Author Archives: karenjvjohnson

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One Blood

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13134666

One Blood

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was a book that had me confused as to what it was really about. I went in expecting a simple horror novel but got a lot more than that. This is a twisted story of revenge, hate, blind ambition, manipulation,murder, voodoo,and a cursed family. The characters are all very dark and not always likeable but they can be sympathetic from time to time. I really found myself not liking most of them for most of the book because they were so single-minded and seemed like the worst type of opportunists. The two characters that I did feel a little something for were not really fleshed out enough for me to really decide anything about how I wanted things to go for them.

Can I just say that there is only one thing that can drive me up a wall while reading is when I have to keep track of what year I am in from chapter to chapter or even section to section within a chapter. This started in 1963 and moved in a nice linear line for a few chapters then it was on and we jumped around for almost the entirety of the rest of the story. I understand the need for it here but it made things drag a bit for me. If possible I thought there was too much background that could have been condensed and left more for those characters I wanted to get to know better. Just a thought.

This is the story of Randy LaFitte a man who was marginalized by his father when he was young and took steps to make his life better, or so he thought. Randy decided that the only way to get rid of a man he hated was to resurrect a curse which had been dormant for years. His actions set off a chain of events which will affect not only his family but the lives and families of all those within reach of his influence. Randy had big ambition and went about getting what he wanted in the most ruthless manner possible, not a nice man by any stretch of the imagination.

When his sins come back to claim him they take a form no one would believe possible.

This is a good story that I wanted to be even better. I liked where it was going but just wanted it to get there faster. I stopped and started reading when it seemed I knew what was happening but this still left not sure if I even understood it all. Don’t read this for horror but more for the mystery that surrounds everything and everyone.

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A Touch of Midnight

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18220753

A Touch of Midnight (Midnight Breed 0.5)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the first book I have read in the Midnight Breed series and I am glad this was my introduction. The characters are very well-defined and make you want to know more about them. While I was not pulled into the story from the first moment it did not take long for me to get really involved in the story. The story flowed so well that it was easy to determine what was happening and why things were happening the way they were.

Savannah Dupree is a student at Boston University in 1974 on a full scholarship. She is originally from Louisiana and is a very intelligent girl but has an ability which has always made her feel different from those around her, since nobody knows her here she feels more a part of things. Savannah has the ability to see the history of any object she touches. Gideon is one of the Breed, an elite vampire order which keeps the law by taking out rogue vampires. He has been a warrior for 300 years and in that time has never considered taking a mate.

Savannah is working on a special project in her art history class, helping to identify and catalog items in a collection the school has recently obtained. She finds a sword and after touching it she sees twin boys slaughtered by men who seem wrong in some way. Not long after she finds the sword it is stolen and her friend is killed in a brutal manner by a man who seems to have a lot in common with those she saw kill the twins. While giving an interview on television she is seen by Gideon who seems to know the sword she is talking about and wants to find and question her about it. But when he meets her he finds that the sword may be the least of worries.

There are the usual difficulties for the couple to go through such as misunderstandings about who knew what when and so on. But the story is kind of sweet, in a dark way. I wanted it to go on just a bit longer so I could find out just one more thing about them. I look forward to seeing them again in other novels though. I would say everyone should give it a chance.

“All it took was a chance meeting with a stranger, some unexpected conversation. A few moments of kindness from someone who had no inkling of what she’d been through. Someone who wandered into her workplace on a whim and ended up making the worst day of her life seem less awful simply by being in it. “Nice to meet you, Gideon.” “Likewise, Savannah.”
― Lara Adrian, A Touch of Midnight Lara Adrian
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What Zombies Fear: A Father’s Quest

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13072892

What Zombies Fear: A Father’s Quest (What Zombies Fear #1)

I give this 4.5 stars for being an interesting take on zombies. I have never read anything by this author before and was pleasantly surprised to get a zombie tale that was at least at little different from the usual, though I do remember something somewhat similar. The characters were interesting if a bit less fleshed than I would have liked, I see room for them to gain more personality and life as the series moves forward. While the first chapter didn’t bring me fully in, by chapter two I was ready to settle in and read as long as I could to find out what would happen next.

Victor Tookes, rhymes with kooks, starts out his day like any other by going to the office. This is no ordinary day however and he finds himself in the middle of the end of civilization. It has been 12 years and he is going to tell us how he has managed to protect his son, Max, who is being sought out by the zombies for some reason. While Victor was able to save his son, his wife did not make it in those first days. This left him with a 3-year-old boy in a hostile world. Max was bitten but did not change like so many others and seems to have some type of 6th sense about the zombies.

This has a good story, really good ending, great zombies, and even better hero’s. I will be continuing to follow this story as long as it lasts.

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The Long Afternoon of Earth

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15980560

The Long Afternoon of Earth

I generally love science fiction from the 50’s and 60’s but this was one of those that was just a little to bland for even me.  It starts in a very distant future where mankind has been reduced t not even a shadow of its former self. There was no explanation as to how the changes to the planet and the lifeforms came about, we were just thrust into the middle with nothing said. I know this was thought to be a good book and example of the genre but it left me flat. The characters had no personality and did not make me care about them, the plot was totally uninteresting and did not seem to really be going anywhere.
It’s a decent book but very slow. The characters are not likable and I found myself rooting for their demise. Overall I would recommend it, but only as a last resort.
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Lords of the Were

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6680770

Lords of the Were (Tales Of The Were #1)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really liked this story for being interesting enough to keep my attention and having characters who I would love to know in the real world. The story grabs you immediately and makes you want to find out what could possibly be so mysterious about what the ladies are doing. As characters are introduced you will want to continue on because things get more interesting as they progress. The story flows well and is explained as it goes so you do not have some of those gaps which can be so annoying.

Allesandra (Allie) was orphaned at a young age and never knew her real parents, so when a woman comes to her and says that her mother asked her to get in touch with her when the time came she should have been surprised. What she finds out is that her mother was a priestess and now she must be consecrated into the service of the deity that her mother served. Allie feels so comfortable in a world she had no idea existed until her 32nd birthday when it all opened up to her. She seems a little timid at first but steps up and turns into a gutsy woman.

Tim and Rafe are the twin pair Lord’s of The Were who are sworn to protect Allie and love her if she will let them. They rule over all were no matter what they may be and have a pact with the Lady which keeps them all safe. They are two gorgeous hunks of wolf who take their responsibilities very seriously and will do anything to protect their people.

What no one realizes is that a plot to kill their priestess from an ancient evil is moving their way and they may not be as prepared as they think.

This had what I love in a story in that it made me cry, made me laugh, made me hot! Their was hot sex, good fighting, good magic (black and white), emotional moments, and family. A quick read but a satisfying one.

*This book contains scenes of menage a trois
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Away From Him

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22601228

Away From Him

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was immediately drawn into this story, though it was partly because I took an instant dislike to the heroine because she seemed like such a wuss. The story is really nice and moves along a quick pace that has you anxious to see where things are going. The characters are well written and give you the sense that they are people who you might actually know in your life.

Melanie wants nothing more than to live a peaceful existence where she can teach her yoga classes and avoid conflict. It would have been much easier to do if she had not signed up to help people with anger management issues.

Billy Styles is a very successful criminal attorney who has anger management issues. He knows he has them and does not feel that there is anything that can help him. He seems to be right since Melanie is not the first person they have sent him to for help.

When Billy and Melanie meet things will never be the same for either of them. Melanie’s perfect world is thrown off course because she wants to help him but her over optimistic view of life makes him cringe. Melanie does not like messy and Billy is as messy as it gets because he is good at his job, which means he sometimes gets criminals off. They will have to find a way to bridge their differences before they can move forward.

The story made me feel good even if I did not like Melanie at first. She seemed to be a bit of a phony at first, then I just thought she was mentally unbalanced, but she turned out to be just misguided. Billy had a hard life which had shaped him into the angry man he would become and that he would have to temper in order to find the love he always wanted. Definitely worth a read!

“Really? Only one class and you’re ready to kick him out?” the woman on the other end of the line inquired. “I’m sorry, that’s not why I was calling,” Melanie said swiftly. “I’m calling because I wanted to know a little bit more about Mr. Styles, to see if there is a more efficient way that I can help him.” “Mr. Styles has been through three anger management courses and one Hugs for Healing program in the past two weeks. His attempts at fulfilling the court order with these classes have resulted in two counselors quitting, and several restraining orders.”
― Kaelyn Swan, Away From Him
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Dust to Dust

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17608220

Dust to Dust (Experiment in Terror #9)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
 Here we are at the end of a great series that brought a lot of smiles, tears, laughter, dread, and sometimes major scares. This was the kind of send off you would expect from characters who have been involved in the business of ghost busting/investigating who had not a clue as to what they had been doing. This story was closer to home and gave a better look into the life that Dex had led as a child and points out even more why he turned out like he did. This is a walk down memory lane where we get to see where they were and hopefully where they are going in the future. The story is solid, just like every story that has come before it.

Perry and Dex are staying with her parents while Perry tries an experiment on her mother that she last did to test Dex. While they have been working hard on the footage they shot at the school Perry has gone out for some fresh air and left Dex at home with Ada since her parents are also out of the house. When she returns after an encounter that left her disoriented and a little lost she finds that Dex has spirited away and Ada has been knocked out.

Perry and Ada take off to find Dex before anything can bad can happen to him, or so they hope. They have only one clue which leads them to New York, where Dex was born and lived until he could get away. They do not know it yet but they are being herded to a place that will try to rip the very soul from them and make them the destroyer of worlds.

I have loved Dex from the beginning because he was not this straight, boring guy but a total knob who loved everything so viscerally. Perry took a little longer to grow on me because she had so many hang ups, but most of them were due to her parents, but she finally had started to see how amazing she was. Together these two were a power couple os another kind and I am going to miss them. I can hope that they will make an appearance when someone else has a story told or maybe just a short to catch us up on them.

I loved the books for their paranormal elements and the glimpses of a world on the other side that was both good and bad while being neither. There were some serious scares and some minor ones, I got to laugh with them over crazy stuff, and got to cry with them when they hurt each other, and I got to be a part of a love that was hot, sexy, and very real. I would recommend this book and the entire series to anyone who wants a bit of darkness with their love story.

“I love you, beyond death.”
― Karina Halle, Dust to Dust  Karina Halle

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Ashes to Ashes

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19370020

Ashes to Ashes (Experiment in Terror #8)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Reading this book was bittersweet for me because I knew that there was going to be only one more when I finished this one. So I have to say that this one turned out to be one of the most scary adventures that Dex and Perry have been on so far, and as usual their personal life had to make an appearance in the midst of the terror. The characters have continued to grow and change throughout the series, starting as one-dimensional and arriving here as fully formed people who can make you feel their fear, their passion, and anything else which may pass over them. The story is always entertaining because you never really know what might be around that next corner or who might find something behind them unexpectedly.

Dex, Perry, and Rebecca are not going very far from home for their next episode of Experiment in Terror, making a move back to the beginning and the place that they met. There is a school on the Oregon coast that was originally a Sanitarium used for housing TB victims, most of them children. Thousands died within its walls, some of the disease and others with the help of those charged with taking care of them. The building is being haunted and they have been requested by a teacher who has seen and heard things as well as a student who communicates with some of the ghosts.

Perry’s family is still upset over her move to Seattle and into the apartment of Dex, who they hate. They are running a campaign of doubt with Perry, who has a habit of falling for their disinformation. How can she allow them to get into her head and make her doubt her feelings for him or his for her. Dex has shown that she is his world and home, she needs to get with the program.

My only problem is that they seem just as scared now as they did when they first started out. You would think that they would have at least gained a little thicker skin where the ghosts are concerned. This is full of the love they share, the dark and scary place, danger to mind-body and spirit, and the determination they always show in the face of chilling odds. Perry & Dex forever ∞

“When I first met you, I knew, somehow, that you were going to change my life. I just didn’t know in what way. I didn’t know that you’d make me love you. And most importantly, I didn’t know that you’d make me love me. Baby, you make me see the good in myself and the good in everything on this damn earth. You chase my ghosts away, and…” He cleared his throat, and to my surprise, I saw his eyes were watering. Oh fuck. Please don’t cry, Dex, cuz I will fucking lose it. He swallowed hard, blinking tears back. “And you bring me peace. I can’t thank you enough for being in my life. And I want you there for the whole journey. Through everything—the good and the bad, the batshit crazy and the sane, the scary and the sexy. Especially the sexy. Just you and me, baby, until death do us part.” Somehow I found my voice. “Even though we’ve only known each other for eight months?” I asked quietly, afraid of his answer. But he just smiled up at me. “Time has no bearing on the truth. And what we have, that’s true as fucking anything.” He gave my hand a squeeze and reached into his pocket. I sucked in my breath, feeling all my emotions flood me at once, and watched as he took out a beautiful, sparkling ring, and held it poised at my finger. He gazed at me, and it was like I saw every moment we had with each other captured in his eyes. “Perry Palomino, kiddo, baby—will you be my wife?” I didn’t even have to think about it. “Yes!” I blurted out in a sob as the tears started”
― Karina Halle, Ashes to Ashes  Karina Halle

 

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Forever Changed

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17827517

Forever Changed (Mystic Wolves #4)

 My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have been a fan of this series since stumbling across Mystic Wolves and falling in love with Mason and Darcy. This book picks up the day after their mating ceremony and brings with it not a great start to their lives together but more revelations that could cause them harm. These two never seem to get a break. The writing is fast paced and engrossing bringing out more about all the characters as it moves to a surprising conclusion. The characters are always well fleshed and give you a feeling of being someone you could get to know and like or someone you would avoid at all costs. I love the descriptions of the place they live and can visualize it so easily that it feels like a place I would like to visit and maybe even stay for a while.

After all the trials that they have had to endure Darcy and Mason finally have their mating ceremony and become husband and wife, the Alpha and his mate only to have their happiness come crashing down as more bad news is given to them. A dark evil is coming for Darcy from out of the past and they have to find a way to stop it or her body and soul could be at stake. Devlin, the vampire who has been her best friend since she was a girl drops another bombshell along with this news which causes tension between him and her new mate and friend also. To find the answers they need they leave their home and travel across the country to try to find some type of solution before the evil finds them.

This was a great installment that had me crying for Darcy and all that she had endured. While she did not seem very strong or assertive when we first met her, she has grown into a strong woman who can take care of herself and those she loves when needed. Mason has always been a strong male figure but we get to see that he has a tender side and that his love for her will have him doing whatever it takes to protect his mate and keep him with her forever. Their story touches my heart and I want them to be together and to be happy. Love this and I think anyone would enjoy their story.