Unshapely Things (Connor Grey #1) by Mark Del Franco

Unshapely Things by Mark Del Franco


From the Publisher
In the alleys of the decrepit Boston neighborhood known as the Weird, fairy prostitutes are turning up dead. The crime scenes show signs of residual magic, but the Guild, which polices the fey, has more "important" crimes to investigate and dumps the case on human law enforcement.

Boston police call in Connor Grey, a druid and former hotshot Guild investigator-whose magical abilities were crippled after a run-in with a radical environmentalist elf. As Connor battles red tape and his own shortcomings, he realizes that the murders are not random, but part of an ancient magical ritual. And if Connor can't figure out the killer's M.O., the culmination of the spell might just bring about a worldwide cataclysm.

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a good book. It took me a little while to get into it, but that was because it is a new series by a new author and I often find the whole set up of a series and the details of the world a bit boring. The premise is modern day Boston where Faerie has merged with our world in the past, bringing all sorts of magical creatures with it. I quite enjoyed the fact that this Urban Fantasy is all about magical creatures, and does not have the normal vamps, weres, etc in it.



The author does a good job setting up the background for this new series if you can get past the basic set up. The characters are very strongly developed and I really like the flits, especially Stinkwort/Joe.



Connor Grey reminds me a bit of Harry Dresden, but only because he is a bit of an inept magic user. Connor is not a wizard, but a Druid and he has lost his magical abilities due to an accident involving and elf, a nuclear power plant and a magical ring. Since he can no longer work for the Guild (kind of a magical police force) he helps out the Boston PD on cases that involve the Fey.



As the story became more involved I really began enjoying it more and more. The last quarter of the book was even a 'can't put it down' read. I really look forward to the next book in the series in the hopes that the author continues with his trend towards a great Urban Fantasy series.


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Claimed By Shadow by Karen Chance

Claimed By Shadow by Karen Chance


From the Publisher
Clairvoyant Cassie Plamer has inherited new magical powers-including the ability to travel through time. But it's a whole lot of responsibility she'd rather not have. Now she's the most popular girl in town, as an assortment of vamps, fey, and mages try to convince, force, or seduce her-and her magic-over to their side. But one particular master vampire didn't ask what Cassie wanted before putting a claim on her. He had a spell cast that binds her to him, and now she doesn't know if what she feels for him is real-or imagined...

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Excellent book. It has been a while since I have read a 'so good you can not put it down' book, but this one qualified!!



This book takes up right where the first, 'Touch the Dark' left off. We follow Cassie on an action filled adventure in her attempt to avoid becoming the new Pythia. The book starts off with breathtaking action and never lets up, right to the ending.



The author worked out the few wrinkles that hindered her first book -- no long winded vamp politics to bore us this time around!!



This is one of the better Urban Fantasies that I have read recently and I am looking forward to the release of the next in the series!!


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Feast of Fools (The Morganville Vampires, Book 4) by Rachel Caine

Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine



From the Publisher

The wait is over. dig into the feast...

In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans live in relative peace. Student Claire Danvers has never been convinced, though—especially with the arrival of Mr. Bishop, an ancient, old-school vampire who cares nothing about harmony. What he wants from the town's living and its dead is unthinkably sinister. It's only at a formal ball, attended by vampires and their human dates, that Claire realizes the elaborately evil trap he's set for Morganville.

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
So when does the next one come out? How can authors end books like this and make us wait?



Great chapter in the story of the Morganville Vampires. This book takes right up where the last one leaves off. It takes a little bit to get going but when it does, wow!!



A new Vamp comes to town, Bishop -- Amelie's father. He is on a mission and it is up to Claire and her friends to help stop him from destroying Morganville and everyone in it.



Excellent story and I can not wait for the next book to come out!!!


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Touch the Dark (Cassie Palmer Book 1) by Karen Chance

Touch the Dark by Karen Chance



From the Publisher
Cassandra Palmer can see the future and communicate with spirits-talents that make her attractive to the dead and the undead. The ghosts of the dead aren't usually dangerous; they just like to talk...a lot. The undead are another matter.

Like any sensible girl, Cassie tries to avoid vampires. But when the bloodsucking Mafioso she escaped three years ago finds Cassie again with vengeance on his mind, she's forced to turn to the vampire Senate for protection. The undead senators won't help her for nothing, and Cassie finds herself working with one of their most powerful members, a dangerously seductive master vampire-and the price he demands may be more than Cassie is willing to pay...

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a really good book. The characters are well developed and the main character is a strong woman who is trying to be in control of her life. Cassie is a young woman who has been raised in the world of the Supernatural by a ruthless, cold blooded vampire, who had her parents killed when she was young so that he could control Cassie. But while she knows about vamps and their politics, a lot of what she encounters is new to her.



The plot is interesting, although the author does tend to get a little long winded about the vampire politics and gets boring at times, but over all there is a lot of action and very little romance (although there is some sex), which I prefer in my paranormal books.



Overall a great read and I am very excited to be able to go right on to the next book in the series.


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Begin Again (Remnants No. 14) by Katherine Applegate

Begin Again by Katherine Applegate


From the Publisher
The end of the world has come and gone, leaving only ruins, and the Remnants. This is the final chapter in their saga. The Remnants, Marauders, and Alphas are being summoned by the Source. Unsure of the future, and weary from the past, the group travels.But not everyone trusts the power and promise of the Source. Can it truly bring life back to planet Earth? Will the Remnants survive to tell the tale of the Rock--the times before and the times after? Only the Source knows if the universe will end, or begin again. All will be revealed.

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Great ending to the story of the Remnants. I was a little concerned that I would not be happy with the ending, but it all came together and ended in a good way. All in all a great series and a fun read.


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Rogue by Rachel Vincent

Rogue by Rachel Vincent



From the Publisher
I know that better than most. Since rejoining the Pride, I've made big decisions and even bigger mistakes: the kind paid for with innocent lives. As the first and only female enforcer, I have plenty to prove to my father, the Pride and myself. And with murdered toms turning up in our territory, I'm working harder than ever, though I always find the energy for a little after-hours recreation with Marc, my partner both on and off duty.
But not all my mistakes are behind me. We're beginning to suspect that the dead are connected to a rash of missing human women and that they can all be laid at my feet—two or four, take your pick. And one horrible indiscretion may yet cost me more than I can bear.…

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Excellent book. I liked Stray and I 'really' liked Rogue. I liked Faythe a lot better in this book, although I still find myself annoyed at her immaturity when it comes to Marc, but her character was better developed and more likeable this time around. Enjoyed the storyline and figuring out the twist. Can not wait until the next in the series comes out this fall -- "Pride".


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Survival (Remnants #13) by KA Applegate

From the Publisher
Tate is fighting for her life. Honey, Duncan and Charlie are mysteriously transforming into slime creatures and they are desperate to "recycle" all of the living cells -- into their own bodies. But Tate has something Honey wants even more than cells. She'll manage to save her life by forging a strange alliance with these creatures. Tate is haunted by a strange reoccurring dream of the renewed Earth. Do the dreams mean Tate can use the powerful ship to undo the devastation caused by the Rock?

My Opinion
In this book we follow Tate as she is left alone on Mother when Yago and the Trioke take over and leave the other Remnants stranded on a destroyed Earth. Very interesting chapter and I can not wait to see how it all ends in the last book.

From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris

From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris



From the Publisher
After the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina and the man-made explosion at the vampire summit, everyone —-- human and otherwise -- is stressed, including Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse, who is trying to cope with the fact that her boyfriend Quinn has gone missing.

It's clear that things are changing, whether the weres and vamps of her corner of Louisiana like it or not. And Sookie -- Friend to the Pack and blood-bonded to Eric Northman, leader of the local vampire community -- is caught up in the changes.

In the ensuing battles, Sookie faces danger, death, and once more, betrayal by someone she loves. And when the fur has finished flying and the cold blood finished flowing, her world will be forever altered.

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
This latest book in the Sookie Stackhouse series was not nearly as good as the last one, but it was okay. Lots of stuff going on, a Were war, a Vamp takeover, new roomates, new family members, but no one big storyline. Just lots of little bits and pieces that came together to make an interesting chapter in Sookie's life. But the end left everything wide open for the next novel, that I am sure will be too long coming, for me. Good read, but not great!


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