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Book Review: A Ferry Of Bones And Gold (Souldbound #1) by Hailey Turner

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a ferry of bones and GoldI picked up a copy of A Ferry Of Bones And Gold, Souldbound #1, by Hailey Turner on Amazon.

When the gods come calling, you don’t get to say no.

Patrick Collins is three years into a career as a special agent for the Supernatural Operations Agency when the gods come calling to collect a soul debt he owes them. An immortal has gone missing in New York City and bodies are showing up in the wake of demon-led ritual killings that Patrick recognizes all too easily from his nightmares.

Unable to walk away, Patrick finds himself once again facing off against mercenary magic users belonging to the Dominion Sect. Standing his ground alone has never been a winning option in Patrick’s experience, but it’s been years since he’s had a partner he could trust.

Looking for allies in all the wrong places, Patrick discovers the Dominion Sect’s next target is the same werewolf the Fates themselves have thrown into his path. Patrick has been inexplicably attracted to the man from their first meeting, but desire has no place in war. That doesn’t stop Patrick from wanting what he shouldn’t have. Jonothon de Vere is gorgeous, dangerous, and nothing but trouble—to the case, to the fight against every hell, and ultimately, to Patrick’s heart and soul.

In the end, all debts must be paid, and Patrick can only do what he does best—cheat death.

my review

I generally enjoyed this a lot, except that it REALLY felt like it wasn’t the first book in a series. Up until the very end, I was wanting to check and re-check that I was in fact reading the first book (other than a 13-page prequel). That uncertainty chipped away at some of my love for the book because I felt a little thrown into the middle and lost. But outside of that, I liked both the main characters, thought the plot engaging, the romance touching, the writing sharp, and the series, as a whole, worth pursuing. I’ll be looking for more of the Soulbound series and Turner’s writing.

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Book Review: Her Shifter King, by Bailey Dark

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her shifter king audible coverI picked up an Audible code for a copy of Her Shifter King, by Bailey Dark, somewhere along the way. It’s narrated by Sommer Hines.

A past she can’t remember. A secret he must keep hidden. A passion they never saw coming.

Ten years ago.

That was the last time I knew peace, family, sanity.

But after they came for me – everything changed.

Now, I live my life as an outcast, hiding among the shadows of each new city. Every move I make is a risk, and I’m fully aware that I’m only one wrong turn away from certain death.

When I find myself trapped between an enormous wolf and the monstrous shaded creatures that have been hunting me for the last decade, it seems my time is up.

Except, it isn’t.

My beastly savior shifts into a not-so-mortal man. He claims to be King Alpha of the Blueblood pack in Detroit, and he has a deal for me: Marry him and become his mate, and he’ll offer me more freedom and protection than I could ever have on my own.

Sounds too good to be true, which usually means it is, but I’m in no position to refuse this overbearing, dominant, ridiculously handsome warrior.

So, I make a choice.

On the surface I’ll play his game and be his wife. But behind the scenes, I’ll use his resources to find out the truth behind who I am and what he really wants from me before he can get it.

I guess this was ok. Listening to it got me through a tedious day of stripping wallpaper (and the narration by Summer Hines was fine). But nothing about it stood out as exceptional in any real way. None of the characters were particularly well fleshed out, though I did like several of them. The world felt half-hazard and pieced together, though it had interesting elements. The plot was paper-thin, but not uninteresting. Unfortunately, it does end without anything being concluded. Some might call that a cliff-hanger, I call it just half a plot. But that’s semantics. All in all a true “Meh” read if ever I saw one, neither horrible nor excellent. I might continue the series if I came across the next book for free, but I wouldn’t spend money on it; if that tells you anything.

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Book Review: Of Spells and Fur, by Valerie Evans + Giveaway

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Of Spells and Fur
by Valerie Evans
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

As the only known survivor of a horrific massacre years earlier, Molly Hastings has rebuilt her life as a dedicated member of the Anberlin sentries. It’s her job to protect and police the supernatural citizens who call the town home, but the discovery of several bodies has put everyone on edge with no suspect in sight.

Further complicating matters are a call from the home she left behind and the sudden arrival of a werewolf motorcycle club with ties to her past. An unexpected ally is found with Parker Hayes, a hunter facing down his own demons and searching for a future not based in bloodshed, who inspires feelings she hasn’t felt in years.

Amidst the clash between her past and present, Molly finds herself questioning everything she knows about not only those she’s meant to protect but the Sentries themselves. Could everything she’s been taught be a lie, and if it is, can she protect those she cares about?

*Le sigh* Before I can even truly get into reviewing this book I have to say AGAIN, this book is part of a series and that information was not readily apparent. So, I picked it up without knowing it was part of a series, and without having read the previous books. I am SO SICK of having this happen! I’d guess this is probably book 4 of The Anberlin Chronicles. Maybe the author will call it a spin-off but it read like a book 4 to me. It is readable on its own, but you definitely feel that you are missing past information and investment in characters.

Outside of that one big detraction, I thought this was pretty sweet. I liked that The hero and heroine were both full adults, no chosen teenagers here. The inclusion of parenthood was a nice change. The fact that XXX let YYY take the lead in most decisions was appreciable and I thought the plot interesting. I did think the author took the disappointingly predictable easy out with the ex-husband and I had really hoped for something more/better. But the moral dilemma he presented was an interesting one up until that point.

I read an Advanced Readers’ Copy, which usually comes to reviewers pre-final edits. So, I can’t speak to the copy editing. But, there was a habitual simplicity that popped up noticeably and could have been addressed and smoothed out. Sentences like, “A nod was given with her words…” “A pause was made beside a tree while…” “A pause was taken to lean back in…” “A mental checklist was gone through…” “A deep breath was taken before…” “A bit of water was poured into the cup beside the bed before…” “A final check was done on Natalie before…” “A purple crayon was removed before…” “A question was raised about desert…” “A pause was made to drop off…” I imagine you get the point. The repetition of this particular sentence structure to move scenes alone was hard to ignore.

All in all, however, I liked the book enough to be interested in going back and reading the series from the beginning.

 
 

Valerie Evans is a modern fantasy addict living in Georgia who finally took the plunge to self-publish her first novel after nearly seven years. She is the author of The Anberlin Chronicles series and the forthcoming Wolves of Worsham series. In her free time, she likes to read all genres with a focus on fantasy, entertain her very clingy dog, and collect Funkos pops plus journals.

 
 
 
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