Tag: overdrive

This Chick Read: Dragon Blood (World of the Lupi #14) by Eileen Wilks

Eileen Wilks has been setting up a showdown between Lily, Rule and The Great Bitch for what feels like eons. This is book fourteen after all. The Great Bitch is the supreme villain, although our heroes have been fighting her minions since this series started. She has focused on Lily because she wants to use Lily’s body as an avatar on Earth. Magic does not have an effect on Lily, which makes her the perfect host. As Dragon Blood begins right where Dragon Spawn left off (cliffhanger), Lily has traveled through dimensions to Dragonhome where all of the Spawn live. Her friends are still trying to save the children that were kidnapped, and this dimension may be where that standoff actually happens.

The previous novel seemed to drag a bit, so I was excited at the quicker pace at the beginning of Dragon Blood. Lily is at her best when she is solving riddles, and this novel has a couple of plot twists that kept it interesting. I was disappointed that Lily and Rule were separated for most of the book. Lily’s strengths are her clear thinking and ability to solve mysteries, but Rule is more physical. Those contrasting aspects of their characters make them more interesting together and less interesting when they are apart. Did they save the kids? No spoilers here!

I have been a huge fan of the World of the Lupi books and have loved reading about Lily and Rule’s evolving relationship, but the last few books have been just ho-hum. This series will probably be over when they fight and win (I’m going to assume that they win) against the Great Bitch, so I’m sad that I’m ready for the end of this series. Eileen Wilks has built an amazing world, but lately I feel like the story has taken too long to be concluded and the descriptive writing that I’ve loved previously is now making the story drag. The plot to save these children (including Rule’s son, Toby) may be leading up to Lily’s mental preparation to become a mother herself, and when that happens I believe this series will end. It should. I am ready for this author to start fresh with a new world and new characters and I will be the first in line to read that book! ❤️❤️❤️❣️

I was given a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Dragon Blood Click this link to purchase! Dragon Blood (A Novel of the Lupi) Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: The Theory of Second Best (Cake #2) by J. Bengtsson

The series, Cake, centers on an incident that happened to Jake, the protagonist of the first book Cake. Jake was kidnapped and held captive as a child until he escaped his abductor, returning to his family. These books are love stories, but this incident has shaped this families psyches and how they interact with people, including those that they love. Don’t get me wrong, both Cake and The Theory of Second Best are very funny and mostly light hearted, but the depths in these characters are often dark and deeply emotional.

Kyle, Jake’s brother, has surfed through life, letting others make his choices for him. He tours with his brother (Jake’s a rock star), and basically mooches off him, not really holding any kind of job. He decides to become a contestant on a Survivor type program, where the players live off the land and vote each other off each week. Kyle is the comic relief, and truly, he is funny. J. Bengtsson has written some great dialog! Kyle charms everyone, including the reader. More interstingly are the things Kyle learns about himself by isolating himself on an island with a bunch of strangers.

Kenzie is from a very small town in northern California. When her mother dies giving birth to her triplet siblings Kenzie was thrust into a mother type role at a very young age. She enters the show because she hopes to win the money so she can become independent from her family. When she meets Kyle, she is just as charmed and they join forces, also starting a light flirtation that is fun to read. It’s when they get back to the real world that the work in their relationship starts.

Even though the first part of this book is a recap of some of the events from Cake, but seen through Kyle’s eyes, you really do need to read this series in order. In fact, that recap to me was a time waster. I would’ve been happy if the author had just started with the island escapades because I think Kyle and Kenzie gave us plenty of insights into their characters by their reasons for entering that contest. Other than the slow start, I really enjoyed this novel. Kyle was a funny guy, and the two of them together were sweet!  ❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click link to purchase! The Theory Of Second Best: Cake Series Book Two (Volume 2)

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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An Interview with Faith Hunter author of the Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood Series


Hi Faith! Thank you so much for answering a few questions, I’m a big fan of your Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood series and can’t wait to hear your answers to my questions.
 ME: I have a confession. I read the first Soulwood novel before picking up and reading the first Jane Yellowrock novel and now after reading Flame in the Dark, I am three books in on each series. Since Soulwood is a spinoff of the Jane Yellowrock series, I am given clues into some of the later Jane books, especially when it comes to Rick LaFleur. However, I don’t feel like I HAD to read the Jane Yellowrock series first, was that intentional?

Faith: Not really. I was about eight or nine books in to the Jane Yellowrock series when I began to consider a spin off. With a spinoff there is always a common backstory that overlaps, and that overlapping grows organically. What I didn’t expect to happen was the lingering coinciding that came from Rick LaFleur’s continued presence in both series. I’m trying to break away Rick’s presence in Jane’s series, without taking the easy path of just killing him off. Instead, I am replacing him with a different character who will have a major role in Jane’s life. It’s been a technically interesting experience to slowly cut Rick away from Jane’s series, while not leaving a hole in Jane’s life, and at the same time, not leaving a hole in Rick’s life either, so that Rick can take up permanent residence in the Soulwood series.
ME: Jane’s character seems to be more intense than Nell Ingram’s even though they both have struggled with dark incidents in their pasts. Do you have more of an affinity with Jane or Nell? Which character has been more fun to write?

Faith: I don’t like or dislike either Jane or Nell more than the other. Both are fabulous to work with for entirely different reasons. Jane is harder to write simply because there is so much backstory in her life. The Jane Yellowrock series is now 12 books long (this counts DARK QUEEN which I am wrapping up) and is projected to go through 14 books. (Yes that makes my head spin.) To keep Jane fresh, I’ve had to write in some major changes and obstacles to overcome, and her challenges are always more physically dangerous and physically difficult than Nell’s will ever be. 
That said, Nell has to overcome so many social and emotional problems that Jane never will, because Nell was raised in (and escaped from) a polygamous cult. Her place in the real world is uncertain, and because she is the only one of her kind, that she has ever met, Nell is stumbling along in the dark, finding her way. When put in context, with Nell as a law enforcement officer, there is a layer of internal conflict that Jane will never face.
Sooo… Like a good parent, I didn’t answer to say which of my children I prefer. (gives cheeky grin)
ME: In the first three books of the Soulwood series we have seen Nell’s character grow from church widder woman to independent townie, at least inside Nell’s own mind. Do you attribute this growth and independence to her discoveries about her nature or about herself as a woman? Which discovery is more important to her independence?

Faith: I attribute Nell’s changes to education. Nell has met new people and seen how they live, how they react to one another, how normal relationships are supposed to work, all in the course of a joining a law enforcement team and solving dangerous paranormal crimes and meeting a possible romantic interest! (Can I squee over Occam?!?) She has seen women in powerful jobs, where they are in charge of men, give orders, and follow through on projects. And she has discovered what it is like to be part of a team made up of equal partners, instead of always being the one on the bottom of the pack. All this is new and exciting and in total opposition to her previous experience in a polygamous cult. 
Her own nature is something that actually sets Nell apart and steals her independence. In each book, the balance of action and danger weigh against her personal situation and history and the ways in which Nell is being forced to grow simply by being part of society and part of a crime-solving team.
ME:  Occam and Nell’s relationship seems to finally be moving forward. I have been waiting forever for that first kiss, and boy, it was a good one! Nell as a nymph or brownie, seems to have a very fertile nature. She grows leaves and twigs that need grooming. Her relationship with Occam will obviously change how Nell sees herself, but will it also change her nature?

Faith: I don’t think any creature changes its nature. A cat is always a cat, a tree is always a tree. But what I do see changing is the isolation that is part of Nell, instinctual as much as nurtured into her by John Ingram, her deceased husband. I see Nell reaching out, making friends and family, and growing into an emotionally healthy woman while solving crimes, learning about the world and falling in love. Badges and romance! Nature and falling in love! And learning how not to be a victim.
ME: This world that you have created for both of your series is so expansive! How do you keep track of characters, species, relationships and plot points? Do you have a system you can share?

Faith: Yeah…. I kinda painted myself into a brick wall with that one! I have three people I depend on for help in keeping me straight. One wonderful person keeps a searchable character history for me (which I’ll be giving away soon). Another one is keeping a book-by-book plot outline (which might be updated into the Jane Yellowrock Companion soon, a free gift to fans). The other one is a timeline and continuity editor who works with me all through each book to keep me on the straight and narrow and to do an ongoing copy edit. It takes a village!
ME:  Can you give us a hint of what’s coming up next for Nell and the PsyLED team? 

Faith: More crime. More vampire tree. More romance. More of everything!
ME: Last question- will Rick and Jane have a reunion in the Soulwood series? ( you don’t have to answer this one if you don’t want to…)

Faith: No. Not planning on it. The two series will separate totally after FLAME IN THE DARK and DARK QUEEN. But oh my! What a separation!

Faith thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. You have really made me excited to read more of your novels!

Deborah

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This Chick Read: The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke #1) by Tessa Dare

The Duke of Ashbury was disfigured in the war by a bomb blast. Hiding away from the world, he glowers at his staff from the safety of his library only venturing out at night to vent his temper on the miscreants of London. Emma Gladstone, a vicar’s daughter, now seamstress living on her own in London, dares to brave the Duke in order to gain payment for the wedding gown she tailored for his ex fiancee. Although he is scarred, she isn’t frightened by his appearance, and bravely negotiates payment. The Duke, not one to look a gift seamstress, er horse in the mouth, decides that she will do as a wife and strikes a deal. After all, he must see that his line continues since he doesn’t want his idiot relative to inherit his estate.

This tale takes on the beauty and the beast theme but crosses it with a more modern wounded warrior trope that is now popular in more contemporary novels. I liked the novelty of a historical romance novel exploring the wounded warrior theme. Tessa Dare did not scrimp on the adjectives used to describe this Duke. He was burned down one side with patches of hair on his head. His looks were not romanticized and yet Emma was not frightened, nor turned off by his looks. In fact, she still viewed him as strong, intelligent and Duke-ish, despite those scars. I really liked Emma’s attitude!  She flirted, teased, and yes vamped it up for this Duke. She made him love her, despite viewing himself as a “monster”. Just as the beast in the fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast”, he braved showing himself off to the world and in his mind facing ridicule and worse in order to make sure she was safe from harm. This is a hero I can get behind!

I loved these two as a couple. Their verbal sparring was fun, and the heat factor, oh my!  These two burned up the pages!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

The Duchess Deal

Click this link to purchase! The Duchess Deal: Girl Meets Duke

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: Wait for It by Mariana Zapata

I’ll admit that I’m a pretty recent convert to Mariana Zapata’s style of writing. She believes in the build up of a relationship more than the outcome, the cake more than the frosting if you will. Her strength is in character development and this novel Wait for It delivers because by the time Diana and Dallas get together, we are so enmeshed in their strengths and weaknesses, so taken with their feelings, that we are sitting on the edge of our seats waiting for that moment to happen.

Diana’s story was unique. It wasn’t until about a 1/3 of the way into the novel that we finally realize that she is raising her brothers two sons and not her own. I mean, I know enough Spanish to know Tia is Aunt, so I got that clue, but I didn’t know the story of why she was raising these two boys, and when we find out, it is devastating. Diana, isn’t very old, maybe 26 if I’m remembering correctly? To raise two kids, juggle her life and job, as well as getting them to school and practice is an amazing feat that a lot of single parents face. Score one for Ms. Zapata in reaching into our hearts and giving it a good squeeze and also for humanizing Diana, making her easily identifiable.

Dallas is pretty similar to some of Ms. Zapata’s other male characters. Stoic, kind of surly and very good looking. A true Alpha male. However, in Wait for It, the author uses those traits as a shield for Dallas to protect himself just as much as that wedding ring on his finger. When he finally decides to go all in. that shield expands to protect not only himself, but Diana and the boys. Score two for Ms. Zapata! I love to read about a man protecting his woman, even if its from catty remarks and not gunfire!

I don’t want to give away any more of this story because it is deftly told and even though long, the pivotal moments are intertwined so that I would fear giving one moment away would unravel the mystery of how they fall in love. I will say that their story made me laugh, touched my heart and made me feel. What more do you want in a love story?


Click this link to purchase!  Wait For It

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: A Crazy Kind of Love (Flirting With Fame #2) by Mary Ann Marlowe

Jo Wilder is a paparazza with a heart. She has an eye for photography, thanks to her famous photographer father, but her heart just isn’t into getting the big story and hurting the people she’s reporting about. One day, while trying to get that perfect shot of a celebrity and her kids, she is blocked, then charmed by a handsome stranger. That stranger, Micah Sinclair, helps her get the shot by lifting her up on his shoulders, then proceeds to charm her. He does such a great job of disarming her that she doesn’t realize that he is famous himself. As their paths cross again, they start to develop a friendship that leads to romance. One that is strife with pitfalls, because how can Jo keep her emotions in check and still get that big story, or is that really what she wants?

A Crazy Kind of Love is the second novel in the series and I’m happy to say that we get to meet up with Eden and Adam again. Eden is Micah’s sister and has a pretty big part to play in this novel too. It’s not enough that Jo second guesses herself and her relationship with Micah, that struggle being the central conflict in this story, but Eden also has a part to play in Jo’s internal struggle as her conscience. Just as Jo second guesses herself about Micah’s intentions, Eden steps in with some advice or input for Jo that helps her find her way on this kind of insane path. I liked the back and forth that Jo’s emotions go through as Eden tosses a casual verbal grenade down that path to happiness. I also liked the foreshadowing of friendship the two women were developing alongside the romance that was developing between Jo and Micah.

Micah, oh Micah! He  was almost too good to be true. As Jo was going through all of these struggles with her conscience, her health and her heart, Micah was a little harder to read. He kind of reminded me of a male version of Goldie Hawn. You know, beautiful, kind of ditzy and out there, but with moments of insight and wonderfulness. I don’t know Goldie in person but those are the types of characters she plays in the movies and for some reason I kept seeing her when I was reading a scene about him. Maybe it’s my own skepticism about the lead singer in a band falling in love with a professional stalker and not really having any problems with it? Or at least, getting over that initial does she like me for the opportunity or for myself, really fast. BUT, I read romances as an escape, so I too got over that character pitfall pretty quickly. He was just delish, regardless.

As with Some Kind of Wonderful, A Crazy Kind of Love had characters who had real problems, whether they were health related, difficult families, love lives, etc. This is why I like Mary Ann Marlowe’s novels so much. Yes, you get that escape from reality that you want from a love story, but you also see your main characters overcome obstacles that could happen to you. I didn’t have a problem connecting with Jo Wilder and in fact, I loved her for all of her foibles, health and family issues. It made her and Micah’s story that much sweeter. It was nice that love came so easily to them, when they had to overcome life’s obstacles to get there. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this book from the author for my honest review and it was honest!


C
to purchase!  A Crazy Kind of Love (Flirting with Fame) Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: Second Chance Girl (Happily Inc. #2) by Susan Mallery

Happily Inc. is a wedding destination town where most people who live there have something to do with putting on a wedding. Caterer, baker, event coordinator, etc. Carol Lund is a gamekeeper and doesn’t have anything to do with weddings. Matthias, our hero, also doesn’t have a wedding themed job. The only thing he has to do with weddings is, well, the bridesmaids. He is a no strings attached kind of guy.. definitely not Carol’s usual, but for some reason she is attracted to him. Although that’s not a stretch, he is fabulous looking and very charming. Matthias is an artist, making glass creations alongside his brothers in a family business. He wakes up every morning, sips his coffee and sketches while watching Carol walk the preserve with her solitary giraffe, Millie. Something about this morning ritual appeals to him and inspires his creativity.  Their relationship has never gone beyond friendship, until one nigh when they have a little too much to drink.

Luckily, we didn’t see Matthias hit on too many bridesmaids because that would’ve been hard to overlook. The Matthias we meet is fun, charming, and too good looking, but he also has this inner pain about his father that humanizes him. As he and Carols friendship grows, I think that humanity also appeals to Carol. She on the other hand has always focused on her animals, to the exclusion of having a personal life. The fact that she was a khakis and t-shirt kind of gal made her so not Matthias’ type, but that one night changes how they see each other forever.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would from the synopsis. The zoo element was a really different setting for a romance! This series is a spinoff of Mallery’s Fools Gold seies that is so poular and I think it is just a good. There is a side romance between Carol’s sister and a visiting Duke that is really cute and made me laugh. All in all this was a great lighthearted romance.


Click this link to purchase.  Second Chance Girl: A Modern Fairy Tale Romance (Happily Inc)

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: Forget Tomorrow (Forget Tomorrow #1) by Pintip Dunn

Forget Tomorrow is set in a world where on your seventeenth birthday you are given one of your future memories. This memory is supposed to give you an idea of what your life will be and what you will do for a living. Callie has been training to be a Chef. Well, they call it something different, but in essence that is what she thinks her memory will show her. If it does, it means she will be put into training for that job and her future is secure. However, there is a very small percentage of people whose memory shows them perpetrating a crime. In that case their lives would be forfeit until that memory is reality and they will be charged for their crime. Yeah, you can see where this one is going, right?

This was a totally original tale and I found myself caught up in this alternate world very easily. Callie was an average teenager and this memory completely blindsided her and freaked her out. She is the last one you’d think would be a criminal and Callie is positive this memory will not come true. She then takes measures to make certain it doesn’t with the help of a boy, Logan, that she has grown up with. Logan used to be a good friend of hers but hasn’t spoken to her in five years after his brother was taken away for exhibiting psychic behavior. Something the authorities in this world want to study and basically jail anyone who shows signs of a psychic gift.

There were a lot of twists and turns in this novel and I definitely don’t want to give any of the surprises away in my review. I will say that the ending took me completely off guard. Iwasn’t entirely   pleased with it, but as this is the first in a series I am going to hold out hope that what happens gets resolved in a future storyline! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase! Forget Tomorrow Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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This Chick Read: Warcross (Warcross #1) by Marie Lu

Set in a futuristic world where video games and real life interface, Emika, a seventeen year old bounty hunter, faces a moment of temptation that will change her life forever.  During the Warcross World Championships Emika hacks the game in a way that shows her face to the world and she goes from on the edge of homeless to world famous and a wild card entry into the Championships.

Hideo Tanaka is the child genius who invented glasses that interfaces his Warcross video game with real life. When Emika hacks his game he offers her a job as bounty hunter and gives her entrance into the Championships to work as his spy.

I do not play video games and was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get into this book because of that but I shouldn’t have worried. The world Marie Lu created was vivid, had amazing energy, and painted a 3-D picture for me to visualize and engage with. The games themselves were exciting, the action well written and Emika’s thought process as she deconstructed play exciting. I loved the game!

There was plenty of action to keep this book moving along at a fast pace, and when the action slowed down Emika’s relationship with Hideo painted the page with soft brush strokes. I didn’t know if I liked the fast paced gaming or the slower paced relationship better.

The only negative I had was about the ending to this book. However, I will have to trust that Marie Lu will manage to pull it all together in the next novel.  ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase!   Warcross Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: Chasing Christmas Eve (Heartbreaker Bay #4) by Jill Shalvis

I have been intrigued by Spencer throughout this series and was excited to finally be able to read his story! He has always been somewhat of a mystery. He is a millionaire, owns a businees and invents things, but in the previous novels we’ve only learned as much as those characters story arc’s brought us in contact him, and that was usually as supportive friend and sometimes troublemaker. In Chasing Christmas Eve we finally get the skinny on Spence, his background, how he made his money, and why he seems to be kind of a loner. 

Colbie Albright is new to Heartbreaker Bay and happens upon their charming courtyard fountain and is about to make a wish into it when she gets pushed into it by a wayward dog. Spencer comes to her rescue and is immediately charmed by her and feels that tug of interest. The chemistry between these two is explosive and pretty soon it makes Spencer forget his reasons for holding back from relationships. Colbie, although running away from her problems seems to find her muse, and true love in Spence. 

I love these Heartbreaker Bay novels. I mentioned before that as each story is written and we learn a little bit more about this group of friends, they become our friends. I’m totally invested in living through each of their stories and building that relationship with them even more. 

❤️❤️❤️❤️


Click this link to purchase!  Chasing Christmas Eve: A Heartbreaker Bay Novel

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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