Category Archives: Urban Fantasy

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Cold Days

by
Cold Days
(The Dresden Files #14)
by Jim Butcher ,
James Marsters (Narrator)

In this 14th book about the Wizard Dresden you get some things you expect and some things you might not see coming. I love these stories because I get to check out of reality and step into another world when I start to read/listen to this series. The characters are fun and continue to grow and change as the series does. This parallel universe is peopled by some of the most fantastic creatures and a lot of them are seriously deadly.

Harry comes back to himself after being dead (see Ghost Story) at the mercy of Mab in her court. He has a nurse who helps bring him back from the brink and when she does Mab starts his true training. Harry now carries the mantle of the Winter Knight and he is going to have to fight every day to keep it from taking his humanity. That is going to hard going with less than scrupulous beings surrounding him day in and day out.

His first assignment as the Winter Knight is not something you would ordinarily have right out of rehab, but it is par for the course. Mab tells Harry that he must kill a member of the Winter court and do so swiftly. There is only one problem with the order and that is Harry needs to figure out how to kill an immortal being. In the midst of that dilemma Harry also finds that he must defend his Island and all of Chicago from annihilation.

Once again James Marsters brings Harry and Company to vivid life. I could listen to him all day and never get tired of his voice. I see Harry and everything that happens as I follow the narrative. Ready for the next book and hoping that James Marsters will be continuing to bring me enjoyment of my favorite wizard/knight.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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The Vampire Huntress Legends

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he Vampire Huntress Legends: Dawn and Darkness
(Vampire Huntress)
by L.A. Banks

Not perfect ending

The conclusion was a little less than satisfying and seemed really rushed. The battle was like 4 panels and done. I wanted something a bit more dramatic since they were facing off against a creature that held so much of the darkness. But it does give a mini finality to all the team has gone through. Still worth it for a true fan.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
L.A. Banks’ Vampire Huntress #2: The Hidden Darkness (L.A. Banks’ Vampire Huntress Vol. 1)

by L.A. Banks,
Jess Ruffner-Booth
, Gregory Titus (Illustrator)
, Brett Booth (Illustrator)
Perfect action

These are the characters I met in the novels. The mission continues as it has always been, destroy the evil in the world. I love having this extra time with all of them. Perfect for fans.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
L.A. Banks’ Vampire Huntress #3: The Hidden Darkness (L.A. Banks’ Vampire Huntress Vol. 1)

by L.A. Banks,
Gregory Titus (Illustrator)
, Brett Booth (Illustrator)
Deeper and Deeper

The story continues to evolve and with only one more entry I cannot see where it is headed. Damali is being reckless, Carlos is being overprotective, and Marleen is not stopping either of them. The conclusion is going to be explosive. Enjoy!

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
L.A. Banks’ Vampire Huntress #4: The Hidden Darkness
(Vampire Huntress)
by L.A. Banks,
N. Steven Harris (Illustrator)
, Brett Booth (Illustrator)

Not perfect ending

The conclusion was a little less than satisfying and seemed really rushed. The battle was like 4 panels and done. I wanted something a bit more dramatic since they were facing off against a creature that held so much of the darkness. But it does give a mini finality to all the team has gone through. Still worth it for a true fan.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Ghost Story

by

Ghost Story
(The Dresden Files #13)
by Jim Butcher,
James Marsters (Narrator)

I have been reading the Dresden files for years and still cannot get enough. This is my second time around with this particular title having read it for the first time in 2012. I even watched the short lived television series, which may not have been perfect but was nice for those who wanted to see Harry brought to life. He truly lives in these books however with James Marsters as his voice.

While this may not be the best of the series it still gives us the true feeling of who Harry and his friends are. We have a lot of growth from characters that we have seen in the past for a short time. A lot of the usual characters are only seen sporadically in a limited capacity. I would have liked to get more from Murphy and the Alphas as well as Thomas, though it was nice to have Butters in a more active role. This picks up from the end of book 12 with Harry realizing what has happened.

Harry Dresden once a Warden of the White Council and the only practicing wizard in Chicago finds himself on the other side of the veil. There he is met by several people who he knew in life who inform him that he has to go back and identify his killer or some of his friends will die. In order to communicate he has to go find Mortimer Lindquist who is an ectomancer (?), he can see and speak to ghosts. What Harry does not know is that with his death all the power hungry supernaturals have converged on Chicago and his friends are the only thing standing between them and a nightmare.

Yeah, like I said it may not be the best but a true Harry Dresden fan will still have to read/listen to it. If you have not tried the audible book version I would suggest you do just that, the narration is well worth doing this again.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Vampire Sunrise

by
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

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Black Water

by

Black Water
(Jane Yellowrock #6.3)
by Faith Hunter,
Khristine Hvam (narrator)




I’ve never read anything by Faith Hunter before but I liked this, maybe because it was a fast read. I did not read it even close to in order but still could figure out what was going on with the characters and what it was about. The Jane Yellowrock series is one I will add to my TBR.

Some might think this a waste of time, but even though I do not go into any detail I still enjoyed the listen . It is a short and to dive to deep means giving away all the plot.

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

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Angel Seduced

by

Angel Seduced
(The Hidden #3)
by Jaime Rush



I started this series with the second book instead of the first but that was not a bad thing. While each book has a similar theme and is apparently happening within the same time frame each is still enough of a self contained story that you do not loose anything if you start off wrong. The story is fun, sexy, and engrossing. The characters are deep with feelings and problems that are universal and make you want to get to know them better. You cannot help but keep reading because the action starts almost immediately and if you stop you might
miss something.

Kye Rivers is a Zensu Deuce, she can tell when someone is having sexual issues with her magick. Kasabian is a Caido (half angel) who craves emotions, even though they hurt him, and works at the bar Kye frequents and works out of. Kasabian is immediately drawn to Kye but knows he should stay away. Kye has developed a method that allows the Caido to feel and have relationships, something that very much interests Kasabian because of a side effect it has.

Kasabian was kidnapped as a child but does not remember anything significant about it. Children are starting to disappear again and when one escapes and turns out to have the same mark on his chest that Kasabian does he goes to Kye for help in remembering. While he did not plan it he finds himself pulled to Kye and she feels the same but neither thinks it a good idea. Hopefully they will live long enough to sort it out.


My rating: 5 of 5 stars



“Do you visit other Muses then?” She gave him a stern look. “And don’t say a word about me being jealous. I’m just…curious.” He gave her a sly smile. “Of course you are. For the record, I haven’t had empty, meaningless sex in a long time. It was easier to not think about that aspect of my life.” Was easier. Her ego was eating up the fact that he was obsessed with her, that she was the one who’d awakened that part of him. Bad ego. Bad, bad ego.”
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Every Witch Way But Wicked

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every witch way but wicked

Every Witch Way But Wicked (A Stacy Justice Mystery #1.75 (Tale of Two Witches)

This was one of the better anthologies I have read. There was not one story that I did not enjoy and want to continue with. It was very cohesive in its theme, which was Halloween and witches, by having some of the best authors writing about the subject. There were several authors whom I already read such as Rose Pressey, Debora Geary, and Camilla Chafer. Then there are the authors I have never read before but will definitely be reading in the future.

Though every story shared a theme each one was quite unique in its delivery and tone. There were stories which were lighthearted in tone, such as “Cats and Dogs” by J.L. Bryan the story of a woman who is having trouble with a dog who is not ill but seems to be sad. Her neighbor gives her cookies and instructs her eat one a day to give her insight into what is wrong with her pet. Before she has a chance to eat them however her pets get into them with the most spectacular effect ever.

Then you have stories which are a little darker like “The Hazards of Desire” by Wren Emerson about a town of witches. In Desire all the women are witches and the men are bargaining chips. Zelda was once the first daughter and leader of the Coven, but now she is just a broken old woman treated as a pariah amongst the town people. She tells a tale to a young second daughter about true love in Desire and what happens when people have powers like they do. A cautionary tale of dark desires, love, and obsession.

There is something here for everyone. Enjoy a short tale from your favorites and find someone new to follow. You cannot go wrong this book.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I guess he was good-looking if you liked tall, dark, and handsome with a body that would make women unable to form complete sentences in his presence.
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Wild Card #1-6

by

wild card 1

I am always glad to have another Dresden story. This one is going to have all his friends and family helping to find out who or what is killing in their town. If you need a fix of Harry while you wait for his next full blown adventure I think this will do.

Though it was super short even for a comic.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

wild card#2

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

wild card#3

Nice continuation but needed more

This was a decent entry but was way to short and did not really give much in the way of story. I liked it because it gives me my fix of Harry’s world, but I could do with something more. Fans of Dresden will feel compelled to read it.

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

 

wild card#4                                                                                  The action gets better

This is a great story with a bad guy who is definitely unique. Luck just wants to have fun and unfortunately this involves causing others to commit acts of violence he gets to enjoy. Wish it had been a bit longer but it got the job done. Dresden fans will be happy.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

 

wild card#5                                                                                  Vampires v The Mob v The Police

While there was not any real action in this story there were a few revelations about the situation that Harry and Chicago finds itself in. And really any day with Dresden is a 5 star day. Things are growing more tense with the factions as they all decide that it does not really matter if the crimes were committed by their enemy or someone else. This could be their chance to wipe out the competition.

Ready for the conclusion.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

 

wild card#6                                                                             Dresden does it again

Okay , I have been waiting and I was not disappointed. Though it was short and the battle could have been fiercer, it was still the perfect vehicle for Harry to face off against Puck. Dresden fans have to read the conclusion. Loved it.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

 

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Changes

by

changes

Changes (The Dresden Files #12)

by Jim Butcher (Author), James Marsters (Narrator)

With this book the whole tone of the series changed making the title very relevant. The characters have all been through things which have changed the way they not only look at the world but also the way that they view themselves as well. Things are a little darker as the characters find themselves backed into a corner that they may not survive.

Susan Rodriguez comes back into Harry’s life only to drop a bombshell on him and enlist his help while doing so. She tells him that they have a daughter and that she has been abducted by the Red Court for an unknown reason and he has to help her get the child back. Duchess Arianna of the Red Court arrives to discuss peace with the White Council just as Dresden heads there in order to enlist their help with locating and bringing the child home. Of course that does not work out for him like he expected.

Harry is also under investigation by the FBI for various crimes which are never fleshed out. He has a price on his head and is being targeted for extermination from all sides. Neither he nor any of his friends are safe anymore as all the stops come out in order to take him down.

Definitely worth the price of admission!

This is why you have to listen as well as read this series. With James Marsters doing the narration you are sure to get than just a simple read, you get that roller coaster ride that only he and Harry can give you.

 

 

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“The man once wrote: Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger. Tolkien had that one mostly right.

I stepped forward, let the door bang closed, and snarled, “Fuck subtle.”
― Jim Butcher, Changes

“But there were some things I believed in. Some things I had faith in. And faith isn’t about perfect attendance to services, or how much money you put on the little plate. It isn’t about going skyclad to the Holy Rites, or meditating each day upon the divine.
Faith is about what you do. It’s about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It’s about making sacrifices for the good of others – even when there’s not going to be anyone telling you what a hero you are.”
― Jim Butcher, Changes

 

 

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Turn Coat

by

turn coat

Turn Coat (The Dresden Files #11)

by Jim Butcher (Author) James Marsters (Narrator)
  I have been enjoying listening to the books after reading them a few years ago. James Marsters has brought so much life to the characters that I cannot imagine any other voice as that of Dresden. He gives a true vibrancy and personality to each of the characters which distinguishes them from one another. The stories have continued to evolve from that first introduction to the wizard and his world. Things can sometimes drag a little, but it is never for long and always picks up.

Morgan has been the bane of Harry Dresden’s life since he was a 16 year old kid hauled before the White Council for the crime of killing with magic. When Morgan finds himself on the other side of the good graces of the Council he goes to the one person who you would expect to laugh in his face and send him to his fate. But that is not how Harry operates, he believes Morgan when he says he is innocent, and at the risk of his own life sets out to prove that innocence.

A well written ride through the world of Harry and all those creatures, friend and foe,  who inhabit it. This is a good one!

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“You’re in America now,” I said. “Our idea of diplomacy is showing up with a gun in one hand and a sandwich in the other and asking which you’d prefer.”
― Jim Butcher, Turn Coat