Review: Bloodshot

Title: Bloodshot (Cheshire Red Reports #1)

Author: Cherie Priest

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Published: January 25th by Spectra

Blurb:

VAMPIRE FOR HIRE
Raylene Pendle (AKA Cheshire Red), a vampire and world-renowned thief, doesn’t usually hang with her own kind. She’s too busy stealing priceless art and rare jewels. But when the infuriatingly charming Ian Stott asks for help, Raylene finds him impossible to resist—even though Ian doesn’t want precious artifacts. He wants her to retrieve missing government files—documents that deal with the secret biological experiments that left Ian blind. What Raylene doesn’t bargain for is a case that takes her from the wilds of Minneapolis to the mean streets of Atlanta. And with a psychotic, power-hungry scientist on her trail, a kick-ass drag queen on her side, and Men in Black popping up at the most inconvenient moments, the case proves to be one hell of a ride.

My Review:

Bloodshot is the first book by Cherie Priest I´ve read, even though I have heard a lot about her other books, especially Boneshaker.

I thouroughly enjoyed reading Bloodshot. Even though Cherie Priest does not invent the vampire new ability-wise, it is Raylene´s personality and charater that make her stand out that much.Her neurotic and obesssiv compulsive behavior is hilarious. Still, she more than capable of taking care for herself, her, well, unique charactersaves her from more than one precarious situation. That´s why she has become something like a legend in her line of work and has allowed her to horde tons of cash and other riches.

Little does she know what she gets herslf into when she accepts a job that starts out more interesting than her usual ones.

The rest of the characters is, aside from Raylene´s character, one of the things that made me like this book so much. Cherie Priest does not picture her vampire as incredibly powerful beings with god-like abilities like it´s common in other book featuring vampires. This gives the story a very interesting take. Ian, her client, is actuallly blind. The only other blind vampire I know is Wrath from the BDB, but those two have nothing in common! As mentioned, I really liked that kind of vulnerability Cherie Priest added to his character.

Then there is Adrian. He/she (I share Raylene´s confusion about his gender) is totally kick-ass. But then again, what else do you expectfrom a former Navy SEAL and current drag queen. His two side are so incredibly contradictory I can only admire Cherie Priest for creating a character like him/her.

Together with Ian´s ghoul and guide Cal, they form partnership of convinience to investigate the organisation behind the vicious attack, abduction and torture that led to Ian´s blindness.

During the whole investigation, there are tons of action including break-ins, explosions, government conspiracies, Men in Black and pursuits.

My verdict:

I enjoyed every single minute I spent reading it. Bloodshot is a great blend of action, witty dialoges or in that case monologes and one liners by Raylene and likeable, unique characters.

I would totally recommend it to everyone who loves a good Urban Fantasy book with a witty heroine.

4 stars for Cherie Priest´s Bloodshot.

Review: “Something Wicked”

 Author: Michelle Rowen

 Title: Something Wicked (Living in Eden #2)

 Genre: Paranormal Romance

Published: September 11th 2010

 Blurb:

Being a little wicked isn’t all bad…

Every woman has a sexy demon inside her just waiting to get out, but for Eden Riley it’s a little different. Her inner demon is named Darrak, and he’s been inhabiting bodies for the past 300 years. In the daytime, thanks to her special psychic energy, he’s able to take physical shape—a shape she wouldn’t mind getting her hands on, if it wasn’t a threat to her immortal soul…

Because of her possession, Eden now has uncontrollable black magic at her fingertips, and she and Darrak are trying to end the curse that binds them before the situation gets any worse. To do it, they’ll have to get tangled up with some unsavory characters from the underworld. When sparks and spells fly, they could get the distance they need…or each have their own private hell to pay.

*Warning: this review might contain spoilers ragarding the first book in the series!*

Review:

Something Wicked is the second book in Michelle Rowen´s Living in Eden series.

After the unfortunate ending of the events in Living in Eden, Darrak and Eden are still dealing with their little problem of sharing a body. And just like in the last book, they are desperatly searching for help. An old friend of Darrak called Theo, archdemon himself offers his help for a small favor of course. And as if her life wouldn´t be crazy enough, an old friend of Eden dissappears along with several other women, her partner Andy begins to see the world with new eyes and Her new neighbour turns out to be more than meets the eye. 

You just have to love the characters of this book. Their banter is really priceless and makes you laugh out loud more than one time.

You can really see how Darrak´s character changes throughout the book. No matter how hard he tries to convince himself that he is or could still be his former demon self,he just can´t hide the fact how much he actually cares about Eden.

Eden still has her moments of doubt concerning Darrak, doubts that are sometimes totally justified. But Eden also does some really stupid things in this book. One the one hand, that´s understandable, she is afraid but still…

The relationship between Eden and Darrak evolves as well in this book. They are so great together and you can feel the sparks flying between them!

Leena and Andy are very enjoyable side character, even though we don´t get to see them that often in this book. Andy goes through a major change, literally and I´m really curious how it will affect his charater in the next book.

We also learn more about Eden´s family and a very intersting tidbit about herself that might or might not be a crucial piece to save her and Darrak´s life.

I already mentioned it, there were so many great and funny scenes that mostly involve Darrak. One of my favorite is a scene where his friend Theo tells him he has a gift for him. Just guess what Darrak wishes for:

wait for it… a pony. How demonic!

 

My verdict:

4 stars! This series has grown more and more on me with each book. I love the two main character, I really feel for them and hope they get their HEA.

Joint Review: "Crescendo"

Hello dear readers!

If you´re wondering while I didn´t blog yesterday: I was reading "Crescendo". The whole evening and the most part of last night! :)
So today, Anna and I are back with the second part of our Joint Review!





Title: "Crescendo" (Hush, Hush
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick

Published: October 19th 2010 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Genre: Paranormal YA

Blurb:
Feisty teen Nora Grey somehow survived the crises of Hush, Hush!, but dangers just as frightening loom in this standalone sequel. Patch, her guardian angel and love interest, appears to have a dark side and a wandering eye. Worse yet, he seems intent on obstructing Nora as she hunts for the truth behind her father's mysterious death. Even better than the first.


And here´s what we thought about Becca Fitzpatrick´s latest book:


Characters

Anna:
Before saying anything else i must ask.... "What happened to Nora????"In Hush, Hush Nora was an ok character,strong,pretty much independent and definitely not anyone's tail or shadow.Nora of Crescendo is like being introduced to a completely new character...She's jealous,whinny,reckless and no matter what happens to her,her priority is where and what and with whom Patch is...Terrible things might happen,in fear she may live,Patch is whom her thoughts are totally consumed with!And ok,i can understand being so in love and acting like a total stranger,but in Nora's case she was acting more like possesed rather than in love...

Patch on the other hand is as good as in Hush, Hush...I only kind of missed him here cause his role is significantly smaller than in the first instalment but at least when he entered a scene in the book,the scene just got more... well better!

What i liked in Crescendo was that more characters got to be better explored and developed,like Vee, Rixon and Marcie. I really liked that, i thought that Fitzpatrick's world got more interesting and complete with the addiction of those characters.Scott,on the other hand (a new character introduced here) has completely confused me...I just can't make my mind about him or find a logical way to explain some of his actions,especially towards the end.

Christine:

There were a few scenes in Crescendo where I thought I dodn´t recognize Nora anymore. To be honest, I expected their relationship to be all "crazy in love", so I was beyond stunned after their first fight only a few pages into the book. Nora´s behavior seem a little irrational at times, and beyond reckless at others. I wouldn´t have imagined that the same Nora from "Hush, Hush" would oull of things like she did this time. It is somewhat understandable, cnsidering how Patch acts, but still.
Speaking of Patch... I still love him. His bad boy attitude hasn´t changes a single bit and he´s just as sexy as in Hush, Hush. Unfortunatly, he also just as mysterious and evasive. Combine that with Nora behavior, and I felt like shouting "JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER ALREADY AND TELL THE F... TRUTH" at them. You could say this book affected me quite a bit.
The two most interesting "new" characters in the book were Scott and Marcie. Scott is close to Patch in the bad boy scale, but for me, he gave off more of a creepy vibe.
Marcie is just plain mean which would have annoyed me, had me not learned the reason for her behavior.
Vee and Rixon we already knew from the last book, but I have to say, both of them were a surprise for me in this book, one a positive, one a negative ( Don´t want to give away more to avoid spoilers!)



Plot

Anna:
The plot was once more, engaging. The writing style remains simple and effective and the story turns to a complete new level. The atmosphere was creepy at times and claustrophobic and in general i think i liked the story even more than in Hush, Hush.The angelic world is more explored and we get to know more about how it functions,something that i've been expecting since the end of the first book.

Nora and Patch's relationship remains a bit static for me,something that doesn't really bother me but i'm not that glad either.Maybe if the reason those two kept fighting was something other than jealousness and stubborness from Nora's part i wouldn't mind it at all,but seeing Nora acting that way just made me wanna scream to her to open her eyes and she how she was behaving.She may had reasons to be jealous but still,she could had tried and listen to Patch,or totally erase him.The forth-back was never my favorite approach of things.

Christine:

Story:
After finishing "Crescendo", I had to take a few deep breaths. First, because the story left me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It was so fast paced action filly, mysterious and full of twists that I didnßt feel one second like I was reading a YA book. Becca Fitzpatrick also succeeds in adding a subtly creepyness to the story by how she describes Nora being stalked and other supernatural incidences Nora comes across in this book.
The second thing that made me take a deep breath was the ending of Crenscendo. One moment I was like crazy happy, the next like WTH??? The Cliffhanger Becca Fitzpatrick leaves us with is really really cruel. Especially since I have a very strong love/hate relationship with cliffhangers. I like them, when I know I don´t have to wait too long before I know what happens next.
I always complain when the relationship between two characters goes too smooth and thus being unrealistic in my opinion. Well, the relationship between our dear guardian angel and Nora is far from smooth, which was not a bad thing.
The Story of Crescendo delves deeper into the mythology of Angels, Fallen Angels and Nephilim and we are introduced to a new force that is to be reckoned with. Also, Becca Fitzpatrick sheds light on Nora´s past and the death of her father and answers some questions only to make the whole story even more full of suspense.



Favorite scene

Anna:

The scene where Patch gives Nora a ride home and they're standing in the rain...I have a thing for romantic scenes in the rain,what can i say!

Christine:

Okay, once again, I can´t decide. Instead, I choose several scenes from different categories. DANGER: includes spoilers!!!
favorite romantic/hot scene: either Patch´s first appearance in her dream r the scen at the end... Hmmm
favorite creepy scene: when she hears/sees her dead father at the ausement park
favorite action scene: Nora vs Marcy. ´nough said.
favorite WTH scene: again, the end.



Final Verdict

Anna:

4 stars again.As i said,in some aspects Crescendo was really better than Hush,Hush but Nora's behavior was a bit annoying.I couldn't enjoy enough this book when i spent half the time wondering why she would act that way.

Christine:

4 stars. I loved it, was quite obsessiv about reading it (just ask my roommates) and it was a really intense read, but Nora´s behavior was somewhat of a drawback for me.

Once again, thanks Anna! You make reading and reviewing books even more fun! Can´t wait for our next joint review! xoxo!!!
Make sure to check out Anna´s Blog, she does some fantastic reviews and posts!

Early Review: “Black Wings” by Christina Henry

Author: Christina Henry

Title: Black Wings (Madeline Black #1)

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Published: November 30th by Ace

Pages: 304

Blurb:

Meet Maddy Black.
She’s an Agent of Death who really needs to get a life.
Escorting souls into the afterlife leaves Maddy little time for socializing—until devilishly handsome Gabriel Angeloscuro agrees to rent the empty apartment in her building. But when demons start appearing on Maddy’s front lawn, she realizes there’s more to her new tenant than meets the eye.

*I received my copy from the author for review*

Review:

It is no secret that above all, I´m a hardcore Urban Fantasy fan and Christina Henry´s book gave me everything I crave in a good UF book.

Madeline or Maddy for short works in the business of death: she´s an agent that escorts souls to the door, a 24/7 job that leaves hardly any time for a social life, let alone for something like a boyfriend. So Maddy lives together with her gargoyle Beezle who is grumpy, snarky but very protective and loves buttered popcorn in a house she inherited from her deceased mother. She also inherited her powers as an agent, along with her black wings from her mom.

But then, a new tenant moves in and things start to change for Maddy: her best friend is killed and demons, yes, real ugly, pissed-off and scary as hell demons turn up and they are out for Maddy´s blood. Good thing that she has Beezle and her new mysterious and deliciously hot tenant Gabriel Angeloscuro on her side.

My favorite character in this book was without any question Beezle. His snarky comments made me smile and I was touched by how much he loves Maddy. Besides, from his description I think he is simply cute! J

Maddy is a typical UF heroine: independent, single and able to stand her ground. She´s a bit of loner and tends to be a bit too reckless for her own good.

And Gabriel… tall dark and handsome all the way! It was a bit obvious from the beginning that there is more to him than Maddy suspects, but his character and his part in the story more than made up for that. Together with Maddy or Beezle, he makes quite a pair. Another thing I noticed was his way of speaking. Ti me it seem a bit old-fashioned, but very in character, considering what he really is.

The relationship between Maddy and Gabriel was very sweet but far from innocent. I really felt for them for all the obstacles they had to face and was very sad for them in the end. I really have high expectations for the next book, as their relationship definitely has potential. But to be perfectly honest, I like it better that way in UF, when there´s no HEA in the first book (If I want that kind of story, I read PNR).

As for the bad guys in this book: there´s only one word to describe them: bad-ass. Prepare to come across people and soul munching demons that prefer to kick when Maddy´s already down. Throw in a power struggle of epic proportions and you get an idea of the plot.

The worldbuilding was very multi-layered, intrinsic and well planned. Christina Henry added a great mythology to her alternate Chicago. The world Maddy (unwillingly) gets tossed into with its strict rules and harsh punishments leaves not much room for feelings and emotions. It requires obedience and control, two things Maddy totally lacks.

There are few gory scenes in the book (like people getting munched by a demon while they are still alive), but even my sometimes weak stomach could handle them.

My verdict:

Black Wings is a great read for all Urban Fantasy fans and highly recommended. The only criticism I had about this book was that it was over far too soon! I read it in one day and one very short night!

I´m really looking forward to Christina Henry´s next Madeline Black book “Black Night”!

4 out of 5 stars for “Black Wings”

For further stalking of Christina Henry Information about the author check out her blog.

Review: Lucifer´s Daughter

Author: Eve Langlais

Title: Lucifer´s Daughter

Genre: Paranormal Romance (Novella)

Published: August 9th 2010 by Liquid Silver Books

Being Lucifer’s daughter can be hell.
Hi, I’m Muriel, the only white sheep in a sea of black ones, and a virgin to boot. I am determined to wait for love, but my dad, more commonly known as Lucifer, just wants me to stop being an embarrassment. I’m hoping the hunk that I met in my bar will turn out to be the one–just looking at him makes my insides melt like marshmallows over the coals of hell, but trusting is hard when it seems everyone I get close to ends up trying to kill me.
Not only am I dealing with an extreme case of lust, there’s a new threat in hell, one my dad says to ignore. Something easier said than done since it seems everywhere I turn demons are trying to kill me. But I’m okay with that, because one thing I’ve learned being a princess of hell is that sometimes I have to grab a demon by the horns and slap it around a bit.
A rebellion in hell, demon assassins and scorching kisses, could my life get any more interesting?

Lucifer´s Daughter is a funny and sexy novella about Muriel Satana Baphomet, Daughter of Lucifer. Unlike her other siblings, she is good to the bone. She´s even a virgin and doesn´t sleep around. Muriel has decided to wait for the right one. She gives her father a very hard tine with her behavior. Everytime he pops into her apartment, he complains about her being too nice. Muriel even has a real job – shocker! Her bar, Nexus is a hot spot for all supernatural creatures, due to her special abilities.

Muriel is a refreshing mix of girly and kick-ass and her banter with her father is hilarious. Even though he is the devil, he genuinly cares for her.

When three mysterious and strikingly handsome stranger show up in her bar and trouble seems to follow her every step, Muriel might just have found the right one.

Lucifer´s Daughter is wickedly delicious and very entertaining to read. It really managed to brighten my mood on a very bad day. The end leaves some questions unanswered for the next book or rather novella in the series, “Snowballs in Hell”

But be warned, this book features some very smexy scenes! :)

My verdict: 4 stars for Lucifer´s Daughter!

 

Check out the homepage and blog of Eve Langlais for more information on her books and upcoming releases!