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Showing posts with label Shadows Inquires Series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shadows Inquires Series. Show all posts
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Sunday Snippet #112
Lies & OmensAuthor: Lyn Benedict
Shadow Inquiries #4
Publisher: Ace
Released: 24 April 2012
REVIEW HERE
Sylvie got halfway down the hall - now, a winding stone tube that looked like it had been bored by a giant serpent - and paused, her first exhilaration fading. Erinya was a double-edged sword. She could find Demalion, but finding Demalion also meant finding the Good Sisters. Sylvie didn't want Erinya anywhere near them. Erinya hated witches enough that nothing else mattered to her once she was hunting. The airport was proof of that.
Tackling the world's most malevolent and largest coven might be a lot to handle, but Sylvie thought she was capable of it. With Zoe at her side, with Demalion scouting the way. Even with Marah, should she be inclined to lend her bloody talents. Erinya ... she might take out Sylvie's allies while going after the witches, leaving Sylvie attempting to stop the witches and minimizing Erinya's massive wave of death and destruction.
Sylvie U-turned, went back toward the sound of running water, and stepped inside the changed bathroom. Zoe, sitting in a small pond beneath another waterfall, jerked, and said, "What? You can't tell me I'm using all the hot water, because I don't think there is any. Or, apparently, any privacy." SHe sank lower in the water.
"Sorry," Sylvie said. She crouched down near the pool, said, "Look. I need your help. I need you to do something for me."
"Right now?"
Sylvie had to grin. "No. When you've cleaned up to your satifaction, found fresh clothing, maybe had a latte."
"There was no coffeepot - "
"Just ask Alex for one," Sylvie said. "The thing is I need Erinya distracted. You're a witch. You're about the biggest distraction I've got. Sure as hell the only one I trust."
"No," Zoe siad. "She squished Merrow."
"She won't squish you," Sylvie said.
"You're sure? I mean, really sure. Mom would be so pissed if you got me squished."
"She hesitated to kill Marah on the grounds of being family, and she's not even close. You should be fine."
"Marah? The ISI agent that the witches were tracking?"
"Is that how they found Demalion - never mind, answer's obvious. Yeah. Marah. The point being, she actively tried to kill Erinya, and Erinya didn't turn her into chunks. But... don't try to kill Erinya. Just to be safe."
"Why am I doing this?" Zoe said. "What re you going to be doing?"
"Ostensibly, taking my own shower," Sylvie said. "I need some private space to talk to someone she doesn't like. I want her distracted so she doesn't notice his arrival."
"Who?"
"No names," Sylvie said. "At least, not until Erinya's distracted."
"This is important?"
"Yeah, Zo. It is. I don't know if you've noticed, but Eri's out of control."
"And you think provoking her will help keep her under control? Sounds sketchy. I mean, I'll do it. But this had better work."
"It's a total gamble."
Zoe grimaced. "Great. Hand me a towel."
"Where-"
"They're growing from that tree."
"Ah, so they are," Sylvie said. She wondered when she was going to stop feeling that dull shock of surprise. Probably around the same time her low-grade discomfort faded. Too much power in the air for the Lilith's blood in her veins. All this loose magic. It set her teeth on edge.
"Towel?"
Sylvie tossed her one and headed out. Val's mansion had six bathrooms last count. Sylvie wanted to find one as far from Erinya as she could get.
The guest room where she'd stayed with Demalion was at the back of the house, and Sylvie aimed for that with good results. Found it and its attached bath both empty, and more pleasingly, not completely changed over to Erinya's world yet. The bathroom still had a shower, still had recognizable dials amidst the twining vines. She turned on the water, stripped down, figuring she might as well get in a shower before she had to use a waterfall, and closed her eyes. She listened for magic, listened for any shivering sense that Erinya was approaching and, instead, got a sudden screech of outrage.
Zoe had distracted Erinya successfully, it seemed.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Review: Lies & Omens by Lyn Benedict
Lies & Omens
Author: Lyn Benedict
Release Date: April 24, 2012
Publisher: Ace
Shadows Inquiries #4
ISBN: #978-1937007508
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format(s): Paperback (320 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
|
Sylvie Lightner is a P.I. specializing in the unusual—in a world where magic is real, and Hell is just around the corner.
After escaping secret government cells and destroying a Miami landmark, Sylvie’s trying to lay low—something that gets easier when a magical force starts taking out her enemies. But these magical attacks are a risk to bystanders, and Sylvie can’t let that slide.
When the war between the government and the magical world threatens the three people closest to her—her assistant, her sister, and her lover—Sylvie has no choice but to get involved with hidden powers bent on shaping the world to their liking. Now, with death and disaster on the horizon, even if Sylvie wins, things will never be the same...
What G & U are talking about:
|
Lies & Omens is the fourth novel in Shadow Inquiries series. Sylvia is still trying to understand the ramifications of her actions in the previous novel, Gods & Monsters. She killed Lilith, created a new god out of a fury, and watched the death and resurrection of her boyfriend, Demalion. You’d think she might catch a break after going through all of this, but no…it seems the fates are conspiring against her. This does, however, lead to a new beginning – one we are eager to read more about!
The interplay between Sylvia and the other characters continues to keep us interested. Her snarkiness and brashness help to ground her. It is very easy to identify with Sylvia despite the supernatural experiences she finds herself in. Her decision-making process when she is stuck between a rock and a hard place is humanizing. We especially loved seeing the interplay between her and Erinya, the fury-turned-god. In Lies & Omens Sylvia sees the total cost of what her choice to make Erinya a god is doing, not just to Sylvia but also to the world. She must try to fix what Erinya is doing to the world, heal Lupe (an out of control shape-shifter), learn to deal with Demalion and his new body, cure an amnesia epidemic, and end the war that has seems to have been declared on the ISI.
Gikany and Una would highly recommend a reread of the previous novel, Gods & Monsters. We found the beginning of the novel to be a bit slow and it was entirely due to trying to remember where we left off in the last novel. However, halfway through Lies & Omens the plot picks up and takes off! It is completely engrossing partly because it gets horribly complicated, but also because it is entirely fascinating. All the different plot lines converge into a cataclysmic climax. It was incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to put down (we may have been reading at stop signs, stop lights…slowing down early to hope to catch the yellow so we could have red light to read at….).
Lies & Omens is a wild and fun ride. If you haven’t picked up this series, feel free to pick it up on Gods & Monsters, or better yet, start at the beginning of the Shadow Inquiries series. It’s certainly worth it!
Their Rating:
|
Loved it - enthusiastically recommend (A)
Purchase Info:
Reviews in the Series:
Labels:
4.5 stars,
ACE,
G-U Review,
Lyn Benedict,
Shadows Inquires Series,
urban fantasy
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Thursday, October 13, 2011
Review: Sage Creek
Sage CreekAuthor: Jill Gregory
Release Date: October 4, 2011
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
ISBN: #978-0425244470
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format(s): Paperback (304 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book: |
After her marriage falls apart, catering whiz Sophie McPhee returns to the Good Luck ranch in her hometown of Lonesome Way, planning to steer clear of men and focus on her new bakery, A Bun in the Oven. But she doesn't expect to see bad-boy Rafe Tanner -- her first crush (and her best friend's brother), now a single father running his family's ranch. But is Rafe a changed man?
Rafe hasn't seen Sophie since she was his little sister's pesky best friend, and he's stunned to discover she's grown into an irresistibly beautiful woman. But Rafe has been hurt too. Though they both have their guards up, Rafe and Sophie seem to melt in each other's company. Can they finally admit that home is truly where the heart is?
What Ang is talking about: |
I read this book not knowing it was a part of a series and must admit that I was disappointed to learn there was more to come from Montana, not because the story or characters were bad but because I felt like it took away from the story of Sophie and Rafe. I felt like the author was taking a wonderful stand alone novel and tacking a few extra paragraphs on the end of it to turn it into a series and continue selling books and that disappointed me given the strength of Sage Creek.
This book was fun filled with rich descriptions right from the get go. The Montana back drop was a stunning and perfect back drop for this story of loss, love and learning to let go in order to find love again. As a woman who has lived through divorce and betrayal I felt like Gregory captured the heartbreak, confusion, self discovery, rebuilding and healing of loss, divorce and relationships as a whole beautifully in the characters of Sophie and Rafe. The other characters, with the exception of Crenshaw, added lovely layers to the story. I found the themes of forgiveness, learning to trust one’s self and learning when to follow one’s heart and when to follow ones head to be consistent throughout the book and the various characters from Sophie and Rafe to Ivy and Diana all of which wove a beautiful tapestry of home and heart.
My complaints are few but I did feel like the story of Crenshaw was unnecessary at best. Although he provided occasional color and some great hero opportunities for Rafe he did little to add to the actual story line and only stirred up a hornets’ nest of issues that will need to be resolved in other books. This is perfect I suppose for further books but since I was reading it without realizing there were more stories to come I found it to be distracting. I felt the same way about the way Tanner and Mia’s baggage was tacked on to the end of chapter twenty-eight, it took away from the moment and distracted me from the happily ever after that was beginning.
All that being said I would recommend this to a friend. I found the characters to fun, the story line to be entertaining, the scenery breathtaking and the romance sweet and spicy all at the same time. All of which make for a lovely distraction on a rainy afternoon. I would, however, tell anyone considering a read of Sage Creek to be forewarned, if you are looking for a novel that stands alone stop at the end of chapter twenty-seven if you are looking to start a series keep reading until the end.
Until next time Happy Reading!
Ang’s Rating: |
Liked it a lot - recommend (B+)
Purchase Information:
Sage Creek (Lonesome Way)
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Review: Gods and Monsters
Gods and Monsters
Author: Lyn Benedict Release Date: April 26, 2011
Publisher: Ace Books
Shadows Inquiries Book # 3
ISBN: # 978-0441020386
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format(s): paperback (311 pgs), e-book
I received a copy of this book from the PUBLISHER for the purposes of an honest review.
From the back cover:
Sylvie Lightner is no ordinary PI. She specializes in cases involving the unusual and unbelievable, in a world where magic is real, where hell just around the corner – and where death isn’t the worst thing that can happen to you…
When Sylvie discovers the bodies of five women in the Florida Everglades, she believes their deaths to be the work of a serial killer and passes the buck. Or at least she attempts to. When the bodies wake and shift shape, killing the police, Sylvie finds herself at the heart of a potentially lethal investigation.
With the aid of a necromancer, Sylvie learns that the women are victims of a sorcerer who combines alchemy, shape-shifting, and death magic into a gruesome whole. As more bodies pile up along the Gulf coast, Sylvie is determined to stop the sorcerer. But how do you defeat a man who can manipulate the dead without becoming one of them yourself?
What Gikany is talking about:
Sylvie Lightner (aka Shadows) is a private investigator who specializes in cases involving the Magicus Mundi. The Magicus Mundi is a world filled with magic, monsters and gods that surrounds the ordinary world that most of us live in. The vast majority of people are unaware of this world simply because they choose to be unaware of it. Awareness of this world makes you vulnerable to the dangerous elements that exist within it. When the Magicus Mundi intrudes into the lives of ordinary people, they turn to Sylvie Lightner and Shadows Inquiries for help.
Gods and Monsters picks up immediately after the conclusion of Ghosts and Echoes. Sylvie has been hired to find a missing woman whose husband believes she was abducted by aliens. Sylvie discovers that a powerful sorcerer has abducted the missing woman. The sorcerer has placed her, and four other women, in a state of suspended animation and is using them to break a curse. Sylvie has to turn to Tierney Wales, a necromancer for help.
One of the things that I like the most about this series is that Sylvie Lightner is able to defeat people and monsters that are far more powerful than she is primarily through sheer grit. Sylvie refuses to yield to anyone at anytime. The force of her will, combined with a resistance to most magic, allows her to combat most of what is thrown at her. An encounter with hostile gods, murderous sorcerers or enraged monsters may leave Sylvie beaten and battered, but she always somehow seems to struggle to her feet.
The author has a wonderful sense of humor that had me laughing out loud at times. The minor characters add to the richness of the book. The most important of which are Alex and Erinya. Alex, Sylvie’s business partner, provides Sylvie with the voice of reason and is the only person in her life that she can’t chase away. Erinya, one of the Greek Furies, is one of the few individuals capable of backing up Sylvie during her encounters with the more dangerous elements of the Magicus Mundi.
I enjoyed this book and look forward to finding out what happens to Sylvie next.
G’s Rating:
Loved it - enthusiastically recommend (A)
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