Goddess With A Blade by Lauren Dane

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really liked this book. The funny thing is that when I first read the title I thought, hmmm, what a catchy title. But, when I read the book and the history that explained that it meant more than some woman with a sword, I thought, now that is really good. I like that it is set in Las Vegas. I've only visited once and for only 24 hours at that, but, it was a truly different place. I also visited someone's home that was enough away from the strip that I could see what it was like for families to live there and what lawns and yards looked like. We drove in from Arizona so I got a good look at the scenery on the way in before it turned dark outside, then the look of things as the lights blazed at night from all the casinos and wow what a huge contrast. But, this book with the descriptions of the different places where Rowan went each day fed my mini-vacation imagination Even the descriptions of Ireland left me wanting to see them for myself.

The characters were a bit different. It is hard to have a vampire book stand out and also very difficult for an author to have originality. Outside of the romance genre vampires seem to have taken a backseat to dystopia and zombies so there is some room there for authors still writing about vampires to branch out and hopefully find their own place. Goddess With A Blade does that. It strikes out and tries to find its own place in a genre that is pretty-well saturated especially when publishers and pushing paranormal romance as urban fantasy much to my dismay. As someone who does NOT like a strictly romance book, regardless to whether it has vampires in it I prefer for a book to advertised according to what it truly is and saying a paranormal romance is urban fantasy or muddying the waters is really bugging me. I do not mind if the book is urban fantasy with a romance in the background but I do not want it to be the cusp of the story. Goddess With A Blade is being shelved with the paranormal romances but so far the cusp of the story is Rowan, her history, and the mystery she is trying to solve. There are other parts to the story but they do not overwhelm the story so I can accept this book as one written the way I like them, with a kick butt hero/heroine and it doesn't matter to me which as long as there is action and cool supernatural powers. A good mystery is always a clincher.




Also posted at: http://ladytechiesbookmusings.blogspot.com
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Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


It appears that The Andrews writing duo can do no wrong in my eyes when it comes to the Kate Daniels series. @JulieYMandKAC's letter to the authors is an excellent depiction of how strongly the fans of this series feel about the characters and the story itself. They have mastered urban fantasy storytelling and the readers are the benefactors.

In this installment Kate Daniels is trying to get her new business off the ground and takes on a new case that has a huge gotcha in it that puts everyone she loves at risk. She and her new business partner as well as one or two reluctant ones put in some very hard work against the clock to determine who the threat is and neutralize it or them. One of the things that is great about these books is that the authors pick up threads from previous books that sometimes we forget about and resolve them. This happened here because so many of the people in the books leave messes where ever they walk. It's just who they are as people.

We have some new characters introduced, some serious growing pains, and more fallout to deal with from Magic Strikes. I'm always impressed with the way they handle how things happen with Kate's supernatural abilities and the impending meeting that is bound to occur between Kate and Roland. I can see how the future might play out with the new bouda member and changes that are occurring with other members of the pack as well. Aunt B is a wild card and I guess her name is a huge misnomer and I keep getting a shock with how much of an alpha she really can be in her behavior. I expect Mahon to be who he is because he is the pack executioner. But, sometimes it seems Aunt B could just as easily slide into that role.

I really wish we did not have to wait a full year to see what happens next. But, I will be one of the first in line to purchase my copy.


Review also posted on:
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Dead on the Delta by Stacey Jay

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Woohoo, I did love this book! I wish I could say that Annabelle and her flaws did not seem a bit reminiscent. But, that is what makes the book so good. Someone who goes through so much tends to find their path steeped with what people tend to call flaws. But, watching her work through them to find truth for herself and for her friends just drives this story. I have been enjoying my Kindle so much and waiting for the release date that I was shocked to see it in Barnes and Noble and remembered my love of physical books as I oooed and ahhhed over the cover and the feel of the actual book in my hands again. So of course I snatched it up and danced to the counter to purchase it.

Talk about a different take on the fey. Wow! Stacey Jay does not make them the sexy, hard to resist faeries we are used to in most of the books. These faeries seem to be the stuff of nightmares. I love the setting in the swamps of Louisiana and the interesting take on how things get the way they are for 3 of the southern states. I really want to see more on the history of that and hope the next book tells more.

I started to worry about the relationships because I honestly just do not want to read anymore love triangles. I'm not a huge romance fan but, I can tolerate it if it is not the center of the story and more backdrop or secondary. The author did a great job dealing with the relationship between Annabelle and Cane as well as her relationships with her friends and others in the town. I can honestly say I like Cane and hope things go well there. Annabelle is a woman in pain trying to get through her life, deal with a past she has basically ignored or anesthetized herself through and those that love her ignore it or push her towards doing better. But, there might be a bit of change in the wind and hopefully some of the newer people in Annabelle's life will help guide her to not only healing herself but also to more great storytelling by Stacey Jay.

Review also posted at http://ladytechiesbookmusings.blogspot.c...



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Fathers and sons by Gordon Andrews

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Though there were a few editing issues I decided who cares. It was .99 or free depending upon how you obtained the book. The most important part was getting my Curran fix before Tuesday, 5/31/2011. I am both excited and apprehensive about Magic Slays but, that will not keep me away from it. I love this series and I love the story. I am NOT a romance fan but, these books have enough intrigue, supernatural jockeying for power and excellent fight scenes that I am a devoted follower of the Andrews' writing!



This story gave a wonderful in-depth look at Curran's view of this world. I loved seeing how he worked things out with not only his people, but, especially his "father", Mahon. Now that Kate's world shifts a bit we get a bigger look at the pack's world and I love seeing the different shifters.





Mini-review also over at

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Graveminder by Melissa Marr

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book feels like Melissa Marr has struck onto something a bit original here. But, that might be because I don't tend to read books that I fear are going to be about zombies. I just do not have the stomach for the zombies, even when they are humorous zombie books. But, this book surprised me and had so much more to offer. The history of Claysville is one that leaves you with a bad taste for the founders of the town. But, as the story develops you eventually feel anger and sympathy for the citizens of Claysville. They seem to have no real power over their own lives though they do seem to cope well. I am not sure I understand why yet and hope that in future books (hopefully this is a series) I will have my suspicions confirmed. Throughout the book I kept singing "Welcome to Hotel California". Not sure where that came from but, we'll see if it is apropos.

Rebekkah and Byron are a pair. They have serious hang-ups about themselves and each other. Watching them work their way around all of the baggage makes for a great read. Watching as their histories unfold not only before us, but also before them, starts off feeling like the old saying about watching a train wreck that you try not to watch but you cannot seem to look away. It then turns into something you just have to know. The story draws you in and makes you want to know why things are the way they are, who is responsible, and if anything interesting might change everything. I was a bit confused about Daisha and it looks like we get to see her more. I thought one thing happened to her and that was how she ended up where she did. But, later it seems I was wrong. I'm not sure if I was supposed to make a leap there or if I missed something. Graveminder is a great story and I look forward to seeing more about Rebekkah and Byron and the weird town of Claysville.




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Phoenix Rising by Philippa Ballantine

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I really loved this book! If it seems as if I always give 4's and 5's, I do not. If I truly do not like a book I either forgo it to try again later in case it is just my mood, or I donate it. When I first heard about this book about 2 months before it was released I watched the release date hoping it would release earlier than the date scheduled. I searched in the UK hoping it sold earlier there. But, alas, I had to wait until the scheduled release date and it was well worth the wait. It opened with a bang, pretty much literally! It was full of excitement and exciting characters. Wellington Books and Eliza Braun are an exciting team and it was not only fun to watch them relate but a good time watching their exploits.

Phoenix Rising is a great addition to the Steampunk genre. It was good to see the chemistry between the characters with their diverse backgrounds. I hope to learn more about where they all come from and how they came to be the way they are now. Wellington Books is the best kept secret the Ministry does not even know it has to offer! Sophia is seriously a great nemesis for Eliza, especially given the information that Wellington provides during the apex of the story. These are just a few examples of how the players were well developed. For example, describing the expressions and mannerisms of Wellington when he had Eliza pushed into his world. Priceless!

I'm happy to see that we will have more coming from the dynamic duo and mysteries left in play with Dr. Sound, Campbell and Sussex. Oh, and do not let me forget the awesome cover!



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The Magnolia League by Katie Crouch

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this book. I'm not much in the mood for writing a review, but, I did want to share that I liked it and look forward to the next book! Alex is different then most of the protagonists we read about in YA paranormal books and that is a winner here.



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