Category Archives: books/book review

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Book Review: The Dragon’s Midlife Mate, by Haley Weir

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I picked up a copy of Haley Weir‘s The Dragon’s Midlife Mate on one of it’s Amazon free days.

the dragon's midlife mate
Welcome to Cress, a mystical small town with magic, mystery, and golden-eyed men…

Ariah

Who says you can’t restart your life in your 40s?

I’m trapped in a loveless marriage. When my husband discovered that I’m a dragon shifter, he twisted my secret to keep me bound to him. He treats me like a circus animal. His prized possession.

It’s time for me to dust off my wings and fly.

I packed my bag and ran. I didn’t know where I was going, just that I had to get out of there. I left the big city and stumbled into a small town lost in time.

The last thing I expected was to run into one of my own kind. Zachary is a sexy-as-sin bartender with shimmering golden eyes.

But can I trust him the way my heart desperately wants to?

Zachary

I came to Cress as an orphan. The people of this small town took me in. They accepted me for what I am–a dragon shifter. They protected me.

And now I protect them.

I never thought I’d want anything more…until she shows up on my doorstep. She’s scared and tired, but far from helpless. When her gaze meets mine, it hits me.

I’m staring into the eyes of my mate. And I’d do anything to keep her safe.

my review

This simply wasn’t very good. It’s not sloppy bad, it’s just all tell (no show), which creates a distance between the reader and the characters, and it has a really simple, shallow plot. Everything happens in a linear manner. This happens, which leads to this, which leads to that, and then this happens and then that happens. There are no red herrings, no mysteries, no need for characters to consider or figure anything out. Everything is presented on the surface and proceeds in an orderly (and there fore boring manner). There are also loads of inconsistencies, especially around time and distance. And the plot just makes no sense. Why Marko was allowed to do ANY of what he did when they had the power to prevent it? It felt artificial. No way I believe Zachary let that happen one chapter after we were shown him go all alpha male on Cornelius.

I’ll be honest, I read the first half and skimmed a lot of the second half. And I’m not often a skimmer. I consider it cheating myself out of a book. But I just wanted to be done with this without having to give it much more of my time.

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Book Review: Paladin’s Strength, by T. Kingfisher

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I borrowed and audio copy of T. Kingfisher‘s Paladin’s Strength through Hoopla (narrated by Joel Richards). It is book two in The Saint of Steel series. I reviewed book one, Paladin’s Grace, a month or so ago.
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He’s a paladin of a dead god, tracking a supernatural killer across a continent. She’s a nun from a secretive order, on the trail of the raiders who burned her convent and kidnapped her sisters.

When their paths cross at the point of a sword, Istvhan and Clara will be pitched headlong into each other’s quests, facing off against enemies both living and dead. But Clara has a secret that could jeopardize the growing trust between them, a secret that will lead them to the gladiatorial pits of a corrupt city, and beyond…

my review

Well, this was officially another winner for me. I’m becoming a huge T. Kingfisher fan. I did think Istvhan sounded an awful lot like Stephen from Paladin’s Grace (book one of the series), as in most of the Paladin’s seem to sound interchangeable. Granted, they were all paladin’s of the same god, would have spent a lot of time together and have similar background. So, maybe that’s to be expected. But it does show a bit of an author’s (maybe) limitation when too many characters sound too much alike. To be fair, I happen to love the character type—their mien, stoicism, deprecating humor, honor, etc. So, I’m not so much complaining as simply observing. I also thought the book was a little longer than need be. But my goodness, how I loved Clara and her by-play with Istvhan, how Kingfisher lets them be older and beautiful in non-standard ways, and the basic moral palette of the books. I will 100% be back for more!

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Other Reviews:

A Balm for Troubled and Troubling Times – A Review of Paladin’s Strength by T. Kingfisher

Review: Paladin’s Grace

 

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Book Review: Revenge De Los Muertos,by Talis Jones

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Revenge De Los Muertos, by Talis Jones was promoed on Sadie’s Spotlight and, as it happens, I won a copy of it.

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Selah’s biggest dilemma was trying to decide what to study in college. That is, until she stumbled across a clue to the grandparents she’d never met and hopped on a plane to Mexico where she would discover an entire hidden world of magic and monsters. Her best friend was a bruja, the Chupacabra was more than a myth, and she’d inadvertently caught the attention of the terrifying Blood King with golden eyes. What started as a two-week vacation quickly devolved into an adventure she might never return from.

Día de los Muertos had almost arrived and the monsters were on the hunt.

my review

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the idea of it, the culture the setting immerses the reader in, and the writing is easily readable. But I also feel like the main character was a wet rag who passively floated through the whole book, with the exception of one deus ex machina save toward the end. And even it happened without any active volition on her part. What’s more, most of the book (up until about 80% mark) focused on flirting, and dinners, and the daily minutia of vacationing and making friends. I was just a tad bored with the whole pedestrian affair.

None of that is to say this book is bad. It’s not. It introduces some interesting mythos and supernatural creatures. I think it just wasn’t exactly what I wanted it to be.

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