Tuesday 27 May 2014

Flora Reviews... Fashionably Dead (Hot Damned Series #1) by Robyn Peterman

 
Read from May 24 to 27, 2014 Review posted on Goodreads on 27 May 2014

...So what’s this book about?
The heroine of this book is a young woman called Astrid. She is 29 years old, has just lost her beloved Nana, desperately wants to give up smoking, teaches an art class to a bunch of wonderful characters in an old people’s home (whom she loves), has a wonderful best friend called Gemma (whom she also loves), is addicted to Prada and has the coldest, most heartless cow of a Mum in the world. Oh, and she doesn’t believe in vampires.
That is until she wakes up after visiting a hypnotist to stop smoking. Astrid has become a Vampyre, she has a guardian angel called Pam, a fairy called The Kevin to teach her how to fight and use magic, four so ugly they’re cute demons who live on her bedroom ceiling (who she names; Ross, Honest Abe, Rachel and Beyonce) and has to suppress her lust at first sight feelings towards a killer rogue vampire!
This book is the first of the Hot Damned series.

...So, what did I like about it?
I downloaded this book to my Kindle because I liked the cover, the blurb made me chuckle and it was free!!
I found the writing style a refreshing change from what I’ve been reading recently; it has vitality and wit that appeal to me. The pace of the story and balance between action and sex scenes felt right and there were enough twists and turns to keep me guessing.
I can’t single out any one character as my favourite in this book because they were all written so well, they all felt real to me. Ms Peterman had me loving/liking the good guys, hating the evil sods and even feeling for those that were in-between.
I must confess to becoming slightly worried after I'd read about a third of the way through this book because although the story and it's fabulous characters had made me physically laugh my arse off a number of times, I was beginning to think that there wasn't enough depth to make me feel involved in Astrid's story. That had changed by the time I was halfway through the book – it still retained it’s hilarity and continued to make me laugh out loud but there's depth too; I found myself with tears down my face a few times and an occasional excited knot in my stomach when trying to guess what Astrid would do next.

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?
Honestly, I did wish that the ending hadn't been such an almighty cliff-hanger. It's the only reason I gave 4* not 5* . I prefer my books to have a few loose ends to carry into another story rather than cutting off like this one. I will have to buy book 2 Fashionably Dead Down Under but it will have to be when I’ve saved a few more pennies.

...So, basically what I’m saying is...
I loved this book so much that I’ve added Robyn Peterman to my “favourite authors” list. I suggest you don’t read this book if you’re easily shocked but if you’re not put off by a lot of profane language or swearing and enjoy your books with a bit of heat (very descriptive and passionate sex scenes) then this “Jerry Springer” of a paranormal tale of vampires, angles, demons and fairies is for you.

Saturday 24 May 2014

Flora Reviews... The Ghost and The Graveyard (Knight Games #1) by Genevieve Jack



...So what’s this book about?
Our heroine is, Grateful Knight, a twenty-two year old nurse who has recently found herself heavily in debt caused by her last boyfriend, Gary, who stole all of her money and so can no longer afford to live in the city. Luckily, her Dad is an estate agent and lets her live rent free in one of the properties on his books. The downside is that the house is on the edge of the oldest cemetery in Red Grove and is haunted but the house turns out to be not only her solution to regain her solvent future but the key to secrets in her past.
Grateful’s love life also gets more complicated when she meets Rick, the cemetery’s sexy caretaker and Logan, a passionate ghost who lived in her attic. Enter the love triangle!
This is the first book in the Knight Games series.

 ...So, what did I like about it?
Genevieve Jack’s writing style was easy and enjoyable to read. I liked the way she created the history of the graveyard, the Monk’s Hill witch and her Caretaker. The mix of action, sex and pace throughout the book kept me reading as the story unfolded. My favourite character was Grateful’s best friend, and fellow nurse, Michelle. She is the sort of best friend that every woman should have; she was supportive but gave good level headed advice when Grateful needed it! I felt that both of Grateful’s love interests, Rick and Logan, were anything but pearly white which I liked; after all, the world isn’t black and white but myriad shades of grey!

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?  
To be honest, there was more that I didn’t like about this story than liked so I’ll keep to my main gripes. I suppose my biggest problem was that I didn’t connect to the main character which meant that I didn’t get involved in her story. I found Grateful Knight fickle, gullible, naive and, to be honest, a bit slow on the uptake, was this Genevieve Jack’s intention? I don’t know but these character flaws tainted my enjoyment. I’ve since found out that Mrs Jacks writes YA stories and although this book had the warning “The Ghost and The Graveyard is a funny, exciting, and sexy read intended for adults. Due to sexual content, language, and violence this book is recommended for ages 18+I felt that this warning was just a bit of PR fluff to entice us in as I feel that the way the characters in this book have been written, how the various relationships develop and a great deal of the language (euphemisms) feel better suited for a YA story. Yes, the sex scenes were many, graphic and quite descriptive but I didn’t feel they were written well, they felt a bit “jumpy” to me; I’m sure that Mrs Jack’s skill at writing sex scenes and will improve the more she writes them. 


...So, basically what I’m saying is...
I downloaded this book because it was free on Amazon UK, the blurb sounded good and the book cover further convinced me that this would be the sort of story that I'd enjoy reading. I had nothing to lose but my time. Sadly, it didn’t live up to my expectations and I won’t be downloading the next book in this series. I’m in my early forties, so perhaps it’s an age thing. If you’re in your early twenties and like unusual love triangles, magic, ghosts, vampires, witches and things that go bump in the night, it might appeal to you.

Wednesday 7 May 2014

Flora Reviews... Inside Evil by Geoffrey Wakeling



(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13556524-inside-evil)

...So what’s this book about?
Inside Evil is the first in a growing series, 4 books so far; Inside Evil #1, Tower of Souls #2, Spirits of the Middlelands #3 and New Alliances #4.
This paranormal mystery is set in a small isolated rural community on the borders of England and Scotland but the sleepy peace is about to be broken, when local boarding school teacher, Roberta Arlington, finds one of her pupils dead, in the school’s corridor. What looks like, at first, a strange but tragic one-off incident is slowly revealed to be just one of many mysterious deaths and disappearances in the town’s history.

 ...So, what did I like about it?
The way this story was told, reminded me of books written by authors like Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh and P.D. James. I liked the eloquent way Mr Wakeling described the town, the people living there and even the weather (which almost become a character in it’s own right in my mind). The sometimes gentle, meandering of the story gave me, the reader, time to process clues and events and breathing space to try to work out where the story was going next. I liked seeing the mystery from more than one character’s perspective but feeling, like them, in the dark about what was happening in the town & why it was happening. I felt on the edge of my seat, wondering if Roberta, Sam, Susan, Martha and Karl would join forces to solve the mystery together and prevent another death.

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?
Not really. My only niggle is that I think as a seasoned policeman, Karl should have been more pro-active in finding out about past disappearances and deaths in Ridgewood.

...So, basically what I’m saying is...
I really enjoyed reading this book. If Agatha Christie had written a mystery story with a fantasy theme, I think it would have been like Inside Evil. If you enjoy your fantasy or paranormal stories with a mystery to solve, then give this book a try.

Flora Reviews.... Clean Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles #1) by Ilona Andrews



(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19166326-clean-sweep)





...So what’s this book about?
This is a short novel, about 60,000 words and is the first book in the Innkeeper Chronicles. It was originally posted as a “serial” on Ilona Andrews’ website.
The Innkeeper Chronicles are about Dina Demille, an intelligent, funny and capable young woman who runs a quiet Bed & Breakfast in a small Texas town. What her neighbours don’t know is that Dina and her Inn are not what they appear to be; her broom is a deadly weapon, her Inn is magic and thinks for itself and is a safe haven for otherworldly visitors.
This story begins with Dina having to decide whether to abandon the rules and get involved when her neighbourhood becomes the hunting ground for a vicious killer...

 ...So, what did I like about it?
I really enjoyed this book. It was a great self contained story that also left enough mysteries unanswered in the back story to allow for sequels.
I loved the original premise that mythological beings such as werewolves, vampires and shape-shifter were not an evolution from humans but extra terrestrials from other planets. The idea of who and what the Inns and Innkeepers are is refreshing and believable within this fantasy world that this husband and wife team have created.
The writing style, depth of characters and story development made this a real page turner for me. I couldn’t put it down! To feel so involved with Dina & actually feel for a building (Gertrude Hunt, the Inn itself) just proves what talented authors Ilona and Gordon Andrews are. The supporting cast of characters were just as thought out and I’m looking forward to finding out more about them in subsequent books.

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?
Not really, no.

...So, basically what I’m saying is...
I really loved this book! If you’re a fan of urban fantasy with a science fiction twist and a horror/thriller storyline then I suggest you give Clean Sweep a try. I’m glad I did.

Flora Reviews.... Blood and Sand (Elemental World #2) By Elizabeth Hunter








(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17315638-blood-and-sand)




...So what’s this book about?
Blood and Sand is primarily an urban vampire romance with a horror/mystery plot running along in the background and is the second book in the Elemental World series, a spin-off of the Elemental Mysteries series quartet (A Hidden Fire #1, This Same Earth #2, The Force of Wind #3 and A Fall of Water #4).
We read this story through the eyes of water vampire Baojia and human journalist Natalie Ellis. I think that if you read the Mysteries quartet first it will add an obvious dimension of knowing some of the supporting characters in this book and their relationships/histories as well as the “Elixir” story build up; however, I don’t think that it is essential to enjoy this book.

 ...So, what did I like about it?
I am already a big fan of Elizabeth Hunter’s writing style; the clever way she creates characters of such depth and weaves her tale with such believability. I’ve come to expect Ms Hunter’s lead female characters to have strength, intelligence, wit and resilience and Natalie Ellis certainly didn’t let me down. I enjoyed the way that the relationship between Natalie and Baojia developed and that we got to finally see behind the stony façade that Baojia projected in the Elemental Mysteries series.
This story held me from start to finish, I found it a real page turner – couldn’t put it down! I laughed and yes, a few tears did fall on a number of occasions too plus the thriller element to this story had me gripped and on the edge of my seat, the plot’s unexpected twists and turns kept me guessing right to the bitter end! Fantastic!

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?
No, not a thing!

...So, basically what I’m saying is...
I really loved this book! I was already intrigued by Baojia and loved finding out what made him tick. Anyone who has already read and enjoyed Giovanni & Beatrice’s story in the Elemental Mysteries series will love Blood and Sand too.