REVIEW/ FORBIDDEN MAGIC/ JO BEVERLY/ NAL TRADE



Title:  Forbidden Magic

Author:  Jo Beverley

Publisher: NAL, A Division of Penguin

Genre:  Historical/Paranormal

Publication Date: February 1, 2011

Print ISBN:  978-0451232182

eBook ISBN: 978-1101210437

Length:  368 Pages

Format:  Trade Size Paperback

Purchase:  Amazon

Book Description:

Left penniless after her parents' death, Meg Gillingham is in dire straits. Her cruel landlord threatens to turn her and her siblings out of their home at Christmastide -- unless she surrenders her young sister to his lecherous whims. Only a miracle can save them: a magic statue that grants wishes -- for a price.

Meg never expected the statue to bring her a handsome earl offering marriage, and warily waits for the sting in the magic's tail. Soon, however, charming, eccentric Sax is weaving magic of his own -- until the statue is lost and Meg is plunged into danger of losing him, her family, and perhaps even her life.


My Review: 

This is a sweet and light Regency romance with a heroine who has a touch of paranormal power.  The dialogue between the characters is sharp, occasionally funny and highly entertaining.  Both the primary and secondary characters drew me into their world and kept me engrossed in the story.


The heroine, Meg Gillingham, is a practical young woman whose parent's death has left her responsible for her siblings.  Unfortunately her parents left them penniless and at the mercy of their landlord, Sir Arthur Jakes, a "friend" of Meg's father.  The only heirloom her parents left is a Sheela Na Gig or "Sheelagh", a magic statue that is supposed to grant the wishes of the women in her family who can wield it's "magic".  A magic that always carries a price.  When Sir Arthur demands that Meg either pays all of the past due rent or hand over her younger sister, Laura, to be his mistress, Meg realizes she has no choice but to use the "Sheelagh" and wishes for a solution to her family's problem. 


Frederick, The Earl of Saxonhurst, or "Sax" as everyone calls him, is a fantastic hero.  He has a house full of servants who he treats as part of his family, a precocious parrot named Knox and an extremely ugly dog named Brak.  He does have some flaws though, a temper that leads to the destruction of his own property and a strong hatred toward his maternal grandmother, The Duchess of Daingerfield.  When he receives a note the day before his 25th birthday reminding him if he is not married by the end of the next day, his grandmother will get to choose his bride, he becomes desperate and confides in his servants.  One of them suggests that he marry Meg and he promptly agrees and makes his proposal via letter.  When Meg replies that she's willing to marry him if he agrees to help her take care of her younger siblings, he readily agrees and makes their wedding arrangements.


The scenes between Meg and Sax are charming and funny.  Their dialogue is highly entertaining and they have great chemistry.  Being strangers when they married, Meg and Sax have a lot to learn about each other and Ms. Beverly did an excellent job developing their characters.  Meg is afraid that Sax will discover how she "wished" him into marriage and Sax is determined to seduce his wife.  Sax is also somewhat unconventional and at times Meg wonders if she's married a mad man. 


When Meg finds herself being blackmailed by Sir Arthur, Sax has to come to her rescue, which gives them an opportunity to develop their relationship further.  The secondary characters were well done and I was happy to see the "villains" in the story get their just desserts.  The ending of the story is well done and resolved all of the open story lines.  I really enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more of this author's work.

My Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

                       

 

FTC Disclosure: The book reviewed was purchased by the review site

NEW RELEASE TUESDAY AND CONTEST

Today is a huge release day with 115 books being released.  I am highlighting one book that I can't wait to read and because I just love this author- I'm also doing a contest.

A man who shoots first and asks questions later...

Most people would take an all-expenses-paid trip to the beach in a heartbeat. Garrett Kelly only accepts to keep tabs on Sarah Daniels, who's in hiding after witnessing a murder by Marcus Lattimer, her half-brother--and a personal enemy. This gig may be beneath a disciplined soldier like Garrett, but if he gets a shot at Lattimer, it will all be worth it...



...and the ultimate moving target.



But Garrett hadn't counted on falling for Sarah. He'd considered seduction as a tactical maneuver, but when he glimpses Sarah's dark past, he feels an urgent desire to keep her safe--even after she disappears on him. Garrett doesn't know exactly who, or what, Sarah's running from, but whatever it is, she's running for her life...


I will be giving away 2 copies of this book.  To win a copy, please tell me what series this book is a part of.  The winners will be chosen by Random.org. 

Open to US and International.  Must be a follower of this blog to enter.  Contest will run until Midnight tonight and winners will be posted by Thursday, March 3rd, 2011.

Good Luck Everyone!


FDC Disclosure:  Books for the contest are being purchased by the review site.








NEW RELEASE TUESDAY - WHAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO

There are a lot of books being released today (48 total) but these are the ones that I can't wait to get my hands on:

Detective Eve Dallas and her partner, Peabody, are following up on a senseless crime-an elderly grocery owner killed by three stoned punks for nothing more than kicks and snacks. This is Peabody's first case as primary detective-good thing she learned from the master.

But Peabody soon stumbles upon a trickier situation. After a hard workout, she's all alone in the locker room when the gym door clatters open; and-while hiding inside a shower stall trying not to make a sound-she overhears two fellow officers, Garnet and Oberman, arguing. It doesn't take long to realize they're both crooked-guilty not just of corruption but of murder. Now Peabody, Eve, and Eve's husband, Roarke, are trying to get the hard evidence they need to bring the dirty cops down-knowing all the while that the two are willing to kill to keep their secret. 
 

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones have fought for their lives, as well as for their relationship. But just when they've triumphed over the latest battle, Cat's new and unexpected abilities threaten to upset a long-standing balance...

With the mysterious disappearance of vampires, rumors abound that a species war is brewing. A zealot is inciting tensions between the vampires and ghouls, and if these two powerful groups clash, innocent mortals could become collateral damage. Now Cat and Bones are forced to seek help from a dangerous "ally"--the ghoul queen of New Orleans herself. But the price of her assistance may prove more treacherous than even the threat of a supernatural war. ...to say nothing of the repercussions Cat never imagined. 

 

 

Lucy Kincaid has firsthand experience dealing with deadly criminal predators, and she’s fully prepared to share her many talents with the FBI. But when her career plans are derailed, her boyfriend, security expert Sean Rogan, asks for help on his latest private investigation. Using her well-honed cyber-hunting skills, Lucy is soon on the trail of a missing teenage girl with a penchant for disappearing—and a shocking secret life.



FBI Agent Suzanne Madeaux is also tracking someone: a serial killer on the loose in New York City. Dubbed by the press the Cinderella Strangler, he cruises seamy underground sex parties, where drug-fueled women make for easy pickings. As Lucy and Sean’s desperate search collides with the FBI’s hunt, Lucy isn’t about to step aside. Haunted by painful memories of her own harrowing encounters with evil, she’s determined to keep any more innocents from meeting the fate she so narrowly escaped. Delving deep into the twisted psyche of a remorseless killer, Lucy must confront her own fears—even if it means risking a future job with the FBI and future happiness with Sean.
 

 

What are you looking forward to buying or reading today?

A REVIEW/ IN THE DARK OF DREAMS/ MARJORIE M. LIU/ HARPER COLLINS

Title:  In The Dark of Dreams
Author:  Marjorie M. Liu
Publisher:  Harper Collins
Genre:  Paranormal Romance (Shifter)
Publication Date:  November 30, 2010
Print ISBN: 978-0062020161
eBook ISBN: 978-0062078490
Length:  384 Pages

Purchase:  AMAZON


Book Blurb:

She could never forget the boy with the ice blue eyes . . .

She was only twelve when she saw the silver boy on the beach, but Jenny has never stopped dreaming about him. Now she is grown, a marine biologist charting her own course in the family business—a corporation that covertly crosses the boundaries of science into realms of the unknown . . . and the incredible.

And now he has found her again, her boy grown into a man: Perrin, powerful and masculine, and so much more than human, leaving Jenny weak with desire and aching for his touch.

But with their reunion comes danger. For Perrin and Jenny—and all living creatures—their only hope for preventing the unthinkable lies in a mysterious empire far beneath the sea . . . and in the power of their dreams.


My Review:

In the Dark of Dreams is the 10th book in the Dirk & Steele series by Marjorie Liu, stories full of characters from legends that live among us disguised out of necessity. The author has done a fantastic job with this story, continuing to add to the world building she began with the first book in this series. I fell in love with the hero and heroine and was happy to spend time again with some of the characters from previous books.



The heroine of this story, Jenny, was fantastic. She is full of inner strength and determination in the face of adversity. Refusing to give up on her dreams, she continues to search for the boy she fell in love with when she was 12 years old. Jenny considers herself an anomaly; she’s a normal human in a family full of people with paranormal gifts. She’s very open minded in regards to what is “normal”.


The hero, Perrin, has been exiled from his people because of his refusal to give up on finding the girl he knows is his “mate”, a human. He’s full of rage and hurt towards both his father and his people for turning their backs on their own laws and for forcing him to live among humans and the toxins in their world, which make him unable to dream of Jenny. Banishing Perrin also creates a problem that the “Krackeni” have yet to discover, it was Perrin’s dreams of Jenny that kept the “beast” from waking, something that is beginning to happen.


The scenes between Jenny and Perrin are fantastic; they have great chemistry and have never lost their attraction towards each other. Ironically they also have the same fear of rejection for who and what they are, something that they both eventually have to address individually and as a couple. The secondary characters are also well done and contribute quite a bit to the story, especially Perrin’s father, who Perrin must eventually face and deal with. Like the human world, the paranormal world has both good and evil members and Ms. Liu did an excellent job of reminding us of that.


The conclusion of this story was well done and resolved most of the issues raised, though there are other issues that will now have to be addressed in future books. I look forward to see where Ms. Liu takes us next, because this series has such deep world-building, I do recommend that you read the books in order. I truly enjoyed this book and I believe you will too.

My Rating:  5 out of 5 Crowns

 




FTC Disclaimer:  This book was purchased by the reviewer for review. 

Review/ Twice Bitten/ Chloe Neill/ NAL

Title:  Twice Bitten - A Chicagoland Vampires Novel

Author:  Chloe Neill

Publisher:  NAL

Genre:  Paranormal

Publication Date:  July 6, 2010

Print ISBN: 978-0451230645

eBook ISBN:  978-1101456347

Length:  368 Pages

Format:  Print- Trade Size

Purchase:    Twice Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires, Book 3)

Blurb:

Merit, Chicago’s newest vampire, is learning how to play well with others. Other supernaturals, that is. Shapeshifters from across the country are convening in the Windy City, and as a gesture of peace, Master Vampire Ethan Sullivan has offered their leader a very special bodyguard: Merit. Merit is supposed to protect the Alpha, Gabriel Keene—and to spy for the vamps while she’s at it. Oh, and luckily Ethan’s offering some steamy, one-on-one combat training sessions to help her prepare for the mission.

Merit must accept the assignment, even though she knows that she’ll probably regret it. And she’s not wrong. Someone is gunning for Gabriel Keene, and Merit soon finds herself in the line of fire. She’ll need all the help she can get to track down the would-be assassin, but everywhere she turns, there are rising tensions between supernaturals—not least between her and a certain green-eyed, centuries old master vampire.


My Review: 

The Chicagoland Vampire series continues to fascinate me, the characters are fantastic and the dialogue is sharp and witty.  In this installment the shapeshifters have come to Chicago to discuss their immediate future and whether or not they should "come out" to the public.  We also have a turning point in the relationship between newbie vampire Merit and Ethan, her master that takes place.  The plot moves at a good pace and I was completely captivated by the story. 

Merit is continuing to grow as a vampire, she's still somewhat uncomfortable with letting the "vampire" be in charge and is trying to retain as much of her humanity as possible, but she  realizes that in order to do her job as Sentinel for Cadogen house that she has no choice but to improve her skills.  At the beginning of the story her friendship with best friend Mallory is also under a bit of strain from the events that took place in Friday Night Bites (Chicagoland Vampires, Book 2), and she's also dealing with her "break-up" with Morgan, the head of Navarre House and her continued attraction to Ethan Sullivan her vampire master.

Ethan continues to be a contradiction as a vampire master, he's attracted to Merit on a romantic level, yet he continues to put politics and maneuvering above his or Merit's personal needs.  Ethan's backstory is also filled in some more and we also get additional history about Cadogen house and it's power structure.  In an effort to reach out to others and make allies, Ethan agrees to lend Merit's services to Gabrielle Keene, the leader of the North American Shapeshifters.

Gabrielle Keene and the 3 other pack leaders are meeting in Chicago to discuss the immediate and future plans for the Shapeshifter community- do they go home to their hidden base in Alaska or do they come out to humans and possibly ally themselves with the vampires?  I can't say enough about Gabrielle, he's uber sexy and I just loved every scene that he made an appearance in.  We also find out that there are unresolved issues between the vampires and the shapeshifters that have lead to some interesting prejudices amongst members of the two groups, something that they will need to overcome if they become allies.

The plot thickens as several attempts are made to kill Gabrielle prior to and during the shapeshifter meetings, we also see Ethan and Merit grow closer as they protect Gabrielle, which leads to a particular event that finally pushes Merit to mend fences with both Mallory and Catcher, Mallory's sorcerer boyfriend.   The end of the story resolves some of open storyline but leaves several situations open, including Merit and Ethan's relationship and where they will go next.  I have already pre-ordered the next book in this series Hard Bitten: A Chicagoland Vampires Novel.

My Rating:  5 out of 5 crowns

 

A Review/ The Sheriff's Surrender(Ladies Shooting Club)/ Susan Page Davis/ Barbour Books

Title:  The Sheriff's Surrender
Author:  Susan Page Davis 
Publisher:  Barbour Books
Genre:  Inspirational Romantic Mystery
Publication Date:  December 1, 2009
Print ISBN:  978-1602605626
eBook ISBN:  978-1607421382
Length:  320 Pages
Reviewer:  Veronica


Purchase:   Amazon 

Book Blurb:

Join the sassy ladies of Fergus, Idaho, as they protect their town in this quirky historical by award-winning author Susan Page Davis. A crime spree has divided the men in town, so Gert Dooley forms the Ladies’ Shooting Club to protect their businesses, homes, and families. But when one of their members is murdered, will these feisty gals have what it takes to find the killer before he strikes again? Will the new sheriff put the club out of work, or will he surrender his heart to one crack shot lady?



Veronica's Review:

The first in the Ladies’ Shooting Club series, The Sheriff’s Surrender is sure to delight anyone who likes a dash of romance and mystery thrown into inspirational, historical fiction.


The story is set in the Wild West. The plot is pretty straight-forward: a small town on the edge of the frontier is being plagued by violent crime, and the women are fed up. They decide to defend themselves, trained by the unglamorous old maid Gert, who happens to be a crack shot. The author, Susan Page Davis, keeps it interesting with some unexpected twists and turns to the plot, as well as having a mix of well-developed characters, and of course the light, but sincere, romance.


Author Davis is skilled at painting vivid scenes with just a few witty comments- one of the aspects of the book that I really appreciated. She also added enough cultural tension and ethical decisions to give the book an unusual depth for this genre. The women of the Ladies’ Shooting Club are not out to prove anything to anybody: they just want to feel more secure in their town. Nonetheless, some of the Town Fathers do not appreciate women running around with guns (they might hurt themselves!) and *gasp* actually leaving the home at all. The rest of the men in town have to decide if they are going to support their women or go along with the opinionated men.


On the other hand, the ladies have their own ethical quandaries: do they allow the unappealing homeless woman to shoot with them? How about the tavern girls? How about the tavern girls- wearing pants?!


Meanwhile, there is the mystery of who is perpetrating the violence, and what the criminal is after. And of course- the story ends with a bang.


Overall, a fun read, and I’m looking forward to reading the other books in the series.


Veronica's Rating:  4 out of 5 Crowns