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Showing posts with label Devyn Quinn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Devyn Quinn. Show all posts
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Review: Siren's Desire
Siren’s Desire
Author: Devyn Quinn
Release Date: Feb. 7, 2012
Publisher: Signet
Dark Tides #3
ISBN: 978-0451236111
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Contemporary Fantasy
Format(s): Paperback (400 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
|
While fighting for their lives, three mermaid sisters must battle dark and forbidden desires hidden in the ocean’s depths…
After defeating the covert agency that threatened to destroy her and her sisters, Addison Lonike grudgingly resumes her life as an EMT in Maine. She would love nothing more than to take on the dangerous Mer queen, Magaera, who is hell-bent on destroying them. But with two baby nieces on the way, she can’t take the risk. That is, until Mason McKenzie arrives…
Captain of the naval task force on the hunt for Queen Magaera in the Mediterranean, Mason sees the perfect recruit in Addison. But while at sea, the pair is pulled under a wave of passion that threatens their independent natures—and their mission. An encounter with a new race of male sea-shifters further complicates Addison’s desires. Now, she must choose between a life of the sea, or fulfilling the deepest longings of her heart…
What Nima’s talking about:
|
Siren’s Desire is the third and apparently final book in Devyn Quinn’s Dark Tides series. While it told the love story of Addison, youngest of the three Lonkie sisters, and gave us the final showdown with the evil Queen Magaera, it didn’t feel like “the end” to me. I wouldn’t be surprised if Quinn goes forward with the storyline under the umbrella of new series. She has introduced a new breed of sea shape-shifters and the future of “Mer” must be managed as they are introduced into the current century.
I liked main character Addison Lonkie. She’s a tough, independent emergency medical tech (EMT) who just happens to be, like her older sisters Gwen (Siren’s Surrender) and Tessa (Siren’s Call), a mermaid. When she gets recruited by the Navy to serve as an advisor on a special unit to hopefully save the world from going to war with the Mer population, I was ready for some action. Unfortunately, there was very little…of any kind. The set-up of getting Addison on board and in position with the Navy and catching the reader up with her sisters, takes most of the book. Addison is attracted to Naval Captain Mason McKenzie and he is attracted to her. They have a single, brief, hot intimacy in the first third of the book and it’s all just angst and longing after that. When confrontation with Queen Magaera finally happens, it is equally brief and explosive. The final confrontation takes less than fifteen pages, ending a little abruptly for my taste. I could have done with one more chapter, even an epilogue.
Some of my misgivings at what the book failed to be for me were mitigated in its overall feeling. Siren’s Desire feels not so much like a contemporary romance as it does like a fairytale. The evil queen is one-dimensional crazy—easy to hate without remorse; the hero is a strong military man and loner who will only be tamed by his one true love; the princess is literally a princess—next in line for the throne as descendant from the last true queen. Add in some mermaids, sparkles, and a happily ever after and you’ve got a grown-up Disney movie. That’s not an insult. It just means that the book is more charming than the paranormal adventure I was expecting and that’s okay. I liked it.
Nima’s Rating:
|
Liked it, but I had some issues - recommend (B)
Purchase Info:
Labels:
3 stars,
Dark Tide Series,
Devyn Quinn,
Nima Review,
paranormal romance,
Signet
|
1 comments
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Review: Darkness Descending
Darkness DescendingAuthor: Devyn Quinn
Release Date: August 2011
Publisher: Signet Eclipse
Vampire Armageddon Book 1
ISBN: 978-0451234339
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Format(s): Paperback (353 pages)
Book Source: Publisher
About the book: |
The first seal has been broken, signaling the end of days. Fallen angels in the form of vampires are infecting humans one by one, creating an army fit for Armageddon. Of the few who survive the infection, one stands alone above all others…
For one year, Jesse Burke has been suppressing the beast within, driven by vengeance to destroy the vampiric fallen angels terrorizing New Orleans. But a war of biblical proportions is too much for one girl to handle, and she must turn to slayer Maddox deValois for training, though it threatens her fiercely-guarded independence. At the same time, the sinister demon Queen Amonate is doing everything in her power to lure Jesse into embracing the darkness inside her soul—a power play that will trap her in a deadly web of deception between the forces of good and evil…
Before this war is over, everyone will learn that hell hath no fury like a woman possessed…
What B is talking about: |
Jesse Burke has been living on the streets for a year, grieving the murder of her twin and fighting the unwelcome evil within herself. Overwhelmed by her need for vengeance, she vows to destroy the vampires who’ve ruined her life. Unfortunately, all of her knowledge of the undead comes from literature and movies, she’s alone, and even a good meal to keep her strength up is hard to come by in post-Katrina New Orleans.
Maddox deValois is a Palindrome: a descendent of the angels themselves. They’ve been sent by the Enlightened One to help mankind survive the first plague of the apocalypse: vampires. Though there are two others like him to fight the demons in New Orleans, Maddox is a loner. Tired and battling his own grief, he harbors a dark secret, one that could get them all killed.
There’s so much to like about this story, it’s hard to know where to start. Darkness Descending is very much an urban fantasy novel, the battle to save humanity and the darkness that envelops the characters taking a huge share of the spotlight. Thoroughly a romance novel as well, however, the growing affection between Jesse and Maddox is given its due as well, giving the story a well-balanced feel.
Both main characters are flawed, but despite Jesse having been infected with a demon who wants her body and soul, Maddox is the one who has, in essence, embraced the darkness. She may be tainted, but he’s addicted. And they can’t stay away from each other.
Quinn also takes an interesting tack to both traditional vampire canon, as well as Christianity. Her vampires are lovely on the outside, and sexual, and compelling, but the monsters they really are makes that beauty seem all wrong. She embraces the ideas of faith and a higher being, easily interweaving the story of the fallen angels and creation into her tale, but adds a twist or two. In Darkness Descending, God is a woman. And she’s gearing up for battle with hell itself.
Being new to Ms. Quinn’s writing, I can’t compare it to any of her other works, but as the beginning of a new series, I think Darkness Descending is very good. Maddox makes a mistake that would normally put me off entirely in a romance novel, but it was the key to redeeming himself, and the realization of just how important Jesse had become to him. The ending doesn’t have me completely convinced, but the story as a whole was very well written and edgy enough for me to say that I will anxiously be awaiting the next novel.
B’s Rating: |
Really enjoyed - strongly recommend (A-)
Labels:
4 stars,
Devyn Quinn,
paranormal romance,
Signet,
urban fantasy,
Vampire Armageddon
|
6
comments
Friday, December 24, 2010
Cover Love
LOOK WHAT JUST CAME IN...
Devyn Quinn has released the cover for her upcoming release Darkness Descending, a novel of the Vampire Armageddon.
Here is a little bit about the story (taken from Devyn’s website):
The first seal has been broken, signaling the end of days. Fallen angels in the form of vampires are infecting humans one by one, creating an army fit for Armageddon. Of the few who survive the infection, one stands alone above all others…
For one year, Jesse Burke has been suppressing the beast within, driven by vengeance to destroy the vampiric fallen angels terrorizing New Orleans. But a war of biblical proportions is too much for one girl to handle, and she must turn to slayer Maddox deValois for training, though it threatens her fiercely-guarded independence. But the sinister demon Queen Amonate is doing everything in her power to lure Jesse to her side to fulfill her destiny as the mother of the devil’s child.
Before this war is over, everyone will learn that hell hath no fury like a woman possessed…
This cover is just gorgeous and the spiderweb image rocks! The book is scheduled for release August, 2011. For more about Darkness Descending, please visit Devyn’s website HERE.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Sunday Snippets #19
From Siren’s Call by Devyn Quinn
Kenneth was close to drifting off when the sound of something paddling at the water’s edge jarred him back awake. Eyes snapping open, he started toward the direction he believed the sound had come from. Moonlight glistened, reflecting off the silvery waters of the bay. Something flapped again, louder and more insistent. He thought he heard a woman’s voice, cursing. Curious as to the cause of the disturbance, he hurried in the direction of the sounds. The western edge of the island faced the mainland, which became less and less clear as a thick fog began to roll in off the sea. Little more than a jagged shoal, the craggy ground was unstable and dangerous. One wrong step could twist an ankle.
He arrived at the edge just in time to see a woman’s head and shoulders break through the surface of the water. Her hand lifted. She tossed some dripping piece of clothing up onto a flat rock overhanging the water. Reaching up to catch the edge, she hefted her body up. Moving with the grace of one accustomed to the life beside the bay, she plopped herself onto the rock. A mass of wet curls streamed down her back. She wore not a single stitch.
Kenneth started to back away. I’m intruding. Feet defying his mental command, he didn’t move. Except for Tessa’s silent form, the water was deserted. Unaware of his presence, she sat brooding, staring off into the distance.
Kenneth eased a little closer, admiring the view. His gaze dipped, briefly taking in the delicate curves of her body. Eyes reaching the level of her waist, the fine hairs at the nape of his neck rose. It only took seconds to realize something about her appearance wasn’t normal. Her slender limbs had changed shape.
Kenneth stood for a moment in dumb surprise. His heart skipped a beat even as his breath stalled in his lungs. Rubbing his bleary eyes in disbelief, he stared, dumbfounded. Guts twisting, the bottom dropped out of his stomach.
Impossible!
His gaze darted back and forth over Tessa’s elongated form, taking in every inch. From the top of her head to . . .
He gulped. The tip of her . . . tail?
Kenneth felt his knees wobble as reality began to slip from his grasp. His stomach lurched. Without even knowing it, he’d stepped through some kind of strange prism, entering a world where beautiful women had the torso of an aquatic creature instead of legs. Looking down at the woman, he felt himself begin to shake.
“Oh my God. Tessa . . . ?”
-----
You can find my ARC review of Siren’s Call HERE.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Early Review - Siren's Call
Siren’s Call
Author: Devyn Quinn
Release Date: August 3, 2010
Publisher: Signet Eclipse
Dark Tide Series Book #1
Dark Tide Series Book #1
ISBN: #
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Adventure
NOTE: An electronic copy of this book was given to me by the author for the purposes of review.
From the author’s website:
Between desire and love there are some things that can’t stay buried, even in the deep of the ocean.
As a woman with a secret, lighthouse keeper Tessa Lonike savors her solitude on the island of Little Mer, off the coast of Maine. During a violent storm, Tessa spots a man thrashing in the ice cold waters and dives in to save him, using her ability as a mermaid to easily pull him to shore.
When Kenneth Randall awakens on the beach he is alone, left with the haunting memory of his beautiful, flame-haired savior. But a year later, when Kenneth meets her again, he’s determined not to let Tessa slip away. Just as the desire between them begins to burn, Tessa’s archaeologist ex-lover comes back to town with a tantalizing clue to her murky heritage.
The trio travel to the Mediterranean in search of answers, and when Tessa inadvertently opens an underwater portal they find a lost mermaid city. But in the deep, not everything is as it seems, and Tessa must decide if she wants to take her place as the royal heir, or follow the call of her heart…
What I’m talking about:
Siren’s Call starts out with Kenneth, a lonely man at his lowest point. We get a quick idea of his turmoil in the prologue, and then jump forward to “present day” in the first chapter. Now we have a man who is ready to live again and wants to thank the mysterious woman that saved him all those months ago. Kenneth searches out Tessa, and decides to stick around after meeting her. He is immediately attracted to her, subconsciously knowing there is more to her rescue than she is telling. What I love about this story is that the secrets are shared right away. The first night Kenneth is on the island, he discovers that Tessa is a mermaid. And they don’t tiptoe around this or their individual pasts. They open up and they act on their mutual attraction. This is a refreshing change from books where secrets are held until the last chapter of the story. Their attraction is hot and their banter is real.
The story quickly moves from their budding romance to the heart of this book: a mermaid adventure. Next enters Tessa’s a**hole ex, Jake, who has proof of the lost mermaid civilization. This guy has a bad history with Tessa and her sisters, yet they open up to him almost immediately. It bothered me how willing the sisters were in sharing their collective mer knowledge, but I guess they were excited to find out about their past.
It’s here that the story changes from what I would call a romance book to an adventure book. The focus moved away from Kenneth and Tessa. There are no sparks in the couple of sex scenes and in fact, we don’t get much on their relationship at all. Instead we move into adventure mode as Kenneth, Tessa and Jake travel to the Mediterranean Sea in search of the ancient mermaid civilization. The mermaid mythology is laid out in detail for the reader - which makes sense since this is the first novel in a new series.
The adventure continues as the trio find more than they ever hoped, we see Jake’s true colors, Kenneth and Tessa get into a few near-death situations and realize that they love each other. (Well, Kenneth was always there - it’s Tessa that finally wakes up and smells the seaweed!)
I enjoyed the story, and the new mermaid mythology is interesting. The book left us with a pretty big opening for upcoming stories. The biggest disappointment for me was the lack of emotional bonding (and sex) between Kenneth and Tessa throughout the story. The story of their relationship was put on hold for a bulk of the book, and when we finally get back to them, I don’t have as much of a vested interest in seeing them work it out. In a particular well-written scene when Kenneth was about to die, my heart got a little achy for him and his sacrifice. But I would have felt much more if I had had a chance to watch their love grow throughout the book.
In the end, Kenneth and Tessa do find each other and their HEA - and the story ends as a true romance novel should. I look forward to reading the follow up book, Siren’s Surrender, due out February 2011, to see where this unique mer-mythology takes us!
My Rating:
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Author Interview - Devyn Quinn
Today I have the privilege of bringing to you author, Devyn Quinn. Devyn has been writing off and on for over 20 years, and has a backlist of over a dozen books. She lives in the scenic Southwest, though she has called several other states home. She is a huge fan of dark gothic music & shoot-’em-up action movies. But reading is her first love and Devyn spends too much time with history books, as well as feeding her addiction for celebrity biographies. She especially enjoys reading books on Hollywood before the 1960’s and is crazy about Marilyn Monroe, her legend and her myth.
Devyn lives with her cats, ferrets, and one little single Shih Tzu doggie, Tess. Please welcome Devyn to my blog.
Twimom: Hi Devyn! Welcome to That’s What I’m Talking About...
Devyn: Thanks for having me here.
Twimom: Your new Dark Tides Series features mermaids... What inspired you to write a series about the mers?
Devyn: I was actually not inspired, so much as prompted. My agent had a request from NAL editor Lindsay Nouis for a mermaid project and I was one of the authors who put together a proposal. Since I had no real knowledge of sea-lore, I didn’t expect my project would be the one they chose to buy. You could have knocked me over with a feather when my agent called to say they’d made an offer for a three book series.
Twimom: As someone that has read your first Dark Tides’ book: Siren’s Call, I’d like to tell you that your mermaid lore is interesting and exciting. Where do you think the series will go next? Are you contracted to write more books?
Devyn: Honestly, I have no idea where it will go. I am contracted to write three in the “Dark Tides” series and I do each as it comes. I never know what I will write until I am writing, LOL. In addition to the mermaid series, I’ve also signed a three-book deal for a new dark vampire themed series, tentatively titled “Darkness Descending”. To read about my backlist and forthcoming novels, please visit www.devynquinn.com for details.
Twimom: Sounds exciting! Other than writing, what keeps you busy?
Devyn: I run a ferret rescue, for the rescue and re-homing of the domestic ferret. In addition, I am crazy about electronics and dying to get my hands on an iPad. If it is a gadget, I want to play with it, LOL!
Twimom: Wow, a ferret rescue! That must be a rewarding and sometimes frustrating job. How do you find time to read? You mentioned that you love biographies and history books, do you enjoy other authors?
Devyn: I do love to read biography and history, and the authors vary. Some of my favorite fiction authors include King, Grisham and McCourt.
Twimom: What is your favorite book you've read in 2010?
A: The best I have read so far was Andre Agassi’s Open, a biography of his life and career in tennis. Loved it!
Devyn, thank you so much for stopping by today and sharing with us a little about yourself and your books.
Readers: Be sure to stop back tomorrow when I review Devyn’s upcoming Dark Tide’s novel: Siren’s Call.
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