Right now I'm a redhead. I've been blond and brunette as the situation requires, though an unscheduled colour change usually means I need to relocate in the middle of the night. So far, I'm doing well here. Nobody knows what I'm running from. And I'd like to keep it that way.
Eighteen months ago, Corine Solomon crossed the border and wound up in Mexico City, fleeing her past, her lover, and her "gift". Corine, a handler, can touch something and know its history - and sometimes, its future. Using her ability, she can find missing persons - and that's why people never stop trying to find her. People like her ex, Chance.
Chance, whose uncanny luck has led him to her doorstep, needs her help. Someone dear to them both has gone missing in Laredo, Texas, and the only hope of finding her is through Corine's gift. But their search may prove dangerous as the trail leads them into a strange, dark world of demons and sorcerers, ghosts and witchcraft, zombies - and black magic...
Corine Solomon Series:
Blue Diablo
Hell Fire
Shady Lady
Forbidden Fruit (Novella)
Devil's Punch
Agave Kiss
Visit Ann Aguirre's website for more information
Review:
Corine is a handler which means that she can touch an item and know it's history but using her gift comes at a high price. She has been living in Mexico City for the last 18 months trying to hide from her ex-boyfriend Chance and the life they had together. Although they used to help people with her gift they often ended up getting into trouble and made some dangerous enemies along the way. Now Corine just wants to live a quiet life and keep her "gift" a secret.
When Chance arrives on her doorstep the last thing she wants is to get involved with him again but he needs her help. Min, someone they are both very close to, has gone missing and the only way they are going to be able to find her is using Corine's gift. Following a trail of clues to Texas they come up against a dangerous enemy - they are going to need help but it isn't going to be easy to decide who they can trust.
Blue Diablo is told from Corine's perspective and I liked her voice immediately, Corine may not be your typical urban fantasy heroine but she is a very real character that I found it easy to relate to. Her past relationship with Chance has been plagued with difficulties and although Corine left him they both still have strong feelings for each other. Despite the attraction between them Corine is nervous about letting him close as she doesn't want to get hurt again. I felt the way that Corine and Chance reacted to each other was very realistic and I'm interested in seeing things develop between them in future books in the series.
There is a great cast of supporting characters from their friend Chuch & his wife Eva to the sexy detective Jesse Saldana who is also investigating Min's disappearance. Ann Aguirre has a wonderful way of describing things making it easy to picture the scene - after reading this book it is easy to imagine that I've actually visited Mexico and Texas.
If I have anything negative to say it would be that some of the action scenes towards the end of the book felt a little rushed but I found that a minor irritation and overall I really enjoyed Blue Diablo. I thought this was a great start to a new series & I'm looking forward to reading Hell Fire and finding out what happens to Corine next.
Source: I won this book from author Ann Aguirre in a giveaway on Twitter - Thanks Ann
Other Reviews:
Brooke Reviews
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Monday, 3 May 2010
Review: Penumbra - Keri Arthur
Agent Samantha Ryan is sick of feeling lonely. It's time to take control and get a life outside of work. But Stephan, her boss, won't let her go easily. Offered the choice between guarding a clone, or remaining stuck in her office, Sam reluctantly accepts the former, even though she suspects Stephan is using her as bait to draw out a dangerous enemy they call Sethanon.Learning that Sam's new assignment is guarding Wetherton, her shapechanging partner, Gabriel Stern, is worried. He and Stephan know Wetherton could only have come from Hopeworth, the base involved in DNA experiments for decades. But there is a growing likelihood that the military base is also the home of Sethanon himself. Gabriel is determined to protect Sam, yet all too soon he discovers the connection between them is far deeper than anyone could ever have imagined.
Spook Squad Trilogy:
Memory Zero
Generation 18
Penumbra
For more information visit Keri Arthur's website
Review:
Sam has had enough of Gabriel pushing her away and not letting her get involved in any of their cases - she is sick of being stuck in her tiny office doing paperwork so demands a transfer from her boss Stephan. Stephan doesn't want her to leave so he offers to let her guard Wetherton, a politician who they know was replaced by a clone.
Gabriel is relieved when he realises that Sam is no longer his partner - until he finds out her new assignment. He believes that she will be in danger and is determined to keep her safe even if it means going against Stephan's direct orders. Having spent months pushing her away he is starting to realise that he doesn't actually want her out of his life completely but will Sam accept his change of attitude or has he already lost his chance at a relationship between them?
I've been a big fan of this series and this book didn't let me down in terms of action and fantastic plotting. I've enjoyed finding out more about Sam's past and her new abilities and was pleased to finally see the start of something developing between Gabriel & Sam. If I was to rate it as a stand alone book it would be up there with my favorites. Unfortunately, although we do find out some interesting secrets, this book just doesn't have a good enough ending for the last book in a series. There are far too many questions left open & you can tell this wasn't meant to be the last book.
I read on Keri Arthur's website that this was originally supposed to be a 4 book series. It doesn't go into detail about why the last book was never published but I'm guessing it was down to lack of sales. Keri states that she is not intending to write book 4 at this time as it has been so long since she wrote the original books (I believe Penumbra was first published in 2005). She doesn't rule out the possibility of returning to this series in the future so I'm just going to have to keep hoping that we'll get a proper ending eventually.
I've really enjoyed reading these books & would rate it right up there with Keri's Nikki & Michael series if it had a proper ending. As it is I feel disappointed that we're not likely to ever get the answers to all our questions. I would still recommend the Spook Squad trilogy as a great Urban Fantasy series and it has all the hallmarks of Keri's fantastic writing but if you are easily frustrated by the lack of a complete ending then you might want to skip this & try some of Keri's other work. I can recommend the Nikki & Michael series for Urban Fantasy fans and the Ripple Creek Werewolves series if you like Paranormal Romance. Keri Arthur has earned a place amongst my favorite authors and I will continue to work my way through her backlist.
Source: Library
Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.
It's Monday, What are you Reading? (17)
This meme was started at J. Kaye's Book Blog but has now moved to One Person's Journey Through a World of Books run by Sheila.
Books read last week: (Click on the links to read my reviews)
Books read last week but reviewed this week:
What I'm reading now:
What I'll be reading next:
I've got to get through some of my library books this week - I've got the maximum number of loans & 2 of my reservations are ready for me to collect LOL. I'm also planning on starting re-reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood series - I can't wait to read Lover Mine but I've not read Lover Avenged yet & I want to start from the beginning again.
Challenge updates:
100+ Reading Challenge - Read 80/100
Books read last week: (Click on the links to read my reviews)
Books read last week but reviewed this week:
- Mistress by Mistake - Maggie Robinson
- Beneath A Darkening Moon - Keri Arthur
- Winterborn - A.D. Roland
- The Iron Hunt - Marjorie M. Liu
- Strange Angels - Lilith Saintcrow
- Hard Magic - Laura Anne Gilman
- Penumbra - Keri Arthur
What I'm reading now:
What I'll be reading next:
I've got to get through some of my library books this week - I've got the maximum number of loans & 2 of my reservations are ready for me to collect LOL. I'm also planning on starting re-reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood series - I can't wait to read Lover Mine but I've not read Lover Avenged yet & I want to start from the beginning again.
Challenge updates:
100+ Reading Challenge - Read 80/100
Young Adult Reading Challenge - Read 26/50
Support Your Local Library Challenge - Read 28/25
Terry Pratchett Challenge - Read 1/12
L.J. Smith Reading Challenge (Vampire Diaries) - Read 0/5
Thriller & Suspense Reading Challenge - Read 2/12
New Author Challenge - Read 38/50
Awesome Author Challenge - Read 20/20 - COMPLETE
L.J. Smith Reading Challenge (Vampire Diaries) - Read 0/5
Thriller & Suspense Reading Challenge - Read 2/12
New Author Challenge - Read 38/50
Awesome Author Challenge - Read 20/20 - COMPLETE
Paranormal Reading Challenge - Read 50/50 - COMPLETE
Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge - Read 24/24 - COMPLETE
April NAC Mini-Challenge - Battle Royale - Read 5/5 - COMPLETE
What are you reading?
April NAC Mini-Challenge - Battle Royale - Read 5/5 - COMPLETE
What are you reading?
Sunday, 2 May 2010
In My Mailbox (18)
Thanks to Kristi at The Story Siren for hosting In My Mailbox every week.
I had a great trip to the library this week, I only went in to collect Penumbra by Keri Arthur (the last book in the Spook Squad series) but ended up with time to kill so I did a little browsing. I managed to find the first 3 books in the Mercy Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs and the first 5 books in the Immortals After Dark Series by Kresley Cole - I've heard great things about both of these series so I'm looking forward to getting started!
Competition Prizes:
I love this House of Night tote bag that I won from Atom Books in a giveaway they had on Twitter, it's a fab series that I'm hoping to re-read & review soon. I also won a copy of ebook Payback in Wayback by Lynda Coker from the Blogmania giveaway at Between The Pages - I love a good cowboy story so I'm looking forward to reading this one!
For Review:
I recieved a paperback copy of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick from Simon & Schuster, I've already reviewed the hardback here but was planning on buying the paperback so I was very happy to have it sent to me. I'll be doing a giveaway for my hardback copy very soon.
I was also really excited when Laura Stamps sent me the 3rd volume of her novel A Vampire's Kiss for review - I've really enjoyed the first 2 volumes and am looking forward to finding out what happens next.
What was in your mailbox this week?
What was in your mailbox this week?
Winner: The Island by Sarah Singleton
Sorry I'm a day late announcing the winner but with the help of random.org I can confirm that the winner of The Island by Sarah Singleton is.......
Congratulations Darlyn! I'm about to send you an email so if you can reply with your mailing address I'll get your copy of The Island in the post to you :o) Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway, I have another giveaway coming soon so you'll have another chance to win soon
Darlyn
Congratulations Darlyn! I'm about to send you an email so if you can reply with your mailing address I'll get your copy of The Island in the post to you :o) Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway, I have another giveaway coming soon so you'll have another chance to win soon
April 2010 Recap
Here is the list of books I've read in April. (The links will take you to my reviews)
- Passion Unleashed - Larissa Ione
- You Burn Me - Stella & Audra Price (Novella)
- The Rest Falls Away - Colleen Gleason
- The Prophecy - Gill James
- A Vampire's Kiss Volume 2 - Laura Stamps (Chapters 4-6)
- Hand of Fate - Lis Wiehl with April Henry
- Wolf Flight - Vivian Arend (Novella)
- The Island - Sarah Singleton
- Generation 18 - Keri Arthur
- The Devil's Due - Jenna Black
- First Howl & Second Howl - Vivian Arend (2 free short stories)
- Viola in Reel Life - Adriana Trigiani
- Shift - Rachel Vincent
- Stolen - Kelley Armstrong
- Bloodlust - Larissa Ione (Short Story)
- Weaved for Pleasure - Stella & Audra Price (Short Story)
- His Darkest Hunger - Juliana Stone
- Leaving Paradise - Simone Elkeles
- Beneath A Rising Moon - Keri Arthur
- Kiss of Life - Daniel Waters
- Mistress by Mistake - Maggie Robinson
- Beneath A Darkening Moon - Keri Arthur
- Winterborn - A.D. Roland
- The Iron Hunt - Marjorie M. Liu
- Strange Angels - Lilith Saintcrow
100+ Reading Challenge - Read 79/100
Young Adult Reading Challenge - Read 26/50
Support Your Local Library Challenge - Read 28/25
Terry Pratchett Challenge - Read 1/12
L.J. Smith Reading Challenge (Vampire Diaries) - Read 0/5
Thriller & Suspense Challenge - Read 2/12
New Author Challenge - Read 37/50
Awesome Author Challenge - Read 20/20 COMPLETE
L.J. Smith Reading Challenge (Vampire Diaries) - Read 0/5
Thriller & Suspense Challenge - Read 2/12
New Author Challenge - Read 37/50
Awesome Author Challenge - Read 20/20 COMPLETE
Paranormal Reading Challenge - Read 50/50 COMPLETE
Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge - Read 24/24 COMPLETE
NAC April Mini-Challenge Battle Royale - Read 5/5 COMPLETE
Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge - Read 24/24 COMPLETE
Review: Hard Magic - Laura Anne Gilman
My name’s Bonnie Torres. Recent college grad, magic-user and severely unemployed—until I got a call out of nowhere to interview for a job I hadn’t applied for. It smelled fishy, but the brutal truth was I needed the work,so off I went. Two days later, I’m part of the Private, Unaffiliated, Paranormal Investigations (PUPI) team with four other twenty-somethings, thrown into an entirely new career in forensic magic. The first job we get is a doozy: proving that the deaths of two Talents were murder, not suicide. Worse, there are high-profile people who want us to close up shop and go away. Looks like this job is gonna get interesting. The only problem is, we’re making it up as we go along.… Paranormal Scene Investigations Series:
Hard Magic
Pack of Lies (February 2011)
For more information visit Laura Anne Gilman's website
Review:
Bonnie has recently graduated from college and has started working for the newly formed organisation Private, Unaffiliated Paranormal Investigations (known as PUPI for short). PUPI is the first organisation of it's kind, started to investigate crimes within the magical community. Magic has never been used for forensic investigations before so Bonnie and her colleagues are going to have to learn on the job and make things up as they go along.
Their first job is to investigate the deaths of an elderly couple who both the police and the Council (leaders within the magical community) believe committed suicide. Their daughter is convinced there is no motive for suicide and hires PUPI hoping to find out what really happened to them. The team are going to have to work hard to prove themselves, especially when the magical community are just waiting to see them fail & someone seems determined to make sure that is exactly what happens.
Hard Magic is an enjoyable read and completely different to anything I've read before which I found refreshing. I thought that there would be more action than there was but this didn't stop me enjoying the story. The world Laura Anne Gilman has created is so interesting and populated with such a great selection of characters that I was drawn in completely. Every member of the team has different strenghts and weaknesses and an essential part to play in the investigations.
This book is set in the same world as Laura's Retrievers series - where Bonnie made her first appearance as a minor character - but you don't need to have read this series to enjoy Hard Magic. In fact this is the first book I have read by this author but I'll definitely be checking out the Retrievers books. Overall this was a great start to a new series and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens to the PUPI team in future books.
Source: Recieved for review from publisher via NetGalley
Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.
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