A Loyal Companion

Title ~ A Loyal Companion
Author ~ Barbara Metzger
Publisher ~ Untreed Reads
Published ~ 15 May 2012
Genre ~ Historical/Romance/Humor

My Rating ~ 5 bites out of 5

Fitz and his human, Miss Sonia Randolph grew up on her father’s estate, but when her brother and his new wife come to live there and their father, after years of being a widower, decides to marry, Sonia is sent to London to stay with her grandmother, the Dowager Duchess, Lady Amelia Atterbury. And where Sonia goes, so does Fitz. The Dowager Duchess decides that it is time for Sonia to Come Out and land herself a husband, though she doesn’t think there are any eligible men who will put up with her granddaughter’s hoyden ways. So Fitz takes it upon himself to search London for a suitable mate for his beloved Sonia. Let the adventures begin!

Once again Ms. Metzger has charmed me. Well-written with a smooth flowing plot and delectable characters this humorous historical romance will entertain even the most dour reader. The beginning and ending of each chapter after Sonia acquires Fitz has the tale told from his point of view. And it’s quite interesting and, oft times amusing, to see things from a dog’s perspective, too! A delightful afternoon read it was!

*Book source ~ Many thanks to Untreed Reads for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page.

Aftertaste

Title ~ Aftertaste
Author ~ Stephanie Lawton
Publisher ~ Inkspell Publishing
Published ~ 17 March 2012
Genre ~ Contemporary/Short

My Rating ~ 3 bites out of 5

Isaac has a bad dream about Julianne. A really bad dream. Or is it a dream? Is it a product of his imagination or a premonition?

I wasn't quite sure how to rate this short story. I didn't realize when I picked it up that is connected to a novel titled Want, so as I was reading it, I was completely lost. However, the writing is wonderful and the characters well-fleshed.

My advice is to read Want before reading this short to get the full benefit of the story.

*Book source ~ Many thanks to Inkspell Publishing for offering this story for free on their website.

Queen Rider

Title ~ Queen Rider
Author ~ Alan Davidson
Publisher ~ Straw Hat
Published ~ 26 August 2012
Genre ~ YA

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

Bonnie Wyndham’s mother has enrolled her at Almonside, a school that pays particular attention to sports. Since she has been kicked out of several schools Almonside is Bonnie’s last chance at private school. At Almonside Bonnie can major in something she really loves. Riding horses. However, her attitude is still just as bad and almost immediately she starts conflict with her riding instructor Ruth Caradon. As they go head-to-head the question is: who will win?

Well-written with a tight plot and interesting characters. Troubled Bonnie is really a brat of the first order. Ruth Caradon has issues of her own that she thought were in the past, but dealing with Bonnie brings them back. The battle of wills was interesting to watch as Bonnie acted on emotion and Caradon worked mostly on gut instinct. The ending was quite a surprise. Another great read by Alan Davidson.

*Many thanks to Straw Hat for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page.

Beyond the Hidden Gate

Title ~ Beyond the Hidden Gate
Author ~ Debbie Peterson
Publisher ~ Inkspell Publishing
Published ~ 16 March 2012
Genre ~ Fantasy/Romance/Short

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

Aynia can’t remember who she is. Aeden shows up to bring her home, but before he can Nathair the Warlock nabs her and runs. Can Aeden get her back? Will Aynia remember who she is? Will the quest fail?

A well-written short story with a fast plot and interesting characters. This is the first I’ve read by Debbie Peterson. I like her style so I’m going to look for more stories by her.

*I picked this up for free on Inkspell Publishing's website. Many thanks!

Wedded Bliss

Title ~ Wedded Bliss
Author ~ Barbara Metzger
Publisher ~ Untreed Reads
Published ~ 19 June 2012
Genre ~ Historical/Romance/Humor

My Rating ~ 5 bites out of 5

Alissa Henning is a widow with very little means to support herself and her two young sons. Robert Rothmore, Earl of Rockford, is a widower twice over with a son from each of his wives. When his spinster sister runs off with the thieving bailiff of his Rock Hill estate he rides there to find out where his youngest son is. When he finds William ensconced with Alissa, Rockford mistakenly believes she is, at the most dastardly, holding William hostage for money or, at the least, extorting money from the estate to care for him, he proceeds to make a spectacular ass of himself much to the amusement of the reader. The relationship that follows is full of ups and downs and great entertainment. For us.

I have yet to read a Barbara Metzger story I didn’t enjoy very much and this one is no exception. Well-written with a fast-moving plot and well-developed characters it’s a humorous historical love story told from both POVs. Oh, how I love to see the flawed hero squirm and the strong heroine stand up for herself. The chase scene at the end was a wee bit over the top, but I’ll forgive it as it was still funny. I look forward to my next Metzger read.

*Many thanks to Untreed Reads for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page.

The Christmas Gift

Title ~ The Christmas Gift
Author ~ John McDonnell
Publisher ~ John McDonnell
Published ~ 9 December 2009
Genre ~ Historical/Short

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

Constance was the prettiest doll in Miss Emily Hawthorne’s big Philadelphia house. Every Christmas the now grown up Emily had some little girls over for a tea party and it was the only time she got her dolls down out of their cupboard. Constance, as the prettiest, always had the place of honor.

Christmas 1937 was different though. Emily’s housekeeper caught a little girl named Sarah who had snuck into the kitchen and was stealing food. The poor little girl was dirty and obviously starving, so Emily invited her to sit at the table with the other little girls and share tea. When the party was over and Emily was distracted seeing the little girls to the door Sarah rushes off with Constance, leaving her own beat up Raggedy Ann doll behind. Constance goes on a cross country adventure with Sarah and learns many things about life and herself.

I love that this short story is told from the viewpoint of Constance. It’s well-written with a tight plot and well-developed characters. I like the writing style, so I’m off to see what else McDonnell has out there.

*Many thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page.

The Pleasure Project

Title ~ The Pleasure Project
Author ~ Jax, Jenna McCormick, Cassie Ryan
Publisher ~ Aphrodisia
Published ~ 26 March 2013
Genre ~ Erotica/Paranormal/Sci-Fi/Anthology

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

The Pleasure Project is an anthology with three stories from three authors.

Title ~ The Science of Pleasure

Author ~ Jax (AKA Jacquelyn Frank)

Genre ~ Paranormal/Romance

Dr. Jenesis DeBruehl is hired by Morphate Alpha Kincaid Gregory to work in his lab searching for a way to kill Morphates. Since Jenesis was on the team for the Phoenix Project and her research was perverted into making the Morphates without her knowledge, she feels responsible for the Morphates’ fate and is willing to do whatever she can to help.

I love this story and want to know more about the Morphates.

Title ~ Project Seduction

Author ~ Jenna McCormick

Genre ~ Sci-Fi/Romance

Jace Donovan is a Pleasure Companion in New New York, but he’s home for a disastrous visit with his family in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Stranded on the side of the road in a storm he gets a lift from Evie Ripley, a local woman who owns an inn. Despite the age difference sexual attraction zings and they spend a wonderful night together, but do they have a future together?

This story is set in the same world as McCormick’s No Limits. It’s a well-written, nice, short read and I like the world. I look forward to more stories in it.

                       

Title ~ A Pirate’s Pleasure

Author ~ Cassie Ryan

Genre ~ Sci-Fi/Romance

Dani McGovern is the infamous pirate known as Red Death. Dare MacFadyen is on his flagship on its maiden voyage delivering weapons to Gavin 2 when Red Death intercepts him. What follows is something neither one of them expects.

A nice tight read. Love the characters, including the non-human one *snickers* and the world. 

*Many thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page.

Feyland: The Dark Realm

Title ~ Feyland: The Dark Realm
Series ~ Feyland, #1
Author ~ Anthea Sharp
Publisher ~ Anthea Sharp
Published ~ 4 December 2011
Genre ~ YA/UF/Fantasy

My Rating ~ 5 bites out of 5

Jennet Carter’s father is a program manager for a company called VirtuMax and they make video games. They’re working on a Full-D system where the gamer is completely immersed in the game. Full sensory simulation where it feels like the gamer is actually in the game world. When the lead game developer dies the company transfers Jennet’s dad to Crestview and Jennet moves with him even though the school is well below what she is used to. Jennet has to stay close to the prototype Full-D system her dad has because when she was gaming in Feyland something strange happened when she lost to the Dark Queen.

Now, she needs a champion to go back into Feyland and win back what she lost. But in this poor technological wasteland of a school will she be able to find a champion capable of simming? She better because she only has until Halloween before the Dark Queen sucks all her energy until she dies and Feyland gate crashes into the real world. Will Tam Linn be that champion? Can he escape his messed up life long enough to save Jennet? And is he good enough to beat the Dark Queen and her champion, the Dark Knight? Jennet certainly hopes so.

Well-written and smooth-flowing this story wastes no time with dilly dallying and proceeds along at a crisp pace. The plot is extremely interesting and I love the characters. With Feyland crouched on the other side of the Gate waiting to pounce on the unwary humans in the real world I’m very curious to see what the next book brings.

*Many thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page. 

Under Wraps

Title ~ Under Wraps
Series ~ Underworld Detection Agency, #1
Author ~ Hannah Jayne
Publisher ~ Kensington
Published ~ 1 March 2011
Genre ~ UF/Paranormal/Mystery

My Rating ~ 3 bites and a nibble out of 5 

Sophie Lawson is a human immune to magic working as an Administrative Assistant for the Underworld Detection Agency. Her boss is a werewolf, her best friend/roommate is a vampire, she has a troll stalker and her grandmother was a seer. She has yet to come into any real powers, but since she is immune to magic (meaning she can see denizens of the Underworld and magic & charmed objects have no effect on her) she helps keep the avalanche of Underworld paperwork under control and the UDA running smoothly.

Detective Parker Hayes ventures into UDA after some mysterious murders topside have the police stumped. Chief Oliver went to college with werewolf Peter Sampson, Head Honcho in charge of the UDA, and he sends Parker down to see if they can help. Sampson decides Sophie is perfect for the job since she can see through glamour. So Sophie metaphorically puts on a CSI hat and jumps in.  She soon finds out though that watching CSI on tv is very different from actually doing it.

Not a bad start to a series. The writing style takes a little getting used to, but it progresses at a good clip. The plot is twisty and the characters are interesting. Sophie is a bit too airheaded for me, but she’s not completely unlikeable. She reminds me a bit of Phoebe from Friends. Parker is an ass. I don’t like him at all. I sure hope he’s not going to be the love interest. All-in-all though I enjoyed dipping my toes into this new series and look forward to seeing where it goes.

*Many thanks to Kensington for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page.

The Lingering Dead

Title ~ The Lingering Dead
Series ~ Jackie Rutledge, #3
Author ~ J.N. Duncan
Publisher ~ Kensington
Published ~ 1 April 2012
Genre ~ UF/Paranormal

My Rating ~ 4.5 bites out of 5

Former Chicago FBI agent Jackie Rutledge is now working for Special Investigations and trying to come to terms with her new freaky abilities acquired when she crossed over into Deadworld with a vampire and a ghost to stop a psycho vampire. Unfortunately, she died there before being revived back in the normal world. So while she’s waiting for her former boss to get funding for a special FBI paranormal unit, she’s heading up a private paranormal group, figuring out her abilities and attending therapy for the loss of her FBI partner and for things she’d like to leave in the past. Then an old note in a cold case file gets them interested in a small town called Thatcher’s Mill. They decide the unusual ghost activity noted in this town is worth investigating, so they have their first case. Oh boy, does it turn out to be a doozy.

Fast-paced and well-written this story keeps you turning the pages trying to figure out what the heck is going on in this small very weird town. Favorite characters from previous books are back and Jackie seems to be making some headway in being less prickly, damaged and unlikeable. Progress! The plot is interesting and completely crazy. Loved it! The ending was totally unexpected and I hope to see Book 4 soon because I’m really liking Jackie’s world.

*Many thanks to Kensington for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page.

Dead Presidents

Title ~ Dead Presidents
Series ~ Exponential Apocalypse, #2
Author ~ Eirik Gumeny
Publisher ~ Jersey Devil Press
Published ~ 31 July 2012
Genre ~ Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Humor 

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

Dead Presidents picks up where Book 1 left off. Thor and Company are back at the Secaucus Holiday Inn dealing with few customers, weird happenings and another apocalypse or two. Or three. I lost count. Anyway, an escaped homicidal Andrew Jackson II decides he needs to eliminate his political competition before running for President even though there is no government to speak of, so he sets a trap for Chester A. Arthur XVII. Thus ensues death, mayhem, destruction, Dunkin Donuts, a butter monster, travel by flamingo and the resurrection of a reconstituted President.

Another fast humorous read that had me giggling until the end. If you enjoyed Exponential Apocalypse then you’ll enjoy Dead Presidents. Although I’m still picturing Chris Hemsworth as Thor. Not that that’s a bad thing. And every time Chester A. Arthur is mentioned I think of Die Hard: With A Vengeance.

*Many thanks to Jersey Devil Press for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page.

Goodbye Lucifer

Title ~ Goodbye Lucifer
Author ~ John Harold McCoy
Publisher ~ Untreed Reads
Published ~ 31 March 2012
Genre ~ Paranormal/Humor

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

The rural tiny town of Brandell cradled in a little valley in southern West Virginia doesn’t have much to boast about it. Well, except in the beautiful, clear, bubbling spring is the Gate to Hell. Don’t worry though because there is a small group of women in Brandell who have guarded the Gate down through the centuries, passing their witchy powers to their daughters on down the line. Plus, when Lucifer visits once a month he’s not what one would expect considering he’s in charge of Hell.

When one day Lucifer, who prefers to be called Harry, decides he’s had enough of Hell and quits, heading to Florida to be a bartender, people in Brandell start acting very unlike themselves. And with no Lucifer sitting in his office in Hell guarding his closet portal to our world, several curious demons manage to fall through the portal and find themselves among humans. Could things get any worse? Oops. One should never ask that question when there’s no one guarding the Gate of Hell.

This story has a very different take on how Lucifer got the job as Keeper of Hell and it’s very interesting. Not to mention Lucifer, I mean Harry, is a very likeable guy and not very demonish at all. The writing is good and the plot moves quickly. The characters are likeable if a tad goofy at times and the story is humorous. An all-around enjoyable read.

*Many thanks to Untreed Reads for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page.

The Vengeful Dead

Title ~ The Vengeful Dead
Series ~ Jackie Rutledge, #2
Author ~ J.N. Duncan
Publisher ~ Kensington
Published ~ 4 October 2011
Genre ~ Urban Fantasy/Paranormal

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

Jackie Rutledge is a Chicago FBI agent whose psychic partner was killed by a psychotic vampire. Though Laurel isn’t truly gone since she’s stuck around in ghost form. While in pursuit of the psychotic vampire Jackie died and came back, but brought some of Deadworld with her. She needs to figure out what her freaky new abilities can do, but there’s an enraged ghost on the loose who has possessed a cop. She’s dealing out vengeance to those her killed her and ripped her baby from her womb. Jackie is on leave due to her breakdown after Laurel’s death and her own death-then-come-back-to-life incident, but since she’s climbing the walls she agrees to come in to consult on the paranormal aspect of the case. In Rosa the Enraged Ghost Jackie gets much more than she bargained for. On top of all that, she’s been assigned a new partner, Agent Ryan McManus and she can’t decide if she’s ready to date Nick Anderson the cowboy vampire private investigator. Welcome to Jackie’s life.

The writing is good and the plot is fast. Our favorite characters are back and we get a new agent. We don’t learn a whole lot about Jackie’s new abilities, but we do learn a bit and Jackie isn’t quite as unappealing in this book as in Deadworld. She’s still stubborn enough I want to smack her occasionally, but she is slowly growing and adapting to her new circumstances. The whole ghost possession arc is fascinating, but boy is Rosa a piece of work. Yikes! All-in-all I’m enjoying this series very much and look forward to the next case that lands in Jackie’s lap.

*Many thanks to Kensington for providing a review copy. Please see disclaimer page.

Desert Heat

Title ~ Desert Heat
Author ~ Laurie White
Publisher ~ Secret Cravings Publishing 
Published ~ 12 October 2012
Genre ~ Romance/Suspense

My Rating ~ 5 bites out of 5

Full review is in the March issue of InD'tale Magazine.

Drago's Revenge

Title ~ Drago's Revenge
Series ~ The Blood Chronicles, #2
Author ~ S.B. Knight
Publisher ~ MuseItUp Publishing
Published ~ 31 October 2012
Genre ~ Horror

My Rating ~ 3 bites out of 5

Full review is in the March issue of InD'tale Magazine.

Deadworld

Title ~ Deadworld
Series ~ Jackie Rutledge, #1
Author ~ J.N. Duncan
Publisher ~ Kensington
Published ~ 1 April 2011
Genre ~ Urban Fantasy/Suspense

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

Jackie Rutledge is a Chicago FBI agent. Laurel, her partner of five years, is a psychic. Like any other FBI agent they hunt down and put away bad guys. However, whenever something supernatural is involved then Jackie and Laurel are the team to lead the way.

When a twelve-yr-old boy is found not just murdered, but drained of blood Laurel says that something evil is going on. Evil and pertaining to Deadworld. Their investigation leads them to a private investigator named Nick Anderson. Nick and his partner Shelby Fontaine know more than what they’re telling Jackie and she intends to get to the bottom of it. But when she finds out the truth will she believe it or dismiss it? And will she survive the coming battle between Nick and the killer?

As a first book in a new series this isn’t a bad start. Well-written with a fairly fast plot, well-developed characters and an interesting world it keeps the reader engaged to the end. I will say I’m not much of fan of Jackie. Some of her actions are annoying and her personality needs work. I do appreciate that she is a flawed heroine, but she’s really hard to like in this first book. She’s not so bad that I don’t want to continue with the series though and I’m looking forward to reading Book 2, The Vengeful Dead.

*Many thanks to Kensington for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page.

Colonization

Title ~ Colonization
Series ~ Paradise Reclaimed, #1
Author ~ Aubrie Dionne
Publisher ~ Inkspell Publishing
Published ~ 7 November 2012
Genre ~ YA/Sci-Fi

My Rating ~ 3.5 bites out of 4

The colony ship New Dawn has been traveling in space for centuries. One of many ships bound for various planets the inhabitants of New Dawn lost contact with the other colonists long ago. They may well be the only humans left from a doomed world and they need to make it Paradise 21 and not just survive, but thrive.

Like the colonists before her, Andromeda Barliss has spent her whole life on board the ship. However, unlike those that came before her, at age 17, she will be landing on Paradise 21 and making it her new home. Whether she wants to or not. Annie would rather stay on board the ship than go out onto a strange new world and build a new life. When she gets her work assignment she’s happy she’ll be working with her mom, but very unhappy when she doesn’t get her best friend Sirius as her lifemate. What will she do? Is the planet as safe as they’d been told all those centuries ago? What about her Grandma Tiff telling her she would save the colony? What’s up with that? Annie is about to find out many things about her fellow colonists, Paradise 21, her lifemate and, most of all, about herself.

This is a great sci-fi story, well-written with an interesting plot and well-fleshed characters. I found Annie to be a bit of a whiner, but she gets herself together by the end. I’m curious to see where this series is heading and I’m going to look into Dionne’s A New Dawn series since they seem to be loosely tied into the Paradise Reclaimed series.

*Many thanks to Inkspell Publishing for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page.

The Quicksilver Horse

Title ~ The Quicksilver Horse
Author ~ Anne Digby
Publisher ~ Straw Hat 
Published ~ 1 January 2013
Genre ~ Children's/YA

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

Emma Kenner and her older brother, Edward, grew up in the circus owned by their dad. For Emma’s eighth birthday her dad bought a sickly mare from the owner of the local stables, Harry Hume. With love and attention from Emma Silver grew up to be a strong and beautiful horse, she and Emma the star attractions now that Edward had taken his lioness act to Europe.

The circus was struggling though. It had a couple of bad summers and the big tent was so old Emma’s dad couldn’t find anybody to insure it. They needed a good season in order to buy a new tent and as they set out in April it looked like their prayers were being answered. The weather was perfect and the shows were sold out. But when disaster struck in the form of a freak gale in July tearing the big tent into shreds they had to pack up and head back to their winter home in Wittersham long before the October season end. They needed money and a lot of it to buy a new big tent. When Harry suggested Emma race Silver with an eye to winning the prize money she decided to go for it. But can Emma handle the stress of racing? Would her dad approve?

This is a great short story about overcoming obstacles and working hard toward a goal. It has horse racing and a lot of interesting facts about circus life and the people who live to perform in the circus. Well-written with a fast moving plot and interesting characters this story will have you cheering Emma and Silver on.

*Many thanks to Straw Hat for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page.

The Boy Who Plaited Manes

Title ~ The Boy Who Plaited Manes
Author ~ Nancy Springer
Publisher ~ Untreed Reads
Published ~ 14 April 2012
Genre ~ Fantasy

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

A strange boy shows up at Lord Robley’s estate on the day of the Midsummer Hunt. He walks into the stables, goes straight to the stall of the lady’s white palfrey, opens the door, walks in and starts plaiting the long white mane. The head groom, in a rush to get the lord’s hunter ready, stops and stares at the strange boy doing magical things to the palfrey’s mane. He has no idea who this boy is or where he came from, but he’s got a lot to do in very little time, so decides to let him continue the plaiting. The Lord and Lady are delighted with the result and the boy stays to do the plaiting of all the horses. Who is this strange, silent boy? Where did he come from and who are his people?

This is an excellent short story. Well-written, smooth-flowing with an interesting main character. Personally, by the end of the tale, I thought the boy was fey or had fey blood in him, but we’ll never know. What we do know is that he had a magic way with his hands. I wish he was around to braid my hair. I’ve never mastered the knack of it. *sighs*

*Many thanks to Untreed Reads for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page on my blog.

Hope for the Wicked

Title ~ Hope for the Wicked
Series ~ Larry Laughlin, #1
Author ~ Edward Lorn
Publisher ~ Red Adept Publishing
Published ~ 10 January 2013
Genre ~ Mystery/Horror

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

Larry and Mo Laughlin are private investigators, a job very different from their former profession. When their handler, Tommy Kirsch, comes to them with an offer to do one more job like they used to do, they decide the money is too good to pass up. It all goes sideways from there.

Well-written with a tight fast plot and well-developed characters this story will keep you glued to the pages. The ending was very different from what I was expecting and it should be remembered that your past can come back to haunt you when you least expect it.

*Many thanks to Red Adept Publishing for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page.