Dark Angels Series by Keri Arthur

Risa Jones is as extraordinary as her heritage. Born from a lab-enhanced clone mother and an Aedh father, she can not only talk to the souls of the dying and the dead, but she can see the reapers and walk the gray fields that divide this world from the next.

They are skill she rarely uses, however, preferring to concentrate on the business she shares with her two best friends. But when her mother asks her to help the parents of a little girl locked in a coma, she reluctantly agrees. What she discovers scares the hell out of her. Because the little girl’s soul no longer resides in her body, and it wasn’t death and the reapers that took her.

Someone had ripped her soul from her flesh.

As it turns out, a creature consuming the souls of the innocent–and not so innocent–is the least of her problems.

Because someone wants to rip open the gates that divided hell from earth, and Risa is a key component in their plans.

And the only person standing between her and disaster is a reaper who isn’t exactly on her side.

--blurb from Darkness Unbound

~~

Even with all the good books released in the last few weeks I found myself binging on all three from this series in one go. I thought about deviating but then realized that if the heroine annoyed me a little bit now then it might be hard to make myself come back to everything later. It's not that Risa is completely unlikeable but the books left me feeling a little 'eh' about the whole thing.

I can't say too much without heading straight into spoilers-ville, but my biggest problem was two fold: the bad guys were heavily foreshadowed so the heroine's resistance to the truth was annoying, and Risa working with entities who actively sought her destruction irked me. One relationship she actually went into at the end of book one because of possible gains on both sides, but from then on, when it was obvious that nothing the other party did was going to help, why did she stick with it? It seemed to me she had more than enough allies around her to tell this person to f*ck off but instead she just kept letting this person toy with her life. Yeah...that doesn't work for me.

The romance(s) and relationship(s) between Risa and some of the other characters in the series are probably where I feel these books shine. Her roommates Ilianna and Tao are strong beings in their own rights with personality to spare. Azriel (the reaper) starts off very aloof but through the books develops and really becomes someone to root for. 

All in all the series isn't bad but if I continue reading them I'm going to want to see Risa step up and actually using her abilities to put people in their place; just because they want to use her doesn't mean she has to let herself be used. Her network and powers should make that clear, but at least at this junction both are being underutilized.

Overall Feeling - C+/B-

Series - 1) Darkness Unbound 2) Darkness Rising 3) Darkness Devours 4) Darkness Hunts (Nov 2012)

**Books won in a giveaway from Michelle's Book Blog**

Happy Book Lovers Day!

Thanks NetGalley, for giving me a heads up on something pretty cool :). I hope you're all enjoying a great book right this minute (I know I am!).

 P.S. - And happy almost Friday! I love knowing that I'm about to slide into the weekend \(^_^)/

Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews

Some people have everything figured out- Andrea Nash is not one of those people. After being kicked out of the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, Andrea's whole existence is in shambles. All she can do is try to put herself back together, something made easier by working for Cutting Edge, a small investigative firm owned by her best friend, Kate Daniels.

When several shapeshifters working for Raphael Medrano- the male alpha of Clan Bouda as well as Andrea's former lover- die unexpectedly at a dig site, Andrea is assigned to investigate...and must work with Raphael. As her search for the killer leads her into the secret underbelly of supernatural Atlanta, Andrea knows that dealing with her feelings for Raphael might have to take a backseat to saving the world...

~~

How does anyone expect me to have a real non-fangirl reaction to this book? Really - how? Cause at this point I've read it all the way through twice, in addition to all the specific parts I had to go back and read again by themselves. I'm keeping it in my purse just in case I want to pull it out later to re-read again!

To try and maybe sum up what makes this book great I'd have to put my finger on two things - characters and world building. The world of Kate Daniels is intricate and almost never ending, as whenever Andrews shows us another part of it it's interesting and unique. Beings and environments that popped up after the magical catastrophe never feel tacked on. Instead each one is fully realized and adds to the whole. It's as if they're drawing a map with each book, and every paragraph is like Google Street view. Love it.

The characters though, oh that's where they've really got me. Andrea and Raphael have been through a lot, each of them working to overcome their upbringings to find a way forward with them together. When Kate compares them to a Hispanic soap opera she's not exaggerating; their emotions and arguments are large and dramatic - each of them determined not to get hurt again (even though they love the hell out of each other). They've made a lot of mistakes, punished each other, but are trying to make it work. It's painful and hilarious all at the same time, because Boudas never do anything the easy way (but why would you when there are so many ways to playfully torture the other person?).

I love this book and this series, can't wait for the next one, and highly recommend Gunmetal Magic to everyone.

Overall Feeling - A+

Series - 1) Magic Bites 2) Magic Burns 3) Magic Strikes 4) Magic Bleeds 5) Magic Slays....6?) Gunmetal Magic

Teaser Tuesday (8/7)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
 

"His laughter was that of a pirate- a buccaneer, a swashbuckling rogue who should have been safely on a deck in the middle of some ocean- nowhere near her. The sound. deep, rolling, and far too sure, held a threat and a promise; it enveloped her, caught her up, and held her- then he was there, before her once more."

--pg 124-125, Devil's Bride by Stephanie Laurens

Kiss the Dead by Laurell K. Hamilton

When a fifteen-year-old girl is abducted by vampires, it’s up to U.S. Marshal Anita Blake to find her. And when she does, she’s faced with something she’s never seen before: a terrifyingly ordinary group of people—kids, grandparents, soccer moms—all recently turned and willing to die to avoid serving a master. And where there’s one martyr, there will be more…

But even vampires have monsters that they’re afraid of. And Anita is one of them…

~~

You know that feeling when you're sure that something doesn't totally suck but you're sure it could have been better? That's what this book left me with. It wasn't bad, I mean I didn't hate it while reading or feel that way about it now, but I know it could have been so much better. I'm not going to lament and wring my hands about all the people Anita's sleeping with but I will say that at this point I've lost track of who everybody is. I also found that I don't really care about her self-doubt about a handful of them. Sex, no sex, Asher, no Asher - let's move on. Anita 'has to' have sex with a lot of people. Ok then I just want to read/see her doing it and stop having to deal so much with her angst. Sigh. Still I actually thought Sin's determination to be seen as an adult and his familial feelings towards Nathanial was interesting. I probably could have done with more of that  than Anita's feelings individually.

Oh and the other thing I could have had more of? The mystery/murderous vampires plot. There were so much that could have been said about these vampires that didn't want to be blood-oathed but it was set aside for emotional drama. Pretty wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am, except for one somewhat exciting scene near the end. I don't have a problem with the sex in this series but I do miss the action/mystery that used to take more of the forefront. 

All in all, ok but I'm still looking for more. I'm glad I got this from the library instead of buying it.

Overall Feeling - C

Series - ...19) Bullet 20) Hit List 21) Kiss the Dead

Cherished by Maya Banks and Lauren Dane *ARC Review*

"Exiled" by Maya Banks…Enticed to the island paradise where an enigmatic prince is living in exile, beautiful, virginal Talia is introduced to a world of forbidden pleasure where the prince’s every whim is fulfilled and her fantasies are rendered in exquisite detail. But when the prince is summoned back to fulfill his duty to his struggling country, reality is thrust upon Talia all too soon. She returns home, heartbroken, convinced she was a passing fancy for an idle ruler and his most trusted men. Until the day they arrive on her doorstep, determined to have her back where she belongs.

"Sway" by Lauren Dane…Levi Warner is an established, older man—wealthy, powerful, and above all, respectable. Then Levi meets Daisy, an uninhibited 24-year-old dance instructor and artist, not exactly the kind of woman Levi is accustomed to. But the young, free spirit, brings out something in him he only experienced in fantasies. When their scorching affair turns into something unexpectedly deeper, Levi finds himself torn between preserving his reputation, and exploring a wilder and much more satisfying kind of life.

~~

I think after reading Banks' story I'm going to have to officially name my preferences for romance in the 'BDSM-lite' category. No insult to her intended but I just could not get over the premise for her particular piece; power dynamics are all well and good to play with but when they're weighted so far in one direction that I can't help but be worried about one of the participants then it's less of a fun fantasy for me. Xander wanted Talia; wanted her and made it happen, seemingly without any knowledge or caring about what she wanted. She comes to the island under his dictate - she doesn't see herself as having a choice in the matter, and later when she's told that not only will be she having sex with Xander but also his guards... well things take on a kind of sinister tone (in my head). Plus Banks made sure to have Xander tell us a million times that he knew his kinks were super kinky but he needed her so it was gonna happen. The end. Ummmm....no?  Banks works in more emotion between all the characters in the end and Talia ultimately makes her own choice about what relationship she wants but I couldn't totally get over my own discomfort about how things began. C+

I have a soft spot for Dane's Brown family series so when I realized (because stupid me I hadn't been paying enough attention) that this story was about Gillian's friends that we met in Never Enough I was one ridiculously happy person. This story was significantly lighter on the BDSM level but I also felt like the romance/emotion/power/choice line was walked better. Daisy goes into this relationship knowing her needs and wants; she's not going to let Levi walk all over that just because of his 'hot teacher' vibe. When Levi starts incorporating more control elements into the bedroom she decides if they work for her - there's even a point when she almost says 'no thank you, let's not do that again'. All in all in lent an element of realness to their relationship because while sparks got them into it both parties kept their head about where things went physically. Their path to HEA was a little rocky, Levi definitely had some groveling to do, but I loved touching base with the Brown family members and can't wait to keep reading as Dane explores more of these friends. A-

Overall Feeling - Split between the two, C+/A-

Series - None/Delicious series, book 1 [To be published 8/7/12]

**Title received from author for review**

July in Review

Ok I don't feel like I read a lot this month. Or at least, not a lot of full books. I love my Nook for its ability to let me reconnect with bits and pieces of stories that I like, but I can also use it to post-pone starting something new.  Shrug. I've been stressed out crafting for Dragon*Con and stressed out dealing with some volunteer stuff but along there way there have been some good things.

Moonrise Kingdom was a blast and if you find yourself needing something to do some random evening, I highly recommend it. Forever and a Day was a freaking awesome Jill Shalvis and it's one of those feel good picks I can't do without. Other than that...hmmm...I spent a weekend in NY that included a day at the beach (no complaints) and ate some fantastic food. I guess in spite of all the stress I managed to have a pretty good July now that I think about it - I hope the same goes for all of you!

--> oh and I guess I should mention I saw Star Trek: TNG in theaters too. Don't be too jealous! 

Coming Undone by Lauren Dane

Samurai Game by Christine Feehan (B+)

To Do List by Lauren Dane (A)

The Covenant by Evangeline Anderson (B-)

Sabine by Moira Rogers (B+)

True Colors by Thea Harrison (A)

Sparks Fly by Katie MacAlister (mini me)

Cherished by Maya Banks & Lauren Dane

Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis (A+)

The Darkest Day by Britt Bury (B+)

Kiss the Dead by Laurell K. Hamilton

Darkness Unbound by Keri Arthur