Review: Lord of Chaos - Robert Jordan

Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, strives to bind the nations of the world to his will, to forge the alliances that will fight the advance of the Shadow and to ready the forces of Light for the Last Battle.

But there are other powers that seek to command the war against the Dark One. In the White Tower the Amyrlin Elaida sets a snare to trap the Dragon, whilst the rebel Aes Sedai scheme to bring her down.

And as the realms of men fall into chaos the immortal Forsaken and the servants of the Dark plan their assault on the Dragon Reborn . . .

Wheel of Time Series:
New Spring (Prequel Story but it's recommended to read after Crossroads of Twilight)
The Eye of the World
The Great Hunt
The Dragon Reborn
The Shadow Rising
The Fires of Heaven
Lord of Chaos
A Crown of Swords
The Path of Daggers
Winter's Heart
Crossroads of Twilight
Knife of Dreams
The Gathering Storm
Towers of Midnight
A Memory of Light

Visit the Wheel of Time series website for more information

Review:
After being a bit disappointed with The Fires of Heaven I have to admit I was nervous about picking up Lord of Chaos, especially when I realised it was the largest book in the series so far (a whopping 1040 pages!). I actually put it off for a long time (& fell way behind all my buddy readers) because I was so nervous but apart from a kind of slow start (which, let's face it, most of these books have suffered from) this was much better than the last book. The last third was completely gripping and I actually had trouble turning the pages fast enough.

The Aes Sedai are up to all their old tricks again, and that's both groups of them. They're plotting, conniving and generally meddling in affairs that they should be leaving well alone. Whether you're looking at the traitors in the White Tower or the supposedly good group living in Salidar you have to be very wary of anything they say or do. I honestly don't understand how these women are so well respected, yes they can wield the One Power but they have no clue how to negotiate and I swear if you put a single Aes Sedai alone in a room she'd find a way to have an argument with herself. I just want to start bashing heads together because they're all so stubborn and pigheaded. The way they refuse to listen to anyone, even people who obviously have more knowledge about certain things, just drives me up the wall. Oh and don't even get me started on Alanna, if I was Rand I'd have rung her bloody neck!

Perrin is back which was fantastic, Faile was acting like a brat which wasn't. Berelain is an embarrassment to women the world over and acts like a dirty old pervert. Loial is living in fear since he found out his mother is out of the Steading and on her way to find him (bringing his future wife with her!). Nynaeve has finally stopped getting on my nerves to such a degree (although if she tugs that braid one more time I might have to find a way to climb inside the book and cut it off!) and I actually ended up feeling a tiny bit sorry for her. I'm totally over the weird love square that Rand has got going on, I don't feel the chemistry between him and any of the girls and couldn't care less how they end up working things out. Egwene finds love (considering how huge these books are I'll never understand how Robert Jordan manages to create such ridiculous cases of insta love!) and gets a surprising job offer. Elayne finally stopped flirting with Thom and now sees him more as the father figure he always should have been and Mat is becoming even more awesome. Rand is juggling a lot of different balls and unfortunately on this occasion something major gets past him which lands him in hot water and I'm also extremely worried about the army he is letting Taim build, I just can't see that ending well!

There is just so much going on in this story now, we have a huge number of characters to keep track of but I'm so completely invested in all of them that I have to keep reading to find out what happens next. Six books (and 5,137 pages!) into the series we've spent a lot of time getting to know everyone so love them or hate them and no matter how irritating they can be at times you just have to root for them (well, most of them anyway). So on that note I guess it's time for me to dive into A Crown of Swords.

Source: Purchased

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Review: Lured - Rebecca Chastain

If something threatens a gargoyle, Mika’s confident she can handle it. But can she save the day when it’s Marcus who needs to be rescued?

Receive the novelette Lured for free!

If you’d like to see Mika, Marcus, and Oliver in another adventure, join the newsletter! You’ll receive an email with a link to download Lured so you can start reading today.

If you’re already a newsletter subscriber, you can find the link in the latest email.

READER NOTE: Lured follows Secret of the Gargoyles. To avoid spoilers, finish the Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles before you read this story.

The Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles:
Magic of the Gargoyles
Curse of the Gargoyles
Secret of the Gargoyles
Lured (Free novella)

Terra Haven Chronicles:
(Set in the same world as the Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles but featuring side character Kylie)
Deadlines and Dryads (Novella)

Visit Rebecca Chastain's website for more information

Review:
I love Rebecca Chastain's Gargoyle Guardian's Chronicles and I love it when authors give a little something extra to their fans so Lured appealed to me on several levels. This is a fairly short novella that can be downloaded completely free by fans who sign up to the author's newsletter.

Please be aware that this story is set after the three main books in the series so if you're not up to date then you will get spoilers. I don't think this is a great place to start reading the series because it gives far too much away about events that happen during the book so thats definitely something you should be aware of before picking it up.

Having said that fans of the series are going to love this! It's set not long after the end of Secret of the Gargoyles, in fact it starts with Mika, Marcus and Oliver beginning the journey home after their latest adventure, but they get waylaid by something that has it's sights set on Marcus. It's up to Mika and Oliver to come up with a way to rescue him and it's going to take everything she's got to win the day.

This was a really quick but very fun read, I loved spending more time with these characters and I'm really hoping that this isn't the last we'll see of Mika and her friends. Fingers crossed for more books in the future!

Source: Free story received by signing up to the author's newsletter

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Review: Hidden Blade - Pippa DaCosta

"They call me devil, liar, thief. In whispers, they call me Soul Eater. They’re right. I’m all those things—and more."

Kicked out of the underworld and cursed to walk this earth for all eternity, Ace Dante finds solace in helping others avoid the wrath of the gods.

But when warrior-bitch, Queen of Cats, and Ace's ex-wife, Bastet, hires him to stop whoever is slaughtering her blessed women, Ace is caught between two of the most powerful deities to have ever existed: Isis and Osiris.

The once-revered gods aren’t dead.

They’re back.

And Ace is in their way.

Welcome to a New York where the ancient gods roam.

Soul Eater Series:
Hidden Blade
Witches' Bane
Chase the Dark (Short story in the Full Metal Magic anthology)
See No Evil
Scorpion Trap
Serpent's Game
Edge of Forever

Book Trailer:


Visit Pippa DaCosta's website for more information

Review:
I don't know how she does it but Pippa DaCosta consistently comes up with exciting new ideas and Hidden Blade is a breath of fresh air for urban fantasy fans. Egyptian mythology is fascinating but it's actually very underused in UF so I couldn't be more thrilled about this series. Imagine a modern day New York that is actually run by ancient Egyptian gods who are hiding in plain sight. The mayor and his wife? You might not know to look at them but that's Osiris and his wife (and sister) Isis. They've been married for over 3,000 years so even though they're still crazy in love that's bound to put a strain on any relationship!

Our main character Ace, also known as the Nameless One, is a soul eater and, alongside his business partner Shu, he protects the streets of New York from demons and things that go bump in the night. When his ex-wife Bast (AKA Bastet, goddess of cats and protector of the innocent) asks for his help investigating the murders of a group of pregnant young girls who were living under her protection Ace finds himself caught up in something bigger than he could have imagined. Already trapped in the effects of a powerful curse Ace now ends up with an even bigger target on his back and caught between the sights of two vengeful gods.

This is such a hard book to review because I want to tell you how amazing it is but I don't want to give you spoilers. Pippa DaCosta creates such brilliantly multilayered characters and Ace is one of her best. Thanks to his soul eater abilities he's full of darkness and constantly battles between his desires to devour everyone in his path and his hope to become something more, something better. You'll discover the details of his curse for yourself when you read the book but it's certainly a harsh punishment for his crimes and you can't help but root for him even when he teeters on the edge of doing terrible things. The Egyptian gods are as crazy as they are powerful and you definitely wouldn't want them as an enemy.

Hidden Blade is full of action, the author doesn't shy away from sending her characters to hell and back and I'm not going to lie that makes for a gut wrenching read at times. This book will take you through every emotion you can think of and may turn you into an emotional wreck at times but it is so, so worth it. Brilliant world building, fascinating mythology, wonderful multilayered characters that you will either love or love to hate and a fast moving storyline that will keep you turning the pages until the end - Pippa DaCosta most certainly has another hit on her hands and I for one can't wait to get my hands on the sequel!

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

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Cover Reveal: Bound to Submit - Laura Kaye

Decadent… Sensual… Forbidden…

12 Masters. 12 Desires. 12 Fantasies Come to Life.

Meet the Masters of Blasphemy…

Releasing September 13, 2016, BOUND TO SUBMIT is the first full-length novel in Laura Kaye's Blasphemy Series.

A Note from Laura Kaye:

Dear Readers,

I’m so excited to share my new cover art for Bound to Submit with you today! From the moment I met Detective Kyler Vance in the Hard Ink series, I was intrigued. And from the second I knew Kyler was a Dom in an exclusive club named Blasphemy, I knew I had to learn more. That was the moment the Blasphemy series was born, and now I’m just thrilled at how the whole thing is taking shape – beginning with Bound to Submit, which promises to be scorchingly hot and achingly emotional. I hope you’ll grab your copy. In the meantime, enjoy this amazing cover! And if you haven’t already, get caught up with Hard to Serve, the book that introduces it all!

Sincerely,

Laura Kaye

From the ruins of an abandoned church comes Baltimore’s hottest and most exclusive BDSM club. Twelve Masters. Infinite fantasies. Welcome to Blasphemy…

He thinks he caused her pain, but she knows he’s the only one who can heal her…

Kenna Sloane lost her career and her arm in the Marines, and now she feels like she’s losing herself. Submission is the only thing that ever freed her from pain and made her feel secure, and Kenna needs to serve again. Bad. The only problem is the Dom she wants once refused her submission and broke her heart, but, scarred on the inside and out, she’s not looking for love this time. She’s not even sure she’s capable.

Griffin Hudson is haunted by the mistakes that cost him the only woman he ever loved. Now she’s back at his BDSM club, Blasphemy, and more beautiful than ever, and she’s asking for his help with the pain he knows he caused. Even though he’s scared to hurt her again, he can’t refuse her, because he’d give anything to earn a second chance. And this time, he’ll hold on forever.

"A searingly sexy story with some of the hottest scenes I've read in a long, long time. Laura Kaye shows her mastery of the BDSM world. I'm eagerly anticipating more in this bold new series!"

~ Cherise Sinclair, NYT Bestselling Author of the Masters of the Shadowlands Series

Pre-Order Bound to Submit, releasing 9/13/16

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo

B&N and paperback links to come

Add to your Goodreads

Meet the Masters of Blasphemy in Hard to Serve, now available

Amazon exclusive until September 2016 in paperback and ebook

About Laura Kaye:

Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty-five books in contemporary and paranormal romance and romantic suspense, including the Hard Ink and Raven Riders series. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter SignUp | HARD TO SERVE on Goodreads | BOUND TO SUBMIT on Goodreads

Winner: Allegiance of Honour - Nalini Singh

I'm excited to announce the winner of my latest giveaway today with the help of Rafflecopter.

This lucky winner will be receiving a hardback copy of Allegiance of Honour by Nalini Singh:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Congratulations Donna! I've sent you all an email asking for your address so I can get my contact at Gollancz to send out your book. If I don't hear back from you within 48 hours then a new winner will be chosen.

Thanks so much to Gollancz for sponsoring this giveaway & thanks to everyone who entered. I'm sorry if you didn't win but I'll have more giveaways coming up soon so make sure you check back for another chance to win prizes.

Review: Animal Querkles: A puzzling colour-by-numbers book - Thomas Pavitte

From the creator of the 1000 Dot-to-Dot series comes Querkles Animals, putting an exciting new twist on the classic colour-by-number images that we loved as children. At first, you see nothing but a baffling tangle of circles, but hidden within each puzzle is a furry face waiting to be revealed!

Featuring a menagerie of adorable creatures from chomping chimps to louche giraffes, Querkles Animals provides hours of creative colouring fun for artistic minds of all ages. Choose a dramatic colour scheme to make your Querkle truly unique, discover what's hidden in each puzzle, and create a striking animal portrait that you can easily remove and display.

Querkles Colouring Books:
Animal Querkles
Cat Querkles

Visit Thomas Pavitte's website for more information

Review:
I had never heard of Querkles before but I love adult colouring books so when I was offered this for review on Amazon Vine I put in my request immediately. I have to admit I was a little sceptical about a colour-by-numbers book, sure I loved paint-by-numbers pictures as a child but I was worried it would be far too boring for an adult to colour in. Rest assured this is in no way boring and I'm absolutely loving this colouring book so far!

This book contains 20 different images to colour, all printed on a single sheet of A3 paper that is thick enough to colour with sharpie pens without damaging the next picture in the book. The pages are also perforated to make it easy to tear out the designs you're finished with in case you want to frame and display them. Each image is made up of hundreds of interconnected circles of all different sizes and they're all designed to be coloured in using five different colours or five shades of a single colour. Because of the way the images are created it's actually very difficult to tell before starting what animal you're actually going to be creating but there is a page showing black & grey thumbnails of each finished design at the back if you want to take a sneaky peak. Personally I prefer to be surprised as I start colouring.

This gives you an idea of what the images look like before you get started

So before you get started you'll need to choose 5 colours for your image. They can be shades of the same colour or contrasting colours but you need to line them up from dark to light, 1 being the darkest and 5 being the lightest. I'd personally recommend using pens to colour the image since the area you'll be colouring is on the large side and pen also has the best chance of hiding the numbers once you're complete. I'm not going to lie you can still see the numbers even through my sharpies but from a slight distance they're not really noticeable and they don't detract from the finished image.

This collage shows how the picture gradually begins to take shape as you add each different colour. I absolutely loved watching the finished design come to life and I'm really pleased with the results.

And here's a larger picture of the finished giraffe just because I love how it turned out:

The second image in the book is a camel and although it's not bad I have to admit I don't love this colour scheme as much as the one I used for first picture:

I think the hardest part of this colouring book is actually selecting the colours you want to use but it's also a lot of fun. I'd recommend having some scrap paper on hand to try out different combinations before you start colouring the actual book, especially if you're planning on using bold or unusual colour combinations, so that you can get a better idea of what works and what doesn't. Half the fun of this book is going to be experimenting though so don't be afraid to take risks or try something new.

I've only completed 2 images from this book so far but I'll come back and update this review as I finish others over the next few months.

September 2016: Updated to add another three completed pictures

Source: Received from Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review

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Paperback:

Review: City of Shadows - Pippa DaCosta

~ PLEASE NOTE THAT THE BLURB FOR CITY OF SHADOWS CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST BOOK IN THE SERIES (CITY OF FAE) SO PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHEN READING! ~

Alina knows she is not real – the fae queen spun an evil web to create her – but she wants more than to spend her days feeding off humans' energy to survive. She isn't content to lose herself in the dangerously attractive Reign. She wants a life of her own making.

Desperate to help the man who saved her life, Alina vows to find his missing sister. Alina is convinced that the general of the Fae Authority plays a part in her disappearance. She infiltrates the organisation and gets close to their strongest fighter. But while Samuel's tormented soul and masterful touch stirs in Alina a feeling of being human again, her loyalty to Reign makes her Samuel's enemy. Who should she trust?

This New Adult urban fantasy is packed with action and suspense and will have you yearning for more forbidden fae romance.

London Fae Series:
City of Fae
City of Shadows

Visit Pippa DaCosta's website for more information

Review:
*** Please note that this review will contain spoilers for the first book in the series, City of Fae, so if you're not up to date with the series then I'd advise you not to read any further ***

Alina's life has been turned completely upside down since she discovered the truth about her creation. Knowing she's a construct, a being created by the powerful fae queen, and that the time she has left is limited has left Alina floundering. She may have destroyed her creator rather than carry out the task that she was actually made for but she wants to do something positive with the rest of her life before it's over. She owes her friend, Detective Danny Andrews, a debt for saving her life so she plans to track down his missing fae addicted sister as repayment. She is sure that the General of the Fae Authority was involved in Becky's disappearance so she decides to go undercover with the group to investigate. As she gets pulled deeper into the Fae Authority she finds it harder and harder to figure out who she can trust and when a rogue group of fae help to kick off a dangerous chain of events Alina's loyalty is torn between old friends and new ones.

Alina and Reign have both been through so much and their relationship is understandably strained thanks to the link the queen created between them. Reign is keeping Alina at a distance and she's feeling more alone and desperate than ever. She is struggling to accept the revelations from the end of the last book and it's left her wondering about who she really is and why she even still exists. Alina tries so hard to be a good person but thanks to her heritage she has done some things that can't be undone and it's quite heartbreaking watching her deal with the aftermath of Andrews' addiction to her. I love that she always tries to do the right thing though and I enjoyed seeing her work so hard to try and find a place for herself within the Fae Authority. She makes some fun new friends who I hope we're going to see a lot more of and I wasn't even upset by the introduction of a love triangle (see some authors CAN still pull those off even though they normally make me want to throw my kindle across the room at even a hint of one!).

I was slightly disappointed that we don't see as much of Reign in this book but that was completely understandable considering the way the plot unfolded and the introduction of Samuel, Nyx and Scaw made up for it. It was great to see Alina's confidence grow as she spent time training alongside the rest of the Fae Authority and she's certainly not someone you'd want to go up against now she's come into her own. It isn't easy for her to fit in amongst the other warriors, especially since so many of their members died when they fought her to protect their queen, but she slowly carves out a place for herself and starts to earn their respect.

This series just gets better and better, it's fast paced, full of action and so completely full of twists that you'll have trouble remembering which way is up. Magical creatures are causing mayhem all over London and it is up to Alina and the rest of the Fae Authority to try and stop them. Throw in a group of rogue fae who are up to no good and things are about to go downhill fast. We get to find out a lot more about where the fae came from and how they ended up on earth which was really interesting and it's opened up to take this series in a completely unexpected direction. I can't wait to get my hands on the next instalment and find out where it takes Alina next.

Source: Received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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