Review

A book review.

Silver bullet bear, by Amelia Jade

Silver  bullet  bear is book 3 in The Agency  series.  Josh, one of the Bear shifters working in the King City underground, is given a special solo assignment  by Valen:  serve as bodyguard to the sister of a political  speaker while  they’re in town.

When Josh meets his contact at the airport he quickly learns three things about his charge, Hs  She’s gorgeous, she doesn’t  want a bodyguard, and she’s not human, but Josh isn’t sure what Hannah and her brother Chad are hiding, and that’s probably  dangerous.

Hannah has been following her brother on his round of speeches until she decides what to do with her life.  She’s mad at Chad hiring a babysitter for her but at least he’s good looking.  The attraction is instant but Hannah knows nothing will come of it.  She’ll have to move on.

As the story unfolds the dangers begin and now there are new enemies: mercenaries.  Who are they working with, and can Hannah and Josh find a way to stay together?

This book is another great addition to the series.  For maximum enjoyment, read the books in order.  The larger plot develops slowly as each book adds information and new characters.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review.

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Feral, by Laxmi Hariharan

Maya, raised by shifters after the destruction of Bombay, learns at 17 that she was adopted. Leaving her boyfriend and family behind, she goes off to the city to find out about her real family. As she tries to fit in with the repressed human society, she meets a boy she instantly feels a connection with, Will Maya find her family and make a place with the humans, or will she return to the shifters and the wolf she left behind?

Feral is a good coming of age tale and we learn more about the tragedy and the world that arose from it as Maya looks for her place in the world. Feral is a great start to a new world and a solid coming of age story. Writing is well done and doesn’t distract from the plot.

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The Doom Murders, by Brian O’Hare

The Doom Murders is a serial killer mystery set in Belfast, Ireland in late 2010.  The main character is DCI Jim Sheehan, a detective with a reputation for using unusual insight to solve difficult cases.  He and his squad are assigned to the murder of a Catholic Bishop who was found dead in his office, naked, and obviously posed.  This becomes a pattern as bodies show up every Thursday always Catholic, always naked, and always posed.  A task force is formed and we follow the police investigation to the final solution.  Along the way we learn about the possible psychology and religious motivation behind the killings.
I thought the Doom Murders was a great mystery story and I really enjoyed it.  It had a challenging plot with lots of twists and turns.  The characters were engaging and well-rounded, and the setting and problems of policing in Belfast after “the troubles” was fully explored.  Some of the vocabulary was be a little challenging, but it was important for the feel of the story.

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Blueblood dragon by Amelia Jade

This is book one in the Genesis Valley series

Ferro has a terrible mission before him.  Something has gone wrong with the Dragon Council and he must find out what and fix it before millions are endangered.  To make it even worse, all the members of the dragon council  and the rebellion are his children.  Ferro is the first dragon shifter. He is thousands of years old, and he’s clearly stayed away too long.
As Ferro makes his way towards the secret lair of the dragon council he sees a shifter in trouble and intervenes.

As far as Ana knows she is the only one of her kind.  Drifting from one small village to another it always ends the same.  Somebody crosses the line and when she defends herself  she is hunted as a demon and called an abomination.  It’s really getting tiresome.
When Ferro helps Ana out she is suspicious, but when they touch they both feel a powerful pull.  Can two ancient shifters  adapt to a life together?  Maybe if the Order, as they learn their mutual enemy is called,  would give them a moment’s peace they could find out…

I enjoyed this book a lot.  The characters are well defined, the dialogue  is snappy, the action is fast, and the plot is full of rich detail.  It builds on the story  from the Jade crew series while opening up a new set of circumstances  for a new series.  It’s a fast read, but a satisfying one.

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Sorrows, by Donna Fernstrom

At the beginning of Sorrows, Jay awakens in an alley  in terrible pain from hunger and sensory overload.  He stumbles to his feet and finds himself stalking a homeless man.  Then  a van screaches to a halt and he’s thrown inside where a warm donor feeds him.
This is his introduction to Vampire society.  Worlds filled with vampires, donors, shapeshifting trackers and even mages await him.  Jay has a LOT to learn and he’s not very happy about it.
Jays last “normal” memory is walking home alone after a gig with his band.  Then he woke up in a horrific warehouse where he was imprisoned and tortured  by a crazed vampire serial killer named Malachi.
Jays experiences in the warehouse are told as flashbacks.  Jay suffers PTSD as a result of his experiences, and he is terrified of everything  at first.  He has been rescued by a Law Enforcement team that has been tracking Malachi.  Jay decides he wants to join them so he begins his training in how to live in his new world.
Sorrows is a well-written  book and once I got into the story a bit I began to enjoy following  Jay’s introduction  into a life he didn’t choose,  but has to accept.  The story is told from Jays perspective  with flashbacks and lots of interior dialog.  It was a little hard to follow the story at first because there’s a large cast of characters and a lot of world-building going on.  Throughout  all this, the story is compelling  and the author does a good job handling the complex  plot.  I’d classify this book as urban fantasy with a large serving of horror.  Sorrows is an apt title since almost all  the characters  have  more than their share of them.
Sorrows is Book 1 of the Rogue Saga in the World walkers Universe Series.  I received a free review copy of the book.

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All the Beautiful People, by Jonathan Yanez

Taylor Hart is a cleaner for a pharmaceutical company.  When something goes wrong with a drug she takes care of it by any means necessary.  A loner, Taylor has little contact with her employer but all that changes with her newest assignment.

The company’s new mood-altering drug, Vanidrum, is supposed to make people feel good about themselves and free them from insecurities.  It’s been a wonderful worldwide success, but then Taylor is called in on a case where things have gone terribly wrong.  Within hours it becomes clear that Vanidrum is turning its users into nearly unstoppable killers and, to everyone’s horror, the condition is contagious, spreading by contact with blood or saliva.

Taylor finds herself part of a team trying to halt the building disaster.  Taylor’s icy shell begins to melt and she finds herself caring about her new teammates as they try to keep each other alive and find a way to stop the disaster.  The company has tremendous resources to assign to stopping the problem, but will it be enough to save humanity from the darkness?

Although this book was not what I was expecting, I was quickly drawn in to the exciting story.  There’s lots of action as the fast-paced story plays out.  The writing is very good and the the plot has plenty of surprises.  Once I got into the book I couldn’t put it down.  I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys action thrillers.  Don’t start reading before bedtime, though.  The sometimes gory action could lead to very unpleasant dreams.

All the Beautiful People is the first book in the Dread Novel series by Jonathan Yanez.  I received a free copy from the author for an honest review.

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Pyramids and Promises, by Kimberly Loth

I just finished this book and I loved it!  It has an expansive setting and a wonderful story.

Jessica is a therapist for the diplomatic corps.  In the process of divorcing her controlling husband she requests and immediate transfer from Russia and is sent to Egypt (lucky girl!)   At first she hates the “brown country” where she doesn’t speak the language.

Connor works in the oil business and is very wealthy.  He sees Jessica from a distance at the pool in her apartment building and at first mistakes her for Nour, a woman he fell in love with but who married another man.  He meets Jessica and offers to show her the sights.    He soon realizes Jessica is nothing like Nour, but he is still very attracted to her.

Jessica is wary of a rebound relationship, especially so soon after leaving her controlling and unfaithful husband, but she’s also attracted to Connor and unused to being treated so well.  Their relationship develops as they travel around seeing all the beauty the “brown” country has to offer.

I loved the descriptions of sites in Egypt and other places and enjoyed trying to guess what would happen next in their relationship.  This is the second book in the Omega Mu Alpha series built around the interacting stories of eight fraternity brothers who all found their fortunes and now are finding love.  I can’t wait to see what happens with the other six brothers!

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Wild  by Eliza Gayle

Faith just wants to find her sister Rebel and get safely back behind the walls of her secure apartment in Seattle.  Fate has something else in mind.  Damien owns the club where Faith’s twin sister, Rebel, dances.  He’s attracted to Faith, but something has always held him back until fate intervenes.

This novella was great.  I enjoyed the interplay and different reactions as Faith and her twin sister deal with finding out about the truth about Devil’s point.  Faith and Damien are a hot couple.

I received a free promotional copy of this book.

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