Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Louisiana Fever by D. J. Donaldson
Release Date: January 11, 2013
Publisher: Astor & Blue
Pages: 329pgs
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Description: D.J. Donaldson is superb at spinning medical fact into gripping suspense. With his in-depth knowledge of science and medicine, he is one of very few authors who can write with convincing authority. --Tess Gerritsen, NY Times best-selling author of the Rizzoli & Isles novels Andy Broussard, the plump and proud New Orleans medical examiner, obviously loves food. Less apparent to the casual observer is his hatred of murderers. Together with his gorgeous sidekick, psychologist Kit Franklyn, the two make a powerful, although improbable, mystery solving duo. When the beautiful Kit goes to meet an anonymous stranger who s been sending her roses the man drops dead at her feet before she even could even get his name. Game on. Andy Broussard soon learns that the man carried a lethal pathogen similar to the deadly Ebola virus. Soon, another body turns up with the same bug. Panic is imminent as the threat of pandemic is more real than ever before. The danger is even more acute, because the carrier is mobile, his identity is an absolute shocker, he knows he s a walking weapon and he s on a quest to find Broussard. And Kit isn t safe either. When she investigates her mystery suitor further, she runs afoul of a cold blooded killer, every bit as deadly as the man searching for Broussard. Louisiana Fever is written in Donaldson s unique style: A hard-hitting, punchy, action-packed prose that s dripping with a folksy, decidedly southern, sense of irony. Add in Donaldson s brilliant first hand knowledge of forensics and the sultry flavor of New Orleans, and the result is first class forensic procedural within an irresistibly delectable mystery.

Review: I was hooked the moment I started reading. The book starts off with someone dying from an unknown illness. Kit and Andy try to solve this mystery of what is causing people to get sick. This book is very fast pace and you get sucked in right away from chapter one and you can't put it down. 

The book was very well written. Donaldson's background in medicine definitely helped with putting the story together. I would recommend this novel for anyone who likes a good mystery. 

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest

Release Date: December 14, 2012
Publisher: Self
Pages: 149pgs
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal/Vampire
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Description: On the evening of Sofia Claremont's seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake.

A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood.

She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine.
An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.

Sofia's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince.

Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.

Will she succeed? ...or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?

Review: I really enjoyed this book. There was only one problem I had when I began reading was the beginning of the plot and how Sofia got to The Shade. Once you overcome the little bit of missing information the story really takes life.

There was not a dull moment in the story. You have Derek the prince of the vampires who is conflicted and Sofia who was captured to service Derek. I was reading just for Derek to see how he deals with his inner struggles being around Sofia and not attacking her. 

The development of their relationship was nicely done. Also the books ends with a cliff hanger and I'm hooked. I need to know what happens next.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Whip Smart: Lola Montez Conquers the Spaniards by Kit Brennan

Release Date: January 1, 2013
Publisher: Astor + Blue Edditions LLC
Pages: 274pgs
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Historical Romance
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Description: A wild and sexy romp through history based on the real-life adventures of the audacious Lola Montez. It is 1842, London, and the gorgeous, ever-capricious 22-year-old Eliza Gilbert, (aka Lola Montez) is in deep trouble and seeks escape from a divorce trial. Desperate to be free, Lola accepts an alluring offer of a paid trip to Spain, if she will only fulfill a few tasks for Juan de Grimaldi—a Spanish theatre impresario who is also a government agent and spy for the exiled Spanish queen, Maria Cristina. Lola soon finds herself in Madrid, undercover as a performer in a musical play. But when she falls dangerously in love with the target, General Diego de Léon, Lola becomes a double agent and the two hatch a plot of their own. Disaster strikes when the plot is exposed, Diego is captured, and Lola is forced to flee on horseback to France, with a dangerous group of Loyalists in hot pursuit.

Review: This book starts off with Lola Montez captured and being interrogated by the police. The police want to get the truth from Lola, so she decides to tell the story from the beginning. Lola is a woman that just wants big things. Wants to be an woman of society, a dancer, and an actress. Unfortunately things don't go that way for her.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. The writing was funny and easy to read. The whole story flowed nicely, and there was not a dull moment. It is an empowering story of a woman taking control of her life. Being courageous and a nice love story. I would recommend it for people who enjoy reading historical novels. When you read this book, it truly brings you into 1842.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Chase Tinker and the House of Magic by Malia Ann Haberman

Release Date: August 15, 2012
Publisher: Crossroad Press
Pages: Kindle 
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 

Description: Thirteen-year-old Chase Tinker can't understand why he has the power to move things with his mind. Besides that, his dad has been missing for over a year, causing his mom to be too upset to pay much attention to her sons, so now he's been busted for shoplifting. As if this isn't enough to worry about, his younger brother Andy suddenly has a weird magical ability too.

Can things get any crazier? Chase thinks.

Then, a grandfather they thought to be long dead arrives at their door. He wants Chase and Andy to come visit him for the summer so they can learn about their supernatural heritage and why they have magical powers in the first place.

The boys soon find out that Grandfather, along with their cousin Janie, lives on a remote island in the middle of Puget Sound in an out-of-this-world house where fantastic magic can be found in practically every room, stairway and corridor. Chase can't believe their dad has been keeping so much from them.

It's an even bigger shock when Chase learns that all their magic is controlled by a very powerful and mysterious Relic in the attic, and if anything happens to this relic, every bit of Tinker magic will be lost forever. He's even more disturbed when he learns his family has a dark and powerful enemy that is determined to steal all their magic, their house and their relic. 

Now Chase must find a way to stop these evil beings, while at the same time figuring out what has happened to his dad, unraveling even more Tinker lies and secrets and not letting on that he has a huge crush on the housekeeper's daughter.

Review: I enjoyed reading this book. It was a quick and enjoyable read. The writing and the story flowed nicely. The description of the house and their powers was wonderfully written. It felt like I was actually there experiencing everything.

At moments this did seem a little childish for me. It is great for kids from 10-13 years old. Overall it was a good book and looking forward to future books in the series.