Hounded by Kevin Hearne

Synopsis from Goodreads.com
Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.

Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

My Review
Atticus O'Sullivan is an Irish Druid, an original Druid from 2100 years ago, but currently living in Arizona with his dog, running a herb shop. He's actually been on the run for a few hundred years now from one of the old Celtic gods, but unfortunately that god has now found out where he is and is sending everything he can after Atticus to retrieve a very powerful sword which Aenghus Óg believes should be his. Attitcus has basically had enough of running and decides he likes Arizona too much to move again so he's going to fight the battle this time, only he has to make sure he can win against the gods and all his hellish demon creatures! Lucky for him he has some powerful friends to help out against his enemies and against those who stabbed him in the back. As Atticus would say "Never trust a witch!"

Although there was a lot of mythology in this story, it didn't distract from the read at all, it was fed in nicely without overloading you with information. I loved the style of writing and found it moved at a nice, brisk pace. I totally loved the conversations between Atticus and his dog Oberon (yes he can talk to his dog through his druidic powers!). Oberon is just so funny and all he cares about is getting his own harem of French poodles!

A completely different style of story to what I usually read, mostly because the main protagonist is male, but a fantastic read all the same. Looking forward to reading some more in this series!

I did receive this book free from the publishers through NetGalley, but my review is my own opinion. Thanks to the author and publishers for my copy!

In a Fix by Linda Grimes

Synopsis from Goodreads.com
The start of an original new urban fantasy series starring human chameleon Ciel Halligan

Snagging a marriage proposal for her client while on an all-expenses-paid vacation should be a simple job for Ciel Halligan, aura adaptor extraordinaire. A kind of human chameleon, she’s able to take on her clients’ appearances and slip seamlessly into their lives, solving any sticky problems they don’t want to deal with themselves. No fuss, no muss. Big paycheck.

This particular assignment is pretty enjoyable... that is, until Ciel’s island resort bungalow is blown to smithereens and her client’s about-to-be-fiancé is snatched by modern-day Vikings. For some reason, Ciel begins to suspect that getting the ring is going to be a tad more difficult than originally anticipated.

Going from romance to rescue requires some serious gear-shifting, as well as a little backup. Her best friend, Billy, and Mark, the CIA agent she’s been crushing on for years—both skilled adaptors—step in to help, but their priority is, annoyingly, keeping her safe. Before long, Ciel is dedicating more energy to escaping their watchful eyes than she is to saving her client’s intended.

Suddenly, facing down a horde of Vikings feels like the least of her problems.

My Review

Ciel Halligan is an aura adaptor, which basically means that she can change her appearance to that of any other person as long as she has had physical contact with them and has absorbed some of their energy. She has her own business standing in awkward situations for her clients so they don't have to deal with their own problems. Her current client wants her to get a marriage proposal from her boyfriend, but what starts off as a fairly straight forward job ends up being an absolute nightmare of one instead.

Ciel's best friend Billy and her long-time crush Mark as also adaptors and are also involved in her small job, which through Mark's job in the CIA turns out to be an international problem involving kidnapping, drug dealing and planned murder.

Although I enjoyed the light banter between Ciel, Mark and Billy, I did think she was a rather immature character. She played her role of the babied little sister very well and I half expected her to pout her bottom lip out all the time in a strop. She came across as a typical spoilt little rich brat and I got really irritated with her a lot of time. She was constantly told what to do to keep her safe by Mark, who was the leader on this mission, but she defied him at every turn and ended up being caught by the bad guys over and over again. When was she going to wake up and realise that she was making life difficult for everyone?! Although she did come in very handy towards the end, so she did redeem herself a bit!

I really liked the idea of the adaptors and would like to read another book in this series about a different character or Ciel again if she matures a bit more!

I would like to thank the author and publishers for allowing me to receive and review an ARC copy of this book through NetGalley.

Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter by Richard Parks

Synopsis from Goodreads.com
In an ancient Japan where the incursions of gods, ghosts, and demons into the living world is an everyday event, an impoverished nobleman named Yamada no Goji makes his living as a demon hunter for hire.

With the occasional assistance of the reprobate exorcist Kenji, whatever the difficulty — ogres, demons, fox-spirits — for a price Yamada will do what needs to be done, even and especially if the solution to the problem isn’t as simple as the edge of a sword.

Yet, no matter how many monsters he has to face, or how powerful and terrible they may be, the demons Yamada fears the most are his own!

My Review
This was my first ever venture in reading anything about Ancient Japan and some of their mythology and I quite enjoyed it! Yamada no Goji is a demon hunter, but not the demons of modern day urban fantasy books, but ancient Japanese demons who can shapeshift into various forms, some of whom are dangerous and some can be quite helpful, for a price! Not knowing anything about this period of history I wasn't sure what to expect, but the author has obviously done his research and everything was explained fully and was well written too.

This book consisted of several short stories all revolving around our hero, who, with frequent help from his priest friend Kenji, aids those in need to solve supernatural mysteries. Yamada is well known for his discretions and his love of sake and whilst not a rich man, certainly knows his demons and ghosts! Each short story follows on from the previous and they all flow very well. I liked Yamada as a character - he was very realistic and likeable. Kenji, his almost side-kick was amusing at times too.

The only problem I had with this book was the female characters. There were no major female characters, which wasn't a problem, but those that did appear were not the strong characters I usually like to read about; they tended to be quite devious instead. I guess that is just a sign of the times in which this book was written in though.

I would like to thank the author and publishers for providing me with a copy of this book through NetGalley.

Mark of the Witch by Maggie Shayne

Synopsis from Goodreads.com
A lapsed Wiccan, Indira Simon doesn't believe in magic anymore. But when strange dreams of being sacrificed to an ancient Babylonian god have her waking up with real rope burns on her wrists, she's forced to acknowledge that she may have been too hasty in her rejection of the unknown. Then she meets mysterious and handsome Father Tomas. Emerging from the secrecy of an obscure Gnostic sect, he arrives with stories of a demon, a trio of warrior witches-and Indira's sacred calling. Yet there's something even Tomas doesn't know, an inescapable truth that will force him to choose between saving the life of the woman he's come to love-and saving the world.

My review

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to fans of witch books.

Indira is a former Wiccan witch who has lost her faith in the Craft after calling for her soul mate for 3 years and never finding him. However, she is being plagued with strange dreams in which she is a witch in ancient times and is pushed to her death of a cliff by a man she loved. Her friend, Rayne, a high Priestess, performs a protection ritual over her and suddenly Indy's powers spark up again.

She is approached by a priest, who saw a video taken of Indy using these powers without her remembering what she was doing and convinces her that he can help her stop the dreams. He turns out to be the brother of her friend Rayne and stupidly, in my opinion, agrees to travel across the country with him to find a solution.

She finds out that between Tomas, the priest and another priest Dom that she is the key to unlocking or destroying a great evil, but things never run smoothly and Indy finds out more about the dreams, what they mean and what she needs to do about them. Rayne, luckily, is on hand to help her, but things get quite scary for them all, especially for Indy in places, right up to the end.

I really enjoyed the writing style of Maggie Shayne, never having read anything by her before and felt that the plot moved at a good pace, picking up and dropping off as needed.

I loved the character of Indy. She truly didn't want to believe what was happening to her and her gut instincts were always right. Dom was what I expected from a completely insane old man who believed that he and his God would save everyone - a complete bigot if ask me, but he added the necessary evil to the story! Tomas, I just couldn't decide about. You could tell he really wanted to believe in Dom's far-fetched story at the beginning, but the more he got to know Indy and the more they found out about who she was, the less inclined he was to believe. I really was shocked by his attitude at the end where Rayne was concerned, but then all was revealed.

Looking forward to reading the next book in the series and the prequel if I can ever get a hold of it in the UK.

I would like to thank the author and publisher for sending me a review copy through NetGalley to read. This review is my honest opinion.

The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group by Catherine Jinks

Synopsis from Goodreads.com

When Tobias Richard Vandevelde wakes up in hospital with no memory of the night before, his horrified mother tells him that he was found unconscious. At Featherdale wildlife Park. In a dingo pen.

He assumes that his two rambunctious best friends are somehow responsible, until he discovers that they're just as freaked out as he is. Then the mysterious Reuben turns up, claiming that Toby has a rare and dangerous 'condition'. Next thing he knows, Toby finds himself involved with a strange bunch of sickly insomniacs who seem convinced that he needs their help.

It's not until he's kidnapped and imprisoned that he starts to believe them - and to understand what being a paranormal monster really means.

My Review:

Even though the main protagonist in this book is a 13 year old boy, it didn't particularly feel like a YA book.

Toby wakes up one morning, butt naked in the dingo pen of the local zoo with absolutely no recollection of what happened the night before or how he ended up in the pen. He believes his friends have played a bad joke on him, but they have no clue either. Several tests at the hospital later reveal no further clues as to what went on nor an explanation for his memory loss.

When a priest and his friend, Reuben, turn up on Toby's doorstep claiming he has similar symptoms to Reuben, Toby reluctantly lets them in his house to hear their ludicrous claims - he's a werewolf. Neither he nor his mother believe them at first, but Toby is intrigued and arranges to meet Reuben later one to prove that he is lying, only Toby can't because he is starting to believe it all.

While Toby is trying to forget the whole episode, he is "arrested" by two "policemen" who don't take him to the police station at all, but out to the middle of the Australian desert and to an underground prison which leads to a werewolf fighting pit. The kidnappers intentions are clear - they intend on getting Toby to fight to the death with another teenage werewolf, but Toby has other ideas. Luckily Reuben has suspicions about what has happened to Toby and calls for reinforcements and after a long struggle to get away, even more secrets are revealed.

I thought this book was hilarious in places - the sarcastic, childish at times, comments from Toby and his friends kept me quite amused! I would have liked to see Toby actually turn into a werewolf, but that didn't happen - maybe in the next book?

I did receive this book free from NetGalley and would like to thank the publishers for allowing me to review this book honestly.

Before The Fall by Sable Grace

Synopsis from Goodreads

Zach was once the Order of Ancients’ most feared warrior, beating back the hounds of hell to protect the unsuspecting human race. But since he left the Order ten years ago, he’s been living as a mortal . . . until now. The gates of the underworld are breaking open, and Zach is needed in the fight once again. But before he can answer his summons, there’s one person he refuses to leave behind. Shanna may think Zach has a screw loose, spouting all this “hounds of hell” nonsense, but he has to get her to safety. The journey to the Order’s headquarters is a dangerous one, and even a warrior like Zach might not be strong enough to keep the darkness at bay.

My review:
This short little story is set before the first book in the Dark Breed series and tells the story of the night that Hell opened and all the dark breeds infiltrated the world.

Zach Merchant is an ex-member of the Order of the Ancients, the group of people who fight against the Dark Breeds. He left the Order 10 years ago after a fight with a Lychen, a werewolf by another name, left him with such severe injuries that he almost died.

One night, he receives his summons from the god Ares to return to battle, but before he does, he knows he has to save the one person he has ever loved, but the last time he tried to explain all this otherworldly-ness to her, she left him, thinking he was crazy. Will he be able to convince her to come with him and try to escape this time?

The journey to the portal for them both was not easy and Shanna finally starts to beieve what is going on around and helps to fight back.

I did think the ending was a bit quick and jumped too far forward, but I guess with this short little novella, it has to. I just expected Zach to go back into the fight rather than go off with Shanna and do what they do!

I would like to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for this free ARC.

Blood Rights by Kristen Painter

Synopsis from Goodreads.com
The lacy gold mapped her entire body. A finely-wrought filigree of stars, vines, flowers, butterflies, ancient symbols and words ran from her feet, up her legs, over her narrow waist, spanned her chest and finished down her arms to the tips of her fingers.
Born into a life of secrets and service, Chrysabelle’s body bears the telltale marks of a comarré—a special race of humans bred to feed vampire nobility. When her patron is murdered, she becomes the prime suspect, which sends her running into the mortal world…and into the arms of Malkolm, an outcast vampire cursed to kill every being from whom he drinks.

Now Chrysabelle and Malkolm must work together to stop a plot to merge the mortal and supernatural worlds. If they fail, a chaos unlike anything anyone has ever seen will threaten to reign.

My review:
Chrysabelle gets this book off to a great start - she's on the run after finding her vampire patron dead, killed in a way only a comarré could, with a lethal blade that would behead him, but not turn his body to ash; a blade that only a comarré can wield. Chrysabelle is one such comarré, a human hybrid covered in gold shimmering tattoos, bred for the pure existence of providing untainted blood to vampires in return for youthful looks and long life. Although she only looks about 20, Chrysabelle is over 100 years old.

However she wasn't the one who killed him, so now she's on the run to save herself from being killed by the vampire Tatiana who is next to rule the vampire House, to which Chrysabelle's patron was affiliated.

Chrysabelle runs off to her aunt's house, an ex-comarré herself, who in turn sends her to find another vampire Mal for help. This vampire is anathema, a vampire who was once a noble but is now an outcast. Their initial meeting does not go at all well as Chrysabelle stakes him and when they meet again, they both have issues and prejudices that they need to overcome if they are to work together and help Chrysabelle to prove her innocence.

I really liked the build up between Chrysabelle and Mal - there was no romance at all between them, almost a pure hatred for one another, but at the same time a dependency on each other in order to survive. I do think and hope that something will blossom between them in time especially as they are now bound to each other, despite neither of them wanting to be and unless they find a way to break that bond, they are stuck together indefinitely.

When Chrysabelle's aunt is kidnapped and used as bait to entice Chrysabelle to Tatiana's mansion, Chrysabelle enrols the help of Mal, Dominic, another anathema vampire friend of her aunt, Doc, Mal's half were companion and Fi, a ghost, turned human again who was formerly bound to Mal in her ghost state. This strange army go up against the very strong Tatiana, her sidekick Mikkel and a demon of sorts. Not everything went according to plan, but Chrysabelle and Mal made it out alive so hopefully they'll be able to continue the story and carry on the good fight!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next one in the series. I would like to thank the author and publishers for letting me review this book honestly through NetGalley.