Christine

Geekius rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars

Jennifer (a.k.a The Book Nympho) rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars

Geekius reviewed a book.

“A pleasant surprise

This was a really fun read, which considering the subject matter—a serial killer going around stealing witch hearts—is a slightly weird statement, but I stand by it. It was a great balance of mystery and romance, with a backdrop of witchcraft which was...”

“A pleasant surprise

This was a really fun read, which considering the subject matter—a serial killer going around stealing witch hearts—is a slightly weird statement, but I stand by it. It was a great balance of mystery and romance, with a backdrop of witchcraft which was all brought to life through its engaging and likeable characters. I really liked it. And bonus! I believe its a stand alone, which as you probably  know, are rarer than rocking horse poop these days.

The story follows Ruby, a witch, who has just heard the news that her best friend Courtney, also a witch, has been found dead. Murdered. With her heart removed. It instantly raises warning bells for Ruby who knows it might be the work of a dark magick user, and when she finds out Courtney wasn't the first witch to die in this way, and that she might just be next, things get really scary really fast.

Enter Cooper, the older brother of the now dead Courtney. Someone Ruby has known through her BFF for more than 10 years, but only in the capacity of "Courtney's hot older bother who is out of bounds". As often happens, tragedy brings people together and due to Cooper's guilt over his sister's death, he is determined not to let anything happen to the last remaining link to her—Ruby. So he moves in to her apartment for protection and pretty soon, sparks are aflying.

The sexual tension was palpable between these two and I enjoyed reading the great dialogue they had, but my inner smutmonster was slightly aggravated by the fade to black technique. Leaving your readers at the bedroom door like that is just cruel, yo. But I understand that sexy scenes may have taken something away from the grief and companionship Cooper and Ruby shared with each other in the days after Courtney's death, so I guess I can forgive it. Sort of.

On a couple of occasions, Ruby was a little bit impetuous, putting herself in unnecessary danger. I realise sometimes heroines need to do this to move plots forward, but I always wish for a better method that just to have them running headlong into danger, because then they look like a nincompoop. But other than that, I really enjoyed Ruby. She was quietly awesome, if that makes sense. She wasn't an over-the-top smartypants type of heroine, but she was cool anyway. And Cooper sounded delicious!

I've gotta say, the ending surprised me. There was another character—I don't know if he/she was an intentional red herring, or if I was just off my game—but it turned out to be someone else entirely. So kudos for the surprise.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it for anyone looking for a quick and entertaining witchy read with a sweet romance sprinkled on the top

4 Stars ★★★★
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. ”

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Geekius reviewed a book.

“Great Sequel

I really enjoyed the first instalment of this series, THE IMMORTAL RULES, and found a preference for Kagawa's writing when she's letting her darker, grittier side roam free, rather than her more colourful world of the fey. The dystopian, post viral-apocalyptic...”

“Great Sequel

I really enjoyed the first instalment of this series, THE IMMORTAL RULES, and found a preference for Kagawa's writing when she's letting her darker, grittier side roam free, rather than her more colourful world of the fey. The dystopian, post viral-apocalyptic elements only add to the stark backwash of this already dangerous vampire-filled world.

Allie spends much of the book trying to further comes to terms with her new undead status. This is only emphasised by the reappearance of Jackal, one of the main antagonists of book one, and her very own blood brother. Jackal is without doubt the black sheep of Allie and her sire, Kanin's, dysfunctional little family, and his disregarding attitude towards humans, or "blood bags" as he likes to call them, is a sharp change from Allie's own softer opinions. Allie hasn't yet let go of her humanness and has to keep reminding herself that she is no longer one of them. She is, quite literally, her own worst enemy now. The thing that as a Fringer, she despised above all others. It's a lot to absorb, to accept, and this book took that concept and ran with it to great effect.

I have to say, I had brief moments with the character of Jackal where I wondered if he was going to end up being not as evil as we once thought. He's snide, condescending, rude, and let's not forget, the guy that staked Allie and chucked her out of a skyscraper window in book one. But he's also realistic, pragmatic, and there were hints that there may be reasons why he's become the vamp he is. Aaaaand then he'd say something repugnant and we'd be back to square one. His character is more than a little confusing, but I'm still hoping there's something in him worth saving. For people who love a good anti-hero, I suspect he may end up being a contender for that role.

The other character of note in this series is, of course, golden-haired good guy Seth. He was last seen tucked safely away in Eden, the only vampire-free community left in America (I think, don't quote me on that, but certainly the only one Allie and crew are aware of). Knowing he was safe was all that was keeping Allie going as she followed the call back to her sire, in effect, retracing the steps she took in IMMORTAL RULES. But even with that blood call pulling at her, and her sire's torture invading her dreams, Seth is never far from her thoughts. Her time with him, helping his "family" move across treacherous grounds to reach the haven that is Eden, profoundly affected Allie. It reinforced her desire to stay human and to never become anything like vamps such as Jackal. But her time spent with Jackal in this book, has an almost equal impact, and as much as she tries to block him out, he also affects her. She is a monster. She has killed and she will continue to kill, just as he does. So what is the difference, really?

All these things and more are addressed and somewhat resolved in this book. The Red Lung virus and the possibility of a cure is what drives much of the action as well as Allie's desire - compulsion, even - to rescue her sire from the demented Sarren. There was also a huge game-changing event at the end which has me thinking the next book is going to be something else entirely. Can't wait.

4 Stars ★★★★
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.”

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• Rated 4 stars

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Geekius rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars

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• Rated 2 stars

“2.5 stars. It was okay I guess but the story was incomplete and ended very abruptly. I didn't hate it but I didn't really like the story either.”

“2.5 stars. It was okay I guess but the story was incomplete and ended very abruptly. I didn't hate it but I didn't really like the story either. ”

Geekius reviewed a book.

“Chantress

I have to confess, I was initially drawn to CHANTRESS by its pretty cover, followed swiftly by the blurb which made it sound like a Maria V. Snyder or Juliet Marillier style historical fantasy with a slow-forming romance in. Which as you may or may not know, is my...”

“Chantress

I have to confess, I was initially drawn to CHANTRESS by its pretty cover, followed swiftly by the blurb which made it sound like a Maria V. Snyder or Juliet Marillier style historical fantasy with a slow-forming romance in. Which as you may or may not know, is my own personal brand of book crack.

To that end, however, it was slightly underwhelming. I found the writing engaging enough and the concept interesting (although I have read of Spell Singers before, it's certainly not something that's overdone at all), and the characters were likeable with good back stories. But the plot itself was a little too slow with too many pages dedicated to Lucy's endless training sessions and only a flurry of excitement towards the end. Also, the romance was a bit too minuscule for my liking. I like them subtle, because I like to concentrate on story and world-building, but this was blink and you'll miss it.

At this point I'd like to say that despite this book being slow and full of set-up, I see quite a lot of potential for future books, but due to the game-changing events at the end, I actually have no clue where the author plans to take the trilogy from here.

I think I'll likely check out some reviews for book two before I make my decision as to whether to carry on with this one or not.

3 Stars ★★★
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
”

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“GIVEAWAY for an E-book, T-Shirt & Coffee Mug on the blog ends 6/18

http://pnrurbanfantasyreviews.blogspo...

*A copy of Soul Avenged was provided by the author, for an unbiased review. No compensation was provided for review.

The author has created an exciting...”

“GIVEAWAY for an E-book, T-Shirt & Coffee Mug on the blog ends 6/18

http://pnrurbanfantasyreviews.blogspo...

*A copy of Soul Avenged was provided by the author, for an unbiased review. No compensation was provided for review.

The author has created an exciting installment in the Paranormal/Urban Fantasy genre! Rivaling authors like J.Ward. Her writing is fabulous, her characters likable, and engaging. The Plot is spot-on, and let's not forget the main character and her fierceness. What a treat for fans of this genre!
Soul Avenged is on my Best of 2013 list for sure and on my top ten Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy List ever read.

Ayden was one strong heroine. She is an Alexi warrior, a group formed to slay Lycans. Although, she has left the Alexi group, due to their corrupt ways, she still pursues Lycans, for revenge. Revenge for what happened to her years ago.

Ayden was attacked by a Lycan, but before she turned into one of them, her blood held a resistance to the Lycan venom that when mixed with the Lywa Antibody prevents that person to change into a Lycan. Instead, she was found by the Alexi warriors and infused with this antibody. These "warriors" take on the Lycan's attributes, in the form of enhanced power, strength etc... From then on Ayden was trained with the Alexi and became second in command, but with a corrupt leader, Ayden decides to flee, knowing full well she will be hunted by the Alexi. Seems once you are an Alexi warrior there is no other option for you, and they do not tolerate abandonment, they will hunt her down and either drag her back or kill her.

Ayden being the smart and skilled heroine that she is, comes up with a plan to avoid being detected by the Alexi, while still on the hunt to kill as many Lycans as possible. The deal she strikes happens to be with some damn, sexy Demon warriors. Brothers who basically have unmatched powers and whom can be contracted for certain jobs. These brothers are sexy, confidant, and sometimes arrogant with each other, as well as others. Ayden is under their protection and hunts down Lycans with them.

When a kill goes down a human is lunch, left for dead, or with an attack wound from a Lycan. In seven days, those who have survived the Lycan attack will be one of them, a foul-hunting machine.
Ayden comes across a human who has been left by the Lycan group, she knows what he will become, she goes in for the kill, but something in her has been provoked. Seems that touching this human has brought back tidbits from her past, as a human. Memories that were thought to be erased from her mind, forever. Ayden is shocked over this, and decides to use this human as a way to find out what happened to her before she was attacked.

This human is Kane Walker, he was attacked and now is confused over his outcome. With Ayden telling him she will kill him because he will become "one of them(Lycan)". He wonders why she keeps him around and learns of his fate as well as the secrets behind Ayden's past life. Although, he is shunned and kept confided to a room in the Demon brothers mansion, he is slowly seeming to win over Ayden, although, she knows she will kill him at the end of the week. Kane's week is filled with torment from the change his body slowly endures, but his mind is strong and Kane is determined not to let himself become one of them, and if he does, he agrees that Ayden should kill him.

What ensues is a plot that ensnares you with the interest. We have the Alexi warriors hunting Ayden down, as well as those vile Lycans, who are killing machines. The build-up of Kane's change, and what he will become, as well as a build-up of romance. Ayden's mysterious human past, and let's not forget the Demon brothers! I did enjoy their camaraderie together. The last half of the book was full steam, action-packed, excitement, and had me enjoying the outcome, of course, except for the death of a character. But, things look up for the group and I only hope with fingers crossed that the author does the second book with the same "group" like setting, including the fan favorites of the group.

To all my readers who love Paranormal Romance or Urban Fantasy this should be the next book you pick up. I loved this book right from the start, The main character is a smart, strong, and a resilient character. The secondary characters, the Demon brothers are sexy, strong, and a whole lot of bad a**!! The romance is hot, and the enemies are unrelenting! A super debut, and I'm super excited to learn that Keri will be continuing on with this series, the next book will be one of the Demon Brothers, Logan's book.

Quotes~
Ayden to Kane~
"Ayden grinned. Lycan, you make think the pain you felt last night is over, but it's only just begun." Her tone had a patronizing slap to it."So I'm going to sit back and enjoy the show. And when seven days is up, I'm personally going to remove your spine from your body and feed you to my demon friends." She winked. "Then we'll see whom proved whom wrong."
"Sounds lovely" he muttered,..." ”

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Monica reviewed a book.

“3.5 Stars - This was almost a 4 star read for me. I enjoyed this more than the first book in the series Pushing the Limits, which is saying a lot considering this is a novella (I'm not the biggest fan of novellas). I enjoyed the two main characters' backstory and enjoyed seeing them move...”

“3.5 Stars - This was almost a 4 star read for me. I enjoyed this more than the first book in the series Pushing the Limits, which is saying a lot considering this is a novella (I'm not the biggest fan of novellas). I enjoyed the two main characters' backstory and enjoyed seeing them move forward together. Some situations seemed too unrealistic for me, which I can't reveal here without spoiling a big plot point. But other than that it was a nice, quick, (what word do you use for a teen love story in place of sexy?) sexy read.”

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