VIENNA

The Book

Vienna by William S. Kirby
Genre: urban fantasy / crime fiction

About Vienna:

Vienna is a unique and unforgettable novel. . . . Inspired by a classic Sherlock Holmes story, Vienna reimagines Holmes and Watson for the 21st century…

It started as nothing more than a one-night stand . . .

Justine is an A-list fashion model on a photo shoot in Europe. Adored by half the world, she can have whomever she wants, but she’s never met anyone like the strange English girl whose bed she wakes up in one morning.

Vienna is an autistic savant, adrift in a world of overwhelming patterns and connections only she can see. Socially awkward and inexperienced, she’s never been with anyone before, let alone a glamorous supermodel enmeshed in a web of secrets and intrigue.

When Justine’s current beau is murdered in the bathroom of her hotel room, she suddenly finds herself thrown into the middle of a deadly conspiracy focusing on a set of antique wooden mannikins—the same ones that are the centerpieces of the photo shoot.

What secret do the mannikins hide, and why is it worth killing over?

Drawn together by an attraction neither of them can explain, Justine and Vienna are pursued across Europe by paparazzi, tabloid headlines . . . and the mystery of Vienna’s own shadowy past, which holds the key to everything.

Source: Info in the About Vienna was from the press kit from the publicity team.

Buy Link(s):

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Meet The Author

About William S. Kirby:

William Kirby was born in Estes Park, Colorado. His early childhood was spent hiking and sledding throughout Rocky Mountain National Park. Before reaching middle school, William's family relocated to Kearney, Nebraska, a small town on the South Platte River. There he continued hiking with the added benefit of collecting fresh morel mushrooms. He attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Upon graduation, he taught high school Chemistry and Physics for a short time. However, his future wife, Kathryn, hooked a systems engineering job in Denver. As system engineering pays somewhat more than teaching, it was time to move back to Colorado.

William completed his first novel, Iapetus, in 1993. He has been writing on and off ever since. During breaks in writing, he has volunteered many hours (years) to historic preservation. He has also had the chance to travel widely, from Fiji, to Iceland, to Taiwan. Unfortunately, much writing time was lost to kidney stones and various surgeries. However, medical science seems to have caught up, and William is again writing full time.

William and Kathryn now make their home in Denver, Colorado. When not working, they travel, hike, backpack, ski, snowshoe, snorkel, and clean up the numerous fur balls hocked up by their two cats. Never a dull moment.​

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Review: PRINCES GATE by Mark Ellis

Princes Gate by Mark Ellis
Narrated by Matt Addis
Book 1 in the DCI Frank Merlin series
Genre: historical crime fiction

About Princes Gate:

January 1940. London. DCI Frank Merlin and his team are called in to investigate when a scientist is killed in a hit and run and the body of an employee of the American Embassy is discovered alongside the Thames.

Merlin’s investigation leads him to the office of the American Embassy and Ambassador Joseph Kennedy, a well-known supporter of appeasement. When another Embassy employee dies, Merlin, the charismatic detective, finds himself exploring the seedier parts of wartime London. A corrupt night-club owner, high-flying diplomats and the Ambassador himself appear to be linked to the events surrounding the deaths.

DCI Frank Merlin must solve the case without ruffling feathers at the embassy, or straining Anglo-American relations, at a time when America represents to many Britain’s only hope of salvation.

Source: Info in the About Princes Gate was from the press kit from the publicity team.

Buy Link(s):

Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble | Apple iBooks | Kobo | Audible | Indigo | Half.com | Alibris | Fishpond | The Book People | Google Play

My Thoughts:

I am an urban fantasy girl. Not much of a crime fiction fan. However from time to time, I am known to go over to the dark side. Like for example, I am a huge fan of JD Robb's In Death series. A futuristic crime fiction series. That means their forensic methods is high tech. I wonder how it would work for historical crime fictions where they have to make do with what I imagine to be medieval forensics methods...? It would be interesting to find out...

And so I started listening to this book.

A few chapters down and I thought I knew the "whodunnit". Predictable much?! And there I lost interest. Plodding on was seriously an uphill battle. And that brought the pace of this book down a notch even though this is an audiobook. And the pace did not pick up again until about a few chapters before the end. And that's a lot of plodding to do. Glad to see I was wrong though. I had no idea of the "whodunnit"... The author has also perfectly captured the inanities of high society life contrasted against the backdrop of war... There's a lesson in there somewhere... Anyway, it gives the story a realistic feel which makes it easy to suspend disbelief.

Another plus for this book is that Mark Addis' voice is pleasing to the ears. It also helps that I agree with his interpretations of the book. Kudos to the narrator!

At the end of it, I did enjoy this book. Which is saying something given that I am not a crime fiction fan. And looking forward to listening to book 2!

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4
Character development = 4
Story itself = 4
Writing Style = 3.5
Ending = 3.4
World building = 4
Cover art = 4
Pace = (10 hrs and 7 mins listening time)
Plot = 4
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries

Thank you to Audible and everybody in the publicity team for the review copy received.

FTC Disclosure:
This book was received for free from Audible in exchange for an honest review.

STEPDOG

The Book

Stepdog by Nicole Galland
Genre: contemporary romance

About Stepdog:

When Rory’s visa runs out on the cusp of his big Hollywood break, Sara insists that he marry her to get a green card. In a matter of weeks they’ve gone from being friendly work colleagues to a live-in couple, and it’s all grand . . . except for Sara’s dog, Cody, who had been a gift from Sara’s sociopath ex-boyfriend. Sara’s over-attachment to her dog is the only thing she and Rory fight about.

When Rory scores both his green card and the lead role in an upcoming TV pilot, he and Sara (and Cody) prepare to move to Los Angeles. But just before their departure, Cody is kidnapped by Sara’s ex—and it is entirely Rory’s fault. Sara is furious and broken-hearted. Desperate to get back into Sara’s good graces, Rory takes off and tracks Cody and the dog-napper to North Carolina. Can Rory rescue Cody and convince Sara that they belong together—with Cody—as a family? First they’ll need to survive a madcap adventure that takes them all across the heartland of America. STEPDOG is a refreshing and hilarious romantic comedy that asks: How far would you go for the one you love?

Source: Info in the About Stepdog was from the press kit from the publicity team.

Buy Link(s):


Trailer:

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Meet The Author

About Nicole Galland:

NICOLE GALLAND is the author of five previous novels: The Fool’s Tale, Revenge of the Rose, Crossed, I, Iago and Godiva. A native of Martha’s Vineyard, she graduated from Harvard University and studied Dramatic Literature at UC Berkeley, then divided her time between California and New York City for many years, before returning to the Vineyard to stay (except for when she’s somewhere else, like Boston). She is the co-founder of Shakespeare for the Masses at the Vineyard Playhouse, and writes a cheeky etiquette column for the Martha’s Vineyard Times. She is married to actor Billy Meleady and owns Leuco, a dog of splendid qualities.

nicolegalland.net | twitter | facebook | facebook author page | google+ | pinterest | goodreads

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Review: DAYS GONE BAD

Days Gone Bad by Eric R. Asher
Book 1 of the Vesik series
Read by William Dufris
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: kindle ebook & audiobook

About Days Gone Bad:

My name is Damian Valdis Vesik. I am a necromancer, an ability feared and hated as much as the powers my master and I set ourselves against. We've vanquished many evils, but now something is releasing an old darkness, forcing us to hunt an enemy beyond anything I've faced before. I was already busy enough with vampires, fairies, witches, Watchers, weddings, and...damn, I need a vacation.

©2013 Eric R. Asher (P)2014 Eric R. Asher

Source: Info in the About Days Gone Bad was taken from Audible at http://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Days-Gone-Bad-Audiobook/B00KX959A4#publisher-summary on 15/06/2015.

Buy Link(s):
 

My Thoughts:

I came across this book as a recommendation in a comment in Ilona Andrews' giveaway for an ARC of Magic Shifts. And mighty glad I did! It was an awesome read!!

Chapter 1, I wasn't very convinced. But by Chapter 3, I knew it was gonna be good! And by the end of the book, Eric Asher has gained a new die-hard fan! You got your vampires, fairies, old gods, power-wielding humans and more. Hopefully the author will expand more about the werewolves and witches in subsequent books in the series. Needing a good urban fantasy fix? Pick this book up! I just wished they hired a more ruggedly appealing model for the cover though. Don't have to be handsome, just more appealing. Anyway the suggestion of magical elements in the cover art makes up for it. So not a total loss. I also like William Dufris' narration and his interpretation of the story. He obviously brought his own flavor to the book which made it ultimately more enjoyable! And of course, I already bought the second book and currently reading it :)

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 4.5
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4
Pace = ( 8 hrs & 50 mins listening time)
Plot = 4
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Vesik Series:

About Eric R. Asher
	Eric is a former bookseller, guitarist, and comic seller currently living in Saint Louis, Missouri. A lifelong enthusiast of books, music, toys, and games, he discovered a love for the written word after being dragged to the library by his parents at a young age. When he is not writing, you can usually find him reading, gaming, or buried beneath a small avalanche of Transformers.
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