Author Archives: karenjvjohnson

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Dead Line

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19429634

Dead Line (DEAD)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was very light on the horror, zombies, but heavy on characters. When I read the first book I liked it so much because there was a nice balance of action to character development. That is so not the case here, we know who these characters are and the new characters which come along, almost incidentally, are not all that interesting in the long run. The dialogue drags in a lot of places and makes the narrative drag right along with it. The language itself is fine and makes sense for the characters.

Shane, Terry, and Marla find themselves hold up inside a museum with a little girl named Rebecca (River) who swings a mean machete. They are safe for the moment and Shane is looking for his daughter so that he can put her out of her misery. They cannot stay forever but Shane has other priorities and until they are fulfilled, he will not be moved. If they are to continue to survive then they will have to keep moving and look for other survivors.

There are more survivors but some of them are not the type of people who the group really wants to meet. The good and the bad wait for them in the world they are about to enter.

If you have read the previous two novels you have to read this one to complete the story. I found it slow going and did stop and start, though I completed it. Some of the situations are just so obvious that you may want to skim to get to more interesting parts but don’t because you would be cheating yourself.

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Aliens Omnibus, Volume 1

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18908792

Aliens Omnibus Volume 1 (Alien Omnibus #1)

by Mark Verheiden, Various (Illustrator)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I love the Alien movies and was really interested to see how things would be handled in this form. It is done very well and makes for a good read. The art work is nicely done and brings the people as well as the aliens to life in a vivid way. The characters were all new but based on those from the second movie except Ripley who they could not do without. Each story is a self-contained book but still feeds into the next. You must read it to appreciate it and if you are an Aliens fan or simply a fan space creatures or science fiction, then it is a must read. No need to even give a little breakdown, its aliens, you know what is going to happen.
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Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: The Laughing Corpse

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My rating: 5 of 5 stars

 

Reading this when I did was a good way to remind myself what Anita was like before she started dealing with the monsters on a personal level. This was my love/hate phase with Anita because she was such an extremely judgmental, holier-than-thou piece of work when she was younger. But at the same time she was a hard ass who knew enough to be afraid of what went bump in the night, since she knew it was real. The graphic novel just gave another dimension to the world that she lives in.

Anita as always has more going on than she can deal with alone. She has been asked to raise a zombie which will require a human sacrifice and refuses. She is also approached by Dominga Salvador to come and help her with a project she has with zombies, and the Senora does not like to be turned down. There is a killer zombie running around the city killing families and the police need Anita to help them capture and/or destroy it. Not to mention the fact that the Master of the City wishes to speak with her about her future. What’s a girl to do when she is this popular?

I loved this because the art work made it come alive so much more and has given me a visual to work with when I read the novels. I would recommend it to fans of the series or anyone who just wants to be entertained.

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How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back

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22596109

How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back (White Trash Zombie #4)

by Diana Rowland (Goodreads Author), Allison McLemore (Narrator)
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a good story with twists and turns that made for a good mystery. I was drawn into the story right away and as usual the narration made it a very pleasant listen. The characters continue to grow and spread their wings. The language is what you would expect from characters who live in Louisiana with varying degrees of education.

Angel is back and things start to go wrong from the moment her day starts. The extra’s from the movie that was being made in town are continuing to die from the compound that was given to them by Saberton’s experiments on them. Marcus makes another of his bone head moves and Angel must once again show him she cannot be bossed around by him. Saberton makes a move on Pietro and causes trouble in the ranks of his organization. With a week like this it’s surprising she and her friends manage to survive.

This series is good for a laugh, a cry, and a feeling of romance. There is a lot going on and some of it is actually a little covert.

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Nice Girls Don’t Bite Their Neighbors

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25786060

Nice Girls Don’t Bite Their Neighbors (Jane Jameson #4)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This has been a fun and exciting series that has taken us through the ups and downs in the life of a new vampire. The characters have all become more real as the series has progressed and their world has become part of my world. I fell into the rhythm of the story right away and followed it to the end happily, though sad that it was ending.

Jane and Gabriel have moved in together and he is still trying to get her to say yes to his proposal. While at work something happens that changes the lives of Jane and all those around her. Jamie, the boy who delivers to her shop is struck by a car and Jane makes the decision to turn him, with his permission. Now she has the responsibility of raising a newly turned vampire in the same house as her boyfriend and sire.

Things get even worse when the person who ran Jamie down seems to be after Jane as well, or was she the original target?

This is a great ending to one of the most fun series I have read in a long time. Enjoy!

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Dead Ice

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in24353296

Dead Ice (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #24)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have enjoyed this series since the first novel I found quite by accident. While some see the evolution of the characters as bad for the series, I see it as perfectly normal that they would change and become more than they were before. I have read each book and been more than happy with the situations and the growth that Anita has experienced. The story is good with what I consider to be a nice balance between the relationship stuff and the work stuff. Anita has gone from single-minded to thinking outside her little box. There are multiple story lines going on here and while all are not resolved, each is at least presented and hopefully will be dealt with at a later date.

Anita has been called in by the FBI to help in a case involving someone raising zombies and using them in sex shows on the internet. Surprisingly she is recommended by an unlikely person who knows that if anyone can help, she can. Once Anita sees the footage for herself she is more than willing to help find the person doing it because they have stepped over the line in  more ways than one. The most disturbing thing about the zombies is that she has seen zombies like this before, but the person who animated them is dead and no one else should know how to do it.

While trying to help solve the case she has also been marginalized by many because of her engagement to Jean-Claude. They are looking for the perfect ring, or at least Jean-Claude is, and are having problems agreeing on a design. Anita has made a decision on something for her hand-fasting with Nathaniel and Micah however, causing a touch of jealousy from Jean-Claude. Not to mention the other men who want to be a part of their inner circle. Things are never simple with this many people in a relationship.

I like all the stories which are going on around the main mystery because they give more dimension to everything else. While people have complained in the past about the sex scenes there are not nearly as many in this book as before, mainly because it is no longer needed to tell that particular story. I kind of missed it since I had come to expect at least more than this. You get to see a few characters who have been absent for a while such as Richard and Raphael, who are mentioned but seldom seen. There is also more about some of the animal groups who have been folded into Jean-Claude and Anita’s main home group.

Some people may figure out the guilty party right away and others may take longer, either way I think it is a great ride. If you love the series then you are likely to be happy with this entry, if you had loved it but stopped reading then you should give this a look.

“Holy Wrath of God, Batman, your ass was going to be ours soon, you soul-trapping son of a bitch.”
― Laurell K. Hamilton, Dead Ice Laurell K. Hamilton
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Jason

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23205616

Jason (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #23)

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
This was a nice short that gave a showcase to Jason Schuyler, a werewolf who works for Jean-Claude at his club and is also one of his blood donors. The story is straight forward and moves along cleanly and concisely as it lays itself out. The characters are mostly well established with a few new faces that are fleshed out good enough to make me like them. The language is just what you expect from the series after all this time. I am so happy that Jason got a feature since he has always been more of a side character, though he is mentioned quite often.

Jason has been speaking to several of Anita’s live-in loves behind her back. He has a request that he feels he needs back-up for even though Anita has managed to change so much over the past years. Jason is in love and he wants Anita to help him show J.J., the love of his life, what his type of rough sex is. He is considering making a move with J.J. and wants her to be completely good with who he is, just like he is for her. Things can go very well or very badly with the people involved in this little venture.

I would recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed the Anita Blake series.

“Anita,” Jason said. I looked at him and J.J. “You okay?” I shrugged. “I think this is the most complicated BDSM scene I’ve tried without Jean-Claude or Asher involved. It’s like we have all this talent and potential, but no one is in charge.” That was all true. It wasn’t exactly what was spooking me, but it was still part of the truth. It also meant that they’d probably quit asking me what was wrong. “I cannot be with Asher,” Jade said. I shook my head. “I wasn’t suggesting it, just not sure who’s directing everything.” “We’ve made love with Nathaniel in bed with us before,” she said, her voice soft, low, and strangely musical. Her voice didn’t always sound that way, but it often did when she was trying to persuade, or I guess manipulate me. I’d asked her if she’d had theater training, but she didn’t seem to know what I meant, so I’d let it go. I let a lot of things go with Jade, even I knew that, but when she puzzled me enough I stepped back rather than pushing. I wasn’t sure if I was growing up, or she was winning. “You’re in charge, Anita,” Domino said, “so be in charge. What do you want to do?” In my head I thought, Leave. Maybe it showed on my face, because he said, “Do what you enjoy and Jade will follow your lead.” Jade nodded. “Really?” I asked her. “Truly,” she said. “Okay, I know what I want to do.” “I will follow where you lead,” she said. I knew it was both the truth and a lie. She’d follow me for a while, until she decided she didn’t want to, or she got too uncomfortable, then she’d do whatever the hell she wanted to do and somehow it would be my fault, again. I was starting to seriously sympathize with the men who were dating me.”
― Laurell K. Hamilton, Jason       Laurell K. Hamilton
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Witch’s Bell 3

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19191100

Witch’s Bell 3 (The Adventures of Ebony Bell #3)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In this third book things do not change so much from the others. The story is advancing but seems to not be very much different from the previous ones. The characters are well established and though they do not seem to be growing very much they are still consistent. The story flows well and does advance the overall story arc forward.

Once again Ebony stands in the middle of something that she has no idea how to handle. Ebony is having dreams that are so real she cannot tell reality from fantasy anymore. Harry has retained his human form and is continuing to help as much as he can, though he has never actually run into anything like this outside of a book. And our poor knight Nate is being turned all around as Ebony tries to handle things on her own.

The portal is still very important and something is still trying to enter the world but other things are trying to control Ebony so as to help that entity. As usual when Ebony realizes that she is being manipulated she dives headlong into danger without first trying to research what might be happening. Luckily her friends are there for her and she manages to pull off the save as always.

I am coming to like Ebony a little more each time I read about her exploits. In the beginning she seemed to be a self-centered character who was not going to be very interesting and maybe annoying. I am still waiting to see what happens with Nate, he is a bit of a mystery. Worth the time.

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Devoured

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22433773

Devoured (Brides of the Kindred #11)

My rating: 4.3 of 5 stars

This was another great entry in a series that I have come to love so much. The characters are ever-changing and yet still manage to allow time for characters which had been established in earlier books. The stories seem simple but have a complexity that makes them more interesting than if you had something just totally straight forward. The narrative flows very well though there are sometimes things that hold it back a little. The characters speak and act as you wold expect them to in most instances, though sometimes they seem to do things just to make the story progress.

Garron has been banned from his home-world, Pax because of his siding with his half-brother Truth when he had visited with his twin and mate. Garron is Rai’ku but his father was a twin Kindred who had lost his twin and mate. He is living on the mother ship and trying to come to terms with the new feelings that he has been having as well as the fact of his ‘other’ possibly coming out. Tess is running from an abusive spouse who could end her life and make it seem like an accident or something someone else did and has nowhere she can really hide. Her friend takes her to live at the Pairing House (pleasure-bots) for the unmated males where they figure her ex would never look for her. She has lived there for a week with no problems when Garron comes to choose one of the pairing bots and accidentally chooses her. Neither of their lives is ever the same after this.

I liked the story between Tess and Garron because they were both kind of lost. Tess because her ex had beaten her down so much she could not see the good in any man and Garron because he had loved and tried to protect someone he couldn’t and sought to punish himself forever. There was the requisite trip off-world which I have come to expect and look forward to since you never know what type of place it will be. I got to catch up with my girls from previous books to see what was happening in their lives. And we got to meet the next couple who will be brought together, and see what the malevolent entity in their midst will cause to happen. Really want that wrapped up because it just annoys me a bit.

Overall I would recommend this along with all the series as a must read!

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The Haunting of Hill House

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The Haunting of Hill House

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have seen both versions of this story in movie form and actually prefer the 1960’s version for its lack of overt special effects. Saying that this is the first time I have ever read the book, though I have wanted to for years. This is a character study more than a haunted house story, but the house does play a central role. There is not an emphasis on scares but a setting of mood and atmosphere that really draws you in, very much like the original movie. The characters are not flat but come to life as well-rounded and with personalities that make them very approachable.

Hill House has stood for 80 years and is considered to be haunted or at least tainted in some way. A researcher decides to try to prove that the supernatural exists by bringing in a team to stay at the house and document their experiences. The question that needs to be answered is whether there is a haunting or is it only the imagination and psychosis of those in the house that brings it to life. Eleanor and her companions find that Hill House has its own agenda and they are a part of it.

All of the characters are very different from their cinematic counterparts in subtle ways and some very big ways. Eleanor is even more of a neurotic in the book, Theo is actually a bit nicer than depicted, and Luke is not a lush. The other characters, one not even depicted in the movie are vastly different and not necessarily for the better. If you enjoyed either movie, you should read this to get a better understanding of what happened and how things progressed. And you can see that Shirley Jackson was very good for her time.