Monday 25 February 2008

WEREMONES

Weremones by Buffi BeCraft-Woodall

Rating: 5 out of 5 cherries


My Review:I was just browsing for something else to read and came across this book. Bought it but was not really expecting it to be very entertaining. There are annoying clerical errors which should have been corrected by the editor but it seems that the editor was not very particular either. However, clerical errors and all, BBW can spin a tale which draws the reader right along for the ride. I have to say this book was surprisingly good. So much so that I went looking for further books by this author. She haven't published much (yet). I stumbled on the NCP website and made the mistake of buying from them. Takes more than two months for delivery! I should have downloaded. This book is that good that a reader can forgive a lot of things and continue looking forward to further offerings from this author.

Synopsis:
With a control freak ex and two teenage kids, Diana has her own problems and no need to borrow anyone else's troubles. She's an Empath, though, and the young wolven Pack that lands in her lap is difficult to ignore or dissuade from their determination to adopt her as den mother. Adam Weis, Pater Canis of the Pack, isn't too keen on the idea of mating at all, and certainly not with a human, psychic or not. The problem is he's having trouble controlling his weremones whenever Diana is around. Rating: Contains violence, adult language, and graphic sexual content.
Excerpt taken from amazon.co.uk at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Weremones-Buffi-Becraft-Woodall/dp/1586088912/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245507484&sr=8-1 on 20/02/08.

Cherry

Buy Link:

Sunday 10 February 2008

DRAGONSBLOOD (DRAGONS OF PERN)

Todd does not have Anne's magic. This book is obviously written by someone who has read a lot of Pern stories. The publisher was a bit too optimistic when they wrote that Todd brought fresh ideas to the series because he obviously didn't. This book is a hodge-podge collection of bits and pieces from previously published Pern books that Todd put together and it didn't quite gel. Thereby, for the long-time Pern fans, this book is a disappointment.

I find that Amazon has been a bit sneaky in advertising this book. This same exact book has apparently been published by different publishers. As far as I can tell: one by Bantam Press in April 2005 (hardcover), Del Rey Books in Jun 2006 (mass market) and by Corgi in July 2006 (paperback). Bantam and Del Rey versions of this book have about 2.5 stars with both versions sharing the same reviews like one. Corgi has 4 stars sporting an entirely different group of reviews. When you click this book from the Amazon home page it comes up with Corgi with glowing reviews. From Bantam and Del Rey it seems that this book is "currently unavailable" however you can buy from different individual sellers. However it is not "currently unavailable" from Corgi.

It looks like that Amazon wants to sell this book by dividing the reviews. Putting the low-starred reviews with Bantam/Del Rey while grouping the generally high-starred reviews with Corgi with only one odd one-starred review to make it look unbiased. Then putting Corgi's version in the front lines. That is why I placed my review from Bantam/Del Rey to the Corgi version.

I find that very sneaky indeed! However, I guess its dog eating dog in the publishing business. I recommend to those intending to buy this book to read the reviews in the Bantam/Del Rey version as well.

Rating: 1 out of 5 cherries

Note: Click on the book cover image to go to GoodReads for more info about the book.

Tuesday 15 January 2008

ILL WIND

Ill Wind by Rachel Caine
Book 1 of the Weather Warden series

Genre: Urban Fantasy

About This Book:
First in the new Weather Warden series...

Joanne Baldwin is a Weather Warden. Usually, all it takes is a wave of her hand to tame the most violent weather. But now, she's trying to outrun another kind of storm: accusations of corruption and murder. So, she's resorting to the very human tactic of running for her life...

Her only hope is Lewis, the most powerful warden known. Unfortunately, he's stolen not one but three bottles of Djinn-making him the most wanted man on earth. Still, she's racing hard to find him-before the bad weather closes in fast...
Source: Info in the About This Book was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/86451.Ill_Wind.

My Review:
I bought the first three books of this series because it got so many stars at amazon, bad idea! The heroine, Jo, is painted as sassy, kick-ass and honorable, which is mostly true. However she acts so so incredibly stupid!! She lets go of hero, David who is a Djinn, so that he can be enslaved by the bad guys, Star, knowing full well that this was going to happen. Unbelievable! And then afterwards Jo races across America in fast cars to rescue David. Hello! Looks to me like Jo deliberately let bad things happen so that the good guys could play hero. This theme goes on and on and on with the second and third books. Safe to say I'm not reading anything from this author ever again. However, for those urban fantasy lovers who are more forgiving than me of this fault, might actually enjoy this series because the author actually has a good "voice". The story telling quality is compelling enough to keep even annoyed me interested.

Cherry's Rating: 1 out of 5 cherries

Monday 14 January 2008

IRON KISSED

Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs
Book 3 of the Mercy Thompson series

Genre: Urban Fantasy

About This Book:
"Iron Kissed", the third book in the Mercedes Thompson series focuses more on the fae. The werewolves, of course, as Mercy's family (whether she wants them or not) also have a major role, but the vampires are conspicuous by their absence. The reason for their absence is that the events of Iron Kissed take place in less than a week -- and because I had enough to juggle and the vampire situation Mercy has put herself in is going to require more than a brief appearance will answer.

Like most of my books, this one held a lot of surprizes for me. I had intended for Mercy to choose her man in this book, but I didn't expect it to happen the way it did. I also found out a few things I didn't know about some of the characters. It made me like some of them more and others less. It also made me realize that one of the terrific things about writing a series is the ability to get to know more about the bit players. In a single book, or even a duology, there are only so many pages to develop characters and I have to restrict myself to only a few. A series is not so restrictive.
Source: Info in the About This Book was taken from the author's website at http://www.patriciabriggs.com/books/ironKissed.shtml.

My Review:
This book continues the adventures of Mercedes Thompson "Mercy", a mechanic and a coyote shapeshifter. Here she makes a choice between her two men, er, werewolves, I mean. Battles evil and not so evil forces where friends seems to become enemies and enemies are allies after all.

Mercy's friend, Zee, who is a fae, is arrested by human police for murder. Mercy is trying to help Zee get cleared of the charges and keep him from getting killed by the Gray Lords (fae ruling body) as a sacrifice to keep the fae secrets from the rest of the world.

Still a very good read... but compared to Moon Called and Blood Bound, it is not as good as the previous two. Maybe I was expecting too much... or I was just spoiled by the good quality of the previous books... and also, I did not appreciate the dark turn of the story... but I have to say the story-telling quality is still a masterpiece.

Cherry's Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries


Post Amendment 24/04/2010:
Other reviews on this book:

Friday 11 January 2008

ABOUT US

For the love of SciFi/Fantasy & Romance

ABOUT US
This blog started out as a personal blog of Cherry. It still is, sort of, among other things. But now, we have evolved into a kind of blog where friends who share the same love of books also blog... Cherry loves to read SciFi/Fantasy/Romance books. Anne likes to read thrillers, crime and true stories. Gwent reads any form of the written word. The intelligent one among us.

06/05/2010:
Wilma and Jackie are new additions... yeyyy!!! Wilma likes YA and children's books. Jackie likes action adventures and fantasy :)

If you are an author, publisher, agent, marketing personnell and/or whatever you call yourself who does promotion and publicity in the book industry... and want us to read your book, shoot us an email with the title of your book, author, and url address where we can find info regarding the book. Please read the Disclaimer for further info about this blog.

To know more about us, click on our names to go to our profiles:

Please note that not all reviews here are positive, but then we do not expect the entire wide world to agree and have the same tastes as us. It would be an incredibly boring and monotonous world! So have a look and see, especially if it is your genre of books, even though it garnered a low rating with us :)

Wednesday 14 November 2007

Review: THE SCENT OF SHADOWS

The Scent Of Shadows by Vicki Pettersson
Book 1 of the Signs of the Zodiac series

About The Scent Of Shadows:
When she was sixteen, Joanna Archer was brutally assaulted and left to die in the Nevada desert.

By rights, she should be dead.

Now a photographer by day, she prowls a different Las Vegas after sunset — a grim, secret Sin City where Light battles Shadow — seeking answers to whom or what she really is . . . and revenge for the horrors she was forced to endure.

But the nightmare is just beginning — for the demons are hunting Joanna, and the powerful shadows want her for their own . . .
Source: Info in the About The Scent Of Shadows was taken from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/235111.The_Scent_of_Shadows on 14/11/2007.

Review:
You run somebody over with your car and you see the man heal his broken bones before your very eyes and all you do is call him crazy. Frankly I would be freaked out... Big time!! Then he starts telling you things that nobody else could possibly know and you call him crazy and calmly walk away. Wait a minute here! Do we see a non-authentic scene here? Suspension of disbelief? Hmm, let me see... down at the bottom of the ocean... Or maybe a"too stupid to live" (TSTL) scenario? Take your pick. Me, I stopped reading at page 40... Maybe this would be a good read to somebody who has a whole lot more "stupid" tolerance but this book is seriously not working for me.

Overall Rating: DNF (Did Not Finish)

Saturday 20 October 2007

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