Category: A reviews (Page 15 of 16)

I’m at AudioGals today!

September 13, 2012 / Kaetrin

I’m over at AudioGals today discussing JD Robb’s In Death series in general and Innocent in Death in particular. So happy to be their very first guest reviewer. Stop by and say hello! 🙂

The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley, narrated by Sally Armstrong

July 23, 2012 / Kaetrin

Why I read listened to it: I’m up to date on my review audiobooks for AAR so I got to pick one from my own stash. I really enjoyed Mariana and The Rose Garden and the excerpt on Audible intrigued.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) The dark legends of the Scotland were an archaeologist dream. Verity Grey was thrilled to be at a dig for an ancient Roman camp in the Scottish village. But danger was in the air — in the icy reserve of archaeologist David Fortune. In the haunted eyes to the little boy who had visions of a slain Roman sentinel. And in the unearthly sound of the ghostly Shadowy Horses, who carried men away to the land of the dead…

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Okay, that blurb doesn’t really tell you much. Verity Grey is a 29 year old archaeologist type who travels to Eyemouth in Scotland after hearing about a job opportunity from ex-boyfriend Adrian Sutton-Clark. Adrian is a handsome devil but very immature when it comes to relationships. Verity found they were much better as friends, and besides, he has a marked preference for blondes and she’s a brunette. When she arrives in Eyemouth, she finds that the proposed dig is to be led by eccentric (some say mad) archaeologist, Peter Quinell, and supported by a sexy Scottish archeology professor from the local university, David Fortune. Peter’s property, Rosehill is the site of the dig – he believes he will find there, evidence of the fate of the famous 9th Roman Legion. The basis for his belief? A 9 year old boy by the name of Robbie who has “second sight”. (I heard from the author that an adult Robbie features as the hero in her upcoming book).

The other Kearsley books I have listened to (my experience with this author has all be on audio) involve time travel of some sort. This one doesn’t. There is certainly a supernatural element to the story and it delves into some of this history of the town and of the Roman occupation, but it is set solidly in the present. I also found it to be the most romantic book of Kearsley’s I’ve tried so far. That’s a big call, because Mariana had some big romance – but most of that was about Mariana and Richard and they didn’t get your traditional HEA. In this book, we see Verity and David slowly falling in love and yes, there is a traditional HEA. The story is told from Verity’s first person POV but I felt I did get to know David. It’s funny how just a few sentences can change your view of a person. For the first part of the book David is friendly but guarded with Verity. Later, Verity has a conversation with David’s mother (“Granny Nan”) and in one sentence, casts David’s actions in a new and very understandable (and sympathetic) light. I love that.

Adrian was pretty much annoying. He’s the guy who doesn’t want you but doesn’t want anyone else to have you either – so he makes sly comments that make people think there is more going on with he and Verity than there is and he puts his arm around her at strategic moments for the same reason. All this when he’s got his eye firmly on Fabia, Peter Quinell’s beautiful 20 year old (and blonde) grand-daughter. When Verity (finally!) puts Adrian in his place at the fish market, it was a thing of beauty.

The romance between David and Verity was a slow growing delight – the bedroom door is pretty much closed but there was definitely enough between them to satisfy my romantic soul and I totally believed in their HEA.

Robbie is a treasure and his mother Jeannie (the Rosehill housekeeper) and Granny Nan all add to a richly drawn cast of characters.The ghostly Sentinel who talks to Robbie in Latin, warns of a mysterious danger – and it comes from an unexpected source. The fine threads were expertly woven together to make a wonderfully complex and engrossing story. There were a few things at the end that I’m not 100% sure I understood but to go into them would be to head into spoiler territory so I won’t. It didn’t really affect my enjoyment of the story, it was just that a couple of things right at the end could have used a little more exposition (at least for my brain to fully compute anyway.)

What else? The narration is excellent. I’ve not listened to Sally Armstrong narrate before and, sadly, there doesn’t seem to be much on offer for me from Audible with her narrating, but I so wish there was. She’s the sort of narrator where you’ll listen to a book just to hear her performance. Her characters were all distinctly voiced, she has a wonderful Scottish brogue as well as the various British accents and her voice for young Robbie was just wonderful. There were a couple of times in the narration where she obviously thought a sentence had finished and then realised it hadn’t but other than that, from a technical perspective, she nailed the tone of the novel and the characterisations.I loved the lessons in Scottish dialect – Verity carried with her a pocket dictionary to translate the words people spoke which she didn’t understand and I think that this came across much better on audio – with the correct pronunciations and timing etc – than it would have in print. I’m a sucker for a good Scottish accent anyway and when you combine it with a sexy hero like David (who looks fantastic in a kilt) it’s just an added bonus.

I loved it.

Grade: A-

Easy by Tammara Webber

July 8, 2012 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: This was another “new adult” book recommended by Jane at Dear Author. I actually bought 2 by this author but I haven’t read the other one yet. I’m saving it.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she’s single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, stalked by her ex’s frat brother, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Her econ professor gives her an email address for Landon, the class tutor, who shows her that she’s still the same intelligent girl she’s always been. As Jacqueline becomes interested in more from her tutor than a better grade, his teasing responses make the feeling seem mutual. There’s just one problem—their only interactions are through email.
Meanwhile, a guy in her econ class proves his worth the first night she meets him. Nothing like her popular ex or her brainy tutor, Lucas sits on the back row, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. At a downtown club, he disappears after several dances that leave her on fire. When he asks if he can sketch her, alone in her room, she agrees—hoping for more.

Then Jacqueline discovers a withheld connection between her supportive tutor and her seductive classmate, her ex comes back into the picture, and her stalker escalates his attention by spreading rumors that they’ve hooked up. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I loved this book. The main characters are 18/19 and 21/22 I guess and it is set at a college so it qualifies as “new adult”/YA. But in all other respects it is a contemporary adult romance. Eminently satisfying, with beautiful writing and a hot sexy hero – what more could you want?

The book starts when Jacqueline is attacked outside a frat party and Lucas intervenes to stop her from being raped. It’s the first time she’s aware of him but afterwards, she sees him everywhere. In the meantime, having been absent from her economics class for 2 weeks following the breakup with her douche-y ex-boyfriend, she’s terribly behind and after a groveling session with the professor, is assigned an extra project and help from the class tutor. So, there’s Lucas the hottie rescuer in the back of the class and Landon, the smart tutor who flirts with her on line. Lucas rescues her physically and Landon rescues her educationally. Both seem so different but both have significant attraction. What to do?

I won’t spoil the story with too much more description but be assured that the romance is very satisfying and the story has a HEA. There is more to this book than meets the eye; with depth and emotion, close friendships, steamy love scenes and wonderful main characters. And don’t worry, there’s no major love triangle going on – things become clear fairly early in the story.

What else? Here’s a taste of the great writing and sexy hero number 1….

Eyes blazing, he looked down at me. “Jacqueline?”

I blinked. “Yes?”

“The night we met—I’m not like that guy.” His jaw was rigid.

“I know tha—” He placed a finger over my lips, his expression softening.

“So I don’t want you to feel pressured. Or overpowered. But I do, absolutely, want to kiss you right now. Badly.”

He trailed his finger over my jaw and down my throat, and then into his lap. I stared at him. Finally comprehending that he was waiting for a response, I said, “Okay.”

He dropped the pad onto the floor and the pencil followed, his stare never unlocking from mine. As he leaned over me, I felt a heightened awareness of every part of my body that touched a part of his—the edge of his hip pressed to mine, his chest sliding against mine, his fingers tracing from wrists to forearms and then framing my face. He held me in place, lips near my ear. When he kissed the sensitive spot, my breath shuddered. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, moving his mouth to mine.

My favourite kind of story is one where the hero rescues the heroine and, just like in Pretty Woman, she rescues him right back. This book is my favourite kind of romance.

I just loved it. I will definitely re-read this one.

Grade: A

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

July 5, 2012 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: Jane from Dear Author has been tweeting about how good this book is and she talked about it on the latest DBSA podcast. I’m not usually a YA reader, but I was intrigued enough about the story to request this from NetGalley.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) “I won’t tell anyone, Echo. I promise.” Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. “You didn’t do that-did you? It was done to you?” No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

So wrong for each other…and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can’t remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo’s world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible. Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she’ll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): This story sucked me right in from the beginning and even a Thailand holiday couldn’t tempt me away. I read it almost non stop on the plane and then stayed up late that first night to finish it. Yes, it is set in a high school, with characters who are just about to turn 18, but it felt very adult to me. Both Echo and Noah were dealing with grown up problems and, for the most part, in a grown up manner (yet it still felt authentic to their actual ages). Told in the alternating first person POV from both Echo and Noah, the story starts when Noah and Echo are both assigned to have mandatory counselling with Mrs. Collins, a new school counsellor who is part of a special funding programme. Mrs. Collins is a little too good to be true but she does have some fun quirks which make her very likeable and not just a prop.

Noah’s parents were killed in a house fire and he and his young brothers were placed in foster care. When Noah punches the biological father (his first foster father) who was beating his own son, he is labeled a risk and separated from his brothers. By the time the book starts, he has managed to regain supervised visits of them at a visitation centre for 2 hours per month. He is not allowed to know where they live or what the last name of their foster parents are, and his own experience in foster care is such that he is very mistrustful that they are being treated well. His driving ambition is to graduate high school, get a job and gain custody of his brothers so they can be a family again.

Echo is a little harder to understand at first – she has repressed memories of the events which led to her scars. Because she doesn’t know what happened, we don’t either, and the reader takes the journey with her to find out. Echo’s previous efforts to remember have led to severe mental consequences and so, while being desperate to know, she is also terrified of what it may do to her. She is also somewhat of an unreliable narrator and as the book progresses, the reader sees how her views of the people around her change as she gains insight. I actually like this quite a bit. It made sense and felt true to the journey I was taking with Echo.

For me (and no-one who reads my reviews regularly will be all that surprised by this), Noah was the highlight of the story. (There is a reason all of my highlights were from Noah’s POV.) I loved his sense of humour, like here

“You know a lot about math,” I said. You know a lot about math? What type of statement was that? Right along of the lines of “Hey, you have hair and it’s red and curly.” Real smooth.

and here

Because of the warm April night, she’d pulled her shirt up a few inches to expose her skin. At least that was the reason she gave when her fingers inched the material of her blue tank away from the small of her back. Personally, I think she did it to drive me insane

I love how he thinks.

It had been so long since I’d let myself fall for anybody. I gazed into her beautiful green eyes and her fear melted. A shy smile tugged at her lips and at my heart. Fuck me and the rest of the world, I was in love.

Noah made me smile. And Noah made me cry. His love for his brothers, his feelings for Echo and how he tried to reconcile the two, how he grew and sacrificed and forgave and accepted was just wonderful. I was glad Echo had such a wonderful hero because after all she’d been through, she certainly deserved a champion. And, that’s what Noah is for her.

I completely believed in the HEA. I’m hoping to see glimpses of them in the next book which features Beth, Noah’s foster sister, but this is one romance where even though the main characters are only both 18, I believed they could be together for the long haul.

I liked how they didn’t rush into any long term commitment or even into an intimate physical relationship until they were ready (Noah is a real gentleman). That said, the scenes where they were making out were very sensual. For a book which pretty much keeps it clean, it was very sexy and, much to my surprise, it was very satisfying for me.

Noah (and the author) understand grief. And I liked this description – which I think is 100% accurate.

“It doesn’t get better,” I said. “The pain. The wounds scab over and you don’t always feel like a knife is slashing through you. But when you least expect it, the pain flashes to remind you you’ll never be the same.”

One of the reasons I don’t read a lot of YA is that I prefer adult themes but this book, even though it features young adults, is very much about adult themes and the heat level is both appropriate and steamy at the same time.

I did think the end resolution for Noah was neat, but I was just so pleased that I didn’t care. Noah and Echo had been through so much that I wanted them to have their chance.

What else? I am finding that I’m far more interested in reading “new adult” stories than I was before this book. If there are more books out there like this one, I’d had to miss out. If you don’t usually read YA, I’d urge you to give this one a go anyway – it’s just that good. You might find, like I did, that the chance is totally worth your while. Thanks to Jane for the recommendation.

Grade: B+/A-

Lord of the Fading Lands by CL Wilson

May 7, 2012 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I picked this one up on special at Dymocks recently ($5!) and I’d heard a lot about it. I actually started listening to this on audio but, as interesting as the story was and as good as the narrator was, the production values were so bad (strange editing cuts, abrupt scene changes and background noises like shuffling paper and coughing!) that I gave up on the audio and picked up the book instead.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Once he had scorched the world.

Once he had driven back overwhelming darkness.
Once he had loved with such passion, his name was legend…
TAIREN SOUL
Now a thousand years later, a new threat calls him from the Fading Lands, back into the world that had cost him so dearly. Now an ancient, familiar evil is regaining its strength, and a new voice beckons him–more compelling, more seductive, more maddening than any before.
As the power of his most bitter enemy grows and ancient alliances crumble, the wildness in his blood will not be denied. The tairen must claim his truemate and embrace the destiny woven for him in the mists of time.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Ellysetta Baristani is the adopted daughter of Celierian woodcarver. He and his wife found her abandoned in the woods as a baby and her origins are therefore mysterious and unknown. She has been afflicted with violent seizures since childhood and has terrible nightmares. Rain Tairen Soul is shown her face in the mystical Eye of the World when he begs for a way to save the dying Fey and Tairen races. He travels to Celieria to find her and when he realises that she’s his Truemate, he’s stunned, to say the least. No other Tairen Soul has ever been truemated.

Rain is the King of the Fey and also the oldest (and now only) Tairen Soul. Tairen are giant cat like creatures with wings that breathe fire – I imagined them like a cross between a panther/lion (depending on the Tairen’s colouring) and a dragon. As a Tairen Soul, Rain has a dual nature and can shapeshift. By tradition (and history), Tairen Souls cannot truemate. They can mate and have deeply loving relationships but they are considered relationships of the heart, whereas a truemating is a relationship also of the soul. A Fey can survive the death of a heartmate but not the death of a truemate.

Rain’s heartmate Sariel was killed by evil Eld Mages in the Mage Wars a thousand years earlier and the Tairen “Wilding Rage” overtook him in his grief and he “scorched the world” killing countless thousands of Eld enemies but also other Fey and allied races (Celierians, Elves and Danae). He has been in the Fay Fading Lands ever since and for many hundreds of years afterwards, struggled to regain and then maintain his sanity.

The Tairens are dying out – something is killing the kitlings in the egg and they Fey are dying also – he is the last Tairen Soul and it is his responsibility to find a way to save his people. He casts himself on the Eye of the World and shown a woman who will be the salvation of both races.

Ellysetta has dreamed of Rain Tairen Soul her whole life, and has longed for the kind of epic love that is told of in Fey poetry. When she meets Rain, he is the embodiment of all her childhood dreams but she is not free to be with him, having been tricked into a betrothal with sleazy Den Brodson. It is Ellysetta’s distress when being pawed by Den which causes her soul to call to Rain’s and when he is called to answer, he realises she’s his Sheitan (truemate).

Their story is told over the course of 5 books. While there is a hopeful ending at the end of this book, the tale is by no means done. There is great threat to the world from the Eld Mages rising again and of course the Tairens and Fey still need to be saved. This book charts the course of Rain and Ellysetta’s early courtship and the very first fragile soul bonds she forges with him. As a woodcarver’s daughter, she is not welcomed by the Celierian nobility and there is the little matter of her betrothal to Brodson to overcome. Ellysetta’s mother does not like magic and the Eld Mages are trying to get their hands on Ellysetta. Also, the Eld Mages are trying to open trade borders with the Celierians and Rain and his nobles want to make sure that doesn’t happen – Celieria stands between Eld and the Fading Lands.

There is always a significant risk to Ellysetta both internally and from whatever dark secret hides in her soul. Rain’s fierce protection of her is the kind of stuff I love to read but Ellysetta is no pushover. She has spine and she stands up for herself. Also of course, she is far more than a woodcarver’s daughter and this book sees her start to come into her own power. There is a darkness in her which she fears and which saves her from being too “Snow White-ish”. Rain’s history of scorching the earth and the weight of all the souls that action took, bears heavily on him. So we have two not quite perfect people in an epic love story and the fate of the world hangs in the balance. I loved it.

The world building is excellent and the large cast of characters is strong and not confusing. I found myself caught up very early on and the book didn’t really ever let me go.

What else? Truemates are a version of the fated mates trope but there is something of a twist here – not every Fey will ever meet their Truemate and the bond is only complete when the female of the pair bonds with with the male – a process which may take a very long time and may not happen at all. I gather that the bond is instant for the male but not so with the female. If the female cannot or does not bond with the male, he will die but she will not. So, while there is an element of predestination, the couple do have to court and build a relationship and the male has to win the soul bonds of the female. I found it more of a kickstart to the relationship than anything else – sure, there was the threat that if Ellysetta didn’t bond with Rain that he would die – but I never really worried that would happen – this is a romance after all. 🙂

I’m writing this after having read Lady of Light and Shadows (book #2) and just starting to become immersed in King of Sword and Sky (book #3). Only because I found book 2 a bit more engrossing than book 1, I’m grading this one an A- but I have now bought all 5 in the series and I expect I will be reading them back to back (no waiting! yay!). I’m loving the mythology and the “epicness” of the love and romance between Ellysetta and Rain and I’m enjoying the various secondary characters too.

I hear that the author plans to return to this world in the future and is planning to write Bel’s book so I’m looking forward to that too.

There is something about fantasy romance, where the fate of the world hangs on the success of the romantic relationship, that I found very satisfying. In many other subgenres, this sort of thing just comes across as over the top, but fantasy romance is supposed to be over the top and I can sigh to my heart’s content.

Favourite Quote: