Let's Talk about Books!

Gena Showalter does it again! I have been a faithful reader of everything Gena Showalter since I picked up my first LOTU series book and fell in love with her writing and characters. She is on my auto-buy list and has yet to disappoint. I was super excited to see that she started a new series and that there were going to be sexy black ops agents.

 

So, Soloman Judah is a black ops agent…duh. Well, tragedy strikes at a meeting with his team and he is knocked out. When he wakes up he finds that he is in a strange place: a cage. Solo has been bought by a crazy evil circus owner and is bound with more Otherworlder’s as attractions in a twisted show. Solo is determined to break out and kill his captures, but when the daughter of the owner shows him some compassion in a situation where she doesn’t have to, he starts to think that there is more going on than her being bred from evil.

 

Vika is as much of a captive as the Otherworlder’s in the cages. She has endured an abusive father and has a plan to escape and set the Otherworlder’s free. The only problem is that when all of the other captives throw rocks at her and say awful things, the new Otherworlder Solo, protects her.

 

Vika and Solo share an incredible bond through their situation and as all good love stories go, triumph in the end.  I really enjoyed the setting of this book. The circus is not someplace I have experience in any fantasy romance novels, but I definitely liked it. A lot of the story was told during captivity, so it really had a dark vibe to it. There are bible verses at the beginning of each chapter, which might bother some people, but didn’t me. I felt they were extraordinarily fitting for each chapter and what happened following the quote. They didn’t feel preachy to me, but kind of enlightening to what may come, or words of encouragement or wisdom for the characters.

 

The one thing that was missing for me in this book was the sex. Is it so hard to write in a good steamy sex scene?

Some of us readers live for those scenes! Especially when you have a yummy otherworlder like Solo! I did feel a bit confused with Mr. X and Mr. E and it basically took me the whole book to figure out what the hell was going on with that, but in the end I supposed it worked. There was also the vow voodoo going on with Solo, but that didn’t bother me as much. I know a lot of the people that read this were disappointed, but I enjoyed it. It could be that I haven’t read any Gena Showalter in a while, but either way, I liked it. It was a solid read for me and I plan on reading the second book in this series Black and Blue.  

I decided to pick up this book after seeing a list on Buzzfeed about what books to read before the movies are released in 2015.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ariellecalderon/books-to-movies-2015#.kkPRRow198 

The movie trailer looked good, so I figured I’d give the book a shot since we all that the books are always better than the movie. Let me tell you that after reading this book, I have some high expectation for the movie. In plain English, this book was a great start to the New Year and it will be hard to beat this book for my favorite of 2015.

 

Alice Howland is a Harvard professor of Psychology. She has had some huge accomplishments in her 50 years of life including published research, famous lectures, and three grown children. Alice begins having memory problems and on a routine run she is unable to find her way home. Alice sets off to the doctor and it is found that she has early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

 

Through this book we go through Alice’s journey of the inevitable memory loss and distortion of reality. Alice tells us about her disease progression from her perspective, giving a painfully true view of her disease through her own eyes.

 

I loved this book. I was captivated by the intro:

 

“Even then, more than a year earlier, there were neurons in her had, not far from her ears, that were being strangled to death, too quietly for her to hear them. Some would argue that things were going so insidiously wrong that the neurons themselves initiated events that would lead to their own destruction. Whether it was molecular murder or cellular suicide, they were unable to warn her of what was happening before they died.”

 

Alice was a phenomenal narrator of her life and the devastation of her disease. She would talk about not being able to follow the conversation, but tell the readers what the conversation was about. I loved the relationship progression with her children and how they stood up for her rights when her husband John, did not want to respect them. From the first page I did not like her husband.

It could just be me demonizing him for how he treated Alice through the book, especially when he disregarded her desires about not moving, but I think John was getting a little piece on the side….if you know what I mean. The ending was perfect for this novel and it really opened my eyes about this disease from the view of patient.

 

Lisa Genova knocked my expectations out of the ballpark. I can’t rave enough about this book, but I think anyone that has an older (or even younger) person that they love or know anyone that has struggled with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease would appreciate this book. I read it in 3 hours after opening to the first page and will be reading this one again. It has been constantly on my mind, which in my opinion is one of the first signs of a perfect book.

Bravo!

What a totally amazing fabulous book! I am so glad that I did not pass this one up. First off, it is told all through Ehd’s inner dialogue. Ehd, in case you are wondering, is a caveman that has been living on his own for a long time. The book starts out with Ehd barely wanting to survive because he is lonely and depressed. That all changes when one of his traps catch a woman from another time. Beh, is Ehd’s mate and he spends the entire book proving to her that he is worthy of her. Through the entire book we never find out much about Beh. It is hinted at that she is a time traveler and she landed in this bizarre world somehow, but since it is all told from Ehd’s perspective, we never truly find out. I thought I would have a hard time reading the story told from a male’s point of view, but the author does a wonderful job of showing us what is going on instead of telling us.

 

Ehd, even though he is a caveman, is very descriptive and through his confusion you get a gist of what is going on with Beh. I loved the survival part of this book. Ehd had to make fire, fish, hunt, make leather and clothes, and Beh has to weave baskets and cook from scraps that she forages. It was fascinating to read how they survive in their cave.

This book has very little actual dialogue. Ehd is incapable of learning language, but even though they are missing words, they manage to fall in love just fine. Ehd was so loving and wanted nothing more than to prove his worth and take care of his mate.

 

I wonder what I will do if she doesn't wake up, and I don't have an answer. As I lie back down next to her and pull her into my arms, my stomach growls, and suddenly I know exactly what I will do. If she doesn't wake up, then I will just lie here with her until I don't wake up, either.

 

It was a wonderful love story with a twist. A little warning… some of the self dialogue with Ehd is ridiculous at times. I’m not sure how else it could have been reworded given that he is a caveman and all, but it was a little rough at parts to get through; especially when he kept thinking about putting a baby in Beh. It should be noted that there are a couple of instances in the book where he thinks about forcing himself on her, though he doesn’t because he doesn’t want her to hate him and he wants her to want him. He says repeatedly that even if he never mates with her again that being with her is still better than anything else he could ever want. So…a bit of redemption in that at least. Because of these two aspects, I have to lower my rating. Though, I do suggest this read, if only to try something new and see what you think. I was pleasantly surprised, so it worked out for me in the end.

What a totally amazing fabulous book! I am so glad that I did not pass this one up. First off, it is told all through Ehd’s inner dialogue. Ehd, in case you are wondering, is a caveman that has been living on his own for a long time. The book starts out with Ehd barely wanting to survive because he is lonely and depressed. That all changes when one of his traps catch a woman from another time. Beh, is Ehd’s mate and he spends the entire book proving to her that he is worthy of her. Through the entire book we never find out much about Beh. It is hinted at that she is a time traveler and she landed in this bizarre world somehow, but since it is all told from Ehd’s perspective, we never truly find out. I thought I would have a hard time reading the story told from a male’s point of view, but the author does a wonderful job of showing us what is going on instead of telling us.
 
Ehd, even though he is a caveman, is very descriptive and through his confusion you get a gist of what is going on with Beh. I loved the survival part of this book. Ehd had to make fire, fish, hunt, make leather and clothes, and Beh has to weave baskets and cook from scraps that she forages. It was fascinating to read how they survive in their cave.
This book has very little actual dialogue. Ehd is incapable of learning language, but even though they are missing words, they manage to fall in love just fine. Ehd was so loving and wanted nothing more than to prove his worth and take care of his mate.
 
I wonder what I will do if she doesn't wake up, and I don't have an answer. As I lie back down next to her and pull her into my arms, my stomach growls, and suddenly I know exactly what I will do. If she doesn't wake up, then I will just lie here with her until I don't wake up, either.
 
It was a wonderful love story with a twist. A little warning… some of the self dialogue with Ehd is ridiculous at times. I’m not sure how else it could have been reworded given that he is a caveman and all, but it was a little rough at parts to get through; especially when he kept thinking about putting a baby in Beh. It should be noted that there are a couple of instances in the book where he thinks about forcing himself on her, though he doesn’t because he doesn’t want her to hate him and he wants her to want him. He says repeatedly that even if he never mates with her again that being with her is still better than anything else he could ever want. So…a bit of redemption in that at least. Because of these two aspects, I have to lower my rating. Though, I do suggest this read, if only to try something new and see what you think. I was pleasantly surprised, so it worked out for me in the end.

DNF at 43%. Everyone knows how Zombie stories go, so I will spare you the bleak plot of this one. At first I thought this book was hilarious. I had one or two good laugh out loud moments in the first chapter or two, but then the raunchy humor got old. It got old fast. If I was a pre-teen boy I might have enjoyed this book. There were plenty of poop, fart, and fat people jokes. The main character was excited about the idea of everyone in the world being wiped out by zombies. Not only that, but he was prepared for it. How convenient for him and his entire family. How is it that he was so prepared, but it took him 6 shots to even hit one of the zombies in the head? I do believe he said that he had his sons practice all the time at the shooting range. Did he skip these days too? I wanted a zombie book full of suspense, maybe a joke or two, this book did not deliver that. Usually I give every book 50% before I stop reading. This one wasn’t worth the time to get to that point. Don’t bother with this one.

 

I don’t remember where I saw this book suggestion at, but boy do I wish I did. Mainly so I could give them a huge high five and a great big thanks. This book was damn good and I am still not sure how I am feeling after reading it. I can tell you what I felt while I read it, though. I wanted to scream in frustration, I was utterly despaired, I was angry at the unfairness in the world, but most of all I was breathless at how beautifully written this story was. Not only was the story just damn good, but the illustrations were incredible.

I guess I should tell you what it is about eh? Well Conor is a 13 year old boy that has been having nightmares. A monster shows up after midnight; however, it is not the monster he has been terrified of in his nightmares. This monster takes the form of an elm tree. This monster may or may not even be a monster at all. That is for you, the reader, to decide. This monster doesn’t want his soul or any crazy damnation type deal that you find in other horror stories. This monster wants what Conor is most afraid of, and will destroy him in the worst possible way; it wants the truth.

It is so hard to explain this book. You can’t explain vulnerability or tragedy or the monsters that scare us in life. My advice is to read the book. I give it a solid 5 stars. That is definitely saying something considering I have had a hate/hate relationship with the other teen books I have read lately. This one death with such a sensitive topic in a vivid inventive way. All I can say is this: Read this book!

(oh and p.s. if you’re a wimp or have even part of a soul....you might need a box of tissues)

 

 

 

After being shipped to England to live with distant relatives, fifteen year old Daisy ends up in an unthinkable situation. The world has broken out in war. With her Aunt, the only adult in the English household, away on business in Oslo, Daisy and her cousins must do their best to survive while battling raging hormones, immaturity, and an eating disorder.

Ok, let’s get to it. This book has me torn. I didn’t actually enjoy this book until about halfway through which is saying something since the book is so short. Daisy was an interesting character, though I can’t altogether say that I liked her. She was shipped off from America by her evil step-mother, who Daisy is convinced was trying to poison her, and has a blind hatred for her unborn sibling. When Daisy gets to England, she develops an untraditional relationship with her cousin Edmond. Ok, ok, she ends up boinking him and falling head over heels in love.

If you can get over this part, which somehow I managed to, the book actually has a lot of redeeming qualities. Essentially, this book is about survival and the human condition. It sheds light on the things that happen during war. Unless you’ve gone through the destruction and the terror of having to fight to live, you simply can’t imagine the situations. The kids in this book have to grow up fast and Piper and Daisy practically become sisters. I do have to say that I was expecting a different ending. It was neither happy nor sad, which left me feeling slightly unsettled at the end. It felt as if there was no resolution.

After taking a break from young adult books, I have to say that this was a good one to come back to. I’m not sure I will add this book to my permanent collection, but it was a satisfying read. I give it a solid 3 stars. Mainly because I had a hard time getting into it and it took me an alarmingly long amount of time to finish. If you are a fan of teenage weird novels with taboo situations, this is the book for you.

 

What a great addition to the Mercy Thompson world! I was so happy to read stories about some of my favorite characters (looking at you Samuel)!

Silver was the story of Samuel and Ariana. It gave valuable insight to what happened with Sam and Bran way back when in their history. It told some of their family history as well as Sam’s first encounter with Ariana, who we meet again in Silver Borne. I really liked this story and we miss so much of how they come together and their history in Silver Borne, so it was so great to get a back story.

Fairy gifts was not my favorite story in this anthology. It was about a Chinese vampire that lives in Butte, Montana. He works in a mine and on one of his trips into the underground mine he runs into a trapped fae. She grants him what he desires most and disappears. Year later they are rejoined and he returns the favor. I was a bit confused at this story, but I do recall reading about the main character of this one in a previous Mercy World book, though I couldn’t tell you which one.

Gray was a ghost/vampire story. It was an unusual spin of a dark tale about lost love. Elyna killed her husband right after she was turned into a vampire. She heard unusual stories about a haunting in the apartment that they used to live and returns there in hope that the ghost is her dead husband. Long story short it has a sweet ending and was a quick satisfying read.

Seeing Eye is a story that was told in one of the other anthologies. It is the story of Tom and Moira. They are big (or semi-big) players in the Alpha & Omega series. Since this was in another anthology I’ll skip a review on this one.

Alpha and Omega is my favorite Patricia Briggs short story. It is the beginning of the Alpha and Omega series with Charles and Anna and packed full of goodness. This one is also in another anthology, so I’ll skip it as well.

Roses in winter is the story of a wolf that we are introduce to in Blood Bound. It is her story of coming fully into her wolf and pack with the help of Asil (who we meet in the Alpha & Omega series). Asil tries to come across as the grumpy old man, but Kara breaks through his hard shell and gives him a reason to live again. To me, this short story was one of healing. Healing for both Asil and Kara. It helped Bran was in it a lot too and we got to see a softer side of his wife. It was a very sweet read and I loved it!

In red, with pearl was warrens story. He plays such a critical role in Mercy’s life that I always wanted to get a more in depth look at him. I loved his relationship with Kyle and how he was just as badass as I thought him to be. A major plus for this story is that is had a zombie in it!

Redemption is Ben’s story. Ben is the werewolf that we all love to hate. Well, at least until a certain part of the series and then we just love him. Ben shows his softer (kind of) side in this story when he protects one of his co-workers and learns the real meaning of pack. I loved that Adam and Mercy made a cameo in this story and parts of this story were hilarious!

Hollow is where we finally get a Mercy story! She is playing the role of ghost investigator again and she does not disappoint in her shenanigans! It is a fabulous addition to Mercy stories and I love love love love love Adam.

Last but not least are the deleted scenes from Silver Borne and Night Broken. Night Broken was my favorite of the two because it was told from Adam’s point of view and well, I can’t ever get enough of the sexy Alpha. His love for Mercy is so deep and made me fall in love with him all over again. Silver Borne was the conclusion of Sam and Ariana’s story and super sweet too. It was very romantic at parts and I think a great addition to the anthology.

Overall, this book gave me my Mercy world fix until the next installment of the Alpha & Omega series hits the shelves. I found myself entranced at points and eh at others. Either way it has inspired me to re-read Mercy’s books as soon as I get the chance!

 

Josette Landry has some shit luck and she knows it. So she isn’t really surprised that when she takes a job as a camera woman for a paranormal group that she falls through a mirror into another realm. Her luck seems to change when she is rescued  by a sword wielding Cadegan. Little does she know that he is not all that he seems and her luck did not in fact take a turn for the better.

 

Cadegan has been locked away in a realm for centuries. All he has craved is a way out so that he can seek vengeance against the person that put him there. When a lady from another world enters his desolate realm he is fascinated as much as he is irritated. It doesn’t take long for the two to come together and begin to find a way out of the dark world, but both of them wonder what price they will pay for their freedom.

 

First I would like to say that I have been a devoted Sherrilyn Kenyon reader for years. I love her Dark Hunter series and I adore Chronicles of Nick. Having said that I am not fond of the new story arch that has been introduced and because of that, this book did not do it for me. I had a hard time keeping interest, which is saying something considering I tore through Styxx in two days. I don’t know if I am just in a funk with the writing style or the story line, but it totally fell flat for me on this one.

 

Jo was funny and really quirky. She seemed to take everything in stride and didn’t even blink when she landed in another world. She had some really great one liners, but it felt forced to me. Like it wasn’t natural for her. I think this has something to do with her being a part of the Deveraux family.

 

Cade was from another century and it showed in some ways. There was a definite language barrier, which was fun at times. I liked that he was protective and had his own secrets. However, his character didn't blow my mind like previous alpha hotties in this series. He was totally contradictory. For example, he was more than happy to have someone to hang out with and let into his home, even though time and time again he was worried about trusting people and talking about how trusting people fucked him. Yet, a hot piece falls into his lap and he’s good to go again.

 

The insta-love was what really got to me.

Jo and Cade had just met and she started waxing poetic about how she could love him and how he deserved his love blah blah blah. I get the falling and falling hard thing. It happens in books. But one of the most precious things to read through is how this happens and develops over the course of time. Didn’t happen here.

 

On a positive note, I was happy to see some of the old gang. Acheron, Simi, Styxx, Thorn, Jaden, all made an appearance. It wasn’t until the end, but they were there. It was my favorite part since they are old favorites of mine. Who doesn’t love a demon with an affinity for BBQ sauce?

 

Overall, I didn’t hate the book. It was fast paced, had some action, introduced a new sort of pantheon, and had some old friends in it. If you are a fan of this series give it a try. It fell flat for me, but may work for you. It won’t stop me from picking up the next one in the series though. Maybe next time it will rock my socks. One bad book does not make a bad series.  

Overview

When the local police department's secrets are revealed and the wife he's forced to marry is murdered, Chace finds himself the town of Carnal's hero. Knowing how deep in the mud he was forced to sink, Chace feels he'll never get clean. The quiet, content future he envisioned of the love a good woman with whom he could build a family was now beyond his reach. The only thing he can do is find his wife's murderer.

But he isn't the only one looking.

While searching for new leads, he runs into Faye Goodknight, the town's quiet, shy, pretty librarian. Chace has long since had his eye on what could possibly be the town's last remaining virgin but he has also long since given up hope he could make her his. Faye is pure and clean and Chace refuses to dirty her with his sordid past.

Pure and clean Faye may be, but when the shy librarian is forced to go head to head with the man who she's had a crush on since he hit her hometown, Chace finds Faye is full of surprises. And he doesn't know what to do with her.

My thoughts

Frak! I loved this book!

It is probably blatantly obvious that I am on a Kristen Ashley kick at the moment, since all of my reviews have been about her books, but you know what? It is the best book marathon I have been on in a long fraking time. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, just in case you missed it last time, but every book I read by Kristen Ashley I feel like is the best book ever. Then she goes and writes the next one and I am blown away. I don’t know how long this can last, but you bet your sweet ass I will be there to witness it.

This book was one hell of a ride! The previous books in this series, especially Lady Luck, have been emotional reads. This one put those ones to shame. I cried my eyes out like a wimp over everything that happened with the kids and the ending was so sweet that I was dabbing tears of joy off of my cheeks.

I loved that the story arch Chase and Misty finally got wrapped up, as well as the Carnal Police Department finally getting set right. There was a lot of healing going on in this book with Chace. He suffered greatly over the years with everything that happened with his ex-wife and thankfully Faye helped him heal those wounds. Not only was Chase healing, but the young boy Malachi and his sister has some major wounds that needed healing too. No joke, it was a tear-jerker at times.

Faye was such a funny character! I don’t know how many times I was laughing at loud at some of the nerdy things that she said.

Mostly because I understood all of the Battlestar Galactica references and they had me in a fit. She is a nerd and instead of poking fun at Faye because of it, Chace fully embraced her dorkiness and made their relationship that much sweeter.

Chace and I got off to a rough start. I understood why he treated Faye the way he did at the beginning of the book, but it doesn’t mean I had to like it. I wanted to bitch-slap that man on an occasion or two! But, after he got over himself and was able to stop fighting the pull of Faye, he was oh-my-god hot! He was super sweet, protective, loving, patient, and in the end stood against the pull of the dark side and gave himself fully to the rebel alliance. Don't even get me started on the sex scenes with Chace. Oh my lord!

One of the things that was different about this book, or that stood out more, was the music references. Faye mentioned many songs and I took the authors suggestion at the beginning of the book, and listened to them during the parts I was reading. It enhanced my reading experience tenfold. I really hope it is something that continues to be weaved into story lines in future books. I’ll finish up this review with a couple of last points. Kristen Ashley is one hell of a writer and can make any scenario believable. Hippies in a town of bikers anyone? I wouldn’t have thought it would work, but it does. This book is not for the faint of heart or for anyone that has not been keeping up with this series. It probably could be read as a standalone, but I don’t suggest it. Lady Luck was particularly important to Chace’s story, so please read that before you give this one a try. If you haven’t already got the message, I highly recommend this book to any Kristen Ashley fan and if you aren’t already, you should seriously get on it.

 

Lady Luck is the third book in the Colorado Mountain series by Kristen Ashley. Sometimes writers start losing quality after so many books in a series, but this was not the case. I raved and raved about the last 2 books in this series and I couldn’t possibly imagine this one being any better than the last one, but somehow it was.

It is my favorite book in this series so far and has earned a permanent place on my reread favorites shelf and that says something since I read a LOT in my free time and it is very rare for books to wiggle their way in to my reread favorites shelf.

 

Ty Walker was imprisoned for a crime that he did not commit. On the day of his release he has nothing on his mind but vengeance, but when he walks out of prison and finds a gorgeous innocent girl that got sucked into some bad shit he knows his plans for revenge may end up coming undone. He knows at first sight that Lexie is what he wants and it isn’t because he hasn’t had a woman for five years. Ty can’t help but think she is too good for him and doesn’t want the blowback of his vengeance to affect her, but Lexie is determined to break through his shell and earn a place in his heart.

 

Lexie has had a rough life. She had shit parents, a shit childhood, and a marriage that ended with a husband’s bad choices earning him a couple bullets to the head. His death left her with connections to people she’d rather not be connected with. To keep them from ruining her life she accepts a simple assignment to pick a convict up from prison. A simple task. Or so she thought. Lexie never expected she would end up with the man of her dreams or how hard it would be to keep him clean through all of the dirt they have to trudge through.

 

After going through a Vegas wedding, a high stakes poker game, dirty cops, and criminals who will stop at nothing to get what they want, Ty and Lexie will find out if Lady Luck truly does have their back.

 

I could not put this book down and I think it comes down to the chemistry and the personalities of the two main characters Lexie and Ty. Ty is a hard man to get to know. He has just spent the past 5 years in jail stewing over his revenge. So it is easy to assume that he is a man of little words at first, but after he opens up….oh my god is it worth the wait. My favorite part:

 

"Your nightmare, mama, was my dream." My heart clenched. He kept going.

"Never had a home until you gave me one."

My breath started sticking.

"Never had anyone give to me the way you gave to me."

My breath stopped sticking and clogged.

"Never thought of findin' a woman who I wanted to have my baby."

Oh God. "Never had light in my life, never, not once, I lived wild but I didn't burn bright until you shined your light on me."

 

I loved Ty from the second he walked out of those prison doors until the last page of the book. He was kind of a dick at times, but he had it rough and always redeemed himself. I’d be pretty pissed too if I was locked away for a crime I didn’t commit and had to go back to the town where the people that put me away got to live free. Ty is a good guy. He shows it through his actions and you can see it in the way people throw their love at him. He is so tender and sweet under his rough exterior. Plus, the nicknames he used for Lexie. *Fans self off*

I found myself rereading lines in the book just so I could relive the butterfly feeling every time he called Lexie mama. It may sound corny, but my God it worked in this book.

 

Lexie was pretty fantastic too. She takes the cake for the female lead in this series. She is funny, sweet, dorky, loyal, and very intuitive. She knows what Ty needs because it is what she has always wanted. A home. A life. Someone to love him without stops and she gives it to him without reserve.

 

As with the other books in the Colorado Mountain Series, this one was quite long. It clocks in at 535 breathtakingly awesome pages.

 

Yet again, it works. I felt like I was on the adventure of my life with Ty and Lexie and couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen.  Kristen Ashley has made me a lifetime reader of her work and if the following books in this series keep up in the consistent way as her previous ones, I know that I won’t be disappointed. I am so glad I gave this author and series a try!

Damnit I loved this book!

 

Kate Daniels is in it up to her neck again, but this time she finally gets some (kind of) closure to the mess that she has been wading in. I was very happy that the author put the disclaimer at the beginning of this book that it is not the end of the series but of the story arc. She was right in saying that this book felt like the end of the series, but after reading it, I have to say that I am quite satisfied by the way things went down with Kate and Roland. 

 

Kate has to prove (yet again) to the pack that she is strong enough to do the job of Consort to Curran the Beast Lord. While he is away on a meeting she is invited to a meeting of the Conclave and has to play politics and sooth the egos of the vampire mind controllers known as the People. This is when shit hits the fan. Hugh D’Ambray strolls into this meeting and declares war against the Pack. Kate has to figure out a diplomatic way to save as many of her people as she can, all on her own since Curran is away on business.

 

Needless to say there is plenty of action and creepy things that go bump in this magical world that has been set up for the Kate Daniels series. We got to see the witches again, which are so creepy in a sort of beautiful way. I mean, who lives inside of a big tortoise?! We also get to read more about Ghastek, the main vampire controller. I appreciated that we got to learn some of his background and find out what made him tick.

 

I missed Curran through most of this book.

I kept waiting for him to come back in his furriness goodness and take over for Kate. It didn’t happen, but the grand entrance he made when he finally showed up made the wait SO much better. Kate and Curran’s relationship has always been a big deal for me in this series. It is not so much that it is a central plot line of the books, but that it is an underlying reason for their character development. Kate and Curran both are willing (and do) make sacrifices for each other throughout the series and Magic Breaks was no exception to that.

 

I loved meeting Kate’s grandmother and finally getting some showdown time with Roland. I felt satisfied with the way things happened with them and the epilogue was too good! Magic Breaks had me hooked from the first page and took me on an emotional ride. I found myself laughing out loud with some of the things that came out of Kate’s mouth and my heart breaking at other times. Of course there were some swoon worthy moments over Curran and other times where I just wanted to bitch slap some of the pack members. Overall, I can’t rave enough about Magic Breaks or any of the books in the Kate Daniels world.

I have yet to find a book in this series that I didn’t devour in a day and I can’t wait to read the next one. Now I just have to nurse my book hangover until that happens.

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