Early Review: The Curse of Tenth Grave by Darynda Jones

The Curse of Tenth Grave: Charley Davidson and Reyes Farrow

(Charley Davidson #10)

Expected publication: June 28th 2016

Summary:

From Goodreads.com

As a Part-time PI and fulltime grim reaper, Charley Davidson has asked a lot of questions throughout her life: Why can I see dead people? Who is the hot supernatural entity following me? How do I get gum out of my sister’s hair before she wakes up? But, “How do I trap not one malevolent god, but three?” was never among them. Until now. And since those gods are on earth to kill her daughter, she has little choice but to track them down, trap them, and cast them from this dimension.

There’s just one problem. One of the three stole her heart a very long time ago. Can the Razer, a god of absolute death and destruction, change his omniscient spots, or will his allegiances lie with his brothers?

Those are just a few of the questions Charley must answer, and quick. Add to that a homeless girl running for her life, an innocent man who’s been charged with murder, and a pendant made from god glass that has the entire supernatural world in an uproar, and Charley has her hands full. If she can manage to take care of the whole world-destroying-gods thing, we’re saved. If not, well…

Review:

I adore the Charley Davidson world.. It's one of my favorite urban fantasy series mostly due to its humor. This book picks up about a week after the last one left off. Charley is still doing her, taking cases, pissing people off and making people laugh.

In the last book her learned some disturbing information about her beloved Reyes... At first I was going to be pissed for her yet again leaving Reyes in the dark about something important, and she does, but she's smarter about it this time. So it feels like she's growing as a character and in maturity. Maybe motherhood has changed her. Beep is still a central theme in this book as they concentrate on keeping her safe. To do so, Charley has to trap at least two evil gods.. The third, remains up in the air on whether they are a true threat or not. At the end Charley makes a bold declaration which elevated her bad ass status. Overall, with all the other installments in this series we are taken on an entertaining roller coaster ride. I definitely recommend this series to anyone that likes to laugh.

**Review copy provided through NetGally for an honest review. No other compensation was provided.

Early Review: The Dirt on Ninth Grave by Darynda Jones

The Dirt on Ninth Grave by Darynda Jones

(Charley Davidson #9) – Charley Davidson AKA Janey Doerr

The Dirt on Ninth Grave on Amazon

Expected publication: January 12th 2016
Summary:

From: Goodreads.com

In a small village in New York lives Jane Doe, a girl with no memory of who she is or where she came from. So when she is working at a diner and slowly begins to realize she can see dead people, she's more than a little taken aback. Stranger still are the people entering her life. They seem to know things about her. Things they hide with lies and half-truths. Soon, she senses something far darker. A force that wants to cause her harm, she is sure of it. Her saving grace comes in the form of a new friend she feels she can confide in and the fry cook, a devastatingly handsome man whose smile is breathtaking and touch is scalding. He stays close, and she almost feels safe with him around.

But no one can outrun their past, and the more lies that swirl around her—even from her new and trusted friends—the more disoriented she becomes, until she is confronted by a man who claims to have been sent to kill her. Sent by the darkest force in the universe. A force that absolutely will not stop until she is dead. Thankfully, she has a Rottweiler. But that doesn't help in her quest to find her identity and recover what she's lost. That will take all her courage and a touch of the power she feels flowing like electricity through her veins. She almost feels sorry for him. The devil in blue jeans. The disarming fry cook who lies with every breath he takes. She will get to the bottom of what he knows if it kills her. Or him. Either way.

Review:

This book takes pace one month after EIGHTH GRAVE AFTER DARK, Charley has literally exploded into the air and reformed in Sleepy Hallow New York outside of a diner.  When Charley awakens she has no memory of who she is and realizes quite quickly that she sees things that others can’t.  Charley takes on the name Janey Doerr for lack of another one. Of course the gang is not going to let Charley go it alone and they pretty much infiltrate the diner Charley starts working at. They don’t tell Charley who she is and they hope that she will come to it on her own but time is running out.

For me, I just didn’t enjoy this version of Charley as much as I enjoy the Charley that remembers who she is. Everything just seemed to be less. She wasn’t quite as snarky; although, most does remain intact. She is more timid and doesn’t embrace the departed like we are used to. That doesn’t mean that Charley doesn’t manage to find plently of trouble on her own anyway, because I don’t think losing her memory could ever change that. And throughout the book, it just seemed like not telling her was more of a hindrance then telling her. Charley was confused , lonely and didn’t understand what was going on around her. I think if they had at least told her she could have come to terms quicker or would at least be less confused and timid. Just my humble opinion. Don’t get me wrong, the book was still very entertaining and I enjoyed it very much, I was just expecting more. 

*Review copy provided for an honest review, no other compensation was given. 

Review: Brighter Than the Sun by Darynda Jones

Brighter Than the Sun by Darynda Jones

(Charley Davidson #8.5) - Reyes Farrow

Brighter Than the Sun on Amazon

Summary:

From Goodreads.com

All his life, Reyes Alexander Farrow has suffered the torments of the damned. Only one thing has given him hope: the woman who radiates a light that no mortals can see; a light that only the departed can see...

Told from his point of view, BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN chronicles the first time Reyes ever encountered Charley, and how their relationship has been the one thing that can either save him or doom him.

Review:

Yes! I glimpse into Reyes mind! This novella is told from Reyes point of view covering from Charley’s birth up until Charley goes to visit him when he is in the hospital in a coma in the first book.  It takes us through his tragic childhood, the things he had to do to survive. His relationship with his sister and Armador. His time in prison and how he watched over Charley growing up. He thought Charley a dream, a figment of his imagination up until he finally saw her in person the first time. Reyes childhood was heartbreaking but his inner strength is beyond amazing. The telling of this book is a lot darker and has a more serious tone then any of the books from Charleys POV.  Im so glad we got this brief glance from Reyes POV and hope we get another one! 

Review: Eighth Grave After Dark by Darynda Jones

Eighth Grave After Dark by Darynda Jones

(Charley Davidson #8) - Charley Davidson, Reyes Farrow and Gang

Eighth Grave After Dark on Amazon

Summary:

From Goodreads.com

With twelve hellhounds after her, pregnant Charley Davidson takes refuge at the only place she thinks they can’t get to her: the grounds of an abandoned convent. But after months of being cooped up there, Charley is ready to pop. Both metaphorically and literally since she is now roughly the size of a beached whale. Fortunately, a new case has captured her attention, one that involves a murder on the very grounds the team has taken shelter upon. A decades-old murder of the newly-vowed nun she keeps seeing in the shadows is almost enough to pull her out of her doldrums.

Charley’s been forbidden to step foot off the sacred grounds. While the angry hellhounds can’t traverse the consecrated soil, they can lurk just beyond its borders. They have the entire team on edge, especially Reyes. And if Charley didn’t know better, she would swear Reyes is getting sick. He grows hotter with every moment that passes, his heat scorching across her skin every time he’s near, but naturally he swears he’s fine.

While the team searches for clues on the Twelve, Charley just wants answers and is powerless to get them. But the mass of friends they’ve accrued helps. They convince her even more that everyone in her recent life has somehow been drawn to her, as though they were a part of a bigger picture all along. But the good feelings don’t last for long because Charley is about to get the surprise of her crazy, mixed-up, supernatural life….

Review:

Here we are eight months later; Reyes, Charlie and Osh have taken up residence of a convent. They are on the run from 12 hellhounds sent from Hell; rumor has it they can’t step onto consecrated ground.  We open with Cookies wedding to Bob, aw! And the whole gang is there.  Agent Carter, comes to Charlie with a missing kids case and she decides to take on the case despite being convent bound she’s going to need help from her whole gang for this one including Amber and Quinten. With little Beep on the way the danger is escalating. Reyes isn’t sleeping and is making reckless decisions. The departed are converging on the lawn in masses.  

This installment follows in true Charley Davidson fashion we get to enjoy everything that has made up this series so far. Charley’s trademark sense of humor has not dimmed in the slightest due to her impending motherhood or her time in a holy place. In typical fashion she has multiple cases going on at one time but with everything else it may be too much for her. She has a missing person’s case, a dead tax accountant, a dead nun, her father’s murder and the arrival of Reye’s birth parents. See, a lot going on. Add to that the fact the Lucifer wants her and Beep dead and the hellhounds, all while nine months preggers she might have bitten off more than she can chew.  The book is action packed with lots of humor and no time to get bored. Yet another great book in this widely entertaining series. 

Soulbound by Kristen Callihan

Darkest London Series:

Book 6:

Soulbound: Adam and Eliza May
 


Amazon Link
Goodreads Link 
 
Summary:
Once two souls are joined...
 
When Adam's soul mate rejected him, there was more at stake than his heart. After seven hundred years of searching, his true match would have ended the curse that keeps his spirit in chains. But beautiful, stubborn Eliza May fled—and now Adam is doomed to an eternity of anguish, his only hope for salvation gone...
 
Their hearts will beat together forever...
 
No matter how devilishly irresistible Adam was, Eliza couldn't stand the thought of relinquishing her freedom forever. So she escaped. But she soon discovers she is being hunted—by someone far more dangerous. The only man who can help is the one man she vowed never to see again. Now Adam's kindness is an unexpected refuge, and Eliza finds that some vows are made to be broken...
 
Review:
After reading Soulbound, im pretty convinced Kristen Callihan can’t write a bad book. Yet again she scores with Soulbound. I admit I wasn’t that thrilled with Adam after the last book, he was pretty much an ass to Eliza; in fact she basically had to be rescued. She was rescued only to be placed in a gilded cage. Good ole’ Aunt Mab was not the saving grace Eliza thought she would be. Eliza is still a prisoner only it is in a much fancier cage. Most of her life Eliza has been chained to one person or another who has used her, when she ran from her old life she was killed only to be set in chains. Now her “aunt” may not have her in chains but she wants something from her all the same, she just hasn’t figured out what yet. When she followed the sound of a howling dog she came upon another set of chains and what was in the chains horrified her.
 
Sometimes you find your allies in the most unlikely of places in the most unlikely of situations and that’s how the Adam/Eliza alliance formed. For the time being they needed each other to defeat a common enemy that is if they don’t kill each other first. Tensions are still riding high between these two after what had happened when they met. Adam erred badly by chaining Eliza to his side more than he could have even known. So there was quite a bit of distrust between these two but I had to hand it to Adam, he set out to make it right and he redeemed himself in my eyes. He was protective, sweet and learned from his mistakes. He treated Eliza as an equal. I went from being not too happy with Adam to enjoying him tediously. Eliza is a strong female, a survivor she thinks quick on her feet and doesn’t take Adams shit. This time she is in control of her life and she makes her own decisions. Got to love a female that holds her own, she also has a gift, one that terrifies even her. She hides it as much as she can especially against those who would use her and her gift/curse, but it’s that very gift that can save what she cares about the most.
 
The plotline has plenty of action and takes you on twists and turns making for a quick page turner. You’re immediately swept up into the story and it doesn’t let you go until you have finished. Callihan has a fantastic gift and can really paint a scene with her words. You have no troubles visualizing what she wants you to see. Callihan delivers each and every time and I cannot wait for Sinjin’s book. He has his own surprises in store for us!
 
Rating:



*Arc copy was provided for an honest review. No other compensation was provided.

Review: Genevieve Jack - The Ghost and the Graveyard

The Monk's Hill Witch Series:
 
Book 1:
 
The Ghost and the Graveyard: Grateful Knight
 
 
 
Purchase on Amazon: Genevieve Jack - The Ghost and The Graveyard (The Monk's Hill Witch)
Summary:
From Goodreads.com
Left destitute by an unscrupulous ex-boyfriend, Grateful Knight takes her father up on his offer to live rent-free in a house he hasn't been able to sell. Desperate to make a new start, Grateful tries to overlook the property’s less desirable features, like the graveyard that stretches to her back door. On the bright side, the unbelievably gorgeous cemetery caretaker, Rick, is dead set on helping her feel at home. She vows to take things slow, considering her recent disastrous relationship, but is baffled when she literally can’t keep her hands off of him.
 
When things in Grateful’s house start moving on their own another man enters her life, a sexy ghost with a dark secret. Magical forces are at work in the tiny town of Red Grove and they're converging on Grateful. Solving this ghostly mystery won’t be easy and with the caretaker becoming increasingly jealous of her spectral relationship, Grateful may be forced to choose between the ghost and the graveyard.
 
Review:
I was originally suckered into this book by the gorgeous cover. I’m not sure where I saw it but at first glance I thought it was going to be the cover of the next Darynda Jones – Charley Davidson installment, because let’s face it, it is very similar to that series covers to date. I was surprised to see that it was in fact a debut book in a new series. I read the blurb and was immediately intrigued! Ghosts, witches, vampires and a sexy graveyard caretaker! I was SOLD! I immediately downloaded the book from Smashwords to start this intriguing new tale. I am so glad I decided to give this book a whirl! At $2.99 it was a steal!
 
From the first chapter I was drawn into this tale, Grateful’s life is taking a new turn after her boyfriend left her taking all her money with him. Her real estate father is letting her stay at a house that he is having trouble selling rent free while she is trying to get back on her feet. At first glance she is in heaven, she drove by her upper hot neighbor and her house is so super cute, that is until she looks out onto the “backyard”. Her backyard consists of a graveyard, how spooky is that?! At first she has no desire to stay at the house and then she finds out her house is haunted. But she soon realizes that her ghost is actually really hot and helpful! He’s like a maid for free! You can’t beat that. But even more spooky things start to happen around her. Rick her super hot neighbor and the graveyard caretaker starts doing creepy things and all these weird creatures appear in the graveyard.
 
Grateful actually takes things pretty well considering… She went from an ordinary life to finding out she is supposed to help keep the supernatural under control as well as “sort” lost souls. At the young age of 22, she definitely could have handled things a lot differently. I actually commend her for trying to take things slow with Rick, he’s ready to go full steam ahead but she is more cautious, she tries to separate all the factors. She knows she is young and can’t handle a relationship right now and she tells Rick flat out. He can never say she lied to him; she was honest to a fault. She also takes her duty seriously, once she realizes how important it is, she does not shirk her duty and comes around especially when it comes down to life or death circumstances. I really liked Grateful’s strength and loyalty to those she cares about. Overall she is a great character, that I couldn’t really find fault with.
 
In this book we have a love triangle! I haven’t had a love triangle in awhile so I didn’t mind in the slightest that there is one here. So we have Rick the sexy, exotic, graveyard caretaker that just looking at his makes Grateful want to combust from the heat. He is direct and knows what he wants and that is Grateful! Grateful feels all these things for Rick but she isn’t sure how much is actually coming from her and how much is coming from him. Then we have Logan. Logan is our ghost in Grateful’s house. Grateful feels a connection to Logan that she can’t explain, but really how can you have a relationship with a ghost? How practical is that? Also, she feels bad that his soul is trapped here in her house, she wants him to move on, as is the natural order of things. She knows if she doesn’t sort him, he could be stuck in her house forever. That is not the kind of existence she wants for him. I kind of felt that Logan was kind of a bit creepy, he definitely has the insta-love thing going on with him. I’m totally on Team Rick!
 
The plot is fun, entertaining and different. There is a light humor woven into the story and I love anytime an author can make me laugh. I was at first scared that like the cover this book would be like the Charley Davidson series especially when it came to helping the departed move on, but it really ended up taking a different direction. There are magic, vampires, legends, fights to the death and even a possession or two within this story. There is never a dull moment in this book, it was quite entertaining. This is a great debut novel in a new series and I am going to be looking out for the next installments!
 
Rating:

Review: Darynda Jones – Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet

Charley Davidson Series:
 
Book 4:
 
Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet: Charley Davidson and Crew
 

 
Order on Amazon: Darynda Jones - Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet (Charley Davidson Series)
Summary:
From Goodreads.com
In Darynda Jones's Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet, sometimes being the grim reaper really is that. Grim. And since Charley’s last case went so awry, she has taken a couple months off to wallow in the wonders of self-pity. But when a woman shows up on her doorstep convinced someone is trying to kill her, Charley has to force herself to rise above. Or at least get dressed. She quickly realizes something is amiss when everyone the woman knows swears she’s insane. The more they refute the woman’s story, the more Charley believes it.
 
In the meantime, the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, has been cleared of all charges. He is out of prison and out of Charley’s life, as per her wishes and several perfectly timed death threats. But his absence has put a serious crimp in her sex life. While there are other things to consider, like the fact that the city of Albuquerque has been taken hostage by an arsonist, Charley is having a difficult time staying away. Especially when it looks like Reyes may be involved. Just when life was returning to normal, Charley is thrust back into the world of crime, punishment, and the devil in blue jeans.
 
Review:
This series has quickly become one of my favorites! Darynda Jones sarcastic sense of humor never fails in making me laugh. You should read this series for the little quips at the beginning of each chapter if nothing else. LOL! The T-Shirt sayings and bumper stickers might even surpass Nix’s T-Shirt sayings from Kresley Coles IAD series and that is saying a lot.
 
This specific book is one of the best of the series. Charley is more venerable than we have ever seen her. This book starts out two months after Charley’s torture. For the past two months she has found a new love of home shopping and Jackie Kennedy bracelets and has not once left her apartment. To say she has PTSD is an understatement. She is not talking to either her dad or to Reyes. Both had put her head on the chopping block recently and her dad even had her arrested. To say she is angry with them is an understatement.
 
Charley gets her first case in two months, she takes it mainly because she is broke as a joke and Reyes still hasn’t paid her the million dollars she claims he owes her. Her client swears she is being stalked and that someone is trying to kill her. Charley has a soft spot for damsels in distress and takes Harper under her wing. This case helps to pull Charley out of her stupor but Charley being Charley still gets into plenty of trouble. Now that she had left her apartment the demons that she didn’t know were stalking her have more opportunity to attack her. BT (Before Torture) life threatening situations barely registered on her rector scale, now she is finding that she is freezing up in the face of danger and that just will not do. Despite her PTSD Charley has not lost her sense of humor, she still is sarcastic as ever and the witty banter does not end. As per the Darynda Jones usual, Charley ends up working on a couple of different cases at once. There are a series of bank robberies, an arsonist, Harpers stalker and Charley’s demons. This makes for a very busy Charley, she may have been hiding from the world for the past two months but when she comes out of hiding she comes out with a bang!
 
Reyes is now out of jail and Charley finds him cage fighting of all things. Reyes has been busy in his time out of jail. He is now a cage fighter and taking out demons in his spare time. In this book it seemed like to me that Reyes made more appearances. In past books he would pop in and out and was pretty closed mouth stroking the impression of mystery. In this book we get full conversations with Reyes which only makes us want more! Can Reyes be any sexier!?! I don’t think so. He is one of my favorite males of any paranormal/urban fantasy series. He’s rarely there but he makes quite the impact each time he is. He’s an alpha to the extreme, I mean come on he is the Son of Satan.
 
One thing that has been driving me crazy with the Reyes and Charley dynamic is Charley and she can’t keep her mouth shut! She just blabs and blabs all of his secrets to just about anyone. Even things that she shouldn’t know and certainly things she should never ever mention. In this book she shows Cookie “the picture”, if you’ve read previous books you know what picture I am talking about. I could not believe she would show anyone that picture! She shouldn’t even look at that picture let alone show it to anyone. ERG! Ok rant over.
 
I highly enjoyed this book, Ms. Jones through some serious curve balls at me that I wasn’t expecting. I’m usually pretty good at guess the who dunit but this time I wasn’t really expecting these circumstances. The tension between Charley and Reyes is smoldering as always and I can’t get enough. And Darynda Jones is leading us to some huge epic battle between good and evil! I cannot wait for the next book.
 
Rating:

 

Review: Kresley Cole – Poison Princess

Arcana Chronicles:

Book 1:

Poison Princess: Evangeline “Evie” Greene and Jackson Deveaux
 
 
 
Purchase this book on Amazon: Kresley Cole - Poison Princess (Arcana Chronicles)
 
Summary:
From Goodreads.com
She could save the world—or destroy it.

Sixteen year old Evangeline “Evie” Greene leads a charmed life, until she begins experiencing horrifying hallucinations. When an apocalyptic event decimates her Louisiana hometown, Evie realizes her hallucinations were actually visions of the future—and they’re still happening. Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she must turn to her wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate: Jack Deveaux.

But she can’t do either alone.

With his mile-long rap sheet, wicked grin, and bad attitude, Jack is like no boy Evie has ever known. Even though he once scorned her and everything she represented, he agrees to protect Evie on her quest. She knows she can’t totally depend on Jack. If he ever cast that wicked grin her way, could she possibly resist him?

Who can Evie trust?

As Jack and Evie race to find the source of her visions, they meet others who have gotten the same call. An ancient prophesy is being played out, and Evie is not the only one with special powers. A group of twenty-two teens has been chosen to reenact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it’s not always clear who is on which side….
 
Review:
Ok so I am kind of struggling with this review. I don’t read much YA so I don’t really know how to go about reviewing for it. Lol… So on one hand I want to review it as an adult novel for adults, then on the other hand I think should I try to put myself in the shoes of an actual YA and think if I was an YA how would I feel about this book? And then a small part of me thinks should I think of this from an adult stand point on how I would feel if I had a teenager and they read this book? I’m all discombobulated and making it too complicated I know. HAHA So, I guess since pretty much all my reviews are for adults, I’ll go with as an adult for an adult reading this novel.
 
I have to admit when I had heard that my beloved Kresley Cole was writing a YA book I was not pleased. I knew this YA title would take away from the Immortal’s After Dark series. If she was writing YA she couldn’t be writing a new IAD title and that did not sit well for me because it is my favorite series! However, since I am a dedicated Kresley Cole fan, I decided to try out this YA adult title, I mean how bad could it possibly be, it’s still a Kresley Cole title YA or not…
 
I am so glad that I gave this title a try, it sucked me in from the beginning and would not let me go until it was finished. I had to force myself to put the book down at after 2 am and then as soon as I could the next day it was right back open and I did not put it back down to the last page. I was even looking at my progress with dread because I knew the book was coming to an end and I didn’t want it to!
 
This tale as a whole is dark, I mean come on its dealing with a freak’n apocalypse. It’s definitely not going to be sunshine and rainbows. So it has a darker edgier feel to it, which as an adult I had absolutely no problem with. The book is not quite as funny as a lot of the IAD titles but Cole does manage to get some humor and wise cracks into the dialogue.
 
The quality of writing is on par with anything you would come to expect from Kresley Cole, Kresley Cole is on point with everything. She pays attention to details and gets it right EVERY time. Poison Princess is no exception, if there was a lingering question from the beginning if it was meant to get answered in this installment it gets answered.
 
Ok on to the characters. Evie at first glance is sunshine and rainbows. From the outside looking in she is a shining example of genteel southern belle. She wears the correct clothes, she’s beautiful, smart, rich, is a cheerleader and her boyfriend is the perfect southern gentleman. When you look below the surface is where you see the true Evie. She has deep dark hallucinations which are getting harder and harder to cover up and she hears all these voices in her head. When Jackson a Cajun boy from the other side of the tracks starts at her school she spirals further down the rabbit hole. Her reaction to him is almost as confusing to her as the hallucinations. School is becoming more and more difficult for Evie and she starts worrying she is going to be thrown in the nuthouse again. Annnnd then the apocalypse happens and suddenly she’s not so crazy as she saw all those events before they actually happened. When Jackson shows up at her farm it is both a blessing and curse. Jackson forces Evie to face her new life post apocalypse and quite frankly she is not very good at facing or surviving necessarily. I kept hoping that she would man up and learn some survival skills, she did learn some but Jackson was definitely carrying this team. I also wanted her to embrace what she is, but if she did right away we wouldn’t have her inner conflict. Of which she had plenty. Evie kind of reminds me of a young Macayla Lane from the Karen Marie Moning Fever Series. You love her and are rooting for her but at the same time she can frustrate the hell out of you.
 
Now Jackson Deveaux is a character all onto himself. I quite liked him. I loved the Cajun charm and adored how Kresley Cole through in the Cajun dialect and the Cajun French, it is one of the many things I enjoyed with this book. I could imagine his rumbly voice speaking in French; it’s quite the panty dropper. Not that any panties were actually dropped in this book. The sexual tension between Evie and Jackson is palpable and the sparks fly! Now, I can see how some people might have a problem with Jackson as a character, he is constantly drinking (although never actually drunk). I say it’s the damn apocalypse drink as much as you want! You never know if you’re going to make it into the next day. He’s also a rake, well he was before the apocalypse, but with the shortage of females and all…. And he has his eye on our favorite gal. But at the heart of Jackson he is a good guy, he is loyal and protective, very intelligent and sure he makes some mistakes along the way but who doesn’t? He felt like a real person to me. Plus he saves Evie’s butt time and time again, she couldn’t be in safer hands. Now Jackson kind of reminds me of the IAD’s Cadeon the Kingmaker, only a bit darker, not quite as charming.
 
Would I recommend this book to other adults and AID fans? ABSO “f’n” LUTLY!! Infact I was utterly absorbed, I think I actually finished the book faster then it took me to write this damn review. LOL I think adults will enjoy this book, it’s not too teenagerish. The kids have to grow up fast. There is plenty that goes on to keep an adults attention, there are cannibals, zombies, superpowers, visions, and survival of the fittest. For the IAD fans, I would recommend that you completely banish IAD from your mind while reading this book, this is not IAD, it is not even close. There are very few similarities between the two so to compare the two wouldn’t be far to either series. What I did kind of miss was in the IAD series KC switches POV’s between the hero and heroine so we know what each is thinking. In this book it is strictly from Evie’s POV so we don’t get into Jackson’s head, and I would like to spend some time there.
 
Ok, so I know this is a hecka long review, but I just had so much to say! I just have to mention one other thing… The ending… It is one hell of a WTF, it’s just ending there?!?! So if you abso HATE cliffhangers… You might want to wait a bit closer to whenever book 2 is going to release. But do pick it up!
 
OK, I’m done now! I promise.

Rating:

Review: Darynda Jones - Third Grave Dead Ahead

Charley Davidson Series:
 
Book 3:
 
Third Grave Dead Ahead: Charley Davidson and Crew
 
 
 
Get it on Amazon: Darynda Jones - Third Grave Dead Ahead
Summary:
From Goodreads.com
Paranormal private eye. Grim reaper extraordinaire. Whatever. Charley Davidson is back! And she's drinking copious amounts of caffeine to stay awake because every time she closes her eyes she sees him: Reyes Farrow, the part-human, part-supermodel son of Satan.
 
Granted she did imprison Reyes for all eternity, but how is she supposed to solve a missing-persons case, deal with an ego-driven doctor, calm her curmudgeonly dad, and take on a motorcycle gang hell-bent on murder when the devil's son just won't give up on his plan of seduction..... and revenge?
 
Review:
This one was not my favorite of the series, but still scores a solid 4.5 rating which is saying something.  We still get all of the usual Darynda Jones humor but with more of an edge. Tempers are simmering in this book and violence escalates.  As is foretold Charley must go through agony before she can get her guardian.  Also, the race is on for Charley to discover what she is capable of; if she doesn’t the demons may find her and as the portal, that cannot happen.
 
Reyes is PISSED at Charley and quite frankly I don’t blame him. She flat out pretty much betrayed him and now he’s back in prison trapped in his body, that he shouldn’t even have.  Despite, his festering anger Reyes still needs Charley’s help; he was framed for a murder that was not even committed. He needs Charley to find his “father” who is still very much alive. 
 
Charley has two cases she needs to solve ASAP.  She was hired by a doctor to find his missing wife, but everything within Charley knows that the good doctor very much so had a hand in her disappearance.  Charley connects what seem to be unrelated dots to the good doctor and the arrows really start pointing to him, he is more then what he seems.  If only she could prove it. The more dots that are connected the more she realizes how difficult it will be to actually prove the circumstantial evidence. Then there is Reyes, Reyes is one of the most intriguing males in any series. We get glimpses of him but never a full picture. The more we find out the more intriguing he becomes.  In this book, he’s hunting his “father”. The danger surrounding this case doesn’t seem to be more than previous cases but this one may just break Charley and your heart breaks a little for her.
 
As with the previous books we get our cast of characters! I don’t think this series would be the same without them. I just adore all of them.  In this book we get the addition of a motorcycle gang that hangs at the institution that Charley goes to, to visit Rocket. I am really interested to see where Darynda Jones takes us with this gang. Charley’s father got a bug up his a$$ about protecting Charley from herself, even as he himself put a target on her. There is a possible romance budding between Cookie and Charley’s uncle!  And our sexy Garrett, when Reyes is MIA we still have him and I’m not complaining!
 
Rating:

Review: Darynda Jones – Second Grave on the Left

Charley Davidson Series:
 
Book 2:
 
Second Grave on the Left: Charley Davidson and Crew
 

 
Summary:
When Charley is rudely awakened in the middle of the night by her best friend who tells her to get dressed quickly and tosses clothes out of the closet at her, she can’t help but wonder what Cookie’s up to. Leather scrunch boots with a floral miniskirt? Together? Seriously?
 
Cookie explains that a friend of hers named Mimi disappeared five days earlier and that she just got a text from her setting up a meet at a coffee shop downtown. They show up at the coffee shop, but no Mimi. But Charley finds a message on the bathroom wall. Mimi left a clue, a woman’s name. Mimi’s husband explains that his wife had been acting strange since she found out an old friend of hers from high school had been found murdered a couple weeks prior. The same woman Mimi had named in her message.
 
Meanwhile, Reyes Alexander Farrow (otherwise known as the Son of Satan. Yes. Literally) has left his corporeal body and is haunting Charley. He’s left his body because he’s being tortured by demons who want to lure Charley closer. But Reyes can’t let that happen. Because if the demons get to Charley, they’ll have a portal to heaven. And if they have a portal to heaven…well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be pretty.
 
Can Charley handle hot nights with Reyes and even hotter days tracking down a missing woman? Will Cookie ever get a true fashion sense? And is there enough coffee and chocolate in the world to fuel them as they do?
 
Review:
Yet another fantastic installment of the Charley Davidson series!  Darynda Jones just took this series and ran with it, Olympic gold medal style (can you tell the Olympics was on recently? Lol).  I simply devoured this series, with no breaks between books. Yet again Ms. Jones had me laughing so hard I cried. There was this one passage that had me laughing so hard and for so long that my co-worker was looking at me funny. So I sent him just that passage and had him rolling too. He hadn’t read any of the book didn’t know anything about the series but could laugh right along with me on this one and he’s a tough audience!  
 
In this book Reyes has escaped protective custody and is haunting Charley, not that she minds the haunting. But what concerns her is his body, he’s told her he’s being tortured but she can’t find him.  Charley makes it her mission to save his body from being tortured despite Reyes opinion on the matter.  This is one of the very few things that has irked me with this series, Charley can be rash when it comes to Reyes and completely disregards his warning or feelings in a matter and does things that directly affects him in the exact opposite way that he wanted.  A prime example is she tends to blabbermouth to everyone what he is, but she doesn’t tell anyone what she is fully. Which I find hypocritical and irksome, she knows he wouldn’t want everyone and their mother knowing what he is, yet she keeps on telling people.  A small detail but annoying nonetheless at least to me. 
 
What I do love about Charley besides the obvious humor I’ve already raved about is her willingness to help.  All walks of life and departed come to her for help and she doesn’t turn people away, she helps in any way she can. I also love how the cases come together. She takes random facts that may not have much significance elsewhere yet somehow puts it all together and solves the unsolvable.
 
What I adore about this series are all of the side characters. They are all larger than life and fully developed. There are no bad characters in this series! I love them all, from Cookie to the ghostly Angel. Even Charley’s bane of her existence Sykes is a great character. Their interactions are always amusing and he is quite sexy in his own right!  Even Charley’s uncle is hilarious and quite lovable as your favorite fictional uncle. I don’t think this series would be as good if it weren’t for the supporting cast of characters. 
 
Rating:

Review: Darynda Jones – First Grave on the Right

Charley Davidson Series:
 
Book 1:
 
First Grave on the Right: Charley Davidson and Crew
 

 
Summary:
From Goodreads.com
Private investigator Charlotte Davidson was born with three things: looks; a healthy respect for the male anatomy; and the rather odd job title of grim reaper. Since the age of five, she has been helping the departed solve the mysteries of their deaths so they can cross over. Thus, when three lawyers from the same law firm are murdered, they come to her to find their killer.
 
In the meantime, Charley's dealing with a being more powerful - and definitely sexier - than any specter she's ever come across before. With the help of a pain-in-the-ass skip tracer, a dead pubescent gangbanger named Angel, and a lifetime supply of sarcasm, Charley sets out to solve the highest profile case of the year and discovers that dodging bullets isn't nearly as dangerous as falling in love.
 
Review:
 
This series has been on my TBR for who knows how long, it was recommended to me by one of my book soul mates Shelly. I knew I should have picked it up sooner, if Shelly recommended it, I am almost guaranteed to love it. And she was right, I did love it!  Charley is such a F’n smart ass and I love it! Darynda Jones writes with sarcasm and wit, it’s almost none stop laughs from the beginning to the end. 
 
Charley is a small time PI who also helps her uncle who is a cop with some of his cases. It’s so much easier to solve a homicide when you can just ask the ghost who killed them. Sometimes Charley gets lucky and the newly departed can tell her who killed them and sometimes it’s a bit harder and they don’t know so the investigation begins, which is the case with this murder mystery. In this book, Charley is investigating a triple homicide with the dearly departed assisting in their own murders.  As the investigation heats up, it becomes more and more dangerous, and that usually means that Charley almost dies, a lot. LOL But our Charlie is a tough cookie, not much can outright kill her especially when she has a shadow that always protects her from sure death.   Charley is tough as nails, but has a soft caring side which is evident when she deals with her friends.
 
Charley has always been a trouble magnet, from a very young age she has been attracting near death experiences, but always a specter would appear and protect her.   All her life she was intrigued yet terrified of this specter, even though it always protected her, there is an air of menace surrounding it.  Another intriguing man in Charlie’s life is Reyes. Reyes was a young man when she first met him at about 18. His father was beating the shit out of him when Charlie intervened; she only about 15 at the time, the experience left a lasting impact on her. No man since has left her feeling the same as the near violant experience with the young Reyes.  Now approximately 15 years later she has found Reyes again, only nothing is what it seems with him.  Reyes is so damn sexy and mysterious! Reyes is definitely an alpha male to the core with a strange vulnerability that should not be there, not when you consider who he is. He has a strong protective instinct, yet carries death in his eyes; always an intriguing combination.  He has a less than stellar childhood, only made tolerable through glimpses of Charlie. Now he is an inmate at the state prison, where he has been since he was about 19, and recent events have left him in a coma. Now that Charley has found him again, she knows that she can’t let him die but she only has a week.  Between the triple homicide and Reyes Charlie is a busy girl, but she is never too busy for her friends, some of which are ghosts. 
 
Through the whole book the laughs never end nor does the excitements from the dangers Charlie navigates. Her life is constantly in peril but she preservers and hopefully gets her guy in the end, both of them. D. Jones navigates a fine line between just enough humor and too much sarcasm. I think she did an excellent job in keeping it in line. I don’t feel like that fine line was crossed to where the humor became too much and you lose some of the story because of it. I felt like it only enhanced the story. Charley as a character is fun and very easy to love. I don’t think there are too many that wouldn’t enjoy these books. Even if you aren’t necessarily a fan of paranormal, but you like to laugh I really think you would still enjoy this book and even the series. There is an element of mystery on top of the paranormal and humor, so this book has a little bit of something for everyone. So run out now and buy the first book! You won’t be disappointed. I devoured this series (At least what is already out) in a matter of a couple of days!
 
Rating:

 

Discounted eBook: Darynda Jones - First Grave on the Right

For the entire month of June Amazon.com has Darynda Jones - First Grave on the Right discounted down to $2.99! This is the first in the wildly popular Charley Davidson series. 

Click here to download eBook: First Grave on the Right

A smashing, award-winning debut novel that introduces Charley Davidson: part-time private investigator and full-time Grim Reaper

Charley sees dead people. That’s right, she sees dead people. And it’s her job to convince them to “go into the light.” But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e. murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she’s been having about an Entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely.

This is a thrilling debut novel from an exciting newcomer to the world of paranormal romantic suspense.

Author Interview: Stephanie Rowe

 Author Bio:

From www.stephanierowe.com

Four-time RITA® Award nominee and Golden Heart® Award winner Stephanie Rowe is a nationally bestselling author of more than twenty books. A life-long reader, she began crafting stories at age ten, but didn't realize it was her dream until she was an adult.
Once the light dawned, she immediately left behind "work" as the world defines it and went to "work" as she defines it, which means getting up every morning with a smile in her heart so she can spend the day doing that which makes her spirit sing.
Stephanie believes in learning to listen to your heart in order to figure out what your dreams are, and then opening yourself to the inspiration that will direct you there. She believes we all deserve the right to enjoy life, and for the ride to be as easy as we want it to be, and that we all should accept nothing less than making our dreams come true.
Stephanie lives in New England, and spends every day doing her best to fill it with people, observations and activities that uplift her soul, which include writing, tennis, friends, and her amazing family.

Current Release: Hold Me If You Can





Stephanie Rowe Interview:


PR:  Each of your warriors in the Soul Fire series has a forced girly “hobby” (Blaine: Cross Stitching, Nigel: Drawing) which also tends to be one of their coping mechanisms, how do you decide what hobby to give each warrior?


SR:  It really came from them. I didn't select their hobbies. When I started to write the books and learn about the characters, they simply showed me what it was. Nigel, the hero in my current release, HOLD ME IF YOU CAN, if different from the other warriors, because he fully embraces his talent. Nigel was a creative type even before he was kidnapped by Death's grandma and tortured in the Den of Womanly Pursuits for 150 years. The other warriors resist their softer side, but Nigel embraces it. He's a peaceable kind of guy, even when he's the middle of bloodletting with some demons, it's not uncommon for him to pause and do a few sketches. When I started writing his book, I was surprised to discover that Nigel's love of his art was not simply because of his inner serenity, but because he has such a dark side that only his art keeps it at bay. Even though he seems the most mellow, Nigel is actually the most dangerous, volatile and deadly of them all, and we get to see how that transformation haunts him in HOLD ME IF YOU CAN.


PR:  In a few words or sentences how would you describe the SoulFire series to someone who hasn’t yet picked up this wonderful series?


SR:  The Soulfire series is about a team of immortal warriors who have recently escaped from the Den of Womanly Pursuits, after 150 of torture and sensitivity training by Death's grandma. These hardened survivors can, much to their dismay, wield a pair of knitting needles as well as they can vanquish a demon with a sword. Not that they will admit that. Ever. Denial only goes so far, however… If a man's got a talent with a curling iron, he can hide it for only so long…







PR:  Every parent says they don’t have a favorite child but secretly deep down where no parent will admit to it, they have their favorite or one that takes a special place in their heart. Do you secretly have a favorite warrior from the SoulFire series?


SR:  My favorite warrior is always the one I'm writing about. I get so immersed in his life, in his emotional struggle to find himself and love, in his quest to save those he loves, that he becomes my hero during that journey. So for me, at the moment, Nigel is my favorite. I love how hard he fights to be the man he wants to be, and when his art is stolen from him, I love his courage and determination in finding another way to control with the monster he carries within. I love how he cherishes Natalie, how he helps her in her own battle. I think he's a great dichotomy of the deadly tortured warrior who can still be a total softie (and be damn proud of it!). Nigel is a total bad ass who can decimate the bad guys within in seconds, but in his heart, he likes nothing more than to tap into his artistic side and pour all his inner tenderness into paints of those he loves. He's the man who will write you poetry at the same time he's slaying demons for you, and he'll turn love making into the most beautiful experience ever, because he's not afraid to tap into the side of him that is about beauty, love and harmony and to shower his woman with all that tenderness.


PR:  The world where the SoulFire series resides in is so incredibly unique, where did you get some of your inspiration from?


SR:  When I started writing the Soulfire series, my goal was to take the traditional and twist it into unexpected directions. I wanted to surprise the reader by creating a powerful, sexy story about the triumph of love in the most unusual of circumstances. Of course, I wanted the men to be badass immortal warriors who had been sufficiently tortured to make it impossible for them to trust, to connect or to bond (except with the woman who was meant for them, and their loyal team of warriors). Who wouldn't want that kind of man in her books?


But I also wanted these guys to be more complex and unexpected than your typical tortured warriors. I wanted to turn the traditional paranormal hero on its head, so I wanted to give these guys an unexpectedly soft side that torments them as much as it gives them peace. I did that by having them spend a few centuries being tortured in the Den of Womanly Pursuits by Death's grandma. While in the Den, the men of the Soulfire series were forced to tap into their softer sides. It's to their great dismay and embarrassment that they have become addicted to their delicate pastimes for their sanity (literally), and they try their best to do their cross-stitching, knitting and other such skills in private, or when appropriately covered in the remnants of a man-battle. I wanted to show that a man can be a bad ass warrior, and still tap into his gentle nature without losing that which makes him so powerful and appealing.


The whole series is based on that kind of approach: I wanted to take the expected and twist it on its head. Like the main villain in TOUCH IF YOU DARE is Cupid, who normally you'd think would be a good guy. The book is full of satirical twists on the paranormal romance norm, not just with the warriors, but in many different ways. I had a lot of fun creating it, and readers seem to enjoy it as well.


PR:  I have fallen in love with some of your supporting characters such as Death, The Grim Reaper and The Godfather, are you planning on giving any of your supporting characters HEA’s?


SR:  Well, I don't want to give away too much, but Death is going to get a girlfriend in book four, SEIZE WITH YOUR KISS, which is scheduled for July 2012….


PR:  If you could co-author a book with one other author (dead or alive) of your choice who would you choose?


SR:  You know, I have to admit, I'm not really a co-author kind of girl. My mind seems to work in bizarre ways that no one else's does, and I have found that trying to get anyone to understand what's going on in there doesn't work very well. So, I think I shall have to remain content to read the masterpieces of others, and toil away on my own…


PR:  Some authors say that they have a music playlist when working on their book or to help set a mood for a certain scene. Do you have playlists for writing and if you do what is some of your favorite songs/musicians to set the mood?


SR:  My "get up and get going" song is Eye of the Tiger by Survivor. I've actually had a pretty rough go of things the last few years, and that's been my theme song to pump me up and decide to take control instead of wallowing around in victim mode. Nothing changes until you change your attitude!


PR:  Are any of your characters in any of your books based off of real life people?
SR:  I am always paying attention to everything that I see, hear, notice or experience, and tucking it away for inclusion in a book. You just never know when something will come up! It can be an experience, a comment someone makes, an attitude… it's never an entire person or an entire experience, just snippets that all come together. My Alaska Heat romantic suspense series that is coming out this week (ICE, Jan 2012) was born one night while I was grocery shopping. I started chatting to the gal at the bakery, who told me how she had been living in Alaska training to be a bush pilot, but had to come home to take care of her ailing father. We started discussing Alaskan bush pilots (primarily a male occupation), and I became so interested in the kind of man who would risk his life every day to take care of others that my Alaskan bush pilot series soon came to life. You just never know where the ideas will come from!





PR:  So what is next on the schedule for Stephanie Rowe?


SR:  Thanks for asking! I have a super busy 2012. My sizzling hot romantic suspense ICE is being re-released this week as an eBook, and early February will bring the next book in that series, CHILL. Late February I will be launching my new dark & sexy paranormal series Order of the Blade. The second and third books in that series will be out this spring as well. The fourth book in the Soulfire series, SEIZE WITH YOUR KISS, is scheduled for July. I also have a new book in the Immortally Sexy series coming in late 2012. Readers have been waiting a long time for Mona and Rafi's story, and it's finally here. I'm so excited! I'm also hoping to squeeze one more book in the Alaska Heat series in late 2012, but we'll have to see. So, busy year! For more details, visit www.stephanierowe.com or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StephanieRoweBooks or on Twitter at StephanieRowe2.


Thank you so much Stephanie Rowe for stopping by my blog and taking the time to answer some questions for us.

ARC Review: Stephanie Rowe - Hold Me If You Can

SoulFire Series:

Book 3:

Hold Me If You Can: Nigel and Natalie

Release Date: January 1st, 2012
Summary:

Natalie has been given a second chance in life after she was bite by a Deedum while she was very young she was left with an expiration date, having already lost her mother and everyone of her sisters except Reina, Natalie knows loss. Natalie beat the curse and now she wants to live her life, but she doesn’t know how, she lived in fear her whole life and then lived out of control before her “death” she now doesn’t know how to find that happy medium so has shut down everything having to do with sensuality and exists solely to get her shop back up and running and to catch glimpses of Nigel, the fearsome warrior yet sensitive artist that is best friends with her sisters mate. Nigel has lived with the curse of his metal all of his life, after killing his mother with them he has lived in fear of losing control. The only thing that has managed to help him keep his stability and serenity has been his art. Now that has been threatened and he can no longer draw, his stability has been compromised and the only person that can help him get it back is Natalie with her power of persuasion. For weeks Nigel has been watching and drawing Natalie but keeping his distance, but now he has no choice he needs her. Natalie’s power of persuasion is gone and right before the reopening of her store. She needs to get it back, and then Nigel comes to her for her help, but to be able to help him and herself she has to tap into a place within that she refuses to go, her sensuality. Nigel is willing to take one for the team, he has to get Pascal back from Mari, but to do so he has to be stable, so whats a man to do… He’s got to help Natalie tap into her inner sex pot. In the midst of seducing Natalie, stabilizing Nigel, setting up the store, avoiding more Deedums, rescuing Pascal from the clutches of Mari, they discover that Natalie has become Mari’s smut deposit and she is turning into the thing she fears most a Deedum. Things are not looking good for Nigel and Natalie, it is doubtful that either come out of the alive and sane.

Review:

I have to say that this series is one of my favorite paranormal series, it’s just so refreshing and not quite like anything else out. Stephanie Rowe really knows how to create a unique world and I am happy to visit it anytime. Nigel is sexy and that interesting combination between artist and warrior, who could resist a combination like that, it’s like getting the best of both worlds. He’s protective and fierce, yet understands what Natalie needs even if she doesn’t and can see deep into her soul.  Natalie is trapped within herself; she has lived in fear for so long and then lived so far out of control she doesn’t know how to live and now she has lost her powers and that is terrifying in itself. Natalie manages to stifle her inner essence, the thing that makes her who she is and Nigel is just the man to help her find it again. For Nigel she is willing to try. This book actually made me sit back and think a bit on myself and the way I live my life and reflect to see if I am living true to myself and it’s rare for that to happen and not unwelcome. However, while you are sitting there contemplating life you are still entertained by the twists and turns S. Rowe takes you on and laugh the whole way through. You really can’t ask for more. The only thing I missed in this book were my beloved cooky side characters, Augustus was barely there, the Godfather was only mentioned, Death and his crazy grandmother were not to be seen as well as my Blaine, Trinity and Reina. Oh how I love my strange characters from this series and oh how I missed you. Although, S. Rowe did give me some new ones and let me tell you, she left me dying to read the next installment! I don’t know when it’s going to be released but it’s not soon enough!

*This book was provided to me for an honest review through NetGalley.

Rating:

Review: Terri Garey - Devil Without a Cause

Devil's Bargain Series:

Book 1:

Devil Without a Cause: Sammy Devine (The Devil), Faith McFarland and Finn Payne

Summary:

After Samauel was cast out of the heavens he was given his own kingdom, hell. For eons he has been paying for his mistake and wallowing in his bitterness. He is determined to make humans pay as he has paid. When his old friend and brother the Angel Gabriel pays Sammy a visit with a possible chance at earning his wings he is intrigued and out of boredom he takes Gabriel up on his offer.

Faith’s life is falling out beneath her. Her young son has just been diagnosed with brain cancer and she is willing to do anything to make her son healthy again and to live a full life, including sell her soul to the devil. When the Devil appears before her and offers her his bargain she is in disbelief until he shows her evidence that she cannot dispute. Faith agrees that at her death her soul is Sammy’s and in return for her sons life all she has to do is seduce Finn Payne one of the world’s biggest rock stars and steal his ring. Easy right? After a visit to the Devil he sold his soul to when he was a young, stupid 16 year old, Finn was not is the mood for anything except locking himself in his hotel room, but when a fresh beautiful hotel worker offers to spend some “quality” time with him, he is unable to resist. Faith cannot believe that the Finn Payne was attracted enough to her that he agreed to spend some “quality” time with her. Despite her jitters Finn manages get Faith to relax and they have a few good laughs and an enjoyable night and he knows one night with her is not going to be enough. Faith has no idea how she is going to get out of the room with his ring undetected but she has to try. Faith manages to get the ring and leave the room when alarms go off and all hell breaks loose. Finn realizes the girl made off with his ring and he manages to track her down and sees her summoning the Devil and he knows he’s screwed! The Devil gives him a couple of more days to get his ring back or his soul is gone. Desperate times call for desperate measures Faith needs to summon the Devil for her son but how is she supposed to do that if the irresistible Finn keeps getting in her way. She likes him more then she wants to admit to, even her son is seemly attached to the rock star! Finn is prepared to do what he has to do, even kidnap Faith and Nathan and pull her heart strings anyway he can, the only problem is she is affecting him more than he anticipated and he even likes her son.

Summary:

This book was alright, it was very predictable but was entertaining at times. It is an easy, feel good read and you felt for the characters but here was the problem with this novel for me. It was just too unbelievable for me. So Faith falls in love with a selfish man who is unwilling to give up the ring to save her sons life in less than 24 hours.  Ok, I’m not a mother and I never plan on being one, but I just can’t see any mother that desperate to save her kids life to fall that quickly after a night of some good loving to a man who holds your kids life in his hands. That is just not working for me. The ending was painfully groan worthy and takes place in less than 72 hours. I also think I did some other groans from the cheesy clichés of this novel. Now what saved this novel from abandoning it half way through was Sammy the Devil. Sammy was both evil yet there is that tiny spark of goodness in him; you can’t help but like him and feel a bit sorry for him. He is charismatic and plays his part in this novel perfectly! If I do continue with this series it will be for Sammy and Sammy alone!

Rating:



Review: Stephanie Rowe - Touch if You Dare

Soulfire Series:

Book 2:

Touch if You Dare: Jarvis Swain and Reina Fleming

Summary:

One touch from Jarvis and you are suddenly blinded by hatred! Get people in a room with him and mayhem implodes. Jarvis is the Guardian of Hate and if he doesn’t find his missing brother Cameron who is the Guardian of Love soon, Jarvis himself will explode and then Hate will be spread indiscriminately around the world, if that happens all hell will break loose. Reina has lost every single one of her family members except her baby sister, each sister has died before she could save her. Reina has one chance to save her youngest sister from the curse she carries. All Reina has to do is become a Reaper and she can switch the souls will a willing donor. But that one shot is torn from beneath her when Death fires her. He offers her job back if she can kill “Oh Shit it’s Augustus “ the world’s most prolific assassin. Death has taken Jarvis’s brother and he knows that Reina works for Death, if he can get her help finding his brother he agreed to help her kill Augustus and save her sister. Jarvis is surprised when Reina seemly is immune to the effects of his hate, and soon Reina and Jarvis are caught up in feeling neither one of them want to explore. Soon Jarvis and Reina are in the middle of a hail storm of chaos and are on a tight deadline with Reina’s sisters curse taking affect and Jarvis is getting closer and closer to exploding with every moment that passes. Only being with Reina has held off Jarvis’s impending explosion, but that will only work for so long…

Review:

I freak’n love this book and this series. The world S. Rowe has created is so odd, but it so works! The characters are so endearing, even the characters you are supposed to hate because they are the “bad guys” you love! There is the “Godfather” that organisms you to death, you might die but you go out happy. Death is charismatic, handsome but a hopeless romantic and the Grim Reaper is hilarious.  Augustus’s weapon of choice are pink stars and he’s lost his enjoyment of killing, but you find yourself feeling slightly sorry for him.  Reina is so full of love she can’t possibly hate and is the perfect counterpart for Jarvis who is literally Hate, it oozes out of him. She loves with every fiber of her being which makes her immune to Jarvis’s affects. She can sooth Jarvis as no one has been able to do in the past, including even his brother. She is able to bring him back from the brink of explosion with her touch. Jarvis is oddly venerable, for someone who carries around and uses Hate as a weapon you would think he would be impenetrable. During his long miserable life he hasn’t been able to be in a room with someone without bringing out their hate.  With Reina for the first time he is able to bring out more than just hate and maybe he can love. He also finds there is a thin line between love and hate and sometimes hate is just as needed as love, without one you can’t have the other. Rowe has a wonderful sense of humor and makes sense of all the chaos that goes on in her book. You could easily get lost with all the characters presented in this series but she writes in such a way that you are able to keep up and keep them straight. The characters are not human but they have such human qualities about them. As I sit here thinking back to the book and the series, it brings a smile to my face as I remember the characters and the story line. I am eagerly looking forward to the next book in the series as this has become one of my favorite series to read!

Rating:

Extra Bonus: The cover reveal for the next book in the series. Hold Me If You Can