Review: Midnight in Death - J.D. Robb

An exclusive J.D. Robb short story.

Eve's name has made a Christmas list, but it's not for being naughty or nice. It's for putting a serial killer behind bars. Now he's escaped and has her in his sights.

With her husband, Roarke, at her side, Eve must stop this madman from exacting his bloody vengeance - or die trying...

Set between Holiday in Death and Conspiracy in Death.

In Death Series:
Naked in Death
Glory in Death
Immortal in Death
Rapture in Death
Ceremony in Death
Vengeance in Death
Holiday in Death
Midnight in Death (Novella)
Conspiracy in Death
Loyalty in Death
Witness in Death
Judgement in Death
Betrayal in Death
Interlude in Death (Novella)
Seduction in Death
Reunion in Death
Purity in Death
Portrait in Death
Imitation in Death
Big Jack (Available in the Remember When Anthology or separately)
Divided in Death
Visions in Death
Survivor in Death
Origin in Death
Memory in Death
Haunted in Death (Novella)
Born in Death
Innocent in Death
Creation in Death
Eternity in Death (Novella)
Strangers in Death
Salvation in Death
Ritual in Death (Novella)
Promises in Death
Kindred in Death
Missing in Death (Novella)
Fantasy in Death
Indulgence in Death
Possession in Death (Novella)
Treachery in Death
New York to Dallas
Chaos in Death (Novella)
Celebrity in Death
Delusion in Death
Calculated in Death
Thankless in Death
Taken in Death (Novella available in the Mirror, Mirror anthology or separately)
Concealed in Death
Festive in Death
Obsession in Death
Devoted in Death
Wonderment in Death (Novella)
Brotherhood in Death
Apprentice in Death
Echoes in Death
Secrets in Death
Dark in Death
Leverage in Death
Connections in Death
Vendetta in Death
Golden in Death

Visit J.D. Robb's website for more information.

Review:
Midnight In Death is available either as an individual ebook, or, as a bind up in print or ebook, that also includes the novella Interlude in Death. I read it as part of the bind up but I'm going to review both stories separately as I'm not far enough along in the series to read the second novella yet.

Midnight in Death is a novella set almost immediately after the end of Holiday in Death. Eve has just solved one major case and now she's hoping to enjoy what's left of the holidays with Roarke. Unfortunately for them both a serial killer has just escaped from prison and the first targets on his list are the people who helped put him behind bars - which includes both Eve and Mira. Eve is going to have to work fast if she wants to save her friend and Roarke isn't going to leave his wife to face this danger alone. Not when she's still recovering from her last case.

This may be shorter than most of the stories in this series but J.D. Robb doesn't skimp on the amount of danger that Eve faces as she tries to bring a murderer to justice, in fact this case is even more personal than most when one of her very few friends, Mira, becomes a target. This serial killer is even more sadistic than most and likes to take his time torturing his victims but even though they know who they are looking for he always seems to be one step ahead meaning this won't be an easy capture.

As always I really enjoyed this story, it's always a treat to spend time with Eve and Roarke and characters like Peabody and McNab add plenty of humour to what could be quite a dark story thanks to the gruesome murders. There isn't much development in Eve's various relationships in this one since it's shorter than normal but there were a couple of stand out moments between her and Mira and also with Roarke that make this well worth reading before moving onto the next full length book in the series.

Source: Purchased

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.

Midnight in Death Kindle Or Bind Up Paperback / Kindle that also includes Interlude in Death:

Review: Holiday in Death - J.D. Robb

She smelled it, fresh death. Both metallic and fruity. Easing the door all the way open, she found it . . .

It's Christmas-time in New York City, but homicide lieutenant Eve Dallas struggles to get into the holiday spirit. Finding a woman strangled to death by a murderous Santa doesn't help. And he's left behind a present: a partridge in a pear tree, pinned to the victim's hair.

With a creeping dread, Eve watches the bodies mount and realises the key - the killer is counting down the twelve days to Christmas. And there is only one connection. The victims had been using the same dating service.

Eve enters a dark world where searching for The One is fraught with terror, leaving her racing to find the murderer, as things get much too close to home.

In Death Series:
Naked in Death
Glory in Death
Immortal in Death
Rapture in Death
Ceremony in Death
Vengeance in Death
Holiday in Death
Midnight in Death (Novella)
Conspiracy in Death
Loyalty in Death
Witness in Death
Judgement in Death
Betrayal in Death
Interlude in Death (Novella)
Seduction in Death
Reunion in Death
Purity in Death
Portrait in Death
Imitation in Death
Big Jack (Available in the Remember When Anthology or separately)
Divided in Death
Visions in Death
Survivor in Death
Origin in Death
Memory in Death
Haunted in Death (Novella)
Born in Death
Innocent in Death
Creation in Death
Eternity in Death (Novella)
Strangers in Death
Salvation in Death
Ritual in Death (Novella)
Promises in Death
Kindred in Death
Missing in Death (Novella)
Fantasy in Death
Indulgence in Death
Possession in Death (Novella)
Treachery in Death
New York to Dallas
Chaos in Death (Novella)
Celebrity in Death
Delusion in Death
Calculated in Death
Thankless in Death
Taken in Death (Novella available in the Mirror, Mirror anthology or separately)
Concealed in Death
Festive in Death
Obsession in Death
Devoted in Death
Wonderment in Death (Novella)
Brotherhood in Death
Apprentice in Death
Echoes in Death
Secrets in Death
Dark in Death
Leverage in Death
Connections in Death
Vendetta in Death
Golden in Death

Visit J.D. Robb's website for more information.

Review:
With the holidays fast approaching and Eve still not fully recovered from previous injuries you might think she'd be taking things easy work-wise but murderers never rest and the latest serial killer she's chasing seems to have a goal they want to achieve by Christmas. Dressing as Santa to gain access to the victims and leaving behind trinkets linked to the Twelve Days of Christmas song it looks like they're going to have bodies piling up very quickly if Eve doesn't manage to figure things out fast enough.

As always with this series the murders were gruesome, the suspense kept me guessing and the story was fast paced and easy to read. As much as I enjoy the mystery element my favourite parts are definitely the ongoing relationship development between Eve and Roarke, they're coming up on their first ever Christmas together and Roarke is determined to start some new holiday traditions and give them both the Christmas that they never had as children.

Eve on the other hand is panicking about having so many important people in her life to buy gifts for, as if choosing presents for her friends wasn't hard enough she has to try and come up with something for Roarke, the man who literally already owns everything anyone could possibly want! I really loved the way she sneaked her shopping in around catching a serial killer, she would be interviewing potential witnesses one second and then being gifts the next in perfect Eve efficiency.

Add in the banter between Peabody and McNab and there was plenty of humour to give relief from all the death and destruction. Sparks are already flowing between those two and no matter how much Peabody claims to hate him I have a feeling that things will really start to heat up in the not too distant future!

It's going to take me a while to catch up with the books in this series but I'm still quite excited that I have so much more to look forward to.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
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Review: Matilda - Roald Dahl

"So Matilda's strong young mind continued to grow, nurtured by the voices of all those authors who had sent their books out into the world like ships on the sea. These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone."

Matilda is the world's most famous bookworm, no thanks to her ghastly parents.

Her father thinks she's a little scab. Her mother spends all afternoon playing bingo.

And her headmistress, Miss Trunchbull?

She's the worst of all.

She's a big bully, who thinks all her pupils are rotten and locks them in the dreaded Chokey.

Despite these beastly grownups trying to push her down, Matilda is an extraordinary girl with a magical mind.

And she's had enough.

So all the terrible adults had better watch out, because she's going to teach them a lesson they'll never forget!

Visit Roald Dahl's website for more information

Review:
I was a huge Roald Dahl fan as a child, I think I had nearly all of his books and they were stories I'd read over and over again so it's very hard for me to be objective about them now as an adult. It's funny because on the surface Matilda should have been my favourite of his books - its about a little girl who loves reading and spending time in the library which was totally me as a child and if I'm honest still describes me now LOL - but I think my heart had already been stolen by the BFG and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory so I only read this one a handful of times. It wasn't until the movie released that I really started to appreciate this story and it's impossible to reread this now as an adult without picturing Mara Wilson as Matilda.

There's just something special about all of Roald Dahl's books but Matilda really is one of his most well loved characters and there's a very good reason for that. She's an intelligent child who doesn't fit in at home and whose parents definitely don't appreciate her but she finds a magical place when she discovers the local library and teaches herself to read. Her love of books and reading is something all bookworms will appreciate but I also love her constant search for knowledge and her excitement about getting to attend school for the first time.

The relationship she develops with her teacher Miss Honey is heartwarming and desperately needed after we've seen how badly she is treated by her parents. Then of course there is the terrifying headmistress Mrs Trunchbull who runs her school more like a prison until Matilda dishes out some much deserved punishment of her own.

I loved revisiting this story and I think I appreciated it so much more now that I'm an adult. The movie will always hold a special place in my heart but now the book does too. It's hard to believe that this story is 30 years old this year and I absolutely love the newly updated covers designed by the original illustrator Quentin Blake. His drawings throughout the book add so much to the story and I love the way he's imagined some of the exciting jobs that Matilda could have chosen for the new anniversary editions. I'm very, very tempted to collect the set but I'm not sure my already straining book cases can take the pressure.

Matilda as Chief Executive of the British Library, a World Traveller or an Astrophysicist on the new 30th Anniversary Hardbacks.

And just because I can here's the movie trailer!



Source: Purchased

Other reviews of this book:
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Paperback / Kindle / 30th Anniversary Hardbacks:

Review: Barbarian's Prize - Ruby Dixon

It’s hard being the most popular girl on the ice planet. The alien men are falling all over themselves to impress me in the hopes that I’ll take them to my furs. But they don’t know my secrets – none of them do. And they don’t realize that behind my smile, I just wish they’d go away.

I don’t want any of them. I want someone else – someone with a gorgeous blue body, big horns, and the most intense gaze ever. He’s the only one that knows the truth. Maybe with him, I can work through my fears of the past…. but I’m pretty sure he wants more than just friendship.

He wants forever, and I’m not sure I can give it.

Ice Planet Barbarians:
Ice Planet Barbarians
Barbarian Alien
Barbarian Lover
Barbarian Mine
Ice Planet Holiday (Novella)
Barbarian's Prize
Barbarian's Mate
Having the Barbarian's Baby (Short Story)
Ice Ice Babies (Short Story)
Barbarian's Touch
Calm: Slice of Life (Short Story)
Barbarian's Taming
After Shock: Slice of Life (Short Story)
Barbarian's Heart
Barbarian's Hope
Barbarian's Choice
Barbarian's Redemption
Barbarian's Lady
Prison Planet Barbarian
Barbarian's Rescue
Barbarian's Tease
The Corsair's Captive
The Barbarian Before Christmas (Novella)

Icehome Series:
(Set in the same world as the Ice Planet Barbarians series but introducing new characters)
Lauren's Barbarian

Visit Ruby Dixon's website for more information

Review:
Tiffany is one of the few remaining human women yet to find a mate and because of that she's receiving a lot of attention from the single males in the cave, all of whom are hoping she'll resonate with them. The last thing Tiffany wants or needs is a man though and after the brutal rape she suffered while they were still captives on the alien ship all this extra attention makes her extremely uncomfortable.

Salukh takes a very different approach to the other males so rather than competing for her attention and being brazen about what he wants from her instead he takes the time to get to know her and become her friend. He goes out of his way to bring her things he knows she'll find interesting and he never pressures her to spend time with him when she needs space. I loved how patient he was with her and really enjoyed the slow build nature of the romance that develops between them.

I'm not a fan of rape being used as a plot device in stories, especially romance, so I was a little worried going in but overall I think Ruby Dixon dealt with Tiffany's past quite realistically. She's been through a huge emotional trauma and its no wonder she finds even the thought of getting physical with a man (well alien in this case LOL) terrifying. I'll admit that once she starts to admit her feelings for Salukh things escalate quite quickly but I can forgive that in this series, especially when you have a hero as gentle and patient as Salukh was.

This series is one of my guilty pleasures that I pick up when I'm in the mood for something light and fun but with a nice amount of heat - I just can't seem to get enough of these big, blue, furry aliens! - so I'm already looking forward to the next book which I believe will finally be Josie and Haeden's story.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
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Review: Shadow of the Fox - Julie Kagawa

A single wish will spark a new dawn. 

Every millennium, the missing pieces of the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers are hunted, for they hold the power to call the great Kami Dragon and ask for any one wish.

As a temple burns to the ground Yumeko escapes with its greatest treasure - the first piece of the scroll. And when fate thrusts her into the path of a mysterious samurai, she knows he seeks what she has.

Kage is under orders to kill those who stand in his way but will he be able to complete his mission? Will this be the dawn that sees the dragon wake?

Enter a beautiful and perilous land of shapeshifters and samurai, kami and legends, humans and demons... A world in which Japanese mythology and imagination blend together.

Shadow of the Fox series:
Shadow of the Fox
Soul of the Sword
Night of the Dragon

Visit Julie Kagawa's website for more information.

Review:
Once in every millennium the person who holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers has the power to call upon the great Kami Dragon and make one wish. For the safety of the world the Scroll has been torn into pieces and each section is held by a different group of protectors. Yumeko is a young, half-kitsune, girl who has been raised by monks in the Silent Winds temple who secretly guard one of the pieces. When the temple comes under attack by demons she is tasked with the important job of taking the scroll piece to safety.

Tatsumi trained from birth as a samurai learning to control a powerful cursed sword so he could become the Kage Demonslayer. He has been tasked with tracking down the pieces of the scroll and told he must to whatever it takes to bring them home to the head of his family. When Tatsumi and Yumeko meet she tricks him into believing she can lead him to the first part of the scroll but what will happen if he realises that she has been carrying the piece with her all along?

I really enjoyed Shadow of the Fox, its the first instalment in Julie Kagawa's new series and I love how different each of the worlds she creates are. This is a magical world based on Japanese mythology full of all kinds of yokai & kami supernatural creatures, some I recognised and others that were completely new to me. Yumeko and Tatsumi are hunted by demons and monsters at every turn as they travel in search of the hidden temple and you never know quite what will be thrown at the reluctant allies next.

Yumeko has had a very sheltered upbringing so she is quite naive and sweet and often far more trusting than she should be but she also has an incredibly mischievous streak and some fun illusion abilities that are going to make her a force to be reckoned with as she grows into her powers. Tatsumi on the other hand is much harder, he's been raised to be a warrior and taught not to trust anyone or let anyone get too close so he's much more aloof and wary than Yumeko. He wields a cursed sword that is possessed by the demon Hakaimono and it takes a lot of willpower to use the sword without letting the demon get inside his own head. As they fight alongside each other during the search for the hidden temple they have to learn to trust each other and what I really enjoyed was that it wasn't always Tatsumi who saved the day, there were times when Yumeko's skills were just as important in keeping them both alive.

This is a slow build story with absolutely fantastic world building that takes readers on a journey across a beautifully described fantasy land. I was captivated with this book from the beginning and didn't want to put it down for a minute. I loved both Yumeko and Tatsumi but we also meet some fantastic side characters and I really enjoyed the occasional chapters we got from Sumi's point of view. I have a feeling this series is going to become a firm favourite so I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of Soul of the Sword next year!

Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
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Paperback / Kindle

Don't forget to check out the rest of the stops on the Shadow of the Fox blog tour:

Review: Dreams Made Flesh - Anne Bishop

The Black Jewels Trilogy established Anne Bishop as an author whose "sublime skill...blend[s] the darkly macabre with spine-tingling emotional intensity"(SF Site). Now, the saga continues in this collection that includes four more adventures of Jaenelle and her kindred...

Jaenelle is the most powerful Witch ever known, centuries of hopes and dreams made flesh at last. She has forged ties with three of the realm's mightiest Blood warriors: Saetan, the High Lord of Hell, who trains Jaenelle in magic and adopts her as his daughter; Lucivar, the winged Eyrien warlord who becomes her protector; and the near-immortal Daemon, born to be Witch's lover. Jaenelle has assumed her rightful place as Queen of the Darkness and restored order and peace to the realms, but at a terrible cost.

Collected here are the beguiling stories about the origin of the mystical Jewels, the forbidden passion between Lucivar and a simple hearth witch, the clash between Saetan and a Priestess, and the choice Jaenelle must make, between her magic and happiness with Daemon...

The Black Jewels Series:
Daughter of the Blood
Heir to the Shadows
Queen of the Darkness
The Invisible Ring
Dreams Made Flesh
Tangled Webs
The Shadow Queen
Shalador's Lady
Twilight's Dawn

Visit Anne Bishop's website for more information

Review:
Dreams Made Flesh is a collection of short stories and novellas set in the world of Anne Bishop's Black Jewel series, the stories add in some extra backstory and also work as an extended epilogue to the original trilogy so I wouldn't recommend reading this book until after Queen of the Darkness. If you enjoyed the first three books then I'm sure you'll love this collection though, it gives so much more insight into some of the character's backstories and I loved getting a chance to spend more time with some of my favourites.

Let's talk about each story individually though to give you an idea what to expect:

Weaver of Dreams:
This is set well before the beginning of the series and gives a bit more insight into the dream weaver spiders. The story is very short and I have to admit I didn't enjoy it as much as the others in this collection but it was interesting to read something from the point of view of a spider.

The Prince of Ebon Rih:
In my opinion it would be worth buying this book for this story alone, I loved Lucivar's character in the original trilogy but even though I was glad that he had found a HEA I was disappointed we didn't get to see it happen for ourselves. This story fits into the timeline during Queen of the Darkness and lets us see how Lucivar and Marian first met and fell in love. They meet under dark circumstances but their actual romance was really sweet and heartwarming and I loved the way Marian stood up for Lucivar against an unwanted rival.

Zuulaman:
Another fab story this gives us a bit more background into the relationship between Saetan and Hekatah long before Daemon or Lucivar were born. This was pretty heartbreaking and made me love Saetan more than ever even though he takes truly drastic measures to get revenge after something horrendous happens. It never ceases to amaze me how low Hekatah is willing to sink in her quest for power but this shows us exactly why she's so terrified of Saetan throughout the series, he really isn't someone you should mess with!

Kaeleer’s Heart:
This story is like an extended epilogue to Queen of the Darkness that shows us the fallout from Jaenelle's sacrifice both physically and emotionally. There's no denying what she did saved the world but the aftermath put a lot of strain on the relationship between Jaenelle and Daemon that they now need to work through in order to move forward. I really enjoyed seeing how Jaenelle was affected by what happened and how all of the family reacted to that. I also really liked how this story tied back in with The Prince of Ebon Rih with the reappearance of a certain character who desperately needed to get her comeuppance. I'll never get enough of this world or these characters so was thrilled with this glimpse into their happily ever after.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
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Review: The Invisible Ring - Anne Bishop

New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop returns to the world of her Black Jewels Trilogy with a prequel that follows a man who is determined to rebel against the course set before him...

Jared is a Red-Jeweled Warlord bound as a pleasure slave by the Ring of Obedience. After suffering nine years of torment as a slave, he murdered his owner and escaped—only to be caught and sold into slavery once again.

Purchased by a notorious queen, Jared fears he will share the mysterious fate of her other slaves—never to be seen again—and so prepares himself for death. But the Gray Lady may not be what she seems and Jared soon faces a difficult decision: his freedom, or his honor...

The Black Jewels Series:
Daughter of the Blood
Heir to the Shadows
Queen of the Darkness
The Invisible Ring
Dreams Made Flesh
Tangled Webs
The Shadow Queen
Shalador's Lady
Twilight's Dawn

Visit Anne Bishop's website for more information

Review:
I have to admit I was a little disappointed when I realised that The Invisible Ring is actually a prequel to the first 3 books in the Black Jewels series and is about a whole new set of characters that I don't remember being mentioned previously. I was excited to be back in this world but I love Jaenelle, Daemon, Lucivar and Saetan so much and was sad we weren't getting to spend more time with them. Having said that I still found myself really enjoying this story and we do get a few glimpses of Daemon that show how he was always trying to defy Dorothea in any way he could long before Jaenelle came along!

This story introduces us to Jared, a Red-Jewelled Warlord who has been kept as a pleasure slave thanks to the Ring of Obedience. He's already escaped once only to be recaptured and sold back into slavery so he is extremely unhappy to find himself being purchased by a Queen who is known to kill her slaves. The Gray Lady may have purchased Jared but it quickly becomes clear that not everything about her is what it first seems. Perhaps if Jared can look beyond the surface he'll find a Queen he is actually willing to bond himself to but with Dorothea trying to capture the Gray Lady and her entire party they have to find a way to work together if they want to survive.

This story wasn't quite as dark as the previous three, yes it's still a world where rape and torture is considered normal in certain circles (you can thank Dorothea and her like for that one!) but there are people who still respect the old ways and know that women and men have an equally important role to play in a happy and productive society. Just because some people have twisted the system doesn't mean everyone is like that but it can be very hard to know who can be trusted. I actually really enjoyed the chance to see what a real Queen should be like, one who will protect her people at any cost to herself and who wouldn't dream of hurting the people who depend on her. Jaenelle is the same but she started out as a damaged child and had to learn the old ways after being horrendously abused so it was a little different for her.

While this wasn't my favourite book in the series so far I'm glad I read it and I'm now excited to see what else Anne Bishop has in store for us and this world that she's created.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
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