Teaser Tuesdays - Alien vs. Alien *

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!


Jeff flipped the lid and jumped to the side.
I had to admit, it wasn't what I'd have guessed in about a thousand years.
(page 117, Alien vs. Alien (ARC) by Gini Koch)

*teaser comes from the uncorrected proof and might be different from the finished book which will release December 4th 2012.

Mark of the Sylph - Book Review by Voodoo Bride

Mark of the Sylph (Demons of Infernum #2)
by Rosalie Lario

What is it about:
Half-demon Taeg is desperate to free his pregnant sister-in-law, who is spellbound to an indestructible book that will create an army of the undead. He is convinced that an ancient sword can destroy the book and the spell forever, but this relic has been hidden for a millennia by a powerful glamour. The clock begins to run out on his search when an old rival goes after the book and Teag's family in his quest for revenge.

Librarian Maya Flores has a secret: she's immune to magic and is well aware of the supernatural beings prowling the streets of New York City. Haunted by a brutal demon attack that took her family, she is on a one-woman mission to destroy the evil demons who did it-and any others who get in her way.

Maya is Taeg's best hope for uncovering the sword. Unfortunately, she wants nothing more than to kill him. As he fights for her trust and to save his family, she is forced to face the truth that not all demons are evil. And the worst part? She might be falling in love with one, too.

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:
This is an enjoyable read as long as you're not expecting too much.

A typical Paranormal Romance this book has all the things you would expect:

- Gorgeous hero who has women fawning over him left and right: check!

- Perfect heroine who's beautiful, smart and who can handle herself in a fight: check!

- Hero and heroine not communicating so things don't get solved when they could: check!

- Villain who is background noise for most of the story and who waits too long before making his move: check!

So yes, this story isn't too original and the action storyline suffers from not enough real obstacles.

Still I enjoyed this book, because I expected these things when picking up this book. It's the perfect read for when you just want an easy Paranormal Romance and you don't care it's full of tropes that are done to death.

I don't think I'll pick up another book in this series though as the writing isn't that great and there's tons of better written PNR out there that's similar when it comes to the story.

Why should you read it:
It's an easy PNR read


This book is currently unavailable in print, but will release with an new cover on 28 March 2013

Some DNF Books

There have been books I picked up and didn't finish.
(The so called DNF (Did Not Finish) books)
Here's three of them and my thoughts on them.


Raven's Shadow (Raven Set #1)
by Patricia Briggs

What is it about:
Seraph is a Raven mage who left behind her responsibilities for the love of the ex-soldier Tier. But when Tier disappears, Seraph must use her magic?and fulfill her ancestors? oath to protect humanity from destruction.

What did I think of it:
I read this book only for 25% and then put it down.

The story isn't bad, but it's a bit slow and stilted. The lead character Seraph didn't really interest me and neither did any of the others. They didn't feel very real to me. I wasn't invested in either the characters or the story.

A shame because I love most anything else Briggs has written.



Embrace (The Violet Eden Chapters #1)
by Jessica Shirvington

What is it about:
Violet Eden dreads her seventeenth birthday. After all, it’s hard to get too excited about the day that marks the anniversary of your mother’s death. As if that wasn’t enough, disturbing dreams haunt her sleep and leave her with very real injuries. There’s a dark tattoo weaving its way up her arms that wasn’t there before.

Violet is determined to get some answers, but nothing could have prepared her for the truth. The guy she thought she could fall in love with has been keeping his identity a secret: he’s only half-human—oh, and same goes for her.

A centuries-old battle between fallen angels and the protectors of humanity has chosen its new warrior. It’s a fight Violet doesn’t want, but she lives her life by two rules: don’t run and don’t quit. When angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden…

What did I think of it:
Sometimes I read other people's reviews about a book and feel like I've read a totally different book than they did.

Embrace is such a book.

I really tried reading it, because most reviews I read were lyrical about the battle between good and evil.

I made it close to the middle of the book and all it was about to me was a girl being thorn between a nice, but dull guy and a typical bad boy. Yup, the ever returning love triangle.

OK: she supposedly was the offspring of angels, but that trope wasn't really used very well in my opinion. Maybe it changed and got really good after the point where I put the book down, but I didn't have the patience and fortitude to stomach anymore of the teen angsty love drama to find out.



Alchemystic (The Spellmason Chronicles #1)
by Anton Strout

What is it about:
Alexandra Belarus is a struggling artist living in New York City, even though her family is rich in real estate, including a towering Gothic Gramercy Park building built by her great-great-grandfather. But the truth of her bloodline is revealed when she is attacked on the street and saved by an inhumanly powerful winged figure. A figure who knows the Belarus name…

Lexi’s great-great-grandfather was a Spellmason—an artisan who could work magic on stone. But in his day, dark forces conspired against him and his, so he left a spell of protection on his family. Now that Lexi is in danger, the spell has awoken her ancestor’s most trusted and fearsome creation: a gargoyle named Stanis.

Lexi and Stanis are equally surprised to find themselves bound to each other. But as they learn to work together, they realize that only united can they save the city they both love…

What did I think of it:
This book is based on a short story Strout wrote in Spells of the City. I picked this book up because I really liked that short story and wanted more.

Yeah...

The gargoyle Stanis is really cool and I kind of liked the story idea, but I seriously disliked Lexi and her friends.

They were bratty and annoying and in Lexi's case even obnoxious at times. I put this book down around page 118 when I realised I really wanted to punch Lexi and her friends.

Although I will confess I'm curious about what happens to Stanis, I really don't feel like reading more about Lexi.



Why should you read these books:
All three of these books do have their moments and my dislikes might not be yours.

First Grave on the Right - Book Review

First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson #1)
by Darynda Jones

What is it about:
Charley sees dead people. That’s right, she sees dead people. And it’s her job to convince them to “go into the light.” But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e. murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she’s been having about an Entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely.

What did I think of it:
I will confess I wasn't too sure about this series. I'm not sure why, but somehow I expected this series to be a bit dull.

Then Melliane told me I really should read it and she even ordered this book for me.

So I finally decided to give this series a try.

And I'm glad I did!

This book is a really cool read. It's funny, full of action and has a very promising romantic set up.

I will confess I'm expecting there might be a love triangle in future books, but for once I actually find I like both possible romantic interests, so I might not mind the love triangle.

I very much liked Charley. She's a sassy and kick-ass heroine and I couldn't help cheering for her even though she did act stupid at times and I couldn't get a good grip on her relationship with her family.

Her abilities as a Grim Reaper are very intriguing and I liked how Jones used Charley's abilities to set up a suspenseful story.

All in all I'm hooked and I will certainly pick up the next book in this series without being prompted to do so by others ;-)

Why should you read it:
It's a fun and suspenseful UF read

The Mysterious Madam Morpho - Book Review by Voodoo Bride

The Mysterious Madam Morpho (Blud #1.5)
by Delilah S. Dawson
(ebook, novella)

What is it about:
Taking place after Wicked as They Come, this original eBook features a mysterious lady and a reclusive mechanical genius who find love and danger in a traveling circus.

An elusive woman arrives at Criminy’s doorstep with a steamer trunk, begging for a position in the caravan to perform her unique new act. She opens her trunk to reveal a menagerie of brilliantly colored butterflies. The woman, who calls herself Madam Morpho, is on the run from a dark past in London, where she was forced to leave her equipment behind and abscond with only her tiny performers. Playing a hunch, Criminy hires Madam Morpho on the spot. Taking her down to meet Mr. Murdoch, the reclusive talented engineer who keeps the carnival’s clockworks running, Criminy instructs them to work together to design and build a groundbreaking new circus for the butterflies. Amid the magical ambiance of the circus and the hint of danger from Madam Morpho’s pursuers, she and Mr. Murdoch soon find that their scientific collaboration has produced chemistry of a more romantic kind.

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:
I really enjoyed this story.

The first chapter was from Criminy and Letitia's point of view, but after that it changes to Imogen's (Madam Morpho) point of view.

I liked Imogen from the start, even though it is clear she has many secrets. I wanted to learn more about her and what had happened to her.

Mr Murdoch was very intriguing as well. He's a complicated character with some secrets of his own. Being a recluse he hides away in his caravan surrounded by the most amazing and cool inventions and contraptions.

Mr. Murdoch is introduced with a gorgeous beard and that made me pause. I know just what happens to most beards in romantic stories. And this story wasn't much different: the beard doesn't make it to the end of the story! It's a good thing I've learned not to get too attached to beards in stories like this.

That point aside, I very much enjoyed the developing romance between Imogen and Mr. Murdoch. It was sweet and heartwarming. I do think it went a bit fast at the beginning, especially because Mr. Murdoch has been a recluse for many years, but this is a novella after all, so I can forgive this speedy start to an otherwise well timed romance.

The action and suspense storyline fit in well with the romance and all in all this was a very satisfying novella that makes me hungry for more tales set in the grim fairytale world that is Sang.

Why should you read it:
It's a sweet and magical romance


Buy The Mysterious Madam Morpho here

Three Card Monte - Book Review

Three Card Monte (The Martian Alliance #2)
by Gini Koch
(ebook, novella)

What is it about:
A risky gamble turns deadly when the galaxy's most feared terrorist arrives to up the ante.

When their favorite bookie pulls up stakes from Roulette and moves to Polliworld, the crew of the Hummingbird go to find out why, and hopefully get a cut of the action, but they end up caught in a high stakes game of chance that could destroy them.

What did I think of it:
Gini Koch manages to deliver a fun story full of action, deception and misdirection.

The Hummingbird and her crew manage to get themselves in hot water without even trying, but luckily they are a creative bunch and especially Dee Dee always has a plan at hand to save the day.

I really like the world building Gini does for this series and fell in love with Polliworld. I hope the Hummingbird will have reason to visit this planet more often.

The cast of characters is diverse and all of the crew from the Hummingbird are interesting and it was great to get to know some of them a bit better in this story. So far my absolute favorite besides Dee Dee (the lead character) is Bullfrog, and yes: his name really fits him.

I very much enjoyed this story and I'm looking forward to the next adventure of Dee Dee and her friends. I can advise this story to anyone who loves SciFi with a healthy dose of humor and mayhem.

Why should you read it:
It's a fun and fast SciFi adventure


Buy Three Card Monte here

Teaser Tuesdays - Red-Headed Stepchild

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!


And now I had some freaking red-eyed owl following me around - not to mention a demon roommate sent by some weirdo mage stalker. In other words, I had a plate full of crap to worry about.
(page 55, Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells)