Author Archives: karenjvjohnson

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Shameless

by
Shameless
(St. Martin Family Saga: Whiskey Cove #2)
by Gina Watson

This second book in the life of the St. Martin family saga definitely pulled me in from the very beginning. This time we are getting to know the second youngest of the brothers Corrigan. The characters were very well realized and made you feel a part of what was going on. There was that bit of insta-love but it was glossed over a little bit as serious lust. The point of view went back and forth so that you got a perfect feeling for what was happening with everyone who mattered most to the story. Everything jells and flows effortlessly from beginning to end with one or two grammatical errors that do not take anything away.

Corrigan ‘Cory’ St. Martin has returned to Whiskey Cove and opened a veterinary clinic after finishing school. He is a man who does not believe in marriage, children, or commitment of any type but does believe in bedding every woman who comes his way, though only once. Cory has some issues he needs to work on though if you asked him he would not see it.

Brook Walker does greyhound rescues and works part-time for Cory’s brother Logan at The Good Doctor brewery. Brook ends up in the clinic because her dog, Randy, needs to be euthanized and her regular vet is closed. Cory offers to do the job in a way she can be with her beloved dog at the end and even gives her a burial plot she can visit instead of the standard cremation. This is the beginning of something neither expected.

This was a sweet, very hot love story. The St. Martin boys are gorgeous, sexy, and a little damaged. But when you get them they are loving, loyal, faithful, and hotter than lava. This is a wonderful series of novella length stories. I recommend them for anyone who wants a little turn-on with their romance.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Brook couldn’t believe the selflessness of this man. She’d walked into the first clinic she came to after discovering her vet’s office was closed. She’d heard Cory was a womanizer and in general a pig toward women, had in fact witnessed his poor behavior on two separate occasions herself. So his sensitivity with her didn’t add up. He seemed to genuinely care about her and her dog.

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All the King’s Men: The Beginning

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All the King’s Men: The Beginning
(All The King’s Men #6)
by Donya Lynne

This started from the beginning, though not from the very beginning with the Dacians, but after they had been ousted. It gave a background for all the things that are alluded to by other characters. It also gives a fuller more thorough background on what caused the hostilities between the Drecks and Vampires. It flowed perfectly and having read the previous books in the series it gave some good insight into what was happening outside of the pages we read earlier.King Bain is of course featured as the person who has most of the truth of things in his hands. We also get to meet his wife who understands how to handle him.

This is a novella which answers most if not all of the questions you may have after the first 5 books. It actually leads directly into the first book, The Rise of the Fallen. This series is really great and I think anyone who enjoys vampires and action will enjoy this.

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

“I’m not stupid, Malek,” he said softly. “I know I’m in trouble. Big trouble. Jackson…” He closed his eyes and took a heavy breath before continuing. “Mating Jackson has awakened everything I felt for Kat after she died. It’s like I’m feeling it all over again.” He slowly swirled his drink, making the ice clink the sides of the glass. “And he doesn’t love me. He never did. I can hear his thoughts and know there’s someone else. I see what they do with one another, but there’s nothing I can do to stop him, and yet I can’t walk away.” He lifted his gaze to Malek’s and saw complete and total understanding reflected back at him. Like any other male of their species, Malek knew Micah was between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Micah looked back down into his glass. “It’s just a matter of time, Malek.” A matter of time before his mental faculties short-circuited and tossed him like a rag doll into suffering so intense he’d be lucky to remember his own name when the end came. Malek’s”
― Donya Lynne, All the King’s Men: The Beginning

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Darkfever

by
Darkfever
(Fever #1)
by Karen Marie Moning

I have never read this author before though I had always intended to eventually. My friend wanted someone else to read it so she would have someone to talk about it with. Glad she insisted I listen sooner rather than later. I found myself drawn in right from the start and could not stop listening. The characters were all very well fleshed out and interesting, from the main characters to the peripheral characters along the way. I really enjoyed the story, it has a lot of elements that I have not seen in other stories featuring the Fae.

MacKayla ‘Mac’ Lane is a 22 year old bartender in a small Georgia town who does not have much ambition beyond capitalizing on her barbie doll looks and having a good time. When she gets a call saying that her older sister has been murdered in Ireland she finds that revenge takes precedence over everything else. Mac travels to Ireland with nothing more on her mind than forcing the police to reopen her sisters case and finding out who killed her and why. While she is doing that she starts to see things that cannot be real.

Jericho Barrons is the owner of a bookstore who meets Mac when she runs into his shop after getting lost on the way back to her Inn. Jericho is searching for the book that her sister mentioned in her message and advises Mac to leave Ireland immediately or end up like her sister. Barrons knows what Mac is but she does not have any idea what he is. He can be either a help or a danger, either way she needs him.

I liked the different types of Fae here because some I had never heard of from either court of faerie. Seelie or Unseelie, these are some killer Sidhe. I definitely recommend it!

My rating: 4.3 of 5 stars

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Dusk to Dust

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Dusk to Dust: Something to live for. Something to die for…

by Adrian Felder

I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I was not pulled into this story as evidenced by the fact that it took me almost a month to read it. Regardless of that I was still interested enough to keep coming back to read more of what was happening. The characters never fully jelled for me though I found myself rooting for them none the less. They seemed a little superficial without any real character traits you could grab onto that would make you really like or hate them, they were just the good guys or the bad guys. There are some grammatical, spelling, and word usage errors which can be distracting.

David Carpenter and Alana Ramirez are ex-Marines who have gone into the smuggling business since being separated from service. They have managed to make a fairly nice living off of their illegal activities though both are honorable people who have had no other choice. Now David has taken a job from Windcorp, a shady corporation operating on the planet Prospect, for a job he has not been briefed on. When things start to go wrong even before they set foot planet side he should have known that this would not end well.

In order to save the galaxy David must find a way to get around the lies, deceit, and villainy which surrounds him to save his home and himself.

Overall this was not a disappointment it just did not really ring the bell for me. I love science fiction and the planet was really the most interesting thing for me, with instances where the characters did something really great. Though it did not pull me in that does not mean it will not work better for someone else.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Return of the Assassin

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Return of the Assassin
(All The King’s Men #5)
by Donya Lynne

This is the story of Malek and Gina.
This was one of the more densely packed books of the series, with the introduction of new characters and new plot lines. I was immediately pulled into the story partially because I had liked the characters from earlier books and partially because the story was a little darker than usual. The characters are so compelling and real for me as I read that I cannot stop even when I should because I need to follow where they are going.

Malek did not expect or want to ever find another mate after the death of Carmen centuries ago, but in walks Gina and he is immediately bonded to her. Gina was also mated once before and her mate Armand was a sadistic male who abused and broke her down so that she no longer fully trusts there are good males out there. The fates bring together these two lost and broken souls to heal each other, but first they have to get past all the baggage from their respective pasts.

Gina has tried to stay away from Malek and Chicago but when she blows an assassination of Dacian vampires it becomes a matter of survival. She and Trevor are being hunted and she decides to head to Chicago to stop Micah from emailing her and hopefully throw off the Dacian’s for a while. Bishop is still plotting even after losing his lab and best lab rat. The Dacian vampires decide to kill two birds with one stone since they are in Chicago and make a run on King Bain and the throne, and get Gina and Trevor.

There are a lot of emotional moments while reading this book and while a lot center around Malek and Gina, there are other characters who bring on a big emotional feeling. I will say that I actually cried at a few points, which made my son uncomfortable, but I told him that this is what you want from a good book. Something that makes you such a part of it that you cannot help but participate in whatever is happening. This can be read as a standalone, but I would recommend you start from the top and get here. Recommended to everyone!

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“That’s Trevor. And he was about to tell us how it is he hitched a ride back here with Gina.” Micah settled into his chair, leaned back, and steepled his fingers in front of his chest. “And I’m practically creaming myself to hear this story.” “Look, it’s my—” Gina’s voice cut off when Micah’s hand jutted out, palm toward her. “No, I want to hear from Trevor,” Micah said, keeping his eyes on the strange male. “What brings you to my world, Trev. You don’t mind if I call you Trev, do you?” “What if I do?” “I’d tell you to get over it.” “Are you always like this?” “Only to my friends.” The two locked gazes for several seconds until Trevor chuckled and looked away. “I’m not sure whether I like you or hate your guts.” Micah grinned. “I get that a lot.”
― Donya Lynne, Return of the Assassin

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Hell Divers

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Hell Divers
(Hell Divers #1)
by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

The first star is just because it is written by Nick Smith and I have a real penchant for his work. I have pretty much liked everything he has done so far and he did not let me down here. This is something I have never seen before and I have read a lot of science fiction and apocalyptic stories over the years. Nick has a great imagination when it comes to the creation of the creatures that are going to be inhabiting his world, and because I could actually visualize them I give even more points, because they are terrifying. I was not so sure about 250 years of what sounds like nuclear winter but I will defer to the science as written. The characters were introduced and gone in the blink of an eye and so most did not have a chance to be very fleshed out, but those who remained at least have room to grow.

Xavier Rodriguez is a Hell Diver who has managed to outlive most of those who decide to do the job. He has managed to survive 96 jumps when the life expectancy is a measly 15 jumps. X, as he is known to friends, is the leader of Team Raptor which happens to have 2 other veteran divers. X lives and works on the Hive, one of two remaining airships riding the currents and storms above a blighted world not fit for human habitation. His job and that of the other Hell Divers is to drop down to that uninviting land and make sure that the Hive continues to fly so that the last of humanity can survive.

When a distress call comes from the Ares, the other airship, Captain Maria Ash has no choice but to go to their rescue. But is she putting her ship in danger for nothing?

While I really did like the story of the divers I was less thrilled with the side story of what was going on aboard the ship itself. With the divers you had action, danger, sacrifice, and heroics of all types. With the passengers you had whining and ungratefulness, though maybe that was intentional. This is about an apocalypse that has left the world dead, class wars, family ties, survival, courage, and a lot more. This made me feel something for them all as they pushed to keep going and survive one more day. Was not happy with the end, but that was personal.

Anyone who likes stories of the apocalypse will love this. Highly recommend!

My rating: 4.75 of 5 stars

“We dive so humanity survives.”

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Last Writes

by
Last Writes
(Ghostwriter Mystery #3)
by C.A. Larmer

This was another good mystery but I had an idea of who the killer was before the end of the first chapter. It was still extremely well written and may not be so obvious to others.

Roxy’s manager has one of his old clients turn up dead and though it is originally thought to be a suicide it soon is being looked at as murder because of another of his clients. David Lone is a client of Oliver who has done very well for himself with both a best seller and movie deal. While Roxy is still angry with Max she starts to have feelings for David, mainly because of his fascination with death and success. Bad Roxy, being so shallow.

But the real problem is that after the first death more occur and it starts to look like poor Oliver is the prime suspect in all of the deaths. Roxy does not need to be asked, though she is, to help her old friend find a way out of his predicament. She does not believe he is guilty even though suspicion has fallen squarely on his shoulders.

Definitely worth reading!

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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A Plot To Die For

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A Plot to Die For
(Ghostwriter Mystery #2)
by C.A. Larmer

I really like these mysteries because they make me work to figure out who the culprit is going to be in the end. I think because I read the fourth book in the series first I was expecting a lot more from this one when I decided to go back to the beginning and it is not bad at all. The writing is clear and gives me a complete sense of what is happening around the characters and therefore me. The language engages and pulls you in even though the slang a lot of the time is Aussie in nature. The characters are all fun with interesting quirks and idiosyncrasies that make them more or less endearing to the reader.

Roxy is invited to Dormay Island by Abigail Lilton, owner and operator of an exclusive resort who has shunned all publicity in the past. But now Abi has decided to write her biography and wants Roxy to ghost write it for her. It is the off-season and Roxy is a little surprised but pleased that she gets to do this book in such an exotic location. The only really bothering Roxy is the fact that she has not heard from Max, even though she is the one who blew him off.

Then the worst happens and Abigail is murdered with suspicion falling on all those in residence at the resort during this time. The local law officer comes to investigate but the daughter of the victim asks that Roxy help in the investigation because she believes the constable will favor the locals if they are involved and so wants an outsider to help. Roxy does her thing as usual and finds much more than a simple murder or murderer for her trouble.

Another great story with a great mystery and some good motives by all of the suspects involved. Definitely recommend.

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

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Chasing Werewolves

by
Chasing Werewolves

by Leigh Jones

I liked the ideas behind the story and I enjoyed the story itself for the most part. This is an under short story so you expect that a lot goes unsaid, but because of that fact you have to make sure that the structure is totally coherent. There were quite a few sentences that I could not decipher and so had no idea what it was supposed to mean. The characters were bare bones but I got an idea of who they were and maybe who they would become.

Gretchen is a quiet woman leading a relatively quiet life when she becomes the object of a werewolves attention. Her life is going to change in ways she never expected.

Worth reading.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Vampire Sunrise

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Vampire Sunrise

by Tori Drake

This is a short story but it did not pull me in right away, I was not happy with the characters and the story itself was not very coherent to me. There were a lot of grammatical issues that made me stumble as I was reading and so took away some from the action. When I say action I do not mean anything very exciting but it is the vampire feeding. The concept was kind of interesting which is why I got the book, but the execution just left me less than enthusiastic, not to mention the fact that the blurb was different from what actually was going on.

Derek is not really a people person though he goes out to a bar regularly so he is not alone, then goes into a corner. He basically watches people and spots a woman that he finds fascinating one night and decides to follow her. When he discovers something sinister about her he brings his girlfriend into it and tries to distance himself. But it is to late for that and he finds out the hard way that stalking has consequences.

Not really my cuppa but someone else may like it.

My rating: 2 of 5 stars