Release day for several great titles

For those of you who have been anxiously awaiting the following, it is release day for Doubletake by Rob Thurman (who is trying to deal with the devastation in her hometown, please keep her in your prayers and good thoughts), Oracle's Moon by Thea Harrison, A Seal in Wolf's Clothing by Terry Spear, and Dying Wish by Shannon Butcher.

The links to my Amazon reviews (as ELF2060) and my blog posts for the aforementioned are below.

Doubletake blog   Amazon review

Oracle's Moon  blog  Amazon review

A Seal In Wolf's Clothing  blog
and stay tuned for a delightful interview with author Terry Spear on the SOS Aloha Blog here!

Dying Wish Amazon review


As always, I would appreciate a 'yes this was helpful' vote on Amazon if you are willing.  Thanks and happy reading!

Victims

Victims by Jonathan Kellerman is the latest in his series that features Milo Sturgis and Alex Delaware.  I have read many of the books in the series but somehow was less enamored of it in recent years so I haven't kept up with them.  I tend to be entertained by the descriptions of the town written by a fellow Angeleno even though Mr. Kellerman is one of those beings that a staunch Trojan is conditioned to dislike.  (For those of you who are confused, he was affiliated with UCLA)  I think that I became frustrated with the horror that Mr. Kellerman is so adept at describing even though he certainly writes a very tightly escalating psychological thriller and this book reminded me of the reason that I needed a break.  The graphic descriptions of the murder victims are a bit disturbing and there are some details that I think were a bit fuzzy but I realize that the author relied heavily on a reader who was familiar with his major characters.  I had no problem understanding that MIlo was comfortable enough with Alex that he ribbed him frequently and had no qualms about rummaging through his freezer, making himself a meal and washing his own dishes but I guess that might be a little disconcerting to someone new to the series.  I did miss the hunky Rick and I hope that he is still part of Milo's life but was glad to get a glimpse of Detective Petra Connor.  The story was well-written but gut clenching.  My Amazon review is at this link.

Thank you to Goodreads for the giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

If You See Her

If You See Her by Shiloh Walker is the sequel to If You Hear Her.  Great read but it's a good thing the final in the trilogy (If You Know Her) is already out.  Now I just have to get my hands on a copy!  I enjoyed revisiting the beleaguered citizens of the town of Ash, Kentucky as they continue to search for the deranged killer that has terrorized some of them.  There are nice clues sprinkled throughout the story but there are a few occurrences that I was less than pleased with involving Law as well as Sheriff Nielson.  The action picks up immediately after the events depicted in If You Hear Her as Remy Jennings (the lawyer) wrestles with the conundrum of whether to act on the apparent crime against Law.  The conflict between his head and his heart is an overall theme and his careful assault on the emotionally fragile Hope is a delicate dance that is beautifully described.  An enjoyable story that does a great job of hooking the reader into the series and whets one's appetite for the next book.

 My Amazon review is at this link under Elf2060.  I would appreciate a 'yes, this was helpful' vote if you feel it is appropriate.

Now, I know that most of you will not realize that I put a very truncated post about this up earlier today but the problem was that I visited Ms Walker's blog earlier and posted a comment.  It wasn't until I posted it that I realized that it would append the title of the last post from my blog...which, if you look at the post below, is an advertisement for Gemma Halliday's newest book (which starts with a bang, literally!  More when I finish reading it...) and I didn't realize it until it posted in the comment section.  Well, I thought that was pretty crass...advertising someone else's book on an author's blog...so I tried to delete it...oops...couldn't find a way to do that.  So then I started panicking that she would think I was some awful person...so my next comment was to tell her to delete my comments but I didn't want to compound my sins by having the same link so I came to this blog and posted something about If You See Her which I had read but hadn't written the review for yet....anyway, if you have read this far...Ms Walker replied to my frantic e-mail...she wasn't bothered at all (-:   You just never know how somebody will react.  Fortunately she is a very gracious person as well a fantastic author!

My thanks to Netgalley for loaning me an e-copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.

Incentive to pre-order Play Nice by Gemma Halliday

A new Gemma Halliday book is about to be released!  A action-packed thrillride of a read.

Pre-order your copy of Gemma Halliday's new PLAY NICE now, and lock in the low price of just$14.99 for hardcover! That's 40% off the cover price!
PLUS, if you pre-order, Gemma will send you a free autographed PLAY NICE bookmark and autographed bookplate (to stick in the front of your book, turning it into an "autographed copy")! Just send her an email to gemmasreadermail@gmail.com with some proof of purchase and your mailing address. This offer will be GONE once the book goes on sale, so pre-order your copy in either ebook or hardcover now!

Kiss of the Vampire: Forever's Paranormal Blog Tour, Part 1

 Kiss of the Vampire by Cynthia Garner is the first of her 'Warriors of the Rift' series about the preternaturals (pejoratively known as Extra-dimensionals/EDs) who have come to Earth from another dimension through a rift which usually opens every 73 years.  Beings such as vampires, fairies, werewolves, shapeshifters and demons take possession of human bodies and confer their various powers upon the shell whose owner is dispossessed.  Nix de la Fuente has the distinction of being a demon/human hybrid whose mother is a specialized demon known as a succubus.  She works as a liaison with the regional Council of Preternaturals and investigates various crimes by working with Detective Dante MacMillan, one of the few humans who knows that she isn’t completely human.  An investigation into the horrific murder of a vampire who she knew personally brings her into contact with the vampire who broke her heart 5 years prior.  Tobias Caine is a vampire who has been tracking the assassin who killed his people’s leader for many years.  His decision to break off the relationship with Nix 5 years ago was one of the hardest things he has done in his long life and he is not sure whether he will have the strength to resist her when they are forced into close proximity while investigating the series of crimes on behalf of the council.  There are many factors impeding the investigation but undermining by their own support system is not anticipated and may cause the final irreversible end to their relationship if they don’t learn to trust each other.

This was an interesting new twist on the origin of paranormal beings, the difficulties they could face when dealing with humans and the distrust and discrimination that being different engenders.  The apparent strength and other benefits that come with paranormal powers can also cause handicaps and Nix has an interesting solution for controlling excess emotion with the use of tai chi.  The sizzling carnal relationship between Nix and Tobias is contrasted with the rare bonds that Nix has formed with  the human Dante and her friend Rufus and all is set against an intriguing murder investigation.  A good start to an imaginative series that will continue with the tale of another colleague, Council Liaison Tori Joseph, in Scent of the Wolf.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review