One Good Book Deserves Another

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Animal Magnetism, Book 1
Rating: 4 Stars
Length: 304 Pages
Formats: Paperback, Kindle


What I Needed, When I Needed It

Family obligation could be a pain, but Brady Miller could no longer ignore his brothers' cajoling, bribes, and pleas to get him back to Sunshine, Idaho, the small town in which they had shared a foster home when they were teens. His brothers - maybe not by blood, but in his heart - call Sunshine home. Brady doesn't. In fact, Brady doesn't call anyplace home. He goes where he wants and does what he wants, and so long as he's got a helicopter to fly and places no sane man would consider flying it, he's as content as any man could hope to expect.

Still, those brothers of his nagged for years, and then they started to play dirty. Return to Sunshine and get his hands on a sweet chopper they had picked up to help them with their veterinarian clinic. That's the only reason he finally let himself be dragged back to Sunshine. He's not there to stay. He never, ever stays. Anywhere.

He can't say his first trip back in more years than he could count is going particularly well, though. Not after his truck is rear-ended while harmlessly parked at the convenience store. And he hasn't even made it to his brothers' clinic yet.

Lilah Young is mortified by the accident and more than a little concerned. Money is particularly tight right now. She could barely afford to feed herself, so paying for the damage wasn't going to be easy.

At least the guy whose truck she hit seems fairly understanding and unfazed by the box of puppies, baby potbelly pig, and leashed duck that tries to make a break for it when she gets out of her Jeep. He's a tall, rangy, handsome man, for sure, and his looks alone definitely perk up Lilah's pulse. Living in a small town like Sunshine meant most men in town were her life-long friends, but Brady Miller wasn't the sort who looked liked he had female friends...just satisfied lovers. Very well satisfied lovers.

No reason not to act on mutual attraction that she could see. Besides, Brady wasn't going to be around long enough to threaten her heart and she could use the sort of threat to her body a man like him could provide.

Something about Lilah appeals to Brady deep inside, to an area that feels suspiciously close to his heart, and her enthusiasm for a short term relationship is better than he expected. Though...she could have looked a little less content with the idea of him leaving in a month. And he isn't fond of all the male attention she draws in this small town of hers...still...it's for the best that she not get too attached to him. It wasn't like he was going to be around for long.

And really, there's nothing wrong with just enjoying their inherent animal magnetism.

Ever start reading a book and feel like both your mind and body relaxes as you get into it? Or...uh...is that just me? Well, whether you have or not (or if I need therapy or not), it's a great feeling. Sometimes I go looking for that feeling, using it as sort of a mental palate cleanser between books of darker or more intense themes. There are a few authors I consider a fairly sure bet for those sorts of reads - the light, sexy reads that I know, even before I start, will at least have a smooth story without a lot of emotional ups and downs, then provide a gushingly happy ending.

Jill Shalvis has become one of my go-to authors for this sort of read. I love her characters and find her stories fun and easy to read. There is always great chemistry between the male and female leads, and each has just enough depth and internal conflict to keep the characters three dimensional and interesting but minus the angst and emotional torture that some authors are so good at inflicting on their characters. Those can be compelling, absolutely, and I love angst and emotional torture as much as the next gal, but sometimes I just want...well...high calorie, high octane brain candy.

Animal Magnetism is what I call some delicious brain candy.

And, okay, I have to admit, I have a particular weakness for books that feature male characters who get exactly what they want (or have always wanted before), then get disgruntled when they find out it's not as satisfying as they thought it would be. Brady knew he was leaving from the start and is totally on board with Lilah's short term relationship suggestion...then, as the story progresses, he gets a little surlier every time she seems so calm and unconcerned whenever the subject of his leaving comes up. Stuff like that amuses me every time.

The story was the sort of quirky, light fun that sets Shalvis apart as a favorite of mine, and I thoroughly enjoyed the menagerie of pets we see in it. I easily related to Lilah's career and issues with fostering animals, and there is something I find inherently appealing about a helpless guy falling for a silly little dog. I'm a total sucker for animals in general, and in books they are a great source of emotional connection for me, so of course the backdrop of the vet clinic and the boarding kennels were a big hit. All combined, the story arc and setting really worked for me, more so even than several of the other Shalvis stories I've read.

I did have a couple of issues of various severity, one a major continuity conflict. On one page just prior to chapter nine, Lilah was holding Twinkles, then set him down, and another dog, Lucky, sniffed him and curled up with him. Less than two pages later, at the start chapter nine, the dog was back in her arms and Brady took him from her and set him down, then snapped his fingers at Lucky for him to join the pup. It was a fairly blatant error in the narrative and it snapped me right out of the story.

There was also a distressing amount of missing quotation marks in the Kindle version I read. It made it difficult to follow the affected conversations or know when it had started. If I was reading an ARC I wouldn't mention it, assuming it was something that would be caught before release, but I read the published Kindle version. The blatant continuity conflict should have been caught in an editing phase and the missing quotation marks should have been fixed before commercial release.

Those issues don't take away from the fact that I've been needing to just relax with a book, to not have to think too hard, or suss out subtle plot points, or worry about context and meaning. I wanted some sexy banter, hot and likable characters, a few sizzling sex scenes, a conflict that wasn't too conflicting, and a sure-bet happy ending. I can't express how happy I am that I got exactly that from this fun - and a little furry - book.

Getting exactly what you want in a book exactly when you need it the most? Priceless.

Quotables:

You look fantastic today. I especially love the sarcasm and attitude you're wearing.

Is that your favorite question, 'why'?.
Yes. Right after "Are the donuts two-for-one today?"

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Arcadia Bell, Book 1
Rating: 4 Stars
Length: 384 Pages
Formats: Paperback, Kindle



UF Series Debut Kindles Brightly
Two weeks. Fourteen days. That's how long Arcadia Bell has to live unless her parents turn themselves in to the rival occult order that holds them responsible for the brutal murders of several of their top occultists seven years ago, serial murders known as the Black Lodge slayings. Now that they've been caught on video surveillance, thus proving they're alive and their deaths had been staged, the Luxe Order is intent on bringing them to heel and making them pay. And her cover is blown right along with theirs.

Seven years spent hiding. Seven years spent away from her parents. Alone in a way that most people can't imagine. Arcadia Bell...though that's not her real name...managed as best any young magician could between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five. She carved out a life, however transient, and even made friends (not that they know who she really is). She opened a demon-friendly bar with one of those friends, practicing her magic on patrons when necessary as she serves as both bartender and de facto bouncer. She dated - occasionally, ate, shopped, practiced her craft...lived.

Seven years of that life, gone in an instant...and strung out on an excruciating two-week deadline.

Difference is, now Arcadia is an adult, and she's always been a bit different than other magicians. The circumstances of her birth set her apart that way. She has no plans to go gentle into that good night without a healthy dose of raging against the dying of the light first. In short, she plans to prove that her parents were not responsible for the crimes they've been accused of committing. Even if she has to track down the murderous demon who was used as the weapon, summon him from the Æthyric plane, bind him, and force him to bear true witness to whomever actually wielded him as such all those years ago.

Of course, that plan could - and probably will - get her killed long before the deadline is up. Still...it's a plan.

Welcome to the wild world of Arcadia Bell, gifted magician, skilled bartender, and two-tone haired hedgehog owner. Settle back, kick your feet up, and prepare to be entertained as Cady, with the help of the delicious but taciturn Earthbound demonologist Lon Butler, works to piece together the clues from the mother of all cold cases and identify the demon who killed three people before Cady is sent to her death in her parents' stead. It's gonna be a heck of a ride.

Bennett has created an exciting new world of demons and occultist magicians, fleshed it out nicely and explained it in such a way that didn't make my head feel like it was going to explode! I can't sufficiently express just how wonderful and rare that is. I don't normally do too well with books that heavily feature the woo-woo magic. It's not that I dislike the books, it's just...no matter how "clearly" spells, incantations, and magical rules are explained, I struggle to understand/picture it. I swear, it's like I have a magic comprehension disability or something.

I can't say I got every bit of magical world building that Bennett explained here, but I got most of it, and felt comfortable with it. That's a nice change.

She also created Cady Bell, series star. I liked her. Maybe she didn't wow me or instantly make me fall in love with her, but she was definitely a very nice blend of self-sufficient and competent magician, and quirky, sometimes emotionally awkward young woman. She's hip...with a pinch of nerd and a dollop of bad ass thrown into the mix. I think I'm really going to like seeing how her character progresses through this series.

Lon Butler was a bit of an enigma to me. Earthbound demon, single father, and a bit stoic and cautious by nature, he was an interesting character. It's weird, but I'm not completely sure how I feel for him as the romantic interest and Caty's partner in investigation. Famous photographer by trade, demonologist by design, he blew a little hot and cold for me, and like Cady, I had some trouble reading his intentions and emotions. I think that was on purpose, though, so I don't think I can really complain. I will say, the scene with Lon and Cady on the plane was one of my favorites in the book. I just loved him expounding on the instances he had thought he'd made his feelings and intentions for Cady known.

Okay...I'm going to damn myself but good here, but I have to admit I feel a little odd about the difference in their ages. Sure, give me a 2,000 year-old vampire and a twenty-something young thing finding their forever love and I'm fine and dandy, but a forty-two-year-old man (Earthbound, whatever) dating a twenty-five-year-old woman gives me a bit of a squig? Seriously? I'm disappointed in myself on this one, trust me. You'd think age difference would matter not at all to a PNR/UF lover - hell, that's what I thought, myself. Still, something about the difference in their ages and experiences (which reminds me...I'm a little tired of the ubiquitous demon/vampire/werewolf sex club, thanks) and a few of Lon's life choices (concerning aforementioned sex club) didn't sit completely comfortably with me.

I intend to get over it, though, because I love, love, love Lon's son Jupe and I want him to be a part of the series for a long, long time.

Kindling the Moon is definitely one of the more exciting and entertaining urban fantasy series debuts I've read recently. Bennett writes an easily readable narrative (even for someone suffering from MCD - magical comprehension disability) and has a strong grasp on her characters. The world is fresh, the plot was meaty and had quite a few surprises (one in particular was a real doozy), and the characters are likable, with an aura of character longevity that bodes well for future books. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next for them all.