Tag Archives: Supernatural Book Crate

Book Review: Rest in Pieces, by Lucinda Dark

I received a signed copy of Lucinda Dark‘s Rest in Pieces in the December Supernatural Book Crate.

Ashes to Ashes. Dust to Dust. If vampires kill your entire family, vengeance is a must.

I can’t say my parents never warned me about vampires. I just never believed them. Not—that is—until six months ago when vampires broke into my home and killed my family. Thanks to all the skills my parents taught me, I managed to escape but I couldn’t save them.

Two vampires down and the rest of the world to go.

My bid for revenge is going to have to wait, though, because until I turn 18, I’m being placed in the loving care of Elizabeth and Jonathan McKnight—godparents I didn’t even know existed. The clock is ticking until I can get back to my goal of eradicating the vampire race. But something is amiss at my new high school. According to my parents, vampires can’t walk in daylight. So, why then, does Torin Priest? If he’s not a vampire, then what is he? Because unlike the obnoxious asshole, Maverick McKnight, who sees me as some sort of bloodsucking leech on his wealthy family, Torin Priest is most certainly not human.

To stake or not to stake, that is the question.

This book starts with a Joss Whedon quote and then continued it’s Buffy cos-play from there. I say that with a little bit of snark, but no real venom. I didn’t dislike the book. But I do think the Buffy comparisons are unavoidable (and probably purposeful). Unfortunately, Barbie is no Buffy.

I didn’t come around to enjoying this book until well past the half-way mark. But by the end I was ready to continue on to book two. I found Barbie needlessly prickly for the first half of the book, and most of the other characters over-wrought representations of their character archetype. In fact, that last point carried through. The bitchy rich girls stayed stereo-typically bitchy. The sex kittens stayed stereotypical sex kittens. The dude-bro jocks stayed assholes. The kind and loving parents stayed kind and loving. There wasn’t really much depth to any of them and cliches and stereotypes were the words of the day, apparently.

Past halfway, the book finally drags at least one wheel out of the familiar Whedon-esque “I’m a sarcastic badass with a bruised heart” to allow the plot to progress. And at this point I enjoyed my time with the book.

I do have to say that it feels like it’s all going to take a very Anita Blake turn, though. This book has some sexual tension, but only one real (fairly mild) sex scene. But if I had to guess the series’ direction, I’d guess it will be soft porn before too long—given the ending. Which is fine. Some people might take issue with the heroine being 17 and the book containing on page sex. But my only true issue with it was that the idea of 17-18 year old boys who look at sex with a goal of pleasing their partner and know how to do it was almost more fantasy than the vampires. Just sayin’. Well, I suppose it also really muddles the genre classification. I don’t know if this is meant to be YA, NA, adult UF/PNF. I don’t sense that the author knows either. It felt more like she’d just forgotten the age of her characters at some point. Honestly, this genre confusion starts even at the cover.

All in all, I don’t think I’d buy book two. But I’d read it if I could get it at the library or as a freebie, etc.

Other Reviews:

Paranormal Romance Guild Review: Rest in Pieces, Lucinda Dark

Audio: Rest in Pieces by Lucinda Dark

Book Review: Love & Curse Making, by Kelly St. Clare

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Yesterday, I was scrolling Instagram and randomly ended up watching a video of Emma Hamm (whose books I very much enjoy) opening a Kelly St. Clare book box for Love & Curse Making. About an hour later, I glanced over and saw I that had that same book on my side table. It had come in my most recent Supernatural Book Crate. And I figured, “Well, I guess the universe is telling me what I should read next. ”

What do jazz pixies, siren celebrities, and three hundred disastrous dates with supernatural men have in common?

Me.

I’m Cerys. And at twenty-two years old, running a paranormal dating agency with my bestie and living in the magical society of Nepos is an amazing life.

Not gonna lie though, it’d be better with a little action. Kissing, maybe? A one-armed hug? Heck, after three years, I’ll take a man touching my bedsheets. Or would if this curse didn’t 100 percent block me from romance.

When my ‘extinct’ brand of magic explodes in the presence of true love, the off-the-charts sexy but infuriatingly bored Detective Devereaux gets involved. And let me tell you, ladies, there are m-u-s-c-l-e-s under his long coat!

So I’m cursed and dodging the law and trying to put more love in the world each day. And now some creep is digging up heart elemental bodies.

Seriously. How is it only Monday?

This was my first Kelly St. Clare book and I enjoyed it a lot. It walked the line between appreciably silly and roll your eyes ridiculous, and occasionally it did trip across the border. But mostly I giggled a lot. I liked the characters, world, and writing.

I wish we were able to get to know Dev better. He pretty much stayed a ‘tall, dark, and brooding’ cardboard cutout. Some depth and color would have helped a lot in that department. And the book is a cliffie. Very little of anything really feels complete by the end. So, I can’t call it a 100% win. But I look forward to getting to read book two in the future. So, I’d call this more win than not.

Book Review: Devilish Deal, by Jenna Wolfhart

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I received a signed copy of Jenna Wolfhart‘s Devilish Deal in last month’s Supernatural Book Crate.

Last month, I was living out of my car. Now, I’m couch-surfing in Brooklyn. It’s about as glamorous as it sounds. All I’ve got are some bad memories, an empty bank account, and a pigeon I named Hendrix.

So, when a mysterious, sinfully hot man offers me a deal, I have no choice but to accept. I’ll pretend to be his live-in girlfriend for a month. In exchange, he’ll give me a job at his exclusive club in Hell’s Kitchen.

Only problem is, there’s way more to Asmodeus than meets the eye. He’s a literal demon. Like, from the underworld. He’s rude, dangerous, and probably a killer. But if I break my deal with him, I’ll lose my soul.

Fortunately, it’s just a month. A month of heated stares and fake kisses that feel all too real. My soul—and my body—can totally survive this…right?

This is one of those books that you finish and think, “It was fine,” and then can list of half a dozen ways that it really wasn’t, even if you don’t feel like it truly deserves to get panned. I found Mia prickly and unpleasant—far beyond what the weak excuse for history called for. All of the demons came off as slapstick and goofy, rather than intense (as seemed to be the intent). The only sex scene came while drunk, which is fine—I’m not the morality police—but it was still kind of icky and unnecessary to the plot. And the twist in the last paragraph (or the hook for book two) was ridiculous, honestly.

But, even having said all of that, the writing was easily readable and I wouldn’t go so far as to say I disliked it. It was just kind of a weak showing, worth reading for the amusement, but never going to top a best-of list.