Review: Retroactive: More Stories From The Zellie Wells And Penny Black World

Retroactive: More Stories From The Zellie Wells And Penny Black World by Stacey Wallace Benefiel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a lovely little gift from the author to her fans as a reward for being, well, fans. This book had 4 short stories/scenes set in some very familiar places/times in the Retroactive world. Having loved and devoured everything in this universe, I quickly scooped this one up and tore through it. The first story shows the trauma that Gracie (Zellie’s mom) went through when she discovered that she did, in fact, have powers. Talk about ruining a prom night! The second story gave a look at the tragically wonderful world of Gabrielle and Jorge. Sad but one of those stories that still makes you smile. The third story showed the sweet and adorable relationship that Raleigh and Melody have. Being surrounded by people who can see the future makes it hard to plan surprises, but Raleigh really knocks it out of the park. Lastly, we get an extended scene from the end of Found, when two wonderful misfits get a chance at some “alone time.”

While these stories weren’t the longest and most in-depth, I still loved every second I got to dive back into this wonderful world. Thanks!


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Review: Seduced

Seduced by Devyn Quinn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

This book was a quick, dirty, paranormal read. It felt a lot like a short story that had been fleshed out into a book. In this first installment, the world was just barely introduced by way of the main character’s memories.

Rachel got to live her dream of being a bookstore owner for a few years, but times are tough and she has had to cut her losses and find other work. Turns out, people aren’t really looking to hire a very overqualified candidate, which is what puts Rachel at the front door of a trendy Goth nightclub. Willing to take whatever she can get, she puts in to be a waitress and is begrudgingly resigned to her fate until she meets the boss. Davon is a vampire (known here as “Kynn”) who has lost his spark for life. He feeds on only a small amount of blood and takes the large portion of his sustenance from sex. As such, he radiates a sexual energy that Rachel can’t deny.

They try to play by the rules and not mix work with pleasure, but Devon is convinced that she is his bloodmate. In an effort to hold on to her, he ends up rushing things along a bit too fast for Rachel (for me, too). Introducing her to his world of hedonistic pleasure definitely changes their relationship. Although there is a lot of drama, we ultimately get a happy ending with everything tied up neatly.


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Review: Damian

Damian by D.B. Reynolds
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up this book. When we say “stone warriors” are we talking about gargoyles? I’ve been reading way too many gargoyle books lately. Will there be some crossover with the other vampire world I love from this author? I would really like more of that universe. I was pleasantly surprised that this book gave me everything I hoped for.

This first book of the new series focuses on Damian, the warrior who was turned to stone by an evil magic practitioner. He was cursed to hear and see everything around him while unable to escape his stone prison. Lucky for him, Casey happens to be bleeding and leaning on his statue high above the city one night. Casey is the tough chick FBI agent (aka supernatural artifact hunter) who appears to have gotten in over her head on her latest assignment. What should have been a simple artifact retrieval turns into something so much more complicated when the hellhounds start chasing her. Her night only gets weirder when a beautiful blonde man helps remedy her hellhound problem.

The magical artifact in question ends up being a lot more of an immediate threat than anything else in the story. It’s essentially a gigantic bomb that can be used multiple times to wreak havoc on the world. Casey and Damian end up racing against time to catch the big bad before he uses it and sells it to the highest bidder. Oh, and aside from the sizzling romance that springs up between Casey and Damian, Casey is also dealing with having her trust broken by her boss (who has oodles of secrets) and trying not to fall in love. This was a great start to what I hope is a nice, long series of books in this world. The author already had me hooked on this world, and now I can only hope for even more sexy paranormal goodness.


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Review: The Magicians

The Magicians by Lev Grossman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me. I picked it up because I watched a few episodes of the TV series and thought the book would be just as entertaining. Somewhere between that thought and actually starting the book, I got a little bored with the TV show and focused more on the audiobook. Everyone warned me that the first book is tough, but I still decided to start it. I can see what they mean, now.

I should start out by saying that the book and show have a few common points, but that’s about all. The story takes you to a lot of different places (some darker, some lighter) and I think it was actually better than the TV show. After all the warnings I got, I was prepared for a book I had to drag myself to finish. That’s definitely not the case. 3 out of 4 of the “books” within this book were really great and had me looking forward to listening more (I did it via audiobook). That last book, though. That was tough – but I’m getting way ahead of myself here.

Quentin is the star of the book and we spend a lot of time in his head. He’s a bit of an outsider, even with his friends (one of which he lusts after secretly). He is merely going through the motions of being a very intelligent young man, and got as far as applying to college before getting recruited by a secret magic school in a very abrupt way. From there, things really take off quickly for Quentin. He’s propelled through an intense set of studies and becomes part of his own new set of friends, leaving the others behind in the “normal” world. His circle of friends reminds me a lot of some TV rendition of art school kids. They’re mostly bored with the general population and “too cool for school.” The school (which has had safety issues before) ends up suffering another tragedy when “the beast” makes an appearance. Somehow, they manage to mostly forget about the incident and continue on to graduate.

The movement into the real world is where things get… depressing. Magicians with other magicians are fun and exciting to watch. When they become alcoholics and suffer an endless boredom with life (and endless money), it just starts to drag. Luckily, here’s where the magic comes back into the story. After Quentin makes some really dumb mistakes, a lucky encounter with another student leads them all into a world they only thought was imaginary. That’s where the gruesome action truly begins in this book. From there, things go from bad to worse. Who knew an imaginary world could be so horrible? If you’re looking for a book with a HEA, this is not the one for you. There’s an almost-sorta-kinda cliffhanger at the end, which I am fine leaving as it is. I don’t think I’m going back for the next book in the series, even though I am a little curious about the ultimate fates of all the characters. This book just took too sad a turn for me to dive right back in.


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Review: Immortal Matchmakers, Inc.

Immortal Matchmakers, Inc. by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve missed this world so much that I couldn’t believe I didn’t know there was a spinoff! If you’ve read the original series, then you know what you’re in for with this wild and crazy bunch of immortals. If not, welcome to the party!

This book begins the story of Cimil and Zac’s journey to try to hook up as many people with their mates as possible before the world ends or Zac goes crazy or any other number of bad things happens. Remember Andrus? He’s got a thing for falling for the wrong woman. He thought he was in love with Helena (even though she had already found her mate), and he also had found his own mate in the form of a crazypants evil woman (who is dead now, thank goodness). Destined to wander the world alone after getting kicked out of his only home, he gets sucked into Cimil’s evil (or not so evil?) plan to lure him to California to meet his mate. He’s a little rough around the edges, though, so she hatches a scheme to hire an actress to teach him how to charm his mate.

Sadie is the actress in question and she is still trying to make a living as one against all odds. When her “agent” (aka Cimil) sets her up with a cushy gig to teach an actor how to be a gentleman, she can’t turn the job down, even though she’s already had a horrible run-in with Andrus already. The Tarzan/Jane dynamic seemed to ultimately work out for these two lovebirds, though, because against all odds, they become the match-making focus instead of the mysterious mate Andrus is grooming for.

Yes, the story is a bit of complicated romance between Sadie and Andrus, but it is an even more important start to a brand new world that left me with oodles of questions. Is Cimil up to no good? Does she even know? If everything is changing, how do we even know who is good and bad anymore? I can’t wait to dive into the next installment!


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Review: Lorelei

Lorelei by Celia Kyle
My rating: 0 of 5 stars



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Review: Alpha Marked Complete Series

Alpha Marked Complete Series by Celia Kyle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

While I had previously read a couple of these stories on their own, I completely prefer reading them all back-to-back in this neat little anthology. If you are a fan of smutty shifter goodness – this is a collection for you!

I’m not going to rehash all the stories, but I will say that while they have the same overall path (girl+ hot shifters=mates) they were each their own entity. Some slight twists, turns, and different progress on the larger story made it read like one gigantic book that didn’t get too repetitive (even when read all at once, as I did). If dirty sexy business is not cool with you, don’t even go near this book. It’s definitely for the smut-readers out there who enjoy some paranormal in their read. Overall, the story introduces you to the world of Warden and Alpha pairs as they deal with finding and losing mates. Oh, and there’s bad guys (because there always is) and they change throughout the anthology, so be warned!

I really can’t say what my favorite story of the set was because they all had their own individual pros/cons. I think they definitely got better and more addictive as they went along, especially when the length of the stories seemed to get shorter. I devoured the last few in a day’s worth of relaxing reading. This is definitely a great vacation anthology, if you’re shopping for something like that.


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