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Joyce Wetherbee

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Smashwords book reviews by Joyce Wetherbee

  • Breathless (Blue Fire Saga #1) on Jan. 12, 2014

    Growing up listening to her mother's claims to have been bitten by a one-fanged vampire, Leesa has been fascinated by vampires her whole life. Raised by her older brother in the face of their mother's inability, Leesa Nyland is devastated by his last message. Now eighteen, Leesa has followed her brother to Westland College to learn why he disappeared two years ago. She may have found a friend and ally in the person of her vampire sciences professor. Leesa has a lot to learn and her most important lessons won't be found in a classroom. There is more to the world around her than she could have imagined. Vampires are real, her mother really was bitten by a one-fanged vampire and the two boys interested in her aren't human. Stefan de Kula, a member of the local vampire council, wants her for his consort. Rave Maston is a volkaane, a race of vampire hunters who live for centuries. Destiratu, the magical energy that causes both vampires and volkaanes to become more reckless and vicious is growing. If the energy becomes strong enough, the delicate balance that exists between vampires and volkaanes will be upset. Rumors of blue fire, a strange community on the edge of town, a stranger claiming to be her father, and the possibility of a cure for her mother turn Leesa's world upside down. When she learns her brother is still alive and a captive of one of the local vampires, Leesa has to decide whether she is willing to pay the ultimate price for his freedom. There was a lot to like about this book, not the least of which is a new twist on the well-known genre of vampire and vampire hunter. The author brought a fresh idea to the old idea of vampire hunters which created a lot of room for the plot to go in different directions. Introducing a magical energy, the destiratu, that causes both vampires and volkaanes to lose control and become much more aggressive was wonderful. There were enough new ideas throughout the book to hold my interest all the way through. There were some problems that should have been caught either in beta reading or editing, but nothing severe enough to put me off the book or the series. Had the editing been better, I would have gladly given this book four stars. Overall, I enjoyed the book enough to pick up the next one in the series. I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.
  • Nature Calls on Jan. 14, 2014
    (no rating)
    There are some books you know will be good simply by the author's name. I have read several books by this author and enjoyed every one of them. From the cover art to the last page, this book screams Bonnie Bernard. Her humor, narrative, all of it combines in such a way that sooner or later, you will find yourself grinning if not outright laughing. I was already laughing at ten pages into the book. Guy goes to his company Halloween party, visits the tent of the party fortune teller, wakes up the next morning naked in the back of a pickup truck with no memory of what happened or how he got there. Yeah, I'm laughing. Of course, in true Bernard fashion, she immediately throws her signature curveball(s). Yeah, more than one. My head's still spinning. Each consecutive story is as funny as the next one. Nature Calls is a collection of stories guaranteed to tickle your funny bone more than a few times. When I reviewed Let's Conquer Paris by Oleg Medvedkov last September, I said "I would be willing to keep a print version of his book in my car for those horrid traffic jams caused by construction or the imp of the perverse." I have to say the same thing about Nature Calls. This book is such a mood lifter and should be in everyone's desk, no matter what their job. Call it stress relief, mood lifter, or just plain awesome. I look forward to any book written by Bonnie Bernard. You just can't go wrong. There is something for everyone in this book. While fantasy characters are at the forefront, the situations they find themselves in speak to the everyday person just trying to get through the day. Having Bernard's spin on everything makes this an exceptional read. I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
  • Backfire on Jan. 16, 2014

    This book is different from others I've read by this author. Yes, it still falls within the fantasy genre, but there's a serious undertone of reality I've not yet come across in Bernard's other works. Backfire is a short story of a forty-something couple's motorcycle trip as they try to capture a positive experience before one of their sons succumbs to a terminal illness. Hot and thirsty, they stop in the town of Friday Morning and visit the Backfire Bike Shop. What ensues is probably the strangest encounter and conversation beyond what anyone could have imagined. What would you do if it meant you could save your child's life? How far would you go? Who would you be willing to make a deal with? How much would you be willing to take a blind chance on? Will you take the deal, pay the price? Don't worry; you won't be making any deals with the devil, just Friday, the black cat that hangs out in the shop. Appearances can be deceiving. That is especially true for Friday Morning. A bit of suspense, a bit of the unusual. And the most puzzling is how anyone could love such a run down town. In spite of the serious undertone to this story, Bernard's signature curve ball and wit are very much present and make a last second appearance at the end of this story. I think you'll enjoy this story as much as I have. I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
  • Slice on Jan. 16, 2014

    You read enough books by any given author and you think you know what to expect from them, at least in the broad sense. I'm no different. I see "Bonnie Bernard" on the cover and I know to expect comments that will have me burst out laughing at some point. Or maybe thinking "you dumb cluck." But nope, I opened this book and there she was doing her little "gotcha" dance. This is indeed a (very) short story about a girl who prefers to order in take-out meals. Slice is cute and sassy. Sheila's the new girl in town exploring her "options." Saying anything more would spoil the story for you. Get it, read it, have a laugh. Is it Wednesday? Must be time for pizza. (18+) I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.
  • Road Rash on Jan. 19, 2014

    You know, I really want a peek inside Bernard's brain, but I'm not sure I can handle all those curve balls coming at me at the same moment. I mean, really, where the heck does she come up with these stories? I'm sitting here shaking my head at this latest gem of hers and smiling. There isn't much I can say about the story without saying too much. How about, 'so it goes in the beginning, so it goes in the end'? The middle is just as confusing to me as the poor guys who lost his head in a motorcycle accident. It works though. The guy wakes up not knowing where he is, just happy his sense of humor is still intact. (So is Bernard's, fair warning.) Weird, huh? Wayne Wright, comes out of that tunnel of light without a stitch on. Things just go crazy, funny, weird (pick one) from there. Everyone has a job and Wayne needs to learn his, so he better pay attention. I have to stop now before I just spill everything. Bernard must have been laughing when she wrote the last line, because I can't even think it with a straight face. I love long stories. They give me a chance to get to know the characters, learn to love some and hate others. Anticipation builds, releases to rebuild again. Bernard has taught me there is something worthwhile to be found in short stories. I'm glad too. I would have missed out on a few reflexive smiles and some laughing had I not read not just this book, but her other short stories. I'm seriously doubting she could write a bad story even if she tried. I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
  • The Deed Box on March 29, 2014

    This is a fun little story. Two sisters don't like their father's mother, at all. Unfortunately for them, their grandmother moves in after their parents die in a car accident. The good side of this is that at 15 and 16 years old, they won't have to live under her thumb for much longer. Shelby, the younger sister, found her escape in marriage. Helen went to college and got her degree. Since her sister never came around, Helen is surprised when Shelby and her husband show up for a visit earlier than expected. What takes place from here is for you to read. As an introduction to an author, this book is great. Kelt has a lively wit and sense of humor (as well as justice) that shine in the few pages of this story. She has encapsulated everything you need to know about the characters in a way that lets you know who they are without the need of more pages. You know right quick who you like and who you don't. When I reached the end of the story, I was telling (no names to avoid the spoiler) someone, "Yeah, serves you right!" and grinning. I think you'll enjoy this one. I was gifted a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
  • Suicide Song on April 19, 2014

    I found this to be both ultimately the saddest story, and a most touching tribute and memorial to a young man who briefly touched the authors life. The loss of a life, especially one taken by the person living that life affects everyone, regardless of how peripheral someone is to the person who has died. When that person leaves no note offering any insight for survivors to grasp onto, the tragedy is even greater. We all work through this type of loss in our own individual ways. This story doubly impacted me as my son (eighteen at the time) was one of two people who found a another friend (also eighteen) after his own suicide a few short weeks after graduating from high school. I had no answers, nothing to offer my child except his mother's love to ease the horrific memory of finding his friend. The author eloquently pieced together details of a young man's final hours. Her afterward offers a heartfelt tribute that comes through most clearly. I have no doubt of the author's caring heart and spirit as I read her words, words that struck deep inside my own heart to pain that I had buried. I am quite certain this was not an easy story to write, any more than I found it an easy one to read. It is however, very well written. A story of nine brief pages that anyone who has lost someone to suicide should read. Yes, it will probably hurt as it brings back those painful memories. But it also may offer a bit of healing as you take in her words to say good-byes you yourself may have been unable to give at the time of your loss. I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
  • Deadlier... than the male on Aug. 08, 2014

    Gent offers us a variation on the traditional werewolf genre that I found quite intriguing. There are those born Wolf (yes, she capitalizes the word), and those "made." There is a hierarchy among those born having to do with the amount of power, strength and abilities, and those who are "throwbacks," a danger to Wolfkind and always killed when found. They live and work beside us, a society within society at large, keeping their secrets and laws. The main protagonist is Hazel, aka Red, a Sentinel whose job is to bring to justice or execute when necessary, Wolves whose activities risk exposing them to the world at large. Gent's Wolves unapologetically enjoy what they are when they hunt. Their prey of choice are Humes (humans to the rest of us). At first appearance, the book reads like a story within a story because of it's dual timelines. This is one of those books that has you following Red in the current time stream while giving you Hazel's story, which begins some 500 years prior. Her history, written by a Scribe, is uncannily accurate for all that she was not consulted on its contents. As Red pursues answers to questions relevant to her most recent case, she hands a companion a book that tells her history. The book takes us through Hazel's making at a Wolf, to her claiming the name Red. While not always the case, this is one of those times where going back and forth between present and past are used with great effect. I became more absorbed in the story the further I read. Red's history is necessary to the overall success of the book and was incorporated with skill and a deftness that enhanced the overall reading experience. The two timelines are brought together in a powerful conclusion at the end. The story offers greed, betrayal, power grabs, drugs, and a bit of romance. This story was very well written. The historical aspects of life several hundred years ago felt well researched and came to life in my mind as I read. The characters were complex and very well developed. Gent even went so far as to explain why her Wolves went for certain parts when eating their prey, a twist I've not come across in any other novel of this genre. Kudos for a new twist. Now that I've been introduced to this author, I'm looking forward to reading more of her work. I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
  • Cruel...and Unusual on April 22, 2015

    A throwback kept hidden by his parents from the rest of wolfkind shows us why they are hunted down and killed when their existence is discovered. Jack is a major player in the story as we watch him succumb to madness inherent in being a throwback to become the infamous Whitechapel killer. His instability became evident in childhood, yet his parents protected him hoping he would both remain undiscovered and eventually be "cured." Gent has a real talent for weaving multiple plots into a story so seamlessly that her work is a joy to read. Hazel not only has to ferret out hidden throwbacks, but decide whether her Sentinels should find the killer or risk Wolves being exposed by letting the Hume police find him. Add to the mix an event that only happens every 500 years. I still find Red to be my favorite character, perhaps because I connected so well with her in Deadlier... than the Male. Gent's characters are believable, complex people. The atmosphere of the story pulled me right in. It was so easy to immerse myself in this story. I found this book, as in Deadlier... than the Male to be very well written and impeccably edited. A great read that anyone with an interest in werewolves would enjoy.