Review: Darker Still: A Novel of Magic Most Foul by Leanna Renee Hieber

Darker Still:  A Novel of Magic Most Foul

~Leanna Renee Hieber

Paperback: 336 pages

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Publish Date: November 1, 2011

ISBN-10: 1402260520

ISBN-13: 978-1402260520

From the author's website:
I was obsessed. It was as if he called to me, demanding I reach out and touch the brushstrokes of color swirled onto the canvas. It was the most exquisite portrait I’d ever seen. Everything about Lord Denbury was unbelievable-- utterly breathtaking and eerily lifelike.

There was a reason for that. Because despite what everyone said, Denbury never had committed suicide.

He was alive. Trapped within his golden frame.

I’ve crossed over into his world within the painting and I’ve seen what dreams haunt him. They haunt me too. He and I are inextricably linked- bound together to watch the darkness seeping through the gas-lit cobblestone streets of Manhattan. And unless I can free him soon, things will only get darker still...

As a young child, Natalie Stewart was witness to a traumatic incident that rendered her speechless.  Now 17 and mute, Natalie is finished with school and convinces her father to offer her a job working with him at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City.

The big news in the art world is that the famous painting of Lord Jonanthan Denbury is for sale.  This painting is surrounded by rumors and speculation about the strange disappearance of the subject and the almost mystical feel to the painting.  Her father knows the museum can't afford to buy it, but he brings Natalie to meet Mrs. North, a wealthy widow, who is the most probable purchaser, in the hopes that she will lend it to the museum.

Natalie strikes up a sort of friendship with Mrs. North, their obsession with the painting as their initial shared preoccupation.  Mrs. North is also interested in all forms of spiritualism, and is convinced there is something peculiar and magical about the painting.   When she takes Natalie to see the painting, she's convinced Natalie has a special connection with the painting and encourages her to explore the connection. When Natalie notices a note for her in the painting, she reaches out to touch it, and falls into the painting!

Young Natalie discovers a curse, a gentleman, a murderer, and her inner voice; taking her far beyond the boundaries of what she thought she knew about the world she lives in...

My thoughts:
I have not yet read Ms. Hieber's adult series, but when I saw the blurb for her YA book, Darker Still, I knew I had to read it!  A mute heroine and a hero stuck in a portrait painting?  Set in the 1880s?  YA?  Yes, please.

I enjoyed the POV as coming from Natalie's journal entries.  It was a nice way to get around her inability to talk, and also gave the heroine time to think about the events as she writes them, making it more introspective than had we gotten her POV as events happened.  Natalie was a good heroine - clever, open-minded, loyal, and kind-hearted.  I kind of feel like we didn't really get a good look at Lord Denbury's personality, mostly because the story was told from Natalie's POV, and, of course, because he was trapped in a painting - there wasn't much he could do.

I liked the secondary characters, especially Mrs. North.  Her niece was a bit annoying and I have the feeling we'll be seeing her again.  The villian in Darker Still is suitably creepy - I think Natalie did a much better job of standing up to him than I would have done!  I loved the mystical/spiritual aspect of the story and hope that will continue with the series.

There were spots where the story moved slowly; I can't put my finger on exactly why, but I did find myself occasionally trying to read ahead to where we get more information or something exciting happens.  That being said, while I liked the ending, it was the only part of the book that felt a bit rushed; it seemed to wrap up quickly.  I am looking forward to the next book in the series though; I can't wait to see what Ms. Heiber has in store for these characters!

My Rating:

Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Pam's Review: Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish by Grace Burrowes

Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish
 ~Grace Burrowes

Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publish Date: October 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 1402261543
ISBN-13: 978-1402261541
ASIN: B005EU5092

From Goodreads:
It's just before Christmas, and Lady Sophie Windham has an abandoned baby on her hands with nobody to help her but a handsome stranger who hates the holidays. Sophie and Lord Vim Charpentier succumb to a vulnerable moment, and he feels he must leave before he compromises her. But they're trapped by a snowstorm in a ducal mansion full of well-placed sprigs of mistletoe...

Lady Sophia Windham wants some time to herself this holiday season. She does not expect to be left with an abandoned baby. Having no clue as to why the child is crying, she is in luck when Vim Charpentier approaches her and offers assistance. She allows it because he seems very knowledgeable about children. Vim ends up accompanying Sophie and the baby, Kit, home because he is worried for them in the snow storm. He agrees to spend the night because of the snow and to help with Kit. Also, he assumes that Sophie is a housekeeper or a lady’s maid, otherwise she wouldn’t be unchaperoned; so he believes that his staying the night would not be scandalous in this case.

Vim gets snowed in with Sophie and the baby for a few days. During this time Sophie becomes more confident with Kit; she starts to recognize what his different cries mean and what to do about them. She also starts to have feelings for Vim, even though she knows he is bound to leave as soon as the snow clears up. What she doesn’t know, however, is that Vim is also having those same feelings for her.

My thoughts:
I really liked this book, it was so sweet. I felt cozy just by reading it. Honestly, most of the book was about them snowed in at her house, but it wasn’t boring at all! I felt like I was snowed in with them; I smelled Sophie’s cooking, watched Kit learn to crawl, and listened in to their conversations.

Also, the characters were definitely unique and likeable. Vim Charpentier is not your typical alpha male that I’ve gotten used to reading in romances, and I really liked that he was different. He has this sense of calmness about him, and patience too. I felt like he was soft spoken, but not a pushover. Sophie, a duke’s daughter, is very knowledgeable, not a complainer, and knows how to take care of herself. She speaks up for herself while at the same time she is cautious with her feelings; she is another likeable character.

I definitely suggest reading Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish this holiday season. Curl up under a warm blanket, grab some hot chocolate, and get trapped in the snow with Sophie, Vim, and Kit.

My rating:

Pam

Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Waiting on Wednesday: Shadow Heir by Richelle Mead

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, 

that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating:

One of the books I'm most excited about reading is Richelle Mead's Shadow Heir.  Even though I love her other two series, I put off reading her Dark Swan series forever...I just didn't think I'd like a fairy story.  Then, Parajunkee convinced me to give it a try - OMG it's awesome!!!  I read the first two books back-to-back and pestered her until she gave me the third book :)  Since then, I've been waiting with baited breath for the fourth and final book in this series - I cannot wait to find out what's in store for Eugenie!!!

Shadow Heir
~Richelle Mead 


Paperback: 352 pages 
Publisher: Zebra; Original edition (December 27, 2011) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 1420111809 
ISBN-13: 978-1420111804 
ASIN: B005JSZOOK

From the author's website:
Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham strives to keep the mortal realm safe from trespassing entities. But as the Thorn Land's prophecy-haunted queen, there's no refuge for her and her soon-to-be-born-children when a mysterious blight begins to devastate the Otherworld...


The spell-driven source of the blight isn't the only challenge to Eugenie's instincts. Fairy king Dorian is sacrificing everything to help, but Eugenie can't trust the synergy drawing them back together. The uneasy truce between her and her shape shifter ex-lover Kiyo is endangered by secrets he can't--or won't--reveal. And as a formidable force rises to also threaten the human world, Eugenie must use her own cursed fate as a weapon--and risk the ultimate sacrifice...

What are you waiting on?

October Wrap-Up

Well, this is kind of an abbreviated wrap-up, as I'll explain below.  October started out with a bang and ended with a whimper...

What I read (I stopped keeping track around the middle of the month but this is what I remember reading):
1.  Seduction of a Highland Lass by Maya Banks (3 stars)
2.  Never Love a Highlander by Maya Banks (4 stars)
3.  If I Tell by Janet Gurtler (4 stars)
4.  Drink Deep by Chloe Neill (4 stars)
5.  Legend by Marie Lu (4 stars)
6.  Sold to the Highest Bidder by Donna Alward (3 stars)
7.  A Novel Seduction by Gwyn Cready (4 stars)
8.  Darker Still by Leanna Renee Heiber (4 stars) (review tomorrow)
9.  Long Time Coming by Scarlett Parrish (4 stars)
10. Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James (5 stars)*
11. Fifty Shades Darker by E L James (5 stars)*
12.  Forever Mine by Elizabeth Reyes (3 1/2 stars)
13.  Come Monday by Mari Carr (3 stars)
14.  Home Sweet Home by Bella Riley (1 star)
15.  Sins of the Highlander by Connie Mason (3 stars) (review to come)

*I know this series is a bit "controversial", but I loved both books (apparently it was originally Twilight fanfic, and while I could point out the similarities, it's definitely it's own story)!  Were there some problems?  Sure there were, but it's been a while since I read something that grabbed my attention and held it as I breathlessly turned each page, waiting to find out what was going to happen next. For that reason alone I gave them 5 stars. Christian is my latest book boyfriend.  Yes, he's fifty shades of fucked up, but man he's sexy!!!  Can. Not. Wait. for the next book, Fifty Shades Freed, out in January.

Pam reviewed:
1.  Lethal by Sandra Brown (4 stars)
2.  Riversong by Tess Hardwick (4 stars)
3.  Caressed by Moonlight by Amanda Greene (3 1/2 stars)
4.  Unleashed by Sara Humphries (3 1/2 stars)

I did a character interview with Chloe Neill - Merit's grandfather, Chuck Merit.  That was my first "character interview" and it was fun...

_____________________

(me, Janna, Leontine)

GayRomLit came to New Orleans in October, and while I did not go to the conference, I did get to meet some of the bloggers who came into town!  First I met the lovely Leontine (Leontine's Book Realm) and Janna (Rarely Dusty Books), who came in from the Netherlands a week early.  We spent a day running around the French Quarter and I took them out to a Barnes & Noble just for kicks.  We found a little bookshop I'd been wanting to visit - Faulkner House Books.  They filled my kids with candy and then we parted ways :)

The next weekend the rest of the group came in:  Kris (Kris n' Good Books), Chris (Stumbling Over Chaos), Kassa (three am), Tam (Tam's Reads), and Tracey (Tracey's Place).  I met them for drinks Thursday night at Lafitte's in Exile, where we were treated to drinks made by Jimmy, a most excellent bartender, and naked and semi-naked guys on the bar.  Saturday night I met the ladies at the GRL wine and cheese party, then headed out to the gay bar crawl.  It was a bit unorganized, and we didn't stay with the group for long...and ended up back at Lafitte's.  There might have been too many alcoholic beverages consumed, and someone might have been sick the next day, but I'm not telling *winks*...  It was such an awesome experience to meet these ladies - they were all so lovely and I had a genuinely good time.  For someone who gets very anxious in social situations, that's saying a lot.

_____________________

And lastly, I announced that after 2 1/2 years, I'm shutting down the ol' blog.  As I mentioned in my post, I do have a few books left to review, but I think I'll have everything wrapped up by the end of December (with a LOT of help from Pam...she's a lifesaver, truly).  It's not one specific thing, but a lot of little things - basically what it boils down to is that I can no longer juggle work, family, and the blog - something had to give and giving up work and/or family was not an option.  (If I ever win the lottery I'll be back in action, lol)   So....I'm still very sad about it but it is what it is.

_____________________

I've got some great reads coming up this month that I'm pretty excited about.  

What are you looking forward to in November?

Review: Home Sweet Home by Bella Riley

Home Sweet Home
~Bella Riley

Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages 
Publisher: Forever 
Publish Date: October 1, 2011 
ISBN-10: 0446584215 
ISBN-13: 978-0446584210 
ASIN: B004QZ9PB0

From Goodreads:
Ten years and two hundred miles. That's what separates Andi Powell from quiet, secluded Emerald Lake-and that's exactly how she likes it. But now her job brings her back to the hometown she's tried so hard to forget . . . and to Nate Duncan, the man she's never been able to. 

Nate once looked at Andi with love in his eyes. But that was before she left him in the dust to pursue her big-city dreams. Now he's the town's ruggedly handsome mayor with the power to break Andi's career like she broke his heart. As the two clash over the future of Emerald Lake, the sparks that fly between them rekindle a passion neither of them can deny. 

 Andi may have left town looking for the life she thought she wanted. But could everything she needs have been in Emerald Lake all along?

After 10 years, Andi Powell has returned to picturesque Emerald Lake.  Not because she's homesick, but to save her job.  She's got to convince the townsfolk of Emerald Lake that they'd like new vacation condos on the lake for rich out-of-towners.

Nate Duncan was the love of Andi's life, until things went horribly wrong when they were teens.  He's never seriously dated anyone since Andi, and he can't believe she's back in town. Nate is now the town mayor, and while he's having mixed feelings about seeing Andi again, he's wholeheartedly opposed to the condo idea.

When they're together, it's like the years never happened, until reality sets in and they're on opposite sides of the condo issue.  How can they make a relationship work if Andi doesn't want to live in Emerald Lake and Nate doesn't want to leave?

My thoughts:
I just couldn't get into this story.  Andi and Nate were nice enough, but that's part of the problem, I think...they were so nice...no fiery passion or exciting action, and I really couldn't get excited about their story.  Andi's father was a politician who was gone a lot while she and her mother stayed home, and she's terrified this will be her future as well, so she leaves Emerald Lake as soon as she can and doesn't look back.

For about the first third of the story I kept thinking I had already read this book; I actually checked the publish date to make sure this was the book I was supposed to be reviewing.  The quaint lakeside town, the knitting shop on Main Street, the three generations of women, it all felt very familiar.  There was also a storyline involving Andi's grandmother as a young girl and a mysterious stranger she was in love with at that time.  This plot did not interest me at all and I skipped over those portions.

Nate's backstory was very sad and I found myself judging Andi, which may have been part of my issue with enjoying Home Sweet Home.  Was it a sweet story?  Sure.  It just didn't grab and keep my attention.

My Rating:

Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Pam's Review: Families and Other Nonreturnable Gifts by Claire LaZebnik

Families and Other Nonreturnable Gifts
~ Claire LaZebnik

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: 5 Spot (September 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446555029
ISBN-13: 978-0446555029
ASIN: B004RD8558

From Goodreads:
Despite her name, Keats Sedlak is the sanest person in her large, nutty family of brilliant eccentrics. Her parents, both brainy academics, are barely capable of looking after themselves, let alone anyone else, and her two uber-intelligent siblings live on their own planets. At least she can count on one person in her life, her devoted boyfriend Tom. Down-to-earth and loving, he's the one thing that's kept Keats grounded for the last decade. But when Keats's mother makes a surprise announcement, the entire family is sent into a tailspin. For the first time, Keats can't pick up the pieces by herself. Now she must re-evaluate everything she's ever assumed about herself and her family - and make the biggest decision of her life.

 Keats Sedlak is living a content, comfortable life. She is living in an apartment with her boyfriend of ten years and has a not so challenging job as an office manager. However, she is the oddball in her family, the normal one to say the least. Her brother, Milton, hasn't left their mother's house for two years. Her sister, Hopkins, is a genius, and she is currently saving lives as a neurologist. Her father, also a genius, is a published author and a professor at Harvard. Lastly, her mother drives her insane for many reasons, one of those is for always implying that Keats's boyfriend, Tom, isn't good enough or smart enough for her. In fact, her whole family seems to think that about Tom. They also don't like her job; none of them understand why she is working there and not getting a higher education.

While her family definitely drives her nuts, she is there for them when she is needed, like for going through items in the house she grew up in because her mother wants to sell it. In spending more time with her family, she is also spending more time with her dad's personal assistant, Jacob. Keats starts to question certain aspects in her life and witnesses all the changes taking place around her. She starts to see that change isn't always a bad thing.

My thoughts:
This was a very good read, but it made me a little depressed at the same time. Let me try to explain why without giving too much away. Keats’s parents, who have been separated for years, are finally going through a divorce, a family member suffers a medical emergency, and I think the fact that Keats has to constantly defend her boyfriend and her happiness made it a little sad for me.

Keats is a great protagonist though. Although her family is constantly on her case and questioning her happiness, Keats stands up against it and defends herself. She also clearly loves them and lends them a hand, or even a stubborn threat, to help them out. I definitely felt for Keats when she was dealing with her family, but it wasn’t always depressing. When she did interact with them there was usually some humor to be found in the struggle too. Here is Keats describing time with her dad:

“When he finally moves on from the topic of Keats’s Wasted Life, it’s to give me a lecture about the heart, both as muscle and as a literary trope. It’s clearly something he’s put a lot of thought into, but none of his observations seem all that original to me, and after a while, I can’t restrain a yawn, which sends him into a long rant about the deterioration of the American attention span—which makes me so bored I could scream, which I guess proves his point.” (p. 137)

While I wouldn’t say that this is the best book I’ve ever read, it was an enjoyable read with a melancholy sort of feel.

My Rating:

Pam

Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Last Breath by Rachel Caine

Review originally posted at FictionVixen.com

Last Breath
~Rachel Caine

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: NAL Hardcover
Publish Date: November 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 0451234871
ISBN-13: 978-0451234872
ASIN: B0052RDK12

From Goodreads:
With her boss preoccupied researching the Founder Houses in Morganville, student Claire Danvers is left to her own devices when she learns that three vampires have vanished without a trace. She soon discovers that the last person seen with one of the missing vampires is someone new to town—a mysterious individual named Magnus. After an uneasy encounter with Morganville's latest resident, Claire is certain Magnus isn't merely human. But is he a vampire—or something else entirely?

Claire Danvers is an extra-ordinary girl living in the extra-ordinary town of Morganville, Texas.  What makes Claire so special?  She's super-smart, having started college early, and, among other things, works after school in a lab with Myrnin, who's a little crazy...and a vampire.  In Morganville though, that's no so unusual - there are lots of vampires in Morganville.

While there is usually an uneasy truce between the humans and the vampires, things are currently a little strained.  Someone's planning a wedding, and as the countdown ticks down, it's plain that the wedding is one thing that everyone in town seems to agree on:  no one thinks it should happen; not the vamps, and definitely not the humans.

But while the town is focused on the approaching nuptuals, Claire and the gang learn that vampires are going missing.  Just a few at first, but as the days go by and there's no sign of the missing vampires, things start to get weird weirder than usual.  Claire sees something she shouldn't but can't remember what it was, Amelie gets a cryptic message that leads her to the decision to close down Morganville, and Myrnin has a decision to make.  Will Claire and her friends solve the mystery and save Morganville?  Do they even want to save Morganville?  Or is this their chance to be free of the vampires forever?

My thoughts:
Last Breath is a can-not-miss installation to The Morganville Vampires series!  As I've come to expect from this series, the story is fresh and the players are like old friends.  As an added bonus, in Last Breath, we are treated to viewpoints from not only Claire, but also Amelie, Eve, Michael, and Shane.

Fans of Myrnin will love Last Breath: he continues to be one of my favorite anti-heroes.  Even faced with the possible demise of Amelie, Morganville, and possibly himself, he steps up and does what needs to be done.  And Shane...oh Shane...*sniffs*  Shane faces possibly the most heartbreaking section of the book.

Without giving anything away, we do learn why this book is titled Last Breath; and believe me, you're going to be holding yours.  After 10 books in this series of characters we have grown to love, Ms. Caine continues to captivate the reader with jaw-dropping scenes like this:

     I lifted my head, and I knew my eyes were flaring with white power, driven by my rage, my revulsion, my desperation.  "Silence them Myrnin.  You know you must."
     He stared back at me for a moment in mute horror, and shook his head.  "I can't," he said.  "God witness me, I cannot do it.  Not to her.  The boy, yes, but not her.  Amelie, there must be another way."
     "Jesu, you think if there was, I wouldn't take it?"  I shouted it at him, fists clenched against the need to strike.  "You will do it.  You must."  And I put my will on him, pushing in a way that I so rarely did these days.  That I so rarely had to do.
~page 74, Last Breath

Last Breath was impossible to put down; every time I thought I knew where Ms. Caine was going to take us, I was wrong.  This new villain in Morganville is dangerous and scary; so terrifying that even the vampires are panicking.  And it's stealthy, sneaking up on us while we're busy looking somewhere else.

I have one complaint...usually Ms. Caine ends her stories nicely and things are as wrapped up as they can be, without ending the series of course, but that's not the case in Last Breath.  Last Breath ends with a definite cliffhanger, and I felt like the story was left unfinished.

Last Breath is probably the most emotionally-charged installment in the series to date; fans of the books will not be disappointed.  Between the surprise twists and the seemingly impossible challenges Claire must overcome, Last Breath left me gasping for breath.

My Rating:

Book received from the publisher.