Follow Me
Grab my feed
Posts
All Comments
Wanna Shop?
2013 Reading Challenge
Jen (That's What I'm Talking About) has
read 0 books toward her goal of 75 books.
New-To-Me Authors
2013 reading goal:
15 new-to-me authors.
1) Stacy Gail
2) Heather Massey
3) Sidney Bristol
4) Ann Mayburn
5) Thea Harrison
6) Virna DePaul
7) Mary Quast
8) Molly Harper
9) Eleri Stone
10) PJ Schnyder
11) Kait Ballenger
12) Denise L. Wyant
13) Lucy Monroe
Sunday Snippets
More Blogs
original images by marin & papaija2008 at FreeDigitalPhotos.com
banner designed by Jennifer from Books Make Me Happy
Showing posts with label Code of Shadows series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Code of Shadows series. Show all posts
Monday, June 3, 2013
Review: Fire & Frost Anthology
Fire & Frost
Authors: Meljean Brook, Carolyn Crane & Jessica Sims
Release Date: May 25, 2013
Publisher: self-published
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Steampunk Romance, Anthology
Format(s): e-book
Book Source: Author
About the book:
|
Speed Mating by Jessica Sims – Estrella may be going into heat, but she’s determined to remain in control. Just because she’s ovulating doesn’t mean she has to settle for just any man (or his beast). Her sexy alpha’s determined to find her a tiger to take care of her heat and father her child…but no one seems to look quite as good as the man in charge. Will giving in to her need for her alpha ruin her tenuous relationship with her clan or be a match made in heaven?
Conjuring Max by Carolyn Crane – The witches of the world ridiculed and rejected nerdy Veronica for trying to use newfangled computers to enhance old world spellcasting. Well, it’s 1984 now, and she’s perfected her spellcasting computer program. Hey, who needs friends when you can conjure virtually anything…or anybody? So when Veronica makes powerful new enemies, she conjures Max, a pitbull of a cop, to deal with the pesky hitmen who keep coming around. Maybe Veronica can finally get some peace and quiet so she can work on her computer. But tough-guy Max is in no mood to play lapdog to a gorgeous witch.
Wrecked by Meljean Brook – Elizabeth has spent the past five years running from her father; her father’s huntsman, Caius, has spent the past five years pursuing her. But when he finally catches up to her on an airship flying above Europe’s zombie-infested cities, Elizabeth discovers that Caius isn’t the only danger she has to fear—and now that he’s found her, Caius doesn’t intend to let her go…
What I’m talking about:
|
Speed Mating by Jessica Sims
Midnight Liaisons series
Estrella is an anomaly in her pack--she is a liger: half tiger, half lion. While she doesn't really fit in with her tiger pack, she is not accepted at all by the lion pack. Estrella had always been told she was sterile, and she believed that right up until she realized that she was going into heat. Now with only a week's notice, she needs to find someone she likes to service her needs and be the father of her child.
The one man she truly desires is her alpha, Vic. But since she thinks he could never be interested, she goes through the motions of dating and looking for a mate.
Speed Mating is a fun and sexy little story. There is a bit of humor and light-heartedness throughout the novella. I liked that the story stayed in Estrella's POV for the duration of the tale because it elevated the tension without knowing Vic’s true feelings. The pair are a joy to watch as they come together.
Bottom line: Cute, sexy shifter story. Lots of fun.
4 stars.
Conjuring Max by Carolyn Crane
Code of Shadows 0.5
Readers of Ms. Crane’s first release in this series, Mr. Real, will recognize Vicky as Alix’s Great Aunt who left Alix all of her worldly possessions - including a computer program that brings to life objects from photos. One need not have read Mr. Real to enjoy this novella.
Vicky is in danger and in hiding from crime syndicate boss, Salvo. She’s used her knowledge of witchcraft and computer programing to bring to life Max, former Chicago police officer recently killed in the line of duty, to be her bodyguard.
The story opens about three months after Vicky first conjured Max. I liked that Max knows he's been conjured from a photo (and the “real” Max is dead). Max is more human that most as he contemplates life, the existence of a soul, falls in love with Vicky, and learns to let go of the daughter he orphaned after his murder.
The opening of the novella is very exciting. We have no idea why Salvo is after Vicky, only that he is relentless in his pursuit. The action is suspensefully written, keeping this reader glued to the pages. In addition, the book has a heart and tackles powerful emotions. The concepts of life, death and love are wonderfully interwoven into the thrilling tale.
The story switches POV between Vicky and Max. We learn of their mutual yet secret desire and admiration for the other. I loved how Vicky pushes Max and how Max teaches Vicky to learn to let go. As the story progresses you learn how perfectly matched the pair is. It's lovely to see the give and take between the individuals.
Bottom line: Exciting action with heart. As a fan of Mr. Real, I enjoyed “history lesson” about how the computer codes came to be.
4 stars
Wrecked by Meljean Brook
Iron Seas series
Five years ago, Elizabeth Jannsen ran from her powerful father, who subsequently sent highly-trained hunters to collect her and bring her home. Caius Trachter was the only one to ever capture her, but she was able to make a dangerous escape. (2 years prior to the start of this story.)
Now Elizabeth's father has caught up to her, and she must make a quick exit. Little does she know that Caius is watching, nor does she know that he has loved her since the day he met her.
I must share with you that I am completely in awe of Ms. Brook’s storytelling and of the tales she spins. She is simply a master at her craft. Wrecked is no exception, further cementing the Iron Seas series as one of the Top 5 series among the current romance genre.
Elizabeth has every reason to run from her father, and when you find out why, I imagine your jaw will drop just like mine. Knowing that she has little chance to escape Caius, Elizabeth makes the decision to trust the man that once tried to turn her in. The pain and heartache, loneliness and internal torment of both Elizabeth and Caius is portrayed with an absolute care for detail. Elizabeth loves her father, but he is a madman and she cannot see a way out of her situation without someone's death. She wants to trust and believe Caius, but she isn't certain how. This creates emotional conflict and amazing tension. The emotional depth of the novella is on par with a story two to three times its length.
In addition, the details of the ship, voyage and world are wonderfully woven into the tale. The action--hunt and chase--are thrilling and suspenseful.
The story reaches beyond the two primary characters without stretching thin the plot of and time allotted to the primary tale. For example, I adore Captain Harker who is the captain of the ship on which Elizabeth attempts her escape. He is a supporting character with a ton of integrity. His actions give Elizabeth the ability to trust another human. It is endearing how he cares for her in his own polite way.
The ending of the story was “perfect” for the situation and again brought forward an array of emotions, but this time a bit different from the earlier scenes. It was a touching, albeit simple, way to wrap up the tale... perfect.
I absolutely loved this novella. *sigh* I cannot say enough about how great the Iron Seas series is. This novella is a stand alone and can be enjoyed by all. It is a sweet romance, suspenseful action, exquisite steampunk world and all around wonderful story.
Bottom line: Amazing adventure full of rich detail and complex storytelling that will blow you away.
5 stars
Overall, Fire & Frost offers three wonderful tales, each very different, but all exciting, romantic and fun!
My Rating:
|
Enjoyed - strongly recommend (A-)
Reviews in the Series:
Midnight Liaisons
Code of Shadows:
Iron Seas:
Labels:
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Review: Mr. Real by Carolyn Crane
Mr. Real
Author: Carolyn Crane
Release Date: Oct. 30, 2012
Publisher: self-published
Code of Shadows #1
ISBN: #978-1480134690
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Suspense
Format(s): Paperback, e-book
Book Source: Author
About the book:
|
He finds the girl of his dreams…with the secret agent of his nightmares.
Alix Gordon is a woman who doesn’t take life too seriously. What’s the fun in that? So when she stumbles across occult software that can bring any computer image to life, she conjures up lots of awesome outfits and accessories. And then, on one drunken, horny night, she conjures up Sir Kendall, the sexy TV ad spy . . . who looks exactly like Paul Reinhardt, the super-sexy martial arts teacher who kicked her out of class three years ago.
Fighter Paul Reinhardt has good reason to hate Sir Kendall, the character he brought to life to land a part in a TV ad; he’d do anything to forget him. A cross country road trip seems just the thing . . . until Paul finds himself inexplicably drawn to Minnesota and is shocked to discover Sir Kendall - in the flesh - with the girl he’d once loved from afar. He barges into Alix and Sir Kendall’s love nest, determined to stop the madness - somehow.
But is superspy Sir Kendall transforming into something more dangerous anyone can imagine? And what will Sir Kendall do when Paul and Alix finally give into their mad lust for each other?
What I’m talking about:
|
Alix Gordon has inherited her crazy Great Aunt Veronica’s old home, one that her family believes is shrouded in dark magic. When Alix finds a necklace on her front porch that she’d been admiring on her computer, she believes she may have a stalker. But soon, Alix pieces together that the necklace came from her computer. She and her BFF, Karen, realize that the old 5-1/4 inch floppy she discovered in the house and uploaded onto her computer contained magic code.
One drunken and lonely night, in order to prove that the computer is in fact magic, Alix decides to “order” a man of her own from the image of the one guy she can’t forget, “Hardass Paul.” Paul, a martial arts instructor from Alix’s past, has a secret - he plays the character “Sir Kendall” in liquor commercials overseas. (I totally imagined a younger version of THE MOST INTERESTING MAN IN THE WORLD commercials.) Sir Kendall is a James Bond type, and he always fades to black after his drink. Alix thinks she’ll be swept off her feet for a little fun and then he’s gone. Too bad magic doesn’t work the way she planned. A very real Sir Kendall is working to save the world and thinks Alix is a spy. Luckily Paul is inexplicably drawn to her home, and soon all three are in a huge mess!
One of the things that I really enjoyed about Mr. Real is that the story is told from multiple points of view (POV). Each of the three main characters had such contrasting perceptions of what was happening, the multiple POVs made the story much richer. In addition, Ms. Crane did a marvelous job with details and descriptions. And one of my favorite things was how she constantly described that items from the computer were almost surreal and larger than life.
Although Alix brings in Sir “Nick” Kendall for some fun (i.e. sex), the pair really have no chemistry. As they get to know each other, we witness that Alix feels responsible for Nick - this unaware, new human. She blindly decides that he is her responsibility, yet she goes too the extreme - neglecting obvious signs that perhaps this creation is dangerous. Meanwhile Sir Kendall is trapped in a world full of mystery and intrigue. He sees plots everywhere and is frustrated he cannot communicate with “his people.” She is holding back... knowing he isn't real. And he is holding back because he thinks she's a spy.
Alix is a bit flaky at times. It seems that she’s full of heart, but lousy on execution. So when she gets into this mess, I felt really bad for her. I liked that she did have a good head on her shoulders; however, she didn’t always use it. She is always trying to prove herself to her family, friends and those around her, but she uses sex, humor and her own oddity as shields. As Sir Kendall quickly observed:
Alix hated to wait, hated to be stilled--she always needed to be moving. Constant movement and a lack of seriousness dulled sensation. This was a woman, perhaps, who felt too deeply. (quote from uncorrected copy).
At times throughout the story, I became a bit annoyed with Alix's refusal to listen to Paul or Karen and that she blatantly refuses to even consider something “wrong.” When viewed from Paul’s POV, Alix comes across as a jerk since she won’t consider the counsel of her REAL friends. Yet, when we get Alix’s POV, she comes across like a lost, hurt puppy dog. She’s been so wounded in her life, that she’ll blindly hold on to something she thinks will make things right.
Everything changes when Paul arrives. We discover that Sir Kendall is the product of an abusive childhood that continues to haunt Paul to this day. Imagine Paul’s shock upon discovering a look alike is out there pretending to be his worst nightmare. Paul interrupts what he perceives as Nick torturing Alix, and he goes to TOWN on Nick. Watching Paul in that moment was so painful, to see him freaking out over something from his youth.
PauI and Alix do have something special. And through memories, we learn that Paul really did fall for Alix all those years ago. The more Paul is in the story, the more I like him. And after some convincing, it was good to have Paul know and believe the truth of the situation. I really enjoyed the pair, I just wish they didn’t take so long to break down their walls and confide in one another.
I found as the story went on that I began to get frustrated with some of the unexplained things... not the “science” of how the magic worked, but unanswered questions like why is there a gorilla cage in the backyard, and what are the Falcon letters? or Why didn’t anyone notice that the money being tossed around by Sir Kendall was counterfeit? I also would have like to seen more of Alix’s friend, Karen and Sir Kendall’s nemesis, Hyko.
As the story grew to a climax, characters changed and grew. This is to be expected, but I have to say that the way in which the events played out threw me for a loop. I had it in my head that things would go down one way, so when they didn’t, I rebelled against the process and felt that they way in which situations were reconciled were inappropriate. However, once I finished reading the book and spent some time thinking about the entire picture, I realized that it all made perfect sense, and I ended up liking it much more than what I imagined. (It’s a really good thing Ms. Crane wrote this book and not me!)
In the end, Mr. Real is a fantastic start to what I hope to be a long lasting new series for Ms. Crane. The romance was light, but appropriate for the storyline. The geek in me wanted more explanations, but really, just like the characters brought to life, there isn't always a background, and I just have to except things as they are. The story has almost an urban fantasy feel to it, in that you don't know what will happen to our characters next. Oh, and there are still copies of that code out there! I look forward to finding out what stories lie ahead.
My Rating:
|
Liked it - recommend (B+)
You can enter win an electronic copy of Mr. Real. For more information, see author Carolyn Crane’s guest post HERE.
Author Guest Post & Giveaway: Carolyn Crane
Hello Readers! Today I bring you one of my favorite authors and all-around awesome peep, Carolyn Crane. Carolyn lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two daring cats. She works a day job as a freelance advertising writer, and has for years (Carolyn says “think low-rent Don Draper”). She’s also waited tables at a surprising number of Minneapolis restaurants and bars (though not as many, incidentally, as her writer husband has). She’s been a shop clerk and a plastics factory worker, which she was dismal at (think I Love Lucy).
As a side note, Carolyn can relate almost any life experience to one or another Star Trek episodes, and if you invite her to your party, your cheese plate will be in grave danger.
During rare moments when she’s not at her computer, she can be found reading in bed, running, helping animals, or eating Mexican food.
Carolyn is here today to talk about her upcoming release, Mr. Real, a story about a computer graphic hottie that comes to life. Keep reading to learn more about Mr. Real and enter to win a copy! GIVEAWAY details are below.
Please help me welcome Carolyn to That’s What I’m Talking About.
Are all characters Frankensteins when you bring them to life?
It’s funny, the unexpected things you start pondering super deeply when you get into writing a novel. The questions you find yourself exploring.
Like so many books, Mr. Real started out in my head as a what if. What if a woman conjured a TV spy to come for a sexy visit, and then the actor who played him found out and crashed the party? I just thought it was kind of a fun set-up. Like there would be this two-dimensional character hanging out with the heroine—a character who looked like the real guy—and it would totally bug the real guy.
But then, I really had to start thinking of my spy, Sir Kendall. What IS he, really? Sir Kendall is vaguely based on James Bond. So, what if James Bond came to life?
For example, there’s no question, in my mind, at least, that Zsadist or Vishous would not be able to function as normal guys living on my street in Minneapolis. Even taking the vampire liabilities away, a lot of these super alpha types are a bit psycho. This isn’t an original thought of mine – I think a lot of people feel the super alpha is best kept in a book.
But what about the less-psycho alphas? Or even the slightly normal heroes? Like, Roarke from IN DEATH seems really human, but would he be a Frankenstein if you blinked him onto your doorstep?
James Bond, if you’re just going by the movies, doesn’t have good friends or even parents. He doesn’t have a childhood or a favorite radio station. He doesn’t ever get ingrown toenails or cavities or bad breath. He has never smelled a real flower or read a bestseller or voted or gotten caught picking his nose while driving. I mean, these things are assumed by the viewer, but they are not there in the script or on the screen.
So what if you brought that guy to life? Would he be a man or a monster?
I ended up thinking about Frankenstein, who was designed to replicate a human, but was just different enough to make him a monster.
Can a character, transferred from pages or screen, ever be like a human? What is a human? Is it the big accomplishments? Or is it the little things, like relationships or noticing nature or the boy bands you liked in sixth grade? That is some of what I was thinking in the book.
Beware: deep thoughts ahoy! But sometimes you can start with a funny idea, but in order to execute, you have to answer new questions.
LOL aren’t you glad, Jen, that I have come to your blog to ask what makes us human? I hope you weren’t expecting a cartoon. Actually, I just drew you two. But it’s weird and interesting to me, to start out writing a funny book and end up there.
That would be kind of funny to ask that as a contest question – "win a book! All you have to do is answer this simple question: What makes us human?"
Wait, but I’m underestimating your readers. I’m going to ask it: what makes a person human? - to win an ebook download of Mr. Real. Yay!!
Jen!! Thank you so, so much for having me here at your awesome blog!!
Thank you, Carolyn for stopping by. It’s always a pleasure to chat with you!
You can find Carolyn on line at
More on Mr. Real (October 30, 2012):
He finds the girl of his dreams…with the secret agent of his nightmares.
Alix Gordon is a woman who doesn’t take life too seriously. What’s the fun in that? So when she stumbles across occult software that can bring any computer image to life, she conjures up lots of awesome outfits and accessories. And then, on one drunken, horny night, she conjures up Sir Kendall, the sexy TV ad spy . . . who looks exactly like Paul Reinhardt, the super-sexy martial arts teacher who kicked her out of class three years ago.
Fighter Paul Reinhardt has good reason to hate Sir Kendall, the character he brought to life to land a part in a TV ad; he’d do anything to forget him. A cross country road trip seems just the thing . . . until Paul finds himself inexplicably drawn to Minnesota and is shocked to discover Sir Kendall - in the flesh - with the girl he’d once loved from afar. He barges into Alix and Sir Kendall’s love nest, determined to stop the madness - somehow.
But is superspy Sir Kendall transforming into something more dangerous anyone can imagine? And what will Sir Kendall do when Paul and Alix finally give into their mad lust for each other?
GIVEAWAY Thank you, Carolyn, for stopping by That’s What I’m Talking About. Carolyn is graciously giving away one (1) electronic copy of Mr. Real. Please leave your comments for Carolyn, and answer her question: what makes a person human? Comments must be received by Tuesday October 30, 2012, at 9:00 PM CDT to be eligible for the contest. One entry per person, the winner will be selected from eligible entries by the author using random.org. Contest is open internationally; please leave your email address so the author can send you the book. Thank you to Carolyn for this fun giveaway!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Grab My Button
