Book Reviews

Heat (Underground Encounters, Book 5)

Posted on by The Novel Girl

Heat cover

Author: Lisa Carlisle

Series: Underground Encounters

Genre: PNR

Publisher: Indie

Pages: 115

 

Tracy tends bar at Vamps to pay her way through school. She has had her share of problems- an abusive ex, family problems, etc- and she finds comfort in sharing her turmoil with the status of the gargoyle that hangs out at the bar. She doesn’t know why, maybe she’s losing it, but there’s no harm done. One night, as she’s closing down the bar for the night, aforementioned ex shows up, drunk and looking to either hook up or fight. Just as Tracy is figuring out the best way to defend herself, her statue and confidante comes to life before her eyes and takes care of the problem for her. He believes that they are fated to be together, and he has twenty-four hours to prove it to her or he will turn to stone again. Will he be able to convince her, or will he remain under his curse?

Thanks to this lovely author, I have really come to love gargoyle shifters, and Danton is no exception. He’s hot, strong, and sweet- what more could you ask for? This story is written along the lines of the other Underground Encounters stories, which is excellent! The characters were well developed, as always. The world building just continued to grow from the previous books. The story was well rounded enough, even for a short novella, that it would be no problem to grab it and enjoy without having read the previous books (although you should, if you like PNR!). If you’re looking for a quick, fun, PNR, pick this one up!

Sisters of Spirit

Posted on by The Novel Girl

Sisters of Spirit cover

Author: Annette Blair, Lynn Jenssen, Christine Mazurk, Jeanine Duval Spikes

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Publisher: Seaside Publications

Pages: 342

 

This is a lovely anthology that tells the stories of four ladies- Marina, Bryce, Clara, and Anastasia- who are drawn to one another by something deeper than merely their friendship, or the blood that bonds traditional family. They are bonded by spirit. This bond makes them feel as though they have been not only friends, but sisters their whole lives. One day, while walking along the beach with one another, each sister finds an item that set her on her own special course. One is having a marital crisis, while one is having a crisis of confidence. Another sister wonders if she can trust the man that she is working for, while the last questions whether she can help someone without losing her own heart along the way.

Each author tells the story of a different sister. When reading the stories of these Spirit Sisters, the reader can tell that these fantastic authors have their own spiritual connection to one another. While the reader is able to discern the individual voice of the author, they flow together in a way that really makes this anthology work well. Each story is short enough to read in a sitting, but fully developed enough to leave the reader satisfied. If you’re a fan of women’s fiction, go ahead and grab this one up! You won’t be disappointed!

 

Pre-Order the re-released anthology, Available April 21!

Fresh Ink

Posted on by The Novel Girl

Fresh Ink cover

Editor: Lamar Giles

Genre: YA Fiction

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers

Pages: 208

 

This is an anthology that was written in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. It includes never before seen works from thirteen of YA’s most recognizable, diverse authors: ten short stories, one graphic story, and a one-act play. I am thrilled to have been allowed to early review this amazing collection of short fiction, that is just demanding to be read, shared, and talked about!

Let me just begin by saying- Wow! After reading the early synopsis of this anthology, and learning who the authors contributing to it were, I had high hopes… I mean really high. This blew them away! Every one of these short stories had something very important to say, and they all made their point in the best way possible. I may not have been able to personally identify with all of the characters in these stories, but the message of each was not lost on me. These authors are all so brilliant, that it is really hard to pick a favorite story out of this collection. If pushed to choose, I would have to say that Eraser Tattoo (Jason Reynolds), Why I Learned to Cook (Sara Farizan), Don’t Pass Me By (Eric Gansworth), Meet Cute (Malinda Lo), and Tags (Walter Dean Myers) really stood out to me. All of the stories were just long enough to pique the reader’s interest, tell their story, and then leave you wanting more. This is an anthology that has been needed for some time, especially in this climate, and I am so glad that it is here! It is bound to be a hit, and one that will last for a long time to come. Now…Can we get another one of these, please? Fresher Ink, anyone?!

 

Undercurrents: An Anthology of What Lies Beneath

Posted on by The Novel Girl

undercurrents cover

Author: Multiple

Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Publisher: WordFire Press

Pages: 334

 

I was asked by one of the authors of this anthology to review this book for the release, and I am so glad that he asked me to do this! I absolutely loved it! The stories included in this compilation range from strange and creepy to outright scary, and there was not one of them that I can honestly say that I just didn’t enjoy. There were some, however, that stood out for me. One that really stood out for me was The Kraken’s Story by Robert J. McCarter. THe reason that this one stood out, in my mind, was the POV that it was told from: the Kraken’s. I do believe that this is the first time that I have read a story told from the POV of a Kraken, and it was very different (in a good way!). One of the stories that I just loved was Gregory D. Little’s A Marsh Called Solitude. The writing was beautiful, with wonderfully developed characters. It feels like he was able to put so much in to a short story. It is the writing that I have come to expect from him in a neat little package. One of my other favorites has to be Sea Dreams, written by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta. The writing was also very lovely in this story, and the underlying message of friendship is an important one.

If you love short stories (we all know that I love them by now!) and sci-fi/fantasy, I think that you will really enjoy this anthology. You are getting so much packed in to this one book!

Burn (Underground Encounters, Book 4)

Posted on by The Novel Girl

Burn cover

Author: Lisa Carlisle

Series: Underground Encounters

Genre: PNR

Publisher: Indie

Pages: 254

 

Layla is on the run from a Master Vampire. She has fled from London, and arrived in Boston to become Angelica, the singer in an 80’s cover band. Devon is the shapeshifting bounty hunter who is after her. He hates vamps, so there is no issue with him hunting her down…until he meets her. With more vampires on their trail, will this end well for them?

This is the fourth installment in Carlisle’s Underground Encounters series, but each one can be read as a standalone. This, as all her work thus far has been, was an incredible enjoyable read! The characters were well fleshed out, and fun to hang out with. The plot line was a very interesting and fun one. What I think that I love most of all about this author’s work, though, is her world building. It is always very rich and well imagined. I can almost always picture, with great detail, the environment that she is describing. If you are a PNR fan, this is a series (and author!) that you shouldn’t miss!

Silver Fox: Bad Alpha Dads (Real Werewives of Alaska, Book 3)

Posted on by The Novel Girl

Silver Fox cover

Author: Kristen Strassel

Series: Real Werewives of Alaska

Genre: PNR

Publisher: Indie

Pages: 117

 

Landon Fox has always put football before everything in his life, his daughter included. His career is finally reaching an end point, and the Real Werewives are after him. When there is a huge uproar at one of the Real Were wives event, he sees the last person that he expected to see. Jenna came to Alaska with one mission: reconnect her daughter with her father. She has no notion of finding love here. That is, until Landon accidentally bids on her for a date. Will they find a love connection once again?

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and somehow missed the second. I had no problem, however picking right back up at this one (they can be read as a standalone). I must say, that I think I enjoyed this ne even more than the first. I liked the first one a lot, but this one seemed to have even more of an enriched backstory, so it led to deeper emotions being felt while reading it. I will throw in, though, that it still has all of the humor, wit, sarcasm, and fun of the first in the series, so you won’t miss any of that! The characters were still developed well, and the world-building was in keeping with the first of the series. If you’re a PNR fan looking for a quick, fun read, I recommend this one.

Passenger (Passenger, Book 1)

Posted on by The Novel Girl

Passenger cover

Author: Alexandra Bracken

Series: Passenger Duology

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Pages: 496

 

Etta Spencer is a violin prodigy, determined to play her debut and make her way in the professional music world. In one night, everything that she knows and loves is ripped from her, as she is torn from her world and her time, and forced to travel years from her home. She didn’t even know that this was possible until her legacy was forced upon her. Nicholas Carter is living his life upon the open seas, free from a family and burden that have plagued him for years. The sudden arrival of Etta upon his ship, however, changes all of that for him. He must now journey through time with her to find a powerful object that this family believes that only Etta can find for them.

I decided to start the year out re-reading this fun novel that I read, but didn’t review, at the end of last year. I really, really enjoyed this story. The writing was beautiful. The character development was great. It was much better than I have been seeing in many YA novels of late. The world building was phenomenal! I felt that I was on the journey with them, and I wanted to keep going! Fortunately, I am about to re-join all of our players in the sequel of this duology, Wayfarer. You can look for that review to come sometime in February. One thing that I truly enjoyed about this YA was that, while there was a bit of a romantic element to the story, it wasn’t so heavy on the romance that it overtook the rest of the story. It also wasn’t an overly anguished YA romance, which was refreshing. If you enjoy time travel adventure in your fantasy, this is a great book to look in to!

Running Wild (The Real Werewives of Alaska, Book 1)

Posted on by The Novel Girl

Running Wild cover

Author: Kristen Strassel

Series: The Real Werewives of Alaska

Genre: PNR

Publisher: Amazon Digital

 

Sebastian Connall has spent the past seven years chasing his dream of playing professional football. That dream has now led him back to the one place that he has been running from: Alaska, the home to the pack that he was kicked out of. His twin brother warned him not to return to Alaska, but Sebastian isn’t about to let him ruin his dream for him. It is the only dream that he has, since he fears that his chance to find his mate was lost when his pack was.

Naomi Hart is all about her travel blog. She isn’t really looking for love when she agrees to go on The Real Werewives of Alaska. She’s just looking for the all-expenses paid trip that will amaze her blog readers. That is, until she meets Sebastian Connall…

Y’all, I have been looking for a new, fun PNR to spend some time with (and you know how I love my shifters!!), so I was super excited when Kristen contacted me about reviewing this book for her new series. This was exactly what I have been looking for! It was so much fun, and a quick read (I read it in one sitting!). The characters are all great. They are well developed, but there is still plenty of room for them to grow in later installments. The world building was lovely. I could clearly picture the Alaska towns that were being described, and I kind of really want to go and visit them. Strassel’s writing was dynamic and fun, and took me right back to my PNR home. I can’t wait for the next installment in this series to come out, because I know it is going to be fun as well!

 

Inked Memories (Montgomery Ink, Book 8)

Posted on by The Novel Girl

Inked Memories cover

Author: Carrie Ann Ryan

Genre: PNR

Series: Montgomery Ink

Publisher: Indie

Pages: 254

 

Wes Montgomery is the last in his family to decide that it is time to settle down. The problem is that the one person that he finds himself feeling that pull towards is his brother’s ex, and an employee of Montgomery Ink- Jillian. Jillian pushed away the man that everyone thought that she should be with, so that he could live his life. Now, she finds herself attracted to the one who seems like he should be the wrong one- Wes. At a time of crisis in her life, Jillian is forced to turn to Wes for help. His help may just lead to more than the two of them ever bargained for.

I am relatively new to the Montgomery family, but have been a fam of Ryan’s Talon Pack series for a long time. When I was presented with the opportunity to review this book for her, I couldn’t turn it down, so I read a book or two prior to this one to get in the groove, and went for it. All I can say is that I need to read the whole series now! Ryan does a wonderful job of world building in this series, just as I came to expect from her Talon Pack series. What I really love from her, though, is the complexity and depth of her characters. They are all so well rounded and fleshed out that you really feel that you get to know them in a short time, yet she leaves room for them to grow and evolve as she wants them to. If you have never read anything from this author, and you are a fan of PNR, I strongly suggest that you jump on to this bandwagon now!

 

The New Dark

Posted on by The Novel Girl

The New Dark cover

Author: Lorraine Thomson

Series: The Dark Times

Genre: Dystopian/Fantasy

Publisher: Bastei Entertainment

Pages: 221

 

Sorrel lives in a world with no power, little food, and limited people and entertainment. She is fairly content in her walled in village, though, where everyone works together to get by. She has her mother, her siblings, and the boy she likes seems to have chosen her back. Things seem to be ok, for the most part, until the day that the mutants came. They ripped her family from her, and took David and several other kids from the village as hostages. Sorrel sets out on a journey that she may or may not survive, determined to get David and her youngest brother, Eli, back from the mutants, or die trying.

I really enjoyed this Thomson novel. It has been a while since I have read a dystopian, so it was fun to journey back in to a dystopian land. The world-building was well done in this book. The only real issue that I had with it, is that we don’t really get any type of a back-story at all as to what lead to this new era. It would have been nice to have gotten some hint as to the past issues that lead up to the now. That may very well be a personal preference, though, and did no really detract from the visualization of the current world. The main players are all well developed, if not always likeable. Likeability in the mc’s is certainly not something that is a must-have for me to enjoy the book, although I do need to understand their motivation, which was evident in this case. One thing that this book has, that I was not expecting, was the added bonus of making me consider morality: Who truly were the “good” and “bad” beings, in this case? Was it the humans or the mutants? Were any of them truly good or bad, or is it a matter of the position that you can place yourself in to see their point of view the most easily? I was not expecting that out of this novel at all, but it was certainly there. I always enjoy it when a book can make me consider things a bit deeper. The only other criticism that I found was that it did drag a bit in some parts, although it picked back up soon after, so it was not an issue to push through those areas. Overall, this was a good start to, what will be, a new trilogy. I’m looking forward to the next installment.