Book Review: When Libby Met the Fairies and Her Whole Life Went Fae by Kirsten Mortensen

Book Description

Publication Date: May 10, 2011

Biologist Libby Samson wants only one thing: to rebuild her life after an ugly divorce.
So she quits her job and buys an organic farm.
Then, one evening, a two-foot tall man stands up out of the shadows and greets her by name.
It’s hard enough for Libby to come to terms with the fact that “little folk” exist.
But when word of Libby’s experience leaks out onto the Internet, her peaceful farm soon swarms with kooky strangers. The media shows up. Her annoying sister shows up. And her horrified boyfriend thinks she should be on meds.
Libby finds one person she can confide in: Dean, her solitary (but sexy) next-door neighbor.
But what if trusting Dean is a huge mistake?

---

Review

This was a well-constructed book. I felt like the characters were well-drawn and mostly realistic while some of them felt a bit cartoonish (Gina, Libby’s sister).

Things I liked about the book:

1. The premise. Libby, a biologist, wants to be an organic farmer. She is a nice woman who just wants to have a quiet life in the country after she goes through a divorce and is laid off.

2. Maizey and Dean. Maizey is the niece, Dean is the sexy neighbor. Maizey’s kind of a breath of fresh air, exuberant. Dean is a quiet beta-type hero who has a heart of gold under a slightly crusty exterior. His dog, Bo, is awesome.

3. The fairies. I think there should have been more in the book about the fairies, not about people who attempt to capitalize on Libby’s experience with them. They were an interesting little group.

Things I didn’t like about the book:

1. Libby displays passive aggressive behaviors. Instead of dealing with her problems, she hides from them.

2. She allows people to walk all over her on her own turf and almost allows these people to steal her dream of organic farming. I could not stand Gina. She was pushy, belittling, and then made it seem like Libby was in the wrong. I hate bullies. I wanted to jump into my Kindle and punch her in the face. However, I also don’t like in books when people don’t stand up for themselves.

3. I also didn’t like her boyfriend, Paul (selfish jerk). I thought she stayed with him entirely too long (a great example of rationalizing her problems and hiding from them).

I realize some people may think some of the good things are bad and vice versa. It’s worth a quick read, but it’s not a book I will re-read. I’d recommend this for people who like “train wrecks.” You know, that TV show or movie that you are watching and can’t stop because you know it’s going to be bad. I have a difficult time with that sort of thing and usually just walk away if I can tell it’s going to be painful.

Overall, it’s a good book, pretty enjoyable to read.

Sensuality: references to sex and some kissing, not descriptive, safe for younger teens, though they probably won’t be very interested.

Rating: 3 stars

Book Review: Tempest’s Fury by Nicole Peeler

Book Description

Publication Date: June 26, 2012

Jane's not happy. She's been packed off to England to fight in a war when she'd much rather be snogging Anyan. Unfortunately, Jane's enemies have been busy stirring up some major trouble -- the kind that attracts a lot of attention. In other words, they're not making it easy for Jane to get any alone time with the barghest, or to indulge in her penchant for stinky cheese.
Praying she can pull of a Joan of Arc without the whole martyrdom thing, Jane must lead Alfar and halflings alike in a desperate battle to combat an ancient evil. Catapulted into the role of Most Unlikely Hero Ever, Jane also has to fight her own insecurities as well as the doubts of those who don't think she can live up to her new role as Champion.
Along the way, Jane learns that some heroes are born. Some are made. And some are bribed with promises of food and sex. (from amazon.com)

---

Book Review:

I’ve been following the adventures of Jane True since the beginning (late 2009), watching Jane grow from a girl with a tragic past to a young woman with a mission to save the world. At times funny, endearing, touching, horrifying, sexy, this series delivers a wide range of experiences from Jane’s point of view.

It took me a little while to sit down and actually write this review, even though I read it on Release Day. I enjoyed the book, I’ll say that right away, because I don’t want people to think my criticisms stem from a lack of enjoyment of the book.

If you haven’t read the first 4 books in the series, stop right now, head to the book store or download and read them on your e-reader. You will not be able to grasp the character motivations or some of the implications for actions taken. This book will be much more enjoyable after you’ve read the other books in the series.

This book felt more like a transition book than anything else. Lots of small things happened and a  HUGE cliffhanger ending. The author ended up posting her reasoning for the way she ended the book on her website because she’s fielded a LOT of comments about it. It’s HUGE, did I say that before?  Well, it is! My main complaint about the book is the cliffhanger, leaving us stranded for at least 6 months. I get so impatient!

I did enjoy several characters from past books visiting with Jane. Grizzie HAS to be one of my favorite characters, so colorful! Also, Jane’s dad is fun now that he’s better. But neither of them hold a candle to Jane and Anyan; it’s been so much fun watching as they became a couple.

I can’t really say much more about the book because I don’t want to give anything away. I can’t wait for the 6th (and final) book. I expect it to be epic.

Sensuality: a sex scene and several “close calls”

Rating: 4 stars

Book Review: Gabriel’s Inferno by Sylvain Reynard

Book Description:

Enigmatic and sexy, Professor Gabriel Emerson is a well respected Dante specialist by day, but by night he devotes himself to an uninhibited life of pleasure. He uses his notorious good looks and sophisticated charm to gratify his every whim, but is secretly tortured by his dark past and consumed by the profound belief that he is beyond all hope of redemption.
When the sweet and innocent Julia Mitchell enrolls as his graduate student, his attraction and mysterious connection to her not only jeopardizes his career, but sends him on a journey in which his past and his present collide.
An intriguing and sinful exploration of seduction, forbidden love and redemption, “Gabriel's Inferno” is a captivating and wildly passionate tale of one man's escape from his own personal hell as he tries to earn the impossible...forgiveness and love.

---

Book Review:

This book was pretty strange and I can’t quite decide whether or not I really enjoyed it. It had some good parts to it, was well-written, editing was pretty decent, but I didn’t really like the main characters. Oddly enough though, that doesn’t necessarily mean I can’t enjoy a book. For example, I’ve read the Twilight series oh, about 5 times but I really didn’t like Edward OR Bella. I just loved the story.

A few things bothered me about Gabriel’s Inferno. 

1. It felt like the author was trying to write a “literary novel” (and didn’t quite succeed). References to paintings and works in other languages abounded. I guess this could be just me, maybe I’m not “cultured” or “smart” enough to enjoy this (I don’t think that’s the case as I do enjoy literature and going to museums, etc.)

2. It took waaaaaay too long for us to discover what Julia’s issues involved. She should have told Gabriel much sooner. I got the gist of what had happened earlier, but I felt like the author delayed divulging the information much longer than the story warranted.

3. The relationship was a little bit troubling (professor-student) but the author did a good job with keeping them apart until that was not an issue (but it does set up the conflict for the next book), also pointing out that they had been in contact before, kind of family friends.

4. The way Paul, a fellow student, and Gabriel treat Julia was weird. I realize that’s not really very descriptive and I realize the author was attempting to convey how much these men valued her and would cherish her but it felt kind of creepy. Paul called her “Rabbit” and treated her like a porcelain doll. Gabriel treated her also like a porcelain doll but the cherishing part was a bit overplayed in my opinion. I honestly can’t believe I am saying that, because I ADORE feeling cherished (husband is awesome at making me feel cherished) and am a sentimental sap when it comes to reading romances and seeing the man just take care of his woman. I eat up old-fashioned stuff like that! I say all this to say that if I say it felt overdone, I’m not speaking from a position of feminism. 

I did enjoy the end. Honestly, that’s why I’m even contemplating reading the next book, Gabriel’s Rapture. The author wrapped up the story with Julia’s past and set the stage for the next book.

The chemistry between Gabriel and Julia was well-done, the dialogue was enjoyable for the most part and felt pretty natural (not much worse than reading an adult book that read like a middle-schooler wrote the dialogue).

If you enjoy books that deal with more literary topics, you will probably enjoy this book (for that kind of audience, I would probably give the book 4 stars). For people like me, probably 3 stars. For people who want a quick, uncomplicated story, probably 2 stars. This is a pretty lengthy book (I took 2 days to read it and I’m usually a book-a-day kind of gal). This is a complex book, entertaining at times, but it is not one I would recommend for everyone.

Rating: 3 stars

Sensuality: many kissing/petting scenes, one sex scene. Well done, probably not a book for teens, especially early teens.

Book Review: Grave Memory by Kalayna Price

Book Description

Publication Date: July 3, 2012

When the dead need to talk, Alex Craft is always ready to listen…

As a Grave Witch, Alex solves murders by raising the dead—an ability that comes at a cost, and after her last few cases, that cost is compounding. But her magic isn’t the only thing causing havoc in her life. While she’s always been on friendly terms with Death himself, things have recently become a whole lot more close and personal. Then there’s her sometime partner, agent Falin Andrews, who is under the glamour of the Winter Queen. To top everything off, her best friend has been forever changed by her time spent captive in Faerie.
But the personal takes a backseat to the professional when a string of suicides occur in Nekros City and Alex is hired to investigate. The shades have no memory of the days leading up to their brutal endings, so despite the very public apparent suicides, this is murder. But what kind of magic can overcome the human will to survive? And why do the shades lack the memory of their deaths? Searching for the answer might mean Alex won’t have a life to remember at all… (from amazon.com)

 

Book Review:

I marked the release of this one in my calendar months ago. For some reason (OK, OK, many reasons), this series really sticks to me. I finished the book this morning and I just want to go back to the first two and re-read them. Not that I was lost in this book’s storyline as it relates to the other two books because the author did a fine job of reminding the reader about past occurrences without sounding like a broken record, but because I want to re-experience the introduction of Death and meet Falin again. Surprisingly, I also want to go back to read parts about her dad. Now there’s a mystery I want solved!  The author leaves much unexplained and open for future development.

 

While the case takes up a lot of page time, we do get to visit with her friends and keep up with them as well, the revelry during the Equinox was very interesting and I find myself wondering which court she will choose. I hope the next book develops the fae storyline a little bit more, because there is a LOT the author could explore. The Winter Queen is an awesome character to hate!

We meet a new character, Briar, who is um, an interesting character. I kind of hope we see her again. The author’s development of the ghost characters reminds me a little bit of Karen Chance’s Cassandra Palmer series (one of my all-time favorite series), but it never felt “copied.” I loved it when Roy asked if he could have the broom closet for his office.

Ms. Price threw in some unexpected (yet hoped-for) events and really knocked it out of the park with this one. It will probably be about 9 months before the next one comes out. I can guarantee the release date will be marked on my calendar the moment I see the date.

I highly recommend this book for people who enjoy urban fantasy that’s a little bit different, with a bit of a mystery, a bit of romance and a strong female lead who seems like a real person. Alex messes up, stumbles around, uses her magic, and pays the price for her magic (with her eyesight), no perfect Miss here. She’s grown quite a lot since we first met her in Grave Witch and has taken the reader along for the ride. Do yourself a favor, though and read the first two books in the series before you dive into this one. Grave Memory will be all the richer experience if you do.

Sensuality: some kisses and a sex scene, a little descriptive, probably OK for older teens.

Rating: 5 stars.