Recent Books Read

Waking Up Married by Mira Lyn Kelly:

It’ a pretty hokey start: hot, rich bachelor determines a girl he meets in Vegas is his ideal mate, computer programmer girl approaches said bachelor and asks him to play along. See, she approached him to get her fellow bridesmaids off  her back. Boy convinces girl to marry him because “his plan is better” (she wants to have a baby and is planning artificial insemination. Both are anti-romance but hero still does some wooing as they get to know each other. Blah blah blah, predictable, mediocre writing. I don’t read romances for the “surprise” of oh-my-goodness-are-they-really-going-to-get-together? I do, however expect something fresh, really good dialogue, likeable characters. The author didn’t deliver; I didn’t really care about either character and honestly got frustrated with the two of them.

Rating: 2.5 stars

 

Black Lament by Christina Henry

This picks up right after the events of the last book (Warning! Spoilers for previous books in this review). Granddaddy Lucifer comforts a grieving Maddy at the beginning of the book and gives readers a shock. Since the author loves to put Maddy through the wringer, not much time passes until she’s presented with several impossible obstacles. Nathaniel is an active part of this book, along with her normal crew of Beezle, Samiel and J.B.

Azazel is just as vile as before, but thankfully, we do not encounter him very much. Throw in some more Faerie shenanigans and Agency politics and you have an action-packed book. Maddy begins down a dark path in this book and I’m not certain she will be returning to her previous way of life. That said, I’m a bit intrigued with where the author is headed with the series as some really big events occur at the end. Big. Huge. Still can’t tell which guy she will choose, but it appears it will be Nathaniel or JB (I totally called that in Book 1!  Gabriel was just very boring.).

If you like supernatural-themed books with a lot of action and smart-alleck sidekicks, you should try this series. Start at the beginning with Black Wings as you will have a difficult time with the amount of backstory involved if you just pick this one up.

Rating: 4 stars

 

Other recent books I’ve read:

Command Indecision (Lexi Graves Mysteries) by Camilla Chafer

Rating 4 stars

 

Head Rush (The Disillusionists Trilogy) by Carolyn Crane

Rating: 3 stars

 

Mr. Real: Code of Shadows Book 1 by Carolyn Crane

Rating 3 stars

Wild About You (Love at Stake) by Kerrelyn Sparks

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Double Cross (The Disillusionists Book 2)

Product Description

SOME SECRETS COME BACK TO HAUNT. OTHERS COME TO KILL.

Justine Jones lived her life as a fearful hypochondriac until she was lured into the web of a mysterious mastermind named Packard, who gifts her with extraordinary mental powers—dooming her to fight Midcity’s shadowy war on paranormal crime in order to find the peace she so desperately craves.

But now serial killers with unheard-of skills are terrorizing the most powerful beings in Midcity, including mastermind Packard and his oldest friend and worst enemy, Midcity’s new mayor, who has the ability to bend matter itself to his will. 

As the body count grows, Justine faces a crisis of conscience as she tests the limits of her new powers and faces an impossible choice between two flawed but brilliant men—one on a journey of redemption, the other descending into a pit of moral depravity.

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Review:
It must be said:  I seriously wanted to hurt the author at the end of this book for leaving me hanging like that!   However, I will admit the wisdom of the way it ended (to make you come back for the final installment of the trilogy!).   That said, on with the review!
 
Double Cross continues the fascinating world of ordinary people “zinging” their neuroses into other people.  Do not even think about reading this book if you haven’t read the first in the trilogy, Mind Games; there’s too much back story and you will be completely lost.
 
Justine’s main case in Double Cross is disillusioning Ez, a dream invader, who may or may not be guilty of causing people to be sleepwalking cannibals.   She also assists other disillusionists in investigating some highcap murders.  We meet a few new characters and previous characters show nice development.  
 
This book showed definite improvement over the first Disillusionist book, although the writing was still choppy and vague in places.  At times, I could tell a scene was supposed to be particularly horrifying but it felt glossed over, lacking urgency.  The same thing happened with a few other scenes, not the horrifying part, but a pivotal scene evoked the same emotions as a regular scene.  For example, several times, I was reading along and regular stuff regular stuff regular stuff (no spoilers here!) and then boom!  Major Information and I said to  myself “what?!” (reread, oh wow, that was sudden!)   A time or two and it makes for a super-fun surprising read, but it was distracting here.  I enjoyed Double Cross, indeed, I eagerly anticipate reading the final installment of the trilogy, just had to share that quibble.  
 
Sensuality:  a few brief sex scenes
 
Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Mind Games (The Disillusionists Trilogy: Book 1)

 

Product Description

JUSTINE KNOWS SHE’S GOING TO DIE. ANY SECOND NOW.

Justine Jones has a secret. A hardcore hypochondriac, she’s convinced a blood vessel is about to burst in her brain. Then, out of the blue, a startlingly handsome man named Packard peers into Justine’s soul and invites her to join his private crime-fighting team. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime deal. With a little of Packard’s hands-on training, Justine can weaponize her neurosis, turning it outward on Midcity’s worst criminals, and finally get the freedom from fear she’s always craved. End of problem.
Or is it? In Midcity, a dashing police chief is fighting a unique breed of outlaw with more than human powers. And while Justine’s first missions, including one against a nymphomaniac husband-killer, are thrilling successes, there is more to Packard than meets the eye. Soon, while battling her attraction to two very different men, Justine is plunging deeper into a world of wizardry, eroticism, and cosmic secrets. With Packard’s help, Justine has freed herself from her madness—only to discover a reality more frightening than anyone’s worst fears.

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Review:
Mind Games delves into the fears of Justine, a hypochondriac who yearns for a normal life.  Packard offers to help rid her of the fear that threatens to consume her.   It’s an unusual premise and the author satisfies with an amusing read. 

I enjoyed the story, but felt like the execution was a bit off; clunky sentence structure, flat descriptions, slightly shallow characterizations and an easily  manipulated heroine.  Some of it just felt forced, not a natural flow of events and character development.  That said, I did laugh out loud several times at some of the dialogue and situations in which Justine found herself.

I’d recommend this as a decent read even with the problems previously mentioned.  It’s a fun read with great promise.  I plan on reading all three and have the second ready to go.

Sensuality: several fade to black sex scenes and a few mild sex scenes, not overly descriptive.

Rating: 3 stars