I've been reading a lot this week - and somehow writing a lot as well. I'm in the homestretch of the romance I've been working on all summer and the end is finally in sight! *yea* But I've also been reading a bunch of new books, and thought I'd share my reviews.
I bought the paperback of FAIRYPROOF, by Constance Phillips, from Barnes & Noble with a gift card I won in a Facebook contest. VIOLET MIDNIGHT doesn't officially release until next month (look for the big release party October 16th) but I was lucky enough to receive an ARC ebook for review.
Constance Phillips has written a fairy story for adults that is totally
grounded in the real world, with very believable bridges between the
worlds of fairy and human. Her fairies have wants, needs, and internal
power struggles, as well as prejudices and desires... similar in many
ways to human characters, except for their magical powers, which they
use to control situations, humans, and each other.
Monique is a
fairy hiding in the human world from her brother Kieran, and his plans
for her future. Those plans include an arranged marriage to a
power-hungry fairy who already tried to force himself on her once. She
wants a different life for herself, one of her own choosing. It's not
that she rejects her fairy heritage as much as she wants to make her own
choices - a concept that most of us can relate to.
She's been
using her fairy influence to move from city to city and job to job,
until she meets Daniel Elliot, a the only human she's ever met who's
immune to her spells and charms. He's seemingly "fairyproof" which
intrigues Monique, even as the attraction between them grows. Throw in
the fact that her brother is constantly searching for her and other
fairies are turning up dead in the human world, and there's a lot going
on...
The author keeps up a fast pace as Monique tries to stay
two steps ahead of her brother, Kieran tries to solve the mystery
surrounding the fairy murders, the evil fairy Eeon tries to find and
control Monique for his own power grab, and Daniel must come to terms
with the fact that things in his world are not what they seem.
Ms.
Phillips does an excellent job of weaving the storylines together to a
satisfying conclusion. This is not a mystical or supernatural take on
the fairy world, but has fairies that are much more "human" in nature,
like the ones written by Charlaine Harris or Eoin Colfer. I enjoyed the
book immensely, but at 262 pages it was over far too quickly. I hope
there are more stories like this coming soon from this author!
Find it on Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Lynn Rush has a new series about young vampire hunters that grabs your
attention from the opening scene and refuses to let go. The action
scenes are intense, the heroine is strong and capable, the romance
scenes sizzle and none of the vampires sparkle.
This "new adult"
book is set on a college campus, but the main characters are all over
21. Vampire Hunter Emma Martin lost her parents in a car crash that left
her "marked" with a mysterious tattoo that glows whenever there are
vampires (she calls them "vamps") nearby. After losing her mentor to a
vamp attack, she swears she'll never let anyone get too close. Until she
meets Jake Cunningham, and starts dreaming of the possibility of
something resembling a "normal" life.
Jake also lost his parents
and grew up in foster homes, and has glowing tattoos of his own that are
different but seemingly complementary to Emma's. The attraction between
the pair is immediate and crackles with energy and tension as they
train together and fight vamps together... and share steamy,
Kindle-melting kisses. But everything is not as it seems on the idyllic
rural campus, and hard choices face both Emma and Jake as they meet his
real family and discover the true meaning behind his marks.
Ms.
Rush has a clean, clear writing style that keeps the reader turning page
after page until well past bedtime. I love that Emma is strong-willed
and capable of defending not only herself but those she cares for and
everyone else around her. Move over Buffy, this new young vampire hunter
deserves a lot of attention! I can't wait to read the rest of the books
in this series - hurry up and write more!
The book officially releases on October 15 but you can preorder it on Amazon and make sure to check out the Big Facebook Online Release Party October 16, starting at 7pm Eastern. Tons of prizes and giveaways from Lynn and her fellow authors - I think I signed up to give away some stuff at her party, too ;-)
For the weekend, I'm reading LOVE CHOSEN by Marne Ann Kirk, another Crescent Moon Press publication. I'm already on page 74 and enjoying it so far. It's a fae fantasy, not my usual genre lately, but thought I'd give it a try.
What have you read and reviewed lately?
Wow, this is great! I reading what people think about different books.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recommendations.
I'm still in the middle of reading a few books, but I just read a really cute romance from Christine Bell--Wife for Hire.
I'll have to look for that one ;-) Thank for stopping by!
DeleteI am intrigued by a fairy story for adults. I'm not positive I've read one before.
ReplyDeleteI figure when things between the fairy and human are getting steamy, the story is definitely meant for adults ;-) I've read a lot of YA fairy stories where there's kissing and yearning, but these character were older.
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