LITERAL ADDICTION Paranormal Book Club Book Review Archives

Thursday, May 2, 2013

[Archive] LITERAL ADDICTION's Review of The Shifter's Kiss

New York Times and USA Today bestselling paranormal and romantic suspense author Caridad Pineiro wrote her first novel in the fifth grade when her teacher assigned a project – to write a book for a class lending library. Bitten by the writing bug, Caridad continued with her passion for the written word through high school, college and law school. In 1999, Caridad’s first novel was released and over a decade later, Caridad is the author of over thirty-five published novels and novellas. When not writing, Caridad is an attorney, wife and mother to an aspiring writer and fashionista.

The Shifter's Kiss
by Caridad Piñeiro

Synopsis:

After almost losing his life in the line of duty, firefighter Victor Edwards turned to his true passion: the ocean, the one place he feels at peace. By day, he studies a magnificent shark. By night he is haunted by erotic dreams of a beautiful woman, filled with a longing he can't understand.

Nali is almost the last of her kind. She knows it's dangerous to swim so close to shore, but she is drawn to the scarred man watching her and craves his touch on her human form. She can't help revealing herself to help Victor when he's injured--and offering herself to him for one week of pleasure. For she only has a few days before she must return to the sea...

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:

I really enjoyed The Shifter's Kiss. This is the first shark shifter story I have read and while the premise of the Novella was Nali and Victor's affair and the enduring love it ultimately created, the fact that our heroine was a shark shifter was refreshing.

I simply love Caridad's stories! Her heroes are always loyal, steadfast, honorable, and just a little bit battered, and her heroines are consistently strong, independent, and a bit vulnerable. The matches aren't always the classic 'opposites attract' or 'like attracts like', there's always more depth to the pairings and that makes things even more interesting. The Shifter's Kiss was no exception. Victor is a retired and injured firefighter with a heart of gold and a love for the ocean. Nali is a shark goddess who is afraid to lose herself but who desperately wants a lasting love. Together they create sparks like nobody's business and find a compromise that gives them both exactly what they want and need.

Like most PNR Novellas, things moved really quickly with the relationship and the sex in The Shifter's Kiss. That's always my complaint with short PNR stories, sometimes it just doesn't feel realistic. Caridad did a great job with setting the tone immediately and making things all about the connection though, which made the heat enjoyable and the segue into the emotion desired, satisfying, and climactic as well.

Even though it was a quick read, it was all about patience, understanding, compromise and ultimately love, and therefore was a wonderful romance. When things are meant to be, there's nothing you won't do to keep it...

LITERAL ADDICTION gives The Shifter's Kiss 4 Skulls and would definitely recommend it for a quick, sexy, unique shifter read.

The Shifter's Kiss

[Archive] LITERAL ADDICTION's Review of Caged Warrior

Lindsey Piper is the alter ego of an award-winning historical romance author. Her hotly anticipated 2013 DRAGON KINGS series is her first foray into paranormal fiction. She lives and writes in Chicago.

Caged Warrior (Dragon Kings #1)
by Lindsey Piper

Synopsis:

The first installment in this fierce and sensual new paranormal romance series features demonic gladiators, ruthless mafia villains, and a proud race on the brink of extinction.

Ten years ago, Audrey MacLaren chose to marry her human lover, making her an exile from the Dragon Kings, an ancient race of demons once worshiped as earthly gods. Audrey and her husband managed to conceive, and their son is the first natural-born Dragon King in a generation—which makes him irresistible to the sadistic scientist whose mafia-funded technology allows demon procreation. In the year since her husband was murdered, Audrey and her little boy have endured hideous experiments.

Shackled with a collar and bound for life, Leto Garnis is a Cage warrior. Only through combat can Dragon Kings earn the privilege of conceiving children. Leto uses his superhuman speed and reflexes to secure the right for his two sisters to start families. After torture reveals Audrey’s astonishing pyrokenesis, she is sent to fight in the Cages. If she survives a year, she will be reunited with her son. Leto is charged with her training. Initially, he has no sympathy for her plight. But if natural conception is possible, what has he been fighting for? As enemies, sparring partners, lovers, and eventual allies, Leto and Audrey learn that in a violent underground world, love is the only prize worth winning.

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:

*eARC received from Edelweiss

DRAGON KINGS is a good new series, but I actually enjoyed the prequel novella better than the first full length novel. It just felt like I was missing something for a good part of the story (even after reading Silent Warrior), but once I filled in the gaps in my head and got things straight using my imagination, I was able to better enjoy the story for just that... the story.

I loved the different clans and their respective Gifts - it should be noted that the characters are not dragons though, they are immortals with a Dragon deity, each with a God/Goddess given Gift depending on their bloodline.

The ups and downs of our hero and heroine's journey to one another was emotion filled and tense, the characters were wonderfully created and portrayed, and the world was unique and complex. It was also quite dark, and for a reader who leans more towards the grittier Urban Fantasy reads, I enjoyed that greatly!

There were also some great twists throughout the story that kept me riveted.

With all that said, I give Caged Warrior 3 1/2 Skulls and will be looking forward to book #2 and more time spent with our Dragon Kings.

Caged Warrior

[Archive] LITERAL ADDICTION's Review of Who Was Dracula?: Bram Stoker's Trail of Blood

Jim Steinmeyer was born and raised just outside of Chicago, Illinois, and graduated in 1980 from Loyola University of Chicago, with a major in communications. He is literally the man behind the magicians having invented impossibilities for four Doug Henning television specials, six touring shows, two Henning Broadway shows, and numerous television and Las Vegas appearances.For one of David Copperfield's television specials, Jim proposed the scenario and secret by which the Statue of Liberty could "disappear." Jim has also served as a consultant for Siegfried and Roy, David Copperfield and Lance Burton. He developed magic for Orson Welles, Harry Blackstone, and the Pendragons and many, many others.

In addition to his books and many accomplishments on stage and screen, Jim currently holds four U.S. patents in the field of illusion apparatus, and has also served as an expert witness in this field.

He currently lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife Frankie Glass, an independent television producer who has worked extensively in Great Britain and the U.S.

Who Was Dracula?: Bram Stoker's Trail of Blood
by Jim Steinmeyer

Synopsis:

An acclaimed historian sleuths out literature’s most famous vampire, uncovering the source material – from folklore and history, to personas including Oscar Wilde and Walt Whitman – behind Bram Stoker’s bloody creation.

In more than a century of vampires in pop culture, only one lord of the night truly stands out: Dracula. Though the name may conjure up images of Bela Lugosi lurking about in a cape and white pancake makeup in the iconic 1931 film, the character of Dracula—a powerful, evil Transylvanian aristocrat who slaughters repressed Victorians on a trip to London—was created in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel of the same name, a work so popular it has spawned limitless reinventions in books and film.
But where did literature’s undead icon come from? What sources inspired Stoker to craft a monster who would continue to haunt our dreams (and desires) for generations? Historian Jim Steinmeyer, who revealed the men behind the myths in The Last Greatest Magician in the World, explores a question that has long fascinated literary scholars and the reading public alike: Was there a real-life inspiration for Stoker’s Count Dracula?

Hunting through archives and letters, literary and theatrical history, and the relationships and events that gave shape to Stoker’s life, Steinmeyer reveals the people and stories behind the Transylvanian legend. In so doing, he shows how Stoker drew on material from the careers of literary contemporaries Walt Whitman and Oscar Wilde; reviled personas such as Jack the Ripper and the infamous fifteenth-century prince Vlad Tepes, as well as little-known but significant figures, including Stoker’s onetime boss, British stage star Henry Irving, and Theodore Roosevelt’s uncle, Robert Roosevelt (thought to be a model for Van Helsing).

Along the way, Steinmeyer depicts Stoker’s life in Dublin and London, his development as a writer, involvement with London’s vibrant theater scene, and creation of one of horror’s greatest masterpieces. Combining historical detective work with literary research, Steinmeyer’s eagle eye provides an enthralling tour through Victorian culture and the extraordinary literary monster it produced.

Our Review, but LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:
*ARC provided by the Publisher in exchange for an honest review

Jim Steinmeyer's Who Was Dracula is a delightful pastiche of research & knowledge intertwined with captivating literary allocution.

The fact behind the fiction reveals the complicated social web among the Victorian elite at the time of the novel - both famous and infamous - and shows that the brilliance behind the novel is the fact that there was no brilliance behind the novel.

I loved the factual story woven by Steinmeyer, & truly felt that both my book addict/paranormal junkie side, as well as my inner nerd were properly titillated.

Reading the book immediately made me go back & skim the Classic again, do a ton of Google searches to get more caught up with the primary players mentioned throughout the book, and rewatch the 1931 Bela Lugosi production of the film, all of which reminded me why the delicate simplicity of the horror from that time is still king.

Steinmeyer's tale can be summed up best by the brilliant last line of the book - "A truly great nightmare is once experienced, never forgotten. It is summoned again when we simply close our eyes. It needs nothing but imagination.it is never very far away."

LITERAL ADDICTION gives Who Was Dracula 5 Skulls. I was thrilled!

Who Was Dracula?: Bram Stoker's Trail of Blood

[Archive] LITERAL ADDICTION's Review of Silent Warior

[Archive] LITERAL ADDICTION's Review of Of Shadow Burn

Dianne Sylvan, author of the Shadow World novels (Queen of Shadows, Shadowflame, Shadow’s Fall, the forthcoming Of Shadow Born, and at least one more) as well as two books on NeoPagan spirituality (The Circle Within: Creating a Wiccan Spiritual Tradition and The Body Sacred), lives in Austin, Texas, the only sane part of the entire state.

She is an unabashed Mac enthusiast, a froofy iced coffee beverage addict, a chronic Twitterer, a seasoned snark professional, a Spiritual Nomad, a shameless Vampire Diaries (TV) fangirl, a happy herbivore, a bit of a moody Scorpio, a sock junkie, a slightly freaky tattooed postmodern hippie, a cupcake baker extraordinaire, and is prone to hyperbole as well as fits of profanity.

When she’s not glued to the internet or writing about vampires, she works in the veterinary clinic and volunteers as bio writing coordinator for the animal rescue organization Austin Pets Alive.

She collects vegan cookbooks, wacky t-shirts, blank journals, obsessions, and dust.

Of Shadow Born (Shadow World #4)
by Dianne Sylvan

Synopsis:

Spread throughout the dark corners of our world lies the Shadow World, a society of vampires who feed off the living. In Austin, Texas, one woman must rise from the ashes of tragedy and confront an ancient evil before it destroys everything she holds dear…

After a heartrending night of loss and blood, Miranda Grey-Solomon, vampire Queen of the South, now stands in the ruins of her life determined to pick up the pieces and move on. David, her husband and Prime, is missing and presumed dead, and Miranda is lost without her soul mate by her side…But she has little time to grieve as enemies both old and new emerge to test her yet again.

Between vampires trying to take advantage of a Queen without a Prime, incursions by a mysterious organization of humans calling themselves the Order of the Morningstar, and the continuing threat from those within the Shadow World who have already tried to destroy her, Miranda and her allies are running out of places to turn. In order to save her territory and the ones she loves, Miranda must look to the ancient past, to the first days of the vampire race, and uncover secrets about the Signets that could change the course of history…

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Associate Reviewer - Kathy M:

Of Shadow Born is the 4th book in Dianne Sylvan’s The Shadow World series, and I must first just say OMG!!!! This is one of my favorite series because of Ms. Sylvan’s fantastic world building and her ability to grab the reader and take them on an emotional and action packed ride.

Of Shadow Born takes up with the killer cliff hanger from the prior book, Shadow’s Fall, and it’s full speed ahead. Miranda and David, Queen and Prime of the South, must somehow defeat threats coming at them from many sides.

One of my favorite things about this book was how several of the secondary characters play a more prominent role allowing us to get to know them better. I’ve been a fan of Deven and his consort Johnathan from book one and learning more about them as well as the witch Stella, made Of Shadow Born immensely well fleshed out and satisfying.

I can’t say enough good things about this book. 5 skulls, without a doubt.

Of Shadow Burn

[Archive] LITERAL ADDICTION's Review of Blood Trade

Faith Hunter' writes full-time, works full-time in a hospital, tries to keep house, and is a workaholic. She gave up cooking for lent one year and the oven hasn’t been turned on since. Okay – that’s a joke. She does still make cold cereal and sandwiches. Occasionally, she remembers to sleep or use the vacuum cleaner.

She researches in great detail, and tries everything her characters do. Research led to her life’s passions – jewelry making, orchids, bones, travel, white-water kayaking, and writing.

Blood Trade (Jane Yellowrock #6)
by Faith Hunter

Synopsis:

Jane Yellowrock is a shape-shifting skinwalker who’s always up for a fight—even if it means putting her life on the line...

The Master of Natchez, Mississippi has a nasty problem on his hands. Rogue vampires—those who follow the Naturaleza and believe that humans should be nothing more than prey to be hunted—are terrorizing his city. Luckily, he knows the perfect skinwalker to call in to take back the streets.

But what he doesn’t tell Jane is that there’s something different about these vamps. Something that makes them harder to kill—even for a pro like Jane. Now, her simple job has turned into a fight to stay alive…and to protect the desperately ill child left in her care.

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Associate Reviewer - Kathy M:

Faith Hunter is a rockstar and her Jane Yellowrock series sets the bar for what urban fantasy should be.

Blood Trade, Ms. Hunter’s latest installment of this awesome series, is hard hitting and fast paced. The Naturaleza’s, vamps who believe that the ways of old when humans where only for food and slavery, are trying to bring back the good old days. Innocents are dying and witches are disappearing, and it is up to Jane to figure out what is going on and stop it before it is too late. With the help of her “posse” and Beast, the soul of the mountain lion who lives inside her, Jane sets out to do just that.

In Blood Trade, we learn more about Jane’s past, as well as more about the past of several of the individuals in her life. Secrets are revealed. Still more mysteries are uncovered. New questions surface. I found myself wanting to read faster to see what was around the corner, yet not wanting to reach the end, because that would mean that I’d have to wait until I could get my next Yellowhawk fix.

LITERAL ADDICTION gives Blood Trade an easy 5 skulls!

Blood Trade

[Archive] LITERAL ADDICTION's Review for Sharp

Alex Hughes was born in Savannah, GA and moved to the south Atlanta area when she was eight years old. Shortly thereafter, her grandfather handed her a copy of Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonrider series, and a lifelong obsession with scifi was born.

Alex is a graduate of the prestigious Odyssey Writing Workshop and a Semi-Finalist in the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. Her short pieces are published in several markets including EveryDay Fiction and White Cat Magazine. She blogs about writing craft, revision, and editing at SmallTriumphs.com.

Alex’s work is complex, dark, adventurous, and a little funny, with a emphasis on great characters and interesting worlds. She gets her inspiration from history (she majored with a European history focus in college), family members, and headlines, as well as whatever book she has in her hand. Lately she’s been reading neuroscience books; the brain’s a cool, cool place and the mind even more so.

An avid cook and foodie, Alex loves great food of any stripe – even better if she can figure out how to put it together. Great food is like a great book; it has lots of layers that work together beautifully, and the result is delicious and harmonious. She’s working on figuring out Indian food right now – suggestions welcome!

Alex loves swing dancing, tetris, music of all kinds, and has been known to get into long conversations with total strangers at restaurants about the Food Network, much to the embarrassment of her sister. She can also balance a spoon on her nose while crossing her eyes, and talk for hours about absolutely nothing.

Sharp (Mindspace Investigation #2)

by Alex Hughes

Synopsis:

HISTORY HAS A WAY OF REPEATING ITSELF, EVEN FOR TELEPATHS.…

As a Level Eight telepath, I am the best police interrogator in the department. But I’m not a cop—I never will be—and my only friend on the force, Homicide Detective Isabella Cherabino, is avoiding me because of a telepathic link I created by accident.

And I might not even be an interrogator for much longer. Our boss says unless I pull out a miracle, I’ll be gone before Christmas. I need this job, damn it. It’s the only thing keeping me sane.

Parts for illegal Tech—the same parts used to bring the world to its knees in the Tech Wars sixty years ago—are being hijacked all over the city. Plus Cherbino's longtime nemesis, a cop killer, has resurfaced with a vengeance. If I can stay alive long enough, I just might be able to prove my worth, once and for all..

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:

*ARC received from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review

It's almost difficult to put into words what this book (and series) have to offer... It's a first person Sci-Fi - told from the point of view of our flawed and yet utterly lovable hero - with the grittiness of Urban Fantasy, the pace and intrigue of a good mystery, and some wonderful action and romantic tension thrown in for good measure, all rolled into an utterly unique and captivating world where Technology is the big bad.

It was a refreshing and fascinating read, with similarities to The Dresden Files, The Asylum Tales, Lost Girl and Sookie Stackhouse, though very much its own beautiful monster. In other words, I thoroughly enjoyed it! :)

LITERAL ADDICTION gives Sharp 4 Skulls and would definitely recommend it to Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Urban Fantasy readers.

Sharp