Cherry Mischievous

Thursday 19 January 2023

JULIE

Julie by Sherry Foster
Book 4 in the Safe Haven Wolves series
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook

About Julie:

The rescue is only the beginning.

Being rescued from an illegal prison doesn't mean life will suddenly be better for the female shifters. For Julie, the terror hasn't ended. It lives in her mind every minute of every day. She can't help others help her unless she gets past the block her mind has created. But no one can help her if they don't know about the block. Is she destined to live the rest of her life in a hell not of her making? Grab your copy and find out what happens when the female rescued has no way of telling anyone what is wrong.

Source: Info in the About Julie was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43584355-julie on 03/11/2019.

My Thoughts:

The cover... why does Edward has such a big nose?!

There are some holes in the plot. But, this is urban fantasy, not crime fiction. There is a bit of a wiggle room when it comes to plot. I tend to be a little bit more tolerant with plot holes with fantasy stories. Specially if the story is told well, which this book is! But, I still wish that there weren't, though. With the last three books, the women were bad-ass. This one, not so much... However, the story is still good! With the introduction of witches and other elements in the previous book, the story arch for this series took on another interesting turn. Plus other twists to the story. They are not really "a surprise" because I can guess what it was a mile away, but I like the twists anyway. This series just gets interesting all the time! For 119 pages long, this book is another short and sweet wolf shifter read!

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

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries

Meet The Author

About Sherry Foster:

Sherry fell in love with reading when she was young and never lost her love of words on a page. She enjoys fantasy and science fiction along with a few other genres. She has two grown children and eight grandchildren who keep her on her toes.

She writes fantasy but has plans to branch out into other genres eventually.

FTC Disclosure:
The different formats of this book were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.

Thursday 5 January 2023

WOLF CLAIMED

Wolf Claimed by Kellie McAllen
Book 1 of the Supernatural Sancturay series
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook

About Wolf Claimed:

He’s forbidden fruit with a supernatural secret. She’s a prize he’s compelled to claim.

For as long as she can remember, Luna has been warned by her father to stay away from Nikko, his family, and his sinister gang of friends. But with her father away, Luna can’t resist temptation any longer.

The most thrilling night of her life becomes the most horrifying when Luna turns into a werewolf, and Nikko does, too. Nikko knows the first she-wolf in generations is a prize that will guarantee his position in the pack, so he claims Luna as his mate against her will.

When Luna is thrust into the middle of a pack war that puts everyone she loves at risk, can she find a way to save her family and her pack without sacrificing her freedom?

Source: Info in the About Wolf Claimed was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44076066-wolf-claimed on 24/08/2019.

My Thoughts:

This book got picked up because I am apparently a newsletter subscriber of this author. I must have entered a giveaway. Anyway, the cover art in my inbox intrigued me and I followed links. At first I just downloaded a sample. Then I bought the book. Now I have also bought the second book in the series. This is my first Kellie McAllen read and I like the way she tells a story. However, I did not like the way the main character acts just a hair this side of stupid. But this is an urban fantasy book with werewolves and magic in it, so the fantasy geek in me puts up with it and hopes that it gets better with the next book in the series. Being the first book, this is also the introduction to the Supernatural Sancturay series at the same time a story of self-discovery and emerging powers.

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

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 cherries

Books In The Supernatural Sancturay Series:

Amazon

Amazon

Amazon

Meet The Author

About Kellie McAllen:

Kellie McAllen is a USA Today Bestselling author who has her nose in a book whenever she can. When she's not reading or writing, she's usually hanging out at the beach, guest judging on DWTS (from her living room), or watching cute cat videos. She lives in North Carolina.

FTC Disclosure:
This book was purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.

Sunday 25 December 2022

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Monday 12 December 2022

HIGH STEAKS

High Steaks by Daniel Potter
Book 3 in the Freelance Familiars series
Narrated by Jonathan Waters
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook

About High Steaks:

When the dice are loaded, the claws come out.

Rudy and Thomas have landed in Sin City, but not on all four paws. The Talking Animal Union is determined to trip up the Freelance Familiars and entangle Thomas in a game where Death holds all the cards.

But Thomas can’t focus merely on saving himself. A vampire stalks the refugees of Grantsville, and to save his friends — and his own neck — Thomas has to put more than just himself on the line.

The odds are raw and bloody in Vegas...

Source: Info in the "About High Steaks" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37417463-high-steaks on 29/06/2020.

Buy Link(s):

Jet

My Thoughts:

This book picks up where the last one ended. And tells us how the story went after the fall out after our hero saved his town. I liked that, because I did wonder how the people of Grantsville is going to cope afterwards... the clean-up work of that cluster-fuck just seemed so daunting... because we are not talking about straightening out the life of a person or a few people. We're talking about a whole town!... And I like the way the story panned out. So much so that now I am apprehensive about reading the next book in this series because then I might be disappointed! I guess I'll know soon enough if I am being silly about it or not.

Like the first book, I love this story! Champion of the underdogs! Iron-clad sense of right and wrong! And an HEA (happily ever after) ending!

I like the way Jonathan Waters reads Jet (the goat)'s lines with a bit of a wobble to his voice, mimicking that of a goat's, if goats could talk.

Empirical Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 4.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 5
Pace = (10 hrs & 17 mins listening time)
Plot = 4
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries

Books In The Freelance Familiars Series:

Meet The Author

About Daniel Potter:

Daniel Potter has always been inspired by the mysteries of the world. His early interest lead him to become avid researcher as well as gamer and writer. After obtaining his PhD in vascular biology, he began exploring fictional magic and spiritualism using his own particular scientific lense. Daniel published the webcomic Walking the Lethe from 2010-2012 and is an active member of the East Bay Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Meet-up group. His debut novel, Off Leash, is just the first in his Freelance Familiar series.

When he's not chasing his imagination, Daniel works as a vascular biologist in the Bay Area. He shares an apartment with his wife, two cats, and a large collection of video games.

The Narrator

About Jonathan Waters:

Voice Over Artist · Voice Actor · Voice Talent · Actor · Professional Actor.

A classically trained actor with a degree in Theatre Arts from Boise State University and at present nearly 80 titles on Audible.com.

Voice talent for audiobooks, commercials, characters, animations, video games and beyond. Check out the links for both the list of audiobooks and YouTube page for demos.

twitter | voices.com | youtube | linkedin | goodreads

FTC Disclosure:
The different formats of this book were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.

Monday 5 December 2022

THE MERGING

The Merging by John P. Logsdon and Christopher P. Young
Book 1 of the Las Vegas Paranormal Police Department Series
Narrated by the author John P. Logsdon
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook

About The Merging:

Las Vegas is getting rampaged by ubernaturals, and only one team has the guts to step in.

Ian Dex is the captain of the Las Vegas Paranormal Police Department (PPD), the crew responsible for kicking the crap out of any supernatural stupid enough to mess with the Strip. He's a cop, a millionaire, an amalgamite, and a horndog.

Sin City is always running amok with disturbances and glitter, but sometimes those two items merge and the nightlife gets out of hand. Kind of like mixing Hell and...well, more Hell.

When an ubermage appears on the Strip, strutting around in his Chippendales-style outfit and sending out other ubernaturals to kick up dust and unleash destruction, it's up to Ian Dex and his team to do what they do best: bust heads and shred souls.

Casinos are clamoring for help, cops are fighting tooth and nail just to survive, and tourists think it's all part of the Vegas experience.

The weather forecast for tonight on the Strip is dark. Very damn dark...and bloody.

Source: Info in the About The Merging was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36196599-the-merging on 02/07/2019.

Buy Link(s):

My Thoughts:

This book got bought because it got mentioned in Silver Clouds Dirty Sky by Orlando Sanchez. Me, being an urban fantasy geek, took the bait.

Ian Dex, our main protagonist is kind of a TSTL (too stupid to live). Not a very desirable trait in any character, never mind the main protagonist! Surprisingly, everybody else seems to be a well developed character except Ian Dex. That can wear a reader down. On the up side, the author reads the story with a gusto! That perked things up a bit. Plus there is the fact that this is an urban fantasy story with vampires and demons and magic that my geek side really like! I recon I would be reading the next book in this series, seeing that I already bought the first four books.

Empirical Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 3.5
Character development = 3.5
Story itself = 3
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 3
World building = 4
Cover art = 3.5
Pace = 2
Plot = 2
Narration = 4

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 cherries

Books In The Las Vegas Paranormal Police Department Series:

Meet The Author & Narrator

About John P. Logsdon:

I was born in Takoma Park, MD, in the U.S.A. I’ve worked in the online games industry as a producer, a product manager, a director of content development, and an executive producer. I’ve also worked in several positions as a software engineer.

I’m now a full-time author who writes in way too many series. I just can’t seem to help myself. More accurately, I can’t shut up all the characters who float around in my head telling me their stories.

The Other Author

About Christopher P. Young:

I spent the majority of my childhood reading and writing science fiction while learning the craft of storytelling. As I got older, I found myself working in the video games industry, which helped me to understand the concept of design, structure, and layout. One of the key components of my style is humor. I can certainly create serious stories, and have plans to do just that, but I can't help but admit that working in comedy is a lot more fun.

Here are the worlds that I'm currently working in:
* Tales from the Land of Ononokin - comedic fantasy
* The Intergalactic Research Bureau - comedic s.f.

All of my books are published through Crimson Myth Press ( www.crimsonmyth.com ).

I live in Southern California (U.S.A.) with my wife and an ever-growing population of critters.

twitter | amazon | goodreads