Blog Tour Review | Sucking in San Francisco by Jessica McBrayer

Sucking in San Francisco by Jessica McBrayer
Published September 8th 2012 by Mess of Geckos

Author's Website | Goodreads | Buy the Book on Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Working at a Suicide Prevention Center in San Francisco, Lily Goodwill thinks she’s heard it all—then she gets a call from a man about to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge. Something about the caller, maybe his yummy British accent or Lily’s ability to understand his crushing ennui, makes her break all the rules and rush to meet him. After all, she is a vampire and if she can’t talk him down she can glamour him.

But things don’t go according to plan. Her caller glows with blue fire and turns out to be a vampire-hating Djinn. Suddenly, for the first time in centuries he’s found something intriguing. Is Lily really a vampire with a conscience and an obsessive-compulsive disorder, involving Handi-wipes and Lysol, or is she just another bloodsucker? 

Add in another vampire, with a history of female lovers stretching over three centuries, who swears he’s reformed and declares his undying love for Lily. Stir in a mean pair of witches and a vicious warlock, who are staking vampires around the city and you have a recipe for riotous adventure of supernatural proportions. 

Lily Goodwill is a quick thinking, smart-talking vampire who’s still figuring out how she feels about dining al fresco in the City by the Bay

What I Thought:

I am going to keep this short, because unfortunately I wasn't a fan of the book. It had great potential with some of the themes that are present, but overall it just wasn't realistic. 

Lily Goodwill is probably one of the softest vampire characters I've ever met. She is compassionate, down to earth, and a bit naive. Aidan on the other hand, is a much darker, sarcastic character. When he phones in to a suicide prevention call center, Aidan doesn't count on a vampire being the volunteer. Just to goad Lily, Aidan makes an outrageous claim that if Lily doesn't meet him at the Golden Gate Bridge, he's jumping. Here is where I first had a bad taste of the novel. Nothing about this scene is realistic. Granted, Aidan isn't serious about committing suicide, because as a djinn, he can't die the way a real human being could. Putting that aside, it still messes with the mood of the scene,which in my opinion was the beginning of the decline of the entire novel. 

Next, we are introduced to Sebastian, Julian, and Helena, vague friends of Lily's. We see through the novel that Sebastian has romantic feelings towards Lily, but she's more or less stuck in a love triangle that never really goes anywhere. Also, I felt like half the novel was taken up by the two witches, Iris and Indigo. Don't get me wrong, Iris and Indigo and their clan was a very interesting topic, however, I didn't think so much of them belonged in here. Again, the overload of characters and separate experiences overrides the intended main theme. 

Overall, it just wasn't for me. I felt like there was too much going on to get a clear picture of feeling from this novel. Sometimes, less is more. 

Victoria ♥ 

Review | Bound to Darkness by Lara Adrian (The Midnight Breed Series) (Volume 13)

Bound to Darkness by Lara Adrian

Published July 30, 2015 
Lara Adrian, LLC

Author's Website | Goodreads | Buy the Book on Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Carys Chase is accustomed to making her own rules and letting her heart lead the way--no matter what anyone else has to say about it. A rare Breed female and a daywalker as well, headstrong, beautiful Carys is one of the most powerful of her kind. She lives passionately and loves without limits, especially when it comes to the lethal cage-fighting Breed warrior called Rune.

Unbeatable in the ring, Rune exists in a brutal world of blood and bone and death. He's made his share of enemies both in and out of the arena, and his secrets run as deep and turbulent as his past. A dangerous loner who has survived by his fists and fangs, Rune has never allowed anyone to get too close to him...until Carys. But when the bodies buried in his past rise up to threaten his present, Rune must choose between betraying Carys's trust or putting her in the crosshairs of a battle neither of them can hope to win on their own

What I Think....

My goodness, my goodness, MY GOODNESS! After being off the Midnight Breed train for about a year, I was worried that I wouldn't remember any of the specifics from the other novels and would have to to back track. Not the case at all! Adrian does a great job of moving the story forward in Bound to Darkness, while throwing in bits and pieces of previous knowledge to keep the story up-to-date. It took a minute for me to remember Opus Nostrum and some of the minor characters, but again, a year is a long time!

Rune is an incredible specimen. Not only is he La Notte's most vicious Breed fighter, he's also kind, and extremely caring. However, he isn't that way for just anyone, only Carys Chase. The one woman who managed to get under his skin and into his head. He has a past darker then the clouds in Hell and he wants her to have nothing to do with it, but love just doesn't work that way. He knows she's as headstrong as he is and would never back down from a fight, especially if his heart is the prize. Being known for his warrior abilities, Rune shouldn't be afraid of Carys, but he is. Because if one woman would be able to get into his heart, it would be her.

Carys Chase is a rare breed of woman. Aside from being Breed, she's also a daywalker, someone who can walk directly into sunlight without suffering any consequences. Because of this hidden talent, she's marked as one of the most powerful of her kind. Don't let that fool you though, she's every bit as tough and ruthless as the rest of the Order, but that isn't the lifestyle she wants. She just cares about one thing: Rune. He's feared among the rest of her kind, but she doesn't mind, she know's the real Rune. She know's that no matter what she must endure, he is her forever.

After La Notte's owner, Cassian Gray, is murdered, Rune's main role changes. He now must take care of the club as well as all of it's employees, all while still putting on a jaw-dropping show in the ring. It is a lot of keep track of, but he's willing to do it. However, when trouble strikes and Rune is confronted with the ghost of his past, all bets are off. He knows he's headed down the rabbit hole, but in order to keep Carys safe, that's his only option. Now, it is up to the Order to bring him back, safe and sound.

What I really liked about this novel was that we are introduced to Carys and Rune after they've already fallen in love. If you've read the series, this normally is not how the story goes. So, it was a nice surprise. I also loved the bone-deep chemistry between Carys and Rune. It seemed so much deeper and sensual then some of the other novels, which was also a nice surprise. I can't rate this novel high enough, it was fantastic. If you haven't read the series, do it! You won't regret it!

Victoria ♥

Paranormal/Horror Romance Review "Affliction" by Laurell K. Hamilton

Title:  Affliction (Anita Blake #22)
Author:  Laurell K. Hamilton
Publisher:  Berkeley
Publication Date:  July 2, 2013
Genre:  Paranormal / Romance / Vampires / Shifters


Buy this book on AmazonAuthor's Website
Author's Goodreads Profile

Synopsis from Goodreads

Some zombies are raised. Others must be put down. Just ask Anita Blake.

Before now, she would have considered them merely off-putting, never dangerous. Before now, she had never heard of any of them causing human beings to perish in agony. But that’s all changed.

Micah’s estranged father lies dying, rotting away inside from some strange ailment that has his doctors whispering about “zombie disease.”

Anita makes her living off of zombies—but these aren’t the kind she knows so well. These creatures hunt in daylight, and are as fast and strong as vampires. If they bite you, you become just like them. And round and round it goes…

Where will it stop?
Even Anita Blake doesn’t know.

My Thoughts...
If you have been reading this blog for long and you saw my review for the last Anita Blake book, Kiss The Dead, then you know that I was pretty harsh with my review.  I am happy to say that this book was so much better.  I was pretty fed up with the whole Anita story line after that train wreck, but this book had an actual story and it was a good one.  One other thing that put this one firmly in the plus column for me was Edward/Ted.  He is one of my favorite long term characters and his appearance just made this book that much better.  I think he needs his own spin off series!  I would read that for sure.

So this book finds us in Colorado where Micah's, somewhat estranged, father has been infected by something and is dying.  They have no idea what has infected him, but Micah's mother reached out to Anita knowing that he doesn't have much time left.  She wants Micah to be able to say goodbye to him while he has the chance.  In true Anita fashion, they show up with her entourage in tow because she can't go without guards, partners, etc... Then naturally she is pulled into the case, as a marshal she feels it's her duty to get to the bottom of what is going on.  Micah's family is a wild one!  His aunt and uncle are way out in left field with their beliefs about shifters/weres and they are quite impossible to like.  Micah is naturally hesitant to explain his relationship with Anita and Nathaniel, little does he know that his parents are going to be much more understanding than he can possibly imagine.

The zombie/vampire story in this book is really good.  It's like classic Anita and then you add Edward and it's like way back in the first 4-5  books when it was more horror driven and less about Anita and all the metaphysical shit she has had going on for the last 10+ books. In fact we get almost 50% of the way through the book before she even needs to feed the ardeur and there are only maybe 3 sex scenes in the whole book.

Now, I am still going to rant about all the unnecessary crap that LKH insists on putting in every single one of these books.  I think I bitch about it every time I write a review on one of her books now!  There are literally PAGES, unnecessary pages, of clothing, appearance, weapon, etc... description.  This isn't even touching on the extra pages of vomited out dialogue about past books and story lines.  Micah has just found out his dad whom he hasn't seen in 10 years is dying and while he is waiting to leave to see him Anita and Jean Claude are having this LONG phone conversation about all this crap that we readers remember from past books.  We know why Asher was sent away, we remember all that shit, we don't need pages of awkward dialogue that's meant to remind us.  It doesn't flow well, it's obvious that it's a synopsis of the previous book and quite frankly that wasn't a book worth remembering anyway!

So, if we could have cut out about 100 pages of descriptions and synopsis I probably would have given this book 5 stars instead of just 4 on Goodreads.  I did enjoy the story this time, I do think it's time to start wrapping up this series though.  I think that there is just only so long that you can keep a story like this alive when it spans nearly 20 years of writing. 

Blog Tour and Horror Review "Blood Street" by Carl Alves

Title:  Blood Street
Author: Carl Alves
Publisher:  True Grit Publishing
Publication Date:  November 24, 2012
Genre:  Thriller / Horror (Vampire)
Format:  Kindle 430 KB  |  Paperback 312 pages

Buy this book on Amazon:  Kindle Edition  |  Paperback
Author's Website:  http://www.carlalves.com/ 
Author's Goodreads Profile:  Carl Alves 

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Alexei chose the wrong neighborhood to claim his latest victim. Now Philadelphia mob boss Enzo Salerno is determined to hunt down the man who killed his associate in such gruesome fashion in his South Philly row home.

Perplexed by this unnatural murder, Salerno uncovers clues that lead him to believe that this was not a mob hit, and that a vampire was responsible for this death. Magnus, the leader of Alexei’s brood, must now use all of his resources to save them from both the mafia and the FBI.

Author Bio

Carl went to Boston University majoring in Biomedical Engineering.  He graduated with a BS degree, and has since worked in the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries.  He later graduated from Lehigh University with an MBA degree.

He is a writer of fantasy and horror fiction.  His debut novel “Two For Eternity” is scheduled to be released for publication in November, 2011 by Weaving Dreams Publishing.  His novel “Blood Street’ will be published by True Grit Publishing in 2013.

His short fiction has appeared in various publications such as Sinister City, Alien Skin and Glassfire Anthology.  He is a member of the Horror Writers Association and has attended the Penn Writers Conference.  He lives with his loving wife, Michelle, and his two super cool little dudes, Max and Alex.

My Review

While I am not particularly a fan of the cover art, I really did enjoy this book.   I am a big fan of this genre and I think that this book was a nice addition to my collection.  It's not one that I would have picked up on my own because of the cover though, but I am finding more and more not to judge a book by it's cover!  

This story starts out with a gruesome murder of a mob man and his girlfriend.  The scene is discovered while the killer is still there, but when the witness, another mob man nicknamed The Goat, relays what he saw everyone just thinks he is crazy.  Now the mob want revenge.  I was a little confused by all the names at the beginning, but for the most part you remember the ones you need to and the rest are just there!  

The Goat is a great character, but I was more intrigued by Enzo Salerno, the boss.  He was not what I imagine your typical mob boss would be or maybe how they are generally portrayed.  He was a genuinely likable character, a loving husband and father, someone you can definitely relate to so it's hard to see him as the "bad guy".  But that's exactly how FBI Agent Mark Andrews sees him.  As the murders increase, albeit not as gruesome, they get a break in the case and an unlikely alliance is formed between Mark and Enzo.  As they work together to stop the killer they seem to form a bond that I think will help Enzo in the future if this book does turn into a series.

The vampire origins story isn't particularly original, but this book doesn't really need it to be because it's not all about them.  They do have some things that are original to them, but for the most part they are your typical vampire.  I know that makes me sound a little crazy, but hey I like my vampires!  They live in hordes which is different, but they still can't handle sunlight, you can kill them with a wooden stake or behead them, etc...  I can't even tell you how much I loved that Alexei was reading Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series!

So this was kind of a Soprano's meets True Blood story and I loved it from the very beginning.  There were a couple of typos, but nothing that took away from the story.  I enjoyed the writing very much and I felt like the story flowed very well.  I think that Mr. Alves did and excellent job with his characters and if he decides to turn this into a series I will definitely read the subsequent books.

I would recommend this to any horror / vampire fan.  It's truly an original with the mix of vampires and mafia.

*Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book courtesy of the author in exchange for my honest review.*