How Beauty Met the Beast (Tales of the Underlight Series)

The Beast: Scarred. Damaged. Living with a terrible secret. Agent of the Underlight Wesley “Hauk” Haukon has nothing left but the fight for liberty against the oppressive Order of Ananke. He’s starting to lose hope…and then he sees her.

The Beauty: Despite her night job as a burlesque dancer, Grad student Jolie Benoit has always played the mostly good girl. That all changes following a scorching sexual encounter with a stranger whose face she doesn’t see. After she’s kidnapped by thugs, and rescued by a man with a familiar voice, Jolie becomes a pawn in a struggle she never knew existed.

Hauk knows he cannot have her, and resolves to protect his heart and his secrets. But as they work together and grow closer, he finds a new reason to keep fighting. Dare he risk hope in a new life, one where Jolie can see past his ravaged face and where their friendship can grow into something more? From the Jax Garren Website.

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Series: Number one in the Tales of the Underlight Series

Cover: Interesting, not a true portrayal of the characters

Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Urban Fantasy.

Pages/Words: 104/38,000

POV: Third Person shared between the main characters.

Setting: America

Language: Moderate-Severe profanity & blasphemy

Sexual Content Rating: M

Gore and Violence Rating: G

Publisher: Carina Press (November 2012)

My thoughts: First off, I didn't realise this story was so short. Like I said, I usually pick books by their covers or titles. Shallow it may be but I like to think it keeps things interesting and mysterious. When I did realise that it was a few eggs short of a basket, it didn't really bother me. The story was an easy, relaxing read so it being short and sweet was fine. That is until I turned a page and was looking at the promotion for the next book in the series.

The story ended without much happening. Instead of feeling like I had read the first instalment in the series, it was like I had just finished the first half of the book! Honestly I don't mind short stories, novellas etc. But this left me wanting more in a bad way. Basically, I didn't get my full course meal.

As for the story and characters, well nothing special. Only thing I have to say really is that there were a few times they did things out of character.

If I had to describe the book as a whole, the word would probably be 'cruisy' or 'laid back'. You didn't have to think with this one. To sum, it was 'junk food'; a quick fix without any real substance.

The story would have been better if the second instalment was included in the first book. That way readers would have had the chance to form attachments and become invested and interested in the characters. Also, it would make the book feel complete.

To those who would still like to give the book a go, my advice would be to purchase the whole series; might get a descent read that way.

Cover image from goodreads

Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna Series)

Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story...

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life. From the Kendare Blake website.

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Series: Number one in the Anna Series

Cover: Beautiful and appropriate

Genre: YA Horror

Pages/Words: 320/79,165

POV: Cas, first person

Setting: Present day Thunder Bay

Language: Moderate profanity and blasphemy

Sexual Content Rating: G

Gore and Violence Rating: Moderate

Publisher: Tor Teen (August 2011)

My thoughts: This was an interesting read though personally, I can't really say I liked it. Reading it, I felt disconnected. It was like watching a train wreck on the news. I understand that it's gruesome and horrible and sad, however I am not able to comprehend or feel the intensity that such emotions should evoke as I am not directly affected. So aside from the acceptance and acknowledgement that such an accident is awful and will be absolutely horrible for someone else, I can't say it has any lasting effect on my emotional state.

For this reason, I felt I couldn't help but be objective throughout the whole novel. Because of that, I was neither moved nor worried about the characters or the plot's development. Which to me is a let down as I feel that characters should be real and produce real emotions from a reader. Otherwise the story becomes flat and a lot less enjoyable.

Also there were some serious flaws in the way the author explained things. It had a very 'lazy' feel to it as though she didn't really think about a logical/realistic explanation and just went with something convenient. It was obviously lacking and kept grating at me.

On a positive note, I have to say that I quite liked the voice of the main character. Initially I thought that this was going to be told from Anna's point of view as I decided to read it based solely on the cover, so I was a bit surprised when a male started telling the story. Despite that, I enjoyed his somewhat dry humour. Though other than him, I didn't really like any of the other characters. Some were annoying, others were uninteresting.

This isn't a horrible book but it does have its flaws. If you're able to overlook those and don't mind a bit of violence and gore, you might enjoy this.

Cover image from goodreads

Kiss of Steel (London Steampunk Series)

He craves her like no other…

Honoria Todd has no choice. Only in the dreaded Whitechapel district can she escape the long reach of the Duke of Vickers. But seeking refuge there will put her straight into the hands of Blade, legendary master of the rookeries. No one would dare cross him, but what price would he demand to keep her safe?

Ever since Vickers infected him with the craving, Blade has been quicker, stronger, almost immortal—and terrified of losing control of the monster within. Honoria could be his perfect revenge against the duke…or the salvation he never dared to dream of. From the Bec McMaster website.

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Series: Number one in the London Steampunk Series

Cover: Not a true portrayal of the characters, otherwise it suits the theme of the story.

Genre: Steampunk

Pages/Words: 759/105,122

POV: Third Person shared between the main character and the love interest.

Setting: Alternate 19th century(ish) Whitechapel

Language: Moderate-Severe profanity & blasphemy

Sexual Content Rating: Mild-Moderate

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (September 2012)

My thoughts: This is the second steampunk novel I have read and it was better than the last, hopefully that will be a trend. As for the story, you can pretty much predict the flow and happenings so nothing really comes as a surprise. In fact I often found myself getting a little irritated because I already knew what was going to happen but it kept taking too long to develop. This made me feel that the author stretched out events for as long as she could, making the flow of the story a little slow.

On a positive note, the author acquaints you with her world quite skilfully and introduces everything on a need to know basis. A quick example would be that she'll introduce a foreign subject, then later on utilise it in a relatable way so that the reader is able to understand. This is preferable over other authors who dump a load of information in the first chapters.

As for character development, it isn't too bad. Neither are characters' personalities too grating either. There were some instances where a character's stubbornness was getting a little irritating but since it was understandable, it was forgiveable...barely. No complaints about the characters really except that I didn't care for them. What happened to them didn't matter to me.

To tell the truth the whole novel including the characters felt neutral as there wasn't anything great about it but there wasn't anything awful either. That coupled with the predictability was probably the reason why the novel felt flat to me. There was just no apprehension or suspense.

Though considering it was a debut novel, it wasn't a bad attempt. However, I will not be purchasing the next story in this series. Like I said I just didn't much care for what happened to the characters and the story was predictable. So I'm not willing to invest time and money learning more about them. Also I think the author needs more mileage under her belt. Maybe in a couple years time or maybe when she brings out a new series, I'll take another look.

Cover image from goodreads

A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy)

When historian Diana Bishop opens a bewitched alchemical manuscript in Oxford’s Bodleian Library it represents an unwelcome intrusion of magic into her carefully ordinary life. Though descended from a long line of witches, she is determined to remain untouched by her family’s legacy. She banishes the manuscript to the stacks, but Diana finds it impossible to hold the world of magic at bay any longer.

For witches are not the only otherworldly creatures living alongside humans. There are also creative, destructive daemons and long-lived vampires who become interested in the witch’s discovery. They believe that the manuscript contains important clues about the past and the future, and want to know how Diana Bishop has been able to get her hands on the elusive volume.

Chief among the creatures who gather around Diana is vampire Matthew Clairmont, a geneticist with a passion for Darwin. Together, Diana and Matthew embark on a journey to understand the manuscript’s secrets. But the relationship that develops between the ages-old vampire and the spellbound witch threatens to unravel the fragile peace that has long existed between creatures and humans—and will certainly transform Diana’s world as well. From the Deborah Harkness website.

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Series: Number one in the All Souls Trilogy

Cover: Appropriate, suits the setting, classy. 1 of 4 different versions.

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

Pages/Words: 759/224,449

POV: Alternating person views between the main character and the love interest. Though it only switched from the first person (main character) to the third person (love interest) once so I found it rather unnecessary.

Setting: Present Day Oxford

Language: Little if any at all

Sexual Content Rating: G

Publisher: Penguin Books (February 2011)

My thoughts: I couldn't finish this one, though I did try. However, since I didn't want to suffer through another book solely because I was being stubborn, I finally stopped at page 144. In the words of Mark Twain,'It is chloroform in print'.

The story is very slow and incredibly detailed; there's practically no progress at all. The best way to describe it is by liking it to a person who has nothing interesting to write about and so they fill their diary by describing every tedious and mundane thing that happens to them. It results in a heap of everyday tasks that no one cares about. What makes it worse is that it feels as though you are experiencing it all in real time.

The characters themselves aren't much better as they too are very boring, even though the main character happens to be a witch and the love interest a vampire. In fact, they were so normal and boring that I couldn't understand why anyone would want to write about them, let alone read about them. Also there were a lot of inconsistencies and contradictions in the main character that didn't sit well with me.

Truthfully, I don't see much appeal in this one.

Cover Image from Google Books

Divorced, Desperate and Dating (Divorced & Desperate Series)

Sue Finley murdered people...on paper. As a mystery writer, she knew all the angles, who did what and why. The only thing she couldn't explain was...well, men. Dating was like diving into a box of chocolates: sometimes the sweetest-looking specimens were candy coated poison. After a break-up with a bank robber and a divorce from a cross dresser, she gave it up for good. Then came Detective Jason Dodd.

Raised in foster homes, Jason swore never to need anyone as much as the parent who abandoned him. That was why he failed to follow up after experiencing the best kiss of his life: real passion was addictive. But when Sue Finley started getting death threats, all bets were off. The blonde spitfire was everything he'd ever wanted—and she needed him. And though this novel situation had a quirky cast of characters and an unquestionable bad guy, he was going to make sure it had a happy ending. From the Christie Craig Website.

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Series: Number two in the Divorced and Desperate series (Can be read as a stand-alone)

Cover: Goes with the story and gives a fun, light feeling. Could be better, at least it doesn't contradict or distract from the story. Seems dated.

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense

Pages/Words: 353/105,149

POV: Third person, switches between the main character and the love interest.

Setting: Present Day Hoke's Bluff

Language: Moderate profanity.

Sexual Content Rating: Mild-Moderate

Publisher: Love Spell (December 2008)

My thoughts: This is my first Christie Craig book, I never want to see another one again. It was utterly and totally EXHAUSTING! Such an agonising and exasperating read, I wish I had never picked it up. When I turned the last page, a huge amount of relief washed over me as it was finally, FINALLY over.

I've never experienced that before when reading. Though to be fair, I usually stop reading a book or skip pages when it starts getting bad. But since I had gotten this book for the sole reason of reviewing it, I couldn't bring myself to do that. Though I must admit it's still a wonder I actually finished as whenever I picked this book up, I would suddenly gain an urge to clean a spotless house or start projects I had been putting off for months.

However in saying that, it wasn't all bad. Mrs Craig has a writing style that flows well and is easy to follow. She also had a few similes and metaphors that brought a smile to my face. I remember thinking while during those very first pages that 'This might be alright....' But it didn't last. What let her down was her cheesy, flimsy plot and thin, unbelievable characters.

I felt that her plot didn't have much thought put into it and was just barely threaded together. Also she relied heavily on dragging out conflict and small misunderstandings between the two main characters in order to add body to the story but not any substance, as everything was at a standstill.

With her characters, it seemed as though she gave them outrageous quirks (such as a grandfather that collects cockroaches, a grandma that poisons every one who eats her cooking, an Elvis emulating fruit seller etc) instead of truly trying to develop them. The result were beings that you wouldn't ever forget were characters in a book. None of them appeared real to me.

Another thing that peeved me was the reasons she gave for the way the hero/heroine acted. If one can not love the hero/heroine it becomes very hard to love or enjoy their story. Some of their actions and rationalisations were so stupid that I heard myself asking aloud 'Really, she expects us to believe crap like that?'.

Also, I couldn't believe how long it actually took for the main characters to have sex. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind stories leaving the sex until later or not even having any at all as long as it doesn't hinder the progress of the plot. But that wasn't the case here. The sex was left way past its expiry date that by the time they did have sex, I was just thankful that they had finally gotten the damn thing out of the road so that we could get on with the rest of the story. Yet by that time, the story was almost over!

This is one of the main reasons why I thought the plot was so weak. Take out all the time she spent writing about the reasons why the two main characters couldn't have sex and the amount of times they almost had sex but didn't because the heroine came back to her senses and the book would probably be reduced to fifty pages. Seriously, it was ridiculous!

All in all, it was very disappointing. I recommend reading the preview before buying (something I didn't do) and if you aren't absolutely and positively compelled to finish reading the story, then don't. Because it only gets worse and you'll be left frustrated.

 Cover image from Amazon