Book Review: Succubus on Top by Richelle Mead

Review: Succubus on Top
Series: Georgina Kincaid – Book 2
Author: Richelle Mead
No of Pages: 314
Release Date: 1 January 2008

Georgina Kincaid’s job sucks. Literally.

Love hurts, and no one knows it better than Georgina Kincaid. If she so much as kisses Seth Mortensen, the shy, sexy, incredibly gifted Seattle writer she’s been dating, she’ll drain his life force. Georgina is a succubus – a demon who draws her power from other men’s pleasure. Admittedly, the shapeshifting and immortality perks are terrific, and yes, Georgina did choose to join the ranks of hell centuries ago. But it seems completely unfair that a she-demon whose purpose is seduction can’t get hot and heavy with the one mortal who knows and accepts her for who she is…

It’s not just her personal life that’s in chaos. Doug, Georgina’s co-worker at a local bookstore, has been exhibiting bizarre behaviour, and Georgina suspects that something far more demonic than double espressos is at work. She could use help finding out, but Bastien, an irresistibly charming incubus and her best immortal friend, is preoccupied with corrupting an ultra-conservative talk radio star – and giving Georgina some highly distracting come-hither vibes. Georgina is going to have to work solo on this one – and fast because soon, Doug’s life won’t be the only one on the line…

My Thoughts:

Although I am not quite sold on the romantic storyline yet, the mystery, comedy and friendship dynamic in this story are amazing.

Georgina Kincaid is Seattle’s top succubus. In keeping with her promise to her demon boss she has been corrupting good souls left right and centre, so much so that she has even earned an award. Although the succubus part of her life is going well, the rest is a bit more complicated. She can’t touch her boyfriend for fear of sucking out his life force, her work colleague and close friend Doug is acting strangely, not to mention work in general has been all consuming of late. So when her old friend Bastien the incubus arrives in town Georgina rejoices at the prospect of some old time fun, until she finds out he wants her help too, in seducing a religious zealot.

Georgina provides one comical situation after another in this book. She once again infatuated me with her quirky way of thinking, her sense of loyalty – especially when she gets riled up over the thought of someone messing with one of her humans – and her occasional social awkwardness even though she is supposed to be a master in the art of seduction.

What kind of got me with Succubus on Top was the Seth/Georgina relationship. I don’t understand the point. Sure they’re doing it for love and this may just be my cynicism kicking in, but why voluntarily go through the kind of torture they’re putting themselves through? Sitting in a room playing scrabble when all they really want to do is jump one another’s bones. Seth seems to rein himself in quite a bit better than Georgina does, but then it’s Georgina’s head we’re in so we get her personal torture all laid out for us.

I am a firm believer of sex not equalling love, but taking it out of the equation entirely, when both parties want to do it, why do that to yourselves? Georgina spent most of the book wondering if she really loved Seth, and if she could even feel love anymore. If you’re not that far in yet and there is already a problem that you are having huge difficulty living with, on top of that there is no foreseeable cure. GET OUT NOW.

Why stay and put yourself through that? For love? There will be another and another and most likely being immortal, another one after that.

Perhaps this is why I am continuing this series, I want to see what Georgina does to fix this mess, or if she gives up. Perhaps she thinks loving Seth is a good enough reason not to give up, perhaps I am just too jaded to see the point. The relationship doesn’t work for me though; friends would be fine take the sexual component away completely. But I don’t see the point in self-inflicted torture, considering the fact that she has to sleep with other men constantly to get a power fix.

On to other topics brushed in this book, the addition of Bastien however brief was absolutely marvellous. A succubus and an incubus together, two beings who completely understand each other’s nature makes for a great pairing, especially when they have to go to work together. Bastien was like the egotistical male version of Georgina and together on the page they had me in stitches.

Unfortunately many of the other characters kept to the background in this book, but it was Carter’s – the angel that hangs around with a bunch of demons – presence once again that had me sighing every time he appeared, if however briefly. His contrast to the cast of demons is so touching that it makes his angelic goodness seem all the more amplified, yet he is still so cool which can sometimes be lost in stories like these where demons reign supreme.

Mead swept me up in yet another fantastic book; Succubus on Top has left me wanting more. Although I am conflicted on where I stand with Georgina’s relationship, her world has me entranced and I must read Succubus Dreams as soon as possible.

Also in this series:
Succubus Blues
Succubus Dreams
Succubus Heat
Succubus Shadows
Succubus Revealed

Book Review: This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Review: This Side of the Grave
Series: Night Huntress – Book 5
Author: Jeaniene Frost
No of Pages: 357
Release Date: 22 February 2011

DANGER WAITS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE GRAVE.

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones have fought for their lives, as well as for their relationship. But just when they’ve triumphed over the latest battle, Cat’s new and unexpected abilities threaten to upset a long-standing balance...

With the mysterious disappearance of vampires, rumours abound that a species war is brewing. A zealot is inciting tensions between the vampires and ghouls, and if these two powerful groups clash, innocent mortals could become collateral damage.

Now Cat and Bones are forced to seek help from a dangerous “ally” – the ghoul queen of New Orleans herself. But the price of her assistance may prove more treacherous than even the threat of a supernatural war...to say nothing of the repercussions Cat never imagined.

My Thoughts:

Oh, how it’s been too long since I have had a good dose of Cat and Bones.

After turning full vampire Cat thought her only troubles would be to do with her new eating habits, but before long she is thrown headlong in to the thick of another war which she just so happens to be the centre of. Starting with an investigation into the disappearance of some masterless vampires Cat and Bones soon realise that these seemingly random attacks a part of a much bigger plot.

Cat is absolutely awesome as always, with her new vampire eating habits the hilarity is only heightened and her abilities getting better and better. Cat couldn’t just be a normal vampire, she feeds on vampire blood and absorbs any powers that vampire also possesses, hence her pyrokinesis from Destined for and Early Grave. But now she realises that she needs to feed on younger vampires, because the blood she’s drinking – usually Bones’ – is too strong and she can’t cope with the powers she’s absorbing.

Bones is as funny as ever with his trademark English accent and absolutely fabulous humour. His most memorable line for me being when he was being interviewed by a human about being a vampire: “Ask me if I sparkle and I’ll kill you where you stand” – That made my day when I read that and it reminded me exactly why I loved Bones from book one.

Vlad made an appearance as well in all of his fearsomeness assisting Cat in controlling the powers she absorbed from drinking Ghouls blood and putting himself on the line once again and of course providing witty commentary to Cats new dilemma of repelling ghost using garlic and weed (yep, you read that right). I love that Frost doesn’t just stick to the dynamic of Cat and Bones but can also give us the added dimension of the friendship of Cat and Vlad without it seeming biased or awkward; it is just another testament to her brilliant writing.

Frost’s writing in this series and her ideas are continuing to amaze me. Her premise of the ghoul/vampire war and Cat’s powers coupled with the hilarity of the characters and just the sheer individuality of the things she comes up with are just astounding.

Oh and for the record, the “South Wales” reference I mentioned in Halfway to the Grave has now been corrected! The reference to “New South Wales” came up in This Side of the Grave and I was so proud to hear my beautiful state being referred to.

The only thing I don’t like about the Night Huntress series in general is that I read them way too fast and then I have to wait until the next instalment.

If you haven’t started this series yet I implore you to drop everything you are doing right now and run to the nearest store to get yourself a copy, I promise you, life is not complete without this series sitting on your shelf.

Other books in this series:
Halfway to the Grave
One Foot in the Grave
At Grave's End
Destined for an Early Grave
One Grave at a Time

Book Review: Tempest's Legacy by Nicole Peeler

Review: Tempest’s Legacy
Series: Jane True – Book 3
Author: Nicole Peeler
No of Pages: 341
Release Date: 1 January 2011

After a peaceful hiatus at home in Rockabill, Jane True thinks that her worst problem is that she still throws like a girl – at least while throwing fire-balls. Her peace of mind ends, however, when Anyan arrives one night with terrible news...news that will rock Jane’s world to its very core.

After demanding to help investigate a series of gruesome attacks on females – supernatural, Halfling, and human – Jane quickly finds herself forced to confront her darkest nightmares as well as her deepest desires.

And she’s not sure which she finds more frightening.

My Thoughts:

Yet another fantastic instalment of Jane True, packed full of side splitting antics.

Jane is devastated, she has just found out that her mother has been murdered and now she is on a mission, she is going to help Anyan and Ryu find her murderer. As they venture into the borderlands they find that this operation is a lot bigger than originally suspected. Purebloods and Halflings are going missing left right and centre and showing up in research labs either dead or mutilated.

Peeler has once again enthralled me with her world. I have said it before and I will continue saying it, I love her mix of species. This isn’t a vampire novel, nor is it a werewolf novel, it is: an everything novel. From selkies to genies to succubi to imps to brownies and gnomes. People aren’t sexualised, some aren’t even human, but all are mentioned and all play an important part.

Jane is still reigning as one of my favourite female characters and she is only getting better. Jane is now struggling with her new ruthlessness, after her mother dying and a friend gone missing she wants revenge, she wants to hurt people and she’s not afraid to like it. Jane revels in the thought of lobbing mage balls at people, seeing them hurt as much as she does inside, and she realises also that she may be willing to kill. It is a new side to the odd multi levelled character we met in Tempest Rising.

Jane is coming into herself now, she isn’t afraid and that new kickass ability and her steady decrease in vulnerability only adds more and more to her already lovable character. Her libido and her virtue are still fighting, and so are various other parts of her mind, and the fact that she has kept that through all she has been through is remarkable. Jane is still Jane but better.

I loved Anyan from the beginning; he is exactly my type of male. Strong, protective and intelligent he also isn’t afraid to teach Jane how to use her magic which only makes him more likable, he doesn’t want to shelter her which is refreshing. The only thing I didn’t like about him was his habit of calling Jane “honey” towards the end and I am hoping that he breaks his newfound habit very soon.

Speaking of annoying, Ryu returns. Ryu is turning into a character that makes my skin crawl. We all know that guy at work who’s past his prime but still thinks he can get any woman he wants, when really people are talking behind his back because he is a sleaze. That’s Ryu in a nutshell, every time I visualise the guy I add another layer of grease.

Tempest's Legacy was another fantastic instalment in this mind blowing series. I cannot wait until Eye of the Tempest comes out because this series is only getting better as it goes on.

Also in this Series:
Tempest's Rising
Tracking the Tempest
Eye of the Tempest

Book Review: Tracking the Tempest by Nicole Peeler

Review: Tracking the Tempest
Series: Jane True – Book 2
Author: Nicole Peeler
No of Pages: 350
Release Date: 1 July 2010

JANE TRUE HAS ALMOST COME TO TERMS WITH HER SUPERNATURAL HERITAGE...ALMOST.

Valentine's Day is fast approaching, and Ryu - Jane's bloodsucking boyfriend - can't let a major holiday go by without getting all gratuitous. An overwhelming dose of boyfriend interference and a last-minute ticket to Boston later, and Jane's life is thrown off course.

Ryu's well-intentioned plans create mayhem, and Jane winds up embroiled in an investigation involving a spree of gruesome killings. All the evidence points towards another Halfling, much to Jane's surprise...

My Thoughts:

Back into the crazy world of Jane True, and the story is only getting better.

Our story picks up about four months on since the end of the last book. Jane is learning how to use her magic and although she hasn’t mastered a lot of offensive magic, she is getting quite good at shields under the watchful eye of Nell the Gnome.

This adventure really starts in Boston after she goes to visit Ryu the sexy vampire. A rogue Halfling is on the loose and death by fire has become a recent occurance in the world of supes. After getting tangled up in the mess and the Halfling taking a liking to Jane she helps out with trying to solve the case.

Jane is once again hilarious with her internal monologue. She is also intelligent enough to spot things overlooked by others. The development of her powers in Tracking the Tempest definitely adds a whole new element to listening to how her brain works.

Ryu I didn’t like in this one, he was very condescending to Jane in front of his collegues and even Jane wondered at a point in time if we were now seeing the real Ryu. He became an arrogant pig and in hindsight makes some of his actions from Tempest Rising a little clearer.

Anyan, completely swoonworthy once again with his all maleness and complete gentleness, with Jane starting to gravitate towards him especially furthering their friendship as he took over her training in Boston was really sweet especially after the way Ryu was treating her.

We also have a plethora of new characters introduced in the form of Ryu’s investigative team. Caleb the pantless satyr was constantly good for a laugh and very adept at healing all of the teams various injuries, Daoud the guy with the general store in his pants and Julian the Halfling recharger were all excellent additions to the cast of characters and I definitely hope to see them reappear later on.

Tracking the Tempest had me in fits of laughter once again with Janes thoughts and the new characters various one liners. The underlying mystery carrying on from Tempest Rising added extra levels to Tracking the Tempest and that mystery alone will have me drooling for more. I once again cannot wait until the next instalment of this awesome series, Tempest’s Legacy.

Also in this series:
Tempest Rising
Tempest's Legacy
Eye of the Tempest
Tempest's Fury

Book Review: Blood Song by Cat Adams

Review: Blood Song
Series: Blood Singer – Book 1
Author: Cat Adams
No of Pages: 364
Release Date: 8 June 2010

Bodyguard Celia Graves plies her trade in a world where vampires roam the alleys of Tinseltown and movie stars openly practise witchcraft, where street corner psychics have real powers and cops use memory enhancement spells on witnesses. An ordinary human, Celia relies on street smarts and charmed weapons to protect the rich and famous from mortal and supernatural threats.

She’s landed a plum job protecting the prince of a small but politically vital nation while he tour’s Los Angele’s least savoury hot spots. But what should be a routine assignment goes badly wrong: Celia is attacked by a master vampire and knows she is about to die.

To her shock, Celia wakes on a cold metal table in a university lab. Celia Graves has become an abomination, neither fully mortal nor fully vampire. Her “master” is hunting her, to destroy her or finish what his bite began. She’s accused of murder, and the cops aren’t sure whether she should be locked up or staked. And then there’s the demon she glimpsed during the vampire attack....

Struggling to cope with her new powers and trying not to terrify everyone she meets with a flash of fang, Celia reaches out for help from her once (and future?) lover, a powerful mage; his warrior-priest brother; a handsome werewolf who keeps his lupine nature concealed from the world; an elderly clairvoyant; and one trustworthy cop.

Celia Graves has three days to save the world, her sanity, and her soul.

My Thoughts:

Blood Song was definitely not what I expected, but I am in two different minds about whether or not I like it.

Blood Song follows the story of bodyguard Celia Graves. On a very high profile assignment, she is attacked and turned into an abomination a partially turned vampire. She can still go out in daylight, but the sunburn is terrible, isn’t affected by holy items but can only consume liquids.

Celia is tough; there is no questioning that, she has the training, the knowledge and the intelligence to put it to good use. Yet I didn’t connect with her at all. I think this was my main drawback with Blood Song. We were told that she was traumatised as a child, but that was it, no depth to that, no details no show of emotion. Instead of feeling what Celia was feeling, we were just told. For a good chunk of Blood Song I thought she was a weak minded whinger because we weren’t told anything.

Blood Song was a shallow read, even though it kept me coming back for more. There was an extremely funny part that had me laughing out loud, but I can’t actually remember it. There was a smattering of secondary characters that made no impact on me and I had a hard time remembering who they were when they were mentioned later on.

I loved Adams version of vampires though. They are the old-fashioned truly evil mind controlling kind. Not sexualised with people wanting to join their ranks, but with people holing up in Holy places just so they feel safe.

The world of Santa Maria de Luna was interesting enough. Adams created it from scratch, although not everything made sense, it was easy to picture and the strongest imagery was created when they described the ocean through Celia’s eyes. I could hear the gulls and taste the air as well.

From the description, you expect a story about a bodyguard. You don’t get one though, you get a half vampire chick that is constantly driving somewhere and losing weapons. But that in itself is realistic in an odd way. The way Celia reacted, fought and dealt with the situation – sometimes crumbling, trying to keep it together, looking for help – was realistic. I think that was the draw point for me. She was playing tough chick, but not to the point where you thought you wouldn’t do it yourself.

Although I had trouble connecting with Celia, or really feeling much of what was going on for the duration of the story. I want to go back into that world. I want to find out what happens even though we seem to be taking a completely different turn. I want to find out if anything will ever happen with the obviously forming love triangle.

Blood Song draws you in, and doesn’t let go even if you are confused for a good chunk of the story. It becomes a need to find out what will happen, and I intend to find out.

Also in this series:
Siren Song

Book Review: Stray by Rachel Vincent

Review: Stray
Series: Shifter Series – Book 1
Author: Rachel Vincent
No of Pages: 618
Release Date: 1 June 2010

I look like an all-American grad student. But I am a werecat, a shape-shifter, and I live in two worlds.

Despite reservations from my family and my Pride, I escaped the pressure to continue my species and carved out a normal life for myself. Until the night a Stray attacked.

I’d been warned about Strays – werecats without a Pride, constantly on the lookout for someone like me: attractive, female and fertile. I fought him off, but then learned two of my fellow tabbies had disappeared.

This brush with danger was all my Pride needed to summon me back... for my own protection. Yeah, right. But I'm no meek kitty. I'll take on whatever and whoever--I have to in order to find my friends. Watch out, Strays--'cause I got claws, and I'm not afraid to use them...

My Thoughts:

I can’t believe I didn’t read this earlier, it was absolutely fantastic.

I will be honest and say that the sheer size of Stray did deter me from it for a couple of months. But once I started I couldn’t stop.

Faythe is not only a tom-boy and extremely stubborn. She is resourceful and smart and can absolutely kick butt when she needs to. She is trying to lead a normal life away from her Pride by going to college and having a normal boyfriend.

Inevitably she gets called home, because someone is hunting down tabbies (females) and she could very well be next on the list.

Even after being put under 24 hour surveillance Faythe is kidnapped by a psychotic jungle stray, one of the most dangerous breeds of cat known to them. She is held against her will in a prison with only a sobbing teenager, an empty coffee can and the stench of blood to keep her company.

Faythe could become one of my favourite female characters with the way she is going. She is smart mouthed and not afraid to pick a fight with someone bigger than her...and win. No matter what kind of situation she was put in, she never lost hope and always tried to find a way to escape, whether that be her prison or her bedroom. She could be a complete girl at times as well though which brought her character flawlessly together.

Vincent also did very well in fleshing out the other characters even though we were told the story through Faythe's eyes, we got a good insight into her father, brothers, ex-lover Marc and close friend Jace.

I will be honest and say that I don’t like Marc; I am definitely on team Jace for this one. Marc is too intense for my taste, which is understandable because of his job as an enforcer (which is like were-cat FBI) and background as a mistreated stray. Although it’s understandable, I still don’t like his possessiveness and short temper with other males. What I do like however is Faythe’s strength to stand up to him.

I really liked Jace; he was definitely my kind of guy, funny, laid back yet serious when needed. His role as close family friend and brother like relationship with Faythe maturing after she comes home is really sweet and well paced, too bad Marc kept getting in the way.

Vincent had an odd style that noticeably changed throughout Stray. In the first ten chapters there were too many words, too many embellished sentences and too many unneeded statements memorably the three sentences needed to describe how Ethan (Faythe’s brother) pulled himself off the bed using the end post.

Yet after the initial greetings and falling back into rhythm at Faythe’s home, the style changed to exceptionally good writing and gut wrenching emotion. Stray literally pulls you in after those initial chapters and literally will not let go.

The only other thing that got on my nerves was the ending. It ended just like that, no tying off loose ends or wrapping anything up. It just stopped.

Aside from the minor flaws Stray is absolutely incredible. It has strong characters and an even stronger plot. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next in this series as soon as possible.

Others in this series:
Rogue
Pride
Prey
Shift
Alpha

Also reviewed by:
Sarah's Book Reviews

Book Review: Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler

Review: Tempest Rising
Series: Jane True – Book 1
Author: Nicole Peeler
No of Pages: 344
Release Date: 1 November 2009

Living in a small town in Rockabill, Maine. Jane True always knew she didn’t quite fit in with so-called normal society.

During her nightly, clandestine swim in the freezing winter ocean, a grisly find leads Jane to startling revelations about her heritage: she is only half-human.

Now, Jane must enter a world filled with supernatural creatures that are terrifying, beautiful, and deadly – all of which perfectly describe her new “friend,” Ryu, a gorgeous and powerful vampire.

It is a world where nothing can be taken for granted: a dog can heal with a lick; spirits bag your groceries; and whatever you do, never – ever – rub the genie’s lamp.

My Thoughts:

Many have compared Jane True to Sookie Stackhouse; it even says it on the back of the book. Tempest Rising is in a complete league of its own and although Sookie is good, she is nothing like Jane.

Tempest Rising was an awesome rollercoaster ride that took us through the pains and perils of Jane True a rather odd young woman who has a passion for swimming in the middle of storms.

During one of the nightly swims she encounters a dead body floating in her sea and pulls him out, entangling her in the world of supes and magic as she becomes part of the investigation trying to track the dead man’s murderer. The investigator is none other than Ryu (pronounced Roo), a handsome vampire detective who is head of the case.

There are many things I love about Tempest Rising, the first is the characters. Jane is strong, although she doesn’t feel it, she has been through the pain of a whole town hating her and wrongly accusing her of killing the love of her life, Jason. She has been so traumatised by this that she now believes it too, although she could have done nothing to save him.

Jane isn’t dumb and when she knows that she is in danger, she doesn’t blindly plough on; she stops and asks for help or just stays within reach of someone who can help her, which I didn’t see as weak for a second, because she can hold her own.

Jane is also exceptionally funny, I think we can safely say that she is borderline certifiably insane. This is understandable once again from the past; she talks to herself, not out loud, but in her head and the conversations are absolutely hilarious. Her virtue and her libido are constantly quarrelling over what she does with Ryu, old weak Jane pipes up every now and again when new strong, alive Jane moves in for her time to shine, down-to-earth Jane sighs irritably when girly vain Jane pops her head out to drool at some pretty shoes.

I also loved Ryu; he is someone that personally I wouldn’t go for, why? He’s short. Taller than Jane but only five foot nine, and I loved it, he was definitely very good looking, but the fact that he wasn’t some six foot six hulking, brick out house of a man made him that much more real, because he too was unique.

I loved the style of Tempest Rising as well, the sex was there, and was detailed every once in a while, but it wasn’t constantly being thrown in our faces and many a time was glossed over with only some very provocative insinuation. The characters were just about flawless in their reality, in their actions and in their words. The relationship between Jane and Ryu was again, so real. They weren’t professing their love for one another, and Jane freely admitted she was in lust, and considering Ryu’s profession and the fact that he lived in Boston didn’t expect anything more than a fling.

The smattering of such different characters was absolutely intriguing, we didn’t just have standard Vampires, Were-wolves and shape shifters, we had goblins, gnomes, kelpies, fire elementals and elves that would probably kill you for calling them elves. The mythology and folk lore packed into this tale was absolutely stunning and seamlessly put together.

Peelers writing was real, and it’s what kept me going back for more and the detail was subtle and just enough to keep it colourful and still quickly paced.

I absolutely can’t wait for the next Jane True novel, Tracking the Tempest, and if you didn’t know it, you would never ever pick Tempest Rising as a debut novel, it was that good.

Also in this series:
Tracking the Tempest
Tempest's Legacy
Eye of the Tempest
Tempest's Fury

Book Review: Shadowfae by Erica Hayes

Review: Shadowfae
Series: The Shadowfae Chronicles – Book 1
Author: Erica Hayes
No. Of Pages: 267
Release Date: 13 October 2009

Imagine a secret world veiled in fairy glamour and brimming with unearthly delights. A city swarming with half-mad fairies, where thieving spriggans rob you blind, beautiful banshees mesmerize you with their songs, and big green trolls bust beads at nightclubs. And once you’re in, there’s no escape...

Enslaved by a demon lord, Jade is forced to spend her nights seducing vampire gangsters and shape-shifting thugs. After two hundred years as a succubus, she burns for freedom and longs to escape her brutal life as a trophy girl for hell’s minions. Then she meets Rajah, an incubus who touches her heart and intoxicates her senses. Rajah shares the same bleak fate as she does, and yearns just as desperately for freedom. But the only way for Jade to break her bonds is to betray Rajah – and doom the only man she’s ever loved to a lifetime in hell.

My Thoughts:

Shadowfae was as interesting as it was hot.

Jade is your perfect gritty character. She was a nun who has pretty much turned into a paranormal crack-whore. To live she needs to feed off the energy of a person’s climax and the energy of her demon master, Kane.

Our story is set in Melbourne, Australia. Melbourne is infamous for it’s dangerous night life and gang land wars. According to Hayes, a lot of the side gangs and drug runners are supernatural beings. We see their stories unfold in the Chronicles to come. But for now it’s focused on Jade the succubus.

As soon as Kane wills her to do something, she must do it because of the bands that circle her arms, she is indebted to Kane for a thousand years, after which, she will die. For Jade it is a lonely existence because she hates Kane for his part in what she has become.

Enter Rajah, her sexy rival who is an incubus, for Jade to be free Rajah must die, but can she kill the man she is beginning to love? Rajah is sought after by nearly as many who want Jade as he himself wants her.

Together they embark on a journey to freedom and also to each other. Only they know what it feels like to be indebted to Kane and so they find solace with eachother.

Shadowfae was a hot read, the intimate scenese between Jade and her patrons had an edge of darkness to them, whilst her and Rajah made the pages steam with the intensity of their joining.

I love how the book flowed smoothly, even though we were constanly changing characters between Rajah, Jade and Kane. For Kane being such a bad guy, i started to like him aswell, with his vulnerability and soft-spot for Jade.

The trip into the Supernatural underworld that lies beneath the lights of Melbourne was intriguing, it’s like a paranormal Underbelly, but better. The scenery was vivid and detailed without taking time out from the story, everything just flowed together and it was an intense read.

I will definitely be picking up Shadowglass as I would love to read the next chapter in the life of Melbournes supernatural crime.

Others in this series:
Shadowglass

Available at:
Amazon
Book Depository

Book Review: Touch the Dark by Karen Chance

Review: Touch the Dark
Series: Cassandra Palmer – Book 1
Author: Karen Chance
No. Of Pages: 307
Release Date: 6th June 2006

Cassandra Palmer can see the future and communicate with spirits – talent that make her attractive to the dead and the undead. The ghosts of the dead aren’t usually dangerous: they just like to talk...a lot.

The undead are another matter.

Like any sensible girl, Cassie tries to avoid vampires. But when the bloodsucking Mafioso she escaped three years ago finds Cassie again with a vengeance on his mind, she’s forced to turn to the vampire senate for protection.

The undead senators won’t help her for nothing, and Cassie finds herself working with one of their most powerful members – a dangerously seductive master vampire – and the price he demands may be more than Cassie is willing to pay.

My Thoughts:

I’m still unsure about this book.

Touch the Dark was interesting; it had some intriguing twists and turns. But it’s not a pull-you-in-and-not-let-go-until-you-finish type of book. If I had something better to do, I would do it.

Cassie is a good character, just good. She can communicate with ghosts and see people’s pasts. Which would usually make me squirm in anticipation and possibly drool, but Cassie as a person is a little boring, a whinger and slightly stupid. Not in a learn your lesson the first time type stupid. Cassie as a character without her powers over-shadows the entire book.

The storyline is a pretty good one, one in which I would like to see unfold. It follows Cassie's journey from her secretive life in hiding from Tony, the mob boss master vampire who has been after her ever since she ran away from his house.

In running she gets caught up with Thomas, her supposedly homeless roommate, who also turns out to be a master vampire. He takes her to the senate of the paranormal world.

One thing that I absolutely love about Touch the Dark is the fact that it’s not just vampires in this, we get weres of every kind, mages, witches, fairies, ghosts and more. Although Touch the Dark is centred around vampires, there is obvious potential to explore the other species as we continue on in the series.

The scenes in which Cassie was pulled back in time were interesting, but a little repetitive; I liked how Chance used the figures from history to help portray her characters. Jean-Paul was an over-bearing but interesting character; he was supposedly the infamous man in the silk mask. Then there was also Dracula’s brother Mircea who must’ve survived his fate brought to him in the Dracula books.

Mircea started out as an interesting and likeable character, but then he also became over-bearing and quite annoying with his constant demands.

Touch the Dark has a very interesting concept, and I will continue the series, but it’s not anything special. Hopefully, now that we have laid the ground work for the world the series will pick up.

Also in this series:
Claimed by Shadow
Embrace the Night
Curse the Dawn

Available at:
Amazon
Book Depository

Book Review: They Call Me Death by Missy Jane

Review: They Call Me Death
Series: Shape Shifter - Book 1
Author: Missy Jane
No. of Pages: 208
Release Date: 1st December 2009

Humans are no longer at the top of the food chain…

My name is Alexia Williams. In my world, North America is divided between north and south—but not the way it’s taught in the history books.

After losing my family to the shifters, I joined the Combined Human States Army. Now I find myself on the front lines, defending the wall between my species and theirs. My mission is simple: keep the animals on their side by whatever means necessary—and I’m good at it. I don’t talk to them. I don’t sympathize with them. I sure as hell don’t admire them…until one saves my life.

Andor isn’t like any shifter I’ve ever met. He’s a three-hundred-year-old golden eagle asking for help finding missing shifters who may be in my lands. I just have to decide between helping the animals or ignoring signs that my fellow humans aren’t what I thought they were.

But how can I help a species I hate and fear? Even if Andor makes me feel alive again?

In the land of the shifters…they call me Death.

My Thoughts:


They Call Me Death is a fabulous debut book.

We look through the eyes of Alexia Williams at a world overrun by shifters. After watching her husband and son killed by shifters she has become one of the top fighters for the human defence force. Defending the wall daily and killing any shifters that cause trouble. Alexia is portrayed as a strong woman, but really she has put a lid on all of her emotions. She doesn't feel and doesn't care about the various life-threatening situations she puts herself through.

Then, along comes Andor, the shape-shifting Golden Eagle. Andor is smart, sexy and strong. He protects Alexia after puting her life in danger by contacting her. Andor changes everything. Alexia starts to feel again, but is confused because she's dealing with a creature that is the reason her family is dead.

Watching Alexia struggle with her emotions about Andor and trying to keep him from reading the thoughts about her true feelings from her mind is quite entertaining.

The development of the characters was very well done, giving each character a unique voice. The build-up of the relationships was evenly paced and very believable. Although there were feelings from the start Alexia stuck with her gut about Shifters and wouldn't give into her emotions, the romance had time to mature and become something special, not just a quick jump in the sack.

I encourage anyone who likes shape-shifters to read it because it is a new take on the genre, the detail put into Andor shifting into an eagle and the feelings attached to his animal side are incredible. When Alexia touched the feathers, I almost felt like I did too.

The only bad thing about this book are the time jumps, they are unexpected and oddly done. We can jump hours or days from one sentence to the next which involved a bit of re-reading on my part to understand what was going on. Other than that, for a debut author the style was if a little simple, very well done.

They Call Me Death is fast-paced and once we get more into the story, completely unputdownable. Things move along quickly without skipping important details which keep us enthralled from start to finish.

Warning: This book does contain explicit language and sexual material aswell as a mild beastiality reference.