chez_jae

A Match Made in Hell by Terri Garey

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



This evening, I finally finished reading A Match Made In Hell by Terri Garey, featuring protagonist Nicki Styx, who can communicate with the dead. It took me over two weeks to read because A) Shark Week, and B) I couldn't get into it. Tonight, however, storms kept me offline and knocked out the satellite, so all I could do was read.

Nicki is just getting her life on track after a near-death experience left her with the ability to communicate with spirits, when the ghost of a woman comes to her, begging Nicki to help her daughter. The spirit leads Nicki to the scene of a car accident, where a young woman hovers near death. Turns out that it's Nicki's long-lost twin sister, Kelly, and the ghost was their birth mother, Peaches.

Now Nicki is thrown for a loop again. Not only has she never met Kelly before, but her sister is still technically married to Nicki's new boyfriend, Joe. As Kelly recovers, Nicki is visited by an elderly woman, claiming to be their grandmother, who invites them to Savannah. Kelly is keen to go, and Nicki reluctantly accompanies her, along with Joe. Peaches has reappeared to her, warning Nicki that the twins will be visited by a man who will lie to them and bring great danger, and Nicki is not going to let Kelly face it alone.

Upon arriving in Savannah, however, they learn their grandmother has also passed recently. The staff left behind at the family home won't reveal any information, insisting that Nicki and Kelly will learn things on their own, assuming they have "the knack"--the family gift of psychic abilities. To shorten a long review, they encounter new people, new spirits, and the devil himself, and it's up to the sisters to stand together to save themselves and one another.

Sigh

It sounds interesting, and I suppose it was, but to me it felt less like reading a book and more like watching a soap opera. You had the long-lost twin, who's still married to the current boyfriend, long-lost family members, who may not be as lost as they seem, an evil spirit who tries to drive a wedge between Nicki and Kelly, as well as between Nicki and Joe, the devil, who wants Nicki but will settle for Kelly, and Kelly, who is acting like a rebellious teen, in that each time Nicki tries to warn her about impending doom just sneaks off to try to call spirits up on her own, resulting in one disaster after another. I wanted to punch her in the face, myself. Stupid bitch.

Favorite line: "I've got too many things to confess, some of which I haven't even done yet."

The story did not draw me in at all. I spent the entire time being too annoyed with most of the characters and their ridiculous behavior to enjoy it. I know I have at least one more book in this series on my shelf, and if it doesn't get any better than this, it will be the last one in this series that I read.

Two stars:

**

Blonde with a Wand by Vicki Lewis Thompson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I only had a few chapters to read in the book I'd taken to the office, so I brought it home yesterday and finished it. The book was Blonde with a Wand by Vicki Lewis Thompson. Main characters were witch and coffee shop owner, Anica Revere, along with playboy and stock market whiz, Jasper Danes.

While on a date with Jasper, Anica has decided this will be The Night. Her plans are scuttled, however, when she encounters one of Jasper's old girlfriends, whose story of meeting Jasper sounds very much like how he and Anica hooked up...right down to the tale of woe that Jasper told to gain sympathy. Convinced that Jasper is nothing but a jerk, Anica ends the date and heads home. Jasper follows her and won't take no for an answer. In response, Anica draws her wand and turns him into a cat. Immediately horrified by what she's done, Anica scoops Jasper up and takes him home so she can undo the damage. Unfortunately, casting a harmful spell has caused her to lose her magic. Now, Anica must rely on her sister, Lily, and a witch and wizard from the Council to help her.

For his part, Jasper maintains his human mind while in cat form, and he is initially terrified of the changes that have befallen him. He blames Anica for his predicament, yet he knows she's his best hope of being returned to normal. When Jasper begins changing back to human, for short periods of time, it's up to him to figure out how to reverse the spell that Anica used.

The more time the two spend with one another, the more they become attracted to each other. There may be hope for a relationship yet, that is, if Jasper can be returned to a man full time, and if Anica's nosy neighbor doesn't succeed in forcing Anica into getting her "new" cat to the vet to be neutered.

A lite, paranormal romance that I found amusing, lovely, and annoying at various times. Jasper was an utter ass at the beginning, but it was heartening to see how he was able to acknowledge that he'd been a jerk, and even to realize how he'd driven Anica to lash out when he kept pressing her after she'd walked away from him. Anica's neighbor needed a bitch slap. It's one thing to advise someone to get a cat altered; it's quite another to barge into the apartment, past Julie, the woman who was house-sitting, and literally snatch the cat to take it to the vet. I understand it was a plot device to put Jasper in a position of being fearful and intimidated by someone larger than he, but all I could think was, if someone tried to do that with one of my cats, they'd be getting a face full of claws, and I'm not talking about the cat's claws.

Favorite lines:
♦ "Hey, if you want to go all Harry Potter on me and play let's pretend, can we go up to your apartment and do it in comfort?"
♦ "You're the one who turned a man into a pussy."
♦ "Somebody's been reading too much Harry Potter. If anyone around here could cast spells, you'd think they'd update the plumbing." / / Julie grinned. "It's obnoxiously old. I keep expecting Moaning Myrtle to come out of the toilet."

A cute story, for the most part. I was pleased that Jasper had his epiphany, but that he and Anica fell in love over the course of a week, during which he was a cat for the most part, was pithy. I also didn't care for the resolution. It seemed needlessly dramatic, and some things were never resolved at all, such as Julie's firm belief that Anica was a witch. Hm. I'll give this one four stars, the writing was stellar, even if some of the plot was trite.

****

My book reviews are lagging, due to storms keeping me offline. Guh. Anyway, at work on Monday, I finished reading my "work" book, which was Real Vampires Have Curves by Gerry Bartlett. It's the first book in the author's paranormal lite series, featuring voluptuous vampire, Gloriana St Clair.

Glory has been a vampire since she was turned in the 1500's by handsome Highlander Jeremiah Campbell, aka Jeremy Blade. Jeremy would like nothing more than to coddle, cosset, and protect Glory, but she wants her independence. Glory has opened a vintage clothing shop, called Vintage Vamp's Emporium. When a new vampire hunter bursts onto the scene, armed with technology that enables him to take out even old, powerful vamps, Blade insists that Glory move in with him so he can keep her safe. She scoffs at the idea, but a couple run-ins with Westwood have her feeling scared for the first time in her long life.

Now it's up to the vampires to band together and fight their common enemy, and Glory has a few tricks up her sleeve.

Fun story. It was lighthearted for the most part, but there were some sad scenes as well as some anxious ones. Glory was relatable, being a "modern" woman, as well as one who's more curvaceous than most heroines are portrayed as. It's obvious she loves Blade, but she is frustrated that he can't understand her need to make her own way. I will give him credit for at least trying to back off and give her space, even if his old, chivalrous manner demands that he simply pick her up and carry her off to safety.

Favorite line: Metrosexual to him would mean a quickie on a bus.

Not a genre I read much these days, but it was enjoyable, nonetheless. Four stars:

****

Over the course of two evenings, I read the ebook Ghost College by Scott Nicholson and JR Rain. It's the first in a series, but subsequent books appear to be credited to different authors. I don't know if that means they'll follow the same characters (in a round-robin format) or if the next books will branch out in different directions.

This story was wonderful. It's told in first person pov by skeptical ghost hunter Monty. He and his wife Ellen use a two-pronged attack when conducting their investigations. Monty relies on his technology, while Ellen is "sensitive". Monty doesn't really believe in ghosts, but he does believe in his wife, whom he adores. Their banter throughout was one of the best parts of the story. Monty and Ellen are called to investigate a small, religious college, where staff and students have been hearing voices, seeing shadows, and finding objects moved.

Ellen quickly connects with a young girl named Sophia, and Monty's instruments fail when the batteries are drained. When Ellen convinces him to act as a conduit to allow Sophia to communicate with them, Monty finds himself in a battle between good and evil, as he and Ellen try to save Sophia from the man known as the Dark Master.

This was a fun, engaging story. Even though it was short, Monty and Ellen are portrayed well, and I loved that Monty had so much faith in Ellen, despite the fact that he didn't experience the things she could.

Favorite lines:
♦ But this was also Southern California, where there were only two seasons: Oscar season and everything else.
♦ Middle age is hell, old age will probably be worse, and after that...well, we'll all find out when we get there.
♦ Me, I tended to ignore higher callings, because they entailed responsibility, and all I wanted was the next round of chocolate pancakes.
A man after my own heart!

Loved this one, and I am looking forward to reading the rest! Five stars:

*****

I read an ebook novella last night, A Ghost in the Store, by Gillian Larkin. It's the first installment in her "Ruby & Nessa" ghost hunters series. It was short enough that it almost feels like a cheat to include it here, but hey, it was chaptered. Ha ha!

The story opens with Ruby dragging her younger sister Nessa along with her on an investigation in a grocery store. It's reputed to be haunted, and Ruby and Nessa do see the ghost of a young woman there. After doing some research, they learn the store was built on the site where a home for unwed mothers once stood. They go on to check church records and learn the woman's identity and her tragic story. From there, it's a matter of helping Mary cross over, but Mary has some unfinished business.

Nothing exrtaordinary about the story. It was a cute, light, fun read. Editing was good; characterizations were two-dimensional, but that may change as the series progresses. There is some friction between the sisters, which seemed to have been resolved too easily, but oh well. One thing that bothered me is that Nessa twice made a crack to Ruby about coloring her hair to get rid of the gray, and then we learn that Ruby is only 28. WTF?

Favorite line: "...she's always been two pork chops short of a barbecue."

Okay story, three hearts:

♥♥♥

I had very little left to read of my work book, so I brought it home to finish. The book was How to Date a Dragon by Ashlyn Chase.

When firefighter and dragon shifter Drake Cameron responds to a burning building, he rescues Bliss Russo and her computer from death and destruction. Bliss is more concerned about her computer than her home, because she's competing in a greeting card contest/reality show, and she was afraid of losing all of her hard work.

Drake can't help but think of the pretty mortal woman, but he has no way to find her again. In the meantime, he goes on a date with a female dragon shifter who's more dragonlady than anything else. Bliss manages to track Drake down, and the two of them reconnect...and sparks fly. Zina, the female dragon isn't keen on letting Drake get away, however. She begins threatening Bliss and setting fires all over Boston. Zina's activities come to the attention of Mother Nature herself, and she isn't having it.

This was what paranormal lite is meant to be. It was cute and fluffy, hot and sexy, and just all around fun. Bliss has a snarky sense of humor and a strong backbone, which Drake hopes will enable her to accept him for who and what he is.

Favorite line: "Well, of course dragons don't exist. Oh, wait. Maybe they do. Let me go ask my unicorn."

I don't read much paranormal romance any more, but this was a sterling example of why I used to. Five stars!

*****

I brought my work book home to finish, because I had two pages to go. It was Howling at the Moon by Karen MacInerney, and it's the first book in her trilogy about werewolf Sophie Garou.

This was sort of a Sex in the City meets The Werewolf. Sophie has a cushy job and a lawyer for a boyfriend. Her bff Lindsey looks like a super model, and Sophie's closet rivals a boutique. On the negative side, Sophie is half-werewolf, and her mother is a witch and a psychic. When Sophie's mother is accused of poisoning a prominent local politician, and someone begins sending Sophie little care packages threatening to out her as a werewolf, Sophie's perfect life is on the verge of collapsing. Add in another werewolf, the first she's ever encountered (Sophie works hard to keep a low profile and embrace her human side), and Sophie suddenly has her paws hands full trying to keep things on an even keel.

This was a fun and funny story--very "paranormal lite". Sophie's struggles to keep her animal side at bay were amusing, but when she needed to go all wolfie on someone, she did so with aplomb. One humorous bit was that, since Sophie shaves her legs, her wolf-self had hairless hind legs, too. While that certainly made for a comical visual, I couldn't help but think, Then why doesn't the clean-shaven male werewolf transform without fur on his face? The lack of logic sort of ruined that for me. All in all, however, this was a cute story with an engaging heroine and two hunky love interests.

Favorite line: If you're going to break into a car, you'd better make sure it doesn't belong to a werewolf.

Four of five:

♦♦♦♦

At work on Wednesday, I finished reading A Date with the Other Side by Erin McCarthy.

High-powered exec Boston MacNamara has been banished from Chicago to the small town of Cuttersville, OH. There, he meets local gal Shelby Tucker, when Shelby troops through his rented house on her Haunted Houses of Cuttersville tour. While he finds Shelby attractive, she is the complete opposite of the polished, corporate women that Boston is used to dating.

For her part, Shelby also finds Boston attractive, but she finds him amusing, too. She can see how out of place he feels in her small town. When some of the ghosts in the haunted house conspire to get them together, Boston and Shelby can't help but act on their growing attraction, even though they are from different worlds.

This was a light, fun story. Characters were well-drawn, including such secondary characters as Shelby's ex-husband Danny, and her grandmother, whom Boston is renting the house from. I loved Strawberry the (dead) cow, too! Mostly fluff, with a pinch of angst, and all-around delightful.

Four out of five!

♦♦♦♦

Thursday night, I finished reading Conspiracies and Stuff, which is an ebook by author Kendra Ashe. It is the first installment in her "Dreamland Junction" series.

The story is set in Dreamland Junction, which is near Area 51 in Nevada. Kat Parker is a waitress, as well as a writer. She tries to expose conspiracies relating to Area 51, UFOs, the "men in black", etc. One of her friends believes he's a victim of alien abduction, while another friend has just learned she's pregnant, even though she's been in a dry spell. In the meantime, Kat stumbles onto the scene of a murder and learns the dead woman's young son is missing. In addition, Kat's evil ex-boyfriend shows up at the diner and causes trouble for her again. When he's found murdered later, Kat is more involved in the mysterious goings-on than she wants to be. Throw in a mysterious stranger and a paranoid, former Area 51 worker, and the story had more than its fair share of colorful characters.

The premise was interesting, but I felt like I was missing something. This was meant to be the first book in a series, yet it seemed I was picking the story up in the middle. In addition, it ended poorly. Not merely a cliff-hanger, but an ending that lacked any resolution at all. There were some editing issues that were vexing, such as an overabundance of commas. I had to re-read several lines to make them sound right in my head. The narrative was choppy and disjointed.

This one gets a three out of five (good idea, poor execution):

♦♦♦

This evening, I brought home my "work" book to finish. It was Because Your Vampire Said So by Michele Bardsley. It's the third in her "Vampires of Broken Heart" series.

This is Patsy's story. She's the town beautician, even though she was one of several Broken Heart residents who were Turned into vampires to save them after they were attacked by a rogue vampire. Patsy has bigger problems, however. Her teenage son is acting up. When Patsy's home and business are attacked, she learns she is the one foretold in prophecy to unite vampires and lycans. She also meets Gabriel, and is immediately drawn to him.

These books are what I refer to as paranormal lite. They're fun and fluffy, although there's enough tension to keep them from being silly. I have several more books in this series, and I am looking forward to reading them.

Four stars
★★★★