In the future the world was nearly
destroyed by religious extremist so now religion is outlawed and treated as fictitious. Justin March was a servitor whose job is was
to investigate claims of paranormal activity and ensure that the religions
followed strict guidelines; however he was sent into exile following an event
that forever changed his life. One day Mae Koskinen, warrior elite for the
Republic of United North America, comes bearing a message that will allow
Justin back into the civilized world and redeem his name.
Gameboard of the Gods is an amazing
science fiction novel mixed with paranormal fantasy. The characters are complex
yet blend together wonderfully as their relationship grows into something
adjacent to a friendship. I absolutely enjoyed Mae’s storyline, not that Justin’s
wasn’t excellent as well, from her past as a debutante into the present as the
warrior she has become and the losses she has faced in her life it is intricate
and wonderful to follow along as her character develops and the story
progresses. Richelle Mead has done a wonderful job with this book and though she
is known for her young adult series she has seamlessly taken over the adult
world with her new novel. With action packed scenes and tantalizing “steamy”
scenes it’s sure to have a little bit of something for everyone. This book is highly original and definitely
worth the read.
Pazel is stranded by those he trusted
and is left to fend for himself he soon finds himself on board The Cathrand, a
six hundred year old behemoth of a ship. Also on board the ship is Thasha who
is on her way to her betrothed in order to seal the unity of Arqual and
Mzithrin Empire, but it soon becomes apparent that the true mission of the
Cathrand is not peace but war Thasha and Pazel along with the help of some
extraordinary companions can put a stop to it.
There is no way I could have done
this book justice in my brief synopsis, so much takes place and there are so
many varied and interesting characters. The book itself starts off a bit slow
but this is due to introducing us to the characters, once the book does kick
off though it is one twist and turn after another keeping you on the edge of
your seat as you wait to see what will happen next. Robert V.S. Redick does a
magnificent job of bringing each of his characters and even the side characters
to life, but not only this he also adds in some stunning scenery on top of it
being a high paced adventure. This is definitely one of the best fantasy novels
I have come across and with an ending like this one I cannot wait to see what
will be in store.
Elizabeth Bennet has trained her
entire life to fight against the unholy plague of unmentionables that have
overcome the English country side. Along with her sisters they make a fearsome
assembly of warriors, but not only are they warriors they are still young women
who attend balls and tend to their duties. During one of the balls the girls
attend Miss Elizabeth is introduced to the arrogant Mr. Darcy. Through a series
of events the two soon become close against Elizabeth’s own wishes.
Most of us know the story of Pride
and Prejudice, with five movie adaptations and over twenty million copies sold
of the book itself it’s hard not to know the story, but Seth Grahame-Smith has
taken the classic story to a whole new level. I didn’t think I would enjoy this
book as much as I did, even though you know the story the changes that have
been made only seem to improve the overall experience. Seth Grahame-Smith takes
the original story and adds zombie encounters here and there and a few
innuendos making a classic romance novel into and action packed comedy on top
of one of the most amazing love stories. I absolutely loved this book it’s definitely
worth the read even if you have yet to read Pride and Prejudice. If you’re not
a fan of regency romance novels this book is a great introduction into the
world of Jane Austen so when you wife or girlfriend swoons over Mr. Darcy you’ll
know why.
Presley wins a bet against her
boyfriend allowing her to finally work for his security company. Though she
starts the assignment especially excited knowing she will be good at this job
she ends up annoyed when she finds out that the job in question is to protect
beauty queens at a Texas pageant. Soon after beginning the job she and Cooper,
her boyfriend and now boss, find that this will be more than just protecting
the girls against childish pranks now they will have to find out who murdered
one of the girls before it happens again.
I absolutely loved Lee Ann Howlett’s
narration of this book. First off her characters where each distinct from the
low timber of cooper to the high pitched whine of some of the beauty pageant
contestants making the story come to life. What really made this an excellent
performance though weren’t just the different voices of her characters but also
the accents. I am a native Texan and so many times I come across audio books or
even on television where an actor or narrator will butcher the accent but Lee
Ann Howlett was spot on, I didn’t even cringe once. The story itself is a great
cozy mystery, which is a subgenre of crime fiction where the sex and
violence are downplayed or even portrayed humorously. (Thanks Wikipedia!) Laina Turner did a wonderful job with the
mystery aspect of the book not once did I suspect who had done it until the very
end which is great! You can tell this is not the first book in the series but
the fun of a cozy mystery is you don’t really have to start at the beginning
this book is no exception Laina Turner makes sure you can keep up with the
story from the very beginning. If you are a fan of cozy mysteries or even a
beginner I definitely recommend this book, and be sure to check out the great
audio book the narration makes it so much better.
Rosalind Harper married young to the
love of her life, but life had other plans for her she was left widowed, years
later as her children grew and moved on with their own lives she decided to get
married again her second husband turned out to be a liar, a cheat, and a thief.
Now at forty seven she is independent and has no intentions of every being
married again but as she gets to know the man she has hired to investigate her
family to find out who the Harper Bride is the more she fights the fact she is
falling in love all over again.
This book is not as a good as the
first one, but was great in continuing the story of the Harper Bride. It’s not
bad it is more of a classic romance with touches of the ghost as the ghost
becomes more aggressive I think the ghost was scarier in the first book
considering it focused more around two young children. This book is a great
romance Nora Roberts is a fantastic romantic author and there is no wonder why
she is such a bestseller and has so many books under her belt, I can’t wait to
read the next book and see what happens concerning the Harper Bride and if they
can appease the ghost once and for all.
Rhea has just turned sweet sixteen
and discovered she is Cleopatra’s reincarnate. This really isn’t much of a
surprise, more like a let-down, she wishes she had cooler powers like her
sisters or her mom the most she can do is draw attention from the people around
her. That is until her powers begin to manifest themselves and she is soon in
danger from people who would wish to use Cleopatra’s abilities against mankind.
I had no idea that this was the
second book in a series; you can definitely tell you’ve missed something when
you start reading but it’s still a great story even if you start in the middle
like I did. Maureen Lipinski has created a fantastic story here centering on
Rhea and her past life. Even though Rhea is absolutely intriguing and the main
character of the novel there are several times when her sisters and mother draw
the attention away from Rhea making you want to know more about their unique
gifts. Through the blending of dreams Rhea glimpses events in her past life
that are so well written and descriptive you can almost see yourself in ancient
Egypt. The author takes something simple
from Egyptian mythology and plays it to its fullest captivating readers and
transporting us into another world. I cannot wait to see what else the author
has in store for Rhea.
Kiri Palger has dreamed of working
for Eight Corp., the creators of Fairies and Dragons an online game that Kiri
is absolutely addicted to. Shortly after Kiri moves into the cul-de-sac of
mystic circle where a number of Eight Corp. employees live, she is approached
to start work on a new virtual reality project this is a dream come true and
Kiri jumps at the chance. Soon she finds out that there is another purpose
altogether for the new virtual system.
This is such a fun book, though you
can definitely tell it is not the first in a series the author does an amazing
job of making this a “stand alone” novel so that even though I haven’t read the
previous two myself I can jump into the story and not once do I feel lost or
confused. First off you have the gaming aspect of the book which I must admit I
love video games so it automatically appealed to me but the author goes further
than that she not only brings the game to life but she brings the multiple
realms it represents into such vivid perspective I know I was definitely
jealous of Kiri and wanted to jump head first into the game myself. Then you
have some of the best scenes I have come across in a long time and Robin D.
Owens descriptive proficiency comes into play once again sucking you into the
story and the world in which she has created even further. This is a fascinating
fantasy and with the heartwarming romance and touches of the gaming world it is
highly unique. With such a well written book and an amazing story this is
definitely a book worth reading.
Strange things are happening in
Prague, beginning with a party where all the guests in attendance begin to jump
to their deaths. Shortly after this Sarah Weston receives the opportunity of a
lifetime to travel to Prague Castle and begin cataloguing Beethoven’s
manuscripts. As a musicologist who specializes in the life of Ludwig van
Beethoven how could she turn down such an invitation? Soon after she arrives
however she learns that her mentor had committed “suicide” but his is the first
in many unusual deaths that begin to occur.
I am a fan of Beethoven’s music so
it’s no surprise I wanted to read a book in which present day seems to
intertwine with the story of Beethoven himself. I had no idea how amazing this
book would actually turn out Magnus Flyte has taken multiple pasts and managed
to bring them into the present in an unusual way yet it all blends together so
wonderfully and precisely. I must warn you that this is truly an adult book
with drugs and sex mixed into the storyline it may not be suitable for
everyone, for me however the free spirited Sarah is the perfect character to
tell this story. The theory behind the book is absolutely intriguing strange
deaths, a drug that can let you see into the past, and all tying in with Ludwig
van Beethoven what more could you ask for?
This
is book number one in a story about a post-apocalyptic world where families
live in tribes in one of the many abandoned buildings left over after something
known as, “the crash” happened. The main
characters of this story are Deeta Richards and Tom. Deeta longs to see what is
outside of her building because the only ones allowed outside of the compound
are soldiers who go out and fight whatever is still out there and Tom is one of
those soldiers. Tom is her dearest friend in this new world and although he keeps
secret about his life before he was brought to Clark Tribe , Deeta never
expected him to have kept the secret he shares with everyone after a kidnapping
occurs from her. It is after this kidnapping that her entire life is turned
upside down, and changes in a way she never expected it to.
The
first half of this story is describing the longing Deeta feels to see the world
outside of the tribe, her friendship with Tom, and describing the rules and
traditions of the tribe. Although Deeta has her own family she spends a great
deal of her time taking after the Jepsjon family that consists of three
children, Tom, and the father figure being Professor Jep. Everything in the
compound is routine until one night that men in camouflage break into the compound
and kidnap Dec Jepsjon while the soldiers who fight outside the compound are
gone. When the soldiers return and find that Dec , one of the Jepsjon children,
has been taken it is then that Tom shares a family secret with the entire
compound, and the tribe is in uproar over it. Soon after the tribe votes to
decide if Tom and the remaining Jepsjon family should be allowed to stay in the
tribe, the tribe must go out into the city and move to the Marshall tribe for
protection against Tom’s secret. Once
the Clark tribe has safely moved into the Marshall compound, the remaining
Jepsjon family leaves without saying a word and that same night there is an
attack on the Marshalls. Deeta and her sister, Jan, is then taken by the same
camouflaged men that took Dec. From this point forward I will keep a secret
from you because I do not like to spoil a good story but just know that there
is a war, conspiracy, and a new found love within all of it.
Although I was extremely
skeptical reading this book, picturing it being similar to a Hunger Games type plot,
but changed my mind when I read the first few pages of the book I cannot wait
to read the second book and hope that D.D. Chant releases it soon considering
Broken City came out in 2010. D.D. Chant had a few errors that should have been
caught in the editing process, but overall is an excellent author and I love
how through her descriptions, such as on page 273 when Chant writes the
following “The children are listening to one of Uncle Jep’s stories as we enter
the flat, it is an idyllic picture: Tarri has again wrapped herself around
Uncle Jep and with her head on his shoulder is staring sleepily into the fire.
The rest of the children are huddled on the floor, the fire’s warm glow playing
over their excited faces.” With such
beautiful imagery I am truly able to visualize everything as if I am Deeta
herself.
