Tag Archives: Dragons

Book Review of The Demon King and I & Dragons Prefer Blonds, by Candace Havens

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The Demon King and II picked up a used copy of Candace Havens‘ The Demon King and I and Dragon’s Prefer Blonds.

Description from Goodreads:
The Caruthers sisters are heiresses with privilege, wealth, beauty, and brains. But these party girls have something extra. As the Guardian Keys, possessors of an ancient family secret, they hold the fate of the world in their hands.

Gillian, the eldest, is a sensation in the art world? this world, that is. In her other world she’s the Assassin, a knockout who snuffs out dimension-jumpers who foul up her personal space. She never expected to join forces with one. But when a plague of murderous demons plunges the earth in darkness, she has no choice but to get a little help from a being who knows his stuff.

Review:
Honestly, I wasn’t all that impressed with this one. It felt extremely rushed and lacked any kind of bulk or substance. At times I felt like I was reading the author’s outline rather than a fully fleshed out story. The plot jumped from random event to random event, Gilliam made unfollowable leaps of logic, and the dialogue felt really stiff.

There were also an awful lot of descriptions of how awesome Gillian and her family were supposed to be, but precious little showing us that same awesomeness. Example, while having a contrived tender moment with Mr. Demon King he and Gilly are called back to his castle where he locks her in her room. We get to see her storm around a bit and get angry about being locked up and then be told, ‘oh yeah, we were under attack.’ (Um, why wasn’t the warrior Guardian in that defensive battle again?)

She is then returned home, where said attack is reported and we, the reader, get to see her and her sisters decide which dress to wear to the ball. Leaving aside the whole, ‘oh shit, the universe is seriously endangered and maybe we aught to blow off the charity public appearances’ I’d be much more interested in seeing the outcome of a pitched demon battle than whether Gillian or her sisters chooses to wear a pink Carmen Marc Valvo or a coffee-colorer Zac Posen. But the latter seemed to be much more important, since it and other such scenes were the only ones that seemed to be related real-time.

This sort of issue reared its ugly head again and again. Even the final conclusion was spent telling the reader what had been discovered in the last days of the investigation instead of showing us the investigation. If I wanted a memo on the highlights of the events I would have chosen something bullet-pointed instead of a novel. The reader is given far, far more firsthand information about what characters are wearing, or driving, or what event they are attending than the actual fight scenes, romance, or mystery solving.

Further, I’m not certain how I’m supposed to really feel the tension of the universe almost being overrun by evil when it’s of so little importance to the characters in question that they don’t even bother to rearrange their social schedules. Yes, I did gather the fact that the Caruthers sisters lead this double life, but their (and the book’s) strong focus on fashion and celebrity meant that nothing else felt important–least of which the supposed universe-wide war that was being waged.

Add to that the fact that I felt like the actual plot point that tied everything back to Gillian made little sense. There really isn’t a way for me to address this without spoilers, but it was shaky at best. I saw no reason any aggression should have been directed at a single Guardian. I do see what the author was probably trying to infer, but it really didn’t come across.

I also thought there were some inconsistencies. Arath, for example, didn’t know who Jesus was or what seat belts were, but recognised Fall Out Boy, DVDs and Dancing with the Stars. What? Really?

Lastly, another side-effect of the bullet-point like plotting was that, with the exception of the fact that you know it’s coming by virtue of what type of book it is, the romantic element amped up out of nowhere. I can’t even call it insta-love because until the very end, where a perfunctory and very brief sex scene was shoe-horned in, there wasn’t any love expressed. Sure Gilly told herself she was in love with this man she had spoken to a mere handful of times, but that’s it. There was no sexual tension, no flirting, almost no whispered sweet nothings–she was just suddenly in love. Go ahead and check that bullet off, will ya?

Now all this isn’t to say I hated the book. I like the idea of the strong female warriors. And since Gilly didn’t do a lot of actual fighting she didn’t pull any of the horrid heroine cliché moves, like falling and twisting an ankle so the hunky hero has to carry her home. All right, he carried her home. But at least it was after a fair, if rushed and unprovoked, rare fight scene.

Dragons Prefer BlondsDescription from Goodreads:
Alex Caruthers is a sassy socialite who knows when it’s time to turn in her dancing shoes and kick some serious dragon booty. But when Ginjin-the dragon warrior who’s tried to kill her numerous times- chooses her as his mate, Alex finds herself in a situation that’s too hot to handle.

For help she turns to Jake, head of Caruthers security-and a total hottie in a suit-and asks him to pose as her boyfriend. Their relationship might be fake, but Alex can’t deny that one touch from Jake makes her burn hotter than any dragon could.

Review:
I almost didn’t bother with this  second Caruthers Sisters book since I was so disappointed with The Demon King and I. But in the end I’m glad I did. Dragons Prefer Blonds was much better. Possibly simply because much of the premise was established in book one so more of the story could be dedicated to Alex and her adventures and less to describing the family’s basic awesomeness.

I still felt like there was some shaky plotting going on. Bailey was said to have invented so much that I was left wondering if previous Guardian Keys fought with stone axes and pointy sticks. Despite it being stated numerous times that there were other Guardians, and even two of them showcased here, it felt like the Caruthers fought all alone. No one else ever seemed to be called to council meetings and such–things like that.

I also liked Alex. She was a bloodthirsty heroine and I could appreciate that. She did pull a couple stupid female stunts…turning around so fast she tripped over her own feet and fell into the rock hard chest of her heart throb, etc. I mean really, who does that? That stuff always annoys me. But I liked how willing to storm into battle she was and that she chose the human over the paranormal hotly. That’s unusual, though it does bring the title into question.

I also thought that, while not absent, the family’s social life wasn’t played so heavily here. So I was more able to concentrate on the good versus evil aspect of the story. Though, it did feel unfinished in the end. Sure they killed the presumed leader of the kidnapping ring, but that seemed a drop in the pond compared to the evil at work on the whole. I guess that’s what the rest of the series is for. The problem is that, while the reader is told how horrible it is, we don’t see much of it.

Final say: not as bad a book one, not topping my most-loved list, but not a bomb either. It’s a fun enough bit of fluff.

Review of E.R. Davis’ Lunes and Lords bundle

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Lunes and Lords Bundle

I bought E.R. Davis’ (or Emily Ryan-Davis‘) Lunes and Lords bundle after reading Dragon Call  (previously titled Mating Call), which I grabbed from the Amazon free list. Book one is still free.

Description from Amazon:

DRAGON CALL
Insomnia does things to a girl’s head, drives her to perform acts she would have scoffed at if not for a bad case of desperation. Yoga. Meditation. Getting in touch with her inner Lune via witchy rituals she doesn’t even realize she’s enacting until she’s naked in the dark with an aggressive dragon…or two.

Cora Phillips has spent her life denying the Lune tradition but with two dragons–and their masters–hounding her with mating claims, her denying days have come to an end. Like it or not, the dragons have come.

And she doesn’t like it one bit.

DRAGON DANCE
A dragon knows how to find his mate no matter how far she runs, and Lune-witch Cora’s dragon knows exactly how to lure her back for another dance with his master. Returning to New York on a mission to save her Dragonkeeper from his own self-destruction, she discovers this waltz is even more complicated than the first.

When a Lune has three different partners, which one leads?

DRAGON BOUND
Wrists bound to a hotel bed. Wrong dragon in her head. Flavor of fire on her tongue. That’s how the end begins.

Cora can’t run anymore. Not ever again. The mysteries of her life, the heritage she’s denied, the lovers and enemies she’s fled have all caught up to her, ready to eat her from the inside out if she doesn’t embrace her birthright, bind her draconic subjects, and rule like the queen she was born to be.

Review:
Though it might be a little repetitive I think the best way to go about this review is just to cut and paste the three reviews I wrote for the books that make up the bundle. But before I do that a word or two on the series as a whole. First and foremost I see NO REASON that these are cut into three novellas. This is one story, literally. Books one and two do not wrap up or conclude in any fashion. Secondly, Cora is a whiny bitch who can’t seem to make up her mind about anything, but she is also systematically denied information with which to make decisions. Third, I would have liked a lot more interaction with the dragons. I got almost no feel for the personalities of these sentient creatures. Heck, I almost don’t even know what they look like. Fourth, I could have used a calm moment or two. It felt very much like a screaming bunch of second graders on the verge of panic. No one ever seemed to just stop and think for a moment before racing off into some ill-conceived action. Having said all of that. I do very much like the idea of the story. It is very imaginative. And the actual writing–word choice, punctuation, etc is all well done.

Mating Call
I basically thought the book was ok. I just thought it felt a little rushed all over. I liked Cora but didn’t have enough time to get to know her. I liked the Dragonlords (well until one went all crazy), but I didn’t feel like I was given much depth of character. I liked Cora’s sister and mother, as well as their odd family dynamic but it felt superficial since there was so little of it. I was intrigued by the calling of a dragon mate, but it all happened so fast I barely grasped what was happening. And then, AND THEN the whole thing just ended! This is not a cliffhanger. This is an abrupt cessation of the story. Nothing concludes here. This enrages me.

Now, as true a testament as any to the fact that I was enjoying the story is that I bought the bundle so I could finish up (’cause if one ended so abruptly, you know the next one will too). But I have to admit I did so begrudgingly. I have no qualms about buying sequels, but it rankles the hell out of me to have to buy the second half of a book. Which is what it feels like one is doing when books end mid-story with no, and I mean no, wrap-up.

On a positive note, I thought the writing was fine. I didn’t notice too many typos and I have to give major props to the author for having a sexy, beautiful, size 18 heroine. Yeah, that rocks big time.

Dragon Dance
I’m struggling between 2 and 3 here. The reason for the low rating is two-fold. One, I’ve kind of lost track of what is happening here. There is something about a pearl. One minute, Greg is forcing it on her; the next, he is beating her to get it back, and then he’s telling her to take it. I’m lost. I don’t know what he actually wants from her. Plus she’s supposed to choose a dragon, then seems to think she can claim one and mate one. I don’t know.

Two, like the first book (but worse), it just ends. I mean, it just suddenly ends. This is by no means a complete novel on its own. Nope, not even by stretching the definition of ‘novella’ does this qualify as anything complete. Irritatingly, it’s not the beginning of anything either, being the middle book. So on its own, it’s just the middle of a story. Who picks up a book and just reads the middle third? No one I know.

But why not just a one-star, then? Because despite my tenuous grasp of what is actually happening, I am invested in how the story eventually comes to fruition. (I just hope I don’t get to the end of the third one and find it’s not the end of the series.) And I generally think the writing is pretty good. Pending the third book contains an ending, I would strongly post my preference to see the story firmly ensconced in a single binding. There doesn’t seem to be any real reason for it to be three books. It just creates frustration for the reader.

Dragon Bound
I am thrilled to say the series does actually wrap up here in the third book. I was a little worried that it wouldn’t. There is so much potential to this story. I really, really wanted to love it. I just really didn’t. The whole thing was rushed, nothing was explained deeply enough, and though I initially liked most of the characters I didn’t anymore by the end. Cora especially. Her indecision and refusal to face things made me want to shake her by the end. Both because I didn’t appreciate her weakness as a character and because, as a reader, I wanted to see those things she avoided. Most of the other characters piqued my ire by simply refusing information that they could have provided and thereby avoided all of the drama. Cora’s mother especially. Then after forcing Cora to deal with everyone’s obfuscation, almost everyone was absolved in some fashion. In the end it felt like Ryan-Davis couldn’t allow anyone to remain a bad guy. I felt cheated of my anger. Cora deserved to be angry at these people, so by extension, did I, as a reader.

I also found the book full of small inconsistencies or matters that were unclear and I misunderstood. For example, one moment, Miranda is informing Cora that women can’t support dragons, and the next, she is claiming one of her own. One thing I can’t complain about, though, is the writing or editing. Both were fine. All-in-all I’m fairly torn on how I feel about this one.

Book Review of Helen Harper’s Blood Destiny series (Bloodfire, Bloodmagic & Bloodrage)

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I initially grabbed the first of  Helen Harper‘s Blood Destiny series, Bloodfire, off of the KDP free list. I then bought the sequels, Bloodmagic and Bloodrage.

The series follow a woman named Mack who, despite being ostensibly human, has been raised amongst a pack of shape-shifters. She has a fiery temper, penchant for finding trouble, and a sexy were-panther on her tail. Of course there is more to the story than that, but you can check out the Amazon or Goodread links for a breakdown of each book. 

Review of Bloodfire:
I generally really enjoyed this book. Mack is a fun character. She has a forceful personality and an equally strong backbone. I liked seeing her stand up for herself and those that she cared about. She did seem a little too willing to sacrifice herself for them though. I also appreciated that she had accepted herself for who she was, even if there were still lingering regrets that she couldn’t be like everyone else. I must admit that, though her complete lack of verbal filter was fun at times, it did border on suicidal. There is a distinct difference between speaking your mind and not being ABLE to control yourself and what you say. The first is a sign of one’s strength of character, the second a character flaw. There were times I thought it unrealistic that she got away with so blatantly breaching protocol and the chain of command. At the top of that chain of command was Corrigan and he was a sleek, sexy joy. Though I was disappointed at how little progress was made in their ‘relationship.’ In fact, seeing where it would go is the primary reason I picked up and read the second one.

The bare bones of it is that I enjoyed this jaunt through the world of English shifters. I know it might not be true, but it feels like most shifter stories are set in the US and it was nice to find myself in Cornwall for a change. Well worth the read.

Review of Bloodmagic:
Bloodmagic picks up roughly six months after the conclusion of Bloodfire and finds Mack in a whole new environment, facing all new challenges, but many of the same faces. She’s still dancing around Corrigan and trying her absolute hardest to protect her friends and family from him. It’s touching. She does make some new friends, however, and I liked all of them. Mrs. Alcoon is just sweet as can be, if a little eccentric and Solus’ ceaseless arrogance is amusing. As in the first book I thought Mack’s ability to walk into situations in which she was enormously out manned and succeed was a little hard to swallow. I mean in the Bloodfire she took on a Demi-god and here a citadel full of mages! Maybe Solus isn’t the one I should be calling arrogant.

Since the primary reason I decided to continue the series (not the only one, it is just a fun series) is to see what happens between Mack and Corrigan I was completely disappointed at the end of the book. I don’t want to give anything away, but yeah, disappointed in the end. I also noted a few more editorial mishaps and consistency breaches than in the first. For example, Mack refers to a knee buckling kiss at one point that I have no memory of happening. I even went back to reread the passage in question and couldn’t find it. I liked it enough to buy the third though.

Review of Bloodrage:
I’ve officially decided that this is one of those series that might never end. There will always be one more adventure for Mack. I’m a little peeved about that, starting to feel a little strung along. Be that as it may, I enjoyed the book. Perhaps not as much as the first two. Focusing as this one does on Mack’s experience in the school it has a bit more of a Harry Potter feel to it and the series seems to have lost a little of it’s earlier focus. Mack is still a smart mouthed hot head. Corrigan is still a sexy shifter. Alex is still funny and Solus is…well, still Solus. Of all the new characters I like Thomas the best, though I don’t think he grovels anywhere near enough for his initial misdeed and his personality takes about a 180 from his first meeting with Mack to his subsequent meetings. There’s a fairly big reveal in this storyline, but it still ends completely open for the next book, Blood Politics (which is apparently due out later this year). I enjoy the experience of reading the Blood Destiny books, but with no conclusion in sight I don’t know that I’ll be running out for more.