Review: Bad Cop

Bad Cop by Angela McCallister

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Having not read the first book in this series, I had no real expectations. That being said, the lack of experience with the series did not at all stop me from thoroughly enjoying this book.

I love reading contemporary vampire romance books. This one takes place in a world where vampires are in the open and consist of two different "types" that make up their rather archaic system of ruling. Our main character is Alice. She's tough in her own right and is dealing with the heavy burden of her dying twin brother. Even with that weight on her shoulders, she manages to step into the position acting as a vampire liaison head. As far as my understanding goes, this involves coordinating investigations and a lot of paperwork. And hot vampires. That's where Ian comes into play. He's a hot vampire Tracker, in charge of policing his own kind and tracking down rogues. When they are forced to work together, the sparks fly. This book doesn't shy away from the smut, and for that I was grateful.

Of course there are issues, secrets, and misunderstandings, just like in every other paranormal romantic situation (especially in this one because Alice has a particular ax to grind when it comes to cops). These books appear to be relatively self contained, so the story wraps up nicely with no cliffhangers, and a good HEA.

I really enjoyed reading Alice and Ian's story and will have to keep an eye out for other books from this author. I could always use more hot vampire romance on my kindle!



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Review: Realm Walker

Realm Walker by Kathleen Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a fun and original read that created a rather unique world filled with "realm walkers", vampires, werewolves, and demons (just to name a few).

I freely admit to some procrastination about reading this book. The title just didn't scream "you'll love this!", though the tough chick certainly seemed to be right in my comfort zone. I shouldn't have worried. This book was jam packed with action of the paranormal kind (but not high fantasy, thank goodness), as well as enough romantic entanglement and drama to sustain a massive new series. The chemistry between Thomas and Juliana was off the charts! My only complaint would be not getting enough payoff in that department, but I understand that you can't just give me HEA in book 1.

The main plot centers around Juliana's hunt for a couple of demons who just so happen to know her by name. They end up hopping bodies to some of her loved ones, and that's when things get rather personal. Juliana's character is one of a tough chick shell with a gooey girl in the middle. The method of storytelling was one of my favorites. We jump right into Juliana's story, gaining insight along the way.

I'm eager to see where this series goes and would *love* to read more about the side character. They were all very well written and interesting on their own. This book will hopefully be the first of many in this new world.



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Review: A Warlord's Lady

A Warlord's Lady by Nicola E. Sheridan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good read filled with magic, action, and romance. It's story-telling style was one of my favorites -- you jump right in and get hints and flashbacks to the prior events.

The story centers around Sabra, a suddenly famous and wanted woman who was "kidnapped" by a magical warlord (magic is out in the open in this world), then made to be his concubine. She escapes to write a memoir that earns her notoriety and oodles of money. Unfortunately, she is kept under house arrest "for her own good" by a controlling government in order to keep her safe from the Warlord's attentions. There are a lot of warring factions and hidden agendas, but in the end, the Warlord appears to have been the least of Sabra's worries.

The world that the story takes place in was a nice unique twist on your everyday paranormal romance read. There is race of magic users and groups of supernatural creatures of all shapes, sizes, and powers. After all of the bad press the Warlord got from Sabra's book, we eventually learn that there may be more to his agenda than kidnapping some unsuspecting tourist. It was fun to watch the romance play out and progress. There were surprises, misunderstandings, and even some darker events that lead our two main characters to an ultimately HEA (I hope).

This was my first time reading this author, and this book really made me want to check out her other work. The writing and story made for a good read.



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Review: Out for Blood

Out for Blood by Mike Walker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really hilarious and fun read! The writing style was so entertaining and always "on" -- moving seamlessly from action to intrigue to romance (all with a lot of vampire goodness thrown in)!

The book follows around Clark Kelly, gossip writer extraordinaire. He's working a million a minute and loving every second of his undead existence. Always on the hunt for the next big story, he ends up falling head over heels for a young Hollywood star, Taylor. The romance isn't really what the book was about. In all honesty, the book could have been about anything and it still would've sucked me in. The writing style is absolutely fabulous -- like watching your favorite TV show, starring your favorite actors, while being scored by your favorite musicians.

There were a million little twists and turns in the plot along the way that really kept me guessing until the end. All the characters were interesting and quick witted enough to balance Clark out nicely. I somehow fell in love with Clark, even though I thought he was going to be way too abrasive in the beginning. He really grows on you, like some sort of undead (but vastly entertaining) fungus. There were puns and bad jokes, but at the same time it managed to have a solid plot. Like I said earlier, this book really was a great read, even for people who might not be your typical paranormal reader.



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Review: On the Far Side of Darkness

On the Far Side of Darkness by R. C. Graham

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a fun read. The writing style was easy, the format made for a quick read, and there was a good amount of paranormal romance in there to keep me turning pages.

As opposed to my typical read, this book was set up as a series of novellas or shorter stories. While they did not always flow seamlessly between one and the next, they chronicled the present day life of Georges and Diane. Georges is a semi-famous historian/teacher who also just happens to be a vampire. This brand of vampire is somewhere between the sexy type and the scary type (don't worry, there's lots of sexy in this book). While acting as a visiting professor at a college, he meets Diane and immediately feels drawn to her. Diane is an archival specialist at the college, and was apparently mostly gay before meeting Georges. They hit it off, but, as is the case with most vampires (in this world), strange events abound. Some student drama causes Georges to make some tough choices to protect Diane.

The next few stories follow them on their journey to becoming the couple they probably should have been all along. There are ups and downs (and a lot of unusual events), but it was a lot of fun to watch them develop as a couple. As a side note, there were some things that readers might find not to their liking in here. F/F scenes were pretty common in the stories, as was questionable consent. I didn't feel like they detracted from the story, though. It's a dangerous (and sexy) world that Georges and Diane live in, so these stories reflect that. We get a good dose of HEA, which is a nice change from my typical reads.

If you're a vampire lover who is looking for a quick and easy read, check this one out. It found a way to make me excited about vampire romance books again.



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Review: Darkness Splintered

Darkness Splintered by Keri Arthur

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This might be my new favorite book of the series. Everything that has been ramping up in the previous installments really fell into sync in this one. There was action, romance, revelations, and revenge all rolled up into one really great read.

Risa begins this book in the same dark place we left her. She was still hurt and feeling betrayed by her reaper/lover/boyfriend and still dealing with the Maury show-esque events that had even my head spinning. Never one to get more than three days of recovery (even when in the hospital), Risa is forced to hop right back into finding the keys, saving all her friends' lives (as usual), and keeping Hunter happy (and not killing her, or, you know, her friends). I guess all of Risa's enemies know her weakness by now, and that's her friends.

This book also finds Risa in a decidedly different place. She comes across as much tougher, less apt to spend chapters going back and forth about decisions and guilt, which made her infinitely more likable. Her love life also seems to reach a sort of steady state, which wins her bonus points. The back and forth witty banter is back, and while the stakes are not lower than before, the book was not as dark as previous ones have been. I found myself smiling more than shaking my head, which is what I want a book to have me doing.

There was a lot of progress in the overall key story, also. I can see where things are headed and I'm not cringing -- I'm eager! Bring on the next book!



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Review: Darkness Unmasked

Darkness Unmasked by Keri Arthur

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I am completely torn about this book. On one hand, this book was filled to the brim with information I've been desperate to learn since book 1. On the other hand, it was also filled with some serious darkness, including rape, which I usually have issues dealing with in a series. My rating would be somewhere in between 3 and 4 stars, taking those things into consideration.

While the last book felt a little slow in both key and personal story progress, this book really sped things up quite a bit. We meet up with Risa, still desperately exhausted and overworked, torn in quite a few directions, and emotionally taxed. Things might actually be looking up for her, though. Finally, we get to a good place with Azriel and Risa for most of the book (thank goodness!). Unfortunately, Hunter is still working on pulling Risa's strings, while hiding their interaction from Risa's family. She gets dragged into another mystery, which takes up most of her time. In these stories, it almost seems like the keys are not her first priority.

The key story, however, really picked up in the last half of the book. Of course, there are a lot more betrayals in store for Risa (even when you thought she had been maxed out). All the personal and emotional progress that I thought was made in this book was mostly undone at the end. It seems like Risa just can't have everything. In the end, she gets *a lot* of answers that she's been searching for, at the loss of her own growth. Sigh. These books really take you on such an emotional ride.



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