Book Reviews

Fangs for the Memories (Dragon Tails Book 2)

Posted on by The Novel Girl

fangs-for-the-memories-cover

Author: Annette Blair

Series: Dragon Tails

Genre: PNR

Publisher: MacMillan

Pages: 222

 

Darkwyn is a Scottish warrior whose clan was cursed to turn in to dragons long ago, and banished to an uncharted island on another plane. He has once again been turned to man, as he was sent through the veil to Salem, in search of his heart mate. Only in finding her and aligning his life goals with hers, will he be able to defeat Killian, the evil crone who cursed his clan. Bronte and her nephew, Zachary, are on the run from the mob. Upon seeing her as he first arrives, Darkwyn knows that she is to be his heart mate. The problem: she is reluctant to admit that she feels it too, and that she needs him as much as he needs her. Will they be able to work together to save both of their families?

As she has done previously, with the now entitled Eating Bees in Bed, Fangs for the Memories is a re-worked version of an earlier Blair novel, Vampire Dragon. It has some altered scenes, character alterations, etc in order to improve the novel. This is one of Blair’s novels that I have not read before, so I cannot give an honest comparison to the original work. I can say that I truly enjoyed this version. The characters were well fleshed out, and had great personality. The scenes were all descriptive enough to give the reader great visualization and imagery. The story flowed beautifully, and there was never a lull in the storyline, which allows the reader to get lost in the story easily and makes it read quickly. This was a lovely end to this duology (this is book 2 of 2), as it wrapped up the story with a very satisfying ending. If you like shifters (this one is dragons, which are my favorite!), I think that you will really enjoy these!

I have been a fan of Annette Blair for quite a while; since I read Kitchen Witch several years ago. Hers was the first paranormal that I read, and the reason that I fell in love with this genre. Her writing is always beautiful, and a joy to read. She is a legend in her genre, and I am so thrilled to see new releases from her! If you are looking for fun PNR, I highly recommend her work!

 

Three Dark Crowns

Posted on by The Novel Girl

three-dark-crowns-cover

Author: Kendare Blake

Series: Three Dark Crowns

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 398

 

Every generation brings a new set of triplets to Fennbirn; a set of triplets born with three distinct types of magic. This generation brought Mirabella- the elemental (and the sister considered to be the strongest in this generation), Katharine- the poisoner (considered weak, although the poisoners have ruled for generations), and Arsinoe- the naturalist (also considered weak, but possibly hiding a secret). Each of these triplets is an equal heir to the crown. The catch: they must fight to the death to win the right to rule. The fight begins the night that the sisters turn sixteen, and ends when only one sister stands. Who will rule this new generation?

This is a YA novel, that reads like the beginning of a good high fantasy series. It is layered with a huge cast of characters, that I was concerned may get a bit bogged down at the beginning. Blake, however, did a wonderful job of separating out the most important primary and secondary members of the cast, and giving them the attention needed to allow the reader to know them and formulate opinions about them. The world building was phenomenal, especially for the world that was needed in this novel. The story was very intense from the beginning. It did start out a bit slow for me, but it continued to build and got better and better as it went on. It ended on a fantastic cliffhanger, and I need the sequel right now!

Jackaby

Posted on by The Novel Girl

img_6752

Author: William Rittner

Series: Jackaby

Genre: Supernatural Mystery

Publisher: Algonquin

Pages: 304

 

Abigail Rook has left her home in need of a new start. When she arrives in New Fiddleham, the first thing that she needs is a job. While she is on the search, she stumbles in to the middle of a murder investigation. A serial killer is on the loose. The police believe that it is a run of the mill bad guy…Enter R.F. Jackaby, investigator of the supernatural. He is the only seer, gifted with the ability to see the supernatural. He believes that this is no ordinary murderer. Abigail finds herself following him in to his first investigation of the scene, and it turns out that she also has a gift, one that Jackaby needs- the ability to see the ordinary, important things. She lands a job as his assistant, and off they go to find the serial killer, whether the police want their assistance or not.

I can’t believe that I waited this long to read this book! It was a wonderful break from reality. Rittner has created a fantastic cast of characters, who all have depth and are well rounded. The secondary characters all have great personality. He does something very important, though: he leaves room for you to want to get to know them better. The world building was spot on. The plot line and overall story were very entertaining. This will definitely be a new series for me!

The Only Girl in China

Posted on by The Novel Girl

the-only-girl-in-china-cover

Author: Eric Qiao

Genre: Mystery

Publisher: Wild Rose Press

Pages: 348

 

As a young boy, Ed was adopted out of a Chinese orphanage. He grew up living the privileged life in LA. As a young man, he has decided that he is going to find the sister that he left behind. Part of that plan involves going to teach in rural China, as part of a UNICEF mission, with fellow UNICEF teacher, Lorie. At their first break, Ed flies out to meet his PI and finds out some distressing news about what is believed to have happened to his sister. Rural China is not exactly his idea of a good time, so he decides to take off. Before he can make a clean break, however, a young girl is murdered. The main suspect: Ed. Now, he and Lorie decide that they must solve the mystery behind this crime, no matter what.

This is Qiao first novel, and I would say that it is a wonderful debut. The story is unique; a premise unlike any that I have read before. The main characters were fully developed, with the secondary characters having enough to them to get a sense of who they are and to be able to visualize them. The setting of this novel is mainly in a very remote area of China (think no electricity or running water), and the author did a spectacular job with his descriptiveness of the location. The only real criticism that I have, is that it could have used a bit more proofreading, as there were some errors that stood out while reading. It was definitely not enough to turn anyone off from reading it, though, as they weren’t abundant or major errors. Had I not known that this was a debut novel, I would not have guessed that this was his first outing. I would say that this is an author to watch!

 

Dallas Fire & Rescue: Smoke & Pearls (A Kindle Worlds Novella)

Posted on by The Novel Girl

smoke-and-pearls-cover

Author: Marianne Rice

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Kindle Worlds

Pages: 125

 

Max Harmon is just coming off a twenty-four-hour shift with Dallas Fire & Rescue, when he is involved in a fatal car accident. He soon learns that the fatality in the vehicle that hit him is the head of the Mitchell family, one of the most influential in Dallas society. He attends the funeral, to pay his respects to the family, and finds himself comforting the beautiful Sidney, who happens to be the favorite granddaughter of the deceased. They have a fiery, passionate romance, until Sidney learns that Max was the other party in the accident that took her beloved Grandpop from her. She is sure that there is a cover-up involved, and that he is to blame for her Grandpop’s death. Will their newfound romance be able to survive this hurdle?

Much like the previous book that I reviewed for you guys, this was another wonderful outing from Marianne Rice! For such a short story, the characters were all given great depth and personality and the story was well rounded. It had a great romance, of course, but there was a wonderful sub-plot to go along with it. I swear, this author is going to turn me in to a romance reader, yet!

This is part of the Dallas Fire & Rescue Kindle World, and it released today, so go get it!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Posted on by The Novel Girl

the-force-awakens-cover

Author: Alan Dean Foster

Series: Star Wars

Genre: Sci-Fi

Publisher: Del Rey

Pages: 272

 

I’m going to assume that if you are interested in reading my review of The Force Awakens, then you are a Star Wars fan and have seen the movie by this time. That being said, I am just going to jump right in to a review of the book, rather than giving you a recap of a movie that you have most likely already seen. Foster did a wonderful job with this novelization of the movie. While it doesn’t give a ton more information to add to the movie, such as adding a lot more backstory which I’m sure that we would all love to have (hopefully coming in the future!), it does add enough that it is definitely worth the read. We get some fun things like finding out what happened to Poe after the Tie Fighter crashed, some scenes from time spent in the cantina that would have been interesting to see in the movie, more a look in to the characters’ mindset and thoughts, and a feel that Leia may have known more than she let on in the movie. If you are a fan, and would like to get a little more additional information, I think that you will really enjoy this book.

Staying Grounded (Rocky Harbor, Book 1)

Posted on by The Novel Girl

staying-grounded-cover

Author: Marianne Rice

Series: Rocky Harbor

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Limitless

Pages: 228

Graham Riley is a pilot who loves his wings and his freedom. He has no desire to be tied down to any place or anyone. He has worked hard his entire adult life to overcome the stigma of his youth, being the son of a murderer. He was adopted and raised by a loving couple who taught him to be a responsible and respectable man. This is how he has always been viewed until he makes a split-second decision to defend someone, and his past is dredged up to smear his name.

Maggie O’Fallon grew up in a home where she was virtually ignored by her parents, and her father was never able to be depended upon to be around. Her mother stuck with him anyway, but was heartbroken and a mess every time that he left. That is the last thing that Maggie want for her own life. She wants a stable relationship, with a man that she can depend on to be home every night.

Graham and Maggie are brought together by the events stemming from Graham’s altercation. Maggie is to be Graham’s therapist, but there may be more between them. They both feel the chemistry, but they are exactly the opposite of what they each thought that they wanted. How will this ever work, or will it?

After a series of stops and starts, it looks like the relationship (or whatever it was that they had) is over for good, that is until a PI turns up with photos of the two of them together. This could destroy Maggie’s career. Does Graham care about her enough to put her ahead of himself. Will she even care if he does?

I am not typically one for a straight romance, but once I began this book I could not put it down! The story pulled me in and would not let go. The character building and development were very well done, and not just for the central characters. The secondary characters were all well fleshed out, as well. I found myself laughing out loud at parts of the story, and I was totally engaged all the way through. I very much recommend this, even if you aren’t typically a romance reader. It is really just a great story, and I look forward to reading more in this series.

 

Turbo Twenty Three

Posted on by The Novel Girl

turbo-twenty-three-cover

Author: Janet Evanovich

Series: Stephanie Plum

Genre: Mystery

Publisher: Bantam

Pages: 304

 

Stephanie’s latest skip, who was arrested for hijacking an eighteen-wheeler, decided to hijack another one. This is what he was in the middle of doing when Stephanie and Lula found him. This time, it was a truck full of Bogart ice cream. Lula swears she can drive the truck, and when she crashes it, out falls a dead guy dressed up like a Bogart Bar. Ranger just happened to have been hired to do security for Bogart, and needs Stephanie to go undercover for him at Bogart and their rival plant. This means spending a lot of time with the hot man himself. This could put some stress on her relationship with the other hot man in her life, Trenton’s sexiest detective who she happens to be engaged to be engaged to. Meanwhile, Lula and Randy Briggs have decided to be Naked & Afraid, and Grandma Mazur has a new biker boyfriend in her life. This could all spell disaster, but it definitely means a wild ride!

This was much like the other books in the series. It is a great fast and easy read, if you are just wanting something fun and familiar. There still isn’t much satisfying progress in the relationship area, which I know frustrates many readers of the series. If you are one of them, this book will ultimately not make things better for you. This one was actually better for me than twenty-two was, I think. I put the last one down a lot, and this one seemed to move at a better pace. Overall, it was a good read, and a good contribution to the series.

Milk and Honey

Posted on by The Novel Girl

milk-and-honey-cover

Author: Rupi Kaur

Genre: Poetry

Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing

Pages: 204

 

This book of poetry is written around the central theme of survival. It is about surviving pain, loss, violence, hurt, and abuse and healing from it. It is divided in to four different parts: hurting loving, breaking, and healing. Each chapter is meant to help the reader on a different part of their path and pain.

I decided to start the new year off with a lovely book of women’s poetry. There were many poems in this little book that I could really relate to. It was raw, real, and emotional. Much of it is not poetry in the traditional sense that you would expect when picking up a book of poetry, but it is beautiful nonetheless. If it is what you are needing at the time, it has the capacity to tear you apart and put you back together again.

The Evil Locked Within

Posted on by The Novel Girl

the-evil-locked-within-cover

Author: P.J. Mayhair

Genre: Horror/Psych Thriller

Publisher: Independent

Pages: 230

Jeremiah really wants to helps the girls that he finds. They should be more clean, more pure. There’s only one problem, he keeps killing them in the process. His latest target, Rachel, may be the perfect girl. Jeremiah believes that she may be just the woman that he has been looking for, that is until she turns the tables. Suddenly Jeremiah may become a victim of his own madness.

I’ll start this review by saying that the premise for this book is fabulous! This is a story that I don’t think that I have heard written in another way, so it was fresh, and I love that. That being said, Mayhair is a relatively new author, and that shows a bit in this book. The story jump a bit in some places, so it could have been helped a little more editing to even out the flow a little more. It also could have used another round of proofreading. Overall, though, I would definitely say that it was an enjoyable read. I really look forward to seeing what will come out of this young author in the future. He has a great mind!