Vulnerable By Amy Lane
14 Apr 2010 Leave a Comment
in Reviews, Urban Fantasy Tags: Elves, Fairies/Fae, Shifters, Urban Fantasy, Vampires
From Amazon.com: Working graveyards in a stop & rob seemed a small price for Cory to pay in order to get her degree and get the hell out of Nor-Cal. She was terrified of disappearing into the aimless vortex that awaited the lost and the young that haunted her neck of the woods. Until the night she actually stopped looking at her books and looked up. What awaited her was a world she had only read about—one filled with fantastical creatures that she was sure she could never be.
And then Adrian walked in—and she discovered that risking your life was nothing compared to facing who you really were. And then falling in love.
The Drama: Cory works at a Chevron in middle of nowhere Northern California, while trying to get her college degree and leave her small town. While working the night shift, Arturo the elf enters her world, touches her, and enables her to see the rest of the supernatural community around her. Arturo’s friend, a gorgeous vamp named Adrian, sees through her tough chick Goth looks. Cory cannot understand what Adrian sees in her, but takes a chance on him anyway. Then, the murders start. Were-cats are being viciously murdered all around Cory, so Adrian takes her to his home, where she meets Green. Green, a high elf, and super hot sex healer, welcomes Cory into their home and unleashes Cory’s mysterious powers. The three, Cory, Adrian, and Green struggle with new powers and new feelings, while trying solve their friends’ murders.
The Smut: WARNING: SMUTTY SPOILERS Vulnerable offers up one of the most complicated relationships I have dealt with in this genre. Adrian and Green have been in love for…well ever, and secretly hope to find someone who can love them both. Cory is a 19 year old virgin whose life is turned upside down by recent events. I struggled with the idea of Cory’s first love being for two people, not because I am against it, but because there are just so many what-ifs. Cory is thrust into a house full of hot elves and vamps at 19; I would have been trying to bang everyone in the house too! But is that love? After a few weeks? Hmmm… But don’t let my questions fool you, the smut in this book was different and I enjoyed the hell out of it. I am really struggling not too give much away, but let me tell you: Adrian + Cory + Green + Magic = Extremely Exciting Topiaries. …And I will leave it at that.
The Ranty Rave: By my normal shallowish standards of what makes a good book, I should have hated this book. It’s dark, deep, and has very little humor (besides previously mentioned topiaries). I had to reread sections multiple times to understand WTH was going on, and I was unsure if that was because of the writer, the editing or the HORRIBLE Kindle edition. (Kindle rant: This was the worst book I have encountered on Kindle in terms of typos and errors. There were literally random numbers everywhere. Hard to swallow when paying almost full price for a book.) This book left me depressed with several unanswered questions about Cory and her powers. Cory was a little too close to lowest-self-esteem-on-Earth Bella Swan for my tastes, but towards the end she started to kick some serious ass, which made me very happy. That being said, I loved it. I loved the characters, the plot, the moodiness, the settings and the smut. It’s not a happy book, but since I have friends who actively seek out the saddest books they can find, I know there are those who will love that about it too. And besides, not every book can be about slutty foul-mouthed demons, right?
Rating: 8 for the book, but I cannot recommend the Kindle edition.
Hell on Earth Series By Jackie Kessler
12 Apr 2010 3 Comments
in Reviews, Urban Fantasy Tags: Angels, Demons, Urban Fantasy
From Amazon.com: She’s A Hot Demon On The Run From Hell– Which Isn’t Easy To Do In Heels.
Once upon a time, Jezebel was a powerful succubus, capable of seducing men and sucking out their souls. But that was before Hell put a bounty on her head. Now her only chance to escape a fate far worse than death is to live as a mortal, losing herself in a sea of unfamiliar humanity, in a place where sinners walk hand-in-hand with saints–a place like Belle’s strip club in New York City.
Working as an exotic dancer is a piece of cake for a former demon that once specialized in sex. Taking money from men? Please. It’s like leading lawyers to the Lake of Fire. Plus the lingerie is great. But she hadn’t counted on meeting sexy Paul Hamilton, a man haunted by his past. Good-bye, succubus; hello, lovestruck. Learning all about how complicated–and pleasurable–love can be, Jezebel thinks she’s turned her back on Hell.
But Hell hasn’t stopped looking for her. The secrets Jezebel holds are the most dangerous of all, the kind every demon in the Underworld would do their worst to protect. Demons are closing in, which is enough to make Jezebel shiver in her G-string. But it’s her love for Paul that’s going to have deadly consequences…
Thoughts on the Road to Hell series: (I tried to avoid spoilers)
Ohmigodilovejezebelthesuccubssomuch!! Whew, had to blurt that out, anyway. When we meet Jezebel in Hell’s Belles, she’s a succubus on the run from Hell, hoping to find the witch that can turn her human to avoid detection by demon bounty hunters. Once she is sorta human (and calling herself Jessie), she flees to New York City in hopes of blending in with the rest of humanity. En route to NYC she meets Paul Hamilton and is instantly smitten with her newly found “Cabin Boy.” She takes a job as a stripper, which pretty much comes as second nature to a creature of lust, but quickly realizes that the demons of Hell are on her heels. With the help of her incubus former lover Daunuan and her BFF Meg the Fury, she tries to find a way to escape the wrath of Hell’s new King.
Hell’s Belles is a sexy, dirty, sinfully wonderful book! Jezebel is hysterical, I laughed out loud several times while reading this. Her mouth is so durty, Orbitz wouldn’t stand a chance cleaning it up. Plus, there is just enough action to keep the plot moving along, but honestly, I could’ve read Jezebel’s conversations with her ‘conscience’ for hours. I also loved the twist on the relationship between Heaven and Hell and Lucifer. In fact, I almost enjoyed the time Jessie was in Hell more than when she was on Earth!
When we see Jezzie again in The Road to Hell, she is living with her cabin boy lover Paul and trying to adjust to being a human with a real, untainted soul. Unfortunately, her new soul brought all kinds of feelings with it, like hurt from Meg’s betrayal. Most of the book deals with Jessie trying to learn how to live like a human and be in a relationship, but her new human-with-a-soul status has made her plenty of enemies in Hell. The Queen of Lust, Lilith, is out to get Jessie for reasons revealed later in the book. And Jessie keeps getting unwelcome visits from Alecto the Fury asking for assistance with saving Meg and Daunuan attempting to seduce her back to Hell. When Lilith’s attacks on Jessie fail, she goes after Paul, and Jessie finds herself back in Hell to save him.
The Road to Hell was a great book, but after Hell’s Belles, it was sorta a disappointment. Jessie is not nearly as raunchy in this one, which I really missed. She almost becomes whiny when dealing with Paul, and her encounters with Daunuan go from uber steamy to almost sad. Daunuan’s new apprentice Angel provides some really funny scenes as an angel trying to become a succubus. While the first book was completely frivolous and fun, The Road to Hell has some more touching scenes that I wasn’t really expecting. It also left us with lingering questions about why Hecate is interested in Jez and what exactly her relationship with Lucifer is.
Hotter than Hell, the third book in the series, is completely different from the first two, and is told from Daunuan’s point of view. The newly appointed King of Lust, the God Pan, has asked Daunuan to be his prince. But he must pass Pan’s test first which involves seducing a woman slated for Heaven into committing an act of lust. His target, Virginia, is a dead ringer for Jezebel, and Daunuan is forced to come to terms with his feelings for his long lost succubus. Daunuan becomes ‘Don’ in order to seduce Virginia into sleeping with him, but other Princes of Hell are trying to stop him at all costs.
After the first two books in the series, I didn’t really appreciate the total shift of view point. I loved Duan in the other books, but since he had to make himself boring to seduce Virginia, he just didn’t work for me here. When Jezebel was in the scene, she didn’t act like herself at all, which made me sad. I missed Jessie! The book had a twist ending that I didn’t see coming, but also didn’t really care for cause it seems that not everyone will get their happy ending. I kinda wish I had just stuck to the first two, but I liked the books enough to check out Jackie Kessler’s other series, The Icarus Project.
My Favorite Jezebel quotes:
Bartender: “Scotch. Thought you could use one. The good stuff, too. Eighteen year.
Jezebel: “Usually I preferred a little Scotch wearing a kilt and no knickers. But I’d take the liquid variety today.
“Paul! Oooh. My Cabin Boy returneth. Woot!”
“A demon trust a human? Unspeakably funny. The only creatures that lied even more than demons were humans—and that was because demons didn’t lie to themselves.”
Ratings:
Hell’s Belles : 9
The Road to Hell: 8
Hotter than Hell: 7
Mark of the Demon By Diana Rowland
07 Apr 2010 1 Comment
in Reviews, Urban Fantasy Tags: Demons, Magic, Urban Fantasy
From Amazon.com: Cop and conjurer of demons, she’s a woman in danger of losing control—to a power that could kill….
Why me? Why now? That’s what Beaulac, Louisiana, detective Kara Gillian was asking herself when an angelic creature named Rhyzkahl unexpectedly appeared during a routine summoning. Kara was hoping to use her occult skills to catch a serial killer, but never had she conjured anything like this unearthly beautiful and unspeakably powerful being whose very touch set off exquisite new dimensions of pleasure. But can she enlist his aid in helping her stop a killer who’s already claimed the lives—and souls—of thirteen people? And should she? The Symbol Man is a nightmare that the city thought had ended three years ago. Now he’s back for an encore and leaving every indication on the flesh of his victims that he, too, is well versed in demonic lore.
Kara may be the only cop on Beaulac’s small force able to stop the killer, but it is her first homicide case. Yet with Rhyzkahl haunting her dreams, and a handsome yet disapproving FBI agent dogging her waking footsteps, she may be in way over her head…
The Drama: Kara Gillian has just been promoted to homicide detective. Oh, and she also happens to be a demon summoner. Her first task is to hunt down The Symbol Man, a serial killer responsible for several grisly murders in the area. In hopes of getting more information from otherworldly sources, she summons a demon, but ends up with Rhyzkahl, a seriously hot demon lord. The problem is he doesn’t really help her in the way she intended and continues to pop up in her dreams to drive her even crazier, all while furthering his own plans of course. When The Symbol Man murders escalate, a task force is assigned to help noob Kara solve the case, introducing us to the sorta hot (?) Agent Ryan Kristoff. Kara struggles to prove herself to the very machismo-y (so many new words) task force, while attempting to hide her knowledge of the Arcane that could solve the case. It’s hard to go into much more of the drama without getting into the several twists and turns of the central mystery, so I will just skip ahead to what I really want to talk about.
The Smut: Ooooooooh, I do enjoy a love triangle! Unfortunately only 2 of 3 members of said triangle actually got it on. But this is obviously another series, so I will just have to be patient for the other money shot. ::SIGH:: Anywho, Demon Lord Rhyzkahl comes in with a bang (pun intended), but then we don’t really get to see anymore of his sexy side. Though I will say, I enjoyed not knowing what his intentions were and being scared shitless of him most of the book. I have a soft spot for tremendously assholey men. As for Agent Kristoff…he just didn’t do it for me. I liked his personality okay, but my shallow side would much prefer to hop back in the sack with Rhyzkahl even if he could enslave the entire human race. From a totally smutty perspective, this book was a tease. We got all that Rhyzkahl hotness in the first 10% (I only understand books in Kindleish now), so I am thinking this book is going to be a big raunch-fest, and then NOTHING!! We didn’t even finish off that triangle! Blah.
The Rant/Rave: Honestly the first 30% or so of this book was painful for me. It really got bogged down in the police procedurals and politics, but after I learned that the author is a former Cop, I appreciated it more. And I could totally relate to Kara trying to prove herself in a man’s world. I will say that my brain did not appreciate the strange sensation of being bored yet fascinated yet repulsed by the autopsy details. Just weird. About halfway through I started really loving the plot and enjoyed trying to figure out how everyone was related to The Symbol Man. And while I saw some of the twists coming, I didn’t see that last one! Kara’s potty mouth personality really came through towards the end, so she grew on me a lot. One the whole, this book pleasantly surprised me, and I am looking forward to Blood of the Demon. But I better see some more Demon Lord action!!!
Rating: 8
Dead, Undead or Somewhere in Between By J.A. Saare
06 Apr 2010 5 Comments
in Reviews, Urban Fantasy Tags: Necromancers, Urban Fantasy, Vampires
From amazon.com: No one knows better than Rhiannon Murphy that one bad corpse can ruin your whole day. She left behind the flash and sass of Miami for the no-nonsense groove of New York City, eager for a clean slate and a fresh start. A bartender by trade, a loud mouth by choice, and a necromancer by chance; she managed to keep her nifty talent hidden from those around her-until now. The deliciously good-looking vampire, Disco, knows her secret. When he strolls into her bar to solicit help investigating the mysterious disappearances of his kind from the city, Rhiannon discovers he’s not the kind of person that appreciates the significance of the word no. But in a world where vampires peddle their blood as the latest and greatest drug of choice, it’s only a matter of time before the next big thing hits the market. Someone or something is killing vampires to steal their hearts, and unlike Rhiannon, this isn’t their first stroll around the undead block.
Reasons I love Rhiannon: She is foul-mouthed, works in a strip club as a bartender, and happens to be a closet necromancer. Recipe for a hot mess? Indeed. Sadly her time bartending comes to an end when hottie vamp Gabriel (I just refuse to say Disco…more on this to come) and fellow necromancer Ethan (AKA Goose) come asking for her assistance in tracking a vampire serial killer by means of chatting with the dead. Goose is shocked by how little Rhiannon knows about the world of necromancy and becomes her quirky mentor. She is quickly tossed into a supernatural world where bitchy strippers are the least of her problems and rival vamp families want to claim her. Left with little choice, she agrees to help Gabriel and Goose, and of course ends up in all kinds of trouble.
The Good: I have to start this by saying that any book with a Ghostbusters reference is going to make my favorites list even if it’s the worst shite of all time. The fact that J.A. Saare brought up the irony of necromancers meeting in the same library that Ghostbusters was filmed in was utterly fantastic. (Not sure if you can tell but Ghostbusters is my favorite movie of all time) There was a lot of great dialogue as well. The relationship between Rhiannon and Goose is already really funny; I can’t wait to see more of them. This was my favorite exchange:
“Don’t tell me,” I snickered. “You’re in a club that gathers together like raving Trekkies to share secrets of the afterlife. I bet you even have am Enigma CD you crank up to get in the mood.”
“Don’t be silly.” His face lit up with an enormous grin. “We listen to Enya, not Enigma.”
Though I felt like this was a pretty quick read, the plot was really interesting, as was necromancy in general, and I am really excited to see what happens next. The bad guy was really creepy. But is there anything scarier than a creepy kid? The Ring kept me up for weeks!
The Bad: Holy Cliff Hanger Batman!! Is this chick related to Karen Marie Moning?? Ugh…I hate cliffhangers. Especially since I found this book enjoyable but not particularly memorable, so I will have to read it again before the second book comes out. (“Reread a book you say? Well that’s a first!” –Amazon Credit Card) And can we have a talk about these names? Disco?? Really? There are already more Wraiths than I can keep up with, names like Zsadist that I don’t even know if I am saying right, and now Disco? What’s next? The hot demon twins, Gluttony and Sloth?
The Bumpin’ Uglies: Sooooo…Gabriel is a blonde haired, blue-eyed hottie vamp. I know another super hot dude named Gabriel.
Coincidence? Not in my mind.
Even though Gabriel’s personality was way overshadowed by Rhiannon and he spent most of the time quietly lusting after her, I still found him sexy as hell and REALLY appreciated the shout out to the ‘lines.’ You know the lines…the lines right under the pelvic bones that lead us to the Promised Land? “His abs were equally mesmerizing, visible hip bones disappearing beneath his slacks.” Abs get all the love, not that I am complaining, but the lines are certainly sexier to me. For example, Becks has nice lines.
The smut in this one was pretty steamy, but can I just say I am kinda sick of reading about virgins? Give me a sorta slutty Riley Jensen type to a virgin any day. I just think it’s distracting and prudish and not something I can relate to. But Gabriel and Rhiannon certainly have titillating potential, so I am reserving judgment until the next installment. Maybe we will get a little Goose action as well!
Rating: 7.5 (-0.5 for making us lust after a guy named Disco)
