Author Archives: karenjvjohnson

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Bloodfever

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Bloodfever

(Fever #2)

by Karen Marie Moning

I am enjoying listening to this series and find that I can keep up with the action even better. This was an author I had never read before but I continue to be happy that I was introduced to her because this keeps getting better. I find all the characters interesting and more than engrossing. These are people I could see myself around, even if they do tend to find danger at every turn. The descriptions of the world that Mac has found herself in and the types of people she meets continues to draw me in.

MacKayla Lane continues to live with Barrons and seek revenge for the death of sister. She still has not come to the understanding that her life as it was no longer exists and this is going to be that rude awakening she needs. Jericho Barrons has made life for Mac easier even if she does not see it. The fact that you cannot put your finger on what he is only adds to his mystic as he continues to save MacKayla from herself.

New players continue to enter the game with V’Lane making himself more available to Mac. Rowena finally acknowledges Mac as more than just a stupid girl who could get them all killed, but what does she really want from silly American? Can Mac trust any of these people since they all seem to want to use her in way or the other?

I will certainly be reading the next book to see what happens next. While I like Mac most of the time sometimes she seems like a total airhead with her Southern manners and ideas about how things should be. Then she will do something totally bad ass and I am sure we could hang. As for Barrons, I wouldn’t kick him out bed. This is a series that is starting pretty slowly but seems to be moving steadily forward, and it draws me in completely when I start to listen.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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The Scattered and the Dead Book 1

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The Scattered and the Dead Book 1
(The Scattered and the Dead #1)
by Tim McBain ,
L.T. Vargus

While I liked the idea behind this I never could get into the characters or their stories. I had to set it aside because it just was not doing anything for me. Biggest problem is that it was running with a lot of chapters for a little information and after reading 22% I only had seen one zombie for less than 10 minutes.

I will try to give it a go again near the end of the year.

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

All of the people gone and forgotten and scattered about, in a way he found them. He collected them and cared for them. That was his life. Collecting the scattered and the dead.

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The Scattered and the Dead Book 0.5

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The Scattered and the Dead Book 0.5
(The Scattered and the Dead #0.5)
by Tim McBain ,
L.T. Vargus

I liked this but was not blown away by it at all. The way it was set up was kind of interesting but made me think more of a stream of conscious type of thing. It was supposedly a letter being written that kind of gets out of hand. The character, and we really only meet one is never really well defined at all. You get information about him and all but you never really get to know him if you know what I mean. I guess what I am saying is that I never really cared about him much one way or the other except as a way to move the story forward. The biggest thing that lowered my rating was the fact that it incorporates one of my pet peeves, and that is having a large number of chapters (72) in a relatively short form (162 pg).

Decker is about to lose his mother and only real link with the outside world. His life has become shopping to prepare for the plague, being online and television. Never much for socializing he has become more of a homebody since the start of the crisis. There is a bright spot, the girl down the hall who he wants to speak to but can’t find the courage. What he decides to do is write to her and introduce himself in a way, but like most shy men he gets side tracked.

This gives you a glimpse into the world as it falls and one of the survivors. No real action. This is more of a character study. I will be reading more so I guess that says a lot right there. I see it getting more interesting. Try it!

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Eve: A Christmas Ghost Story

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Eve: A Christmas Ghost Story
(Psychic Surveys #0.5)
by Shani Struthers 

OK, this took me a while to get through but I liked it none the less. The story and the execution are rather slow moving which is what held me back. The characters are interesting even before you get their full story because they start out strong. I can see both women very clearly for who they are and what they stand for immediately upon meeting them.

What do you do when a whole town is haunted?

In 1899, in the North Yorkshire market town of Thorpe Morton, a tragedy occurred; 59 people died at the market hall whilst celebrating Christmas Eve, many of them children. One hundred years on and the spirits of the deceased are restless still, ‘haunting’ the community, refusing to let them forget.

In 1999, psychic investigators Theo Lawson and Ness Patterson are called in to help, sensing immediately on arrival how weighed down the town is. Quickly they discover there’s no safe haven. The past taints everything.

The investigation into what is happening in Thorpe Morton makes for not a lot of drama but some good human interest. This is a story about the people of the town as well as about the women who come to help them. What they face sets the tone for future stories about our psychic investigators. I think it at least gives enough of a look that you may want to see what happens when they finally start to really work together.

I would recommend it to anyone who likes stories of ghosts.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Murder in Christmas River

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Murder in Christmas River
(Christmas River #1)
by Meg Muldoon 

I have never read Meg Muldoon before but am glad I gave this one a read. I found that I like Christmas River, it is a town that may not have a lot going for it but it does have a unique identity. The characters are a little vague this time around but I can see that they have the potential to become very well rounded and interesting. The murder mystery is good but because you do not have enough insight into the characters it makes any clues dropped not that effective. But once again I can see the effort and hope for it to get stronger as the series continues. I liked the way it starts with the dogs point of view, he makes things interesting.

The main judge of the Gingerbread Junction Competition is murdered and the body is found in the woods behind Cinnamon Peters shop. The dog that had been coming to her shop for a while was trying to get her attention. It seems that someone may have it in for Cinnamon since she seems the most likely to have killed the judge who never had anything good to say about entries in the competition.

Daniel Brightman returns to town just in time for a murder investigation. He had known Cinnamon when she was a 16 yr old and after kissing her and promising to call he disappeared from her life. Now he is back and brought to her back door by the dog she has been feeding. Can he help her when suspicion turns her way?

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My hometown has become a novelty. A place of forced smiles and customer satisfaction. Of little old ladies dressing up as Mrs. Claus and trying to sell you something. Of capitalizing and merchandising the magic of the season year round.

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Hating Christmas

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Hating Christmas
(Holiday #1)
by Carol Rose

This is another author that I have never read before, I find so many new ones during the holidays. While I really liked this there was one thing that kept throwing me, that was the fact that words were missing as I was reading and I had to add them or not understand. The story itself is wonderful but the two main characters make my teeth hurt, they were both kind of selfish and smug. The fact that they could do that they were so annoying and still managed to pull me into the story and their lives says a lot.

Holly Fitzgerald makes documentary films for a living and rarely sees her mother. Holly hates Christmas but has consented to spend the holiday with her mother, and the man her mother married after having not seen him for forty years. Holly thinks her mother has gone senile and figures she can use the holiday to break up her mothers marriage, for her own good of course.

Levi Harper is a big time Hollywood agent and the son of Holly’s new step-father. Levi also hates Christmas but is coming to spend time with his father and new wife. Levi also wants to break up the marriage of his father, for his own good. Being married is hard enough without your grown, not living at home children interfering.

This was a book I think will be enjoyed by everyone. I definitely recommend it!

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Romancing Rosalie

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Romancing Rosalie: A Cascade Creek Christmas
(The Ladies of Cascade Creek #1.5)
by Ann Marie Oakes

This is a new to me author who has drawn me in and made me want to read more from them. Historical pieces and especially a western is usually a hard sell for me, but this was not. I immediately liked the character of Rosalie even if she was a bit timid to start out, she got over it quick. The story moved along very quickly and got you from beginning to end before I was ready for it to end. I was pulled in from page one and found myself transported, though only a short time, to another time and place.

Rosalie Weld has a fiancé who she finds out has been keeping a secret from her that seems to be known by everyone else around her. When she confronts him and he refuses to make changes for her she decides that she cannot stay and marry a man who does not seem to love her. Her parents seem to think what he is doing is fine and that she should just give in.

Rosalie goes to her cousin Audra’s homestead on the frontier and learns a lot about herself and what she is capable of doing. She also meets Garrett Ballinger who shows her that first impressions are not always what they seem to be.

I expected this to be tame but it had some spice that gave it another dimension. Recommend to all!

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“I am very fond of you. Surely, you know that. Our match is a good one. We will have a good marriage.” “Winslow, that is not what I asked you.” Rosalie searched her mind for a way to make Winslow understand her feelings. It wasn’t the humiliation, though that was acute. It was the deception—and his plan to continue it. “Don’t be a goose. Marriages are about financial considerations and social position. That is the way of things.”

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The Vampire Huntress Legends

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he Vampire Huntress Legends: Dawn and Darkness
(Vampire Huntress)
by L.A. Banks

Not perfect ending

The conclusion was a little less than satisfying and seemed really rushed. The battle was like 4 panels and done. I wanted something a bit more dramatic since they were facing off against a creature that held so much of the darkness. But it does give a mini finality to all the team has gone through. Still worth it for a true fan.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
L.A. Banks’ Vampire Huntress #2: The Hidden Darkness (L.A. Banks’ Vampire Huntress Vol. 1)

by L.A. Banks,
Jess Ruffner-Booth
, Gregory Titus (Illustrator)
, Brett Booth (Illustrator)
Perfect action

These are the characters I met in the novels. The mission continues as it has always been, destroy the evil in the world. I love having this extra time with all of them. Perfect for fans.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
L.A. Banks’ Vampire Huntress #3: The Hidden Darkness (L.A. Banks’ Vampire Huntress Vol. 1)

by L.A. Banks,
Gregory Titus (Illustrator)
, Brett Booth (Illustrator)
Deeper and Deeper

The story continues to evolve and with only one more entry I cannot see where it is headed. Damali is being reckless, Carlos is being overprotective, and Marleen is not stopping either of them. The conclusion is going to be explosive. Enjoy!

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
L.A. Banks’ Vampire Huntress #4: The Hidden Darkness
(Vampire Huntress)
by L.A. Banks,
N. Steven Harris (Illustrator)
, Brett Booth (Illustrator)

Not perfect ending

The conclusion was a little less than satisfying and seemed really rushed. The battle was like 4 panels and done. I wanted something a bit more dramatic since they were facing off against a creature that held so much of the darkness. But it does give a mini finality to all the team has gone through. Still worth it for a true fan.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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The Christmas Kitten

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The Christmas Kitten
(Polly Parrett Pet-Sitter #2)
by Liz Dodwell

I like these stories because they are always sweet and have a nice mystery at the center. The main characters are all well defined while those introduced are still shadowy since they have no real back story. The language is always perfect and a part of the people who use it. I gave this a low star rating because it stated a side story but did not really deliver on it as I had expected. The story itself was actually kind of thin and even though who the perpetrator was came as a surprise, it was mostly because you had no major interactions with the character.

Polly arrives home to find a box on her porch when she was not expecting any deliveries. When she opens it and finds a kitten in pee soaked tissues on a freezing day. After checking with her boyfriend on whether he dropped it off she goes to the Sheriff to give him the diamond bracelet she found around the kittens neck.

Nicole Whittier, a new resident in town , has been murdered and her two step-daughters are missing from the scene. Who could have killed her and why are the girls missing, where is their father, and what does the kitten have to do with it? All really good questions, with some interesting answers.

I think even though there are some flaws with this it is still a good clean mystery story. Good for anyone who likes a mystery without a lot of blood.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Christmas Alpha

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Christmas Alpha
(Alpha #1)
by Carole Mortimer

This is a new to me author who I would like to read more of in the future. This is a book with Christmas in the title that has little to nothing to do with the holiday. The story and dialogue go back and forth between the main characters giving you a look at both. The characters are a little vague none the less because there is no real development to start with. I was lost for the first half of things but knew it would be something simple and a bit mundane because that is how it was set up, not that it was a bad thing.

Things start out pretty strange with Finn Devlin telling the girl who comes to his door to get undressed and on the bed. Eva Shaw has come to the house to deliver a package and finds herself being told to get naked before the door is open good, not your typical request. But with a major storm brewing and no way to leave, she may have to deal with the situation the best way she can.

I ended up liking this and the characters even if they fell in love a bit fast for my taste. There were some hot moments and some emotional moments. Even if its not a real Christmas story it kind of fits the season.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars