Sara

I'm usually a little wary of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance books because so many of them are full of fluff but Magic Bites is pure steel! The plot is filled with twists and turns and lots of mystery. The ending leaves a feeling of closure, yet still has you wanting more! Kate, the main character is a strong female lead with issues and integrity. Ilona Andrew's Atlanta is unique and more than a little bit sinister.

So why did I give this book only 4 stars? The narration. Renee Raudman does do an excellent job narrating but she mispronounces a lot of words which made the narrative jarring. The most noticeable example being the way she said wolf. Woof.

Did you know that this book is sad, tragic even? Because I sure didn't, so I just thought I would warn you. To be fair, I probably should have seen it coming, but I assumed that it would be more about the events after the suicide and how they changed Grace. Be warned, it is not.

As for the story, while it was really long (and some parts really dragged), it's very engrossing and almost addictive at times. But I hated the fact that it was so sad... so I have about 30 minutes left, and a minute away from the big reveal. However, I'm not going to listen to the end. Instead I'm just going to imagine my own ending. It's better that way...

I decided to pick up Where There's Smoke after devouring both Mirror Image and White Hot. I'm glad it was on sale. The story wasn't bad, but it didn't live up to my high expectations after reading the first 2 books. Although the book maintained a good pace throughout with many twists and turns, I had a hard time enjoying it, especially after its conclusion.

One of the big problems with the audiobook was that the main characters weren’t likable. Key was more relatable than Lara, but halfway through the book he was still acting like a playboy. And while Lara wasn't a bad person, I found her very self-righteous, which turned me off her character. She was always preaching or harping at someone, which was funny since an affair had landed her in her current situation.

However, my biggest dislikes were the sex scenes and the final mystery. Usually I have no issues with sex in books, but in this case I found the vocabulary used vulgar. It wasn't sexy at all! And then the twist at the very end also put me off. Had it been revealed closer to the beginning I would have found Lara more relatable.

Although Where There's Smoke was an entertaining audiobook that contained a maze of mysteries, there are better books out there, including ones by Sandra Brown. I guess I'll just have to resume my search for the perfect book, because I didn’t find it here.

Having never read Connie Brockway before, I wasn't sure what to expect from the Other Guy's Bride. Fortunately, the novel, which is set in Eygpt, makes good use of its exotic location. The story involves a good dose of adventure, comedy, and romance, as well as two sparring adventurers with a lot of chemistry.

Nate thinks he has found the perfect deal when an acquaintance tells him about a cheap studio apartment. But soon he realizes that the cheap price of his LA bachelor can't make up for the strange things happening in the building. Soon he, along with a group of neighbours, begins to focus his energy on finding out what's behind the many locked doors, why do all the cockroaches have seven legs, and why is there no information on the building's origins?

14 was a great listen that blended mystery, horror and even a little romance into one story. Nate, an average guy, is easy to route for and he surrounds himself with a great group of interesting characters. As someone who has never lived in LA, it's an interesting take on the city, since everyone in this book loves LA, even though LA doesn't love them back. They're trying to make ends meet, which means they're stuck living in a strange apartment building. I quickly found myself looking for more housework so I could learn more of theKavach building's mysteries.

Like many others, I was intrigued by the title, Snow White Must Die. I don't often venture into mystery books, but fortunately my curiousity got the best of me this time. This book, translated from from the German and set in a seemingly quaint German village, quickly shows that village life can be far from idyllic.

What I loved most about this book was that no one in Tobais's village is what they seem and every member is hiding some kind of secret. Tobais's return to Altenhein quickly sets in motion a chain of events which begins to unravel years' old secrets that when uncovered have the potential to ruin more than one person's life. I found the mystery engaging, suspenseful, and more importantly unpredictable.

I hope to hear more from the author soon!

I'm usually a big fan of SEP but I found the Great Escape lackluster compared to her previous books. The story itself is very formulaic (heroine hides out from normal life, big conflict causes separation, the big reconciliation…), and Lucy and her alter-ego didn't live up to other SEP heroines. Sex scenes were used to try to maintain interest, but beyond those scenes, the story was kind of boring. I lost interest halfway through the story and ended up taking four months to finish… Unheard of!

Melanie Middleton and I would not be friends. But I'm okay with that, because even though I can't stand Miss Middleton (urgh), I love Karen White's Tradd Street series. I love that these books are set in Charleston (now I really want to visit!) and the tangled webs that run through this series heightens the mystery and intrique. The ghost story in this book is very engaging and Jack is super sexy (except possibly his taste in Melanie).

Even though Melanie is a prickly heroine, that strangely doesn't detract from this book. It's definitely worth the listen.

I love Julia Grey, but this one the first one I read as opposed to listened to and it left me feeling a little disappointed. Sometime later I went back and re-listened to all the previous books and I decided to get this audiobook too. So glad I did! I don't know why, but I found it much better on tape than in print. True story ...

Listening to this audiobook started out great and really interesting, but now, with two hours left before the end it's become WORK. The concept itself is very interesting and while I want to keep going and find out if Raoden and the other Elantrians are saved from the Shaod I just can't do it...

Why? Well to save myself from beginning to rant, I'll keep it simple. Princess Sarene. I find her character unbelievable and annoying. Or unbelievably annoying. Whichever you prefer... For someone who is so politically savvy, she sure makes a lot of mistakes. I get that she's supposed to be naive at the same time, but her character is too unrealistic. We get fed that she's so smart, and then she turns around and does something extremely dumb. I also had a hard time with some of the one dimensional secondary characters, while loving others.

I really wish I could finish this one, at times I was completely engrossed, but I can't. Although I'm part of the minority, I say skip it!

After listening to Elizabeth Moon's Vatta War, I really wanted to listen to something similar but didn't know where to start. The premise of the Lost Fleet series intrigued me; discovering a lost hero and his reaction to the new-found fame. It turned out Fearless was even more interesting since it wasn't just a book about Black Jack Geary, but also included military life, space battles and the complex Alliance culture.

However, be warned, this book isn't packed with action, but is instead the first leg of a long voyage in the same vein as Odysseus. The first installment of a bumpy ride. But don't jump off before we get to our final destination, otherwise you'll miss the drama, betrayal, and best of all, sneaky space warfare John Geary style.