Author Archives: sadie

Destiny Blues

Book Review of Destiny Blues (Hand of Fate #1), by Sharon Joss

I grabbed a copy of Sharon JossDestiny Blues when it was free on Amazon. It was still free at the time of posting.

Description from Goodreads:
Some people attract stray cats. With Mattie Blackman, it’s demons.

At work, in her car, even at the foot of her bed. And with the FBI on the hunt for a rogue demon master, she’s desperate to get rid of them. Thwarted at every turn to solve her problem through legitimate channels, she turns to Shore Haven’s sexy mage for the answer: a fate she refuses to accept.

But as the serial killer’s victims pile up, Mattie realizes there’s only one way to stop a demon master. To save her friends and the people she loves, Mattie must choose between her life and her destiny.

Review:
An amusing but ultimately insubstantial read. The book had an interesting magic system and I liked the main character well enough (despite her cliched clumsiness and cutesy job), but the story felt flimsy and the story contradicted itself in numerous small ways. For example, the fact that it was set in a small town where everyone knew one another was emphasized. However, the main character, her mother and her brother all lived there their whole lives but never happened to be recognized by the family they supposedly look just like. Or people who summoned demons were treated as terrorists, but demons never seemed to be summoned. Instead they were caught, like virus. Similarly thin was the character development. No one felt very well developed, some characters devastatingly one-dimensional (the brother and best friends, for example). All in all, I enjoyed the read but didn’t feel it would hold up to much scrutiny.

Blood Divine

Book Review: Blood Divine, by Greg Howard

I received a copy of Blood Divine, by Greg Howard, from Netgalley.

Description from Goodreads:
Cooper Causey spent a lifetime eluding the demons of his youth and suppressing the destructive power inside him. But a disconcerting voicemail lures Cooper back home to the coast of South Carolina and to Warfield—the deserted plantation where his darkness first awakened. While searching for his missing grandmother, Cooper uncovers the truth about his ancestry and becomes a pawn in an ancient war between two supernatural races. In order to protect the only man he’s ever loved, Cooper must embrace the dark power threatening to consume him and choose sides in a deadly war between the righteous and the fallen.

Review:
I enjoyed this. I liked Cooper and Randy, but the book itself was a bit weak. I never felt the chemistry between Cooper and the man he was supposed to love. It was all based on a past, off-page crush. And I never believed that if they loved each-other they would have kept such distance. I disliked that Cooper went from knowing nothing to being all but all-powerful with no training (very deus ex machina). I felt cheated that the evil villain never seemed to actually do anything, even when threatened, and he was defeated easily, without putting up a fight. (I don’t consider that a spoiler. Did anyone think the good guys wouldn’t win?) And I didn’t believe that his grandmother would keep her secret and let him think he wasn’t safe to come out for his whole life.

All in all, it was a fine book to read for simple amusement. The writing is very readable and the plot does keep up a good clip. But it wasn’t anything super special.

Wanted, A Gentleman

Book Review of Wanted, A Gentleman, by K.J. Charles

I received a copy of K. J. Charles‘ novel, Wanted, A Gentleman from Netgalley.

Description from Goodreads:

By the good offices of Riptide Publishing
KJ Charles’s new Entertainment

WANTED, A GENTLEMAN
Or, Virtue Over-Rated

the grand romance of

Mr. Martin St. Vincent . . . a Merchant with a Mission, also a Problem
Mr. Theodore Swann . . . a humble Scribbler and Advertiser for Love

Act the First:

the offices of the Matrimonial Advertiser, London
where Lonely Hearts may seek one another for the cost of a shilling

Act the Second:

a Pursuit to Gretna Green (or thereabouts)

featuring

a speedy Carriage
sundry rustic Inns
a private Bed-chamber

***

In the course of which are presented

Romance, Revenge, and Redemption
Deceptions, Discoveries, and Desires

the particulars of which are too numerous to impart

Review:

K. J. Charles is one of those authors I know I can depend on for a stellar read and Wanted, A Gentleman did not disappoint. However, I also have to admit that I didn’t love it as much as past Charles book. The whole thing just felt a little more one-dimensional than past books. Some of this is no doubt because the plot is rushed, by which I mean the characters are in a rush in the plot. But some of it is just that it is a mush straighter, less elaborate plot-line than other Charles’ books I’ve read. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it didn’t light me up quite so much.

Having said that, I did think Martin and Theo were marvelous characters. They felt very real to me. I liked the complicated emotional quandary Martin was stuck in and, of course, the sex was hot. The book wasn’t a home run for me, but not a foul ball either.