Category Archives: Book Review

Book Review of Dark Seduction by Brenda Joyce

Posted on May 4, 2012 | Leave a comment

Title: Dark Seduction

Author: Brenda Joyce

Release Date: May 1st, 2007

Genre: Adult Paranormal/Historical Romance

Malcolm of Dunroch is a newly chosen Master, a novice to his extraordinary–and dangerous–powers. But he has already broken his vows–and a young woman’s death is on his hands. Malcolm is determined to fight his darkest desires, denying himself all pleasure…until fate sends him another Innocent, the beautiful bookseller Claire Camden.

Since her mother’s murder, Claire has done everything possible to make a safe, secure life for herself in a city where danger lurks on every street corner, especially in the dark of night. But nothing can prepare her for the powerful and sexual medieval warrior who sweeps her back into his time–a treacherous, frightening world where the hunters and the hunted are one and the same. Claire needs Malcolm to survive, yet she must somehow keep the dangerously seductive Master at arm’s length. For Malcolm’s soul is at stake–and fulfilling his desires could prove fatal….

Summary from Goodreads.com

My Review: I found Dark Seduction at a book sale and the summary sounded really interesting so I bought it and brought it home. I will admit it did sit on the shelves for a little while, but I finally decided to read it because I needed a change. All my paranormal romance books were starting to blur together and I could not take it anymore. I needed a break from the typical creatures that go bump in the night.

I have never read a Highlander book before, historical romance is not my thing, but the time traveling in Dark Seduction intrigued me. I thought there would be just enough paranormal mixed with the historical that I would be okay. Now that I am done with it I can say I am a huge Highlander fan! Man, those Scottish men are alpha to their core. I may have stepped into a more historical novel, but those alpha heroes were still very present and kept me very interested. It took me a while to slip into understanding the Scottish brogue but I got the hang of it eventually. It also forced me to slow down and enjoy the book and not just rush through like I can sometimes do. Which was a welcomed change from my normal fast pace reading habits.

The world that Brenda built was mesmerizing. I have been to Scotland and there is just something about it that is mystical all on its own. It is a beautiful country and reading this book just reminded me of how wonderful it can truly be. It also makes me want to take a trip back there right now and rediscover its beauty for myself. For now though, I am going to have to settle for Brenda Joyce’s descriptions, which is fine by me.

I found the idea of warriors traveling through time fascinating and a clever twist in this book. These Highland men are born to fight evil and take vows to protect the innocent. They do not take their duty lightly and they will fight to their last breath defending what they think is right. It is very alluring, but can be frustrating at the same time because they are so stubborn and do not take orders from anyone. They are also in the mindset that women are to listen to what they say and not question them, so when they come up against a modern day, strong and independent woman they are flabbergasted. Watching them squirm was delightful and I love that Brenda has chosen modern women to come back and bring these Master of Time to their knees.

As for Malcolm and Claire, I fell in love with their story. Malcolm is determined not to fall in love or get married, ever. Claire on the other hand lets her heart guide her and finds it very difficult to resist Malcolm. I will admit his male chauvinistic tendencies did get on my nerves once or twice, but Claire quickly put him in his place and I appreciated that she did not just back down and give into his demands. They complimented each other very well and I truly enjoyed their story.

Overall, I am very happy I decided to take this book off the shelf and give it a chance. My first trip into the world of Highlanders was successful and I will be continuing on with the series. I am very interested to see what kind of trouble Royce will get himself into in the next book and I can’t wait for Aiden’s book after that. If you like paranormal romance and want to try out a historical romance than this book will give you a little bit of both. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking a refreshing read that has the ability to suck you in, force you to slow down, and just enjoy the world you are reading about.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Adult Historical Romance, Adult Paranormal Romance, Book Review

Book Review of Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

Posted on April 30, 2012 | 1 Comment

Title: Struck

Author: Jennifer Bosworth

Genre: Young Adult Dystopian

Release Date: May 8th, 2012

Mia Price is a lightning addict. She’s survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her.

Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come.

Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn’t who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything.

Summary from Goodreads.com

My Review: I have been on a little bit of a young adult kick lately, but I started to get worried when the plots began to blend together and all the books I was reading seemed to be very similar. Luckily, Struck is not one of those novels. It stands out among the crowd and will demand your full and undivided attention. I devoured the entire novel in one sitting. It is over three hundred fifty pages so it is not a small book, but I could not walk away from it without knowing the outcome.

The best part of this book was Mia. She was a strong leading female who did not just follow along with the crowd. She asks questions, she watches out for those she loves and she makes her own path. Mia is constantly fed a plethora of information from those around her. I admired her for taking the time to process what she is told and come to her own conclusions, not just jump on the bandwagon of others because they are pressuring her. One of the people vying for her attention is Jeremy. I clicked with him right from the start. It’s always the mysterious ones that I find intriguing and he was no exception. Part of what won me over was his habit of always looking out for what was best for Mia and not trying to get something out of it. Not everyone in her life was doing that, most of them wanted something for themselves and his intentions always seemed genuine and pure. His past is an enigma for most of the novel and by the end there are quite a few interesting revelations about him that I would never have guessed, but I really enjoyed him as a character.

There is a little romance in this book, but it does take a while for it to grow into something Mia is willing to fight for. While I am usually a big fan of the romance taking center stage, I appreciated Jennifer keeping it in the background for most of the novel. There were too many other events that needed to take place before Mia and Jeremy could make sense of what they were feeling for one another. Plus, Mia needed to discover more about herself and where she stands with the events unfolding around her before she could have some else stand beside her.

I cannot review this book without talking about the religion that is laced throughout. I know people can hear religion and run for the hills, but I promise you it is not like that with this book. In Struck, there is a Prophet who says God talks to him and tells him when the end of the world is coming so he is gathering followers. He predicts the end to be three days after when the book begins and this fuels most of the conflict in this world. It reflects much of what already surrounds us in society today with the end of the world theories piling up day after day. I am not really a fan of religious fanatics myself and would agree with Mia when she thinks:

 

“I had a special dislike for any organization, religious or otherwise, that pointed their finger at this person or that person and condemned them as evil…”

Just because there is religion in Struck does not mean it is pushed on you in any way. It is just a new take on an apocalyptic scenario and one that I found very interesting.

Another element that plays into this book is the survivors of lightning strikes. They posses something that many in this book refer to as “the spark” and have talents they can put to use because of it. Mia lists some of the side effects of a lighting strike at the start of the novel, but what she comes to discover is that not all of the effects are physical or are even ones that a doctor could explain. Mind reading, visions and many other things can take root in a person after they are struck and be used to help or harm society. Mia is not exactly sure of all the ways lightning has affected her, but as she learns more about others like her, she discovers she may hold more power than she ever thought possible. Storms have always fascinated me, lighting included, and Struck just amped up my interest in them. I don’t think I will be able to look at lighting quite the same way again.

The ending of Struck had my heart pumping so fast, I was flying through the pages. There are so many things happening and my eyes could hardly read fast enough. I thought I had almost everything figured out, but Jennifer definitely saved some of the best plot twists for the end. An array of emotions played through Mia and I felt all of them right along with her. I was very satisfied with the ending and can see this as a stand-alone novel, but have my fingers crossed that we have not seen the end to this world.

Honestly, I could keep going about this book, but this review is starting to get a little long, so I am just going to encourage you to read this book for yourself. In a young adult world fill with the same story recycled constantly, Struck is a powerfully original debut that will keep you up well past your bedtime to finish! It will suck you in from the first page and keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last. I have been finished with the book for a while and as I write this review I still have climax replaying through my brain. I know this is a book I will not forget and Jennifer has made a lifelong fan out of me.

FTC: Thank you to the publisher for sending me this ARC for review.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Book Review, Young Adult Dystopian

Early Review of Shine by Jeri Smith-Ready

Posted on April 27, 2012 | 2 Comments

Title: Shine

Author: Jeri Smith-Ready

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

Release Date: May 1st, 2012

*If you have not read Shade or Shift this may contain spoilers.*

In this dramatic conclusion to the Shade trilogy, Aura and Zachary’s relationship sizzles as the secrets of the Shift are revealed.

Life can change in an instant, and no one understands that better than Aura. It’s been almost a year since her boyfriend tragically died. She’s finally letting go of Logan’s violet-hued ghost, but not her search to uncover the truth about her past.

As the first in a generation that can see ghosts, Aura is convinced she has a connection to the Shift. She’s trusted Zachary, ever patient and ever by her side, with all that she knows. But when the government threatens his life in an attempt to learn Aura’s secrets, she will stop at nothing to protect herself and the one she loves…even if that means betraying her own heart

Summary from Goodreads.com

My Review: I have been a fan of this series from the very beginning, so when I won a contest for a copy of this book I was so excited! I was very anxious to see how this series would wrap up and where Aura’s story would take us next.

We pick back up with Shine pretty much exactly where we left off in Shift. Aura is saying good bye to Logan and Zachary is heading back to Scotland. This is where I can’t really sum up anything else without ruining the story. The first few chapters of this book had so much going on and so many revelations I was completely glued to the pages! Jeri set a fast pace right from the start and I could not have put this book down even if I tried. Jeri recently posted the first chapter on her blog here. I don’t know how you could read that and not want to continue. It certainly got my attention, my mouth was gaping open and I was not too happy with Jeri at the time. It did however make it impossible to turn away from this story. And Jeri definitely won me back over as I progressed through Shine.

Let’s talk about something besides the plot because I don’t want to spoil any of it. It will be a lot more fun when you discover it for yourself, I promise. In Shine we are seeing the world once again through Aura’s eyes. Poor girl has not had it easy lately, she has the DMP after her, her ex-boyfriend died, became a ghost, became a shade, and then became a ghost again so he could move on and her current boyfriend is going back to Scotland and has no idea when he can come back to see her again. Not exactly living the good life, but she is making the best of it. Aura has always been a character that I could see myself being friends with. She does get down sometimes, but she has every right to be with the situations she finds herself in. She is a fighter though, especially when it comes to those she loves. She is not afraid to stand up for what she believes in and I truly admired that about her. All these qualities continue on in Shine and I loved being with her on this final journey.

As for Zachary, he has always been there for Aura and I thought I knew who he was from the previous books, but certain events in Shine have massive repercussions on his life and my heart broke for him at points. His undying faith in Aura helps him through, but he will always be changed. While hard to read at times, I enjoyed exploring his character more and understanding who he really is. I know there is a short story coming up that focuses on him and I will be eager to read that and learn even more about him.

The action in this book was pretty much non-stop. The pages were filled with suspense and intrigue. Aura could not go anywhere without fear of the DMP or some other organization tracking her down to try and capture her. For a large portion of Shine she is trying to lie low and keep off the radar, but she is never quite sure what awaits her around the next corner. The many twists in the plot kept me guessing until the end about what would happen. Jeri knows how to build suspense and I enjoyed that aspect of the book almost as much as the relationship between Aura and Zachary.

Speaking of Aura and Zachary, we get just the right amount of time spent with them as a couple as well. You are not smothered with the romance, but there are moments where I got a little teary eyed because of the raw emotion expressed on the page. The love these two share for one another is an all-encompassing passionate affair and the genuine adoration I felt coming from them left me breathless. They have been through so much and I really just wanted to see them happy. They do face a few more obstacles in Shine, but I think they were all very realistic and vital to the development of this relationship. Aura and Zachary overcome their problems together and through the journey they become closer to one another. I soaked in every minute spent with them and just hoped that they could come out of this whole mess stronger and with a strong sense of who they both really are.

Overall, I can’t think of one negative thing to say about Shine. Jeri gave me everything I wanted and more in this final installment. I went through every emotion while reading Shine and cannot recommend this series enough. If you have not read this series than go out and get the first book, Shade, right now and start. If you have read the first two then completing the journey with Shine is an absolute must! It was the perfect ending to this series and I am left completely satisfied.

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Book Review, Young Adult Paranomal