Location: United States
Member Since: Oct. 22, 2011
Alana Rock
Books
This member has not published any books.Alana Rock's favorite authors on Smashwords
John Corwin
Latest book: Sweet Blood of Mine. Published on April 23, 2012.
(5.00 from 2 reviews)
P.A. Lupton
Latest book: Bound by Blood. Published on July 24, 2011.
(4.00 from 2 reviews)Visit their website.
Smashwords book reviews by Alana Rock
- Symphony of Blood, A Hank Mondale Supernatural Case
on Dec. 21, 2011
Hank Mondale, a down-on-his luck private investigator, has dug himself a substantial hole between his alcoholism and gambling addiction. He can't pay his kleptomaniac secretary, is about to get evicted from his office building, not to mention the hired muscle breathing down his neck from his overdue losses on basketball games. A new case seems to practically fall into his lap at just the right time, backed by a secretive wealthy client. Hank is not about to blow his chance to pay off his debts with one job, and agrees to meet with the client to find out more details. Once he realizes it's a very rich real estate mogul and his spoiled, drugged-out daughter with wild claims, he tries to back out. But he instead finds himself on a case that seems to tie-in with several missing persons and two odd homicides.... I have to admit, this is not the type of book I normally read. After reading just the first 10% of the book, I was nearly ready to put it down from there. It's well written, and the characters are detailed... but I didn't find myself liking the main character, Hank. Now, Liking a character is not a requirement for enjoying a book, but it helps. I couldn't identify with his gambling addiction, and I have demons from growing up regarding relatives and alcoholism... and the entire beginning of the book is Hank's personal train wreck of a life. I just plain didn't want to read that part. I did, and I am glad because once it pushed through that and actually seem to pick up the story it was much more interesting. At one point in the story, the point of view changes, and I actually found that part of the story to be the best and most interesting to me. The innocence Adam Pepper writes into essentially a "monstrous" character was wonderful. I think "Symphony" as it is later named was probably my favorite character out of the book. I found myself rooting for the monster. The other characters were all so damaged and ruthless (except Hank- but I already explained my problems with him) I was basically ready for them all to die and the monster's hands so I could be done with the book. It was decent... I likely will not read it again. If someone likes a darker story with gritty, damaged characters and a horror/supernatural element- then I would recommend they try this book out. But it if's already not your cup of tea, this book won't change your mind about that.
- Adventures In Funeral Crashing (Funeral Crashing #1)
on Dec. 27, 2011
Thanks to the R2R program to give me an opportunity to read and review this book! This is a fantastic, witty YA mystery with romantic, and almost Scooby-Doo-like elements. I would highly recommend it to anyone. The premise: Kait is your average social pariah at school, even the "nerds" would be demoted by asking her out. Her mother passed away from cancer, and ever since then one of her coping mechanisms has been to continue to attend funerals.... for people that she has never met. It comes from a good, innocent place, but she is essentially a funeral crasher. Before her mother had gotten sick, she had the normal "average" teenage life. But once her mother became sick, and her best friend, Airel, suddenly fled to the popular crowd ... Kait had been given the short end of the stick in terms of death and friendship. She crashed the funeral of a college student found dead of an overdose. She always has certain rules she follows in an attempt to not get caught, but every explanation falls right out of her head when confronted by the hottest guy at school, Ethan. Turns out Liz, the college student, was his half sister. With no idea how to answer for her attendance, she flees, thinking that her status as a social pariah might mean he would forget about her. Instead he confronts her at work, and reveals that he thinks that Liz was murdered instead of an overdose... An thus begins a social status defying partnership to investigate the circumstances of Liz's, and several other college girls all found dead of heroin overdoses. What I thought: This is so witty and refreshing. Parents will not have to worry about sex-crazed teenagers, but with the hottest guy in school and even a murder suspect being very easy on the eyes... there was still fodder for your imagination. It really develops the friendship between Kait and Ethan at a realistic pace. I found it believable- even with teenagers investigating a murder. Everything fell within the realm of believability and was true to their age. It was still enjoyable for me, as an adult reader. I would have no problems recommending this book to a teenager to read. Likely, because of the main character being a female, it would appeal most likely to girls, not boys. It really has some witty moments, and the youthful tenancy to obsess just a little about certain things (for Kait it was peanut butter banana drinks) really added special touches to make this an absolutely enjoyable read. Great YA book!
- The Ylem (The Ylem Trilogy, # 1)
on Dec. 27, 2011
Overall Impressions I really, really enjoyed this book, far more than I even expected to! It's a good thing I still have some credit on my gift cards so I can buy the next book! The fact that it is a YA should not scare off any prospective readers. I did not find the characters to be overly whiny or acting too young (a problem I have found in other YA books.) Basic Premise Kalista (great name, by the way!) is not your average teenager. Her mother passed away years earlier in a car crash, so Kalista has "issues" with cars and driving. She also bring new meaning to "electric personality" with the amount of static electricity her body seems to produce. She also, along with her father, just moved from New York to Ruidso, New Mexico... She has already found a few good friends, and an "interested" male admirer, but due to a bad reaction from her former best friend in New York after Kalista declaring her feelings for him, she has pushed away the possibility of relationships with guys. She finally meets the school heart-throb male, and finds she is not immune to his attractiveness. But her resolve to keep guys at arm's length is tested when the guy seems to want to talk to her, and another is urging her to go out... Tristan is very alluring- but in a different world than Kalista, more than she even knows.... Life becomes even more complicated when teenagers are missing, then bodies prove that they were killed. And a chance encounter leads her to an odd, old book that details a new aspect of the world that Kalista never knew. She begins to learn the secrets of that world, but will she allow herself to learn the secrets of herself as well? Thoughts- warning, could contain spoilers I can't say how much I enjoyed it. Sadly, my computer was down when I had finished it or I might have bought and started the second book right then and there! I didn't find many problems that I usually find in a YA novel. I would recommend this to anyone that would enjoy "shifter" books and does not mind YA. It was entertaining, had action, and romance. All around a great book! As with any book, there were a few points that left me wanting... ♦The change in point of view with Kalista and Caleb was disconcerting at first. I had no clue who that guy was, and why I was reading about him. Also- several of his parts were very ADD it seemed... his thought processes just bounced all over and it was difficult to keep up with his part of the story. ♦OK... So Kalista finds out about new things in her same old world, gets proof that they are real... then just ignores the other part of her reading/warning... maybe it's because I'm older- but if some old lady tells me I have "the Ylem" in me, and I find out there are shifters and stuff for real- I would at least ask those shifters when given a chance if they had heard of "the Ylem". It's like she just ignores her "strangeness" and accepts the shifter thing much easier than I expected. ♦I really wish there was more build up of the romantic feelings between Tristan and Kalista. It was better than some books showing a "reason" for them to be attracted and having some genuine interaction without just falling all over each other. But even more build-up would have been nice. I fudged in favor of the book on the stars- (shows 5 stars on review)- but I am really, really picky about 5 stars- so I actually gave it 4½♥'s.
- Blood Warrior
on Jan. 10, 2012
Overall Premise Alexa is most definitely not your average teenager. Instead of dates, dresses and friends, she has "practice" with her Mother and often ends up with black eyes. Instead of riding the bus to school, she and her younger sister must run miles each day to get there and home. The "hot bad boy" happens to be her best and only friend, while most others shun her. She has so much anger, and her protective instincts flare when her younger sister is grabbed by a popular jock that she nearly snaps and floors the guy. Somehow, that's the least of her worries. Expecting her Mother to come down on her and insist on more "practice", she is greeted instead by an enigmatic stroll in the forest. Suddenly, her Mother and her younger sister seem different, as if they are sharing a secret against her. Only more questions are raised when her Mother gives her a gift- a sword... Who and what is Alexa? Why does she always feel such anger? She finds out the answers in the worst possible of ways, and begins her journey into the unknown... What I Thought This book is a perfect example of what I love about YA. It's all the good things of a YA novel. Strong main female character that still has some vulnerability. Smoking hot best friend, Jackson, that obviously wants more, and also ends up being more than she expected. Kayden, equally dangerous bad boy but draws Alexa in despite her attempts to stop it. The love triangle created was still relatively innocent and believable. It has different creatures, I loved all the races and mixes therein. I especially love the seemingly utopia show it's darker underbelly- and the underlying social commentary that it creates. It's really well written, flows through the story without getting too whiny, or bogged down in teen emotions while still being true to the heroine's age. There is action, romance, cat fights, death, fighting matches... there are so many things to like about it. I most definitely will be getting book 2 when it comes out at the end of the month. Great book- highly recommended to anyone who enjoys UF and does not mind the milder YA romance. I actually gave it 4½♥'s vs. the 5 that the review shows. It was really good- but I'm persnickety about handing out 5 stars.
- Straight to Hell
on Jan. 26, 2012
I received this book through the R2R program. Thank you to Michelle Scott for giving us the opportunity to read and review her novel. I actually gave this book 2½ ♥'s, but as GoodReads does not allow for ½♥'s, I rounded up to 3. I was really looking forward to this book, I had previously fallen in love with the Georgina Kincaid succubus series and was hoping to find another series along a similar theme to enjoy. The writing itself (sentence structure, grammar, formatting) is suburb; this must be the best example of technical writing skill and formatting I've seen in a smaller-scale author. The characters, however, were not endearing or appealing. There are a few things in particular that really prevented enjoying this book: ◘Lilith Straight, the main character, starts off the novel essentially bragging about her life pre-divorce. She went to "those parties", hobnobbed with stars and athletes, daughter went to the elite private school... While I understand this gave us necessary background information, I felt the character was aloof and condescending to me as the reader. ◘She preens about how attractive she is for her age, and how she can still wear her high school cheer leading uniform, then pages later flat out saying that it was untrue. She lied about fitting the uniform. The book is in 1st person perspective; if I cannot trust the character telling me the story, I begin to doubt the entire story itself. ◘Lilith also is practically bipolar in her emotions. One minute she's breaking her personal "commandments" and traffic laws in her anger and fear toward an individual, and then paragraphs later she's giving kisses to this character and inviting them to stay in her already crowded house tittering between poor and destitute. I ultimately just did not care for Lilith and her struggles. The "blurb" of the book made it sound like there would be more romance, especially considering the succubus angle- but I found that to be lacking from the book. Some readers, however, may find that to be a welcome change. William Darcy never "sold" me on his charisma or the sexual tension alluded to between Lilith and William. The "relationship" between these two characters seemed so shallow. I did not feel connected to either character. So many reviews say how witty this is, how it's such a "quick read"... while it did have witty moments, I had to force myself to finish it. About halfway through the book, it did become a little easier but I would just keep reaching that same barrier of dislike for the characters, wanting more action in multiple ways... overall I was just left plain wanting. I would absolutely be willing to read another book by Michelle, as I said, the technical end of it was flawless. But this story was just not for me. Ultimately, if you are interested in this book, I would recommend a reading of your own. While I did not find it engaging, many readers have. To each their own.
- In Love With Death
on Feb. 19, 2012
4 of 5 stars Read from February 16 to 19, 2012 This get a solid 4♥'s! Overview This urban fantasy revolves around Azriel (love the name, by the way- had a beloved cat I named Azriel), the Angel of Death and soul collector, and Sophia, a Puerto Rican female living a simple life until her grandmother gets sick. Sophia is an innocent, young adult; babsitting for an Autistic child, Junior, and working at an animal shelter. Once Lourdes, Sophia's grandmother, becomes ill and finally passes, Azriel's interest is piqued and he does something out of the norm- attends the funeral. There he meets Sophia. One glimpse at her brilliant aura, and he finds himself unable to stay away from her. Sophia is equally drawn to Azriel, as the bonds of fate ensnare them both. Favorite Quote "I did everything not to run to him, throw my arms around him and lick his face off! I mean, oh my God!" What I Thought I was a highly enjoyable book. While not my absolute favorite 'version' of Death or the Angel of Death (I think Piers Anthony has stolen that award with On a Pale Horse), it was still clever and interesting without resorting to using off-the-wall tactics. It really painted the picture of a Hispanic family, and how they related with both Sophia and Azriel. I loved the use of Spanish and the English translations for those of us linguistically challenged, like myself. There were several twists in the story that I saw coming, but it did not feel cookie-cutter or diminish my love of the book. Azriel is hot, hot, hot; this book, while a romance, is not a bodice-ripper. It's long on romance, flashes to Azriel's past, and exploring Sophia's present; but do not expect much in the way of carnal descriptions. I would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for an urban fantasy with vanilla romance. Why not try it out and see if you, too, fall 'In Love with Death'?
- Between
on Feb. 19, 2012
4 of 5 stars Read in February, 2012 Overview: Lindsey is torn between two worlds: in one, she is a college student with a boyfriend that loves her and divorced parents. And by accident she is catapulted into the other, a fantastical world of imaginations and a hot Scottish hunk of highlander that speaks French to boot. Aiden ferries souls from their death to heaven. As she spends time with Aiden, her love begins to grow and blossom. Can love transcend the boundaries between life and death? And what if it was until 'life' do you part? What I Thought This is a charming story that quickly sucks you in. I found myself eagerly reading this book, fighting sleep to get just a little more in. The main characters (and even secondary characters like her parents) are well established in the book, and very likeable. Well... her mom may have been a harder sell on the likeable, but in the end she was. I just got so caught up in the story, trips to France during the "Sun King's" reign, remembered trips to Seattle lead to interesting reactions to cars and phones and such on Aiden's part. It ended up being a sweet, heartfelt romantic story that whisks you away with it's pages. The down side, I can find one in just about any book. In Between, it's a very vanilla romance- don't read this expecting a 'bodice ripper', although there most definitely are sexual overtones. Think of the device used in movies where you see the couple kissing and making out, then the camera slides off to a view of the curtains blowing in the wind; Between is that kind of book. There is some 'hot and heavy' time, but there is NO ... smut for lack of a better word. I still really enjoyed it, and would recommend it to others; but I admit, I wanted smut. Really I did... it had all the ingredients for a good 'roll in hey' but we would only get to see them kiss, then head off for the hey. So if you are looking for a vanilla romance story that is life affirming, and paints a loving, kind view of God and the afterlife (for those that would go to heaven, anyway) then I highly recommend trying out this book. If you are looking solely for sex, you may need to find your highlander six elsewhere.
- Between The Land And The Sea
on Feb. 28, 2012
(no rating)
Read from February 23 to 26, 2012 Delightful, engaging YA Mermaid Story. Marina has traveled the world with her father, but when he is headed to Afghanistan he refuses to allow her to join him like usual. Instead, she must spend her senior year with her aunt and cousin and attend public school for the first time in her life. She leaves behind San Fransisco, and heads to Atpos, and much smaller town by the sea. Is drawn to the water, and quickly sees hauntingly familiar eyes in the water, almost as familiar with her own reflection. Could it have been a scuba diver or a surfer playing tricks? High School is hard enough without having already humiliated herself in front of the hottest surfer at school, let alone worry about mythological creatures.... Overall, I REALLY enjoyed this book. I even stayed up late the final night I was reading just to find out what happened. The ending seemingly buttoned up a little more quickly than I would have liked. Foreshadowing to the sequel was good, almost too good- I was expecting a few "revelations" during the first book that did not come to pass. Sweet and innocent, but does not suffer, in my opinion, from the "love at first sight" syndrome; the story allowed time for the romance to begin and grow at a normal pace. As it is a YA story, don't go into this expecting hot and heavy romantic action; but there is still romance aplenty. This is a book you can give to a teen without worry of inappropriate or too adult themes. I liked the variety of characters. Just because it had surfers and on a beach, they were not all blonde, ripped magazine cover teenagers. The main character was brunette, there was even a 'plumper' redhead friend... there was not an over-use of stereotypical, cookie-cutter characters. I really appreciated the diversity. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that enjoys YA, likes a mermaid story, or even just paranormal/urban fantasy in general. It was a charming book definitely worth reading, and I will most definitely look at getting the sequel see how it continues...
- Between The Land And The Sea
on Feb. 28, 2012
Read from February 23 to 26, 2012 Delightful, engaging YA Mermaid Story. Marina has traveled the world with her father, but when he is headed to Afghanistan he refuses to allow her to join him like usual. Instead, she must spend her senior year with her aunt and cousin and attend public school for the first time in her life. She leaves behind San Fransisco, and heads to Atpos, and much smaller town by the sea. Is drawn to the water, and quickly sees hauntingly familiar eyes in the water, almost as familiar with her own reflection. Could it have been a scuba diver or a surfer playing tricks? High School is hard enough without having already humiliated herself in front of the hottest surfer at school, let alone worry about mythological creatures.... Overall, I REALLY enjoyed this book. I even stayed up late the final night I was reading just to find out what happened. The ending seemingly buttoned up a little more quickly than I would have liked. Foreshadowing to the sequel was good, almost too good- I was expecting a few "revelations" during the first book that did not come to pass. Sweet and innocent, but does not suffer, in my opinion, from the "love at first sight" syndrome; the story allowed time for the romance to begin and grow at a normal pace. As it is a YA story, don't go into this expecting hot and heavy romantic action; but there is still romance aplenty. This is a book you can give to a teen without worry of inappropriate or too adult themes. I liked the variety of characters. Just because it had surfers and on a beach, they were not all blonde, ripped magazine cover teenagers. The main character was brunette, there was even a 'plumper' redhead friend... there was not an over-use of stereotypical, cookie-cutter characters. I really appreciated the diversity. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that enjoys YA, likes a mermaid story, or even just paranormal/urban fantasy in general. It was a charming book definitely worth reading, and I will most definitely look at getting the sequel see how it continues...
- The Society of Sinners
on Feb. 29, 2012
Read from February 19 to 23, 2012 This is actually like five novellas: Brandon and Stacy’s, Jazz and Cherish, Gabe and Taylor, Dominic and Mika, Dimitri and Annabelle; but they all have intertwining stories. The vampire and other supernatural mythology is unique; they are blessed by God (the 'pure, untainted' ones, that is.) It's like a mini- Paranormal Romance series with a heavy dose of Urban Fantasy all rolled into one book. With all the different heroes and heroines to choose from, everyone can easily find at least one to root for. I was worried once I realized it was several novellas; I was expecting a vague collection but this ties up all together tighter than a bow. I was really excited about the new ideas on vampires and shifters. There was just the perfect combination of romance, action, and sex. It got a little something for everyone! I find myself only giving it 4♥'s because of several common pitfalls; primarily the "sudden love" syndrome, but also the desire to learn more about Jackson Square and the "world" they live in. These did not in any way prevent me from really enjoying this book. I would still absolutely suggest this for any PNR fan. If you don't do novellas, I still recommend this book. It really is just one story broken into 5 parts. I'm still a little steamy under the collar from all the hot men....
- The Matchmaker's Mark
on March 08, 2012
Read from February 24 to 29, 2012 There is much going on in this story, but it's not difficult to follow. It's set in Charleston and revolves around Amy, a guest English professor at the local college; Lily, the local florist (and half wood elf); and Dare, security detail for the Matchmaker (who is also Amy's Aunt.) Lily was born with a mark that her family always called a Matchmaker's mark, but has not yet found that special someone. Amy is a human just beginning to scratch the surface of her Aunt's letters and legacy, on the cusp of finding out just how magical the world is. Dare has disappointed his family by choosing to be part of security to the Matchmaker instead of settling down and carrying on the family line. Fate has her own ideas, and intertwines their lives in unexpected ways... It was an entertaining story, I didn't have any trouble wanting to read it. The description of Charleston was lovely, I felt like I was right there walking down the streets with the characters. It really built the story in a lovely way, little bits here, little bits there... things that you thought were just 'background color' fall together into the overall story. I really liked it overall. .. But I didn't love it. By the end, especially the last chapter or so, I was frustrated with one of the main characters. Getting her to admit that she was in love and just be happy was like pulling teeth. It's like I had to fight tooth and claw to get that Happily Ever After. I still enjoyed it, but it's not going to be in future reading rotation with my favorites. I'm not sure if this is planned as a series, but there were also parts of the story line that felt still unfinished. This could be laying groundwork for future, even spin-off type stories following different characters. Overall, it is definitely worth picking up and reading but not reached a re-read status for me. If there is another book in the series I would still want to read it, I did enjoy the descriptive storytelling and the world that was created.