Sunday, September 29, 2013

One More Soldier by Marie Sexton

4.5 STARS

Marie made me cry! I knew how this short, bittersweet story was going to end, but that didn't matter. It was a lovely read and put me in mind of Arminstead Maupin's work. How to break a reader's heart in less than 40 pages. :)

I love Marie's work and this offering certainly didn't disappoint!

The Boss by Abigail Barnette

3.5 STARS

The Boss - Book 1

This was an unabashed romp of erotic proportions. :) Written in response to the horrific Fifty Shades of Grey, this is truly how it should be done. Even down to the cliffhanger ending that made me scream under my breath even though I knew it was coming. :)

There's no abuse here. Our hero, Neil, is a powerful man and a very rich man in his forties and I love Abigail for that. :) He knows what he wants and knows how to get it. However, he never, ever forces, coerces or threatens Sophie, our lovely young heroine, into doing anything, and that alone made this book a fun read. :)

I wish I could have read this before the other book because then I would have just sailed through, enjoying the hot, steamy sex, the clever dialogue, the interesting secondary characters and all the plot twists and turns. As it was, I kept saying to myself... YES, that's how it's done. Yes, she's a better character, he's a better character. YES, this plot turn makes sense.

So, in the end, I totally enjoyed the read and will definitely have to pick up the next book, The Girlfriend.

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Thinking about Reviews

When I review a book, it's more about me putting into words my own reactions to what I've just read. My reviews aren't critical in that I don't give a critique. That's not my place. I write down my emotions, I squee, I grumble, I try to explain why I liked or didn't like the book in words I might use over a cup of coffee with my friend. I wish I could write those insightful critiques, those clever and humourous reviews that everyone seems to like and reblog or totally hate and call the reviewer a bully.

So my reviews might not be things of epic beauty, but they will be heartfelt. :)

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Devil at the Crossroads by Cornelia Grey

4 STARS

A Deal with the Devil Story

(This post originally appeared on Goodreads last year when I read the book. For some reason it did not transfer here to Booklikes.)
My goodness, I enjoyed this! There weren't any surprises, any new twists of a way to write a story, any fancy writing to make it edgy and supposedly new, just some good, solid, story-telling. It felt brief and I guess at a little under 20K words, it is, but it was definitely rich with atmosphere and two characters that I quite enjoyed; definitely how I would expect a tale of a bluesman and a devil to read. 

And the sex was steamy, steamy hot. :)

This is the first work I've read by Cornelia Grey and I would totally read her again. :)

Thursday, September 19, 2013

New Amsterdam by Elizabeth Bear

4 STARS

New Amsterdam - Book 1

I had been waiting for the longest time for this book to be published in ebook format because it's impossible to find in print. At last! And it was worth the wait, I must say. 

I always have to work at getting into Elizabeth Bear's way of writing. Her prose is rich and she definitely has her own voice, and once I get acclimated to it, I just totally adore it. 

I love this alternate history she has created, with dirigibles as the prime mode of trans-oceanic travel, sorcerers working for the crown as special investigators, vampires being acknowledged and 'accepted' in European society. I also appreciate how EB brings in myths and legends that we know and twists them just a little bit to fit into her world. 

The characters are beautifully drawn, labours of love, really. I loved every last one of them, even El Capitan! We follow our characters, beginning with Sebastian the wampyr (vampire) as they solve mysteries and crimes that cross their paths, all the while a bigger plot hatching in the background. Fascinating!

And yes, at the end, I indeed hated EB a little. That hate you feel for an author who has made you weep in all the good ways. So yeah... really, really good book and now I have to go find the next set of stories about these folk!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

The Flesh Cartel - False Gods by Rachel Haimowitz and Heidi Belleau

5 STARS

The Flesh Cartel - Book 10

This series continues to shock the hell out of me. In a good, horrifying way. 

This installment brought back the terror, edge-of-my-seat, WTF'edness of the first 'episode'. 

Dougie... oh, Dougie... no... it's Douglas now. I'm awful, I want him to stay with Nikolas. And Mat... oh poor Mat... I fear for him. Bigtime. I cannot believe how invested I am in this series. It's horrifyingly raw and gritty and I cannot turn my eyes away. Heidi and Rachel... amazing authors.

Monday, September 2, 2013

Roughing It by Holden Wells

4 STARS

A rough but great read! :) 

Not for the faint of heart, this is the story of rock star Scott Thompson and his search for the next thrill. Enter The Company, where your every hardcore fantasy can be played out. This is an edge of your seat, what are they going to do next, who ARE these people really, can Scott hold out, how bad are these guys type of story. 

And yet, there are spots of tenderness that crop up almost by surprise that manage to give your heart a twist. I did wish I knew a little more about the man that is Scott Thompson and how certain things in his past might be affecting his present and ultimately his future. But maybe in the next book?! :) 

If you are a fan of the Flesh Cartel series, you should enjoy this. I sure did. :)