Hellbent & Heartfirst by Kassandra Sims

Favorite line: “Jacyn could admit that honkeytonks were made for elongated vowels and songs about cheatin’ and heartbreak.” (p. 12)

Jacyn Boaz went to Biloxi, Miss., to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. She’s exhausted and it isn’t long before she is introduced to a world she never knew existed. A world with mythological creatures and supernatural explanations. A world that her new lover, Jimmy Wayne Broadus, introduces her to.

Jimmy is a rancher, former rodeo rider and hunter of the supernatural. He protects an ignorant world from the dark. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina all natural barriers and ‘rules’ for the supernatural have been thrown out the window. This leaves him in Mississippi in search of a killer.

A snake woman is feeding off the souls of hurricane victims and he plans to stop the creature. He’s not alone on this venture, though. Jacyn will be his new partner and together the two may be able to save the community from the danger stalking them.

I like the cover of this book. The black shaped demon behind Jimmy is pretty cool. It is one of the few things positive I have to say about Hellbent & Heartfirst.

I didn’t like this book. I tried to force myself to complete it, but editing errors and just plain dislike prevented me from finishing the story. From early on the book had major malfunctions. One of the biggest for me involved imps and brownies.

I’m listing the definitions of imp and brownie. I knew they were different creatures, but this story doesn’t differentiate them.

Oxford English Dictionary definition of an imp:

“A little devil or demon, an evil spirit.”

Oxford English Dictionary definition of an brownie:

“A benevolent spirit or goblin, of shaggy appearance, supposed to haunt old houses, esp. farmhouses, in Scotland, and sometimes to perform useful household work while the family were asleep.”

Page 61 & 62: “The imps squatted down and stared back at her, twisting his head at comical angles. . . The imp collapsed all of a sudden into the little heap of sticks again. . . So you kidnap brownies and sell them for a living. . . How’d you know that was a brownie?”

It didn’t help that little episodes like this happened:

Page 54: “The anger slipped in just like a firecracker going off. He gets tired of this. Most people like him stick close to one another.”

I couldn’t relate with the accents and use of dialect, the nonstop role of alcohol in relation to the young lead characters, or the language the characters used. Preconceived notions of rednecks are thrown in and maybe they are a draw in for some people, but for me it completely turned me off.

I’m not trying to dog Ms. Sims. She has at least three published novels under her belt. I haven’t even tried to write a book. However I do know what I like. I may not realize what that entails until I read something, but this book was not for me. I hope the rest of y’all have a great time with the book. I did not.

To be fair I’ve linked to other reviews at Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review, Janicu’s Book Blog and Romance Reviews Today.

Happy Mother’s Day!

I’m going to share the Mother’s Day card my oldest gave me.

I love you.

You think your the Queen of My World.

heres a poem.

rose are red vilit are blue

your the best I love You!!!

Hotter After Midnight by Cynthia Eden

Favorite lines: “So what, one night you ran up on a vampire or a demon in the park? You saw they were real and now you think you’re some kind of hotshot who can go out and fight these things?” (ARC p. 31)

Dr. Emily Drake is a paranormal psychologist. She helps vampires, shifters and other creatures come to terms with what makes them different. When a killer shows paranormal tendencies she is asked to advise the police about who they are up against. As their profiler she shares her knowledge of the Others with her partner.

Dr. Drake is paired with Colin Gyth, a detective hiding a secret. He’s a shifter, but she doesn’t know what kind, leaving him as a possible threat. He’s afraid of being outed because he tried it in the past the results weren’t stellar.

Emily is attracted to Colin physically and emotionally, but she knows that not knowing what kind of shifter could be deadly. They are volatile creatures and she must be careful.

A Murderer with shifter tendencies is on the loose. He is playing a game of cat and mouse with the doctor and her detective. Unfortunately, they don’t know that they’re the newest toy for a killer. They will have to trust each other by sharing their pasts (and possibly their futures) in order to catch him before he kills again.

I plowed through this book. It is racy, exciting and tastefully written. It is a paranormal romantic suspense. The plot is fast paced and the storytelling wonderful.

I loved the way foreshadowing is used. Early clues are written into scenes in a subtle manner that failed to ring warning bells. You know the kind that scream, “This is important!”

I was awed at the way she used it. I was thrilled that she treated me as a smart reader and made me work for the answer. I didn’t even realize what she was doing until it was over. When I read the first trail that possibly could have been foreshadowing I followed it like a dog scenting an animal. I eventually lost track with all the excitement, but later it was as if the animal dropped into my lap. It felt rewarding.

I loved the characters, and the story line.

I’m a sucker for shifters and demon tales these days. Cynthia Eden did not disappoint me. She made me feel like I had discovered paranormal romance all over again. This book is a keeper for me and will remain on my shelf. The sex scenes are guaranteed to send tingles. (Yeah, I said it.) The who-dun-it factor worked for me, too. Combine those major aspects and you have me loving a story.

Bravo, Ms. Eden. You’ve won me over with your clever skills in this book. If this is an example of your writing I will definitely be reading more, and I expect a book to follow up on the world you’ve exposed and the other creatures I met. Hint hint: Niol.

Read the first chapter at here. Reviews are posted at the Long and Short of it, Sensual, Alternative Worlds and Caffey’s Reads.

Normally I try to find a variety of reviews; good and bad reviews for a well rounded look at the story. Sometimes the only thing posted is good. This happens to be one of those cases. I went to page 5 of a Google search and found only positive reviews.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Favorite line: “I didn’t relate well to people my age.” (p. 10)

Isabella Swan moved to Washington to live with her father in a small town. She didn’t expect to like it there or to fall in love with Edward.

Edward has been 17 since the early 1900’s and was amazed when he fell for Bella. He wanted more than her blood; he wanted her.

My new book buddy at work (Kerry) suggested I read this book. I don’t normally read young adult books, but she said, “it’s not what you’re expecting. I think you’ll like it.”

She was right. My favorite line tells it all. Isabella is not like other teenagers. Reading her story is not like reading some immature love story. It is a sensual journey into a new world. A world Bella never dreamed existed. It is fun and exciting…at times daunting.

As usual there are good and bad vampires in this world, but a new take for me was learning that these vampires cannot sleep and their absolute beauty when in light. This world is easy to read about and enthralled me. The world building was complete and it over flowed onto the characters.

The characters who began with maturity and ended with maturity. Who grew found an unexpected love without rushing into the bedroom. The characters that worked into a great plot that kept a steady pace and invited the reader to continue reading.

I had to know what would happen next. Nothing else mattered other than turning the pages. I’ve since borrowed the next two books in the series and have been informed that a movie is coming out in the fall based on Twilight. (Yep, I’m going to see it.)

Tagged: Yeah, you’re next

Kimberly tagged me to do a book meme. Watch out I’m gunning for a few other bloggers.

What do you do?

1. Pick up the nearest book.

2. Open to page 123.

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the next three sentences.

5. Tag five people and post a comment to the person who tagged you once you’ve posted your three sentences.

I’m reading Touch of Darkness by C.T. Adams and Cathy L. Clamp

The Thrall have tried to kill people to keep this information secret. People like Lewis Carlson. People like me.

I’m tagging all you guys reading this blog that haven’t yet done this.

Win a Fallen ARC from Claire Delacroix

The marvelous Claire Delacroix is offering an ARC of her fall release, Fallen, on her blog site. To win you just need to stop by and tell her why you should win a copy. She’ll pick a winner on Friday.

Fallen by Erin McCarthy

Favorite Lines: “This was his punishment. Every woman he had an intimate physical relationship with grew to crave him, to desire him the way he longed for absinthe.” (p. 77)

Sara Michaels became newspaper fodder during and after the trial of her mother’s killer. Searching for answers and hoping to avoid being the newest victim of her family’s curse, she takes up Gabriel St. John’s offer to use her forensic science skills to solve an old murder and that of her mother.

Sara has not revealed the secret of her curse or that she is the great-great-granddaughter of Anne, the woman who was murdered (like Sara’s mother) in the 1840’s.

Gabriel has his own secret. He is a fallen angel forced to live without the knowledge of his guilt or innocence; he was there the night Anne died, but was in an absinthe haze. His punishment was women would be attracted to him- he would be their addiction. They fling themselves at him and become overwrought when they discover he does not love them. It is a painful life, but as a Fallen he walks among humans while remaining apart.

Fallen is an interesting twist in the paranormal arena written by Erin McCarthy. It looks at demons from a different perspective and incorporates a story full of mind games. There is very little action, which tended to make the story tedious at times. A break in the tedium came with the newspaper clipping and reports from the 1800’s.

The book uses newspaper clipping and snatches from memories to tell the story of Anne who was killed in the 1840’s. This takes place at the same time Sara and Gabriel are leaning to cope with each other and themselves, while search for Anne’s killer.

It took me a long time to read this book. I started it on Monday and didn’t finish until today (Saturday). This is unusual for me. The book is wordy. Some books are extremely easy to read and become invested in. That didn’t happen for me. I forced myself to continue reading and searched for a reason to finish the book. I began to find that with the newspaper clippings. They sounded authentic, which excited me.

Fallen is book two in the Seven Deadly Sins series, and the first book I’ve read in the series. The next book will make or break any possible addiction to them for me. Right now, I’m curious in the direction the books are leading, but I’ve not been sucked into the series. I found other reviews at Errant Dreams and Romance Junkies Reviews.

Contest Go Now

I’m sorry the link didn’t work. The address was: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/jacquelynfrank. I went to the site and the information boxes have been removed.

The first 100 people will get an advanced copy of Jacquelyn Frank’s Damien and Noah. Go now!!! Visit her website for her blog, message board and other fun things.

Patricia Brigg’s news and art

Want to see Mercedes Thompson before you met her in 2006? You won’t have long to wait. She’s signed a contract with the Dabel Brothers to write about Mercy right after college and just as she’s begun working as a mechanic.

So what do y’all think about the beautiful cover? I love it! To bad we have to wait until 2009 to read the book that goes along with it. :(  But on the plus side, it’s countdown to Charles and Anna’s book!!

New Art

Yes, I’m going crazy waiting for this to come. Ms. Sagara is supposed to write one more book, after this, in the series. Cast in Fury will be released in October.