Windburn

Windburn

Shannon Mayer

4.5 Bookgasums

Lark has faced fire and water and now must face the third element; air.  Air was the element that killed her mother and baby brother while she watched helplessly as a child.

Where Firestorm ended, Windburn picked up smoothly and ran.  For me this book may have had a little too much going on in it.  New adventure, death, characters from the Rylee series and so much more.  At times I had to stop and take a deep breath or wait for the tears to stop blurring my vision.

It was so nice to see Griselda (from the Rylee series) when she was much younger and before the madness set in and the same goes for Jack.  It was also to learn more about Peta’s past and to learn how an Element’s guardian is created.  I think both this and the Rylee series are intertwined in such a way that even if you have not read the other series you can still understand what is going on in the current read.

I read this as a Kindle and found no formatting errors.  Likewise, there were little to no spelling, grammar, or punctuation error to hinder my reading enjoyment.  Again, Ms Mayer delivered an amazing story that drew me in right from the start.

I received this book as an ARC for an honest review.  I have also purchased the book because I enjoyed it and wanted to add it to my collection of this series.  I think the fact that I purchased the book, even though I already had a copy speaks to how well I enjoyed the book and the series.

http://www.amazon.com/Windburn-Elemental-Book-Shannon-Mayer-ebook/dp/B017S1KQ0M/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1454358709&sr=1-1&keywords=windburn

Jenna's Flaw

Jenna’s Flaw

Lee Tasey

It is not always the night we need to fear but rather the darkness from within.

This story will leave you wanting more and possibly wanting to shake the author too.  Mr. Tasey spins a very descriptive tale of not only a grad student’s life in a Midwestern, football crazed college town, but also the tale of how quickly and easily we can all be compelled and deceived into things we never wanted to believe in.  Like great writers I have read in the past, Mr. Tasey leaves the reader with more questions and wondering not only about the book but pondering these same questions onto their personal lives as well.

Lately I have only been reading romantic comedies which I love but after reading Jena’s Flaw I found myself remembering some of the great writers in the past.  Mr. Tasey’s work reminds me of H. P. Lovecraft with a dash of Mary Shelley.  Both of these authors’ works talked of how we strive for greatness but soon regret and fear that which we have created.  They also leave us with greater questions about God and what else is out there besides man.

Now on to my grading of the book.

 Let me start with what I didn’t like.  For me the pacing was a bit slow and it took sometime before getting to what I would call the ‘meat’ of the story.  The story didn’t really grab me until I was about half way through the book. However, I think this could also have been because I was not use to reading a book of such substance in quite awhile nor had I ever read a book dealing with possessions and otherworld entities.  So please do not judge the book too much on this paragraph of my review.

Grammar and spelling were spot on.  I rarely see a book that is so clean and sharp.  I tend to deduct at least ½ a star for grammar/spelling issues but that will not be the case with this book.  Since I read this book in paper instead of a Kindle/mobi format, I cannot answer formatting questions.

As I have stated, I am not use to this sub genre of paranormal so for me the plot was original and interesting.  Having grown up close to Lincoln, Nebraska, it was interesting seeing the town through the eyes of someone from the west coast.  While some of the places in the book were fictitious there were some that I knew exactly where they were and what he was talking about.  

As I stated at the beginning, the book was very descriptive.  This allowed me to not only see the action going on but I think it also helped bring the characters to life for me as well.  While reading, I could hear Jena smacking her gum while her hip was cocked as she leaned against the bus and she twirled a lock of her hair in boredom. 

If you want to find out more about Mr. Tasey and his other works please visit him on Facebook and/or Amazon. 

https://www.facebook.com/lee.tasey?fref=ts

http://www.amazon.com/Jennas-Flaw-Lee-Tasey/dp/1634905717/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449858363&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=lee+tarsey

Blood of the Lost

Blood of the Lost

Book 10 of the Rylee Adamson Series

Shannon Mayer

4.5 Bookgasums

Just three little words will rock your world to the core.

I could not give this final book in one of my favorite series 5 bookgasums due to the first person point of view style it was written in.  I am not a fan of this style where every chapter is a different character’s point of view.  This style slows down my reading, causes me confusion and makes it very hard to get into the story.

I went into this book not really wanting to read it because I didn’t want to see this series end and because I knew there would be emotional losses that would have me in tears.  The last 25% of the book I was in tears or sobbing to the point I couldn’t see the book.  Be warned; have tissues close by.

Don’t let what I have said so far turn you away from this book.  Ms. Mayer did a superb job ending the story.  She was able to mention all of Rylee’s ‘family’; both those alive and those that have died along the way in this 10 book series.

The book was free of grammar, typos, and formatting issues.  As I stated before, the characters though out the series were mentioned and all the loose ends were tied up so readers are not left wondering what happened to so and so.  Yes, there will be tears but some will be tears of remembered happiness too. 

Ms. Mayer has a new series starring Lark, who we have met in 2 of the Rylee books.  I am hoping we get to visit with some of the Rylee crew again within the Elemental series.  Blood of the Lost is a must read book.

http://www.amazon.com/Rylee-Adamson-Novel-10-Book/dp/B015TGQ0LW/ref=sr_1_1_ha?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1447769549&sr=1-1&keywords=blood+of+the+lost

https://www.facebook.com/ShannonMayerAuthor/?fref=ts

Hell's Geek

Hell’s Geek

Welcome to Hell Series

Book #5

Eva Langlais

4.5 Bookgasums

Who knew Satan was a romantic and a lover of rubber duckies

In book five of the Welcome to Hell series we once again meet an Amazon warrior only this time she is to be a main character.  We also get to meet Charon’s clumsy, nerdy son who was mentioned in book four briefly.

Ms. Langlais has done it again.  The book has humor, intrigue and romance all rolled up into one story.  I could not find any structure or grammar errors which gives this book a standing ovation.  Nothing I hate more than finding errors in a book.

This book seemed like two stories in one.  We had the geek and his warrior romance story but we also had a glimpse into what I can only assume will be book 6 or at least a tie in to Ms Langlais’ other hell series.  In addition to these parts of the book we also had a developing story of Satan’s upcoming wedding and now a new villain who I am sure we will be seeing a lot more of.

I cannot wait to see what will come next.  Both in the story line but also in Satan’s hand tailored apparel.  Who can resist a man with horned rubber duckies in all the right places?

http://www.amazon.com/Hells-Geek-Welcome-Hell-Book-ebook/dp/B01344AWMY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1447258119&sr=1-1&keywords=hell%27s+geek

https://www.facebook.com/eve.langlais.98/?fref=ts

Trial by Moon

Trial by Moon

Episode One of the Trial Series

By Lizzy Ford

5 Bookgasums

3 men, 3 trials, 3 choices

“A vampire, werewolf and a Fae walked into a bar….”  Sounds like the beginning of a great joke, instead it is the beginning of a great story filled with mystery, age old riddles, and even a little romance.  Ms. Ford story intrigued me from the beginning and held me tight so that I had to keep reading.  In fact, I read this book straight through.

Deception, rules, and mysteries abound.  Every turn has your mind whirling. You will want to cheer and yet hold back because you know there is more to hear and learn.  The Kingmaker must complete 4 trials in order to pick the next king.  This trial has to do with the werewolves and finding out more about herself, her father, and her birth right.

I found no grammar, spelling or formatting issues which for me makes it an ‘A’ right away.  Nothing like errors to slow down or pull you completely out of the story, this was not the case with this story.  There was just enough description for me to see everything and not so much I got bored or tried to skip ahead.  The characters became real for me and had me cheering and booing them as the story progressed.

I am just blown away and I don’t want to leave this world Ms. Ford has woven around me.   I cannot wait to delve into the other 3 trails to find out what happens next.  I cannot say it well enough.  This was an excellent book that I would want to buy in hardback to be able to read it again.  I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review and I am very happy to say this book earned its 5 Bookgasums.

http://www.amazon.com/Trial-Moon-Book-1-ebook/dp/B017FCM1QG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1446474182&sr=1-1&keywords=trial+by+moon

Recombinant

Recombinant

Book 1 of the Blood Borne Series

Shannon Mayer & Denise Grover Swank

Bookgasums

Don’t be a nincompoop and pass up this book.

This is the first book in the new collaborated series Blood Borne.  I was unsure how the book would be; even though I love both of the authors other works.  I just didn’t know how two people could each write parts and then have all the parts work together seamlessly.  I am glad to say the authors did a fabulous job of creating a full and rich story.

The book started out as more of a regular crime novel with a man looking into the front window of a Victoria’s Secret within a mall.  Yes, the first chapter was about vampires but it still seemed so ordinary and common, not what I would expect from a paranormal story. This is not a bad thing; it was just not what I had expected.

Each chapter is from one of the two main characters point of view.  I am not a fan of this style as it makes the reading choppy which in turn makes it harder for me to get drawn into the story and the characters world.  There were a few spelling and/or word usage errors in the first two chapters that also made my reading flow stumble.

It was great finding and reading a book with not one but two strong female leads.  The characters were well fleshed out making me want to find out more about them.  What happened in Iraq?  How were the hunters trained and by whom?  There is a lot more to learn about each of the ladies and I cannot wait to find out more.

I did receive an ARC for a honest review. 

http://www.amazon.com/Recombinant-Blood-Borne-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01419N72S/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1445258320&sr=1-1&keywords=recombinant

The Veil

The Veil

Book 1 of the Devil’s Isle Series

Chloe Neill

4 Stars

A thin line is the only thing that protects us

When I first got the book I was hesitant to read it.  I thought for sure I wouldn’t like it, whether that was due to the title or the cover I don’t know.  What finally got me to read it was the author, Chloe Neill.  Now I don’t mean we talk about my worries, I mean that I am a fan of hers.  She has another series, the Chicagoland Vampires.  I love this series with the great detail to the descriptions,  the wonderfully developed characters, and a little humor and romance interweaved with the action and suspense.

I will admit I wasn’t hooked by this book.  I have read other books that take place in New Orleans and I always have a problem seeing the scene.  I am sure this is one of the reasons I had difficulty getting into the story.  For me the Devil’s Isle reminded me of a prison of war camp from WWII and this was my biggest issue.

However, I did like the characters and I want to learn more about Clair and her tinkering skills and hear more about all the treasures in her shop.  I will be ordering the second book in the Devil’s Isle series.

I did not notice any grammar or spelling issues, which is a big pet peeve for me.  If I have to stop reading to give a word or sentence a second look, it pulls me out of the world created in the book.  Overall, it was a well written story and you should take a chance on it.  I give the book 4 stars.

http://www.amazon.com/Veil-Devils-Isle-Novel-ebook/dp/B00OQS4GCK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1444760004&sr=1-1&keywords=the+veil+chloe+neill