Book Reviews

Sweet Adventure (Klaus Brothers #3) By: Penny Watson

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Sweet Adventure (Klaus Brothers #3) By: Penny Watson

Plot:

Sven Klaus, Chief Toy Designer for Klaus Enterprises, will protect his family at any cost. He’s prepared to battle the most threatening adversaries to do it–frost flowers, snowstorms, Yeti. And beautiful tenacious tabloid journalists. Andi De Luca’s reporting career is built on lies–about corrupt politicians, greedy Hollywood stars, and Bigfoot. Now she’s determined to uncover the truth about Klaus Enterprises, and she always gets her story. Even if it means revealing her own secret desires to Santa’s son. After all the lies and deception are exposed, will Andi and Sven survive this North Pole adventure? Or will YETI MAKE THEM DEADY? Penny Watson presents a 45,000-word holiday fantasy romance, #3 in the Klaus Brothers Series. Includes paranormal phenomena, Christmas spirit, and yes…an abominable snowmonster.

Review:

Once again not really set around Christmas. However, Santa is there and so are elves and the North Pole so it’s still got that vibe. It’s a pass as a holiday book, but barely.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to like Sven, especially after my feelings for Oskar, but I really warmed up to him. Watson describes him as a hippy but he’s not the image of a stereotypical tree hugger that pops into my mind. At least not by the end of the book.

Andi was fine, very intrepid reporter thinking about her story until she falls in love. There was no spanking in this one so I liked that lol

Enjoyed the ending and it’s clear what the next one will be about. I’m curious to see how Gregor does with Andi’s sister and how the family thing ends up working out.

4/5

Magic to the Bone (The Twenty-Sided Sorceress #7) By: Annie Bellet

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Magic to the Bone (The Twenty-Sided Sorceress #7) By: Annie Bellet

Plot:

Bruised, battered, but not even close to broken, Jade and her friends must reunite, and get ready to take out her psycho ex once and for all. Leveled up and wiser, Jade stands a chance this time.

As long as she takes out Samir BEFORE he turns into a god…

Review:

Finally the conclusion to the big bad. I was excited about that but like the last few books I thought this one was really short. There was also the whole no re-introduction to the characters so you better remember who they all are thing.

I’ve really liked the Twenty-Sided Sorceress series, a lot, but there were a few things I wish had been done better, namely the two things I just mentioned.

I love that the heroine is strong and smart and that she and her man don’t feel the need to dominate and control each other. I do think the relationship needs to be fleshed out more, at least in these last few books. Which really just adds into the whole these books became way too short. There wasn’t enough relationship or world building overall. It all felt really rushed and broken up. Maybe if the last three books had been combined into one it wouldn’t have felt that way.

I’m curious to see where Bellet goes next in this series. There’s a book about Harper as well as another about Jade showing up in this series.

4/5

A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell #1) By: Deanna Raybourn

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A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell #1) By: Deanna Raybourn

Plot:

London, 1887. After burying her spinster aunt, orphaned Veronica Speedwell is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry—and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as with fending off admirers, Veronica intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime. But fate has other plans when Veronica thwarts her own attempted abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron, who offers her sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker, a reclusive and bad-tempered natural historian. But before the baron can reveal what he knows of the plot against her, he is found murdered—leaving Veronica and Stoker on the run from an elusive assailant as wary partners in search of the villainous truth.

Review:

I’ve read the first couple of books in Raybourn’s Lady Julie Grey Mysteries but ended up stopping for some reason. When I saw this I thought it would be easier to start a new series than pick up on the old one.

Veronica wasn’t a necessarily believable character for her time period but I really liked her in the beginning. She eventually began to wear on me though. She thought so much of herself and her intellect and couldn’t see her own failings. It became annoying.

Stoker was an interesting character and the books ends with you barely knowing anything about him.

The plot dragged for a while. After the introduction of the characters and the murder they ran away and were hiding out for a while. They didn’t learn anything about the murder in that time and just little bits about themselves. It felt a little wasted and grew boring.

I’m not sure if I’m going to read the next. A Curious Beginning was alright but I put it down several times and took longer than it should have to finish just because I got bored. We’ll see.

3/5

Goldenhand (Abhorsen #5) By: Garth Nix

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Goldenhand (Abhorsen #5) By: Garth Nix

Plot:

For everyone and everything there is a time to die. Lirael is no longer a shy Second Assistant Librarian. She is the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, with Dead creatures to battle and Free Magic entities to bind. She’s also a Remembrancer, wielder of the Dark Mirror. Lirael lost one of her hands in the binding of Orannis, but now she has a new hand, one of gilded steel and Charter Magic. When Lirael finds Nicholas Sayre lying unconscious after being attacked by a hideous Free Magic creature, she uses her powers to save him. But Nicholas is deeply tainted with Free Magic. Fearing it will escape the Charter mark that seals it within his flesh and bones, Lirael seeks help for Nick at her childhood home, the Clayr’s Glacier. But even as Lirael and Nick return to the Clayr, a young woman from the distant North braves the elements and many enemies in a desperate attempt to deliver a message to Lirael from her long-dead mother, Arielle. Ferin brings a dire warning about the Witch With No Face. But who is the Witch, and what is she planning? Once more a great danger threatens the Old Kingdom, and it must be forestalled not only in the living world but also in the cold, remorseless river of Death.

Review:

I love this world.

After reading Clariel I meant to go back and read the first three but I didn’t get around to it before reading Goldenhand, because of that I think it took me a little while to remember certain things about the characters. It’s been close to ten years since I read them though.

It was like returning to old friends once I got there. Everyone makes an appearance and the story was building up to be as epic as the last. I told my husband when I had less than a hundred pages to read that the book was going to be a cliffhanger because I couldn’t see it reaching a satisfying conclusion in time. I was sure that’s what was going to happen and I was kind of excited, but then everything was neatly wrapped up. It was disappointing and felt rushed. Everyone was paired up and allusions to the future were made and then the end.

I don’t know if Nix is just tired of writing Old Kingdom books or was under deadline or what, but I wanted more. Kind of sad. I’m still rating it four out of five because the rest of the book was awesome, it was just the ending that left me dissatisfied.

4/5

Magic Binds (Kate Daniels #9) By: Ilona Andrews

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Magic Binds (Kate Daniels #9) By: Ilona Andrews

Plot:

Mercenary Kate Daniels knows all too well that magic in post-Shift Atlanta is a dangerous business. But nothing she’s faced could have prepared her for this…

Kate and the former Beast Lord Curran Lennart are finally making their relationship official. But there are some steep obstacles standing in the way of their walk to the altar…

Kate’s father, Roland, has kidnapped the demigod Saiman and is slowly bleeding him dry in his never-ending bid for power. A Witch Oracle has predicted that if Kate marries the man she loves, Atlanta will burn and she will lose him forever. And the only person Kate can ask for help is long dead.

The odds are impossible. The future is grim. But Kate Daniels has never been one to play by the rules…

Review:

A lot happened in this book. A whole lot. Even with that, though, I never felt over whelmed or on edge. I didn’t feel much urgency, which kind of makes me sad. The book was good, very good even, but I not once doubted that Kate and her entire crew would make it out alive. On the one hand I’m glad of that because I love them all and in my current state it would destroy me if anything happened to them, on the other hand it makes the book somewhat less exciting.

It’s possible it was just me, I’m hormonal and moody and things aren’t striking me like they normally would so I’m not sure if I would feel the same way if I read it at another time.

I will say I’m getting tired of the buildup for the climax between Kate and her father. The main plotline in Magic Binds was all about her father, but it ended with him still alive and only suffering a minor defeat. After nine books I’m kind of ready for that threat to be over. I’m actually hoping right now that book ten is where the series ends, I love Kate Daniels but I don’t want it to become a series that’s never ending and loses itself in the process. We’ll see what happens.

4.5/5