Review: THE GAUNTLET

The Gauntlet by Karen Chance
A Kit Marlowe short story.

Format: ebook

About The Gauntlet:

The Gauntlet is a Kit Marlowe short from The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance 2 and a companion piece to The Queen's Witch.

Source: Info in the About The Gauntlet was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9459086-the-gauntlet on 20/06/2011.

Review:

This short story displayed the same compelling story telling quality that I've come to know with this author from reading her previous works. And that is always important to me as a reader. If the author's voice "feels" flat to me then I abandon that book because I got more books in my TBR pile which needed my attention so I won't waste it on a "flat" book. The world building felt like a little short changed, but maybe because this is a short story therefore there really is not a lot of room to play with. Although the story does have a good structure with a central dilemma and a resolution in the ending it reads like a one-scene strip. There is no build-up thrill. No unexpected twists in the plot. Heck, there isn't much room for a plot! So very straightforward. Therefore not as satisfying as reading a full novel. However, I can't give this book a less than 3 because the author's voice is good.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4
Story itself = 3
Ending = 3
World building = 4
Pace = 4

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 cherries


Freebie Link:



FTC Disclosure:
I downloaded this free ebook from Smashwords at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/26142 on 20/06/2011. No compensation received for this review.

Review: FOREPLAY

Foreplay by Jill Myles
Book 0.5 of the Succubus Diaries series

Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook

About Foreplay:

How did Jackie Brighton get turned into a succubus? She can’t remember – all she knows is that she woke up in a Dumpster. This short story tells the tale of that night, and sheds a little light on her masters’ motivations...

Source: Info in the About Foreplay was taken from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9543083-foreplay on 28/11/2011.

My Thoughts:

The whole ebook is just a chapter of a bigger book. Story has no structure. No ending, no central dilemma and no coherent plot. The title does not even fit anywhere in the story. The "story telling quality" is not bad but not that all engrossing either. Maybe to someone who is already a follower of this series, this book would make sense, but it doesn't to me. Perhaps they ought to have written a warning for readers that this book shouldn't be read on it's own but in conjunction with the series only...

If this is a sample of this author's work, I don't think I will be buying anything from this author. Wouldn't wanna waste my money on a silly little paragraph like this.

Overall Rating: 0.5 out of 5 cherries

Review: DEAD AS A DOORNAIL

Dead As A Doornail by Charlaine Harris
Read by Johanna Parker
Book 5 of the Sookie Stackhouse series
Format: audiobook

Genre: adult urban fantasy

About Dead As A Doornail:

Sookie Stackhouse enjoys her life, mostly. She's great cocktail waitress in a fun bar; she has a love life, albeit as complicated as ever, and most people have come to terms with her telepathy.

Problem is, Sookie wants a quiet life, but things just seem to happen to her and her friends.

Now her brother Jason's about to turn into a were-panther for the first time. She could deal with that, but her normal sisterly concern turns to cold fear when a sniper sets his deadly sights on the local were population... not just because Jason's at risk, but because his new were-brethren suspect he may be the shooter.

Sookie has until the next full moon to find out who's behind the attacks - unless the killer decides to find her first.

Source: Info in the About Dead As A Doornail was taken from the back cover of the paperback.

My Thoughts:

Dead As A Doornail is just another installment in the Sookie Stackhouse series with not much of a distinctive feature to make it stand out in the series. Most of the things I could say for this book I have already said in previous books. This book pretty much reads like its just another chapter of the Sookie Stackhouse story. But this series gets addictive as you read along. Or in this case, listen along. But it seems that Sookie is getting dumber by the minute. It's irritating! However, this book (I think), has the best ending of all the books in this series thus far. I like surprises! Plus the plot is not as weak as the previous books were, i.e., Book 1. I like the over-arc-ing of the two main plot lines. This is also the book which brought to us Charles Twining. In my head Johnny Depp makes a good Charles.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story Telling Quality = 3
World Building = 5
Character Development = 3
Plot = 3.5
Pace = N/A
Story Itself = 4
Ending = 4
Narration = 4.5

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Sookie Stackhouse series:

Wishlist: Lightbringer

WISHLIST:
Lightbringer by K.D. McEntire

Genre: YA Urban Fantasy Romance
Series: NA

Summary:

Wendy has the ability to see souls that have not moved on—but she does not seek them out. They seek her. They yearn for her . . . or what she can do for them. Without Wendy's powers, the Lost, the souls that have died unnaturally young, are doomed to wander in the never forever, and Wendy knows she is the only one who can set them free by sending them into the light.
Each soul costs Wendy, delivering too many souls would be deadly, and yet she is driven to patrol, dropping everyone in her life but her best friend, Eddie—who wants to be more than friends—until she meets Piotr.

Piotr, the first Rider and guardian of the Lost, whose memory of his decades in the never, a world that the living never see, has faded away. With his old-fashioned charms, and haunted kindness, he understands Wendy in ways no one living ever could, yet Wendy is hiding that she can do more than exist in the never. Wendy is falling for a boy who she may have to send into the light.

But there are darker forces looking for the Lost. Trying to regain the youth and power that the Lost possess, the dark ones feed on the Lost and only Wendy and Piotr can save them—but at what cost?

Lightbringer is a YA urban fantasy/romance set in a world a breath away from our own. Similar in tone to Tithe and Unleashed, Lightbringer tiptoes down the line between love and horror as Wendy discovers herself and the darkest parts of the afterlife.

Source: Info in the Summary was taken from Goodreads on 08/07/2011.

WW28: CAPTURED BY MOONLIGHT

WW28
A chance to showcase your favourite!

• First you grab our Wicked Wednesday pic.
• Then you grab a book. Turn to page 28. Take the first sentence. And then you post it in your site with a link back to WW28.
• Come back to Cherry Mischievous - WW28 and give us the url of your post (in a comment at a WW28 post) so that other WW28 readers can find your WW28 offering.

WW28 book offering: Captured By Moonlight by Nancy Gideon

"A glimpse to her right caught the detectives at the next bank of desks staring at her."

Ummm... office politics, anyone?

About Captured By Moonlight:

IN THIS DARK THRILLER FROM NANCY GIDEON’S SULTRY NEW SERIES, SEXY NEW ORLEANS COP CHARLOTTE CAISSIE GOES HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH THE LAST NEMESIS SHE EVER EXPECTED: HER SUPERNATURAL BOYFRIEND.THEIR LOVE IS JUST BEGINNING.Detective Charlotte Caissie is growing used to the secrets that come with loving the mysterious leader of a shape-shifter clan. But that doesn’t mean she has to like it. She’s avoided complications of the heart all her life, but when it comes to irresistible Max Savoie, she’ll force the truth out of him if she has to.HIS TIME IS ALMOST UP.Hunted by the deadly trackers his nefarious father warned him about, Max is transforming into a preternatural force he can’t explain and Cee Cee will never understand. He’s tempting the dangerous limits of their love, but it’s her curiosity that could get them both killed. WILL THEY EVER REALLY BE TOGETHER?

When Max discovers the enemy’s true target is someone far more vulnerable than he, he must do the unthinkable to save his own flesh and blood. But he can’t fight this battle alone, and Cee Cee faces the ultimate test of loyalty: the man she’d sacrifice everything for . . . or the laws she swore her life to protect.

Source: Info in the About Captured By Moonlight was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7565545-captured-by-moonlight on 01/10/2011.

Review: HUNT THE MOON

Hunt The Moon by Karen Chance
Book 5 of the Cassandra Palmer series

Genre: adult urban fantasy


About Hunt The Moon:

Cassandra Palmer recently defeated a god, which you'd think would buy a girl a little time off. But it doesn't work that way when your new job description is Pythia — the world's chief clairvoyant. Cassie is busier than ever, trying to learn about her power, preparing for her upcoming coronation, and figuring out her relationship with the enigmatic sexy master vampire, Mircea.

But someone doesn't want Cassie to become Pythia, and is willing to go to any lengths to make sure the coronation ceremony never happens — including attacking her mother before Cassie is even born.

Source: Info in the About Hunt The Moon was taken from the author's website at http://www.karenchance.com/books_htm.html on 14/02/2011.

Pritkin

Review:

Cassie, the main protagonist is still just slightly stupid to be a little bit annoying but not enough to deter from the overall wonderful reading experience of this book. Besides it seems that it's only Cassie who has the TSTL (too stupid to live) syndrome, because the rest of the cast have well developed characters! In fact I like Pritkin, a secondary character, more than the main protagonist. To the right is a nice image of Pritkin. Karen Chance gave me lots of laugh out loud moments which earned BIG brownie points with me! I credit the wonderful story telling quality as the one responsible for that. Not only is it compelling, it is also humorous! Another brownie point for the humor!! Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely although there were sections I got annoyed with Cassie's TSTL act. However it is not enough to bring the overall score of this book down to the boots, so I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4
Story itself = 4.5
Ending = 3.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 3.5
Pace = 4

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 cherries

Review: DEAD TO THE WORLD

Dead To The World by Charlaine Harris
Read by Johanna Parker
Book 4 of the Sookie Stackhouse series
Format: audiobook

Genre: adult urban fantasy

About Dead To The World:

When cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse sees a naked man on the side of the road, she doesn't just drive on by. Turns out the poor thing hasn't a clue who he is, but Sookie does. It's Eric the vampire--but now he's a kinder, gentler Eric. And a scared Eric, because whoever took his memory now wants his life.

Source: Info in the About Dead To The World was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/140077.Dead_to_the_World on 12/09/2011.

My Thoughts:

In Dead Until Dark (Book 1), the main story arc is the Sookie and Bill romance plus psychokiller. While in Living Dead In Dallas' (Book 2) main plots were the maenad fight and the Fellowship Of The Sun kidnapping. Club Dead (Book 3) is mostly about Bill's disappearance and the introduction of more about the weres/shifters . In this book (Book 4), it's the witch war and Jason and Debbie Pelt's disappearing act. Two things stands out from these four books' plots: 1.) Sookie is really unlucky lately and 2.) Bon Temps, for a small town, seems to be having a lot of supernatural happenings all of a sudden... Do you think Ms. Harris would ever address these issues in subsequent books?... you know, include some sort of an explaination in the plot or something...

This is also the book which solidified the love triangle between Sookie, Bill and Eric. Dead Until Dark was Sookie and Bill, while this book is Sookie and Eric. For that intrigue alone this book is worth reading! Of course Sookie is still too stupid to live, but the intrigue of the romance between Sookie and Eric is powerful enough for a reader to overcome that irritation. I think this book has got the most interesting story arc yet of the Sookie Stackhouse series!

Empirical Evaluation:
Story Telling Quality = 4
World Building = 5
Character Development = 3
Plot = 4
Pace = N/A
Story Itself = 4.5
Ending = 4
Narration = 4.5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries


Books In This Series: