Review: Big Game

Title: Big Game (The VV Inn ~ Book 3)
Author: C.J. Ellisson
Publication Date: April 21 2012
Publisher: Red Hot Publishing
ISBN: B007WMTZIC
Length: 302 Pages
Link to Synopsis: Goodreads
Source: Purchased (Kindle Edition)
Buy It: Amazon US / Amazon UK

My Rating: 5 Stars

As with the other two books I continued to enjoy this story. 

This was also told from different points of view of each of the main characters. Unlike in the second book where the story was passed off to each person seamlessly... This was a little different because the group was in two different locations. This made for quite a few cliffhangers and it urged me on to not want to stop reading so that I could get back to the cliffhanger scene to see what was happening. I do not find this type of storytelling confusing and had no trouble keeping up with who's head we are in at that moment. 

 I will be on the lookout for any future books in this series.

Review: The Hunt

Title: The Hunt (The VV Inn ~ Book 2)
Author: C.J. Ellisson
Publication Date: June 30 2011
Publisher: Red Hot Publishing
ISBN: 0987704257
Length: 300 Pages
Link to Synopsis: Goodreads
Source: Purchased (Kindle Edition)
Buy It: Amazon US / Amazon UK

My Rating: 5 Stars

Really enjoyed this book! The main difference between book 1 and book 2 is that this book is told from the view point of a few character and with each chapter is switches, it was very clever and smart.  The story was seamlessly passed between each person and I had no trouble keeping up with who we were with at any given point. From seeing what Rafe and Jonathan truly think about each other, to inside the mind of Paul who was recently turned, it was very enlightening. Asa was a joy to learn more about, as was Drew.

I would highly recommend this book as a follow up to the first and I actually enjoyed it more. Will now be reading the third book in this series.

Review: Vampire Vacation

Title: Vampire Vacation (The VV Inn ~ Book 1)
Author: C.J. Ellison
Publication Date: October 10 2010
Publisher: Red Hot Publishing; Second edition
ISBN: B008K4PMSI
Length: 298 Pages
Link to Synopsis: Goodreads
Source: Purchased (Kindle Edition)
Buy It: Amazon US / Amazon UK

My Rating: 4 Stars

This was a very fun read! 

I did enjoy the characters and will be reading the next two in the series. I am giving it four stars simply because I did sometimes find that Vivian was a little hard on people and found myself having to re-read a section or two because she would all of a sudden get upset with somebody and I was afraid I had missed something. Even if the question asked of her was a simple question she would sometimes gets very irate with the person. Maybe this is just showing her personality.

But I would suggest it to anybody who enjoys Paranormal Romance.. and I will be the first to say Rafe is hot!

Review: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Title: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Author: Stieg Larsson
Publication Date: September 16 2008
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
ISBN: 030726975
Length: 465 Pages
Link to Synopsis: Goodreads
Source: Purchased (Kindle Edition)
Buy It: Amazon US / Amazon UK

My Rating: 3 Stars

Started slow, picked up a bit, went slow again, picked up a bit again and then went slow again.  This is in a nutshell was how I felt about this book.  It is an odd thing to say that a book is 'heavy' but that is exactly how it it can be described and no I am not referring to it's physical size.  I really had to push myself to finish it because there were just so many words.  I know, I know... it's a book of course there are words but not normally this many words.  Pointless words that could easily be cut out. Not sure if I will be reading The Girl Who Played with Fire to be honest.

However, I would strongly suggest this to anybody who enjoys crime thrillers with very detailed descriptions of every last tiny detail.

Review: Fifty Shades Freed

Title: Fifty Shades Freed (Fifty Shades of Grey ~ Book 3)
Author: EL James
Publication Date: January 19 2012
Publisher: The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House
ISBN: 1612130607
Length: 551 Pages
Link to Synopsis: Goodreads
Source: Purchased (Kindle Edition)
Buy It: Amazon US / Amazon UK

My Rating: 5 Stars

Review to come.

Review: Fifty Shades Darker

Title: Fifty Shades Darker (Fifty Shades of Grey ~ Book 2)
Author: EL James
Publication Date: September 15 2011
Publisher: The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House
ISBN: 1612130585
Length: 546 Pages
Link to Synopsis: Goodreads
Source: Purchased (Kindle Edition)
Buy It: Amazon US / Amazon UK

My Rating: 5 Stars

I am completely and utterly in love with Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. I am in a word captivated by their love story. I have become very protective over these stories and find myself feeling like I must defend it against those who have given them bad reviews. I read the negative reviews and wonder how people can so greatly differ in opinions in regards to such a beautiful story. But as they say, this is what makes the world go around. I for one am very happy that I am part of the "I love it" camp as even thinking about these two characters brings a smile to my face and this must be a good thing.

In Fifty Shades Darker we see a 'younger' Christian. We finally see a shy smile, his boyishness and of course his need to protect Ana at all costs is at an utmost high. I did find myself yelling at my Kindle a few times when it came to Ana. I didn't catch myself doing this in part 1 but a few times she irritated me to no end. She is not one that should be allowed to say that Christian is moody, she is in my opinion more moody than him in part 2. Yes he is exhausting with his need to protect her, see I do not use the word control because I do not see it like that. This is a man who is haunted by his childhood. He was not protected, he has found love and now he wants to protect that. However, by the second half of the book she proved herself to me yet again and the annoyance I was feeling eroded away. Ana has just as hard a time as Christian when it comes to believing that the other could love them.

I also hate myself for saying this but I dislike Kate. She annoyed me in part 1 and even more so in part 2. Thankfully she was not around much, however for the brief moment she is I wanted nothing more than to slap her. I know she is Ana's friend but I just want her to mind her own business.

There are so many parts of this book that I will always remember. I have honestly laughed out loud, I have found myself holding my breath during tense scenes, I have smiled until I feel silly at doing it and I have cried. I have honestly lost how many times I have cried during Fifty Shades Darker. Christian's story affects me, it is really as simple as that. And being able to see him overcoming all he has gone through, to fight for his right to love and be loved. Well, lets just say it is a beautiful thing to witness. When he knelled before Ana, afraid of her running... it was so heartbreakingly sad and beautiful at that same time.

I could not praise these books any higher and am so thankful that I decided to read them. I was hesitant to start as when I would ask others what they were about the only answer given to me was 'sex'. These books are about so much more. There is sex yes (and lots of it) but it is those moments that help define these two people. Those moments have so much changed from part 1 into part 2. It shows how they are changing and growing with the help of each other.

I am now off to start the final part, Fifty Shades Freed. I am both excited and saddened by this. I can not wait to immerse myself yet again in their lives but feel I will be quite sad when there is not another book for me to start.

Review: Fifty Shades of Grey

Title: Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades of Grey ~ Book 1)
Author: EL James
Publication Date: May 26 2011
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 1612130291
Length: 362 Pages
Link to Synopsis: Goodreads
Source: Purchased (Kindle Edition)
Buy It: Amazon US / Amazon UK

My Rating: 5 Stars

When asked about this book there are two responses. They are either "I absolutely loved it" or "I absolutely hated it". The question is, which category do you fall into? It really is that black and white, there is no grey (pun intended).

Which category did I fall into? I absolutely, positively loved and adored this book. My emotions completely ran the gambit while reading it. I laughed, gasped, smiled (many times) and even cried.

So why is it so black and white with Fifty Shades of Grey? The negative reviews seem mention the writing style of E.L. James. Honestly this did not seem to phase me at all, I even went into the book with this thought in my mind. Yes there are repetitive moments and I do believe Ana says 'Oh My...' a few too many times but then at the end of the day it didn't really bother me all that much. As this book is being told by Ana and we can all admit she is a very naive, innocent girl, I felt the style of writing was actually how Ana would be speaking and thinking in her head. I have never known myself to say 'Oh My...' but when I think of the situations that she found herself in I could see how this is a thought that would be in her head. So again, I was not at all phased by the writing or the style, I found it very easy to read and it flowed nicely.

Are the characters believable? In the world they have been written into... yes. Is it all that believable in the 'real world'... probably not. This is a work of fiction and therefore you are allowed to enter it's world and forget about your own for a little while.

Does this book have sex? Of course it does, you probably wouldn't be reading this review if you didn't already know that. Is this book only about sex? Absolutely not. This is a love story. A love story between a shy, self conscious girl and a broken, messed up boy. But I have faith they will help each other as the story progresses and that they will be happy. Am I a hopeless romantic? Yes Sir I am!

What can I say about the main characters... Christian and Anastasia (Ana)? I love them. It is that simple for me. I love them. I love how they interact with each other and found the eMails back and forth very funny. I love how one moment there is giggling and happiness and then the next it is all moody and thoughtful. I love how you can see them both growing together, helping each other and I want nothing more than for them to ride off into the sunset together.

Review: Wuthering Frights

Title: Wuthering Frights (Dulcie O'Neil ~ Book 4)
Author: H.P. Mallory
Publication Date: April 29 2012
Publisher: Self Published
ISBN: 1477406794
Length: 235 Pages
Link to Synopsis: Goodreads
Source: Purchased (Kindle Edition)
Buy It: Amazon US / Amazon UK

My Rating: 5 Stars

** SPOILER ALERT ** 

Dulcie, Dulcie, Dulcie... What have you got yourself into?!

Let me start off by saying that yet again H.P. Mallory has outdone herself. Immediately picking up where Great Hexpectations left off we are able to dive right back into the life of Dulcie O'Neil. This time around however she is up to her eyeballs in it, once leading the life of a Regulator -Think police officer, now finding herself being forced to be one of the bad guys.

I honestly felt for Dulcie in this book, yeah yeah I know she is a fictional character but it just goes to show how great of a writer H.P. Mallory is. Dulcie is being forced to end it with her one true love, Knightly Vander... she can't let her friends in on what is happening and it all seems hopeless.

I have to say that I am so glad she did not fall for Quillan in this book. As they are now both working on the same side it would have been easy to start a relationship with him but she knows who she loves and stuck by that.

Now saying that... one thing you do learn from this book is to not tick off Knight! He is one upset Loki! The scene toward the end of the book with Dulcie and Knight was almost uncomfortable to read. I just wanted him to believe her so much, I wanted him to take her in his arms and just hold her. She has been through so much but then I guess so has he. I can see where his anger is coming from and can even see how the puzzle is fitting together in his head. But surly what Dulcie is saying can easily be proven with a phone call to his friend Gabriel as he would prove what she is saying about going after the Head of the Netherworld after she was released from Prison. Or maybe a quick call to Caressa? I am sure the 5th in the series will start off exactly where this left off as thankfully all of H.P. Mallory's books seem to do. I can only hope that by that time Knight has seen the light and begs for Dulcie's forgiveness for not believing her.

H.P. Mallory announced recently on Facebook that the 5th in the series will be titled 'Malice in Wonderland' and will be released in November 2012. That seems like ages away but hopefully it will go very quickly so that we can all get our Dulcie, Knight and Bram fix!

Review: Great Hexpectations

Title: Great Hexpectations (Dulcie O'Neil ~ Book 3)
Author: H.P. Mallor
Publication Date: October 28 2011
Publisher: Self Published
ISBN: 1470086115
Length: 245 Pages
Link to Synopsis: Goodreads
Source: Purchased (Kindle Edition)
Buy It: Amazon US / Amazon UK

My Rating: 5 Stars

In my review of A Tale of Two Goblins I had said that the ending had left me wanting more and was hoping that Great Hexpectations would pick up where it left off. I was not disappointed in the slightest. In fact the only way I can describe the first 20% of this book is by saying... WOW! Or as Dulcie would say, Holy Hades!

This book was non-stop from the first page. Unlike the other books which took place on Earth this book took us into the Netherworld. Although the Netherworld is just on another layer -think cake, it is completely different and very dangerous. Creatures also do not appear as they do on Earth which I felt was a welcome surprise. This of course meant Dulcie had a couple of unwanted sidekicks and Bram became even more delicious with his dark tanned skin and violet eyes. Of course Knight is already the most handsome man Dulcie has ever seen but even in the Netherworld he was all the more perfect. And looks are not the only thing different about the creatures of Netherworld... Bram's eating habits were also a nice addition.

I have found myself reading through all of the H.P. Mallory quite quickly. They are filled with such page turning fun and excitement that I find myself not being able to put them down even for a moment.

Now off to start Wuthering Frights, however I do not know what I am going to do after it is finished as it means I am completely caught up with all of the H.P. Mallory books. I will just have to sit and pine with all of the other fans! *sigh*

Review: A Tale of Two Goblins

Title: A Tale of Two Goblins (Dulcie O'Neil ~ Book 2)
Author: H.P.Mallory
Publication Date: March 21 2011
Publisher: Self Published
ISBN: n/a
Length: 246 Pages
Link to Synopsis: Goodreads
Source: Purchased (Kindle Edition)
Buy It: Amazon US / Amazon UK

My Rating: 5 Stars

Another excellent book by H.P. Mallory and a great sequel in the Dulcie O'Neil series.

I really do enjoy the grittiness of this series. The language that is used, the stories that are told, the seedy underbelly of crime... Dulcie may be a Fairy but she is one bad ass Fairy that can kick your butt if needed. The characters have flaws and are not perfect and it is nice to see those cracks in the surface every now and again. H.P. has found a way to blend all of the above with just enough sexual tension and humor to make for some outstanding books.

Oh.. and what an ending?!? Talk about being left high and dry wanting more. Thankfully I can immediately start the next book in the series which is Great Hexpectations because if I had to wait after that steamy scene to see what happens next I would be very sad.

As always, I very strongly recommend anything by H.P. Mallory, she has turned into one of my favorite authors in a very short time frame. Her books are such a fun to read and truly do leave you craving more.

Review: To Kill a Warlock

Title: To Kill a Warlock (Dulcie O'Neil ~ Book 1)
Author: H.P. Mallory
Publication Date: July 3 2010
Publisher: Self Published
ISBN: 1453791760
Length: 210 Pages
Link to Synopsis: Goodreads
Source: Purchased (Kindle Edition)
Buy It: Amazon US / Amazon UK

My Rating: 5 Stars

I had a really hard time trying to figure out what to read after I finished up the Jolie Wilkins series. When you get caught up or finish reading a series you love it is as if a good friend leaves your side. I am so glad I chose to immediately start the Dulcie O’Neil series.

Dulcie is a strong independent fairy who works as a Regulator -think police officer but for the Netherworld creatures not for humans. It was wonderful to see such a strong female lead, I'm not saying that that Jolie Wilkins is not strong, it just seemed different. Because of Dulcie being in law enforcement the the way she speaks takes on a much gritter overtone which I enjoyed. When somebody flirts with her there is still a bit of swoon but she doesn't let it cloud her original purpose which is catching the bad guy. Of course there is still plenty of sexual tension and this is one of the things that makes H.P. Mallory such a great author. You get drawn into the situation with the characters, you want the moment to proceed further... willing it on and then when it stops you end up agreeing with the decision made and you hurry to read on to find out what happens next.

The characters were all very interesting and I did fall in love with Dulcie. I'm so happy there are 3 more books for me to read and from what I have heard there is a fifth in the pipeline. Thank Hades!