Urban Fantasy

Review: Grave Secret (Secret McQueen #5) by Sierra Dean

March 21, 2013 by Barbara at Basia's Bookshelf 12 Comments

By Sierra Dean

Publisher: Samhain
Publication Date: March 19, 2013
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: Author

Sometimes a secret goes to the grave. Sometimes Secret puts you there.

It’s been a hell of a year for Secret McQueen, and the last thing in the world she wants is to get caught up in werewolf drama. But when her former fiancé Lucas Rain shows up asking for her help, she knows there’s no easy way out.

After making it known she wants nothing to do with him, Secret agrees to help find Lucas’s wayward sister Kellen. After all, how much trouble could one socialite get into in the city that never sleeps?

Unless that socialite has been spirited away by fairies.

Trying to track down a missing girl in an alternate reality is just the start of Secret’s problems, though. Someone appears to be killing teenagers, and the MO looks eerily similar to something for which the half-fairy oracle, Calliope, might be responsible. Throw in a rogue wolf pack claiming allegiance to Secret’s mother, Mercy, and she’ll have miles to go before she rests.

Warning: This book contains a promise fulfilled, sex that’s out of this world, and more heartache than one hybrid assassin can handle.

Goodreads Summary

Sierra Dean, what are you doing to me?! With three books left in the Secret McQueen series, I swear, my heart has been dropped, thrown against the wall, twirled around and stuck in my throat so many times, it’s a miracle it still works by the time I close the one I’m reading. Every time I think I know what you’re going to do, I’m completely wrong, so as much fun as it is, I have to stop guessing for my own sanity and just go along for the ride (not giving up on my Sig fantasy though). If you’re not reading this series – why not?

Since this is a continuing series, there are going to be some spoilers referring to events from the last book. You have been warned (insert evil laugh).

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Filed Under: *A Rating, 2013 Ebook Challenge, Barbara Recommends, Urban Fantasy Tagged With: Sierra Dean

The Tangled Bridge

November 17, 2012 by Barbara at Basia's Bookshelf 4 Comments

By Rhodi Hawk

Publisher: Tor Books
Publication Date: October 30, 2012
Genre: Paranormal/UF
Source: Publisher

Psychologist Madeleine LeBlanc is desperate to escape the madness that has followed her family for a century. She’s struggling to adjust to her new-found power and to stick to the pact that protects her sanity.

But an innocent little boy is being hunted—by Madeleine’s half brother and her great-grandmother, Chloe, and by the demons they control. The boy is a threat to their bloodline, to their very nature, but Madeleine cannot let his young life be callously destroyed.

Thrust into an age-old battle of dark versus light, Madeleine dives deep into the history of her family and into the vast paranormal underworld of New Orleans, a world seemingly controlled by her great-grandmother.

The only way to stop Chloe lies past the tangled bridge that could lead to great power…or total destruction.

Goodreads Summary

I read the first book in this series, The Twisted Ladder, earlier and needed to let it sit and percolate for a bit before I was ready to move to this one. It was a long book, jumped around between timelines and introduced a lot of information – it was a lot to take in. The good news is that things have settled down somewhat, this second book expands on the first and adds new things. The bad news? You have to have read the first book to understand a lot of what’s going on and there are places the second book feels like it’s bitten off a little too much story to tell.

In The Twisted Ladder, Madeleine learned that the psychosis that her family seemed to suffer from was really a paranormal ability to control other people’s minds and bodies (pigeonry) and enter the briar with their river devils in an out of body experience. I was just a tiny bit fuzzy on all of it, I have to say. I thought the river devils answered to or were only with the people in Madeleine’s family, but there were more running around wreaking havoc here. My scalp started begging to be itched as I dived into the story.
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Filed Under: *C Rating, 2012 Ebook Challenge, Paranormal, Reviews, Urban Fantasy Tagged With: Rhodi Hawk

Fourth Grave Beneath my Feet

November 2, 2012 by Cait 4 Comments

Darynda Jones

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: Oct 30, 2012
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: Purchased

ometimes being the grim reaper really is that. Grim. And since Charley’s last case went so awry, she has taken a couple months off to wallow in the wonders of self-pity. But when a woman shows up on her doorstep convinced someone is trying to kill her, Charley has to force herself to rise above. Or at least get dressed. She quickly realizes something is amiss when everyone the woman knows swears she’s insane. The more they refute the woman’s story, the more Charley believes it.

In the meantime, the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, has been cleared of all charges. He is out of prison and out of Charley’s life, as per her wishes and several perfectly timed death threats. But his absence has put a serious crimp in her sex life. While there are other things to consider, like the fact that the city of Albuquerque has been taken hostage by an arsonist, Charley is having a difficult time staying away. Especially when it looks like Reyes may be involved. Just when life was returning to normal, Charley is thrust back into the world of crime, punishment, and the devil in blue jeans.

Goodreads Summary

I LOVE this series. I didn’t start reading it until after the third book was released, and only then because my MIL loved the books and I wanted to have something else in common besides marriage. I don’t know why I was so antagonistic to the series in the beginning, but once I finished First Grave on the Right, I kicked myself in the butt and immediately read books two and three. I love being surprised every once in awhile, don’t you?

The aspect of the series that I enjoy the most is the snark. Charley has some of the best one-liners I’ve ever read. She is such a unique character, and I love being in her head. Charley and her secretary, Cookie, have some of the craziest conversations. I’m talking laugh-until-you-almost-pee-your-pants crazy conversations. Charley can be so juvenile and immature, but Cookie just gets her and goes along with it. Jones does a great job of balancing out the serious with the humor. Even though Charley’s life is difficult at times, and she’s often thrown under the bus by those closest to her, she somehow always manages to pick herself up and finds joys in the little things. At the end of the books I’m never left feeling devastated, despite what I’ve just read. The humor and wit is definitely not to be missed.

And then there’s Reyes Farrow. Holy. cow. Hands down, one of the sexiest heroes I’ve ever read. Not only in physical appearance, but also in his absolute devotion to Charley. In Fourth Grave several people mentioned to Charley that Reyes isn’t all he seems, and Charley has to decide whether to listen to them or not. Sometimes the motivation behind what Reyes does isn’t always apparent, and yeah, maybe some of his actions can be construed as shady. But he is there for Charley every single time, and I’ve always believed that actions speak louder than words. I guess Charley thinks so too, because the two finally have some smokin’ bedroom scenes. Well, they’ve always had those but in this book they’re both actually there physically. And uhh.. Reyes is a freakin’ sex god y’all. Just sayin’.

While I love the series and would recommend them, I’m starting to get frustrated with the pacing of the series. There is supposed to be this big event over the horizon, some big war between good and evil, but we don’t know any more information about it now than we did in the beginning. Everyone keeps telling Charley that she “really needs to know what she can do” or “needs to stop thinking like a human” and all the talk is getting old. I hope in the next book we’re let in on the big secret, because I’m ready for it. I’ve been ready for it. Or maybe I’m just too impatient, and I should zip my lips and just enjoy the ride. Hmm.. not a bad idea.

My Rating: A

Filed Under: *A Rating, Cait Recommends, Humor, Reviews, Urban Fantasy Tagged With: Darynda Jones

Kitty Steals the Show (Kitty Norville #10)

July 24, 2012 by Barbara at Basia's Bookshelf 6 Comments

By Carrie Vaughn

Publisher: Tor
Publication Date: July 31, 2012
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: Publisher

Kitty has been tapped as the keynote speaker for the First International Conference on Paranatural Studies, taking place in London. The conference brings together scientists, activists, protestors, and supernatural beings from all over the world—and Kitty, Ben, and Cormac are right in the middle of it.

Master vampires from dozens of cities have also gathered in London for a conference of their own. With the help of the Master of London, Kitty gets more of a glimpse into the Long Game—a power struggle among vampires that has been going on for centuries—than she ever has before. In her search for answers, Kitty has the help of some old allies, and meets some new ones, such as Caleb, the alpha werewolf of the British Isles. The conference has also attracted some old enemies, who’ve set their sights on her and her friends.

All the world’s a stage, and Kitty’s just stepped into the spotlight.

Goodreads Summary

I’ll admit, this series hasn’t always been a solid grade-A winner for me, but this time around, the little things that I thought were off in past books came together, I liked Kitty and Ben’s relationship and this was a good story that kept me entertained.

Kitty, Ben and Cormac have gone to London to attend the International Conference on Paranatural Studies, where Kitty will give the keynote address (which she hasn’t written yet). She’s also wading into what promises to be the start of a supernatural end game led by the vampire master Roman, whose plan is to take out the other master vampires and ignite a paranormal war. Kitty’s first step to see who’s with him comes right away, at the vampire convocation she manages to seemingly crash, even though she was invited. In her own smart-mouthed style, Kitty insults half of the vampires, charms and/or confuses the other half and pisses off an unknown percentage of the whole. By the time she leaves, she has some valuable information and she’s put up the neon sign: Kitty Norville’s in town.

Soon, that sign starts drawing attention. Caleb, the alpha werewolf of Britain finds Kitty and Ben. He’s not thrilled that they’re staying with Ned, the master vampire of London but takes Kitty’s warning about Roman to heart. When she receives a sinister warning from werewolves serving a master in Europe and she spots another vampire menacing Emma, the young vampire under Ned’s care, Kitty decides it’s time to call the both paranormal groups together. With Caleb’s pack and Ned and his loyal group of master vampires, they at least stand a chance of defeating Roman. Don’t forget to factor in Kitty’s really bad attitude, Cormac’s sulking and Ben looking pained!

Okay, I was exaggerating those last three. But sometimes they were just the right touches in the book to make me laugh a little. Kitty can be so exasperating that I really feel for Ben sometimes. The scene she made at the convocation was particularly funny. She’d ask or more often, demand, something from one of the vampires and Ben would mutter something off in the background to himself, carrying on his own dialogue. They seemed a little demented, in a perfect sort of way when you’ve been in a relationship a while with someone who’s…difficult. Cormac spent a lot of the story skulking around London or generally being a sort of dark figure in the background. He still makes me a little sad but I did like his small side bit with Amelia.

The story was very quickly paced and kept me glued to the book from start to finish. There were a couple of little twists involving Tyler, the soldier with PTDS Kitty met in Kitty Goes to War and Luiz, the werejaguar Kitty had a little (ahem) tumble with in Kitty Goes to Washington shows up all flirty. I don’t know what it is exactly that I’m expecting from Ben and Kitty. They haven’t been married that long, but they act like my parents sometimes and while it’s comforting in the way a favorite quilt is, sometimes I was some lava hotness from them. They were their usual fairly calm selves though Ben is still such a sweet character.

Kitty is…Kitty. I love that she has absolutely no filter on her mouth when she walks into dangerous situations and knows all she has to work with is her brain. She can either make an insult sound like a backhanded compliment or maybe a “yo momma” joke. She stands up for the paranormal society even at great personal whether it’s on her radio show or just on the street surrounded by protestors. I do admit I like it a lot when she’s on her radio show with the hilarious call sign, KNOB.

There’s a small side story with Cormac and the spirit Amelia that possesses him that fits nicely into the larger plot without taking a lot of time away from it, something that’s bothered me in past books. Amelia’s family lived in London and she wants to see her old home and retrieve something. It’s poignant touch, especially when her family wants to spend time with Cormac/Amelia to talk about some old pictures and he seems a little unsure of himself handling it. It even serves as a little bridge, since Amelia’s relative is a prosecuting attorney that Kitty and Ben contact later about something.

My Summary: I really enjoyed Kitty Steals the Show (she never did write that keynote, not until the last moment), enough that I couldn’t put it down once I started reading. The pacing is great, with goons and goblin-ish things coming out of the woodwork regularly enough for Kitty, Ben and Cormac to have their hands full. I always wish for more swooning and hot times in my books, but I after all this time with Ben and Kitty, I just don’t think we’re going to get it. Their quiet romance is pretty darn good.

My Rating: A-

Filed Under: *A Rating, Reviews, Urban Fantasy Tagged With: Carrie Vaughn

Red

July 17, 2012 by Cait 6 Comments

Kate SeRine

Publisher: Kensington
Publication Date: Aug 2, 2012
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: Netgalley

“My name is Tess Little. But everyone calls me Red.”

Once upon a time, a spell went awry, stranding Make Believe characters in the ordinary world. Since then, Tess “Red” Little—a/k/a Little Red Riding Hood—has worked as an Enforcer for the Chicago branch of the Fairytale Management Authority. But, consider yourself warned—she’s not just some waif with a basket of goodies. All grown up and with nothing to lose, a gun and combat boots is more her style. And Red’s new assignment threatens to be short on happily ever afters…

Someone is murdering transplanted Tales in gruesome fashion. The list of fictional characters capable of such grisly acts is short and includes more than one of Red’s old flames. And if that wasn’t bad enough, there’s another complication, in the form of sexy, enigmatic Nate Grimm, the FMA’s lead detective and part-time Reaper. Used to following her own rules and living life on the edge, Red has managed to avoid taking on a partner until now. But Nate’s dark side makes him perfect for a case like this. That is, if she can trust him. Because if there’s one thing Red knows for sure, it’s that believing in the wrong person can have big, bad consequences…

Goodreads Summary

I was immediately attracted to this book by the simple, but somewhat mysterious title. “Red” can encompass many things, so when I first saw the cover I had to know what the title was referring to. To my surprise, I discovered that Red is the all grown-up version of Little Red Riding Hood, but instead of the basket and cape, she wears combat boots and carries a loaded gun. In SeRine’s (pronounced “serene”) urban fantasy world, all the beloved fairytale characters we cut our teeth on as children, have been transplanted from their fantasy world into ours – haphazardly and without their permission. A very famous genie (guess which movie!) and a fairy godmother got into an ego match about who could perform better spells, and they ended up making a royal muck of things. Tales are scattered among the Ordinaries, pretending to be human and doing their best to adapt to this strange new world. For those Tales that have trouble assimilating, the Fairytale Management Authority sends out Enforcers like Red to bring them in for some, er, “rehabilitation”.

Red normally only bags and tags, but there are Tales being brutally murdered around the city and the detective in charge, Nate Grimm (the local reaper), recruits Red to partner him in solving the case. After all, the top three suspects are all her past lovers, so Nate figures that Red would know them best. As the violence escalates and Nate and Red get closer to discovering the truth, their friends and family are being targeted and the case just got personal.

Red ROCKED! The writing was smart and clever, and I really enjoyed SeRine’s voice. She had a unique way of stringing ordinary words together to make them witty and meaningful. I loved everything about Red’s character. She was one of the first to be transplanted and because they’re immortal, she’s been living among the Ordinaries for a long time. I can imagine that a person would get bored after awhile, but she genuinely enjoyed her job and was dang good at it. She certainly wasn’t shy about sex, and I think most of the male characters introduced in the book were a lovers of hers at one point. Well, except Nate, but that was soon remedied. She was tough when she needed to be, but she had a soft side for her friends and family which made her all the more endearing. Her best friend was Elizabeth Bennett-Darcy (squee!), who was a part of the Lit Migration of 2000. Apparently Mr. Darcy is having a bit of trouble leaving Pemberley behind.

The romance between Red and Nate was sweet, but tame. The few love scenes in the story were very PG, just in case that’s something you like to avoid in your reading. The main part of the story was the case of the murdered Tales, and it was mysterious and suspenseful. I had no idea who the culprit was, and I enjoyed sitting back and watching Nate and Red work their magic. They worked well together professionally, as well as personally, and I thought the chemistry between the two was really well-written.

My Summary: I highly recommend Red. While the writing was excellent, it was also fun to play the “Who’s Who” of the Tales. A few favorites showed up: Snow White, Cinderella and Prince Charming, the Wolf in Red’s story and Aladdin. They all, of course, have more Ordinary names now and are working in professions close to what their stories were about. I really loved the idea of having all the Tales thrown together in the Ordinary world, and Red turned out to be a huge success!

My Rating: A

Filed Under: *A Rating, Cait Recommends, Mystery, Reviews, Suspense, Urban Fantasy Tagged With: Kate SeRine

Blade Song

July 16, 2012 by Cait 6 Comments

J.C. Daniels

Publisher: Shilow Walker, Inc
Publication Date: Aug 1, 2012
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: Netgalley

Kit Colbana—half breed, assassin, thief, jack of all trades—has a new job: track down the missing ward of one of the local alpha shapeshifters. It should be a piece of cake.

So why is she so nervous? It probably has something to do with the insanity that happens when you deal with shifters—especially sexy ones who come bearing promises of easy jobs and easier money.

Or maybe it’s all the other missing kids that Kit discovers while working the case, or the way her gut keeps screaming she’s gotten in over her head. Or maybe it’s because if she fails—she’s dead.

If she can stay just one step ahead, she should be okay. Maybe she’ll even live long to collect her fee…

Goodreads Summary

It seems like the only UF books I read now are continuing stories in an already established series. I was ready for a fresh take on the UF genre, and for some reason I’m jonesing for another series I can religiously follow. It’s not like I don’t have enough series to keep track of as it is. Anyway, when I saw Blade Song on Netgalley, I knew we’d be a perfect fit.

Half-human, half-aneira, Kit Colbana has never really fit in anywhere. Her mother (the aneira half) died when Kit was young and left her to fend for herself among a people that sneered at her half-human side. While she was trained with all the other young kids her age, she was never as strong or as quick as the full-blooded aneiras. And the consequence was severe every time Kit didn’t measure up. When the right moment came for Kit to run away she took it, leaving everything behind except her mother’s sword. A sword touched by magic that sings to Kit, and gives her the ability to call on it when she’s in danger.

Once Kit put some time and distance between herself and her abusive relatives, she set up shop as a jack of all trades for the magical community. For the most part, Kit has done well for herself but her bank account is lookin’ a little lean and she is in desperate need of a new case. In walks the uber sexy Damon, a lieutenant for the local queen of the cat shifters. The absolutely insane queen of the cat shifters, who makes everyone call her My Lady. Everyone knows that working with the cats is a tricky business, and Kit is about to refuse the job when Damon pulls the big guns and shows her a picture of the missing kid. Kit can’t resist cases involving kids, and she reluctantly takes the job even though it means she’ll probably get herself killed in the process.

As Kit works the case, she starts noticing that more kids are missing than just Doyle. With the uber sexy Damon stuck to her like glue, a powerful vampire that is bent on making Kit his servent and a case with more tangles than a fur ball, Kit must find Doyle before My Lady personally rips her throat out.

Just so you know, J.C. Daniels is actually Shiloh Walker. So if you’ve read anything under Shiloh Walker and loved it, then I’m sure you can expect more of the same in this book, despite the genre. I, however, have read a grand total of one Shiloh Walker book, so I’m pretty much coming into this with a clean palette. Blade Song has a few similarities to the Kate & Curran series by Ilona Andrews. I tried really hard not to compare or even think of the Kate & Curran series (which I LOVE) while I was reading Blade Song, and I hope that I did a good job of it.

Overall, I liked the book. I liked Kit as a character, and I really enjoyed that she was kick-arse and had the skills to back it up. This is no TSTL heroine, my friends. Although she had some serious training as a child, she still had room to grow and develop as she learned about her unique brand of magical powers. Hopefully she won’t turn into an Anita Blake, who seemed to find a new magical power she possessed in every book. Yet another reason why I stopped reading the series at book ten. Anyway, she was tough, kick-arse with a vulnerable side that seemed to only show itself to Damon. Oh, Damon. He was very, very sexy. And very alpha, though he hid it for most of the story. When it involved anything with Kit though, and his alpha side came out in full force. I was really frustrated with the POV. The book is told from Kit’s POV, and I kept wishing that I was able to get inside Damon’s head and find out how he was really feeling and thinking.

I was incredibly surprised by the ending and how quickly Kit decided to tie herself to Damon. They spent most of the book openly resenting the other, and then she finally gives into the sexual chemistry and then does that (“that” being something I’ll keep incredibly vague and frustrating for you, for spoilery purposes). The tension between Kit and Damon was really well done, but the capitulation seemed out of place. It’s almost like Daniels threw it in there so that she could make the rest of the books in the series work. I think I would have preferred for the tension to be drawn out a bit more, to give me something to look forward to in the next book.

My Summary: Like I said, overall I enjoyed the story. Is it the best UF I’ve read? No, definitely not. There were a few nitpicky things that bothered me, like the POV and not getting enough from the other characters. I also wanted more from the romance storyline: more tension (or at least for it to have lasted longer), or for them to have made that giant farther on into the series. I did like the mystery part of the story, with the missing kids and why they were being taken. In the world that Daniels created, the why of it made complete sense. And bonus! .. I wasn’t able to guess what was happening before the end of the story. There’s no mystery in my real life, and I always appreciate it the books I read. I’ll probably read the next book in the series, mostly because I liked Kit’s character and I care about what happens to her. Jury’s still out on whether I’ll religiously follow it or not.

My Rating: B