Tag Archives: Fiction

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The Beast Within

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The Beast Within

The Beast Within (The Elite #1)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a great and exciting book! I was pulled into the story immediately and could not put it down. You may go in thinking you are about to read another vampire/werewolf story but you get so much more than that. The characters are well-defined and real, they have personalities which will make you run the gambit of emotions when you read about them. The plot starts with a kick and makes you want to keep going from chapter to chapter in order to see what will happen next.

Connor Moore is your average eighteen year old, he’s graduated from high school and lost his girlfriend of the last two years when she breaks up with him. His world is one of working for his mother, working out, and trying to figure out how to tell her he is not going away to college but staying close by, just your normal everyday things. But when he meets Laren Abelardus in the woods one day after a run things start to change for him, both for the better and the worse. Connor is drawn into a world that has been hidden but living alongside humans for generations, a world of human like creatures who live among us but do not interact with humanity on a daily basis.

Connor finds that what he always thought to be true about the world and himself is a far cry from where the truth lies. People he has known for years are not who they appear to be. He is not who he thought he was and things he has always held to be true are not.

If I say anything more I will likely give away to much and I wouldn’t want to do that. There is action packed moments, villains, heroes, sorcery, shifters, and betrayal. There is not a lot of teen angst, which I am happy for. If you like YA or even if you only read it on occasion you should give this a try. It is well worth the time.

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Waterlocked

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English: The City of London skyline as viewed ...

English: The City of London skyline as viewed toward the north-west from the top floor viewing platform of London City Hall on the southern side of the Thames. In the foreground: Dixie Queen and Millennium Time at Tower Millennium Pier. This is a 5 segment panoramic image taken by myself with a Canon 5D and 24-105mm f/4L IS lens. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Waterlocked by Elizabeth Hunter  
Waterlocked (Elemental World, #1.5)

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Elizabeth Hunter

 

 

 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

I only gave this 4 stars because I really would have liked to have had
more. This is a novella however and not a stand alone novel. It is a
part of the Elemental World series and gives us a more background on the
character and characters of Terry and Gemma.

Terry is a bit of
con-man and rogue in his own way. He originally wanted to align with
Gemma because of her connections and who her family was but as time went
on he found himself wanting more. Gemma is the daughter of Carwyn ap
Bryn and a force to be reckoned with, his family has a lot of influence
in Ireland and around the world.

While Terry is in charge of
London, he runs things with the help of Gemma. There have been
challenges to the authority of many heads of cities around Europe and
they are bracing to see from which direction a challenge will come to
them. But while they wait Terry has decided that it is time for them to
marry since they have been engaged for ten (10) years. The couple move
forward and the shady characters in the background make their moves,
which could prove deadly.

If you have not done so by all means
read the Elemental Mysteries series before moving on to Elemental World.
You cannot follow along if you do not know the players and the
background of the action which continues here.

If you didn’t
notice I love this series of books. The author has a great balance of
characters and I love the take on vampires as elemental’s making them a
part of nature and not outside it.

 

 

 

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  • Carwyn (chippyreader.wordpress.com)

 

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The End

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The End - Visions of ApocalypseThe End – Visions of Apocalypse by N.E. White
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In this anthology which consists of twelve tales of the world ending you can find apocalypse scenarios of various type. Computer viruses run amok, unknown menaces from space taking out the planet, or the ever popular infection of the human race. The stories are all fairly short which makes for a relatively quick and enjoyable read.

While all of the stories were well written, even if you had no idea of how the end came about, there were four that made me like this more than I might have otherwise.

The most fun for me was Empty Nest, Mother Nature (the planet) decides that she should speak to someone in charge about her future plans for the Earth. You can imagine the scramble as everyone around the world wants to be the person that actually gets to converse with our home. Not so much an apocalypse but earth moving at least.

Burning Alexandria was more of a claustrophobic story than apocalyptic because the action all takes place within a home. All we know about the outside world is that it is cold and heat needs to be generated. This is about one man but does not say how the world fell apart.

The love story in Silver Sky seems to be the main focus while the impending end of the world is secondary. But at least we get to know what is going to happen to cause the planet to end. As with most shorts you don’t really get a chance to like or dislike the characters before it ends.

Finally, Julia’s Garden has a group of scientists hold up and trying to find a cure for a peril they created. They are all going slowly crazy as they wait for the end.

If you like end of the world plots then this is a good place to get a fix and not a zombie in sight.

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Convergence

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Between Their Worlds (Noble Dead Saga: Series 3, #1)Between Their Worlds by Barb Hendee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a fairly nice beginning to the continued exploits of Magiere, Leesil, and Chap as they continue in their quest to thwart The Ancient Enemy. Because they have been separated from Wynn for more than a year this book acts as a bridge to bring them back together and combine their stories before they are separated once again.

Wynn is no longer the wide-eyed observer she was in the beginning and has grown into a woman of strength, which annoys her previous companions. She has allowed a Nobel Dead, Chane, to protect her and work alongside her. Particularly since Magiere had killed him and hates him as does Chap and Leesil they feel as if she has betrayed them.

The story centers around the Guild of Sage Craft and the fact that they have locked Wynn in her room and the grounds. Things have become complicated and scattered because you have multiple factions working for multiple goals throughout the book and sometimes it is hard to figure out what is going on from minute to minute. This is not a place to start this saga if you have not read the previous novels as the characters from many of those novels converge here.

Not a lot of action but the story does move us to the next step and allows us to become re-acquainted with friends who have been absent for so long. If you like this series then it is a must read.

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The Holidays

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Holidays Are Hell (The Hollows #5.5)Holidays Are Hell by Kim Harrison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This anthology features 4 short stories by some very talented women.

Two Ghosts For Sister Rachel gives us an eighteen year old Rachel before she joined the IS and moved out into the world. We also get to view her home life with her mother and her true start at earth magic.

Run,Run,Rudolph is a fun story with a great romance and tense pursuit scenes. Jill and Nick make a great couple and I want more of them. It was funny,sexy, and very interesting.

Six is set in China and is the name of our heroine. She finds herself up against vampires and partners with a necromancer against her will (at first). She is very strong and makes things interesting.

The Harvest is set in of all places Las Vegas and features a plot of good vs. Evil. Some Archer is an agent of the Light who has dropped out only to return when she needs help from the man she left behind. Their reunion is brief and she steps into danger to secure her legacy.

All of the stories are well written and well worth your time.

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