Review: Wanderlust by Ann Aguirre

Description:

Sirantha Jax doesn’t take chances…she jumps at them…
Sirantha Jax is a “Jumper,” a woman who possesses the unique genetic makeup needed to navigate faster than light ships through grimspace. Jax has worked for the Farwan Corporation her entire career. But now the word’s out that the Corp deliberately crashed a passenger ship, and their stranglehold on intergalactic commerce has crumbled—which means that Jax is out of a job.

She’s also broke, due to being declared dead a little prematurely. So when the government asks her to head up a vital diplomatic mission, Jax takes it. Her mandate: journey to the planet Ithiss-Tor and convince them to join the Conglomerate.

But Jax’s payday is light years away. First, she’ll have to contend with Syndicate criminals, a stormy relationship with her pilot, man-eating aliens, and her own grimspace-weakened body. She’ll be lucky just to make it to Ithiss-Tor alive…

(Book Blurb)

Review:
This book was so sad that I really don’t know how to say what I thought about this book. It’s really good but it kind of really hit home for me. Made me into a total crybaby. But I should start at the beginning.

Jax life is crumbling down. The Corp is history, she is totally broke, her mother is in deep shit with the syndicate and her health is decreasing more and more. She has to do something about this and stumbles- Jax-style from one catastrophe to the next on her way. Jax is lucky to have March because he’s always pulling her back from her destructive thoughts. March isn’t taking that with ease, he suffers from her doubts and destructive thoughts. The situation changes dramatically and that pulled the rug out from under Jax and my feet. One of the saddest thing I ever read was the moment March made this decision. After this moment Jax has to stand on her own feet and has to find someone else to rely on.

The side characters in this book are as great as ever. They all have developed over time and got a real depth on the way. We learn more about all of them and also meet a few new ones.

This book has one of the most disturbing and disgusting monsters I read about in a long time. OMG these were really icky. The bad guys are really canny and hard to identify. A good surprise waits for you at the end.

The book was as great as the first one. Perhaps a little too sad for my taste but perhaps that was just the stress I had in the last month. I enjoyed this book and can’t wait to finish Doubleblind.

To learn more about Ann Aguirre and her books please visit her website here.

Sirantha Jax Series:
1. Grimspace:my review, reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon

2. Wanderlust: reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon
3. Doubleblind:

reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon

4. Killbox (release October 2010)
I bought this book on my own.

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Review: Grimspace by Ann Aguirre

Description:

By all accounts, Sirantha Jax should have burned out years ago…
As the carrier of a rare gene, Jax has the ability to jump ships through grimspace—a talent which cuts into her life expectancy, but makes her a highly prized navigator for the Corp. But then the ship she’s navigating crash-lands, and she’s accused of killing everyone on board. It’s hard for Jax to defend herself: she has no memory of the crash.

Now imprisoned and the subject of a ruthless interrogation, Jax is on the verge of madness. Then a mysterious man breaks into her cell, offering her freedom—for a price. March needs Jax to help his small band of rogue fighters break the Corp monopoly on interstellar travel—and establish a new breed of jumper.

Jax is only good at one thing—grimspace—and it will eventually kill her. So she may as well have some fun in the meantime…

(Book Blurb)

Review:
I so love science fiction and this book gets an extra point for being such a great book in this genre. The created world is developed in such great detail and with so much love that it sucked me in from the beginning. The concept of the J-Gene is thoughtful and gives the whole story a ethical and moral aspect. Ann Aguirre’s writing flows and she knows how to give each character just the right words to say. Every person in this book is an individual and talks like one too.

Jax is a real kick-ass heroine. She always says what she thinks and is one of the truest and most candid characters I ever met or read about. She doesn’t care if her opinion is hurtful or if it will cause her trouble. She can’t shut up and sometimes that's the worst character trait imaginable. She has to earn the trust of the crew and before she can even think about that she has to clear herself off all the prejudices the crew has. She’s not the perfect heroine, she makes mistakes and shows a few not so good character traits but this only made her more real in my eyes.

The side characters are mostly hostile in the beginning. They all have lost something or suffered in the attempt to rescue Jax. This makes the getting to know each other really complicated. They don’t want to give her a chance but they realize soon that not everything is like they thought it is. I really loved the Doc who’s the only one to be without prejudice against Jax. March is difficult in the beginning and needs a few talks and fights with Jax till these two warm up. The bonding of the characters (not only between Jax and March) is well described and we learn to love them on the way. The bunch of people becomes a group while the story is told and you can feel how they start to respect each other.

The story is complex, full of moral questions and has a few bloody and disturbing scenes too. The bad ”guys” are disturbingly frightening and the solution of the conflicts isn’t a walk in the park. Loved the plot, loved the genre, loved the characters, loved the romance- perfect book.

To learn more about Ann Aguirre and her books please visit her website here.

The Sirantha Jax Series:
1. Grimspace:

reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon

2. Wanderlust: reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon
3. Doubleblind:

reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon

4. Killbox (release October 2010)

I bought this book on my own.

Read more...

Review: Beloved Vampire by Joey W. Hill

Description:
After escaping the depraved servitude of a vampire master she killed, Jessica has found her way, with three nomadic guides, to the sun-baked desolation of the Sahara-only to slowly perish. Then she hears the tale of Farida, an enigmatic beauty lost as well to the Sahara three centuries ago, whose ancient desire for the legendary vampire Lord Mason is stirring the same desires in Jessica. But the more Jessica's fatal curiosity reveals of Farida, the closer she gets to Lord Mason's irresistible and forbidden secret.
(by goodreads.com)

Review:
This is the fourth book in the Vampire Queen series but I have to admit I haven’t read the previous books. I won this one at a contest at the Knight Agency’s Blog and started directly with this one because it’s written to be read as a stand alone.

The first thing I noticed was the wonderful way Joey W. Hill writes. Her writing is like listening to music and her voice is just unique. I loved the way she jumps between different narrators. Okay, at the beginning that was a little confusing but I loved it more and more while reading this book. Her characters seem to be alive and real so I had to remind myself that this whole story is really just a story.

Jessica is one of the strongest characters I ever read about. No, she’s not one of these kick-ass chicks but she is so strong from within that I had to admire her. She lived through 5 years of brutal torture and multiple abuse and rape by a vampire master and his cronies. She is broken inside, no wonder after these years, but with the help of Lord Mason she discovers her will again and tries to fight these memories which still haunt her. She has throwbacks in her progress but this only made her more believable and real in my eyes.

Lord Mason is one of those tortured with the past heroes. He still can’t let go of his one great love although she died 300 years ago. He loved her and he thinks the guilt for her death lies with him. He sees in Jessica a way to safe her soul and perhaps redeem his own. He’s a real master, not only in the vampire world but also in the bedroom. He wants her submission but how to get it without reminding her of her past?

He has to find ways to show her that not all vampires are bad and that submitting is not the same as surrender after being brutalized.

The relationship between these two is developing really slow but this was the only possible way for it to be in this kind of situation. Jessica needs time to develop a foundation of trust and her past with vampires is a great burden for this goal. They both take only small steps but they won my heart with this.

In this book you have to wait long to get to the smex. Do you remember the books where the hero teases the heroine so long that she feel like bursting from being aroused more than mankind can imagine? You will so know what that means after reading this book. It’s not like nothing happens in the first 350 pages but the real smex is exclusive in the last hundred pages. That isn’t bad at all but at some points I could have screamed: “Now!!!!! Please!”

The overall plot was a bit lacking in my opinion. But perhaps I just couldn’t grip it because I haven’t read the first books. Some things were solved too easily and others felt like being a bit magnified. Luckily the emotional development between Mason and Jessica was so great that I didn’t mind the not so good main plot, not at all. Joey W. Hill is a great writer and I enjoyed this book and will buy all the others in this series ASAP.


To learn more about Joey W. Hill and her books please visit her website here.

The Vampire Queen Series:

1. Vampire Queen’s Servant:

reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon

2. The Mark of the Vampire Queen:

reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon

3. A Vampire’s Claim:

reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon

4. Beloved Vampire:

reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon

5. Vampire Mistress (release May 2010)

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Review: On The Edge by Ilona Andrews

Desciption:

Rose Drayton lives on the Edge, between the world of the Broken (where people drive cars, shop at Wal-Mart, and magic is a fairy tale) and the Weird (where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny). Only Edgers like Rose can easily travel from one world to the next, but they never truly belong in either.
Rose thought if she practiced her magic, she could build a better life for herself. But things didn't turn out how she planned, and now she works a minimum wage, off the books job in the Broken just to survive. Then Declan Camarine, a blueblood noble straight out of the deepest part of the Weird, comes into her life, determined to have her (and her power).
But when a terrible danger invades the Edge from the Weird, a flood of creatures hungry for magic, Declan and Rose must work together to destroy them, or the beasts will devour the Edge and everyone in it . . . (by goodreads.com)

Review:

How I love this book. I don’t understand why it’s always so hard to word a review for a really good book. This first thing I think of is: “ I love it so much. Go buy this one immediately!” But I think this wouldn’t work so I will try to give you a few reasons why you should buy it:

1. This book has the most wonderful Wal-Mart sentence ever! I read this one every time I opened this book and had to laugh. Yep, I put a post-it in and I also showed everyone who asked me what I was reading this one sentence. You want to know what I making a fuss about: Go and get the book!!! LOL Ok that’s mean. Here it is:

”Go brush you teeth, comb your hair, put on dry clothes, and get

the guns. We’re going to Wal-Mart.”

2. The most wonderful kids ever written. These two boys are so cute and funny. I just love them and that’s said by me who’s normally really fast annoyed with kids because they never do what I want.

3. Declan! You need more reason than this one word. He’s so yummy and witty. A real blueblood but surprisingly good informed about the Broken, he loves to be cryptic and is a natural in bring your blood to the boiling point. I fell in love with him after “watching” him doing his work-out. Oh my, the drooling seemed to be endless.

4. An adorable heroine- Rose is strong, willful, loving and hopelessly stubborn. She’s refreshingly direct and made me laugh many times. She cares about her family and tries everything to keep them safe.

5. Disgustingly bad monsters. Yep, that’s a reason to buy this book because what would be a book without hate-worthy and bile-rising bad guys.

6. Shapeshifter. I so love Ilona’s shapeshifters and the ones in this book are no exception.

7. A very sweet little romance story. It’s not the typical romance with smex after smex but it totally suits this book. I didn’t want more and that’s something coming out of my mouth. *wicked rin*

8. The wonderful freaky side-characters living in the Edge. How did I survive so long without such a wonderful crazy neighborhood? I have no idea, but now I miss it.

9. A thrilling and gripping showdown at the end. Every book needs a big fight at the end which will make your heart stop beating and makes you hold your breath. And On The Edge has one of those.

10. The last reason is the wonderful extra at the end of this book. Yes the beginning of Magic Bleeds!!! *fangirl screaming*

So I know you will hate me for putting another book on your TBR but you will definitely not regret it with this one. It’s just so perfect and you should really get it. OK, I will admit it I’m addicted to Ilona’s books and I probably not subjective but You HAVE to buy this one.

Enough said now. Enjoy the book.

To learn more about Ilona & Gordon and their books please visit their website here.

The Edge Series:

1. On The Edge: other reviews @Goodreads, buy @amazon
2. Untitled Sequel (release September 2010)

I’m not it any way subjective concerning Ilona Andrews and her books. I’m an addict and you know you should never believe those.LOL I bought this book on my own. I don’t get anything if you click on the amazon link and buy one of the books.

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Review: Fade to Black by Leslie Parrish

Description:

A group of elite FBI special agents has been brought together to form the Cyber Action Team, aka CAT - and they have one mission: to solve Internet-related murders.
From his years in the FBI's violent crimes unit, Special Agent Dean Taggert has learned firsthand how vicious people can be. But this is the worst he's ever seen. Eight victims have been murdered, their final moments captured on film and shown on a secret Web site called Satan's Playground. And a madman who refers to himself as the Reaper is auctioning off their means of death.
When the investigation leads Dean to the small town of Hope Valley, he enlists the help of sexy and capable Sheriff Stacey Rhodes, who's dealing with secrets of her own. It's too late to save the latest victim, but Dean and Stacey still have to work fast, because the Reaper's next auction is about to begin... (by goodreads.com)

Review:
I will warn you before I start to review this book: I’m not a passionate suspense reader. In my whole life I read not more than 5 or 6 books in this genre. I never could really connect with this books so I stopped reading them. So why did I buy this one? I read so many wonderful reviews about this series that there was no other possibility as to read this books. And I’m really happy I did it.

The series is all about the Black Cats, a new subdivision of the FBI. They try to solve Internet crimes but the rest of the FBI is not very happy to have this new division. The head of the Black CATs had his difficulties with some people in the bureau and so no-one wants to support them. The CATs are a really mixed bunch of people- a few computer nerds work together with hard assed agents who seem to eat nails for breakfast.

This book focuses on the suspense plot and the romance takes a seat behind it. The story is fast paced and gripping. Mrs. Parrish created a great combination of the cold fact side of the investigation and the hands on bloody side. Some scenes are really hard to digest but I’m a real horror movie junkie so I had really no problem with that. The case itself was very intriguing and from the start I wanted to get this guy. It’s a real page-turner and I didn’t know who the bad guy is till nearly the end(I guessed right two pages before it was revealed- I’m not sure if that counts).

As said the romance is not the front role here but the relationship between Dean and Stacey is wonderful developed. I really liked that the whole thing started slow. Would have been strange to see them chasing a crazy and disgusting murderer and hopping in the sack after the first meeting.
Dean is a real hard ass agent but he shows his sweet side when he is near our little Sherriff. He’s caring and a oh so sweet father. He’s really good at his job and knows what he does.
Stacey is a really strong character and I liked her right from the start. She stands her (wo)man in her job and doesn’t back down from problems. She knows how to handle people, the good and the bad and runs her town with real determination.

I would have liked a little more romance in the story but I really enjoyed the book and will definitely read the next book ASAP.

To learn more about Leslie Parrish and her books please visit her website here.

The Black CATs series:

1. Fade to Black: other reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon

2.Pitch Black: reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon

3. Black at Heart: reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon

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