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A blog of in-depth reviews of books of all types: genre novels, cookbooks, writers' advice books, and much more!
Recent Posts Tagged With 'paranormal'
“Candy Houses,” Shiloh Walker
Pros: Wonderful & unusual world-building; captivatingly sexy & emotional Cons: Perhaps the beginning was a little slow Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Review copy (ebook/novella) courtesy of the author. Available from Samhain Publishing. Visit Shiloh ...
“Waking Evil,” Kylie Brant
Pros: Wonderful characters & mystery; fascinating legendry Cons: Identity of killer insufficiently foreshadowed; too many similarities between heroine of this book and heroine of last one Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Review book courtesy of Penguin Group. &...
“The Lost”
Pros: Enjoyably mysterious tales Cons: One ending that left me a little flat Rating: 4 out of 5 Review book (uncorrected proof) courtesy of Penguin Group. Expected publication date: 11/24/09. The Lost is an anthology of four stories in “...
“Must Love Hellhounds” (multiple authors)
Pros: Strong stories in fascinating worlds using engaging characters Cons: I guess I expected a bit more hellhound… Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Review book courtesy of Penguin Group. How could I resist a read of Must Love Hellhounds? It...
“Spider-Touched,” Jory Strong
Pros: Stunning & original world; continuation of the fascinating plot from “Ghostland” Cons: Male lead doesn’t stand out as much; secondary plot not as engaging Rating: 4 out of 5 Review book courtesy of Penguin Group. ...
Bernheimer’s “Dead Eye,” a non-review
Review book courtesy of the author. To recap: when I put up a “non-review,” it means I couldn’t finish a book. I’m not going to review it on Epinions or Amazon, but I don’t mind telling you folks here why I decide...
“The Magicians,” Lev Grossman
Pros: Fresh, original, dark, and very surprising. Cons: One maudlin part comes perilously close to extending too long Rating: 5 out of 5 Review copy courtesy of Penguin Group. Lev Grossman’s The Magicians is a gritty coming of age story...
“Dark Time, Mortal Path Book One,” Dakota Banks
Pros: Wonderful concept; very strong beginning Cons: Cluttered and overly-detailed Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Review book courtesy of Planned Television Arts. Also posted on Epinions.com. Susannah is a humble country healer and midwife, happily mar...
“Seduced by Shadows,” Jessa Slade
Pros: Intense, inventive, detailed, and wonderful Cons: Maybe a little too much misunderstanding between main chars. Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Review book (uncorrected proof) courtesy of Penguin Group. Expected publication date: 10/6/2009. Sera wa...
“Unusual Suspects,” ed. Dana Stabenow
Pros: Some absolutely wonderful stories in here—I definitely found some new authors to enjoy Cons: The typical anthology issue: you won’t love all the stories equally Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Review copy courtesy of Penguin Group. Unu...
“The Redeeming,” Shiloh Walker
Pros: Delightful story of good, evil, and redemption Cons: Beginning felt a bit simplistic Rating: 4 out of 5 Review copy courtesy of a Twitter contest held by the author. Available from Samhain Publishing. Visit Shiloh Walker online. Jonah i...
“Storm of Shadows,” Christina Dodd
Pros: Fantastic characters and romance; gripping plot Cons: One slightly overused series premise; some minor confusion over the prophecy Rating: 4 out of 5 Review book (uncorrected proof) courtesy of Penguin Group. Expected publication date: 9/1/200...
“Forbidden: The Temptation,” Samantha Sommersby
Pros: Basic story & sex scenes that some will enjoy Cons: Inconsistencies; hand-waving plot developments; stilted dialogue; non-sexy “sexy” scenes; confusions; thin characters Rating: 1.5 out of 5 Review book courtesy of Author Mark...
“Storm of Visions,” Christina Dodd
Pros: Great characters; interesting plot; quirky world Cons: Slightly odd balance of quirky & dark Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Review book (uncorrected proof) courtesy of Penguin Group. Expected publication date: 8/4/2009. Visit Christina Dodd on the ...
“Atlantis Unleashed,” Alyssa Day
Pros: Interesting take on the world—unusual approach to the Atlantis myth Cons: Make sure you read the whole series in order; some seemingly inconsistent behavior Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Review book courtesy of Penguin Group. Alyssa Day&#...
“Demon Mistress,” Yasmine Galenorn
Pros: Tense, detailed plotting; interesting world; nifty characters; fun protagonist Cons: Very complex world; bad guys somewhat shallow Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Review book courtesy of Penguin Group. Demon Mistress is book six of Yasmine Galenor...
“Dark Curse,” Christine Feehan
Pros: Wonderful main character; unusual take on vampires Cons: Haphazard & arbitrary mix of elements; some rather silly concepts; heavy stress on “should women fight” Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Review book courtesy of Penguin Group. ...
“Kiss & Hell,” Dakota Cassidy
Pros: Great concept; fun plot twists; enjoyable characters Cons: Super-strong dialogue patterns; protracted initial distrust; celebrity ghosts; felt like a sequel Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Review book (uncorrected proof) courtesy of Penguin Group. Expec...
“Deader Still,” Anton Strout
Pros: Interesting world, main character, and plot; fun Cons: Side plot/character could use more detail Rating: 4 out of 5 Review copy courtesy of Penguin Group. In Anton Strout’s Deader Still, Simon Canderous is an ex-thief who works f...
“Deathwish,” Rob Thurman
Pros: Hilarious, poignant, thoughtful; filled with personality and heart-pounding action Cons: None Rating: 5 out of 5 Review copy courtesy of Penguin Group. Visit Rob Thurman online. A week or two ago I read ten books in a row without stop...
“Goddess of the Sea,” P.C. Cast
Pros: A highly magical, romantic retelling of “the Little Mermaid” Cons: None Rating: 5 out of 5 Review book courtesy of Penguin Group. Visit P.C. Cast on the web. “CC” is US Air Force sergeant Christine Canady. She&...
“Sea Lord,” Virginia Kantra
Pros: Fast-paced, tense, sizzling & romantic! Cons: None Rating: 5 out of 5 Review book (uncorrected proof) courtesy of Penguin Group. Visit Virginia Kantra’s website. Also posted on Epinions.com. Expected publication date: 5/5/2009. ...
“Angels’ Blood,” Nalini Singh
Pros: Incredibly original and beautiful Cons: None at all for me Rating: 6 out of 5 Review copy (uncorrected proof) courtesy of Penguin Group. Expected publication date: March 3, 2009. I’ve delayed writing this review for a week or so...
Maureen Child’s “Bedeviled,” a non-review
After only writing four “non-reviews” in the history of this blog, now this is the second time this week. Ah well. I hate giving up on a book, but I also dislike wasting my time on something I know I won’t enjoy. Frustration occasio...
“The Pagan Stone,” Nora Roberts
Pros: Fantastic approach; wonderful premise; in-depth characters and relationships; exciting ending to a great series Cons: None Rating: 5 out of 5 Visit Nora Roberts’s website. Also posted on Epinions.com. The Pagan Stone is book thr...
Cooke’s “Kiss of Fate,” a non-review
Once upon a time, I got so caught up in the plots of the books I read and movies I watched that no matter how poor the execution of those plots was, I had to find out how they turned out once I started them. Since then, my priorities have changed. Ma...
“Mortal Sins,” Eileen Wilks
Pros: Gorgeous take on werewolves, Gifted mortals, and spirits Cons: Slight delay getting oriented to the world if you’re new to it Rating: 5 out of 5 Review copy courtesy of Penguin Group. Also posted at Epinions.com. Eileen Wilks...
“Ravenous,” Sharon Ashwood
Pros: Great plot & characters; interesting world; unusual developments Cons: None Rating: 5 out of 5 Review copy courtesy of Penguin Group. Also posted on Epinions.com. Just a few years ago, supernaturals came out of the closet. A Quee...
“Murder Game,” Christine Feehan
Pros: Great plot; interesting characters Cons: Left me with a bad taste in my mouth Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Review copy courtesy of Penguin Group. The GhostWalkers are highly-trained psychics who’ve also been altered on a genetic level. ...
“Agents of Artifice,” Ari Marmell
Pros: Complex and fascinating world and plot Cons: Character(s) needed to be a little more sympathetic; story really didn’t need to be told out of order Rating: 4 out of 5 Review copy (ARC) courtesy of Wizards of the Coast and Nelson Consult...
