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Magic

REVIEW – Scorched by Sharon Ashwood

by Christina on January 25, 2010

in 4 Stars,Countdown Challenge,Magic,Other Supernatural Beings,Sharon Ashwood,Vampires

Scorched

Title: Scorched
Author: Sharon Ashwood
Copyright: 2009 (Signet); 366 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-451-22864-2
Series: The Dark Forgotten #2
Sensuality: Warm
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Spoilers for the 1st Book!

Previously — Holly Carver, along with her vampire business partner-turned lover Alessandro Caravelli, prevented the demon Geneva from wrecking havoc in Fairview, and in the process unveiled the entrance to the Castle. The Castle is a supernatural prison, existing on another dimensional plane.

One year later. . .

The Cop and His Innocent Vampire Milkmaid (or, The Two Unluckiest Irish Persons Ever) – Conall “Mac” MacMillian got involved with the wrong woman — Geneva, got a reprieve of sorts via Holly, and has tried to maintained his humanity and calling in life as a cop. However, a certain vampire champion isn’t so sure he’s all cured. Alessandro spares his life, but tosses him into the Castle where he meets . . .

Constance Moore. Thanks to a newbie vampire, Constance’s Turning was incomplete. She was hauled off by the Guards before taking human blood. She has long been the servant to the once-powerful sorcerer Atreus. In the meantime, she has raised a foundling incubus,Sylvius, as if he were her own son and adopts stray shifters as pets. Her unlife could almost be described as ordinary. But Atreus is going insane and he didn’t stop Captain Reynard of the Guards from imprisoning Sylvius. Constance is distraught. Without the strength of a full vampire, she is not strong enough to fight the Guards. Constance is tired of being helpless and having others fight her battles for her. She is determined to find a human to bite, so that she can become a full vampire and save Sylvius herself.

It’s A Mystery, too! — Ever the cop, Mac can’t pass up helping a mother looking for her missing boy. His mission to rescue Sylvius is hampered by his own worries about what’s happening to him. His demon side is manifesting and he’s worried that he’ll lose the part of himself that makes him a cop. The good news is that he’s not a soul-eater anymore, but still — why is it happening now? Does it have something to do with the Castle? Mac learns that parts of the Castle are disappearing — is the magic breaking down? What will happen to the “residents” if it fails completely? Is Sylvius’s imprisonment a clue to the mystery or just a coincidence?

Catching Up With Caravelli and Carver — Though Mac and Constance are the main characters, Holly and Alessandro are still major players. Holly is the only witch with the power to close the portal to the Castle — meaning she’s more or less responsible for keeping an eye on it. Holly is busy with classes — exams!! — so Alessandro and the hellhounds are keeping tabs on it for her. Holly and Alessandro are genuinely happy with their life. However, Holly’s sister, Ashe, comes to Fairview with sharpened stake in hand to dust Alessandro. As much as she loves her sister, Holly is distressed by Ashe’s attitude and behavior.

Family, Family, Family — One of the themes of this book is family, whether it’s the one you are born into or the one you make. There are a couple of spoilerific ones that I won’t touch on, but many of the major players have family issues:

** Constance — came from a large family. She makes her own little family in the Castle. She falls in love with Mac, and everything would be perfect if Sylvius wasn’t a prisoner and the Castle wasn’t disappearing in chunks.

** Mac — Neither family nor friend wants anything to do with a recovering demon. Though he doesn’t want to be a demon, he eventually reconciles himself to his fate, gains family and a new purpose in life.

** Holly — The sister she loves is back in town. Unfortunately, big sis thinks she knows best and tries to dust Alessandro. Holly has chosen to be with Alessandro of her own free will, knowing the pros and cons of their union, and she’s not afraid of telling big sis off.

** Alessandro — Holly has given him something beyond price and there isn’t anything he wouldn’t do for her. Ashe’s comments, however, cast doubts on his decision to be with her. He eventually takes Constance under his wing and has the beginning of Clan Caravelli — and it remains to be seen if he’ll mentor more vampires.

** Ashe Carver — Ashe has many issues, not the least of which is the guilt she bears for her parents’ death. She cares about her sister, but sincerely believes that she’s protecting Holly.

** Lore — His actions in the book are motivated by the needs of his family, his hellhound pack.

Ah, Romance — I liked the fact that Mac and Constance’s romance didn’t have major plot-related obstacles that would prevent them from being together. Meaning, with everything else that’s going on, they had a relatively smooth “path” to a relationship: being part demon allows Mac to be with her without all the angst about the vampire venom and talk of another “Chosen”. There’s no big misunderstanding or miscommunication.

What I Liked: I continue to like the author’s writing style and world-building. I also loved that, even though he wasn’t the main hero of the story, we still got to see how Alessandro is adjusting to domestic bliss. Then there’s Holly’ doodling at the emergency council meeting (“Blah, Blah, Blah”) and Mac turning Constance into an avid reader.

What I Didn’t Like: Nothing really stands out.

Recommend to: People who enjoyed the first book. I would recommend reading the first book to get the whole story about Mac, Holly, Alessandro, and Ashe.

Started: 1 December 2009
Finished: 9 January 2010

Liked A Lot

Disclaimer: I purchased this book.

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REVIEW – Skykeepers by Jessica Andersen

by Christina on December 30, 2009

in 2009 "Pub" Challenge,5 Stars,Countdown Challenge,Jessica Andersen,Magic,Paranormal Romance,The Year of Readers 2009

Skykeepers

Title: Skykeepers
Author: Jessica Andersen
Copyright: 2009 (Signet); 454 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-451-22770-6
Series: The Final Prophecy #3
Sensuality: Hot *

Who: Sasha Ledbetter and Michael Stone
Where: New Mexico (primarily)

Skykeepers is the 3rd book in The Final Prophecy series by Jessica Andersen. I would not recommend reading this book without reading the previous books.

In the first book, Nightkeepers, Ms. Andersen introduced the most of the major players and the readers got the opportunity to see a little of their lives just as they were finding out the truth of their heritage. However, one of the characters she did not “introduce” in this manner was Michael Stone. In the first two books, the reader only saw what others thought of him. To his fellow Nightkeepers, he was a pretty boy who liked nice, expensive clothes and probably partied more than he should. I think “shallow as a puddle” was even used in reference to him. He’s a disappointment to his winikin, Tomas, who believes Michael could have done better things with his life than being a tech salesman. Micheal had attended the FBI Academy, but washed out of the program.

The thing is, Micheal wanted to make a difference. He wanted to be an FBI agent, to be one of the good guys, but he has a secret and it is part of the reason he had to wash out of training. Since becoming a fully-fledged Nightkeeper mage, Michael has worked himself to near exhaustion to maintain control of his tainted magic. So far, he’s succeeding. What’s not helping him is the fact he can’t seems to get Sasha Ledbetter out of his head. Ever since her dossier landed on his desk, Micheal has been obsessed with finding her. She was taken prisoner by the Order of Xibalba because they believe she knows where her father hid the Nightkeeper library.

However, they couldn’t be more wrong. Sasha doesn’t believe in the mythical Nightkeepers. She grew up hearing the stories, but Ambrose’s obsession with the mages — his belief that they were real — drove a deep rift between them. She watched him go insane with the conviction. Sasha is Iago’s prisoner for a year, until rescued by the Nightkeepers. However, as far as she’s concerned, all that really happened is that she went from being a “guest” of one group of nut-jobs to another group. Sasha would rather go back to her life as a chef. Instead, she learns that she’s a bonafide Nightkeeper. It’s a lot to take in, and that’s just the beginning. With a missing library to find and a ticking count-down clock, Sasha has very little time to adjust to her new role. The last thing she needs is to get involved with a man who seems on one hand attracted to her and wants her, yet on the other hand is avoiding her and trying to push her away. Naturally, Sasha’s going to be pissed off.

Michael doesn’t want to hurt Sasha; he’s afraid of what might happen if he loses control. He wants to give her time to adjust. But the gods and the Order of Xibalba have their own agendas regarding the pair. Michael tries so hard to do the mature, rational thing — what he feels is the right thing to do — when dealing with Sasha. She’s looking for commitment, having been let down too many times. And as much as he’d like to give her that assurance, he doesn’t think he’ll have a future, and he won’t promise her something he can’t give her. Since this is a romance, Michael eventually finds a way for them to have their HEAWRATTSTW**, by doing things the “newfangled way”.

Unlike it’s predecessors, there is less head hoping in this book. Rabbit and Lucius are the only other “eyes” we see the story from. Rabbit is off at school, along with his girlfriend, Myrinne. As usual, his attempts to do something right, to make up for the mess he made in the past, doesn’t go well — he totally misses the significance of the images he sees, not realizing they point to a specific Nightkeeper, the one who could supposedly help him. I’m still rooting for the guy. Ms. Andersen mentioned that there will be a total of nine books, and I’m guessing that Rabbit and — presumably — Myrinne get their own story. My guess: the last book.

Then there’s Lucius. We don’t see much of him in this book, but he plays a significant part regardless of how little scene time he gets. The poor guy. I said, back when the first book came out, that I thought that Lucius would eventually play a major roll. And I was right. But. . .WOW. I’m looking forward to his book, Demonkeepers, which is due in April.

I continue to enjoy the overall story line and the characters.

* = Though the love scenes are few and not overly long, sex magic is an important part of this group’s culture and therefore a strong motivation for couples to hook up. The whole series should be labeled “Hot”.
** = happily ever after while racing against time to save the world.

Started: 5 August 2009
Finished: 17 August 2009

Favorite Quote:
“Love helps us break the patterns.”
– Rabbit

Rating:

LOVED IT !!

What Others Have Said:
My Thoughts on Nothing Much at All
Night Owl Romance
Joyfully Reviewed

Disclaimer: I purchased this book.

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Reviewette – Magic Mourns by Ilona Andrews

by Christina on October 10, 2009

in 1st Person POV,5 Stars,Anthology,Ilona Andrews,Magic,Other Supernatural Beings,Paranormal Romance,Shape-Shifters,The Year of Readers 2009,Vampires

Must Love Hellhounds

Story Title: Magic Mourns
Story Author: Ilona Andrews
Story Length: 90 pgs.
Anthology Title: Must Love Hellhounds
Copyright: 2009 (Berkley)
ISBN: 978-0-425-22959-0
Series: Kate Daniels
Sensuality: Subtle

Who: Andrea Nash and Raphael
Where: Atlanta (alternate reality)

Can it be read at any point in the series, or as a stand alone? It could, but if you’re new to the series and hadn’t read Magic Burns and/or Magic Strikes, I would consider it a spoiler in regards to Andrea mostly, and Kate (how and why she’s on medical leave). The story takes place after the events in Magic Strikes.

Summary: Kate’s on medical leave, so Andrea takes her place at the Order of Merciful Aid. Since Kate’s cases tend to be either Pack-related or involving the Mercenary Guild, things have been kind of slow. Then she gets a phone call from some guy called Teddy Jo. He informs Andrea that he spotted a shape shifter being chased by a huge dog. A house-sized dog. Andrea’s definitely on the case, especially if it means she gets to shoot something. However, she hopes the shape-shifter in question ISN’T a certain bouda (were-hyena).

Much to her consternation, the shape-shifter in question is in fact Raphael. The house-sized dog? Well, neither knows what it is, requiring a phone call to Kate. Apparently, Andrea and Raphael are not very well read up on Greek mythology. The dog is none other than Fluffy Cerberus. Raphael was tracking whoever had body-napped his recently deceased step-father when he encountered the beast. There is no way Raphael is going to be sidelined on this case, so Andrea has no choice but to allow him to help her investigate. During their investigation, they get the opportunity to discuss his attraction to her and the reasons she is so reluctant to get involved with him.

Comments: This story is told in 1st person, just like the series, except from Andrea’s point of view. It’s a real treat to see the this world through someone else’s eyes. We learn more about Andrea then we probably would have in the series. Andrea tells Raphael about her past and we see a different side of Raphael.

It is interesting to note that Kate and Andrea have much in common: heavily armed, independent women with a big secret that could cause major problems if the wrong parties found about them. Both women are being pursued, romantically, by men who could have any woman they want. Neither women is convinced of the sincerity of the pursuit, believing they are just passing fancies of the men in question. We’ll have to wait for future Kate Daniel books to learn whether or not Curran and Kate have any chance at long term relationship; however, in this short story, we learn that Raphael is honestly attracted to Andrea and he wants a chance at a relationship with her, and her alone:

“Things happened before I met you and before you met me. Those things don’t matter. You had no control over your past, but here, right now, you control the situation and you’re voluntarily giving it up. You’re punishing both of us because of something that happened half a lifetime ago. It makes no sense.”

Raphael’s admission brought up something interesting that I noticed about the boudas. Even though they are sexually adventurous and have no inhibitions, once they find a mate, they seem to be faithful. The idea is re-enforced by Aunt B’s grief over the lose of her mate. He wasn’t bouda and I just can’t imagine…well, you can figure it out for yourselves.

The story has another treat. Andrea and Raphael visit the Casino, headquarters for the vampire-controlling masters of the dead. They go deeper into the place than we’ve seen in the previous books.

I heart Maxine. I just love her to death. And I really loved Teddy Jo. He’s insights at the end were enlightening.

All in all, a fun read and it worked really well as a short story.

Read: 16 September 2009

Favorite Quotes:
“You couldn’t detect your way out of a shoe if someone lit the way with neon signs.”
– Andrea expresses her opinion of Kate’s investigative skills (or lack thereof)

Rating:

LOVED IT !!

Disclaimer: I bought this book.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a re-post, due to data loss. (Oct 09)

12 Oct – Amy – “I love Andrews’s books. I’ll need to pick this one up. Thanks for the review!”
12 Oct – Me – “You’re welcome! It’s a great read. Definitely not to be missed. ”

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