Stacking the Shelves 12/01/2012

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you have add to your shelves. It may be physical or virtual (ebook). This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Thank you for stopping by my blog and checking out what I received this week.

I hope you all had a wonderful week.

This is going to be short and sweet since my parents are in town for the weekd.

Lots of time spent going out, eating, and spending quality time together.

Borrowed from Library

Received as part of Southern Book Bloggers Tour

Purchased from Amazon.com

As always, I am grateful to those who continue to  stop by my blog and leave 

awesome commentary!

Have a great reading week!

Review - The Weird Girls by Cecy Robson

Cecy Robson’s “The Weird Girls” introduces readers to four sisters (Celia, Emme, Shayna, & Taran) who were cursed by their aunt, and have come into some amazing powers which they have lived with since their parent’s died. 

The story focuses mainly on the oldest sister Celia Wird who is able to transform into a tigress, and has a huge problem around animals in that she can transform into whatever she touches. 

As for the background leading up to the novella’s Celia and her sisters have been traveling across the country as nurses and have finally found a place to settle down (Lake Tahoe). Right from the onset, you are thrown for a roller coaster ride of emotions as the sisters are confronted by very irate witches while out for drinks and a little fun and Celia is forced into three separate death defying challenges in order to survive and remain in Lake Tahoe.

The Weird Girls lays the foundation for the upcoming novel called Sealed with a Curse which releases December 31, 2012. I liked the fact that Celia has taken over the mantle of not only head of family, but protector as well. I liked the fact that Cecy has written Celia to be a fun, strong heroine who readers will enjoy learning more about. I also appreciated the fact that being a tigress shifter is something unique in this particular genre filled with werewolves, or Werecats, etc.

Understandably, there will be readers who will want to learn more about Taran who starts this book out with a whopping emotional mistake that leads to the stories heart and soul. Taran has the awesome ability to use mind influence which always comes in handy whenever you are in a pinch. Never fear my trusty followers; Cecy has your back, or your six, as they say in the military.

Definitely recommended for those who enjoy a little UF/PNR in their dietary requirement.

Author - Cecy Robson
Title - The Weird Girls Novella
Published by Penguin Group
Releases December 4, 2012

Waiting for Wednesday 11/28/2012

"Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at “Breaking the Spine”, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

This weeks selection is...Dance of the Red Death

Expected publication: April 23rd 2013 by Greenwillow Books

Loved the first book, so, naturally I can't wait to get my greedy little hands on the next!

What are YOU waiting on?

Synopsis

EVERYTHING IS ON FIRE.

Araby Worth’s city is being torn apart by death, disease, and corrupt forces wanting to claim it for their own. She has lost her home. Her best friend is dying. Her mother has been kidnapped. The boy who made her feel something again has betrayed her. And her father may be a murderer.

But Araby has found herself.

Despite the death and destruction all around her, she will fight for herself, for her friends, for her city. Her rebellion will take her, finally, to the mad prince’s palace, for the decadent –and sinister—masked ball. It could be a trap. It could be the end of them all. Or it could be the moment that Araby becomes the kind of hero she never dreamed she could be.

The tragic, dark, and steamy conclusion to Bethany Griffin’s Masque of the Red Death saga.

Guest Post - Chloe Jacobs Author of Greta and the Goblin King

Thank you so much for stopping by and checking out today's special guest Chloe Jacobs!

Please check out Chloe's giveaway at the bottom of this post!

Hello! I’m so very excited to be here today! Thank you to Shelley for having me!

Shelley asked me to talk about the things I can’t live without when I’m writing, so here it goes:

1. Laptop – A lot of people use laptops, and that’s nothing really special. But for me, I can’t write on anything BUT a laptop. I don’t like a desktop because I hate sitting at a desk and writing. Desks always seem to face the wall and I hate facing the wall when I’m working. I love being able to take my laptop wherever I want to write. Sometimes I go to the living room couch so I can write and watch tv (which somehow never results in many words on the page), or I can take the laptop with me out on the deck and write beneath my favorite tree. I can take the laptop to the cottage and write by the lake. I can take the laptop anywhere. That’s pretty much the most awesome thing in the world.

2. Coffee – Again, not really very unique, I know. Lots of people drink coffee, right? Then again, I do need to have MY mug. It has to be my mug. Not the red and green Christmas mug that my son likes to drink hot chocolate out of. Not the massive, blue mug that my husband uses for tea, or the numerous mugs we have in the cupboard from all the different radio stations in town. I need mine. It’s a plain white coffee mug with a travel lid that I take everywhere. I even drink from it when I’m not going anywhere, but the idea is that I can have the elixir of life with me at all of the same places I bring my laptop!

(Hey! There seems to be a travel theme to my writing that I JUST noticed right this minute!)

3. iPod – All right, so there’s NOTHING original in this list. Sorry about that, but I like my music and although I don’t need it all the time when I’m writing, I do need it when there are distractions (like when I try to write in a public place or if kiddo is playing in the background and making noise). I don’t like putting my playlist on random while I’m writing either. I need to have the songs play in the order I’ve listed them. Why? Because the familiarity of knowing all the songs so well, even to the order they will be played, provides enough white noise so that it drowns out other things, but doesn’t attract my attention enough to pull me out of my writing.

4. My Dog – She’s a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Blue Heeler. She’s got the long fur of the Retriever, but a black coat with a little bit of grey on her chest. The most beautiful dog EVER. And a bit stubborn. Now, granted, she doesn’t have to be with me while I’m writing, but I like it when she is. She plops down at my feet and keeps me company. Every once in a while I will reach out and bury my fingers in her long black fur. Then, if I’ve been writing for too long, she’ll put her face between me and the laptop screen to let me know that it’s break time. I usually end up getting tricked into taking her for a walk and giving her a biscuit before I can sit back down again.

5. Snacks – I can’t write without something to munch on. My favorite treat is chocolate covered raisins. I’d probably eat anything with chocolate on it, but I pick the raisins because then I can lie and tell myself it’s sort-of healthy for me. If there aren’t any more raisins, or I’m really trying to be good then I’ll have a handful of grapes, or a bowl of cereal that I can eat dry. Cheerios is good for that.

So, that’s me. I wish I could tell you I needed my Sam and Dean Supernatural action figures to write, my Red-Fog zombie comics t-shirt, or my pink grapefruit Lip Smackers…but those aren’t needed for writing, they’re needed for LIFE. LOL

Chloe Jacobs is a native of nowhere and everywhere, having jumped around to practically every Province of Canada before finally settling in Ontario where she has now been living for a respectable number of years. Her husband and son are the two best people in the entire world, but they also make her wish she'd at least gotten a female cat. No such luck. And although the day job keeps her busy, she carves out as much time as possible to write. Bringing new characters to life and finding out what makes them tick and how badly she can make them suffer is one of her greatest pleasures, almost better than chocolate and fuzzy pink bunny slippers.

Her debut Young Adult fantasy, GRETA AND THE GOBLIN KING, will be available everywhere Winter 2012! In the meantime, check her out online…

Website/ Twitter / Facebook/ Goodreads

GRETA AND THE GOBLIN KING

While trying to save her brother from the witch three years ago, Greta was thrown into the fire herself, falling through a portal to a dangerous world where humans are the enemy, and every ogre, goblin, and ghoul has a dark side that comes out with the full moon.

To survive, 17-year-old Greta has hidden her humanity and taken the job of bounty hunter—and she’s good at what she does. So good, she’s caught the attention of Mylena’s young Goblin King, the darkly enticing Isaac, who invades her dreams and undermines her determination to escape.

But Greta’s not the only one looking to get out of Mylena. The full moon is mere days away, and an ancient evil being knows she’s the key to opening the portal. If Greta fails, she and the boys she finds stranded in the woods will die. If she succeeds, no world will be safe from what follows her back . . .

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review - Greta and the Goblin King by Chloe Jacobs

17 year old Greta has been stranded on Mylena for 4 years. This happened after she was lured into a cave and thrown through a portal created by a Lamia (witch) after trying to save her younger brother. Greta is supposed to be the only human on a world where her kind (humans) are reviled and hunted down like animals because of their fervent belief that humans unleashed a curse on Mylena that spread throughout the land. 

Greta has hidden her identity by taking the job as a Bounty Hunter and learning the ropes from a sprite named Luke (Lucius). When Luke is fatally hurt and a bounty is placed on Greta’s head, Greta decides to run and hide against the desires of Isaac the new Goblin King who believes that he can somehow find a way to save her from his own people.

For some reason or the other, Isaac finds Greta fascinating and knows her secret as being a human. Isaac is able to enter Greta’s dreams which put a damper on the fact that she just wants to be left alone. Isaac becomes one part of a semi-sort of love triangle along with Wyatt, the human de facto leader of a group of lost boys she stumbles across in an effort to stay one step ahead of Isaac and the hordes searching for her.

Mylena is a world that is filled with goblins, ogres, sprites, and fairies. In the background of this story, is the looming approach of an eclipse where every being on Mylena turns into bloodthirsty beasts that enjoy killing each other. There is also the fact that a demon named Agramon really wants to get his hands on Greta because he believes she is the key to his ultimate goals.

When I first read the synopsis for Greta and the Goblin King, I was anxious to grab a copy. I mean, seriously, Goblins and a human hiding among them? Sign me up! I even did a Waiting On Wednesday feature hoping that I could grab a copy of this book from the publisher. So, color me surprised when I was provided with an E-copy by Entangled Publishing (Thank you Heather!) and also got a chance to speak to the actual author herself.

***Chloe will be doing a special guest post on my Blog (Gizmo’s Reviews) on November 26, 2012.***

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the way Jacobs created the world of Mylena and the various supernatural creatures that call it home. I would have liked to learn more about the world itself and whether or not the so called curse can be broken and what part Greta will play in its resolution. I will keep my fingers crossed that Jacobs reveals more about this fascinating world in the next installment.

As for Greta, she’s an interesting character that yes, has butt kicking qualities that I look for in a heroine. She has an astounding record of success as a bounty hunter which brings her to the attention of Isaac. As for the Isaac, he will gain followers just by being obnoxiously persistent in his drive to bring Greta under his guise. Wyatt is the one character that I have to say I am cheering for all the way. I always cheer for the character with slim to no chance of gaining the heroine’s affection. Besides that, Wyatt and his lost boys are actually trying to do something heroic like trying to find a way home.

In the end, Jacobs has a created a unique and fascinating world which I can’t wait to see what happens next. I definitely recommend this book to those who love mythological creatures, romance, action, and adventure.

Author - Chloe Jacobs
Title - Greta and The Goblin King
Publisher - Entangled Publishing, Inc.
Released November 13, 2012

Geekomancy by Michael R Underwood (Ree Reyes # 1)

Geekomancy, by Michael R Underwood, is a wonderfully imaginative and creative story that science fiction geeks, like me, will absolutely love. The main character is a snarky, geeky, gamer, wannabe screenwriter who works as a barista at Café Xombi. Upon encountering a strange man (Eastwood) fighting a troll, Rhiannon (Ree) Reyes steps into a world filled with strange and unusual characters straight out of comic books and science fictions best known movies.

What will grab your attention, besides the cultural references to The Princess Bride, The Matrix, Star Trek, Firefly, and Star Wars, is how Ree unwittingly becomes a heroine of in her own right. She’s called a Geekomancer because of her ability to not only see what other people can’t see, but she also has the ability to make things such as memorabilia, costumes, and movies into weapons or gain fighting skills from watching them. How cool would it be to gain super hero powers just by watching the Matrix once? Seriously!

Ree’s partnership with Eastwood comes with various questions as to what his intentions really are in getting back his own time partner named Branwen Nic Catrin. I can’t reveal the true identity of Branwen or what happens in the end, since it would spoil a huge part of the story itself. Let’s just say that she’s liable to be important to both Ree and Eastwood and leave it at that.

I love the actual world building that Underwood has created. It takes a true Sci-Fi geek to understand the differences and references he writes about throughout the story. I really enjoyed Ree’s character. There is another character, Drake Winters, I should probably mention as well since he becomes an important part of Ree’s escapades and her life. I love Drake. I love the fact that he surrounds himself with loads of Steampunks best weapons and spent a huge chunk of his life stuck in Fairy. He is a gentleman straight out of Victorian England and he will boggle your mind with his commentary. I enjoyed the banter between Drake and Ree and hopefully, it will continue in the next installment of this series.

I don’t normally get involved in or read Fan-Fic novels, but this time around, I couldn’t help but enjoy the ride, and laugh along with the characters. I find myself hoping that the next book in this series is just as good as this one, if not better.

Author - Michael R Underwood
Title - Geekomancy (Ree Reyes # 1)
Publisher - Pocket Star
Released - July 10, 2012

Stacking the Shelves 11/24/2012

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you have add to your shelves. It may be physical or virtual (ebook). This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Thank you for stopping by my blog and checking out what I received this week.

I hope those in the US, had a really nice Thanksgiving and kept out of harms way

during the day known as Black Friday!

If you please leave me your link, I shall do my best to return the favor in a timely manner!

This has been a really amazing week considering Thanksgiving and all. Let's get right to it!

Received from Kensington Teen

Expected publication: January 29th 2013 by KTeen

Received from ARC Recycling!

Received from St. Martin's Press

Received as part of Blog Tour January 1, 2013 (Nikki Jefford)

Received from Orchard Books via Netgalley

Received from Kensington via Netgalley

Received from Harper Collins via Edelweiss

Received from Harper Teen via Edelweiss

Received from Harper Teen via Edelweiss

Once again, THANK YOU, for stopping by Gizmo's Reviews!

I really appreciate your support and your awesome comments!

Review - Blood Bond by Sophie Littlefield (Joe Bashir #1)

Blood Bond is the first novel in the Jamshed “Joe” Bashir series. Bashir is a Pakistani-American Detective who works for the town of Montair, California. Bashir, along with his partner Bertrese Wellington, is called to the scene of an apparent murder where a guest is found lying dead in a pool of blood.

Days later, with the investigation leading in several different directions and stalling, Gail, the wife of suspect Bryce Engler, is found dead at the foot of a cliff and signs lead back to a fatal hazing that occurred thirteen years ago. The hazing, which took the life of a college co-ed named Jess Bartelak, was covered up by those involved including a prominent lawyer named Aidan McKay, Gail Groesbeck-Engler, and older sister Marva Groesbeck.

Joe is lead on a wild goose chase that takes him from Montair, to Iowa in search of clues and reasons why Gail and Tom were murdered. As the case spins in its tracks, Joe finds himself attracted to the reserved and quiet Marva who has a lot on her plate, and seems to be holding on by a string. Joe also has to deal with his own personal issues when it comes to having a Jewish girlfriend, and a family that is traditional in nature.  

I choose to read this particular novel because I’ve read Sophie Littlefield’s Aftertime series. I also choose to read it because I have a tendency of enjoying a good murder mystery novel now and then. I also wondered just how “sexy” Joe Bashir actually was since the synopsis made it sound like he was flowing with sex appeal.

Blood Bond is one of those books that you need patience with. You need to take in all the clues and the possible suspects at face value and then think outside of the box. Why were Tom and Gail murdered? Was it really because of a hazing incident gone wrong? Why does Marva suddenly appear to be the more likeable suspect? How many women will Joe end up sleeping with, and will he break their hearts in the end, or get his broken instead?

Blood Bond is a fascinating story with a likeable lead character in Joe Bashir. It should be interesting to see where Littlefield takes her character after this book. If you like Police Procedural novels, then you will find yourself engaged to the hilt with Blood Bond. If you like a little suspense and guess work, then you will also enjoy Blood Bond.

Title - Blood Bond (Joe Bashir # 1)
Author - Sophie Littlefield
Publisher - Pocket Star
Released - November 20, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday 11/21/2012

"Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at “Breaking the Spine”, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

This weeks selection is...Crave the Darkness by Amanda Bonilla.

I absolutely love this series, and this cover makes me drool in anticipation of finding out

what happens next to Darian and Tyler.

Synopsis

Nothing comes easy for Darian. Her heightened powers make her indispensable to the Shaede Nation, but dangerous missions have driven her lover, Tyler, to his breaking point. Darian must salvage their bond, but a new assignment to protect Anya—a fellow Shaede and the first of their kind to become pregnant in centuries—stands in their way.

It doesn’t help that the two Shaedes are longtime rivals and share nothing besides mutual hatred. But when it becomes clear that someone—or something—is bent on destroying the expectant mother and her unborn child, Darian must put her feelings aside and track down Anya’s would-be assassin.

As she probes into Anya’s past, Darian digs up long-buried secrets—and a connection between Tyler and the mission that could destroy everything between them…(less)

Mass Market Paperback, 336 pages

Expected publication: March 5th 2013 by Signet Eclipse

Happy Thanksgiving to all my US followers!

Review - Undeadly by Michelle Vail

“Within the girl dwells the warrior the world needs. She will service the gods faithfully, and through her, Anubis will defeat evil.”

16 year old Molly Bartolucci is known as a Ka Heka necromancer. She is able to reanimate dead bodies using part of the soul called Ka. She works for her father’s business called Big Al's Zomporium creating zombies for wealthy individuals who just can’t seem to let go of their deceased. Yet, the one thing that drives her is the fact that she wants to be a normal teenager, and have a normal everyday relationship with the cute quarterback Rick who she has a crush on.

On the night before her 16th birthday, Molly is visited by Anubis who asks her a question. Molly agrees to become his champion in return for some surprising new abilities. The new abilities include being able to bring new boy toy Rick back from the dead by putting his soul back into his body. The next day, Molly is spirited away from her home after meeting the grandparents she never knew existed, and sent to the Neykia Academy of Necromancers where her mother and aunt were once students.

Note to author: Not all adoptees treat their parents like Molly did to her father. Her father did everything in his power to keep her happy and what does he get in return?

"Sometimes, you choose your destiny, sometimes it chooses you, and sometimes ... it’s a little of both."

There’s a truth to the old adage that you should never judge a book by its cover. Undeadly’s cover and synopsis immediately brought my finger to request this story from NetGalley. I was thrilled when I found out I was auto approved for this title. I mean reapers hurray! Who doesn’t love Reapers? Then there was the withdrawal of knowing that I probably was not the intended audience for this book and that others would definitely enjoy this book a lot more than I did.

I honestly thought the premise of the story was interesting enough that I could get through the painful vocabulary brought to course by an immature, irresponsible, ditzy Molly. I am not sure how many times I had to sit through Whatevs, Hoo-Kay, and OMG. It became a constant irritant for me, and probably took away from the overall experience as well. Molly isn’t an awful character by any stretch of the means. She’s just a bit young for one who ends up so powerful thanks to Anubis. She ends up getting her whole world transformed by attempting to save her new boy toy. She’s toyed with by members of Anubis rival Set and ends up with her life on the line when she uses her new abilities in order to save herself.

Yes, there is a huge cliffhanger that leaves readers wondering what will happen next.

Overall, I liked the Egyptian mythology as well as the secret that Anubis reveals at the end of the book. I liked the fact that there seems to be 5 different aspects to being a necromancer, and the description that was laid out by Vail was much appreciated. I liked Rath, and would have appreciated learning more about him, and why he seems to want to protect and teach Molly. I even liked the fact that Molly ends up with a Butler who shows up just by saying his name. Sign me up please!!!!

Thank you Harlequin Teen for granting me access to this title!

Next installment: Unchosen (2013) Harlequin Teen

*ARC* recvd 09/10/2012 via NetGalley Expected publication: November 20th 2012 by Harlequin Teen

Review - Cassie Alexander's Nightshifted (Edie Spence # 1)

Cassie Alexander’s “Nightshifted” tells the story about Edie Spence the newest nurse at County Hospital’s Y4 ward for supernatural beings. It’s an interesting choice to have an actual RN telling the story about a character who actually chooses to work with the supernatural, instead of the mundane population in order to save her brother from overdosing on a variety of illicit medications including Heroine.

Edie is an interesting choice for a main character. She’s single. She lives with her cat, and goes out dancing where she may or may not end up with a one-night stand for her troubles. Edie ends up in over her head when she accidentally allows a vampire to die on her watch after said vampire asks Edie to save Anna. But who is Anna, and why does she need saving? Upon trying to help Anna who she later meets, Edie ends up embroiled in vampire politics where her very soul is up for grabs if she fails to prove her innocence in killing a vampire.

As for Edie’s place of employment, Ward Y4 of County is the ward where all supernatural creatures go when they are injured or in need of a safe place to recuperate. In the background behind the darkness, is a group known as the Shadows. The Shadows are capable of removing any evidence of deaths that happen in Y4, and in more abstract cases, they actually remove the memories of those involved in supernatural situations like a Dragon with and STD escaping from his ward.

As for secondary characters, you meet Charles, Gina and Meaty who are also Night shift nurses. There seems to be genuine helpfulness and fun bantering between the group throughout the book. Edie meets Asher who turns out to be a shapeshifter and able to shift into any mundane, but not a supernatural being. Next up is Ti a zombie firefighter trying to remain incognito since he is 200 years old. Both Asher and Ti are romantic interludes for Edie, and neither really lasts that long. Ti and Edie have the most interaction which was creepy at times. You also get a peek at vampire politics and the different groups that are aiming to be at the top of the food chain.

Nightshift is an encouraging new arrival in the UF arena. Cassie Alexander brings a fresh take on the genre with her unique ability of putting you in Edie’s shoes as she tries to do her best to not only save her brother, but staying alive long enough where she can actually enjoy the fruits of her labor.

Up next: Moonshifted (2012); Shapeshifted (2013)

Title - Nightshifted (Edie Spence # 1)
Author - Cassie Alexander
Published by St. Martin's Press
Released May 22, 2012

Review - Ripper by Amy Carol Reeves (Ripper # 1)

Ripper, by Amy Carol Reeves, is set in 1888 London. It is the story about 17 year old Arabella (Abbie) Sharp who recently lost her mother Caroline and ends up with her Grandmother. Moving to London is a culture shock to Abbie. She’s surrounded by wealth beyond her imagination, and dangers that lurk around every corner. While trying to find her way in the world, she discovers that she has an affinity for being able to help those less fortunate than herself at Whitechapel Hospital. Whitechapel just happens to be a refuge for women in trouble.

Ripper follows Abbie’s struggles and decisions she makes after discovering that she is connected in a bizarre way to the man known as Jack the Ripper. Abbie’s visions become so realistic in nature, that she can tell who Jack the Ripper's next victim will be. Abbie is definitely one of those characters that you could label as impulsive, stubborn, and strong willed. Yet, at the same time, she’s not a Mary Sue character that breaks down at the drop of a hat. She’s definitely strong, smart, and has the toughness to fight back when she is threatened. She also appears fearless when it comes to blood and fighting against those much stronger than she is.

Abbie goes after what she wants, and really doesn’t back away from her dreams when they become muddled in the world of Jack the Ripper and a mysterious group known as the Conclave. There is the feeling of a wannabe 3 way love triangle yet; Abbie pretty much decides that one of the characters is definitely more appealing than her second suitor. Either suitor would be fine in any other YA setting.

I found the first half of this book rather slow in developing which is why I am waffling in the wind over my overall rating. I liked the second half of the book after Abbie discovers who the mysterious Ripper is, and what the connection between them really means. There are a few mysteries remaining that haven’t been solved yet and I hope that Reeves will reveal them in the next installment called Renegade.

Overall, this was a decent enough read to allow me to immediately run to Netgalley and pick up the second book in the series. I shall endeavor to hope that it's better than the first book in content and scope and pacing.

Title - Ripper (Ripper # 1)
Author - Amy Carol Reeves
Publisher - Flux
Released - April 8, 2012

Stacking the Shelves 11/17/2012

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you have add to your shelves. It may be physical or virtual (ebook). This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Thank you for stopping by my blog and checking out what I received this week.

If you please leave me your link, I shall do my best to return the favor in a timely manner!

This has been a relatively slow week with the only books coming from Netgalley.

Expected publication: February 12th 2013 by Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

Expected publication: March 26th 2013 by Del Rey

Expected publication: March 5th 2013 by Del Rey (first published January 29th 2013)

Archangel's Storm by Nalini Singh

*Genre* Paranormal Romance
*Released* September 4, 2012
*Publisher* Berkley

*Review*

Jason, Raphael’s illusive spymaster, takes center stage in Archangel’s Storm (Guild Hunter # 5). The book comes on the heels of Archangel’s Blade which was one of the better books in the series and showed a whole new side to Dmitri and his love towards Honor a Guild Hunter.

As we open Archangel’s Storm, Dmitri and Honor are getting married and the important characters in the series like Raphael, Elena, Illium, Venom, Ransom, Ashwini, Janvier are either there in person, or are mentioned. I actually smiled when Ashwini and Janvier were mentioned. It seems that they only get parts in novella’s which leaves lots of room for tying up their story in a way that will leave readers happy.

The story quickly switches gears when it is discovered that the Archangel of India’s consort appears to have been murdered. Jason volunteers to travel to India and find out the truth behind what happened. Blood bound to Princess Mahiya for the duration of his investigation, Jason travels a dangerous road fraught with the possibility that he won’t be returning to Raphael any time soon.

While Archangel’s Storm was a decent enough addition to the Guild Hunter series, Jason isn't close to being Dmitri or Raphael for that matter. Jason is supposed to be in the background as Raphael's spymaster and part of his group of Seven. Jason is a quiet character that really isn’t comfortable as the main character in a full length novel. Because of Jason’s ability to bend the darkness to his will, you find out that this story is a bit slower than its predecessors.

While Jason's back story regarding his own families’ tragedy and how he came to be Raphael's spymaster was interesting enough, again, it wasn't Dmitri or Raphael or even Illium for that matter. It was almost too easy to guess who the overall villain of the story would be, and what would happen between Jason and Princess Mahiya.

I should empathically state that I didn’t hate either Jason or Princess Mahiya. Both of their backgrounds are stepped in sadness and heartbreak which makes you more willing to allow for more room for Singh to tell her story. I can also see where Elena and Mahiya will quickly become friends which will lead to all sorts of new situations to discover.
 
Some readers may find the whole Dmitri/Honor situation as a distraction to Jason’s story. I was actually happy that it was added to the book. I was happy to see Dmitri leaving Honor a way out of her agreement to transition to vampire. I found this absolutely awesome in that he firmly loves Honor with all his being, and would give up everything to be with her no matter what the situation is. Of course, I immediately skipped ahead to their parts in the book and read as Honor made the decision of a lifetime. One can only hope that Singh won’t leave readers hanging and will allow us to discover what happens next with the couple be it in a novella, or part of the next book in the series.

I'm happy to see that Singh plans on going back to Elena and Raphael in the next book which hopefully means answering questions regarding Raphael’s own mother Caliane, and her part in the Cadre of Ten gaining extraordinary new abilities which we find in both Neha and her twin sister Nivriti as well as Jason and Mahiya.

Cover Reveal - Black City by Christina Henry

The obvious difference between this cover, and the previous ones is the lack

of wings for Maddy. I'll definitely read this book because they synopsis is such that

it peeks my interest. 

Synopsis:

Former Agent of death Madeline Black may have been stripped of her wings—but she hasn’t lost her purpose… 

When Maddy finally killed her father, Azazel, she thought his depraved experiment died with him. But now Chicago has been infested with vampires immune to the effects of the sun, and the bloodbath is worse than she could have ever imagined. While the Agency refuses to interfere with other supernatural courts, Maddy is determined to do everything within her power to save her city—wings or no wings.

But when the leader of the vampires requests that she turn herself in or risk more deaths, Maddy becomes a target for the very people she’s trying to save. Left with no other choice, she turns to Lucifer, the one creature who has the power to help her. But her grandfather’s aid has always come at a price.

Mass Market Paperback, 288 pages

Expected publication: February 26th 2013 by Ace

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