Review: Bedeviled by Sable Grace

Bedeviled (goodreads.com)

By: Sable Grace (author website)

Paperback, 368 pages

Published December 27th 2011 by Avon Books

ISBN 13: 9780061964411

Source: Purchased for self

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Dark Breed, book #2

Best read in order: yes

Stars: 2

Flames: almost 3

The second installment in the Dark Breed series picks up shortly after the first book. Kyana is losing her Dark Breed abilities slowly, as her goddess powers are slowly taking over. There is a transition period and she is both stronger and weaker during this time. This acclimation period is an inconvenience. She has to find her friend Haven before it is too late.

Her first hunt is Haven. She must find Haven and bring her in for trial. Haven is possessed by Cronos. Cronos wants revenge and will stop at nothing to get it. Kyana’s pursuit of Haven is action packed as she follows a trail of blood and chaos in her efforts to catch Haven without harming her closest friend.  

Kyana faces off with Haven (possessed by Cronos) numerous times, too many times in fact. The failed attempts to capture Cronos brought action to the pages the first couple of times. The repeated failures became redundant and made many events predictable.

Kyana’s thoughts on embracing her goddess power contradict her thoughts on Ryker. Kyana is holding on to the thoughts that vamp’s don’t do long term relationships that they are polygamous creatures. She uses this excuse when trying to keep Ryker at a distance. She consciously acknowledges that she is losing her old self (vamp/lychen) and becoming the new Goddess of the Hunt on several occasions in the book.  

I was pleased that Kyana still has Ryker in her life. They seem to be trying to figure out if a relationship is a possibility. Ryker is already at this point and he is having patience with Kyana while she figures out what she wants. I think Kyana and Ryker will make a fantastic couple eventually and their journey to that point is definitely an interesting read.

I look back on Ascension and I remember loving the book. I could not put it down. I told anyone who would listen about the awesomeness that was Ascension. I also enjoyed the novella Before the Fall. I hate that I did not enjoy this installment in the series as much as I did the other two. I do plan on reading Chosen. I have gotten too much enjoyment out of other installments in the series not to move on to the next. 

Review: Circuit Theory by Kirby Crow & Reya Starck

Circuit Theory (goodreads.com)

By: 

eBook, 45 pages

Expected publication: July 30th 2012 by Riptide Publishing

ISBN 13: 9781937551476

Source: NetGalley, for the purpose of an honest review

Genre: M/M Romance

Stars: 2

Flames: 2

Kirby Crow and Reya Starck have created an interesting world. People no longer have to go out into the real world to socialize to meet people. They can now buy skins, create an avatar, and spend time in the Synth. The identities individuals create allow them to be whoever or whatever they want. The originality of Circuit Theory is very unique and something that I have never read.

There are several reasons why Circuit Theory didn’t work for me. The main reason was too much information was left unknown. I wanted to know more about whom Dante and Byron are in real life. While it would have worked for me and made the story more interesting I’m not sure if it would have worked for the novella. So obviously it is a personal issue.

Readers are introduced to Dante and Byron, two avatars who already have an established relationship. There wasn’t any relationship development. I read a few days in their Synth life and the complications that Synth relations have. The novella is first person point of view, Dante’s point of view. I realize the characters are avatars, digital representations of humans on a computer. The characters never the less never fleshed out for me and seemed very one dimensional.

There are some typos, but they are intentional and very much a part of the story. The typos are very creative on the writers’ part to show this world as it is, a coding issue. Some of the conversations are even presented to readers as the text that the human behind the avatar is reading and writing. This adds a distinctive flare to the story.

I think anyone who enjoys role playing games will love this. The novella mildly reminded me of the movie Gamer. Gerard Butler was an active character in the game, but he was being physically controlled by another individual who was hooked up to a game console. This world is built similar to that. 

Review: Soul Sisters by Janiera Eldridge

Soul Sisters (goodreads.com)

By: Janiera Eldridge (author website)

Kindle Edition, 

Published May 24th 2012 by Janiera Eldridge

ASIN: B0085XOYFG

Source: Author, for the purpose of an honest review

* Thank you to the author, Janiera Eldridge, for allowing me to be a Early Reviewer on the JeepDiva Blog http://www.thejeepdiva.com. *

AUTHOR:  Soul Sister is Janiera’s first published book.  In my opinion, Janiera has the potential of someday becoming a great author.  At this time, “in my opinion”, she has some improvements to make in providing her written work with the right balance of dialogue, action and adventure and details of events….”in my opinion”.

GENRE: Paranormal, Fiction, Contemporary fiction, Multicultural fiction, Urban fiction, Fantasy fiction

SETTING:

Harlem, New York to Europe and back to New York.  Switches back and force between Modern Day and the 13th century

CENTRAL FEMALE CHARACTER:  Twin sisters but only one is a vampire.  The other twin however, has lived for as many years as her vampire sister.    

CENTRAL MALE CHARACTER:  For centuries he has always made it possible for people to live beyond their time.  He can provide for them the riches of life should they so desire.  The problem?  He demands something from them that that money cannot buy.

SYNOPSIS:  She married the man of her dreams.  His life suddenly ended but her twin sister ensured that she would always be with her.  She would always be her protector.   

PARANORMAL:   How does one live with a twin and yet that twin has a different need in order to survive?

CONTEMPORARY fiction:   This book is not so much “romance” as it is “contemporary paranormal”.  The major setting takes place in the modern day century.  Spurts of having relationships is included but not the main thrust.

WHAT I LIKED:  Actions starts towards the end of the book and leads to a cliff hanger.  Whoa!

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:  While it is a great story overall, the book lacks depth.  It does not pull the reader into the storyline.   It is written with basic events occurring with very little detail description of moods, character and facial expressions.  As an example,   what was the shape of their eyes and mouth; were her teeth white and elongated as she saw the pulse beating in his neck; what was the reaction of the victim, did he scream; what did the door sound like as it opened, did it creak open?

Unfortunately this book gets (2) vrooms out of (5) Jeep Diva blog vrooms.  The engine started but the tires would not roll.  http://www.thejeepdiva.com/

WHY (2 ) STARS:  Lacks depth.  Reader is just dropped into one scene after the other.

Review: Sixtus by Tim Kizer

Sixtus (goodreads.com)

By: Tim Kizer

eBook, 35 pages per Kindle

Published June 3rd 2012

ASIN: B0088K8DD0

Source: Author, for the purpose of an honest review

Genre: Horror

Stars: 2

Zack is an awkward and disturbed fifteen year old kid. The extra finger on his right hand is probably the most normal thing he has in his life. Zach is a typical teenager in the fact that he follows his friend Jeremy without question. Jeremy begins his lessons in trust while teaching Zach how to kill and then cover it up. Zach takes to killing quickly and soon readers are swept away with Zach and Jeremy’s spree.

I have a hard time defining this novella as horror. It does have a high creep factor, but it felt more twilight zoneish to me. I also felt I was missing something. I even went back and reread several pages just to make sure I didn’t somehow skip a few pages. There are some holes where Jeremy is concerned. I needed some more substance with Jeremy. Unanswered questions at the end of a book are a big disappointment for me. There are a few too many with this novella.

Review: Black Dog and Rebel Rose by Danielle D Smith

Black Dog and Rebel Rose (goodreads.com)

By: Danielle D Smith (webpage)

eBook, 156 pages

Publisher: CreateSpace (October 4, 2010)

ISBN 13: 9781453872451

Source: Purchased for self

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Series: Black Dog & Rebel Rose

Stars: 2

Flames: 3

                Extremely sexy demon halfling Skriker is a hunter. He hunts the same demons that he is born from, the same demons that killed his mother, baby brother and took his father in the middle of the night when he was a child. He uses his bad boy hotness to help him with his favorite hobby, womanizing. The last thing he ever expected to find on a hunt was his soul mate, Rose. Rose is a pissed off, scarred and angry at the world loner who wants only to rid this world of the True Native demons. As far as she is concerned the hot hunk of Harley riding meat will only get in her way. She also believes that he is there to steal her hunt. They soon decide that the hunt and the cot in the nurse’s office are big enough for two.

                I liked that the demons and vampires were written as hideous evil that should be feared. I love my paranormal romances, but it was interesting to see a vampire written as a character other than the hero. I loved just how opposites Skriker and Rose were. That was quite a big shocker! I liked Rose and Skriker as characters. I just didn’t feel how they got to the instant connection of soul mates and in love. Instant attraction, instant hot dirty gritty smutty sex these are things I get and understand. There are some gritty down and dirty sex scenes in these pages. I just never connected to the characters, thus I think that is why I didn’t feel their connection.

Amazon.com buy link

Review: Click: An Online Love Story by Lisa Becker

Click: An Online Love Story
By: Lisa Becker

eBook: 285 pages

Published by Ebookit.com (first published March 29th 2011)

ISBN 13: 9781456601669
Source: Author, for the purpose of an honest review

Genre: Chick Lit

Stars: 2

Flames: 1

Synopsis:

     Fast approaching her 30th birthday and finding herself not married, not dating, and without even a prospect or a house full of cats, Renee Greene, the heroine of Click: An Online Love Story, reluctantly joins her best guy pal on a journey to find love online in Los Angeles. The story unfolds through a series of emails between Renee and her best friends (anal-compulsive Mark, the overly-judgmental Ashley and the over-sexed Shelley) as well as the gentlemen suitors she meets online. From the guy who starts every story with "My buddies and I were out drinking one night," to the egotistical "B" celebrity looking for someone to stroke his ego, Renee endures her share of hilarious and heinous cyber dates. Fraught with BCC's, FWD's and inadvertent Reply to All's, readers will root for Renee to "click" with the right man.

♥-|-♥-|-♥-|-♥-|-♥-|-♥-|-♥-|-♥-|-♥-|-♥-|-♥-|-♥-|-♥-|-♥-|-♥-|-♥-|-♥-|-♥-|-♥-|-♥-|-♥-|-♥

My Review:

     As the description says this book is compose by a series of emails between friends and possible date-able men. It was at times funny but not that romantic. I would have loved a little more. There where times where I wanted to know what happened but as it is written to be a bunch of emails there was only a recap of what happened.

     It DID give an inside of what might come to pass if a person starts online dating. I mean can you say prick. That Mike guy was such a pig. I would have liked for Renee to go more deeply with Jason but I guess that wasn't meant to be. But for the type of book the it is for me it was okay. I'm not overly crazy about it but it was funny.