Tag Archives: #indiefever

Priceless

Book Review of Priceless (Rylee Adamson #1), by Shannon Mayer

Leave a reply

PricelessI downloaded a copy of Shannon Mayer‘s Priceless from the Amazon free list.

Description from Goodreads:
“My name is Rylee and I am a Tracker.” 

When children go missing, and the Humans have no leads, I’m the one they call. I am their last hope in bringing home the lost ones. I salvage what they cannot.

I’m on the FBI’s wanted list. 

I have a werewolf for a pet, a Witch of a best friend, and have no need for anyone else in my life. 

But when a salvage starts to spin out of control, help comes from a most unexpected direction. One that is dangerously dark, brooding, and doesn’t know a thing about the supernatural. 

One whose kisses set me on fire.

Review:
I really rather enjoyed this. There wasn’t anything startlingly new or exceptional about it, but it was a fun read. It did twist a few of the mythological creatures in interesting ways. There were both day and night vampire, for example, and werewolves (at least her werewolf) seemed closer to a domesticated dog than a wolf or a man. But it all added a little flair.

I did wonder, with so very many mythological creatures running about, how no one noticed. And/or why was Mr. FBI guy suddenly able to see them? The editing could use one more pass, though comparatively, it really wasn’t bad. The characters were a little underdeveloped (for example, Mr. FBI guy inferred that he never trusts a partner, but we have no idea why) and the plot was fairly point and shoot, with a lot left skimmed over (for example, after investigating/stalking her for 10 years Rylee and Mr. FBI guy seemed to have no animosity toward one another) but all in all, I had fun with it. I looked into the sequel. Probably would have bought it if my book budget wasn’t so tight. Maybe I can find someone to borrow it from.

Served Hot

Book Review of Served Hot (Portland Heat #1), by Annabeth Albert

Leave a reply

Served HotI received a copy of Served Hot, by Annabeth Albert from Netgalley.

Description from Goodreads:
In Portland, Oregon, the only thing hotter than the coffee shops, restaurants, and bakeries are the hard-working men who serve it up—hot, fresh, and ready to go—with no reservations…

Robby is a self-employed barista with a busy coffee cart, a warm smile, and a major crush on one of his customers. David is a handsome finance director who works nearby, eats lunch by himself, and expects nothing but “the usual”—small vanilla latte—from the cute guy in the cart. But when David shows up for his first Portland Pride festival, Robby works up the nerve to take their slow-brewing relationship to the next level.

David, however, is newly out and single, still grieving the loss of his longtime lover, and unsure if he’s ready to date again. Yet with every fresh latte, sweet exchange—and near hook-up—David and Robby go from simmering to steaming to piping hot. The question is: Will someone get burned?

Review:
While the writing here was fine, the story was only OK for me. I thought the romance was very sweet, but the book is basically just Robby over-analysing and agonising over every little detail of his budding relationship with David. Large chunks of time were skipped over, making all that agonising seem rushed and pointless. He always seemed to be wanting more than David was ready to give and it felt needy and selfish.

I did appreciate that Robbie was half-Korean. It’s nice to find a POC as a main character. I was disappointed to see him fulfilling most of the trite ‘gay Asian ‘ stereotypes though, even as the author acknowledged them.

All in all, not a bad book and an easy read. But it’s not particularly deep or moving in any manner.

The Silver Cage

Book Review of The Silver Cage (The Numinous Chronicles, #1), by Kandis Hebert

Leave a reply

The Silver CageI snagged a copy of Kandis Hebert‘s The Silver Cage from the Amazon free list.

Description from Goodreads:
Amelia grew up in a world where monsters existed, but she’d never thought of them as such. As a teenager she’d left that world behind to create a normal life. When that normal life starts to unravel, she heads to the cabin she inherited from her parents to get away from it all. She soon finds herself being pulled back into a world of supernatural creatures when she discovers a werewolf in the woods outside her cabin.

Ethan isn’t just any werewolf–he’s the werewolf that broke Amelia’s teenage heart. He also needs her help. Werewolves have been disappearing and Ethan was one of them. Unsure of whether or not to trust Ethan and his team, Amelia finds herself caught in the middle of the investigation.

Despite her reservations, Amelia can’t resist the pull towards the man from her past. Seeing Ethan again ignites feelings long-forgotten and she knows it’s only a matter of time before she succumbs to temptation and gives in to him.

Review:
Blergggg! Even worse, boring. Seriously, the main character watered her plants, fed her cat, washed dishes and went to bed (alone) about a billion times and very little of consequence happened until the last 15% or so. And even then, I had to wonder how they pulled it off so easily.

There was very little world building. The characters were extremely shallow. The whole premise made no sense at all. If they were so in love, I don’t believe for a moment that for ten years neither of them would reach out to the other, once they reached adulthood (him especially). There are some painful clichés. The villain/ending is hella obvious! And the whole thing ends on a mother F%$&ing cliffhanger. There is no happily-ever-after, not even a happy-for- now ending. (Not that I don’t already know how it will eventually end. There is so little new territory here that I could probably give you bullet points on the next book without even knowing the title.)

Nope, this one was not a winner for me. The writing and editing was fine (though there seemed to be some formatting issues). It was the story that failed for me.