Book Review: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny by Wang Dulu and Justin Hill

 

Another life-altering quest, another struggle between honor and lust for power, another generation of warriors forging alliances and enmities. The adventure, romance, and artistry of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon continues in this novelized companion to the first ever Netflix debut film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny based on the novel by Wang Dulu.

Seventeen years after the legendary fighter Mubai dies protecting the world-conquering sword The Green Destiny, four great warriors are called together to guard the formidable weapon once more. The forces surrounding the sword irrevocably altered the life of Shulien, Mubai’s lover, but seventeen years later she is still honor-bound to defend the blade from the power-hungry warlord Hades Dai. The young fighters Wei-fang and Snow Vase, switched at birth, also have heritages and inheritances that inextricably link them to both each other and the fate of the sword. And Silent Wolf, Shulien’s former fiancé, returns from presumed death to thwart Hades Dai—and rekindle an emotionally isolated Shulien’s feelings.

Jam-packed with all the hallmarks of an epic adventure—sacrifice, battles, betrayal, vengeance, redemption, and destiny—this saga also explores the deeper meaning of true heroism and virtue. As Wei-fang and Snow Vase search for identity and forge their places in the world of warriors and heroes, Shu-lien and Silent Wolf struggle to reconcile both the traditions and heartbreak of the past with a fragile hope for the future.

 

I was just a teenager when I first saw the movie Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.  I had never seen a film like it before and it captured my imagination and gave me a new found respect for foreign cinema.  It has been about sixteen years since Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon came out in British cinemas and now it is back in a big way with a new film called Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny coming out on Netflix in February.  Alongside the film release, we are also being treated to the book written by Wang Dulu and Booker Prize nominee Justin Hill.

 

I have never read a book like this one before.  It is strange to read something completely new which features characters I know well from somewhere else.  It was great to see what happened to some of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon's best loved and most iconic characters.  Both Shulien and Jiaolong are back in this sequel and there is also a host of brand new characters as well. 

 

For the most part, I liked Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of destiny.  I wanted to love it but it didn't grip me as much as I would have liked.  I thought the storyline was good and I enjoyed how everything came together.  It was poetic in some places and epic in others, and it was all brought to vivid life with the writing. 

 

It is the writing that comes out on top.  Everything from the scenery to the epic battles is beautifully written.  Great care has been taken to set a tone for this book and stick with it all the way through. I found all the characters to be well-rounded and interesting.  Out of all the characters, it is Shulien who carried most of the emotional weight.  Much like her role in the movie, she is forced to shelve her own needs in order to carry out her duty.  The moments where she looks back at her life and what she has lost are the most poignant of the whole book.

 

However, there were times where this book managed to bore me.  It was not always an easy read and sometimes I found myself getting distracted.  There are just moments where this all felt a little slow and I wanted a little more character to the book.  I think it all comes down to taste, as a whole this book didn't always work for me but that is not through a lack of talent on the author's part.

 

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny is a beautifully constructed book with some stunning writing.  It just could have used a little more pace at times.

3 stars

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Expected publication: January 26th 2016 by Weinstein Books

 

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

 

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: Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan

When Apple's mother returns after eleven years away, Apple feels whole again. But just like the stormy Christmas Eve when she left, her mother's homecoming is bittersweet. It's only when Apple meets someone more lost than she is that she begins to see things as they really are.

A story about sad endings.
A story about happy beginnings.
A story to make you realise who is special.

 

Sarah Crossan is an author I know quite well, I've read her Breathe series and I even met her once but Apple and Rain is the first contemporary book of hers that I have read. I don't really know what I was expecting from this, the description sounded painful and I got the impression that this book would be a hard read. The two books in the Breathe series were not much help in determining what to expect from Apple and Rain. They are dystopia books full of rich world building, they could not be more different than Apple and Rain. In the end Apple and Rain turned out to be nothing like I expected and I found it quite different from other books I have read. It was realistic, touching and took me by surprise with its intelligence.

The writing in Apple and Rain is great, the main character Apple is quite young, only 13, and Crossan managed to find her voice with little effort. There was nothing over the top about this book, no dramatics, no heavy descriptions. Instead it focused on the emotions of a child as she went through some difficult times.

The storyline itself was heart breaking, I really felt for both Apple and Rain. This is a book about family and friendship, it is a coming of age story about sisters who are both lost. Mostly I think this is a book about growing up and how painful that process can be. I loved what Crossan did with the poetry theme that ran through the book, how Apple was inspired by a good teacher and a growing love of literature. I feel like a lot of thought was put into this book, it was lean and emotional without ever going to far.

The characters were good, they were all layered and full of personality. I didn't love nor hate any of them. I am not sure if that was the author's intention but I felt like it worked well. All of the characters are very real, they all have good and bad things about them. Each one at some point annoyed me and endeared themselves to me. Every character plays their part but it is the relationship between Apple and Rain that had all the impact in this book. This was a beautiful relationship full of ups and downs between very lost sisters. Crossan treated every aspect of not only this relationship but all the other issues in the book with utmost respect.

Although I didn't fall in love with this book, (to be honest it is not my kind of thing) I would still recommend it to young adult and adult readers. Sarah Crossan seriously impressed me with this novel and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

4 stars

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Published 2015 by Bloomsbury Publishing.

 

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

Book Review: Home Sweet Home by Candis Terry

Army Ranger Lieutenant Aiden Marshall fought in some of the most hellish corners on earth and survived. Those closest to him, did not. When he returns home to Sweet, Texas, he believes he's broken and has lost everything—including his soul. The only fair thing he can do to the woman who's patiently waited for him to come home is tell her to move on with her life—without him.

Sassy waitress Paige Walker has no intention of walking away from the man of her dreams. He gave his all for his country and served with honor. Now it's time to pull him from the darkness and give him hope. With a heap of love, the help of the entire town, and a tail-wagging companion, Paige makes sure her hero knows there's no place like home sweet home.

 

I have a soft spot for military romances. I tend to enjoy them more than other romance sub-genres so I was really looking forward to reading this novella. This is not the first time I've come across Candis Terry's work. A few years back I read Anything but Sweet, a full length novel by the author which I adored.

I liked Anything but Sweet because of it's strong characters and Terry's sound writing and I ended up liking Home Sweet Home for exactly the same reasons.

I really like Candis Terry's style of writing. Home Sweet Home was easy to read but was not lacking in description or world building. It never felt rushed which is a rarity for a novella. Candis Terry structured the story perfectly giving the reader a full story without cramming to much into the short 144 pages.

In terms of story Home Sweet Home is nothing new. It is about a Army Ranger struggling to come to terms with all he has seen and dealt with at war, and the woman he left behind. Candis Terry manages to keep this from being repetitive with her writing and characters.

Aiden and Paige are enjoyable to read. Aiden is damaged, hurt and very unsure of what he wants. He is a realy sweet guy with a heart of gold. Frankly he never stood a chance going up against Paige. Out of the two she has the most personality. This is a woman who knows what she wants and sets about getting it. She is fiery, open and patient with Aiden who is very much the softer of the two.

Together they are great, the chemistry between the two sizzles away. Sometimes books where the two main characters are already in a relationship with each other or have a history fall a little flat for me but Terry handles the romance well. This is a story about two people who are very much in love finding their way back to one another after war pulled them apart.

Home Sweet Home is a short, touching and sweet novella. I really enjoyed it and will definitely be reading more from Candis Terry in the future.

3 stars

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Sweet, Texas book 0.5.  Published May 19th 2015 by Avon Impulse.  A free copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review.  Image courtesy of Goodreads.

Book Review: Web of Lies by Jennifer Estep

 

Curiosity is definitely going to get me dead one of these days. Probably real soon.

I'm Gin Blanco.

You might know me as the Spider, the most feared assassin in the South. I’m retired now, but trouble still has a way of finding me. Like the other day when two punks tried to rob my popular barbecue joint, the Pork Pit. Then there was the barrage of gunfire on the restaurant. Only, for once, those kill shots weren’t aimed at me. They were meant for Violet Fox. Ever since I agreed to help Violet and her grandfather protect their property from an evil coalmining tycoon, I’m beginning to wonder if I’m really retired. So is Detective Donovan Caine. The only honest cop in Ashland is having a real hard time reconciling his attraction to me with his Boy Scout mentality. And I can barely keep my hands off his sexy body. What can I say? I’m a Stone elemental with a little Ice magic thrown in, but my heart isn’t made of solid rock. Luckily, Gin Blanco always gets her man . . . dead or alive.

 

The Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep is fast turning into one of my favourite Urban Fantasy book series. I loved Spider's Bite, the first book in the series and I enjoyed its follow up, Web of Lies just as much. Jennifer Estep has created a dynamic and interesting world packed full of characters you can't help falling in love with.

One of the things I love about this series is Jennifer Estep's writing. She knows how to weave a good story and keep the reader entertained. She is creative and her writing is full of atmosphere but it is also easy to read. There have been some negative things said about Estep's tendency to reiterate things a little too often and I have to say I agree. This book would have been a lot shorter if she didn't keep repeating herself. By this point readers know what the Pork Pit looks like, they know that Finn likes Chicory Coffee and that he and Gin slept together when they were younger. I have already started reading book three and everything is repeated again in that book. This repetition is my only complaint about the book and this series as a whole.

Plot wise I found Web of Lies as entertaining at Spider's Bite. There was not as much going on but it had a little bit more depth which made up for it. There were some really interesting parts and I like where the story is going and the growth Gin is making.

What really makes this series so great is its characters. I love Gin, she is my kind of girl. She is tough, smart but capable of feeling sympathy. She is hard on the outside and gooey soft in the middle. I think I liked her in Web of Lies more than in Spider's Bite. She faces some real challenges in this book she feels slightly betrayed by Fletcher the man she saw as a father, she has learnt that the sister she thought was dead is alive and well, and she has man problems in the form of Donovan Caine. Things are not looking great for Gin but she manages to hold herself with dignity despite all of that.

Donovan Caine is another complex character. Most reviewers do not seem to like him very much and I can understand that but I saw him a little differently. I really quite admired Donovan Caine. He has confusing and powerful feelings for Gin, he wants her as much as she wants him but his morals cannot let him be with a criminal, with a woman who takes life without remorse. His beliefs crush the romance giving it no chance at all but I can't help but think he done the right thing by leaving Gin behind. I like him for staying true to himself and what he believes in.

Web of Lies is a great addition to the Elemental Assassins series. I liked it a lot and I've already moved on to book three. I can't wait to see where this series goes in the future.

3 stars

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Web Of Lies by Jennifer Estep, Elemental Assassin book 2, Published May 25th 2010 by Pocket Books.

 

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Book Review: Necessary Force by D.D Ayers

It was supposed to be a sexy calendar shoot to raise money for K-9 service dogs. Photographer Georgie Flynn never expected to break all her personal rules and jump into bed with one of the hunky men posing. And after their steamy night together, she certainly never expected to see him again…despite their powerful connection.

When she's targeted by a stalker and possible bomber, Georgie finds that her gorgeous one-night stand is the only one who can help.

Brad Lawson, an FBI operative, and his K-9 bomb sniffing partner are assigned to protect the pretty photographer--and this time, he’s determined to keep things professional. He just didn't count on their explosive connection rekindling. But with a deadly threat on the horizon, will he be able to keep his body’s demands in check and complete his mission?

 

Necessary Force is the second book in D.D Ayres K-9 Rescue series that I've read. Last year I picked up Irresistible Force, the first book in the series. To be honest I wasn't a big fan of it. I found it a little too far-fetched and a bit all over the place. Taking that into account I wasn't excited to read Necessary Force but I always try not to judge an author or a series on only one book so I eventually gave it ago.

Generally speaking Necessary Force was a vast improvement on Irresistible Force. The main reason for this improvement is that this book is a novella. It meant that the story had to be compact. It couldn't go wildly off course like Irresistible Force did. It allowed me to really be able to see Ayers structure and writing.

I already know D.D Ayres can write. I complimented her writing in my review for Irresistible Force and I feel the same about her writing in this book. Ayers knows how to create, she knows how to world build and she does it well.

The storyline itself was enjoyable. It had a bit of everything, action, drama and romance. It was a little predictable, for example I knew who the bad guy was as soon as they were introduced but I didn't mind that to much, sometimes it is nice to know something the main character doesn't.

Georgie and Brad are both likeable characters, her more than him. Their relationship is an interesting one. His role in the FBI and their past encounter leads to a lack of trust between them that they have to over come. That dynamic worked for me and helped create a great chemistry between the two which I enjoyed.

All in all I enjoyed Necessary Force. When I next come across a D.D Ayers novel I will be more eager to read it than I was before.

3 stars

 

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Necessary Force by D.D Ayers.  K-9 Rescue book 0.5.  Published July 1st 2014 by St. Martin's Paperbacks

 

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Book Review: The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

Vengeance will be hers.

Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster? With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer.

Monster.

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions - her creator Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost - the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie.

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, her triumph will be short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.

 

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS BIG ASS SPOILERS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

The Blood of Eden series has been one of my favourite YA book series for some time now, I would even go as far to say that I think it is the best YA series since The Hunger Games. I bought The Forever Song (the last book in the series) when it came out last year it took me a long time to get round to reading. I didn't put off reading it because I wasn't interested, I put off reading it because I was scared. It turns out I was right to be fearful.

Oh Julie, Julie, Julie. We need to have a serious conversation. I trusted you and then you went and stamped all over my heart. Anyone who follows my reviews knows that I don't really do Book Boyfriends. I rarely get book crushes but then you created Kanin. I cannot say what it is about this character that appeals to me so much but it is potent. I have never crushed on a book character, shit I haven't crushed on some of my ex boyfriends, the way I crushed on Kanin. To me he was perfect, more of a book soul mate than a book boyfriend. But then it all came crashing down, why? Because you killed him! I cried Julie, I WAS ON MY LUNCH BREAK AT WORK, JULIE! (It was awkward to say the least.) Look, I get why you did it I really do. It was about redemption, about finding closure but it broke my heart in two, so thanks for that.

Now that I have properly unleashed my Kanin feels I can get on with this book review. The Forever Song is the weakest of the trilogy, (and I am not just saying that because I am wounded) but I still absolutely loved it. It may be the weakest of the three but it is still up there with my favourite YA books. At this point I firmly believe that Julie Kagawa is incapable of writing a bad book. Her work is so rich and her world building so imaginative that it would be impossible for anything she penned to be bad.

Another reason I love, not only this book, but the whole series is that way Kagawa treats her audience. She doesn't treat her readers like children, she doesn't hold back the bad stuff to protect them. Julie Kagawa is prepared to go to some dark places the tone of the book is almost one of despair, there is gore, violence and horror. Sex, death and a lot of swearing. I love that she takes those risks and I find her work to be richer because of it.

I am sad to say farewell to these characters. They were just as likeable and magnetic in The Forever Song as they were in the previous two books. Allison is one of my favourite YA characters ever. She is flawed and can make bad decisions but she isn't selfish or arrogant. I find her real and gritty, in her relationship with Zeke she is the one with the harsher nature, she is the fighter and he is softer and more emotional. I have already talked about Kanin at length so I won't make you suffer with any more. Yet, despite my feelings for him it was Jackal who ended up being my favourite character, in this book and maybe in the series as a whole. The raider king breaths life into this story, without him this book could have fallen flat. Jackal isn't always easy to like, he can be nasty and his reluctance to feel any guilt over the people he has killed and what he is can, at times, be hard to swallow. Yet, behind all of that there is something softer and sweeter lingering under the surface. He pushes people away, he doesn't want to care but he does, he cares quite a lot I think. He pretends to be callous, to not give a damn but he is wiser than he wants to admit and often is the voice of reason. He is a complex and funny character and I have to admit that he has worked his way past all my Kanin feels into my heart.

Despite my sadness I do feel like this series has come to a satisfying conclusion. Yet, not everything about this final instalment was perfect. There was a little too much angst, and a little too much teen romance drama for my liking. I am not going to complain much, there is not much wrong to warrant it but The Forever Song didn't quite grip me like The Immortal Rules and The Eternity Cure did, which is why I am giving it four stars instead of five.

Oh and Julie, if you want to make up for taking a sledgehammer to my heart then putting it through a meat grinder a Jackal spin off, preferably adult, (because that shit would be red hot,) would be a fine place to start. Wink, wink.

4 stars

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The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa, blood of Eden book 3

 

Published May 2nd 2014 by MIRA Ink

 

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Book Review: Broken Resolutions by Olivia Dade

Romance has never had a happy ending for librarian Penny Callahan, who could write the book on cheating, heartbreaking liars. So she’s made a resolution: no men for the next twelve months. If she can just get through the library’s New Year’s Eve singles night, she can return home to her pajamas and a good book. But when she finds herself checking out a hot hunk with an irresistible smile, an evening in the stacks becomes a lot more tempting…

Reclusive author Jack Williamson never should have trusted his mother. Even though he’s trying to avoid being recognized, she guilts him into attending a dating meet-and-greet—where an adorable librarian makes him question his lonely lifestyle. Is this just a fleeting, flirty scene? Or could love be the next chapter for them both?

 

I have been going through a romance fiction dry spell recently. Nothing is really impressing me much . I keep waiting for a romance book to sweep me off my feet but nothing is getting the job done. For a moment I thought Broken Resolutions was going to be that book. It came very close but it didn't quite make it.

I really enjoyed Broken Resolutions. It was a hell of a lot better than I thought it was going to be. When I first started this book I was sure I was onto a winner. I would give the first half of this book five stars without hesitation. Why? Because this book (the first half especially) is really, really funny. It's not 'have a little chuckle' funny, it's 'I have to put this down because I cannot stop laughing' funny. Seriously, the fist half really did it for me. It was simple, adorable and hilariously awkward fun.

Dade wrote this one brilliantly. Her comic timing is superb and her world building strong. I loved that she dared to take the piss out of the romance genre as a whole. It was a brave move considering that this is a romance book. She could have been seen as arrogant but it didn't come across like that.

Unfortunately, the second half of the book could not compete with the first. As the romance kicked in the humour faded away and this book lost the spark that made the first half so great. That's not to say that the second half was not good, it was. The characters were strong and the romance sweet but for me Dade was stronger when she was being funny.

What didn't help matters was that the romance was built around a lie. It made the conflict in the romance predictable. I thought it was a shame that something so fun had to be tarnished by a lie. Also, I didn't feel like Dade got the chemistry right between her characters. I couldn't feel the sparks.

Olivia Dade came so close to writing a great book with Broken Resolutions, and I so nearly loved it, but it wasn't quite there. I will definitely read more from her. With the right plot and the right characters this author is more than capable of writing a romance that can seep me off my feet.

3 stars

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Broken Resolutions by Olivia Dade.  Lovestruck Librarians book 1.

 

Published December 8th 2015 by Lyrical Shine.

 

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

Book Review: The Breaking Wave by Katherine Hayton

After their daughter is ripped from them by the Boxing Day Tsunami, Christine and Gary Emmett hunt through Phuket, Thailand, trying with increasing desperation to find Tamsin; or find her body.

When a village contact reaches out to say he's found Tamsin, alive, they make a journey. A journey that could see them reconnect with their lost daughter or face the truth that she's lost to them, forever.

 

Not that long ago I was watching a Japanese news channel (preparing for my trip to Japan) when a story came on that caught my interest. A Thai couple, who had lost their daughter in the Indian Ocean tsunami, remarkably found her alive and well over ten years later. It was an incredible story that genuinely moved me. When I read the description of The Breaking Wave by Katherine Hayton I was instantly reminded of that story and I was intrigued enough to request a copy of the book for review.

From the first page it was instantly apparent that The Breaking Wave was not going to be an easy book to read. Katherine Hayton, to her credit, doesn't hold back, she doesn't try and protect the reader from the harsh reality of this event. After all, we have all seen the destruction, carnage and loss of life a tsunami produces. We all watched in utter horror as waves swept through the Indian Ocean and a few years later, Japan. This is not a book to be enjoyed, the descriptions were at times horrific. The author firmly puts you in a devastated Thailand a few days after the event and she described the sights, the sounds and the smells with brutal clarity.

Katherine Hayton's writing sure packs a punch. It was horrendously vivid, full of emotion and well structured. I truly felt for these characters and for the people they met on their journey.

Despite all that I felt that it didn't count for much because this story is so incredibly short. This book was seriously hindered by it's length. It is only 62 pages long and it took me under and hour to read.  Even the best author in the world would struggle to build characters and relationships that mean something in that number of pages. I think that Hayton did really well but I remained distant from the characters. I didn't understand them and everything that should have had impact (in terms of plot) lacked it because there wasn't the time to build it up, to really draw in the reader.

As a full length novel this could potentially be both fantastic and heart-breaking. I think Katherine Hayton has the potential to be a great author. I cannot wait to see where she goes from here.

3 stars

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The Breaking Wave by Katherine Hayton. 

 

Published October 31st 2015

 

A free copy of this book was provided for free 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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BOOK REVIEW: House of Royals by Keary Taylor

 

Every town has its history and skeletons, but Silent Bend, Mississippi’s are darker than most. Ruled from the shadows by the House—the immortal Born and their aging, enslaved Bitten—everyone knows not to go out after dark and that the police will never look into crimes involving blood.

Alivia Ryan didn’t know the man who claims to be her father through a will even existed until she inherits the Conrath plantation. Instead of the sleepy house she expects, she finds a mansion and a staff who look at her with fear in their eyes.

Ian Ward tried to kill Alivia the first time they met, and then insisted he train her to defend herself against the House, who he claims will try to manipulate and take her in for their own political reasons. And the growing attraction between them will threaten their lives—Ian is a sworn enemy of the House.

In Silent Bend, people disappear, the threat of a demented King and the legend of his resurrecting Queen hang over everyone’s heads, and proving loyalty means far more than blood. You’d better watch who you trust in this town.

 

Sometimes I read a book that just makes me want to cry. Not because it is sad, or because it made me laugh too hard. Sometimes books make me want to cry because I really, really wanted then to be great and instead they ended up being the opposite. This is where I am with House of Royals, I am in a land of bitter disappointment. It wasn't supposed to be like this. I am a fan of Keary Taylor and I thought the description for this book sounded epic yet somehow it all went wrong. I am saddened to say that I didn't like anything about this book.

A while back I read a book by Keary Taylor called What I didn't Say. It was a beautiful book full of emotion and gorgeous writing. I feel like The House of Royals is the complete opposite. It had none of the magic I found in What I Didn't Say.

I thought this book was all over the place. I found the writing stale and confusing. I felt like nothing was explained properly and that not enough time was given to important things. The time line jumped constantly, in the middle section of the book it felt like you couldn't read a paragraph without it jumping forward two weeks. This utterly devastated the romance and gave it no real chance to grow. On top of that I found the whole thing boring.

Unfortunately the characters were no better. There was nothing to them, no real personality. The romance lacked chemistry, structure and sparks of any kind.

I could go on but I don't really want to. It really upsets me to write such a scathing review of a book written by an author I truly respect.  

1 star

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House of Royals by Keary Taylor book 1 in the House of Royals series.

 

Published June 21st 2015 by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 224 pages.

 

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

 

BOOK REVIEW: Close To You by Stacia Kane

Churchwitch Chess Putnam has seen, and banished, her share of ghosts, but not of the Christmas Past variety—the holiday has been illegal since the Church of Real Truth defeated the undead and took control of the world in 1997.

Yet when she and her boyfriend, Terrible, make a trip to an abandoned auto junkyard, they find more than the rusted auto parts and spare tires they’d bargained for. They also run across a creepy Miss Havisham-type hell-bent on reuniting with her long-dead husband just in time for Christmas—even if it means taking Chess and Terrible down with her into the City of Eternity…

If Chess and Terrible don't manage to keep these ghosts in the past, they won't have a future…

 

Quite a few years ago I read a book called Unholy Ghosts, the first book in Stacia Kane's Downside Ghosts series and I absolutely loved it. It was dark, gritty and at times plain gross which is everything I love in an Urban Fantasy book. Yet despite falling in love with it I never carried on with this series. Other books just seemed to fall in my lap and despite wanting too I never got round to buying the second book.

I probably should not have read Close to you considering that it is book number 5.5 in the series and I have only read number one but when I was offered a chance to get my hands on this book I just couldn't stop myself.

For me Stacia Kane has to be one of the finest romance authors of our generation. I am constantly astonished by the depth of emotion she manages to get into her books. No-one else writes romance like this. She makes it feel real in a way that no over romance author has managed for me. It isn't over done or cheesy. It feels genuine and I wish there were more authors out there that could make me feel the same.

Stacia Kane's talent for writing doesn't stop at the romance. Her plots, world building and characters are also spot on. She isn't afraid to take her books to dark places and have characters who are far from perfect.

Close to you, despite being short had all of that. It was spooky, festive, dark, romantic and touching which is pretty amazing considering that this novella is under 100 pages long. The characters were just as great as when I first came across them. Chess is my kind of girl, a tom boy with a bad attitude and some questionable habits. And then there is Terrible. If there is some real life Terrible out there please send him my way because that is a man I would definitely want to meet.
In short, I loved this book and I have seriously got to invest more time into this series in the future.  

4 stars

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Close to you by Stacia Kane book 5.5 in the Downside Ghost series.  Published October 8th 2013 by St. Martin's Paperbacks

 

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BOOK REVIEW: Accidentally Married on Purpose by Rachel Harris

One ring plus one wild night equals one crazy love

Sherry Robicheaux loves men. She loves love. And she loves an adventure. So when she meets a mysterious man while working backstage at a country music concert in Vegas, she’s all about what’s happened in Vegas staying there.

Country music superstar Tyler Blue just wants a weekend of anonymity…though there’s something about the spunky waitress with the streaks of purple hair that tempts him like no other. Until the next morning, when they both wake up with fuzzy memories…and rings on their fingers.

Convincing Sherry to maintain the ruse for his public image isn’t the hardest part—it’s reminding himself that their time spent playing husband and wife in her small town of Magnolia Springs can’t last. Tyler’s first love will always be music—and the road is no place for a sweet downhome girl.

 

I am going to be straight with you, Accidentally Married on Purpose is one of those, 'I got so drunk in Vegas that I married a stranger' stories. There are a million books like this out there and at this point I feel like I've read them all. You are probably wondering why I keep reading them. Well the answer is that I literally cannot stop myself, which tells you everything you need to know about my level of will power and my relationship with romance literature. You see, the thing is that most of the time reading romance novels makes me want to put my head through a wall. But, every now and then a book comes along that makes it all worth it. Was Accidentally Married on Purpose one of those books? No. But in all honesty it really wasn't all that bad either.

Accidentally Married on Purpose ended up being pretty cute. It had some substance and well built characters which was likely due to not having any love scenes to take up room. I felt like Harris built up the story and the romance well. The feelings felt genuine and the characters were relate-able. Unfortunately, the last ten percent descended into cheesiness that was hard to stomach. It just all got a little too sickly for me.

Both Sherry and Tyler were likeable characters they could both be a little bone headed at times but I mostly understood the motives for their actions up until that last ten percent where they become one of those couples you just want to punch.

I didn't love this one but I didn't hate it either. It was a good way to spend a train journey to London but I wasn't crazy about it.

 

3 Stars

 

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Accidentally Married on Purpose by Rachel Harris.  Love and Games book 3.  Published by Entangled on 14th July 2014.  Contemporary, romance.  266 Pages.

 

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

 

 

Book Review: Age of Iron by Angus Watson

LEGENDS AREN'T BORN. THEY'RE FORGED.

Dug Sealskinner is a down-on-his-luck mercenary travelling south to join up with King Zadar's army. But he keeps rescuing the wrong people.

First, Spring, a child he finds scavenging on the battlefield, and then Lowa, one of Zadar's most fearsome warriors, who's vowed revenge on the king for her sister's execution.

Now Dug's on the wrong side of that thousands-strong army he hoped to join ­- and worse, Zadar has bloodthirsty druid magic on his side. All Dug has is his war hammer, one rescued child and one unpredictable, highly-trained warrior with a lust for revenge that's going to get them all killed.

It's a glorious day to die.

We must accept that adversity is the way of the gods when we lose those we love.  We must remember that they are not lost and we will see them again.  But there is no point looking for them in this world.

I was really excited to read Age of Iron.  I had been told by others that if I liked Game of Thrones I would probably like this.  I love the Song of Ice and Fire series and the Game of Thrones TV show so I was hoping that I would be impressed by Age of Iron.  I was a little nervous about the genre.  This is the first time I’ve read historical fantasy (normally I read either or) and I was unsure if I would like it.  In the end I had nothing to worry about, I did like this genre and despite being nothing like Game of Thrones (which is a good thing I think) I did enjoy this book.

 Age of Iron is an ‘in your face’ kind of book.  There is a lot of swearing and A LOT of violence.  Generally I don’t mind that kind of stuff as long as it is justified which in Age of Iron it mostly was.  There was a little too much graphic violence towards children for me but at the same time I understand that this book is set in a violent time in our history and that children were not exempt from it.  I did feel that the use of language was a little out of place for a historical novel but I quickly got over that.

Technically I found Watson’s writing impressive.  His style is blunt instead poetic which works well in this genre.  The descriptions and world building were very good and I found it easy to disappear for an hour or two into his grizzly world.  The action was fast paced and existing and the moments of humour well placed.

The story itself was exciting and interesting; it built to a satisfying end and promises a lot for the sequel.  I did feel that it was a little too long and it started to drag a bit towards the end, it could have been 50-100 pages shorter and still been just as good.

The stand out aspect of this book was the characters.  I thought they were all very diverse and full of personality.  Dug was impossible to dislike he played the hard man but inside he was just a big softy.  Despite trying not too he wore his heart on his sleeve and I emphasised with him lot.  Lowa was another great character and one hell of a strong woman.  Simply put there are not enough female characters like Lowa in the fantasy genre.  Yes she is beautiful but she is also brave, tough, intelligent and capable of great compassion.  I didn’t quite get the romance between Lowa and Dug I felt like I was being constantly bombarded with reasons why they were ridiculous together and given no reasons why they weren’t.  The other characters were good but I didn’t like or understand them as well as I did Dug and Lowa. I struggled with Spring which was a shame as she is such an important character.

Despite liking the story, writing and characters I still couldn’t quite fall in love with this.  I liked it a lot but didn’t connect with it as much as I could have done.  Hopefully I will have better luck with the sequel which sounds bigger and darker.

4 stars

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 Published September 2nd 2014 by Orbit, 560 pages, paperback

Iron Age book 1

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

Find out more about this book by following the book tour!

Review by Kate Phillips