Tag Archives: self published

Thunder Hunter

Book Review of Thunder Hunter (Viking Soul #1), by Rachel Medhurst

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I won a copy of Rachel Medhurst‘s Thunder Hunter from Audiobook Access. Oddly enough, I already had a kindle copy of it and it’s included in the Bad Magic compilation, which I also happen to have. So, I have three copies of the book somehow.

Description from Goodreads:
A thousand years, that’s how long I’ve been hunting the Fallen Ones that escaped Freya’s field. One hundred and ninety five down, five to go. Just five disgusting evil spirits until I die and Thor’s thunder will be returned to him. Nothing will stand in the way of me completing my mission, not even the woman who claims to be a descendant of Freya. I will kill the next Fallen One, no matter what.

Review:
Well, I did not like that AT ALL. I have rarely come across a ‘hero’ that I liked less than Trigger Thunder Hunter. There was 100% no character development to him except that of horn-dog, sexist misogynist His constant internal dialogue about every woman he saw irritated me beyond bearability. Every waitress, female villain, club-goer and passer-by on the street had to be remarked upon. Even the ones he was actively battling to the death. I swear every single one had a pert bottom or lush lips or a pinched waist and EVERY SINGE ONE threw themselves at him. (Talk about a male gaze, geez!) He was beyond nsufferable. I hated him.

AND Here’s the thing, Trigger is said to have had sex with several of the female descendants of Loci. (You might notice him having sex to be a theme of this review. It sure was of the book.) I know the author meant this like him being so irresistible, having such machismo that any woman would want him, even his enemies. But this makes no sense to me. I could not fathom how women who had been raised since birth to believe a man evil and it their moral duty to kill him could turn around and let their guard down enough to have sex with him. So, the only way I could make the idea of him having sex with the women he turned around and killed make sense was through coercion and/or rape. And once that idea set in, I couldn’t lose it. At one point he had a little black dress from a past lover/victim in his home to lend out. But it had also been made abundantly clear that he didn’t ever bring anyone home. So, did he have sex with her, kill her and then bring the dress home as some sort of macob trophy?

Honestly, even if he isn’t a rapist (which in my mind he must be), what sort of man repeatedly, even regularly has sex with women he plans to kill when he’s finished? Not a good one, which might be fine, as the Thunder Hunter is meant to be an antihero, but he sure isn’t one I’m interested in reading about. And I was so sick of his constant commentary on women that I wanted to slap him and the author for writing him. Plus, there was just too little story around his apparent sexual irresistibility.

And just in case anyone has made the mistake of thinking this a romance, give that idea up now. It is not. The only people he was shown actually having sex with were randos in the club while he treated the female main character abominably over and over and over again.

There is just SO much sexism in this book. The whole thing is just steeped in it, and since it’s written by a woman it felt a lot like internalized misogyny to me. Should we expect to be looked at as objects that men can give out as gifts? As I hinted above with Trigger’s very male gaze, ever single women was present solely in sexual context. Even random ones like a waitresses and secretaries. What’s more Trigger, written as THE MAN is shown as so full of himself and arrogant that even goddesses kneel at his feet. What chance have mere mortal women, who must be less than him, have? I absolutely had to force myself to finish this book.

Then there is the 220-year-old virgin girl. 220-years-old and the most important things about her are that she’s small, cute, naive and innocent. Sorry, what? 220-years-old and you expect me to believe she basically hasn’t lived. What’s she supposed to have been doing for 220 years to stay so innocent and ignorant?

Then there is the uncomfortable treatment of queerness. A man who was clearly and openly bi sexual is repeatedly referred to in ways such as having a “confused sexuality.” There is more than one such comment. Trigger seems ok being hit on by men, but it’s always with a sense of making fun of the person attracted to him. There is lesbian sex directed by a man solely for the benefit of a male viewer. It all very very uncomfortable, but it’s supposed to be titillating and dark.

Less egregious than all that were the annoying flashbacks and the way information just happened to fall in Trigger’s lap just when he needed it.

Lastly, the narrator was completely wrong, or at least his portrayal of Trigger was. Trigger was Scandinavian, but Ian Fisher played him a very English. True, Trigger lived in London, but he’s not a Londoner. The very same thing could be said for Chloe, the female side character, she’s Scandinavian but played as English (even when she’s teased for sounding American). This I think is more a reflection of the author choosing the wrong narrator, than him doing a poor job. Because honestly he did a fine job with the actual narration. 

All in all, I very much disliked this book and have no desire to continue the series. The writing itself is mechanically fine, but I’m not interested in subjecting myself to more.

Book Review of New Beginnings, by Brandy L. Rivers

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I picked New Beginnings, by Brandy L. Rivers up for free on Amazon. I later picked up the compilation of books 1-3 in the series. Thus, I actually have two copies of it. Lucky me.

Description from Goodreads:
Jess knew her life would never move forward if she remained a part of Gregory’s pack. Some Alpha’s just don’t know how to take care of their wolves. She had managed Gregory’s bar for years but she knew he would never sell it to her. 

After one giant mistake, he went from bad to worse. As a psychic, she knew it was a downward spiral. 

Taking her future in her own hands, she contacts the Alpha in Edenton. He is happy to sell the empty bar no one has the time, nor desire to renovate, much less run. 

Their attraction is unexpected and the last thing either want, but they find the only thing they need in each other. 

There is just one problem. Slater’s second in command is plotting against him. Liam will use anything to take over as Alpha. 

Plenty of werewolves, an old vampire flame, plus a paranoid second, and don’t forget the psychic with a whole lot of attitude.

Review:
I’m gonna have to go with, “No.” I read this as part of a compilation of the first 3 books in the series. I’m fairly sure it’ll be the only one I actually read. My god, the main character is so incredibly unlikeable. Why do so many authors fail utterly when they try and write strong, independent women? This is no doubt what the author was going for, but instead she wrote a raging, insensitive bitch. The sort I’d cross the road before saying, “Good Morning,” to for fear she’s respond, “Fuck off,” even if we’re perfect strangers. She was rude to everyone on sight. There was nothing likable about her, so I have no clue what the male main character saw in her.

Characters were presented with no history and developed to have no depth. The ‘romance’ was ultra-instant, as in the fell in lust OVER THE PHONE, during a conversation about moving logistics. The villain was bad for no apparent reason and just happened to have been turned bad by his secret boyfriend, which I read as he’s gay, therefore he’s evil. The whole thing was as subtle as a stun gun to the temple and it’s chocked full of subtle, internalized misogyny.

Nope, I need no more of this series.

As a side note, I don’t know what the name of the dude on the above edition is, but I am so sick of seeing him on the cover of romance novels that I legitimately avoid books with him on the front. And the dude on the second edition I’ve seen is pretty close behind.

He’s third behind this guy:

And just because I’ve gone off on a little tangent here, this guy and this guy and this guy are climbing the ranks too.

Are there really so few cover models available in the world?

Drip: A Gothic Bromance

Book Review of Drip: A Gothic Bromance, by Andrew Montlack

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I received a copy of Drip: A Gothic Bromance from the author, Andrew Montlack, for review.

Description from Goodreads:
J.D. and George: thick as thieves since the fourth grade. J.D., the troublemaker, the stud: the alpha. George, the sidekick, the misfit: the loser. Upon graduating college, J.D. has convinced the only job creator in rusty Middlestop to hire them. BrewCorp, the hot new coffee and retail chain, is offering a vice presidency to the employee with the boldest plan for growth, and J.D. is determined to be the guy. When not sleeping with co-workers, he hatches his pitch for a one-of-a kind data pipeline. He is unbeatable–until George grabs the promotion. Now J.D. wants answers. His quest to find them—and to deal with the monstrous truth—is the subject of indie filmmaker Andrew Montlack’s wry debut novel, which features the same biting satire that made his mockumentary, The Devil’s Filmmaker, a cult classic.

Review:
I started this book with a bit of hesitancy. No, that’s not right. The start of this book made me hesitant; that is more accurate. There is a certain subset of predominantly male, bizarro/horror authors that write books with a certain pompous, presumptuous tone that drives me up the wall. They always feel as if the author is sneering at the reader, like, “You chump, you’re reading MY work so piss off!” They’re basically what happens when trolls write, whether they’re good at it or not is irrelevant. It’s about tone, not talent.

The first chapter or two of Drip, the way certain scenes and characters were described and explained, even if the reader should reasonably be expected to know, hinted that Montlack might be such an author. I groaned and wondered at the number of Pantera and Metallica shirts he might owns. (Yes, totally spurious.) But I’ll happily report that Montlack pulled it together and an interesting and non-trollish book developed. I even liked it.

It does some interesting things with its plotting. The most notable is the unexpected hero. It’s not who you expect, who experience tells you should rise above and save the day. There is a certain narrative reader can generally expect, we’re fed it so often and unrelentingly. The meek will inherit the earth. The downtrodden will get their comeuppance. The arrogant youth, who has always gotten their own way, will one day face their own fallibility, while the person who followed the rules is shown to have walked the right path and will receive their rewards. That is not the story you receive here. One character has always had the best—he would say worked for the best—even if he had to step on others to get it, and the other has always been pathologically hesitant and unlucky, polite to a fault. Conventional plotting would balance those scales. Not Montlack.

This makes for a really interesting turn of events, a fun story. But I have to admit it’s also uncomfortable. It feels inherently unfair. In fact, while I loved the epilogue, I never did reconcile myself to the end. One character really did get a bum deal.

But the genius of it is the way it leaves you to ponder if Mr. Charisma is a bad person or not. Certainly, by the end he’s grown exponentially and can be said to be a good man. But what about previous to that? He’d spent his whole life being arrogant, self centered and rude. He has one tragedy that gives him a bit of depth, but is it enough? He did take care of his best friend. But does that count if it’s only within his own limited view of desirability. How much of it is out of any sense of loyalty and how much is just because he benefits from it? You’re never really sure and it keeps the character interesting.

Similarly, though you see much less of Mr. Beta’s personality, you see how he fell into the circumstances he does. Some of the most enlightening passages of the book come out of his mouth.

I thought the corporate vampires were a fun touch, though they did become caricatures after a while. Perhaps it’s the Gothic influence, but as I often do with vampire novels, I was left wondering why they only ever seem to hunt women. A few men got incidentally noshed on or died fighting, but every vampire victim to have a detailed death was a woman.

The writing itself is worth a read. Montlack knows how to turn a phrase and it’s pretty well edited. So, the actual reading experience is a pleasant one.

All in all, I really enjoyed it. I think I, personally, would have preferred it moved farther into either the serious or comedic category. As it is, it straddles the two in a way I found less that ideal. It’s humor kept me from taking it seriously and it’s serious bits kept me from just letting go and laughing at it. But that’s basically a personal preference sort of comment.