Review: Just Once by Julianna Keyes

2 stars for Just Once by Julianna Keyes.

Just Once starts out promising in first person narration but fizzles out along the way. I manage to make it to the 50% mark before deciding to jump straight to the last chapter to see how the ending pans out. As it is, no surprises there and I do not think I have missed out much.

The story opens with our protagonist, a thirty-year old Katharine Burke aka Kate arriving at the Ponderosa Pines Ranch, a hundred-year-old lodge surrounded by mountains and trees, nature and freedom. As a travel writer, Kate has spent the better part of her ten years on travelling and writing, meeting people on the go and living the high life of the rich and famous. Sadly, these experiences are all but fleeting moments that leave Kate feeling old, tired and lonely at the end of the day.

Returning to the Dude Ranch ten years later as the kitchen/cabin manager, a wiser Kate not only wants to help out the ranch owners, a husband-and-wife tag team but also to seek the safety and comfort of the peace and calm from the simple solitude of the mountains. Soon, Kate realises that she is getting more than what she bargains for as her path crosses with that of Shane Maddox, a foreman of sorts at the ranch, a man who possesses the hands of a masseuse, the body of a lumberjack and the grudge holding stamina of a teenage girl.

For a debut novel, the story is smooth flowing and the writing is fairly decent. In fact, I quite like the idea of a ranch set among the mountains as backdrop to the story. Unfortunately, the story content is just so; it lacks a pull factor to engage the reader and a push factor to keep the pages turning. After a while, it comes to a point where I get really bored and just want to skip right to the ending to avoid the agony of reading through chunks of monotonous, predictable script.

Publisher: Omnific Publishing
Publication date: 29 Oct 2013

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Kate Burke is done making bad decisions. Thirty years old and belatedly determined to grow up, the successful travel writer and one-time party girl returns to work at the remote Ponderosa Pines Ranch to reassess her life.

Although her kitchen/cabin staff is lacking and the workload never relents, Kate's main challenge is Shane Maddox, the ruggedly handsome and doggedly stubborn ranch foreman. Instantly at odds, they battle over everything from ceiling fans to bothersome bats-studiously ignoring the sparks they generate with each confrontation.

They can't explain their explosive physical chemistry, but after a few frustrated weeks they can't deny it either. Their solution? Just once. They'll get past their inconvenient lust and move on.

Kate's been trying to think with her head instead of her hormones, but is this just another bad decision in a lifetime of careless choices? Has she really changed at all?

Set in the striking and serene hills of southern Colorado, Julianna Keyes' debut novel offers a sizzling and satisfying tale of unexpected chemistry and the power of second chances. Her characters will get under your skin and into your heart.

Just once may not be enough for you either.

*Blurb from author's website*

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Review: The Mermaid's Sister by Carrie Anne Noble

4 stars for The Mermaid's Sister by Carrie Anne Noble.

The Mermaid's sister is an enchanting story of the seashell and the stork. High up in the Llanfair Mountain, two 16-year old sisters live with their part-faerie Auntie Verity Amsell in a little cottage. The narrator, Clara is a girl brought to Auntie Verity's house by a stork in her infancy while her sister, Maren is delivered to the same doorstep in a conch when she is a baby.

Though not related by blood, the two sisters are very close; so when Clara's very dear sister, Maren starts growing scales, Clara is devastated. She soon comes to terms that it is pointlss to ignore the truth as it will not erase what is to come and will be, for Maren's sprouting of the sparkling iridescent scales is but the beginning of her transformation to who she truly is. And the truth is, Maren comes from the sea, and to the sea she must return one day.

There are feelings of sadness, jealousy, self-pity and regret as Clara embarks on her mission to save Maren. Despite her resolve to overcome the challenges and difficulties encountered along the way, Clara cannot help but question her place and worth in the world. Deep in the recesses of her mind, Clara believes she is a plain Jane who may or may not turn into a stork one day, and secretly envies Maren for her transformation into her true self, a mermaid.

Beautifully written, this standalone book revolves around the themes of love, acceptance and choices. It teaches us that what we choose to believe does not change what is true, and that life is about making choices and choosing them wisely. Feelings can originate from sadness but ultimately may lead to joy depending on our beliefs and choices made.

Indeed this Young Adult Fiction, winner of the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, is a splendid debut novel suitable for readers of all ages who love a good fantasy tale.

Publisher: Skyscape
Publication date: 1 Mar 2015

*** Favourite quote ***

Grief has its fingers about my throat and I can barely breathe.

~ The Mermaid’s Sister
Carrie Anne Noble

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There is no cure for being who you truly are...

In a cottage high atop Llanfair Mountain, sixteen-year-old Clara lives with her sister, Maren, and guardian Auntie. By day, they gather herbs for Auntie’s healing potions. By night, Auntie spins tales of faraway lands and wicked fairies. Clara’s favorite story tells of three orphan infants—Clara, who was brought to Auntie by a stork; Maren, who arrived in a seashell; and their best friend, O’Neill, who was found beneath an apple tree.

One day, Clara discovers shimmering scales just beneath her sister’s skin. She realizes that Maren is becoming a mermaid—and knows that no mermaid can survive on land. Desperate to save her, Clara and O’Neill place the mermaid-girl in their gypsy wagon and set out for the sea. But no road is straight, and the trio encounters trouble around every bend. Ensnared by an evil troupe of traveling performers, Clara and O’Neill must find a way to save themselves and the ever-weakening mermaid.

And always, in the back of her mind, Clara wonders, if my sister is a mermaid, then what am I?

*Blurb from author's website*

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Review: The Dragon Conspiracy (SPI Files #2) by Lisa Shearin

2.5 stars for The Dragon Conspiracy (SPI Files book 2) by Lisa Shearin.

The higher the expectations, the greater the fall, the larger the disappointment. That is exactly how I feel before, during and after reading The Dragon Conspiracy. Perhaps the author has set the bar too high for herself in SPI Files book 1 The Grendel Affair and raises my anticipation a notch too high for an equally good if not better book 2.

Makenna Fraser aka Mack works for SPI aka the Supernatural Protection & Investigations to battle the forces of evil. Together with senior agent partner, Ian Byrne. their mission this time is to prevent a robbery at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This job is supposed to be an assignment that entails all excitement with no danger whatsoever since the monsters, myths and legends are safely represented by art in the form of paintings, sculptures or artifacts. But as it usually is, easy goes a long way for Mack, a seer with the ability to see through any disguise, shield, or spell that a paranormal adversary can come up with.

Here we have gordons with the atrocious power to turn just about anyone who look at them to stone. Unfortunately, the curse of gorgonism is but an eternal damnation which is worse than hell freezed over. Next in line come dragons who are avid collectors but basically hoarders. Following these humongous flying lizards are harpies who appear out of nowhere to fulfill their orders and then fly off faster than one can blink. All of them congregating with the one objective in mind, similar goal but different reason.

Though the story flows smoothly, there are way too many similarities between The Grendel Affair and The Dragon Conspiracy that the idea of good guys versus the bad ones gets old. It is basically a case of seeking hidden grendels replaced with finding missing diamonds, New Year's Eve replaced with Halloween's Eve, and protecting the existence of supernatural beings replaced with preventing the destruction of the same.

In a nutshell, the Dragon Conspiracy is about an evil mastermind hell bent on supernatural world domination and destruction. We have the good guys from SPI against the bad guys from anywhere and everywhere but SPI. Pretty much nothing new with the exception that the latest biggest disappointment stems from the absence of blithe humour so abundantly found in the earlier book. In this book 2, even the budding chemistry between Mack and Ian fizzles out and tastes flat like a can of coke left out too long.

Publisher: Ace
Publication date: 27 Jan 2015

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We’re Supernatural Protection & Investigations, known as SPI. We battle the real monsters of myth and legend, but this Halloween, we’re searching for diamonds…

A gala opening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art has attracted the upper crust of Manhattan—and thieves. A trio of vile harpies attacks the crowd and steals the stars of the exhibition: a colorful cluster of seven cursed diamonds known as the Dragon Eggs. In the right mage’s hands, each stone can pack a magical wallop. Together they have the power to “cure” the supernaturals of the tristate area—but for many of those vampires and werewolves, that means turning into dust.

I’m Makenna Fraser, a seer for SPI. With the help of my partner, Ian, and the other agents, I have twenty-four hours to prevent total global panic, find the diamonds, and save the supernatural community. No biggie…

*Blurb from author's website*

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Review: Hot Six (Stephanie Plum #6) by Janet Evanovich

5 stars for Hot Six (Stephanie Plum book 6) by Janet Evanovich.

Aye, so I cheated. I steal a peek at the prologue of Hot Six right after I am done with book 5 High Five. But I can hardly be blamed what with the curiously abrupt and melodramatic way book 5 concludes and highpoints in.

The suspense is killing me. I want to know. Scratch that. I need to know. I simply must know which man Stephanie has selected from her drawn lot. That Stephanie actually cheats and peeks when she picks between the 2 scraps of paper, one with Joe’s name and Ranger’s on the other, makes it even more sensational and electrifying.

And then once I know who the lucky man is, I close the book with a happy sigh. But truth be told, I will have been happier if Stephanie has chosen the man I have in mind. As for the rest of the book, I take my own sweet time reading and finally finish it one day short of a month from my completion of book 5 High Five.

With a few new characters thrown in, Hot Six sees all the usual likeable characters in action. In Reader’s Digest condensed version, Stephanie goes after Morris Munson, a Failure to Appear (FTA), worries about Ranger, a man of mystery also known as Ricardo Carlos Manoso and wonders about Morelli, a man who makes her heart skip a beat but yet is going nowhere as to the status of their relationship. Mix in some humour, especially one where it is not a good idea to mess with a woman who has a zit on her chin, and there we have it, Hot Six as hot as can be with a dash of the possibility of marriage on the cards for our dear heroine.

Six books in tow, I wonder if I will ever get tired of Stephanie Plum. I doubt so. Seriously, I don’t think so. Not any time soon. And I am usually right. Let’s just hope so.

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication date: 1 Apr 2010

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Stephanie Plum’s mentor, Ranger, was last seen on video, just minutes before the youngest son of an international black-market arms dealer is murdered. Now the arms dealer is hunting down Ranger, as well as anyone who gets in his way. Trenton vice cop Joe Morelli is also looking for Ranger, listing him as the number one suspect in the crime. And Stephanie wants to find Ranger, and take him down in more ways than one.

If thoughts of Ranger aren’t enough to keep Stephanie awake at night, her two new roommates can help. Stephanie is now sharing her apartment with her maternal grandmother, and a giant dog with an eating disorder. Something is going to have to give.

*Blurb from author's website*

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Review: Bloodmagic (Blood Destiny #2) by Helen Harper

Did Not Finish Bloodmagic (Blood Destiny book 2) by Helen Harper.

Much as I will like to persevere reading Bloodmagic, I find that I just cannot go any further beyond the 20% of what I have perused. To say that I am not the least bit disappointed is as good as fibbing to myself since I have always love to read urban fantasy series. To give up especially on one where there are already as many as 5 books in print is definitely a doleful feeling I hope not to experience often.

There are not many significant reasons leading to my eventual decision to sever ties with the Blood Destiny series. But then again, having even one is too many because readers are spoilt for choices these days. In this case, the major factor that contributes to my throwing in of the towel is the liberal use of profanity. Even though I cover only one-fifth of the story, I have lost count of the number of times my eyes gaze over the offensive four-letter words (F***, Sh*t, P*ss) which are loosely used throughout. With this major irreverence on hand, the lack of originality being the second factor is but a catalyst to my bidding of permanent farewell to the series. Last but not least, the lack of direction, focus and purpose in the storyline together with an overly ambitious desire to throw in each and every group of the supernatural communities lead to the inevitable downfall of this urban fantasy novel.

To conclude, I am glad to say that I have tried though it does not work out for me. For booklovers of urban fantasy out there, the Blood Destiny series is not for you unless you have no qualms on reading a book written with (1) frequent use of expletives, (2) lack of originality and (3) absence of plot and focus.

Publisher: Helen Harper
Publication date: 27 Dec 2012

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After escaping the claws of Corrigan, the Lord Alpha of the Brethren, Mack is trying to lead a quiet lonely life in Inverness in rural Scotland, away from anyone who might happen to be a shapeshifter. However, when she lands a job at an old bookstore owned by a mysterious elderly woman who not only has a familiar passion for herbal lore but also seems to know more than she should, Mack ends up caught in a maelstrom between the Ministry of Mages, the Fae and the Brethren. Now she has to decide between staying hidden and facing the music, as well as confronting her real feelings for the green eyed power of Corrigan himself.

*Blurb from author's website*

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Review: Bloodfire (Blood Destiny #1) by Helen Harper

3 stars for Bloodfire (Blood Destiny book 1) by Helen Harper.

This series has been added to my list of to-be-read way back after I have read the excerpts (first 2 chapters) of Bloodfire. Since then, I have been meaning to get going on this brand new series with an unchartered author, but somehow or other, I manage to defer reading book 1 from 2012 to 2013 to 2014 to, present day 2015. Patience is a virtue and I now have at my disposal the option to read all 5 books available up-to-date in non-stop succession. That is something I may attempt to do if the series strike the right chord in the heart of my love for fantasy.

The story opens leisurely with our heroine Mackenzie Smith (aka Mack) jogging along the length of the beach under a cloudless azure blue sky. But soon enough, the actions all come into play as readers get introduced to the Cornish pack shapeshifters and their overlord known as the Brethren. The Brethren headed by their Lord Alpha, Corrigan are reputed to be strong and unforgiving; they have the local packs in check to keep trouble at bay. But when trouble starts brewing in Cornwall, the Brethren Lord and his minions are called down from London to restore law and order according to their way directives and to assist in solving the mysteries that shroud the death of several pack members.

It feels good to immerse myself once again in the world of make-believe. especially one which involves various types of otherworld activities comprising shapeshifters, vampires, mages, faeries, daemons, dragons, and even giants. However, as a heavy reader of urban fantasy novels, I find that there is pretty nothing much new and exciting in this book 1 of the Blood Destiny series. To name a few, I am already all too familiar with the use of keep for shapeshifters, ability of the Alpha Lord to communicate with their pack using voice projection, faerie rings and their vulnerability to iron, use of portals leading to the different planes of existence, demi-gods and their warped sense of wanting to control and conquer. The absence of creativity extends to cover even the endearments used is kind of disappointing. To top it off, the liberal use of the four letter word F*** really puts a damper to the entire story setting. Call me old-fashioned but I seriously doubt the amount of respect a Lord Alpha can earn from his pack through his abundance use of this distasteful word; without a doubt, anger is no excuse to his free flow choice of vulgarity.

Overall, Bloodfire is a fairly reasonable start-off to the Blood Destiny series. The storyline and its encompassing supernatural characters are likely to appeal to readers who have just started out on the urban fantasy trail. Regrettably the same cannot be said for seasoned readers who are likely to be put off by the lack of originality.

Publisher: Helen Harper
Publication date: 27 Dec 2012

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Mack might be, to all intents and purposes, a normal looking human, however she lives with a pack of shapeshifters in Cornwall in rural England after being dumped there by her mother when she was just a young child. She desperately wants to be accepted by her surrogate family, not least because a lot of them hate her for merely being human, but for some reason her blood just won't allow the transformation to occur.

With a terrible temper to match her fiery red hair, Mack is extraordinarily useful in a fight, and when her pack alpha is brutally and abruptly murdered, she swears vengeance. Unfortunately, his murder also draws in the Brethren - the leaders of the shapeshifter world - who will slaughter everyone in Mack's small rural pack if they discover her true identity. Unfortunately Corrigan, the green-eyed muscle-bound Lord Alpha of the Brethren, doesn't let much slip by him...

*Blurb from author's website*

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Review: Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

4 stars for Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover.

It has been almost 8 months since I last read a New Adult contemporary romance. Since many of the New Adult novels come across very much like reading a young adult novel with characters that are very juvenile, I have a tendency to procrastinate reading this particular genre even after enthusiastically adding the book onto my list of to-be-read.

Reading Ugly Love does not feel like perusing a New Adult novel even though the main characters are in their early to mid twenties. Instead, I find myself burying deep into a world where the characters' well-reasoned actions not only speak for their behavior, but also tells of a painful past.

The female protagonist, Tate, a strong-headed 23-year old girl pursuing her master's degree in nursing to allow her to administer anesthesia, is doing whatever she can to avoid relationships. As it goes, fate has it that the man of her dreams is so not on the same page as Tate and there is pretty much nothing she can do to improve her position; she wants so much more than what he is giving her and he wants so much less than what she wants to give him. The situation is made worse when she is neither allowed to ask about his past nor to expect a future.

The story is smooth flowing and well written with a storyline that pulls at my heartstrings and stays with me for the rest of the day. The only grievance I have is that where the story is narrated by the man, the words are arranged in center text position, making it extremely reader unfriendly.

All in all, a beautiful heartbreaking story that centers around letting go of the past and learning to love all over again.

Publisher: Atria Books
Publication date: 5 Aug 2014

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When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.

*Blurb from Goodreads*

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