Review: Eternal Hunger - Laura Wright

Alexander Roman wants nothing to do with the controlling rulers of his vampire breed or the family he escaped from a hundred years ago.  But as a new threat to the pureblood vampires emerges, Alexander's ties to the past are forced upon him again, and without warning, he finds himself - disoriented, terrified, and near death - at the door of a stranger.

Fear is in the Blood.
Dr Sara Donohue is dedicated to removing the traumatic memories of her patients - like those of the stranger at her front door.  But what he tells her of his past is too astonishing to believe.  Yet she has seen his flesh scarred by the sun and witnessed his inhuman strength.  And never before has she felt so connected to a man....

Love is eternal....
But as their worlds collide, Sara and Alexander are bound by something stronger, as one becomes hunter and the other prey....

Mark of the Vampire Series:
Eternal Hunger
Eternal Kiss
Eternal Blood (Novella)
Eternal Captive
Eternal Beast (August 2012)
Eternal Demon (2013)

Visit Laura Wright's website for more information

Review:
Alexander and his brothers Nicholas and Lucian escaped from the world of The Order and the pureblood vampires after years of abuse and have no intention of ever being drawn back into that society again.  Alexander has gone through his change 100 years early and is finding it hard to control his blood hunger, he also has an irresistible instinct to search for his true mate.  When he discovers that his change was brought on deliberately by The Order he is told that unless he agrees to help them his brothers will be changed too.  Helping The Order is the last thing he wants to do but he wants to protect his brothers and has no other choice.

Sara became a doctor because she is desperate to heal her brother Gray who was physically and emotionally scarred by a fire when they were children.  Sara accidentally caused the fire and has felt guilty ever since, the only way to redeem herself is to heal Gray.  Discovering an injured man on her doorstep her first instinct is to turn him away but she can't leave him to suffer and ends up offering him shelter.  When she is attacked by one of her patients the mystery man saves her and she is drawn into the dark and dangerous world of the vampires.

Paranormal romance is one of my favourite genres so I'm always looking for another new series to get hooked on and I was excited to read Eternal Hunger.  Although there were some similarities to the BDB and Midnight Breed series I felt that the story was different enough to hold my interest, I liked both of the main characters and I'm curious to see more of Alexander's brothers (Lucian in particular because I loved his snarky attitude!).  However there were a couple of things that stopped me enjoying the story as much as I could have.

The first problem was the number of new words we were introduced to and the lack of a glossary to explain them all.  There is always going to be a certain amount of confusion when it comes to the first book in a series, this is something I understand and don't necessarily have a problem with but note to authors - if you are using a lot of made up words to describe your world please, please include a glossary to make it easy for those of us with a poor memory!  I lost count of the number of times I had to stop reading and flick back through previous chapters trying to find a word meaning and that just took away from my enjoyment of the story.  I'm confident that this won't be as much as an issue when I'm more familiar with the world though so it hasn't put me off reading future books.

My second main problem was the excessive use of the "C" word.  Now this may not be a big problem for some people but if there is one word I can't stand it is that one (and the majority of my friends are the same so I know it isn't an uncommon feeling amongst women in particular).  I'm quite good at ignoring the word if it crops up once or twice in a whole book but when it crops up at least twice (and sometimes as many as four times) per smexy scene I don't find it a turn on -  in fact it has quite the opposite effect and left me feeling cold about all of Alexander and Sara's encounters.  If you'd taken out that word I'd have had a very different opinion because Laura Wright knows how to write a good smut scene.  I'm aware that this won't bother everyone but it is one of those things that is likely to be a deal breaker for me and if it continues in the next book I doubt I'll continue with the series beyond that.

So, now I've got the negatives off my chest I want to finish my review by talking about the more positive aspects of the story.  I've already mentioned that I liked both of the main characters, Alexander was that kind of growly

Although I had some problems with Eternal Hunger the story was interesting enough to make me keep reading and I do want to find out more about the world Laura Wright has created.  I definitely want to spend more time with the Roman brothers so will be picking up Eternal Kiss soon.  I think the series has a lot of potential and hopefully the next book will fully live up to that.

Source: Won in a Twitter giveaway hosted by the author

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Review: The 13th Horseman - Barry Hutchison

'You are no longer Drake Finn, you are the Fourth Horseman.  You are the rider on the pale horse.  You are death.'

'Right,' chirped Drake, after a pause.  'Well, that's a turn up for the books.'

Drake is surprised to find three Horsemen of the Apocalypse playing snakes and ladders in his garden shed.  He's even more surprised when they insist that he is one of them.  They're missing a Horseman and think Drake is the boy for the job.  Does being in charge of Armageddon have to spell the end of the world?

Barry Hutchison blends riotous comedy with heart-stopping action in this richly imagined fantasy adventure.  He isn't worried about the Apocalypse, as long as it doesn't come before tea.

Visit the Barry Hutchison's website or The 13th Horseman website for more information.

Review:
After an unfortunate incident at school Drake finds himself expelled and is forced to move house to be nearer to his new school.  The last thing he expects to find in his new garden shed is three of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse - War, Famine and Pestilence - sitting around playing board games.  Even stranger is the fact that they are convinced that he is their newest recruit, the replacement for Death.  The old Death apparently got bored of waiting for the Apocalypse to start so he quit and decided to go off on his own to bring about the end of the world.  It is up to Drake and the other Horsemen to stop him from succeeding.

Not being much of a horror fan I haven't read any of Barry Hutchison's Invisible Friends books even though I've heard great things about the series.  I am a massive fantasy fan though so couldn't wait to pick up The 13th Horseman.  Now I'm just left hoping that this is the start to a new series because I haven't laughed so much in ages.  If you're a fan of comic fantasy then The 13th Horseman is a MUST read for all ages and one I can't recommend highly enough!

The story is action packed, full of humour and was one I could easily have read in one sitting.  I loved the author's take on the Horsemen, he really brought all three of them to life but I have to confess to being a particular fan of Pestilence.  You can't not laugh when the Horsemen are on the page playing board games and make sure you watch out for Famine's horse!

While I wouldn't compare the story to the Discworld books I would say that Barry Hutchison has a similar ability to Terry Pratchett in finding the absurd in everyday situations and twisting things to make them hilarious.  If you want to get a feel for the style of the book make sure you check out Pestilence's diary on The 13th Horseman website and if you enjoy that you'll love the book.  Although I'm still not quite brave enough to try his horror series I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more fantasy books from Barry - they'll be going straight to the top of my wish list.

Source: Received from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Grave Witch - Kalayna Price

Just because Grave Witch Alex Craft can speak to the dead, doesn't mean she has to like what they have to say . . .

As a private investigator and consultant for the police, Alex has seen a lot of dark magic. But even though she's on good terms with Death himself, nothing has prepared her for her latest case. Alex is investigating a high-profile murder when she's attacked by the ghost she is raising - which should be impossible. Then, someone makes a serious attempt on her life, thwarted only by Death's intervention. You know you're having a bad day when Death is saving your life . . .

To solve this case, Alex will have to team up with tough homicide detective Falin Andrews. Andrews seems to be hiding something, although it's certainly not his dislike of Alex. Despite all that, Alex is going to need his help to navigate the tangled webs of real-world and paranormal politics, and to track down a killer wielding a magic so malevolent, it may cost Alex not just her life, but also her soul . . .

Alex Craft Series:
Grave Witch
Grave Dance
Ruby Red (Short Story in the Kicking It anthology)
Grave Memory
Grave Visions
Grave Ransom
Grave Destiny

Visit Kalayna Price's website for more information

Review:
Alex Craft is a witch and she uses her grave magic to help her in her job as a Private Investigator. Her magic allows her to interact with ghosts but she is mainly asked to contact shades which are like an echo of the person who died - they have the person's memories but no emotions so they can answer questions about their lives but are unable to lie.  Alex works for family members who need some kind of closure and she also works with the police to help allow murder victims to identify their killers.  When her latest attempt to raise a shade results in a ghostly attack that should have been impossible Alex finds herself drawn into a web of dark magic with a serial killer at it's heart.  The closer she gets to identifying the killer the more at risk her life becomes and she must work with detective Falin Andrews to solve the case before her time runs out.

I'm a big fan of the urban fantasy genre so it is always exciting to discover a new series - particularly one as engaging as Grave Witch was.  This was the first book I've read by Kalayna Price but I can't wait to continue this series and I'm also planning on buying her Haven books ASAP.  In the world the author has created the public have been aware of witches and the fae for about 70 years and although there is some prejudice between them and the humans in general they are accepted.  With the Humans First political party gaining popularity this could change in the future though.  I was really interested in finding out about all the different kinds of witches, they each have very different abilities and Alex's grave magic is one of the rarer forms.  There are also all kinds of fae creatures to watch out for.

I found Alex a likeable heroine, her power has limitations meaning she doesn't come across as too perfect to be real and she has a lot of the same worries as normal people do which makes her easy to relate to.  The after effects of using her grave sight were fascinating - especially the developments towards the end - and I thought Alex was brave to continue using the sight considering what happened to her afterwards.  She isn't a perfect PI, in fact she missed quite a few clues along the way, but she is determined and once she sets her mind on something she will do whatever it takes to see it through - even it that does mean bending the rules a little.

Although the story focuses on the murders and the mystery of who is behind them there is also the start of a very promising love triangle.  I have to confess I'd thought that I was sick to death with triangles and that I didn't want to read any more of them but Kalayna has me hooked on this one.  Normally I find it very easy to pick a team and once I've chosen it is very rare for me to change my mind but in this case I still can't tell you who I want Alex to end up with - she has a choice between two very delectable specimens!  First you have Death, a soul collector who she has known since she was a child and has built a friendship with.  He is very much a mystery man and definitely left me wanting to know more but I liked him from the minute he stepped onto the page.  Falin is a detective who also has his secrets that I think we have only just started to uncover.  At first I was annoyed by his attitude but he quickly won me over as you get to see his more caring and protective side.  I'll tell you now I swung back and forth between Death and Falin each time they appeared.  At the moment we know a lot more about Falin but I'm hoping we'll see much more of Death in the next book and his confession at the end of the book left me desperate for more!

Overall I thought that Grave Witch was a great start to a new series and it had me so hooked that I will be picking up the second book as soon as this review is written - that's rare with me as I usually have a break between books in a series.  I enjoyed the mystery, loved the romance and want to spend more time with these characters.  Definitely a series I'll be recommending to urban fantasy fans - particularly if you like witches and the fae.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
Between Dreams and Reality
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Paperback / Kindle

News Roundup: Book Event, Cover Reveals, Web Chats and more

It's time for another news roundup post to share some of the news I've seen over the last week or so.

First I want to let you know about the launch event for the second instalment in Will Hill's Department 19 series - The Rising.  I've been lucky enough to have already read The Rising and can tell you right now it was amazing!  If you're a fan of Department 19 you want to get hold of this one ASAP trust me (watch out for my review which will be up later this week).  If you want the chance to meet Will Hill check out the details below for the launch event that is being held at Waterstone's in Kensington on the 29th of March.  Tickets are £3 each but I'm sure you won't be disappointed - I've been told that the event will be the same as a secret launch I got to go to last month (my write up will also be posted later this week) and if that's the case you may even get to meet a couple of D19 agents and see a T-Bone!

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Bloomsbury have recently launched their new Hooked on Books Facebook page that will feature all the latest information about their YA titles.  Make sure you keep an eye on the Facebook page and their Twitter account for all the latest extracts, news and even some exclusive giveaways!

The first book they are talking about is Burn Mark by Laura Powell which is being published on the 7th of June.  This sounds like it will be a fantastic start to Laura's new series and I can't wait to read it!  You can find out more at Laura Powell's website, her Facebook page or follow her on Twitter.  In the meantime here is the cover and blurb - what do you think?

'I'll win or I'll burn - whatever it takes'

Glory is destined to become a witch. When she does, she is going to make sure her East End coven is one to respect and fear again.

But a dangerous mix of conspiracy and betrayal raises the stakes. And then Lucas Stearne - rich, privileged and a potential Witchfinder - enters her life.

Now Glory and Lucas must put aside their differences to form an uneasy alliance.

And fight for their lives.

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If you want to find out more about R J Palacio's debut novel Wonder then make sure you check out the live Facebook chat on Monday at 6pm.  You can join in the chat on the Wonder Facebook page.  I've heard fantastic things about Wonder and will be reading it very soon so keep an eye out for my review.

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Last year I really enjoyed The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson (you can read my review here) so I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series The Madness Underneath.  According to Amazon UK we have to wait until January 2013 before we'll be able to buy the book but Maureen did post the UK cover on her Tumblr account a couple of days ago so I thought I'd share it here.  What do you think?  I love the fact that it matches The Name of the Star cover so well but I think I like this one even more.

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I think that's all the book related news for this week but I couldn't resist including the latest Simon's Cat video for you. I love these videos :o)



I hope you all have a fabulous week!

Review: Hollow Earth - John and Carole E. Barrowman

The monster's eyes scanned the darkness.
Hide.  Hide.  Hide . . .

Twins Matt and Emily Calder have imaginations so powerful that they can make art come to life.  Their powers are sought by villains intent on accessing the terrors of Hollow Earth - a place where all the devils, demons and monsters ever imagined lie trapped for eternity.  If Hollow Earth is breached, the world will be plunged into chaos.  If Hollow Earth is breached . . .

. . . the twins are as good as dead.

Visit the Hollow Earth website for more information.

Review:
Twins Matt and Emily have very unusual abilities - anything that they draw they can bring to life and they can step into a painting or picture and visit another world for an adventure.  Although their abilities are fun to use they are also rare and highly sought after by people who want to use them to do harm.  The twins are only just learning about the danger they are in and why their mother has always tried to keep their powers secret.  Forced to go into hiding they go to stay with their grandfather on a remote island off the coast of Scotland, there they will learn more about their heritage and find out about Hollow Earth.

As a massive fan of John Barrowman as soon as I discovered he had written a YA book with his sister Carole I knew I wanted to read it. I was intrigued by the synopsis and looking forward to reading about characters with such unusual abilities.  I'm not sure why I thought that the story was going to be aimed at older teens but it is actually meant for the younger end of the market.  The main characters are 12 and I think the story is fantastic for children around that age or younger but as an adult I didn't find it as captivating as I'd hoped to.  Although it was an enjoyable story it didn't wow me as much as I hoped it would.

Having said that I really enjoyed finding out about Matt and Emily's abilities.  When the twins get in trouble after jumping into a painting at an art gallery I couldn't help but picture the scenes in Mary Poppins where they end up inside the chalk drawings and it brought a smile to my face.  I liked the fact that the twins were so close and looked out for each other and I also enjoyed finding out about their family and the history of the Animare.  I felt like I wanted more though, we don't really find out much about Hollow Earth which surprised me considering the title of the book.  I have heard that this is the first book in a planned trilogy (although I couldn't find official confirmation of that) so hopefully that explains why I was left with so many questions.

Hollow Earth is a great adventure story for younger readers and I can see it becoming a popular bedtime story but it might not have enough to capture the attention of older readers.  If you have a particular interest in art or enjoy reading younger YA fiction then you'll probably love it too.  I am curious to find out what happens to Emily and Matt in the next book but I'm not sure if I enjoyed this one enough to continue reading the series.

Source: Won in a Goodreads giveaway

Other Reviews:
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Review: Hunter's Prey - Moira Rogers

Ophelia retired from life as a prostitute, but her new position is even more complicated. Managing the bloodhound manor in Iron Creek is difficult and time-consuming, a job she enjoys less with each passing day. Then there's her inconvenient attraction to Hunter. The newly turned hound seems eager to enjoy her company, but wary of anything more intimate.

Having survived the violence of his first full moon out of a cage, Hunter isn't looking forward to his first new moon. Ophelia offers to be the woman who sates his needs during the three long days of sexual fury, but he can't abide the thought of hurting her in a state of mindless lust. Especially since she longs to settle into a respectable life, and his needs are anything but respectable.

Their mutual goal is simple: avoid entanglements. It's a solid plan, at least until a vampire drug lord and a couple of nosy Guild representatives force them to work together to defend their friends and everything they hold dear--including each other.

Warning: Contains a mostly feral, vampire-hunting hero and a tough survivor of a heroine whose retired-hooker heart is more steel than gold. Also included: dangerous frontier intrigue, fancy brothels, mad-scientist weapons and a good dose of wicked loving in an alternate Wild West.

Bloodhounds Series:
Wilder's Mate (Novella)
Merrick's Destiny (Short Story)
Hunter's Prey (Novella)
Archer's Lady (Novella)
Diana's Hound (Novella) (2013)

Visit Moira Rogers' website for more information

Review:
Hunter was turned into a Bloodhound against his will and kept prisoner by those who made him.  Rescued by Wilder and Satira he is now facing his first new moon out of a cage and he is dreading the urges that it will bring.  There is only one woman he is interested in but he hates the idea of not being in control and worries that he might hurt her.  Ophelia is a retired prostitute who has taken over running the home the bloodhounds live in.  She has plenty of experience with Bloodhounds in the throws of new moon lust but her offer to help Hunter through is about more than that.  She is drawn to him like no other but doesn't know if there can be a future between them - especially when he seems to push her away at every opportunity.

Ophelia hasn't had an easy life and was forced into prostitution to survive but she has no shame over her past, as a practical woman she knows she just did what she had to do and she won't let anyone make her feel bad about that.  Now that she has retired she has accepted a job from her best friend Satira running the bloodhound household but she is finding it hard to deal with the constant demands.  All she really wants is some peace but she doesn't want to let her friend down by leaving her in the lurch.

Hunter was born to a wealthy family but hadn't made much of his life before he was taken prisoner.  He is struggling now to reconcile the person he was before with the monster he believes he has been changed into.  He hates the way he feels now and loathes the idea of not being 100% in control of his actions when the moon calls to his Bloodhound side.  I felt that Hunter was the most gentlemanly of the Bloodhounds we've met so far but that all changes when the new moon brings out his wilder side.  He was surprisingly dominant in the bedroom but you won't hear Ophelia complaining because she enjoys every second of it!  I loved the fact that he always treated Ophelia with respect and never once made an issue of her past, he wanted to court her properly and win her heart.  I thought the pair of them were a great match and I loved the way that Ophelia helps Hunter to accept the person he has become.

Alongside the romance it was great to get to see Wilder and Satira and find out how they are doing.  We get to see more of Archer which has me extra excited about reading his story when it comes out later this year.  We see some of the after effects of the changes forced on Nate in the first book and how he is struggling to accept his new condition - I really hope we're going to see more of his transition later.  We are introduced to a couple of new Bloodhounds who have been sent by the Guild to check up on Wilder and the others - possibly new heroes for future books (fingers crossed!)?  There are also some great action scenes as Hunter and the others investigate an influx of drugs into their border town - could the vampires be behind it all and if so why?  Moira Rogers can certainly pack a lot into a novella!  If you haven't started this series yet then I'd highly recommend starting with Wilder's Mate and if you enjoy that one you'll love Hunter's Prey even more.  I can't wait for Archer's Lady to release in July!

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
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Review: Merrick's Destiny - Moira Rogers

A short story set between Wilder's Mate and Hunter's Prey.

Merrick Wood is a wild man--literally. For six decades he's stalked the Rocky Mountains as a bloodhound, fighting a losing battle against the vampires who have taken over most of the American frontier. He's sure he's seen it all, until an airship crash leaves him caught behind enemy lines with a concussion and a mate he doesn't remember taking.

Paralee Colton is a wild woman. She enjoys her freedom and makes a good living flying over the Deadlands. Until, that is, bloodsuckers shoot down her ship, and she's forced to deal with an irritatingly attractive man who isn't a man at all.

Trapped together in the wilderness, Merrick and Paralee must fight to find a safe camp before the new moon drags Merrick into three days of sexual madness. But as enticing as Paralee finds the bloodhound, she doesn't realize the stakes of their courtship game.

Getting out of the Deadlands is only half of Merrick's battle for survival. If he can't convince Paralee to stay with him, he'll follow the footsteps of every bloodhound who's ever lost a mate--straight into the grave.

Bloodhounds Series:
Wilder's Mate (Novella)
Merrick's Destiny (Short Story)
Hunter's Prey (Novella)
Archer's Lady (Novella)
Diana's Hound (Novella) (2013)


Visit Moira Rogers' website for more information

Review:
Merrick's Destiny is a short story set just after Wilder's Mate, the first book in Moira Roger's Bloodhounds series.  It is an exclusive story only available from All Romance Ebooks but can be downloaded in various formats for whichever ereader you have.  Although the story is officially numbered 1.5 in the series it works well as a stand alone and could be a great way to try out the series to see if you like it.  I find it is hard to classify the Bloodhounds stories as they are all paranormal romances with a steampunk and wild west feel to them.

After Paralee's airship crashes in the Deadlands she and Merrick are the only survivors and must work together to get back to safety.  When Merrick comes around he can remember none of the lead up to the crash, the only thing he knows is that Paralee is his mate which comes as quite a shock considering he has spent decades alone.  What he can't understand is why he hasn't claimed her yet but he is determined to do just that - once he gets them safely away from the Deadlands and the vampires who will start hunting them as soon as it gets dark.

I'm always impressed by how much Moira Rogers can fit into a short story, they always manage to get me to connect with the characters no matter how low the page count is.  Merrick is a great hero, I have to admit I wasn't a big fan of this cover compared to others in the series but now having "met" Merrick I have to say it fits him perfectly.  He is tough and a little rough around the edges but he has a good heart and wants to protect Paralee.  He doesn't want to force her into accepting the mating bond - especially when she doesn't understand the full long term consequences.  I love the fact that Paralee is an independent woman who is capable of looking after herself, she knows what she wants and is prepared to work hard for it.  She is wary of getting too close to Merrick and losing her independence but she doesn't try to fight the attraction between them - she knows she wants him and has every intention of having him.

I really enjoyed finding out more about the Bloodhounds and their history and loved spending time in the world Moira Rogers has created.  This is a series I can't wait to continue (my review of Hunter's Prey will be posted later today) and it's one I'd highly recommend to fans of paranormal romance and steampunk.  If you like your stories scorching hot then you don't want to miss Merrick's Destiny!

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
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