Review: The Sight by Chloe Neill

The Sight by Chloe Neill

Devil's Isle #2

The paranormal war that engulfed New Orleans seven years ago is over. But the battle for the city is just beginning . . .

Claire Connolly is a Sensitive, infected with magic when the Veil that divides humanity from the world beyond fell. Magic can easily consume and destroy a Sensitive, and if Claire’s secret is discovered she’ll be locked into the walled district of Devil’s Isle along with every other Paranormal left in the city.

Bounty hunter Liam Quinn discovered Claire’s secret, but refused to turn her in. Together they saved New Orleans from the resurgence of magic that nearly destroyed it. But now a dangerous cult is on the rise, and it will take both Claire and Liam—and magical allies within Devil’s Isle’s towering walls—to defeat the occult threat before magic corrupts them both...

THE SIGHT is a very impressive read that built a steady pace right from the start, finishing in one heck of a doozy ending. While the romance took up a good deal of the focus this time around, which I'll get into in a moment, the pacing of the actual plot was near perfect. Chloe's post-apocalptic New Orleans is so rich and full of detail, that I felt immersed in the character's struggle right alongside them. This time around centers around a truly nasty foe and a whole lot of paranoia and blind hatred, bringing the prejudices and fight between humans and paranormals to a head. That being said, the events were as far from predictable as you can imagine.

I have to admit the romance in THE SIGHT about gave me a terrible case of axiety as I was reading. It was incredibly stressful as both Liam and Claire acted and made decisions as if the two were a couple, and all the other characters treated them as such as well. And yet, there was still this huge barrier in actual romance. While I understood the things keeping them apart, it really didn't make it any easier. There's so much build up and tension of will they or won't that that I felt a nervous wreck the entire book. And then even when I felt that the tides had finally started to turn I just knew the other shoe would be dropping soon. And boy did it drop. While it's killer on my nerves, I do have to applaud Chloe for pouring so much emotion into the pair to more than keep me on my toes. 

Between the twists and turns of this book and the crazy up and down romance, after finishing THE SIGHT I have to admit I'm rather desperate to get my hands on the next book. I have to know what happens next now! If you enjoy Chloe's books, and particularly The Veil, you'll be more than pleased with this latest installment in the Devil's Isle series.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
     Rabid Reads
     Between Dreams and Reality
     The Nocturnal Library

Previous Books:
     1. The Veil

Kirsten Reviews: Night Shift by Charlaine Harris

Night Shift by Charlaine Harris

Midnight, Texas #3

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels—“the Mark Twain of things that live under your bed”*—comes a new novel of Midnight, Texas, the town where some secrets will never see the light of day...
At Midnight’s local pawnshop, weapons are flying off the shelves—only to be used in sudden and dramatic suicides right at the main crossroads in town.

Who better to figure out why blood is being spilled than the vampire Lemuel, who, while translating mysterious texts, discovers what makes Midnight the town it is. There’s a reason why witches and werewolves, killers and psychics, have been drawn to this place.

And now they must come together to stop the bloodshed in the heart of Midnight. For if all hell breaks loose—which just might happen—it will put the secretive town on the map, where no one wants it to be...

Night Shift, third book in Charlaine Harris' Midnight Texas series is an “everybody comes together” sort of story, more so than the other books as the different characters are truly coming into their abilities, or have mostly sorted out who they are.

There is something underneath Midnight’s crossroads. It’s alive, and is compelling people to come to Midnight and then committed suicide at the crossroads. With so many deaths comes attention, the sort of thing that is definitely unwelcome in Midnight, and everyone one of its residents are uneasy. As it happens, everyone in Midnight has secrets, and although only a few of them are human, this is a town that looks after one another.

Lemuel is hard at work translating an ancient text which may have the answers to prevent the coming disaster, but it’s slow work. There are a few new faces in town, something that it’s always viewed with curiosity and a bit of wariness by the residents, and the suicides continue happening.

Fiji too is key to what’s happening, as the thing at the crossroads is speaking to her, and it’s hungry for more death and discord.

The rest of the humans and other creatures living in Midnight are heavily involved in what’s going on, but it’s Fiji in particular whose journey as a witch and a woman is essential to the plot.

Midnight may seem like a sleepy town on the surface, but the truth is that there’s much more beneath the surface, and some things are neither resting easy nor particularly friendly.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
     The Paranormal Paladin
     Gizmo's Reviews
     Herding Cats & Burning Soup

Previous Books:
     1. Midnight Crossing
     2. Day Shift

Early Review: Wild Embrace by Nalini Singh

Wild Embrace by Nalini Singh

Psy-Changling #15.5

The “alpha author of paranormal romance”* presents a stunningly sensual collection of four all-new Psy-Changeling novellas, in which taboos are broken, boundaries are crossed, and instincts prove irresistible...

Echo of SilenceIn a deep-sea station, Tazia Nerif has found her life’s work as an engineer, keeping things running smoothly. But she wants nothing more than to break down the barrier of silence between her and her telekinetic Psy station commander...

DorianA changeling who can never shift lives a life of quiet frustration—until he learns how to let his leopard come out and play...

Partners in PersuasionStill raw from being burned by a dominant female, wolf changeling Felix will never again risk being a plaything. But for dominant leopard Dezi, he’s the most fascinating man she’s ever met. She just has to convince this gun-shy wolf that he can trust the dangerous cat who wants to take a slow, sexy bite out of him…

Flirtation of FateSeven years ago, Kenji broke Garnet’s heart. Now the wolf packmates have to investigate the shocking murder of one of their own. And the more Kenji sees of the woman Garnet has become, the deeper he begins to fall once more. But even his primal instincts are no match for the dark secret he carries...

When it comes to urban fantasy/paranormal romance it simply doesn't get better than Nalini Singh. There's just something magical about her writing and the amazing worlds she creates. And the characters, they're incredibly well fleshed out and fully three-dimensional, from the smallest role to the largest. The Psy-Changling world in particular has one heck of a large cast of characters and not a single one fades to the background. It's incredibly impressive. What's even more impressive is how rich of a story she can tell in just short novella formats, which leads me to this book. WILD EMBRACE both impressed and enthralled me from the very first page. Simply put, if you're a fan of the series you cannot miss this book. It checks in with characters both new and old, ones that have been mentioned but no really focus previously now shine. 

Echo of Silence brings us to the illusive but fascinating Stefan that had been mentioned in several books previously. I was really happy to see the story behind his reclusive-ness, and loved every minute of it. It's incredibly sweet and the following tradition/forging new paths aspect were particularly enjoyable. A very heart-warming novella.

I absolutely loved Dorian's story. While it's the shortest novella, it covers the most amount of time, packing in an incredible amount of emotion in such a small package. With him being a non-shifter for so long yet still having his shifter side trapped inside, there was a whole heck of a lot going on with him. While he may have had a full book previously, I felt this novella really brought out his character and I'm so glad I was able to read it.

Partners in Persuasion was simply a lot of fun. It involves a dominant female chasing after a submissive male. There's a whole lot of a cat and mouse going on and nothing goes smoothly at all. I really enjoyed watching this duo learn to make their very, very different natures to find romance.

Finally Flirtation in Fate is a pair of reunited lovers that included all that yummy tension you'd expect in this kind of story. Garnet wants nothing to do with Kenji and he's dead set on changing her mind. Definitely a lot of fun to watch that "dance."

Trust me, if you enjoy the Psy-Changling world, you're in for a treat. Run, do not walk to your nearest bookstore and snatch this one up.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
     Mixed Book Bag

Previous Books:
     1. Slave to Sensation
     2. Visions of Heat
     3. Caressed by Ice
     4. Mine to Possess
     5. Hostage to Pleasure
     6. Branded by Fire
     7. Blaze of Memory
     8. Bonds of Justice
     9. Play of Passion
     10. Kiss of Snow
     11. Tangle of Need
     12. Heart of Obsidian
     12.5. Night Shift
     13. Shield of Winter
     14. Shards of Hope

     15. Allegiance of Honor

Kirsten Reviews: Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn

Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn

Heroine Complex #1

Being a superheroine is hard. Working for one is even harder.

Evie Tanaka is the put-upon personal assistant to Aveda Jupiter, her childhood best friend and San Francisco's most beloved superheroine. She's great at her job—blending into the background, handling her boss's epic diva tantrums, and getting demon blood out of leather pants.

Unfortunately, she's not nearly as together when it comes to running her own life, standing up for herself, or raising her tempestuous teenage sister, Bea.

But everything changes when Evie's forced to pose as her glamorous boss for one night, and her darkest comes out: she has powers, too. Now it's up to her to contend with murderous cupcakes, nosy gossip bloggers, and supernatural karaoke battles—all while juggling unexpected romance and Aveda's increasingly outrageous demands. And when a larger threat emerges, Evie must finally take charge and become a superheroine in her own right... or see her city fall to a full-on demonic invasion.

Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn is a blend of urban fantasy and comedy that is both charming and earnestly nerdy. The protagonist, Evie Tanaka is the much-put-upon personal assistant to super heroine Aveda Jupiter, protector of San francisco, where a demonic portal opened eight years ago. One result of this is that some people gained powers, allowing them to fight back against the demons.

Aveda makes her living, and maintains her fan base by protecting San Francisco from the demons that occasionally come through other portals. This means she has to be perfect, on social media, in all her media appearances, and of course, be in top notch physical condition. Evie and Aveda’s other staff, Lucy, her martial arts instructor and bodyguard, Nate, doctor and wanna be mad scientists who lives in the basement.

Meanwhile, Evie keeps Aveda’s life on track, from recording her battles against demons, to organizing her finances, doing her hair and makeup, as well as keeping Aveda’s image spotless - if not always zit-free. As if that isn’t enough, Evie is also trying to raising her teenage sister, Bea, and so doesn’t have much in the way of a personal life of her own.

However, this changes when Evie has to pose as Aveda for one night, and it’s revealed that she also has powers. Now it’s up to her to thwart a demonic invasion, deal with reporters, the slings and arrows of social media, cupcakes with teeth, and a rebellious teenage sister.

Anyone who appreciates comic books, a good dose of humor, and stories about protagonists learning to step out of obscurity to be heroines and heroes will enjoy this book, and hope that these are just the start of Evie’s battles with the forces of evil, with and without frosting.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
     All Things Urban Fantasy
     The Bibliosanctum
     Gizmo's Reviews

Release Day Review: Flight from Mayhem by Yasmine Galenorn

Flight from Mayhem by Yasmine Galenorn

Fly by Night #2

I'm Shimmer, a blue dragon shifter. Thanks to a mistake, I was exiled from the Dragon Reaches and sentenced to work for gorgeous, exasperating Alex Radcliffe, a vampire who owns the Fly by Night Magical Investigations Agency. Every time I turn around, somebody's trying to kill us. But you know what they say: All's fair in love and bounty hunting...

A serial killer is stalking the elderly Fae of Seattle, draining their bank accounts before brutally murdering them. When Chase Johnson asks for our help, Alex and I discover that the sociopath is also a doppelganger—able to change shape to match his victim's deepest desires. Our friend and colleague Bette volunteers to act as bait, but the plan goes dangerously awry. Now, unless we find her first, she's about to face her worst nightmare.

One of the best things about any of Yasmine's books is how rich and real the main protagonists are, and Shimmer is no exception. Sometimes it's hard to remember/believe that Shimmer is actually hundreds of years old. She's so very naive and not very worldly and then she does something or makes a choice that seems wise beyond her years and suddenly I remember that she's not actually young. Just more than a little inexperienced when it comes to social interactions and the human realm. I really enjoy this juxtaposition in her character as it makes for an interesting blend. Seeing the world new through her eyes is fascinating and I love getting to see her learn and grow. I also admire her for realizing just how inexperienced she is, especially in the romance department and has been taking things slow. That's not to say she's not going head-first into life and romance, but she's still keeping her wits about her and I admire it. 

The other thing I really enjoy about Yasmine's books is how fast paced and complex the plotlines are and again this is where FLIGHT FROM MAYHEM shines. There was so much going on in this book it built to an almost frenetic pace at times and yet it still all felt natural. Intense at times, but it all still flowed well and never became too much. In fact, once I started reading I had a heck of a time putting the book down, a sure sign of a great read. Between the Salamander demon, the ghost next door, a stalker, a psycho ex, and so much more going on I had to keep turning the pages to see what would happen next.

All in all, FLIGHT FROM MAYHEM is one heck of an entertaining read that is sure to please fans of the series.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
     The Genra Minx Book Reviews
     Ramblings from a Chaotic Mind
   
Previous Books:
     0.5. Flight from Hell
     1. Flight from Death