Author Archives: karenjvjohnson

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Captured

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15059301

Captured (The Captive #1)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really liked this story and the writing style of Erica Stevens, since this was the first book I read from this author.I felt like I really got to know the characters and that they were very real for me. I got interested from the very beginning and it kept me interested through the end. The story was fluid and there was nothing which did not make sense about what was happening. The world they inhabited was dark and dangerous but it had lightness to it also. The characters have personalities that are three-dimensional and not flat, giving you a chance to know them as people.

Vampires have taken over the world and have ruled for 100 years, meaning that many humans do not even remember what the world was like before they took over. While the vampires live in the cities, in homes and palaces and conduct regular business, the humans who still resist live in the forests in caves and makeshift camps.

Arianna is young and is part of the resistance outside of the town where the vampire royal family lives. She is captured while protecting a young boy and put up for auction along with all the other captives, she can only hope for death or to become a blood slave giving her a short and brutal life, she prays for a quick death. Arianna is a strong character but has some tendencies that make her seem weak at the same time, but I still liked her even she was all over the place emotionally.

Braith is the vampire prince who claims Arianna as his blood slave, even though he has never  had one in all his years of existence. Braith  fought in the war which reduced humanity to slaves and servants. Braith is not like the other vampires, he does not have a cruel streak but has a core of caring. I wasn’t sure what he was doing but felt sorry for him because he wanted something more than just killing and torture in his life.

This is a story about two people who have lived very different lives. While Arianna has heard all these horror stories about vampires she learns that not all of them are the same. Braith finds that love can come even to the most jaded and from the least likely person. They find each other but can they keep each other. I will be reading further because I really need to know what happens to them.

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Better Off Dead

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15962381

Better Off Dead (Lily Harper #1)

This was a 4.5 for me but I would have given it 5 for a little more back story on Tallis Black. The writing was everything I have come to expect from this author, who I already love. The plot was fun but seemed a bit rushed, I would have liked to take a little time when Lily arrived in her new digs before heading off on her first adventure. This being the first novel in the series, it lays out the overall theme of what will be happening. The characters seem plausible and act and react in the way that you would expect them to, except for maybe Bill who is on a whole different plane than anyone else. 🙂 The language is appropriate for the characters and is easily understandable, even the thick brogue that is employed by Tallis.

Lily Harper is having a bad day, she is late for a presentation at work, it’s raining, traffic is a nightmare and then it gets worse, she dies. What’s a girl to do when she finds herself deceased and in the equivalent of a DMV office where she is given an impossible choice, die and go to purgatory or become a bounty hunter for souls. What would you do given that choice? Well she opts for hunter and there begins her adventure in the wonderful world of soul retrieval. She meets her guide, Bill, her guardian angel who will accompany her, but knows as little as she does about what they will face. Tallis Black is a blade-smith and is hired officially to make Lily a sword for her missions but the moody Scotsman becomes more.

A nice first book that gave us an introduction to some interesting characters some good action and a new outlook on the afterlife. Who knew bureaucrats could be found in the hereafter. Loved this and really like Lily, I think she is going to be totally bad-ass once she gets her bearings. Can’t wait for the next one!

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A Spirited Season

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A Spirited Season

A Spirited Season

 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
All the stories were fun without the need to have any darkness creep in with paranormal elements. They were light and maybe a little frothy but definitely entertaining and full of holiday spirit. The writing is great and flows along at a great pace from story to story even though each is different and unique.

“A Christmas Peril” is a play on the classic “A Christmas Carol” which finds Barbara Marr being visited by 3 very scary ghosts just before Christmas. It gets so bad that she stops sleeping and throws her whole life into disarray. Getting to the bottom of her haunting makes for a very interesting and surprising ride.

“Make My Wish Come True” finds Delaney Pearce doing her Christmas shopping after a bad breakup and making wishes the whole time, but of course not expecting them to come true. What she doesn’t know is that she has a genie who is listening and willing to give her all the things she wants. But does she even know what she truly wants from her life?

“Two Turtledoves” is a nice story about an antique that helps to bring two lonely people together during the holidays even as they feel they do not need anyone. This was a sweet tale of how loneliness affects you and what can bring happiness.

“Squawkin Around the Christmas Tree” has a jealous husband who turns to witchcraft in order to find out if his wife is cheating. What he finds out is way more than he had expected and got back something he had lost.

“Jingle Spells” Kendall Rhodes was having a Christmas Eve party because she had been fighting with her father and did not want to see him. Her friend Delaney was in attendance as well as a guy that she really liked. When the lights go out she cannot figure out what is going on and then is told that someone has placed a spell on her home. But who would such a thing and why? The fun is in finding out the culprit and what secrets are revealed because of it.

“O Christmas Tree” On Christmas Eve three men a working to repair a cell tower near some woods. One man has no family and while he is in no hurry he wants to get his friend’s home. But he finds that sometimes love and family can find you when you least expect them. A love story for the holidays.

Each story gives a feeling of the holiday that we sometimes forget about but need to feel. These made me smile and just be glad that I don’t have to worry about the supernatural during my happy season. Enjoy!

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Highland Song

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Highland Song (Highland Brides, #5)

Highland Song (Highland Brides #5)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I rarely do historical romance of any type but I’m glad I took a chance on this. It is a novella length novel so goes pretty quickly, but does not sacrifice character or story. The story is easy to follow and flows seamlessly from action to action with the characters acting as they would be expected to for the time period for the most part. The characters are believable for me since I have no idea how they would have acted truly, so I found them to be interesting and kind of fun.

Gavin Mac Brodie is the youngest with two older brothers and a younger sister, they have all married happily and he is the last holdout. Gavin does not deal women and living with his brothers has become intolerable with having to hear them at night. He decides to build a home of his own, where he will not have to worry about women or his recent loss of faith. While working on the house a mysterious woman shows up and changes his mind about everything.

This is a romance but has elements of royal intrigue and the feuds which happened in the highlands between the Scots and English crown. This is one you simply have to read and enjoy.

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The Mating

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7785207

The Mating (Law of the Lycans #1)

 

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I was not expecting to enjoy this so much when I started it. Once I started it was impossible for me to stop because I became so wrapped up in what might happen next. The characters were really great and made me care about what was going on and how they would react to what I already knew. The plot was simple and yet still complex enough to keep you turning the pages as the action played out. I had never read anything by Nicky Charles but can see why so many people have said such good things about these books, they are able to really take you away.

The story starts out simply with a girl, Elise, being informed that she will be mated to a man that she has never met. While she is less than happy about it, because she thinks herself already in love, she would never think of not doing it. Her intended, Kane, has agreed to mate her because he is an Alpha and it is time he started a family. Elise must leave home and start life in unfamiliar territory, with people she does not know and there are things going on which she cannot understand within this new group. Things which could be dangerous to her and those around her.

I started not liking Elise because she seemed so whiny and childish, and I really hate whiny people, but she came around and grew a backbone. Kane I liked from the beginning because he sounded impossibly hot but also understanding and sweet. The rest of the people around him were well drawn out and I ended liking all of them except for Marla who was a snake and done just as well. Nothing like having someone to really dislike in a story, makes it more interesting and fun.

I suggest reading this book and the rest just like I plan to do!

 

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Contest: Win a Kindle Fire HDX!

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Enter Rose Pressey’s contest for a chance to win a Kindle Fire HDX! Plus, For one week only FOREVER CHARMED IS ON SALE FOR 99 CENTS!

 

contest2013

 

Here are the contest details:

 

 

 

There will be one winner. One winner will get a Kindle Fire HDX.

 

 

 

The following are ways to enter the contest:

 

 

 

Leave a comment on this blog post (1 entry)  http://www.rosepressey.com/
Follow me on Twitter (2 entries)
Friend me on Facebook (2 entries)
Tweet about the contest (2 entries)
Mention the contest on Facebook (2 entries)
Mention the contest on your blog (2 entries)
Mention that FOREVER CHARMED is on sale on Facebook ( 2 entries)
Mention that FOREVER CHARMED is on sale on Twitter (2 entries)
Mention that FOREVER CHARMED is on sale on your blog (2 entries)

 

Just mention in your comment below how many entries you have for the contest. Here is a sample comment:

 

“Hi, Rose! I posted about your contest on Facebook and Twitter. We’re also friends on Facebook. That gives me 6 entries.”

This contest runs through December 25, 2013 with the winner announced on December 26! The winners will be drawn at random. Remember, the more entries you get, the more chance you have to win!

 

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The Hybrid’s Mate

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The Hybrid’s Mate

 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a very nice novella which would have been even better if it had been expanded on. At least that’s the way I felt about it because I was enjoying it and was really sad to see it end where it did. I wanted more of the story and to find out what happened to everyone. The characters are different but not to different from what you would expect when reading about vampires and werewolves. Though the story started a bit slowly it picked up quickly enough that I was wiling to forgive the drag of the introduction. Once things started it flowed and made perfect sense within the explanations for what had happened in the world. I don’t think that the characters are as well-developed as they could have been but they still manage to capture your imagination.

Shay is a hybrid, half vampire and half something else, she has been looking for her mate for years with no success. When she finally finds him it turns out that he is a vampire, much to her surprise. Draven is more than just some vampire, he is royalty and has been looking and waiting for her arrival so that he can really begin his life. Though the world is now ruled by the vampires and humans are nothing more than cattle and slaves, Shay hopes that it can change now that she has found her other half.

While they are trying to settle into their life together there is someone who is plotting against them. Just as their lives start to look up one of them is taken and the other must go and rescue them before it is too late.

 

 

 

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Fallen

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Fallen

 

I was actually stumped as to what to give this so I’m slitting the difference with 4.5 stars. Even after reading the blurb for this book I did not really know what to expect, but I’m glad I took the time. While I am not a big fan of angels, at least those in books, I am a fan of these angels. The writing is sharp and witty with sprinkles of pop culture you can’t help but smile about. The characters are sympathetic and real in how they act and react to their situation. There are religious overtones but that is to be expected and it is handled in a surprisingly interesting way.

Hell has come to Earth, God has gone missing, and the archangels have been decimated. That is they were all thought to be gone, but a baby archangel of four and a half million years old named Israfel still lives. She is one of two angels to have survived the rise of Lucifer to the face of the world. With demons roaming freely, Isra and Hale are the only thing standing between the total destruction of the human race and hope for the future.

I ending up loving this book and the characters so much. Isra was very cool for an archangel with her television and movie references. Who knew that angels go to the movies on their down time. 🙂 She had her flaws but they were earned through serious hardship and wanting to protect those she cared for. Hale was a bit more stoic but had his playful side as well, he also had a great deal of faith.

If you like stories about angels or apocalyptic stories or demons, then you have to give this a look. There is nothing better than finding something good between the pages.

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Ghost Betweens

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Ghost Betweens

My rating 4 of 5 stars
I usually like my horror a bit more bloody and dark but for this I will make an exception. While not bloody it did have a dark edge to it. It was an easy read that allowed you to get to know the characters in increments as the book progressed. Some were better represented than others but you still had an idea of who they were in relation to each other. The reasons behind the haunting was never made completely clear but the story was still good even without knowing every detail. It was able to keep my interest and keep me turning pages wanting to find out what would happen next. The term Ghost Betweens was a new one on me and I think I like it, it seems very apt for the teens here.

Citrus Valley is located somewhere between Los Angeles and Orange County in California. There is a farmhouse just outside the town which is said to be haunted and no one can say how long it has been empty. The local kids don’t party there and no one has even stayed for a night in the abandoned house, but it has a feeling that keeps people away. There is a sign out front which changes year to year or month to month and sometimes day by day, yet no one has ever been seen doing it.

Josh and Zach are high school boys who decide to go out and take pictures around the old farm and maybe capture some ghosts on film. They definitely get there wish and when the pictures are shown to one of their teachers he enlists them to continue their search for ghosts. They in turn bring into it Kendra, the girlfriend of Zach, and a new girl in school, Whisper who at first thinks she is joining a photography club. They wake up an evil that wishes to use them and they must race to master skills which will keep them alive and save more than their town from what could be released.

While light on scares it gives a nice story of young love blossoming in the face of horror. Finding the person who completes you before you are even complete yourself and learning to work together for the greater good. There was only one thing that bugged me and that was we never really got any answers about the teacher, like how he knew so much about ghosts, and spells, and evil entities, he was a history teacher after all. But that was a small thing and did not detract from the overall enjoyment of the story. This book is YA and so has no major heavy content.

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Story Time

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Story Time

 

3.5 stars for the story of how the world came to an end. It was a little bit of slow going to start but started to pick up by the time things started really going wrong. The narrative was a bit choppy because you had one individual supposed to be telling the story but what you get are multiple stories going at once, which could get a confusing sometimes. So the flow was a little off but you can still follow where they are going, particularly if you catch some of the hints they throw out. Some of the characters are more believable than others, Naomi and her idealisms are a little hard to swallow after everything that happens, but most I could see living down the street.

In the year 2045 people have come together to hear NaNa Nay tell the story of the survival of humankind after the destruction of Earth. In 2010 the planet started to tear itself apart with earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, everything the Earth can throw at us. Naomi was a 20-year-old college student who was just finishing up her teaching degree when her world fell apart. She is lucky enough to be in a relatively safe location with her brothers and does not suffer as so many others do as time goes by. It is six long years before they are able to start to rebuild. Humans can learn from their mistakes, even if it takes world annihilation to do it.

This is a story of hatred, love, redemption, loss, heroism, and the human spirit to survive. Along with the natural disasters you get some pretty bad aliens and some pretty good aliens. A lot for such a small package.

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