Book Review: The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Release Date: October 23rd 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: Received from the publisher via NetGalley

Don’t look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase’s unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he’d dare to fall for.
Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

My Thoughts

Well, I cant say I'm impressed at all.
Was the story good? - it was okay but it was all just a little too familiar and predictable. Yes there were different characters, different fey, but after it's all said and done; it's the same scenario, the same formula, the same fight as the Iron Fey series.

Sigh...I feel like I'm going to repeat myself, in fact, I think I will...
There were no surprises, no twists and turns, nothing to make me gasp and squeal with shock, sorrow, happiness...it was all very...meh.

Yep, that's exactly what I said about The Iron Knight (Iron Fey #4), and I wasn't terribly fussed with the entire series, which means I probably won't bother reading anymore of Ethan's books. I will say however, that I think the author writes a much better male voice than she does a female, even if Ethan is an annoying little snot.

The writing is okay, the characters are okay, perhaps a little shallow, but okay, the storyline is okay - it was all okay, nothing flash, nothing to WOW about.

Lovers of the original Iron Fey series will no doubt love this book, but as far as I'm concerned, The Lost Prince is a only worth a read when there's nothing else to do.

3 out of 5 stars :]

Book Review: Shades of Temptation by Virna DePaul

Title: Shades of Temptation

Author: Virna DePaul
Release Date: September 18th 2012
Publisher: Harlequin
Imprint: Harlequin HQN
Source: Received from the publisher via NetGalley

Carrie Ward understands dangerous men, and she's got the scars to prove it. These days, the Special Investigations Group detective saves her risk taking for the job. But when she's asked to pursue a high-profile serial killer, she'll have to join forces with the last man she wants to depend on—Jase Tyler, an ace senior detective who's as reckless as she is cautious. And despite her best intentions, the sparks begin to fly.
As Carrie and Jase race to try to save the next victim, the passion that simmers between them ignites. But a cunning killer at the top of his game is challenging Carrie to play to the very end. 

Now all she can count on are her instincts—and Jase, the one man daring enough to keep her safe….

My Thoughts

Virna DePaul has a talent for writing an intriguing mystery surrounded by an intense and deeply sexually charged atmosphere.
But sadly, that's where it tends to end.
The characters never truly develop, the story kind of stagnates, and I'm left feeling disappointed and let down - again.

The first half of this book was great.
Lots of heated exchanges between Carrie and Jase, plenty of tension, sexual and otherwise; a crazed murderer and an equally deranged copycat on the loose makes for a really great read.

But then it all slumps.
The story gets long winded and boring, causing me to skim through a good chunk of the book before it slowly starts to pick up again, but it doesn't - not really.
The remaining last third is a reasonably safe and stale read that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, because I feel like Carrie and Jase have been cheated out of what could have been a fantastic story. Somehow it just seemed to plateau at the mid way point and never got back its intensity.

Overall a good read, but I was unsatisfied with the books lack of consistency. 3 Stars :]

Book Review: When Darkness Hungers by J.K. Beck

Title: When Darkness Hungers (The Shadow Keepers #5)

Author: J.K. Beck
Release Date: June 26th 2012
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Imprint: Bantam
Source: Received from the publisher via NetGalley

FBI agent Alexis Martin knows that vampires exist—because one of them killed her sister. Assigned to investigate a series of bizarre homicides in Los Angeles, Alexis believes the murders are the work of rogue vampires—perhaps even the monster responsible for her sister’s death. Now she finally has a chance for retribution. Even better, Alexis receives unexpected help from a sexy stranger as hungry for rogue blood as she is.

Serge is a centuries-old bad boy who stays off the grid—keeping his secrets, his hunger, and his heart safe from exposure. A new breed of vampire that feeds off other shadowers, Serge finds sweet torture in Alexis’s arms. Loving her is a chance to be free from the hiding, the loneliness, the secrecy. But the truth about what he is, and what he’s done, may banish him to the dark confines of his own private hell—and destroy the beginnings of their love.

My Thoughts

When Darkness Hungers is a reasonably safe, familiar story involving Vampires, hunters, and secret FBI divisions.
Alexis was an alright character, as was Serge; but I just didn't really care for them at all.
Yes, I got Serge's motivation for wanting Derrick dead, I understood his fear of his 'beast'; but I didn't connect with him, I felt he was very one dimensional.
In fact I thought Serge and Alexis both, were very shallow characters, the entire book was rather flat I thought.
The only thing I did enjoy was Serge changing CeeCee and his feelings towards her afterwards, and trying to understand why he felt responsible for her; it was the only part of the book that held any depth for me, I even found the sex scenes dull and the ending was hurried.

All in all, this was a reasonable read, nothing I'd rave about, just okay.
3 Stars :]

Book Review: Silver by Talia Vance

Title: Silver (A Bandia Novel #1)

Author: Talia Vance

Release Date: September 8th 2012

Publisher: Flux Books

Source: Received from the publisher via NetGalley

An Irish heritage, Celtic myth, and deadly beauty.

In eighth grade, Brianna did something so dreadful she was suspended and home schooled. No one could explain what happened that night . . . except Brianna’s Irish grandmother, who gave her a silver charm bracelet and told her to wear it until she turned seventeen. Ever since she slipped it on, Brianna has felt like she’s invisible. People stare right past her as if she doesn’t exist. And that includes Blake Williams, the one boy she can’t resist.

But everything changes in one frozen, silver moment when Blake sees her—and recognises what she’s been hiding. Brianna is descended from Danu, the legendary Bandia of Celtic myth. Yet before she can fully understand who or what she is, Brianna accidentally binds her soul to Blake—whose tribe has spent the last thousand years hunting Danu’s descendants to protect humanity.

My Thoughts

Celtic myth has really taken off lately, and I thought Silver sounded like another new and interesting take on legends of old.

Silver has been written well and I was for the most part, kept entertained by all the teenage angst and boyfriend stealing!
 
But I floundered in the beginning.
The author literally drops you into a party and expects you to instantly connect - here's Brianna, she's the heroine, like her.

I felt like I'd missed the first chapter or something, even flicking back to the front of the book several times to double check - and because of that, it took me longer to get a feel for the main character, Brianna.

Had perhaps more time been spent explaining what happened when Brianna was in the eighth grade at the beginning of the book as either a prelude, flashback or something similar (ie before the opening party scene) instead of peppered amongst the growing story surrounding Blake's attraction to her, it could have made the story a little more coherent. The story flow was interrupted too often with disjointed tidbits rather than any actual insights.

I really didn't feel the ending did the story any justice either.
It was a mishmash of chapters where an attempt was made to tidy up all the threads of the story. Again, if this had been less disjointed it probably would have been a more enjoyable read.

  
Overall though I enjoyed the story but it just lacked a bit of polish. The Danu story kept me interested, but I felt the book was let down by its predictability and so for me Silver lost some of its shine.

Still a worthwhile 3 star read :]

Book Review: Shades of Desire by Virna DePaul

Title: Shades of Desire

Author: Virna DePaul

Publication Date: May 29th 2012

Publisher: HQN (Harlequin)

Source: Received from the publisher via NetGalley

WHAT SHE CAN'T SEE COULD KILL HER.
Natalie Jones is the lucky survivor of an elusive killer who preys on young women and then disappears from view. And since her harrowing ordeal, the once gutsy photojournalist has remained isolated in her home, paralyzed by fear and her failing vision. Special Agent Liam "Mac" McKenzie has scars of his own. But despite his efforts to ignore the attraction that simmers between him and Natalie, he needs her help to catch a predator. Soon, they will forge a tentative alliance-charged with desire. Through a soft-focus lens, Natalie dares to envision a future with Mac beyond the investigation...never guessing that the clues hidden within her photographs are drawing them into an explosive confrontation with a madman.

My Thoughts

This isn't actually a bad story.
The writing is smooth and unhurried and the storyline is intriguing.
I especially liked the fact that the MC has lost her sight and is dealing, or in her case, not dealing with the changes that her condition is forcing her to make. Add into the mix a psycho attacker on her tail and the need for some sexy police protection and you've got yourself a winner...or have you?

The initial attraction between Natalie and Mac is very heated, but as the story progressed I didn't feel that every advantage of their attraction was addressed as well as it could of been.
They danced around each other a lot and all that simmering lust just kind of tapered off. 

I felt like the author was all geared up to give us an absolute scorcher of a coming together and at the last minute, second guessed herself and doused the flames.

However, the overall storyline was good and I did enjoy trying to unravel the whodunit element.

Like I said, not a bad read but I did feel let down in the end, especially after the great build up in the beginning.
An enjoyable 3 Star read :]