certain characters. We spend hundreds of pages with the finer details of what some of the women went though to have one of the main focal character summarize her life in a couple of pages saying how bad it was to virtual strangers…again, it just didn’t ring true with me.

As a massive Tan fan, this one left me feeling a bit flat…even more so because I genuinely started out loving it and loved so many parts of it…but at the end of the day, I can’t give it more than a mediocre rating…something I don’t like doing to a beloved author…

Until next time…
Urania xx

Buy it now The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan

Review: Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh

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“Never doubt. Never fear. Never overthink.”

I will admit, I wanted to read this book based only on the cover alone. It’s gorgeous! Plus I read Renee’s, Wrath and the Dawn duology, and loved those, so I assumed I would like this as well. Flame in the Mist had a very Mulan feel to it, but with a twist. It felt real. I thought I was living the story, instead of merely reading it. Pure magic.

She was not a half. She was wholly her own.

Mariko’s life isn’t headed in the direction she wishes it would go. After falling into the hands of the Black Clan, she must conceal her identity and slowly find the answers to why her life was threatened. But as she grows closer to the Black Clan, she realizes that some things aren’t what she originally perceived. There’s more to these men than she’s been told.

“To me, you are magic.”

As she learns to fight with these men, she grows closer to one in particular. And when he learns her secret, her entire world gets turned upside.

“My heart knows your heart. A heart doesn’t care about good or bad, right or wrong. A heart is always true.”

All trace of amusement vanished from his expression. “I may lie every day of my life, Hattori Mariko. But my heart will always be true.”

I do enjoy escaping to a foreign land, and Renee’s books let me do just that. They’re filled with the perfect combination of adventure, fantasy and romance all set in the beautiful locations. My heart was racing, and stopping, at quite a few spots. I am rather anxious to read the next one!!

~Melpomene
Buy Flame in the Mist here: http://amzn.to/2oYGCYv