Book Review

Review: Night’s Honour by Thea Harrison

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Night’s Honour by Thea Harrison

Title: Night’s Honour (The Elder Races, 7)
Author: Thea Harrison
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Piatkus (2nd September 2014)
Blurb:

In the latest Novel of the Elder Races, a woman finds herself in need of protection – and seduced by honour . . .

On the run from her former employer, Tess knows that she’s vulnerable on her own amongst the Elder Races. That’s why she decides to audition to become the human attendant of a powerful Vampyre of the Nightkind demesne. But while her position affords her the safety she seeks, her protector turns out to be more than she bargained for.

The right-hand man of the Nightkind King, Xavier del Torro is both terrifying and alluring. While his true nature frightens Tess, she can’t ignore the appeal of his innate sense of integrity and self-restraint. Thrown into Xavier’s world, Tess must quickly learn to navigate the dangers – both to her life, and to her heart. But the biggest threat comes from her own past . . .

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

NIGHT’S HONOUR is the seventh book in Thea Harrison’s brilliant ELDER RACES series. NIGHT’S HONOUR introduces Tess, who is on the run from her former employer. She decides that her greatest chance of survival lies in becoming a human attendant to a powerful vampire. However, things don’t quite turn out to plan.

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Review: Black Dog by Rachel Neumeier

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Black Dog by Rachel Neumeier

Title: Black Dog
Author: Rachel Neumeier
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: Strange Chemistry (6th February 2014)
Blurb:

Natividad is Pure, one of the rare girls born able to wield magic and protect humans against the supernatural evils they only half-acknowledge – the blood kin or the black dogs.

Before Natividad’s mother can finish teaching her magic their enemies find them and their entire village in the remote hills of Mexico is slaughtered. Natividad and her brothers must flee across a strange country to the only possible shelter: the infamous black dogs of Dimilioc, who have sworn to protect the Pure.

They must pass the tests of the Dimilioc Master. But, first, they must all survive the looming battle.

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

BLACK DOG tells the story of Natividad, a Pure, and her two brothers – Alejandro and Miguel – as they flee their home after the death of their parents to try and find sanctuary with the Dimilioc. But Dimilioc is not welcoming of strangers, and only desperation and their father’s words drives Natividad and her brothers there. All the while their enemies continue pursuing them.

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Review: Die Again by Tess Gerritsen

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Die Again by Tess Gerritsen (UK edition)

Title: Die Again (Rizzoli & Isles 11)
Author: Tess Gerritsen
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Publisher: Transworld Books (1st January 2015)
Source: Kate from Transworld/ NetGalley
Blurb:

‘With DIE AGAIN Tess Gerritsen proves that she is still at the top of her game. I love this fantastically gripping story and can’t wait for more’ KARIN SLAUGHTER

THE VICTIMS
In Boston, Detective Jane Rizzoli and Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles are investigating a bizarre murder. A man has been found gutted and hanging in his home. When the remains of another victim are found, it is clear that this murderer has been at work for years, and not just in Boston.

THE KILLER
Six years ago, a group of travellers set off on an African safari. None of them are seen again – apart from one woman who stumbled out of the bush weeks later, barely alive. The only woman to have seen the killer’s face.

THE SURVIVOR
Has the ‘safari killer’ resurfaced in Boston? Jane is sent to Africa to find the one link between the two cases – the only survivor – and convince her to face death once again…

Rating: ***** (5 stars)
Review:

DIE AGAIN is the eleventh book in Tess Gerritsen’s brilliant RIZZOLI & ISLES series. It is also the first book in the series that I have read, although I have watched most of the TV series. DIE AGAIN follows Boston Detective Jane Rizzoli and Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles as they investigates a bizarre murder that seems to cross not only states, but countries as well.

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Review: Rock Addiction by Nalini Singh

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Rock Addiction by Nalini Singh

Title: Rock Addiction (A Rock Kiss Novel, 1)
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, New Adult
Publisher: TKA Distribution (9th September 2014)
Blurb:

A bad boy wrapped in a sexy, muscled, grown-up package might be worth a little risk . . .

Molly Webster has always followed the rules. After an ugly scandal tore apart her childhood and made her the focus of the media’s harsh spotlight, she vowed to life an ordinary life. No fame. No impropriety. No pain. Then she meets Zachary Fox, a tattooed bad boy rocker with a voice like whiskey and sin, and a touch that could become an addiction.

A one-night stand with the hottest rock star on the planet, that’s all it was meant to be . . .

Fox promises scorching heat and dangerous pleasure, coaxing Molly to extend their one-night stand into a one-month fling. After that, he’ll be gone forever, his life never again intersecting with her own. Sex and sin and sensual indulgence, all with an expiration date. No ties, no regrets. Too late, Molly realizes it isn’t only her body that’s become addicted to Fox, but her heart . . .

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

ROCK ADDICTION is the first novel in Nalini Singh’s new sizzling contemporary romance series ROCK KISS. The story follows Molly Webster, a New Zealand native and librarian with a past, as her path crosses Zachary Fox’s – leader singer for the rock band Schoolboy Choir. What starts as a one-night stand somehow stretches into a month long fling.

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Review: Autumn Rose by Abigail Gibbs

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Autumn Rose by Abigail Gibbs

Title: Autumn Rose (The Dark Heroine, 2)
Author: Abigail Gibbs
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
Publisher: HarperVoyager (30th January 2014)
Blurb:

Her fate is set in stone . . .

Autumn Rose lives in a sleepy seaside town in the south-west of England, but buried deep under the surface of her quiet life are dark secrets. Swirling marks on her skin mark her out as having extraordinary power, but at school she is shunned and condemned by the very people she is sworn to protect.

The appearance of a handsome young man at her school – who has the same curious markings as Autumn Rose – sends her world into turmoil. Plus, there is the fact that Autumn keeps dreaming of a human girl who is about to be seduced by a very dark Prince . . . and Autumn must figure out how to save her before it is too late.

The exhilarating sequel to The Dark Heroine: Dinner with a Vampire, the incredible online sensation.

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

AUTUMN ROSE by Abigail Gibbs is the second book in THE DARK HEROINE series. It narrates the story of Autumn Rose a Sage who lives in a sleepy seaside town in south-west England but attends school in London, where she acts as a guardian to protect the pupils and teachers of the school.

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Review: Odin’s Ravens by K. L. Armstrong and M. A. Marr

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Odin’s Ravens by K. L. Armstrong & M. A. Marr

Title: Odin’s Ravens (The Blackwell Pages, 2)
Authors: K. L. Armstrong & M. A. Marr
Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Mythology
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (13th May 2014)
Blurb:

Seven kids, Thor’s hammer, and a whole lot of Valkyries are the only things that standing against the end of the world.

When thirteen-year-olds Matt Thorsen and Fen and Laurie Brekke, modern-day descendants of Thor and Loki, discovered they were fated to take the places of the Norse gods in an epic battle against the apocalypse, they thought they knew how things would play out. Gather the other descendants standing in for the gods, defeat a giant serpent, and save the world. No problem, right?

But the descendants’ journey grinds to a halt when their friend Baldwin is poisoned and Matt, Fen, and Laurie must travel to the Underworld in hopes of saving him. That’s only the first stop on their journey to reunite the challengers, find Thor’s hammer, and save humanity – a journey filled with enough tooth-and-nail battles and colossal monsters to make Matt and his friends legends in their own right.

Perfect for fans of ancient myths and filled with young heroes, monstrous beasts, and godly enemies, this fast-paced adventure is impossible to put down.

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

ODIN’S RAVENS is the second instalment of K. L. Armstrong and M. A. Marr’s epic THE BLACKWELL PAGES. It continues the journey started by Matt Thorsen and Fen and Laurie Brekke in the first book in the series. After the events of LOKI’S WOLVES (review) Ragnarök looks closer than ever, but Matt and his friends are determined to stop the end of the world. Even if that means venturing into the Underworld to try to save Baldwin.

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Review: Visions by Kelley Armstrong

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Visions by Kelley Armstrong (UK edition cover)

Title: Visions (A Cainsville Novel, 2)
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Sphere (14th August 2014)
Blurb:

A GIRL WITH A SECRET

Olivia Jones is smart, capable, loyal . . . and she’s the daughter of convicted serial killers. She’s also hiding a strange secret. She can read omens – subtle signs that warn her of trouble ahead. And if the omens are right, Olivia’s in mortal danger.

A TOWN WITH A PAST

Taking refuge in the old, secluded town of Cainsville, Olivia is busy investigating her parents’ shocking case. But when the body of a missing girl is dumped in her car, she is forced to change tack. The trouble is, there’s only one man who can help her – Gabriel Walsh, the self-serving, morally ambiguous lawyer who has betrayed her trust one too many times.

A KILLER WITHOUT MERCY

Gabriel and Olivia are convinced that someone in Cainsville is responsible for the murder. But secrets have a habit of staying buried in this small, eerily friendly town. And digging too deep has very dark consequences . . .

A twisting and atmospheric thriller, Visions is a fast-paced, gothic tale laced with passion, mystery and murder.

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

VISIONS is the second book in Kelley Armstrong’s new adult series CAINSVILLE. VISIONS continues the story of Olivia Jones, who we first meet in OMENS (review), as she struggles to come to terms with the events and revelations of the previous novel. The story begins just weeks after the events of OMENS, and someone is not content to let things lie.

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Review: Brazen by Kelley Armstrong

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Brazen by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Brazen (Women of the Otherworld, 13.1)
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Subterranean Press (15th December 2013)
Blurb:

NICK SORRENTINO KNOWS everyone in the supernatural world considers him the Pack’s playboy, the pretty but not very useful werewolf whose only reputation involves his amorous exploits.

Usually, Nick couldn’t care less what anyone outside the Pack thinks of him. But when it affects his hunt for Malcolm Danvers, a psychotic bogeyman from the Pack’s past, it matters.

Necessity forces Nick to team up with mercenary half-demon Vanessa Callas to run Malcolm to ground in Detroit. Together, they discover Malcolm is more deadly than ever. And he wants to play.

It’s time for Nick to prove he’s not just a lover. He’s a fighter.

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

BRAZEN is a novella set in Kelley Armstrong’s fantastic WOMEN OF THE OTHERWORLD series; the story is set after the events of the final book 13 (review), with the North American Pack determined to hunt down Malcolm Danvers and deliver justice. The Alpha of the pack Elena has left Nick Sorrentino in charge of hunting down clues to Malcolm’s whereabouts, and it looks like finally the Pack might be close to getting justice.

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Review: Forbidden by Kelley Armstrong

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Forbidden by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Forbidden (Women of the Otherworld, 10.2)
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Subterranean Press (31st December 2012)
Blurb:

THE TEAM-SPIRIT SIGN by the side of the highway seems a good omen to loner Morgan Walsh, as he drives to what could be the most important visit of his life – a chance to join the North American Pack. Then he wakes naked in the woods, surrounded by wolf tracks and a ring of suspicious cops. The situation only gets worse when he’s bailed out by Alpha-elect Elena Michaels and Clayton Danvers, her terrifying enforcer and mate.

Disappointed that such a promising young werewolf risked exposing them, Elena isn’t expecting anything from the pesky retrieval job except some much-needed alone time with Clay. Instead, she finds a different kind of evil stalking the streets and forests of Westwood, New York. Trapped in town by a snowstorm and sabotage, Elena, Clay and Morgan must find the mysterious threat before it sets its sights on them.

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

FORBIDDEN is a novella that takes place in Kelley Armstrong’s brilliant WOMEN OF THE OTHERWORLD series. FORBIDDEN is set between FROSTBITTEN (review), where we first meet Morgan Walsh, and WAKING THE WITCH (review). The novella tells the story of Morgan Walsh who decides to accept Elena’s invitation in FROSTBITTEN and see if he has the ability to join the North American Pack. Things, of course, don’t go quite to plan and Elena and Clayton find themselves in Westwood, New York having to bail Morgan out.

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Review: To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

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To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

Title: To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before
Author: Jenny Han
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Publisher: Scholastic (7th August 2014)
Source: Won on Twitter from @ScholasticUK
Blurb:

Lara Jean’s love life is about to go from imaginary to out of control.

Laura Jean Song keeps love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her – one for every boy she’s ever loved. She can say anything she wants, because the letters are for her eyes only. Until the day they’re sent out . . .

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE by Jenny Han is a standalone novel, which follows the story of Lara Jean Song. Lara Jean is the middle sister of three sisters who live with their Dad, their mother died when they were younger. In a hat box gifted to her by her mother, Lara Jean keeps a collection of love letters to boys that she has loved. Then one day the letters that were meant for her eyes only get posted.

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