Hunter of Demons by Jordan L. Hawk

4 STARS

SPECTR Series - Book 1

This is the first book in the SPECTR series and it is available right now as a free download from Kobo Books. There is Caleb, the unregistered paranormal, Gray, a wandering vampire-like spirit who becomes trapped in Caleb's body and John, the federal agent/exorcist. There is a case of a murderous demon that needs solving. Throw this all together with Jordan Hawk's easy to read style of writing and BAM! 

 We have a winner. 

 So much of a winner that I was barely 3/4s of the way through it and I was back at Kobo buying the rest of Series 1.

So. Much. Fun!

Dragon's Eye by James A. Hetley

3.5 STARS

Stonefort Series - Book 1

What a pleasant surprise! A good friend of mine, with whom I don't share many reading preferences, mentioned that this author was one of her favourite fantasy authors. Now, as far as I know, fantasy isn't her usual thing, so curious me, I took a look at the link. I liked the sound of it and asked her if this was a good place to start with this author and she said yes and admitted that he was a friend of hers. So, all that being said, I cracked open the book - virtually, on my new Kobo H2O. *LOL*

Hetley has a definite authorial voice. It took me a few chapters to get used to his way of writing. It's by no means bad, or off-putting, or anything negative, it's just different. If I had to describe it, he sounds very Canadian. *LOL* Even though he's not. He comes from Maine apparently, where the book is set. Maybe that's close enough. :)

So we're not talking fantasy made up of elves and dwarves and wizards and mystical realms here. This is modern fantasy with nature witches, Native American traditions and mythologies, a little Welsh water magic thrown in along with a dash of dragon and some ... South American magic? It all works. :)

And the characters! OMG, I really came to love them. They're so far from perfect that at times I really disliked each and every one of them but that just made them all the more real. I quite enjoyed the emphasis on the women's perspective. It came across as very real, very sensible and not ... how can I say it... not Mary Sue-ish perfect?

If you're looking for a new contemporary fantasy author to try, I would easily recommend James Hetley. I don't know how well he's known, all I know is that I'd never heard of him before my buddy mentioned him. And you know what? I could see this being made into a TV series along the lines of True Blood or Charmed or The Witches of East End.

And yes, while this is the first book in a series, it definitely does stand alone, no cliffhangers here. The only reason you'll need to get the next book is because you want to read it!

Bound with Love by Megan Mulry

3 STARS

Regency Reimagined - Book 2

I received a copy of Bound with Love as part of the Riptide Advance Read program.

If only I was able to suspend belief enough to accept that everyone in this book is involved or wants to be involved in some kind of queer or menage relationship I think I would enjoy it much more. Because the book is well written, much in the style I've come to associate with Regency romances and many of the characters are interesting. It's just that with all the non-mainstream romances going on, it seems as if the author is trying to stuff as many characters with different queernesses into her story as possible. This would work for me in a science fiction or fantasy setting, I think, but in a historical, non-alternate world book... I find it just too much.

However the love scenes between Nora and Vanessa were nicely done, I thought. Just explicit enough to fit with the overall feel of the book and I did enjoy the relationship between the two of them. This story is really more about family and mothering than the actual romance between the two women and the realisations that they come to, whilst very convenient timing-wise, were valid and logical. I think many mothers have been there. :)

So, I am sure that many readers out there will enjoy this novella more than I did if they're able to put aside the everyone in the book is queer in some way coincidences. It was fun getting to see more of the characters we met in the first book, Bound to be a Groom - they play a vital role in this story - and we do meet characters whose stories are coming in the series.

Libromancer by Jim C. Hines

4 STARS

Magic Ex Libris - Book 1 
Let me begin by saying that I will need to get Book Two. I really enjoyed my read.

Isaac Vainio is a libriomancer forbidden to practice his craft unless it's a dire emergency. Needless to say, the book starts off with a dire emergency. :)

So what's a libriomancer? Well, it's a person who can 'reach' into books and create objects from their pages. And it appears that the world as we know it is going to end up going to hell in a handbasket unless Isaac does something. Accompanied by a dryad named Lena Greenwood and his own man's best friend, Smudge, the fire spider he sets off to dive into a situation that's totally over his head and WAY above his paygrade. *LOL*

Isaac and Lena were great characters and I grew fond of them very quickly. Smudge, I loved from the get go! They had their faults, some of the big ones, but even so at times I thought that maybe Isaac was a little too good to be true in the way he managed to get them out of situations. But he just about always got his ass handed to him physically, so I guess that makes up for it. :)

Look, it's a magical adventure novel, rip-roaring and tons of fun, and as such, it hit the spot almost perfectly. The world-building and the system of magic is fascinating, but I think it helps if one is decently read in the SFF world in order to get all the details of the magic that Isaac uses.

Libriomancer is a really fun, exciting read. :)

Hell on Wheels by Z.A. Maxfield

4 STARS

Sometimes you're just in the mood for a fun, sexy, heart-tugging romance and that's exactly what Hell on Wheels is.

Hell on Wheels is part of Riptide's Bluewater Bay series but even so, it's a total standalone. (For a change!). It stars Nash, a mechanic and all round good guy and Spencer, the British TV star who is really rather tightly wound. Spencer is fresh from his very publicly ruined marriage and Nash, well he's just been hooking up when the spirit moves him, more intent on being available for his family. His dad, Ace, his little sister, Shelby and his faraway twin brother, Healey. There is baggage on both sides and it's logical, realistic baggage.

I really enjoyed this book. Z.A. Maxfield - ZAM - has become one of my favourite M/M romance authors. I love her dialogue and her characters almost always ring true. And now that I think about it, I believe that I've shed a soft-hearted tear or two while reading all of her books. I also tend to laugh aloud on occasion when I read her books.

Oh, of special note, I totally enjoyed Tick and Bast, Spencer's assistant and bodyguard. They were much, much fun. :)

Hell on Wheels hit the spot.

The Iron Wyrm Affair by Lilith Saintcrow

4 STARS

Bannon and Clare Affairs - Book 1

This book wasn't at all what I was expecting, but I really enjoyed it a whole lot. :)

The first book in The Bannon and Clare Affairs series introduces us to quite the colourful cast of characters. Emma Bannon, the Prime sorceress. Archibald Clare, the mentath with almost supernatural powers of logic and deduction. Mikal, Emma's shield or bodyguard, for want of a better word. And a whole bunch of other fascinating folk.

I thought I was going to read a romance with steampunk and mystery/thriller elements but what I ended up reading was a steampunk adventure/fantasy with a wee bit of romantic overtones that had more to do with the magic going on than any romance plot. And that was FINE!

The world-building that went into the creation of this AU Victorian age Britain is nothing short of intense, in-depth and fascinating. There's magic - White, Grey and Black and it's tied in with the tide. Then there are the mentaths who can't deal with magic at all; it fries their logic synapses, so to speak. So when Emma and Clare team up, well, it's quite the miracle. :)

And then there's the mysterious Mikal. How he comes to be Emma's Shield is a story in itself, one that we don't get many details of. I assume, I hope, this will come in later books, probably in bits and pieces for now. I think he must be a vampire or something. He intrigues me. I think he's probably, right now, the most intriguing character of the whole bunch of intriguing folks.

The plot is simple. Someone or something is attacking the realm, basically, and needs to be stopped. How Emma, Clare and their bunch go about it is action-packed and filled with twists and turns. You know... it reminded me a little - probably because of the setting - of Penny Dreadful and I could definitely see Eva Green portraying Emma.

Anyway, I really enjoyed it and am glad that I have the second one waiting in my ereader.

(Note: I paused in the reading of this to read Crash & Burn - and it was hard to pause.)

Crash & Burn by Abigail Roux

5 STARS

Cut & Run Series - Book 9

And after 9 books, Ty and Zane's tale comes to an end. And this book gets 5 stars because it was an extremely satisfying and delightful end to a much-loved series and I was so afraid that it wouldn't be.

Abigail Roux is one of my favourite M/M authors. Her characters are ones that I fall in love with, every time. Every damned time.

So, what can I say other than squeeing like a teenager? Well, loose ends were tied up quite nicely. I was on the edge of my seat, unable to do anything but continue reading until I finished. And you know what was cool? There was no, and I mean NO, publicity and advance marketing or anything for this book at all. If you pre-ordered it from Riptide, you got to download it last night and that was the first look that anyone got of it. And that was very, very, very cool. Kudos to Abi and Riptide for going that route.

Yeah, there were a couple of little things that bugged me and they are mostly things I wanted more of. There was not enough Deuce for me. I love Ty's brother, Deuce. He is one of my most favourite of all Abi's secondary characters and I wanted him actually IN the book. I actually wanted a bit more of the families - both the Gradys and the Garretts. Although the scenes between Zane and his parents left me very damp-eyed.

There was a lot of team Sidewinder, but I think that since that's where Abi's going to go next in this universe, I can deal with that - especially since I felt that there was a lot of unfinished business, personal stuff, between Ty and Nick that needed to be settled. I was pleased, though, that only Ty and Zane got sexytimes scenes this time. It's THEIR story, not Nick and Kelly's, and I was left feeling a little Irish/Doc overloaded in the previous Cut & Run book. And those scenes were HOT! One opens the book and OMG, it was AMAZING! *LOL* I wanted a cigarette afterwards! (And I quit almost 4 years ago.)

I was also pleased to see the FBI crew play more of a role in this story. I'd have liked more, but you know, if Abi gave me all that I wanted, this would have been as big of a tome as Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind. (722 pages).

I also totally enjoyed the little 'after the credits' scene included in my ebook. Very cute and very perfect. VERY perfect.

Is this the end of Ty and Zane's story? Well, I think we'll probably see or hear of them again in the future, but I think it's safe to say that they now have their HEA.

Thank you, Abi Roux for creating characters that I love to bits and giving them a finale that they deserve. :)

Curious by R. G. Alexander

4 STARS

The Finn Factor - Book 1

I picked this up because Heidi Cullinan went ballistic for it all over Twitter. The clinching tweet for me was the one that basically said that one of the MCs could be her own Mitch Tedsoe in another book reality. I. Love. Mitch. So... it clinched it for me. :)

What a terrific, hot, romantic, steamy book! Yes, it's out for you and there are people that don't enjoy that, but I have no problem with it if it's done well, and this is done well. It's more of a 'you love who you love' thing, which is my mantra, so I'm all for it. :)

The kink is hot and well done, although I would have liked a smidge more of an expansion on the BDSM themes. Maybe a bit more of an insight into the exchange of power - yes, that's one of my hot buttons. *g* Especially after the one scene where Owen "catches" for Jeremy the first time. But these are just quibbles really, having to do with my own personal likes and dislikes.

The characters - main and secondary - are lovely characters and I really wished to know more of them. Maybe a little more character stuff in with all the sexytimes stuff? Because make no doubt about it, this book is about the hot, steamy sex and the connection between the two MCs, Jeremy and Owen.

One of the few things that bugged me - and yes there were one or two - was the constant use of baby, baby, baby in the thoughts of Jeremy whenever he's in the midst of sex. Seriously... do men baby like that all the time? It sounds dumb. I have a problem with what I term the porn dialogue, the "Oh baby, ram your big dick up my tight ass." type of stuff. Over and over again. Big turn off for me. It sounds totally fake to my ears.

And again, we have MCs who are both over 6 feet tall - one is 6' 4" and the other 6'1" I think?

All in all, this was a really good read with all the kink aspects treated openly, postively and shown in a way so that we can see WHY this lifestyle is appealing and okay and to be enjoyed if that's your thing. This is the first of a series and I think it's safe to say that I will check out the next book, Scandalous, when it comes out "soon". (I assume we're going to go through the other 2 Finn brothers and the Finn sister - Little Finn.)

Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

2 STARS

The Broken Empire - Book 3

Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, I'm free at last! Yes, I finally finished this book and this series. I vowed that I would finish it before I allowed myself to even think of reading something else. And it was a slog, let me tell you. The first book in the series was fascinating, intriguing, full of interesting characters full of flaws and quirks. The second... well, it got off track a lot, I thought and I had a helluva time following all the time jumping. This final book, which I was hoping would return to the plusses of the first, sadly, was the hardest of all to get through.

I guess, in the end, I just didn't get the point. The writing itself is good. Mark Lawrence can turn a phrase. And I enjoyed all the references to the pre-apocalyptic world, some of the pop culture that remained in very oblique ways. There was a big deal made about the archway entrance to the big city, and I felt that I should have known what monument it was, but I assume it was European and sadly, North-American me is probably not as knowledgeable as I should be about those types of things.

Was this the story about Jorg's journey from child to young man and how the choices he made were preordained? Was the story about removing magic from this world? Did the world blow up in the end? Was it another apocalypse? Or did it all take place in Jorg's head? I sincerely don't know... and to be honest... by the end... I didn't really care. I'm all for dark fantasy books - God knows, I love CS Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy, but usually there are a few bright spots, positive things in the narrative... somewhere so that the story isn't totally bleak and unforgiving. Sadly I couldn't find them here.

I wanted to love this trilogy and it started off so well, but sadly, in the end, I didn't.

Touchstone by Melanie Rawn

3.5 STARS

Glass Thorns - Book 1

This is the first book in the Glass Thorns series and OF COURSE it ends with a cliffhanger and a bunch of unanswered questions! Classic Rawn, that. :)

Touchstone is set in an interesting world, peopled by different mythical races and racial mixes - I honestly don't think there was a 'pureblooded' anything in the whole book. And that's kinda fascinating when you stop to think about it. It's a medieval type setting with castles and archdukes and fairs and guilds and all that good stuff. And travelling troupes of players that present their pieces using magic! And it feels like everyone has at least a wee bit of magic from the mundane to the spectacular.

In Touchstone, we get the story of the forming of the theatrical troupe of four young men that ... now that I've finished it.... somewhat parallels the story of The Beatles. Well, now that I'm sitting here writing this... it's far more than somewhat. *LOL* We have characters coming from poverty and broken homes.... we have youngster excess .. rocking the boat/status quo... lots of booze, yes... we have drugs, yes... we have the threat of a woman destroying what the four have created. We have the manager that comes in and guides the young men along their career path, taking care of logistical problems and concerns and their earnings and all that.. we have groupies! There's the local bar where the troupe gets their start. Oh yeah, now that I pause and actually think about it, SO MANY similarities!

The main characters, Cade and Mieka are very much John and Paul-like. The brain and the soul respectively. And not only do they seem totally made for each other in their art, it seems to me that there's a helluva lot of UST between them. In fact, I spent the first half of the book wondering if by chance Mieka was really a girl or even transgender, which I suppose he could still be, but I don't think so. I just now want Cade and Mieka to declare their love for each other and get it on. *LOL*

So yeah... if you're into what could very well be Beatles AU fanfic done incredibly well... this could be for you. :) I know I'll have to pick up the second book now.