vampire

Review of How to Fake-Date a Vampire: A magical romantic comedy by Linsey Hall

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Synopsis:
Faking it with a vampire duke should be easy, right?

I’ve got one chance to prove to my coven that I’m worth my wand. But to do it, I’m going to have to make a deal with a vampire duke. I get to use his gorgeous estate in Cornwall to host the Beltane Ball–and in exchange, I’ll pretend to be his girlfriend. But it’s all a show for his grandmother.

The rules of our fake relationship are simple:
No flirting. No emotion. No sex. Easy, right?

Except I can’t seem to ignore the allure of the infuriating and devastatingly sexy vampire. Falling for a duke isn’t an option, though. I would lose the anonymity that protects me and my coven, and that would ruin my life–and the lives of the other witches in my coven.

So yeah, totally easy.

How to Fake-Date a Vampire is a fun, frothy romantic comedy full of laughter, love, and magical hijinks. It’s the second in a series of stand alone romances set in the seaside village of Charming Cove. The books do not need to be read in order.

Review:
This book was quite amusing from the beginning with Emma’s accidental meeting of the “it” guy that everyone wants to sneak a peek of and become close to. Emma wants what everyone wants; to feel part of a family/connected/wanted. While perhaps she starts off a little backhandedly in trying to get everything she wants, seeing her interact with Alaric’s family makes everything seem just within reach. I quite enjoyed Emma’s thoughts on being a witch and about how it made her feel powerful; so long as she is clever and strong enough it is flexible and she can do anything.

Very light in feel/depth, it is understandable why Alaric doesn’t want to open up, but it seemed to me as if the connection between Alaric and Emma was a bit too instant for my liking- there wasn’t a lot of development. Things seemed also a bit too easy to reconcile with a big gesture, as if all the issues/problems leading up had really been nothing and it made it seem as if there had really never been any stakes to what the reader has spent an entire book hoping for. All in all, a quick and easy cozy read of light romantic fantasy; while there isn’t a lot of depth it is a decent read.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️

Review of Against Owl Odds by Leanne Leeds

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Synopsis:
When the star card glows in the direction of a vampire, Astra wonders how she’s supposed to stop him from dying—since he’s already dead.

Astra Arden is a witch with a knack for rescuing folks from precarious predicaments. But when the star card flips over for an obnoxiously rude and dedicatedly evil vampire at a local fundraiser, Astra thinks the goddess may be off her divine rocker.

The mandate is complicated further when another vampire is discovered dead outside Sanguine, the local vampire club where the fundraiser was held—which just happens to be owned by Astra’s best friend’s brother, vampire Rex Sullivan.

Astra must unravel the secrets of Central Florida’s vampire population in order to get to the bottom of the murder. Secrets the vampires definitely don’t want brought into the light.

Will Astra be able to solve the case and catch the killer, or will the mystery remain as elusive as a rare blood type?

Review:
Damian is probably the most annoying of any of the star case potential victims. That being said, everyone does a great job supporting each other, especially Astra with Emma and Eddie. I especially loved Astra’s pep talk to him about how sometimes people aren’t what you think you need but you still try to be there for them/with them; something very reminiscent to things she’d had to work out for her own relationship with Jason. The comical bits were still there and awesome as ever. One of my absolute favourite parts in this book was Archie’s little sugar high from eating jelly beans and skittles. All in all, it continued the story and cases of Astra and Emma and I quite like the new angle that seems to be happening in Emma’s life. The twists and turns in this did seem to be easy to figure out if one thought outside the box, but still fantastic nonetheless.

Full disclosure, at this time I’ve already finished the next book in the series, so suffice to say, I’m quite enjoying the series.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of A Killer’s Kiss by Helen Harper

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Synopsis:
A twisted killer is making his mark in London, leaving a trail of blood and devastation in his wake. It’s not only humans who are being targeted. Vampires, werewolves and pixies are in mortal danger too.

I’ve been called in to help with the investigation but I can’t shake the feeling that there’s more to the murders. Someone is playing a very sick game – and it’s up to me to put a stop to it.

Review:
This book was intense. The crimes were quite graphic and the stakes were very high. Despite that, there was also a lot of interpersonal relationships built and played upon, which was very satisfying. I quite enjoyed all of the new characters and I, for one, had only figured out a small bit of what might have been the main mastering of the sick game. It was awesome to see more between our favourites at supe squad, and I do hope that some of the newer introduced police come up again.

My one complaint, which is more just whining, to be fair, is the absolute killer cliffhanger with no idea when another book in this series is going to be released! As always, loved joining in on DC Bellamy’s case and life. Cannot wait to read another book!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Dead Ever After
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 13
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 368

Date Started: January 24, 2016dead-ever-after
Date Finished: January 25, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
When a shocking murder rocks Bon Temps, Sookie will learn that what passes for the truth is only a convenient lie. What passes for justice is more spilled blood. And what passes for love is never enough…

Review:
Insert random series of events that rip Eric and Sookie apart. Oh, look, suddenly all the humans care about Sookie and she’s considered human again. While I did enjoy seeing Amelia and the household full of people, I would have liked it better if that was the main plot and shoving Eric on a bus wasn’t the second major decision of the novel.

How did the ending of the book make you feel? I’m glad you asked. I saw from the beginning that Sookie would end with the person she did, but I am more frustrated than anything that, after seeing her run from guy to guy, get swept up in the romance and such, that she decides that she doesn’t want to “go fast” and has to “take it slow” which, from the look of the epilogue, essentially kills all romance whatsoever, really. We heard way too much about “not that anyone asked me to marry them” and “I WANT BABIES” in subtext for the epilogue to be even a touch satisfying.

At least Pam got what she deserved. That’s something.

 

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Deadlocked
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 12
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 352

Date Started: January 23, 2016
Date Finished: January 24, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)deadlocked
Felipe de Castro, the vampire King of Louisiana (and Arkansas and Nevada), is in town. It’s the worst possible time for a human body to show up in Eric Northman’s front yard—especially the body of a woman whose blood he just drank.

Now it’s up to Sookie and Bill, the official Area Five investigator, to solve the murder. Sookie thinks that, at least this time, the dead girl’s fate has nothing to do with her. But she is wrong. She has an enemy, one far more devious than she would ever suspect, who’s set out to make Sookie’s world come crashing down.

Review:
Eric’s becoming more and more engrossed in vampire politics while Sookie tries to hold on. As always, Sookie has more enemies than we are aware, and there is a definite friction between Eric and Sam like there is between Sookie and Jannalynn.

While Sookie is trying to figure out her future she’s also learning more about herself, that she can be devious and ruthless, and that she’s smarter than she’s usually given credit for.

Unfortunately, things are not well in Sookie relationship land, and Sookie refuses to do anything to try to solve it. I get that before Bill she had no relationships, but seriously, between having had a few in the past years of the book series, having female friends to chat with, and being able to buy a Cosmo magazine like any other girl (not to mention the supposed long list of romance novels Sookie has read) one would expect she would have some idea how things were done, and not act like a prepubescent girl.

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Dead Reckoning
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 11
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 368

Date Started: January 23, 2016
Date Finished: January 23, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)dead_reckoning_novel_cover
With her knack for being in trouble’s way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte’s, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. Sookie suspects otherwise, but her attention is divided when she realizes that her lover, Eric Northman, and his “child” Pam are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, Sookie is drawn into the plot-which is much more complicated than she knows…

Review:
This novel is starting to get the series back on track, and I love it for that. I love the continued work on relationships between Sookie and others, particularly the development of her friendships with Sam and Pam. I was glad to FINALLY see Bill again, since we heard about him in the last couple of novels but it was more a passing mention. I’m not certain Bill actually loves Sookie or is more infatuated with the idea of her, but we’ll see in the long run.

I love the fae connections in this novel, though I wish we had gotten to see more of them and learn whatever they are up to, which is likely the plot of the next novel.

I was quite disappointed that Sam’s brother’s wedding, which has been mentioned in I believe three books, was completely glossed over and nothing said about it except a few brief mentions that Sookie went with him.

While I think Sookie still has to do quite the bit of introspection to figure out who SHE is and what she feels/thinks/believes, it was nice for her to be there for Tara and to have a really human moment, and it was especially nice to see that some supernaturals can appreciate those basic life moments too.

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Dead in the Family
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 10
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 368

Date Started: January 22, 2016
Date Finished: January 23, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)dead-in-the-family
After enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Fae War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she’s mad. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he’s under scrutiny by the new vampire king. And as the political implications of the shifters’ coming-out are beginning to be felt, Sookie’s connection to one particular Were draws her into the dangerous debate. Also, though the doors to Faery have been closed, there are still some fae on the human side-and one of them is angry at Sookie…very, very angry…

Review:
In this novel Sookie seems to be drawn into far too many directions. It’s hard to truly get a grasp on anything going on, because there are too many side stories to keep track of.

Eric’s maker had an appearance, and all in all I did find that story interesting, except it seemed far too quick. Usually characters are introduced and have a long lasting effect.

I didn’t think any of the mysteries in this were something that people couldn’t easily deduce from reading previous novels, though the one with the Weres really didn’t matter that much in the overall scheme.

Hopefully the series gets back on track instead of going X-Men and becoming only about the varying human/supernatural relations. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for equality, but that’s a very different direction than what the series has been about overall thus far.

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Dead and Gone
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 9
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 320

Date Started: January 21, 2016
Date Finished: January 22, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)dead-and-gone-ch
When the weres and shifters finally come out, the residents of Bon Temps, Louisiana, must deal with the violent aftermath. But a far greater danger threatens. A race of unhuman beings-older, more powerful, and more secretive than vampires or werewolves-is preparing for war. And Sookie will find herself an all-too human pawn in their battle…

Review:
Ah, back to the usual swing of a Sookie Stackhouse novel! While not quite back up to par, this novel was far better than the last one, and I hope that the next will bring it back up to the level the previous books were at.

This novel had a mystery within a mystery which was quite stellar. There were some vampire tricks, and a few Were situations. All in all, this was a great story.

This story does a lot behind the scenes, and a lot of time is spent being introduced to concepts just to have them dashed away in very close succession to the reveal. There was a lot of things that didn’t necessarily need to be added, though I believe they will likely be pivotal in the next novel.

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

From Dead to Worse
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 8
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 321

Date Started: January 21, 2016
Date Finished: January 21, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)from_dead_to_worse
After the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina and the manmade explosion at the vampire summit, everyone—human and otherwise—is stressed, including Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse, who is trying to cope with the fact that her boyfriend, Quinn, has gone missing.

It’s clear that things are changing—whether the weres and vamps of her corner of Louisiana like it or not. And Sookie—Friend to the Pack and blood-bonded to Eric Northman, leader of the local vampire community—is caught up in the changes.

In the ensuing battles, Sookie faces danger, death, and once more, betrayal by someone she loves. And when the fur has finished flying and the cold blood finished flowing, her world will be forever altered.

Review:
This book was drawn out. It was hard for me to sit and read it. There were so many loose odds and ends all trying to make their way together, and although the mysteries usually are somehow congruent there were several different story lines meshed into one telling and not really well put together.

There was no romance to speak of, though there were several times I wondered if Sam was going to man up and kiss her, or if Eric would sweep her off her feet. While I approve of women getting out there and being okay on their own, I almost wonder if the lack of a relationship is what drove the book to be so random, to fill space.

While I’m certain she will forgive him in the next book, I’m still quite mad at Jason. If you read this novel, you will be too.

Looking forward to reading the next one, and hoping that it fits together in the usual way of these novels instead of the jumbled mess that this particular story presents.

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

All Together Dead
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 7
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 342

Date Started: January 20, 2016
Date Finished: January 21, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)all_together_dead
Betrayed by her longtime vampire love, Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse must now not only deal with a possible new man in her life—the oh-so-handsome shapeshifter Quinn—but also contend with a long-planned vampire summit. With her power base weakened by hurricane damage to New Orleans, the local vampire queen is vulnerable to those hungry for a takeover. Soon, Sookie must decide what side she’ll stand with. And her choice may mean the difference between survival and all-out catastrophe.

Review:
Sookie became useful… so much more useful than she likely wishes she had become.

While she learns some things about Quinn, what she learns more is that she has quite the loyalty to one particular vampire, and a large loss of respect or desire to help another. The mysteries in this novel mostly have to do with vampire politics, but it also revealed important revelations about Sookie’s romantic interests and just how much they cared for her.

The mysteries were well done, and while I managed to figure one out, I hadn’t figured out the second one in entirety. Unfortunately, part of my ability to reckon what was going on may have been highly influenced by the acknowledgements, which would have been much better off in the back of the book and not the front, considering the spoilers within.

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.