The Mysterious Case of Mr. Strangeway by Karina Cooper

Synopsis from Goodreads.com

Although I have only been part of Society for two years, I am already desperate to escape its confines and eager for adventure. The world my deceased parents have left me is nothing more than a gilded prison, and I will do anything to escape the boredom, even become a collector of bounties.

My name is Cherry St. Croix, and I may be young, but I am old enough to know when I am in over my head. My first collection seemed easy: Mr. Strangeway’s debts have come due, and the purse for his capture is hefty. Yet the wastrel remains one step ahead of me, and my efforts are hampered by another collector after the same coin. What’s more, a simple hunt becomes the forefront of a conspiracy that leads me on a chase through London’s low-class streets.

Not only does my pride demand success, but the well-being of many rest upon the choices I make—failure is not an outcome I can live with.

My Review:

I don't normally read Steampunk, but seem to have acquired most of this series through Netgalley so thought it would be worth giving it a go and you know what? I really quite enjoyed this one, although it didn't appear as Steampunk-y as other Steampunk books I have read, but maybe because it's a novella so there wasn't much time/space to develop the Steampunk world. There were hints of it though so I'm guessing more will be revealed in the main books.

Cherry St Croix is a Society girl, but has had a difficult life in her young 15 years of age and having been abandoned before she finds trying to become a lady pretty boring and hates virtually everything that Society expects of her. After overhearing a conversation about collectors - people who collects others debts for them, usually from pretty unsavoury characters, she decides she would quite like this collector job to be a secret part of her life.

She sets off on her first job, which does not go too well for her at all. In fact, she doesn't collect her quarry at all, but instead pairs up with him to do a completely different job against the man who posted the collection note instead! She does start to get a feel for what collecting is all about and how dangerous is might get for her as well, but that doesn't scare her off at all. In fact, it makes all the more determined to be the best female, the only female, collector in all of London low!

Although this book was fairly short, I thought it was a great insight to this genre, especially for the likes of me who does not read it all that often. Cherry was a great character, feisty, determined and really didn't have a clue how much danger she  was putting herself in, but kept on going regardless. I will very likely read the rest of this series at some point.

I did receive this book from the publisher through Netgalley but this review is my own honest review!

The Silver Crescent By Debby Grahl

 Available from The Writer's Coffee Shop and Amazon (B&N, Kobo and iTunes - available soon)

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Summary:

Betrayal, murder and a stolen fortune bring Elise Baxter to Cedar Bend, Michigan, on a quest to solve a family mystery—and recover the missing treasure.

Max Holt impulsively buys a crumbling Victorian mansion and fulfills his dream of restoring it as a restaurant and inn. Aware of its reputation for being haunted, he adds to the mystique by building a garden path of old tombstones, one of which belongs to the original owner of the house, Cyrus Mosby—the man whose legacy Elise has traced, and who allegedly stole her ancestral share of a Colorado silver mine over a century ago.

Following clues gleaned from old diaries and a visit from the spirit of her great-great-grandmother, Elise seeks out Max and his inn. Not knowing if she can trust Max with her family secret, Elise pretends her interest is in researching Cyrus, whose own violent death remains a mystery.

An intense attraction between Max and Elise leads him to believe she may be the girl of his dreams. But when he discovers her true interest in him and his inn, memories of a past betrayal threaten to end their passionate relationship. Elise, finding herself falling in love with Max, fears her deception may cost her more than she is willing to lose.

Once persuaded the stolen silver is hidden somewhere in the inn, and captivated by the idea of a treasure hunt, Max and Elise begin the search together, aided by the resident ghosts, Cyrus and Virginia.

The treasure hunt seems like a harmless adventure until someone tries to steal the diaries. Unknown to Max and Elise, there are others—including an evil presence—who are driven by greed and will stop at nothing to unlock the mystery of the Silver Crescent.

  

Introducing Debby Grahl:

Debby Grahl lives on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, with her husband, David, and their cat, Tigger. When she’s not writing, she enjoys biking, walking on the beach, and having a glass of wine at sunset. Her favorite places to visit are the Cotswolds of England, Captiva Island in Florida, New Orleans, New York City, and her home state of Michigan. She is a history buff who also enjoys reading murder mysteries, time travel, and of course, romance. Visually impaired since childhood by Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), she uses screen-reading software to research and write her books. Debby belongs to RWA, Florida Romance Writers, Hearts Across History, and Lowcountry Romance Writers.

Connect with Debby

Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, and her Website

This has been a TWCS Blog Tour! 

My Review

I received this book from the publishers through Netgalley, but this review is my own! Elise is a news reporter and rather than take the comfortable job of working at her father's newspaper, she heads off on her own and takes a job in the small town of Cedar Bend, but her real task is to find out what happened to her ancestors and their treasure of silver from the silver mine rush many many years ago. 

Max Holt is a rich, handsome, but arrogant man, who will stop at nothing to get what he wants and what he wants right now is to turn this crumbling old mansion into a fancy restaurant and inn. He feels drawn to the house and the idea of having a haunted restaurant appeals to him and his bank balance. He drags along a few friends to help out with the house and soon both him and the house become the talk of the town.

Elise manages to upset Max at their first accidental meeting and is horrified when it turns out that he owns the house she has to investigate and search, but rather than telling him her plans, she lies to him and pretends she really wants to find out about Cyrus Mosby, the owner of the house, who was found dead, possibly murdered along with another unknown man, who may or may not have been her long lost uncle. How they were both killed nobody knows and there are no real reports at the time of their deaths either. Lucky for Elise though that Cyrus' ghost and that of his wife are around to help her out, even if they do give vague clues at times. 

I loved the banter between Elise and Max at the beginning and watching it develop into a rather fast paced romance. I also loved the craziness of Elise, Max and his friends once they were all told about the silver and the fact that it may still be hidden in the house somewhere - they were like animals on a hunt and stopped at nothing to find it. I won't tell you whether they did or not, but it was funny reading about them knocking down walls and falling down stairs and seeing clues from the ghosts appearing right in front of their eyes. 

I also really like the fighting amongst the ghosts too and the things one of them would do to try and scare the humans, who would just not be scared away no matter what he tried to do. 

This was a funny romance and I was desperate at the end to see of Elise and Max really would find the treasure (and what a twist to the story it was at the end) and to see whether they would stay together or not. I would very much recommend reading this book whether you like romance, ghosts or a mixture of both. 

I would also like to thank Debby Grahl and her publishers for inviting me on my first book tour too!

Immortal Rider by Larissa Ione

Synopsis from Goodreads.com
The signs are everywhere...disastrous world events. Evil rising up, unleashed upon the innocent. The prophecies were there...but no one listened. Until now. The time has come for those who can either usher in Doomsday...or prevent it. They are here. They ride. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Arik Wagner, a soldier with the U.S. Army's paranormal unit, the R-XR, kissed a girl and liked it. And then he went to hell as punishment. Where he's spent weeks being tortured...and plotting revenge.

Limos, Horsewoman of the Apocalypse, isn't your average girl. She's immortal, dangerous, and her fiancé is Satan himself. In a moment of weakness, she gave in to her desire and kissed Arik, triggering her fiancé's wrath - and his claim on her. In order to save Arik, and theworld, Limos must make a dangerous pact with her recently turned evil brother, Pestilence. A deal that might just cost her her soul...and her heart.

My Review
The second book in this series is about Limos, aka Famine, the Horsewoman of the Apocalypse and Arik, a human and brother of Runa, the werewolf from the Demonica series.

Limos is a hard ass warrior - she has to be she one of the four Horsemen and is half demon and half angel, but she's also a spoilt little princess having grown up with her mother Lilith in Sheoul, where she didn't get to experience a "normal" childhood. Arik, on the other hand, is a human whose childhood was pretty horrific and ran away at the age of 18 to join the army followed by joining up with the R-XR (government supernatural agency) later on.

He ends up kissing Limos at a party and she kisses him back, but with dire consequences for him - he is immediately dragged off to Sheoul and tortured like crazy for a month or so, whilst his torturers are trying to make him say Limos' name. Limos feels guilty, but doesn't really do much to help him as she knows she cannot really spend much time in Sheoul because her betrothed, husband-to-be is none other than Satan himself and he will capture her if she does.

Eventually Arik escapes with a little help from a demon and Pestilence (if you can call his actions help) and Limos finds him. He forgives her rather easily in my opinion, although I don't really think she knew what would actually happen if he kissed her. She does know what will happen if he tries to remove her chastity belt though, which only her husband can remove - cue big loophole in her marriage contract!

After Pestilence's many interruptions and world devastating events, Limos and Arik get together, but their wedding day is far from being the happiest of their lives as it should be. Limos has to finally reveal her hidden, most darkest secrets to her brothers.

Oh and Thanatos almost broke his seal, but it didn't break to everyone's surprise and now the race is on to work out what will cause his seal to break. I didn't like Reagan's "Wham-bam-thank-you-man" act though - made it pretty obvious to him she was screwing him over in one way or another.

I really enjoyed this action packed book with a lot of romance and a fair few heated scenes as well. I thought Limos and Arik's relationship was sweet, if not a bit too rushed in my opinion, but I guess that they had to move fast to stop Satan and his cronies! I just wonder what Satan's payback will be now...And will they ever work out what will step or redeem Pestilence back into his Reseph form? I thoroughly enjoy Larissa Ione's writing style, which made me lose a lot of sleep reading this book - I just couldn't put it down!

Can't wait to read the next one in this series!

I received a copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley and would like to thank them for it.

Heart of Venom by Jennifer Estep

Synopsis from Goodreads.com
When a terror from the past threatens Gin’s friend and body-disposer, Sophia, Gin will stop at nothing to protect her, even if it means walking straight into a killer’s trap. Meanwhile, the rocky romance between Gin and Owen reaches a turning point—can they reunite and rekindle their love? Or will the things Gin has been forced to do in her line of work as the deadly assassin the Spider keep them apart forever? Assuming, that is, she survives long enough to find out...

My review

This was one of my favourite books of this series. I just love the world of The Spider, but this one was more heart-wrenching than usual. Gin did have to do her usual assassinating, but this time it was more personal than it has really been for a while now, ever since she killed nasty old Mab Monroe.

The beginning of this book sets the scene for rollercoaster ride that is The Heart of Venom. When Sophia, Gin's cook and body disposal expert, rushes into Jo-Jo's salon, where all the girls are having a pampering day and screams "Run!" you know it's not going to turn out well for someone. Unfortunately that someone wasn't the bad guy at first. Harley Grimes, the man of Sophia's nightmares, the man who tried to destroy her in the past, the man who caused her voice to be the way it is, has returned! And this time he intends on keeping Sophia no matter what. Only Gin's not going to let that happen, no sir-ee!

After Sophia is taken, Gin intends on storming Harley Grimes' place with no plan, no back up, but a heap of weapons, but that's just not enough. She needs information and she does realise in time that going in completely unprepared won't help. The rescue attempt is helped out by two men she never expected to help her, Owen Grayson and Warren, an old friend of Fletcher's, without whom she would never be able to find Grimes' camp. The rescue mission kind of goes well, in that Sophia is rescued, but Gin manages to get caught and now it's her turn to be rescued, but does she need it or can she escape herself? She's The Spider; we all know what Gin is capable of doing!

I loved the feel of this book, back to the gritty, dangerous world of the ruthless Spider. There were a few times throughout this book, when I wasn't quite sure if Gin would truly make it through what was happening to her.

My favourite quote of the book came from Finn though - "Why paint when you can eat pie instead?". My thoughts exactly about decorating!

Looking forward to reading the next book in this series, which is all about how Gin became the secretive, dangerous assassin we all love!

The Reluctant Amazon by Sandy James

Synopsis from Goodreads.com
The last thing Rebecca Massee expects on her wedding day is to go from jilted kindergarten teacher to Amazonian Earth warrior. But when she causes an earthquake after her groom says I don’t, she discovers that not only does she possess incredible powers, she is one of four lost chosen sisters who must fight to keep humanity safe from rogue gods and demons. Luckily she has help: ruggedly handsome Scottish warrior Artair MacKay, her protector and teacher.

An immortal, Artair has trained countless warriors for more than four hundred years. He understands Rebecca’s confusion at the new world she’s been thrust into and worries she is too emotionally vulnerable, but that doesn’t stop his growing feelings for the beautiful and fearless woman.

When an evil force threatens to destroy the Amazons, Rebecca must claim her full powers--but they come at a cost. Can she sacrifice the man she loves if it means saving the world?

My Review
As the first book in this series, this wasn't a bad start to what I think could be a very interesting story. Rebecca Massee is your average, quiet, lovable kindergarten teacher who unfortunately finds herself being jilted at the altar by her mommy-loving fiance who hasn't got the guts to tell her he no longer wants to marry her without a bottle of alcohol to back him up. She whacks him one and then an earthquake erupts, quickly follow by a hunk of a Scotsman in a kilt appearing at the church doors to whisk her away. Rebecca, not being the impulsive type, does just the opposite of what she would normally do and walks off with him, only to regret it soon after. Just who is this strange man and why does he insist that it's time for her to join him?

Rebecca finds out that she is to become the Earth Amazon, one of four female warriors based on the four elements of the world - Earth, Air, Fire and Water, but there's no way in the world she wants this. She's not strong, physically nor mentally and has no desire whatsoever to kill anyone. She just wants her life to go back to the happy one it once was, but nope that's not allowed. Rebecca helps to find the new Fire Amazon and eventually accepts what she is becoming and the powers that come along with her new status. It also helps that her Sentinel, her warrior teacher as it were, is a hot, handsome, rugged man. Despite how attracted she feels to Artair, Rebecca can never share her feelings or be with him as it's not the way of an Amazon.

When the previous generation of Amazons are attacked and either killed or stripped of their powers, Rebecca and the other three Amazons have to fight back and find out who is behind all this, only it is not whom they expected at all.

This was an interesting take on a strong female lead and I liked the fact that these women are independent, powerful superheroes! My only real issue is the fact that apparently "everything that makes them women was taken away from them" - i.e. they can no longer have children. Now I am one of those women who have CHOSEN not to have children - does this make me less of a woman??? I'm certain some people would agree that it does, but heck I don't want to read that in a book. How about jumping into the modern day world and realising that not everything revolves around having kids!!!

The romance between Rebecca and Artair was obvious, but still pretty sweet. I think their love story was a nice added extra, but would have preferred more of a focus on the Amazons and their history.

I will read the rest of this series as I would like to find out about the other Amazons and what will happen to the bad guy in the future.

I would like to thank the author and publishers for providing me with an ARC copy of this book through Netgalley.

Red by Kate SeRine

Synopsis from Goodreads.com
“My name is Tess Little. But everyone calls me Red.”

Once upon a time, a spell went awry, stranding Make Believe characters in the ordinary world. Since then, Tess “Red” Little—a/k/a Little Red Riding Hood—has worked as an Enforcer for the Chicago branch of the Fairytale Management Authority. But, consider yourself warned—she’s not just some waif with a basket of goodies. All grown up and with nothing to lose, a gun and combat boots is more her style. And Red’s new assignment threatens to be short on happily ever afters…

Someone is murdering transplanted Tales in gruesome fashion. The list of fictional characters capable of such grisly acts is short and includes more than one of Red’s old flames. And if that wasn’t bad enough, there’s another complication, in the form of sexy, enigmatic Nate Grimm, the FMA’s lead detective and part-time Reaper. Used to following her own rules and living life on the edge, Red has managed to avoid taking on a partner until now. But Nate’s dark side makes him perfect for a case like this. That is, if she can trust him. Because if there’s one thing Red knows for sure, it’s that believing in the wrong person can have big, bad consequences…

My Review
This was my first book by Kate SeRine, so was a little unsure what to expect, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The take on the fairytale and Literary characters in our own Ordinary world was hilarious. I loved how the characters kept some of their fairytale personas, but at the same time tried to blend in with the Here and Now. I found the fact that Snow White was a Madame with her own brothel/stripclub just brilliant and Cinderella and Prince Charming didn't quite have the Happy Ever After we expect!

Tess Little, aka Little Red Riding Hood, is an Enforcer for the Tales, ensuring they all stay on the right side of the law and do not reveal their existence to the Ordinaries. When several seemingly unconnected murders of Tales characters occur, Red has to find out who it is before it goes public! To help her along the way is Nate Grimm, a Reaper, turned investigator, with whom Red feels an undeniable crush. She knows she can't get involved with him, but she can't help lusting over him.

Red did seem to have a colourful past and several of the victims or suspects, she had been involved with in one way or another, but I wasn't expecting the mastermind to be who it was. I did think it was the last man in the hospital (without giving too much away).

I really enjoyed this author's writing style and the pace moved quickly but not too fast.

I loved the ending and it was left with a cliffhanger, enough of one to whet your appetite but not enough to leave the story hanging too much and to leave you too frustrated. I've added the next book in this series onto my wishlist and am looking forward to reading it soon!

I want to thank the author and publishers for providing me with a copy via NetGalley to review, but this review is all my own opinion :)

Once Wicked Always Dead by T. Marie Benchley

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:
Molly Madison’s life is shattered with the sudden death of her beloved parents and the revelation of her husband Phillip’s affair—with another man. Molly heads west to Montana, resolved to run the family ranch, the Ghost Bear, and to move on with her life. Her attraction to Clayton Leatherbe, the ranch foreman, is instant, but before a romance can blossom, the ranch falls prey to sabotage by wealthy land developers determined to drive Molly out, and Clayton learns of a family secret that could put the ranch—and Molly’s life—in jeopardy. A sharp mystery that deals with the themes of family secrets, betrayal, love, and loss, Once Wicked Always Dead is a strong debut from an author with literary blood in her veins.

My Review:
I haven't read a murder-mystery thriller in ages so thought I would try this one seeing as I've had it from Netgalley for absolutely ages. It was ok, but not great. I actually got bored of reading it about halfway through and was constantly looking at the percentage marker on my Kindle to see how much more I had to go. I hate to feel like this about books, but I managed to get through it and actually it didn't end too badly and definitely not the way I expected.

Molly's parents die in a tragic accident leaving her as the only heir to their cattle ranch in Montana, a place her husband wants her to instantly sell to aid his political career, but somewhere she feels at home and really doesn't want to lose. Then to make matters even worse, her husband's secret lover reveals their affair to Molly, and all her worries about her marriage are completely explained when Philip's lover is revealed to be his male assistant. Of course the news gets out and Philip's career and marriage is basically over. Molly runs off to the ranch, determined to make a new start.

However, this new start does not turn out at all well for Molly. There are several offers on her ranch but she doesn't want to sell - she wants to carry on her father's legacy and is determined to prove that a woman can do the job just as well as her father did. But...someone is determined to undermine her and tries several attempts to ruin her plans and the ranch. To help her cope with all the underhand tactics is Clayton Leatherbe, the ranch foreman, who catches Molly's eye, but he has a few secrets of his own and tries to help Molly with her problems, without actually telling her about them! This romance was a little aside and not really the main plot, but the last sexual scene was quite sweet even though it ended badly!

Alongside all of this is a serial killer who only kills paedophiles and abusers, but takes an interest in Molly's husband's lover as well and causes him a great deal of pain and embarrassment. Eventually it was revealed who this killer was and it wasn't who I expected at all.

The plot was actually quite good, but I felt this story lacked action. It felt quite slow and even though it was pretty obvious who was sabotaging the ranch, none of the characters really suspected him until it was a bit too late! Sloan, Philip's original lover, I thought was completely crazy and really disliked his last scene in the field. I really didn't feel it leant anything to the story at all, other than leading to his demise, which would have happened anyway! And I'm not convinced by Molly's turnaround towards her husband and his new lover. I don't believe I would have been this laid back about meeting him after finding out about his first affair and inviting him to stay with me.

Anyway I would like to thank the author and publishers for sending me this book free through Netgalley.