One Good Book Deserves Another

Genre: Light/Comedic Urban Fantasy
Series: Jolie Wilkins Series, Book 1
Rating: 1 Star
Length:  304 Pages, 6392 Locations
Formats: Paperback, Kindle


Jolie Wilkins had been content with her little life, running a shop in L.A. with her best friend Christa and using her abilities to read auras and glimpse futures to provide the business that supported them both. Then she saw the ghost - her first, actually, and soon after her life didn't resemble anything she recognized.

That wasn't the ghost's fault, at least not directly. It was more the influence of one ultra-sexy warlock Rand Balfour, who sent the ghost to Jolie as a test of her powers. And then told her she was a witch. A powerful one. She didn't believe it, of course, but when she brought the ghost back from the dead - purely by accident, really - she knew her life was forever changed. And she had Rand to thank, so to speak, for it.

Unfortunately, Jolie's gift paints a big target on her back and soon a power hungry witch of age and skill tries to coerce Jolie into her service as she gathers forces to lead a charge to become Queen of the Underworld, and only Rand stands between the powerful Bella and the timid Jolie. She has to rely on the warlock to teach her, employ her to keep her safe, and to move her from Bella's territory to his own in England. And while her previously neat little life spins wildly out of control and her attraction to Rand grows into heated intensity, Jolie struggles to get a handle on the use of her powers, as they may be the only thing that will save her from the myriad of things that go bump in the night...creatures all who seem to be out to use her as a pawn in a deadly game of war and supremacy.

Despite my appreciation for the concept of this story and the many positive reviews on several different sites, I was horribly disappointed in this book. It plucked at so many of my reading anathemas that I could have danced to the cacophony of dislikes. The heroine - and I use the term loosely - is an insipid, immature, shallow chit who cares more about how hot a guy is...even as he's holding her prisoner after she's vein-raped by a monster...than about character. She's got zero self esteem and her backbone is roughly the consistency of cold porridge. And she consistently puts herself into dangerous situations out of ignorance, pride, vanity, or idiocy. Then wonders how she could have been so stupid. Ugh.

The hero, Rand, wasn't as offensive, but his constant waffling over the boundaries he needs to maintain because he's Jolie's employer was the cornerstone of his character development and that got old even before he explained them. He wants her so very much but he won't take her - yadda, yadda, yadda. Of course, his moral fortitude doesn't preclude him acting like a jealous wanker when Jolie dates a werewolf. Still, at least he maintained an appearance of maturity.

Unlike Jolie, who while dating Trent (the werewolf), practically has a nervous breakdown and gets jealous to the point of hyperventilation of her own best friend during a double date because her BFF is so gorgeous and Trent is nice to her, so of course that means he's more into Christa than he is Jolie. Um...yeah...on the second date. And I feel compelled to mention that nearly all the male characters, including the warlock, the werewolf, a vampire, and a fairy King kept telling Jolie what a gorgeous creature she was and how they all wanted to bed her - even the ones who wanted to eat her afterward. This was not only extremely annoying in its own right, but it kept me wondering why Jolie kept comparing herself so unfavorably with Christa throughout the book.

Then again, why her BFF is included as a secondary character to begin with boggled my mind, as rarely have I read as vapid and useless a character appendage as Christa.  So no, with maybe the exception of Sinjin, the characters didn't work for me at all.

Neither, unfortunately, did the plot. It would have, I think, had the subplot about the brewing conflict between Bella and Rand and the growing alliances of both been a larger part of the story. But it remained a subplot, and instead over sixty percent of the book focused on Jolie's emotionally immature actions and reactions to the changes in her life while not actually expounding on those changes.

Even after she moves to England and starts to train her magic we see her life through chapter-long vignettes of social dates and angsty confrontations between her and Rand; the same angsty confrontations again and again about whether they will or won't have sex and what it would or wouldn't mean. And the transitions between those vignettes are choppy and lack explanation and definition. One chapter she dates Trent. Another she double dates with him and Christa and another werewolf. There's a chapter in which she meets other werewolves who've fled Bella and moved to England. Then Trent dumps her - which we're told of after the fact while Jolie and Christa are getting ready for girls night to tie one on. It was all so disjointed and segmented it didn't read like a smoothly developing narrative building towards a satisfying conclusion at all.

There's more than one reason for that, too. It didn't actually have a conclusion. No, it just cut off after a conflict that was ancillary to the main conflict of the impending war subplot. I would call it a cliffhanger...but the preceding action hadn't climbed nearly so high as to warrant an actual cliff. Perhaps a hill-hanger. Ant hill. And normally I loathe cliffhangers. This one didn't bother me so much (I was sorta just glad it was over), though it did further cap my disappointment.

To be honest, I did find the last third of the book more palatable than the first two-thirds. The narrative smoothed out quite a bit and the story started to delve a little more deeply into the characters actions as they were happening instead of that choppy vignette style. And the plot threads were more centrally focused around Bella's antics and nastiness instead of Jolie's romance angst. There were even some relatively pleasant surprises sprinkled here and there. It was too little too late for me, and Jolie wasn't redeemed nearly enough for my tastes to really improve my overall opinion, despite her evidence-bereft proclamation to the contrary, but at least I stopped wanting to shatter my Kindle against a wall.

I know this book has achieved quite a lot of popularity and garnered much praise, but there were just too many of my personal dislikes running rampant in this one. These things happen. I wish H.P. Mallory all the luck in the world with her series and hope future books continue to entertain. For me, though, there was too little payoff for the investment of time and money and too little about the story that was even tolerable. I also want to caution those who are expecting a paranormal romance, as it claims to be on the cover, because that is not the impression I got as I was reading, nor was it how it seemed upon completion. There may be a romantic resolution for Jolie and Rand one day, but that day was not seen in this book.

Genre: Light/Comedic Urban Fantasy
Series: Jane Jameson, Book 3
Rating: 4 Stars
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle


I'm not sure if the Jane Jameson series is intended to be a trilogy or not, but after finishing the third installment, Nice Girls Don't Live Forever, I'd say it reads very well like it should be. Jane's back with her trusty friends, family squabbles, and boyfriend angst in this book about the life and loves of an ex-librarian-turned-vampire just trying to make a little something of herself.

Wielding the double-edged sword of witticism and sarcasm and brandishing a shield of self deprecation to cover insecurity, Jane manages yet again to charm and amuse as she deals with the doubts and fears of a potential cheating sire/lover, the annoyance of family, the terrors of the pink Courtneys, and the danger of a potential stalker, all while she opens her bookstore and helps her best friend and his new wife get ready for cubs...er...kids.

I've enjoyed each book in this series as light, cute, whimsical romps...with a wee bit of fang...and this one in particular was a pleasant road trip towards maturity, confidence, and a freedom of spirit that Jane had been previously lacking. With the comfort of familiar faces that are all quirky and fresh, Nice Girls provides a few hours of relaxation and escapism without forcing you to think too hard or relate too closely to the goings on, even while Jane's exploits and concerns, fears and doubts, hopes and dreams so closely resemble our own. She truly is an Everywoman with fangs, and that's one of the most appealing aspects of this series (trilogy?).

My only significant complaint about this book in particular, and the overall series in general, is that every major issue that Jane had, every true crisis of heart and hope, came to an almost too-comfortable resolution in the last few chapters of this book. I would've liked to have seen a more gradual progression as things fell into place and Jane started growing up and becoming more comfortable with her fangs, instead of having it all piled up at the end. That's strictly a personal preference, however, and not a critique of the way Harper has told her story. I will say it made me question whether or not these characters could remain interesting over a larger arc than what we've been given, and is what's made me think the intent for Jane was a trilogy. Regardless, I say, "Long live the Everyvamp!" And enjoy Jane's latest escapades.

In order the series (trilogy?) is:
Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Book 1)
Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men (Jane Jameson, Book 2)
Nice Girls Don't Live Forever (Jane Jameson, Book 3)

Genre: Light/Comedic Urban Fantasy
Series: Aisling Grey, Guardian, Book 2
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle

3 Stars
Aisling's Made Some Progress, But There's Miles To Go

After finishing the first in Katie MacAlister's Aisling Grey, Guardian series, You Slay Me, my biggest complaint was the heroine/bumbling nitwit Aisling herself. I thought You Slay Me was technically sound, with a fast-paced...though chaotic at times...plot that delved into a world that had some really nice glimmers of originality and a whole heck of a lot of laughs. I was counting on those aspects to pull me through my lip-curling distaste of Aisling during the second installment of the series in the hopes that I could stick it out until Aisling started to grow up and wake up a bit.

Right up until the last chapter or two of Fire Me Up, book two in the series, I was intensely satisfied that they did just that. I was truly enjoying it, and was quite happy bopping along with Aisling and the lovable Jim, the mysterious Rene, the sizzling Drake, and a few other new and not-so-new faces. I thought the plot was a bit less frazzled than in the first book and the laughs were still there. Sure, I wasn't thrilled with Aisling, she was still way too immature, unrealistic, naive, and frustrating, but she was far more palatable a character than she was in the first book, and actually had shown some growth and brief flashes of maturity.

Then...much like Aisling's life every time you turn around...it sorta went to Abaddon in a hand cart. I'm not going to explain exactly what she did or said that turned me off so much, but I will say this - I sincerely hope the character learns the difference between being betrayed by someone and allowing a lack of clarification to be misleading. And if, by some miracle, she does grasp that concept, perhaps she could also learn just how contemptible it is to be such a bloody hypocrite and turn around and betray her own very clearly sworn oath moments later.

I'm sorry - I know there are people who absolutely love Aisling and think she's fantastic. And maybe I'll be one of them eventually. I'm not now. I think she's an utterly self-absorbed and whiny child whose behavior - when viewed against the backdrop of Drake's careful political maneuverings to keep his entire species from war - seems pitifully shallow and grotesque in its gauche lack of maturity. I have absolutely no clue what Drake sees in her, actually, and that's seriously damaging any of the romance aspects of the plot. In fact - I'm not seeing any romance. I'm seeing some hot scenes with two characters that connect on an elemental level...not an emotional one. Drake's not without his own flaws, either. He's stubbornly reticent on the subject of his feelings for...well...everything. Including his mate. That makes him seem unsympathetic, inflexible, and domineering. Not really seeing a love match there. And if I didn't dislike Aisling so much right now, that might bother me a lot more than it does. I can only hope she grows up and becomes worthy of her dragon mate, because honestly, if I were a dragon, I'd have eaten her by now.

Genre: Light/Comedic Urban Fantasy
Series: Aisling Grey, Guardian, Book 1
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle


3 Stars
Hilarious and Frustrating Both

You Slay Me by Katie MacAlister is one of those books that are hard for me to review. On a technical side, the story is well written. It's a fast, hilarious read with an interesting world that's slickly - and quickly - explored. And the secondary and ancillary characters were a hoot. The plot is interesting and kept me reading into the wee hours. So yeah, strictly in a technical way, the book is good. My problem is the main character, Aisling Grey.

This is strictly a personal opinion and a particular reading preference, but I have a significant problem with heroines who are as brainless as Aisling. She wasn't just naive and clueless (though there's sure a wealth of that), but the actions she took - without the first clue about the scope of repercussions - were insultingly dense. And the "oops, I'm sorry, I didn't know" excuse just doesn't cut it for me personally. I've read lots of books where the heroine starts out as clueless as Aisling and have gone on to enjoy the development of the character as a series progresses, so I'm not without hope here, but for this particular book, I just don't like her.

And really, it wasn't just the stupidity, or the naivety, it was also the fact that she just wasn't very nice a person. It really bothered me that she kept referring to Jim as "it" instead of "he" - and yeah, I know, he's a demon, but heck, he was harmless. And for someone who didn't even believe demons or the otherworld existed just days previous, she sure objectified Jim quick enough. Not to mention one more threat to neuter him and I would've taken the snippers to my own eyes. If you're gonna threaten a demon doggy with castration through the whole book, at least vary the theme a little.

Drake is another one I had a problem with. Well, the relationship between him and Aisling, anyway. It was an interesting and unique plot point - they're mated first, without knowing or trusting or even liking each other - but I prefer (again, this is a personal preference) to have a relationship develop during the course of the book, and he just wasn't in it enough for that to be the case...and when he was, he was sort of this tall, dark, mysterious tool who didn't give her any credit, either. I ended up being more interested in and intrigued by the blue dragon wyvern who just had a couple of scenes of face time. Now, maybe that's because Drake's behavior relates to his culture and mating rituals, but I didn't get any of that explained in this book (not much more than him making a comment about dragons liking their mates fighting), so it decreased my enjoyment of this book. If in the next book, that's resolved or starts to be resolved, then the series as a whole may be more likable for me.

And I will continue the series, at least for the next book. There were parts of this book that made me literally laugh out loud and like I said, I've read the start of other series in which I loathed the heroine, and yet enjoyed the series as the heroine grows into her role. I don't loathe Aisling...I just didn't like her or her choices. I hope that's how this series goes, because it's almost impossible to make me literally laugh out loud when I'm reading a book and I got some very good chuckles throughout this one.

Genre: Light/Comedic Urban Fantasy
Series: Casa Dracula, Book 1
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle

2.5 Stars
I Was Hoping for a Happier Hour

Oh, boy, I have a mix of reactions to this one, so please forgive me if this is a little all over the map...

There are aspects of Happy Hour at Casa Dracula that I enjoyed. The blend of erudite literary references mixed with the lead character Milagros' zany internal monologue was entertaining. The relationship between Mil and Edna was fun. I enjoyed Oswald and his family, and my favorite part of this book was the second half, during Mil's stay with them. I didn't mind the first person narrative - I'm familiar with it, and technically speaking, there were no inconsistencies in the "voice" of the story throughout, so it was at least satisfying on that level.

Unfortunately, there are also several aspects of the book I didn't like at all. I thought the beginning was tedious and during the entire first half of the book, I found Milagros to be vapid and shallow. I had a hard time warming up to her at all, and then when I finally started to, there were a few things that tripped her up again. Overall she was okay, but not someone I could easily relate to or sympathize with.

As for the more technical aspects, I thought the story was original, but not necessarily all that interesting, and the tone sort of slid between tongue-in-cheek humor and an attempt at some mild suspense and action that was tied up too quickly and was regrettably anemic. I would've preferred it not be included at all, actually, or if it had been more focused and fleshed out. My biggest complaint is one I've had in other series, and I'm coming to realize it's an actual reading preference. I don't like books whose main character is either incidental to the action or the action goes on around the main character, as was the case with Milagros and the CACA (and I'm not even going to mention the issue I had with that acronym) goings on. Paradoxically, the fact that Milagros was instrumental in the end of that particular plot point was even more discordant to me and the quick conclusion was unsatisfying and confused as a result. This particular complaint is more personal preference than critique, however, so take it with a grain of salt. All in all, the first half of Happy Hour at Casa Dracula was a two star read and the second a three star. I took the average.

Genre: Light/Comedic Urban Fantasy
Series: Immortality Bites, Book 1
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle

3 Stars
I Wanted To Really Like It, But...

Bitten & Smitten starts with a familiar and amusing premise that I happen to enjoy - a quirky, sort of socially gawky girl meets tall, dark, and fangy and romantic hilarity ensues. Unfortunately in this particular book, the lead character, Sarah Dearly, is a wee bit too frustrating to be quirky and the hilarity fell flat. It starts with Sarah being buried in a graveyard by her blind date and goes downhill from there. I still have no idea why her erstwhile suitor had to bury her, as the other two turnings that happened in the book didn't seem to require graveyards, but as the erstwhile suitor ended up shish kabobbed shortly thereafter, and the rest of the story was laden with some unexplained stretches of intelligence, too, I'm not going to make that big a deal out of it. Unfortunately, the sequence of successive horrors that Sarah kept tripping into didn't serve to amuse me as much as I'd hoped, and a couple put a strain on my intellect.

I was hoping for a light, engaging read that gave me a few chuckles, and I suppose I shouldn't be too disappointed, as two out of three isn't that bad, but given that the one that missed was the "engaging" part, I ended up feeling a little unsatisfied. I had a hard time warming up to Sarah, though admittedly, she did appear to have the right intentions for the most part, and by the time I did warm up to her, other things were going on that just annoyed me. I don't want to spoil anything, but come on, how long have vamps been around? And they can get together to socialize but haven't figured out that working together to fight against the threat of hunters just might be a bit more effective than the "walk around until you get staked" plan? Uh...right. And it takes the recently fired executive assistant to tell them that? How are they not extinct already??

I admit to having a prejudice against plot points that are outside the bounds of common sense because it does a serious number on my willing suspension of disbelief, and there were just too many things in Bitten & Smitten that pushed that button for me to be able to rate the book any higher. I'm not giving up on the series, because there were aspects of the story I did enjoy, but my patience won't last if the second book is of a similar vein...no pun intended.

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: The Fever Series, Book 4
Formats: Hardcover, Kindle, Audiobook/CDs, Mass Market Paperback

5 Stars
Wow. Just...Wow.

I had a plan. It was a good plan, really. Knowing what I knew of the Fever series, I thought it was even a wise and sage plan. See, I stumbled across Darkfever (Fever Series, Book 1) not too long ago when it came up as a free Kindle download. I didn't like it. No, that's not exactly true. I thought the story was interesting and I had a very Jerry MacGuire, he-had-me-at-hello experience with the wildly wicked Jericho Z. Barrons. But....I vehemently opposed MacKayla Lane's continued existence. I hated her. Hated. Her. She was every stereotypical self-absorbed, brainless southern belle cliche rolled up into one nagging, whining and very pink ball. She was my first awful brush with a lead character that I thought was truly TSTL...and as Darkfever was my first introduction with Karen Marie Moning's work, I was certain just why Darkfever was offered to unsuspecting readers at the bargain-basement price of $0.

The only reason I even pondered the second book, Bloodfever: The Fever Series (A Mackayla Lane Novel), was the aforementioned Jericho Z. Barrons and the belief, judging by the Mac's narratives in Darkfever, that MacKayla Lane wasn't going to stay TSTL. And she didn't. Thank hell. To make a really long and totally boring story (mine, not Moning's) as short as I can, I ended up liking Darkfever enough to know that I would continue with this series, and paid closer attention to some of the reviews for the following books.

I wouldn't say that Darkfever and Bloodfever ended on cliffhangers, exactly, but I had noticed they really didn't have an encompassing story arc that was concluded at the end of each of them. I found out why. Moning has intended from the beginning to give this story to readers in a five-book increment. The Fever series is not like Moning's other works. They are not encapsulated stand-alone stories with a thread of over-all series arc running through them. This is, in fact, one monster epic of grand proportions - with war, death, magic, mystery, hate, betrayal, love, loss, family, friends, enemies, and all manner of frustrations and triumphs...split into five pieces.

Not everybody likes that. I understand why, I really do. Spending X amount of dollars on five books to tell one story could be a bit of a put off, especially in these trying economic times. That being said...I've read four books now...the expense is totally worth it. TOTALLY. Yes, one story=five books. But each book is a masterpiece of plotting and pacing that I couldn't even see just by reading the first in the series. Like Mac, I was TSTL - with a very narrow world view - and like Mac, as each book has progressed, I've learned more and appreciated more, and come to understand just what a truly amazing gift this series is for avid readers and fans of the genre.

Not everyone's going to like it - that's okay. Some people even feel really cheated out of their money. I can even understand that, though I agree with some reviewers who indicated that since it's been well elucidated by author and reviewers alike exactly how these books are set up, that starting to read it uninformed, or going into it informed and still complaining, shouldn't really result in a criticism of the author's decision to write them and publish them this way.

Personally, I love it. I love everything about it. I even love (though perhaps a bit wryly) those glimpses of the TSTL Mac that we occasionally see through Faefever (book 3), glimpses that seem to morph into more of a cautionary tale in Dreamfever, where Mac has been put back together (with some Jericho Z. Barrons assistance) but perhaps with too much blood under the bridge, so to speak (there's nothing as innocuous as water left in Mac's world by that point), to ever be even a shadow of her former amateur-sleuth-Barbie self.

Every single one of these books are filled with a layered plot and rich, full storytelling. Complex, thoroughly original, indescribably imaginative, and driven by a cast of characters that are intensely detailed (if often inexplicable) and utterly real, the Fever series, and Dreamfever in particular, is a frustrating and fantastic delight.

And that leads me right back to my good - nay - brilliant plan. Following Bloodfever, I knew I was at risk of burning through all four published books only to be left languishing for almost a year for the conclusion, so my plan was to read just a chapter or two of Faefever: The Fever Series and Dreamfever at a time, between other books. That way I could stretch out Faefever and Dreamfever for at least a few months, seriously cut down the wait time to the last book. It...really was a solid plan...a piece of cake.

And that brilliant plan didn't last six chapters into Faefever. Not only did I completely blow off that other book I was reading, I hit the end of Faefever, quickly downloaded Dreamfever, and kept racing through Mac's and Jericho's world with, dare I say, fevered intensity, only to come to a screeching and scream-filled stop as the last page of the book slammed into my mind and chest with the force of a Hunter on a rampage.

My plan? I still say it was brilliant, darn it. It was just...well...utterly usurped by the ever-growing intensity of Karen Marie Moning's Fever series. Ripped to shreds, really. And devoured like so much Unseelie flesh.

What is truly brilliant is Dreamfever and the Fever series in total. Amazing. Really.

Genre: Light/Comedic Urban Fantasy
Series: Jane Jameson, Book 2
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle

4 Stars
Jane's a Funny, Funny Girl...For a Dead Chick

Poor Jane. She's got the bridesmaid dress from hell, a dead great aunt with a penchant for getting some ghostly nookie in her living room, a mother who refuses to come to terms with her less-than-alive status (and still foists food off on her at every chance), a grandmother who's a black widow - maybe, a sister who loathes her, a boyfriend/sire who keeps disappearing for weeks at a time with suspicious reasons...when there are any, and a best friend who's begun to make some disturbing sexual and emotional advances on her - despite his engagement to a werewolf (whose family could eat him). Oh yeah, and she's a vampire.

Jane's life is like a cross between an I Love Lucy special and an episode of Punk'd. And it's hysterical at times. Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men is a definitively original, character-driven narrative of life on the other side of a pulse for the ex-librarian and slightly geeky Jane. It's not always easy, it's not always comfortable, but she's making do with what she has as she comes to terms with it all. And man, her inner monologue makes me laugh.

I personally enjoyed Harper's first Jane book, Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Book 1), just a wee bit more, though this one was funnier. I just prefer books with a bit more of a story-driven plot and this one was light on that. That's a personal preference, though, not a critique, because without a doubt, Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men is one of the funniest books I've read in a very long time.

The few critical issues I have with the book is centered around Jane's family. I hate them. I really, really do. I think her mother needs to get her head out of her a....er...nether regions and her sister needs to have a house dropped on her - or a tree (can we get Gabriel to do that? I've heard he's good for that sort of thing). I'm not sure why Jane hasn't smacked the stupid out of her sister and I'm not sure why her Dad hasn't gotten control of his wife - and the fact that he hasn't tried and goes around looking helpless about it doesn't exactly warm him in my estimation). I also had a problem with Gabriel's comings and goings and how Jane dealt with it - or doesn't. There wasn't any true development of that relationship because he just wasn't around enough, and when he was it seemed very uncomfortable for him and Jane. Left me feeling sort of weird about their whole relationship.

I can't stress enough, though, that this book is perfect for a laugh. If you like your comedy reading with a bit of a bite and don't mind a Seinfeld-esque story-about-nothing, I highly recommend the Jane Jameson series. It's an absolute charmer.