Quickie Book Review ~ Crave the Night by Lara Adrian

Title: Crave The Night (Midnight Breed #12)
Author: Lara Adrian
Release Date: August 5th 2014
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group - Bantam Dell
Source: Received from the publisher via NetGalley
Purchase Link: Amazon US
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Born and raised to be an emotionless killing machine, Nathan is one of the most lethal Breed vampires in existence. A key member of the Order—an elite group of warriors charged with protecting both mortals and vampires—Nathan executes each mission with flawless precision and a total lack of mercy. Now he must pursue a powerful, hidden enemy. But Nathan’s hard discipline and training are no match for the fierce pull he feels toward a young woman he has no right to desire—a woman of wealth and high social standing who has long been promised to another Breed male, and who may also prove to be the key to rooting out Nathan’s elusive quarry.

Jordana lives a life of glittering privilege as a member of a prominent Breed family in Boston. Surrounded by fine things and fawning admirers, Jordana wants for nothing—until she crosses paths with a dark, intense warrior from the Order and finds herself swept into an impulsive, sizzling kiss that neither of them will forget. As much as she tries to deny her deep feelings for Nathan, Jordana cannot resist the craving to be near him, to break through his forbidding walls and see the man he truly is. But getting close to Nathan will thrust Jordana into a treacherous new world, forcing her to risk all she has and all she knows about herself and her past. And loving this seductive man could be the most dangerous temptation of all.

Crave the Night is book #12 in the Midnight Breed series and the second book in the next generation of Breed warriors.

Lara Adrian has really pulled off an awesome story, Crave the Night was fantastic from start to finish. I had some misgiving after reading the previous instalment, things just didn’t flow for me; but it was a huge relief and a pleasure to see the author produce a story that I came to love, characters I fell in lust with, and a whole new race of supernatural’s to look forward to reading more about. I’m already craving the next book!
4.5 stars.

Book Review ~ Mad About The Boy by Helen Fielding

Title: Mad About The Boy
Author: Helen Fielding
Release Date: October 10th 2013
Publisher: Random House (Jonathan Cape) 
Source: Received from Booksellers NZ via the publisher for an honest review

What do you do when your girlfriend’s sixtieth birthday party is the same day as your boyfriend’s thirtieth?

Is it better to die of Botox or die of loneliness because you’re so wrinkly?

Is it wrong to lie about your age when online dating?

Is it morally wrong to have a blow-dry when one of your children has head lice?

Is it normal to be too vain to put on your reading glasses when checking your toy boy for head lice?

Does the Dalai Lama actually tweet or is it his assistant?

Is it normal to get fewer followers the more you tweet?

Is technology now the fifth element? Or is that wood?

If you put lip plumper on your hands do you get plump hands?

Is sleeping with someone after two dates and six weeks of texting the same as getting married after two meetings and six months of letter writing in Jane Austen’s day?

Pondering these and other modern dilemmas, Bridget Jones stumbles through the challenges of loss, single motherhood, tweeting, texting, technology, and rediscovering her sexuality in—Warning! Bad, outdated phrase approaching!—middle age.

My Thoughts

The fun loving Bridget Jones we all know and fell in love with back in the nineties is now a fifty something professional working mother, who yet again finds herself navigating the more challenging, more technologically advanced, ever changing dating game.

It sounds like a reasonably straight forward plot, but true to form Bridget, stuffs it up spectacularly.
With her familiar diary entries noting her every move - the fluctuating waistline, her almost alcoholic proportioned wine intake, her complete lack of self confidence in almost every aspect of her life, and her rather complicit parenting skills - what should be a fun and uplifting read, ends up being rather melodramatic and depressing.

Instead of a warm hearted story of life after loss with some humor thrown in, Mad About The Boy reads more like a Greek tragedy. I couldn’t decide whether to laugh, cry or cringe, and I was constantly confused by the seemingly dimwitted decisions that Bridget made time and again. Like the proverbial train wreck, I just couldn’t look away for fear of missing a spectacular event. And after reaching the two-thirds read point, I figured there wasn’t going to be one and resigned myself to sticking it out. And I’m glad I did, because although the ending felt rushed and skimmed over what I think deserved much more page time, Bridget gets her happily-ever-after, after all. While it is hinted at throughout, the romance itself does seem to come completely out of nowhere and did leave me feeling a little annoyed with what seems like an all too perfect finale, but this is Bridget Jones, she’s bound to make a complete mess of it somewhere along the line!
 
Overall, Mad About The Boy is a decent read, but probably only for true Bridget fan. 3 Stars

“Just back from canal ride on bike. Went really well until someone threw an egg at me from a bridge. Or maybe it was a bird which went into sudden labour. Will clean off egg, not do Boris Bikes any more and go to Obesity Clinic on bus. At least will be alive and clean when sitting on arse instead of dead and covered in egg.”
― Helen Fielding, Mad About the Boy

“...he picked me up in his arms, as if I was as light as a feather, which I am not, unless it was a very heavy feather, maybe from a giant prehistoric dinosaur-type bird...”
― Helen Fielding, Mad About the Boy

Book Review: Edge of Dawn by Lara Adrian

Title: Edge of Dawn (Midnight Breed #11)
Author: Lara Adrian
Release Date: February 26th 2013
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group - Bantam Dell
Source: Received from the publisher via NetGalley

Twenty years after the terror of First Dawn—when mankind learned that vampires lived secretly among them—the threat of violence reigns as the two species struggle to coexist. The only group preserving the fragile harmony is the Order, an elite cadre of Breed warriors dedicated to protecting humans and vampires alike. And in this precarious world of torn loyalties and shattered trust, Mira, a fiery squad captain, finds that every fight bears an intensely personal cost.

Raised among the Order, Mira has always believed in the warrior’s code of swift—and even lethal—justice. But the one thing she desires more than the Order’s hard-won acceptance is Kellan Archer, a sexy but troubled Breed fighter. In love with him since childhood, Mira once broke through his tough exterior during an unexpected night of rapture, but the next day he mysteriously disappeared, never to return.

Kellan didn’t think he would ever see Mira again—or have to confront the truth of why he left. After abandoning the Order years ago, he now leads a band of human rebels intent on carrying out their own vigilante rule of law. Yet a high-profile kidnapping assignment brings him face-to-face with the past he sought to avoid, and the striking woman he has tried desperately to forget. And as tensions mount and the risk of bloodshed grows, Kellan and Mira must take sides—between the competing missions that dominate their lives, and the electrifying passion that claims their hearts.

My Thoughts

I love that we are finally getting a chance to read Mira's story; I have been fascinated by her since she made her first appearance in VEIL OF MIDNIGHT, Midnight Breed #5. In fact, I'm really happy that author Lara Adrian decided to change it up and jump ahead a few years to start giving us the stories of the next generation.

Edge of Dawn didn't meet all my expectations though; the story was a little slow in places and I didn't feel particularly endeared to the grown up Mira, but she grew on me... slowly.

I felt that Mira and Kellan were a good match and evened each other out rather well, but all the tears, temper tantrums, and plays for dominance got a little old, it just felt like all they had was arguments and make-up sex - I wanted a little more than that for them.

It was great to see a few familiar faces make brief appearances, but that really didn't make up for the bumpy romance, and the lack of depth I felt from the MC's.

Overall, a good start to a new chapter for the Breed but a little lacklustre for me - sorry.
3 stars :]
note:
I adore Lara Adrian and her Midnight Breed series, and although this one fell a little flat for me - I'd still buy it and recommend it. I just cant wait to see where she takes the rest of the next generation of Breed :)

Book Review: The Water Witch by Juliet Dark

Title: The Water Witch (Fairwick Chronicles #2)
Author: Juliet Dark (Pseudonym for Carol Goodman)
Release Date: February 12th 2013
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Imprint: Ballantine
(note: previously released September 13th 2012 by Ebury Press)
Source: Received from the publisher via NetGalley

After casting out a dark spirit, Callie McFay, a professor of gothic literature, has at last restored a semblance of calm to her rambling Victorian house. But in the nearby thicket of the Honeysuckle Forest, and in the currents of the rushing Undine River, more trouble is stirring. . . .

The enchanted town of Fairwick’s dazzling mix of mythical creatures has come under siege from the Grove: a sinister group of witches determined to banish the fey back to their ancestral land. With factions turning on one another, all are cruelly forced to take sides. Callie’s grandmother, a prominent Grove member, demands her granddaughter’s compliance, but half-witch/half-fey Callie can hardly betray her friends and colleagues at the college.

To stave off disaster, Callie enlists Duncan Laird, an alluring seductive academic who cultivates her vast magical potential, but to what end? Deeply conflicted, Callie struggles to save her beloved Fairwick, dangerously pushing her extraordinary powers to the limit—risking all, even the needs of her own passionate heart.

My Thoughts

I read and reviewed the first book in this series The Demon Lover more than a year ago, and was very interested to see where this story would be taken next.

At first I was a little disappointed with the slow, conversation heavy, introduction back into the world of Fairwick; however it soon picked up and I was once again captivated by this enchanting tale.
The reader is treated to many different supernatural beings and their varying quirks, all the while enjoying the mystery and intrigue of paranormal activity in a small and entertaining town shrouded in secrets.
The plot was a little predictable overall, and I knew right off who Bill was and what it meant for Callie, but the lovely imagery and vast array of colorful characters kept me entertained.

Another beautifully written installment to this engaging story of faery, witches, succubi, nephilim, and more...
4 out of 5 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 :]