Location: United Kingdom
Member Since: June 28, 2013

Maria Dodd

Smashwords book reviews by Maria Dodd

  • Cascades of Moonlight (The Parker Harris Series: Book #1) on Dec. 27, 2013

    I was given this book in exchange for an honest review, Lovers of Paranormal.I liked the premise of the book, the werewolf falling for the vampire. I liked the characters, most of the time, and enjoyed Parker's sarcastic comments. It was a bit odd that they were all so keen to 'fall in love' with each other so readily - maybe this is aimed more at the younger audience although I usually have no problems with YA books.I have mixed feelings about this book but that could partly be due to the fact that the author did too. I found the convoluted emotional outbursts annoying at times, Parker is one minute very mature and able to work through her feelings and ridiculously immature the next, much more than usual teen hormones and angst would provide an excuse for. The most difficult thing for me was sticking with it at the beginning when the bad punctuation was driving me mad and I needed to re-read sentences to mentally put them right. I have to say that if the story line was not so good I would have been tempted to skim my way through it. The writing style did not keep my attention. What kept my attention was the good story with lots of twists and turns. There were lots of details and some back stories of the characters which also helps them appear more 'real'. I am looking forward to the next in the series to follow their tale.
  • Dreams, Spells, and Moonlit Tales (The Parker Harris Series Book #2 on Dec. 28, 2013

    I was given this book in exchange for an honest review, Lovers of Paranormal. This was an easier read than the first book with fewer editing errors.This book continues straight on from the first although there is a bit of a recap. The two couples, Parker and Quinn, Mitchell and Jackie are now living together although obstacles are constantly coming their way you can't help but hope for the best for them. There are lots of nice tie-ins to things in the first book that didn't seem of consequence at the time, adding to the twists and turns of the plot line. The characters seem slightly more mature and consistent this time too, also making for an easier and more enjoyable read. A few new characters, Charisma and family, were a nice addition and I hope to see them develop in the next book.This series has kept my interest by never quite being able to guess where the story will go next. This book has ended on a cliff-hanger so must go continue with the third.........
  • The Dark Moon (The Parker Harris Series Book #3) on Dec. 29, 2013

    I was given this book in exchange for an honest review, Lovers of Paranormal.This book nicely wrapped up the trilogy. We have been following the many twists and turns in the lives of Parker, a werewolf, her boyfriend Quinn, a vampire and her friends Mitchell, another vampire and Jackie, a werewolf. Their love lives have had as many twists and turns as the plot. There was a moment of panic at the start of the epilogue that had me cursing the author, thinking 'she wouldn't ?! Not right at the end' but I'm glad to say my panic was short-lived.The trilogy was a well thought out story that cleverly wove events and people throught the three books. Seemingly inconsequential moments or people suddenly came to the fore a book or two on, this was well done and as I was reading one book after another was easily noticed - a very good move from the author. I had a major problem with the writing style and grammar/punctuation during the first book but I barely noticed anything by the end of the third. I can't honestly say if it was due to improvement or the fact that I got used to it. I can say that the trilogy as a whole was well thought out and kept my attention. The characters were (after a little inconsistency in book one) enjoyable and, a lot of the time, fun. The storyline kept moving at a good pace and had surprises along the way. I really enjoyed the way even little moments were later brought together for the 'finale'.I enjoyed the trilogy.
  • The Athena Effect on Jan. 01, 2014

    I was given this book in exchange for an honest review, Lovers of Paranormal. I was torn between 4 and 5 stars on this one - I would really like to give 4.5. This book was great and something different, with our main character, Cal/Cali/Caledonia being able to read auras. Being raised in the wilds and away from civilisation obviously did no harm to our heroine, she is tough but caring with her priorities in the right place. A nice love story runs through this book. Who can resist a bad boy turned good?! Our other Cal/Calvin also shows how good will out. It was also good to see the deranged scientist get his come-uppance. Maybe in hindsight it was all a bit 'all's right with the world' but it was enjoyable anyway. Lots of nice detail and a well paced intriguing plot kept me gripped from the very beginning right through to the end. This is definitely one to add to your 'to read' list. I am off to add the sequel to mine! :-)
  • Carnelian on Jan. 12, 2014

    I was given this book in exchange for an honest review, Lovers of Paranormal. This was one of the best books I have read in a while. It gripped me from the start. The hot guy literally falling into Mari's lap was a brilliant introduction to their relationship. The characters were really interesting and well formed with personalities that were consistent. Seth, Ty and Dee coming from ancient Egypt and spending 3 years looking for an unknown girl could have been a bit of a washout but it was handled so well. Modern technology was not ignored but used and was an interesting detail when it failed to work when Mari wanted to look up specifics. Little details like this are what, to me, makes a great book. I hate to have unanswered questions and obvious possibilities ignored within a book. The details and explanations were well covered. The book was well written with a good clear plot that kept moving along at a pace that meant I couldn't put the book down. I didn't and read it in around half a day. A really great read!! Don't ignore the warning at the end of the book that says 'READ AT YOUR OWN RISK' It really is a cliffhanger to the next book that isn't out until Summer 2014 :-(
  • Homecoming: A Cloaked Devices Short Story (Cloaked Devices 0.5) on Jan. 19, 2014

    I was given this book in exchange for an honest review, Lovers of Paranormal. A slight difference on the usual shifter stories as everything to do with their animal sides was internalised, verbally. Their inner dialogues made interesting reading :-) I like the bonding/mating aspect of shifters and this was very strong in this story. A true love story. There almost seemed two story lines in this book. We had Sera and Lev and their history and possible future. We also had the history of their world and the talents of the humans that had been saved from a destroyed earth. I would love this book to have been longer so some of the background could have been explored further. I would also love to know more about Uriel, the talented human with a beautiful personality. The dynamics between the characters were interesting and the personalities were clear and convincing. The plot moved along nicely and the only downside was the length of the book. As this book is numbered 0.5 I'm hoping there is much more to come!
  • The Lost Dragon (The Dragon Hunters #1) on Feb. 09, 2014

    I was given this book (ahead of book No. 5) in exchange for an honest review by the author via Lovers of Paranormal. WOW! A great book. Gods, demons, demi-gods and humans all put together in a fantastically well thought out book. The world that the author has created is a mix of modern life and God produced realms as well as the expected Olympus which all work very well together. All the characters are well written and enjoyable but I have a super soft spot for Andreas. The twins are great and I really liked the interaction between them and now Andreas. The 'sex talk' takes on a whole new meaning with those three, very good :-) The romance between Andreas and Kazarian took a while to come to fruition, 11,000 years long!! but was beautifully written and I love a good HEA. The plot of the book books along nicely and with so many Gods, demi-gods, demons and humans thrown into the mix it could be easy to get confused but this story holds its own throughout and each character has a chance to shine. The plot is gripping and well thought out. I recommend this book and can't wait for the next!
  • The Dragon Witch (The Dragon Hunters #2) on Feb. 12, 2014

    I was given this book (ahead of Book 5) in exchange for an honest review by the author via Lovers of Paranormal. This is setting out to be a truly great series. This may,possibly, be not quite as good as book one but certainly deserves the 5 stars I have given it. Sometimes the second book comes more naturally with the familiarity of the characters and ideas preventing the absolute wow factor of the first book. That does not mean that this book is lacking in anything that the first had. The characters are still great, the plot moves along brilliantly and the humour continues. I was not quite as taken by Victoria as I was her brother and nephews. Ares was good to get to know too. Jarel is, once again, a delight! The twins continue to grow into their powers and are as delightful in the humour as they were in the first book. Sadly not quite as much of Andreas in this book. A few more editing errors in this book which is a shame but the story is so good it is easy enough to ignore them and move along. My favourite books and series tend to have lots of mythology and I love the Gods and Goddesses of Olympus. This series may get to make my favourites list.
  • Fatal Healing (The Dragon Hunters #3) on Feb. 13, 2014

    I was given this book (ahead of book 5) in exchange for an honest review by the author via Lovers of Paranormal. Another gripping continuation in the Dragon Hunters series. I couldn't quite give this book the 5 stars that I gave the previous two books. I spent a little time throughout this book wondering where these additional Dragons had come from and why they hadn't been mentioned before. I hate that 'hang on, what?!' feeling when I am reading a book and that happened a couple of times to me during this one. Once again the plot moved along brilliantly and there were plenty of action scenes. The characters continue to be well-written and consistent. I love the sarcastic humour which seems to suit these characters so well. Even less of Andreas and Kazarian in this book, sadly. And when will we get Vic back I wonder?! Brandon continues to go from strength to strength and I was glad to see more of him and Demun together in this book but I would still like more. Victoria is still strangely not so likable to me. I think it must be her over-aggressive nature which is far worse than any of the males in the book. Jarel, again, so great to read about!
  • Heir of Mjölnir (The Dragon Hunters #4) on Feb. 17, 2014

    I was given this book (ahead of Book5) in exchange for an honest review by the author via Lovers of Paranormal. This series is fantastic - a definite must read! I was given the opportunity to read all of the books prior to reading Book 5 which was being offered as a 'Read 2 Review' item on LoP. What a pleasure it has been. After reaching the end of book 3 I decided to read a couple of books before reading the next one as I felt the impending doom of losing touch with the characters within this series. I now only have book 5 left and am torn between rushing on to read the continuing story or reading something else and delaying my gratification. Patience is not my strong suit! The characters in this series have continued to delight me and have remained consistent throughout. The humour in dialogue is great and the Gods, Goddesses, demi gods etc are all very 'normal' and easy to relate to. Brandon has been a great read all by himself but I have really missed Demun with him and the fact that Andreas did not appear at all in this book was very disappointing to me. For other followers of this series have some tissues ready for the last few pages (not in a terriby bad way) and be ready for your mouth to hang open in the last page or so! As a long time follower of all kinds of paranormal the end of this book left me with a huge smile :-D
  • Relinquished Mercy (The Dragon Hunters #5) on Feb. 23, 2014

    I was given this book in exchange for an honest review by the author via Lovers of paranormal. This series, books 1 -5, was great. I was given all 5 books at the same time and have to admit that I was so reluctant to get to the end that I actually read some books in between each book towards the end. I have now read as far as the author has written and I am already feeling the loss. It was so great to have Demun and Brandon back together and Vic always hits the humour just right. The sex talk over hanburgers was laugh out loud funny. As always the characters were consistent and so real and the dialogue always believable. Jarel as the all-powerful primordial god does a good turn at the doting grandfather, another joy to read. Just a few editing misses and 'ravage' would have been better used than 'ravish' in a coupld of places but this just made me smile. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as I did the previous four, and look forward to the next.