Sunday, March 26, 2017

Books Read 3/18/17 - 3/25/17


I have said before that I am a cover hound - and that old saying, 'you can't judge a book by its' cover' proved quite true for me this past week. Here they are:

In the Shadow of Dragons by Sonya Bateman - 4 Stars****


Everything changed when the dragons came.

Six years after dragons came to the earth, magic has become an insidious infection, gradually turning people into elves, goblins, dwarves, trolls ... and worse. A drug called HeMo, produced by the powerful Bishop Corporation, slows this process. But once a year, a worldwide Eclipse and an intense surge of magic puts everyone at risk for Changing completely -- with deadly results.

Teague Harlow is a Knight, one of an elite team employed by BiCo to protect the people from themselves. Only the Knights are permitted to use magic, to slay the monsters that used to be people -- but not everyone believes in BiCo's vision of order. The Darkspawn, a small group of magic-using rebels, fight to destroy HeMo and allow magic to take hold naturally. For better or worse.

When Teague is sent to join the Darkspawn as a spy, she begins to realize the conflict isn't as straightforward as it seems ... and BiCo may not be the heroes the world believes. Because HeMo isn't curing people. It's changing them.

And what it's doing could be far worse than infecting them with magic.


Stilts by Tim O'Rourke - 4 Stars**** 


While eighteen-year-old, Tessa Dark was serving her prison sentence for murder, the world beyond her cell walls changed forever. The thunder came and destroyed the world she had once known. Trapped inside the prison and faced with no future, Tessa's only glimmer of hope is her friendship with fellow inmate Joe McBride.

Despite Tessa's fears, Joe decides to go beyond the prison walls to seek help. But when he fails to return, Tessa is determined to go and search for him. To gain her freedom, Tessa must first learn to walk, run, and fight on stilts if she is to survive the new and terrifying world on the other side of the prison walls.


Mark of Cain by Conner Kressley - 4 Stars****



My name isn't Callum Coldwell but, for your own sake, you should probably call me that

They say someone is murdered every minute...and I’m the reason why.

When I killed my brother, the Big Guy burned a mark into my skin and set me to wandering until the end of time. That was a while ago, and I think I’ve used my forever pretty well. Bagged a few women, saved a few lives, and gotten myself into and out of more trouble than I care to remember.

But something’s happening now. Evil forces are circling the wagons, and something sinister is getting ready to make a play for the big time. And, of course, it has me in its crosshairs.

When I said I wasn’t my brother’s keeper, I had no idea how wrong I was.

By now you've probably figured out my name. But don’t say it.

Bad things happen when people say my name.


Filthy Witch and Dead Famous by Pearl Goodfellow - 
3 Stars***


Nebula Dreddock has been murdered. Most would say the actress had it coming, but that’s beside the point. Nobody deserves to die this way. Even if it happens to be Gless Inlet’s bitch … ahem ... witch-iest A-lister.

Portia Fearwyn, Nebula's crotchety neighbor, seems the most likely suspect. The pair have shared some bad blood, after all. But, what about Cressida Dreddock, Nebula's mad-as-a-hatter twin? With multiple escapes from Midnight Hill asylum, it’s soon clear that Nebula’s crazy sister does, in fact, have an even crazier motive to want her famous twin dead.

Reluctant witch, and practicing herbalist, Hattie Jenkins is drawn into the case as herbal consultant. But, wherever Hattie is, her eight (insufferably) immortal black cats aren’t far behind.

Will Hattie and her fuzzy sidekicks find Nebula's killer before yet another untimely death takes place? And, can Hattie pull it off without having to engage with her inner sorceress?

Join Hattie and The Infiniti as they race against the clock to unravel the clues!


Omega by SM Reine - 3 Stars***


Ten years ago, Deirdre Tombs died. When she was reborn the next day, Deirdre had become a shapeshifter who can’t shift shapes. Nobody knows what animal she’s supposed to be. She’s definitely not a werewolf. The Alpha, Rylie Gresham, can’t force her to transform like other members of her pack.

Now Deirdre is considered an omega, the weakest shapeshifter in the pack—a vulnerable position when Everton Stark demands tribute from Rylie. He wants to be the dominant Alpha. The only Alpha. And he plans to make her pack submit whether they want to or not. Stark can make every shapeshifter obey him by force of will alone.

Every shapeshifter except Deirdre.

The shifter who can’t shift is the only hope for Rylie to win the war against Stark. It will take everything Deirdre has to survive undercover in his den. But can an omega’s will be stronger than that of a charismatic, deadly Alpha like Everton Stark?

Blood Surfer by Debra Jess - 3 Stars***


Their destiny is written in blood.

Welcome to Star Haven, where the police arrest and imprison alternative humans, if not execute them outright. When outlaw Hannah Quinn saves Officer Scott Grey's life by bloodsurfing through his broken body, he winds up on the wrong side of the kill line.

Hannah blew any chance she had of escaping Star Haven when she chose to save Scott's life. Scott has a reputation for killing Alts instead of arresting them. Now that she's triggered his dormant Alt ability, he's forced to go on the run with her until she can break his despised Alt power.

Suspicion dies hard after a lifetime of conditioning. Despite the threat to their lives, Hannah finds herself falling for the one man she can't trust—and Scott falls for the woman who destroyed his life.

With love and mistrust at war in a city where betrayal can earn your freedom, will Hannah and Scott's tenuous bond be enough to save them?

New Order by Helen Harper - 3 Stars***


Bo Blackman is not adjusting to her new life as a fledgling vampire particularly well. Drinking blood sickens her and, despite her new enhanced physical skills and the attention she's receiving from Lord Montserrat, she's desperate to find a cure. 

When her illegal search takes her to the door of Fingertips and Frolics, a small family-run magic shop, she becomes embroiled in a dangerous game of tit-for-tat with murderous consequences. To complicate matters further, she's forced to also take on a case of apparent kidnapping. But with no ransom demand and a client she despises, it may be more of a struggle to solve than she realises.

So that's got my week covered.  I am going back for seconds on a couple of series I started a few months ago and I've had my eye on another new to me author that I want to try for next week.

I hope you've been reading some great books.  See ya next week.

Thanks for stopping by,
Michelle    

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