Author Archives: karenjvjohnson

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Marked

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13320713

Marked (Eternal Guardians #1)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I wasn’t looking for one but seems like I have found a new series that I have to read. This book just creeped up and grabbed my attention. I have a new author who knows how to lay it out and make you want to read until dawn. I started this and wasn’t particularly drawn in, then in the next instant I found myself unable to put it down. I kept telling myself I would read just one more chapter, but ended up still reading at 3am, not good for a work day. This was one of those books that you fly through because it is going at breakneck speed and you don’t want to wait to find out what is coming next. But then it ends and all you can think about is getting to the next one as soon as possible to continue to that next adventure. The romance here was just what you would want, not to fast, even though they are fated but with enough obstacles to make it interesting. The characters are so well fleshed that you come to know enough about them to really care for them and want things to work out for them.

This was a great take on Greek mythology which can be stale in some hands. Instead of trotting out the same old gods we get to see what happened to the half mortal children of those titans. There is only direct interaction with a few of the actual gods and they are the ones who are always interesting.

Theron is a direct descendent of Heracles (Hercules)and the leader of the Argonauts, those who sailed with Jason on his quest. He is loyal to the King and will do what is needed to save his race, even if that means sacrificing his own happiness. Casey (Acacia) is just a girl, or so she believes who works at a strip club at night to help make ends meet, by day she owns and operates a bookstore which had belonged to her grandmother.

Casey has no idea that a place called Argolea even exists or that the gods of mythology are real. She just knows that she has never seemed to fit in with anyone outside of her family and connections were something she could not make. Then a mysterious man comes into her life and things get a lot more interesting and dangerous than she could have ever imagined. Theron must help to fulfill the prophesy which could help save his race but is he willing to send an innocent girl to her death in order to do so, that is his dilemma.

Love, love, loved this! I think Casey has become one of my favorite female characters because she has a backbone and will not back down just because she is faced with someone bigger and stronger than she is. Give me a girl who can hold her own and I am hooked every time. This had the right balance of romance, violence, betrayal, revenge, redemption, and hot sex. Can’t wait to get to the next one!

“Some nights, a woman just wanted to bash her brain against a wall to keep from screaming.”
― Elisabeth Naughton, Marked
Elisabeth Naughton
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The Judge

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20431728

The Judge (The Elite #3)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have loved this trilogy from the first sentence of the first book and would be just as happy if I got to spend little more time with the characters. I feel like I know each and every one of them personally and that they are friends who are about to move away for good. This is a plea for maybe a chance to find out how things went after for them. 🙂 The characters have from the beginning been very well fleshed out and real, whether they were good guys, bad guys, or somewhere in between. They react and interact in a way that feels genuine to who they are supposed to be. They are a part of this world and you have no doubt about that for a minute. This story begins directly as the second book ends, with the Island playing host to many Elite families and preparing for war.

Connor Moore passed the ancient tests which would declare him as the Judge and been accepted by the five Elite families as their leader in this fight. The most important thing for Connor at this moment however is the fact that Laren has been taken and how quickly they can get to her rescue. Lu wants to run off without a plan but Connor and his father understand they need to be sure of what they do.

When Laren is found it is discovered that Vercin has found a way to turn off the Elite gene, which means he could destroy them without much effort if it is used as a weapon. Connor does not wish to kill but he may find that Vercin is not going to give him any choice, it is a matter of kill or be killed. The final battle for the future of both mankind and Elites is drawing near and everyone will have to sacrifice to keep from being overrun by a tyrant who would be king.

This had one of the best battle scenes I have ever read! It was seen from multiple points of view which give you a glimpse of how things were going in varying locations around the area of battle and allowed you to check in with characters who you may have been worried about. This was visual and visceral for me as I held my breath fearing that someone I cared about would be killed or injured badly. I think that everyone needs to read these books and enjoy the growth of a boy to a man.

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Poe

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18729914

Poe

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I received this book for free through NetGalley for an honest review.

I was really happy that I decided to get this book, it caught me off guard and made me love the characters. The writing was fun but still managed to convey a feeling of menace, maybe because even the bad guy had a sense of humor. The characters are all well-developed and give you a sense of reality in who they are and who they may become. I could identify with each of the characters on one level or another and that just made it even better for me. I wondered about the title at first but it quickly resolved itself in an interesting way. I am a big fan of Edgar Allan and one of my favorite stories of his is The Tell-Tale Heart, which is referenced here. There was no lag in the story and everything played out quickly with just the right amount of tension.

Dimitri is a nice guy who has had his fair share of tragedy in his life. When his parents died on their way to visit him at college he decided to leave instead of completing the semester. He ends up taking a job with the local paper writing obituaries while he continues to work on his novel, a paranormal tomb about Rasputin, not exactly the life he had envisioned but it pays the bills. There is a girl he is interested in and he has not even asked her out yet, though he talks to regularly as a source, Lisa works at the local convalescent home and gives him information on the residents.

The real complications start when he is sent out to cover a séance at the local haunted house, the Aspinwall mansion, where a lot of people died years before. This assignment changes his life in ways he would never have been able to imagine. It is also the beginning of a rash of killings that are linked to his family which will shock and terrify the community he lives in.

I really ended up liking Dimitri, right from the start he was this gawky, self-effacing guy with a personality you couldn’t help but be drawn to. Lisa was is the cool girl that you wouldn’t expect to be with him but she has more going for her than just looks, she is everything that he needs and they fit together. While you have some good gory scenes they are not over the top but just right to keep the interest. I found myself laughing, smiling, talking back to the characters (out loud) and being worried for their safety. I had a great time reading it and am hoping for more time with them, not to mention Poe and Nachiel. Seems like things ended on a draw and payback would be nice. I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes a little romance, ghosts, demons, angels, and immortal exorcist.

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Pollen

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17660771

Pollen

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I really don’t have a lot to say about this book. It was relatively enjoyable I suppose but did not really hold my attention, I found myself putting it down to read a Walking Dead comic I had read before. I never connected with any of the characters and they all just seemed a little dull to me, and if you can’t feel for the characters plight or like them. I liked the technology that was used and the concept behind the walled cities was pretty good too. The thing is it seemed to drag from scene to scene and never gave you enough of the characters or anything.

Rome Shackleton lives in New Hanoi and has managed to make something of himself after his stint as a celebrity for attempting to climb the wall and get a look at the outside world when he was a teen. Then he is given something which could not only change his life but that of everyone else in the city. Shunka resides in Little Tokyo and is a 19-year-old Farmer (not what you think) which means she has a good life and can indulge herself in her love of new mods (modifications). Things start to go crazy when her friend is accused of stealing data from the farmers and Shunka must clear her name.

What neither of them know is that their lives and world are not what it seems to be and someone wants to watch what happens when things are stirred up.

I got this because the blurb sounded so interesting and I love science fiction, but maybe it was a bit to subtle or maybe I was too dense to get it. It was alright but not anything I would read again. I would say give it a try to see what you think.

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Dust

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11327688

Dust

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a seriously short story and can be read in less than an hour, though I took longer. This was a well written short for me because I felt like a part of what was going on. I could feel things closing in as things grayed out. References to events that I had actually seen as a child made it that more personal for me. Though you may not get to know the main character as well as you like you understand him enough and get his motivations.

Clyde Jackson builds a bunker after the attack on the twin towers partly because of the loss of his daughter on that day. He was doing it for his wife and himself bu it didn’t work out. When our return to the moon brings back more than just samples the world is not prepared for the devastation, but Clyde is.

This is a story about how even though you may crave isolation, it is never as good as it would seem to be. A really good look at how we handle being truly alone.

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Guest Post by Georgiana Derwent, author of the Cavalier Trilogy

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Oxford Blood (The Cavaliers, book #1) by Georgina Derwent – Review  Georgiana Derwent

 

Me: I would like to know about your interest in vampires ?
Georgiana: I first got into vampires in my early teens (I’m now 27). I read LJ Smith’s The Secret Circle, which is about witches, and absolutely loved it, so decided to find out what else she’d written. The only other books in my school’s library was the Vampire Diaries, and I really wasn’t sure I’d like it – I didn’t think vampires were really my thing! But I decided to give it a go, and although I’ve since read books that I’d say are technically better, I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed reading a book quite so much in my life.
I then went on a bit of a mission to track down similar books, and over the course of the next year or so, read pretty much every vampire book I could find – although this was in about 2001, and there were far fewer options. I didn’t really enjoy any of the others quite as much, although I did love watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Around about that time, I decided that at some point, I would write a vampire book, and I wrote a very brief outline. I then went off the university and forgot all about it. By the time the whole Twilight craze started up and triggered a flood of vampire books, I was pretty much over the genre. I read Twilight itself, but I really didn’t enjoy it. The vampires were just too nice, and fundamentally, too human for my tastes. And then someone lent me the first of Charlaine Harris’ True Blood books. It was a great read and really reignited my interest in vampire books. I was visiting my parents that weekend, so I dug out my old teenage notebook, found the note about the book (which had been lurking at the back of my mind for years) and immediately made a start on finally writing the thing.
There are several reasons I like vampire stories so much. I wrote about that in more detail on my blog here: http://georgianaderwent.com/2013/01/21/why-i-like-vampire-novels-so-much-introduction/
Basically, it’s a combination of the forbidden love, the element of danger, and the history and folklore. There’s something so sexy about a romantic scene featuring a vampire, partly because you know things could go too far at any moment. That said, I’m picky about my vampire books. If they are basically just super-attractive super-powerful humans, I’m not interested. To capture my imagination, they have to do at least some of kill/drink human blood/only be able to come out at night while still retaining some human emotions. I also like to see a really developed mythology.
Me: How did you decide on the setting?
Georgiana: I attended Oxford and absolutely loved it. I started writing Oxford Blood about two years after I graduated, when I was really missing it and wanted to reminisce. That said, I genuinely think it makes a great setting for a novel. Firstly, because it’s such a beautiful place, full of centuries old buildings. Secondly, because it has such strange traditions, lots of which I explore in the book. And finally, it gathers together some of the cleverest young adults in the country, about half of whom are quite rich, and the other half of whom have had to work super hard and defy the odds to get there. It makes them live close together (at my college, at least, everyone had to live within walls for all three years) and puts them under lots of pressure to succeed. It’s a recipe for rivalry, for close friendships, and for romantic tension. All of which combines to practically give you a ready made novel before you even factor in the vampires!

Me: Are some of the characters based on people you knew while you attended Oxford?
Georgiana: The characters who are closest to being directly based on someone are Tom, who has more than a passing similarity to my fiancé, and Adelaide, who is like an exaggerated version of my Mum (for better and for worse). Someone once claimed that first novel are always autobiographical, and while I hope she’s not just a carbon copy, Harriet certainly has a few things in common with me, or at least with me at nineteen.
At the other end of the spectrum, a few very minor characters (usually random Cavaliers and their victims) are named after and broadly based on people I’ve met once or twice.
What I do more often is take different aspects of different people and mix them together to create a character. So Josh, for example, looks like one music student I knew and has the broad personality of another. And there are certain scenes that involve one character, and in reality, something similar happened, but it didn’t involve the person they are based on.
I used to try to hide the fact I’d written these books from university acquaintances in-case anyone took offence, but several people have read them now and love to come up with theories about who is based on who. At least three people claim that George is based on them, which only goes to prove how arrogant some people can be!

 

BOOK TOUR REVIEW: Oxford Blood by Georgiana Derwent              Screaming Spires (The Cavaliers #2) by Georgiana Derwent                 21848242

 

Thank you Georgiana for giving a look into what made these books possible!

 

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Ivory Terrors

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21848242

Ivory Terrors (The Cavaliers #3)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have enjoyed this series from the first book and actually wish that we could have just one more so that I could see how things turn out for everyone after they have gotten past the worst. I love the fact that historical facts as well as fictions are interwoven giving it a richer feel and giving a fuller life to the characters. I have fond characters that I really liked and some that were kind of annoying but always got some type of reaction from me, which means they are well established in mind as more than two-dimensional. Descriptions of locations are so vivid that you can almost see them. I was immediately drawn back into the story of vampires who have forgotten their humanity and see killing a few people as nothing in the grand scheme of things.

The action starts right on the heels of the last book with Harriet still unconscious after George has mesmerized her and kidnapped her from the summer party. She is not allowed to wake until they arrive at their destination and finds herself in France with him, her mother and the man she has always believed to be her father, though he, was supposed to be dead. What she finds is that she has been brought to a man/vampire who wishes to kill her enemies but also wishes to kill the only father she has ever known, Augustine, who he hates for abandoning him. He wants Harriet’s help in setting up all his enemies and gaining him the power to take the Cavaliers in another direction. But does Harriet want to see Augustine dead, even if he is somewhat ruthless he has always been good to her.

The Roundheads are still out there and plotting their own retribution for the Cavaliers unaware of a third-party plotting to decimate their ranks. They are also not aware that a traitor has infiltrated their ranks and is working against them. When things finally come to a head everyone will be surprised by what is learned and what is lost.

This was a great way to end a series that has been riff with conspiracies from the very beginning. Betrayals were a way of life for all those involved whether human or vampire, love was given and taken away only to be redirected, lying was taken to a high art. I was very glad to get the full story behind Augustine because he was a big part of this and finally knowing what he had gone through to make him who he was made this so much more interesting. The only thing that annoyed me was who Harriet ended up with, really, him! While I loved everything else that was my one sticking point. Harriet went up and down for me because she was so mercurial about everything from her family to the men she claimed to love, but in the end she did what I would have done.

If you want to step off into a world that has beautiful men, fabulous parties, and more death than the law allows, then you have to read these books. I’d still like another one! 🙂

Look for the arrival of this last in the Cavaliers trilogy on May 1st.
  “Harriet dreamt of someone well dressed and flamboyant, who spoke like the lead in a black and white film, who drank champagne like other people drank Carling and who could talk about history and philosophy and life for hours, without making themselves sound like an idiot. Someone who made romantic gestures, who was generous to everyone and extravagant towards her. Someone, for preference, who rowed and had the muscles to prove it. When she was really having a bad day, someone with a title. Every time a well-meaning access scheme leaflet tried to reassure her and all the other state school applicants that Oxford wasn’t wall to wall Old Etonians permanently dressed in tuxedos, she died a little inside.”  ― Georgiana Derwent, Oxford Blood
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Dead Petals

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21279473

Dead Petals – An Apocalypse

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I received this book for free through Netgalley for an honest review.

I was expecting another zombie story but got more than that with this tale. There is much more here than just zombies eating and people being eaten. It got my attention because I needed to see where this was going and if some of the characters I had come to like were going to be around by the time it ended. The characters themselves were interesting, some more than others, but not as well fleshed as I would have liked them to be, you never really got a good background on any of them. The dialogue is good but comes off a bit stilted, not sounding smooth like but like everyone is über proper, even the red-neck. The zombies were pretty great though, they were so different from anything I had read about before and sounded worse than anything I have ever seen on a show.

The end of the world came suddenly and with no warning to those around the world. One day they were going about their every day business and the next it seemed everyone had died and were returning from the grave or simply getting up and walking. While most people die immediately there are still pockets of survivors trying to say ahead of the ravenous crowd of walkers. Among these the survivors are 6 people who are drawn to each other and to a forest that has nothing special about it except that it has been made fairly safe by one man.

Oz was a teacher and trucker before things fell apart and took off looking for a place he could live in as long as possible. He was joined by a doctor named Masaaki, twins Jack and Selene, cop Mason, and country boys Luke and Bob. They were living their lives day by day until they were brought into a secret place that gave them insight into what was really happening with the dead. This was no accident but a deliberate attempt to change life on the planet and they were going to have to stop it.

This had elements of time travel, mystery, horror, as well as an end of the world story. There was greed, vanity, avarice, god complexes, and just simple hate for what had been. I found myself cheering on the small group and sometimes being disappointed in them as well for their lack of follow through when it counted. But really it made me wonder if I would do anything different if I found myself in their situation. Good read but do not expect a lot blood or gore, this is more about the people than the zombies.

 

 

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Screaming Spires

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17522842

Screaming Spires (The Cavaliers #2)

Lets start with the fact that I give this 4.5 stars.

This book picks up pretty much where the first book, Oxford Blood, leaves off. The story is flawless in its continuation of the plot line making for a great reintroduction before moving forward. All the elements that made the first book so enjoyable are here again with the added pleasure of getting to know a bit more about some of the secondary characters as well as some mains who were not fully fleshed out. This is keeping me so engaged partially because of the triangle which developed early on and does seem to be resolved, even though you expect it to be, things have just gotten that much more tense. The introduction of new characters only deepens the mystery of what is going on and adds another layer to what/who is involved. I can only guess at the language, which can be a bit confusing sometimes, thank goodness for BBC America, I can at least understand most of the terms without a translator. 🙂 There are multiple factions and multiple plots playing out so knowing the players makes it easy to keep track.

Harriet is back at Oxford for her second year after a summer break that left her in a broken condition. She and Tom are still dating but George is never far from her thoughts which makes her feel disloyal. When George does something for her, which he claims was out of love, she cannot think straight about what she should do. Two vampires, both Cavaliers, and both claiming they have feelings for her. After all the revelations she has had to deal with, this does not make her life any easier. The one bright spot for her is the return of her best friend Caroline.

There are also darker forces gathering who do not have Harriet nor the Cavaliers best interests at heart. They are bent on revenge and anyone who gets in their way is fair game. Someone close to her also has an agenda and it may or may not be to her benefit. Harriet is going to learn the hard way that while she may be considered vampire royalty for her lineage, she must decide how to live with what she continues to find out about those around her.

I was drawn back into this world swiftly and thoroughly with the first few sentences. I had really liked Harriet when I read the first book but feel a bit more ambivalent about her now, because she seems just a bit more wishy-washy than she did before. Even though she was young she seemed to have more of a backbone and did not allow herself to be pushed or swayed one way or the other. I’m partial to Tom even though he may not be the strongest, he does seem to have more integrity than any of the others. I am enjoying this series because it has everything I like in a vampire novel, blood, sexy vampires, romance, sexual tension, rivalries, revenge, and well-defined friendships. This cliff-hanger killed me because I had no idea how long I would have to wait to find out the conclusion. I know what I want and can’t wait to find out what happens. I would recommend this series highly.

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Logan’s Acadian Wolves

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18457827

Logan’s Acadian Wolves (Immortals of New Orleans #4)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was another great entry in the Immortals of New Orleans series. I am never disappointed and get great characters, great action, great romance and a mysterious person in the shadows who needs to be found. The introduction of new characters and old ones who have become like family is handled in a way that makes it plausible, for the world where  the supernatural exist, and easy to follow. The narration and language are always well done with few if any typos and grammar errors to drive you crazy. All the characters have a back story that helps you get to know who they are and what their place is in the current and past story if necessary.

Logan had been the Beta for Tristan and his friend for many years, but when he goes to check on things in New Orleans he finds that Marcel is dying and insists that he become the Alpha of the Acadian wolves when he dies. This is not something that Logan has ever considered but for his friend he takes the challenge. This means returning to his roots full-time and facing challenges from those who did believe that he should lead them.

Logan has been dreaming of a woman who he watches be murdered over and over again. Then he finds her running through the streets being chased by vampires and unwilling to disclose why. Wynter has grown up around wolves and understands many things about pack life but not what it means to be attracted to the Alpha. She has been working on something that could have bad results if it falls into the wrong hands and those hands are looking for her because they want her back along with the knowledge she carries. Logan has no idea what or who he has allowed into his pack and the danger that he has brought among them.

I loved Logan the first time I read about him with Tristan, he is hot and forceful and all male. But he does not like being lied to and he can hold a grudge easily, he is also loyal and kind. He is everything you could want in a man and then some. Wynter is a sweet girl who gets in over her head but is brilliant and a good match for Logan.

Alright, we know I recommend this because I think it’s wonderful. Now this one is not as hot as the others but gives some good action sequences along with a love story that has a lot of rocky moments that make them together even better.