Animal by Nikki Rae

27 Feb 2015 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, Book Bingo, Giveaway Tags: , , , , , , ,

Published: 28th February 2015Goodreads badge
Publisher: Self-published
Pages: 281
Format: ebook
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Suspense
★   ★   ★  ★  ★  – 5 Stars

Ava has spent her life running from the monsters that lurk in the shadows, always the prey. She finally thinks she can settle down, have a normal life, and work on not being so scared of the world around her. That is until she runs into her worst fear.

He has finally found the potential family he has always wanted. All he has to do is make his little bird sing. Will Ava escape with her humanity intact?

Note: I was provided a copy of this book for review.

From the very beginning I adored this book and when I was still up at 3am that night finishing it I continued to adore it. I loved being able to get back into the world I knew so well from The Sunshine Series, but this time be able to see it from a whole new side and a completely new perspective.

Even though Animal features characters from The Sunshine Series, this story is not really a prequel and it is not presented as being one. While it does deal with events before those in the series, it is more a completely new story about one of the minor characters.

Animal tells the story of Ava, a girl who has been running almost her whole life until what has been chasing her finally catches up with her. What I knew about Ava was only partially explained previously, so it was fascinating and exciting to explore her past and discover where she came from and how she came to be the person you see in The Sunshine Series.

Rae tells Ava’s story with style and skill as well as multiple character perspectives which add a beautiful element to the storytelling. There is also a wonderful balance with the characters, each action and thought seems measured and calculated but there is no absence of worry or fear either. Emotions and reactions are not over exaggerated one way or the other and Rae is clever at demonstrating how each character is trying to remain in control in their own way and in their own circumstances.

This believability brings the characters to life on the page and makes you invest in them, no matter who they are. Multiple points of view allow multiple justifications to be made which also means that many times sympathies can be misplaced, though often only temporarily. With her words Rae captures you and draws you into the story and you feel like you are there alongside each character, feeling what they feel and understanding who they are. The thrill and exhilaration that I love in Rae’s writing is there as well, not to mention the unexpected and unknown, even with these familiar characters.

While Ava does not initially seem to be, she is strong and determined and brave, though she never tries to be more than who she is. She follows the rules her parents taught her and she makes sure she knows the risks of her surroundings, choosing her moves carefully, always thinking of ways out and how to survive, even manipulating her situation to her advantage and discovering where cracks can be tested.

The benefit of this story is that Ava is shown in a different light than how she is known in the series. Her story is able to be told and her character is given a greater exploration and representation than the role she has played before. As a result it makes me want to revisit the series and pay closer attention to her, now with a greater understanding of who she is and of the life she led before.

Animal is a story that is fascinating, eerie, and extremely captivating. I never once put the book down after I had begun and I was glued to each page that I read; always wondering what would happen, intrigued by what I had just read, and intense curiosity motivating me to keep going no matter what. Rae’s writing grabs you and holds your attention from the start, even with the simplest of scenes, and while you do not know where the story will go, you still try and guess what will happen. Something I should know better than to do with one of Rae’s stories.

 

Nikki is running a giveaway to win signed paperbacks and ecopies of Animal!

You can get all the details on how to enter here.

Giveaway

 

 You can purchase Animal via the following:

Amazon

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The Liar Charms by Lorain O’Neil

12 Feb 2015 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Book Bingo, General Tags: , , , , ,

Published: 12th December 2013 Goodreads badge
Publisher: Self-published
Pages: 226
Format: ebook
Genre: New Adult Suspense
★   ★   ★  ★  – 4 Stars

Remy’s been kidnapped. Sent to auction! And she doesn’t have the vaguest idea why.

But intractable businessman Isaiah Grommet knows, knows what he’s purchased, knows what Remy was bred for, knows what she is: a Liar Charm. Some training from Pakken, Inc., and Remy will be invaluable to his billionaire’s empire. Voluntary or not.

But hipster Remy has her own snarkily colorful ideas about enslaved servitude and she’s NOT seeking corporate approval. So as long as Pakken doesn’t find out what Remy REALLY is, what Isaiah accidentally did that regrettably requires her immediate execution, Remy might just land it all smack in the Hudson! Either way, get ready for Charmocalypse, Isaiah!

Note: I was provided a copy of this book for review

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I started reading but by the end I was fascinated and wanted more.  The story is humorous and there is a wonderful level of sarcasm and defiance that makes it an entertaining read.

 The concept is intriguing and well thought out, and the characters are unique. O’Neil uses the dialogue and narrative well to establish who characters are and what kinds of people they are, and while not every character is explored as much as others it doesn’t really matter because an understanding of who they are is evident without needing more detail.

The narrative is written with three points of view and while it can be briefly confusing working out who is narrating when it switches, it doesn’t take long to work out. This is a great approach as various perspectives of the same issue can be expressed and there is not just a “victim” or a “villain” point of view.

The writing is clever and O’Neil is very good at making sure the reader’s sympathies are in the right place. The goal is always to root for the underdog but the writing is so well constructed that there are a lot of times when you almost have sympathy for Isaiah and find yourself coming around to his way of thinking. But what I loved is that every time I found myself almost understanding Isaiah, Remy would say or do something that sling shotted my support back to her.

Remy is a wonderful character, she is smart and resourceful, but she is also clever, calculating, and extremely patient. She is determined to do what she has to do in order to improve her current situation no matter what the cost. Remy’s intellect is evident throughout as well and she is aware of how Isaiah and others try to manipulate her and her emotions in order to gain sympathy or lull her into compliance. This is where Isaiah’s words become quite convincing and you realise how easy it would be for Remy to accept her fate.

In terms of the Charms and their abilities, their purpose and capabilities are explored seamlessly through the narrative. Any explanation that is required is worked into the dialogue and narrative eliminating any awkward paragraphs in order to explain things to the reader. From the start it is hinted at that Remy is more special than most, and when this reason is finally revealed we are given insight into what this means but I would have loved to have seen this explored further. There is enough to make it interesting and it is quite clearly explained but the story is so intriguing that there is always a desire to have more information and see more of Remy’s abilities demonstrated and see her wreak some havoc.

This was the case towards the end as well; while the conclusion was done well, I would have loved to have had the story drawn out further and expanded on. Having said that, the way O’Neil concludes the story is wonderful and I finished it wanting to never finish it which is never a bad thing.

You can purchase Liar Charms via the following

Amazon

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Mad Dog Justice by Mark Rubinstein

06 Feb 2015 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Mystery, Thriller Tags: , , , ,

Published: 1st September 2014
Goodreads badgePublisher: Thunder Lake Press
Pages: 328
Format: ebook
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
★   ★   ★  ★  – 4 Stars

Roddy Dolan, a surgeon, and Danny Burns, an accountant, are being hunted as prey. Someone is after them with lethal intentions but they don’t know who or why. Whoever it is, and for whatever reason, they and their families are in the crosshairs of killers. Everything they know is unravelling. They must hide, send their families away, abandon their homes, and leave their lives behind.

The second book in the Mad Dog series, Mad Dog Justice is a harrowing tale of friendship, morality, betrayal, and dire consequences.

Note: I was provided a copy of this book for review

This is the second book in the series but Rubinstein writes it in such a way that you don’t need to have read the first in order to understand what is happening or who these guys are. Through conversations, flashbacks, thoughts, and memories the events in the first book are explained fairly well so that nothing is left unanswered or confusing for the reader. If you haven’t read the first book (like I hadn’t), then a great air of mystery is present having not known the past and you seek to find out something that the main characters already know about, but this does not take anything away from the book it simply adds curiosity on our part and a desire to find out.

Roddy as a character is curious, he is rough around the edges at times, and comes off as a little bit needy. Whilst on the run he laments often about his wife, every woman he meets reminds him of her in some arbitrary way, and it gets a bit much at times. Donny, on the other hand, tries to suppress his moral dilemma and the fear of being hunted by persons unknown and prays a lot in order to justify to himself their past actions.

The way Rubinstein has constructed the narrative is clever and with realism. Hiding from questioning police, running away from friends and family, while also trying to track down potential killers is a lot harder that it seems, especially in the modern world and Rubinstein explores that.

For a surgeon and an accountant they are quite skilled at being on the run and in hiding. They may not be professionals but there is certainly some skill. Roddy tells us numerous times he has had ranger training so he understands how to hide and leave no trace. Roddy is the main narrator so we find out more about his past and youth than Donny’s. At times Roddy seemed a bit arrogant and a bit too proud of his youth and his reputation. It was easy to see past Roddy and present Roddy as different people, Mad Dog versus the skilled surgeon, but as the story progresses it is clear there is still part of Roddy who remains Mad Dog.

With Roddy and Donny unsure exactly why it is they are being targeted, it adds a great element to the story. As readers we do not know, and as characters they have theories but are not certain, leading to assumptions being made and stress and panic over past behaviour. Even when their theories are eventually revealed, there is still a great suspense just in the fact that they are uncertain and it shows that the explanation and the story itself may not be as simple as it first looked.

I enjoyed how Rubinstein chose to end this story, after the events in the book and the actions of Roddy and Donny it was unexpected but not displeasing and it suited the story wonderfully. The story is clever and real but is also filled with danger and mystique that makes real life a little bit more interesting and certainly not as simple as it appears.

You can purchase Mad Dog Justice via the following

Amazon (Paperback)

Amazon (Kindle)

Icy Pretty Love by L. A. Rose + Giveaway

15 Dec 2014 1 Comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, General Tags: , , , , ,

Published: 15th November 2014
Goodreads badgePublisher: Self Published
Pages: 174
Format: ebook
Genre: New Adult Romance
★   ★   ★  ★   ★  – 5 Stars
Icy Pretty Love Cover - compact

Glass-doll beauty. A shy, proper smile. Georgette Montgomery is the perfect billionaire’s fiancé.

Or she would be, if she existed.

A dark past. A smile that hides everything. At nineteen, Rae Grove escapes her disaster life by pretending to be other people—specifically, whoever the man paying her that night wants her to be.

Until she’s offered enough money for a one-way ticket to a better life. All she has to do is fly to Paris and pretend to be the fiancé of young business tycoon Cohen Ashworth for one month. Within an hour of meeting Cohen, Rae knows three things about him:

1. He hates everyone and everything.

2. He has abundant wit and a knife-sharp tongue.

3. He uses 2 to make everyone aware of 1.

Before long, Rae’s determined to crack open his unbreakable shell. Cohen’s determined to stay unbroken.

But no one escapes unscathed when two opposite worlds collide.

Note: I was provided with a copy of this book for review

This is a great novel. As she has demonstrated with her other novels, Rose is brilliant at telling a story and she uses her characters to tell her stories wonderfully. With Icy Pretty Love she offers something a bit different than before, but with the same style and skill as I have come to expect from her writing.

The story is not intense or even too serious but it is heart warming and the characters draw you in and you become involved in their lives and who they are as people; complexities, flaws, and strengths included. Rose has created characters that are real people, they are not overly special and held to a pedestal, they just are people, and they are trying to deal with their lives as best they can. Cohen and Rae have different lives, different pasts, and see the world through their own eyes and Rose contrasts these beautifully, using Rae to showcase their differences but also keeps their experiences and interactions grounded, making them authentic.

There is a greater focus on character exploration and development than on a sexual side as seen in Rose’s previous books, which is great if you are not a fan of detailed sex scenes or a strong reoccurrence of them, but this story isn’t actually about the sexual relationship between Rae and Cohen, or even romantic relationship essentially. It is about them discovering who they are as people, what they are doing with their lives and where they want to go. Perhaps that is why I loved it so much, Rae shows Cohen that there is beauty in the world and that being nice to people is important instead of being negative and horrible all the time. They learn and grow from being in each other’s company, some more than others, and they help to improve their lives and benefit from their time together.

Cohen comes across as rough and arrogant but even from the start there is something about him that makes you wonder, something secretive and unspoken, not just in his actions but in himself that hint that maybe his rough exterior is more mask than true nature. Granted he isn’t completely wonderful, but Rae brings new life into his world and with her optimism she aims to turn his view around. Rae notes multiple times it is hard not to keep sounding like a self help book in doing so but she is right about many things she tells Cohen, and as the month passes together you see their influences on one another flourish.

Cohen also hides a secret, and while I thought it was going in one direction, when I realised it wasn’t I was more intrigued to find out what it could possibly be, and I was not disappointed. Rose balances out the content in this story remarkably well and includes the information that is needed for the story while not keeping the mystery the focus of the narrative or making it a key point.

As for Rae, I loved her. She takes life as it is, tries to better herself, and even though she has had a rough life she does not let it get her down, instead she learns from it and it makes her strive harder. She also does not let it dampen her view of the world though she is not ignorant of the bad that does exists, and it was touching reading about her reactions as she explores Paris. Knowing where she has come from to where she ends up is a moment that makes you proud of her, and glad she has been given the chance she has.

Watching Rae influence Cohen is charming and captivating, as Cohen keeps his secrets close and you watch the pair get to know one another and figure out how their strange relationship will work. The characters are truly gorgeous, and the stories than surround them are divine. They are authentic, hopeful, lost, genuine, and Rose makes sure there is no exaggeration in her words that fault the flow of her narrative.

The negative moments of the story are balanced and there is not an overload of sunshine and lollipops but there is a strong grounded reality in the story Rose is telling us. There are secrets, revelations, surprises, and a wonderfully heart warming and real story being told and one that I look forward to reading again. Once again Rose has done a magnificent job.

You can purchase Icy Pretty Love via the following

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Giveaway

Giveaway

As part of her blog tour Rose is offering up ten ecopies of Icy Pretty Love.

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway

 

About the author:

L.A. Rose recently made it out of college alive and with an English degree. She’s a habitual beach bum, a cuteness aficionado, and a not-quite-recovered romance addict. She’s a big believer in laughter as medicine and steaminess as…more medicine. You can never have enough medicine. Icy Pretty Love is her third New Adult standalone.

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Pay Attention (Maeve Tidewell #1) by K. L. Barnes

21 Nov 2014 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, General, Thriller Tags: , , , ,

Published: 10th April 2014
Goodreads badgePublisher: Self Published
Pages: 220
Format: ebook
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
★   ★   ★  – 3 Stars

Maeve Tidewell has a gift, of sorts. She sees glimpses of the future in her dreams. 

Unfortunately for her, Joseph Binyon wants that gift for his own. 

When Maeve wakes to find she is being held captive by the disturbed man from her past, she realizes she stands to lose much more than her vision. She stands to lose her life. 

As Maeve plans her daring escape, a stranger enters her dreams. She reaches out to him for help before Joseph has time to complete his bizarre ceremony. 

 Ben Drake hopes to strengthen his relationship with his teenage son during a road trip that takes him from California to the picture perfect mountains of Colorado. 

But strange dreams begin to fill Ben’s nights and, when he discovers Maeve Tidewell is missing, is compelled to search for her in the vast woodlands high above the valley floor they call home. 

Ben doesn’t question the connection he experiences with Maeve as he sleeps. He only knows that if she is going to survive, he’ll have to risk everything.

Note: I was provided a copy of this book for review

With her suspense novel Barnes brings together the thriller and the mystery with a touch of the unknown. The story is intriguing and enjoyable and works as a good introduction to the series by sparking your interest with suspense and good characters.

Barnes uses her characters well and through their actions and behaviour you are able to get a detailed sense of who they are and which side they are on. Maeve is strong willed and clever, and a fierce protector of her family. She learns to use Binyon’s delusions to her advantage to keep herself and other safe, and bides time until help can arrive. When she sees the mysterious man in her dreams she reaches out to him for help, but she also does not rely on him to save her.

Ben on the other hand has integrity and strong sense of doing what is right, no matter what. These traits are also seen in his son, Jason. While starting off bored and uninterested, as their road trip continues Jason learns more about his dad, and grows a bit himself, and becomes stronger in the end. Ben’s unexplained connection with Maeve confuses him but he does not let it stop him from trying to help, and what I liked was that he uses proper channels such as going to the police before jumping straight into danger and a rescue mission.

The “villains” of the story are shown to be harsh and cruel, giving a startling contrast to the good nature of the other characters. Binyon and his son Carl add an element of the unexpected and you’re never sure of what they will do which brings a wonderful suspense to the story. With Carl you can see there are the makings of a psychopath and serial killer, but his father comes across more as a misguided and delusional person, but still showing signs of being a little psychotic.

Barnes does not make Binyon completely heartless, with good if not misguided reasons for his actions. This adds a nice complexity to the story as it is not just Maeve and her family that need saving, there is Binyon’s intentions as well which part of you wants to see solved.

There is a gripping, fast-paced conclusion where it seems anything can happen, and does. Barnes brings all the pieces of the puzzle together with a few unexpected surprises along the way but still leaves an air of mystery and the unresolved as well, which will no doubt be uncovered and developed as the series goes on.

 

Purchase Pay Attention via the following

Amazon

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