Burn by Suzanne Wright

Part of a small demon lair in Las Vegas, tattooist Harper Wallis lives a pretty simple life. That changes overnight when she discovers that her psychic mate, or 'anchor', is a guy who's rumoured to be the most powerful demon in existence. Compelling, full of secrets and armed with raw sexuality, Knox Thorne is determined to claim her as his anchor, creating a psychic bond that will prevent their inner demons from ever turning rogue.

The billionaire also wants Harper in his bed.

She's not so sure she wants either of those things. No one seems to know what breed of demon Knox is, only that he's more dangerous than anything she's ever before encountered. But he refuses to walk away. And when an unknown danger starts closing in on Harper, it seems that Knox is the only one who can keep her safe.

As Prime of his Las Vegas lair and a successful businessman, Knox Thorne is used to being in control. He's also used to people fearing and obeying him. Harper does neither, which unexpectedly amuses him. Unpredictable, elusive and complex, she draws Knox and his inner demon like nothing ever has.

Knox is used to getting what he wants, and he wants Harper. He'll have her, and he'll keep her safe from the threat that looms over her. Because Knox protects what's his. He won't allow anyone to take her from him. Even if it will mean letting the demon inside him rise and wreak the havoc it was created to make.

“Harper was also a person who preferred to avoid complications. Like parking tickets, speed restrictions, and red lights – which was why she no longer had a driver’s license.”  

Looking at all the reviews for this book makes me think that there might be something wrong with me. Everyone seems to love this book, they are raving about it! They love the romance, they love the dominant Knox, and they think this book is steamy hot...then there is me, who thinks the opposite of all these things.

The thing is, well, I really didn't like this book at all.

I had issues with it from beginning to end, storyline, romance, characters, I couldn't get on with any of this.

Ok so my first issue is that I feel like I have read this book before. Strong minded, sassy woman meets arrogant and possessive billionaire. She tries to be independent, he does anything in his power to control her. There are so many books out there with this dynamic that I struggled to find this original. I liked the paranormal setting, I also quite liked the world building and I felt like there could be real potential in this world but the romance just brought the whole thing down.

The second issue: 'psychic fingers' what in the actual...? OK, so firstly a man who cannot be bothered to take off my pants to give me pleasure is not my kind of man, secondly the thought of being touched, you know, down there, by a mind weirds me out. Thirdly, and most importantly, these 'fingers' are used to control Harper. If she does something Knox doesn't like, if she fights against him, he just whips out them old 'mind fingers' and she has no choice but to give in. I found it yucky, I found it weird and completely invasive. She had no real defence against it and he used it in the wrong way.

And my big third issue was substance giving way to sex. There was just too much of it. I like a bit of spice in my books, maybe even more than the average reader but this was too much for me.

There were other issues but these were the main ones. Maybe I will carry on with this series maybe I won't but one thing is clear a lot of people are seeing something I am not.

2 stars

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A free copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review.  Published November 1st 2016 by Piatkus.  Dark in You book 1.

Book Review: The Becoming by Jeanne C. Stein

 

My name is Anna Strong. I am a vampire. How I became one is the reason for this story. I tell it all the way it happened. It may not be what you expect.

She's a bounty hunter--tough, beautiful, and trained for the unexpected. Until the night she's attacked and left closer to death than she can imagine. She awakens to an indoctrination into a dark new world where vampires walk among us. But this time, a tight grip on a .38 won't stop what she's hunting for.

Existing between the worlds of the living and the dead, Anna is torn by her love for two very different men. Max, a DEA agent, all too human, and vulnerable. And Avery, a Night Watcher who's joined Anna in pursuit of the rogue vampire who changed her life that terrifying night. Now, as her two worlds collide, fate plunges Anna into the ultimate battle between good and evil where survival is not just for the living...

 

I have recently started to read the Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep. So far I love the series and it has managed to re-kindle my interest in Urban Fantasy. I decided to get The Becoming hoping that I would enjoy it as much as the Elemental Assassin books, but unfortunately it was not to be and I ended up not liking this one at all.

From the beginning it was clear that I was going to have multiple problems with this one. I didn't like the style of the writing, present tense never really works for me. So from the word go I struggled to feel comfortable reading this one.

Next came the whole rape/not rape thing which was a huge issue for me. Anna is beaten and raped by a vampire but because he bites her her body responds to him. Throughout the rest of the book the idea that she was raped is forgotten, instead the writer and the characters insist she was a willing participant. No, no, no. He beat he so bad she nearly died and he forced himself upon her against her wishes. That is rape.

Things don't get better from there. Anna has a boyfriend called Max who she seems to forget about when Avery comes along. She cheats on Max. A lot. There are a few moments where she feels a bit guilty about it but she makes herself feel better by having sex with Avery again. All of her excuses are frankly bullshit.

Anna isn't a great character at all. I think I am suppose to find her cool and edgy but I actually think she is a bit of a dick. She has zero personality and is also pretty dumb so she really doesn't have much going for her. Anna is so stupid that she cannot figure out who the bad guy is even when she is practically told.

The Becoming really was not for me. I didn't find it well written, appealing or interesting. I have the next book in the series. I really hope it is an improvement on this one.

2 Stars

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Anna Strong Chronicles book 1, Published November 28th 2006 by Ace.

 

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Book Review: The Asylum for Fairy Tale Creatures by Sebastian Gregory

 

Once upon a nightmare…

Long ago, in a land where imagination meets the darkest nightmares, they built the asylum. Surrounded by a forest of thorns, it holds the most twisted minds in the fairy tale kingdom: a terrible collection of evil creatures and forgotten souls. Imprisoned within its walls, they are doomed to spend forever after telling their tales… and serving as a warning to others.

Now, you are invited to accompany Blood Red Riding Hood into the depths of this strange place – where you will meet its even stranger inhabitants. But be warned: walls this thick were built to withstand the darkest magic… so once you’re inside, you might just find yourself living horribly ever after… and wishing you were indeed in a land far, far away.

 

Sometimes I like to read something a bit dark and horrific. I like to be spooked, to be made to feel eerily uncomfortable. I like it when the hairs creep up on the back on my neck and I start to look at the darker corners of my room a little more closely. That was what I was in the mood for when I picked up The Asylum For Fairy Tale Creatures by Sebastian Gregory. It was a book that promised all of the above, that promised a dark twist on the classic fairy tales from my youth. The book delivered on some of those promises. It was grim and full of horror, in parts gross and in others creepy. But unfortunately somewhere along the road the execution of this book failed and instead of being terrified I ended up a bit bored.

I really liked the idea of this story, of taking fairy tales and turning them into horror. Sebastian Gregory did a good job of making this book dark and scary, just like I wanted. However, there were issues with the writing, a few too many mistakes to ignore. I won't judge too harshly because my copy of this book is an advances readers copy that maybe had formatting errors or hadn't been double checked yet. I just hope the mistakes didn't make it into the final copy of the book.

The main problem for this book is its lack of structure and flow. It jumped around a lot and I was never very certain if this was one story, a collection of stories or something in-between. Either way the style didn't fit with me and the lack of flow or direction ended up boring me a little and I struggled through it.

There are some nice ideas in this book and patches of great horror writing but it didn't come together into a coherent package.

2 stars

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Published June 27th 2014 by Carina.  A free copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review.  Image courtesy of Goodreads.

Book Review: Christmas in Mustang Creek by Linda Lael Miller

Charlotte Morgan grew up in Mustang Creek, Wyoming, and couldn't wait to escape to the big city. But life in New York isn't as fabulous as she'd like to admit—she's lonely, doing a job she doesn't love and dating too many frogs she meets online.

 

There was one potential prince, though—Jaxon Locke, a veterinarian with definite possibilities—but his move to Idaho to fill in at his dad's vet practice ended things just as they were getting interesting. What Charlotte doesn't know is that he misses her, more than he expected…

 

Meanwhile, Charlotte's great-aunt Geneva—the woman who raised her—needs to enter an assisted-living facility. So, just before Christmas, Charlotte moves back home. When Jax catches wind of her move back West, he's determined to get to Wyoming and do whatever it takes to win her back.

 

Christmas in Mustang Creek is a magical time in a magical place, not least because of a mysterious visitor named Mrs. Klozz. She knows that love is the greatest gift of all, and she's ready to help out Santa by giving these two a push in the right direction!

 

I am really not on a good reading streak at the moment. In keep picking up books and wading through pages hoping to find something that will interest me but it is just not happening. Christmas in Mustang Creek is the latest in a long line of books that I just didn’t like.

To be honest this wasn’t a bad book and I didn’t hate it but it bored me. The writing was fine but not enough happened and the characters, although well writing, just weren’t likeable enough. I did find this book sweet and it certainly had its moments but at the same time I also found it a bit silly.

The main problem I had with this book was the characters. I wanted Charlotte to be stronger and firmer. Mrs Klozz I would too pushy and noisy but the worst was Jason. I cannot quite put my finger on it but there has something about his attitude towards Charlotte that just didn’t sit well with me. I found him too pushy and presumptuous. It was clear that he held real feelings for Charlotte but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t happy with who she was, that he would have preferred her to change to suit him more.

This feeling ruined the romance for me. I just couldn’t get behind them as a couple and I felt no chemistry or personality between them at all.

It would be unfair for me to say that Christmas in Mustang Creek is a bad book, it isn’t. On the end it just wasn’t the book for me.

2 stars

 

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Christmas in Mustang Creek by Linda Lael Miller, The Brides of Bliss County book 4.

 

Published September 29th 2015 by HQN Books

 

A free copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review.

 

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