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  • Larkspur (Sensate Nine Moon Saga - Book 1) on Feb. 27, 2012

    This is the first novel of the Sensate Trilogy. It is definitely an original story; I don’t remember ever reading anything that comes close to this particular ongoing story line. Very intriguing. A mixture of contemporary, Paranormal, Magical Fantasy, and much more, I’d be hard-pressed to assign just one label-so I won’t. I’ll just recommend it and let the reader decide to what subgenres to assign it. At age twenty-two, Alexandra is a continuing student, soon to begin work on her Master’s Degree. After the deaths of her parents, she developed a sudden need to research her family’s genealogy, and is currently urgently tracking her father’s great-grandfather, Teater Higgins, a younger son who fathered two children in West Virginia and then disappeared. Trying to track him to an old, abandoned Higgins farm in Pennsylvania, Alexandra first falls into a cistern, then is spookily enabled to climb out after she finds a mysterious stone in an enclosure in the well. Later her lifelong disinterest in anything male is reversed when she accidentally makes eye contact with a stranger-but she has no way of realizing that this is quite literally a matter of destiny-hers and his-and that there is a vast universe of meaning and events yet to occur. The most seemingly impossible events and themes will come to play throughout this novel, and the two sequels to come. This is an intensively detailed, extraordinarily imaginative, novel. I can’t imagine not reading the next two in the Trilogy as soon as they appear.
  • A Marked Past on Feb. 27, 2012

    “Enticing” is my first reaction, followed quickly by “smoothly written, empathetic, and a rockin’ story line.” What I love about this book is the author’s easy way of sliding into the heart, mind and soul of the protagonist, fifteen-year-old Lyla Mercer, who has unexpectedly and horribly lost her dad in a pedestrian/vehicular accident, and now has to move from the Chicago suburb in which she has lived her entire life to move to the old family homestead in-of all spooky places-Salem, Massachusetts. Only in the best YA novels can authors achieve this looking out from inside point of view in a first-person narrative, and Author Leslie Deaton accomplishes this admirably. I’m so thankful this is only the first of a series, because now I have more to anticipate. (smile) But that’s not all to love in this book! There’s generational magick, and murder, and mysterious symbols. There’re powers, and talents, and a plethora of the paranormal. But foundationally, there is an excellent story with characters delineated in depth, so that the reader finds empathy easy and fulfilling, belief in the characters and the plot easy to master, and an accomplished prose style, all of which will make readers eager to return to these characters and their joys and tribulations in further novels in this series.
  • Moa on April 03, 2012

    A smooth-reading novel packing a lot of YA wisdom, “Moa” is a good read, and a fast-paced one. In concise strokes, author Tricia Stewart Shiu paints her characters and arranges her settings and plots. Suspension of disbelief is easy and quick, and the reader settles into expecting, and then receiving, out-of-the-ordinary events and encounters. Is Hillary a witch, or isn’t she? Does her nemesis, the high school bully, level evil curses, or not? Can shirts animate? Do ancient native spirits exist? More importantly, can one young lady save all? Read on and see, and you will find yourself reaching the end and wanting to start back at the beginning all over again. “Moa” is a recommended book for both YA and adult readers who enjoy good writing, plotting and characterization, a story that impels, and enough paranormal adventures and misadventures to keep the reader on the edge till it’s over.
  • Blind Veil on April 13, 2012

    An incredibly intense reader’s hook rockets us into this novel, yanked by the throat, jaw-dropped, and that hook never lets go. It’s difficult to “race through the pages” when you’re reading an ebook, but I just about managed to because I simply couldn’t turn away. Author Michael Lorde demonstrates a sure eye for identifying social patterns and cultural milieus, and delivers those without judgment or faulting. “Blind Veil” is a VERY complex novel, thankfully the first in a series. There are multiple layers, several different genres, solid protagonists and numerous deftly-designed secondary characters. I was riveted, and could not sleep until I had stayed up later than usual, simply because I was unwilling to set the novel aside to finish later! I marveled at the ways in which Author Lorde intertwined the diverse threads of past and present (and future) and was stunned by the impact of the conclusion. “Blind Veil” works fine as a stand-alone, but I for one am grateful to see it continuing into a series, because I definitely wish to learn more about Lamont Simms, about research scientists Byron Chelevski and Rae Sullivan, and especially about that incredibly dramatic conclusion, which I refuse to spoil for the reader. (Be good to yourself: read the book through-this is NOT a novel in which to read the end before the beginning, as some readers do. Please do NOT read the END first!)
  • Demon's Moon on April 21, 2012

    Intriguingly magical, a London where Fae, Demons, Succubi, Werewolves (both “true” werewolves and lycanthropes-which are those subjected to the werewolf virus and thence turned), exist, are accepted, studied, and considered “natural.” This “world” even has weres of other species: panther, fox, and so forth. It ranges from high academia and research science to lowly nightclubs and exotic dancing. Magic is real, accessible, and utilized. Ceri is a serious scientific researcher, preparing her doctorate dissertation in the field of thaumaturgy, or magical energy-specifically as it applies to weres. Her research has already had practical applications: she’s devised a device to measure the energy surges cast off by weres as they enter into a change. Such an application has been extremely effective in nightclubs, for example. Ceri happens to have been the daughter of a witch, and lives in a magicked multi-story home. Her roommates are a Faery, and a half-demonic succubus; not too surprising, as Ceri has some unidentifiable energies and is partially demonic herself. This novel is sexy, but not too explicit. I would still rate it at 18+. It will highly appeal to fanciers of paranormal romance and urban fantasy, as well as those who prefer traditional fantasy brought into a contemporary setting. The juxtaposition of the different magical species (weres, succubi, demons, Fae, and more) will broaden the novel’s appeal and bring in expanded readership.
  • Shadows of the Realm on May 12, 2012

    This debut novel is the first of a series (The Circle of Talia) and is a smooth-reading, delightful, high fantasy. Even readers who don’t usually head for the fantasy shelves can find much to delight in here, as did I. The writing is excellent, and author Dionne Lister deserves much more than five stars for her ability with lyrical description, which makes the reading flow so well. The characters are superbly delineated, and the action is realistic and intriguing. A good balance is achieved between destiny and free will in the lives of the characters, an effect not always managed in fantasy stories. The world-building is also very accomplished. In fact, I encourage readers to keep an eye on author Dionne Lister and anticipate, as I am, the next installments in The Circle of Talia series.
  • Pandora's Key on June 28, 2012
    (no rating)
    I quite enjoyed this lovely new approach to one of the most important legends in Classical Greek mythology. Highly suspenseful, adventurous, and roller-coaster paced, “Pandora’s Key” kept me turning the pages and reading it in one sitting due to the likable characters, intricately convoluted plotting, and author Nancy Richardson Fischer’s smooth and talented writing style. I’m eagerly anticipating the next book in the series, so I can find out where the protagonist goes from here. However, “Pandora’s Key” functions well as a stand-alone novel, ending in not so much a cliffhanger as a promise for further stories for eager readers (such as myself  ). Evangeline is the sole daughter of a single mother, Olivia, who was herself a sole child, orphaned at seventeen by the sudden grisly death of her mother. She has a lifelong best friend, Melia, who still finds time for her despite Melia’s current love interest, Tristin, a new student in Portland; and another good friend, Raphe, for whom E continues to wish there could be something in addition to friendship. E (as her friends call her) and her mother Olivia both have nightmares (and in her mother’s case, bizarre hallucinations) over a period of weeks leading up to Evangeline’s birthday. On her sixteenth birthday, E receives from her mother the onyx key which Olivia herself had always worn as a pendant, and almost immediately Evangeline’s world turns topsy-turvy and inside out in a reversal of everything she ever thought she knew as fact-both for her personally, and for the world at large. I highly recommend “Pandora’s Key,” which has appeal to readers of many different sub-genres.
  • Believe on June 29, 2012

    “Believe” is the first in a series, and a multi-layered novel, indicative of the author’s rich and vivid imagination. Vampires, Vampire Hunters, Royalty, varied Shapeshifters, Indigenous Americans, American pre-colonial history, Western European settlement in America, romance, jealousy, envy, Supernatural powers, and much, much more-it’s a massive undertaking but author E. Leighanne Grimm-Weever seems to manage to keep it all straight. I found the book quite enjoyable in terms of content (though there were a couple of instances when I thought characters changed too suddenly to be realistic) and I admire the author’s forethought in putting together such a collection of different types of folklore, mythology, superstition, history, and Supernatural elements of many types. My only objection is that the book would benefit from a good proofreading, and that I found the grammatical errors and typos distracting. However, I am glad that “Believe” is the first of a series (“New England Immortals”) and I look forward to the sequel.
  • Zed on July 08, 2012

    I wholeheartedly enjoyed “Zed,” a hilarious spin on the zombie trend that simultaneously ensures a deeper look and concentration of thought on some serious issues-such as consciousness and compassion, survival and surrender, humanity and inhumanity, do-goodism vs. government and military, and more. I literally chuckled or even laughed aloud on almost every page, but as I was laughing, I was also learning and pondering. While I was laughing and learning, I was also racing through the pages, because the action and adventure and thrills provided by Zed and his oddball (but likable) new human sidekick Chase are addictive and enjoyable. I was so glad when, on reaching the end, I learned that Zed will indeed return for an encoure, because he is truly too precious to drop off the scene after only one gig. Here’s to Zombies with Brains, Consciousness, and a delightful Heart.
  • Bonds of Fenris on July 20, 2012

    An intricately detailed character study of six individuals who happen to share one constant trait: each is a werewolf, and not by choice, but by accident, or fated design. Talia, Leroy, Marlene, Pierce, and Bo constitute a pack. Corwin is a “pack” of his own-until Talia, in shifted form, encounters him one night during a full moon following a prey hunt-and discovers Corwin can shift back and forth, wolf to human to wolf and back again-right underneath the full moon! It’s not just Corwin’s startling ability that makes “Bonds of Fenris” a very different type of werewolf story: it’s the author’s capacity to interweave Greek myth, classical Greek philosophy, and questioning and teaching that would make Socrates and Plato proud. Corwin is talented, yes, but he didn’t come by this ability either naturally or effortlessly, and when Talia insists on learning, he applies the Socratic method and puts her through some incredible testing. By the end of the lessons, either Talia-and the others who try-will understand who and what they really are-or they won’t survive.
  • Vengeance of the Wolf on Aug. 13, 2012

    “Vengeance of the Wolf” is a terrifically lyrical book, with vivid imagery which makes the reader feel both part of the scene, and in tune with the characters. The Paranormal elements and the intrinsic mystery are capably interwoven, keeping the reader riveted, anxious to find out what’s next. A seemingly implacable force of doom is destroying politicians in office, yet doing so in a method that seems physically and medically impossible. Yet, like a juggernaut, the killer continues, hopscotching from one U.S. locale to another, seemingly without rhyme or reason, at least none apparent to the local law enforcement communities, nor to the F.B.I. agent in charge of this multi-state case. I especially liked the escalation of the Paranormal elements, beginning with what might be possible and moving on to become both deeper and more extensive. Of course, any mystery that so baffles law enforcement (think Jack the Ripper) is going to be conducive to reader enjoyment, because we know that eventually we’ll find out the facts, whether the police agencies do so or not. This is a novel that will engross readers of many different genres, and I highly recommend it and anticipate more from author Solitaire Parke.
  • Match in Malta (A Moonlight Love Match short romance) on Aug. 16, 2012

    5 Stars Take two disparate individuals, living on the same island, who have never met and have no reason to think they might meet, both with painful anniversaries-on the same date of the year. Mix these two into the cauldron of a special matchmaking concern, and arrange for them to “meet” for one evening and night. Sounds simple, but the recipe creates a complex and winning story line, not to be missed. A quite delightful, sensual, heart-touching short story, “Something to Live For” is very well-written, and strums the reader’s heartstrings and senses. Delicately cast into a frame with frissons of the Supernatural, this short story will have appeal to many types of readers, as it did to me. Ms. Owens has an intriguing touch with the aspects of characterization, plotting, and setting imagery; I’m quite eager to read more from her.
  • Botanicaust on Aug. 28, 2012

    Review of Botanicaust Reviewed for Lovers of Paranormal Goodreads Group I just want to say “Wow-what a job of world-building”-it really stretched my imagination, plus the novel is a very enjoyable read. Set some distance into the future, four centuries after the “botanicaust,” in which the world’s total crop output is destroyed, by manmade mistakes including pesticides, leaving only a plant that is toxic, and a few other scattered types of plant life. By genetic modification, a species of modified humans exist, who are themselves photo-synthetic: they are very similar to plants, thriving on sunlight, but plant life is toxic to them. They seldom need to eat, either; and oddly, their skin is green-again like plants. Other ethnic groups also exist: the Holdouts, who are similar to Amish, speak German, and follow only “Gotte Wille” (God’s Will); and the Fosselites, famed scientists and researchers who have survived intact since before the Botanicaust, very long-lived individuals indeed. Author Tam Linsey has worked an extraordinary world-building in this novel, and I am thankful to see it will be a series-I’m eager for the next installment.
  • Freewill on Sep. 13, 2012

    Author has provided review copy from Smashwords via We ♥ YA Books in exchange for my fair, honest, and authentic review-copy provided August 21, 2012. Freewill is the first in the trilogy by the same name, an unusual and complex metaphysical exploration of the world “beyond” the perception of most, and the many divergent ways in which we humans are affected by it. Although it commences in early 20th century England (approx. 1920) and moves to events of 1940 during the Nazi blitz of London, for me the book really got underway with the contemporary story of eighteen-year-old Christopher Ross of Golden, Colorado, a boy who finds computers and drafting simple as pie, yet with his dyslexia struggles to read. Christopher is a solitary with a special talent: tritely put, he is a “human lie detector.” He can read what an individual is actually thinking, while he or she is speaking something else. Lately Christopher has been mentally plagued by an entity named James, who is deceased but yet not a ghost. James is purely evil, but his mentor V is much worse. Then Christopher’s life is uprighted when another “Other,” Ellie, appears-it is she who was born in 1920, concealed from an evil society by her uncle Edward, who was himself a seer, and died in 1940, just before her eighteenth birthday. As an Empath, she has spent her life-and afterlife-helping others. Now as she discovers Christopher, she and he both fall unwillingly in love. Author Elyse Draper has a lyrical and poetic imagination and brings the many locales to vivid reality. Her view of afterlife is also unusual, but logical (if it’s appropriate to call spirit entities a logical progression). The rollercoaster ups and downs of emotions Ellie, Christopher, and the secondary characters go through is easily comprehensible, and more than one tear will be brought to readers’ eyes. Christopher certainly is in line for becoming one of the higher pantheon of young male protagonists.
  • The Exoterrestrials on Sep. 30, 2012

    Review of The Exoterrestrials by TW Brown 5 Stars A delightful contemporary science fiction tale with an enterprising moral, “The Exoterrestrials” introduces readers to the castaway Dre’le’exx, marooned in Earth’s Pacific Ocean after an unfortunate near-miss encounter with an “alien spacecraft” (from the United States) in 1970. Since their ship was permanently and irreparably damaged and the commander and the remaining crew had to crash-land, the four decided to make good use of their tenure on this planet by “cleaning it up”; that is, by eliminating whichever individuals do not subscribe to the human moral order. That ranges from school-age bullies to middle-age perverts to serial killers, and these beings, who somewhat resemble giant spiders and weave “Mindwebs” to read thoughts, conscious and unconscious, spend their time moving into empty residences, weaving strands of their webs, then collecting the nasties and eliminating them by processing their energy, just as spiders do with flies and other hapless creatures. Despite the premise, “The Exoterrestrials” is a well-written and delectable little tale, and just the thing for late-night reading in those last moments before turning off the lights to sleep.
  • Perfection Unleashed on Jan. 12, 2013

    Review of Perfection Unleashed by Jade Kerrion Blog Tour Jan. 17 5 stars Double Helix Book 1 “Perfection Unleashed” is an astonishingly adventurous and fast-paced thriller, paranormal in the sense that many of the characters are what consensus reality considers “beyond normal,” scientific in the sense that much of what occurs in this story line is the result of rampant genetic manipulation and genetic engineering, from the quest to discover and “create” the Perfect Human, which of course creates a whole number of mutations and abominations along that path. Trial and error alone ensures that some mistakes are going to occur, and in this novel, some of those mistakes are literally monstrous. I could not put this book aside, literally. It is so rapid-paced, so non-stop adventurous, that I found it both totally absorbing and an absolute delight to read, and am so looking forward to the next two books in the series. Author Jade Kerrion has a special touch and she definitely puts it to excellent effect in “Perfection Unleashed.”
  • Ascent of Blood, The Red Veil Series Book 2 on March 26, 2013

    Review of Ascent of Blood by Elizabeth Marx 5 stars The Red Veil Series #1 In contemporary society, with a world population of humans in the billions, vampires can’t really afford to be discovered, for discovery would mean going to war against humans, and who then would lose? Sebastian Pearce has been a vampire for centuries, and for six of those he has searched for a breeder, a human female capable of bearing vampire offspring, such as his mother. Those are few and rare, and his House of Imperials is terribly in need of expansion. When he encounters a young American woman in London, searching for the Book of Descent, Sebastian is at first amazed and infuriated, then enraptured and obsessed. But Sebastian is not the only one of this pair holding secrets close to his chest; Everleigh is too. If you’ve not yet read the prequel to this series, “Descent of Blood,” you can still read and very much enjoy this story, but why not pick up both and have the double pleasure?
  • Descent of Blood, The Red Veil Series Book 1 on March 26, 2013

    Review of Descent of Blood by Elizabeth Marx 5 Stars Readers who enjoy perusing historical fiction relating to the Middle Ages, especially those who like their history served on the gory side (for example, fans of Vlad the Impaler and of Elisabeth Bathory—of which I am one) will find much to relish regarding the gory visual side of that era. Factual historians don’t usually relate tales involving regiments of vampires, but Elizabeth Marx certainly does so, and does it well. Even this reviewer, who is not a vampire aficionado, found much to enjoy in Ms. Marx’s very visual tales. Of course, visualizing is not all she does well: she also delivers heartbeat-fast action, adventure, and sensual romance. Back in the day (or many multitudes of moons ago) I was a history major at University, but you know: history was just never like this. You owe it to yourself, Constant Readers, to go get this series—both Descent of Blood, for Ms. Marx’s amazingly different perspective of the 15th English Wars of the Roses; and the companion novel, Ascent of Blood, for a more contemporary version. Don’t worry, there’ll be vampires there too.